Definitely leaner in the photos, especially around the waist, and shoulder definition.
So what’s your goal with the OVT program? Are your calories at a surplus or deficit for that?
[quote]LoRez wrote:
Definitely leaner in the photos, especially around the waist, and shoulder definition.
So what’s your goal with the OVT program? Are your calories at a surplus or deficit for that?[/quote]
Thanks, man.
My goal right now is, I guess, what’s recently been considered a “recomp.” Not so much a dedicated fat loss phase, but shifting things around and pretty much continuing what’s been happening. I’m not doing any cardio other than a relaxed pace, 45-60 minute bike ride with my gal once or twice a week, so there’s not as much direct fat loss stimulus going on.
Over the last four weeks, since switching from the complexes to the OVT (three weeks of OVT, the first week post-complexes was summertime putzing around in the gym and still figuring out what to do next), the changes were:
Bodyweight: - .6 pounds
Neck: + 1/4 inch
Inhaled Nip Line: - 1/2 inch
Exhaled Navel: - 3/4 inches
2" Below Navel: - 1 inch
Right Arm: + 1/4 inch
Left Arm: + 1/2 inch
Right Thigh: +1 inch
Left Thigh: +1 inch
Right Calf: +1/2 inch
Left Calf: + 1/4 inch
I guess, since size was put back and weight change was mostly stagnant, I was in a slight surplus. Especially with the carbs I’ll be adding in now, my calories will also be going up a bit, but the idea is to keep the waist numbers dropping and the rest gradually increasing on a regular basis (most likely with biweekly weigh-ins).
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
Average day looks something like…
Interestingly, my sweat has unfortunately gotten noticeably ammoniated the last week or so.[/quote]
Thanks for the comprehensive answer. I was thinking of adding in the complexes for my next 4 week cycle, and now you’ve given me the idea to try OVT after so I look forward to seeing how you get on.
I feel you on the ammoniated sweat. I just recently learned what caused it so I’ve added some more carbs to my diet to avoid being “the guy who smells of piss” in the gym.
Chris, I was wondering if I may pick your brains about the complexes. I just did the first one today.
When you did the jump lunges in Complex C, were those just bodyweight?
And the reverse lunges: did you do those 5 reps per leg or in total?
Thanks in advance, it’s really good of you to give up so much of your time here.
[quote]Diddy Ryder wrote:
Chris, I was wondering if I may pick your brains about the complexes. I just did the first one today.
When you did the jump lunges in Complex C, were those just bodyweight?[/quote]
If I remember right (I’ve kinda blocked it out of my head), I tried it both ways but stuck with just bodyweight. I just re-read the article and I think it worked out fine. You’d likely have to cater the weight used to what you could handle on the lunges instead of the press if you did them weighted. We’d barely be leaving the ground with any added weight, especially since it’s the last exercise in the series anyway. If they seem easy unweighted (ha!), shoot for getting more height on the jumps.
5 (or 6) per leg, alternating each rep. With weight.
Ha, no prob, man. As always, I’m just glad to help. Stick with it and drop a note how they turn out.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
So I totally understand that 11 minute-long videos are ridiculous to sit though, but this just happened and figured I’d share.
Thought it might be neat to shoot the whole complex from start to finish, no edits or cuts. 5 exercises (6 if you count the front squat and push press as just one thruster), 75 pounds 6x6, 45 seconds between sets. It’s the same complex series as the previous video I posted (the 70 pound/4x5/90 sec rest).
Last set starts around 10:00, if you felt like shaving off some time.[/quote]
You did more reps in one session than I have done all year
[quote]Reed wrote:
You did more reps in one session than I have done all year[/quote]
Maybe, but I could say the same to you about weight lifted, so let’s call it a draw. 
Just as a small update: The OVT, while it’s a great program on paper, just wasn’t for me. I made it about 6 weeks through and then, sorry to say, I just burned out. I’m not saying overtrained, just simply burned out.
