Weeks 5 and 6 of the 60 Day Revolution are both overload phases, calling for lower reps and more sets for the major compound movements. Jared Zuckerman, C.P.T. and I are both competitive spirits and we really pushed each other throughout these two weeks to lift as heavy as possible. It’s important to note that Week 7 is deload week, requiring less overall volume, so give Weeks 5 and 6 your all. To see how Jared and I fared in the first four weeks of program, check out our Weeks 1-2 and Weeks 3-4 blogs.

Here are our numbers, thoughts, and analysis on what was the hardest two weeks of the program yet. Be sure to join the 60 Day Revolution Facebook group, which has 1,011 members and counting to see training footage and video updates. That’s a lot of fitness enthusiasts!

Note: All weights are represented in pounds. Reps and sets are performed according to the 60 Day Revolution workout plan, except when noted in parenthesis. All video in the Facebook group are shot on GoPro Hero Session 4 at Dumbbell’s Health and Fitness in North Bergen, NJ. 

MARK’S PROGRESS: WEEK 5

DAY 1: Upper Body

Triset 1
1A)Chinup
Weight: Bodyweight (BW), BW, 25 35, 45, 45
1B) Barbell Bench
Weight: 185, 225, 250, 265, 290, 290 (2 reps)
1C) Hanging Leg Raise (with dumbbell held at ankles)
Weight: BW, BW, 10, 10, 15, 15

Triset 2
2A) Barbell Bentover Row
Weight: 135, 155, 160, 170, 185
2B) Dumbbell Push Press
Weight: 40, 45, 50, 60, 70
2C) Glute Ham Raise (substitute for single-leg hyper)
Weight: BW, BW, BW, 25, 25

Triset 3
3A)Rope Cable Curl
Weight: 45, 80, 90, 100
3B)Close Grip Bench
Weight: 135, 145, 185, 200
3C) Face Pull
Weight: 60, 70, 90, 100

DAY 2: Lower Body

Superset 1
1A) Front Squat
Weight: 135, 185, 225, 225
1B) Passive Hang

Superset 2
2A) Barbell Stepup
Weight: 95, 115, 135, 155
2B) Primal Squat
Hip Hinge
Single Leg Deadlift
Weight: 30, 35, 40

DAY 3: Full Body

Superset 1
1A)Deadlift (last set performed as singles- do 1 rep, rest, repeat)
Weight: 225, 315, 405, 425
1B)Push Press
Weight: 135, 165, 190, 200

Superset 2
2A) Barbell Lunge
Weight: 95, 115, 135, 155
2B) Pullup

Finisher C
Row 500 meters as fast as possible.

DAY 4: Conditioning

Indoor Sprints (Treadmill)
Sprint 20 seconds, Walk: 40 seconds
Rounds: 12

DAY 5: Challenge Day

21-15-9
Time: 5 minutes, 40 seconds.

MARK’S PROGRESS: WEEK 6

DAY 1: Upper Body

Triset 1
1A)Lat Pulldown
Weight: 100, 130, 180, 180, 200, 210
1B) DB Bench
Weight: 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120
1C) V-Up
Weight: 11 pound medicine ball for all reps

Triset 2
2A)DB Row
Weight: 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125
2B) Barbell Push Press
Weight: 135, 155, 165, 185, 195, 205
2C)Superman

Triset 3
3A) Barbell Curl
Weight: 65, 75, 95, 115 (negative reps)
3B) Triceps Dip
3C) Cuban Press
Weight: 15, 20, 20, 20

DAY 2: Lower Body

Superset 1
1A)Back Squat
Weight: 225, 255, 275, 305, 305
1B) Passive Hang

Superset 2
2A) Barbell Back Lunge
Weight: 90, 115, 130, 140
2B) Primal Squat
Hip Hinge
Romanian Deadlift
Weight: 135, 205, 225

DAY 3: Full Body

Superset 1
1A) Deadlift: (last 2 sets performed as singles)
Weight: 225, 315, 365, 405, 405
1B) Push Press
Weight: 115, 135, 185, 205, 205

Superset 2
2A) Hanging Leg Raise (substitute for Barbell Lunge)
2B) Lat Pulldown
Weight: 35, 70, 100, 100

Finisher B
Completed

DAY 4: Conditioning

Rowing Machine
6 rounds
500 meters, 90 seconds rest

DAY 5: Challenge Day

The Chinup-Dip Countdown
Time: 10 minutes

MARK’S WEEK 5-6 THOUGHTS

I hit a three-rep personal record on my deadlift in week 5: 425 pounds for three reps, although I broke my grip between the reps. I also PR’d my dumbbell press with 120 pounds for three reps. I officially hit my lifting limit at full-body day of week 6, where I chose to perform hanging leg raises instead of the barbell lunge. I was fatigued and my legs were too sore to continue.

