MonStar's Journal: Another Walk On the Westside

[M.J.H.]

Westsssiiiidddddeeeeee!!!!!!!

Damn it feels great to get back on the Westside bandwagon! As most of you know I have been throwing different training programs around, different diets, all this bullsh*t. Never really following anything all that specific. So I decided to go back through all of my IM and WBB journals---and really look at my strength and bodyweight and progress pictures, to see what I was doing differently then than I am now. Well one thing stood out when I was progressing the most, Westside.

I can't wait to get back into Westside style training. And to answer anyone's question, no I am not a powerlifter, nor am I going to be competing in any sort of powerlifting program. I am simply going to be training Westside style, because of the awesome gains I get from the program. To those of you who are not familiar, my split is going to look like this:

• ME Bench
• ME Squat/Deadlift
• DE Bench
• DE Squat/Deadlift

Of course, I will factor in rest days. Probably so some cardio on my rest days, or something along those lines to keep my metabolism up. We'll see what happens.

Diet, is always a pain in the a*s for me, I am just trying to avoid binging and keep things clean. Empty calories like sugar and alcohol to a minimum.

Wish me luck guys!

 

[Luke9583]

Westsssiiiidddddeeeeee!!!!!!!

Of Delaware?

 

[M.J.H.]

Luke: LOL, Westside as in Westside Barbell Club bro. The powerlifting program.

 

[M.J.H.]

Friday; 1-14-2005

ME Bench (55 minutes, 26 sets)

12" Rack Lockouts
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
335x3
355x3
375x3

Incline DB Presses
5 sets of 5 with the 110's

CG Bench Presses
2 sets of 5 with 225
3 sets of 3 with 275

Tate Presses
3 sets of 9 with the 55's

Seated DB Front Raises
3 sets of 8 with the 40's

Cable Pressdowns
2 sets of 12 with 200

Absolutely phenomenal workout today! One of the best workouts that I have had in weeks. I am so excited to be back on Westside, I am really expecting some great gains getting back into it. I haven't deadlifted or squatted heavy at all lately. So this is going to be a real opportunity to kick some a*s on those lifts. Did some lockouts in the power rack today, hit 375 for a triple, nice little PR. Did some incline presses, some CG bench, and some triceps and shoulder accessory work. BTW, want to note that seated front raises are 1000x more difficult than standing front raises.

Diet:
- oatmeal + 1% milk + peanut butter
- 1 scoop of Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 1% milk postworkout
- 1% cottage cheese + pineapple
- chicken noodle soup
- low-fat turkey chili + crackers
- tuna salad + crackers
- chicken rice soup

Diet wasn't too bad today. Trying to keep things clean.

Sleep: 6 hours. Need more.

Started taking sodium usinate today, 200mg first thing in the morning and 200mg before bed. Going to do this for a few days and then probably bump it up to 300mg twice a day.

Also, I weighed myself at 243 lbs. I am aiming for a solid 220-225. So hopefully Westside will help me get there with a proper diet.

 

[BigDyl]

If you don't mind me asking, what is a lockout?

 

[Luke9583]

AWESOME LIFTS MAN! I'm so jealous.

You should post some "before pics" since we all know you're going to stay with this journal for a while.

 

[M.J.H.]

BigDyl: Hey man, thanks for stopping by, appreciate it. A "rack lockout" is basically the last few inches of your bench press movement. I do them in the power rack, starting with the bar on the pins. I'll do 12", 8", and 4" rack lockouts. The inches is the amount of space the bar is moving. In other words I am starting with the bar about halfway off my chest, and just "locking it out" so to speak. I am going to attach a pic from EliteFTS.com of a guy doing lockouts.

Luke: I am probably going to post some before pics later tonight because of how damn flabby I am right now. I am honestly softer now than I have ever been in my life. I have never weighed over 240 lbs. It's sickening. I am aiming for 220ish and solid.

 

[JerseyDevil]

Mike... why not compete? With your currents lift you would kick ass, not to mention if you really focused on competition lifts. There are a bunch of USAPL events in our area.

 

[Cold Iron]

Mike... why not compete? With your currents lift you would kick ass, not to mention if you really focused on competition lifts. There are a bunch of USAPL events in our area.

Werd. Maybe if you had a specific goal like this, it could help you dial yourself in.

GL

I have a good feeling about this WESTSIIIIIDDDDDDDDEEEEEEE journal

 

[M.J.H.]

JerseyDevil: Eh, I'll see how things go this time around on Westside. My lifts are so near my limit I think anymore, I am not sure how well I would do. I have no desire at all to wear bench and squat/deadlift suits, so I am somewhat limiting myself to my training. I like completely raw Westside training. No chains, belts, wraps, bands, etc. Thanks a lot for stopping by though, bud.

Arnie's left nu: Thanks for the support man. This is something to consider. I never really gave it much thought. We'll see what happens with Westside this time around. All I know is that it feels great to be back "on the Westside."

