DT's ReceptorMax/Beast Building Log

Training Logs
81

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
I am not sure if you have read the ‘How to Fix Cortisol’ thread where entheogens mentions using coconut oil to boost his metabolism and lean out.

Maybe you can use that as part of a strategy for lean gains:

Replace some of your fat intake with coconut oil - the effective dose seems to be 3-4 TBSP per day - and/or increase physical activity for a more ‘G-Flux’ effect, hoping to put on a greater ratio of muscle to fat when gaining weight.

All this, of course, in conjunction with increased caloric intake.
[/quote]

Thanks for the info, that was really informative and the idea of using coconut oil is completely new to me. After reading the thread, I have decided that I am definitely going to pick up some up and see what happens. I think I was sold after reading the following sentence in Peat’s article:

In the l940s, farmers attempted to use cheap coconut oil for fattening their animals, but they found that it made them lean, active and hungry.

Sounds good to me.

[quote]
What is your carb intake like? Maybe you can also increase this during your peri-workout window (and only on lifting days where you are getting more calories)?[/quote]

As far as carbs go, I tend to get the majority of them (basically anything aside from fiber or green veggies) at breakfast and during the peri-workout window. At breakfast, my primary carb source is beans, usually an entire can, and will sometimes throw in some fruit yogurt to mix it up a bit.

This works out to about 70-80g of slow-digesting carbs to start the day. Peri-workout, I take two full servings of Surge, one during and one immediately after training, and eat a solid meal an hour after that.

The solid meal consists of chicken, about a cup of beans, a half a cup of rice, and some GNC Mass XXX. This works out to be around 195g of carbs during the peri-workout window.

So, all of this together makes up around 275g of carbs on workout days, which is about 30% of my total caloric intake for the day (protein makes up about 40% and fat is the other 30%).

I had originally based these on JB’s Massive Eating recommendations from the original article. However, I recently re-read the article and noticed that he suggests that individuals who gain fat more easily should stick to a 50/15/35 PCF ratio.

In light of this, I am seriously considering dropping the breakfast cars and replacing them with fats, as well as switching over to Surge Workout Fuel during training (yes, the marketing got me too).

This would free up approximately 500 kcals per day which I could then re-assign to healthy fats, some of which would be coconut oil and allow me to hit the desired 50/15/35 ratio (with some other changes as well).

Writing that just felt really good. I think I am going to mess around with Excel for a little while and figure out my new diet for next week. Thanks for the spark of inspiration.

The wheels are definitely spinning.

82

Day Thirty-nine:

I was rushed out of the office at lunch to make time for my workout today, but I somehow managed to squeeze everything in. And once again technology to the rescue… in my hurry to get to the gym I forgot to bring in my log, but was able to pull up this one on my Blackberry (another advantage to keeping a log here). Let’s get straight to it.

Today’s workout went as follows:

A1) Chest-supported dumbbell row
45 (each hand) x 6 (warm-up set)
50 x 6
55 x 6
60 x 6
65 x 6, 90s rest
A2) Bench press
170 x 6 (warm-up set)
200 x 6
205 x 6
210 x 5
215 x 3, 90s rest
B1) Pull-ups (medium grip)
195 (BW+10) x 8
200 (BW+15) x 8
205 (BW+20) x 8
210 (BW+25) x 6
210 (BW+25) x 4, 90s rest
B2) High-incline (45 to 60 degrees) DB press
50 (each hand) x 8
55 x 8
60 x 8
65 x 8, 90s rest
C1) Preacher curl
100 x 8
105 x 8
110 x 8
115 x 6, 90s rest
C2) Decline EZ-bar triceps extension
60 x 8
70 x 8
80 x 8
80 x 8, 90s rest

My endurance has really gone to hell. This may be due to the fact that I have spent the last month doing practically nothing heavy over 3 reps, so hopefully it will start to get back up there as I work through phases 2 and 3 of this program. Either way, I will definitely have to work on bringing up some of my weaknesses when this log is finished, particularly endurance and grip strength.

Not the worst of days, but could have been better.

