# MonStar's Journal: Strong & Lean



## M.J.H. (Jun 10, 2004)

Decided to change up things quite a bit this time around here in my journal. I am going to continue doing the same program, SF's version of Westside basically. And the program honestly isn't going to change all that much at all. Here is the most updated version of what I am doing: 




> *Lower Body 1 (deadlift)*
> Deads/GoodAMs (sometimes we'll do speed work): to a 1RM (always mix it up)
> Compound Assist: high/low (pick any leg lift you like. leg press, SLDL, etc)
> Legs: 4 sets of 6 (prefer hamstrings here, hypers maybe?)
> ...


What is going to change radically is my diet. I am going to be doing a somewhat modified version of NHE, to drop some flab. I honestly have just been letting my bodyfat get somewhat out of control lately. Even though I am training for strength there is no reason why I cannot be strong and lean, at the same time. 

NHE, to those of you who are unfamiliar, stands for a book called "Natural Horomonal Enhancement" by Rob Faigin. The book IMO is absolutely wonderful. The diet in a nutshell is basically Atkin's style all of the time, and then roughy every 3rd or 4th day I will have a refeed. On a refeed day basically the day is normal for the most part and then at night I will refeed on low-fat, high-carb foods for 3-4 hours. It's basically a chance to pig out on carbs without eating a lot of fat at all. Usually its a lot of fun, to be completely honest. 

I wanted to add the NHE website to those of you who would like more info: 

http://www.extique.com/

My strength I am hoping will still progress, especially since with the M1T, and since I am also taking SAN's V-12. Another thing that I want to add is that even though I may not be taking in carbs, I will still be keeping my calories high, that's for sure. Going to be eating a lot of fats and proteins. 

Feel free to post comments, questions, suggestions, etc. 

---Added a starting pic. I weighed 228.5 lbs. today.


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## Monolith (Jun 10, 2004)

_Another_ journal? 

Good luck, bud.


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## Rocco32 (Jun 10, 2004)

Are you trying to lose me? Everytime I subscribe to your journal you get a new one. I can take a hint Mike!!!


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## PreMier (Jun 10, 2004)

Good luck man.


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## gwcaton (Jun 10, 2004)

You cannot escape from Rock !

Good luck with the diet ! You don't need luck with the exercise part I think you have that down.


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## GRIFF (Jun 11, 2004)

haha, mike mike mike, what are we gonna do with you. welp, good luck buddy


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## ncgirl21 (Jun 11, 2004)

Good Luck  .  I'm doing a low carb diet right now and I'm going to do refeeds every four days or so, so I'm curious as to what you decide to do.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 11, 2004)

*Monolith:* Yeah, another journal, diet radically changed, had to create a new one. 

*rock:* Nah, not trying to lose you at all bro, lol. I enjoy your posts here in my journal. Sorry about having to subscribe all over the place! 

*PreMier:* LOL, thanks man.  

*gwcaton:* Thanks so much man, really means a lot. It's definitely a diet that I am familiar with, and I usually do not have much of a problem sticking with it for whatever reason. I guess just because I can always look forward to the refeeds, etc. 

*GRIFF:* Thanks man. 

*Andrea:* Wow, nice to see that someone else is on a low-carb diet right now as well. I am guessing that I'll be doing refeeds every few days like that. I havn't honestly given it all that much thought at this point. I usually try and go on no/low carbs as long as possible at first to get my body as far into ketosis as possible before refeeding.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 11, 2004)

16-10-2004
​
*Lower Body 1*


*Conventional Deadlifts:* 
135x3, 225x3, 275x2, 315x1, 365x1, 405x1, 455x1, 495x1, 545x1, *625x1!* 

*SLDL:* 
405x4, 405x4, 405x4, 405x4, 405x4, 405x4 

*Hyperextensions:* 
95x6, 95x6, 95x6, 95x6

*Parallel-Grip Cable Pulldowns:* 
200x6, 200x6, 200x6, 200x6

*Stiff-Arm Cable Pullovers:* 
120x12, 120x12

*Hammer Curls:* 
60x8, 60x8

Good workout tonight, especially considering that I was running on absolutely no carbs at all. I am really going to try and keep my training intensity up since I am running on pretty much no carbs at all. Started off working up to a 1RM pulling conventional. Worked up to 625, definitely a big PR there. 20 lbs. more than my previous PR. Had one of the powerlifters at my gym watching my technique the entire time. Definitely good to use for motivation. Never had anyone yelling at me to get it up either. So 625 definitely came up strong. 

