So, about the last 10 or so years...

Life's been this thing, you know? (yes, another Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy reference)

It's very possible that this blog is going to get a reboot, as my training already has.

You might laugh, you might cry. You might delete your subscription to this very blog. But at the very least, you might be entertained.

Current stats: 6'2", 218lbs. Age: 45.

Current gym: Fit4Less

Current deity: not of this realm

Full updates to the rest of the blog to follow.

And, as always, even now... sole source of inspiration and training material:

www.musclehack.com

Nothing makes you smile quite like...

...when it's legs and shoulders day and your opening set of dumbell shrugs makes jaws drop. That's the absolute joy of being me - my build is such that I can hide my mass fairly well (I look far skinner than I am once sleeves and pant legs start coming off!), and my opening weights when doing THT training can be kind of shocking to some folks.

That's ok by me, because while it's funny... it doesn't matter at the end of the day. I'm out there lifting what I need to lift in order to grow naturally. No more, no less. Well, there's always room to lift a little more or to add one more rep. ;)

Tonight is chest / biceps / abs day, thanks to the THT 3-day Volume cycle. Or as I call it, the "I'm super-ready to puke now" day because that's exactly how I feel when I'm dragging my carcass out to the car after today's workouts! With that said, I CAN'T WAIT to get back in the gym tonight.

I try to get the word out about MuscleHacking at least once a week, and judging by Mark's ever-growing FB presence others are doing the same. This is a good thing because you're opening yourself up to free training guides, free lean eating guides, free recipies, free data logging worksheets, and just a lot of free advice. How do you go wrong in this day and age with FREE?!?

I'm off to the gym shortly, folks. Lift hard and train smart!

Adam

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

What will be the "theme" of your year?

I've given the New Year's Resolutioners the first week in the gym to get acclimatized, to get into a routine... or to just get out of the way.

I'm a very cerebral person. I enjoy playing head games with myself to keep myself on-goal and focused. I enjoy the mix of the surreal with the real, it helps to add some fun to what can otherwise be considered a "chore" at times - even for us "die hard" MuscleHackers.

So, I've realized in the last year as I've used different approaches to MuscleHacking (more strict, less strict, experimentation on basic principles), I need to stay pretty close to MH canon while adding my own over-arching themes to my workouts.

I'm also of the mind that we do our best work when we have both short-term and long-term goals that are both in play. Each goal should complement the other while positively reinforcing the final outcome that you desire.

Therefore, I've decided that my theme of 2013 will encompass one word. One tiny, often ignored word that has the capacity to change the future of so many people in so many different ways. For me, it's something of a clarion call, a reminder to get back in that gym and finish what I've started. I've been sick, I've had injuries, I've had successes, and cumulatively all of them have slowed me in the last year. My drive has fallen, my desire to be back in the gym, to get back into "the mix".

My word for 2013 is simply... rise.

To quote Tom Hardy's "Bane": "Peace has cost you your strength. Victory has defeated you!"

And in some way, my own victories had indeed defeated me. I lost some of my drive, having accomplished so much in 2011 and into 2012. I grew lax, complacent. An eye condition flared up and I let it bully me into not working out before I understood everything about it.

That will be the end of deterrents and other negative things like that. Sickness can be minimized, but not avoided. The same with injuries, and again with work and other life complications. However, I cannot and WILL NOT allow any of it to derail me further.

I've deferred my goals in weightlifting / bodybuilding over the last year or so for a number of reasons. Enough is enough. It's time to RISE.

Lift hard and train smart, MuscleHackers!

Adam

Back in the saddle - yes, really.

I never did post anything up about Jacked N Ripped. The reasons for that are two-fold:

1 - I mentioned I wouldn't post anything that would give away content that was protected within JNR as a workout plan / methodology. JNR is a paid program by Mark McManus and I have absolutely no problem protecting his intellectual property as it pertains to JNR. I have no problem with this (even though that's already the right thing to do) because he gives so much more info away for free, constantly, over at his main MuscleHack website.

2 - I went through about 6 weeks of JNR, and while it kicked my ass harder than any other program that Mark has EVER come up with I still didn't give it the full test drive that it deserves. It's on my list for a revisit later this winter (after Christmas). I'll write a bit more about it then.

