Og's Log

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

Started the Neanderthol No More program today.

OG HURT LIKE BITCH.

It’s great. I feel like a tired 10 year old kid. I think I’m two inches taller. My eyes focus better. Did I mention it’s a great program?

Slightly OT: I broke out of a year long depression today. I left my dad’s business about a year ago today, and then he had a heart attack. He totally gave up on life. I always blamed myself.

Today he asks me if I’m still going to the YMCA. “Yeahhhh?” “I want to go check out the athletic club in town” he says. Then I saw it. The light was back in his eyes. He wasn’t dying! I mean, sure, we’re ALL dying, and his fuse is a lot shorter than mine, but he’s FIGHTING BACK.

Hell. Yes.

Also, my (Culinary Arts Major) girlfriend just landed the head cake decorator job at her bakery. Some old lady quit, and she had the job same day.

I didn’t even have to use my A-K. Today was a good day.

Train hard go far!

-Og

2

Monday:

Warmed up with 15 minutes of stretching and foam rolling.

(Format: A1/A2 is a superset, rest indicated)

A1 Supine Bridges 3x15
A2 Warrior Lunge Stretch 15sec per side
no rest

B1 Snatch Grip Deads 6x8 135 lbs
B2 IT Band Stretch 20sec per side
1 min rest

C Barbell Stepups 4x12 per leg 85 lbs
60sec rest after each full set (both legs)

D1 Dead Bug Twists 6X15
D2 Side Hip Thrusts 3X15 per side
no rest

Foam rolling was basically doing everything that hurts. My hip flexors are made of concrete, I swear. I also have bad asymmetry problems, my left side is higher (I think?) and much, much tighter.

The first set was really easy. Those supine bridges are, shall we say, “One of my strong points.” Wink wink nudge nudge.

I went light on the Snatch Grip deads, I haven’t done them with that wide a grip before. I wanted to nail the form, learn how to get my butt low and “sit” into it instead of lifting with my lower back.

I went relatively heavy on the stepups by comparison. Those are manmakers, I felt like throwing up a few times, and you really need to keep balance too. My favorite movement of the night.

The dead bug twists are just goofy, you think you’re just dicking around and then you move to thrusts and almost puke. I think it’s all ab exercises, but I have weak abs so that’s good.

Train hard go far!

-Og

3

Wednesday:

(Format: Do A1, do A2, then rest)

A1 Pronated Med Grip Row 6x10 100lb
A2 pec stretch 15sec per side
Rest 1:30

B1) Face pulls 3x10 70lb
B2) Decline barbell extension 3x10 50lb
Rest 60sec

C1) Rear Delt Fly 3x10 40lb
C2) Low Pulley External Rotations 3x10 per side 10lb ???
C3) Dip Shrugs 3x15 BW
Rest 60sec

D1) High to low Cable Woodchops 3x10 per side 45lb
No rest

Og pissed off!

The low pulley external rotations were just ridiculous! I hope I’m doing it wrong, because I felt extremely weak and kept trying to cheat. The “towel test” keeps you honest, but also keeps you damn weak. All I could feel was some weird isolated muscles in my arm hurting, and nothing else. But that’s the whole point of the Neanderthol workout: to expose your weak spots and crush them with a stone hammer!

Og lard ass! Fat and hairy like mammoth!

The mirrors tell me I’m a fat shit. Apparently “bulking” did just that. Two years ago I got a modeling offer, and now even my ASS is fat. Fuck. I’m going to implement a low-carb approach while I’m doing this program. I took the diet I already ate, dropped down to 50 carbs/day, and then added in some fats and a decent PWO.

Here’s the proposed diet, see what you think:

2 scoops low carb MD
1 cup blueberries

2 hard boiled eggs

large chicken breast
2 cup broccoli
1 tomato
6 fish oils

(workout day: 4/week)
*1 scoop Surge
*1 orange
*20 BCAA
*2 scoops whey

large chicken breast
2 cups spinach
1 tbsp olive oil

2 scoops low carb MD
1 tablespoon PB
2 stalks celery
6 fish oils

I like to eat the same thing every day. It’s good for me psychologically, and I can track how my body reacts better. I try to be attuned to my body, for some reason it’s important to me. So much of this game is elementary, I think people brutally overexamine things. If cheese make Og sick, Og not eat cheese. Duh!