 

[M.J.H.]

Here are some unfortunate progress pics. Weighing in at 243 lbs. and my waist at the naval measured at 40". Talk about motivational pics.

 

[thatguy]

You are one bulky guy, MonStar. Many of us envy your genetics, but you can't short-change the hard work that obviously went into your mass and strength. You should be proud of those pics.

Why worry about a little fat? The amount of fat you have (which isn't that much) can probably be dieted down in 6-8 weeks with some cardio. So bulk up till you're ready to cut, and don't worry about it. You're gonna have a little fat on you when you bulk up, right?

Keep at it...

 

[M.J.H.]

thatguy: I absolutely hate the condition I am in now, bud. It's not even about being bulky vs. lean. Its more just my bodyfat % that really bothers me. It's not like I went through a clean bulking cycle and put on some flab and now I am trying to cut down. I completely went all out binging on a regular basis for the past month or more. I mean 1-2 pints of Ben & Jerry's, like completely all out. I am just going to try and completely change my eating habits. Drop the binging completely, and incorporate cheating every 5-7 days. At least this way I can learn self-control. I think more than anything I do in the gym I need to learn self-control with my eating. In terms of the gym I always have the dedication and motivation to go on a regular basis---but my diet is a different story.

 

[Du]

What # journal is this?

 

[thatguy]

thatguy: I absolutely hate the condition I am in now, bud. It's not even about being bulky vs. lean. Its more just my bodyfat % that really bothers me. It's not like I went through a clean bulking cycle and put on some flab and now I am trying to cut down. I completely went all out binging on a regular basis for the past month or more. I mean 1-2 pints of Ben & Jerry's, like completely all out. I am just going to try and completely change my eating habits. Drop the binging completely, and incorporate cheating every 5-7 days. At least this way I can learn self-control. I think more than anything I do in the gym I need to learn self-control with my eating. In terms of the gym I always have the dedication and motivation to go on a regular basis---but my diet is a different story.

Well, if that's the case then certainly you need to figure out a way to quit binging. Your cheating every 5-7 days is a good idea. Maybe it would help to have someone keep you accountable, like your girlfriend or your workout partner (if you have one).

Regarding Ben & Jerry's, I don't even have sweets in my house. If I do, I'll eat it. So don't buy that stuff. There should only be BB food in your house, and the only time you should cheat should be on weekends when you're out to eat with your girlfriend. That way, it's never a temptation at home, but you don't have to go out with friends and be the guy who orders grilled chicken with brown rice and broccoli.

Every time you are in line at the supermarket, look down in your cart and make sure everything you have is something truly beneficial to you. I do that and I usually end up taking something out.

 

[thatguy]

Basically what I'm saying is, it's much easier to have self control at the supermarket than it is when you're hungry and there is B&J's "Chunky Monkey" in your freezer.


BTW, never go to the supermarket when you're hungry. Always a bad idea.

 

[Cold Iron]

What # journal is this?

This is MonStar's inaugural IM journal

 

[PreMier]

Damn Mike... You gonna try and compete against me for 'IM Santa Clause' next year. You still got a ways to go to catch up lol

 

[JerseyDevil]

I have no desire at all to wear bench and squat/deadlift suits, so I am somewhat limiting myself to my training. I like completely raw Westside training. No chains, belts, wraps, bands, etc.

Yeah I know what you mean. I was thinking it would be fun to compete in the 49-54 Master's events, but the thought of using 'equipment' turns me off too.

 

[Du]

This is MonStar's inaugural IM journal

This has got to be at least the 3rd or 4th that Ive seen, and Ive only been around since august.

 

[M.J.H.]

du510: Yeah man, I am notorious for starting new journals all the time. Hopefully this one will last though---I don't see why it wouldn't. I really enjoy Westside style training.

thatguy: Thanks for stopping by and offering advice man, I really appreciate that a lot. Funny thing is that I don't keep junkfood in my house. When I decide to binge I end up going out the supermarket then and pigging out. It's never like a spur of the moment thing. It is more like a thought out thing almost. Trust me I never keep that kind of crap in my house. Now at my girlfriend's place, that's a different story. There's pretty much nothing but junkfood at her place.

Arnie's left nu: LOL.

Jake: At the rate that I have been going I'll probably catch up in no time, lol.

JerseyDevil: Yeah the entire idea of using equipment just really defeats the purpose for me. I don't see why guys use all kinds of shirts and things of that nature. If the lifts aren't raw I don't even count them, for me at least.

 

[M.J.H.]

