TwinDeltaTandem's Training Log

Back to the gym today to start cycle #2. Weighed in at 168, down 2 from where I was at the beginning of SD. Felt very sluggish in the gym, but it's good to be back at it. I've really simplified the workout--I'll toggle squats/deads, and pull-ups/rows. Doesn't seem like enough! (In and out in about 35 minutes.) But I'll give it a shot. Crunches are on a decline (two sets of 30 today).

Mood/energy: D
Weight: 168

1 Set each of 15:
Deadlift 135
Bench press 105
Bent-over Rows 45
Press 50
Dips (BW +) 2.5
Barbell Curls 45
Reverse Crunches 30/30
 
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If you are not getting a really good pumped feeling following sets of 15 then I think you should do 2 sets. The loads are light so you won't be taxing your CNS much. As you work towards your 15RM w/o don't kill yourself with the second set; aim for about 10 reps but focus on the burn.


Just a thought: how light are the loads you are starting out with relative to your 15RM? I always suggest starting out with loads that are 70-75% of your RM for any mesocycle.
 
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Mood/energy: B
Weight: 170

Squat 135x15, then two sets of 10
Bench press 110x15, 10, 10
Pull ups 10, 6, 6
Press 55x15, 10, 10
Dips BW+5 x15, 10, 10
Barbell curls 50x15, 10
Crunches 30, 30

I found the two pounds that I'd lost during SD, which is very cool. So I gained about 4.5 during my first cycle, and I'm basically beginning my second cycle where I left off. This suggests I made real gains, which is supported by what I see in the mirror.

Completely filled the hour this time and I definitely feel it this morning. Not intense DOMS or anything like that, but increasing the volume was definitely a good thing.

I'm wondering if volume shouldn't be driven by time in the gym as much as anything else, assuming you're working your way through the exercises quickly. Butts very strongly advocates a one-hour workout for natural lifters. So as the weights go up, I'd have less total volume in terms of reps as the rest between sets necessarily increases.

Here in about a week I'll start using Primordial Performance's TRS with TCF-1. No PHs, but hopefully this will assist my 48-yr-old testosterone factory increase its production a little. I'll post my impressions.
 
Mood/energy: C
Weight: 170

(I always warm up with 5 hard minutes of CII)
Deadlift 155: 15, 10, 10
Bench press 115: 15, 15, 10
Bent-over Rows 95: 15, 10, 10
Press 60: 15, 10, 10
Dips (BW +) 7.5: 15, 10, 10
Barbell Curls 55: 15
Crunches 30/30

In and out in an hour. Woke up with a constantly running nose that hasn't let up all day. Air quality has been really lousy lately--hopefully I'm not going to catch a cold or something.
 
Mood/energy: B
Weight: 171.4

Squat 155x15, then I showed my lifting partner what he was doing wrong and twisted my knee so I stopped at one set. Dummy.
Bench press 125x15, 13, 12
Pull ups 10, 8, 6
Press 65x15, 9, 7
Dips BW+10 x15, 10, 8
Barbell curls 50x15, 8, 8
Crunches 35, 30

What a great program! I'm about 1.5 pounds heavier than I ever was on my last cycle, and it's only my 4th day of 15s. I've been taking Lol's advice and adding sets after the 15s, but today some of the lifts were hard enough that I couldn't get sets of 10. Which makes sense--I expected this around day 4. I just wish it wasn't happening with such girlie weights--I'm old but progressing.

I'm still really struggling to get enough food around here. Everyone seems to agree that the chow hall has become a lot worse. Today lunch consisted of shredded cabbage and really disgusting greasy smelly fish sticks. I opted to pay for a grilled chicken sandwich for $9 and bought a liter of milk for about $5. I'm relying heavily on milk and peanut butter. I'm also supplementing with Primer/Driver (excellent stuff), creatine, about 15 tablets of Beverly Ultra 40 dessicated liver daily (awesome, old-school natty supp--is there anything better?), and I'm using "Super Pump 250" prior to working out (cheesy name, questionable real value, but I love the stuff). I just ordered a creatine restock from TrueProtein which has some great stuff--very cool marketing concept. Check out the bulk "recession" protein blends.
 
Mood/energy: D
Weight: 172.5

Deadlift 205: 15 (Bumped the weight up a lot because I wasn't anywhere near my 15 RM. 205's close, but definitely limited by hand strength)
Bench press 125: 15, 7
Bent-over Rows 105: 15, 10
Press 70: 15, 8, 7
Dips (BW +) 12.5: 15, 7, 7
Barbell Curls 55: 15, 10, 10
Crunches 35/35

Felt pretty flat--looking forward to 2 days off. Had to workout right after dinner (I usually go late afternoon) which didn't help. Next time will be last 15s workout--looking forward to 10s!
 