83

Day Forty:

What a day. I rolled out of bed this morning later than usual, dreading the thought of leaving the warmth of my apartment for the chill of the winter outside, and once I left I didn’t return until 3AM.

For some reason, work was a little more stressful than usual today, but in spite of this, I knew it was the company Christmas party tonight, so I knew all would end well. I made it into the gym for a quick “recovery session” - 15 min of SMR, which I have really taken a liking to (although it still feels really awkward), 10 min of steady-state cardio, which I still am not sure why I do it, and 20 min of kickboxing, the greatest stress-reliever I know of. after that it as back to work to face the rest of the day.

The company Christmas party was awesome, and pretty much exactly what I expected - open bar, tons of drunk people, and some really great free food. I mostly kept to the turkey, salmon, and vegetables, and was relieved to see that these options were available since last time we did a work dinner, the only choices were pasta dishes.

As usual, everyone gave me a hard time for be carb-phobic, but I really don’t care because that’s just how I am and at least I didn’t A) Get do drunk I stumbled around screaming, B) Get so drunk I tried to fight our regional sales director C) Get so drunk I fell asleep at the bar and get escorted out by the bouncers. In fact, I didn’t seem to get drunk at all, and my date didn’t seem to mind when I just drank coffee instead of eating the cheesecake with her.

All in all, I would say it was a pretty good night.

84

Day Forty-one:

Slept in a little late this morning, which would normally mess with my food timing/diet, but fortunately the Ultimate Finale is on tonight so I’ll be up late anyways.

I picked up a jar of coconut oil today (thanks for the tip, Ponce) and re-worked my diet so that I will basically be consuming only P+F meals outside of the peri-workout window. It looks pretty solid on paper, but I do have concerns with having almost half of my daily calories coming from fats. Either way, it’s worth trying something new since carbs are clearly no good for me. I am also going to start using SURGE Workout Fuel during training, so I am pretty pumped to see what all the fuss is about.

I got to the gym a bit later than usual today and was a little surprised to see how crowded it was, but it’s probably just the holiday crowd trying to feel better about the few pounds they will inevitably gain in the upcoming weeks. That reminds me, I absolutely hate going to the gym during the month of January - too many people doing squat rack curls. Good thing it’ll empty out again by February!

Today’s workout details:

A1) Front squat
155 x 6 (warm-up set)
185 x 6
195 x 6
205 x 6
215 x 5, 90s rest
A2) Romanian deadlift
225 x 6 (warm-up set)
285 x 6
295 x 6
305 x 6
315 x 6, 90s rest
B1) Leg press
365 x 8
385 x 8
405 x 8
425 x 8, 90s rest
B2) Reverse hyper*
25 x 8
35 x 8
45 x 8 x 2, 90s rest
C1) Standing calf raise (smith machine)
385 x 8
395 x 8
405 x 8
415 x 8, 90s rest
C2) Lying leg curl**
160 x 8
170 x 8
180 x 8
190 x 8, 90s rest

  • I decided I am not a huge fan of the pull-through, and my gym has a reverse hyper machine (which was not available last week since I was working out in a foreign gym), so I am going to switch it up for the next few weeks.

** For some reason the weight on the lying leg curl machine at my gym seems to be a lot lighter than the one I used in Montreal last week. I’m alright with that.

I still seem to be getting stronger each week, which is awesome. At this rate I will be able to hit my strength goals by my birthday in March with ease. Now I just need to see how I fare on a low(er) carb diet and get my physique to match up.

85

About 2-3mo ago I switched to carb-cycling and it has really helped me stay more lean while still making gains in the gym on a weekly basis and keep my overall bodyweight going up.

Great log so far man, I’m considering this supplement and your log is a good barometer thus far!

86

Day Forty-two:

Weekly weigh-in:

Weight: 188 lbs
Waist: 32.87"

Not happy about my waist size, but the scale is going up and so are my lifts, so I guess I will just have to suck up any additional fat I gain. At least I’ve got this thread to make me feel better:

http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sex_girls_pictures_hot_pics_photo_women/celabration_of_the_bulk_belly

(Okay, so maybe it’s not THAT bad…)

I am pretty excited to start with the coconut oil tomorrow - the stuff seriously smells amazing and I am a big fan of coconut in general so… awesome. And if it works as well as I have heard to fend off the fat gain, I’m sold.

