Transformation of Stain

stain

Member
It's about time I start being accountable and start an online training log. I'm not sure yet how it's going to look like but I'm sure I'll be able to steal someone's method of posting it :)


I have approximately 7 weeks before I take a month and half long vacation to Europe and I guess that's how long my first cycle is going to be. Before I leave Canada I'll need to design a program that will maintain what I have while being away, perhaps using very mobile elastic bands? I don't think I'll have the ease of access to a gym since I'll be traveling quite a bit. I'll need help designing that as well and I hope someone on here can help me do that when the time comes.

Initially I started a HST cycle at the end of April, but dislocated my shoulder and had my head banged in (only two staples) so I was out of commission for a while... After few suggestions over at the Simplify and Win my program was looking like this:

A)
Squat
Bench Press
Seated Cable Row
BB Press
Calf Raises

B)
Deadlift
Dips
Pull-ups
DB Press
Calf Raises

15s: 3 x 15
10s: 2-3 x 10
5s: 3-5 x 5

...following a A B A, B A B etc. routine. Now, due to a separated shoulder (only recently learned about) after a 4th complete dislocation, I'm taking a proactive approach to help the healing process and get my strength back, plus, do what I can of HST with it.

Before I go any further, I'd like to see if anyone has had a similar injury and has successfully continued to workout after the injury?

I can feel how much my range of motion has decreased along with my strength. On top of that I can't even reach far back enough to grab the bar while doing Squats, so I'll have to switch to Front Squats. Dead-Lifts I won't be able to perform without re-injuring myself. Pull-ups will have to go as well. I've tested my shoulder on the Bench, Cable Rows and DB Presses and I can perform those with a lighter weight so I'll start my 15s with those. This will also knock off the A B split and I may add some EZ Curls with Triceps Extensions to add to my volume as previously suggested.

Few questions now... since I'm starting with lighter weights than previously tested as RMs, will this still be effective considering my injury? ...or should I wait for my shoulder to heal completely and then start training (which I don't want to do unless I have to)??
New Program should look like this:

Front Squat
Bench Press
Seated Cable Row
DB Press
Calf Raises
....EZ Curls
....Tri Pulldowns

15s: 2 x 15
10s: 2-3 x 10
5s: 3-5 x 5

...Is this enough, or just simply too much? Any feedback is very appreciated :)

Stain

P.S. I've but my little brother and little cousin (well they're taller and bigger then me though) on a similar program and I'll be training with them for as long as they can last..
 
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Day 1 - 15s

Front Squat 3x80 lbs
Bench Press 2x65 lbs
Seated Cable Row 3x80 lbs
Dumbbell Press - 1x20lbs, 2x15lbs
Calf Raises 3x90lbs
EZ Bar Curls 3x25
Tri Pull-downs 2x60 lbs

This is how it went down tonight... Yesterday I burned at the beach and I'm glowing red almost all over the body, so even wearing a t-shirt (not to offend the neigbours, or perhaps excite them :) ) was a painful experience. I didn't want to be a wuss so it was twice as painful. Now, all of my weights are very light due to my injured shoulder and I don't want to put too much stress on it... hence only doing two sets of Bench Press and Tri Pulls because I felt the pain in the shoulder from doing all the other exercises. I felt discomfort doing DB Presses with 20s so I dropped the weight to 15lbs and switched to more of a Military Press, with weights going straight up and less shoulder rotation and that was good.

Any comments and suggestions from you guys are very much appreciated. :)

Also, my brother and cousin are pretty much on the same program with different weights of course. Neither one of them ever squated (or at least not properly) in the past so they are going to see awesome gains going forward. I'm pumped to have them work out with me though... Now going to get some much needed sleep! :)
 
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Thanks TDT, I'll deffinetely take a look at the website over the next little while to get some ideas going so I can be prepared not to completely destroy my body while on vacation. :)

Tonight we're hitting the gym for the second workout.. I'll need to catch a nap after work so I can have the energy to get through my workout. I really need more sleep and it's hard with the hectic work schedule right now.
 
