# M.J.H.'s Journal: Walking On the Westside!



## MJH (Mar 31, 2006)

*M.J.H.'s Journal: Walking On the Westside!*

Most of you know me from before, I'm actually a member from way back. In case you don't know, 22 years old, 5'11", 220-225 lbs. give or take depending how my diet is, lol. Bodyfat is right around 10% or so, and I'm training on a program called Westside (that I'm sure you guys are familiar with). Its a powerlifting program and even though I'm somewhat in between bodybuilder/powerlifter. 

My basic Westside split is this:

1- ME Squat/Deadlift
2- DE Bench
3- Rest
4- DE Squat/Deadlift
5- ME Bench
6- Rest​
The program again is tried and true and I do not question its effectiveness at all. I've done it in the past here and its worked wonders, as a matter of fact. Please feel free to post comments/suggestions/support/questions, etc.


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## Seanp156 (Mar 31, 2006)

Nice to see you back Monstar, hopefully you'll stick around... I tried Westside a while ago and liked it pretty well.


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## MJH (Mar 31, 2006)

*Seanp:* Hey man, thanks for stopping by, and its great to be back. I decided to post on another forum for a while, but of course I always come back to IM. Great environment, great group of people, and I'm glad to be back. My girlfriend is going to make a name here on IM as well, since she supports my workouts/diet like crazy.


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## MJH (Mar 31, 2006)

Day 1
3-31-2006​

*ME Squat/Deadlift* (35 minutes, 13 sets) 

Used the CAT technique for deadlifts today for my ME lift, and almost puked, lol. The CAT technique is something that Saturday Fever showed me back in the day its done with either 50/75/100 reps. And you basically do as many sets as it takes with a certain weight to get to that #. So for CAT 50 I used 315 lbs. on deadlifts and 5 sets to hit 50 reps. I took as little rest in between sets as I could, probably 1-2 minutes. Almost puked after those 5 sets, hence why my accessory work today sucked. 

*Deadlifts* (CAT 50) 
135 x 3
225 x 3
*315 x 17! PR*
315 x 12
315 x 9
315 x 7
315 x 5

*BTN Cable Pulldowns*
4 sets of 6 with 160

*Abcore Crunches*
2 sets of 20 with 45

My accessory work today in the gym was honestly a joke, nothing more. After the CAT 50 with deadlifts I had absolutely ZERO energy left. I wanted to lay down in bed and go to sleep, lol. My lower back/hamstrings and my glutes/traps was absolutely destroyed. I'm not looking forward to my DOMS tomorrow. And tomorrow me and a friend of mine move into our townhouse so I definitely have my work cut out for me tomorrow, lol. 

Diet: 

- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal preworkout
- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal postworkout
- soy chips
- MRP bar
- raw almonds
- 4-5 tbsp. peanut butter

Sleep: 7 hours. 

Weight: 224 lbs. 

Up like 5 lbs. for some reason, just got back yesterday from a trip and I pigged out last night. Didn't think I'd end up holding this much water. Whatever, oh well, I'll lose it in the next few days I'm sure.


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## Cold Iron (Mar 31, 2006)

dammmmn look what got dragged in. what up bro?


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## MJH (Mar 31, 2006)

*Cold Iron:* Hah, I knew I was going to see some familiar faces in here. Not too much is up man, same old same old. Working at a bank still, new girlfriend actually. Only been together a month but feels like 5 years, lol. When you finally find the right person you really know it, you can feel it. Workouts are good, been on Westside actually for about a month now kept a journal on a different forum. New PR's as of late are +225 for a single in dips, pulled 585 for a double off the platform, hit 385 on decline for a single, etc.


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## soxmuscle (Mar 31, 2006)

Still having problems with that binging?  Did you ever see professional help?


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## MJH (Mar 31, 2006)

*soxmuscle:* Actually not at all man, thanks for asking. For the longest time I couldn't break the habit but as of late I'll diet for a month or so and then have a cheat night, like yesterday. But that was my fault. I was traveling back from Mississippi with the girlfriend and decided after finally getting back, to smoke a little pot on the way home from the airport. Well that was stupid because I was planning on working out about an hour later. Of course I was too high/lazy to workout, so me and the girlfriend went to Taco Bell and had some Chinese, too. Along with a candy bar, lol.


