Rantorcha's AAEFX Training Journal - Road to...

[natty texan]

good stuff man. (am i missing out on the weights or is there something going on i've missed?)

 

[rantorcha]

Man, what a ****ty night last night. I did not sleep well at all - I couldn't get comfortable, I was tossing and turning, I woke up with a headache, AND to make matters worse, I woke up at 4:30am!!! UGH!! I ended up actually getting up at 5:15ish, getting dressed, had my morning EFX Supps...

Nytric EFX Pro
Kre-Alkalyn Pro
LBA Pro
Cell Rush
CMZ

...and after throwing back some advil for the pounding headache, I went to the gym for my cardio session.

CARDIO - 35 minutes...all on the Stairmill

I went back home and had my egg whites and Ezekiel pasta (that's a new item). The rest of the day is devoted to maintaining my diet on course and getting my girls tonight. I love getting my girls...they bring some amazing enjoyment to my life!

 

[rantorcha]

good stuff man. (am i missing out on the weights or is there something going on i've missed?)

Thanks, Tex. Not sure what you mean by the "weights" thing. Did you mean what I used for weights? If so, that's done on purpose. Before when I kept a training journal, I used to list my weights. But, I realized that I kept using weights "for my journal" instead of using a weight that would be effective for me in my goals. From that point on, I'll list my weights sometimes, but for the most part, I don't want to fall in that trap anymore.

Besides, when I'm on stage, the judges don't stop the show to ask how much ya bench or deadlift! :sgrin:

 

[natty texan]

Thanks, Tex. Not sure what you mean by the "weights" thing. Did you mean what I used for weights? If so, that's done on purpose. Before when I kept a training journal, I used to list my weights. But, I realized that I kept using weights "for my journal" instead of using a weight that would be effective for me in my goals. From that point on, I'll list my weights sometimes, but for the most part, I don't want to fall in that trap anymore.

Besides, when I'm on stage, the judges don't stop the show to ask how much ya bench or deadlift! :sgrin:

hahaha niceeee i like it. i guess i'm a little too poundage conscious from football...habit i need to break? idk...i'll give it a thought

 

[natty texan]

tried to rep you for that but it won't let me

 

[rantorcha]

tried to rep you for that but it won't let me

Thanks, but don't sweat it, Tex. It's the thought that counts. lol

 

[rantorcha]

It's obviously been a while since I was able to post. It isn't that I haven't been working hard, though. Work has been pretty busy and the personal life has been filled with little pot holes here and there. Needless to say, the mental energy I've exhausted has been rather intense. But, in no way does this deter me from my focus and goal of becoming an AAEFX & PRRS Warrior with a Pro Card.

Things are moving along nicely, I think, but I also think it's time to take things up a notch. I read an article from Skip LaCour once that I always remember..."No matter how hard you've worked, you can ALWAYS work harder than the last time." That has been my drive each time I set foot in the gym for training and/or cardio and with each meal.

Over the weekend, I got my changes and I had some drops in carbs and a little increase in cardio. Nothing I can't handle, but I was sad to see them adjusted nonetheless. lol

Sunday I had the luxury of training with Eric again - which is always not only fun, but also pretty inspiring. If you ever have the chance to train with Broser, you always leave with an extra sense of focus, drive and determination. After my eval, I think we are both somewhat pleased with how things are rolling. Like I said, it's time to step it up even more now, though.

Yesterday was Delts and Mini-Tris day, which I seriously blasted hardcore! And today is a non-training day, so my focus is my morning cardio (which is done!) and my meals. Only 8 1/2 weeks to go!

 

[rantorcha]

Woke up this morning and since I had my girls, I did my morning cardio at home on the treadmill. It was a nice brisk pace and I actually felt pretty good. For some reason, mornings have been pretty weird for me. I’ve felt pretty weak and lightheaded and I am not sure why. But, by about 930-ish, I am ok.

Training---
Boys and girls! Today was an insane day at the gym today. I can’t even begin to tell you the level of bile and venom I spewed. Here is how it all went down.

LATS
Chinups –
-/13+1, 25/8, 25/6+1..drop..-/3 (very strict with a hold at the top for 1-sec)
Corner T-bar Row –
4 plts/13+1, 4 plts+25/8+1
Smith Rack Deads –
315/10 (too light), 405/12, 455/7
One-arm Hammer Row –
3plts+25/12; 3plts+25/10
Rev Grip Hammer – higher rep sets

Mini-Chest
Smith Incline Press
135/15, 185/10, 225/6+1 (hold at the bottom for 1-sec, squeeze at the top)
Incl Hammer – triple drop set
95each side/10..drop..70each/6..drop..45each/7

ABS
V-ups ss/ Decl Bench Crunch – 2 sets each

 

[rantorcha]

Quick update...

