Day 499: Tom Venuto's House Of Pain
G'day Shredders,
The day had finally arrived! My first "Closed Door" Training session with Tom Venuto in preparation for Day 500: M4 Training Day.
It All Started At 11:30AM
After two hearty Venuto Approved Meals we hopped into Tom's Burn The Fat Mobile and cruised over to Strong & Shapely Gym in East Rutherford, a.k.a. Tom's House Of Pain (THOP)!
The Tension Was Rising
As we were approaching THOP Tom made me promise one thing, "Give me your best..." I agreed to do so without hesitation.
Once we were actually inside the four walls of THOP my whole being was alive, my senses were fully engaged, I was "in the moment" living "in real-time" preparing my mind and body for the coming onslaught.
It was actually a weird combination of uncertainty (fear of the unknown) and certainty (knowing I was going to be drilled).
In A World Of Hurt...After The "Warm-Up"!
My suspicions were confirmed right after our "warm-up sets". While Tom was "going through the motions" doing his regular warm-up routine for legs I was already in a world of hurt following his lead (with about half the weight!).
Once our M4 Pre-Training Day Workout officially began 10 minutes later I mentally prepared myself to be comprehensively "schooled" in the grandaddy of all leg exercises, Barbell Squats Tom Venuto Style.
Rep Range Parameters, Tom Venuto Style
Our training sets followed a specific pattern throughout the whole workout. Tom would lead off first moving stacks of weight so large it would make grown men cry, then I would follow (cutting the weight by at least half) with the objective of hitting rep range parameters pre-determined by Tom.
Tom would say something like this, "Pick a weight you can get 12 reps with...now do 15!"
Needless to say, after our first 8 sets of Squats and Leg Extensions supersetted with Walking Lunges my quads were screaming for mercy. At one point my legs were shaking so hard that I could barely stand up straight.
Just Another "Day At The Office"
Tom then proceeded to give me a guided tour of a "normal day at the office" for his leg training which included Squats, Leg Extensions, Walking Lunges, Deadlifts, Leg Curls...and a medieval quad blasting contraption as a "bonus set".
By the end of this training session Tom had well and truly "educated" me on the level of training intensity that is mandatory for any aspiring Shredder to take their physique to the next level.
Pain...Redefined!
Put simply, even though I am an English Teacher by trade, in one single training session Tom had redefined the meaning of "pain" in my vocabulary.
Thank You Tom
On a final note I'd like to say a big thank you to Tom. You are an inspiration and a role model to hundreds of thousands of fitness enthusiasts all over the world and I am eternally grateful for the man-to-man real-world, real-time education you have provided for me today.
I will never forget this day as long as I live.
Sincerely,
Adam Waters
P.S. Today's session is just a taste of what will be coming my way tomorrow, M4 Training Day! Stay tuned to the blog for a live and exclusive blow-by-blow report from THOP on Day 500!
P.S.S. The New York Four, Suzette, Joni, Debbie and Lilla will be arriving in New Jersey tomorrow to kick off ECSS 2008! Stay tuned for all the breaking news from the NY4 and their own Date With Destiny on March 24, 2008 - Group Shred with myself and Tom Venuto!
P.S.S.S. While Tom drilled me hard during the day he also took time out from his very busy schedule to treat me to my first ever dinner in New York City in the evening. Below is a pic after we had finished our meal at Little Italy. Thank you Tom!
Click Below For Real-Time
NY4 Status Updates:
Suzette's Direct Blog Link
Joni's Direct Blog Link
Debbie's Direct Blog Link
Lilla's Direct Blog Link
ECSS 2008:
Final Countdown Video
============================================
Current Status: Classified Top Secret!
We will focus on the single daily actions that produce results.
We will "burn our bridges" and not look back.
We will never surrender.
Eat Clean,
Shred Hard,
Think BIG!
Cheers,
Adam Waters, NESTA-CPT
P.S. Below are Day 499 RTP Blog Daily Pictures for March 21, 2008: Mission 4 - Day 124 of 125 (Today's pic was taken on rooftop of Burn The Fat HQ overlooking the New York Skyline)
12 comments:
Mate that is soo awesome!! You`ve definitely come along way since the beginning of your journey. Meeting the man himself and now having the chance to train with him is just a testament of how hard you`ve worked. You are a true inspiration!!
ADAM, love your blogs now, telling us all the details about the Mr. WonderfulTomV meeting, and now your workout in detail. How exciting for you. How fabulous to be there where you are right now and doing the Most! You certainly deserve it..that´s why you are there! We are so proud of you! You are now our inspiration!
Lynda
Shredder and Big Adam Follower
Adam what an awesome time you must have had with tom. It was so great to finally meet you and the rest of the ny4! am truly grateful for this opportunity!
Adam,
I wondered if Tom would bust out the Quad Blaster or not. That thing looks brutal just from the pics I've seen of it. I love Tom telling you to pick a weight you can do 12 with...now do 15. I'm going to make that my mantra this week. It fits with my current mindset--push yourself to the limit and then, when you reach the limit, push yourself even further. Your excitement comes through in the post above. I'm so happy for you!
Man, a new feeling of happiness seems to go out of you! I'm really happy that your rtp journey gave you the incredible chance to meet such a man like Tom Venuto! I hope so concerning my own workout. Have fun in the "hell's workout".
Cheers
Bob
You can tell, just fron your blog, that this meant the world to you. And why not! The work, effort and time you have put in, and the way in which you have shared you journey with the world, you are a true inspiration to us all Adam.
Keep it up
Kelv
Hey I forgot, get a new idea for a new RTP-challenge. I thought about doing a 10km running in under 40min as a goal but it seems difficult to proove on a complete video so I decide to propose a pull-up challenge with a final goal of 30 rep (or more) doing the complete movement from the lower position to the top!
what do you think about that Adam?
give me your answer if it's interisting, I look forward to hearing from you...
Bob (again)
The big day! the first sneak peak at a workout with the big man! You are just beaming at dinner, it must feel so surreal!
can't wait for the next instalment!
Kel.
Woohoo!
I celebrate your victories Adam! Well deserved!
Adam, sounds like you had an awesome workout. Hope the DOMs don't hit too hard :)
Looking forward to hearing more...
Thank you Shredders (and family) for your awesome comments! The training session with Tom was brutal but an awesome experience. I'll be uploading some pictures and video in the coming days.
Thanks again, be back soon!
Adam
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