Each one of my lifts increased by 90lbs in 4 weeks! There is no doubt in my mind as to the effectiveness of this method as my training partner also improved all of his lifts setting three new personal records in the process. This would not have been possible in my mind however without proper diet and the added support from nutritional supplementation. The workouts are long but the end justifies the means in my mind.

Anyone interested in the beginner program can follow the training which I have outlined here or go to www.elitefts.com for more Sheiko training templates and information.

Anyone interested in the supplements which I used to assist my training go to www.phenomlabs.com. If you decide to try these supplements to see if they are effective in your training be sure to enter 15Strong into the discount code section for 15% off of your product order.

Here’s to hoping everyone out there striving to get stronger has their own Weak End and to all have a wonderful weekend.

Take care and be well,
Matt Cena

Week Three
Monday
Squat
55% 5×1, 65% 4×1, 75% 3×2, 85% 2×4
Bench Presses
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 3×2, 80% 3×6
Flies
10×5
Pushups
10×5
Squats
50% 3×1, 60% 3×1, 70% 3×1, 80% 3×4
Good Mornings
5×5

Wednesday
Deadlift off box
50% 3×2, 60% 3×2, 65% 3×4
Bench Presses
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 3×2, 80% 2×3, 85% 2×2, 80% 3×2
Flies
10×5
Deadlift from Pins (rack pull)
60% 4×1, 70% 4×2, 80% 3×2, 90% 2×3
Lunges
5×5

Friday
Squat
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 3×2, 80% 3×6
Bench Presses
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 3×2, 80% 3×7
Flies
10×5
Military Press
4×5
Good Mornings
5×5

Week Four
Monday
Squat
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 3×2, 80% 3×5
Bench Press
55% 5×1, 65% 5×1, 75% 4×5
Flies
10×5
Dips
8×5
Front Squats
40% 5×2, 50% 4×2, 60% 3×3
Good Mornings
5×5

Wednesday
Bench Presses
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 3×2, 80% 3×2, 85% 2×3
Deadlift
50% 3×1, 60% 3×1, 70% 3×2, 80% 3×2, 85% 2×3, 80% 2×3
Bench Presses
50% 5×1, 60% 5×1, 70% 5×4
Flies
10×5

Friday
Squats
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 3×2, 80% 3×6
Bench Presses
50% 6×1, 60% 5×1, 70% 4×2, 80% 3×2, 85% 2×2, 80% 3×2, 70% 4×1, 60% 6×1, 50% 8×1
Flies
10×5
Dips
8×5
Good Mornings
5×5
Abs
10×3

This concludes the 4 Week Sheiko Beginner program which I followed. The week after this was my testing week in which I performed one lift per night to determine my new one rep maximum poundages. Check back for Part Four with my results along with my thoughts on the program.

Nutrition: I don’t exactly have a normal schedule. My day usually consists of waking up early with my daughter, around 6:00am or so. My day is non stop from there until around 1:30 or 2:00am when I return home from the gym and sleep for the few hours I have before the process is repeated. This led me to rely heavilly on supplements for my meals and to enhance recovery. I utilized MNC Whey, Phenom Labs Chains and Phenom Labs Massacare.

I used the MNC Whey post training and in the morning mixed with whole milk for additional protein. I used Phenom Labs Massacre with my first and third meals as directed. I had also used Phenom Labs Chains, which is a Branch Chain Amino Acid formula, in between all meals as well as during my training session. I feel that these supplements along with consuming 3 to 5 whole food meals per day high in protein and carbs but keeping dietary fats to a minimum helped as I regained a good portion of my strength back. During this time period my bodyweight increased from 190lbs to 215lbs.*

Now let us get back to the training portion of this 4 week transformation.

