Legs 27/11/2008
Time taken: 1 hour 15 mins with 2 partners

Squats
Warm up
135lbs x 10
135lbs x 10

Work sets
295lbs x 9
305lbs x 5, drop set to 295lbs x 3
225lbs x 12
205lbs x 10

Leg curls
6 plates x 11
6 plates x 10
6 plates x 8 drop set to 5 plates x 4
5 plates x 11

Leg extensions
295lbs x 12
Full stack x 5 drop set to 315lbs x2 drop set to 285lbs x 2 drop set to 270 lbs x 2
225lbs x 12
205lbs x 10

Calf press machine
295 x 20
295 x 20
265 x 20
225 x 30

awesome man. just keep itup.!

Thank you. =) I love leg days.

hello dark, im interested to start on this HVT as well, as soon as my exams are over on the 8th of december. just wondering, don't your muscles get tired after doing your first exercise? i'm sure you are doing it at the best weight you can do at 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps, so shouldn't the muscles be too worn out to execute the next few other exercises?

i don't know most of the exercises you are doing, so i'll search for them at bodybuilding.com or youtube after my exams, but in the event that i can't find descriptions of that particular exercise, will it be ok to ask for guidance here?

also, i noticed that you didn't do decline bench press in your last chest workout... is it advisable for me to include that in my exercise, as my lower chest is really shapeless and still needs to be worked on?

i'm planning to skip the gym for a week before starting HVT... is that necessary, or am i advised against it?

damn, today's a bad day for me. i blacked out in the gym lol. i've been doing standing shoulder military press on the smith machine for 75lbs(total weight on both sides) for so many weeks that i've lost count of the actual number. can't seem to improve on that, but out of shame i forcefully tried doing 80lbs today. first set was ok, but on the second set, halfway through the 3rd rep, i blacked out. i don't know exactly what happened, i just remember myself doing the 3rd rep, and then next thing i know, i woke up on the floor. stood up wondering what happened, realised my head hurts and my vision was blur. apparently my specs were flung a distance away from me when i hit the floor.

took a short rest, realised i have suddenly developed a trauma against 80lbs standing military shoulder press, and ended up doing 3 sets x 50lbs x 10 reps instead T.T

by the way, i have one more question to ask. what is the general rule for breathing during exercise? i usually hold my breath through out a set when doing bench presses and shoulder presses, and i take a fresh breath for each rep i do on deadlift and pendlay's rows. as for dips and pulll-ups i breath out when exerting my muscles, and breathe in when returning to starting positiong. am i doing it right? what is the correct breathing pattern for different exercises?

sorry for the long-winded post, but i feel i could really use some help from someone more experienced than me. thanks, and nice poundages you have there. they're seriously insane lol, in a good way.

If you want to aim for a PR, do it on the first exercise selection, the other exercises should be at a maintenance poundage. Aiming for a PR on the subsequent exercises will just cause you to burn out. For example, my chest day would consist of the Smith machine incline bench, machine chest press, incline dumbell bench presses and i'll finish off with some cable crossovers. Let's say i start off with the Smith inclines first, i would attempt PR's on those but i wouldn't try any PR's on the subsequent exercises, as in keeping the poundages moderately heavy on the second compound exercise and the last compound exercise i keep it light and go for pump sets of lighter weight and higher reps within the 12-15 range.
Isolation exercises should always be lighter weight and very high reps, above 12 sometimes hitting 20 reps.

The point is, I'm a firm advocate of instinctual training thanks to Terry Gallyot (my mentor and Mr Asia). Focus on good nutrition, good nutrient timing and sufficient rest and the PR's will come naturally. Don't feel pressured to make PR's. Try for them only if you are able to. If you get all the aforementioned factors in good order, PR's will come naturally. A PR doesn't necessarily mean heavier poundage, it can also be achieved with more reps even if you're using a lighter weight compared to the last workout.

You need to understand that volume is the key word here. For example, a trainee does a set of Smith shoulder presses for:-
185lbs x 8 for 4 sets. In total volume that wold be equal to 185 x 8 x 4 = 5920lbs

The following week he does 165lbs x 10 for 4 sets, even though it was a lighter weight, he still achieved a better set because the total volume would be 165 x 10 x 4 = 6600lbs

Do you now get my point about volume being the key word here? Of course the poundage range should be around 70-85% of your 1RM max. Anything less and you'd just be getting a pump but no growth. The weight has to be sufficiently heavy to challenge you at least.

Of course. The point of my journal here is to help members here.

