Starting a training log per the Surge Challenge Requirements.
I have wrist ROM issues too. I do Standing Forearm Flexion (aka Wrist Curls). I take a shoulder width grip and curl the bar up as tight as possible. For the Pump Set, keep the grip tight and just rotate at your wrist joint. For the Stimulate set, open your hand a bit at the bottom and let the bar roll into the space between 1st and 2nd joints of your fingers. I’m not a strong guy, but worked up to 195x8 on the 2nd version.
Best, Scott
Thank you for the recommendation. I will take your advice and perform the forearm movements standing for the next round and see if I can up the weight to a useful level.
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SHOULDERS BLOCK
Pump
Overhand Bar Hang - 40 Sec.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise, 10 Reps x 45
Dumbbell Upright Row, 10 Reps x 40
Stimulate
Barbell Overhead Press - 10 Reps x 70 (need to go heavier on this)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 10 Reps x 25 (need to go lighter)
Trap-Bar or DB Farmer’s Walk - 40 Steps X 90
Trap-Bar Shrug - 10 Reps x 225
Flutter
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 60 sec x 15 (probably need to go a little heavier).
LATS BLOCK
Pump
Barbell Row - 8 Reps X 135 + two rogue monster mini’s singled up around bar and under feet (wanted to see if going lighter and adding band tension would help the pump, need to add more bar weight)
Darden Pullover - 8 Reps X 60
Supinated-Grip Pulldown - 8 Reps
Stimulate
Darden Pullover - 8 Reps x 60
Flutter
Darden Pullover - 45 Sec. x 50
BICEPS BLOCK
Pump
Narrow-Grip Barbell Curl - 8 Reps x 80
Chin-up - 8 Reps .
Wide-Grip Barbell Curl - 8 Reps x 60
Stimulate (I messed up this section by going way too heavy for the rest periods and thought I was supposed to be doing 10 second rests between sets still)
Dumbbell Zotterman Curl - 10 Reps x 25 (this was too heavy)
Dumbbell Hammer Curl - 10 Reps x 20 (still too heavy)
Dumbbell Regular Curl - 10 Reps x 12 (even this was difficult at this point)
Flutter
Dumbbell Regular Curl or Bands - 12lb with fat gripz x 40 sec
CALVES BLOCK (had to improvise and use selectorized leg press and pendulum squat machines, gym doesn’t have dedicated calf machines)
Pump
Pendulum Squat machine Calf Raise - 12 Reps x 340
Leg Press machine calf Raise - 12 Reps x 315 (need to go heavier)
pendulum squat machine Calf Raise - 12 Reps x 340
Stimulate
Leg Curl, Toes Pointed - 8 Reps x 80 (need to go up a little)
Pendulum machine Calf Raise - 12 Reps x 270 (might need to go down a little)
Flutter
pendulum Calf Raise - 45 Sec. x 270
I realized today that I am doing this workout like a powerlifter rather than an “HIT”'er. In some cases I am going a little lighter than I should but in the biceps block I really need to drop the weight and accept that to get through that many isolation movement reps with little to no rest and the stretches is going to mean I have to pick out tiny little dumbbells. I also realized there were a few times where I would jump into the stimulate blocks without starting with the 10 second loaded stretch. I will definitely pay a lot more attention to this in the future. I emphasized the stretch really well on the calf workout block and it was noticeable in the pump and burn. I will also try to move these workouts to my garage gym soon where I can get through the rest periods quicker without interruption. The first work out on Monday I was able to do in the prescribed time frame. This one took about 35-40 minutes and I thought I was keeping the prescribed rests but obviously not. This will also require breaking the powerlifter mentality and lowering some of the weights especially on isolation movements to account for the reduced rest.
I measured my calves cold prior to the workout and immediately after the calf section. Both right and left increased by .5" from just over 15" to just over 15.5". I am now about 30 minutes after completion and still have about .25" increase although I don’t feel the pump. I think the numbers could look better if this workout included Tibialis movements which I normally superset with calves for development and knee stability.
Completed third workout yesterday. Heat index was 105 here and I did this one in my garage. Due to the heat I was feeling pretty lightheaded and nauseous after the first two Leg sets at the end so lowered the weight for the last few sets to not have to take too long of a rest period.
