# METAMORPHOSIS of a Weakling into a BEAST



## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

Hello everybody..I grew up as weak as they come, got a little stronger after hitting the gym in college, but then got very weak due to significant muscle loss after a month long coma/brain surgery 10 yrs ago. I worked out since in desperation and gained decent strength. Even though I had come a long way, I felt I was still a weakling.

On my birthday in July 2008, I set my mind to acquiring serious strength over 3 yrs and reducing body fat level below 10%. My progress over the past 8 months has been remarkable. Hopefully my Quest will motivate others who don't believe in themselves.

8 month Progress Summary:

START July 2008 : BENCH 215, SQUAT 165, DEAD 265 = 645, 28" jump

CURNT Feb 2009 : BENCH 240, SQUAT 260, DEAD 355 = 855, 33" jump

GOALS July 2009 : BENCH 275, SQUAT 315, DEAD 375 = 965, 36" jump

GOALS July 2011 : BENCH 405, SQUAT 505, DEAD 605 = 1515, 45" jump

8 month BENCH Progress: +25 lbs

8 month SQUAT Progress: +95 lbs

8 month DEADL Progress: +90 lbs

8 month Box Jump Progress: +5"

I am excited about "Simulating" a PL meet on my own this week that I will post a vid of on YouTube. I will perform a 1 rep max lift on the Squat, Bench, then Dead adhering to competition standards as much as possible. I am aiming for 275 Squat, 245 Bench, 360 Dead.

Here are few video clips of my workouts leading up to this:

Front Squats / PR Summary






Hypers / 225 Bench / TireJumps / 235 Bench / KettleSwing






BackSquat PR Attempt @ 265






DEAD PR Attempt @ 355 / Superset Tris & Bis / DEAD 225x7 / DL Progress Summary






Shoulder DB Presses


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## Guest (Feb 23, 2009)

Welcome to the board Zack. Nice progress. Keep working hard and you can achieve anything you want.. The links you provided did not work


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## Guest (Feb 23, 2009)

2 year goals for lifts is a bit excessive mate take it one step at a time because 405lb is not a small bench and you will have a looooong road to travel before that happens.

Good luck to you.


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## anabolic ant (Jun 5, 2008)

welcome in bro...sorry to hear about your traumatic ordeal...i'm guessing your back to a full recovery and training again?

just one thing,i tried your video links,and none of them work!!!!


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## Joshua (Aug 21, 2008)

Good to see you here Zack.



> ...The links you provided did not work ...


The uri had a bit tagged on the end - try these:

Front Squats / PR Summary






Hypers / 225 Bench / TireJumps / 235 Bench / KettleSwing






BackSquat PR Attempt @ 265






DEAD PR Attempt @ 355 / Superset Tris & Bis / DEAD 225x7 / DL Progress Summary






Shoulder DB Presses






J


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## anabolic ant (Jun 5, 2008)

good form there bro...

i reckon you should get a spotter when lifting just in case!!!

hope the progress is going well!!!


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

Hi Guys! And great to run into you Joshua, what small world 

And thanks so much for fixing the broken links

zeus, thanks for the encouragement

con, it started with 3 yr goals in july 2008..the long term goals were simply to see the light at the end of the tunnel. but i will be declaring 6 month goals every 6 months. i am aiming for 315 squat, 275 bench, 375 dead by july 2009, and will then declare a dec 2009 goal.

anabolic ant, yes i am all recovered and have a long road to travel..appreciate your comment..ahh spotters always make me think i didnt do it by meself


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

Here is a Triceps Giant Set including my modification of Triceps DEATH

OH Ext 95x6 (PR) / PushDowns / Triceps DEATH






Simulated PL meet is Thursday February 26, 2009. Aiming for 275 Squat, 245 Bench, 360 Dead


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## Tall (Aug 14, 2007)

ZackAttack said:


> ...
> 
> 8 month Progress Summary:
> 
> ...


Get your mind in the right place and you should be god for another 20lbs on your DL right now - your 355 lift looked easy.

July 11 goals are huge though, you are assuming your strength will increase exponentially. Theres a world of difference between a 315 bench and a 405 bench.

A 605 DL is also huge and is a 230lb gain in a year ...


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

Tall, I hear you. However, these were the goals I publicly declared on YouTube when I started my Quest in July 2008. I may be stay on track for some and fall behind on others due to time off/injuries, whatever. All in all, I hope to get as close to 500 squat, 400 bench, 600 dead in couple yrs from now. I may be being very optimistic, but trying to set the bar high so as to keep myself extremely dedicated.


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## Rudedog (Jan 14, 2009)

Good progress keep it up bro


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

Thank you Rudedog, like your avatar says "I am getting Ready to Smash it Up", at least for my weaker level :cool2:


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## Goose (Jan 29, 2009)

I think its a good idea to be optimistic and aim above. It will help you push further to reach your desired goals.

Good luck.


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

Aprreciate it Goose.

Try Bench PR @ 225x3 / Try Incline PR @ 185x1


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## lee67 (Dec 28, 2008)

Great post zack watched them all , all worked, also awsome gym...nice 1 m8....