Don't worry about the shape of your chest. Technically you can't shape a muscle. The insertion points of muscles for an individual is genetically predetermined. But if you notice, most bodybuilders always have an overpowered lower chest and an underdeveloped upper chest. I'm sure you don't want your chest to look like a pair of b!tch tits after working so hard on it. Focus more on incline work and your lower chest will still grow.

Well jsut take the weekend off and start on a Monday. =)

Sorry to hear that. Seriously, attempting PR's poundagewise every week just to conform to a set of figures on a piece of paper seems flawed imo when one's goals are bodybuilding oriented. And although military presses are a great exercise from a powerlifting's perspective, there are MUCH better alternatives to that if you're a bodybuilder such as seated dumbell shoulder presses, seated barbell presses or Smith machine shoulder presses. They allow a trainee to use more weight = bigger muscles . Generally, all that stabilization shit is more for powerlifting.

When exerting, positive phase of an exercise, breathe out. When on the negative phase, breathe in. Drop the Pendlay rows and pull ups. Replace Pendlays with barbell rows/cable rows. Replace pull ups with cable pulldowns. You get better mind muscle connection with them.

You don't necessarily have to do deadlifts, they're not really a bodybuilding exercise. I do them only like once a month or less.

It's fine don't worry. I always have a soft spot for beginners. Don't be afraid to ask for help. I don't really have an elitist mentality despite the tag. Good luck.

hey dark, thanks for the comments on my journal (sorry for replaying late).

It is really useful and i will be keeping and eye on your journal for some inspirations too!!

I am a bit lost on what to do at times and i like your teaching as well as ur style(HVT).....i've tried 5X5 but it din worked for me, i love the sore from HVT....
(btw, i replied ur questions in my journal too!)
thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wow, you replied so damn well so much so that i'm suddenly free of most if not all of my doubts. btw, i blacked out on the smith. T.T as for the chest, mine is the typical skinny guy chest, lacking in all areas - the inside, the outside, the upper and the lower.

as for the PR, if i understand correctly, my first exercise does not always have to be fixed to one particular exercise, instead, i may put whichever exercise that i want to achieve a PR on for that particular session as the first exercise, correct? i hope i got that right...

i'll stick to doing the same exercises i've been doing for 3 more sessions. after my exams are over on the 8th, i'll start on HVT ASAP (i need to first find out what most of the exercises really are - most of them sounds alien to me as of now). do you think it will work for me if i do the same exercises as you do (maybe with some slight additions or omissions of certain exercises)?

thank you for the guidance, very elaborate and helpful

Don't get me wrong, 5 x 5 is an effective program. It may not have been suited for you so nothing wrong with trying HVT for a change. =)

Anytime =) But blacking out so often isn't a very good sign. I suggest you go to a checkup with your doctor. Talking about skinny chests, I used to be skinnier than you. I was 55 kg before I started. Time and perseverance will make you grow.

Yes.

Why not? My training partners are doing the same exercises as i do.

It's fine. =)

This post has been edited by darklight79: Nov 30 2008, 04:07 AM

OMG, 55kg? what's ur stats now if u dun mind?
what do you for your abs? abs gets used to exercises pretty fast and lost effectiveness pretty fast too, hence i always have to change my abs exercise!

that bit about the 55kg just made me feel that what i thought was the impossible all along can actually be made possible. O_O

that was the first time i black out in my life. cool experience, felt like i was waking up from the dead.

Now I'm hovering between 85-86lg, 5 feet 8 inches.

=) Get a checkup.

CHEST Monday 1st December 2008
Workout time with 2 partners : 50mins

Barbell bench press
Warm up
115lbs x 12
135lbs x 12

Work sets
275lbs x 8
275lbs x 5
275lbs x 3 drop set to 225lbs x 3 drop set to 200lbs x 3 drop set to 185lbs x 2
200lbs x 8

Smith machine incline bench press
200lbs x 9
185lbs x 10
185lbs x 10
Partials 135lbs x 15

Machine chest press
185lbs x 10
185lbs x 9
170lbs x 10
155lbs x 10

Cable crossovers
70lbs x 12
60lbs x 15
50lbs x 15

A lot of people tend to do cable crossovers wrongly. I've uploaded a video up me doing a set of 15 reps with 60 pounds. Here we go:-

no way u were 55kg man!! so u started out as an ectomorph too huh.

speaking of getting a pump during workout - i've been out of the gym for 2 months now (uni, exams etc) and am finally free to re-start training. been trying to maintain my strenght and size by doing various standard workouts such as pushups, situps and light dumbell curls at home. am just wondering if keeping the pump up is sufficient to maintain whatever strenght and size gains that have been made.

anyhow, your posts are timely, i think i'll give HVT a try after the layoff. hopefully i can make some significant gains like how your partners have made. any tips on going into HVT?

p/s: u play garena too? give me ur ID!

