I first read about MAX-OT about three weeks ago and immediately began implementing the concepts into my workout. I met my first goal (before MAXOT) of getting to the gym everyday for some kind of exercise and I was glad to have some solid advice on how to train, rather than just trying to recreate my high school program (which did have many similarities to MAXOT). I got some whey protein and some orange juice and a liquid mineral supplement and I've dropped 5 pounds in 3.5 weeks, but feel like I've gained lean mass. However during those first few weeks I wasn't really following MAXOT as a regular program, I was taking the advice and following John's example to create some kind of hybrid. I kept doing lots of reading though, and after finishing the pdf decided to start my first MAX OT program. (those three weeks of non OT did get me back into lifting mode, however, so I've some idea of where my ranges are in the exercises). I was frustrated with a 3 a week workout that was taking me almost two hours, and not the forty five minutes. so I decided to go with the 5 a week workout

So this week on Feb 2/04 I started a five a week workout. Today I did my legs day.

I'd initially scoffed at the suggestion in MAXOT that you think about your exercise all day, however because of a paper that was due I wasn't able to hit hte gym in the morning but in the evening. As a result I was thinking of working out all day and really focused my mind on not forgetting and committing to get to the gym with the 65-70 minutes a workout takes (hell there's fortyfive minutes of resting alone, no way anyone can do a day that does two key exercises and still get them all in with all the warmups). I initially got to the gym around seven and it was more packed than I'd ever seen. so I turned around did some things and came back at 9:55, which was about as crowded as mid morning. The previous week I'd thought I'd done 115 max squat on 4-6 reps warming up MAX OT style. so I was shooting for 135 (starting this week I started recording all my exercise wieghts on my own spreadsheet). So i did 65x12 and it was good, though I thought it seemed a little heavy and long to get to twelve and was worried about pushing myself to far. the 65x10 seemed to suggest the same thing. Then I upped to 80x6 and that felt lighter than the previous two sets. I started feeling good and excited. on the 105x3 I began to wonder if I wouldn't have any trouble with 135. 120x1 still didn't feel too tough. Then the money on 135. 6 reps, as with all the above reps I was concentrating hard on keeping correct form, getting to just below parallel, keeping the bar on my delts and exploding the weight upwards with intensity. It was so easy I was surprised, so I went on 140, surely I wouldn't be able to maintain that intensity on all three sets? Boom 6 reps no problem, full intensity I'm feeling great. So I say what the hell and go up to 155 full intensity 6 reps and I reach just a little on the final rep. 40 pounds more in one week with MAX OT ! man I was pumped for the rest of my workout. I had been very very disapointed with my squatting weight, well below the maxing I was doing five years ago at 225 after a semester of lifting. I was squatting only slightly more than my bench. But I read up on squatting, adjusted my form, and realized I didn't need to worry and tense myself about the injuries I had feared and instead trust myself to do them right. And hell what a difference. I wouldn't be surprised if I get to 185 or higher next week, I felt I could have gone another 10-20 pounds heavier this week (at least!) to reach positive failure on the fifth or sixth rep.

I was disapointed with my calve workout, I had to cut the warmup because the gym was closing, and I couldn't remember precisely how to do the 45 degree calve press so I did it about three different ways on each set in ways that seemed to stress the muscles.

All around a very good workout day!

since I did very little planning at first, I've been modifying and adjusting my transformation program up to this point. I've been eating intelligently for the last three weeks but have felt I didn't need to count calories or worry about carbs and GI and all that 'junk'. Well the more I read, that flies out the window, so over the next two -three weeks I'm going to be constructing a careful diet plan to get myself on track in that respect, I'll have the right diet fully implemented very soon!

Adam

So much for making this a daily journal

I'm pretty annoyed right now, I left my ID at a photo lab on wednesday and missed that workout, then I forgot about it on thursday when I was there and missed that workout, then on friday I was at a shoot all tday and missed that work out. I thought I wouldn't be able to do one today, but luckily I didn't have to cover a shift, hurray. What I"m planning on doing is making up thursdays tomorrow friday's on monday, and then pushing everything back a day so that this workout week endso n saturday instead of friday. blah, but I'll be going into my fourth week of Max OT or as I see it the end of the first cycle of the MAX OT program (they change up exercises every four weeks, so I'm looking forward to rearranging my exercises).

Today was a good day. I met my first lifting goal! I squatted my weight. My goal today was to shoot for 295 since I did 280 last week with a spotter on that final set. I worked up so that my first set was 285, I knew I could go higher, though I had to push to get to six. I went up to 95 and got my six with good effort. I went up to 200 and got my six with intense effort. Had I done 205 or 210 I think I may not have gotten beyond four -five. Still those are helluva good gains from my first Max OT set in week one (which was 135, followed by 145 and 155, I was still finding what weight I could do). I'm glad exercises are changing after next week, I'm going to be dropping stiff leg dead lifts (they seem to work the lower back and not really the legs), and the leg curls, and I think I'll add an extra set on the 45 leg press and two sets of Lunges--which I've never done, so I'll have to get them right.

Calve workout was good again, damn I can do a lot of weight on this! 285 for the standing calf raise and 335 on the 45 calf raise. :)

A good workout but I used up the last of my protein pre workout and didn't have it when I got back. I hadn't realized how much I do m iss that protein shake after a workout, my all the whey can't get here soon enough!

IU'm going to try to get more journal entries in, especially since I got a BIG complement today, someone commenting that there's no way I"ve just lost seven pounds of fat (that's my overall weight loss) because I look like I've lost a lot more. I'm also noticing definition in my triceps and outer quads, woohoo! fat loss and lean gain, that makes my seemingly paltry seven pound loss much more palatable.

And despite the three days off I maintained at surprisingly the exact same weight as tuesday (last day I weighed) so that gives me an odd straight line on my graph, but it also indicates that my weight has stabilized below 200! 199.5 and going down.

Two goals met today! stable weight below 200 (took me six weeks) and squatting my weight! Next goals are benching 75% of my weight (150) and getting down to 190. Maybe I'll be there in five weeks at the end of this cycle especially if in the next four weeks I start getting three-four days of the killer OT cardio!

Adam