MonStar's Journal: Experimenting [Forum Archive]

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MonStar's Journal: Experimenting

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Posted by: M.J.H.

Yes, I am experimenting. I am experimenting with a new way of training and going to be following a diet that's also somewhat of an experiment.

My last journal I was following NHE (Natural Horomonal Enhancement), and I was trying to gain strength. Unfortunately that's really not possible, while following a low-carb diet. To those who are unfamiliar with NHE please check out this website for information on the diet, and possible purchasing the book by Rob Faigin, excellent read:

www.extique.com

The diet in a nutshell in low-carb Atkin's style all the time, with periodic high-carb refeeds to stimulate insulin levels and replenish lost muscle and liver glycogen.

Anyway, after consulting with my excellent personal trainer, Saturday Fever (SF), he came up with an intensity cycling program that will help me maintain my strength while dieting down, and maybe adding a little size. Again this is basically an experiment in a sense. Still based on practical science, of course. I am going to layout the program very simply, and once SF puts his finishing touches on it I am going to have him post the reasoning and science behind it, here in my journal.

There are 3 cycles on this program, each lasting around 2 weeks. The 1st cycle is the 70-80% cycle, the 2nd cycle is the 80-90% cycle, and finally the 3rd cycle is the 90-100% cycle. Each cycle is going to basically be split up into 2 sections. The "Compound" and then the "Isolation" section. The compound part is going to be, surprise surprise, all compound exercises. The isolation part is all isolative exercises.

I wanted to note that there are going to be roughly 4 compound days followed by 5 isolative days in each cycle. Here is a rough layout of the split for each cycle:

- Compound Upper Body 1
- Compound Lower Body 1
- Compound Upper Body 2
- Compound Lower Body 2
- Isolation Upper Body 1
- Isolation Lower Body 1
- Isolation Upper Body 2
- Isolation Lower Body 2

Want to note that lats and biceps are trained on lower body day.

Now for the cycles:

70-80% Cycle
This is going to be the 1st cycle, and is going to approximately 70-80% of my 1RM on the exercises. It's going to be in the 3-6 rep range, with the optimal # of reps per exercise being 18, but anywhere between 12-24 is sufficient.

80-90% Cycle
This is the 2nd cycle, and going to be 80-90% of my 1RM on each of the exercises. The rep range for the exercises here is going to be 2-4, with the optimal # of reps per exercise being 15, but anywhere between 10-20 is sufficient.

90-100% Cycle
This is the 3rd and final cycle, and obviously going to be 90-100% of my 1RM for each of the exercises. The rep range here is going to be 1-2, with the optimal # of reps per exercise being 7, but anywhere between 4-10 will be sufficient.

After all 3 cycles I will test my 1RM on bench/squat/deadlift respectively, just to basically make sure that I have maintained my strength effectively, and maybe even gained a little strength, who knows? Like I said, this is somewhat of an experiment. I want to note that failure is recommended, in the intended rep range. And generally, the volume is going to be kept on the low side.

Feel free to post comments, questions, suggestions, etc.

Posted by: tucker01

Damn you are the Journal Master

This is Like the sixth one in a month

Good luck

Posted by: ncgirl21

So you didn't want to shrink 'eh??

LOL!!!

Posted by: atherjen

you are a crazy man Mikster.

should I bother wishing you good luck again or do you just know now?

hehe

updated pics soon?

Posted by: camarosuper6

I like the idea! Short intense workouts with each set lasting no more than 15-20 seconds of intense low rep range exercise is a great way to keep and even gain small amounts of mass while going slightly lower on the carbs. It allows you to use heavier weights, and not drain yourself as much. I wouldnt reduce carbs too much though, and I usually get around 400 grams of protein a day.

But it looks solid. I'll be following this

Posted by: M.J.H.

IainDaniel: LOL, thanks man.

Andrea: I considered it, but it didn't have the same ring to it, lol. Thanks for stopping by.

Jen: I'll get new pics up sooner or later. As soon as I feel somewhat more comfortable about my % of bodyfat I'll get pics up. Who knows when that will be.

camarosuper6: Hey man, thanks for stopping by! Always great to see new faces here in my journal. Yeah low carbs is definitely tough, but refeeding every 3rd or 4th day really makes it a lot more tolerable. Trust me. Anyway, my workouts are going to be around 30 minutes or less for the most part. Really not too long at all. Anyway, thanks again for the post.

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-9-2004

70-80% Cycle: Compound Upper Body 1

Incline BB Presses:

275 x 3
225 x 6
225 x 5
225 x 5

Flat DB Presses:

120's x 6
120's x 5
120's x 5

Arnold Presses:

60's x 6
70's x 4
70's x 4
70's x 4
75's x 3!

Good workout today, definitely. Took it easy in the gym in terms of how I walked around, etc. Rested a little longer between each set, etc. But really went balls the wall on each set. My strength is honestly dissapointing anymore. But my goal is fat loss. And my strength is not what I am concerned with right now at all. So it's all good. Incline strength is sh*tty, but it's always been sh*tty to be honest.

After inclines I hit some flat DB presses where my strength really was not too shabby, honestly. Hit the 120's for 6 which isn't bad going on no carbs. Moved onto some seated Arnold presses, worked up to the 75's for 3, nice. Good workout overall.

Diet:
- 3 scrambled eggs + cheese, 3 pieces of bacon
- whey protein postworkout
- low-carb bar
- pork rinds
- 2 cans of tuna + mayo
- low-carb ice-cream

Diet wasn't too bad at all. Typical low-carb crap, nothing special really. Going to most likely be refeeding every 4th day for a while. Until I drop some flab.

