You would figure the first two workouts of Kris Gethin's Dramatic Transformation Principle workouts would have been enough for me to know it was for real. Although it is, I am a glutton for punishment so I am doing it again, this time with two muscle groups and in superset fashion. This should be a very interesting day in the gym. If you are unfamiliar with DTP, refer to my earlier articles on my past workouts. Let's get to it!
Pre-Workout
I had eight egg whites with a half cup of oatmeal and a protein shake just like my last two times. I also took the multivitamin and this time I took 1,000 milligrams of Vitamin C. Thirty minutes before leaving home, I took my NO pre workout drink.
In The Gym
Once I get to the gym, I make it a point to do some extra stretching and do the ten minutes on the treadmill. I am going to do flat dumbbell bench press and then follow immediately with bent over dumbbell rows. I have to wait a few minutes because there are only two benches in my gym and they are both taken. I do some extra flexing and stretching. Finally a bench is available and I grab the 25's to start with.
The Sets
1 / I get going and am able to manage 50 reps with no problem
I take a few seconds and shake my arms out so my grip doesn't give out during the rows. Also I am dealing with an elbow injury and want to make sure I don't make it worse. I do manage the 50 reps and set them down. I only have 45 seconds to rest so I make sure to get some water and catch my breath.
2 / I am going to use the 30's for my second superset
Again the presses are no trouble for me. This time however, I do struggle on the rows. I have to stop for a few seconds at rep 30, but I do get the last 10 and walk them back to the rack. I am already feeling an awesome pump and that is motivating me to keep going.
3 / Those 45 seconds go fast
I try to bump it up to 40's for the 30 rep sets. By rep 23 I feel like I accidentally grab the 60's because they felt heavy. I do manage all the reps though and stand up for the rows. My grip is giving out before my lats are but I was determined to get all 30 reps without stopping. It took a lot out of me but I do get them all. I walk the dumbbells back and grab the 45's for set 4.
4 / I grab my wrist wraps
I can go the entire set without having to worry about my grip. This is for 20 reps this time and I am struggling for air. I end up taking a minute but once I start I get all twenty. The rows are harder than ever and I had to stop around rep 16 before getting the last four. People are looking at me with some strange looks because they have been watching me do this workout and I think they are questioning my sanity.
5 / I am now going for the 50's for my sets of 10
To put into perspective how taxing this training is, I normally can do 3 sets of 15 with the 100's on flat dumbbell presses. I doubt I can even pick them up at this point. I want to make sure I do this right so I only take 45 seconds rest and go. I barely get the 10th rep and I am relieved, but then realized I am only halfway done. I stand up and start rowing. I was so focused on pulling that I actually got 11 reps before I rack them.
6 / I finish my first bottle of water and grab my second
I now start the descending reps portion of DTP. About 15 minutes have passed since I started and I feel like I have been in the gym for two hours. After seeing my pump in the mirror though, I don't hesitate to grab the 50's again and get on it. 10 reps up and down. I stand up and get the rows as well. I feel like I got a second wind so that encourages me to finish this out.
7 / I grab the 45's and immediately start pumping out reps
I have to take an extra second at the top of rep 15 to take a deep breath before finishing out the last five. I struggle to get up off the bench and get into position for rows. So much for that second wind. I also have to say if it wasn't for the wraps, I probably would have had to stop many more times because of my grip. Twenty rows and I re-rack them.
8 / My shirt is completely drenched in sweat and I am drained both physically and mentally
I have to take a minute rest again or else I may not finish this out. I choose to grab the 35's because the 40's were taken and I know I couldn't do ten extra reps with the 45's. Even with the 35's, I still have to take breaks in between the set to complete it. Finally I stand up for the rows. I have to stop at rep 20 and catch my breath. Now people are just staring in disbelief at what I am doing. Knowing people are watching helps me push myself a little harder and I finish. Once I rack the 35's, someone asks what I am doing. I explain in between gasping for air and recommend they check out the other articles for more information because it is already time for my next set.
9 / The 30's are gone so I grab the 25's for my second superset of 40 reps
Remember I started with the 25's for my first superset of 50 reps. The 25's are much heavier this time around but I push it and get all 40 for both the presses and rows. My back is killing me from being bent over for so long. I know I have one more superset left and I want to do the 25's again, but realistically I would have to stop more times to rest and I want to reap all the benefits of this workout which means to finish it out without a break. I reach for the 20's but someone else has them. That means I have to use 15's for my last set.
10 / You can imagine how funny this looks
I weigh 205 pounds and I am breathing heavy while doing presses with 15's. Alas I do manage all 50 reps and it was kind of easy. I know that is only because I couldn't use the 20's or else this would be a different story. While I was doing the presses, whoever had the 20's returned them. I decide to grab them for the rows. Once I get to rep 15 I question my choice but I must keep going. I count out loud in fives to push myself to the end. 35, 40, 45, 50! I place the dumbbells back and I collapse to the floor right there.
Post-Workout
After laying on the floor for about five minutes, I get up and grab my Vitargo. I end up laying back down on the floor because I am light headed. That was not only the most intense DTP workout I have done, that may have been the most intense training session I have ever done. Once I get up and look in the mirror though, it was worth doing it because I have such a massive pump that I look like I gained ten pounds over the course of the past thirty minutes.
Conclusion
Once again. I have 1000 mg of Vitamin C and a protein drink once I get home. I maintained that pump for the next couple of hours. I know that because I tried to take my T-shirt off to get in the shower and I couldn't do it. I was so sore for the remainder of the day, but there was no doubt that it was worth all the pain and effort. My DTP series will conclude with shoulders and priority and drop sets.