Built like a Badass

rparker

Not very impressed by it sorry.... sounds too good to be true

Inspector Coptoor

rparker wrote: »

Not very impressed by it sorry.... sounds too good to be true

What doesn't impress you exactly?

Satanta

And what exactly sounds too good to be true?

GASMANN

Liam Henners257 wrote: »

What doesn't impress you exactly?

Satanta wrote: »

And what exactly sounds too good to be true?

Lets get him ...

RobAMerc

This might sound silly but why are the exercises numbered 1. 2. 3. 4a4b ,5 etc ? Are you supposed to choose one ? seems unlike as its always Squat or Deadlift for ones you have options.

Satanta

Any exercises labeled 4a 4b are to be preformed as a superset

For example on Week 1 Session 1:

3a. Seated Overhand Grip Cable Rows: 4x15
3b. Cable Triceps Pushdowns (straight bar): 4x15

You perform 15 seated rows immediately followed by 15 tricep pushdowns. Repeat 4 times.


also... for the lower body day you select either squat or deadlift for the program. So if you do squat on week 1 you do it for the 12 weeks and dont do deadlift

arse..biscuits

Finished.

My bench went from 90 to 95
Squat from 95 to 100
Pull ups from 12 to 13
And dead lift (which I wasn't doing) 140 to 155

mobile w

nilster wrote: »

MW, I'm glad you're running the program again. I hope you keep us informed, as I haven't seen anyone run it more than once. I myself am expecting to run it again next year so I'd love to see feedback from someone else that's been through it more than once.

thought id give quick update now that i finally finished it the second time around. continued to see strength gains during my second running of the programme.
bench went from struggling to get 1r @100kg to a clean 110kg 1r
squat from 100kg to 115kg
pushups went from 53 uninterrupted to 60
havent tested by pullups/deadlift yet but will be this weekend
was really happy with the results. i think one of the major things behind my increases was my diet though. the first time i ran the programme i was watching what i was eating and kept my weight down but this time around i most definitely didnt. put on a bit over half a stone during the period (not the good kind) which definitely contributed.

i would recommend the programme to someone like me who needs structure when working out. i really enjoyed it.

Please Kill Me

Fair play to ya for sticking to it and doing it.

Vikings

I'm in the middle of week 9 now, I think this is the longest I have stuck to a program ever.

It's enjoyable and I am noticing gains already. When I finish week 12 I think I will run through it again, and maybe again after that

HankScorpio1985

Hey,

I'm thinking about starting this in a few weeks when my current program ends. I have a few questions though.....
Could I do db bench for the max effort exercise on day 2 or does it have to be barbell?
When it says chin ups(total reps)= Chin-up max + 50% is that do your max in one set and then in the second set do half of that? Or is it do your max and a half in reps as quick as you can? I presume it's hands facing you chins, yes?
What time do you take between each exercise?

Cheers

Never mind everything except the db bb question. I found the FAQ.

denballs

looks good

200yrolecrank

Just started this program yesterday,I am very excited at it I must confess.
Got the PDF which is all I need and improvising one or two exercises as I have a home gym,it's well equipped just without the odd thing on this program.
Will check back in 6 weeks as I am determined to see this through.

nilster

MW, thanks for the update on your second time through the program. Since I went through it, I've done 531, and am doing a Paul Carter program now, but am still interested in coming back to this in mid-to-late summer. Again, my main reason for leaving it was that I love to Deadlift, but my Squat always needs work, and this program doesn't allow for both of those things, so I have to stop pulling to do this. At this point, I suspect I would run it with paused incline bench (since I also missed military pressing when I ran this) and paused squats.

Hank, any particular reason to use DB's instead of a barbell for the bench? There's a lot of DB benching already built into this program, and most folks can't move as much weight with DB's as they do with a bar.

magotch07

started this program on sat

loving the speed of the workouts i had the day1 week1 completed in 52 min

completed day2 lower body last nite it was tough the 1 mile run after squats was a killer

posted a shocking time 8 min 30 sec on the button :mad:

HankScorpio1985

nilster wrote: »

Hank, any particular reason to use DB's instead of a barbell for the bench? There's a lot of DB benching already built into this program, and most folks can't move as much weight with DB's as they do with a bar.

A few....first of all there's only 3 barbells in my gym so sometimes I have to wait a bit to get on. This waiting around would be doubled because of the need to use the barbell for the complex at the end. I thought a lot of the premise behind the program was to doing it sharp and quick? Also, my left arm is weaker than my right and I find benching the dbs helps lessen this. Thoughts?

