Biggest Guy in Class: How to Rebuild a Monolith

Training Logs
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21

The fact that there are no measurements on the amount of chicken does not fill me with confidence that you know how much you put in there.

One of the things that helps me with my eating is setting a minimum protein input. Mine is 5 eggs and 500g of chicken. I must eat this EVERYDAY. Most days I eat well past this. Work out how much you need (2g for every kg of weight) and then just do it.

Eat up dude. Its going to be the limiting factor in your growth. You are training hard enought.

On this - I agree with Aldebaran. One of this things people need to learn is difference between total failure and technical failure. You should be training to technical failure. Which the point where the weight is still moving quickly with good form. Total failure is grinding out as many reps as possible no matter the bar speed or rep quality. I should have been clearer in communicating this. Keep a rep in the tank. The last rep.

2 Likes
22

24/06/20
Slightly late update today - currently got some exams so reporting may be iffy over the next week. Will still be keeping up with the workouts though, and I’ll make sure to get the relevant info here when I have time.

That being said my recovery is feeling good. Definitely focusing on the sleep, and as far as diet goes, I’m being more careful. The problem is that counting calories or macros isn’t practical for me (I sort of have to eat what I’m given!) That being said, my current solution to that is to insist on a good source of protein in each meal (at least 1/3 of the meal is a complete protein), and to get down as much of it as possible. I’m feeling good so far, but only time will tell if this will suffice or not. I’m currently trying to organise something more solid.

Thanks to everyone who’s given me advice, I really appreciate your help. Being young and dumb, I probably won’t listen to it nearly as much as I should, but I’m certainly trying my best to do so!

Squat (hit rep goal, up 2.5 kg)
20kgx10, 40x5
62.5x9
62.5x8
62.5x7

OHP (finally added a rep, yay!)
20x5
35x8
35x7
35x6 (tough last rep - probably should have left it, in hindsight)

Lateral raise
6.6x18
6.6x15
6.6x12

Deadlift (also managed to add a rep here!)
60x5, 70x3
95x6

Chins
4, 3 (slightly sketchy last rep), 3 (slightly sketchy last rep), 2, 2

Pullover
14.3x15
14.3x11
14.3x9

Curls sup. w/ skullcrusher
23.5x10, 20x10
23.5x8, 20x8
23.5x8, 20x7

23

27/06/20
Solid day today!

Squat
20kgx10, 40x5
65x7
65x6
65x5

Bench (hit rep goal, add 2.5kg)
20x10, 30x5
47.5x11
47.5x7
47.5x6

Flies
6.6x9
6.6x7
6.6x5

BB row
52.5x6
52.5x6
52.5x5

Chins (don’t think there’s any harm in taking chins all the way to failure right? Since BW movements aren’t taxing on the CNS etc.)
4 (bit of a kick on the last), 3 (tough last rep), 2, 2, 2

Pullover
14.3x14
14.3x13
14.3x10

Curls sup. w/ skullcrusher
23.5x11, 20x9
23.5x9, 20x9
23.5x8, 20x8

24

Exams are over! I’ve kept up with my workouts, but had to push one back a day because I had an exam the next day and I really had to put some hours in for that. (I have two new workouts to report, this post contains the first.)

But some good progress has been made… see below!

29/06/20

Squat
20kgx10, 40x5
65x8
65x7
65x6

OHP (FINALLY smashed that plateau, and I even reached my rep goal! Up that weight 2.5kg!)
20x5
35x10
35x7
35x7 (‘cheated’ a little here by using a rep counting technique I learned from a Dan John article. Basically, say you’re doing four reps; instead of counting “1, 2, 3, 4”, you count “and, 1, and, 2…” I don’t know how, but it works! Anyway, after doing so well on the first set, I decided that I might as well use the trick to really smash out the reps.)

