MaxStr. II, Day D, Workout 1

Wish I had known while doing 10/10 what "speed" lifts really entailed. It's not tiring (even at the 10 sets I did this morning), but one needs to control the explosiveness of the movement. I had more trouble with the Close grip bench presses although I never did them over 200lbs. before. In fact, I tried one extra set at 224lbs. with a spotter, and I could see I'm going to have to work on my right forearm/grip if I want to go heavier (and I don't want to start relying on my wrist straps just yet).

Anyway, today is the 31st, and I'll be taking the day off tomorrow. Have a Happy New Year!

MaxStr. II, Day B, Workout 1

"B" is for biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis and them getting beaten up badly as all of today's exercises blasted them into smithereens.

MaxStr. II, Day A, Workout 1

For a couple of new exercises, I succeeded in doing the Single-leg squat to box but failed to do Natural glute-ham raises. My hamstrings couldn't support my torso past a certain angle, much less lower it slowly down parallel to the floor. Didn't help that my gym never had the apparatus for the albeit unusual exercise. Tempted to switch to light Leg curls on the machine just to get my hamstrings into shape.

MaxStr. I, Day D, Workout 4

Wrapped up Maximum Strength Phase I this morning and celebrated today's milestone with a long overdue massage, which targeted my chest and arms more than usual (guess there's more to massage, but I'll let you guys be the judge the next time I post my progress pics).

Over the next two weeks, I'll be spreading out the first four workouts of Phase II to change my schedule. If I feel up to it, I'll slip in a couple of cardio sessions and practice workouts (very low weight, high rep) to burn off some of the Christmas calories I've been accumulating.

MaxStr. I, Day C, Workout 4

As much as I hate Front squats, I have no choice but to keep doing them since they're programmed in every single phase of Maximum Strength. I guess this is karma for not having to do them at all during StrongLifts. Who knows, maybe when I'm done with the book I'll like them better than regular Squats... not.

MaxStr. I, Day B, Workout 4

It's always great hearing "all you" from your spotter after putting in everything you've got and then some into that last Bench press rep. Also, I'm pretty glad for having finally complete a full DB Incline set at 90lbs. It was hairy there for the first and last reps, but I got through it.

MaxStr. I, Day A, Workout 4

After reaching my "high" last week, this week I'll be on going "low" on the wrap-up of Maximum Strength's Phase I. Over the past month, I've been practicing a few of the exercises for Phase II, but I need to substitute one or two of those (or at least make it easier for a fat-ass like myself).

What I've been remiss about doing are the Soft tissue work and Mobility drills, but I'll see if I can incorporate some of the them into Phase II with the exception of the exercises that require a foam roller, which I still haven't been able to find locally. I did get a hold of an old tennis ball, and it worked pretty well this morning.

MaxStr. I, Day D, Workout 3

After 3 weeks into Maximum Strength with my current schedule, I've gotten used to a 4-day split again but am resentful of losing my weekends because of it. Fortunately, I can take advantage of the upcoming screwed up holiday schedule and ease from T-Th-Sat-Sun to Sat-M-W-Th. I would've preferred the plain ol' M-W-F-Sat, but due to a prior commitment, I need to keep my Fridays clear.

MaxStr. I, Day C, Workout 3

Despite missing two cardio sessions and having one too many cheat meals,  I was surprised to see that I lost weight the past week and am now below 190lbs. again. With the holidays coming up, I hope I can manage to keep this up.

MaxStr. I, Day B, Workout 3

Although most of the exercises in Maximum Strength are the same, the number of sets and reps per exercise changes every week depending on the level of intensity. This week I'm on "High", and any Bench press with over 6 sets should be banned.

MaxStr. I, Day A, Workout 3

Slowly getting the hang of doing explosive movements, and I can see how this could help my heavier lifts later on by reinforcing the brain-muscle flex connection.

MaxStr. I, Day D, Workout 2

Went to the gym nearer to where I lived, so I wouldn't tire myself out with traveling home since I haven't fully recovered from my cough and cold. Weather here has been bipolar--switches from hot to cool and back to hot again without warning--which always makes me susceptible to getting sick.

MaxStr. I, Day C, Workout 2

Been fighting off a cold since last night when I came home late from a company party, but it didn't affect my workout too much. Still, I'll do myself a favor and take it easy the rest of the day.

MaxStr. I, Day B, Workout 2

I had the power but not the endurance to finish the last set of Incline DB bench presses at 90lbs. My right bicep and forearm muscles had to work a lot just to keep the weight stable (the neutral grip didn't make things easier), and eventually I couldn't get past the sticking point on the upward drive. That's the good thing about DB exercises though: one can easily see which side of one's body needs to catch up.

MaxStr. I, Day A, Workout 2

Boy, I hope waking up one hour later than I should've doesn't become a habit (twice already the past few days), but I'm glad I didn't wake up "tired" like I sometimes do even when I sleep in at the usual time. I'm probably still getting used to a 4x-a-week schedule again.

Height	5'3"	Nov 08
Weight	191 lbs.	-1.5 lbs.
Chest	43"	no change
Neck	16"	no change
Upper Arms (unflexed)	15.5"/15.25"	+0.125/no change
Upper Arms (flexed)	16"/15.875"	no change/no change
Forearms	12"/11.875"	no change/no change
Waist at navel	37"	-1"
Hips	43"	-0.5"
Thighs	25"/25"	-0.5"/-0.5"
Calves	15.875"/15.875"	no change/no change

Waist, hips and thighs shrunk while everything else stayed steady. Not bad, but I'll have to do a lot better with the weight loss if I ever plan to start out as a novice powerlifter because I'm around 25-30lbs. heavier than the weight class I could comfortably be in (75kg). Over the next few months, I'll try slowly working my way down to 181lbs. (82.5kg) first and see if I can maintain my strength levels. Rapid weight loss can lead to loss of strength.