Moved onto 6 sets of 4, SLDL, which completely f*cking destroyed my lower back and hamstrings. Really really good sets. After the SLDL I moved onto hypers, which were just torture. My lower back was so friggin' gone I had nothing left. Good sets though, did the hypers Zercher style, really really good. After the hypers I did some cable pulldowns which smoked the sh*t outta' my lats. Used a shoulder-width parallel-grip which I really liked. Some pullovers and hammers, and I was done. 

Diet: 
- 3 scrambled eggs + cheese, 4 slices bacon
- tuna + mayo 
- whey protein postworkout
- chicken & beef garden salad 
- 3 hot dogs, low-carb ice-cream 

Diet was pretty good today I think. It is really tough eating low-carb style again especially since I am so used to eating carbs. I think that I should get used to it pretty easily though, as long as I keep my fat intake up. 

Sleep: 8 hours. 

Weight: 228.5 lbs. 

I am currently in a M1T cycle, at 10mg per day, and I am just about ready to bump this dosage up to 15mg per day. I am about 6 days into the cycle, I believe.


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## Rocco32 (Jun 11, 2004)

So your not worried about No carbs messing with such a heavy w/o schedule? Are you going to be doing any cardio or just weights and diet? What are you parameters when doing this diet, all protein and fat is game or do you try to stay with Lean protein? How often are you eating? After your post w/o meal, how long till you eat your next meal. Sorry for all the questions, my diet is up in the air right now and I'm trying to figure out what to do with this new lifting program.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 11, 2004)

*rock:* I am somewhat worried but not really, honestly. Strength gains for the most part are due to CNS adaptation. So I think that cutting carbs may hinder some of my accessory work maybe, but in terms of my 1RM's, I think I should be fine. We'll see what happens obviously. The diet is Atkin's style, basically just fats and protein, very very low-carb. I try to eat another meal after my postworkout meal within 2 hours, if possible.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 11, 2004)

6-11-2004​
*Upper Body 1* 

*Flat BB Presses:* 
135x3, 185x3, 215x2, 245x1, 275x1, 305x1, 335x1, 365x0

*Tate Presses:* 
80x4, 80x4, 80x4, 80x4, 80x4, 80x4

*Cable Pressdowns:* 
200x12, 200x12

*Seated DB Presses:* 
70x6, 70x6, 70x6, 70x6

*Nautilus Lateral Raises:* 
180x12, 180x12

Pretty good workout today, although I missed 365 on bench.  I really thought that I was going to hit it today. I went to the gym with tons of energy, really focused, etc. I am not sure why I missed it. My spotter said that I was only a couple of inches from locking it out. I think I got about 3/4's of the way up with it. I just hit a wall right before lockout. Fought the wall that I hit for 4-5 seconds my spotter said and just couldn't finish. F*ck. Oh well. 

Tate presses were pretty good I think, my left elbow has still been giving me some trouble. Whatever. 6 sets of 4 with the 80's, not too bad at all. Pressdowns were good, too. Used the entire stack for 2 sets of 12. Triceps were beat. Seated DB presses felt great, very strong. I think its time that I bump these up to the 75's or 80's for 4 sets of 6. Laterals were good, nice overall workout. 

Diet:
- 2 scrambled eggs + cheese, 3 pieces of bacon 
- whey protein postworkout
- salted peanuts 
- Atkin's bar
- ham & cheese
- 4 hot dogs + cheese
- garden salad + Ranch dressing
- low-carb ice-cream 
- tuna + mayo 

Diet was pretty good today I think. I am really honestly having no problem at all with this low-carb eating so far. I probably ended up taking in roughly 30g of carbs today I would say. Something along those lines. 