Sleep: 7.5 hours.

Weight: 230 lbs.

Weight is up like crazy. Feel fat as f*ck. Damnit.

Waist today, at my naval, measured 39.5 inches.

Absolutely sickening, I am so f*cking frustrated with my % of bodyfat. I need to really focus on dropping some serious flab.

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-10-2004

70-80% Cycle: Compound Lower Body 1

Conventional Deadlifts:

585 x 1
500 x 4
500 x 3
475 x 5

Underhand Cable Pulldowns:

260 x 4
260 x 4
275 x 3!
245 x 5
245 x 4

Hack Squats:

520 x 6
610 x 3
610 x 3
570 x 5

Pretty good workout today, no complaints really. I don't have any f*cking idea what give me the idea that I was going to pull 585 for a triple. Not sure what the f*ck was going through my stupid a*s head, lol. Almost completely the 2nd rep but couldn't lock it out, and gave up. Whatever. The rep range for the 70-80% cycle is 12-24 so I went short on deadlifts, because they're so damn exhausting. Moved onto some HEAVY pulldowns, great sets there, really beat up my lats. Almost the entire stack for reps. Not bad, for pulldowns. Finished up with some heavy hack squats. Overall workout was good I think.

Diet:
- pork rinds
- fried steak + cheese + mayo
- Isopure shake postworkout
- bacon cheeseburger + mayo, ceasar salad, low-carb sundae
- tuna + mayo, low-carb choclate milk

Diet was pretty good today I think, I went to Friendly's and got a low-carb sundae which was absolutely awesome. Had around 11g of carbs, but I split it with my brother, so it came out to around 5g. Not bad.

Sleep: 8.5 hours.

Weight: 221.5 lbs. Woah, holy sh*t, must have dropped some water weight from yesterday. Dropped 8.5 lbs. in one godd*mn day. Ouch.

Posted by: PreMier

Sheep*

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonStar

PreMier: WTF?

he put the asteric mark (*) in after the word sheep I think becasue you used to it bleep out the word shit. So he was censoring you saying "holy sheep".....I think.

Why pulldowns on lower body day?

Posted by: M.J.H.

PreMier: I have no idea what you're talking about.

P-funk: Hey man, thanks for stopping by. I am not sure what PreMier is talking about, it doesn't really matter. Anyway, on my lower body day I actually train my lats. Its lats/biceps and legs. Then upper body is chest/shoulders/triceps. Going to be refeeding every 4th day for a while. Until I get my weight and bodyfat % more under control.

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-11-2004

Rest

Took a rest day today. Feeling pretty good lately. I really like this low-volume program a lot. It's really really great in terms of workout intensity, and not being extremely sore while on low carbs, etc. So far I am loving everything about this program.

Diet:
- steak, 3 scrambled eggs + cheese
- bacon cheeseburger + mayo, ceasar salad
- Isopure shake, pork rinds + french onion dip
- low-carb choclate milk
- low-carb BLT, low-carb ice-cream

Diet wasn't too bad today at all. And tomorrow is my refeed! That's definitely going to be a lot of fun, that's for sure. I am really looking forward to stuffing my face, lol.

Sleep: 7 hours.

Weight: 222 lbs. Up a half pound from yesterday. No big deal. That could be water weight, whatever.

Posted by: OrbitalChime

Looking good, I've never trained for strenght specifically yet, but when i do ill know whos journal to get ideas from

Posted by: M.J.H.

OrbitalChime: Hey man, thanks for stopping by, really appreciate it. Yeah I am going to see what happens. This program so far I LOVE, it's lower volume, really really enjoyable IMO.

Posted by: Nate

Monstar,

I always enjoy reading your journals, as my goals are typically the same as yours. I try to maintain my weight while increasing my strength. I've managed to do this efficiently, but my squat has suffered greatly. I'm similar to you because I can pull like a motherfucker but my squat lacks behind. It's strange; most people I talk to think it should be the opposite. What have you done in the past to increase your squat?

Keep up the hard work, brotha.

Posted by: M.J.H.

Nate: Hey man, thanks for stopping by. Nice to see a new face here in my journal. My squat has honestly always been a b*tch bro. It's just a pain in my friggin' a*s, that's all. I don't feel NEARLY as strong in squats as I do deadlifting. I mean there is absolutely no comparison at all. I wish I could squat a lot closer to my deadlift, but whatever. Do you have a journal here at IM?

Posted by: PreMier

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonStar

PreMier: I have no idea what you're talking about.

P-funk: Hey man, thanks for stopping by. I am not sure what PreMier is talking about, it doesn't really matter. Anyway, on my lower body day I actually train my lats. Its lats/biceps and legs. Then upper body is chest/shoulders/triceps. Going to be refeeding every 4th day for a while. Until I get my weight and bodyfat % more under control.

Just saying that I will follow along yet again

Like a sheep lol

Posted by: M.J.H.

PreMier: Okay okay man, now I understand.

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-12-2004

70-80% Cycle: Compound Upper Body 2

Decline BB Presses:

295 x 6
295 x 6
315 x 3
315 x 3

Incline DB Presses:

100's x 6
110's x 6
120's x 3!
120's x 3
100's x 6

Upright Rows:

175 x 4
195 x 3!
155 x 6
165 x 6

Great, great, great workout today!

