Status Update: still growing

I've been kind of shocked, which seems hard to believe in and of itself, by my growth - or return to my "former glory" of late. Two weeks' worth of hard grind has gone a long way toward getting me back into the shape I want to be in again so that I'm ready to tear that old me in two and start again!

I read and then re-read the new THT 5.0 from Mark McManus, the original MuscleHacker. I then went squarely back to a THT 4.0 3-day split, but alternating off and on my burnout sets at the end of a muscle group. Why? To add extra confusion into the mix. It's not that I disagree with the THT 5.0 workout plans... far from it. I just need to play those mental games with myself.

I saw that for the new HIT cycle, which I will ultimately try out in the late spring, that the sole chest exercise is bench press. Realistically, I know it should work for me. Logically, it does make some sense. However, I'm a real "past experiences" guy and I know that either cable flyes or narrow/wide-grip pec deck will directly stimulate my chest more. This is a proven physical fact - you're bringing PCP work into play (your Peak Contraction Point, where all of the muscle's fibers are engaged and working their hardest to squeeze that muscle!). Because of this, at least at this point in my (re)training, I can't entertain doing bench presses solely for my chest work. I'll go at it in May, after my 3-day cycle and another 5-day cycle wraps. HIT works better for me in the summer as my schedule goes for a dump and my ability to commit to 3 or 5-day cycles is strained at best.

Now you're nodding your head and mumbling to yourself, "What does that all mean?" Well, it technically means I'm allowing my own judgement to supersede Mark's master plan for the time being. However, I'm still doing pure MuscleHack workouts / cycles - I'm just resisting change a tad till I'm back at top form. Then, once I'm back at my old super-jacked phase... I'll be ready to "play" and experiment with THT 5.0.

Yes, there are a lot of links in this update. I've always been upfront about my promotion of Mark's views and programs, mostly because he knows his business inside and out but also because they're FREE! Who the heck doesn't want FREE tools for getting into better shape, heck maybe the best shape of their lives? It works for me, it has worked for my friends and it'll damn well work for you if you put in the effort! That's the kicker though... YOU have to do the work. YOU have to make the sacrifices of your personal time, to change your eating habits and to STICK TO IT. When you do, you'll be transformed. It's that simple.

I'm attaching an update pic. It's hard to snap an "after" pic as I usually do because the gym is full of resolutioners still and that makes for an awkward moment (explaining why you're snapping half-nude pics of yourself in the mirror). This is as of the other day, post-shoulders and legs workout.

As you can see, I'm well on my road back! More to come as I progress.


Lift hard and train smart, MuscleHackers!

Adam