Seeker's Quest for Success!

Lol said:
Good job LDU. My guess from your pics is that you are somewhere around 12% bf. Did you do any calliper checks?

It is very possible to get leaner without the aid of drugs (I'm not counting good old caffeine as a drug) but you will inevitably lose more lean mass as you strive for lower and lower bf %ages. Genetics play a big part too. Trying to maintain lean mass while getting to sub-10% bf levels is difficult, requiring careful attention to detail as far as training and dieting (inc. refeeds) are concerned. Lyle McDonald's UD2 is a protocol that's worth trying if you are really keen to get under 10% bf.
Click to expand...

thanks,

i got my skin folds done about 2 weeks after finishing the cut and i was 11.2%. Probably about 16% to 18% now!
 
Front Squat - 2x15x65lbs

Dips - 2x15xBW+20lbs

Rows - 2x15x90lbs

Upright Rows - 2x15x45lbs

Shoulder Press - 2x15x45lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x15x45lbs

Curls - 2x15x45lbs

Triceps Extension - 2x15x30lbs

Shrugs - 2x15x95lbs

Floor Crunches - 2x20xBW

Bench Leg Raises - 2x20xBW

Side Crunches - 2x20xBW

Planks - 2x20 seconds each set

Yeahhhh boiii, my legs are shaping up quite well, as is my whole body. 15s even work my body great, can't wait till this cycle is finished. I have a feeling I will be pleased.
 
Squat - 2x15x85lbs

Bench - 2x15x75lbs

Chins - 2xhowever many i could doxBW

Shoulder Press - 2x15x50lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x15x50lbs

Calves - 2x15x125lbs

Curls - 2x15x50lbs

Triceps Extension - 2x15x30lbs

Shrugs - 2x15x95lbs

Floor Crunches - 2x20xBW

Bench Leg Raises - 2x20xBW

Side Crunches - 2x20xBW

Planks - 2x20 seconds each set

Almost done with 15s, my legs have grown more, quads in particular have grown and become more defined so to speak. I'm happy, abs are getting better too. I will incorporate the harder ab workouts and SLDLs in the 10s, and so on. I also gained 6 pounds over the one week of 15s, I went from 150lbs to 156lbs. Hopefully this week I can make another big jump, but I doubt that lol.
 
Front Squat - 2x15x70lbs

Dips - 2x15xBW+25lbs

Rows - 2x15x95lbs

Upright Rows - 2x15x50lbs

Shoulder Press - 2x15x55lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x15x55lbs

Curls - 2x15x55lbs

Calves - 2x15x130lbs

Triceps Extension - 2x15x35lbs

Shrugs - 2x15x105lbs

Floor Crunches - 2x20xBW

Bench Leg Raises - 2x20xBW

Side Crunches - 2x20xBW

Planks - 2x20 seconds each set

So, I'm finally done with my 15s. Now I will be starting 10s, and my ab workouts will get harder.
 
10s

Squat - 2x10x110lbs

SLDLs - 2x10x105lbs

Bench - 2x10x90lbs

Chin - 2xas many possiblexBW

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 2x10x45lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x10x45lbs

Shrugs - 2x10x120lbs

Biceps Curls - 2x10x35lbs

Triceps Push Down - 2x10x15lbs

Calve Raises - 2x10x140lbs

Flat Bench Leg Raises - 2x20xBW (I did the wrong exercise)

Crunches(FlexBall) - 2x20xBW

Side Crunches - 2x20xBW

Plank - 2x20secsxBW

I started the 10s today, fairly easy for the most part, I got in a good work out that wore me out pretty good. Abs were hard as hell though lol. I'm sure it will be fine by the end of the 10s though.
 
Front Squat - 2x10x75lbs

SLDLs - 2x10x110lbs

Dips - 2x10x30lbs

Wide Rows- 2x10x110lbs

Narrow Rows - 2x10x60lbs

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 2x10x50lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x10x50lbs

Shrugs - 2x10x125lbs

Biceps Curls - 2x10x40lbs

Triceps Push Down - 2x10x20lbs

Calve Raises - 2x10x145lbs

Hanging Raises - 2x20xBW

Crunches(FlexBall) - 2x20xBW

Side Crunches - 2x20xBW

Plank - 2x20secsxBW

Abs were the hardest thing for me today. Everything else was okay, nothing too crazy hard. I'm sure that will come though. I can see improvement every time I look in the mirror. Working out is like 2nd nature to me, I do it no matter what. Just gotta have self-determination and a motivation to become the best you and the results will come. Also, eat a lot ;) that's not too hard for me hehe.
 
Squat - 2x10x115lbs

SLDLs - 2x10x115lbs

Bench - 2x10x95lbs

Chin - 2xas many possiblexBW

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 2x10x55lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x10x55lbs

Shrugs - 2x10x130lbs

Biceps Curls - 2x10x45lbs

Triceps Push Down - 2x10x25lbs

Calve Raises - 2x10x150lbs

Hanging Raises - 2x20xBW

Crunches(FlexBall) - 2x20xBW

Side Crunches - 2x20xBW

Plank - 2x20secsxBW

I didn't work out yesterday because I got home kinda late but that's what I did today. Bench isn't as hard as I think it should be, but by the 2nd set it gets harder. Completed the first week of 10s. Yay!
 