Considering that this is my 4th day of low carbs I am extremely pleased with my workout today. My intensity was friggin' awesome. My strength was good, too. Everything was really superb. Started off with decline BB presses, hit 315 for 2 sets of 3. Not bad for being on no carbs at all. Then some incline presses, which were GREAT! My inclines have always been weak and throwing around the heaviest DB's in the gym was an awesome feeling. Finished up with some upright rows, hit 195 for a triple, nice sets overall. Really pleased with my overall workout.

Diet:
- low-carb BLT, low-carb choclate milk
- whey protein postworkout

Refeed:
- frosted mini-wheats + skim milk
- low-fat pretzels
- fat-free chips
- fat-free ice-cream
- soda, juice
- candy corn, peach candy, runts
- spaghetti + tomato sauce

Honestly tonight my refeed was not that long, and not that intense. The main reason being that I really honestly do not need an extreme binge to satisfy my need to refeed. I mean I am just going to take a couple hours every couple of days and refeed for a few hours, just to take care of my cravings, etc.

Ate for about 3 hours. Then stopped for 2, then had some fat-free ice-cream and chips before bed, with some skim milk and choclate syrup.

Sleep: 8 hours.

Weight: 221 lbs. Not bad. Down a pound from yesterday. Going to gain some tonight from my refeed.

Posted by: Nate

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonStar

Nate: Hey man, thanks for stopping by. Nice to see a new face here in my journal. My squat has honestly always been a b*tch bro. It's just a pain in my friggin' a*s, that's all. I don't feel NEARLY as strong in squats as I do deadlifting. I mean there is absolutely no comparison at all. I wish I could squat a lot closer to my deadlift, but whatever. Do you have a journal here at IM?

I'm the same way. I feel like such a bitch everytime I step up to the squat rack.

I can pull 435 @ 160, but the most I've ever managed to squat is 265. I've tried everything...my buddy Joe, a trainer at my gym, has had me on the box, working with bands...you name it..nothing has worked. I'm thinking it's probably time to abandon my goals of staying lean...I need to eat more and be a bit more anabolic, I think. Fuck the summertime, lol.

And no, I don't...I have had one in the past but it's a bitch for me to keep up.

Maybe i'll think about starting up a new one.

Posted by: Saturday Fever

Are you squatting with your posterior? I posted proper squatting technique in the training forum. Honestly, if done right, the squat and dead numbers will be almost identical.

Nice workout, man, but stop doing heavy sets last.

Posted by: Nate

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saturday Fever

Are you squatting with your posterior? I posted proper squatting technique in the training forum. Honestly, if done right, the squat and dead numbers will be almost identical.

Nice workout, man, but stop doing heavy sets last.

yep. i read that thread. it was a good read. honestly, i think it has something to do with my hip flexors. i'm honestly not sure. my hammys are strong, my quads are strong....and i can't squat for shit. it's like an anomaly.

Posted by: Saturday Fever

It's always a work in progress. The very best thing you can do for yourself is get your squat work on video so you can critique yourself. It's also fairly evil to squat facing a mirror. Seeing yourself will screw you up.

Posted by: Nate

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saturday Fever

It's always a work in progress. The very best thing you can do for yourself is get your squat work on video so you can critique yourself. It's also fairly evil to squat facing a mirror. Seeing yourself will screw you up.

Hmm, well, I've got a digital so I'll take some video and upload it to see if you guys can help me out. Your comment about the mirror is interesting..I've never heard that. Maybe I'll try doing them facing away next time...

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate

I hate the mirrors in gyms, especially when squatting because my clients keep looking down at their feet. I wouldn't do it facing away though because that means that you are going to have to rack the bar walking backwards instead of forward and the potential to pull a hammy walking backwards and trying to rack it like that is high. Just focus and don't look down.

Posted by: atherjen

this low volume training is interesting.. especially ala dieting phase your doing now too. .. hmmmm your liking I assume eh?

nice db presses and upright rows, both PR's?

enjoy the refeed

<----you

Posted by: M.J.H.

Nate: That's some great pulling man. You weigh 160 and can pull 435? Good work, bro. Is that pulling conventional or sumo? I think that you should definitley start a journal here at IM though man, I'll check it out regularly. And SF probably will, too. About your squatting technique, I have the same f*cking problem, it drives me insane. I hate it so much.

SF: Yeah I do always pyramid up in weight, I don't know why I have that problem. Half the time it's because I am really not sure how strong I am for 3 reps, etc. But I will try and focus on doing my heaviest sets first. We'll see what happens. I am not sure what exercises I am doing tomorrow. Maybe leg presses and some rows and pulldowns.

P-funk: Yeah, I usually like mirrors. But for squats I am not all that crazy about them at all. Oh well, I'll live, lol. I tried cleaning up my refeed somewhat tonight bro---but it's honestly really really tough for me. Because I look forwared to this refeed forever. And spaghetti with fat-free/low-fat tomato sauce just doesn't taste good to me, lol.

Jen: Hey there, thanks for stopping by.

Yeah this training I absolutely love. It's somewhat more of a bodybuilding routine, and I friggin' love the low-volume. It really makes me go balls to the wall on each and every set.

Posted by: Saturday Fever

Bodybuilding. BAH! I prefer to think of it as "wait until Mike is ready to gain and go full-on powerlifting again."

Posted by: yellowmoomba

Hey Monstar -

Nice lifts lately. How long are your workouts taking ??

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saturday Fever

Bodybuilding. BAH! I prefer to think of it as "wait until Mike is ready to gain and go full-on powerlifting again."

Yeah, F*ck bodybuilding.

Posted by: M.J.H.