So far, everything is good. Workout takes a while, but it’s a lot of stretching too, so hopefully it’s rehabbing me. Left side is still tight as hell, left pec stretch HURT. Right side is fine. Strength is symmetrically balanced thankfully, it’s only a flexibility issue.

Og listen to smart people! Suggestions welcome!

Train hard go far!

-Og

4

I slacked off last week. No excuses. I told more people about this log, make the cost of failure harder. I have to learn some discipline. So, back to it:

Monday:

A1 Heels elevated front squats 6 sets 3,2,1,3,2,1 reps 135lb/90lb (read below)
A2 Warrior lunge stretch 15 seconds per side
rest 2 mins

B1 walking lunges 3 sets 10 steps per leg (20 steps per set) BW
B2 IT band stretch 15sec per side
1 min rest

C split squat isometric holds BW 1 min per leg OUCH
rest 30sec between legs, 1 min before D1

D1 pull throughs 4x12
D2 pulldown abs 4x12
supersets no rest

E1 DB dorsiflexion 2x20 30lb
E2 calf stretch 15sec per leg

Og TOTALLY MISREAD the front squats. I actually thought, looking at it, that it meant “do 3 reps, 2 reps, 1 rep, 3, 2, 1, and that’s ONE SET.” Fuck! My wrists started killing after about the 30th squat and I had to drop the weight from suck to shit. Whatever. Next time I do these heavy and with the arms crossed position.

Og should have weighted the lunges too, I underestimated my strength in these. I used to suck at these bad, apparently five days of rest helps here? Regardless, I’m working out like a damn girl.

Split squat iso holds: BRUTAL. I can’t imagine doing these with weight. It hurts sooooo bad.

The ab stuff is ab stuff, meh. I’m sure I’ll be all Brad Pitt after this, but the inch of marshmallow fluff over my entire torso tells me otherwise. Speaking of, I start my low carb journey today. Tweaked the diet a little more, it’s at 250g protein, 85g fat, and around 50g carbs. Should be ok.

-Og

5

Wednesday:

A1 decline close grip bench 3,2,1,3,2,1 185/205/215lb
A2 chest supported t-bar row 6x6 70lb
A3 SCM stretches 15sec/side (stretches neck muscles)
did A1/A2 no rest, then 90sec rest while doing A3

B1 single arm low pulley cable row 3x10 50lb
B2 pec stretch 15sec/side
60sec rest after hitting both arms

C1 DB external rotation elbow supported 3x10
C2 one-arm prone trap raises 3x10
perform C1/C2 on same arm, then switch
60sec rest after hitting both arms

D Saxon Side Bends 4x6 per side 20lb (2x10lb DB)

Og finally read the 3,2,1,3,2,1 right, and did heavy singles on the bench. The SCM stretches earned a few funny looks, but since about half the guys in there were speaking Russian, Og didn’t feel TOO bad about funny looks.

Always the dumbass, I also noticed just today that I’m supposed to be doing mad stretching on my off days! Shit! My eyes must have glazed over that part of the program. I’ll get right to it starting tomorrow. I’ve already been doing a few stretches at work, and noticing a difference in how my shoes feel on my feet.

That probably sounds strange, but the way you carry yourself can determine how your shoes fit, or if you get blisters, or how your shirts and pants fit. I’m trying to get more attuned to this. I think that’s part of the caveman thing too, listen and pay attention to your body, do what it asks, because it has about a billion years experience on you. IT KNOWS.

-Og

6

Thursday:

A ton of stretching! I did all the stretches I learned through the program, plus chin tucks, good morning stretches, lat stretch, and side bend stretches. I didn’t do any of the floor stuff like bridges, I’ll have to remember to do those at home before I sleep. I also need a theraband (?) which I guess is a bungee cord that costs more.

Friday:
A1 Supine Bridges 3x15 legs on a swiss ball
A2 Warrior Lunge Stretch 15sec per side
60sec rest total (do A2 during rest)

B1 Snatch Grip Deads 6x8 165 lbs
B2 IT Band Stretch 20sec per side
1 min rest

C Barbell Stepups 4x12 per leg 85 lbs
60sec rest after each full set (both legs)

D1 Dead Bug Twists 3X15
D2 Side Hip Thrusts 3X15 per side
no rest

This time I raised my legs so the supine bridges would be at least a LITTLE difficult. I also increased the weight on my snatch grip deads, it still feels like I’m pulling that weight from Hell itself, but I’m getting more used to the depth now. The ab stuff also kicked my ass good.