87

Day Forty-three:

REALLY tired today. I had a really long night last due to forces outside of my control and unfortunately paid for it at both the office and in the gym. Either way, it was a good excuse to try out the new SURGE Workout Fuel that I got in the mail the other day (and will be using for the remainder of the program).

Today’s workout went as so:

Bench press (warm-up set)
175 x 5
A1) Functional isometric bench press*
205 x 8s hold
225 x 8s hold
245 x 8s hold
265 x 0s hold*,
245 x 8s hold 90s rest
A2) Bench press
215 x 3
215 x 3
220 x 3
225 x 3 (last rep was TOUGH)
225 x 2
225 x 2, 90s rest
A3) Ballistic bench press
75 x 10, 90s rest
Repeat working sets for 5 sets total
B1) Isometric dynamic chest-supported dumbbell row
60 x 8s hold
65 x 8s hold
70 x 8s hold
75 x 8s hold**,
70 x 8s hold, 90s rest
B2) Chest-supported dumbbell row
60 (each hand) x 3
65 x 3
70 x 3
75 x 3**
70 x 3, 90s rest
B3) Bent-over dumbbell row
45 x 5
Repeat working sets for 5 sets total

*Couldn’t get the weight off the rack, so I just performed an isometric hold and dropped back down to 245 for the next set.

**Although I was able to move the weight, my form felt off so I dropped the weight back down for the next set.

Although I was not blown away by SURGE Workout Fuel, I will say that I was still able to have a decently productive workout despite being exhausted and cutting my rest intervals by 30 seconds (I have limited time to train and wanted to bump up the number of sets this week), which is impressive in itself.

Next week is going to be all-out war. I refuse to accept anything less than triples with 230. We’ll see how it goes when I get there, but in the meantime, I am going to take it easy tonight and attack legs tomorrow.

88

You are a savage. Two questions before I go back to studying for my final:

  1. Have you or will you test bodyfat using a dunk tank at some point, to get an accurate picture of your LBM?

  2. What do you do for recovery? e.g., do you have back off weeks or even planned de-loads? I have noticed that you don’t do cardio and I take it this is because of the heavy bag work you do.

I know your energy output is extremely high so I am not saying cardio is even necessary, just curious.

You will like the coconut oil. Remember to try and get 3-4 TBSP every day, per our discussion. Let’s see what that does for you.

89

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:

  1. Have you or will you test bodyfat using a dunk tank at some point, to get an accurate picture of your LBM?
    [/quote]
    I would definitely be up for testing my bodyfat using something more accurate than my very falsely named “Accu-Measure” calipers, you know, the ones you get for $5 at Bodybuilding.com (Hey, they sell some good stuff that Biotest doesn’t make…).

I was actually supposed to do this in college, but it never panned out - my friend was in the cardiac-rehab program and was supposed to hook me up, but couldn’t get access since the tank was off-site. I am seriously considering this type of test done after my next cut though, which realistically will not start until April, as I am scheduled to be in the UK on business at the end of March and would not be able to realistically cut with so many uncertainties when overseas.

I currently do about 15 minutes of SMR, 5-10 minutes of mobility work, and 30 minutes of boxing/MMA training on off days. I find that this allows me to get in the gym and not feel so damn lazy while not expending too many calories. The main reason I have backed off the cardio at the moment is because it is strongly advised against on my current program and am really looking to get the best gains (both size and strength) that I can from it.

I actually don’t mind cardio at all. On the contrary, I got used to doing a lot of running when I trained more seriously for MMA back in college. I also absolutely love doing HIIT sessions when I get the chance - they make me feel like I actually get something accomplished. I do expect to add some steady state cardio on my off days and maybe a HIIT session or two for the next phase of the program if I am unhappy with my body comp when I get to that point.

Also, in terms of planned de-loading I typically drop a set of each lift every fourth week of a program and use the same weight/reps that I used in the previous week. On average, this works out to be about 75% of the volume of the previous week without attempting to get stronger. I find this has worked well for me so far.