Lateral raise (focusing on that contraction and cleaning up the form. I’m considering lightening up the weight and doing them even more strictly to really burn that medial delt, might change it up later.)
6.6x17
6.6x11
6.6x10

Deadlift (hit rep goal here too! We’ll add 5 kg and see what happens.)
60x5, 70x2
95x7

Chins
4, 3, 2, 2, 2

Pullovers
14.3x15
14.3x14
14.3x11

Curls sup. w/ skullcrushers (hit rep goal on both! Add 0.5 kg each.)
23.5x12, 20x12
23.5x10, 20x10
23.5x8, 20x9

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25

02/07/20

The second workout to report, completed today. Had to do this a day later than planned because of an exam.

Squat (hit rep goal, up 2.5kg)
20kgx10, 40x5
65x9
65x8
65x7

Bench
20x10, 30x5
50x7
50x7
50x5

Flies (weird rep numbers today for some reason)
6.6x7
6.6x7
6.6x7

BB rows
20x10
52.5x8
52.5x7
52.5x6

Chins (not quite as good as I would have liked, will try to improve next time).
3, 2, 2, 2, 2

Pullover
14.3x16
14.3x15
14.3x12

Curls sup. w/ skullcrusher (odd rep numbers for skullcrushers too, strange).
24x10, 20.5x7
24x8, 20.5x8
24x7, 20.5x7

Some thoughts:
It’s been just over 3 weeks running my program. I’m going to check back in on my measurements and the mirror in 2 weeks, so time to buckle down and dial it in. I’m thinking I’ll take a workout to test my 1RMs then too… I know beginners shouldn’t technically do that, but I’ll try to restrain myself from doing anything too stupid. I’m just curious to see what sort of ballpark my numbers will be in. But that’s then, and this is now, so let’s continue on as we are for now!

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04/07/20
Due to a temporarily odd schedule, sleep and nutrition have been slightly compromised this weekend. Regardless I plan to compensate hard for the loss, and I am keeping up with my workouts.

Squat
20kgx10, 40x5
67.5x6
67.5x5
67.5x5

OHP
20x5
37.5x7
37.5x6
37.5x6

Lateral raise
6.6x18
6.6x13
6.6x10

Deadlift
60x5, 75x3
100x4

Chins
5 (had a bit of a spasm to get the last rep), 3, 3, 3 (slightly suspicious last rep), 2

Pullovers
14.3x17
14.3x12
14.3x13

Curls sup. w/ skullcrushers
24x11, 20.5x10
24x8, 20.5x8
24x8, 20.5x7

27

06/07/20
Damn… 12 days out from my check-in deadline and I’ve done my shoulder in. Nothing too bad thankfully, but I definitely felt a twinge during my bench sets and my flies. Hopefully I haven’t done anything :grimacing: will pay extra close attention to it during the following workouts.

Squat
20kgx10, 40x5
67.5x9
67.5x6
67.5x5 (bailed on 6th rep, yes I’m an idiot and I shouldn’t have gone for it)

Bench
20x10, 30x5
50x9
50x7
50x6

Flies
6.6x7
6.6x8
6.6x6

BB row (hit rep goal, up 2.5kg)
20x10
52.5x10
52.5x8
52.5x7

Chins
3, 3, 2, 2, 2

Pullovers
14.3x18
14.3x14
14.3x14

Curls sup. w/ skullcrushers (hit rep goal on curls, up 0.5 kg)
24x12, 20.5x11
24x10, 20.5x9
24x8, 20.5x8

28

Sorry for the radio silence, it’s been a busy few days. Will post reports on completed workouts tomorrow!

29

08/07/20
First workout to report. Unfortunately was very tight on time here so had to make some adjustments.

Squat
20kgx10, 40x6
67.5x9
67.5x7
67.5x5

OHP
20x5
37.5x8
37.5x6
37.5x6

(Had to skip lateral raises)

Deadlift
60x5, 75x3
100x5

Chins sup. w/ pullovers
5 (last rep quite suspect), 14.3x10
3, 14.3x9
3, 14.3x7

(Had to skip curls and skullcrushers)

30

10/07/20
Second workout to report. No cut corners today, I made sure to get through everything - that being said, my shoulder was acting up on the flies so I stopped after a few reps of that. I’m keeping an eye on the shoulder, so might have to give the flies a break, since they’re quite taxing on the joint. But the shoulder was much better today, bench felt pretty good.