Hi Stain

Keep at it, bad news with your shoulder.

I have a spreadsheet with a HST program on it, it is easy to modify the weight and the exercsie if you want it. You can all have your own personalised routine and it is split into the 3 programs so easy to print out :) If you want a copy send me your eaill address, I also have a Stronglift 5 x 5 program in a spreadsheet format.

Take a look at this link for shoulder exercises for working out all of the rotator cuff.

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_...ce_repair/cracking_the_rotator_cuff_conundrum


Kev
 
Thanks Kevan! I'll include the shoulder exercises to my routine as well.. not exactly sure how yet though...

Sure thing mang, send away... thanks again :)
 
Day 2 - 15s

Front Squat 3x85 lbs
Seated Cable Row 3x85 lbs
Bench Press 1x65;2x75 lbs
Dumbbell Press - 1x15lbs;2x20lbs <-- shoulder felt better over all, plus I was doing super-sets, alternating with calf rasies
EZ Bar Curls 3x30
Tri Pull-downs 2x70 lbs
Calf Raises 3x100lbs

Awesome workout today.. Increased all the lifts as expected, and I had more strength and control over my shoulder, plus I went deeper on my bench and really felt the stretch in the shoulder. Added 10lbs to the last two sets over Wednesday's session. Friday should be an awesome workout since I plan to stay over at a friends place (a lot closer to work=more sleep yeeyyy).

I see lots of people updating their journals, I like that :)
 
Day 3 - 15s

Front Squat 3x90 lbs
Seated Cable Row 3x90 lbs
Bench Press 3x80 lbs
Dumbbell Press - 2x20lbs;1x25x10lbs <--- my right shoulder gave away on the 10th rep, I wonder if switching to a barbell would be more beneficial?
EZ Bar Curls 3x40
Tri Pull-downs 2x80 lbs
Calf Raises 3x110lbs

The gym closed earlier on Friday so I had to come back on Sat. to finish half of my workout.. it was good because my calves where seized up from running around Toronto for no real reason on Thursday night haha... and my shoulder was getting tired from all the other exercises. I've also really improved my diet to loose the last bit of fat on my belly and love handles...
 
Day 4 & 5 - 15s

4
Front Squat 3x95 lbs
Seated Cable Row 3x95 lbs
Bench Press 3x80 lbs <-- no progress, shoulder is too weak, plus, lack of sleep didn't help
Dumbbell Press - 3x25 lbs
EZ Bar Curls 3x40 lbs <-- no progress here
Tri Pull-downs 3x90 lbs
Calf Raises 3x120 lb

5
Front Squat 3x100 lbs <-- very hard.. I know with proper sleep I can make the 5 lbs increases no problem.. one last workout on Sat. doing 15s, going all out!
Seated Cable Row 3x100 lbs
Bench Press 3x85 lbs <-- better than my previous workout...
Dumbbell Press - 1x25 lbs;1x30 lbs (clustered); 1x30 lbs x 13 <--- I had to come back and push out the last set.. I might be doing too much volume since I can't do all three sets at once
EZ Bar Curls 2x45 lbs
Tri Pull-downs 2x90 lbs
Calf Raises 3x130lb

I haven't been getting enough sleep, I use my work as an excuse but I can suck it up for few more weeks and get the sleep I need in order to get the maximum results with my workout.. Also with enough sleep I'm more productive at work and the day goes much faster... That being said, I'm hitting the sack right after a shower. Saturday is the final 15s day. I'll sit down with my brother and my cousin and go over the workout and see the improvements and move on to the 10s probably on Tuesday next week.

Any suggestions or comments/criticisms are much appreciated... otherwise I'll assume I'm doing everything right and eventually learn the hard way :)
 
Quick update...

Day 6 - 15s

Front Squat 3x105 lbs
Seated Cable Row 3x105 lbs
Bench Press 3x90 lbs
Dumbbell Press - 3x25 lbs
EZ Bar Curls 3x45 lbs <-- did it at home, ran out of time at the gym
Tri Pull-downs 3x110 lbs
Calf Raises 3x140 lb

Not the strongest finish but I got it out of the way...