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## MaKaVeLi (Aug 12, 2008)

Welcome Zack, nice lifts:thumbup1:


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

Thank you lee67.

I simulated the meet by attempting to max out on the Squat/Bench/Dead.

While warming up for Squats, I felt my right quad or knee giving way..to prevent aggravation of the slight injury I suffered during the 1st set of the Front Squats in the vid above, I decided to forego the Squat max.

Feb '09 PL Meet Simulation - Try 275/245/360


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

After starting working on 20 rep squats @ 135 lbs, I have incremented to 225 lbs over the months. This vid is part 1 of my race to 20 reps. After I get 20 reps, I will add weight and start again.

Squat 185 ATG 3 Sec Pause / Race to 225x20 part 1


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

SQUAT Race 225 x 20: Act 3: Try 6 reps






DEAD Race 315 x 20: Act 1


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

DEAD Race 315 x 20: Act 2: Try 4 reps






BENCH Journey to 135 x 50: Act 5: Try 24 reps






SQUAT Race 225 x 20: Act 4: Try 8 reps - FAIL !


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## gumballdom (Dec 14, 2008)

Hi,

do you mind me asking why your aiming for 50 reps at 135. Personally i think you would get far better size and strength gains by keeping the rep range between 8 - 12 and lifting as heavy as possibe.


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## andy51086 (Jun 25, 2008)

welcome mate

you have achieved a lot all ready mate

well done

onwards and upwards


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

gumballdom, hey buddy, I prefer to train in the 3-5 rep range great majority of the time. However, I do throw in the quests for high reps primarily for fun 

andy51086, thank you mate!

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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

Failed at the 11th and 12th rep in my Squat Race to 20 reps in past few days (no video posted). But this time I was rested, well fed, psyched, and very confident. However, an unusual experience...

People stare now & then, give double/triple takes, and walk away. But this moron stared the entire set and threw me off. This gives me taste of how PL meet pressure with everybody watching affects the way you lift. I HATE making excuses but I knew I had 12 reps in me..blimey..I was pised.

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## Joshua (Aug 21, 2008)

> However, I do throw in the quests for high reps *primarily for fun*


That sir is why you will get to places where others will never get to tread!

Staring in the gym is just one of these thing you will face, and will occur more and more in the future. Work your thoughts around it so you can use it to you advantage.

Good stuff & Good luck,

J


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

Joshua, I am honored by that comment! Thanks a ton mate :thumb:

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Last time I tried to DL 360, it was cemented. This time I managed it, but suffered a grazed burn above right knee and also had to interrupt my workout to use the bathroom! Anyone else have a similar experience with a ME Deadlift or Squat? Literally squeezed the crap out of me...

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## ianr (May 27, 2008)

Yes mate, i **** myself squating 160kg a couple of years back. lol


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

ianr, that is some weird **** , ha haa



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## scott134 (Jan 31, 2007)

Mate, got to hand it to ya, that's good dedication, good lifts and proper training! Your videos are cool too ... love your dancing!!

Keep up the good work mate ... and keep posting videos, it's great to see you achieving your goals.

Just out of interest, what's your diet like and are you natural?


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## scott134 (Jan 31, 2007)

Oh ... some good tunes as well!


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## anabolic ant (Jun 5, 2008)

still think you should have a spotter bro...better to be safe than sorry!!!

keep up the good work!!!


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## lumpy (Apr 20, 2009)

i love that gym ! your doing fantastic mate keep up the good work squats are my favorite .


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## The Bam (Dec 4, 2007)

Keep it up mate !

all the best


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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

scott134 said:


> Mate, got to hand it to ya, that's good dedication, good lifts and proper training! Your videos are cool too ... love your dancing!!
> 
> Keep up the good work mate ... and keep posting videos, it's great to see you achieving your goals.
> 
> Just out of interest, what's your diet like and are you natural?


Mate, apologize for late reply, but I only just now noticed your post. Heh heh, dancing is surely a good remedy to distract oneself and add spice to the workout, as long as not many are watching me make a fool of meself 

I keep within maintenance calories of 2500. I log everything I eat. Keep it simple trying to average at 40/40/20 - 250 carb, 250 prot, 55 fat.

I am natural..only external aides I use are protein shakes and vitamins. I don't plan to resort to any fancy supplements or AAS since my body continues to respond slowly & steadily. I think anybody else's will too if they educate, dedicate, and stay consistent.



anabolic ant said:


> still think you should have a spotter bro...better to be safe than sorry!!!
> 
> keep up the good work!!!


sure it sounds hard headed, but I find it exhilarating going to war all by myself :bounce:



lumpy said:


> i love that gym ! your doing fantastic mate keep up the good work squats are my favorite .


Oh nothing beats squats :tongue:



The Bam said:


> Keep it up mate !
> 
> all the best


Appreciate it mate!

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## ZackAttack (Feb 23, 2009)

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## adamdutton (May 13, 2008)

nice and deep on those squats, and that 245 bench went up easier than the 235, with a spotter i bet you could get more too,


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