Squat (hit rep goal, up 2.5kg)
20kgx10, 40x5
67.5x10
67.5x8
67.5x6

Bench (unfortunately took the last two sets to failure, because I’m a bit of an idiot, but it was sort of accidental)
20x10, 30x5
50x10
50x6
50x7 (using Dan John’s counting technique - but I need to be careful not to use it too much and dilute its effect)

(As mentioned above, had to abort on the flies because the shoulder felt funny)

BB row
20x10
55x7
55x6
55x6

Chins
4 (last rep suspicious), 3, 3, 3, 2

Pullovers
14.3x16
14.3x10
14.3x11

Curls sup. w/ skullcrushers
24.5x9, 20.5x12
24.5x7, 20.5x8
24.5x7, 20.5x7

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13/07/20
The last workout before we enter the “testing” phase of the program. The next A and B workouts will feature tests of my 1RMs, and Saturday morning will be measurement and mirror check-in day. Let’s see the workout report before we talk more, though:

Squat
20kgx10, 50x5
70x6
70x5
70x5

OHP (rep total still the same, but this happened last time so I’m planning to just keep grinding and wait until I get an increase).
37.5x9
37.5x6
37.5x5

Lateral raise (for the next training block, I might lighten up the weight and play around with positioning and form to target different parts of the shoulder.)
6.6x18
6.6x10
6.6x9

Deadlift
60x5, 75x3
100x6

Chins
5 (last rep dodgy), 3, 3, 3, 2

Pullovers (great stretch in the ribcage today, really pushed these hard)
14.3x21
14.3x14
14.3x13

Curls sup. w/ skullcrushers
24.5x10, 20.5x8
24.5x8, 20.5x8
24.5x7, 20.5x7

The plan for the next two workouts is to test my maxes for each lift. They won’t be all-out, balls-to-the-wall maxes where my eyeballs are falling out, but they will be heavy singles so I can judge my strength. Basically the plan is to warm up and then climb up the weights until I get my heavy single. After that, depending on how I feel on the day, and how much time I have, I’ll probably do my standard 3 sets with some lighter weight just to get some volume in. The second workout I’ll skip squats to be fresh for my deadlift attempt, and after the deadlift max I won’t be pulling any more sets.

On Saturday morning, the day after my second testing session, I’ll check in with the mirror first before taking my measurements in the same way and under the same conditions as when I started (since the mirror is subjective, and taking measurements before might skew my perception… ok, probably not, but hey it’s possible.)

After that, normal service will resume until the next testing phase (probably in another six weeks or so).

I will post all the relevant info here and link it up in my first post. I’m looking forward to this!

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16/07/20
Workout A test (squat, bench)
Here it is! Unfortunately found that I didn’t have enough time to get in the planned 3 sets of each exercise, so I had to make some adjustments. Report below - numbers will be compiled in a full update post once I have everything.

As far as the lift form goes, for squats the only change was a more low bar position than normal; for bench, legs were further underneath the body than usual and the bench was a few degrees (and I do mean only a few) flatter than usual - it’s usually on a very slight incline due to its construction. So basically, just shifted form from “bodybuilding” to “powerlifting”, but nothing particularly extreme.

Squat
20kgx10, 50x3
60x1
70x1
82.5x1
87.5x1
92.5x1
95.5x1 (bar slow on the way up, so ended it here) [210.5 lbs]

Bench
20x7
30x3
40x1
50x1
60x1
65x1
70x1
73x1
75x1 [165.3 lbs]
76x0 (strangely failed here, 75 was slow on the way up but not terribly hard)
75x0 (went back to 75 to see what I could do but I must have been too spent. No real reason to go for this but hey)

Chins
5 (I thought this was a little low, so retested the next day and got 6. So either way a slight improvement over when I started).

BB row (some standard 3x6-8 stuff here)
55x8
55x7
55x7 (just about!)

Pullovers
14.3x23
14.3x15
14.3x11

(No time so had to skip arm work)

On the whole, I’m reasonably happy with my numbers for 5 weeks of consistent lifting, but I was hoping to hit 100kg on squats and bodyweight (80kg or so) on bench.

