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View Full Version : Project Z. The path of a true beginner.



MaddMike
12-23-09, 12:55 pm
Well, I do want to start with a big nod of respect to all you who have paid your dues in sweat over the years. It cannot have been any easier than what I have gone through, and we all have our pains... So you are all my mentors...my motivators...

Allow me to start by introducing myself, and revealing a little bit about my "issues" in life and what has gotten me to the point where I am right now. And why I feel I am going to be a great case to follow concerning the "Z". Now, I'll warn you all, I can get long winded, off topic, and all sorts of stuff at times, but I'm going to do my best to keep this as streamlined and organized as possible.

I'm currently 37 years old, unemployed, and newly motivated. I played football in high school, and that was the last time I could consider myself a half ass "athlete". At this point, that is one of my regrets in life... I had talent, and a 4.4 40yd, but I was more of a stoner and had no discipline...I quit playing after 10th grade, and to this day I kick myself in the ass for not being on the team when they played in the state championship game at the Pontiac Silverdome.

So, I've spent since then basically morphing into a piece of crap. I tried to work out many times, but it left me actually sick and in pain for a week or more. I have actually missed work becasue I thought I was going to get in shape and then the next day I was wrecked. My friends always just said I needed more excercise, they refused to believe me when I told them that I could NOT exercise. My job as an auto mechanic became increasingly difficult, and at the end of the day I had nothing left for the family... In 2001, I had a good moment and won my first feature event racing oval track modifieds. SO I climbed up the fence and jumped off in a way that spun me in the air and landed me on my ass. I fractured 3 Lumbar vertebrae in the fall...you can hear the crack on the video tape...But I (of course) got up and did my driver interview and then climbed back into the window of the car to take it to "Tech"...

A few years later, I got a partial tear in a shoulder tendon. I was so weak, that catching myself in an awkward fall did that...

I finally got sick of all the shit. I decided to go back and whine more to my doctor about how I'm a lazy pussy and everything... Well, about 5 visits later and after a shit-ton of testing, I get a lab sheet that shows my Testosterone levels are about 50% of the LOW end of the range for my age group. Houston...we have a problem...

With that diagnosis and a prescription for Androgel, I decided to take the bull by the horns and reverse all this shit...I figured after 15 +years of being weak and feeling like shit, I deserve to have the next 15 years with power to flip cars (or something real cool like that).

I knew I couldn't just "head to the Gym"... I got on the net, ordered my first can of Animal Pak, and a 4 pounder of Whey and another of Casein. I did my research, and I knew that the Androgel alone would build me up quite a bit, and I just needed better nutrition. I could start working in a few extra trips up and down the stairs here as I was able...as a "Test". But I really didn't need to do any more Tendon damage or tear something else...

As a month or 2 went by, my body was doing just as I had expected. I was noticing a change in confidence, mental clarity, muscular strength, and I lost 20 lbs of Jelly donuts off my belly. All with just proper Test levels and better nutrition...This led to a very important turning point in my life...half of people think I'm crazy, the rest think I'm stupid...

...I had worked at a Chevy dealership for 10 years. The last couple of years were pure Hell..different management, co-worker issues...I was a pushover. The biggest problem I have had in my life as a wussie is that people walk all over me. I never had the energy or strength for much confrontation, and I failed to stick up for myself when I needed to...You folks know what happens to the "weaker dog", right? Well, part of my FULLY CONSCIOUS decision with this turning point in my life, was that it was time to stop being everyone's "bitch". I decided that when I'm getting screwed, I'm going to make it stop...That's it... Well, As I had figured, it isn't really possible to make that change in the workplace. People demand what they have gotten uysed to, and when you suddenly start sticking up for yourself, you become an asshole. So, I'm unemployed, totally broke, and I don't even WANT another job right now...That's how bad it got...

End of Chapter.

MaddMike
12-23-09, 1:15 pm
Ok, now comes the fight scene....

In the second can of Animal Pak, I started on Flex to hopefully get my back a little stronger. I also havn't run in a long time either...Again, I had a strategy to build up my systems before I tried to beat up my body and start injuring myself. Aside from these Sups, I was doing much better getting normal meals in me instead of BS and fast food.