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## Seanp156 (Mar 31, 2006)

Shit... BW+225 on dips


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## yellowmoomba (Mar 31, 2006)

Seanp156 said:
			
		

> Shit... BW+225 on dips



THATS a lot of weight!!!!

 

Welcome back


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## LexusGS (Mar 31, 2006)

welcome back hommie.


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## CowPimp (Mar 31, 2006)

Welcome back.  Doing 50 reps of deadlifts is some crazy stuff.  I think I might have to try that CAT technique sometimes; that looks brutal.


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## DeadBolt (Mar 31, 2006)

whoa whoa whoa what the hell is this shit...first few posts and a fuckin PR...thats bullshit!

Big mike hows it hangin bro!  Glad to see ya back missed ya in these parts!!!  

You damn pot head....what did I tell ya about that shit....bad munchi food...taco bell will give ya the shits gotta go with wendy's...or at least thats what I do   oops did I just say that lol


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## fufu (Apr 1, 2006)

Wow those are some 1337 deadlift numbers.


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## P-funk (Apr 1, 2006)

I never understood why it was called CAT?  CAT just stands for Compensatory Acceleration Training.  Basically that just means moving the bar as quickly as possible, ie the dynamic effort.  Why do you guys call ti CAT when you do a marathon of reps (50) for a given exercise?


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## CowPimp (Apr 1, 2006)

P-funk said:
			
		

> I never understood why it was called CAT?  CAT just stands for Compensatory Acceleration Training.  Basically that just means moving the bar as quickly as possible, ie the dynamic effort.  Why do you guys call ti CAT when you do a marathon of reps (50) for a given exercise?



Good question.  I just saw SF refer to this under than name; I never really questioned it I guess.


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## MJH (Apr 1, 2006)

*Seanp:* Thanks man, appreciate it. FYI, I also hit +180 for 3 sets of 2. I would like to hit 5 plates (+225 lbs.) for more than just a single. 

*yellowmoomba:* LOL, thanks man, appreciate it. 

*LexusGS:* Thanks man.

*CowPimp:* Dude, the CAT technique is amazing. It really is brutal, though. After doing it I usually can't do much accessory work at all. Especially on such a compound movement like deadlifts its ridiculous. 

*DeadBolt:* Yeah when I'm on Westside I usually set a ton of PR's, actually. Hopefully it will be the same this time around, too. We'll see how things go. I'm going to try my best to keep my diet on point this time around. Lately I've been good, I just have to get back into the swing of things. For the longest time I was doing great and then I splurged and decided to start back with day 1 again. 

*fufu:* Thanks man, appreciate it. 

*P-funk:* LOL, I have no idea at all how CAT got its name. From what I remember actually we couldn't think of anything else to call it, so we just used that. Kind of like the way me and Saturday Fever named benching starting on the bottom position "suspended" benching. Whatever that means, lol.


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## MJH (Apr 1, 2006)

Day 2 
4-1-2006​

*DE Bench* (60 minutes, 22 sets)

Decent session today, my bar speed could have been better, honestly. Whatever. 

*Speed Bench Presses*
8 sets of 3 with 135

*Dips*
4 sets of 4 with +135

*Seated French Presses*
4 sets of 6 with 125

*Seated DB Presses*
2 sets of 20 with the 40's

*Rope Cable Pressdowns*
3 sets of 10 with 100

*Bench Presses*
Bar x 118 

Not bad accessory work today at all, the dips were harder than ever today for some reason. I have no idea why, just felt a lot harder than usual. Then I did some french presses for the triceps and some OH presses, then finished with some pressdowns. Then benched the bar for 118 reps, not too bad at all, exhausting set. 

Diet:

- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal + fruit preworkout
- energy drink during workout
- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal postworkout
- 6" whole-wheat chicken teriyaki sub
- MRP bar
- raw peanuts
- chicken noodle soup
- 2% cottage cheese + non-fat yogurt
- 2 scoops of whey protein + skim milk

Sleep: 4 hours.