Oh, and by the way - shoulder felt great on bench, didn’t feel a thing funnily enough, despite all those heavy singles. Wrists and hands felt quite taxed though, I suppose I’m just not used to that sort of weight!

Stay tuned for more progress updates next workout!

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17/07/20
Workout B test (OHP, deadlift)
I now have tested all four of my big lifts. All that is left is perhaps the most important test of all - what does the tape measure say, and does the mirror agree with it? We’ll find out tomorrow morning. I will compile all the relevant information on lifts and physique progress in a single post once that is done.

Had more time today, so I could get in more work instead of only doing my 1RMs like last time.

Today’s workout:
20kgx6
30x3
35x1
40x1
50x1
60x1 [132 lbs] - bar was slow but I got it!
65x0
61.5x0
61.5x0
61.5x0 (three strikes, I’m out :frowning:)

Might have gotten 61.5 if I hadn’t jumped to 65kg like an idiot, but it is what it is. I’m pretty happy with this, long way to go but around 135 lbs is where I had set my sights as a short term goal. Onwards and upwards!

Deadlift
60x5
80x2
90x1
100x1
110x1
120x1
127.5x1
131x1 [288.8 lbs]

I may have had a little more in the tank on the deadlift, but this is all the weight I have at home currently. I had to load everything, right down to the microplates, on the bar to get to 131 kg… quite a funny sight actually lol. Probably a good thing I couldn’t go any further - limit deadlifts are risky business, and this was definitely challenging enough.

OHP (light higher rep work)
30x11
30x8
30x9

Lateral raise
6.6x18
6.6x10
6.6x10

Chins
5, 3, 3, 3, 2

Pullovers (might up the weight on these for the next block of training)
14.3x18
14.3x20
14.3x12

Curls sup. w/ skullcrushers
24.5x10, 20.5x9
24.5x9, 20.5x8
24.5x8, 20.5x6

As I mentioned, full lift+physique update is next, with some reflections on progress so far and goals for the future. Exciting times!

34

Your OHP is 60kg but your bench is only 75kg? That’s surprising but impressive.

1 Like
35

Thanks haha. Yeah it’s sort of weird, but I’m not complaining lol

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18/07/20 - 6 WEEK PROGRESS REPORT
And so we arrive at the much-anticipated post. It has been near as makes no difference 6 weeks (40 days today).

I’ve done my 1RM tests in the last two workouts. Here are the lifts:

Squat: 95.5 kg (210.5 lbs)
Bench: 75 kg (165.3 lbs)
Deadlift: 131 kg (288.8 lbs)
OHP: 60 kg (132.3 lbs)
Chin ups: 5

Now for the physique updates:

(Same measurement criteria as the beginning)
Weight: 179 lbs (+4 lbs)
Estimated body fat: 20% (no significant change)
Shoulder width: 20 5/8 inches (+1/4 inch)
Shoulder circumference: 48 1/2 inches (+1/4 inch)
Chest: 45 1/4 inch (+3/4 inch)
Waist: 35 inches relaxed (+3/4 inch… crap)
Hips: 39 1/2 inches (no discernible change)
Leg: 23 1/2 inches (+1 inch)
Calves: 15 1/2 inches (+3/4 inch… no idea how though. Hmmm…)
Arms: 15 inches (+3/8 inches)

Not sure quite how accurate these measurements are to be honest. I find it hard to believe my legs are an inch bigger, and I don’t think my arms look any bigger… I wouldn’t be surprised if my new and increased waist measurement was completely accurate though. But the tape says there is progress… or does it… whatever.

And the mirror? I haven’t looked in 6 weeks, and to be honest I’m a little disappointed now I have - which does beg the question, exactly what did I expect from 6 weeks of lifting? Not sure. I think subconsciously I thought I’d end up looking like Arnold or something. That being said, I think the shoulders might be a little better, back a tad wider, triceps a little more prominent… but it’s not much at all. I’m still very unsatisfied, I desperately need more size.

