T Nation

My 10 X 10 & 5 x 5 Journey

Training Logs
#1

Hi Guys,

I have been lurking around and finally decided to post something.

I am 5 10 - 184lbs(Jan 1 was 188lbs). Around 20-23% BF. 38 inch waist. I would say 90% of the fat is on my stomach area. I have recently recovered from shoulder injury that sidelined me for more than a year. Since November I have been doing a A B push pull split slowly easing back into lifting. Prior to my injury I was cycling 10 x 10 with a 5 x 5 program.

I did the 10 x 10 program with great results. I actually gained a few pounds(went from 175 to 178) and lost 3 inches(36 to 33) from my waist in about 6 weeks. As you can see I need that to happen once again.

My 10 x 10 Workout Plan:

Day 1: Chest/Back

Incline Dumbell 10 x10
Deadlift 10 x 10

Day 2: Shoulders/Arms

Flat Bar High Pulls 10 x 10
Side Laterals 3 x 10
EZ Bar Ticeps 10 x 10
Dumbell Curls 10 x 10

Day 3: Legs/Abs

Squats 10 x 15
Leg Curls 10 x 15

  • Ab work (Crunches, reverse crunches, etc)

I will do NEPA walks 3.5 mile per hour for 60 mins on non lifting days. 20 min walk on lifting days.

For shoulders I would have performed Clean and Press or Dumbell Press but I want to ease into doing alot of direct shoulder work.

I will perform 10 x 10 for 1 month then switch the exercises and do another month. After that I will start 5 x 5 program and then keep going back and forward. After that who knows!

Diet:

I have been under eating for a while now and was eating like crap 50% of the time. But for the last month since Jan 1, I have been slowly easing into a moderate carb diet. Around 100 grams of carbs and 175 grams protein and the rest healthy fats (75% of Fat from Fish, Olive Oil, Flax, Peanut (little bit)).

My calories averaged to about 2,000 per day. I plan on keep my calories at 2,000 for a week or so and then adjust up depending on how I feel. From what i remember 10 x 10 burns alot of calories and made me super hungry.

Goal:

  1. Have waist my waist measured over belly buttom to be 34 and weight around 175ish.

  2. Increase my capacity to handle high volume workouts, gain strength (as 1+ year of not training has really made me a weakling)

  3. Share my experience of 10 x 10 with everyone here.

  4. Short Term Goals: Incline Bench 155 10 x 10, Deadlift 205 10 x 10 ----hold the comments I am weak. The most I have ever did on Incline Bench was 205 x 5 no spotter and I have completed 225 for 10 on deadlifts. This was more than 2 years ago.

What I have learned about my body:

  1. If I eat excessive calories (2,500 or more) I can weight easily fat and muscle.

  2. I have in the past more than a few times maintained my weight(+/- 5 lbs) and lost fat(measured by a decrease in my waist. I know on this forum we say it can’t happen or whatever but it has for me in the past.

  3. I need to do NEPA in order to lose the extra fat, while still maintain muscle and strength. Did HIIT before on a low calories (2,000) diet and lost muscle, therefore I will only do HIIT in a maintence phase.

Note: I am not a bodybuilder, fitness model, powerlifter, Superman, etc. I just like to workout and like how my body looks and feels when I am in shape. So be easy on me!

#2

Forgot to add.

Supplement I am talking:

Alphic Lipoic Acid - 300mg
Fish Caps - 25 (1gram fat each)
Protein Power
Cinnamon - 2 table spoon (help control blood sugar)

Also everyone is more than welcome to express there thoughts and opinions.

#3

I too, am currently doing the GVT! Following word for word, rest for rest, tempo, exact exercises…etc, and I absolutely love this program! And, yes, I believe one ‘can’ lose fat following this program (through muscle gain/proper nutrition). However, in my opinion,at around 20-23% BF, I’d recommend Poliquin’s GBC (german body Composition):

Or, coach Thib’s Destroying the Fat, which combines 4 ways of burning fat:

rikz

#4

60 Mins on Tredmill 3.5 - 3.7 speed. Completed 3.57 miles.

Ate 127 carbs instead of 100.

Can’t wait until tomorrow’s workout. I am going to start with Shoulders/Arms since my chest/back is sore from trying to see how many push ups I can do in a row. Sadly I did only 40, 32, 23 and then 14. My endurance and strength are seriously lacking.

