Davemccright's Dangerous Dave’s Diabolical Log for Density and Destruction

Training Training Logs
622

Wow!! In my life, I’ve only ever attempted 315 for 1 set of 1 and in yesterday’s workout, I did 5 sets of 5 with that weight! This was a brutally hard challenge for me and still mind blowing. I hit it and not only that, I forced myself to hit depth and survived it! Also had two PRs on the Press! I’ve been both dreading and looking forward to this day from the beginning of the program, and I came out clean on the other side!

Building the Monolith W6D1

Squat 240x5, 275x5, 315 5x5(all time PR)
Press 135x5, 155x5, 170x5(all time PR), 135x19(rep PR)
Chin Ups 5x20
Dips 6x20
Banded Face Pulls 5x20

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623

315 5x5(all time PR)!!

Wow, congrats on that! Super impressive feat. You’re crushing BTM!

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That’s huge dude! Congrats on that!

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625

@antiquity @T3hPwnisher thank you guys so much! This has been such an amazing program and has done so much for my strength and size, it’s really been an amazing experience. Thank you guys so much for the inspiration and motivation!

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626

I’m now two days removed from my last session and I’ve been putting off updating my log. The session I had on Friday, my second to last session of Building the Monolith was the greatest weight training session I’ve ever had in my life.

I was so pumped going into it. So excited because I knew I had the opportunity to crush numbers that I’ve never touched before. I went in with a Fanny pack full of cereal bars that I was to eat during my session to Fuel the most grueling workout I have ever attempted. Weighed in at 219 pre workout. I had numbers lined up that we’re going to completely eclipse anything I’ve done before. 440 pounds on deadlift. I’ve never even attempted that much weight on deadlift. On top of that, last time I could only manage 2 sets with 430. I was going to do 285 on Bench, a number I’ve never even attempted to do for reps, let alone 5 sets. Yet I did not feel nervous at all. I was excited and motivated. This was my story:

Building The Monolith W6D2

Deadlift 340x5, 385x5, 440 3x5(all time PR)
Bench 225x5, 255x5, 285 5x5(rep PR)
Bent Over Row 100 5x20(volume PR)
Dumbbell Curl 30 5x20

The weight moved ridiculously smooth on deadlift, I’m still shocked when I watch the set back (I had my brother record my second set). I was so ready for the moment and I was not about to let the bar win this time. I finished all 3 sets hitting 5 reps every time without any long pauses in between. Also Bench moved incredibly well, I actually probably could’ve hit at least one more full rep on the last set, which was shocking, but was awesome for my confidence.

This was a session that will go down in history for me. This is what all the training and tough obstacles have been building to. I snapped this picture at the end to commemorate the best day I’ve ever had in the weight room.

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627

Hell yeah dude! Thats the stuff right there

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628

Thanks man! I have you to thank for bringing my attention to Building the Monolith. This is seriously one of the best programs I’ve ever done.

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Unbelievable, my dude! Really nice work. And you’re looking huge. Just absolutely huge—awesome!

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630

Thank you so much! This is a day I feel like I’ve been building to for a long time! And as far as huge goes, that’s been a day 1 mission of mine, so thank you for the kind words!

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Tremendous session this evening! Set a new PR for workout volume as well as PRs on Widowmaker squat, Pull ups, and Pressing tonnage! It’s hard to believe that this now wraps up Building the Monolith! This was seriously one of the most effective and awesome programs I’ve ever run! My best lifts during this training cycle(also Personal all-time PRs) were
Squat: 315 5x5, 250x20
Press: 170x5, 135x19
Deadlift: 440 3x5
Bench: 285 5x5

I had a lot of big goals I wanted to accomplish here and I’m blown away at how this program has pushed me to uncomfortable levels that I had never even conceived as a possibility before. This was definitely a bucket list program for me. So happy to have smashed this program and I know I’ll revisit it down the road! This was a program that seriously pushed me, but never broke me. I hit a lot of numbers that have been a goal for a long time and