Today was my first day with 10s and it was very light since I was zig-zagging..

Front Squat 3x100 lbs
Seated Cable Row 3x100 lbs
Bench Press 3x85 lbs
Dumbbell Press - none - instead doing the exercises in the posted article for my shoulder... thanks again for the link!
EZ Bar Curls 3x30 lbs
Tri Pull-downs 3x80 lbs
Calf Raises 3x120 lb

..after that I tired doing the posted exercises for the shoulder (Barbell Cuban Press, L-Lateral Raise, Side Lying Dumbell Raise 45%, Low Pulley External Rotation) and the first two felt really uncomfortable due to my limited range of motion.. and probably because I already put enough strain on the shoulder during other exercises. On Thursday I'll start with the shoulder first, then move on to the rest...

That's it for now.. feeling really good, eating good (with few slipups over the weekend) already seeing improvements but the best is yet to come...
 
Day 2-3 - 10s

I need to be more accountable and update my journal on a regular basis, it will help me focus better...

10s - Day 2
Front Squat 4x105 lbs
Seated Cable Row 4x110 lbs
Bench Press 4x90 lbs
EZ Bar Curls 3x35 lbs
Tri Pull-downs 3x85 lbs
Calf Raises 4x130 lb

Shoulders (dislocation rehab):
a. Barbel Cuban Press 1x10x20 lbs <-- really bad form due to my shoulder limiting range of motion, my right shoulder moves back in contrast to my left.. need to keep stretching it slowly before to fix that
b. L-Lateral Raise 1x10x8 lbs
c1. Side Lying Dumbell Raise 45 degree 1x10x8 lbs - this one really hurts, I can feel how weak this muscle is after the dislocation and in comparison to the other shoulder
c2. Low Pulley External Rotation 1x10x20 lbs - difficult but necessary

Day 3 - Week one finish!
Front Squat 4x110 lbs
Seated Cable Row 4x115 lbs
Bench Press 4x95 lbs
EZ Bar Curls 3x45 lbs
Tri Pull-downs 3x100 lbs
Calf Raises 3x140 lb

Shoulders (dislocation rehab):
a. Barbel Cuban Press 1x10x20 lbs - still need to stretch
b. L-Lateral Raise 2x10x8 lbs
c1. Side Lying Dumbell Raise 45 degree 1x10x10 lbs
c2. Low Pulley External Rotation 2x10x20 lbs - difficult again

.. here I was able to add another set for the shoulder exercises, and increase the weight a bit. Since I've been doing these 4 exercises before anything else my shoulder hurts a lot less after the workout.. that and the fact that I'm not doing any presses. Once I feel strong again I'll continue these, and add the press as well and see how that feels.

I realize that I'm already doing 4 sets, but i did that so I can increase the volume over doing 3 sets in the 15s, that's how I understood what progressive overload would be. That would put me doing 5 sets of 5 reps the week after next... If you guys have any suggestions or anything, I'm all ears (or eyes in this case I guess heh).

I really want to lose what I believe is 5-8 lbs of fat around my mid section... I wanted to read up on a ketosis diet and see if that would be appropriate with what I'm doing right now.. I'll scan the forums again on these topics, I admit I haven't looked around on there yet.. If anyone can point me in the right direction in regards to me dropping this 'tube' it would be totally awesome :) Thanks in advance...

Stain
 
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Hi Stain,

I am 43 and having the same trouble, my diet is reasonable and I am slowly adding in more cardio. It feels like all the fat in my body is making its way to my belly :(

I have started to add the following into my eating strategy which I just call my "mega cheat" day. (I read it somewhere on the web) and I now do this once every two weeks. I usually have my "mega cheat" day the weekend before I start my first set of exercises in each set. So for me the weekend before I start 15s, 10s, and 5s and I will do the following

On Saturday before my Sunday "mega cheat" day I eat as little carbs as possbile (none if I can get away with it) This is so I deplete my body from as many carbs as possible (I may even do some light cardio work)

On my Sunday cheat day I will eat what I normally eat up unitl my evening meal where I will have a huge Pizza followed by a huge dessert :) This fills your carb stores back up and is a more efficient use of carbs and calories than if you had not depleted them the day before.

