MonStar's Walking on the Westside!

[M.J.H.]

Saturday; 7-9-2005​

Rest

Cardio:

12 minutes of interval training on the treadmill; alternated 75-seconds of walking at 3.4 MPH with 30-seconds of running at 12.0 MPH.

Smith-Machine Calf Raises:

285 x 12
285 x 12
285 x 12
285 x 12

Nice sets of calf raises today, really trying to blast my calves on my rest days. Between running at seated calf raises I think this might get them growing.

Rope Cable Crunches: (multiple variations)

160 x 20
160 x 20
160 x 20
160 x 20
160 x 20

Good sets of abs today, nothing too intense.

Diet/Supplements:

Meal 1: 1% cottage cheese + mixed fruit
Preworkout: 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk, 25mg ephedrine, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
Postworkout: MRP shake
Meal 3: tuna wrap
Meal 4: lettuce wraps + chicken
Meal 5: salad + vinegarette dressing, 2 chicken breasts, green beans

Diet was pretty good today, not too bad. I had defensive driving all day so I had to do the best I could. My parents tried making lettuce wraps, lol. They were okay, nowhere near as good as P.F. Chang's, though, lol. Ended up today with roughly 260-270g of protein. A little on the low side, but oh well.

Sleep: 6 + 1 hours.

 

[Rocco32]

Looking great Mike. How are you feeling?

 

[DeadBolt]

Heya bud...glad SF is keepin ya on your toes LOL. Keeps ya guessin week to week heh. Man I wish my shoulder wasn't hurt so I could try westside. I was gonna do it before I attempted my comp but I decided not to pre contest. I regret it!

 

[M.J.H.]

Rocco: So far I'm feeling great man, 2 weeks without binging, on the same program, with SF's (now Fighting Irish I believe) assistance. M1T is going great, I think it's really starting to kick in. I'm hoping for a solid DE bench session today, we'll see how things go.

DeadBolt: Westside is great man, when I first got into the program (without SF's posting all my workouts) I wasn't a huge fan of it. Because it felt like the same damn thing all the time. But with SF posting different variations all of the time, it really keeps things interesting.

BTW, talked to SF on AIM today and my DE bench workout, so stay tuned.

 

[BritChick]

Hi Mike,
Just wanted to say thanks for stopping by and saying hello.
Congrats on sticking with the new journal and program... keep up the hard work!

 

[Fighting Irish]

I remember when you first started Westside. You hated deads and your first time you pulled just over 300lb. Now you've pulled 600+ on more than one occassion and you love deads.


(if anyone's curious, my SF login is screwed up because I tried to change my email address and something got blitzed.)

 

[Alaric]

Nice jobs on the lifts here MonStar, a quick question though. Do you follow a specific percentage range for your lifts, or are they continuosly varying as your exercises changes?

 

[King Silverback]

Whats goin On Brother MonStar? I see your still throwin around unGODly numbers!!!

 

[PreMier]

I remember when you first started Westside. You hated deads and your first time you pulled just over 300lb. Now you've pulled 600+ on more than one occassion and you love deads.


(if anyone's curious, my SF login is screwed up because I tried to change my email address and something got blitzed.)

PM Prince, I bet he could help you out with it.

 

[Fighting Irish]

I couldn't send PM's under the login. One has already been sent though, thanks.

Alaric, percentages are a large part of the scheme, but they're not precise numbers. When I tell him 8 sets of 3 on a lift, he simply chooses a weight that he thinks he can squeeze 3 reps with. If he chooses too light, he either increases or knows better next time.

In general, though, when doing sets of 2 or 3, you'll be working with 85% or more of your 1RM. Then you'll see the scaled down lifts where it goes sometimes as low as 60%. You will be familiar with this principle, as it is applied in P/RR/S. The main difference in what I do/teach and what gopro does/teaches is that where you do the lifts in weekly cycles, MonStar does the lifts in daily cycles.

 

[Alaric]

Thanks for the explanation SF. So even on DE days, he is still going to failure on all sets?

 

[Fighting Irish]

Yes. The only difference between ME and DE days is the way the main lift is performed. It is feasible to do pin presses or suspended good mornings, for example, on either day. On the DE day he would use much less weight, however, and focus on speed/explosion.

 

[Alaric]

Thanks for the explanation!

 

[M.J.H.]

BC: Hey there, thanks for stopping by I appreciate the feedback a lot. Yeah I'm glad to be on this program and binge-free for 2 weeks now. Now I just have to stick it out another couple weeks. I think once I'm a month binge-free I should be good to go in terms of stopping my binging completely.