I started an "at-home" workout routine, a little bit at a time. Mostly body weight exercises and whatever I could with the little bit of weight I own. I think my favorite "homebrewed" routine was sprinting up the stairs 3 steps at a time while carrying 10lb DB's.

Then I decided to up the supplements to my current List. I wll not modify this list once I get my can of the Z. Next- Supplements, Diet, workout routine. It was time to sign up at the Gym, and I was gifted a Log by a new friend of mine which turned out to be the key to my plan. I did my research every day, I found the HST programs which caught me with the "More with less" theories that I knew would be better that some kind of Killer HIT training that I am no-wehre near ready for.

Knowing that I could screw this program up super bad and still get huge gains, I designed my routine based on my injuries (no squats for me just yet). I decided to start this 12 week log with only ONE thing in mind...gain in muscle mass. Because I knew that everything else would come along with it...And because after 12 weeks, I want to see results...

End of chapter.

TheGreatWhite
12-23-09, 1:22 pm
Subbed on this one brothaa!! Do some damage in the weight room, hope you like the new product! I'll be following

Little Z
12-23-09, 1:44 pm
subbed for this bro.. its a good thing when i can feel the determination in a post.. stay strong brother..

MaddMike
12-23-09, 1:59 pm
Now to present-time. I don't think there could be a more perfect time to start this log for Project Z. Yesterday, after I found out I was selected, I went to the Gym for what ended my second week in the 12week log I started. It's perfect because of several reasons-

I have made gains in CNS muscle control. There were muscles in the first 2 weeks that I literally had no control over, and therefore could not work effectively.

I have found 15 rep maxes in all of my routine, therefore have just established consistency in my routine. Next week I start 10 reps for 2 weeks, then 5 reps for 2 weeks, then back to 15.

I know how bad it hurts still when I go back. Having a couple of weeks now, I know exactly how the workout affects my body, how I have felt every day, and how much it still burns when I get up and it's workout day again.

So, let's get to the good stuff. I'm like a little kid watchin for the delivery truck now... I can't wait to get on this!

Here's the Meat-

Supplements-

Animal Pak
Animal Flex
NO2 pre-workout (half dose)
Amino complex PWO
Enzyme complex 3x day
Milk Thistle complex 3x day
Creatine Mono 5gm/day
Fish oil 3x day
Calcium 2x day

Diet- in chronological order (and I'm not perfect with this yet, and it makes no sense to list time of day since I suck with schedules)

50+ gram protein shake (at waking)

1 serving Greensfusion (fruit and veggie powder)
1/2 cup Oatmeal with 2tbsp ground Flax seed
2 eggs

35 gram protein shake

Whatever I can rustle up for lunch

35 gram protein shake

1 serving Greensfusion

Whatever is for dinner

35 gram protein shake

50+ gram protein shake before bed

I often add unmeasured liquid eqqwhite to the shakes without really measuring.
Shake taken 1 hr before workout is always 50-75 grams of protein...
same for shake taken shortly after PWO Animos.

Workout- I use all machines right now except for 2 with dumbells. This will be fine until I get some real gains and find a lifting partner to spot. I list these in the order I do them, it took a few times of switching the order up to get things so I could make the most of it.

My schedule is every other day-whatever the term for that is...but stratight-up every 48 hours whether I want to or not. I do the whole body each time.

HST routine-15 reps 2 weeks, 10 reps 2 weeks, 5 reps 2 weeks
Dips (assisted)
Chins (assisted)
Leg Curls
Bench Press
Leg Press
Calf raises
Seated Cable Rows
Shoulder Press-dumbells
Standing upright rows- Dumbells

Core workout- end of routine 30 reps, 1 set each
weighted Back extension
weighted crunch
Torso rotation (30 each direction)

I'd love any feedbak on the routine and diet... As I stated before, I did a lot of research, and mostly I just know that the only thing that is truely important right now is #1 GOING #2 FORM #3 BREATHING... And if I do all that, I won't get hurt, and I will definately accomplish my goals.

So back to waiting for the Can to arrive. Did I mention that I'm really stoked?

Now the story telling is all over, and the rest is all sweat and determination. I'll keep it all right here for the reading. I ain't gonna quit.

