Today was my 4th lifting day of the week and the first time in a long time that I've lifted for more than 3 days in a week and I am here to tell you that it was daunting at first.  It felt odd to be back at the iron for a 4th day.  I relied heavily on visualization and the results showed.  I managed to hit a personal best in my squat, hitting 265 pounds for 6 sets of 4 repetitions.  Let me explain to you exactly what I felt like as I approached this workout.

As I rolled into the gym I felt out of place because I knew I wouldn't be doing cardio, but would be doing my lifting yet again.  I was focused on the fact that it was the 4th day this week for me, something that hasn't happened in close to a year (I used to lift 5 days a week in the past). 

The very first scheduled exercise was the squat.  The squat rack is all the way in the back corner of my gym, so I strolled back that direction.  I stopped at the water fountain to fill up my 24 ounce bottle with water.  I started reviewing my workout log and considered what weight I should attempt today.  I noticed that I'd done 250 pounds on a previous (similar) workout format, so I immediately thought of doing 255 pounds today.

I got to the squat rack and loaded the bar with my warm up weight of 135 pounds.  I attached my Manta Ray to the bar and did my warm ups.  I got nice and deep and it felt wonderful.  When my warm ups were done I began to load up 255 pounds.  At the last minute I thought “Push yourself harder, you can do more” and so I added more weight to total 265 pounds. 

I stepped under the bar and positioned the weight on my traps.  I stood up and my first thought was “Damn, this is heavy!”  I descended into my squat and was able to get all the way down and pushed hard to drive back to the top of the movement.  1 rep was completed.  I found myself on the way down again and then back up.  2 reps completed.  This was followed by 3 reps and then 4 reps.  I re-racked the bar. I had just beaten my previous personal best by 15 pounds!

I finished 5 more sets just like this.  It was a total rush to push that weight.  I actually feel now like I could have done more and next time I work that exercise I'm aiming for 280 pounds.  The next time you see me do a 6 sets of 4 reps workout with squats, look for that 280 pound number or higher because I'm conquering that 300 pound barrier very soon!

Accountability Log:

Nutrition Log:

Workout Log:

I am still working on my good mornings and my Bulgarian split squats, but I managed to move up the weight by 20 pounds today and still maintain excellent form.

I also did my Flatten Your Abs Level 1 workout today.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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While at the gym today I saw a guy that I haven't seen in months.  He walked up to me and said “Dude, you are starting to get bulked up” so I asked him what he meant.  He says “Your shoulders are bigger and so are your arms, nice work!”  It made me feel validated.

I get alot of grief online and elsewhere because I follow the New Rules of Lifting training program.  People get on my case because they say that a full body split routine like that can't possibly put on mass, etc.  Well, last week I began thinking about changing my routine to a 3 day a week split that would have me training my body parts one time per week.  The proposed plan:

Sunday
Back/Biceps/Forearms

Deadlifts 3 sets
Lat pull downs 2 sets
V bar pull downs 2 sets
DB rows (1 arm) 2 sets
BB bicep curls 3 sets
Alt DB curls 3 sets
BB wrist curls 1 set
DB wrist curls 1 set

Tuesday
Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

BB Bench Press 3 sets
Decline DB bench press 3 sets
BB Military press 3 sets
DB side laterals 2 sets
Alt DB Front raises 2 sets
BB upright rows 2 sets
Close grip bench press 2 sets
Triceps push down 2 sets

Thursday
Legs/Calves

Squats 3 sets
Stiff leg deadlifts 2 sets
Standing calf raise 3 sets
Seated calf raise 3 sets

I wanted some advice so I posted this routine for a critique to one of my favorite body building sites.  The response I got back (from a respected member) really got me thinking.  I mentioned that this program was based off the Max-OT system of training.  This gentleman said:

“I'm not a huge fan of Max-OT training.. From what I've seen it usually goes one of two ways…. slight mass gains, usually from beginners or injury.. usually some type of shoulder due to the constant going to failure.

Regarding the routine… I'm not sure how well your muscular development is, but keep in mind, frequency is key with mass.. I don't think any given rep range followed for any period of time is going to induce a good hypertrophy effect. The muscle has to be continuously stimulated and damaged and when only using a particular rep range it's far too easy to stall on lifts and not continue with a solid progressive load.. Beginners respond well to maxot simply because they respond well to almost any program..