[quote]
You will like the coconut oil. Remember to try and get 3-4 TBSP every day, per our discussion. Let’s see what that does for you.[/quote]

Coconut oil is delicious. I am often tempted to just jam a spoon in the jar and go to town. Great recommendation.

Good luck on your exams!

90

Day Forty-four:

Solid day in the gym. Some kid came over to the squat rack to ask me about my program while I was between sets and I was happy to oblige, although I think I scared him away when I started doing the functional isometric holds. My buddy from work later came up me and said “Damn man, you do some weird shit” to which I responded “Yeah, but I lift more than you do, so shut the fuck up!” Life is good.

Today’s weird, scary workout went as follows:

A1) Functional isometric back squat
275 x 8s hold
295 x 8s hold
315 x 8s hold
335 x 8s hold
355 x 8s hold, 90s rest
A2) Back squat
265 x 3
275 x 3
285 x 3
295 x 3
305 x 2, 90s rest
A3) Speed squat
160 x 5, 90s rest
Repeat working sets for 5 sets total
B1) Functional isometric deadlift
375 x 8s hold
375 x 8s hold
395 x 8s hold
405 x 8s hold
415 x 4s hold*, 90 rest
B2) Sumo deadlift
375 x 3
385 x 3
395 x 3
405 x 3
415 x 2, 90s rest
B3) Power snatch (from hang)
105 x 5
110 x 5
115 x 5 x 3, 90s
Repeat working sets for 5 sets total

*My grip keeps failing on me for these and it is pissing me off to no end. Dedicated grip work is definitely in order after this program is finished.

Another cool thing to note is that I cut my rest periods by 30 seconds again today and it had virtually no impact on my performance. It actually may have helped because I had less time to get bored between sets (easier to stay motivated). Maybe it’s the SURGE Workout Fuel, maybe I am just having a good week.

Also, this isn’t any sort of new revelation or anything, but talking to that kid today made me realize that I love being one of those people who is always willing to try new things. You know, just to see what happens.

Functional isometric holds? Sure.

Coconut oil? Why not.

I mean, I started lifting weights on a limb and that seems to have worked out pretty well so far.

91

Any further thoughts on Receptormax? How long have you been taking it?

I’m considering snagging that and SWF after the holiday…and I can’t find anyone else here who’s taking it that is giving a review; sadly.

I like the comeback “I lift more then you so STFU”…that’s gotta feel good to say. Good work man!

92

[quote]B rocK wrote:
Any further thoughts on Receptormax? How long have you been taking it?

I’m considering snagging that and SWF after the holiday…and I can’t find anyone else here who’s taking it that is giving a review; sadly.
[/quote]
Really not a whole lot to report on the ReceptorMax front. I have been taking it for a little over six weeks now and haven’t noticed anything to write home about. I have gained about 6 lbs in that time (averaging about a pound per week), which is more than I expected, but it’s not like they are completely lean gains. I would say about half of it is fat, which is more than I would like.

SURGE Workout Fuel is the bomb. I am not a fan of lemonade or fruit punch in general so I personally do not like the taste of it, but I do think it is good as far as workout drinks go. I don’t feel as “heavy” as I do while drinking SURGE Recovery during my workout, so that’s a definite plus in my book. It also has less calories per serving than SURGE Recovery so I imagine it would be better for cutting in that respect.

[quote]
I like the comeback “I lift more then you so STFU”…that’s gotta feel good to say. Good work man![/quote]

Damn right. We’re friends from the office so it wasn’t meant to be malicious or anything, but it’s true, so yeah, it felt great.

93

Day Forty-five:

This was one of the best day I have had in a very long time. I just felt completely untouchable, as if I could do no wrong. I was on FIRE. It almost makes me sad that I didn’t lift today. I probably could have benched 315. Easily. For reps.

Probably not.

Did the usual “off” day routine today - SMR, mobility work, and beating the shit out of the heavy bag. For some reason I decided that I would throw a spinning backfist in every combination during one round. For the record, this was a completely impractical, and really just stupid idea in general, but it was ridiculously fun so it was worth it.