Mike

C.Coronato
12-23-09, 2:02 pm
Your a born natural brother. Your turning your life around, and thats amazing. Keep rockin my man.

mritter3
12-23-09, 2:35 pm
cant wait to see what your thoughts on z are...subbed.

MaddMike
12-23-09, 2:36 pm
Thanks for checkin it guys.

Just a couple of notes-

One thing I like about the machines is that I would have to look and do, like, addition and stuff to know what I'm lifting...Kinda nice...I just use #12 for leg press, #9 for bench...I ain't gotta worry about the lb's...nor did I put them in my routine. Just the numbers.

I WILL, however, do the math so we can see the gains, track growth, etc. Growth is the thing that will be hard to gauge for a beginner...I'm going to grow a lot! So it's be hard to tell how much we can attribute to Project Z. I'm looking to report accurate data on 4 things-

#1 The effect of Project Z on my overall feeling of "well-being"
#2 The effect of Project Z on my body's ability to repair itself to lift again in 48 hrs.
#3 The affect of Project Z on any coincidental benefits such as decreased skeletal pain.
#4 The effect of Project Z on parameters #1, #2, #3 as I push the extremes even further than I have yet dared.

I will note anything relavent, but those items I think are where my experiences will be most beneficial. I am confident that Project Z will make a remarkable difference in size and strength as well. I will experience and enjoy those gains, however I will refer to the veterans for accurate information on those aspects of the product. It will be interesting to see the effects on those of you who are near a plateau...Or at least who aren't growing and adding weights every week like I am.

I put a REAL 1/2" on my Biceps in 2 weeks. A lot might be from "creatine loading" and stuff, but it's still solid and my skin is tight. But when I hold the body tape set at 22" around my 14.5" arm, my wife still laughs when I say "pretty soon baby"....Maybe she's right...That's why I don't have any real "size goals" yet. I've never seen myself with Muscle, so I don't know yet. I just want to be able to break things...you know...should the need arise.

Mike

em2_walsh
12-23-09, 7:37 pm
I wish you the best of luck, but I know you won't need it, because your motivation is amazing and I respect the hell of out you.

MaddMike
12-25-09, 12:08 am
Ok, the can didn't come today. E-train is the first one of the alpha group (other than the pros) to get his, I see he's over there on the E side..closer to the source.. I'll definately be checking his progress as well as the others.

Once I thought about it though, since the can isn't here, I wanted to put a few more tweaks on my routine to try and get the most out of it.

I failed to mention before that all of my HST excercises are 2 sets. Before today, I was doing both sets of each excercise back to back, 2 or 3 minutes apart. Well, on the second set, I kept having trouble. So, today I decided to stagger things up a bit. I'm lucky that I go where it isn't terribly busy, so I can run a couple machines at the same time. So, I was able to up some weights, do my 15 reps, and then go to a different muscle group before coming back to it again. I liked that.

Saturday is my last day on 15 reps. I got 5 of my exercises marked for weight increases. I think that staggering these sets around is goung to help me a lot. What do you guys think??? If nothing else, it allowed me to maintain a more consistant heart rate. By going to a different muscle group for each set, I didn't need to rest as long in-between.

One more punishing tweak session and I will have my routine, food, supps, and my mind... all ready to focus on the benefits of project Z.

Monday it's time for the next rep cycle... time to crank it up again and find my 10 rep max's. I don't expect it to get any easier from here, so it really keeps me stoked about this product, and this log.

Mike

MaddMike
12-27-09, 3:53 pm
I knew about the "training" of my central nervous system, from what I had read and from what I'd been told. Experiencing it at an accelerated pace, though, is something that is amazing me as I continue. 2 weeks ago, I didn't have enough muscle control to even get enough workout to really get any Lactic Acid going... Today, having gone up on ALL my weights again, I am more able to actually do some damage to more different muscle groups. Today, for the first time, I was able to abuse my muscles enough to make my whole body sore and use up my entire body's energy. I actually felt a little upset stomach at times. It's AWESOME!!! Not so much as that I like the pain yet, but that I know I did good today. Tomorrow I'm going to be in some pain...I can foresee that. I also think that my can of project Z will arrive tomorrow, so I can't wait to get back in on Tuesday to tear myself up again.