Now that I’ve done almost the entire program, I’d have to say the most painful thing by far is the SCM stretches where you pull your head down or to the side. It gives me the most violent headache imaginable, and it feels like I’m going to rip my head clean off. The only good part about that stretch is when it stops. The IT band stretches are also brutal. My whole IT band is tight…IT band, like Kraftwerk? You know, IT…computers…nevermind.

-Og

7

Monday

A1) Pronated Med Grip Row 6x10 90lb
A2) pec stretch 15sec per side
Rest 60sec

B1) Face pulls 3x10 50lb
B2) Decline barbell extension 3x10 50lb
Rest 60sec

C1) Rear Delt Fly 3x10 20lbx2-DB
C2) Low Pulley External Rotations 3x10 per side 20lb
C3) Dip Shrugs 3x15 BW
Rest 60sec

D) High to low Cable Woodchops 3x10 per side 45lb
No rest

Og felt like hell this weekend, slept way too late and laid around the house like a lump. The girl got sick, so it was my turn, luckily I fought it off by overdosing Vitamin C. Still was tired though. All my weights went down since last week too, except for that bastard external rotation, the goofiest and most unnatural movement I’ve ever done. My back also hurts so bad I’m wearing an old back brace up really high around my rib cage. It’s the exact muscles that would hurt when I slouch, which makes sense.

On the bright side, I dropped the rest of the carbs out of my diet, except for 1 scoop of Surge during workout. I also got some nifty “before” pictures, although I won’t look any different if I keep halfassing the program. I need to get on the ball.

-Og

8

Tuesday:

Tons of stretching and foam rolling. Still haven’t done the bridges or supermans yet. I don’t know what’s holding me back.

Wednesday:

A1 front squats 3x10 155lb
A2 warrior lunge stretch 15 seconds per side
rest 2 mins

B1 walking lunges 3 sets 10 steps per leg (20 steps per set) 25lb
B2 IT band stretch 15sec per side
rest 1 min

C split squat iso holds BW 1 min per leg (these HURT)
rest 30sec between legs, 1 min before D1

D1 pull throughs 4x12 30lb
D2 pulldowns 4x12 30lb
supersets no rest

E1 DB dorsiflexion 2x20 10lb long holds at top
E2 calf stretch 15sec per leg

The back was still feeling sore from Monday, so instead of heavy singles, I went with straight sets on the front squats. It felt pretty good. Added weight to the lunges, that felt good too. The split squat BLOWS, it’s 60 seconds of absolute pain. The ab stuff is starting to get fun, I’ve never really had “abs” and I can feel my entire stomach getting harder. Cool.

A nice bonus is hypertrophy. I didn’t really expect much, but I’m getting some definition in my back, legs, chest and shoulders. It might just be since I’m stretching the fascia so much, the muscles look bigger now. Hey, I’ll take it.

Low carb is going fine. One scoop of Surge pre, 2 scoops whey post, tons of BCAA throughout. I drift in and out of ketosis. I’m pretty well adapted, no energy swings anymore. Og like.

-Og

9

Thursday:

Valentine’s Day. I handed a dozen roses and a card that said “Remember, blowjobs are like flowers for guys” to the lovely lady. Yes, of course it worked. Stuff like that ALWAYS works.

Friday:

A1 decline close grip bench 3,2,1,3,2,1 165/175/185lb
A2 chest supported t-bar row 6x6 100lb
A3 SCM stretches 15sec/side
did A1/A2 no rest, then 2min rest while doing A3

B1 single arm low pulley cable row 3x10 50lb
B2 pec stretch 15sec/side
60sec rest after hitting both arms

C1 DB external rotation elbow supported 3x10 30lb
C2 one-arm prone trap raises 3x10 30lb
perform C1/C2 on same arm, then switch
60sec rest after hitting both arms

D Saxon Side Bends 4x6 per side BW

I continue to lose fat, gain muscle, and become more flexible. I went heavier on the DB stuff tonight, but I wasn’t feeling it on the bench. I actually got pinned once with 175, it’s been a while since I got pinned. My upper back is still sore, and my hips feel stiff. I think I’ll get on the foam roller tomorrow and hit everything twice.