The following three to 5 days I will eat at least 500 calories under maintenance after my 3 to 5 days I go back to my normal diet. I am looking for an overall deficit of around 1500 - 2000 calories, twice a month giving me a 3000 - 4000 calorie deficit which is roughly 1lb of fat (3500 calories)

The theory is the calorie overload on the "mega cheat" day put's your body into "fat burning" mode which I aim to maximise for 3 - 5 days. The rest of the time I am on my heavier exercise sets whee I am trying to build muscle by increasing my calories above maintenance by 500 - 1000 (Good) calories a day to build some muscle. Still playing with these numbers.

I am just coming to the end of my first HST cycle and I have definately gained some size and lost some body fat. I have my negs left to do then I can try and work it all out. I had been doing Stronglift 5 x 5s where I got soem good strength gains. I may extend my 5s instead of Negs and see if I can set some new PBs as I don't have a trainign partner.

Kev
 
Thanks Kev! I'm 26 and I've been playing sports all my life and I consider myself to always be in shape... However due to many injuries (shoulder dislocations 4 times, and various sprains and cuts etc.) I would be out of it for few months at a time and I'd start gaining weight. The heaviest I've been was 210 lbs right after high school, which was mostly due to inactivity and an unhealthy lifestyle overall (partying 4-5 days a week - heavy drinking followed by junk food). In the last four years I've taken a proactive approach to my overall health and have since been around 180-190 lbs. With ups and downs and in out out of gym I only had a month off since January this year I'm back on track and I'm loving HST right now. I've always been weak in counting calories since it's very time consuming and my diet consists of a lot of ethnic Eastern European foods that are hard to figure out... In the last week or so I've been following something similar where during my off days I've been restricting my carb intake and I'll go back to normal during the workout days.... I'll try few things and see how my body reacts to it. One this is for sure that I can't function properly if I'm hungry and that's not the goal here at all...

One other thing I've noticed.. I'm recovering very fast from my workouts.. I could've worked out today, I'm not sore at all... Keeping in mind that I'm only half way through my 10s I won't make any major changes during the first cycle. Once I'm back from Europe I'll have one full cycle under my belt and I should be able to perform better hopping my shoulder heals and I get my strength and flexibility back...
 
Hi Stain

Keep at it, I felt the same during my first week of 10's, in hindsight I would have just done 3 x 10s on the exercies I felt I had more in the tank for.

Sounds like you have had some bad luck with injuries and not wanting to teach you to "suck eggs" have you tried any supplements to help with the shoulder recovery? Something like

http://www.myprotein.co.uk/products/glucosamine_sulphate

Kev
 
Hey Kev, I'm already doing 4 reps of my major lifts, and 3 or 4 of isolation work (bis, tris, calves) if I have enough energy left or time. I don't stay longer than an hour.

No I haven't tried any supplements, perhaps I should... but I'll have to find this here in Canada... I tired few websites where I get my supplements and it came up empty. I'll have to do a better search soon.

10s - Day 4
Front Squat 4x115 lbs
Seated Cable Row 4x120 lbs
Bench Press 4x105 lbs
EZ Bar Curls 4x50 lbs
Tri Pull-downs 3x110 lbs
Calf Raises 4x150 lb

Shoulders (dislocation rehab):
a. Barbel Cuban Press 1x10x30 lbs
b. L-Lateral Raise 1x10x10 lbs
c1. Side Lying Dumbell Raise 45 degree 1x10x10 lbs
c2. Low Pulley External Rotation 1x10x22.5 lbs