Cheers

nilster

Hank, I think with all the DB work that's already in the program, your inbalance will get addressed.

If you're committed to this gym, I think you're just going to have to wait for a barbell for your main bench variation.

However, for the complexes, I think you could probably get away with using two DB's to do the movements in the BB complexes.

HankScorpio1985

nilster wrote: »

Hank, I think with all the DB work that's already in the program, your inbalance will get addressed.

If you're committed to this gym, I think you're just going to have to wait for a barbell for your main bench variation.

However, for the complexes, I think you could probably get away with using two DB's to do the movements in the BB complexes.

Will it not nullify the intended effects of the workout if I spend longer between exercises than the recommended few minutes?
I would much rather do the complex with the barbell than dbs as it takes a lot of getting used to to do some of those exercises with dbs rather than the barbell.

Cheers.

nilster

Sorry, Hank, I must have been confused. I thought you were saying that the Barbell's are in high demand and you didn't want to have to wait around to use them for both the bench and the complexes. In that case, I was advising waiting around for your turn on the barbell bench as it is the focus of the day, and finding some other way to get in the work of the complexes, i.e. with dumbells.

HankScorpio1985

nilster wrote: »

Sorry, Hank, I must have been confused. I thought you were saying that the Barbell's are in high demand and you didn't want to have to wait around to use them for both the bench and the complexes. In that case, I was advising waiting around for your turn on the barbell bench as it is the focus of the day, and finding some other way to get in the work of the complexes, i.e. with dumbells.

No you were right. I was just enquiring if the waiting around would nullify some of the intended effects of the workout?

nilster

Since Bench will usually be your first lift of the day, I think you should be fine. Also, if you're worried about losing time with work-ins, for what it's worth,when I ran this I took 2-5 minute rests between top sets of the main lift on the first Upper Body day, and Lower Body day. Then 45-90 second rests for all the assistance stuff unless otherwise indicated. So if you have to share your bench time with the whole gym, just think of it as recuperation time to make sure you can give it your all on your top set. Make sense?

HankScorpio1985

nilster wrote: »

Since Bench will usually be your first lift of the day, I think you should be fine. Also, if you're worried about losing time with work-ins, for what it's worth,when I ran this I took 2-5 minute rests between top sets of the main lift on the first Upper Body day, and Lower Body day. Then 45-90 second rests for all the assistance stuff unless otherwise indicated. So if you have to share your bench time with the whole gym, just think of it as recuperation time to make sure you can give it your all on your top set. Make sense?

Perfect. Cheers lad.

dario28

Started Day 1 again - in bits today !

Forgot how good a workout it is , finishers are evil

HankScorpio1985

So I finished week 1 of this program and I found it very enjoyable. Workout 1 is definitely the hardest. The barbell complex is a killer. I had some very shaky pushes in the 2nd set. I have a few queries though.....
Is it acceptable to do the 45 Degree Back Raises on a gym ball because my gym doesn't have the required incline bench? I find them far tougher and so I can't lift as much weight doing them. My hammys are wrecked after them.
My max chin ups was 16 so for the workout I did 4 sets of 6 reps no bother especially with the 3-5mins break. Should I have done 3x8 or does it make much of a difference?
My 100 push ups was disgraceful. I tried to do 25x4 with 45s break but I faile on the 3rd set and couldn't recover. Anybody got any other tips?

Cheers

Rossin

16 chin ups! Good work, do you weigh five stone :-)

HankScorpio1985

Rossin wrote: »

16 chin ups! Good work, do you weigh five stone :-)

5 plus around 8.75.

nilster

Hank, if you can do 16 chins, then what the program calls for on Day 3 of Week 1 is for you to do Max plus 50%, so a set of 16 followed by a set of 8.

For the back raises, whatever way you can find is fine. My gym doesn't have a 45-degree either, so I used the GHR.

Keep doing push-ups. That's the only thing I've found to improve them.

HankScorpio1985

nilster wrote: »

Hank, if you can do 16 chins, then what the program calls for on Day 3 of Week 1 is for you to do Max plus 50%, so a set of 16 followed by a set of 8.

For the back raises, whatever way you can find is fine. My gym doesn't have a 45-degree either, so I used the GHR.

Keep doing push-ups. That's the only thing I've found to improve them.