Mood/energy: A-
Weight: 170

Squat 195x15, then laid down on the floor wimpering
Bench press 135x15
Pull ups 10, 8, 7
Press 75X13 (overestimated 15RM, or left everything in the squat rack)
Dips BW+15 x15, then BW 10, 10
Barbell curls 60x15
Crunches 40/20

Well--the squats really surprised me. I decided to add 20# beyond what I'd planned to do. With a 175 15RM, my estimated 5RM just went from 225 to 270. My estimated 1RM would be 305, or 1.75 BW. Still not impressive and I've got a long way to go, but I'm making pretty darn good strength gains! And I'm within 10 pounds of my lifting partner's bench, which is cool since he outweighs me about 40 pounds. Not that I'm competitive:).

Weight, on the other hand, was down about 2.5 from day before yesterday, but last time I worked out on a full stomach (I weigh just after my warmup on the CII). That's a little disappointing, since I seem to be stuck at where I finished the last cycle. I guess I'll have to find more ways to eat!
 
Mood/energy: B
Weight: 173.4 (all-time high, and my waist is getting smaller! I must have had a bad reading on the last workout day, because 173.4 falls more in line with a normal progression.)

2 Sets each of 10:
Deadlift 185
Bench press 135 (started too high)
Pendley rows 95 (just started doing these, so I'm keeping the weight very light for now until I learn the lift)
Press 65
Dips (BW +) 12.5
Inclined DB Curls 40
Crunches 25/15 (I declined the bench about a foot from where I finished up during the 15s--seems like a good way to do progression. Next cycle I'll start holding a barbell over my head.)

First day of the 10s felt very easy due to zig-zagging, which was gooooood. I've really felt stalled on curls and press, so I switched to inclined DB curls and they felt great. So maybe I'll switch to seated DB press for the 10s. I don't know--very weak shoulders run in my family so I need to stay focused on shoulders. Pendley rows were very good, but I don't think I'll be using very big weights for awhile.
 
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Last two workouts:
Mood/energy: B
Weight: 171.6; 172.5

2 Sets each of 10:
Squat: 185 (on Tuesday)
Deadlift 215 (today)
Bench press 130/135
Pendley rows 105
Press 65
Dips (BW +) 15/17.5
Inclined DB Curls 45/50
Crunches 25/20; 25/25

Felt great today despite the fact we played "hunker down" most of last night and I was pretty tired.

I read Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 e-book last night--great book. I'm pretty convinced that I'm really too weak to get the most out of HST right now, so perhaps when this cycle is over I'll start 9-12 months on 5/3/1. That would put me at around a 350 squat and 240 bench, which would still be weak but probably a much more realistic base from which to focus on hypertrophy.

BTW, I've always planned to toggle between this (if it works out for me) and a strength program. Wendler appeals to me for a lot of the same reasons I like HST. Once I get my strength back up to where it ought to be I could even see going back and forth, say, every two cycles or so.

I got a small bag of "custom" protein today that I designed at "True Protein." Tastes, well, bad. I think I'll leave protein powder design to the experts from now on. That said, the pure German creatine has the finest texture of any creatine I've ever tried; and the off-the-shelf cassein is fine.

Food continues to be a real challenge. Lunch today was pretty grim. However, I found milk for one Euro per liter, which I handle.
 
Well, I just tried to post the last two workouts and lost it all when I edited something. So I'll just say that BW is stable, BP felt great so I added an extra set of 10, and I'm about to start doing DB rows rather than Pendley's on DL days to improve hand strength. Great day in the gym today despite "hunkering down" most of the night while the locals were restless. Last night I purchased a copy of Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 e-bood. Excellent read. I've been looking for a good strength program to start after this cycle and I've decided to run with 5/3/1. If you're interested, buy the e-book. It's worth the $20. Basically, I would really like to get my squat up to around 360 and my bench up to 240 before my next HST cycle. That should about 9 months on 5/3/1 if I'm lucky. After that, who knows, but I'll probably start toggling back and forth between hypertrophy and strength programs.
 
twindeltatandem said:
I read Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 e-book last night--great book. I'm pretty convinced that I'm really too weak to get the most out of HST right now, so perhaps when this cycle is over I'll start 9-12 months on 5/3/1. That would put me at around a 350 squat and 240 bench, which would still be weak but probably a much more realistic base from which to focus on hypertrophy.