Rikz thanks for the reply and advice. I looked into both before I decided on GVT. I also looked into EDT. But personally I think at the end of the day “lifting” should be enjoyable so you can actually stick with the workouts and keep pushing yourself. Looking at my weightlifting book I saw that I felt the best and got the most results when I was on GVT and 5 x 5.

I tried German Body Composition in the past for 2-3 weeks and gave up on it. I feel rushed in workouts with short rest periods and I don’t enjoying working out. I use my workouts as a stress release and just to get away.

I have all the equipment in my basement so there is no one there to talk to me and it is just me and my music. I know if I used GBC I would drop fat faster. But I am not in any rush. I just want to once again start to enjoy lifting and start looking forward to working out. Maybe after I do 5 x 5 I will jump to GBC for 3 weeks just to change things up.

I think that alot of the time we(I) search for a special workout that would give you the perfect body. But the best workout is actually something that is completly different from what you are doing now.

That is why I think in the past I got alot of results since I would jump from 10 x 10 to 5 x 5 and then back again. I did that for more than a year. Looking back that is what helped me gain most of the muscle I have.

So my lesson for the future is if something works keep doing it until it doesn’t…don’t think that a “new” program will work better. Only switch when you are no longer getting results.

#5

I wanted to know should I stick with less than 100 carbs or do a 1/3 Carbs, Protein, Fat like what Chad W recommends in his book?

I usually eat alot of broccoli, which will make up 75% of my carbs. I really do not feel deprived of carbs yet and suprisingly I do not feel hungry? I am not sure why that is? I have never done a high fat diet usualy it was low fat 15 - 20%. Maybe its all the fat. I have been taking shots of flax and olive oil and swallow 20 fish caps.

#6

I actually found what Chad recommends.

"brunottfn wrote:
chad what do you feel is the best macro split for someone looking to lean out from 15-20% bf

Best? That’s dependent on many variables. But I like 4 days of low carb (>50g/day) followed by 2 days of 33/33/33.

on the low cab days what should the pro/fat macros be 1.25lbm for pro and .5for fat?

Yep, that usually works."

http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_author/waterburys_new_locker?id=1353628&pageNo=2

Has anyone tried this? Or has any advice?

#7

Shoulders/Arms:

A1 Flat Bar High Pulls
75 x10,10,10,10,10,10,9,8,9,7

A2 EZ Bar Triceps
35 x 10,10,10,10,10,7,9,9,7,7

B1 Dumbell Curls
30 x 10,10,8,7,5,5,6,5,5,5

B2 Side Laterals 20 x 10,10,10

Really felt good when performing the workout. I was very motivated. My arms were huge afterwards! Probably 1.5" bigger. I missed the pump. If I was eating more carbs it probably would have been a bigger pump.

  • 20 min walk - 3.5 speed
#8

How often do you train? Is it only 3 days a week? If its only 3 days a week maybe such a high volume of squats and deadlifts will be tolerable, if not you’ll probably overtrain. At least that would be my case in your situation.

#9

i wouldve picked flat barbell press for chest, as it will use the most muscles therefore burn the most calories and add the most muscle which will burn more calories unless you cant do it from your shoulders?

#10

I woke up today not being as sore as I expected. I can open my arms almost all the way. But my traps and triceps are extremely sore!!

iokmjo:

I want to slowly build up my tolerance for high volume workouts. Before my shoulder I had trained myself up to doing 5 days a week, sometimes even went to 6 depending on how much free time I had. But as of right now I am only doing 3 days a week.

I think if you take 1/2 serving of your post workout drink(PWD) before and the other 1/2 in the middle and a full serving at the end, it helps alot with the soreness. Not sure if less soreness = more recover.

As of right now I am just taking 1 PWD afer my workout. 50 grams carbs - 25 grams protein.

#11

[quote]bignate wrote:
i wouldve picked flat barbell press for chest, as it will use the most muscles therefore burn the most calories and add the most muscle which will burn more calories unless you cant do it from your shoulders?[/quote]

BigNate flat bench makes my shoulder pop a little. So I am avoiding it for a few weeks.

I really want to do flat bench and standing miliary press, which are my 2 favorite exercises.

#12

Tredmill 60 Mins 3.6 miles.

I just watch netflix movies on my lap top while I walk. The time flyes. After a few weeks I plan on doing even more NEPA walks. Love the fact that they do not make me tired, and helps with the recovery.