I got a lot done in the office today, which was key since Friday is my last day before going on vacation for 3 weeks and I basically need to fit everything in before I leave. Hopefully I can sustain this momentum through the end of the week and completely kill it tomorrow, both in the office and at the gym.

Now, if I could only get my roommate to stop singing Christmas carols this would be the best day ever.

94

Day Forty-six:

Straight to business. I had to cut my rest intervals for my workout again to fit everything in today. This definitely makes the program more challenging, and that’s probably a good thing. Hopefully this will help my endurance out a little as I am giving myself less time recover while keeping the weights high.

Today’s workout went as follows:

A1) Chest-supported dumbbell row
45 (each hand) x 6 (warm-up set)
50 x 6
55 x 6
60 x 6
65 x 6
70 x 6, 75s rest
A2) Bench press
170 x 6 (warm-up set)
200 x 6
205 x 6
210 x 5
215 x 4
220 x 2, 75s rest
B1) Pull-ups (medium grip)
195 (BW+10) x 8
200 (BW+15) x 8
205 (BW+20) x 8
210 (BW+25) x 7
210 (BW+25) x 5, 75s rest
B2) High-incline (45 to 60 degrees) DB press
50 (each hand) x 8
55 x 8
60 x 8
65 x 8
70 x 6, 75s rest
C1) Preacher curl
100 x 8
105 x 8
110 x 8
115 x 7
120 x 5, 45s rest
C2) Decline EZ-bar triceps extension
60 x 8
70 x 8
80 x 8
80 x 8
80 x 8, 45s rest

Tomorrow is my last day of work until after New Year’s so this should give me plenty of time to rest up, relax, and hit the weights hard. To be honest, I am pretty excited to do a whole lot of nothing.

95

Day Forty-seven:

High stress day today. I had a ridiculous amount of work to get done before I head out for a couple weeks for Christmas, despite busting ass all month as I knew it was coming. It also snowed like the day after tomorrow, so I kept getting texts and phone calls from my friends who were telling me how they got off work hours ago and were out getting drunk. Fortunately, I was able to stay focused and get everything done in time to leave a little early and catch a Devils game with my brother and dad. They won 5-1.

Of course, I still made time to get to the gym. Same as every Friday, SMR, mobility, and boxing. Nothing too fancy, but it does the trick to get my mind off work for an hour or so.

Leg day and Christmas shopping tomorrow. That sounds painful.

96

Day Forty-eight:

I hate front squats. I hate the fact that I can only do about 75% of the weight I can do on back squats. I hate the fact that my quads burn like hell and it’s a struggle to keep good form. I hate the fact that they’re probably really good for me, so I’ll do them anyways.

Speaking of front squats:

A1) Front squat
155 x 6 (warm-up set)
195 x 6
205 x 6
215 x 6
225 x 4, 90s rest
A2) Romanian deadlift
225 x 6 (warm-up set)
295 x 6
305 x 6
315 x 6
325 x 6, 90s rest
B1) Leg press
385 x 8
405 x 8
425 x 8
445 x 8, 90s rest
B2) Reverse hyper*
35 x 8
45 x 8
55 x 8 x 2, 90s rest
C1) Standing calf raise (smith machine)
395 x 8
405 x 8
415 x 8
425 x 8, 60s rest
C2) Lying leg curl**
170 x 8
180 x 8
190 x 8
200 x 8, 60s rest

I love the leg curl because I can rack it out with ease. It just feels good to know you’ve hit the maximum weight that was designed for this machine… and it’s probably the least important exercise I do. Contrast this to the front squat and we see an interesting phenomenon - I hate front squats, and the fact that they are a freeweight movement means there is no predermined “max.” I also do not have a specific goal for my front squat max, and this is a big mistake. Part of the fun in lifting is breaking old records and setting new ones. I think I’ll shoot for 275 and maybe I’ll begin to like them.

I also think I just need to start doing more of the exercises I hate. I’d probably grow a whole lot.

97

Day Forty-nine:

Weekly weigh-in:

Weight: 186 lbs
Waist: 32.50"

Lost 2 lbs this week and almost a half inch off my waist, despite increasing my calories from last week(?). Obviously I am not going to complain too much about this, since I do look a little more defined, but the point here is to gain muscle, not lose fat/weight.

