Guess who's back, back again.

Rihad: Which body parts? Arms, calves, yes. I don't do a lot of isos, but even small muscle groups are getting hit at least twice a week. Major muscle groups - quads/hams/chest/entire back all hit three times a week.

Lol - I used my old leather lifting straps. I used to be able to rack pull 600 with no straps and a mixed grip but ever since I quit mixed grip and started using straps more, my grip can't hold those loads even when I use my old mixed grip. I guess my grip has gotten weaker so I'll have to address that eventually. I'm going to have to replace the straps soon, so I don't know yet if I'm going to splurge on the versas or what. But after my last set of rack pulls, I could hardly even get my straps unwrapped, and they've stretched out quite a lot.
I think the underwear tearing was probably something I should have foreseen coming. They were just regular cotton boxer-briefs. My butt and legs have grown even more (wish my upper body grew like they do...) and I haven't upgraded the size of much of my wardrobe yet. I'm already down to only a few pairs of pants that still fit, so... looks like either a cut is coming up in my future or I'm going to have to lay down some money for new clothes.
 
Totentanz said:
Major muscle groups - quads/hams/chest/entire back all hit three times a week.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I might have misunderstood your program as a split. E.g. I don't see any torso (chest & upper back) work done on the "Lower #1" day. Likewise, there's no leg work on days 3 & 4. Did I miss something?
 
Yeah, at first I was only hitting each body part about five times every two weeks, which really still is within HST principles... however, I've moved to fullbody three times a week albeit with three different routines each day.
 
Spending this week and next doing a bit of maxing out, then I'm going to backcycle and start over in the 10 rep range at 80% of my estimated 10 rep max. Last workout on Monday I did a top set of 455 on deads for 5 reps, which according to the 1 rep max calculators means I should be able to (in theory) pull 510 from the floor. So I'm going to attempt 515 next week and see how I go. I've also been pussing out on the squats hardcore so when I backcycle, I'll be doing squats twice a week until I man up and stop being a girl.

September 29th, 2010

Flat Bench 135 x 8, 155 x 5, 185 x 3, 205 x 5, 215 x 5, 225 x 2 x 2 (no spotter on 225 so I was scared to push...)
Hammerstrength Row 225 x 5, 315 x 5, 335 x 5 x 3
Tricep Dip 165 x 6, 225 x 10 x 2
Shoulder Press Machine 50 x 5, 60 x 5 x 3
Back Squat 135 x 3, 225 x 3, 315 x 3, 335 x 2 (I was worn out due to only sleeping for 4 hours last night... I'm sure I could have done another 30 lbs or so)
 
SD TIME MOF#!!KAAASS!!

I ain't touchin no weights til Monday the 11th.

Well, probably not. It might be hard not to go up to the gym, but I have to resist. It is very important I take these 9 days off right and proper.

Got all my new maxes, planning out my next cycle and on the 11th, I'll be ready to roll...
 
Details: Almost got a 405 lb squat. First rep I got scared and stopped at parallel then made it back up, but we don't count that as a real PR. I almost got the second attempt full depth back up but couldn't quite power out of the hole. It's pretty obvious that taking so long off from squats was harmful. My traps hurt quite a lot from holding the weight and in the olden days when I was squatting consistently, it didn't bother me in the slightest. I do have a manta ray but I don't like the way it feels and I want to train proper squats. 515 for deads didn't happen but I probably shouldn't have attempted yet, but I was eager to finish up this friday so I can do a 9 day sd right away. Bench was a surprise. It's really starting to come along finally. I wasn't feeling great today. I've been on the edge of getting a cold again for most of the week but Wednesday I made the mistake of not getting hardly any calories or taking my vitamins that night after my workout. So far since I've been keeping track, those are the only times I get sick. If I pack in at least a few thousand calories and take all my vitamins the night of my workout, I always feel fine the next day. So lesson learned... yet again.

I'm up to 240 lbs bodyweight and I'm not stopping any time soon. I don't know why I've always quit bulking when I'm making progress. I get scared that I'm getting too fat and then I decide to go on a cut and that's why I've been spinning my wheels for so many years, I think. The one time I did throw caution to the wind and got up to 230 lbs for the first time in my life is when I made insane progress (for me) so... I know I can cut bodyfat easy, no problem. Keeping that in mind, I'm going to keep bulking through the winter and see if I can hit 260 lbs by the time spring comes. I'm trying to come up with reasonable goals for my squat and deadlift but now that 400 and 500 are pretty much done, I'm not sure what to do next. Obviously 500 and 600 are a long time away. 315 for bench is a reasonable goal I think, but I'm at a loss with squats and deads.
 
hey mate, can i ask - how many cals per day do you eat? and what are your favourite bulking foods?

i'm 71Kgs and i want to get up to 75 after my first cycle (i start today), i've been trying to ramp up to 3500 cals eating as healthy as i can - heaps of chicken and brown rice, oats, whole milk etc. plus some protein powder - thats the only supplement. i've noticed that the fats i'm eating arent as much as i thought. yesterday i ate about 3400 cals. the percentage according to fitday was Carb:50% protein:28% fat:22%. should i be looking at some fish oil tabs or flaxseed oil maybe? i'm not concerned about body fat at all. i got measured and i'm 15%, like you i figure i can cut pretty easily if i want to.
 
I eat around 5000 calories most days, around 400 grams of which are protein. It's not easy, but luckily I enjoy food though some days I sit there, stuffing my face, feeling miserable and wondering why I do this. My favorite foods... pasta, pizza, lots of mexican foods, steaks, hamburgers, anything chicken, triple whoppers, double whoppers, bbq anything and tons of milk. There's probably more I'm not thinking of right now.