Saturday; 1-15-2004

ME Squat/Deadlift (65 minutes, 22 sets)

Suspended Good Mornings
135x3
185x3
225x2
245x2
265x2
285x2

Platform Deadlifts
3 sets of 3 with 475

Support Rows
4 sets of 6 with 235

Hack Squats
4 sets of 8 with 410

Nautilus Crunches
3 sets of 12 with 180

CG Cable Pulldowns
2 sets of 10 with 215

Eh, not so great of a workout today honestly. I really forgot how completely taxing deadlifts are. I haven't deadlifted in a few months and I was planning on doing 5-6 sets of 3 off the platform today, after 3 sets I was completely wiped out. The rest of my workout completely sucked. Support rows, I was trashed. Hack squats knocked me completely on my a*s. Finished up with some crunches and pulldowns.

Diet:
- peanut butter toast
- 1 scoop of Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 2% milk postworkout
- 1% cottage cheese + peaches
- low-fat turkey chili + crackers
- chicken & rice soup
- tuna salad + crackers
- mixed nuts
- garden salad + vinegarette dressing + walnuts

Pretty clean today. Getting addicted to soup! I really like the way it fills me up. And its only around 200 calories a can, and around 12g of protein.

Sleep: 2 + 6 hours. Fell asleep at my girlfriend's and then got up and drove home.

 

[CowPimp]

Welcome back to the Westside world. I may be stealing ideas from your journal from time to time, as you have more experience with it than I. Good luck with your goals Mike.

 

[Du]

Saturday; 1-15-2004


- peanut butter toast
- 1 scoop of Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 2% milk postworkout
- 1% cottage cheese + peaches
- ?

Sleep: 2 + 6 hours. Fell asleep at my girlfriend's and then got up and drove home.

Is that all you ate?

 

[M.J.H.]

CowPimp: Hey man, thanks for stopping by. I am hoping that you're keeping a Westside journal as well. Its great getting back into Westside---I love the workouts so far. Tomorrow is my speed bench day, so we'll see how that goes. I am probably going to take a rest day on Monday because I know my lower back/legs is going to be aching from today's workout. Pulling off of a platform (4" off the floor) is always taxing on my lower back.

du510: Check again man, when I put a "?" that just means that's all I have eaten so far today. Here are the rest of my meals:

Diet:
- peanut butter toast
- 1 scoop of Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 2% milk postworkout
- 1% cottage cheese + peaches
- low-fat turkey chili + crackers
- chicken & rice soup
- tuna salad + crackers
- mixed nuts
- garden salad + vinegarette dressing + walnuts

 

[thatguy]

My gosh those are heavy deads... way to go.

 

[M.J.H.]

thatguy: Thanks man.

 

[M.J.H.]

Sunday; 1-16-2005

Rest

Cardio
14 minutes interval training on the treadmill. Alternated 1-minute of walking at 3.2 MPH with one minute of running at 8.0 MPH. On my next rest day I am going to shoot for 16 minutes.

Took a rest day today, going to stick to 2 days on, and 1 day off, as closely as I can. Hopefully my damn gym will be open tomorrow, even though its a holiday.

Diet:
- oatmeal + 1% milk + peanut butter
- tuna salad sandwich
- chicken & barley soup
- 1% cottage cheese + pineapple
- 3 grilled chicken & cheese soft tacos
- low-fat turkey chili

Those tacos were damn good! I used ground chicken, low-fat cheese, etc. I did use sour cream, though. And I also used some rice & bean mix that we had.

Sleep: 8 hours.

 

[M.J.H.]

Monday; 1-17-2005

DE Bench (60 minutes, 28 sets)

Speed Bench Presses
8 sets of 3 with 175

Seated DB Presses
4 sets of 6 with the 80's

JM Presses
2 sets of 5 with 175
2 sets of 5 with 225

6" Rack Lockouts
3 sets of 3 with 385
2 sets of 6 with 315

Alternating DB Front Raises
4 sets of 7 with the 40's

One-Arm Cable Pressdowns
3 sets of 12 with 80

Good solid workout today, nice to be training Westside style. I really like doing speed bench, did 50% of my 1RM today for 8 sets of 3. Working on my bar speed which at this point absolutely sucks. Need to really work on getting the bar moving, that's for sure. Moved onto some overhead presses, and then some JM presses.

Hit a big PR today on JM presses, 225 for 2 sets of 5! JM presses, to those of you who do not know---are basically skullcrushers but taking the bar down to my neck instead of my forehead. I started with 175 for 5 and then a friend of mine in the gym talked me into doing four 25's on each side of EZ-curl bar. Hit it for 5, twice. Felt great, by the way.

Finished up with some lockouts, front raises, and then some pressdowns.

Diet:
- oatmeal + 1% milk + peanut butter
- 1 scoop of Swole preworkout
- whey protein + 1% milk
- tuna salad sandwich
- 1% cottage cheese + pineapple
- mixed nuts
- turkey + gravy, sweet potatoes, corn, mixed vegetables
- beef stew
- peanut butter

Diet was pretty good today. Could have been better, I guess. Ate at Boston Market tonight---some damn good sweet potatoes!

Sleep: 7.5 hours.

 

[Du]

Nice lookin lifts. What is a JM press?