IMO.. Frequency, Progressive load, TUT and of course diet are 4 of the most important thing with any routine regarding hypertrophy.. leave on out and your progress may not stagnate but certainly will slow..

Again, without knowing your current muscular development makes it unclear as to how much the added isolations are going to help.. I certainly don't think anyone needs to work the calfs with more than one exercises.. and regarding delts.. unless you already have incredible delt development, a simple over head pressing lift will work them fine.. Same with pecs… the back is a little different simply due to the size and variety of muscles in the back.

My advice would be to train your body 3-4 times weekly, using a fullbody or upper/lower split with various rep ranges every two to three weeks. You're wanting to achieve muscle adaption. After about 48 hours the muscles start to un-adapt before being trained again.. In a nut shell, you're when muscles are trained once every week, their spending 5 or those seven days in a semi-anti-catabolic state.. “recovery”.. which is not at all necessary.. “

This got me to thinking about my past experience with lifting.  I would lift 5 days a week, working a different body part each day.  Invariably, something would get injured.  I'd tweak my neck or I'd pull something in my legs and that would slow my ability to lift.  This was something that I accepted as just part of lifting weights.  I never considered that the method I was using might be causing it. 

When I went to the New Rules of Lifting workouts all of this went away.  In addition, I managed to make better gains and I think alot of that was due to the ability to be consistent with my workouts due to a lack of injuries.  This is what kept me at it for so long.

So after considering all the facts, I decided what I needed to do was up the frequency of my training (as mentioned in the response I got above).  It simply makes sense to me to stick with the program that has been giving me good results.  At the same time, the routine that has been giving me results fits all the criteria for a great plan–continual changes to reps and sets to avoid adaptation and compound movements for maximum development of muscle. 

If I've learned nothing else during the past 112 days it is that doing what works for you is the best course of action that can be followed.  This is especially true of a lifting routine that is well-designed.  I've also learned that the way to build more muscle is to just continue working hard in the gym, but eating when not in the gym.  Eating enough is the key to growing larger.

Accountability Log:

Nutrition Log:

Workout Log:

I pushed extremely hard during my workout today because I always want to improve upon my last workout.  Today was no exception.

Anything worth doing is worth doing right, so when you hit the gym, give it your all.  Push yourself to the limit.  You will see results faster than you think possible.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Everyone embarking on a physique transformation hits a turning point at some point in time.  I believe that for me the turning point in my transformation so far has been my planning for this current mission.  I have decided to take things to a higher level and I am making it happen daily.  Because of those decisions made during the planning of this mission I can already see some additional physique changes just 11 days into the second mission.

I've always been skeptical of the ability of any one human being to change their body in such a short period of time, but I can't be skeptical anymore.  It is amazing how hard work during your workouts, finding the sweet spot in your nutrition and just plain grit can change your body in such a tremendous way.  That's another turning point for me.

I believe that when I've achieved the body I want, I will look back and be able to see each turning point very clearly.  They will be major milestones in my path towards success.  It took me a long time to get out of shape, so it is going to take a while to get back into shape.  In the end, I'm not looking for overnight success, I am looking for lasting success.  I am building a lifelong foundation that will carry me through to the end of my life.

(NOTE:  Today I start a new feature called “Word of the Day”)

Accountability Log:

Nutrition Log:

Workout Log:

Word for the Day:

The word for the day is intensity.  Intensity is something that pushes me through to the next day.  It is something that I live for when I'm at the gym.  Intensity is the fuel that drives my transformation.  Without it, I'm done.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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One of the more common things people ask me when they first start working out is how to increase the intensity of their lifting.  The answer is multi-faceted and deserves a careful examination because the intensity of your workouts will produce results in a proportionate fashion.

First you will need an understanding of periodization.  This is simply the way you organize your workout.  This involves both the daily workouts you do and how they are organized as well as the schedule you use for your workouts.

The idea is to slowly increase the difficulty of your training.  You push your body to its upper limits and then you take a step back and let it catch up with you.  This is a principle I learned from Optimum Anabolics by Jeff Anderson.  You actually gain more muscle in the easier weeks because your body is continuing to adapt to the heavier weeks.  The fact is that as you push your body it starts to expect it.  It will then even respond to lighter weights in the same manner as heavier weights, but only for a short period of time.