Completed this workout in 30 minutes and did well meeting prescribed rest periods this time.
I have been hitting right around 3500 calories per day and have gained just over 1 pound this week but haven’t noticed any change in physique overall other than my legs are actually losing some size and getting less solid. They are down to 24". If they continue to lose size and hardness I’m probably going to add in more volume.
I was following the program without extra workouts but I am going to have to at least reintroduce sled dragging, tibialis work and direct abdominal work. My right knee is starting to have some meniscus pain flare back up that I normally keep in check with the sled dragging and I need to be pushing blood in there as often as possible.
Overall, I would say the workouts are hard and probably effective for people that enjoy low frequency training with lighter weights. This will not be a long term workout program for me as part of the reason I workout is that I just love lifting weights. It’s not about just looking good or just being strong. I also love the feeling of working out so I would not choose do to a program that reduces the amount of time I get to spend doing what I enjoy for a long time. After this program is done I will consider doing something like this for a week here and there as a deload or change of pace. A benefit to this program is that I don’t normally focus on controlled negatives, stretches or holds and will likely incorporate these principles a little more often into my regular training on assistance work when I get back to conjugate.
CHEST BLOCK
Pump
Cambered Swiss bar wide grip Bench Press - 10 Reps – 135+doubled x-light bands
Dumbbell Bent-Armed Fly - 10 Reps - 30
Pushup on Floor - 10 Reps – 40lb weight vest
Stimulate
Cambered Swiss bar wide grip Bench Press – 135 removed bands before set (forgot second 10 sec stretch)
Flutter
Cambered Swiss bar wide grip Bench Press - 20 Sec. - 135
BICEPS BLOCK
Pump
Narrow-Grip cambered swiss bar Curl - 8 Reps -65
Chin-up - 8 Reps
Wide-Grip cambered swiss bar Curl Curl - 8 Reps -65
Stimulate
Dumbbell Zotterman Curl - 10 Reps – 15 with fat gripz for all stimulate section
Rotate DB to hammer - no rest
Dumbbell Hammer Curl - 10 Reps
Rotate DB to regular - no rest
Dumbbell Regular Curl - 10 Reps
Flutter
Dumbbell Regular – 15 with fat grips
TRICEPS BLOCK
Pump
Triceps Pressdown - 10 Reps – 70 (these were done on my rack attachment cable system, provides a lot more resistance than standard double pulley systems in most gyms)
Cambered swiss bar narrow grip press - 10 Reps - 115
Triceps Pressdown or Bands - 8 Reps - 90
Stimulate
Overhead Triceps Extension with One Dumbbell - 8 Reps - 50
Decrease wt. 5 lb - no rest
Overhead Triceps Extension with One Dumbbell - 8 Reps -45
Flutter
Overhead Triceps Extension with One Dumbbell - 45
LEGS BLOCK
Pump
Wide-Stance-Squat - 8 Reps – 155+light band
4” Deficit Deadlift - 8 Reps - 225
Close stance squat on slant board - 8 Reps -155+light band
Stimulate
Close stance squat on slant board - 10 Reps – bar and band tension only
Flutter
Close stance squat on slant board - 20 Sec.
TRICEPS BLOCK
Pump
Triceps Pressdown or Bands - 10 Reps - 70
Cambered Swiss Bar Close Grip Press- 10 Reps** - 185
Triceps Pressdown or Bands - 8 Reps- 80
Stimulate
Overhead Triceps Extension with One Dumbbell - 8 Reps - 60
Decrease - no rest
Overhead Triceps Extension with One Dumbbell - 8 Reps- 50
Flutter
Overhead Triceps Extension with Band - 20 Sec. (purple Rep band)
LATS BLOCK
Pump
Barbell Row - 8 Reps - 185
Darden Pullover - 8 Reps - 70
CHINS- 15Reps
Stimulate
Darden Pullover - 8 Reps - 60
Flutter
Darden Pullover - 20 Sec. - 60
FOREARMS BLOCK
Pump
Barbell Wrist Curl - 10 Reps - 95
Barbell Wrist Curl - 10 Reps - 95
Standing Reverse Barbell Curl - 10 Reps - 85
Stimulate
Barbell Wrist Curl - 10 Reps - 95
Flutter
Barbell Wrist Curl - 20 Sec. - 95
CALVES BLOCK
Pump
Standing Marrs Bar Calf Raise on Slant Board - 12 Reps - Purple Rep bands +295
Tibilais - 12 Reps - 40
Standing Marrs Bar Calf Raise on Slant Board - 12 Reps - Purple Rep bands +295
Stimulate
GHR, Toes Pointed - 8 Reps
Standing Marrs Bar Calf Raise on Slant Board - 12 Reps - Purple Rep bands +205
Flutter**
Standing Marrs Bar Calf Raise on Slant Board - 40 sec - Purple Rep bands +205
Tibialis raise - 40 sec - 20
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Looking pretty jacked there, my friend. Nice work.