Front Squat - 2x10x80lbs

SLDLs - 2x10x120lbs

Dips - 2x10x35lbs

Wide Rows- 2x10x115lbs

Narrow Rows - 2x10x65lbs

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 2x10x60lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x10x60lbs

Shrugs - 2x10x135lbs

Biceps Curls - 2x10x50lbs

Triceps Push Down - 2x10x30lbs

Calve Raises - 2x10x155lbs

Hanging Raises - 2x20xBW

Crunches(FlexBall) - 2x20xBW

Side Crunches - 2x20xBW

Plank - 2x20secsxBW

Wide Bent Over Row was hard on second set, it was fun though :) I enjoy working out more than ever, just keeps challenging me.
 
Squat - 2x10x125lbs

Bench - 2x10x105lbs

Chins - 2xhowever many i could doxBW

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 2x10x65lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x10x65lbs

Shrugs - 2x10x140lbs

Biceps Curls - 2x10x55lbs

Triceps Push Down - 2x10x35lbs

Calve Raises - 2x10x160lbs

Hanging Raises - 2x20xBW

Crunches(FlexBall) - 2x20xBW

Side Crunches - 2x20xBW

Plank - 2x20secsxBW

Abs are shaping up well, I'm almost at 160lbs in weight. I am bordering the 158.5lbs currently. Pretty stoked.

Hard work pays off
 
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Front Squat - 2x10x90lbs

SLDLs - 2x10x135lbs

Dips - 2x10x45lbs

Wide Rows- 2x10x125lbs

Narrow Rows - 2x10x75lbs

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 2x10x75lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x10x75lbs

Shrugs - 2x10x150lbs

Biceps Curls - 2x10x65lbs

Triceps Push Down - 2x10x45lbs

Calve Raises - 2x10x175lbs

Hanging Raises - 2x20xBW

Crunches(FlexBall) - 2x20xBW

Side Crunches - 2x20xBW

Plank - 2x20secsxBW

I'm all done with 10s, in total I have gained ~10lbs of body weight. I don't know how much bf I have gained but it doesn't look like a lot. I have grown in my chest/back cause I wanted to see a test of how much it has worked hehe. It said 2 in. gain :) I know my legs have gotten bigger too because my boxers near the legs are now tight lol. It works folks, but you gotta work at it. Doing the very base schedule also does help, then you can tweak it as you learn about what to do and what works best with your body. Next two weeks are 5s. Wish me luck!
 
5s

Squat - 2x5x135lbs

Bench - 2x5x115lbs

Chins - 2x5xBW

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 2x5x75lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x5x75lbs

Shrugs - 2x5x165lbs

Biceps Curls - 2x5x65lbs

Triceps Push Down - 2x5x45lbs

Calve Raises - 2x5x195lbs

I noticed that my rep count has been messed up, so I will be editing my post to show the correct number. 5s aren't too hard, I guess I get pretty pumped up so I can grind through it. Gotta figure out how to incorporate some ab work outs.
 
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Wednesday

Front Squat - 2x5x95lbs

Dips - 2x5x45lbs

Wide Rows - 115lbs

Narrow Rows - 75lbs

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 75lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 75lbs

I don't really remember what else I did on Wednesday...

Friday

Squat - 2x5x140lbs

Bench - 2x5x110lbs

Chins - 2x5xBW

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 2x5x80lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x5x80lbs

Shrugs - 2x5x165lbs

Biceps Curls - 2x5x70lbs

Triceps Push Down - 2x5x40lbs

Calve Raises - 2x5x200lbs

I screwed up how many times I do biceps curls etc. during the week. Oh well.
 
I AM ALIVE! :D

I haven't posted in a while cause I was lazy, but you better know I wasn't lazy in working out ;)


Monday

Front Squat - 2x5x100lbs

Dips - 2x5x50lbs

Wide Rows - 2x5x120lbs

Narrow Rows - 2x5x80lbs

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 2x5x85lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x5x85lbs

Calves - 2x5x205lbs

Biceps Curls - 2x5x75lbs

Triceps Push Down - 2x5x40lbs

Wednesday

Squat - 2x5x145lbs

Bench - 2x5x115lbs

Chins - 2x5xBW

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 2x5x90lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x5x90lbs

Calves - 2x5x210lbs

Biceps Curls - 2x5x80lbs

Triceps Push Down - 2x5x45lbs

Friday

Front Squat - 2x5x105lbs

Dips - 2x5x55lbs

Wide Rows - 2x5x125lbs

Narrow Rows - 2x5x85lbs

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 2x5x95lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 2x5x95lbs

Calves - 2x5x215lbs

Biceps Curls - 2x5x85lbs

Triceps Push Down - 2x5x50lbs

Finished 5s

Now what I decided to do is my 1 RM but do it 5 reps and 1 set. We will call it my extended 5s.