This is what I read in the FAQ
"Let’s say that you can perform 12 max chin-ups. 50% of 12 is 6. So you would add your chin-up max (12) + 6. This means that you are required to perform 18 total chins. It doesn’t matter what set/rep scheme you decide to use; you just need to complete 18 reps before moving onto the next exercise.
We don’t recommend going to failure on your first set because this tends to fry you out. In the above example, a guy that needs To complete 18 total reps may do this: 1st set = 9 reps, 2nd set = 4 reps, 3rd set = 3 reps, 4th set = 2 reps. Also, there are no required rest periods for the chin-ups on this program. Rest as long or as little as you need to complete all your reps!"

So I decided that 4x6 was the best way around it as I didn't want to go to failure on any of the sets.

nilster

Nice one, Hank. I probably ignored that because back when I started the program I could only do a handful of chins and it didn't make sense to spread them out.

HankScorpio1985

nilster wrote: »

Nice one, Hank. I probably ignored that because back when I started the program I could only do a handful of chins and it didn't make sense to spread them out.

No worries. So would you recommend staying with the 4x6 or going to 3x8 or does it make much of a difference for increasing your max?

Cheers

nilster

Hard to say, Hank. I would say if you do more reps per set, rest more, and vice versa.

One thing I do now with both chins and dips is to track what I weigh in the gym that day and track my projected 1RM instead of focusing on just rep count. Obivously, people don't usually try to test actual 1RM in movements like these, but it helps me to track progress on these lifts as my BW changes a lot depending on where my focus is in training. I don't know if that's any help on this particular program, however, as it's more about stimulating chin strength with actual chins, but increasing chin strength with accessory work.

HankScorpio1985

nilster wrote: »

Hard to say, Hank. I would say if you do more reps per set, rest more, and vice versa.

One thing I do now with both chins and dips is to track what I weigh in the gym that day and track my projected 1RM instead of focusing on just rep count. Obivously, people don't usually try to test actual 1RM in movements like these, but it helps me to track progress on these lifts as my BW changes a lot depending on where my focus is in training. I don't know if that's any help on this particular program, however, as it's more about stimulating chin strength with actual chins, but increasing chin strength with accessory work.

Thanks for your help.

Samich

Would you say it's ok to start if you've never worked out before?

nilster

I think this program is overly complicated for a rank beginner. I say that because it's got elaborate assistance work that could distract you from the point of the workouts, for example focusing on Zottman curls or something to the point you neglect what's really important.

IMO, I would look at something like 531 full-body to start with.

themandan6611

just finished the program.

Weight - 78 kgs

Deadlift - went from 110kg to 130kg

Bench - went from 90kgs to 102.5

Pull Ups - 6 to 11

enjoyed the program and the assistance work. Thinking of moving onto Madcow next , and run this again end of summer.

nilster

Let us know if you test your Squat, and what the results were from only Deadlifting on the program. I Squatted on the program, and found my DL had gone up afterwards.*

*Results may vary.

HankScorpio1985

Just finishing week 4 of the program and I have been enjoying it immensely.
The deload week: Is it worth it or would it be just the same to take a week off?

nilster

Depends. Are you feeling beat up/sore/tired all the time, are you having more trouble than usual sleeping and/or waking up, and do you dread the idea of going into the gym?

If so, then maybe skip the week. If not, it might be worth it to maintain discipline and go ahead and get into the gym that week.

HankScorpio1985

nilster wrote: »

Depends. Are you feeling beat up/sore/tired all the time, are you having more trouble than usual sleeping and/or waking up, and do you dread the idea of going into the gym?

If so, then maybe skip the week. If not, it might be worth it to maintain discipline and go ahead and get into the gym that week.

No, I'm sleeping well and like going to the gym. I'm feeling sore the day after each session but nothing unbearable. I was just wondering as to the benefit of the deload week as I wouldn't break my discipline as regards to diet. I also play football twice a week so it's not as if I'd be taking the whole week off. I thought it would be a chance to recharge the batteries and have the evenings to myself for a week. Thoughts?

Ant11

Lads I'm starting this program on Monday but was wondering before starting the program it says to find the 'true' max. Does this mean I do just 1 off squat, deadlift or benchpress to see what i can lift?

(Sorry if this questions been asked before).

nilster

Hank, I would say it's largely individual, and hard to predict. It's easy to say it might not be a big deal. On the othe hand, looking back at just the deload weeks as programmed, there's still an opportunity for a bit of hypertrophy and core work with the programming for those weeks. Just looking at Week 5, on Day 1, I see 40 reps of pressing and 50 reps of upper back work. On Day 2, I see 60 reps of core stimulation between the squat work and the direct core work. On Day 3, I see a lot of biceps work between the chins and 100 curls, and 50 reps of shoulder work. If you're feeling good, why miss out on that?

nilster

Ant, there are several ways to go about deteriming a 1RM. What's best for you depends on several factors. I would just google "finding your 1 rep max," and look at all the various options and figure out what makes the most sense for you.

