Built for Show - Wakiki's Training (B)Log

Training Logs
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This will be the home of my training log, following the program in Nate Green’s book, Built for Show.

My stats:
Been lifting seriously for 1.5 years (basically since I joined T-Nation) :slight_smile:
25 years old, 5"7, 160.6 at 20.3% according to scale (accurate?)

Programs I have done:
TBT, QD, BBB, TBT again, WM, Bill Starr 5x5, BBB again 2 cycles.

I got into serious training after losing a ton of body fat over the course of about 6 months when I ran like crazy on a treadmill.

This log will always be truthful and open. No hiding here, I am here to better myself and my body, and welcome criticism and advice. I am proud of my work so far, yet humble because I have a long way to go. Most of all, I respect and appreciate T-Nation, everyone here and what this site represents. It has immeasurably changed my life for the better.

I will be posting body pictures before starting on Monday (gonna be some fun with razors first, if you catch my drift).

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Me, a few years ago.

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Me now (I’ll post body pics by Mon)

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Hide the women and children. Faint of heart, look away!

Measurements: First time doing them, so I’m no expert, but followed guidelines in Precision Nutrition for measuring, so should be pretty close, and good for a baseline.

Neck girth just over 15"
(below Adam’s apple at 7th cervical vertebra)

Shoulder girth 44.5"
(At widest point of shoulders, around entire shoulder area)

Chest girth 39"
(Chest at nipple line after exhalation)

Upper arm girth 12"
(Relaxed, halfway between elbow and bony point on top of shoulder)

Waist girth 36 3/4"
(Measured at belly button)

Hip girth 38 3/4"
(Around glutes at maximum circumference)

Thigh girth 20.5"
(Halfway between center of kneecap and insertion of leg into trunk)

Calf girth 14 3/4"
(Widest point of calf muscle)

Pictures follow… decided to shave chest and back to be able to get a closer look and see what I’m dealing with… the bathroom would have frightened most :slight_smile:

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Oh, the horror…

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… the HORROR!!

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Last one.

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Wow. This was not easy to post, not easy to look at. I’m tempted to V-Diet my ass again, but I know there isn’t too much underneath to uncover. I’m going to lower my intake a little, still a surplus, just not as high as I have been doing (4200 on training days). Yikes.

Well, tomorrow will be my first day of the Build for Show winter program. Much work to be done! I look forward to a time I can look back and cringe at the photos here, like I do now while looking at that first picture from a few years ago!

Anyways, I will remember to STAY POSITIVE!

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No way you’re 20% bodyfat now. Maybe back then but defiantly not now. You’ve got to be lower than that. Nice transformation.

Electronic Scale readings don’t mean shit. I’ve gotten 22% and 4% on the same scale. I frequently get readings around 20% even when I can see my abs.

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[quote]FightingScott wrote:
No way you’re 20% bodyfat now. Maybe back then but defiantly not now. You’ve got to be lower than that. Nice transformation.

Electronic Scale readings don’t mean shit. I’ve gotten 22% and 4% on the same scale. I frequently get readings around 20% even when I can see my abs.[/quote]

Ya, I thought that sounded high!

Thanks for the compliment! Not to downplay my progress so far, but I am very sober and focused because I have a long way to go.

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Ok, so today was my first day of the program, starting from the first part - Fall (even though it’s winter, but fall program is only 6 weeks.)

Workout today was AWESOME, I was pumped, I just felt like “get out of my way!” - my training today was very different from what I am used to…

  • Supersets instead of straight sets
  • No extra Surge sipped during workout
  • No 15 mins cardio to warm up - did mobility drill
  • Was in and out in 47 minutes, including drill!

3:30 - 4:17 PM

Mobility drill:

  • Leg swings - 10 each leg beginning with left
  • 3 lateral over-under hurdle maneuvers
  • 4 T-Pushups

I was supposed to do the cable rows and DB bench press as a superset but forgot and did straight sets.