So, with that out of the way, what the hell else have I been up to? Well, what I've been up to pretty much encapsulates the reasons that I haven't had time for JNR, or really much working out at all of late. At my worst, I've been in the gym once per week for maintenance following MuscleHack's THT HIT program. I've lost a bit of muscle, but I've stayed right on around 200lbs. Now that the last few weeks have allowed me some more time into the gym - and to myself - I'm able to ramp up some into a THT 3-day Volume cycle. WOOT!

Work has been keeping me VERY busy. This is a good thing, even though it has been keeping me out of the gym lately with after-hours meetings and other duties. I can deal with that. We opened an additional office here in my home town and I've been busy deploying hardware to our wholly-owned subsidiaries around the world as we move closer to integrating them with our head office. Lotta OT. Phew.

Also, I signed on with a volunteer organization that works in concert with the Canadian Department of National Defence. The org is called CASARA, and it stands for the Civil Air Search And Rescue Association. I've been trained as an aerial Spotter, someone who looks for target objects on the ground / in the water depending on the incident. It's a great feeling to volunteer as what amounts to being a "first responder", and to put in some time with a charity that knows your name. Our CASARA unit is a great bunch of folks and I'm both honoured and proud to be a part of their group.

 So, what does this all mean?

• If you've crashed somewhere in the Eastern / Northern Ontario area, I might get called out to find you.
• I'm even more ready for the zombie apocalypse than ever.

I'll post up some pics shortly. I'm on track, again, for 210lbs and under 10% BF all over again. It feels great!

Lift hard and train smart, MuscleHackers!

Adam

This is probably entirely overkill

As you're no doubt aware, I'm a pretty dedicated (OK, completely dedicated) disciple of Mark McManus's THT training system, the free series of weight-training and lean-mass diet techniques from www.musclehack.com.

I've been a fervent MuscleHacker for years. I believe in what the programs can help you accomplish. I've even helped friends lose weight (a LOT of weight) and regain their health with MuscleHacking.

Now, Mark has thrown nitroglycerine into a paint mixer with Jacked N Ripped. I have to say that I had a nice chat with Mark prior to getting into the program. He admitted that while it's a fantastic program, I was on the outlying edges of who the program was intended for. My bodyfat hovers around 10% (although it's about 11-12% currently) most of the time. I'm already in great physical shape. My only real detracting factor is my diet. Still, I was undaunted.

I know now what he meant by "the best work" he has ever done (in creating the new program).

I'm armed, primed and ready. I have the workout logs loaded and ready to go. I'll be starting mid-week, but then again that's nothing new to me. I don't like sitting around waiting for things to happen. Tonight is a mid-week start for Jacked N Ripped.

It's familiar to me and yet entirely new. This requires complete devotion from me for diet. It's different than how I've approached my eating over the last few years. I won't get into details, but this is a really, REALLY well thought-out program.

More news to come, but this is indeed more along the lines of TSPA in terms of the fact that it's a proprietary, closed-source program. I can't reveal exactly what makes up JnR. If you want in, and trust me... YOU DO... get a hold of Mark via his Facebook page and let him know.

Again, you WANT IN. Absolutely.

Train hard and lift smart, MuscleHackers.

Adam

P.S. - I will be offering updates, but they'll be non-technical, non-statistical and anecdotal in nature. I'll divulge as much as I can without giving away the content that Mark has worked so hard to compile and distill for everyone. I hope that you all can understand that.

Project Cyttorak, one month on

This has been a most educational experience. As I like to hang my own experiences off of popular items in society, I'll use a comparison of my progress thus far in parallel to the Dark Knight Trilogy. Yes, I just watched The Dark Knight Rises last night. It was AWESOME! Now, on to the amateur weightlifting analysis.


I found myself unable to work out in the classic MuscleHack ways after my first THT experiment last fall / winter. Training at a normal THT cadence was not working for me. I was actually plateauing in several places, notably my shoulders, when I should have been seeing my muscle growth carrying on in its usual breakneck pace.

This is much like the end of Batman Begins. Bruce finds himself wholly consumed by the Batman. He is at a level beyond ordinary men, and needs to "live" there to survive.