Sleep: 7.5 hours.

Weight: 226 lbs.

Today is day 7 of my M1T cycle. So starting tomorrow I am going to bump my dosage up to 5mg 3x per day. Hopefully my gains will really start to take off in the next week or so. We'll see what happens.


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## greekblondechic (Jun 11, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> ​ Diet:
> - 3 scrambled eggs + *cheese, 4 slices bacon*
> - tuna + mayo
> - whey protein postworkout
> ...


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## X Ring (Jun 11, 2004)

What kinda cycle are you running your M1t for?  I am sure it was posted in your other jounal but I didnt catch it.


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## Monolith (Jun 11, 2004)

LOL

Mon, are you still eating breaded chicken too? 

And dont worry about the bench, man.  If you came that close to locking it out, youll have it for sure in another week (especially since youre on M1T).  Just beat the crap out of your tri's.


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## Saturday Fever (Jun 11, 2004)

You're supposed to be working up to a 3RM on bench on Upper1. We want to train the lower portion of the ROM on that day. 

 Workouts look good. Definitely need to focus up on lockout strength apparently. On your next bench day set the pins a bit below where you were freezing. Work up to a weight you can do for 2-3 reps and do as many sets of 2-3 as you can until your arms fall off. Drop the shoulder work this time around and just do triceps accessory work afterwards.


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## Sapphire (Jun 11, 2004)

Hey Monstar!!

As far as your diet, isn't going into ketosis a BAD thing?  I thought that was when your bod starts burning MUSCLE??
Be careful with that Atkins diet... my Dad did it and damaged his kidneys.  He was on it for months though.... 

Good luck Hun!!


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## atherjen (Jun 11, 2004)

Heya Mikster, better late than never, but good luck with the new diet. I hope it works for you. Personally if I was _you_..Id go with the NHE as you did have great sucess with it before eh. You honestly dont have far at all to go with dieting really!  
anyways Congrads on the dead PR!!!   Hope your strength stays up while dieting!


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## Saturday Fever (Jun 11, 2004)

I just had an epiphany after seeing Jen's beautiful face after so long. Look for a post in the training forum.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 11, 2004)

*greekblondechic:* LOL, well, somewhat hard to stick to. 

*X Ring:* I am going to run the first week 5mg 2x per day, the 2nd week 5mg 3x per day, and then the 3rd week 5mg 4x per day. If I do a 4th week, which I am currently trying to decide, I will probably run 5mg 5x per day depending on how well I tolerate it. We'll see what happens. 

*Monolith:* No more breaded chicken for me. Kinda' sucks, lol. Yeah I came pretty damn close to 365 I think. So hopefully next time around it won't be a problem. Thanks for the post. 

*SF:* Yeah I know what you're saying man. I am not sure that I should have tried testing my 1RM or not today. I felt great, but obviously I was not ready. I guess I should have waited and consulted with you before testing for a 1RM huh?  

Okay so my next bench day you're recommending that I start off the workout with high/low lockouts? And then moving onto all triceps accessory work? Ouch my triceps are going to be screaming, lol. Sounds good though man, I will definitely be doing that. What do you think about me starting off with regular suspended bench (bar touching chest) to a 1RM first, and then high/low with lockouts? I havn't done suspended bench in forever and would like to see what I can press from the bottom position. 

BTW, how did my progression look? Did 135 and 185 for 3, and then 215 for a double, then increasing 30 lbs. did singles up to 365. Look okay? 

*Cyndi:* Hey there, thanks for stopping by. Well, ketosis is somewhat controversial IMO. I mean I have read a lot of information saying that when you're releasing ketones in your blood it's ideal because you're burning fat instead of carbs. But the opposing argument is that you're also burning lean tissue at the same time. With the regular refeeds that I will be doing on NHE I don't think it will be much of a problem at all. Thanks again for stopping by, appreciate it, and the new avatar is distracting, as usual. 