  • Wide-grip cable row - (4x8, 60s rest)
    warmup 75x6, 105x3
    work sets 120 x 8, 8, 7.5, 5

  • DB bench press - (4x8, 60s rest)
    warmup 25s x 6, 35s x 3
    work sets 50s x 8, 55s x 8, 8, 7

B1 Chin-up bodyweight (4x8, 60s rest)
8, 8, 7, 5
B2 DB shoulder press neutral grip (4x8, 60s rest)
35s x 8, 8, 7, 6

C1 Reverse crunch (2x15, 30s rest)
15, 7, 8
C2 Plank
:35, :28

That was a quick workout, in and out in 47 minutes. I’m usually in there at least 1:15 including my cardio warmup. I felt a good pump, felt soreness, breathing heavy and hyper!

Funny though, I am never sore later - maybe I just recover quickly…
I think I am off to a great start!

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I’ll be interested in seeing how Nates prog works for you. I recently read an interview where he reviewed his book and it sounds like good stuff.

You certainly look much better having lost all that fat, you must feel heaps better too?!

One thing I would say from your pics, is make sure you are doing LOTS of pec stretching and rolling, as well as some mobility and strength work to pull your shoulder blades back. I say this this because I have the same problem and addressing it will help you avoid injuries etc big time as well as making you look better.

If you haven’t read them already, check out the Neanderthal No More articles. You’ll find lots of info in there, which will compliment what you’re already doing.

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[quote]Lift and Eat wrote:
I’ll be interested in seeing how Nates prog works for you. I recently read an interview where he reviewed his book and it sounds like good stuff.

You certainly look much better having lost all that fat, you must feel heaps better too?!

One thing I would say from your pics, is make sure you are doing LOTS of pec stretching and rolling, as well as some mobility and strength work to pull your shoulder blades back. I say this this because I have the same problem and addressing it will help you avoid injuries etc big time as well as making you look better.

If you haven’t read them already, check out the Neanderthal No More articles. You’ll find lots of info in there, which will compliment what you’re already doing.[/quote]

To say I feel better is a grand understatement. It was part of a much larger transformation where the most striking changes were emotional and psychological. I’m a completely different person. It defies explanation.

THANK YOU for mentioning the Neanderthal No More articles. I just browsed the first one and realized I have a lot of work to do there. I will be reading those articles very carefully. Have you been able to make significant improvements to your posture using those articles?

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I haven’t followed the articles workouts exactly, as I have other issues/injuries I need to address too. However, I am doing alot of similar things in my current plan and can definately feel/see it working. Cressey and Robertson know their stuff!

One tip I would say is remember that you spend many hours outside of the gym and it’s during these times that you need to try and keep correcting/improving your posture. Extra stretches and mobility exes (while watching tv or sitting at your desk) will help alot in retraining your muscles, as I have started to discover myself.

If you don’t have one then invest in a foam roller and get yourself a tennis ball at home, then you can free up some areas whenever you can fit it in without travelling to the gym.

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[quote]Lift and Eat wrote:
I haven’t followed the articles workouts exactly, as I have other issues/injuries I need to address too. However, I am doing alot of similar things in my current plan and can definately feel/see it working. Cressey and Robertson know their stuff!

One tip I would say is remember that you spend many hours outside of the gym and it’s during these times that you need to try and keep correcting/improving your posture. Extra stretches and mobility exes (while watching tv or sitting at your desk) will help alot in retraining your muscles, as I have started to discover myself.

If you don’t have one then invest in a foam roller and get yourself a tennis ball at home, then you can free up some areas whenever you can fit it in without travelling to the gym.[/quote]

Yes, that article made me think - how often during the day I’m leaning forward with my shoulders hunched forward. All day at the computer at work, driving to and from work on my bike, later over the laptop, even when I play the drums. Being conscious of it goes a long way to helping correct my posture whenever I notice it.

----- Workout today -----

3:30 - 4:16 PM

Mobility drill for warmup: 10 leg swings per leg, three lateral over-under drills, 4 t-pushups

A1) Front squat
warmup 75x5 95x3
work sets 145x8,8,6,6

A2) Step-up
50 x 8,8,8,8

B1) Leg curl/hip extension glutes exercise (7)
B2) Cable wood chop #3x8

C) Side plank - :43 RHS, :45 LHS

Squats: tiring :slight_smile: went a lot better when I reminded myself to push my hips back and concentrated on technique.

