My goals for “Turn Up The Volume” were to gain lean muscle mass, improve physical appearance, lose fat, and improve my cardiovascular tolerance. I was able to achieve all of these goals!
Initially the volume was fatiguing, and I needed a little longer to recover between sets than the workout called for. You will notice I gradually began adding more volume as the weeks progressed, and this was as I began to get into better cardiovascular shape. I was also able to maintain the 1-2 minute rest breaks with most of the exercises once I was in better shape. I tracked my heart rate with my smart watch, and tried to keep my heart rate around 120-140. Basically, if my HR was appropriate, I would start the next set as my body had recovered. However, if it was too high, I would rest a little longer so that I would be working with optimal resistance rather than going lighter due to fatigue.
When I started the program, I weighed 188#. By week 5 I was up as high as 202#. To be fair, it was right in the middle of prime time holiday season, so I was eating well! However, I was able to maintain >198 throughout the end of the 8 weeks. The astonishing part about all of this is, while I was able to put on 10+ lbs, I was simultaneously able to reduce my waist size by an inch! This is proof of the increase in lean muscle mass, and reduction of fat! WIN-WIN!
Overall, I was very happy with the workout! By the end, I felt better, I looked better, and my wife was happier when my shirt came off!
The next steps for me are to initially improve power and strength with the muscle I’ve gained, and then work on hypertrophy and size just in time for summer!
If you choose to do this workout, please provide feedback! I would be very interested what people like, as well as ways I could improve the workout!