XFatMan’s Dan Alexander Peaking Program

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(XFatMan @ Feb. 18 2008,06:07)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Ah yes, today, my body fat dropped below 19% for the first time this year. Pretty cool, I must say.</div>
You are wasting away to nothing! Before long there won't be anything left but a pair of shoes...!
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(But it'll be a strong pair of shoes...)
 
Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Barbell Overhead Press / Barbell Deadlift

8 x 45% of 1 RM
6 x 55% of 1 RM
6 x 65% of 1 RM
5 x 70% / 75% / 75% of 1 RM
My left calf is good already. For a change, I injured my right calf – again. I must do something about that. It could be that they’re just weak, or am I terribly wrong here?
 
Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Today, I only did a 30-minute walk at 4.0 mph.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Flat Bench Barbell Press / Barbell Squat

8 reps at 45% of 1 RM
6 reps at 55% of 1 RM
5 reps at 65% of 1 RM
5 reps at 75% of 1 RM
5 reps at 80% of 1 RM
3 sets / 5 reps / at 85% of 1 RM
5 reps at 80% of 1 RM
6 reps at 70% of 1 RM

Wow, the Flat Bench Barbell Press was hefty, with clustered reps throughout the 80% and 85% range. Boy does that get heavy!

And of course, I did my 30-minute walk. After those squats, I guess I didn’t walk that fast at all.
 
Friday, February 22, 2008

Barbell Overhead Press / Barbell Deadlift

8 reps at 45% of 1 RM
6 reps at 55% of 1 RM
5 reps at 65% of 1 RM
5 reps at 75% of 1 RM
5 reps at 80% of 1 RM
3 sets / 5 reps / at 85% of 1 RM
5 reps at 80% of 1 RM
6 reps at 70% of 1 RM

I did the workout in the afternoon. It was good overall, but I prefer to work out in the morning. And of course, 30 minutes walking. Body fat is now melting away like ice cream on the beach. Hmm, delicious!
 
Sunday, February 24, 2008

… and the measurements:

Biceps: 13.2 in. (+0.2 in.)
Chest: 40.2 in. (-0.4 in.)
Waist: 32.7 in. (-0.6 in.)
Thigh: 22.4 in. (+0.2 in.)
Calf: 14.8 in. (-0.2 in.)
Bodyweight: 158.9 lbs. (-0.7 lbs.)
Body Fat Percentage: 17.8% (-1.8%)

Ah yes, I actually do have a ribcage and abs – I’m can see them now.
 
Taking a guess at your possibilities, I'd see you as having a large chest and legs. You'll have to pay attention to your arm developments to find what works best for you. I couldn't really say anything else from your stats. Good work, guy.
 
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(quadancer @ Feb. 24 2008,04:43)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Taking a guess at your possibilities, I'd see you as having a large chest and legs. You'll have to pay attention to your arm developments to find what works best for you. I couldn't really say anything else from your stats. Good work, guy.</div>
Wow, how can someone guess that from simple numbers? That's incredible. You're right. People - including my wife - always tell me that my chest and legs are comparatively large. And I have always found my arms being a bit tiny in comparison.
 
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(XFatMan @ Feb. 24 2008,07:54)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(quadancer @ Feb. 24 2008,04:43)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Taking a guess at your possibilities, I'd see you as having a large chest and legs. You'll have to pay attention to your arm developments to find what works best for you. I couldn't really say anything else from your stats. Good work, guy.</div>
Wow, how can someone guess that from simple numbers? That's incredible. You're right. People - including my wife - always tell me that my chest and legs are comparatively large. And I have always found my arms being a bit tiny in comparison.</div>
We are good with the body and diet specs here!
 
Monday, February 25, 2008

Flat Bench Barbell Press / Barbell Squat

8 reps at 45% of 1 RM
6 reps at 55% of 1 RM
5 reps at 65% of 1 RM
4 reps at 70% of 1 RM
3 reps at 75% of 1 RM
3 reps at 80% of 1 RM
3 reps at 85% of 1 RM
30 minutes walking at 4.0 mph.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Barbell Overhead Press / Barbell Deadlift

8 reps at 45% of 1 RM
6 reps at 55% of 1 RM
5 reps at 65% of 1 RM
4 reps at 70% of 1 RM
3 reps at 75% of 1 RM
3 reps at 80% of 1 RM
3 reps at 85% of 1 RM
30 minutes walking at 4.0 mph.

Starting Strength arrived yesterday. Judging from the few pages I have read so far, there are quite a couple of things I can do to improve my form. Wow!
 