Also need to do my damn planks and supermans, they are like the bane of my existence. I have NEVER done them yet, and I’m supposed to do them every other day! That just makes me so upset I want to throw up, I’m so goddamn sick of failing. Og so pissed he can hardly think, which is exactly what it takes to succeed. I’ve failed sooooo many times. This time is different. I have a destination, I have a path. Just keep walking, one foot in front of the other…

-Og

10

Saturday:

Shingled a roof alone. Huge workout! But it needed to be done.

Sunday:

Recovered from Saturday. Ouch! Stretched, rolled, and rested.

Og sees two points here:

  1. A desk jockey just did a hard day’s labor.
  2. T-Nation kept my body strong so I could do that.

Every day I get a little closer to becoming the man I want to be. Thanks again, T-Nation.

-Og

11

Monday:

A1 Supine Bridges 3x15 legs on a swiss ball
A2 Warrior Lunge Stretch 15sec per side
60sec rest total (do A2 during rest)

B1 Snatch Grip Deads 6x6 180 lbs
B2 IT Band Stretch 30sec per side
1 min rest

C Barbell Stepups 4x10 per leg 100 lbs
60sec rest after each full set (both legs)

D1 Dead Bug Twists 3X15
D2 Side Hip Thrusts 3X15 per side
no rest

Added a little weight to every lift today. It still feels like I’m deadlifting from the bowels of Hell, but I’m starting to feel more comfortable about it. I’ll get the weight up soon, now that I’m learning to lift deep. It’s sad to see the numbers, because I can sumo twice that, but I’m starting to “get it”.

Tomorrow is the true test. Will I do my bridges and supermans? Stay tuned to find out.

-Og

12

Tuesday:

HA I DID EM. EFF YES.

Chin Tucks on back 2x20
Prone Cobras 2 sets each position (9 and 3, 10 and 2) 10sec hold
Single leg knee to chest on foam roller (wtf) 2x15
Supine Bridges 2x25
Side Bridges 30sec hold each side
Prone Bridges 60sec hold
Scap Pushups 2x20

Plus assload of stretches, foam rolling, twisting and turning.

The “grab a doorway and pull” lat stretch was a welcome addition. The single leg bosu ball whatevers were just bullshit, all I did is wobble around and fall a dozen times. Oh, and the cobras? HARD AS FUCK. The author says to shoot for 60 seconds. My ass. After 10 seconds I was praying for death.

But I did em. That I did. See you tomorrow.

-Og

13

Aw hell, I leave for vacation, come back, and my last post never went through, and now I look like a douche. Ok, I’ll try to remember what I did, but I can’t remember the poundages or rep ranges. That’s why I keep it in a LOG, augh!

Wednesday:

A1) Pronated Med Grip Row
A2) pec stretch

B1) Face pulls
B2) Decline barbell extension

C1) Rear Delt Fly
C2) Low Pulley External Rotations
C3) Dip Shrugs

D) High to low Cable Woodchops

Took the rest of the week off. Traveled, went hiking, spent some quality time with the girl, got sick at a Ryan’s buffet, the usual vacation nonsense. I’m starting to notice my better posture, the belt sits almost horizontal now. It used to have a bad forward slope. Ok, we now return to your regularly scheduled log.

-Og

14

Monday:

Fun day! I went in and just did tons of deadlifts, curls, military presses, rows, whatever I felt like. I swear my traps grew an inch. Starting phase 2 of Neanderthol on Wednesday.

Wednesday:

Finally ditched the YMCA and signed a 2-year with Gold’s Gym. Oh wow, a gym with more than six 45-lb plates!!! It took like an hour to get signed up, but I had time to do some rack pulls with 315 and that’s about it.

Phase 2 will be Mon/Wed/Sat at Gold’s Gym. Incorporates a lot more big lifts and less fruity yoga bullshit.

I’ll post some before/afters from Phase 1. Dropped 13 lbs since I started this, nice side effect.

-Sab

15

Saturday:

A1 Chest Supported Rows 5x8 120lb
A2 Incline DB Bench 5x8 180lb (2x90lb)
do both, then 60s rest

B1 Bent-over DB lat raise 3x8 20lb (2x10lb)
B2 Prone DB lower trap raise 3x8 20lb (2x10lb)
B3 DB cuban press 3x8 20lb (2x10lb)
do all 3, then 90s rest

C Ab floor roller 5x10 BW

Gold’s Gym is a wonderful oasis of weight lifting! A lot of helpful people, great equipment, and just enough dirt and sweat to make it worth going. I love it. Plus, no mamsy-pamsy frat boys or 12-year-old girls chatting on their cell phones! Just a bunch of people trying to pump some iron. I feel like I have found my home.