Also, for the first time, I experienced some pain in my shoulder where I have a partial tear in a tendon. If it was from the workout, it's fine...But I'm picking up heavier dumbells now and so this is a good reminder to be careful how I put them down when I'm out of strength to hold them up (shoulder press).

I missed the Gym yesterday because I biffed it on the closing time. At first I was bummed, but I had another issue coming up on New Years day when they will be closed as well. So this fixed that... But I hate having to make excuses to myself. NO more of that crap!

Still stoked!

Mike

MaddMike
12-29-09, 3:25 pm
Awesome, I was just on my way to the Gym, but I had to open this up!

I'm gonna start on this later on yet today, and I cannot wait! I'm still sore from 2 days ago...

I'm gonna go tear myself up a bit more now.

Mike

mritter3
12-29-09, 3:26 pm
very cool mike...got mine today as well.

MaddMike
12-30-09, 10:26 am
I took the pak last night for the first time, and as expected, I don't notice anything different in my pain levels from yesterdays workout. I was really tired when I went to bed last night...other than a few bathroom interruptions, I feel like I got a good night's sleep.

A note about yesterday's training. It was my first day of adjusting weights up to drop my reps down to 10, and now I have a dilemna to deal with. During the second set of my bench press, I experienced sharp pain in my right shoulder...In the vacinity of where I have the partial tendon tear.... It doesn't feel any more than "overstressed" today, and I do not feel any of the burning type feelings that I did when I first injured it, but I don't know if this is scar pain that I can deal with, or if I'm hurting myself. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just call an Orthopedic Surgeon on the phone and get a quick opinion???

I think that tomorrow, I will pick up right where I left off on the 10 reps and see how it goes...It was pain, but it wasn't something that felt like it suddenly "gave" or anything.

I may, however, depending on how it goes, ditch the 5 rep cycle that was going to start in 2 weeks and just alternate between 10 and 15. Or depending on what happens tomorrow, I may just need to stay at 15 reps until my tendons get stronger. I'd like to hear from anyone who has experience with this type of injury... But it's just a small obstacle, and I ain't gonna quit.

Mike

MaddMike
01-02-10, 1:26 pm
Ok, I just got back from the Gym and I'm totally beat. I really went at it hard today, as I am starting no notice some benefits from Project Z.

I have been feeling better overall. I feel rested when I wake up, but I can't really put my finger on the difference. I just seem to get more out of the sleep that I am getting...But I'm not sleeping more. When I wake up, I feel like getting up instead of laying there. That is a great step. I have sleep issues, have sleep apnea, never wake rested. So if this is something that Project Z is helping with, then I'm already sold on the stuff.

Today, I raised ALL of my weights in all of my routine except for the bench press. I left the bench press at the same weight that I experienced pain at last time. This time I finished both reps of 10 with no pain from the shoulder, and I had trouble with the second set, so I know I didn't go too light. That's awesome because I was really concerned about that tendon. But the new concern now is remembering to clench my abdomen and my ass while doing the leg press. I forgot to mention before that I have had a hernia repair, so now I'm getting into some weight that is making me conscious of it. I'm not worried as long as I follow the proper technique and keep it slow.

I cannot wait to see how I feel tomorrow. I am more beat up right now than have been yet from a workout, so if I can move freely tomorrow, that will be awesome.

I still need to go out and split wood today. That should finish me up pretty good since I do it the old fashioned way....

Mike

mritter3
01-03-10, 9:40 am
good to see your liking it mike.

MaddMike
01-03-10, 12:41 pm
I stayed up a bit late last night watching tv and such...normally I would be useless. I'm a bit tired, but I'm going out to split some more firewood.

My muscles are not sore at all today like they would normally be after a workout like yesterday.

I know my body will begin to adapt somewhat on it's own to my lifting schedule...But this is too new for that IMO. I am still in terrible overall shape, wind easily...But now I feel like I didn't push it hard enough yesterday...I can't understand that because I walked out of the gym like I was drunk and about to pass out...

I do notice that my back did not hurt much yesterday, and does not hurt much yet today. There's always a dull feeling, but by pain, I mean enough to bother me. My back pain comes and goes on it's own, but it has always been aggrivated by heavy loading and I have been doing a lot of that. Between lifting, running the chain saw, loading logs, splitting logs...I would expect more pain. I can't say that it is all from Project Z, but if it stays like this...then it's got to be more than a coincidence. I havn't changed anything else....So I expect the pain to get worse...But wouldn't it be amazing if it got better?

