Completed Building the Monolith: My Results (Video)

I had been eyeing Jim’s ‘‘Building the Monolith’’ for quite some time and wanted to give it a shot, but my work never allowed me to put the 100% needed for that kind of programming. Recently I had almost 3 months off work, so I figured it would be a good time to try it out.

Before / After numbers (based on 1RM calculators)
Deadlift: 426 > 445
Squat: 378 > 420
Press: 171 > 180
Chin Ups: shoulder injury > 10xBW+20
Dips: shoulder injury > 9xBW+50
Weight: 208.8 > 215.0

I have a 10mm calcification in my right shoulder, so horizontal pressing has been painful, hence why I took out the Bench on day 2 and did an additional OHP day. I was not able to Dip or do Chin Ups pain free before the program, but midway through the program I incorporated both exercises. Now I can do both pain free. I do not know the scientific explanation behind that.

For conditioning, I did a lot of heavy bag work and long fast-paced walks in the snow with the dog. My current resting HR is at 60-61.

Diet wise… I just ate. Ate a lot. Eggs, steak, potatoes, roasts, fish, green smoothies and a lot of water. The heaviest I got (at night, with clothes) was 229. Now completely empty and dehydrated in the morning I’m at 215.0 (compared to 208.8) 2 months ago. I did notice my pants get tighter and people in general commented that I got bigger. I did not gain much fat either.

Overall it was a fun program, but probably not something I would do while working 60h+ per week.

If you have any suggestions for what’s next, I’m all ears. I would like to improve my conditioning a bit while maintaining my current strength levels.

I’m also open to any critique on my form. I could’ve gone a bit harder on the DLs, but my lower back was pretty fried from the Squats and I went in with a ‘‘live to fight another day’’ mentality.

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Excellent work JZT! I’ve ran BTM before but for some reason didn’t follow the diet. I will be running that program the right way in the spring some time. It’s nice to see your results.

Nice.

My favourite part of these stories is seeing how people find a way to get things done.

And diet. Because the hardest lifts are the seated plate to mouth, lying stomach press, and toilet paper rows.

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