Wednesday, February 27, 2008

30 minutes walking at 4.0 mph.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Flat Bench Barbell Press / Barbell Squat

8 reps at 45% of 1 RM
6 reps at 55% of 1 RM
5 reps at 65% of 1 RM
4 reps at 75% of 1 RM
3 reps at 85% of 1 RM
3 reps at 90% of 1 RM
3 reps at 90% of 1 RM
5 reps at 80% of 1 RM
6 reps at 55% of 1 RM
30 minutes walking at 4.0 mph.

The funny thing is that the Flat Bench Barbell Press is the only exercise where things get really tough, especially in the 90%-range. I am also correcting some minor form errors according to Starting Strength, which makes it even a bit tougher. Concentrating on a heavy lift and paying attention to details isn’t that easy. I’m not correcting everything at once because that would be too much. But in each workout I want to get closer to “textbook” form.
 
Friday, February 29, 2008

Overhead Barbell Press / Barbell Deadlift

8 reps at 45% of 1 RM
6 reps at 55% of 1 RM
5 reps at 65% of 1 RM
4 reps at 75% of 1 RM
3 reps at 85% of 1 RM
3 reps at 90% of 1 RM
3 reps at 90% of 1 RM
5 reps at 80% of 1 RM
6 reps at 55% of 1 RM
30 minutes walking at 4.0 mph.
 
Saturday, March 1, 2008

30 minutes walking at 4.0 mph.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

My measurement changes:

Chest: 39.8 in. (-0.2 in.)
Waist: 32.3 in. (-0.2 in.)
Hips: 37.8 in. (+0.2 in.)
Bodyweight: 157.6 lbs. (-1.3 lbs.)
Body Fat Percentage: 16.8% (-1.0%)

The numbers are the best motivation around and show me that there is no reason to become impatient. Apart from some very slight differences that you can only perceive in pictures, 17% body fat looks pretty much the same as 21% body fat, so those numbers are very, very important. When body fat drops below 16%, the changes will look more dramatically and I can rely more on the mirror than on tapes, calipers, pictures, and the scale.

Hey, I just noticed that 17% is my lowest body fat percentage in 12 years! Not bad to begin with, huh?
 
Monday, March 03, 2008

Flat Bench Barbell Press / Barbell Squat

8 reps at 45% of 1 RM
6 reps at 55% of 1 RM
5 reps at 65% of 1 RM
4 reps at 75% of 1 RM
3 reps at 80% of 1 RM
3 reps at 85% of 1 RM
30 minutes walking at 4.0 mph with running intervals in the morning. About half of the time was running. Same will follow in the afternoon.
 
Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Barbell Overhead Press / Barbell Deadlift

8 reps at 45% of 1 RM
6 reps at 55% of 1 RM
5 reps at 65% of 1 RM
4 reps at 75% of 1 RM
3 reps at 80% of 1 RM
3 reps at 85% of 1 RM
30 minutes walking at 4.0 mph with running intervals. Today, there was more running than walking.
 
Looks like you are getting closer to trying HIIT cardio, XFM. When you are ready, I think that the addition of HIIT would help you reach your body composition goals quite easily - and perhaps at an increased pace.

You're being very consistent with the Peaking Program - great job. I can imagine it's not the easiest routine to persist.

One request - and perhaps this is a selfish request on my part - but could you start listing your loads lifted in addition to the percentages? I'd love to watch your progress in that way as well as your other accomplishments.
 
Thanks for the motivation and suggestions.

I really hope to get to 15% body fat faster with these running intervals. I will then attack 10% body fat.

Yeah, it's difficult to stick to such a tough program, especially when you’re cutting. But it's actually fun, and I will definitely repeat the program after a week off or so.

Your request is an excellent idea. But see, the program is almost finished, and although this week is going to be somewhat tough, the weights next week will be comparatively light and non-expressive in terms of improvements. After that, there will be the attempts for my new 1 RM’s. These of course will come with real numbers in pounds and Kilograms. I already know that especially the Deadlift has improved more than I would have imagined. For my second cycle then, I’ll note down the loads instead.
 
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(XFatMan @ Mar. 04 2008,10:58)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I already know that especially the Deadlift has improved more than I would have imagined.</div>
Dan Alexander's Peaking Program is sort of a cross between Korte and Verkhoshansky. The big guys really seem to know what they are doing when it comes to moving some big iron around. You may well be pleasantly surprised just how much weight you'll be able to lift.
 
Wednesday, March 05, 2008

This morning, I did a one-hour session of cardio. More than half of it was running. In the afternoon, I will add another 30 minutes.
 
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