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  • The Warrior Path

    No one ever excused his way to success. ~Dave Del Dotto

    Hi Warriors:

    I wanted to give some stats on where I have come in the iron game and where I am at currently.

    I was born with the genetics of a worm. Very skinny like the Crypt Keeper yet a bubble in the middle. I would classify myself as a hardgainer (I can take my thumb and forefinger and wrap my fingers around my wrist). Yet as Popeye said: "I am what I am..."

    (From my blog):


    I used to be a beast in the gym. I would do 60 pound dumbbell presses on the bench. I would do squats with 100+ pounds. I would, with crazy abandon, do German Volume Training to explode my mass building.

    Then something happened on my way to fitness greatness. . .

    I got married.

    Then we had a child.

    I still tried to work out yet the fire was not there. So I did just like many red-blooded Americans would do. . .I quitted.

    **The Journey Back**

    Yes, I fell the love coaster of fitness for a several years. I would see workout programs and scoff at them. The funny thing was that I started to learn about real food, health, and the like watching Food, Inc. Later, I learned more from listening to such people as Dr. Scott Johnson, Sean Croxton, Antonio Valladares, Weston A. Price Foundation, and others.

    Still, I did not work out. I thought this was good enough and God would still be pleased.

    Wrong.

    Hippocrates said this stunning statement:

    "Eating alone will not keep a man well: he must also take exercise. For food and exercise, while possessing opposite qualities, yet work together to produce health and it is necessary, as it appears, to discern the power of various exercises, both natural exercises and artificial, to know which of them tends to increase flesh and which to lessen it; and not only this, but also to proportion exercise to bulk of food, to the constitution of the patient, to the age of the individual..."

    Eating healthy food is not enough.

    Finally, the catalyst came.

    My friend J. Corder.

    Here's a man whose body was ravaged by various ailments and by the grace of God, he was able to turn his health ailments around 180. He started to work out and see incredible results.

    He was now getting many compliments on his weight loss, his arms increasing in size, and his boundless energy. I missed that.

    So one day, I was looking in the mirror and I knew that I had to change. Then a spark of inspiration touched me. I could see...wait a minute...I could see small definition in my abs. I had eaten traditional foods and organic foods for a while and there must had been some fat burning on some level.

    I was determined to find the workout program that would work for me.

    **Less Is More**

    With new determination, I went to the local library. There had to be some program I could do that was time friendly since my #1 excuse was the #1 excuse of everyone else.

    Enter Sean Foy.

    Before I continue, I will make two disclaimers:

    Number 1: I am not at all attached to Sean Foy nor receive any financial compensation. I am a budding independent researcher who wants and desires to be fair and unbiased as humanly possible.

    Number 2: This program may work for you and it may not. Everyone has to come to their own logical conclusions and based on what the current research shows for now.

    When I went to the library, I picked up a book called �?�¢??The Ten Minute Total Body Breakthrough.�?�¢??

    In the book, Sean proposes an exercise program that can be done in ten minutes yet offer the same benefits of a traditional 1-2 hour program.

    I was in workout mode yet I wanted more.

    So I started to scour the web and came across Jason Ferruggia's site and I devoured all I could about mass building. I read his "Mass Buidling Sins" book and carried out a workout plan from his blog post: "How To Gain Weight" ([url]http://bit.ly/stTCkl[/url])

    Just from following his steps in this post, here are my old stats:

    (July 4, 2011)

    weight: 142.8
    neck: 14
    L bicep: 11
    R bicep: 11
    chest: 34.5
    waist: 30
    L calf: 13
    R calf: 13
    hip: 35
    L thigh: 20
    R thigh: 20
    L forearm: 11.5
    R forearm: 11.5
    Bodyfat: 12.7%
    =====================

    (Sept 4, 2011)
    weight: 150.2
    neck: 14.5
    L bicep: 13
    R bicep: 14 (weird)
    chest: 37
    waist: 33.5
    L calf: 15
    R calf: 15
    hip: 38
    L thigh: 23
    R thigh: 23
    L forearm: 12
    R forearm: 12
    Bodyfat: 14.8%


    I was amazed that by sticking to the basics and compound exercises, I was gaining.

    One day I stumbled unto Stronglifts.com and started this program after devouring the pdf.

    Now here is the strange part...I do not have a gym to go to...I do all my lifts with odd objects from a seabag with a heavy emergency bag placed inside to a container filled with detergent bottles.

    I use progression by placing small books and lifting as much as I can.

    The crazy thing is that my traps are more visible and I am starting, as Mom stated, "buff" again.

    She stated, "You're back!"

    So my goal is to continue to get stronger and lifting as much as I can.

    Feel free to ask questions because I sure there are plenty of raised eyebrows. Ask away...thanks for reading.

  • #2
    Holy cow that was one long intro. lol Welcome to the site.

    Anyhow, you pretty much hit the two main points: less IS more & compound lifts are king. Keeping with the less is more idead, GOMAD works wonders for those looking to gain weight. Gallon of Milk A Day.

    Comment


    • #3
      Holy cow that was one long intro. lol Welcome to the site.