The workouts were productive, but there was no getting out of the gym short of the two-hour mark and it was becoming a chore. That’s definitely not how you want to feel about lifting, so I just didn’t dig it after a while. The concept is rock solid (heavy lifting supersetted with slow TUT work), but eventually I started feeling stale, bored, and just not looking forward to training even though progress was still being made.
I recently started a(nother) new routine: Waterbury’s “SOB Training”.
Lifting 3 or 4 days a week - 2 upper body, 2 lower body, with 2 higher rep days and 2 lower rep. Each session has a vertical push or pull, a horizontal push or pull, a hip or quad-dominant leg exercise, and some “assistance” work (bis, tris, shoulders, abs, or calves).
What?!? Yet another “full body workout” program that includes direct arm work and isolation exercises? Yes. As it should be.
Kinda basic stuff, but the way it’s laid out is pretty brilliant. The sets and reps change slightly each week, so the exercises also change each session, but the overall concept and general movement patterns remain the same. One week is sets of 3 and sets of 30, another week is sets of 5 and 15, next week is sets of 2 and 50, etc. My last few workouts looked like:
1
A) Flat bench press 6x5
B) Neutral-grip pull-up 3x5
C) Hammer Strength high row 3x5
D) Wide grip deadlift 3x5
E) Conventional deadlift 3x5
F) Rack barbell curl 3x5
G) Pallof Press iso-hold 3x5ct.
2
A) Leg press 4x15
B) Seated cable row 4x15
C) Machine shoulder press 4x15
D) Standing lateral raise machine 2x15
E) Rope overhead extension 2x15
F) Seated calf raise 2x15
3
A) Front pulldown 4x15
B) Dumbbell RDL 4x15
C) Machine chest press 4x15
D) Preacher curl machine 2x15
E) Hanging knee raise 2x15
Next session is more work with 6x5 on the main lifts. I’m doing some easy bike rides or hitting the heavy bag on non-lifting days.
Definitely looking forward to the rest of this program, both physically and psychologically.
Yo Colucci,
You should start a log in the “training logs section”.
Have you ever tried any of the more basic programs such as 531 or 5x5? I personally find I get the best results out of those, although I did also have some luck with GVT. As you can tell I prefer more of the “simpler” programs.
And what exactly did you eat yesterday?
Uncle Bird.
tweet
Hey Chris,
I finished the complexes and made a thread instead of cluttering up yours. Got some really good results from it.
Interesting about the OVT. NOt so sure I’ll give it a try now, may just see the year out with 5/3/1.
[quote]theBird wrote:
You should start a log in the “training logs section”.[/quote]
I’ve considered it, but I know I’d bail on it after a while. I track my workouts in a notebook at the gym, and then usually leave it in my gym bag and forget about it until the next session.
I did 5/3/1 for a few months a year or two ago and played with different 5x5 versions off and on forever. They’re solid and reliable, not much more I can say about them that hasn’t been said. They are (or will be, in the case of 5/3/1) time-tested classics that are legit go-tos for most people.
Really? 
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1/2 cup oatmeal with 2 scoops Metabolic Drive, 1 scoop leucine, about 1 Tbsp raisins, about 1/2 tsp cinnamon; bigass coffee with splenda
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Chicken breasts, Italian sausage, peppers, and onions
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Spike Shotgun
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Chicken thighs with rosemary and thyme in a sherry pan sauce, par-boiled broccoli, roasted butternut squash
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2 scoops Metabolic Drive in water
[quote]Diddy Ryder wrote:
I finished the complexes and made a thread instead of cluttering up yours. Got some really good results from it.[/quote]
Yep, saw it and commented there. Cool stuff.
It’s a good program, but it is 30-40 sets per session with timed rests for efficient performance. Short-term, I was liking it, but it wore me down after a bit. I’m sure some people would definitely thrive on it though. And like I said, the basic concept of supersetting heavy work with slow, exaggerated negatives is something worth experiencing, if only to be reminded what it feels like to have pecs sore to the touch for four days straight.