Friday
After doing Cardio in the morning at the gym on the Stairmill, I hit my Calves as well. I knew I wasn't going to have time during my training in the afternoon, so I did them after cardio.

I really pushed the limits on my arms on Friday. I even threw in some side delt work and was sore all weekend.

TRICEPS
Body-over-bar Pushdowns
190/17, 200+45/12, 200+45/11
(did the whole stack, plus added a plate)
Overhead EZ bar Pushdowns
95/11, 95/9
Lying Tri Ext
95/6+neg, 95/6+neg

BICEPS
Low Cable Curl
170/10, 170/9
Incl Seated Curl
40/8, 40/8
Lying Top Cable Curl
150/8+2, 130/10+2

Mini-DELTS
Barbell Upright Row
105/9
105/9..drop..85/6..drop..65/9
DB Side Laterals
35/17, 30/17, 25/18

Saturday
40 minutes of Cardio on the Treadmill at home

Sunday
40 minutes of Cardio on the Treadmill at home

Monday
20 minutes of Cardio on the Treadmill at home
Training in the afternoon

 

[rantorcha]

Today’s training fan-freakin’-tastic! I decided to hit a Power Week this week to keep up with my PRRS Training. For a while, I’ve tried to stay away from a Power week because the sheer intensity of the heavy weights put a ton of strain on my neck. Plus, I’d be too worried about the weights and not enough emphasis on the muscle being worked. I needed to go back to basics with respect to what weight I used.

But, after watching some of the “Road to the Olympia” videos on MD.com, I decided to give Power Week the ole college try again to see how it went. So far, things are going well!

CHEST
Incl DB Press (hands angled slightly inward for emphasis on inner/upper chest) – 3 sets
Smith Incl Press – 2 sets
DB Pullover – used 105s for 2 sets
Wghtd Dips – 45/8+1, 60/7+1 I was pretty pleased with how easily I was able to use this weight.

FRONT/SIDE DELTS
Smith Press – 2 solid sets
BB Upright Row – 2 very intense sets. Actually, the first set I surprised myself going for 12 reps!
Side Laterals – this was the only exercise that I didn’t go Power on.

ABS
V-ups – 3 sets

I will say that as soon as I was done with my last set of side laterals, I stretched for a good 2 minutes. And STILL, when I went to pick up my bag and leave, I could barely carry it. I had to keep switching hands. And if you asked me to raise my hands over my head right now….not gonna happen. lol

 

[rantorcha]

This morning since I have my girls all week, as usual, I hit Cardio at home on the treadmill for 20 minutes. It actually went pretty fast...which is all due to the Monday Night Football highlights on ESPN this morning. It's the mid-week 40-minute session with barely any sports that's a killer! lol

This afternoon, it was time...time to hit legs. If you follow my journal, you'll know I am ok with my legs and only train them once every two weeks. For my last show, my legs were thick, but not as cut as I would have liked. Eric and I think that has to do with my legs being over worked - hard weekly workouts and tons of cardio. Plus, I think my legs can and sometimes do overpower the rest of my physique, so we are trying this out to see how it goes. As of now, so far so good. I guess we'll know for sure in 8 weeks!!!

So, after not training legs for two weeks, usually I am pretty psyched. But, for some reason, today I just wasn't feelin' it. True to form - as I discussed yesterday - when I do "Power Week" I tend to have neck and shoulder issues. My neck really stiffened up this morning. MOTHER!!! And, my heart just wasn't into training today, which has been VERY unlike me for quite some time.

But, I knew what was at stake...a shot at a Pro Card. So, I kept shaking off any negative feelings and pushed forward as hard as I could. By set #2, it was ON! I can't say it was my best leg workout ever, but I can say that I left everything I had back at the gym. By the end of it, as I was stretching, I could have dropped dead right there on the floor (figuratively of course).

I know that this is Power Week, but Power Week doesn't agree with me and my legs. In Spanish, we say "no me combiene", which essentially means, it's no good for me. lol So, I decided to do things in a quick manner and hit it Shock-style.

Anyway, here is how it went...
QUADS/HAMS
Hack Squats ss/ Rev Hack Squats - 2 sets of this sh*t!
Leg Press ss/ Stiff Leg Deads - 3 sets of these mother f*ckers!
Leg Curl ss/ Leg Ext - 2 crazy ass sets of super-squeezing. At this point I wanted to die...but still had glutes and calves to do!

GLUTES
Rev Leg Curl (On Floor) ss/ Abduction Machine - 2 sets of 15 for the Rev Leg Curls and 2 sets of 25 reps on the Abduct Mach

CALVES
Leg Press - 2 sets (20 and 16 reps, respectively). Prob could've stopped at about 13 or 14, but kept going until I wanted to die!
Seated Calf - 2 sets 135/13, 135/12

OK!! TIME TO GO HOME (oh, crap. I still have to work the rest of the day.) DAMN!!!!

 

[crader]

Very nice work!