Now, as I find myself moving, training at a higher standard compared to even regular THT training. The bar has been raised and there's no going back. This is an analogy that relates directly to The Dark Knight Rises - MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

Bruce must remake himself in order to survive and to remind himself why he's alive - and that he wants to remain alive for more reasons than actually being Batman. In my training, I'm reminded of the fact that I cannot go back to my old training ways and that I now hold myself to a higher standard - a standard I have to maintain if I want to continue to progress in my training. In reality, I've re-made myself again in my training as it's the only way forward that I can see right now.

I took the most of 3 months off starting in March. I'm already pretty much back to where I was, especially compared with my body type and build compared to where I was in January - I'm about .5% higher in my body fat than I was then. I notice the difference mostly in my abs and chest. I'm almost back now. Physically I'm strong, I'm sure of that. Now, to just get that little bit leaner and keep adding muscle mass.

It's not an easy road, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Keep lifting hard and training smart, MuscleHackers!

Adam

Meathead problems!

This week has become a complete litany of fun events. I shoveled a load of soil into the Ram (haven't felt like a farmer in ages!), got a damn good workout in yesterday and realized that I've once again joined the ranks of the (all-natural) meatheads.

What are "meathead problems"? Allow me to list but a few of them:

• Unable to do most leg exercises with two legs (leg extensions, leg curls, standing calf raises) because you've maxed-out on the machine's weights.
• That odd look you get when you spot a fellow lifter with two fingers on each side of his bench press.
• Lamenting how slow the water fountain is at cooling the water (because you're always there between sets).
• Griping about how your grip strength is slightly behind your dumbell trap shrug holding requirement. Now you need straps, you wimp.
• Having to improvise on your workouts / breaking your sets into novel groupings just to make sure you're absolutely hitting yourself as hard as you can for maximum growth.
• When you actually hit your second wind during cardio and realize you could do this for hours, much to the chagrin of those around you. Hello economy of motion!
• Performing tasks that seem easy to you, then suffering the realization that "hey, not everyone can boulder straight up 20+ feet and haul themselves over an edge like an action movie stunt".
• One of the only real exercises that pushes you to the point of breaking anymore is dead-lifting.
• Having to scrutinize labels for carb, protein and healthy fat content, while not paying as much attention to "calories".
• Planning your entire week solely around workouts - not work or time off, or recreational activities. Can. I. Get. In. One. More. Workout?!?

There's a bit of satire here, but not much. Working out is a lifestyle. For the dedicated, it's not a choice. All you're doing is adjusting your rest periods between workouts - nobody ever TRULY leaves.

Food for thought on this awesome Wednesday. :)

Adam

How DOES one become a Juggernaut, anyway?

First off, you need to make sure that you've read the title correctly and realize that this has nothing to do with juggalos. At all. Or Insane Clown Posse. It's music to some, and cosplay for some of their fans, but neither of those things has anything at all to do with my experiment.

The premise of my workout is simple, but it's only that: a premise. There's no hard fact or per-established case evidence that what I'm doing is any better than any other weightlifting workout out there at all. What I'm doing is taking something that works well (THT 4.0 HIT from Mark McManus's awesome MuscleHack doctrine) and just adding piles of extra work to it. Well, there's a bit more to it than just that.

The first set consists of massive amounts of weight, 4-6 reps (adding weight and resetting after 6 successful reps). This is largely regarded as a "mass-building" set, geared more toward bulking up than adding pure, lean muscle. I find that the intense weight moved (after a warm-up set of 6-10 reps, 33-40% of my first weight) helps to really get the blood "boiling" and gets the muscle prepped for a serious beating.

The second and third sets are done in near-typical MuscleHack fashion. These sets are drop-sets of -10% and -10% again, 6-8 reps. This rep range is more in keeping with strict MuscleHack philosophy, and to a lesser extent classic bodybuilding doctrines.

Cardio is sporadic and fun: ball hockey, biking, hiking, rock climbing (bouldering). Anything non-regimented. I like fun cardio and hate anything that's rigid or structured for cardio. This keeps a nice balance between my workouts and my "down time", which includes cardio.

