Conjugate Calisthenics

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Also took some pictures of myself (you narcissist you) to see where the gains have spread mostly. In upper body, most certainly my arms, back, chest and shoulders have filled out!





So I know it's not fat (a little is I'm sure) but also I've probably also gained in my legs, mostly Hamstring and Glute I feel as these are a bit more involved in the Deadlift. For obvious reasons, I did not photograph these areas.

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Week 4 Day 1

Floor Press: 100 x 5, 150 x 5, 195 x 5 (4 series completed, stick with weight until 5 series finished)
Total Tonnage: 8900 lbs

Snatch DL: 110x5, 165 x 5, 215 x 5 ( 5 series completed! Add 10lbs to top set and adjust %s!)
Total Tonnage: 12,250 lbs

The Floor press tonnage takes a slight dip, as the number of series was lower, however the Snatch grip DL tonnage keeps on climbing up!​

I am definitely starting to "feel" the deadlift now. My hamstrings, glutes and back were screaming from top to bottom. Also, the grip is starting to get harder in the Snatch Grip, as I am not allowed straps and a mix grip is impossible. My forearms were certainly pumped between the short rest of each series!!!

One trick with the Floor Press is the way you hold your tension in the bottom. A reason that Pavel also doesn't recommend any other exercise besides the two, besides the fact any additional exercise is futile after such exhaustion, is one can learn to utilize the most muscle possible for each lift. My biceps have gotten bigger with no direct training. Pavel has stated the wide grip bench to be one of the best builder of "pipes". And a technique used during the pause that also helps recruit more "pec" is to flare, or pose the biceps at the bottom. Another way to add tension and recruit more muscle mass! The triceps and shoulders, well that is obvious. Alas, overall mass helps spur arm growth. Charles Staley I believe wrote how upper back mass will aid arm growth. The snatch DL does just that. Poliquin has written 15 lbs of overall body mass is needed to add an inch to the arms. The arms seem to grow, with everything else.

Thus, although I'm only in the middle of the program, I've all ready learned a lot. One useful piece of advice I can give someone who wants to perform the DeLorme is do it to the T! Put everything into these two lifts, and don't worry about anything else!

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Day 2 Week 4

Volume/Load
Light/Low

FP- 100 x 5 ( 4 series)
Total Tonnage: 2000 lbs

Snatch Dl 110 x 5 (5 series)
Total Tonnage: 2750 lbs

A nice light day, once again focusing on tension/technique and squeezing every rep. This really makes the day a lot tougher. Got a busy week ahead, so I'll be trying to make the best of it! Early 4 am shift tomorrow and then two days off where I'll have a little wine country vacation with my girlfriend! Still going to pack the protein though and be sure to have some hefty meals!!!

 

[NoahMarek]

This looks like a really fun and simple protocol to do in the future. I can see how it would add some serious size and strength due to the volume. Keep up the great work and focus!

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

This looks like a really fun and simple protocol to do in the future. I can see how it would add some serious size and strength due to the volume. Keep up the great work and focus!

Thanks @NoahMarek .Yeah, if you're looking to add some "purposeful" mass, I'd definitely recommend it! If you do let me know, as there are mistakes I made that I'd inform you about so you don't make them as well! It's awesome because you can also do at home with a barbell but also it's a size program congruent with Push/Pull training and strength. I'm sure one could use different exercises i.e. Press/Squat as well!

 

[NoahMarek]

Thanks @NoahMarek .Yeah, if you're looking to add some "purposeful" mass, I'd definitely recommend it! If you do let me know, as there are mistakes I made that I'd inform you about so you don't make them as well! It's awesome because you can also do at home with a barbell but also it's a size program congruent with Push/Pull training and strength. I'm sure one could use different exercises i.e. Press/Squat as well!

I would love to do it eventually. I don’t currently have consistent access to a barbell so I am training mostly with kettlebells for now. Definitely, will keep this one in mind though!

If I do a hypertrophy program soon, it would probably be the Total Tension Kettlebell Complex.