Day 5 - Hard and Intense
Front Squat 4x120 lbs
Seated Cable Row 4x125 lbs
Bench Press 4x105 lbs <-- getting stronger, no problems with the last set.. might bump it another 10 to finish off strong on Sat.
EZ Bar Curls 3x55 lbs
Tri Pull-downs 3x120 lbs
Calf Raises 3x160 lb

Shoulders (dislocation rehab):
a. Barbel Cuban Press 1x10x30 lbs <-- getting better...
b. L-Lateral Raise 1x10x10 lbs
c1. Side Lying Dumbell Raise 45 degree 1x10x10 lbs <-- hurts less.. I guess it's getting stronger
c2. Low Pulley External Rotation 1x10x25 lbs <-- Hard, my form falls out of place.. need to make smaller increases

Note: I'm on a Ketosis diet as of two days ago and I feel I've already hit the state (tested with keto sticks) and I've already noticed a difference... I need to watch my protein intake that I'm at least taking in 180 grams per day.. also fiber, and that I get through spinach and other greens and psyllium husks. I'll stay on it for another week or so, depending on how I feel down the road. I intend to do cardio in my off days or right after my workout to maximize fat burning...

I feel that my next cycle when I come back will be a lot more effective and I'm looking forward to it..

I have a really busy weekend and I'll have to get up early on Sat. to get my workout out of the way... Talk soon!
 
I have quite a bit of catching up to do here... Yes, I have been training but I had a lot on my plate these last few weeks so I didn't post.. So, here we go:

10s - Day 6
Front Squat 4x125 lbs
Seated Cable Row 4x135 lbs
Bench Press 4x115 lbs
EZ Bar Curls 1x55 lbs <--out of energy and time
Tri Pull-downs 1x130 lbs <-- same as above
Calf Raises 3x170 lb

Shoulders - same as last week, it really hurts doing anything with it after the above workout..

Weak finish as I can remember it... I did come back strong few days later to start on my 5s.

5s - Day 1 - Very Easy...
Front Squat 5x120 lbs
Seated Cable Row 5x135 lbs
Bench Press 5x110 lbs
EZ Bar Curls 5x40 lbs
Tri Pull-downs 5x100 lbs
Calf Raises 5x150 lb

5s - Day 2 - Still Easy...
Front Squat 5x125 lbs
Seated Cable Row 5x140 lbs
Bench Press 5x115 lbs
EZ Bar Curls 5x45 lbs
Tri Pull-downs 5x110 lbs
Calf Raises 5x160 lb

5s - Day 3 - Getting a bit harder
Front Squat 5x130 lbs
Seated Cable Row 5x145 lbs
Bench Press 5x120 lbs
EZ Bar Curls - No time
Tri Pull-downs - No time
Calf Raises 5x170 lb


...and finally just an hour ago:

5s - Day 4
Front Squat 5x135 lbs <--- finally feeling it a bit, it's getting tougher but at the same time I'm getting stronger
Seated Cable Row 5x150 lbs
Bench Press 5x125 lbs
EZ Bar Curls 5x50 lbs
Tri Pull-downs 5x110 lbs <--should have been 120, I just realized my mistake :/
Calf Raises 5x180 lb

I can't begin to tell you how sleep deprived I've been working this j.o.b. but tomorrow I'm going in for the last time then off to Europe.

Two more workouts and I'm out of here, and that will end my first HST cycle. I'll do what I can while on vacation but I doubt I'll be able to get to a real gym over the 45 days or so.. If I figure out how I'll post my Start and Finish pictures as well.


Keep updating those logs guys, I want to see results :)
 
Hey Stain

Good work there post up your results and stats from your first cycle and then go get ready for your vacation (I would just go enjoy myself if I was you). I have 7 weeks before I go on vacation as well.

I am just finishing my 2 week SD and ready to start my second HST cycle, I put 4kg of muscle on in my first cycle and lost about 1.5 % body fat. I will post a therad with my results when I get chance.

Kev
 
...and we're back in business!