One way to push your body to the limit is to use volume loading.  This can be as simple as just increasing by 1 the number of sets you do each week.  You have to listen to your body carefully.  You are going to be pushing it harder and harder as you add sets.  Should you feel fatigued, you'd back down and take it easier to allow your body to catch up.

The next way to push your body to the limit is to use frequency loading.  If you wanted to rotate your frequency through a series of harder and harder frequencies, you'd start out during week 1 doing 2 workouts a week.  In each subsequent week you'd add a workout.  Finally, you would back down and let your body catch up when you had hit 5 to 7 workouts in a week.

The basic measurement of frequency is the number of training sessions for a given muscle group or lift per unit of time (ie. a week, a month, etc.).  Really, the key to frequency is recovery time.  I personally recover pretty fast.  I am generally fully recovered in 48 hours.  I've been following a 3 day a week training program where I cycle through my two workouts as follows:

Sunday — Workout A
Tuesday — Workout B
Thursday — Workout A
Sunday — Workout B
Tuesday — Workout A
Thursday — Workout B

That is giving me 96 hours of rest between workouts.  What I've discovered is I am fully recovered on Tuesday from the workout I did on Sunday.  This wasn't always the case for me.  However, in the interest of listening to my body, this is why I'm increasing my frequency.  My body is ready to be pushed harder and so I'm listening to it.  I am upping my frequency to 4 workouts a week. 

The premise behind upping my frequency is that I am going to push my muscles harder and they will grow more.  I will need to pay extra special attention to my body's need for rest during this time period.  However, by upping the frequency and using a volume loading scheme (as explained above) I am expecting even greater gains moving forward.

Accountability Log:

My M4 was late by 30 minutes so I gave myself a red mark for that meal.  All other areas went well.

I had asked a question on the Burn the Fat Inner Circle forum about the analysis of my results from the past 2 weeks.  I got an answer from Tom Venuto himself.  His advice was to see what results I produce this week.  If my fat percentage increases again I am to cut my calories.  Thus, my plan is to cut my calories by 5% each day if I do gain fat this week (for the second week in a row).

Nutrition Log:

Workout Log:

This was a fantastic workout today. I am still getting the feel for both the Bulgarian split deadlift and the Split good morning, so I have a much lower weight on those than I'm sure I'm capable of. 

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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Today is a high carb day and my calories are at maintenance.  I find it unbelieveable how much food I have to take in.  It takes alot to get to 3050 calories in a day!

I've posted some questions on the internet at sites that I trust the feedback and have been rethinking my plan to do my bulk with Max-OT.  I will probably stick with the New Rules of Lifting because the program is scientifically sound.  It has periodization and frequency issues built in.  It is pretty much a no-brainer and I like that about it.  I've gotten decent results with a caloric deficit and using that program and can only imagine what my results will be when I'm feeding myself enough.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, it is all about fixing the metabolism at this point.  Tom Venuto mentions upping your calories for a week as a means for fixing your metabolism and preparing it to dive back into fat burning (Information: Super Lean Secrets of Achieving Very Low Body Fat, Excerpt #1).  Honestly, I'm sick of the deficit.  I'm ready to increase my calories, so I'm slowly bringing them back up to the maintenance level each day.  The only day I “jump” high is on the high carb day (refeed) in the cycle.  That day is meant to be a maintenance calories day.

Now my newest challenge is the question “How important is the macronutrient ratio?”  Obviously, it is important, but is it important enough that you should hit it exactly?  Is it ok to aim for 55/35/10 and hit 50/40/10?  These are the answers I'm now looking for.  I feel like finding those answers will help me achieve the goals I have.

Accountability Log:

Nutrition Log:

Workout log:

One thing I do plan to change is the frequency of my lifting. I will now move to a 4 day plan of lifting.  I also think I'm going to join Lilla in the 3 days of cardio a week.  Something tells me that in this case, less is more. 

I did my push up video yesterday, but have not had the time to get it onto the computer.  I will take care of that tomorrow.

Until tomorrow…GET BACK TO LIFTING!

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