Eating: I eat. A lot. Lots of white and red meats, lots of all-natural peanut butter on whole-wheat toast. Whole grains are my fave carb, and the odd white pasta makes it in there too at times. Weekends are largely carb-up days (normally Saturdays).Trying to get more greens going, along with my cardio, to cut down about 1-1.5% BF or so... I'm just over 10% currrently (likely 11), but was a bit higher a few weeks ago. It's remarkable what a few months of little-to-no exercise can do to you.

More to come as I go along.

Train hard and lift smart, I always say. Even if your motivation is a mythical false deity who exists only to create avatars of pure destruction.

Project Cyttorak - End of Week 1

I'm sore. I'm tired. I'm trashed - and I haven't even been in the gym proper today. I also feel like my muscles are bursting out of my skin. I'm done my first week and I just want to sleep!

This will be a short entry - I picked up a massive blister on my right middle finger at the end of hockey today and it ruptured, taking the skin with it. Typing is... fun.

In the meantime, have two more pics from day #2. I might do a light day tomorrow, so I'll likely get more pics then. I feel WAY better. My definition is on its way back and my leanness is starting to get back there as well. Now, all that's left is to get... bigger. ;)

Lift hard and train smart, MuscleHackers!

Adam

It's been a while

It's been about 5 months since I've made a meaningful entry. To quickly catch things up, I worked out as planned until mid-March or so, and then back-pedalled on my training for a while. In essence, I was testing myself. How long could I go with minimal workouts? Would a variety of other daily tasks at least slow the muscle atrophy and strength loss (i.e. lumberjacking, working on my vehicles with hand tools, etc).

At the end of the day, after a successful first workout in what I've decided to call "Project Cyttorak", I found that I've definitely lost some strength (and muscle mass). However, the losses weren't as severe as I was expecting - which is a very good thing.

I've often been asked in the past as to why I choose to name my experiments. In reality, it's a two-fold situation. One, naming the experiments that I perform is really no different than giving a book a title. You wouldn't attempt to sell a book to the public without a name. Why would I attempt to "sell" myself on an idea without a name? Two, it makes it a bit more of a game and it keeps me interested.

Take, for instance, the name of my current "experiment" - Cyttorak. It's derived from the Marvel Comics' character (entity / god), Cyttorak - the source of Cain Marko's, aka the Juggernaut,  powers. The crimson gem (ruby) of Cyttorak embues Cain with nigh-limitless strength, durability, stamina, the ability to live without air/water/food if required... and it also renders him immortal. In return, he becomes the avatar of Cyttorak on the plane of reality we call "life" (on Earth). Cain's purpose as the Juggernaut is to cause death and destruction in Cyttorak's name.

Obviously, I'm not out to cause death and destruction. However, the fearsome size and musculature of the Juggernaut is second to none. What should really be taken from the name I've chosen is that I'm NOT going to stop until I get to where I want to be. That's what Cyttorak means - unstoppable progress, unstoppable power. I'm not stopping until I'm done. It's that simple.

What we have here, as far as a program goes, is a THT 4.0 HIT-inspired workout. It's 4 days on (straight), and 3 days off. Instead of the old experiment where I did one set per exercise, this time I'm doing THREE sets. Is it sustainable? I'd like top hope so. Will I have days where I just can't keep up the gradual progressions pace? Possibly, but hopefully not too many. What does this mean? I'll be doing sets to a max of 8 reps, wherein I add more weight and go for at least 4 reps on my next set. Then, I'll drop 10% or so and go for at least 4 more reps. Then the same once more.

This is easily the most insane workout I've ever done, bar none. 4 days of total body workouts, 3 sets per exercise. One day alone of this left me ruined when I left the gym, and totally devoured by the evening - I slept like a rock, dead to the world.

3 months of turning an "off" period from the gym into a self-measuring, self-evaluation tool. 3 months of pondering, planning, micro-testing and more planning. Now, I get to take all of my pre-work, all of my guesswork, all of my estimates and blow my expectations right out of the water.

Project Cyttorak has already begun. Today is Day 2, the aftermath from Day 1 and the upcoming Day 2 events touching shoulder to shoulder.

I can't wait for Day 3. Or Day 4. Or Day 5 (next week).