Also my appetite is starting to increase…I feel really hungry and now it is just my will power to eat less than 100 carbs and 2,000 calories. I ate 2400 calories yesterday and went over to 140 carbs. The carbs were all clean except I had 2 pieces of white bread for a total for 24 carbs (Wonder Bread)!

#13

try drinking more fluid, diet soda (taste will help cravings imo), water, also try chewing gum, eating large salads and cucumbers because those have nothing in them!

#14

Weight 183 waist 37.5

Chest/Back

Incline Dumbell Bench: 40 x 10,10,10,10,10,10,10,10,10,7
Deadlifts: 115 x 10,10,10,10,10,10,10,10,10,10

  • Will increase Incline Dumbell Bench to 45lbs and Deadlifts to 125lbs. I want to take it slow with the weight and slowly work myself up to handling more volume and increased weights.

For the future I will increase the weight if I can perform 8 sets of 10.

I was panting the whole workout and my forearms were on fire!!

I walked 72 minutes - 4.25 miles in the morning and did the weights in the evening.

I feel really good today my mood and mind is total commited to lifting and now I need to rein in my diet.

Ate 50 extra carbs…just having a Lifting Log and telling who ever reads it that my diet is now 100% make me want to improve it. I am going to take it 1 day at a time and follow my diet template.

#15

This is my sample diet.
Calories Protein Fat Carbs

8:30 Shake 180 34 3 4.25
8:30 Flax 130 0 14 1
12:00 Muscle Milk 300 32 12 16
0
4:00 Muscle Milk 300 32 12 16
7:00 Burger + Roll 420 44 18 20.5
7:00 Brocolli $$ 320 13 18 26.5

  • 20 Fish 200 0 20 5

Total: 1850calories 155protein 97fat 89.25carbs

  • Fish is taken throughout the day.
    $$ - I add pepper jack cheese, pepperoni and olive oil.

The reason I did muscle milk is because I have 3 tubs that I want to get rid off and because it is easy for me to drink at work.

Please let me know what you think? I read the Anabolic Diet book by the Doc and his view is that if you have enough Fat then you don;t need alot of protein. Otherwise if I didn;t read that book I would have uped my protein to 189 (1 more shake 34 grams protein)

If I am super hungry I will add peanuts (150 calories, 6 protein, 6 cabrs and 11 fat)

#16

[quote]bignate wrote:
try drinking more fluid, diet soda (taste will help cravings imo), water, also try chewing gum, eating large salads and cucumbers because those have nothing in them![/quote]

Yeah I am going to drink alot more water and I have bought some gum to chew 1 carb…I think I burn that carb by just all the chewing.

#17

I read that Poliquin doesn’t suggest adding peanuts when on a weight loss plan. Maybe its because peanuts are legumes, so why don’t you add some real nuts like-walnuts, almonds etc. Maybe you should up the calories a little? Of course this is your preference, but don’t sweat over the extra carbs you took any given day, that kind of thinking will be detrimental in the long run.

#18

Thanks, I will add almonds instead of peanuts.

I think days when I am feeling hungry I will just eat more. (clean food)

I am going to focus more on brocolli. I was looking and noticed that 1 pound of brocolli has less than 25 net carbs. Come on how many pounds of brocolli can a person eat?

#19

60 Mins walk 3.6 miles.

Chest and Back are sore. So are my abs…that shows you that you get alot of indirect ab work by just lifting.

My legs are sore as well from deadlifts. So tomorrow I will do NEPA walk and save my Leg/Ab day for Wednesday.

#20

Decided to drop the “hammer” on my diet. This is the M-Diet(My Diet).
P F C
8:30 Shake 180 34 3 4.25
8:30 Flax 130 0 14 1
12:00 Muscle Milk 300 32 12 16
4:00 Muscle Milk 300 32 12 16
0
7:00 Shake 180 34 3 4.25
7:00 Brocolli 150 9 6 15
10:00 20 Fish 200 0 20 5
Total 1440 141 70 61.5

Okay this is my version on the V-Diet. I am sure the V-Diet works great but I have alot of Muscle Milk to get rid so I am doing this. Therefore this is the M-Diet(My Diet).

I will post everday what I eat and it will be basically the above for 28 days. No thinking involved.

Starting Weight: 183-184 lbs
Waist over belly button: 37.5"