      Anyhow, you pretty much hit the two main points: less IS more& compound lifts are king. Keeping with the less is more idead, GOMAD works wonders for those looking to gain weight.

      StrongLifts is a pretty good program for people looking to bulk up. Several on here are or have used it with good results. Another worth looking at is Wendler's 5/3/1. I'm on my 3rd cycle with it and its been pretty damn impressive.

      Comment


      • #4
        Hi Deviation,

        Thanks for the warm welcome. I have seen Wendler's program mentioned before on T-Nation. Have you had good results with it? What makes it a program that I may be interested in? How long have you done it for?

        Comment


        • #5
          I've had great results with it. I've tried 3 different variants of it (there's several in his book). All 3 were good. The latest one I'm using, assistance programming, is by far the best one for me. I'm on my third month now. That's 3 mesocycles. Each cycle is 4 weeks. I just updated my progress in my log. [URL]http://www.jefit.com/forum/showthread.php?6753-Deviation-s-Secret-Public-Log&p=25839&viewfull=1#post25839[/URL]

          Recap of calculated 1RM:
          --------- Before 5/3/1 --------- Prev --------- Current
          Squat --------- 322 1RM --------- 352 1RM --------- 412 1RM
          Bench --------- 252 1RM --------- 272 1RM --------- 285 1RM
          Deadlift --------- 316 1RM --------- 399 1RM --------- 432 1RM
          Press --------- 87 1RM --------- 133 1RM --------- 153 1RM

          Started 5/3/1 ~mid-January. "Prev" is the previous mesocycle.

          I use the calculated 1RM to gauge progress knowing that it's not "official" until I lift that weight myself. The beauty of 5/3/1 is its simplicity. It's very flexible and allows you to "customize" the other exercises to fit your needs. Just as long as you follow the programming for the main lifts, you'll progress. Below are my shared 5/3/1 routines.

          Assistance Programming: [URL]http://jefit.com/routines/workout-routine-database.php?id=10495[/URL]
          The Triumvirate: [URL]http://jefit.com/routines/workout-routine-database.php?id=8839[/URL]
          Boring But Big: [URL]http://jefit.com/routines/workout-routine-database.php?id=8838[/URL]

          It's worth picking up his ebook to get the full details: [URL]http://www.jimwendler.com/2011/12/531-2nd-edition-ebook-now-for-sale/[/URL] Whether its a program for you really depends on you. It's not a quick strength builder. It's designed to be a slow progression. It has worked for me, but I follow it very close. I re-read his book all the time.
          Last edited by Deviation; 03-25-2012, 03:01 AM.

          Comment


          • #6
            Thanks, Dev...I am actually going to invest in the program: Accelerated Muscular Development 2.0 (yes, this is the actual name of the product..not sexy at all...sounds like a product on one of those late night infomercial...lol) from Smitty of Diesel Crew fame.

            Some of the highlights of this program:

            -Simple diagrams and explanations on how to create explosive muscle growth by using your bodies' natural growth hormone response AND how to maximize this muscle building effect.

            -How to minimize the negative effects of cortisol and why this is ESSENTIAL for maintaining lean muscle mass.

            -How to develop a comprehensive muscle building strategy and what are the MUST HAVE FACTORS.

            -Powerful, results-driven templates that provide the how, what and why certain training volumes, intensities and rest periods create explosive results.

            -Revealing the one secret that the "gurus" don’t want you to know about gaining muscle, getting stronger and getting ripped.

            -Accurately track your progress with printable workout sheets.

            -All the guess work is GONE, all you have to do is bring the determination because AMD leaves no stone unturned!

            -What is involved in a thorough warm-up and why it is ESSENTIAL FOR AN EFFECTIVE WORKOUT.

            The program can even be incorporated into Stronglifts or 5/3/1 if one is happy with what they are doing right now and want to add more pepper to their workouts.

            Mind you, the program is not "cheap" price wise yet I am purchasing this as an investment that will pay huge dividends especially keeping me healthy as I progress in weight/strength training.

            You can find more here: [url]http://bit.ly/GMvL4R[/url]

            I will share what I learn and I hope we can help each other to become monsters in the gym naturally...
            Last edited by Chibuike; 03-25-2012, 09:45 PM.

            Comment


            • #7
              I know who Smitty is, but DAMN! $97? That's insane. I fully respect his knowledge. I use his dynamic flow warm ups all the time. But again, DAMN!

              I would think you may want to try some of the free programs out there like StrongLifts or Starting Strength first. Heck even 5/3/1 is only $20 for the ebook (not that its required).

              Comment


              • #8
                I know...that is why I used the term "investment"...lol

                Also, I am tapping into his knowledge as well so I won't continue to hit and miss. BTW, Stronglift now went from free to paid membership in order to gain "new knowledge." When I think about how much I pay for supplements and/or the cost of membership with Stronglifts (I think they are monthly: [url]http://bit.ly/GMNZD7)...I[/url] would rather pay this one time investment of $97 then to pay a monthly fee.
                Last edited by Chibuike; 03-26-2012, 01:36 AM.

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