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Lookin thicc n joozy
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Thanks guys.
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Went to the gym today to be able to use the Leg Ext/Leg Curl and get out of the heat for a workout. This was the final workout of the first two weeks. I may take new measurements cold tomorrow to see if there has been any progress.
THIGHS BLOCK
Pump
Leg Extension, Toes Out - 195/15
Leg Curl - 120/12
Leg Extension, Toes In - 195/12
Stimulate
Leg Press - 375/10
Leg Extension - 105/10
Leg Curl Machine - 90/10
Flutter
Leg Extension Machine - 105/30sec
Leg Curl - 100/30 sec
SHOULDERS BLOCK
Pump
Overhand Bar Hang - 40 Sec.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise- 30lb/25reps (I have a little bit of tendonitis in my right elbow flaring up so had to go light and made up for it with reps)
Upright Cable Row - 80/18
Stimulate
Barbell Overhead Press - 90/10
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20/10
DB Farmer’s Walk - 40 Step with 100’s
DB Shrug - 100/10
Flutter
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20 x 30 sec
CALVES BLOCK
Pump
Pendulum Squat Machine Calf Raise - 315/15
Calf Raise on leg press machine - 315/15
Pendulum Squat Machine Calf Raise - 315/12
Stimulate
Leg Curl, Toes Pointed - 100/8
Calf Raise - 270/10
Flutter
Calf Raise - 270 x 40 sec
CHEST BLOCK
Pump
Barbell Bench Press - 205/12
Pec Deck - 135/10
Pushup on Floor -25
Stimulate
Barbell Bench Press - 145/10
Flutter
Barbell Bench Press - 145 x 30 sec
Weight and measurements this morning:
175.8 lbs
Thighs - 24.875 " (L), 24.625" (R)
Calves - 15.5" (L), 15 3/8 (R)
Upper Arms - 15.625 (L), 16 (R)
Forearms - 13.625 (L), 13.875 (R)
Chest - 44.5
Shoulders - 51
Waist - 30.875
I have been eating right at 4k calories/day for two weeks which is about 800kcall above my normal daily intake but with significantly less gym time so my energy expenditure has been MUCH less than normal. In this time I have gained approx 1.8 lbs.
Some of my measurements have gone up but my concern is the half inch reduction in both Chest and Shoulder measurements. I do not think this style of training or the current programming emphasizes the large muscle groups enough and I believe the main reason my “chest” measurements have gone down is that my Lats and upper back have lost some size/development. I can tell the effect of this when trying to stabilize and arch under the bar during squatting. I think the slight reduction in my waist size is not due to fat loss (definitely not a this level of caloric intake) but is due to a huge reduction in abdominal training from my normal programming. I can also tell that I have lost some core strength on this program when squatting or deadlifting. I feel less solid and less stable.
I don’t want to sound like I’m knocking the HIT programming and I do think it has merits for bodybuilding style training and is probably great for people that want to make hypertrophy gains with minimal gym time. But (IMO), this is not the way to train if you want to build maximal strength or sport-specific ability. Since my primary focus is building maximal strength in the core lifts it is not optimal for me but it is still interesting to try out different movements and tempos that I don’t normally use.
When the Surge challenge is complete I will incorporate some of the tempo work, longer eccentrics and flutters into a few of my main workout accessories and/or mini-workouts throughout the week for hypertrophy.