Apparently coconut oil works!

I actually think this has to do more with the fact that I dropped the carbs a little and switched to a more fat-intensive diet. Also, the majority of my protein sources are fairly lean (chicken, tuna, etc), and adding coconut oil has helped to add in some more saturated fats and even out my lipid profiles (sat/mono/poly).

Whatever it is, I like what I see in the mirror.

I guess that means I will just have to eat more food from here on out. I’m alright with that!

98

Day Fifty:

No work today so I woke up a little late and pretty much just bummed around the house for a few hours, which was awesome. Hit the gym early since I got a burst of energy - apparently being lazy doesn’t work very well for me.

Workout as follows:

175 x 5
A1) Functional isometric bench press*
205 x 8s hold
225 x 8s hold
245 x 8s hold x 2, 120s rest
A2) Bench press
215 x 3
215 x 3
220 x 3
225 x 3
230 x 2, 120s rest
A3) Ballistic bench press
75 x 10, 120s rest
Repeat working sets for 4 sets total
B1) Isometric dynamic chest-supported dumbbell row
60 x 8s hold
65 x 8s hold
70 x 8s hold x 2, 120s rest
B2) Chest-supported dumbbell row
60 (each hand) x 3
65 x 3
70 x 3 x 2, 120s rest
B3) Bent-over dumbbell row
45 x 5
Repeat working sets for 4 sets total

After the gym I actually did some work from home and had an incredibly productive day. It’s amazing how much you can get done when no one is there to drag you off to meetings and other time wasters.

After “work” I went rock climbing for a few hours. I had never really been before and it was actually a lot of fun. Once again, my suspicion of a need for increased grip strength was confirmed, but I basically used my upper body (especially my lats) to make up for it and just ‘beast’ my way up the wall. Imagine doing repeated clusters of pull-ups, every now and then having one of your feet touch the floor and using it to cheat a little. That’s how I do it. I know it’s wrong, but it was upper body, so I really don’t care.

I also did a set of five pull-ups using only my finger tips to grab onto the rock. That was cool.

99

Day Fifty-one:

Another fine day of not having to go to work. This allows me to focus on the important things in life, like lifting.

Workout details as follows:

A1) Functional isometric back squat
295 x 8s hold
315 x 8s hold
335 x 8s hold
355 x 8s hold, 120s rest
A2) Back squat
275 x 3
285 x 3
295 x 3
305 x 3, 120s rest
A3) Speed squat
165 x 5, 120s rest
Repeat working sets for 4 sets total
B1) Functional isometric deadlift
385 x 8s hold
395 x 8s hold
405 x 8s hold
415 x 8s hold, 120 rest
B2) Sumo deadlift
385 x 3
395 x 3
405 x 3
415 x 3, 120s rest
B3) Power snatch (from hang)
115 x 5, 120s
Repeat working sets for 4 sets total

Got it done in the gym today so I can go out and have some fun tonight. Wu Tang at Hammerstein Ballroom! I have been pumped for this since I bought tickets a month ago and it should be an awesome time. Good thing I have the day off lifting tomorrow - I have the feeling this may be a long night…

100

[quote]Dan Thompson wrote:
Day Forty-nine:

Weekly weigh-in:

Weight: 186 lbs
Waist: 32.50"

Lost 2 lbs this week and almost a half inch off my waist, despite increasing my calories from last week(?). Obviously I am not going to complain too much about this, since I do look a little more defined, but the point here is to gain muscle, not lose fat/weight.

Apparently coconut oil works!

I actually think this has to do more with the fact that I dropped the carbs a little and switched to a more fat-intensive diet. Also, the majority of my protein sources are fairly lean (chicken, tuna, etc), and adding coconut oil has helped to add in some more saturated fats and even out my lipid profiles (sat/mono/poly).

Whatever it is, I like what I see in the mirror.

I guess that means I will just have to eat more food from here on out. I’m alright with that! [/quote]

Excellent, I hope this keeps up. How much coconut oil are you taking in per day?