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## MJHsWiFeYCLH (Apr 2, 2006)

Hey CB... Just got home. Its crazy because I've been with you for so long and now I am home by myself :-(. Why haven't you written your cardio for today... and your diet. Wow your slacking! Come on I know your stance and this is NOT it. I love you and Dynamic Effort Deadlift tommorrow! At least this time we don't have stupid gym managers ruining your workout. Love you <3


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## MJH (Apr 2, 2006)

*MJHsWiFeYCLH:* Hey baby! I love your username on here its so cute, hah. I know it does feel weird being here without you.. I was slacking I forgot to update my journal all day. Too much running errands around with you! Yeah that gym manager in Mississippi was a total ass. You sound so cute saying DE deadlift tomorrow!


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## MJH (Apr 2, 2006)

Day 3
4-2-2006​

*Rest*

*Cardio*
15 minutes of incline walking, 3.8 MPH at a 6% incline + 10 minutes of cross-training on the Elliptical machine. Not bad at all, worked up a good sweat. Tomorrow I'm going to cycle off of Lipo 6 and back onto AMP, preworkout.

Diet: 

- 1.5 scoops of whey protein + skim milk preworkout
- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal + 2 tbsp. peanut butter + skim milk postworkout
- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal + 2 tbsp. peanut butter + skim milk
- 6 tbsp. peanut butter
- 2 bags of soy chips
- decaf coffee
- 2% cottage cheese + apple sauce
- teriyaki chicken wrap

Sleep: 7.5 hours.


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## MJH (Apr 3, 2006)

Day 4
4-3-2006​

*DE Squat/Deadlift* (45 minutes, 23 sets)

Solid speed work today, my explosion off the platform seems to be getting better and better, so no complaints in that respect. I'm going to try for a new deadlift PR sometime in the near future I'm just not sure when, yet. 

*Speed Platform Deadlifts*
8 sets of 3 with 275

*Maxicam Support Rows*
*3 sets of 5 with 210! PR* 
2 sets of 9 with 165

*Hyperextensions*
3 sets of 8 with 45

*Reverse Curls*
2 sets of 9 with 75

*Seated DB Shrugs*
3 sets of 15 with the 70's 

*Abcore Crunches*
2 sets of 20 with 55 

Really good accessory work today, nice PR on the support rows. Which are nearly impossible, by the way. I've done tons of different plate-loaded support rows and this one is by far the hardest. You're almost parallel to the floor with this exercise. 4 plates comes out to 210 lbs. since the apparatus is 30 lbs. with no weight. Hypers and reverse curls weren't too exciting. The seated DB shrugs were great, I absolutely love doing higher rep shrugs.

Diet: 

- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal + skim milk preworkout
- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal + skim milk postworkout
- whole-wheat tuna sandwich
- whole-wheat tuna sandwich
- ? 

Sleep: 8 hours. Slept great last night.


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## MJHsWiFeYCLH (Apr 3, 2006)

Looking good hun. It seems like your making a PR everyday on Westside. Thats amazing! <3


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## MJH (Apr 3, 2006)

*MJHsWiFeYCLH:* Thanks sweetie.. yeah that's the biggest reason that I stick with Westside, actually, the strength gains. I have been tempted to switch programs lately but the gains that I get in the gym from Westside blow away any program I've ever done.


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## MJH (Apr 3, 2006)

A quick picture/animation of the Maxicam rowing apparatus that I use. This isn't the exact one but its pretty close:


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## MJHsWiFeYCLH (Apr 3, 2006)

I know you have and I think to myself WHY? I've never heard you talk so much about a program, never had soo much faith behind it, and I don't feel like learning a new program or diet haha.


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## BigDyl (Apr 3, 2006)

We gotta meet up some time dude, you live close.


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## LexusGS (Apr 3, 2006)

Looks good hommie. I'm also on Westside and have been for a lil over a month. Love the program... I wish you luck in all you lifts bro.