Monday

Squat - 1x5x150lbs

Bench - 1x5x130lbs

Chins - 2x5xBW

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 1x5x75lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 1x5x75lbs

Shrugs - 1x5x175lbs

Biceps Curls - 1x5x65lbs

Triceps Push Down - 1x5x35lbs

Calve Raises - 1x5x215lbs

Wednesday

Front Squat - 1x5x110lbs

Dips - 1x5x50lbs

Wide Rows - 1x5x125lbs

Narrow Rows - 1x5x75lbs

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 1x5x80lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 1x5x80lbs

Shrugs - 1x5x180lbs

Biceps Curls - 1x5x70lbs

Triceps Push Down - 1x5x40lbs

Calve Raises - 1x5x220lbs

Friday

Squat - 1x5x155lbs

Bench - 1x5x135lbs

Chins - 2x5xBW

Wide Gripped Shoulder Press - 1x5x85lbs

Behind Head Shoulder Press - 1x5x85lbs

Shrugs - 1x5x185lbs

Biceps Curls - 1x5x75lbs

Triceps Push Down - 1x5x45lbs

Calve Raises - 1x5x225lbs

I would like to say, this program does work. I mean, so far my body has grown. A lot. My chest/back has gone from a 35in to a 39in. That's all I've measured, I will measure the rest after I'm done. Like I said, hard work pays off.
 
Continuing from the S&W thread....

Seeker, if you have a ton of energy in the tank, are you sure that your loads are right AND that your volume is right? Take a look at Lol's last HST cycle, and how many work sets he did across the rep ranges. I think this is perhaps the best example of someone taking an HST cycle to the next level volume-wise, and it was done in an auto-regulated fashion for the most part. That's a very, VERY effective means of training. For more on that, look over at mikeynov's log. In a couple weeks, you'll see much the same on my log, albeit with a different flavor. Regardless, if you hit each muscle group effectively with one compound lift, you won't have much energy left afterward.
 
".....your loads.....your volume..." Load=weight and Volume=?

"15 x 42.5kg (94lb) @ RPE 8.5
15 x 42.5kg (94lb) @ RPE 8.5" I have no clue what RPE 8.5 means?

"Bench:
15 x 40kg, 10 x 60kg WU
15 x 85kg (187lb) @ RPE 9
10+2,2,2,1 (M-R) x 85kg (187lb)" I don't understand the "10+2,2,2,1" deal.

I notice he added some sets in some places, is that because he felt he could do more so he added?

I really don't understand any of what mikeynov is doing to be honest lol, I would like to run my HST as effective as possible but stuff like Lol and mikey I just don't know all about yet.
 
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OK. Here we go. :eek:

"Load" as I use the term here is simply the weight that you're lifting. "Volume" is the combination of Load and Rep Count, either in terms of a single set, or sets across. From my post, what I was trying to get at was that if 2 sets/lift left you with a ton of energy at the end of a workout, you may want to consider adding more sets or increasing the load. It's common to reset the load mid-cycle as you progress; often times your body will adapt to the stress you apply to it and you have to increase the stress in order to induce a reaction.

That's what Lol did last cycle, especially in the 10's and 5's. The "10+2,2,2,1" deal was simply a max effort set that was clustered, and extended a little bit. Mike is doing auto regulated training - meaning that he works up to a certain point for both load and volume every workout with only his body as a reference. In other words, he's not going to load up a bar and do two sets of 5 because he programmed it that way. RPE is "Rate of Perceived Exertion"; this is something that some use to gauge strain on CNS among other things. Take a look at this link: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/exercise/rpe.aspx.

I hope that helped. Ask more questions if not - these are potentially very useful concepts that you can incorporate into your training.
 
Thanks for teaching me some more! I never knew half of what you were talking about until you explained it.

So, mike just adds on weight or sets according to how he think his body can manage it?

Personally, I try not to add too much weight cause I got scared about the straining of the CNS so I try to make sure I can complete the reps/sets.
 
Yes - the cycle that Mike is doing is managed exclusively by how he feels. That's a training methodology that a couple very successful powerlifters employ. Mike Tuscherer is one of the best with his "reactive" training approach. Here's a like to one of his articles... http://www.reactivetrainingsystems....-articles/2521-shoulder-injury-and-prevention. There's a good summary of RPE as well.

I get that you want to manage your CNS - and that's very smart. There's a balance, though, that only you know based on the stimulus that you apply to your musculature through lifting in terms of how much stress you can apply without overly disaffecting your CNS. It will vary from workout to workout - that is a fact. I think a ton more folks would be successful in their training if they listened more to their body and worked within a lifting framework rather than sticking to the framework alone. Make sense?
 
You will be very fatigued most of the time, perhaps a bit moody, and your usual warmup loads will feel like work loads when in the gym.
 
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