Things that make you go hmmmmm

So, I was at the gym last week with my latest MuscleHack inductee. As we were there, a LOT of my "gym buddies" showed up. I do enjoy working out around people I know because those little 1-2 minute convos really add something to your rests between sets!

However, it also beggared the thought that "maybe my training needs have reached a new level?"

I say this because I may have inadvertently started that particular ball rolling when I did my THT 4.0 HIT Experiment last year. However, I've turned up the magnification on my workouts now and I'm going day-by-day and tweaking / adjusting my workout as needed (at least as dictated by my brain).

Something to note here is the fact that after a couple of weeks of literally feeling "less" than my usual self, being on a 3 days of "normal" THT 4.0 3-day Volume and 3 days of "heavy" or "lighter" 3-day Volume seems to be the right stack for me.

Also, being on my protein again seems to be a bonus. I've also stuck fairly regular with a no-sugar pre-workout that seems to give me that extra "boost" needed to smash my heaviest sets at the beginning and still have enough energy left at the end for my finishing sets.

As always, the only way to get what you want is to go UPWARD and ONWARD. I capitalise both of those words for the sheer fact that they're the truth. Anything less than your best simply won't do. Over time, you'll have to adjust what your "best" means for you. If you keep giving your best, you'll get your best possible results.

Lift hard and train smart, my friends!

Adam

Thoughts on accelerating my training.

As I've mentioned to Mark and the gang over at the MuscleHack FB page, I've discovered that since I've returned to "normal" THT training after a 10-week stint doing an accelerated THT 4.0 HIT Experiment I find that my current training "lacks" a bit of intensity.

Now, allow me to clarify that last statement: I'm training my ass off, doing the THT 4.0 Volume 3-day split as proscribed in the training guide by Mark. It's an awesome split and I'm making my gains. Indeed, I find that as I try to grind out "extra" work to regain that lost feeling of "intensity", it really kicks my ass. So, I've decided to throw together extra training days on the opposite end of the week.

Also, over the weekend, it was mentioned to me that I should consider entering an amateur natural bodybuilding competition. I'm not too sure about this, but that's likely my innate sense of shyness coming up again. At the very least, I'm going to crank my workout intensity / frequency back up to the point where I don't have an extended lull between days in the gym (as the current cycle feels just that way to me) and I'll lift as though it's all I have left in this life. It seems that my POP for a Volume cycle week is far faster than it was before. I guess that's what literally years of MuscleHack training does for you. :)

Also, uploading a couple of new pics from Sunday. I feel great lately - really great. Lifting is even more enjoyable than usual and I'm finding that I'm back to my old ways of massive progress at times.

But, enough of that - on to the pictures!

I've never felt bigger - and I'm fairly certain I've never been bigger in my entire life.

Tonight I'm just going up to do traps and some lower back work. Tomorrow is a standard THT 3-day Volume Wednesday, so chest / biceps / abs. This is a far more "frantic" pace than I had original envisioned, but it seems to be a decent compromise that suits my POP and gives me more per week than a standard MuscleHack THT 4.0 Volume workout would. I'm stoked. :)

Carry on, MuscleHackers! Lift hard and train smart!

Adam

A new year, new goals and new progress!

I have to admit that when I realized I was stepping back into the "normal" MuscleHack THT 4.0 workouts, I was feeling like I was downshifting a bit. However, we all know that if you're performing a MuscleHack workout correctly you'll have an interesting time leaving the gym afterward!

So, with my now-customary resolve I decided to hit the ground running. I have to say that this was honestly one of the hardest "shifts" I've done between cycles. For a good two weeks, I found myself having to fight with my weights for each exercise. The transition was actually making me a little crazy because between weeks 1 and 2 I'd be way up in some areas and then significantly down again on the same exercises in others. However, week 3 seems to have levelled out some and I'm making my progress again.

Here's a shot from this AM, long before I could be considered "awake". No pump, just my thankfully-usual shredded and lean physique. MuscleHacking gets you there - and keeps you there!

Have a great day all! Train hard and lift smart!