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

I would love to do it eventually. I don’t currently have consistent access to a barbell so I am training mostly with kettlebells for now. Definitely, will keep this one in mind though!

If I do a hypertrophy program soon, it would probably be the Total Tension Kettlebell Complex.

Just looked it up, looks like a good routine! Complexes are definitely brutal and offer a myriad of benefits, especially for hypertrophy! Also, I've found the double kb front squat to be an underrated upper body builder and excellent press assistance exercise bar none! Yes, Delorme would be difficult with kettlebells because of the loading protocol (adding 5 lbs per workout is hard with kettlebells due to their size increments) but there are definitely a lot of great hypertrophy programs that are kettlebell based. I recall an article on DragonDoor about the DeLorme that utilized k-bells with the Clean and press and Double Front Squats.

The De Lorme Method | DD

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Day 3 Week 4

Medium Day

Floor Press 100x5, 150 x 5 (4 series)
Total Tonnage: 5000 lbs

Snatch DL 110 x 5, 165 x 5 (5 series)
Total Tonnage: 6875 lbs

Went to Wine country with the lady but hit this workout quickly right before. The usual. Fatigue is built up a little but not too much. Kind of put everything aside for a couple days to enjoy it with my woman. We ate, drank and enjoyed ourselves a lot. Now, two days to rest until the next heavy day and weigh in.

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Weight check in was same. Weight at 175.0 lbs. This was pretty much expected because my weight doesn't budge very much when my floor press tonnage is lower then the previous week. Also, my little staycation with the lady was pretty active. We walked a lot and drank much more wine then usual! But I expect I'll be up again next week as my tonnage has climbed again!

Day 1, Week 5

Floor Press: 100 x 5, 150 x 5, 195 x 5 (5 series completed! add 5 lbs. to stop set and adjust %s!)
Tonnage: 11,125 lbs.

Snatch Grip DL: 115 x 5, 170 x 5, 225 x 5 (5 series completed! Add 10 lbs. to top set and adjust %s!)
Total Tonnage: 12, 750 lbs.

Deadlifts were exhausting after the floor press! This is week 5 now and I only have one week left of the DeLorme before a deload. I think for the next week, since I'll only 200 lbs. with the floor press for one week, I will push a little harder and get all 5 series. Then deload and a week off, in which I believe I'll grow a bit more and will re-evaluate where I want to grow from there! The DeLorme is definitely getting very hard at this point, especially with the plate switching. Even that part is not really "rest"... So far, I'm up about 5 lbs., which is pretty great progress. I think most growth happens after the hard periods of training, and the next last heavy day will certainly be very hard!

 

[seward]

When I did the DeLorme, I remember thinking that the plate switching got to be almost as much of a workout as the lifts themselves. Nice job.

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

When I did the DeLorme, I remember thinking that the plate switching got to be almost as much of a workout as the lifts themselves. Nice job.

Definitely @seward. Also, without a rack the deadlift plate switching can be a nightmare, so I load it in a way where plates need only be added, as much as possible. However this method comes with one caveat. Since it's easier to load the plates, the rest between lifts is much shorter....

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Today was sort of a sad day as my girlfriend has left for France for ten months. We knew this day would come for a while but it came so quickly. I woke up very early to drive her to the airport and it was sad to watch her go, but I will visit her in a few months and hopefully she'll be able to make it back for the holidays but she'll be back eventually...ten months seems so long but I know she's wanted to make this trip for a long time. I'll have a lot of time to fill for these months which will be important for me too,because I'll be able to focus on some other aspects of my life. We will of course write and be in touch but just not near one another. Anyways, I must continue forward and I had my (thankfully) light day today on the deLorme. It is a nice day outside and I'm off work a few days.

Floor press 100x 5 (5 series)
Tonnage: 2500 lbs.

Snatch DL 115 x 5 (5 series)
Tonnage 2875 lbs.