HankScorpio1985

nilster wrote: »

Hank, I would say it's largely individual, and hard to predict. It's easy to say it might not be a big deal. On the othe hand, looking back at just the deload weeks as programmed, there's still an opportunity for a bit of hypertrophy and core work with the programming for those weeks. Just looking at Week 5, on Day 1, I see 40 reps of pressing and 50 reps of upper back work. On Day 2, I see 60 reps of core stimulation between the squat work and the direct core work. On Day 3, I see a lot of biceps work between the chins and 100 curls, and 50 reps of shoulder work. If you're feeling good, why miss out on that?

When you put it like that I think I'll do the deload week. Cheers.

Ant11 wrote: »

Lads I'm starting this program on Monday but was wondering before starting the program it says to find the 'true' max. Does this mean I do just 1 off squat, deadlift or benchpress to see what i can lift?

(Sorry if this questions been asked before).

I used a 1 rep max calculator on the internet for testing my bench. It calculated from the max weight I could do five reps for.

As for deadlift I just tested the max I could lift after loads of warmup sets. And kept going until I couldn't rep any higher. Probably not the best methods but I have found them good so far.

Ant11

nilster wrote: »

Ant, there are several ways to go about deteriming a 1RM. What's best for you depends on several factors. I would just google "finding your 1 rep max," and look at all the various options and figure out what makes the most sense for you.

Another question if you don't mind Nilster. I a regular gym goer myself and just thought I'd try this program for a change. A friend of mine has started coming to the gym with me and am wondering would this program be right for him?

He's 19/20 stone, over weight and wants to loose weight but is afraid to do weight programs incase he gets bigger or bulk on muscle. He sick of the laborious cardio workouts and has no motivation. Compared to me he would have no weight training background but I'm wondering if I got him doing this with me it might motivate him. But would it be suitable for him as he's fairly over weight??

Ant11

HankScorpio1985 wrote: »

I used a 1 rep max calculator on the internet for testing my bench. It calculated from the max weight I could do five reps for.

As for deadlift I just tested the max I could lift after loads of warmup sets. And kept going until I couldn't rep any higher. Probably not the best methods but I have found them good so far.

Cheers Hank I'll suss that 1 rm out. Did you include the weight of the bar in your max rep???

As for the deadlifts I'll be fairly low anyway as I've dodgy knees so I'll be taking it easy with them.

Looking forward to trying something new.

nilster

Ant, if he has no motivation then you've got a hard row to hoe.

All I can really tell you is what worked for me:
I decided I needed to do something about what was happening with my body.
I knew that doing tons of cardio and some half-assed, Flex-magazine machine weight workouts had not done much for me in the past.
I accepted the fact that muscle takes up less volume than an equal amount of fat (this may be eye opening for your friend).
I decided to focus on getting stronger, and increasing performance/conditioning, and not focus on what was happening in the mirror.
I never looked back.

Ant11

nilster wrote: »

Ant, if he has no motivation then you've got a hard row to hoe.

All I can really tell you is what worked for me:
I decided I needed to do something about what was happening with my body.
I knew that doing tons of cardio and some half-assed, Flex-magazine machine weight workouts had not done much for me in the past.
I accepted the fact that muscle takes up less volume than an equal amount of fat (this may be eye opening for your friend).
I decided to focus on getting stronger, and increasing performance/conditioning, and not focus on what was happening in the mirror.
I never looked back.

Sound advise Nilster cheers:D

Sure I suppose if I can get him to at lest try it. If it doesn't work he hasn't lost anything he will still be in the same situation he is in now.

HankScorpio1985

Ant11 wrote: »

Cheers Hank I'll suss that 1 rm out. Did you include the weight of the bar in your max rep???

As for the deadlifts I'll be fairly low anyway as I've dodgy knees so I'll be taking it easy with them.

Looking forward to trying something new.

Ya, always include the bar.
Well it's deadlift, squat or whatever variation you choose to do.
Good luck with it. Word of warning: The complex is a killer.

Ant11

Well, finished day1 of this yesterday and the body is seriously feeling it today but I enjoyed the variation all the same.

The Barbell Complex (deadlifts, bent rows, hang cleans, push press, back squat): 2 sets. Perform 10 reps of each exercise. Rest 90 sec. b/t sets.

Am I right in saying I was to superset these 5 exercises rest for 90 sec and go again??

nilster

That's right.