Adam

THT 4.0 Volume 3-day split, week #1

What can I say? I went back to a MuscleHack Volume workout after my 10 weeks of THT HIT experimentation. I'm not regretting the flip. Indeed, it's kicking my ass already! Legs and shoulders (but not traps - whoops!) are tonight after work. My expectation? Lots of work and lots of PAIN in 2 days from now. Can't wait to hit it hard this week with Christmas coming soon!

Remember, MuscleHackers... Christmas isn't a time to deny yourself a little enjoyment with family and friends so long as you don't go overboard and you don't let indulging / over-indulging become the new "you". Be smart, eat what seems fair and feel free to "punish" yourself when you're back in the gym with a little extra work if you want.

We all want to be in the best shape that we can be in, ultimately. We want to look good, feel good and be healthy. However, that doesn't mean you need to drink only water and eat lettuce all through the holiday season. Enjoy your holidays and don't lose sight of the fact that fitness isn't a destination - it's a lifestyle choice. You can "splurge" once in a while and be in great shape year-round.

All the best, MuscleHackers! Lift hard and train smart!

Adam

Week #10 thoughts and post-Experiment thoughts

The article is now up on MuscleHacker.com. So happy to be done with the writing side of the project! I do like to write on occasion, but this was quite the 10-week set of exposition for me. It's a break from the ordinary though, so I should be happy about that.

These pics are just after week #10, as of Dec 15th. On the other hand, I'm not really pumped in them so it's a bit of both sides of the coin.

Things I've noticed from the above pics: My abs are really starting to take off - this makes me unbelievably happy. My arms are developing nicely, my chest is building at a wicked pace. I'm sticking around 10% BF - always a good thing when you're telling everyone that you're a MuscleHacker. ;) Oh, and my traps are really coming along - so are my legs. I don't think I have a part of me that isn't coming along. I bet you can guess how that makes me feel. ;)

Lift hard and train smart, MuscleHackers!

Adam

Week #9 wrap-up notes

This was the penultimate week to my THT 4.0 HIT experiment. I hit my first serious walls - biceps and calves. The way around each is complicated. Biceps - I seem to need to alternate between low-pulley single cable curls and mid-pulley single cable curls.This is meeting with slow success as the weight I'm moving might dictate that I ultimately drop a bit of weight and focus on the motion and cadence. I've had to do this before but not for biceps. The important thing to remember here is that the number, or the weight being moved, does not matter.

The second "wall" is my calves. Again, I'll likely need to drop a bit of weight and make sure I get back to a proper Range of Motion (RoM) but they're also getting quite strong and hitting the right balance of weight and RoM is tricky.

I'm really debating writing the remaining 2 weeks of articles for MuscleHacker this weekend. I just think that I might just publish one last article for weeks 8, 9 and 10.

Oh, and a pic from week 9.

Lately I consider myself lucky, as I seem to just be growing everywhere. It's to the point now that I own several pairs of jeans that I simply cannot wear because my quads don't fit in them. Even today I put on one of my favourite t-shirts for work and it was evident that I can't wear it to work for much longer as I'm a lot bigger than I used to be and it hangs off me - and almost above my waist. OK, one more.

So just remember MuscleHackers - lift hard and train smart. You'll hit your goals every time.

All the best for a great weekend!

Adam

THT 4.0 HIT Experiment Week #7 and Week #8 Notes

Well, it seems the further along that I come during this THT 4.0 HIT experiment, the quicker the time seems to fly by! In truth, Week #8 is also done - but we'll get to that. In the meantime, my observations on Week #7:

Lifting was no harder for me than Week #6, but the mental "load" was greater. Not the first of these things was the fact that I managed to hit 300lbs for bench right at the very end of my week. This mental boost was enough to carry me right through the next week. Today is rest day #2 for me and I'm still amped from the gym.

Full details on Week #7 (and soon, Week #8) can be found on MuscleHacker.com.

Now, for the usual suspects - the pics.

First pics was right after training biceps. Peaked, but couldn't fully flex to show striations.

Second pic is obviously post-everything. One of my recent faves of me, and that's saying a lot because I'm still my own harshest critic.

Third pic is an "unusual" pose for me, which is why I took it.