SF: Whatever you call it, I am loving it so far. Really enjoyable program that you put together bro.

yellowmoomba: My workouts are taking roughly 30 minutes, give or take. Not too long or too short to be honest. Right where I like them. I completely prefer shorter more intense workouts than I do longer less intense workouts.

P-funk: LOL, I don't that's what he meant.

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-13-2004

70-80% Cycle: Compound Lower Body 2

Leg Presses:

1,200 x 3!
1,200 x 3
1,040 x 6
1,040 x 6

T-Bar Rows:

360 x 3
360 x 3
330 x 5
330 x 5
330 x 5

Parallel-Grip Cable Pulldowns:

230 x 6
230 x 6
260 x 3
260 x 3

Friggin' AWESOME workout today! Maybe because it was the day after a refeed. Whatever the reason, my workout today was excellent. Really get sets, focus and intenstiy was awesome. Started off with HEAVY leg presses, heavier than I have ever gone in my life to be honest. Used 1,200 lbs. for 2 sets of 3. Great sets, hit my quads very very hard. Really got some attention in the gym for this, lol.

Moved onto ghetto style t-bar rows, tore my midback and lats up big time. Really good sets. Started off with 2 sets of 3 with seven 45's and then dropped to 330 for 3 sets of 5. Great sets. Finshed up with some hammer-grip pulldowns, also tore my lats up big time.

Diet:
- low-carb BLT, low-carb choclate milk
- whey protein postworkout
- grilled chicken + cheese
- Isopure shake
- mixed nuts
- pork rinds + french onion dip
- fried steak + cheese + mayo

Diet was okay today, not the greatest but certainly not the worst, either. Really was hungry today though, for whatever reason. I am not sure if it was because it was the day after a refeed, or what. Oh well.

Sleep: 9 hours.

Weight: 224 lbs. Not bad, up 3 lbs. from yesterday's refeed. Really not bad at all. I'll drop that in a few days.

Posted by: P-funk

LOL, I know what he meant. I was saying F*ck bodybuilding.....lol.

Posted by: P-funk

yeah, the re-feed probably provided you with a ton of stored energy. Did you pace your carbs out over a few hours or did you just kill it in like 20min. (lol)?

Posted by: Saturday Fever

When the Isolation week hits, your gym time is going to cut almost in half. But you'll be able to let your body calm down and get ready for the next intensity cycle, which starts with compound lifts, obviously.

Need to take note the weights you've been moving so you can properly adjust them for the next cycle, as well. Good session. The only thing that would have been better is if you did 1200lb + a small child on the leg press.

Posted by: M.J.H.

P-funk: Actually man, from now on I'll specify, I started my refeed at about 6:30 at night and didn't end it until around 1:30 in the morning. I wasn't eating the entire time I ate very gradual. Didn't really pig out like I normally do. Thanks for stopping by bro.

SF: LOL, I was thinking about grabbing one of the skinny girls on the treadmills and asking her to sit on the leg press platform.

Anyway, the leg press in my gym actually holds a lot more weight than 1,200 lbs. believe or not. Probably near 1,500 lbs. or more. Not sure that I'll ever get that high, but who knows. Anyway, I am really looking forward to going heavy isolation work. Tomorrow if I do not take a rest day it's going to be my first isolation day. I can't wait!

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonStar

P-funk: Actually man, from now on I'll specify, I started my refeed at about 6:30 at night and didn't end it until around 1:30 in the morning. I wasn't eating the entire time I ate very gradual. Didn't really pig out like I normally do. Thanks for stopping by bro.

Great

I would guess that this is why you had good energy and strenght in this workout as the longer more paces out re-feed gave your body the chance to acclimate to the calories and store a lot of energy. Rather that if you just pigged out for an hour and then got sick to the stomach and ended you re-feed. In which case I think that most of the food (more importantly carbs) taken in during that small time frame may have been wasted (ie expelled through waste) becasue your body couldn't acclimate to that level of calories efficeiently enough.

Posted by: Nate

Nice workout, bro. How's your CNS holding up to this kind of rep scheme? When I go heavy for an extended period of time I get totally smoked in no time.

I had a good leg day today, but no one was around to film my fuckin' squats. I did some work with the box and then i went over and did some high rep leg presses...I'm smoked.

Posted by: camarosuper6

I refeed everyday

Posted by: PreMier

Thats an insane leg press... You may catch Fade soon.

Posted by: GRIFF

Holy shit, leg presses are lookin AMAZING, t-bar rows are great too, 8 plates???? thats nuts, you practically have to deadlift that just to get it into place. Great workout.

Posted by: Saturday Fever

The hell of it is, 1200 is only 80%.

Posted by: M.J.H.

P-funk: Yeah man that is exactly what I think happened. I think spreading my refeed out over the course of 6 hours or so really gave my body a chance to take all of the incoming calories in and store them. Rather than just pig out for an hour or 2 and then feel sick to my stomach. During this refeed I still ate a bunch of crap too but I think because I ate it more spread out, sipped some water, took a few grams of ginger root, I was fine. Hey man how do you feel about fruit during a refeed? I have read that it can be good for refilling liver glycogen?

Nate: Honestly man I think my CNS is responding very well to this type of training. I mean doing a higher volume type of routine previously jumping into a low volume routine was just a great move, IMO. Thanks for the post bro, really appreciate it.

camarosuper6: LOL, whatever works for 'ya!

PreMier: Thanks man.

GRIFF: Nah man, not 8 plates, unfortunately. I wish it was 8 plates. I believe it was 7 plates. Yeah seven 45's, and the bar. But I was happy with my t-bar rowing strength. Even if it was ghetto style, lol.