Far as the lifts, I realized I need to make my rows and my bench more equal. When I do a single-arm DB row, I can lift 100lb easy, but chest-supported I get weaker. I think this means weak lats? Anywho, this program will fix it, I just need to work on getting those row numbers up.

-Og

16

MONDAY:

Wide Stance Squat 5x5 225lb
Seated Good Mornings 3x10 135lb
Single leg squat 3x8 per leg 70lb
Leg Curls 3x10 200lb
Barbell side bends 3x8 per side 60lb

(end of program, the rest is me being crazy)

Single arm DB rows 3x8 per arm 100lb
DB Curls sets of 5 with 55/35/25/15/10lb
Military press 3x8 60lb

HAHAHAHAHAHA GOLD’S GYM RULES!

Looking up at the neon sign against the dirty brick, listening to the LOUD rock/metal on the surround stereo, surrounded by men (and women) much stronger than myself…something inside just…snapped. I tapped into pure power, I became controlled insanity. This is the best thing that has ever happened.

“O! it is excellent / To have a giant’s strength, but it is tyrannous / To use it like a giant.” -William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

-Og

17

WEDNESDAY:

A1 Double D-handle seated row 6x10
A2 Dips 6x10
60s rest

B1 Chinups 3x8
B2 Band retraction 3x10
60s rest

C DB L-Lateral Raise 3x8 2x40lb

D Single arm DB protraction 3x15 each side 40lb

E Prone Bridge 2x60sec

Plus:

Leg press 3x8 200lb

Calf raises 3x25 100lb

15 minutes HIIT on the treadmill.

Another good day at Gold’s Gym. My brother went with, and we both did the whole set. He’s a hard worker, and we both pushed each other a lot harder to succeed. I am really getting into this.

I think I sucked at the first phase because it was filled with nancy bullshit like bending at odd angles and holding yoga poses. However, I did learn a lot about how (and when) to stretch! I admit I never stretched much before. I am also more cognizant of my body, and especially my posture. I think I have made great improvements in this area.

Comparison pictures coming, I gotta get my girlfriend to take them. I’ll steal an idea from Bushi and draw in some plumb lines to show improved posture. Should be up by Saturday’s post.

-Og

18

SATURDAY

A Rack Pull 8x3 315lb
B Rack Pull 1x15 135lb
C Lunge 3x8
D Wide Squat 4x12 225lb
E Twists 3x6 190lb

(end of program, more insanity follows)

Calf Raises 6x25
Interval Sprints 10min

Another good workout with my brother. He is dedicated to learning the big movements, the squat and rack pull, with excellent form. I’m so happy to have a great gym and a great brother. These are the best days of my life.

-Og

19

MONDAY

A1 Chest Supported Rows 5x8 180/140lb
A2 Incline DB Bench 5x8 230/180lb
do both, then 60s rest

B1 Bent-over DB lat raise 3x8 20lb (2x10lb)
B2 Prone DB lower trap raise 3x8 20lb (2x10lb)
B3 DB cuban press 3x8 20lb (2x10lb)
do all 3, then 90s rest

C Ab floor roller 5x10 BW

(end of program, insanity continues)

D Calf raises 6x25 75lb

E Curls 3xFailure 30/20/10lb

Funfunfun. My girl took some pics, but she hasn’t emailed them to me yet. There is a definite visible difference. I like it.

-Og

20

WEDNESDAY

A Wide Stance Squat 5x5 225lb
B Seated Good Mornings 3x10 135lb
C Single leg squat 3x8 per leg 80lb
D Leg Curls 3x10 200lb
E Barbell side bends 3x8 per side 60lb

SATURDAY

A1 D-handle row 6x10 100lb
A2 Weighted dips 6x6 BW+45lb
B1 Pronated row 3x10 80lb
B2 Supinated row 3x10 80lb
C Lat machine 3x8 120lb
D Single arm DB protraction 3x12 each side 60lb
E Prone Bridge 2x60sec

Sick today, will write more Monday.

-Og