Yeah I definitely was 55kg. And there's no such thing as starting off as one. I am still an ectomorph. Despite my musculature, my bones and joints are still pretty small.

Anything is still better than nothing bro. But some strength and size loss will be there. It's fine, muscle memory is there for a reason.

HVT is a solid style of training. Try it. Just go in with guns blazing. The routine is in my journal.

darkie, I must be totally daft if I couldn't notice this, but what is the basis of HVT? Looking from your journal, it all seems a bit erratic and you seem to lift by your liking. I'm assuming with your experience you know what a good workout should feel like.

However, I don't feel that I can achieve the same level of satisfaction at the gym if I go in and blast weights without a target goal for the day (read: Rippetoe / MadCow)

Is there a format to your HVT or is it just what you feel like doing day in day out?

This post has been edited by mofonyx: Dec 2 2008, 08:33 AM

Here's a post I made just 2-3 days ago to another trainee:-

And from my journal, it's pretty obvious the strength gains are still coming despite my so called "erratic" style. My newest training partner has increased his strength levels by 2 times since 1-2 months of training. Pretty effective I'd say. I have a video of one of him who's pressing the 60 pounders for dumbell bench press for reps after 4 weeks of training.
My other training partner who's been with my for 2 months plus, heh... let's just say people at the gym are already commenting on his size gains which are very obvious.

I read what you had to say, but what I'm asking is, are there recommended lifts for the day. This is clearly a split routine, so how much is enough?

What is a good workout to throw in on one day?

Moreover, I'm still confused on looking at how you go about the weights, for example your chest workout

Work sets
275lbs x 8
275lbs x 5
275lbs x 3 drop set to 225lbs x 3 drop set to 200lbs x 3 drop set to 185lbs x 2
200lbs x 8

and your squats

Work sets
295lbs x 9
305lbs x 5, drop set to 295lbs x 3
225lbs x 12
205lbs x 10

It doesn't make any sense to me to how you drop weights, alter your reps and all that on a workout.

What I'm asking is that is there any outline to this workout because I'm looking to move on from MadCow's 5x5 eventually. Surely you didn't go in not knowing what to do and just decided that today it'll be workout A/B/C for 3/5/5/7/2 reps. There must be some planning and basic outline to what's going on?

This post has been edited by mofonyx: Dec 2 2008, 08:54 AM

Well, the first thing me and my training partners do the moment we enter a gym would be to discuss the exercises we'd do on that day and the order which we'd do them. For example our chest routine, we get to pick from a list of compound exercises:-
Flat barbell bench press
Machine chest press
Incline barbell bench press
Flat db bench press
Incline db bench press
Smith machine incline bench press
Gironda neck presses

Then isolations:-
Flat db flyes
Incline db flyes
Cable crossovers

So we'd pick 3 compounds and 1 isolation, decide upon the order of exercise and have a go. Rep ranges are meant to be between 10-15 reps but if we feel like maxing out for 3-5 very heavy reps, we do it on the first exercise, either for PR's in the 3-5 rep ranges or PR's in the 10-12 rep ranges.

Intensity extending techniques such as forced reps, drop sets, rest pauses, etc are decided at the spur of the moment but they are used sparingly. The other 2 compound exercises, we do not attempt to make anymore PR's but if we feel that we can go heavier than the previous week, then we raise the poundage by a notch or so.

I'll give you a list of the amount of compounds we do for each bodypart if you want. Based on request.

This post has been edited by darklight79: Dec 2 2008, 09:06 AM

The list of suggested workouts for each bodypart would be helpful, and I should thank you very much in advance.

So let me gather, each day only consists of 4 workouts. 3 of which are compounds and 1 isolation. However, how does this outline coincide with your legs day with 1 compound and 3 isolations (squat / extension, curls, calf raises)? Wouldn't it be better to incorporate stiff legged deadlifts and barbell lunges as compounds?

How about the number of sets? It seems to be usually 4 but sometimes 3? Also, the number of reps versus weights are a bit confusing. For example:

Machine chest press
185lbs x 10
185lbs x 9
170lbs x 10
155lbs x 10

Why is your second set 9 instead of 10? How do you decide how much you want to drop, and why did you decide on reducing the weights on the 3rd set and 4th set?

I see that this happens a lot in many of your routines, which is the part that confuses me a bit. The freedom to reduce reps and weights would allow for a bit of laxity, wouldn't it? So, does this mean a lesser requirement of pushing oneself every other day at the gym?

With all due respect, the weights you're pushing are immensely heavy. I know there are many questions but it's just me trying to wrap my head around what's going on in the gym.