walraven
07-09-09, 12:40 am
Pick it up and move it!
What's up guys? I've been lurking around here for a while. I'm amazed everyday by the info I'm able to find. The long ass stuff below is my journey from May '08 to now (July '09). I am grateful to have surpassed several goals, and look forward to continuing to do so.
May 2008-May 2009
A friend asked me to start working out with him. Little did I know what it would lead to. We began just doing some odds and ends routines. That developed into 3 days a week of fairly structured work outs. In November '08 I got sick and had to take 2 months off from training. Came back in January '09. Started using several Animal routines. My schedule never coincided with my partner's, so I was forced to work alone until May '09. During that time I saw some big gains/losses. You see, when I started in '08, I was 260lbs, 40in waist, and miserable. In 12 months, I had dropped to and maintained 225lbs and a 36in waist, an I felt stronger than ever. I hadn't yet began to measure my PR's, because I was working alone. However, that changed very quickly.
In May '09, I was finally able to begin training with my partner again. He kept telling me about a workout that he wanted to try. Said I'd like it. The workout involved using weight releases. Some of you may know what I'm talking about. If not, they enable you to overload the bar for your first negative rep. When the releases touch the floor, they and the weight on them, fall to the ground. This leaves you with a lighter bar to do your set with. This is great for learning to handle heavier weight. We determined that we both could do 335 as our 1-RM's. So we added an extra 40lbs for a total of 375. I These were our bench sets for the next 8 weeks. The first # is weight for the 1st negative rep.
1- 375/275 3 sets x 5 reps 275 x 4 reps
2- 375/275 3 sets x 5 reps 275 x 5 reps
3- 375/285 3 sets x 5 reps 285 x 5 reps
4- 375/295 3 sets x 5 reps 295 x 4 reps
5- 375/305 3 sets x 5 reps 305 x 5 reps
6- 375/315 3 sets x 5 reps 315 x 5 reps
7- 375/325 3 sets x 5 reps 325 x 5 reps
8- 375/335 3 sets x 5 reps 335 x 4 reps
That was the core exercise in our upperbody work out. We've only able to hit the gym 2 days a week. Mondays are squats or deads, and Wednesday is chest day. Anway...On week 9 (July 1, 2009) we decided to try for new PR's. My benchpress jumped from 335 all the way to 405! Although not listed here, my deadlifts went from 485 to 525 and my squats from 455 to 495. My partner's didn't see the same gains, but our supplement/food regimens are different. I feel like those variables played a big role in the outcome of our quest.
My main supplement staples are Pak, Stak, & Uni-Liver. I also use Shock Therapy on the days we train. My diet could be much cleaner, but cutting has been low priority lately. I've been getting 250-300 grams of protein a day. Not real sure on the fat and carb count because I haven't really taken the time to count them. My partner uses Pak only, and just eats whatever.
When we started this routine I was 228lbs on May 1. When I weighed after we finished our PR's, my weight was 240lbs. That's 12lbs gained in 2 months, and lost another 1/2 inch from my waist.
This is the beginning...more later.
What's up guys? I've been lurking around here for a while. I'm amazed everyday by the info I'm able to find. The long ass stuff below is my journey from May '08 to now (July '09). I am grateful to have surpassed several goals, and look forward to continuing to do so.
May 2008-May 2009
A friend asked me to start working out with him. Little did I know what it would lead to. We began just doing some odds and ends routines. That developed into 3 days a week of fairly structured work outs. In November '08 I got sick and had to take 2 months off from training. Came back in January '09. Started using several Animal routines. My schedule never coincided with my partner's, so I was forced to work alone until May '09. During that time I saw some big gains/losses. You see, when I started in '08, I was 260lbs, 40in waist, and miserable. In 12 months, I had dropped to and maintained 225lbs and a 36in waist, an I felt stronger than ever. I hadn't yet began to measure my PR's, because I was working alone. However, that changed very quickly.
In May '09, I was finally able to begin training with my partner again. He kept telling me about a workout that he wanted to try. Said I'd like it. The workout involved using weight releases. Some of you may know what I'm talking about. If not, they enable you to overload the bar for your first negative rep. When the releases touch the floor, they and the weight on them, fall to the ground. This leaves you with a lighter bar to do your set with. This is great for learning to handle heavier weight. We determined that we both could do 335 as our 1-RM's. So we added an extra 40lbs for a total of 375. I These were our bench sets for the next 8 weeks. The first # is weight for the 1st negative rep.
1- 375/275 3 sets x 5 reps 275 x 4 reps
2- 375/275 3 sets x 5 reps 275 x 5 reps
3- 375/285 3 sets x 5 reps 285 x 5 reps
4- 375/295 3 sets x 5 reps 295 x 4 reps
5- 375/305 3 sets x 5 reps 305 x 5 reps
6- 375/315 3 sets x 5 reps 315 x 5 reps
7- 375/325 3 sets x 5 reps 325 x 5 reps
8- 375/335 3 sets x 5 reps 335 x 4 reps
That was the core exercise in our upperbody work out. We've only able to hit the gym 2 days a week. Mondays are squats or deads, and Wednesday is chest day. Anway...On week 9 (July 1, 2009) we decided to try for new PR's. My benchpress jumped from 335 all the way to 405! Although not listed here, my deadlifts went from 485 to 525 and my squats from 455 to 495. My partner's didn't see the same gains, but our supplement/food regimens are different. I feel like those variables played a big role in the outcome of our quest.
My main supplement staples are Pak, Stak, & Uni-Liver. I also use Shock Therapy on the days we train. My diet could be much cleaner, but cutting has been low priority lately. I've been getting 250-300 grams of protein a day. Not real sure on the fat and carb count because I haven't really taken the time to count them. My partner uses Pak only, and just eats whatever.
When we started this routine I was 228lbs on May 1. When I weighed after we finished our PR's, my weight was 240lbs. That's 12lbs gained in 2 months, and lost another 1/2 inch from my waist.
This is the beginning...more later.