How much protein was in that?
Uncle Bird.
tweet
That Waterbury program looks really solid, amazing how many good ‘forgotten’ programs there are on this site.
[quote]theBird wrote:
How much protein was in that? [/quote]
Don’t know, don’t really care. As long as a protein source is the focus of each meal, I trust the numbers to work out in the long run.
But for squirts and giggles, I looked it up and it’s just about 200g on the button. Training days is even more, considering workout nutrition. Any reason you’re asking?
[quote]RampantBadger wrote:
That Waterbury program looks really solid, amazing how many good ‘forgotten’ programs there are on this site.[/quote]
Ha, yep, and that’s exactly why I’ve been running through the Archives all this year. 15 years is a long, long time with a lot, a lot of info.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
Any reason you’re asking?
[/quote]
Just keeping you on your toes.
tweet
Small update for anyone interested: I’m just about wrapped up with the SOB Training. I loved it, felt great, and will be keeping some concepts when I go back to doing my own thing.
Rotating the sets, reps, and movement patterns each session allows back-to-back-to-back training if/when necessary without really overdoing things, even though it’s technically full body training each workout. The higher rep days almost serve as “active recovery” between the heavier/lower rep stuff, but that high rep work is still brutal when you’re not used to it.
The changing rep ranges also encourage, almost require, different exercises each workout. So you’re getting lots of great variety, keeping things interesting and dare I say ‘fun’.
Starting next week, I’ll be giving Dan John’s Twice a Week program a shot, probably until the end of the year (which isn’t all that far away. 8 weeks. Holy crap.)
It’s a pretty hard 180-degrees from what I’ve been doing, in terms of volume and frequency, so it should be interesting to see what happens.
What kind of results did you get from the SOB training? Quantitative or qualitative.
I like the idea of that 2x a week program, although I’m really enjoying CT’s layers. Took some time to wrap my head around, but there’s a lot of concepts I think I’ll keep around in the future.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
What kind of results did you get from the SOB training? Quantitative or qualitative.[/quote]
I haven’t been tracking things biweekly or anything, but I checked this morning. From my last weigh-in/measurements in early August, I’m up 3 pounds on the scale, waist is the same and the rest are up a small bit (pretty much 1/2in or less, if at all). Weight gain is pretty negligible for three months’ time, but my favorite t-shirt is fitting more snug in the arms, chest/back, and shoulders.
Also, most anecdotally, I believe I looked more… toned… during the week. Whether it’s something to do with hitting every rep range (2’s up to 50’s and everything between), training everything 3 or 4 times a week (not the first time I’ve done that though), or doing some kind of arm work 3 or 4 days a week (either bis or tris in each session), or some other reason that was strictly mental, it was a good feeling. Pretty unverifiable, but nice.
Yeah, the layer system seems solid and is definitely on my list to play around with, but there were other plans I wanted to get to first. I did use the snatch-grip high pull a few times, just to see what the deal was. Took a bit of fine-tuning to get it down, but I think it could be a keeper.
Probably my favorite recent gym story was when I was in a rack, resting between sets with the bar loaded and sitting there, when a kid comes up and asks to work in. No problem, of course. He does a few extra-short-range shrugs then steps aside, then I knock out some SGHPs, explosive and brutal as they should be, and notice his eyes just bugging out when I finish. Eh, seemed funny at the time. Maybe you had to be there.
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
The higher rep days almost serve as “active recovery” between the heavier/lower rep stuff, but that high rep work is still brutal when you’re not used to it.
[/quote]
I hear you. My current routine has me doing 3 x 25 in the lat machine… it’s basically breathers on the last 5-10 reps of set 3. Oddly enough, though, 5 x 20 leg press is a breeze (must be too light).
I do you do those gripless squats in your avatar? Looks very functional.