Bodybuilding Workout Progressive Overload – Principle I Used Making Most of My Gains
The workout I’ve used to make most of my gains has evolved
What I Looked Like Before I Started Lifting. I’m on the Right With The Long Hair, My Cousin Who Played Water Polo is on the Left
slightly overtime but for the most part it’s stayed the same.
First of all i’ve always been a muscular guy, I had the biggest biceps in 3rd grade, and this is what i looked like at 16 years old before I started lifting weights
About 3 weeks after I stepped into the gym for the first time I started getting comments from friends and acquaintances like “Dude you have huge arms, Your arms are exploding” Which thoroughly stroked my young ego lol. One thing I remember fondly
Another Picture at 16 Years old before I started lifting weights, I had the coolest hair.
about back then was how easy it was to get ripped. All that was necessary to get chiseled was some extra reps and sets while weight training, along with skipping the ice cream and chocolate sauce. haha wish things were still like that now.
After my first 6 months of doing a bodybuilding workout in the gym where literally anything I did cause my biceps, deltoids, and traps to get bigger I realised that I was not very strong for my size and that I would undertake a powerlifting program that I heard was a weight training program based on science!
I looked up the write up for MadCow’s 5×5 and was shocked to see that I would be squatting 3 days per week and only doing 2 difficult sets per exercise and only doing 3!!! exercises per day for a total of 6 total hard sets per workout. Combine all that with the fact that the regimen was only 3 days per week.
The rebel inside of me wanted to change the program and add exercises, reps, and sets but thank god MadCow warned about not doing this in his write up on the program. Somehow I resisted temptation and went on an 11 week run where I added 5 pounds to my bench, squat, and deadlift every week after the 4th week before plateauing during week number 12.
This run of personal record shattering resulted in an increase of 35lbs onto the bar on each of my squat, bench press, and deadlift. It was really amazing. In addition to my strength gains I also noticed that my muscles developed a density that they had not had before and everything had become larger.
I was hooked.
This style of training employed a logical repeatable approach
my college roommates insane transformation using starting strength
that did not just rely on “Instincts” whatever that means.
I soon became interested in the famous bodybuilding Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength after seeing my university roommate’s insane recomposition transformation while using it. The dude didnt gain or lose any weight here, he just became sickening like some kind of god or something.
Basically Starting Strength is this
Monday Squat 3×5 Bench 3×5 Pullup 3×5
Wednesday Squat 3×5 Overhead Press 3×5 Deadlift 3×5
Friday Same Thing as Monday
My College Roommates insane transformation using starting strength. time between these photos is like 3 months
You use the same weights on all three sets of 5 reps and the next week increase the weights 5lbs on each lift for all sets. This taught me the principle of PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD and it’s end all be all importance in bodybuilding.
Ever since doing the bodybuilding workout starting strength I’ve basically never stopped. It’s just so damn effective at increasing size and power in the entire body.
Why?
Simple; It is entirely based on the end all be all principle of bodybuilding, progressive overload.
As I have become more advanced i’ve incorporated things like
Now I’m a swoldier living in bangkok kicking it with thai girls with my badass selfie stick
adding two additional training days and now train 5 days per week (I now squat 4 times per week and deadlift once). I also do a few light isolation exercises like dumbell chest fly’s and lat pulldowns.
The moral of the story is this kids
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
You must constantly focus on increasing the weight and the reps you can do with a respective weight in order to make consistent gains. The best bodybuilding workout always utilizes progressive overload as its key feature.
-I am The Bodybuilder In Thailand
Over and Out
That transformation really is insane for only 3 months. Goes to show how far you can get with “noob gains” 🙂 it should be a huge inspiration for anyone who’s just starting out or thinking about starting lifting!