*Jen:* Hey, welcome back! Nice to see you posting here in my journal. I really hope that my strength stays up while dieting as well, we'll see what happens. Funny you say that about NHE, because I actually decided to go with NHE again. It worked better for me than any diet ever has, and fit perfectly because I could pig out twice a week (which we all know I love to do). Overload my system 2 days a week with tons and tons of carbs.


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## Saturday Fever (Jun 11, 2004)

1. Your progression looked fine.
 2. No don't do anything but start with the lockout work.
 3. Greeky's new avatar is proof that she's absolutely gorgeous.


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## Saturday Fever (Jun 11, 2004)

Now then, your damn diet. 

 Your CNS can't burn fat. Keep that in mind as you burn all the carbs away. Your're robbing your CNS of the only fuel it is able to burn.


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## Rocco32 (Jun 12, 2004)

When you do your refeeds twice a week, do you do an all day refeed? And do you watch what carbs your taking in like clean carbs as opposed to bread, bagels, pasta etc... or do you just eat what you want?


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## M.J.H. (Jun 12, 2004)

*SF:* Okay man, I think I understand what you're saying about my CNS and fat burning. We'll see what happens. I am going to be having very very high-carb refeed meals approximately 2x per week. So I am sure that's going to help keep my muscle glycogen somewhat refilled. Obviously not as filled as a regular high-carb diet but I think it will be much more beneficial than an all the time low-carb diet. And I'll definitely do the high/low with lockouts on my next bench day. 

*rock:* When I do my refeeds twice a week I do not do an all day refeed. Its basically just a few hours (usually 3-4) where I pig out on tons of low-fat, high-carb foods. It's always a lot of fun because I eat a ton of kid's cereal, skim milk, Healthy Choice ice-cream, etc. Just really take in as many carbs as I can tolerate, honestly.


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## Rocco32 (Jun 12, 2004)

Interesting. Maybe I'll have to give that a try. I've always done Carb cycling, but I want to save that for competition next May.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 12, 2004)

*rock:* Yeah man, a great diet. Check the link that I posted in the 1st post of this journal. It's really a great diet IMO. I have had great success with it in the past as well.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 12, 2004)

Day 4
6-12-2004​
*Lower Body 2*

*Suspended Squats:* (deep)
135x3, 225x2, 275x1, 315x1, 365x1, 405x1, *435x1!* 

*Leg Presses:* 
1020x4, 1020x4, 1020x4, 1020x4, 1020x4, 1020x4

*Nautilus Lying Leg Curls:* 
180x8, 180x8, 180x8

*Parallel-Grip Cable Rows:* 
290x6, 290x6, 290x6, 290x6 

*Nautilus Pullovers:* 
240x12, 240x12

*Crossbody Hammer Curls:* 
70x8, *90x6!* 

Really good workout today, intenstiy was friggin' great, focus was right on, overall workout was absolutely awesome. Started off today with suspended squats, did them today a few inches deeper than I did last time. Only got 435 out of the hole, not bad at all IMO. 435 felt strong too I might add. Very slow coming up, but no pain, and my technique felt good. Moved onto some heavy leg presses, 6 sets of 4. Really beat the hell out of my quads, not too bad at all. Really exhausting sets today to be completely honest. 

Hit some leg curls, and some seated rows with the entire stack. Not too bad at all IMO. The seated rows really hit my mid-traps hard, too. Moved onto some pullovers, 2 sets of 12, and the some very intense hammers. My last set set with the 90's of crossbody hammer curls was BALLS TO THE WALL. Really went crazy during this set. Beat the sh*t outta' my arms. 

Diet: 
- whey protein + heavy whipping cream
- ham & cheese omlette, 2 sausage links
- garden salad + Ranch dressing 
- whey protein postworkout
- fried steak + cheese + mayo 
- grilled chicken ceasar salad
- low-carb ice-cream
- 2 hot dogs + cheese

Diet was okay today. I am really started to get used to this low-carb way of eating and it's honestly not bad at all. Hot dogs, eggs, sausage, etc. Makes it so easy to stick to. Now I remember why I enjoyed this diet so much before. 