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## DeadBolt (Apr 3, 2006)

Mike whats shakin bro!

Congrats on the PR!! Damn good work!  

Those rows are a supported Ybar row....thats pretty kewl and that a shitload of weight.  I use 2 plates for high reps but never factor in the actual lever which I should.  Your an animal!  

Yea man stick to westside I think your just made for it!  This fall I am going to give it a shot...I think my shoulder should be well enough by then after the injury to give it a go.  You better be around b/c I'll need some pointers


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## MJH (Apr 4, 2006)

*MJHsWiFeYCLH:* Haha, thats so funny. You don't feel like learning a new program. Yeah I don't know if I'm ready to change programs or not. Westside honestly I prefer to every other program out there. But sometimes its just so redundant, oh well.

*BigDyl:* Maybe, how close do you live? You could always stop by Gold's and give me some competition in deadlifts. 

*LexusGS:* Damn, I didn't know that. Another Westside user, huh? Do you keep a journal here?

*DeadBolt:* The next time I do the support rows I'm definitely going to do them higher reps. Because the way that I did them I actually didn't feel it as much as I would have liked. But it was nice for a change of pace, thats for sure. I'm looking forward to doing them again, they seem to be a great rowing exercise, overall. I totally agree that I am basically built for Westside, lol. I've never made such great gains on any single program, ever.


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## MJH (Apr 4, 2006)

Day 5 
4-4-2006​

*ME Bench* (40 minutes, 19 sets)

BLAH, shitty workout today. Was fighting with the girlfriend the entire time which completely distracted me. Started off with suspended bench, used a medium (shoulder-width) grip. Not too bad at all. Missed 325 twice for some reason, whatever. 

*Suspended Bench Presses* (bar touching chest, medium-grip)
135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 2
295 x 2
315 x 1
325 x Miss
325 x Miss

*Decline Bench Presses* (wide-grip) 
8 sets of 4 with 275

*Tate Presses* 
3 sets of 15 with the 45's

Cut my accessory work short today because I flat out wasn't feeling it today. Did 8 sets of 4 with 275 which was great, and I think that might have just burned me out completely. Finished up with some Tate presses and called it a day. 

Diet: 

- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal + skim milk preworkout
- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal + skim milk preworkout
- whole-wheat tuna sandwich
- 1% cottage cheese + non-fat yogurt
- whole-wheat tuna sandwich
- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal + skim milk + 6 tbsp. peanut butter
- 2 tbsp. peanut butter

Sleep: 6.5 hours.


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## DeadBolt (Apr 4, 2006)

Hey man dont sweat it....we all get em.  I use to love getting into arguments with my coiusin when we lifted together b/c it was so rare they were very intense and the weights just flew LOL...it was like therapy!

I'd still say it was a good workout though...job well done with tuffin it out!


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## Seanp156 (Apr 5, 2006)

Heh... I'd be more than happy w/ that workout.


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## MJHsWiFeYCLH (Apr 5, 2006)

why write about fighting... haha u loser... im sorry our fighting didn't give you any PR's today... usually i see something in red! anyways... thanks for the roses  i absolutely lovvee them! but where is your cardio from today... your SLACKING!! haha i love you though! Had an awesome time last night... Hopefully i'll see you soon! Have a good day at work! <3


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## MJH (Apr 5, 2006)

*DeadBolt:* Well working out honestly is a huge stress reliever, thats for sure. But at the same time if I'm arguing in the middle of the workout it isn't really much of a stress reliever, lol. Oh well, immature fights will fade with time. But overall the session wasn't too bad at all. My pecs are aching today because of the 8 sets of 4 with 275 on the decline. 

*Seanp:* Thanks for stopping by, buddy. And overall it wasn't a bad session, just could have been a little better, thats all. 

*MJHsWiFeYCLH:* Hey! Haha, I'm glad you liked the roses I thought they were really pretty. I always had a thing for fire & ice. Haha, I figured I had to have some kind of logical explanation on here for why my workout wasn't as good as it should have been. 