Played around with grip a little on floor press. I am strongest with pointer finger on rings, so I moved it in to get a little more ROM plus arm work. The Snatch Grip DL is an interesting lift. I've noticed a somewhat asymmetrical stance is optimal, my left foot being turned in a bit more then my right since my stance is somewhat duck style. This may be due to the many years of mixed grip deadlifting. I've also been a little more tight lately, in my back and hips and such so I did some light mobility before. Might need to incorporate more of this as I go along. Anyways, easy day but the hardest one of the program is coming up soon.

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Day 3 Week 5

Load/Volume

Medium

Floor Press: 100 x 5, 150 x 5 (5 series performed)
Total tonnage: 6, 250 lbs.
Weekly Tonnage: 19, 875 lbs.

Snatch DL: 115 x 5, 165 x 5 (5 series performed)
Total Tonnage: 7000 lbs.
Weekly Tonnage: 22, 625 lbs.

One final week on the DeLorme. I "cheated" by weighing myself today and was very pleased but I'll share my weight on weigh in day. The program is almost up but still one more tough week! I'm ready for that heavy week and for a switch! I've accrued a lot of volume on just these two lifts and the changes to my body have definitely been substantial but I'll report further details on those at the conclusion of the program.

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Philippe Geoffrion Double-Digit Post Count
Tonnage thus far

Week 1
FP: 18, 500 lbs
SGDL: 18,500 lbs.

Week 2
FP: 15,300 lbs
SGDL: 19,250 lbs.

Week 3:
FP: 19,125 lbs
SGDL: 20,750 lbs.

Week 4:
FP: 15,900 lbs.
SGDL: 21, 875 lbs.

Week 5:
FP: 19,875 lbs.
SGDL: 22,625 lbs.

 

[seward]

Nice way to summarize the week's work! I should do this when I have my last week wrapped up.

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Nice way to summarize the week's work! I should do this when I have my last week wrapped up.

Thank you! Yes, I like to keep track of the tonnage as it's good to know you're putting up more each week. As they say, it's not science until you start measuring.

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Day 1, Week 6 (weigh in)

Up 5 lbs. from Week 1, a solid 1 lbs. a week of gains! Today is the Heaviest day and Volume I've completed all program! And it was a killer. I had to work early and so I trained later in the day and in Sacramento right now....it's hot and is peaking around the time I trained! I am happy I gained this week, as it was a stressful week: My girlfriend left for France, I had a 4 Am shift where I didn't get much sleep but alas, the scale is moving. I was definitely feeling a bit fatigued this week, and I'm sure this week I'll be a little in the hole after this workout. However, two days off and no early shifts so I hope my gains roll on all the way until after my deload! (Forgot to cut my nails before this one...)

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Day 1 Week 6 (Final week of heavy Training)

Floor Press-100 x 5, 150 x 5, 200 x 5 (5 series completed! My goal reached!)
Total session tonnage- 11, 250 lbs. (Highest session of program)


Floor press moved along very nicely today! My goal, being the last week, was to hit all 5 series even though I'd previously completed only 4 after every weight jump before finally hitting 5. I accomplished this. The first set, which I recorder, was definitely hard, while the next two were easier. The 4th and 5th were gut busters, but not form breakers. Just hard as hell grinds. I've noticed that I've added some good mass to my arms, and my elbow no longer touches the ground completely!! I moved through these very quickly, and was actually feeling ready to go on the Snatch grip Dl's pretty quickly. Those however, were another story.

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Snatch Grip Deadlift
115 x 5, 170 x 5, 235 x 5 ( 5 series completed!!!)
Total Tonnage: 13,000 lbs.



These were killers today, especially in the heat. Bending down to change the plates was misery and my whole body was screaming. The deadlift is just so more demanding then the Floor press, especially when done for such high volume and little rest in between sets. However, after the 3rd set, they became easier for whatever reason. I also took the "generous" 1 minute rest between sets. My back has definitely grown barn door like because of this lift. It was grueling but I proudly pushed through, knowing it would be my last heavy snatch deadlift of the deLorme.

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

Rawwwwwwr mass gains!