SF: I guess we'll have to wait and see during the 100% cycle.

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Hey man how do you feel about fruit during a refeed? I have read that it can be good for refilling liver glycogen?

I try not to eat to much fruit on my re-feed. A little is okay because fruit has fructose, and like you said it is good for restoring liver glycogen. But your liver can hold only so much glycogen (about 80-100g) so it is really easy to spill over in the liver which isn't so good. When I re-feed i try to limit my frucotse intake for that reason. I take in a small amount to get a fed signal to the brain and resotre some of the glycogen there but really I try and keep it to minimum.

Posted by: M.J.H.

P-funk: Okay man, not a problem at all. I'll just really limit my intake of fruit. In my last refeed I only had a cup of orange juice anyway, so it's not like I went overboard or anything. Plus a lot of the crap that I am eating in my refeeds is full of high-fructose corn syrup, so I am sure my liver glycogen is getting fully replenished.

Posted by: P-funk

stay away form the high fructose crap!!! that is one thing you can do without.

Posted by: M.J.H.

P-funk: Okay man, no problem. I am not sure what I eat with high-fructose corn syrup, but I am pretty sure that I have seen it as the first ingredients in a few things that I eat during my refeed. Probably soda, or something, which I am trying to cut out. I am trying to find a good beverage to drink while refeeding, other than water obviously.

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-14-2004

70-80% Cycle: Isolation Upper Body 1

Flat DB Flyes:

80's x 6
90's x 5
100's x 3!
80's x 6

Skullcrushers:

140 x 3
140 x 3
125 x 6
125 x 6
125 x 6

Preacher Curls:

120 x 5
130 x 3!
115 x 6
115 x 6

DB Front Raises:

65's x 3!
65's x 3
50's x 6
50's x 6

Absolutely AWESOME workout today!!

Intensity was great, focus was great, strength was right on, everything was awesome today in the gym. Yet another excellent workout on SF's program. I am absolutely loving this program so far. It's the most enjoyable program that I have done in a long time. I think the low-volume is really what sets it off for me, personally. Lets me go all out on every set.

Started off with some HEAVY flat DB flyes. Really didn't realize how heavy I could go on these. Worked all the way up to the 100's for a triple! Obviously with the 90's and the 100's at the bottom of each rep I almost naturally shape my arms in more of an 'L' shape. It becomes extremely difficult to keep my arms near lockout. Whatever. Beat my pecs into the ground. Moved onto some skullcrushers. I am just not all that strong in skullcrushers. I don't know why. I always want to go higher than 140 lbs. But I don't feel comfortable going any heavier. Oh well.

Anyway, moved onto some heavy BB preacher curls. Nice sets here today. Really hit my biceps hard with each of these sets. Finally finished up with some HEAVY DB front raises. The 65's for DB front raises really got some attention in the gym, lol.

Diet:
- fried steak + cheese + mayo
- tuna + mayo
- whey protein postworkout
- pisctachios, pork rinds + french onion dip
- low-carb BLT, low-carb milk
- low-carb ice-cream

Diet was not bad today at all. Really don't mind this low carb way of eating at all. Especially refeeding like madman every 4th night. I can't wait for my next refeed, lol, that should be a lot of fun.

Sleep: 8 hours.

Weight: 220.5 lbs. Damn, down a bit from yesterday. Probably just lost the water weight that I gained from my refeed.

Posted by: Saturday Fever

Good session. Good weights moving around.

And it's on the 70-80% cycle. It can only get better.

Posted by: M.J.H.

SF: Hey man, thanks. I know that's what is so great about all of this. That it's only the lightest part of the cycle. I can't imagine doing 1RM's with praecher curls and things like that. Everyone in the gym is going to think I am obsessed with 1RM's, LOL.

Posted by: M.J.H.

Decided to take a few progress pics tonight. This morning I weighed 220.5 lbs.

I still as you can see have some flab to lose. But I am pretty happy with my physique at this point. Always can improve, though.

Posted by: Monolith

Lat spread looks phenomenal dude. Very cool. And those DB front raises are friggin unbelievable!

Did you do them unilaterally? Bilaterally?

Posted by: M.J.H.

Monolith: Hey man, thanks so much for the post, I really appreciate it. My lats I think are slowly coming along. I am pretty much obsessed with my back, I want to get it as huge as I possibly can, lol. Those DB front raises were done unilaterally, alternating one arm at a time. Thanks for the kind words.

Posted by: P-funk

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonStar

P-funk: Okay man, no problem. I am not sure what I eat with high-fructose corn syrup, but I am pretty sure that I have seen it as the first ingredients in a few things that I eat during my refeed. Probably soda, or something, which I am trying to cut out. I am trying to find a good beverage to drink while refeeding, other than water obviously.

Dude, Milk shakes with skim milk and ben and jerry's low fat frozen yogurt ofcourse!!!!

Posted by: M.J.H.

P-funk: Holy sh*t, you're going to make me refeed tonight man! That sounds f*cking awesome. I can't wait to refeed next. I am going to make a nice low-fat high-sugar milkshake. Going to use skim milk, tons of fat-free ice-cream, and Hershey's syrup since that's fat-free. Damn, I am really looking forward to some refeeding now man, thanks. Any other foods you recommend? Kid's cereal with skim milk is always great.

Posted by: PreMier

LOL... P, your creating a refeed MonStar.

EDIT: Progress pics look good, I need to get me some quads like those

Posted by: camarosuper6

Nice quads dude. Your numbers are impressive. Your working in the rep range I use

Damn, wish I had you down here as a workout partner.

