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Saturday December 29th, my 10 week program came to an end. It was a fun and fascinating experience. I will go in detail on what I exactly did, for what reason, my difficulties and results. You can scroll down, the TLDR version will be at the bottom:
*I need to say that I don't have any pictures or videos to prove my claims. I did not document this, so you just need to believe me guys. One love
I'll try to keep this as short as possible.
My fitness journey started 7 years ago when I was 17 years old. 6ft1 tall, I weighted 148lbs the first time I stepped on the scale in the YMCA locker room.
Youtube fitness content creators like Elliott Hulse, Omar Isuf and many more had an impact on me.
Weightlifting became a passion, an identity, something I did every day of the week.
I lifted weights from September 2011 - October 2013. Bulking from 148lbs to 208.5lbs and making a lot of gains in the process. I recall struggling benching 65lbs, in two years I was repping 185lbs for 5 reps, squatting 275lbs and deadlifting 365lbs.
In October 2013, wanting to accomplish a dream I always had, I decided to start training Muay Thai full time. The transition from powerlifting to Muay Thai is a whole other discussion and I can say it's not easy. After 14 months of training I dropped from 208.5 to 167bs, I was fight ready.
From November 2014 - September 2017, I competed several times, at 155lbs, in Muay Thai, Boxing and Kickboxing. My training consisted of running, hitting the pads, clinching and hitting the bag. I did a little bit of kettle bell work and shoulder rehab post workout. I rarely if ever lifted weights.
I managed the gym I trained at, so it gave me the opportunity to workout twice a day.
This was basically my life for 4 years.
Injuries sealed the deal for me. The training was very intense and it started not being fun anymore. Preparing for a fight was very stressful for me and It wasn't something I saw myself doing in the long run.
What of officially ended it was a collarbone fracture that required surgery.
They had to drill a metal plate in my shoulder and it took me about 4 months before my shoulder felt back to normal. I travelled around the world and started a new career.
All of that added up, I was physically inactive for 1 year.
I went from competing at 155lbs to walking at 196lbs.
I became fat and even started smoking cigarettes.
I remember looking at myself in the mirror one morning and being shocked by how fast I lost shape.
1 year prior I was competing in semi-pro Muay Thai, now I'm a skinny-fat, 6ft2, 196lbs cigarette smoker.
It was time I went back to the gym and weightlifting was calling me.
September 10th 2018, I couldn't do 1 pull-up and had trouble doing 12 push-ups (It's a shitty feeling).
Squatted 135lbs for 5x5 on my first leg workout and was sore for 3 days.
This is a long read, I'm sorry but bare with me.
Being a competitive person, in September, I challenged my friend to a squat challenge.
I claimed that at the end of 2018, I would squat more than him, plain and simple.
We agreed to a 5 rep max PR showdown, on December 29th 2018.
He was squatting 245lbs for 6 reps at the time, I was squatting 135lbs for 5 reps.
Being a prideful person, I had to at least try my best to win the challenge.
I researched dozens of different squat based programs, but the one that peaked my curiosity was the Bulgarian Training method. Something about squatting every day felt risky and challenging.
So I started reading the pros and cons of that training method (found way more cons than pros).
I then built my own personalized "squat every day" program which was heavily inspired by the Bulgarian method but very different in many ways.
My program started Monday October 15th 2018:
Monday: Legs
.Low-Bar Squat (5x5)
.Conventional Deadlift (8x3)
.Bulgarian Split-Squat (10x3)
.Leg Press (10x3)
Tuesday: Push
.Front Squat (8x2)
.Bench Press (5x5)
.Overhead Press (5x5)
.Incline Dumbbell Press (10x3)
.Pec-Deck (12x3)
.Lateral Raises (12x3)
Wednesday: Pull
.Low-Bar Pause Squat (3x3, 3 sec pause)
.Chin-Ups (5x5)
.Bent-Over-Row (5x5)
.Lateral Pull-Down (10x3)
.Single-Hand Dumbbell Row (10x3)
.Reverse Dumbbell Flies (12x3)
Thursday: Legs
.High-Bar Squat (8x2)
.Conventional Deadlift (8x3)
.Bulgarian Split-Squat (10x3)
.Leg Press (10x3)
Friday: Push
.Low-Bar Box Squat (2x3)
.Bench Press (10x3)
.Overhead Press (10x3)
.Incline Dumbbell Press (8x3)
.Pec-Deck (12x3)
.Lateral Raises (12x3)
Saturday: Pull
(no fucking squats)
.Chin-Ups (5x5)
.Bent-Over-Row (8x3)
.Lateral Pull-Down (8x3)
.Single-Hand Dumbbell Row (8x3)
.Reverse Dumbbell Flies (12x3)
.Barbell Curls (10x3)
I did this for 10 weeks... I only missed two days.