I took your advice and just had a blast on my summer vacation. I did do a bit of resistance training with elastics at the very beginning of my trip while I was at the trip. From there on it was all about the awesome food and beer and moonshine that I gladly indulged in. Result? Other than an empty bank account, 10 lbs in body weight (probably more fat due to muscle loss). When I came back I quickly got back in the gym and due to ketosis-induced diet I lost 10 lbs, and soon after went in for a minor nose/throat surgery that had a painful and long recovery resulting in sleepless nights and loss of appetite so NOW I'm starting off at 179lbs and I'm intro my 2nd week of 15s doing another HST cycle.

15s - Day 4 - 100% effort - wanted to puke after
Squat 2x95 lbs
Seated Cable Row 2x105 lbs
Bench Press 2x90 lbs
DB Press 2x20 lbs
EZ Bar Curls 2x35 lbs
Tri Pull-downs 2x85 lbs
Calf Raises 2x90 lb
Shrugs 2x35 lbs

I find that I work best by having some deadlines, right now is another vacation to Cuba for new years, which is less than 10 weeks away. I'll focus on putting on mass for the first full cycle and with the 3-4 weeks remaining I'll focus on fat loss so I'll be in peak shape right before I destroy my body again hahah... I welcome your feedback once again. Thanks!
 
Hi Stain

Welcome back m8, glad you had a good vactaion.

I am just getting back into it myself as I was away for the firast two weeks in September, I am just starting my second week of 10s on my 3rd cycle.

If I was you I would extend the 10s for a week and then the 5 for an extra two weeks dropping to 3's or negs in the last couple of weeks if you can find a partner. Then take a 14 day SD or so which should see you over your vacation to Cuba ;)

This should give you some good size and strength gains and if you monitor your calories through your 5s you should see some fat loss.

Strangely I am getting better results by doing less, I cant get to the gymn mid week at present and dropping down to 2 sessions a week looks to be helping me build some size. I just miss ging to the gymn. Just got to work out how to shed some more fat inbetween my gymn sessions.

Take it easy whilst you get back into the swing of things and I forgot to add, I would add some chins & dips to your routine, I find these great for building size especially when you start adding weight.

Kev
 
Hi Stain

Welcome back m8, glad you had a good vactaion.

I am just getting back into it myself as I was away for the firast two weeks in September, I am just starting my second week of 10s on my 3rd cycle.

If I was you I would extend the 10s for a week and then the 5 for an extra two weeks dropping to 3's or negs in the last couple of weeks if you can find a partner. Then take a 14 day SD or so which should see you over your vacation to Cuba ;)

This should give you some good size and strength gains and if you monitor your calories through your 5s you should see some fat loss.

Strangely I am getting better results by doing less, I cant get to the gymn mid week at present and dropping down to 2 sessions a week looks to be helping me build some size. I just miss ging to the gymn. Just got to work out how to shed some more fat inbetween my gymn sessions.

Take it easy whilst you get back into the swing of things and I forgot to add, I would add some chins & dips to your routine, I find these great for building size especially when you start adding weight.

Kev

Hev Kev, glad to you see you back as well! Although I've experienced it myself, I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that doing less is more in some cases. Have you looked into a 'ketosis diet' perhaps for shedding fat? I've done it twice this year, both times lasting about 10 days and loosing anywhere between 6-10 lbs of fat, even though my wasn't as structured as it is suggested. Check out http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/cyclical_ketogenic_diet.htm

As far as extending the 10s for another week, perhaps doing 8s (up the weight a bit) instead? I doubt I'll find a training partner since so far nobody has stuck with me for more than 3 weeks.. I'm on my own, that's for sure. Thanks for the advice...

Oh and a while back you suggested I get some supplements for my shoulder.. It just happens that my brother has a bad knee so he picked up some Glucosamine Sulphate so I'll be dipping into his stash until my next trip to the drug store. The shoudler is feeling a lot better and I'll be sure to incorporate those 3-4 exercises I was doing few months back.

I'm feeling good today.. I should be good to put in another solid 100% effort tomorrow, minus the puking part...
 
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