Posted by: greekblondechic

I want a refeed like that!!!

Posted by: M.J.H.

PreMier: I can't wait to refeed next, lol. Anyway man, thanks, appreciate it. Yeah, my quads are coming along nicely I think. Really been happy with their progress as I have been slowly dropping weight. I am hoping that they'll come out even more as I get down around 215 lbs.

camarosuper6: Thanks man, appreciate it. Down there? Don't you mean out there? I am across the country.

greekblondechic: Haha, I absolutely love refeeds!

Posted by: PreMier

Odd request.. but you got a picture of your calves? Do you feel you have any lagging bodyparts?

Posted by: M.J.H.

PreMier: Sure bro, here you go, I attached a pic. Not the best, sorry it's so small. My calves are my lagging bodypart, lol.

But other than that, I don't feel like I have any lagging bodyparts, no.

Posted by: PreMier

Thanks man. Mine are my lagging part too. Fuccen sucks.

Are those Air Jordans?

Posted by: AnnaDTX

Yea great pics! You know I am always glad to see some! I am also happy to read that you are happy with your self at this point. Your doing great!

Posted by: M.J.H.

PreMier: Calves are a pain, I really could not care less about them though, to be honest, lol. As long as they're not like ridiculously tiny it's no big deal to me. According to Arnold your upper arms and calves should be near the same measurement, and I believe mine are within an inch apart. So, no complaints.

Anna: Hey there! Thanks for stopping by. Always nice to see a new face here in my journal. I am a bit happier with myself now than I have been in the past, so that is what matters.

Posted by: naturaltan

MonStar ... you are a monster in the making

I always read in many journals about how guys need to get bigger and I automatically think they are my size ... again I am wrong. You are going in the right direction is your goal is to get big.

Posted by: ncgirl21

Hey Mike

Everything looks super!! Love the new pictures, and I agree- I dont' see any lagging body parts

Posted by: M.J.H.

naturaltan: Hey man, thanks for stopping by, really appreciate the kind words. I am not really trying to add size at this point. More focusing on getting my % of bodyfat down. Maybe drop another 7-9 lbs. and see how I feel at that point. I just want a tighter midsection, since it is summer. Thanks again for the post.

Andrea: Hey there, thanks! I was going to try some new poses, lol, but there aren't too many that I know how to do all that well. I don't think I have any bodyparts that are too small/underdeveloped.

Posted by: naturaltan

I hear ya on the tighter midsection

As long as I can see a six pack, I'm quite happy. I know that a couple of beers a week is ok (which is usually either biking day in the summer or pool night in the winter). Anymore than that, and I can see them start to fade away ...

Posted by: nikegurl

you look really good!

very nice quads especially!

Posted by: atherjen

lagging?

Jen sees NOT! but you already know what I think.. fatso

Posted by: M.J.H.

naturaltan: A while back I used to just be concerned with seeing my abs. But now that I can see them, I think that just pisses me off and makes me want the 'washboard' look a bit more. Who knows. I think after a while on thie diet it's only natural that I will develop the body that I want. The results that I get on NHE are always phenomenal. Combined with this training program, I am feeling GREAT.

nikegurl: Hey there, thanks for stopping by! I love seeing new faces here in my journal. It's great that people keep commenting on my quads, I have never really heard that much about them, so it's definitely a great feeling. Thanks again for the kind words.

Jen: LOL, hey there, thanks for stopping by! I guess I do have some idea of what you think at this point.

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-15-2004

70-80% Cycle: Isolation Lower Body 1

Nautilus One-Leg Extensions:

180 x 6
180 x 6
220 x 3
220 x 3
180 x 6

Hyperextensions:

165 x 3
175 x 3!
145 x 6
145 x 6

Nautilus Pullovers:

280 x 5
Stack x 4
260 x 6
260 x 6
Stack x 6!

Smith-Machine Calf Raises:

270 x 6
360 x 6
410 x 4
410 x 4

Overall workout today was AWESOME!

Really good focus and intensity. I was extremely pleased with all of my sets and things like that today. Started off with one-leg extensions, which were okay. I mean honestly I prefer leg ext. with both legs, but whatever. I know that my weight stack doesn't go heavy enough for that. Anyway, great sets there. Moved onto some heavy hypers. Hit 175 for a triple!

Afterwards I hit some heavy pullovers. Hit the entire stack for 4, which was actually a PR. And then I finished up with the entire stack for 6. Definitely another big PR there. Great sets. Hit up some heavy heavy calf raises. Nice sets. Calves were worked pretty damn well.

Diet:
- 3 scrambled eggs + cheese
- mixed nuts
- garden salad + ranch dressing
- cheese
- low-carb bar, low-carb choclate
- whey protein postworkout
- 3 hot dogs, low-carb ice-cream
- pepperoni, cheese

Really had some good food today, but I am not sure what I ate that upset my stomach. Felt kinda' bloated and really just not all that great. Whatever.

Sleep: 8 hours.

Weight: 219.5 lbs. Down a pound from yesterday, not too bad at all IMO. As long as I am gradually decreasing my weight that is what's important.

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-16-2004

Rest

Had a rest day, which was great actually. I am definitely aching like crazy today. Triceps are killing me, calves are sore, and a few other bodyparts are pretty sore. Anyway, I really don't like refeeding on rest days, but oh well. It's not that big of a deal I don't think.