A couple things I should explain very fast:
1) I did not go very heavy on every work out/week. I knew my chances of getting injured were high, so I made sure I wasn't adding weight to fast.
2) Every workout was preceded with about 30 minutes of dynamic stretching.
3) Week 4 & 8 were deload weeks. I reduced the weights considerably to avoid frying my CNS.
A couple difficulties I encountered:
1) Pacing myself. I was getting stronger very fast and it was difficult to not add that extra 10lbs you think you can squat.
2) Ripping 3 pants because my ass just blew up.
3) Lifting too heavy on week 9, which resulted in me feeling weaker on week 10.
Results:
I added 130lbs to my squat, going from 155lbs to 285lbs for 5 reps, in 10 weeks.
I went from 196lbs to 207.5lbs in bodyweight, while increasing my number of chin-ups.
I was and still am shocked at the speed at which I gained my strength back.
Adding up my years of Muay Thai and inactivity, I hadn't lifted heavy weights in 5 years.
In just 10 weeks, I was already squatting more than I used too.
I won the challenge, squatting only 5lbs more than my friend.
FYI: I also stopped smoking cigarettes the day I started this program. I still don't smoke to this day.
This was a unique experience, I know it sounds cliche but when you put your mind to something, it's hard not to be successful. I went from fit to unfit to fit again, this year was a difficult one for me and I'm proud I ended it with a crazy challenge like this one. One love Sherbros, stay strong, believe in yourself and keep on keeping on.
TLDR:
In 10 weeks, I added 130lbs to my squat, going from 155lbs to 285lbs for 5 reps.
*I need to say that I don't have any pictures or videos to prove my claims. I did not document this, so you just need to believe me guys. One love
I'll try to keep this as short as possible.
My fitness journey started 7 years ago when I was 17 years old. 6ft1 tall, I weighted 148lbs the first time I stepped on the scale in the YMCA locker room.
Youtube fitness content creators like Elliott Hulse, Omar Isuf and many more had an impact on me.
Weightlifting became a passion, an identity, something I did every day of the week.
I lifted weights from September 2011 - October 2013. Bulking from 148lbs to 208.5lbs and making a lot of gains in the process. I recall struggling benching 65lbs, in two years I was repping 185lbs for 5 reps, squatting 275lbs and deadlifting 365lbs.
In October 2013, wanting to accomplish a dream I always had, I decided to start training Muay Thai full time. The transition from powerlifting to Muay Thai is a whole other discussion and I can say it's not easy. After 14 months of training I dropped from 208.5 to 167bs, I was fight ready.
From November 2014 - September 2017, I competed several times, at 155lbs, in Muay Thai, Boxing and Kickboxing. My training consisted of running, hitting the pads, clinching and hitting the bag. I did a little bit of kettle bell work and shoulder rehab post workout. I rarely if ever lifted weights.
I managed the gym I trained at, so it gave me the opportunity to workout twice a day.
This was basically my life for 4 years.
Injuries sealed the deal for me. The training was very intense and it started not being fun anymore. Preparing for a fight was very stressful for me and It wasn't something I saw myself doing in the long run.
What of officially ended it was a collarbone fracture that required surgery.
They had to drill a metal plate in my shoulder and it took me about 4 months before my shoulder felt back to normal. I travelled around the world and started a new career.
All of that added up, I was physically inactive for 1 year.
I went from competing at 155lbs to walking at 196lbs.
I became fat and even started smoking cigarettes.
I remember looking at myself in the mirror one morning and being shocked by how fast I lost shape.
