Ben Wills: A Fitness Log

I lifted a little bit last week, but only to get my body moving again after being relatively sedentary (including nine days in a car and two in a plane) during the six weeks prior. I was initially going to continue with the “Novice” routine in Practical Programming for Strength Training, but decided to combine a few mass-gaining routines into one customized for me and my equipment.

After gaining about 7 lbs in two weeks last fall by drinking a gallon of whole milk a day and combining it with heavy, compound lifting, I feel like I have a much better grasp of how my body gains mass. The goal is to spend the next 4-6 weeks gaining mass, rest a week, then focus on strength for the following eight weeks. That should all wrap up around the beginning of April, where I will begin more focused training for climbing and mountaineering.

This routine is a bit different than lifting regimens I’ve done in the past. Namely, there’s almost no rest in-between different exercises (unless noted), and I rested about 30 seconds between sets of the same exercise. When I have lifted in the past, I have rested between sets until my heart rate comes way down. At the end of today, my heart was cranking and my entire body was extremely exhausted. (I can definitely do more dips and chin ups than is listed below, for example.) The idea here is that my body will over-compensate to the extreme stress by gaining mass. This idea is covered in both Super Squats and the Colorado Experiment, most-closely documented in the Four-Hour Body.

Morning Mass: 172.5 lbs (Definitely have fat mass from the holidays.)

Workout Start Time: 5:15 pm

Workout End Time: 5:50 pm