Diet:
- 2 scrambled eggs + cheese, 2 pieces of bacon
- 2 hot dogs
- garden salad + ground beef + sour cream

6-Hour Refeed:
- water ice
- fruit punch
- frosted flakes + skim milk
- caramel creams
- fat-free ice-cream
- low-fat ice-cream + skim milk
- nerds, runs
- low-fat pizza
- low-fat pretzels

Ate a TON of carbs tonight. Started at 6:00 PM and then ended up finishing my refeed around midnight. Ate pretty consistently throughout the 6 hours. Didn't really go overboard though. Fat intake was kept low, probably no higher than 20g for the entire refeed. Not bad at all IMO.

Sleep: 7 hours. Felt lethargic today.

Weight: 218 lbs. Down 1.5 lbs. from yesterday. Not too bad at all. I am pretty happy about my weight steadily decreasing.

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-17-2004

70-80% Cycle: Isolation Upper Body 2

Incline DB Flyes:

70's x 6
70's x 6
80's x 5
90's x 3!
90's x 3

Seated French Presses:

140 x 4
140 x 4
130 x 6
130 x 6

DB Hammer Curls:

65's x 6
75's x 5!
65's x 6

Nautilus Lateral Raises:

220 x 6
Stack x 5!
Stack x 4
220 x 6

Damn good workout today, other than me being a tad on the drowsy/lethargic side I would say that my workout was friggin' awesome. Started off with some heavy incline DB flyes. Beat up my pecs and front delts hard with those sets to start. Really pleased with my strength though, never guessed that I would be able to move around the 90's for reps on incline flyes. Moved onto some seated French presses with the EZ-curl bar, not bad. Hit some biceps with the hammers. These were standing alternating hammer curls, so I couldn't go THAT heavy on them. Crossbody hammers I think I can usually go heavier. Finished up with some heavy, heavy lateral raises. Used the entire stack for 5, new PR there, definitely. Good workout. Shoulders and arms were looking pretty damn large in the gym mirrors.

Diet:
- scrambled eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, sausage
- low-carb shake, low-carb choclate
- whey protein postworkout
- tuna + mayo, low-carb milk
- cheese, pistachios
- hot dog, cheese

Diet was okay today. Wasn't all that hungry for some reason, I am not sure whatsup with my appetite. The day after a refeed it's always friggin' awful. Oh well.

Sleep: 6.5 hours.

Weight: 224 lbs. Wow, up 6 lbs. from the refeed. Talking about refilling lost muscle and liver glycogen, lol. I know that I am holding a lot of water from yesterday's refeed.

Posted by: Saturday Fever

Let everyone else worry about lagging legs or whatever. You know where to go for the good routines and solid gains.

Posted by: M.J.H.

SF: Yeah I am going to let everyone else worry aobut lagging legs, etc. I couldn't care less about things like that anymore. I used to be much more into the bodybuilding aspect of training. Thanks for stopping by bro.

Posted by: atherjen

good attitude!

workouts are looking great! Im very impressed whilst dieting as well. Seems to be working great for you.

as for the appetite(absense) I presume its from all the fat your eating, thats blunting hunger.

Posted by: M.J.H.

Jen: Yeah I have to agree about the fat blunting my hunger. Because my appetite is never ever this low. I feel like I am always starving, lol. Even when I go a long period without eating my hunger still is very low. Nothing compared to what it used to be. I always have to remind myself to eat again, which is a strange thing for me to do.

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-18-2004

Rest

Was supposed to hit isolation lower body today but I had to work late and missed the gym. Whatever, not the biggest deal in the world. My tips today at my hotel where I work were absolutely phenomenal. So no complaints, I need the extra money.

Last night I saw a really good movie called "I,Robot." At first I didn't think it was going to be good, but I enjoyed it.

Diet:
- 2 hot dogs
- 2 hot dogs + cheese
- Keto shake
- mixed nuts
- chicken salad
- bacon cheeseburger
- low-carb ice-cream

Diet was good today. Ended up eating a lot of food overall I think. That bunless bacon cheeseburger was great!

Sleep: 6.5 hours. Damnit.

Weight: 219 lbs.

Down 5 lbs. from yesterday! Talk about dropping my water weight fast, that's crazy. Oh well.

Posted by: Sapphire

You look great! Your quads are awesome!!

Posted by: ncgirl21

Hey Mike

Just checkin in on ya- your doing awesome- keep it up

Posted by: M.J.H.

Cyndi: Thanks! Really appreciate it the kind words, thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Andrea: Yeah everything is going well, I am telling you, you gotta' start this diet! You'll love it. Every 3rd and then the following 4th day you refeed. So you feel like you're always refeeding. And when you're not refeeding you're eating a ton of good tasting food. So in one way or another you can fit practically anything into this diet. I love it!

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-19-2004

70-80% Cycle: Isolation Lower Body 2

One-Leg Presses:

500 x 5
500 x 5
570 x 3
570 x 3
500 x 5

Nautilus Lying Leg Curls:

220 x 5
Stack x 3
Stack x 3
200 x 6
200 x 6

Suspended Good Mornings:

225 x 6
275 x 3
275 x 3
225 x 6

DB Pullovers:

100 x 6
100 x 6
110 x 4!
110 x 4

Good workout today, considering that this is my 3rd day without carbs. Not too bad at all IMO. I am in fact going to refeed tonight. Instead of doing every 4th day refeeding like I have been doing I have decided to do every 3rd and then every 4th day, like Rob Faigin recommends in NHE. I was happy with every 4th day in terms of fat-loss, but in terms of my strength I think I need to alternate every 3rd and 4th day.

