Transformassacre Week 5: Put Away The Baby Weights
Charlie thought he was already doing the heavy lifting. He was wrong.
Charlie has officially made it through four and a half brutal weeks of training with the focus being on fat burning, and you saw his tremendous progress. After his trainer, Dan Trink, conducted Charlie's midway reassessment, he established the next objective: STRENGTH building. The newest strategy that Dan is implementing with Charlie is known as a "classic strength building protocol"—five sets and five repetitions, or "5x5" for short. The exercises will challenge Charlie with heavier weight, fewer reps and increased rest periods for optimal recovery.
WORKOUT A: Week 4 & 5
2 days per week
| SEQ | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Rest |
| A1 | Trap Bar Deadlift | 5 | 5 | 3010 | 90 |
| A2 | DB Neutral Grip Bench Press | 5 | 5 | 3010 | 90 |
| B1 | Box Step Ups | 3 | 6-8 | 3010 | 60 |
| B2 | Barbell Military Press | 3 | 8-10 | 3010 | 60 |
| C1 | Prowler Leg Drive | 2 | D/B | AFAP | 45 |
| C2 | Sled Rope Pull | 2 | D/B | AFAP | 45 |
WORKOUT B: Week 4 & 5
2 day per week
| SEQ | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Rest |
| A1 | Sandbag Front Squat | 5 | 5 | 4010 | 90 |
| A2 | Neutral Grip Pull Up | 5 | 5 | 3010 | 90 |
| B1 | Split Squat | 3 | 6-8 | 3010 | 60 |
| B2 | Seated Cable Row | 3 | 8-10 | 3010 | 60 |
| C1 | Leg Press | 2 | 12 | 3010 | 45 |
| C2 | Prowler Push | 2 | D/B | AFAP | 45 |
Workout/Tempo Key:
All Weight in Lbs. unless noted in kg.
OH = Overhead
DB = Dumbbell
D = Down
D/B = Down and Back (40 meters)
4010 = Four seconds down, 0 second pause at bottom, one second lift, 0 second pause at top.
3010 = Three seconds down, 0 second pause at bottom, one second lift, 0 second pause at top.
2010 = Two seconds down, 0 second pause at bottom, one second lift, 0 second pause at top.
AFAP = As Fast As Possible
EXP = Explosive
Charlie's Progress To Date
1. Deadlift Strength: "We went from struggling to achieve proper form with 40kg to working our way up to 100kg for five reps," Trink says.
2. Body Weight Strength: "Charlie increased his pull-ups by 1-2 reps per week."
3. Upper Body Strength: "Charlie's chest pressing has improved. We're now getting 25 reps (over five sets) with 62.5-pound dumbbells. This is up from the 35-pound dumbbells we started with."
4. Increased Mental Strength and Focus: "Charlie has gone from coming into the gym as an overwhelmed client to a guy who wants to dominate every rep of every workout. This is probably the most important strength gain of the bunch."
For a look back at his progress, see Charlie's Week 4 before and after photos and video reassessment.
Just catching the Transformassacre for the first time? See the backstory >>
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Need motivation? MF readers on Facebook and Twitter submitted tons of motivational quotes to inspire Charlie.
Follow all of Charlie's progress at The 8-Week Fitness Transformassacre and look for mini-updates on Facebook and Twitter.
