Round Two!

So it has been about 6 weeks since my last 6 week program ended and it's time for round two! I am going to begin on Monday and this time I am going to do the 20-rep program but only lift twice a week (Monday and Friday). I am hoping this will allow me to stay on track with the added recovery. But with that, I am also going for 10lb increments instead of 5lbs. So really, I will be adding 20lbs per week instead of 15lbs. We'll see how that goes and I may need to drop back to 5lbs and only go up by 10lbs per week.

I plan to start with 160lbs since I think it will be good to get back in the swing of things with a weight that is very manageable. And ramping up 20lbs per week will put me at my previous final weight after 2 weeks and put me at a final for this round of 280lbs! That may be a little ambitious, but we're giving it a go! I AT LEAST want to hit 250lbs which is over 1.5x body weight.

0 down, 18 more to go!

20 Rep Finale, Friday, Week 6

It's complete! The first 20 rep program is in the bag. While not the greatest finish I could have had, I'll take it. After warm ups up to 195lbs, I threw on the extra 5lbs and went for my 20 rep. I made it to 12. After a breather, I finished the last 8. I feel pretty good. 6 weeks ago, I could barely put up 115lbs for 20 reps. Tonight I put up 200lbs for 12 reps! I am thrilled; with the number, but also with my size gains. My legs are much bigger than before. I figure another couple rounds and I'll be right where I want to be.

Next up will be upper body for the next few weeks. I think military press and bench with rows and pull ups as the counterparts. Maybe a 4 week program of M/F with a W light leg day to keep them in shape.

18 down, 0 to go! It's done!

20 Rep Satisifed, Wednesday, Week 6

Down to the last two and I can't say that I am ecstatic about my performance. After doing normal warm ups up to 135lbs, I put on 200lbs (5lbs over) and did 5 like I wanted to after realizing Monday that it was easier to do heavy weight after doing heavy weight. Those 5 went ok and I thought my 20 rep would be good especially with 5lbs less (195lbs). That didn't happen. I made 10, but then stopped. After a break, I did the last 5 which weren't too bad.

Now even though I didn't make 20 (and haven't in a while), I was happy because I looked back over all of my progress over these 6 weeks. I started with 115lbs and it was rough! Now I'm putting up 195lbs for 10 reps, less than 6 weeks later! I am pretty pleased with the 80lb gain even if the 20 rep isn't happening. I think for my next round in a couple weeks, I will only do twice a week and see how the extra rest benefits me. Maybe doing twice a week will allow for 20 reps every time and maybe even adding 10lbs instead of 5lbs each time. Who knows.

Last one is Friday and I am going to try and make it count. 200lbs, here I come.

17 down, 1 to go!

20 Rep Discovery, Monday, Week 6

Final week and I just realized something that I think I've known all along. First off, I was only able to knock off 10 at 190lbs before doing the other 10. When I realized how much easier the second set of 10 was, a light bulb went off! Doing a small set of the weight for the day or even more than the weight for the day will allow for an easier 20 rep set. I had been warming up with 10 bodyweight, 5 bar, 5 95lb, and 5 135lb, before going for the weight of the day (in this case 190lbs). But having done 190lbs for 10, the second 10 was much easier and so for the future, I will do 5 of the weight for the day before going for the 20 rep.

After doing the 2 sets of 10, I decided to tack on 10lbs and "warm up" for my 200lb goal on Friday. I figured I would just do a set of 2 and call it a day. When I first shouldered it, I could definitely feel the 10lb increase. But reps weren't as hard as I thought they'd be after doing 20 reps at 190lbs. I actually did 5 reps with 200lbs before racking.

So for Wednesday, I plan on doing 195lbs and attempting the 20 rep only after doing 5 reps with 195lbs or even 200lbs for the warm up. I am thinking going for more weight will be better and then "dropping down" a few pounds will help with the mental part as well as the physical. We'll see how that goes.

16 down, 2 to go!

20 Rep Drop, Friday, Week 5

Well, not as bad as I had been doing, but didn't make 20 again. I added the 5lbs and did 185lbs for 12 reps before calling it quits. I went to finish off the last 8 and something happened on rep 5. I don't know if I lost concentration or if I actually had a real muscle failure, but as soon as I started to try and come out of the hole, I just dropped. Hopefully this final week will be fruitful and I'll hit 200lbs on Friday.

Weighed in at close to 170lbs. Still won't make 175lbs by this Friday, but I am happy with the gains, even if there is a bit of fat to lose. That's not hard for me and the size increase in my legs and lower back has been awesome.

15 down, 3 to go!

20 Rep Disappointment, Wednesday, Week 5

Another poor performance last night as I attempted 180lbs. I was not in the mood to lift; actually, I had been asleep for a few minutes before needing to go refill John's bottle. After getting up, I felt awake enough to go put in my workout since I am almost done with this 6-week program. My head wasn't really in it though and it showed.

After warming up, I loaded up 180lbs. It felt ok shouldered and for the first couple of reps. But by 3 or 4 I was feeling very tired. Nothing was really hurting, but I was really tired. I made it to 10 reps and re-racked. After a breathing session where I contemplated calling it a night, I got up and did 10 more.

The fact that I stopped at 10 was almost as bad as me contemplating not finishing. I know I was tired and didn't feel like doing it, but part of this process is mental toughness to persevere during those times.

I am going to continue with the progression and go for 185lbs on Friday. Hopefully I can pull that off so that Week 6 starts with 190lbs. I'll be on track for 200lbs by the end of the week and the end of this 6-week round.

14 down, 4 to go!

20 Rep Mediocrity, Monday, Week 5

Starting off Week 5 with no great fanfare. Loaded up 175lbs after doing stretching and warmups and was only able to get 15 before racking. I was not too happy about that. I added 10lbs more for 185lbs and did 5 more. Normal pullovers and pullups and dips followed. Will go to 180lbs for Wednesday even though I didn't knock out 20 reps yet at 175lbs. Gotta stay on track for at least 200lbs by end of next week.

While strength gains are progressing, weight gain has not in a while. Weighed in at 165lbs tonight. Not too sure I'll hit 175lbs by the end of next week.

13 down, 5 to go!