Step-ups - took me some time to get the hang of it - not using trailing foot to push myself up - Leaning forward with chest out helped greatly.

Cable wood chop - I really didn’t feel this exercise. I need to work on my form, it didn’t feel right.

Shortest workout so far… resisted the “Post-Surge Urge” to go back and do some more sets to drive the point home. Feel good though, workout was to-the-point and refreshing.

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[quote]wakiki wrote:
Yes, that article made me think - how often during the day I’m leaning forward with my shoulders hunched forward. All day at the computer at work, driving to and from work on my bike, later over the laptop, even when I play the drums. Being conscious of it goes a long way to helping correct my posture whenever I notice it.
[/quote]

Some things which might help, are to ‘correct’ your posture everytime you look at a clock during the day, or set your alarm to go off a couple of times a day as a reminder. All these things are habit aren’t they, so whatever you can do to start creating a habit of good posture will help.

Also if you set aside a regular time to do mobility work, like when watching your fav tv show or a sports match, it doesn’t feel as much like you’re having to make extra time.

How often do you drum? Maybe you could do a mobility warm up and stretch your chest out before or even after your drumming sessions?

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Week 1 Workout 3 (Friday)

3:31 - 4:17 PM

Warmup: 10 leg swings per leg, 3 over-under lateral drills, 4 T-pushups

4 x 8, 60s rest
A1) Wide-grip cable row 125 x 8,8,8,7
A2) DB bench press 55s x 8,8,8,9

4 x 8, 60s rest
B1) Chin-up bodyweight x 8,8,5,4
B2) DB shoulder press, neutral grip 35s x 8,8,8,6

C1) Reverse crunch 2x15, 30s rest
C2) Plank 30s x 2

Doing the planks, I started to feel like I was gonna puke. In the middle of the first one, I actually puked a tiny bit in my mouth (yuck) but didn’t want to give in. For the second one I just kept taking tiny breaths to stabilize myself. It was fantastic.

These super-sets are awesome! I am walking around between sets pumped up like crazy, breathing heavy, just way alive! It feels incredible. This is not how I’m used to training - and that’s the point!

One of those days where I walked into the gym feeling stressed and depressed, and emerged spent and content!

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Week 2 Workout 1 (Monday)

12/1/2008 4:53 - 5:43 PM

Front squat ATG (well, close to it) (5x5, 90s)
160x5x5

Step-up (4x8, 90s)
50x8,8,6,5

B1) Leg curl/hip extension glute exercise
8, holding for 5s
B2) Cable wood chop - skipped

C) Side plank
:49 Left, :50 Right

… skipped the bullshit cable wood chop, since I could not feel it last time and figured it was just a waste of time. Instead, I did the front squats and step-ups separately instead of as a superset, to increase the intensity.

I went back when I was done and loaded the bar with 135 for some extra front squats - 7,6,5 atg.

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Good luck with the program, I started it this week and will be posting pics and starting #'s in a bit as well as updating my profile.
I noticed from your posts that you might be doing the workouts wrong. I believe that you are supposed to do rep sceam 4x8 on Mondays, 5x5 on Wednesdays, and 3x12 on Fridays and just alternate between workouts A and B so that for
week 1 you are doing

4x8 for A
5x5 for B
3x12 for A
Then week 2
4x8 for B
5x5 for A
3x12 for B

This way you get to hit each workout with different reps he states this in thechapter before the workouts.
I noticed that you did the same reps for the whole week.

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Week 2 Workout 2 (Wednesday)

3:57 - 4:35 PM

A1) Wide-grip cable row (3x12, 45s)
125 x 12,9,6
A2) DB bench press (3x12, 45s)
55’s x 12,12,7

B1) Chin-up (3x12, 45s)
bodyweight x 10,6,4
B2) DB neutral-grip shoulder press (3x12, 45s)
35’s x 9,6,5

C1) Reverse crunch (2x15, 30s)
15,15
C2) Plank
60s

This workout was over before I knew it. Cutting down the rest periods sure made it tougher! I just kind of sat there in the locker room after, letting my Surge settle in my stomach, my muscles ready to burst, wondering how it was over already.