Sleep: 6 hours. 

Weight: 224 lbs. Weight has been dropping steadily, probably just water weight. I am not concerned at all.

Today is my first day of M1T at 15mg. I am going to be keeping this dosage for a week.


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## GRIFF (Jun 12, 2004)

gah....what can i say, 90 lbs hammers? ridiculous, great strength mike, keep it up.


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## JerseyDevil (Jun 13, 2004)

Hi Mike.  Good looking program.  I realize it's a modified Westside but I'm curious, why did you omit speed work with bench press?  I've done a couple of Westside type workouts, and so far I'm impressed.  A nice change of pace.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 13, 2004)

*GRIFF:* Thanks for the support man. Keep in mind that those are not standard DB hammer curls, they're crossbody, so I can use a bit more weight. I take each DB to the opposite pec. For example when I curl up with my left hand I take my left hand to my right pec, with my palm facing my body. Make sense? 

*JerseyDevil:* I am honestly not sure why, I think just because speed bench isn't effective, but I am not 100% positive. Most people who have done Westside for an extended period of time feel that speed deadlifts are worth it, and even speed squats, but speed bench is just a waste.


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## M.J.H. (Jun 13, 2004)

Day 5
6-13-2004​
*Rest*

Took a rest day today, basically for my left elbow and because I think on low-carbs my recovery is definitely slowed some. Just judging by my DOMS, etc. Anyway, I am going to do some cardio tonight I think, maybe some sprints outside, or something along those lines. We'll see what happens. I am heading down to the beach so whatever I feel like doing basically. Maybe even running on the beach, that always beats the sh*t outta' my calves. 

Diet: 
- EAS low-carb bar
- 2 cheeseburgers
- 2 hot dogs + cheese 
- mixed nuts
- ? 

Sleep: 7 hours. 

Today is my 2nd day of 15mg of M1T. So far I am feeling pretty good at this dosage. But it's definitely too early to say.


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## JerseyDevil (Jun 14, 2004)

MonStar said:
			
		

> *JerseyDevil:* I am honestly not sure why, I think just because speed bench isn't effective, but I am not 100% positive. Most people who have done Westside for an extended period of time feel that speed deadlifts are worth it, and even speed squats, but speed bench is just a waste.


I'm glad you said that.  I tried speed bench in two workouts, and I didn't feel I got anything out of it. That's why I asked.  Speed box squats on the other hand seem to work well for me.


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## Rocco32 (Jun 14, 2004)

So Mike and Jersey Devil, you think I'm wasting my time with Speed Benches? What else should I do on DE Bench day then?


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## Saturday Fever (Jun 14, 2004)

Speed bench is certainly NOT a waste of time. It is a critical part of powerlifting for newcomers to this training style. You have to set aside the old mentality of feeling like you worked something when you talk about speed work. Speed work is all about speed. The ability to get the bar from the bottom of the ROM to lockout in 1 second or less, no matter how much weight you have to sacrifice.

 Here's why. Speed work trains your ability to be explosive. You get the bar off your chest on your ME day because you're exploding upwards through your sticking point.

 Everyone try this. Load 85% of your 1RM on the bar. Lower it slowly to your chest and raise it slowly to lockout. Make it a good 7-10 second count from chest to lockout. Its going to feel a LOT heavier than usual. Now do a normal rep with it, exploding up as fast as you can. It will feel like 85% this time.

 Fast twitch fibers hold more explosive strength than slow twitch. Exploit that. Be explosive.


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## HomeYield (Jun 14, 2004)

I think speed bench is worth it.  Especiallly when training with bands.  If nothing else, I'll wrap the bands around my wrists to work on pulling the bar apart.  

With the speed bench you have to have a totally different mind set going into it.  It helps, but only if you let it, and take it seriously.


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