As we all said, we don't know the exact formula of this stuff, but when I looked over the basic ingredients, I saw a lot of things that I had been wanting to try... And I had never considered those things as "recovery aids"... Believe me, I have looked at every single recovery product that I could find....This is something that compares to none of them.

Too early to tell for sure on most of these thoughts I know... But so far, I know I'm liking this.

Mike

MaddMike
01-06-10, 10:35 am
Status-quo. I am still undecided on the back pain, still convinced that my sleep is WAY better, and that my recovery is way better.

Today, for the second time, I'm lifting after my wife get's out of work so I can be "supportive" and go to the gym with her... I guess I like THAT aspect, but it screwed up my meal schedule and my recovery schedule a little bit, so if this is going to continue I will need to adapt to it. I'm glad though that my wife is noticing my gains enough to want to get back into it. She goes through spurts of working out, where I never have before now...So I guess she doesn't want me to get too far ahead of her.

I can say one thing. It's still early on in the test, but I'm starting to get concerned about where I'm going to get my "fix" after this silver can is empty...And will this be a daily supp, or will it need to be cycled... My guess is that it should be cycled with something else to prevent a tolerance... Perhaps Project Z could be marketed in an A and B formula which have slightly different ingredients but with the same recovery package. That would be kinda neat... Instead of going off it for 7-10 days, just switch back and fourth between the A and B formula, and keep right on taking it.

I'm no scientest...These guys know their stuff, so once again, I'm speculating....But I think a lot of great ideas come from people who have no idea what they are talking about...so I think out loud a lot.

Mike

mritter3
01-06-10, 10:48 am
hey mike glad to see your liking Z, i was thinking the same thing about whether this was gonna have to be cycled or if it was foundational, but like you said i think if your body becomes to used to it, it may affect sleep patterns, although it would still help with recovery.

MaddMike
01-07-10, 10:18 pm
Feeling pretty good today despite getting to bed too late and having to get up abnormally early.

I've started throwing in some extras on my routine each time just to touch on some muscles that may not be gettin hit hard enough. Makes it hard to walk out of there, but after an hour or so I start feeling good.

So far my shoulder and my groin are holding up, but I definately am reminded of my history. Fortunately, my back is not aggravated by anything I have been doing at the gym, just normal soreness levels.

Overall, I am just amazed that I can be doing this stuff. Amazed that I have been able to keep going back.

I think it's getting closer to when I know what's what. I think the next 2 weeks or so will really be good as I get further into this. Tomorrow's going to be another good day.

Mike

MaddMike
01-11-10, 10:21 am
Day13

Things are actually still improving. I havn't felt "sore" for a few workouts now. It's a new feeling entirely for me. From someone who has been broken down for as long as I have...to be able to do these things and still get up the next day feeling good is almost a miracle.

I left the Gym yesterday feeling like complete rubber. This morning, I just feel a tightness of my skin, and a sensation in my musclas like they are growing happily with everything they need.

Lovin it!

Mike

MaddMike
01-11-10, 1:37 pm
I expected to continue growing, but not at the same pace that I grew the first 2 weeks when I started lifting and taking supps.

I noted roughly 2 weeks ago that I had increased my biceps by 1/2" in the first 2 weeks of lifting.

I have continued the same program, and the same supplements except for adding project Z 13 days ago. This means that any "creatine loading" or other initial gains such as that are all done with their magic and it's all real growth now.

Since the last measurement I have gained another 1/2" on both Biceps for a total gain of 1" in 4 weeks of lifting.

True beginner- Biceps 14.25"
2nd week lifting- 14.75"
4th week lifting- 15.25"

I definately did NOT expect to keep growing at the initial 2 week pace, and both times I measured on off days.

If this keeps up for 2 more weeks... Well heck, in 20 weeks I'll be right where I want to be!

Mike

MaddMike
01-14-10, 5:12 pm
It seems like no matter what I do in my workout, within a couple of hours I feel fine. I lift until I can't move another thing, but by the next day it's like I didn't do much at all. I just have to be patient and keep eating good, and keep doin the same stuff cuz it's working.