As for Surge, I love it and have been using it since the reformulation daily and before the challenge started. I have little to no DOMS from these workouts and recover very quickly. That is the best you can ask for from any supplement, being able to recover quickly is imperative too progress whether your goal is to be Ed Coan or Ronnie Coleman. This is especially important if you are a natty. We do not have round-the-clock, jacked-up protein synthesis and need to be able to train with maximum effort every time we hit the gym and without missing workouts and Surge definitely makes this possible.
As for flavor, I love the Lemonade and do not like the Berry. I only tried one bag of the Berry when it was released and then ordered 10 more bags of Lemonade. I will break open the Berry bag from the challenge soon and see if I have a change of heart because so many people on the forum seem to love it.
I may also spend a workout sledding forwards and backwards to show the incredible leg pumps I get with Surge from sledding. Unfortunately, the HIT work does very little for me in the Leg Pump area.
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I appreciate that you’re doing these before/after workout pics. In some of them you can really tell that you have an outrageous pump going.
Also super grateful for these diligent measurements - I am really curious to see how the chest/shoulder ones end up. I am optimistic for you that they will settle on the positive side; I encourage you to go the whole way through and give your absolute best effort to see where it ends up for all of us.
I appreciate the encouragement, thank you. I will be sticking with it even though I am itching to get back to my conjugate split 
I hate taking pictures of myself but trying to get some a few times a week because that was part of the deal. I did read where Tim recommended getting a cheap tripod in another post which is something I never thought of previously. I am glad I did because I realized it will be very useful fro videoing my form on the big 3 lifts when the Surge challenge is over.
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What type of training program/split do you usually run?
I started following conjugate/westside style programming again this year after a very long hiatus.
I can understand the itch for sure. But if people go all the way through with a killer effort, it could probably help Tim/Ellington refine to better optimize. Plus, they know a thing or two and I have a really hard time betting against Tim when he backs something.
That’s a great idea! Have you contemplated recording a set? To be totally honest I wonder about the intensity of a lot of people training, but you seem to be pretty advanced. It might set a nice baseline for what a real intense block looks like for guidance.
I did record an entire workout last week, but my connection is too slow to upload video sized files to my Sharepoint.
I agree that Tim and Ellington have a lot of experience and passion and I think they have put together a great program. I am going to stick with it through the challenge to see the results just being honest that this type of training isn’t something I get super excited for and I will be excited to get back to powerlifting hopefully a little fresher and less overtrained than I was before starting the challenge. I assume some of the people reading these logs and/or following the progress of people on the challenge are like me and wouldn’t love this type of training but would benefit from learning how to incorporate some of the principles into their own training. And I believe even more strongly that anyone doing any type of serious training would benefit greatly from Surge. So I want to put forth an honest opinion from my point of view that covers all of that.
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Yep, that’s me. I like that the blocks are able to be mixed-and-matched and also could be incorporated into a powerlifting or performance-based training as add-ons as needed. I would prefer to get my lower body and upper body training from other means (531-style or similar), but could definitely see adding on biceps, forearms, and shoulders blocks to those training methods.
This is a big thing in training. I, too, cannot get excited about this type of working out. There’s no performance goal tied to it, so I don’t feel excited to start nor do I feel satisfied when I finish. That said, I understand lots of others do like and prefer this style of training.
Last thing: I have gotten into crossfit over the last few months, and really enjoy the challenge those workouts bring. Personally, I find Surge Workout Fuel to be better showcased by how it affects my performance and sustained energy levels in these workouts compared to the Surge workouts. But, again, I certainly understand the need to provide a workout program that everyone on these boards can follow.
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We have more Surge Challenges coming, and some will be performance-based.
Surge WOF works exceptionally well for pushing and extending the anaerobic threshold.
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@Isaiah63 Thank you for the detailed log entries and photos. You’ve developed an incredible physique and have much more potential.
We’ve had significantly larger lifters gain a lot of muscle mass from similar programs as this.
But all of it comes down to what you want to do. We can get the best-level results for any physical objective. What’s difficult is programming around what someone “likes” to do in the gym. And there’s nothing wrong with a lifter doing what they like.
So, I always ask, “What do you want – results or to do a specific training activity?” And neither answer is wrong. I never try to persuade anyone to switch from something they enjoy doing.
Ellington and I want to call you to discuss your case. I’m sure we can get you what you need and want to accelerate your gains.
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