Building the Monolith W6D3-FINAL

Squat 240x5, 275x5, 315x5, 250x20(rep PR)
Press 135 12x5
Weighted Pull up 45x18(PR),12,12,10
Barbell Shrug 245 4x20, 1x25(PR)
Banded Face Pull 4x20, 1x30

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632

Well as hard as it is to believe, I’m finally having to move on from Building the Monolith. The program is over, I completed it, and set several PRs along the way! I now embark on my new Leader; 5’s Pro FSL! This was suggested to me by Jim Wendler himself to be done as the follow up for BtM. And I have to say, after 6 weeks of 3x5 and 5x5 at top set weight, 5x5 FSL is a welcome change! On top of that, I only got about 4 hours of sleep the night before, so my strength felt noticeably lesser than usual.

In spite of this, my pump was truly insane! I super setted Bench supplemental with Dumbbell Flyes and weighted chins. Then did the rest of my assistance as a giant set. A younger guy in the gym was telling me how huge I was looking and asked what supplements I take (Surge) and if I was on test (no). I then gave him a talk about staying away from PEDs, The long term side effects and even muscle loss from going off cycle aren’t worth the short term gains. I’ve been lifting 14 years and am still making gains naturally, there’s no excuse for a young guy to potentially mess up his whole future just because he wants to look like Arnold (or even me) by yesterday. These talks are becoming so frequent in my gym. Teens love talking test, tren, and SARMs far more than talking training or food. Their heads just aren’t in the right place and hopefully I can help set them on the right course.

5’s Pro FSL W1D1

Bench 200x5, 230x5, 260x5
Bench FSL 200 5x5
Db Flyes 70 4x10
Weighted Chins 45 4x10
Tricep Pushdowns 130 4x10
Banded Face Pulls 4x10
Sit Ups 4x10
DC Style Calf Raises 100 4x10

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There aren’t many better candidates to have this conversation with IMO; you’ve got the right strength and physique to do the job.

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634

Thank you sir, I do appreciate it! I feel like being a positive influence/mentor to the youth is One of the most important things I can impart on the world with the experience I’ve gained. I want to be the antithesis of the guy who sold Ben Affleck steroids in that after school special lol

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635

Well it’s been a while since I’ve updated my log, but I want to assure everybody that I’ve not missed a single session. I’ve fallen behind on logging everything and I’ve contemplated whether I should just write out every workout I’ve had, but that would be a lot for everyone to read. I’ll just pick up from my most recent workout and let you guys know my current training maxes.

I’ve been doing 5’s Pro 5x5 FSL as my Leader cycle and I just finished week 2. My current training maxes are Bench: 305, Deadlift: 460, Press: 180, Squat: 330.

The cool thing is, I dropped my training maxes at the beginning of June to 85%, then did the Surge Challenge, and now my training maxes are back to where they were in May. This has been a great example of using a lower training max to make you bigger and stronger than you’ve ever been before. My mind can’t totally wrap its mind around why sub-max Training works so well, but it certainly does.

5’s Pro FSL W2D4

Deadlift 320x5, 370x5, 415x5
Deadlift FSL 320 5x5
Dip 4x10
Push Up 4x10
Barbell Shrug 275 4x10
Banded Face Pull 4x10
Hanging Leg Raise 4x10

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All good in here, @davemccright?

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I do hope all is well, Dave! Look forward to your next update.

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638

What’s up gang? I know it’s been a while and I thank the guys who have checked in on me in my absence like @pettersson @Andrewgen_Receptors and @SvenG ! I have been extremely busy for the last several months, I got married, traveled to and from Canada and the US multiple times and since then have just been working a ton.

In all that time I have not missed a single workout and my progression has been insane. I have switched my diet to pretty much completely organic. Grass fed organic milk, pasture raised organic eggs, organic pumpkin seeds, organic sunflower butter and blueberry spread sandwiches, organic pumpkin seeds, you get the picture! Weight is up to hovering around 225. During my last deload, I tested my training maxes and hit 315 on Bench, 350 on squat, 480 on deadlift, and 185 on Press. All of those felt pretty easy, had reps in the tank, and they were all weights I’d never touched before, so it was a very cool experience.