Mike

MaddMike
01-17-10, 5:50 pm
Yesterday I took my worout to a buddy's house, so I had a spotter to work with. I had used calculators that said I was close to benching 200 1 rep, and I had never done that. In high school, they gave out t-shirts for the "200 club". I quit football before I got one, so this was kindof a personal pride thing.


At 37 years old, I did successfully bench 200 lbs for my first time.

Next stop- 250

Feeling great today. Warmed up carefully to hit the 200, and had no shoulder pain at all. I also did 2 sets of deadlifts yesterday, and my back hurts like hell today. It's the kind of deep pain that feels like it's right in the bone where the fractures were, but I think I'm going to go with the deadlifts for a while and see how it goes over time. It'll either get better or worse, but it'll still make the muscles stronger and I need to know if that will help over the long run.

Still sleeping awesome and waking up great.

Mike

willah
01-17-10, 10:57 pm
Awesome work man, keep going hard. An inch on the arms in 4 weeks is just crazy!

machineman
01-18-10, 6:20 am
keep up the hard work, Mike......

MaddMike
01-18-10, 10:34 am
Surprisingly, the hardest thing to do so far to support this growth is to get off my ass every 2 hours to make something to eat. I'm not used to that. I've never really taken care of my body the way I'm supposed to, so it's been a real battele to get my 400+ grams of quality protein per day. I find myself resorting to more shakes than I should...preparing food is a lot of work....

But at least when I sub in a shake, I use powered greens and fruits (Greensfusion) in there, so I can call it a meal if I want to. I think it's pretty complete. And is I need some more carbs, I just throw some fruit and oats in there.

Mike

MaddMike
01-19-10, 7:25 pm
Yesterday I ended with deadlifts again. Keepin the reps up on that one for now at 10. I did 145 yesterday, I can do more, but with my injuries I need to keep that one slow for now. I got that bone-pain again today, but it's nothing new. I'll up the weight another 10 lbs tomorrow, and every session until I can't do 10 anymore. Meanwhile, I focus on form and building up my lower abdomen.

I did drop to 5 reps on everything else, and with a careful warmup on everything, I did 3 sets of 5 on my whole routine. It felt really good to move a lot more weight. Plus, am I the only one that hates counting real high when I'm lifting heavy stuff? I kinda just guessed the weights on most of them, but most of them I don't think I could have done a 6th rep...especially on the 2nd and 3rd sets. So I'm pretty close, others I'll adjust tomorrow.

Recovery is great. Other than the torture I'm putting my lower vertebrae through, nothing is sore at all. Bending over and picking shit up is the one thing that puts those vertebrae at the angle where they were fractured. I can imagine the pain would be a lot worse without progect Z though...I'd bet money on it. I'm sticking with the deadlifts for at least another 6-8 weeks before I re-evaluate. So before long we're all gonna find out if the deadlift can fix busted up back pain in 6-8 weeks...if so, I'll come out with the book, dvd, and video series....

Mike

MaddMike
01-28-10, 3:09 pm
Well, I was without internet for a buit there, but it didn't stop me from working out and keeping on with this.

Squats and deadlifts are kicking my ass lately, and Project Z is still helping me feel better the next day. My tendons in my shoulder and my old hernia repair are bothering me a bit as I get more intense. the Hernia thing isn't like I'm damaging anything, it just feels tense there like it doesn't strtch and work the same as the tissue around it. The shoulder has gotten worse as I stay on 5 reps also, but again, it is inflammation related and I know I'm not hurting it worse. I'm doing no less than 10 reps on squats and deads...5 reps would be dumb, I'm not ready for the weight.

I hate counting to 15, but next week, I go back to 15 reps and that will give everything a break.

All that said, I'm gonna guess that project z might be a cycled product. Either that, or maybe I'm just used to feeling better all the time and don't notice it as much. I'm thinking still that maybe there could be an A and B formula that you could switch between instead of cycling and going without. From what I saw, there are only a couple things in there that a body might gain resistance to, and although I'm not a scientist, it seems like those ingredients could be substituted with something else for a B formula. Who knows...I might be all-together wrong.

Mike