SF: Sorry dude, I still have to call you SF even if that's not your name anymore. Its stuck in my head, lol. When I first started Westside training I wasn't a big fan of deadlifts at all. I think I actually pulled 345ish my first time ever. And I did absolutely HATE deadlifts, lol. That's a fact, I dreaded doing them for whatever reason. But now I can't imagine not doing them.

Alaric: SF can answer better than I can, lol. Thanks for stopping by though, man.

Archangel: Thanks for stopping by dude!

Jake: Yeah hopefully he gets the SF name back, I'm so used to that.

 

[M.J.H.]

Saturday; 7-9-2005​

DE Bench (65 minutes, 24 sets)

Decent workout today I guess, I stopped taking ephedrine which really seemed to slow me down some.

Flat DB Presses:

75's x 20
75's x 20
75's x 20

Good sets today of flat DB presses, on my 3rd set of 20 I was pretty damn exhausted. Pretty good sets though, so no complaints.

Seated DB Presses:

85's x 5
85's x 5
85's x 5
85's x 5
85's x 5

Decided to do 5x5 here today for seated DB presses, pretty damn good. Really seemed to hit my shoulders hard. Good ROM on all 5 sets, not too shabby.

DB Front Raises / DB Lateral Raises: (superset)

45's x 9 / 30's x 7
45's x 9 / 30's x 7
45's x 8 / 30's x 6

Beat the hell out of my shoulders with this damn superset! My shoulders were completely fried after this, ouch. Really wasn't looking forward to doing the high/low with incline BB presses after this.

Incline Bench Presses:

245 x 3
245 x 3
245 x 3
245 x 3
245 x 3
245 x 3
255 x 3
275 x 3!

I really didn't go heavy enough here today. I was trying to pick a decent weight for do 8x3 with, and 245 felt heavy at first. But then after 4-5 sets I bumped it up to 255 and that wasn't too bad. And finished up with 275 for a triple, at total failure I might add.

Overhead Rope Extensions:

160 x 12
160 x 12

Nice sets of overhead rope extensions! Really finished off my triceps nicely with these couple of sets.

Diet/Supplements:

Meal 1: 2 scoops weight-gainer + skim milk
Preworkout: 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
Postworkout: 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
Meal 2: oatmeal + skim milk
Meal 3: 1% cottage cheese + mixed fruit
Meal 4: tuna + rice pilaf
Meal 5: 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter
Meal 6: grilled chicken soft taco + rice
Meal 7: chicken salad

Diet was pretty good today I guess, trying to start incorporating some more carbs into my diet since I'm strength training.

Sleep: 8 hours.

 

[Fighting Irish]

You inclined a total of 6000lb at the end of a workout. That's impressive. Your bench seems on the brink of a serious explosion very soon. We may even hear 405 in the near future...

 

[Seanp156]

Why'd you make a new account SF?

 

[Fighting Irish]

(if anyone's curious, my SF login is screwed up because I tried to change my email address and something got blitzed.)

See above. I'm sure DiMaggio can fix it when he has a chance.

 

[DeadBolt]

See above. I'm sure DiMaggio can fix it when he has a chance.

The same thing happened to me last year. I made a new name for the meantime but I emailed rob and he sorted it out really fast for me. I was back to normal in a few days. Hope it works out bud!

Damn Mike!!!! Over 6000 huh...I agree with SF you are def gonna be see'in some large numbers soon heh.

 

[Fighting Irish]

Yeah, worst case he axes the SF account and I can just create a new one.

 

[M.J.H.]

SF: I'm going to honestly crap myself if I hit a 405 lbs. bench, I can't imagine loading that much weight up and actually hitting it. I spotted my friend Chris today in the gym and he hit 370 for a single, really really impressive. I had no idea he could throw around that kind of weight! I was impressed, for sure. Anyway, I want to smash a 405 lbs. decline PR and then hit a 405 lbs. bench.

Seanp: LOL, funny how so many people care SF has a new account.

DeadBolt: Thanks for stopping by bro, and honestly I can only see myself hitting huge PR's with SF's coaching. For some reason I'm 100x more confident when I go for new PR's with his assistance. Sounds stupid but I think because so much of what he advises is based on science (a lot from the book Supertraining), and Westside principles.

 

[M.J.H.]

Here are 3 new pics I snapped today, my Arnold pose is backwards, my fault. My right triceps is better from the rear, and my left biceps is more peaked from the rear.