Its okay, sweetie, these little stupid fights and that seem like a big deal really won't matter in the end. Wait till tomorrow's session I'm sure that I'm going to have some red in my journal entry, but we'll have to wait and see.


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## MJH (Apr 5, 2006)

Day 6
4-5-2006​

*Rest*

*Cardio*
30 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill, 3.8 MPH at a 6% incline. Worked up a great sweat doing this today. Not too bad at all, I actually prefer incline walking to running, these days.

Diet: 

- 1 scoop of whey protein + coffee preworkout
- 1 scoop of whey protein + 1/2 cup of oatmeal + skim milk postworkout
- whole-wheat tuna sandwich
- whole-wheat tuna sandwich
- ? 

Sleep: 6.5 hours.  

Had to wake up to drive the girlfriend to class, not to mention we got stoned out of our minds last night, lol.


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## MJHsWiFeYCLH (Apr 5, 2006)

you know whats funny hun... our fight was about how we don't want to fight about stupid stuff hahahaha! god we r both so stubborn but i still love you haha... god its soo funny because if u saw us walking down the street you wouldnt think we smoked at all! lol yeah u will b having some PRs in there or ill kill you! jk <3


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## DeadBolt (Apr 5, 2006)

MJHsWiFeYCLH said:
			
		

> you know whats funny hun... our fight was about how we don't want to fight about stupid stuff hahahaha! god we r both so stubborn but i still love you haha... god its soo funny because if u saw us walking down the street you wouldnt think we smoked at all! lol yeah u will b having some PRs in there or ill kill you! jk <3


Damn stoners....the more you talk about it the more I crave it!  Every time a man tries to better himself someone always has to bring him back down 

Good job you two...those petty fights wont stop but they become less of a big deal...been with my girl few months over a year and we still have stupid arguments but they are settled in like 10 minutes LOL.


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## MJH (Apr 5, 2006)

*MJHsWiFeYCLH:* Hahaha, I know thats the truth. No I should have some kind of PR's in here tomorrow. It depends on how much sleep I get tonight, but I'm thinking about trying to pull 605 from the platform tomorrow. And I'd probably bring your camera to Gold's to make a video of it. We'll see, I've been pulling heavy a lot lately and I don't know if I should try for a new deadlift PR so soon.

*DeadBolt:* Hey man, lol, thats the truth. The petty fights already are starting to get resolved much much quicker than before. So were heading in the right direction. Its funny how something at the time can be SUCH a big deal but when you actually sit back and look at it you're like wow, why does that even matter? Happens to me all the time. 

Honestly though, bro, I'm so friggin' glad my girlfriend smokes because nothing is more fun than relaxing after work and smoking before bed. To me, its just the best stress reliever out there (and adding sex to the mix just makes for a stress relief combo). But anyway, I just have to make sure I keep my appetite under control when I smoke, makes it so easy to pig out.


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## DeadBolt (Apr 5, 2006)

M.J.H. said:
			
		

> *DeadBolt:* Hey man, lol, thats the truth. The petty fights already are starting to get resolved much much quicker than before. So were heading in the right direction. Its funny how something at the time can be SUCH a big deal but when you actually sit back and look at it you're like wow, why does that even matter? Happens to me all the time.
> 
> Honestly though, bro, I'm so friggin' glad my girlfriend smokes because nothing is more fun than relaxing after work and smoking before bed. To me, its just the best stress reliever out there (and adding sex to the mix just makes for a stress relief combo). But anyway, I just have to make sure I keep my appetite under control when I smoke, makes it so easy to pig out.


Yea it only gets easier but the girls always find a way to set ya off eventually.

Yea I hear ya...me and a few guys had a nice ending to our shift tonight lol....damn those munchies.  But yea I dont think there is anything more relaxing at all...and to top it with the nightly entertainment perfect...sounds like you got yourself a keeper!!


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## Triple Threat (Apr 5, 2006)

DeadBolt said:
			
		

> been with my girl few months over a year and we still have stupid arguments but they are settled in like 10 minutes LOL.



Yeah, but the make-up sex makes it all worthwhile.


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