In the second pic,which is also up on the MuscleHack FB page, an interesting question was posed: am I losing bodyfat? The unscientific answer is "No, or at least I'm not trying to right now". If anything, my carb intake is about the same lately. I'm eating more of all of my macros because I am adding what seems to be slabs of muscle during this experiment cycle and I want to keep it around. I'd wager my abs being more "evident" is because I'm finally training them right again and they're literally exploding in size. As always, this is completely without factual measurements or other evidence - just my own observations.

Week #8 observations: I finally ran into a wall training biceps. I've moved from standing single cabled curls with the pulley at the floor (day 1-2) to standing single cabled curls with the pulley at waist height. This allows me to not worry about getting the weight off of the floor and focus on the RoM and PCP of the exercise. Also, my back is moving nicely and no rocking needed with the weight - MUCH safer. Triceps are moving well on their second go-round with 2-handed pressdowns. Overall, everything is on a roll and I'm stoked for the last 2 weeks of the experiment!

Have a great day MuscleHackers! Lift hard and train smart!

Adam

THT 4.0 HIT Experiment vid - pec deck burnouts!

I think I honestly had one more rep "in" me, but my camera-phobia set in and I was left unable to do any more. See what the mental aspect of things can do to you???

I harassed my bud Oscar to take some more vid footage of me doing another burnout set. Eventually, over the next couple of weeks, I hope to video some of the actual components of the experiment. In truth the entire experiment, except for the burnouts, is completely based off of the MuscleHack THT 4.0 HIT cycle.

Also, a bit of news before the vid: I'll be doing up a FB page for the blog that Mark will likely tie into from the MuscleHack FB page. This will make it even easier to share my journey with everyone who has an interest in MuscleHacking - and my journey with it.

Now, the vid:

I make the funniest faces when I work out. :/

So, the usual disclaimers: I might not make it look that way, but that's a lot of weight. Please don't attempt that weight if you're not at that level in your training yet. Doubly so on the narrow-grip pec deck (I move 290 there). Work your way up in your weights and reps safely in your workout - continual gain in smaller steps is infinitely preferable to too much of a "jump" and an injury. If you're new to working out and you haven't been active for some time prior, consult your family doctor for an evaluation before starting a workout plan.

There'll be another MuscleHacker.com update this weekend as time permits. I'm in the middle of Week #8 of my THT 4.0 HIT Experiment. So far, it's awesome! My plans when I'm done are to go to the 3-day THT 4.0 Volume workout.

Have a great weekend, MuscleHackers! Train hard and lift smart!

Adam

THT 4.0 Experiment Week #7 follow-up

These are my "follow-up" notes to week #7 of my MuscleHack.com -inspired experiment. Basically, I went insane. I decided that not only was Mark's workout program amazing but that I could turbo-charge it. So far so good. This is what happens when you rework the THT 4.0 HIT program.

So, I've encountered an interesting scenario in my training. My overhead press is now to the point where I'm unable to actually get the entire weight up off of the pegs but once it's in the air I can do my reps. I don't yet know whether that just means I'm that far along in my training or whether I need to revisit it some more. I'm inclined to believe it's the former thus far, as I can lift 5lbs less than my current working weight right off of the pegs. An interesting situation, that's for sure.

What I've been able to do is press the full weight up on the inside grip, but not the outside grip. So, I performed my sets for a couple of days and then asked a friend to help me "pop up" the weight off of the pegs on the universal machine. Once in the air, I was "back down" a couple of reps but I still hit my 5 reps @  180lbs. So, the jury's still out so far. My next cycle might eschew the universal machine (which isn't a bad idea as it's almost maxed-out) and go directly to dumbells for the same exercise.

I've posted up the week #5 and week #6 notes over at MuscleHacker.com - you'll notice that the gains are still ridiculous. I figure by the end of the 10 weeks that I've decided to do this workout that I'll be progressing in smaller increments than what I've been managing thus far.

Happy item of note - yesterday, I benched 300lbs for 5 reps... and then I did 2 more reps after a short rest. Why more? I just had to do it again. It was SUCH a blast benching at 300lbs!

Oh, as is my custom of late - a pic from the end of Week #7.

So remember, your goals are obtainable. Mine are. Yours are. And remember that when you obtain them, set new ones!

Lift hard and train smart, Musclehackers!

Adam