Sheiko Week 2 Beginner Template
Monday
Squats
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 3×2, 80% 2×5
Bench Presses
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 2×2, 80% 3×5
Flies
10×5
Pushups
10×5
Front Squats
45% 3×2, 55% 3×2, 60% 2×4
Good Mornings
5×5

Wednesday
Deadlift to Knees
50% 3×1, 60% 3×1, 70% 3×2, 75% 2×4
Bench Presses
50% 6×1, 60% 6×2, 65% 6×4
Flies
10×5
Deadlift from Pins (also referred to as a rack pull)
55% 4×1, 65% 4×1, 75% 4×2, 80% 4×4
Lunges
5×5

Friday
Squats
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 3×2, 80% 2×5
Bench Presses
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 3×2, 80% 2×2, 75% 3×1, 65% 5×1, 55% 7×1
Flies
10×5
Squats
50% 5×1, 60% 5×2, 70% 4×4
Good Mornings
5×5

In the next post I will address Week 3 of training and beyond.

*my bodyweight had increased from 190lbs to 215lbs during the 4 weeks of this program. My heaviest bodyweight in the past has been 252lbs. I am by no means claiming that a 25lb bodyweight increase with the program and my supplement strategy will be achieved by any or all who follow it.

Please remember to consult with your physician prior to beginning any training or nutritional programs.

Training Strategy:
I decided after I took my maximum lifts to employ the Sheiko Beginner Template. This program was chosen for it’s simplicity and the fact that it uses a 4 week training split. The program calls for Monday, Wednesday and Friday as training days. Here is how the four weeks were layed out:
WEEK ONE
Monday
Bench Press
50% 5×1, 60% 4×2, 70% 3×2, 75% 3×5
Squats
50% 5×1, 60% 5×2, 70% 5×5
Bench Press
50% 5×1, 60% 5×1, 70% 4×4
Flies
10×5
Good Mornings
5×5

Wednesday
Deadlift to the knees
50% 3×1, 60% 3×1, 70% 3×2, 75% 3×4
Incline Bench
6×4
Dips
5×5
Deadlift from pins
55% 4×1, 65% 4×1, 75% 4×2, 85% 3×4
Lunges
5×5
Abs
10×3

Friday
Bench Press
50% 5×1, 60% 5×1, 70% 4×1, 75% 3×2, 80% 2×2, 75% 3×2, 70% 4×1, 60% 6×1, 50% 8×1
Flies
10×5
Squats
50% 5×1, 60% 4×1, 70% 3×2, 75% 3×5
Good Mornings
5×5

Note: the first number above represents sets the number after the x represents the repetitions per set.

As you can see the training template is a basic format utilizing percentages and my workouts averaged 2 hours per session. I was training from 11:00pm until around 1:00am.

In Part Two I will continue to list the workouts for the remaining weeks of the program.

Bench Presses
Deadlifts
Bench Presses
Flies

I can say that I feel my strength coming around even though the program is based on percentages of what was my current one rep maximum lifts. Also my whole body is sore amost every single day from the workouts. One more workout for this week to be performed tomorrow and then comes our retesting week for new maximum lifts.

I feel confident in that the system has worked for me and will be testing my current strength levels next week. The three powerlifts will be trained for single rep maximum poundages giving me a good idea of where I am currently at, how effective the program was at increasing my strenght and how much further I need to go to regain all of my former strength.

Looking forward to keeping everyone updated and once again thank you all for checking in to show your support

Squats
Bench Presses
Flies
Military Presses
Good Mornings

Deadlifts off a 5inch box
Bench Presses
Flies
Deadlifts from the pins
Lunges

My complete body is sore from the session and I can’t wait for Week 4 to be over so I can test my new maxes.

I have been using their Branched Chain Amino Acid product, Chains, with great success. Chains helps with increased recovery, protein synthesis and nitrogen retention. In simple terms this will help you to achieve your physique goals, without going into too much drawn out detail.

I personally use the product during my training sessions and also several times throughout the day between meals.

For anyone interested in trying chains for themselves or any of the other Phenom Labs products for that matter simply visit their website and at the completion of your shopping enter the code: 15strong into the discount code section for 15% off of your entire order. Anyone who does please feel free to post a comment here with your personal product experience as well.

Wishing everyone the best in achieving their physique goals in 2012.

Matt Cena

*for the record: I am not endorsed or affiliated with Phenom Labs in any manner. I am providing this code to the readers of my blog as an unbiased review of what I feel to be an effective product.