1 year prior I was competing in semi-pro Muay Thai, now I'm a skinny-fat, 6ft2, 196lbs cigarette smoker.
It was time I went back to the gym and weightlifting was calling me.
September 10th 2018, I couldn't do 1 pull-up and had trouble doing 12 push-ups (It's a shitty feeling).
Squatted 135lbs for 5x5 on my first leg workout and was sore for 3 days.
This is a long read, I'm sorry but bare with me.
Being a competitive person, in September, I challenged my friend to a squat challenge.
I claimed that at the end of 2018, I would squat more than him, plain and simple.
We agreed to a 5 rep max PR showdown, on December 29th 2018.
He was squatting 245lbs for 6 reps at the time, I was squatting 135lbs for 5 reps.
Being a prideful person, I had to at least try my best to win the challenge.
I researched dozens of different squat based programs, but the one that peaked my curiosity was the Bulgarian Training method. Something about squatting every day felt risky and challenging.
So I started reading the pros and cons of that training method (found way more cons than pros).
I then built my own personalized "squat every day" program which was heavily inspired by the Bulgarian method but very different in many ways.
My program started Monday October 15th 2018:
Monday: Legs
.Low-Bar Squat (5x5)
.Conventional Deadlift (8x3)
.Bulgarian Split-Squat (10x3)
.Leg Press (10x3)
Tuesday: Push
.Front Squat (8x2)
.Bench Press (5x5)
.Overhead Press (5x5)
.Incline Dumbbell Press (10x3)
.Pec-Deck (12x3)
.Lateral Raises (12x3)
Wednesday: Pull
.Low-Bar Pause Squat (3x3, 3 sec pause)
.Chin-Ups (5x5)
.Bent-Over-Row (5x5)
.Lateral Pull-Down (10x3)
.Single-Hand Dumbbell Row (10x3)
.Reverse Dumbbell Flies (12x3)
Thursday: Legs
.High-Bar Squat (8x2)
.Conventional Deadlift (8x3)
.Bulgarian Split-Squat (10x3)
.Leg Press (10x3)
Friday: Push
.Low-Bar Box Squat (2x3)
.Bench Press (10x3)
.Overhead Press (10x3)
.Incline Dumbbell Press (8x3)
.Pec-Deck (12x3)
.Lateral Raises (12x3)
Saturday: Pull
(no fucking squats)
.Chin-Ups (5x5)
.Bent-Over-Row (8x3)
.Lateral Pull-Down (8x3)
.Single-Hand Dumbbell Row (8x3)
.Reverse Dumbbell Flies (12x3)
.Barbell Curls (10x3)
I did this for 10 weeks... I only missed two days.
A couple things I should explain very fast:
1) I did not go very heavy on every work out/week. I knew my chances of getting injured were high, so I made sure I wasn't adding weight to fast.
2) Every workout was preceded with about 30 minutes of dynamic stretching.
3) Week 4 & 8 were deload weeks. I reduced the weights considerably to avoid frying my CNS.
A couple difficulties I encountered:
1) Pacing myself. I was getting stronger very fast and it was difficult to not add that extra 10lbs you think you can squat.
2) Ripping 3 pants because my ass just blew up.
3) Lifting too heavy on week 9, which resulted in me feeling weaker on week 10.
Results:
I added 130lbs to my squat, going from 155lbs to 285lbs for 5 reps, in 10 weeks.
I went from 196lbs to 207.5lbs in bodyweight, while increasing my number of chin-ups.
I was and still am shocked at the speed at which I gained my strength back.
Adding up my years of Muay Thai and inactivity, I hadn't lifted heavy weights in 5 years.
In just 10 weeks, I was already squatting more than I used too.
I won the challenge, squatting only 5lbs more than my friend.
FYI: I also stopped smoking cigarettes the day I started this program. I still don't smoke to this day.
This was a unique experience, I know it sounds cliche but when you put your mind to something, it's hard not to be successful. I went from fit to unfit to fit again, this year was a difficult one for me and I'm proud I ended it with a crazy challenge like this one. One love Sherbros, stay strong, believe in yourself and keep on keeping on.
TLDR:
In 10 weeks, I added 130lbs to my squat, going from 155lbs to 285lbs for 5 reps.
