T Nation and Dan John Changed My Life!

Bigger Stronger Leaner
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This site helped make me a beast in the weight-room and on the track and in the swimming pool and with the ladies!

I came here last year asking for some information and you all delivered.

After messing around for a month with a different workout each day and week to see what appealed to me. I found my calling.

I decided to put a twist on Dan John’s One Lift A Day. I didn’t pick the sets/reps he suggested, because talking to some strong guys at my gym, didn’t felt like it was aggressive enough.

I live next to high school track and have access to their swimming pool as well.
I workout in my garage 80% of the time.

My days were setup like this:

Sunday - Front Squat 10x5, RDL 10x5, Sprints
Monday - Bench Press 5x8, Pull Ups 5x12, Swim
Tuesday - Back Squat 10x3, GHR 4x12, Walk
Wednesday - Overhead Press 10x6, BB Rows 5x10, Hurdles
Thursday - BW Exercise Only Day, Swim
Friday - Deadlift 10x3, Lunges 10x6, Sprints
Saturday - BB Complex (picked random ones online), Walk

I breakdance 4x a week at night.

This has caused the following changes:
5’5 - 153lbs - 28yr old male → 5’6 (suprise!) - 168lbs - 29yr old
*I think an inch added to my height because my posture improved dramatically.

I just tested my 2RM last week, this is what I got:

Front Squat - 175 → 295
Back Squat - 205 → 355
Deadlift - 245 → 385
Bench Press - 145 → 250
Overhead Press - 105 → 180
BB Rows - 115 → 255
Chin Ups - 7 → 22
40 time - 5.1 → 4.6
50 freestyle (swim) - 43s → 27s
Headspins - 3 → 25
Windmills - 7 → can go forever
Flares - 4 → 12
90s - 5 → 11

I’ve become incredibly athletic. When I go to the bboy (breakdance) battles I’m usually now one of the more jacked guys there. Even the girls be approaching me. T Nation gave me the advice I needed to change my life.

I LOVE YOU ALL, THANK YOU!

and special shout out to @MarkKO for putting me on the right path!

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The chins. Oh holy wow the chins! Then the other increases…

I’m really glad you’ve done so well.

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Thank you! I think chin ups, pull ups, dips, inverted rows, and all those BW exercises came much easier to me because of the 10+ years of on/off break-dancing I’ve been doing. Plus I’m light.

But couldn’t of had that type of progress without your initial advice to me man. So in return, thank you and I appreciate it!

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Just read this and your original thread. Great progress, have you thought of starting a training log on here? I’d be interested to read it.

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Thank you! I will start a log soon. I feel like I have a “unique” way of training. Especially with all the breakdancing, adds a different dynamic compared to most people who lift seriously.

All my friends think I “overtrain” but after the 1st month of training like this I’m never deeply sore. I take off days when my body tells me I should. Usually every 3 weeks I’ll take 3-4 straight days off and then get back to it.

I think I understand how these movie stars get into amazing shape within 3-6 months. You gotta bust ass every day for that time frame.

But yes I’ll start a log soon so everyone can see what a typical week or month looks like for me.

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@Serge_A_Storms don’t you do a bit of this?

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Sure do!

I’ve got five inches, twenty pounds, and fourteen years on the kid, but yeah, similar stuff.

Jealous of the flares.

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Sounds like you’ve put in a lot of hard work OP. Congratulations on your progress!

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Great to hear, really good progress

Even if feel fine I really would take one whole day off all gym stuff every week, especially with all the breakdancing on top. Among other things In the long term you’re making yourself alot more injury prone

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You are right. Some days I just take off. Sunday’s especially with football I haven’t been doing the complexes as of late.

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Just started a training log if anyone wants to follow!

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There’s a lot of dogma out there about “overtraining” that’s just too simplified to be of any real meaning.

If you eat well, sleep well, and stay in tune with your body, it’s no surprise you can handle more volume than what some arbitrary rule says.

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