I want to stress the importance of proper loading during these two weeks. On full-body day of week 6, I did 225, 315, then put 405 on the bar for the deadlift. That was a mistake and I couldn’t even get the bar off the ground. It was too big of a jump. I backed off to 365 pounds, did the set, then put 405 on the bar and started banging out singles until I completed all reps. My body had to adapt to the lighter weight first before encountering the heavier one. These two weeks solidified my notion that the 60 Day Revolution prioritizes strength above all, and I like that. Conditioning will also improve, but strength will increase at a comparably higher rate.

MARK’S WEEK 7-8 GOALS

Throughout the program, my goals have been weight loss but that hasn’t happened yet for two reasons. One, I’m not tracking my macronutrients, just eating whole foods throughout the week and cheating on the weekends. Second, I’m building muscle fast with only one conditioning session per week. I’ve gotten a compliment about how my body has changed since the start. With that said, I have shifted my focus away from weight loss for the last two weeks and more on look and feel. I want to do more than one steady state cardio session in weeks 7 and 8 to tighten up a bit.

JARED’S PROGRESS: WEEK 5

Day 1: Upper Body

Triset 1
1A)Chinup
Weight: Bodyweight (BW), BW, 25 35, 45, 45
1B) Barbell Bench
Weight: 185, 225, 250, 265, 270, 290, 290
1C) Hanging Leg Raise (with dumbbell held at ankles)
Weight: BW, BW, 10, 10, 15, 15

Triset 2
2A) Barbell Bentover Row
Weight: 135, 155, 160, 170, 185
2B) Dumbbell Push Press
Weight: 35, 45, 50, 65, 20-50
2C) Glute Ham Raise (substitute for single-leg hyper)
Weight: BW, BW, BW, 25, 25

Triset 3
3A)Rope Cable Curl
Weight: 80, 85, 90, 100
3B)Close Grip Bench
Weight: 135, 145, 185, 200

DAY 2: Lower Body

Superset 1
1A) Front Squat
Weight: 135, 185, 205, 245
1B) Passive Hang

Superset 2
2A) Barbell Stepup
Weight: 95, 115, 135, 155
2B) Primal Squat
Hip Hinge
Single Leg Deadlift
Weight: 25, 30, 35

DAY 3-5

Not recorded, see training footage

JARED’S PROGRESS: WEEK 6

DAY 1: Upper Body

Triset 1
1A)Lat Pulldown
Weight: 100, 130, 180, 180, 190, 200
1B) DB Bench
Weight: 75, 75, 90, 100, 110, 120
1C) V-Up
Weight: 11 pound medicine ball for all reps

Triset 2
2A)DB Row
Weight: 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125
2B) Barbell Push Press
Weight: 135, 155, 165, 185, 195, 205
2C)Superman

Triset 3
3A) Barbell Curl
Weight: 65, 75, 95, 95
3B) Triceps Dip
3C) Band Pull Apart

DAY 2: Lower Body

Superset 1
1A)Back Squat
Weight: 200, 220, 255, 275, 315
1B) Passive Hang

Superset 2
2A) Barbell Back Lunge
Weight: 85, 105, 115, 120
2B) Primal Squat
Hip Hinge
Romanian Deadlift
Weight: 135, 185, 225

DAY 3: Full Body

Superset 1
1A) Deadlift
1B) Push Press

Superset 2
2A) Barbell Lunge
2B) Pullups

Finisher A
Completed

DAY 4: Conditioning

Steady State Cardio

DAY 5: Challenge Day

The Chinup-Dip Countdown
Time: 5 minutes, 43 seconds

JARED’S WEEK 5-6 THOUGHTS

This week was very challenging for me. Unfortunately, my form suffered throughout and I feel like I was running on empty for most, if not all, of the workouts. I did see some improvements in my strength especially on the upper body day.

The BPI supplements have been a great help in keeping me as energized as possible and I truly love the Vanilla Best Protein.

JARED’S WEEK 7-8 GOALS

I hope to see better improvements after the deload week in week 7. I’m looking forward to pushing some heavy weight in week 8 as well. Though my diet has not been on point, this program has reminded me of what it is like to be in amazing shape and I will continue to use the techniques and lifts (especially push presses) in my routines going forward.