After eight weeks of hard work and dedication, M&F Editor Mark Barroso and personal trainer Jared Zuckerman completed the 60 Day Revolution workout program. Both Revolutionaries didn’t skip a single workout and by the program’s end, they hit pushed each other to the absolute limit. This is the fourth blog in the series, so if you’re not caught up, take a look at Weeks 1-2, Weeks 3-4, and Weeks 5-6. Here are the training partners results for the last two weeks, week eight being the most important: shock week!
Thank you to GoPro for providing the GoPro Hero Session 4 for us to record our training footage. All video shot on location at Dumbbell’s Health and Fitness in North Bergen, NJ. All weight represented in pounds.
MARK’S WEEK 7 (Deload Week) RESULTS
DAY 1: Upper Body Triset 1 1A) Pullup 1B) Alternating DB Bench Weight: 45, 60, 75, 90 1C) Cable Crunch Weight: 40, 45, Sets 3-4: Decline, Situp, Hanging Leg Raise Triset 2 2A) Seated Row Weight: 85, 100, 120, 140 2B) DB Military Press Weight: 30, 40, 50, 60 2C) Pallof Press Weight: 20, 30, 40, 40 Triset 3 3A) Supinating DB Curl Weight: 30, 40, 45, 50 3B) Pushup 3C) Face Pull: 30, 40, 50, 60
DAY 2: Lower Body Superset 1 1A) Front Squat Weight: 135, 205, 225 1B) Passive Hang Superset 2 2A) Barbell Front Lunge Weight: 115, 125, 145 2B) Primal Squat Hip Hinge Single Leg Deadlift Weight: 30, 50, 50
DAY 3: Full Body Day Superset 1 1A) Deadlift Weight: 245, 335, 405 (1 rep, then 3 reps) 1B) Push Press Weight: 135, 165, 195 Superset 2 2A) Barbell Lunge Weight: 135, 145, 155 2B) Pullup
FINISHER A Completed
DAY 4: DOUBLE SESSION Steady State Cardio Treadmill Run Total Time: 25 minutes Distance: 2.53 miles
CHALLENGE DAY Pushup and Tuck Jumps Reached 30 pushups and 10 tuck jumps, then pyramided down.
DAY 2: Lower Body Superset 1 1A) Back Squat Weight: 225, 265, 285, 305, 325, 335 1B) Passive Hang Superset 2 2A) Step-up Weight: 115, 125, 135, 155, 175 2B) Primal Squat Hip Hinge Romanian Deadlift: 175, 225, 245, 265
DAY 3: Full Body Superset 1 1A) Deadlift Weight: 225, 315, 385, 425, 445 1B) Push Press Weight: 155, 175, 185, 205, 225 2A) Barbell Lunge Weight: 115, 135, 155, 165, 175 2B) Pulllup Finisher: Unable to complete: too sore!
DAY 4: Challenge Day 60 Rep Club: I performed 60 reps because I used a 25-pound kettlebell instead of a 16kg bell. Total Time: 17 minutes, 20 seconds
WEEK 7-8 THOUGHTS
Week 7 was a deload week, so for me that meant not using the heaviest weight possible for each set. Basically, it was a week to mentally prepare for hit personal records in week 8, and that I did. In shock week (week 8), I decided to add an extra set of one rep, to test my absolute strength, and I hit a new PR of 435 pounds. I know this program works because I actually plateaued; I tried to deadlift 445 at two separate points and was unsuccessful I had to back off to 435. What caused the plateau was soreness in my glutes and I didn’t want to contract them anymore.
I also PR’d my push press, a lift I had never really tried to go fewer than five reps with. Last but not least, I PR’d my bench press: 315 pounds for 1 rep.
The 50-Rep Club Challenge Day is reminiscent of a CrossFit WOD, so “metcon” lovers should enjoy that workout. In week 8, I totaled 1,085 pounds at 195 pounds bodyweight (raw).
OVERALL PROGRAM THOUGHTS
A big part of the 60 Day Revolution experience was having a reliable training partner in Jared Zuckerman. We pushed each other to the limit in all of our lifts and conditioning days. Another less obvious benefit was that for the overhead presses and lunges, we would often clean the bar to our chests instead of taking off of a rack. We were essentially cleaning barbells nearly every workout, which definitely built my explosiveness.
The 60 Day Revolution helped me P.R. all my lifts and I gained 4 pounds of muscle while doing so. I personally have enjoyed lifting using trisets, supersets, and giant sets so the structure of the 60 Day Revolution helped me diversify exercise choices for this this style of training.
Thank you to James Grage and BPI Sports for supplying us with the supplements that helped fuel our gains and fat loss, and for helping creating this great program. For all things 60 Day Revolution, check out the most motivated fitness community on the Internet: the 60 Day Revolution Facebook group. And shout out to Revolutionary Scott Lim on the Facebook Group, who James Grage and I got to meet at the Mr, Olympia Performance Weekend.
Time:19, minutes, 36 seconds (I did not have a heavy enough kettlebell so I used a dumbbell. The worst exercise is a dumbbell high pull!)
WEEK 8 THOUGHTS
This week was very fun for me! I broke so many of my personal records in all of the major lifts and I was shocked to see how far along I had come with my conditioning, strength and body decomposition. My favorite day by far was the Full-Body Day where Mark and I both crushed the workout. I had a 445lbs deadlift, which I haven’t seen those numbers since high school and a 225 clean with 3 reps on the push press.
PROGRAM THOUGHTS
I have lost a total of 15 lbs. since the start of this journey and I can honestly say I have felt the best I have felt in a long time.
My least favorite of the workouts happen to be the upper body day I felt that it was repetitive and I just lost interest along the way of doing back and chest exercises. My newfound love(s) would be squatting and lunges.
Having a great workout partner (Mark) and a supportive community made this experience that much better throughout the entire process.