On the whole I’m a rather grumpy fellow to be honest. I feel like I haven’t made any progress at all, apart from gaining 4 lbs of what is probably fat. And even that’s probably just a fluke, I probably was just retaining water or something. And yes, I know it’s only six weeks, but I still look rubbish, at least compared to my own expectations and goals.

Now what?

Well, now I do the only thing I can do - stop complaining, get under the bar, and make stuff happen.

I’ll take the weekend off and we’ll start again on Monday if all goes well. I’m going to be swimming again after about a 4 month break because of covid, so we’ll see how that goes too. Normally get a pretty good workout and a great pump, so it can’t hurt - and some cardio will prevent my heart from congealing into a lump of gristle. Which is always a plus.

37

I have to apologise for my neglect of the log, it’s been super busy these past few days! I’m still logging my workouts on paper though, and I’ll report back here as soon as I can.

38

Ok we’re back. Wow it has been a properly busy week, and I have the sinking feeling it’s only going to get worse until I make it to the end of the year. If I end up only updating on weekends for a while please do forgive me, but sometimes I get absolutely buried by work.

Two workouts to report so far, about to go for my next one soon. Here’s the first:

21/07/20 (had to do this a day later than planned)

Squat
20kgx10, 50x5
70x7
70x6
70x5

Bench (hit rep goal, up 2.5kg)
20x10, 30x5
50x11
50x7
50x6

Flies (after a short break I’ve started on these again, felt pretty good but was still a little cautious.)
6.6x6
6.6x6
6.6x7

BB row (hit rep goal, up 2.5kg)
20x10
55x9
55x8
55x7

Chins
4, 4, 2, 2, 2

Pullovers (started using a heavier weight here)
16.6x8
16.6x8
16.6x6

Curls sup. w/ standing overhead tricep extension (didn’t have time to change plates around so decided to experiment)
20x14, 20x8
20x12, 20x8
20x10, 20x6

39

23/07/20
The second workout to report.

Squat (hit rep goal, up 2.5kg)
20kgx10, 50x5
70x9
70x8
70x7

OHP
20x5
37.5x10
37.5x6
37.5x6

Lateral raise
6.6x14
6.6x12
6.6x9

Deadlift (hit rep goal, up 2.5kg)
100x7

Chins
5, 4, 3, 3, 3 (slightly short rep here)

Pullovers
16.6x9
16.6x8
16.6x8

Curls sup. w/ PJR pullover (might replace BB skullcrushers with this, what do you think? It has the advantage of giving a stretch on the ribcage since you’re in the pullover position anyway, and does pretty much the same thing). (And hit rep goal on curls, so add 0.5kg.)
24.5x11, 16.6x9
24.5x10, 16.6x6
24.5x9, 16.6x7

40

25/07/20
Another workout! I am debating whether I should up the rep goal for arm work to 36 (i.e average of 12 reps per set). When I add weight after hitting the rep goal of 30, it tends to take me rather low (7 reps or so). We’ll see how it goes.

Squat
20kgx10, 50x5
72.5x6
72.5x5
72.5x5

Bench
20x10, 30x5
52.5x7
52.5x5
52.5x5

Flies
6.6x7
6.6x5
6.6x6

BB row
57.5x7
57.5x6
57.5x5

Chins
4, 3, 3, 2, 2

Pullovers
16.6x10
16.6x9
16.6x7

Curls sup. w/ PJR pullover (I’ve decided to keep the PJR for a while and see how it goes. It has the advantage of me not having to fluff around with my barbell reloading plates for the two different exercises, so it’s much quicker and easier; and I feel it hits my triceps better.)
25x9, 16.6x7
25x7, 16.6x7
25x7, 16.6x6

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention - I’ve decided that I need to stop neglecting my abs. My original plan was to just do them separately during the day at some time, but I just end up not doing it. So I’ve decided to work in a few sets of weighted sit-ups and hanging leg raises on the decline bench, between sets of chins. Probably won’t log it here because it’s pretty minor, but I will still do it, and if I can then I’ll also do some easy sets at some other time during the day.