I’m on my last week of my Anchor of 5/3/1 and Widowmakers. I’ve been a bit of an Assistance fiend throughout this cycle and I think it’s really been good for gains. Up next, I’m planning on doing BBB and having my brother join me (I’ve been teaching him 5/3/1. He’s been enjoying it so far).

Here’s my latest workout:

5/3/1 and Widowmakers

Squat 270x5, 305x3, 340x1
Squat Widowmaker 270x20(rep PR)
Bench with Fat Gripz 240x5, 270x3, 305x1
Fat Grip Bench Widowmaker 240x15
Fat Grip Inverted Row 50 reps
Fat Grip Barbell Curls 100 5x10
Dips 50 reps
Push Ups 50 reps
Sit Ups 50 reps
Single Leg Calf Raises 50 reps

That squat Widowmaker was absolutely a mental BATTLE. I never once questioned myself or my ability to complete it however. I just managed it in terms of 3 reps at a time until I hit 18, and then I only needed 2. My quads and spinal erectors were on FIRE. Getting an easy rep with 340 before that did a lot for my confidence going into the Widowmaker set. The weight felt light. It’s cool to see how far I’ve come in a year. Last year about this time, I was doing DC training and my heavy set weight was 275 and Widowmaker was 225. I had no clue how I would ever top a 2 player Widowmaker. That was a huge deal to me! Now I can do a Widowmaker with the heavy weight I did last year and with better form.

I’ll go ahead and throw in a physique update too. Picture on the right is from last summer at around 183 and the picture on the left is from now at 225.5

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For even more of a throwback, here’s a picture of me at about 172, right before starting my log at T-Nation in spring 2021!

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I had been training for 13 years at that point! Really shows how much more I had to learn about training and nutrition! Lots of valuable info on this site and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the community and authors here!

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Great to have you back, Dave! I just knew you kept going as you performed even more important duties in life. Congrats on your wedding (a milestone I have yet to establish)!

Now, your transformation for the past year is quite simply stellar! Having followed your log, I realize you could have lifted garbage cans and yet come up with a similar result. There is something rare/special with your dedication to the lifting, as well as curiousity to what haven’t been tested. You surely walk the walk and prove to be a role model for this community. I mean, you have me following in your tracks, obviously on my own terms. Who would have guessed me going for powerlifting? I just love the feeling of lifting a heavy object, feeling strong. Currently investigating a future possibility for SuperSquats…

How many days a week do you train currently? What is your own thoughts re your transformation? Apart from your dedication and hard work - what has for you been the major factors for progress?

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Thank you for the kind words and encouragement Petterson, as well as the kind words about my recent marriage! It was truly the greatest day of my life!

I want to say that big contributors to my massive gains in size and strength in the past year and a half have a lot to do with finally fixing areas I’ve neglected in the past and realizing gains I should’ve realized years ago. I had been plateaued for about 8 years, because I was comfortable with the size and leanness I was at. Joining this site really helped refuel my motivation! The areas I believe needed to be rectified most were the fact that I had been eating too small a calorie allotment for new growth (usually around 1800-2000 calories) and neglecting the strength aspect of lifting. The extra calories helped me gain weight, which helped me lift heavier weight, which helped me build more muscle.

I had been training 4 days a week The last several training cycles following the Surge Challenge, but this training cycle has been 3 days a week. I find 3-4 days of lifting a week to be a real sweet spot for me. I usually walk, do some resistance band work, or do some kind of bodyweight conditioning workout on rest days to keep my heart healthy, stay in good cardiovascular condition, and stay lean! I read something Pwnisher wrote about only needing 5 minutes to really destroy yourself with a workout and that was advice that I found pretty profound! Also for supplements, I’ve continued to use Surge, as it’s really just an awesome and complete intra workout shake! I also have Muscletech’s Cell Tech(a creatine supplement), an essential amino powder, leucine, and some biosteel hydration bottles that I got as Free samples.

I’m excited for your experience with Super Squats! It is kind of a HIT style routine, so there should be some familiarity there with the level of intensity! There’s nothing like 20 reps squats to not only build some mass, but serious mental toughness!

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