 

[DeadBolt]

Lookin good man!!

 

[Saturday Fever]

What's today? I got SF back (thanks to Prince) so I can put a day together if you want.

 

[M.J.H.]

DeadBolt: Thanks bro, appreciate it.

SF: Nice to see that you have your name back bro! Haha it just didn't feel right you not being SF. Today I used the ME squat/DL workout that you posted last week. But if you feel so inclined you can can post my ME bench workout and DE squat/deadlift for Wednesday and Thursday.

 

[M.J.H.]

Monday; 7-11-2005​

ME Squat/Deadlift: (45 minutes, 23 sets)

I was a little tired again in the gym today, I'm thinking because of the fact that I'm off ephedrine. I'm feeling a little sluggish all day long.

Suspended Good Mornings:

135 x 3
185 x 3
205 x 3
225 x 3
245 x 3
265 x 3!

Decent sets today of suspended GM's. These were done right around my belly button height so fairly deep. Worked up to 265 for a triple, not too bad I don't think. I might have been able to go heavier but I'm not sure.

Hack Squats:

500 x 4
500 x 4
500 x 4
500 x 4
500 x 4
500 x 4

OUCH! These 6 sets of 4 for hacks beat the hell out of my quads, I was absolutely exhausted after these sets.

BTN Cable Pulldowns: (widest possible grip)

185 x 9
185 x 9
185 x 8
185 x 7

I actually really liked BTN pulldowns with such a wide grip. At first it felt a little awkward but then after a few sets I really go into then. Was nice for a change of pace, for sure.

Nautilus Leg Extensions:

Stack x 14
Stack x 13
Stack x 11

Bentover DB Lateral Raises:

30's x 11
30's x 10

Leg ext. beat my quads into the ground, I could barely walk after those 3 sets. Did some bentover raises for my rear delts.

Seated DB Hammer Curls:

55's x 8
55's x 7

Finished up today with some quick sets of hammers, pretty good sets I guess.

Diet/Supplements:

Preworkout: 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk, 25mcg T3, 5mg M1T
During Workout: 20 oz. Gatorade + 5g creatine
Postworkout: 1 scoop of whey protein + skim milk
Meal 1: 1% cottage cheese + yogurt
Meal 2: whole-wheat tuna sandwich
Meal 3: 1/2 whole-wheat peanut butter sandwich, 1 pint of skim milk
Meal 4: whole-wheat chicken salad sandwich
Meal 5: tuna + crackers
Meal 6: 2 chicken breasts + rice
Meal 7: 3-4 tbsp. peanut butter

Sleep: 7 hours.

 

[Saturday Fever]

As an alternative to ephedrine, and if you can afford VPX prices, I highly recommend Redline. It says drink half a bottle at a time and they aren't kidding. I drank a whole bottle before physical therapy a week or so ago and I was bouncing off the damn walls. It's stellar stuff for energy and it's legal so it's easy to get.

Good session. I'll get the next couple days mapped out and posted for you in a bit.

 

[M.J.H.]

SF: I'm going to look into the VPX stuff bro, thanks for the advice. Anymore though I have been so dependant on stimulants for the longest time I'm trying to get away from them. At least for a while. I mean the past 2 days my energy in the gym has been sluggish for the simple fact that they have been stimulant-free.

What do you think about suspended bench for my ME lift for Wednesday? I hit 315 in the beginning of this journal and I really think I can handle more than that now.

 

[Saturday Fever]

ME Bench

Suspended Bench (limited ROM)
work to a 1RM

Here's the gist, if your gym has the facilities. Set the pins as usual, but a little more than halfway up, set the safety bars so you can't reach lockout. Call it a full rep when you hit the bar against the safety bars. This will give you the suspended effect but also keep the bar in the lower part of the ROM and build in your strength off the chest.

Tate Press
10 sets of 2

Decline CG Bench
3 sets of 12 (close but balanced)

Skullcrushers (elbows in tight)
4 sets of 6

Side Laterals
2 sets of 20 (don't be afraid to fail anywhere from 12 on)

 

[M.J.H.]

SF: Hey man, unfortunately my power rack only has 1 set of safety pins. So I can bend from the bottom, even with the bar touching my chest. Should I just press to right before lockout maybe? Or maybe just bench from a few inches off my chest and lock it out? And what kind of grip on the suspended bench? My usual bench grip or a CG or extremely wide grip? I'm thinking about variation, here.