BTW, I've always planned to toggle between this (if it works out for me) and a strength program. Wendler appeals to me for a lot of the same reasons I like HST. Once I get my strength back up to where it ought to be I could even see going back and forth, say, every two cycles or so.
Click to expand...

Don't sell HST short just yet. I truly think you'll be surprised at your results if you stick to your cycle - especially if you extend pats the 5's. I hear you completely on the alternating HST/strength plan. Wendler's 5/3/1 is great - that's essentially what I'm doing right now and love it. Thing is, you really should do a couple HST cycles before you go to a strength cycle. This is just my perspective; I have no science behind it - but my second HST cycle provided the most growth of any lifting cycle I've ever done. Food for thought; do a couple HST cycles, SD, and then do a strength cycle, SD, repeat. I totally get the desire to do something new - I am very guilty of abandoning cycles prematurely for just that reason. Don't make that mistake. Stay the course, and I know you'll like the results.

Good luck man.
 
Thanks for the encouragement, -tim. I think HST is great--I'm very happy with the results! I'll definitely finish this 2nd cycle, extend the 5s for at least 3 or 4 days before I go on leave for about 3 weeks. When I get back I'll either do one more HST cycle or start 5/3/1. Probably 5/3/1, because one of my guys wants to do it with me.
 
Just to be clear, TDT... When I say "extend the 5's" I don't mean to literally extend the time frame of the 5's. Switch to either triples, doubles, or negatives (or a combination - I loved doubles and then negatives) and do THOSE for another 3-4 days. Push the strength aspect at the end of the cycle to its fullest, and you'll reap all kinds of benefits during SD. You're going to love 5/3/1. Do you know yet which version you're going to do (vanilla/strength/bodybuilder)?
 
[-tim: I knew what you meant. Once I get to the "end" of the 5s, I'll see if I can keep increasing the weight on any of the lifts. If I can, I will, and will continue with 5 reps for those exercises and then throw in a deloaded set for around 10. If I can't increase the weight for a set of 5 I'll transition into a max-stim set for that particular lift. For 5/3/1 I intend to do the "boring but big" protocol since it's more focused on the four basic lifts than all the variations except for "I'm Not Doing Jack ****." I just don't need that much accessory work right now.]

Mood/energy: B
Weight: 171.8

Squat: 205x10, 115x10
Bench press 140x10x2
Press 70x10x2
Dips (BW +) 20x10x2
Inclined DB Curls 50x10x2
Crunches 30x15

Very stoked about the squats today. Last cycle I hit 155 on the 10s and 225 on the 5s. All the lifts felt very light. I'm definitely getting stronger on this program, due in large part to the fact that I started in a pretty deconditioned state. But it's definitely a good, solid program in my opinion. It does look like my weight gain has about stalled out--I'll be interested to see if anything happens once I get into the 5s.
 
Mood/energy: B
Weight: 175.8

DL: 245x10
Bench press 145x10x2
Press 75x10x2
Dips (BW +) 25x10x2
Inclined DB Curls 60x10x2
Crunches 30x20

So much for weight gain stalling out--I'm guessing either this number is wrong or the last workout number is wrong.

Great workout--the DL was a killer, but I got 10 good reps. I wouldn't say I flew through them--I definitely deloaded the bar each rep and towards the end caught my breath. Practically max-stim.
 
Very nice work, TDT. 245 for 10 deads is a breath killer for sure! Looks like the cycle is going along very nicely. Keep it up!
 
Thanks, _tim! It's going great. Today's workout:

Mood/energy: B
Weight: 173.8

Squat: 225x10, 135x10
Bench press 150x10; 135x10
Pull-ups: 10/9/8
Press: 80x10x2
Dips (BW +) 80x10; BWx10
Inclined DB Curls 60x10x2
Crunches 25 / 15

Last day of 10s.

Squatted 225x10, ATG, which is very cool! That's "equivalent" to a 305 1RM. On my last cycle, my max squat in the 10s was 155. I wonder how much of this gain is CNS conditioning. However, I've never weighed this much in my life and I'm sure my %bf is at least a couple percent lower than when I started (based on abs showing).

Pretty stoked about the weight hanging in there. Got a little gassed today. Normally this would have been a day off, but I've got a mission tomorrow and will be pretty wiped out at the end of the day.
 
Failed to log 1st day of 5s--but I DLd 245 that day.

2d day of 5s:

Mood/energy: B
Weight: 173.8

Squat: 245x5; 195x5x2; 135x10
Bench press 160x5x3
Pull-ups: 8/8/8
Press: 85x5x3
Dips (BW +) 35x5x3
Crunches 15/13/8

Way over-reached on the first set of squats, so I'm going to reset my 5RM going forward.
 
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