If you are having trouble getting in enough calories, try this as a shake: 5-6 scoops of whey, 2 cups of milk and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Just over 1000 calories and around 150-200 grams of protein depending on how exactly you make it. Great for building mass.


Did measurements today for the first time in probably a year or more. Last measurement I can find in my logs is from a couple years back. Measurements are in inches.

Weight: 240
Waist: 36
Chest: 45
Bicep: 16
Forearm 13.25
Neck: 16.5
Thigh: 27
Calf: 17

Obviously my 36 inch waist shows how fat I've been getting. Upper body is still small, just not as small.
 
Last edited:
cool thanks. now i dont feel so guilty when i eat fast food. yeah i saw that shake you posted it somewhere else. awesome idea adding olive oil. would never have thought of that. genius!
 
Totentanz said:
My favorite foods... pasta, pizza, lots of mexican foods, steaks, hamburgers, anything chicken, triple whoppers, double whoppers, bbq anything and tons of milk.
Click to expand...
Yummie :) Pizza & fast food isn't healthy food, is it? I can assume that you don't care about how much and what kind of fat goes into what. Same as me :)
 
I could be different than most folks, but even with my very unhealthy diet (according to mainstream) I am still in excellent health. My blood pressure is low, my resting heart rate is low and my cholesterol is very good. I don't worry about fat gains because cutting fat is something that has always been extremely easy for me. Putting on mass is what I struggle with. This time around, I figure I can just bulk for a year or so, until I am carrying as much muscle as I want, then take my time cutting down and maybe, maybe, it will be the last time I ever have to do a hardcore bulk/cut.
 
I drink regular whole milk. Milk is expensive as it is...

Back at it starting today. I was really anxious to get back in the gym. Taking a week off was hard this time around. Today was the first day of the 10s (no 15s) and so it was quite light...


Flat Bench
145 x 10 x 3

Hammerstrength Row
215 x 10 x 3

Tricep Dip
175 x 10 x 3

Decline Bench (just started this so I just threw two 45s on there to get a feel for it)
135 x 10 x 3

Pulldown
150 x 10 x 3

Back Squat
190 x 10 x 4

Tricep Pulldown
30 x 50 (trying to lube up my elbows)


Squats... first set sucked but after that I was warmed up and the other three sets were easy (for squats) but I'm not adding another set. F that.
 
OzMullet said:
what do you do to warm up?
Click to expand...

I believe his first working set was the warm up :) The HST FAQ Book suggests doing one set 70% x 5 on the week of 10's.

Specific warm-ups for first exercise of major muscle groups (legs, chest, back)
15s don't really require warm-ups.
10s - 1 set 5 reps @ 70% of working weight on main exercises. Later exercises for same or
auxiliary muscle groups don't require warm-ups unless you feel you need it.
5s - 1 set 5 reps @ 50% of working weight
1 set 3 reps @ 70% of working weight
1 set 2-3 reps @ 80% of working weight
1 set 1 rep @ 90% of working weight (optional)
Click to expand...
I do even more depending on the weight (5-6 warm-up sets starting from the unloaded barbell itself)
 
Last edited:
I do a couple sets with 135 for most lifts to function as warmups usually. Squats I will do 135 for 5 reps then 225 for 3 or 4 reps to warmup. If it's deads then I do 225 for a set of 4 then 315 for 3 to warmup before I get into my working weights. This early on, with such light weights, I don't really care to do a warmup.

I can barely climb my stairs today. Maybe 40 reps total on squats was a bad idea.
 
Today:

Flat Bench
135 x 7, 155 x 10 x 3

Hammerstrength Row
135 x 7, 230 x 10 x 3

Tricep Dips
185 x 10 x 3

Decline Bench
135 x 10, 160 x 10, 185 x 10 x 3

Pulldown
160 x 10 x 3

Deadlift
225 x 6, 295 x 10 x 3

My lower back felt like it was going to explode after deadlifts. I haven't used a working weight under 405 lbs for a long time but I also haven't done 10 reps on deads in forever. It sucked real hard and I thought I was going to pass out after I was done. Of course I didn't.

I'm up to 245 lbs bodyweight as of today. I think I might push for a 10 lb gain over the next month or so.
 
nice work totentanz!!

your looking for a 10lb total weight gain over the next 4 weeks? Thats alot of serious eating ahead of you, good luck!
 
Thanks. You know having other people recognize the hard work I'm putting in definitely helps me keep going. Just today some people at work were telling me how massive I look compared to just a few months ago, and usually I don't really like attention but it definitely helps keep me focused when people say such things. Especially when half the time I look in the mirror and either think I'm turning into a fat cow or that I'm still tiny. A couple people at the gym were telling me that my shoulders, traps and pecs are really blowing up too, so that was cool. Everyone's minds are always blown when I tell them my arms are only in the 16s, everyone seems to think they look like 18s, so maybe that's just my muscle shape or something, I don't know. My arms might look big to most of them by they are definitely my weak point and I don't know if I'm going to get them to grow much more this cycle since I don't want to add arm work back in now that my elbows are feeling healthy again. Last thing I want to do is mess them up again...

Yeah I want to gain probably 10 lbs by the end of my cycle, but I'm not really sure how long I'm going to do my cycle yet. I've got another week of 10s, then two weeks til I hit my 5 RMs, then I'm going to go back to trying to beat the log book each workout by at least 5-10 lbs until I find new 5 rep maxes for however many weeks I can keep that up, then a week of working up to max singles. So that might take me well into December, depending on how it goes. Originally my goal weight for this winter was going to be 250 lbs but I'm 5 lbs away from that now and I'm only at probably ~18% bodyfat, so I really think I'm going to keep going and see how far I can take this.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top