Started off with one-leg presses, damn, they're tough! I didn't expect them to be nearly as difficult as they were. Not a bad thing at all, just a lot tougher than I would have guessed for whatever reason. Worked up to 570 for 3 on each leg. Moved onto some heavy lying leg curls, good deep burning sensation in my hamstrings. Used the stack for 2 sets of 3. Not bad. Then some good AM's, OUCH. Those things are such a pain in my f*cking a*s, they drive me nuts! Really good exercise though, I have to admit. Finished up with some heavy DB pullovers, really beat up my my lats/serratus. I friggin' love pullovers.

Diet:
- low-carb choclate milk, cheese
- cheese
- whey protein postworkout

6-Hour Refeed:
- frosted mini-wheats + skim milk
- low-fat pretzels
- nerds, runts, candy corn
- fat-free chips
- 2 lean pockets
- orange juice, lemonade, skim milk
- water ice
- healthy choice ice-cream + choclate syrup

Had a good refeed tonight I think. Maybe went a little too extreme at times eating until I was pretty damn full. But not too too bad. I didn't feel sick really at all. I basically just felt tired. I think all the carbs made me feel lethargic, honestly.

Sleep: 8 hours.

Weight: 218 lbs. Down a pound from yersterday. Always nice when my weight is steadily gradually decreasing. Makes me feel much better than gaining and gaining and gaining.

Posted by: Saturday Fever

Good session. And we roll ever closer to the next level of intensity.

Posted by: GRIFF

Nice workouts Mike, looks like your hitting some kind of PR almost every session, looking very strong. How do you like those DB pullovers? I've never done them before. I think I might have to give them a try. Down to 218 I see? You've gotta be pretty cut up at this point, thats nice to see, good work buddy.

Its time to set a new PR on bench, cuz I'm comin! haha, well give me a 6 months and I'll be where you are, by then you'll be around 400, god, sick to think of huh?

Posted by: M.J.H.

SF: Yeah man, I am really looking forward to it.

GRIFF: Hey man, thanks for stopping by. Yeah I do feel like I am hitting a lot of PR's lately. I am really not sure how, but I am. Eating no carbs is supposed to kill your strength gains but I feel like I am doing a pretty good job of hitting PR's on new exercises, etc. I am not sure about that bench, lol. I am not even really training powerlifting style right now. So I think you might catch up to me on bench, wouldn't surprise me.

Posted by: M.J.H.

7-20-2004

Today is my first day of the 2nd cycle, the 80-90% cycle. After this I'll be onto my 3rd and final cycle. So hopefully all will go well.

80-90% Cycle: Compound Upper Body 1

Incline BB Presses:

245 x 4
245 x 4
245 x 4
245 x 4

Close-Grip Smith-Machine Presses:

250 x 4
250 x 4
270 x 3
290 x 2
250 x 4

Arnold Presses:

65's x 4
75's x 4
80's x 3
80's x 4!

Good workout today. Not too much to say honestly. I feel weak on incline presses, but that's nothing new. I always feel weak on them. Whatever. Didn't go heavier than 245 because I did not have a spotter. Did some CG Smith presses which I actually really liked, somehow. I am not sure how because I usually hate the Smith-Machine but I like the different feel of them compared to regular CG bench. Finished up with some Arnold presses, worked up to a big PR, the 80's for 4! That's actually more than I can press on regular seated DB presses, interesting.

Diet:
- low-carb choclate milk
- whey protein postworkout
- mixed nuts
- cheese
- chicken salad
- low-carb bar
- bacon cheeseburger + mayo
- low-carb ice-cream
- low-carb choclate milk

Diet wasn't bad today at all.

Sleep: 9.5 hours.

Weight: 222.5 lbs. Up a few pounds, but I had a big refeed, so it's not a big deal. I am just retaining some water that's all.

Posted by: Saturday Fever

Arnold Press. If I'm thinking of the same lift, it's because of the rotation of the shoulders and how they more greatly involve the front delt.

Looks like a good session. The pressing looks good. Looks like you could have gone heavier on the arnolds, but there's always the next upper day.

Posted by: M.J.H.

SF: Hey man, yeah that must be it about the Arnold presses. I do them seated, and start with my palms facing me, and twist up as I press the DB's up. Yeah decent workout, my right wrist was aching a little. And my incline DB presses just suck, bad, but whatever. We all have weak links I guess.

Posted by: Saturday Fever

I'm going to have to agree with you man. 16 reps with 245 is terrible.

Stop thinking in terms of the number and think volume. If we wanted to break out big numbers, we'd not be doing what we're doing.

Posted by: M.J.H.

SF: I always, always forget that. I never think about the volume at all, I always think about the strength on each set for some reason, don't ask me why. I am hoping for some good results. I keep thinking about taking up a different diet, but this diet is honestly the only diet that I can stick to without a problem, for whatever reason.

Posted by: atherjen

no switching diets

your doing very well with this one, and its worked for you before and continues too. And are you not finding it simple and satisfying?

One goal at a time!

Posted by: ncgirl21

I agree with Jen!! I think your doing super on this diet (even though I don't think you need to loose any) so I wouldn't change things up!!

Posted by: M.J.H.

Jen: Hey thanks for stopping by, I was really considering changing this diet yesterday and now today I am so glad that I didn't. I know that I would not be able to stick to another diet the way that I have been able to with this one. And that's all that really matters, honestly. Appreciate you stopping by.

Andrea: Thanks for the support, really appreciate it. I am going to stick to this diet, I am not even sure why I wanted to change. Just being stupid.

Posted by: atherjen

no more being stupid then!

Glad you decided to stick with it!

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