 

[natty texan]

well i was trying to rep both you and crader but my reps aren't working

so in theory reps, good work, and hi crader it's been awhile

 

[crader]

well i was trying to rep both you and crader but my reps aren't working

so in theory reps, good work, and hi crader it's been awhile

LOL hi Tex!!

 

[rantorcha]

Very nice work!

Thanks, crader! Coming from you, that's quite a compliment.

 

[rantorcha]

well i was trying to rep both you and crader but my reps aren't working

so in theory reps, good work, and hi crader it's been awhile

There you are, Tex!! Glad to see you again. And I'm glad to see you and crader can meet in my journal. lol

 

[rantorcha]

So, yesterday I did my morning cardio as I usually do. CARDIO - 20 minutes on my home Treadmill. Got dressed for work and off I went. At about 930, I got a call that put my noon-time workout in jeopardy. Getting ready for a show is hard enough, but when a monkey wrench is thrown into your plan, it can shake you up a bit - just ask Eric!

Well, I was able to get in an abbreviated workout and only completed Power Lats. Traps, Rear Delts and Abs will have to be worked out between today and tomorrow somehow. I'll get it done!

Here's yesterday's kick ass workout! Even though it's Power Week, I am using Power week rep ranges (or at least trying to) with Rep Range tempos.

LATS
WG Pulldowns 210/8, 225/6, 210/8
Smith Machine Rack Deads (to Knee) - 425/10, 425/12, 455/7
Rev Grip BB Row - Smith Mach - 225/10, 255/10+1, 275/8+1
Underhand Pulldown - 195/10, 225/7
Rope Stiff-arm Pulldowns - did these more as rep range b/w 8-12 reps

That's it in a nutshell. Immediately after this one I needed to get in my AAEFX Kre-Generator/NF Pro Whey post workout shake as well as my LG5 (Glutamine).

After resting and hanging out with my girls in the evening, I enjoyed THOROUGHLY the ass kicking The U gave the bumble bees. lol

This morning, I woke up and did my usual 20 minutes of CARDIO again on the home Treadmill.

This aftenroon - off to train arms, calves and try to get in the stuff I missed yesterday. I'll keep you posted.

 

[crader]

Good luck!

 

[rantorcha]

Good luck!

Thanks! I really appreciate it.

 

[rantorcha]

Really quick afternoon update…
Holy shiz! Did I tear it up this afternoon! My arms will be very sore tomorrow as my back already is from yesterday. It was “ON” today. I went in with “that mindset”…the zone, as some call it. I have been hearing & watching more and more of Kai’s trainer’s philosophies (Oscar Ardon). His “power of the mind” stuff is something I marvel at for some reason. It talks to me. It sounds a little hokey, but I guess you can call me hokey.

Now, as for my workout, here it goes…remember, this was the last day of my Power Week and most likely my last Power week of this prep. I know this seems like I packed in a bunch, but my rest periods were minimal.

BICEPS
Barbell Curl – 2 heavy sets
DB Curl – 2 sets
90 degree Preacher Curl – 2 sets

TRICEPS
Smith CG Press (Broser-style) – 2 strong sets
Incl Lying Tri Ext – 2 sets
Body-over-bar Pushdowns – entire stack 13 reps and 11 reps
Dip Machine

TRAPS
DB Shrug – 3 strong sets. Did these back to back…bent over 45 degrees and focused on mid traps

ABS
Did some V-ups, Decl Bench Crunch and twists

REAR DELTS
Top Cable Rev Cross – 3 sets, very little rest

CALVES
Seated Calf – 3 sets
Free Motion Press – Triple drop sets

 

[rantorcha]

7 WEEKS TO GO!!! And with each passing day, each passing hour, minute, training session, set and rep, I am gearing up for the fight of my life. November 7th - Coral Springs, FL!

I'm not sure how I'll look on that day, but I will say that right now I am in better condition than at any point prepping for my last show...and I am looking to be at my all-time best come that Saturday.

I had the luxury of being able to train with The Master, The ONE, our Yoda on Sunday. We did some chest, etc. And, not only was it a great training session, but he was able to eval me prior to training (pre-pump or anything) and he said I was on track. We still have a long way to go, but I feel decent where we are at right now. As I usually say, we'll see how it goes...

SUNDAY TRAINING WITH ERIC
CHEST
Rack Incl Smith Press (done as drop set) - 2 sets
Flat Smith Press (done to the neck) ss/ Dips - 2 sets each
Incl DB Flye ss/ DB Pullover - 1 set each

Mini-LATS - all of these done in the 13-15 rep range. Not necessarily on purpose, but I felt so good, I kept going...not stopping after a prescribed number of reps.
One Arm DB Row - 2 straight sets
Smith Rev Grip BB Row - 2 straight sets
Side Lat Pulldown Machine - 2 straight sets

ABS
V-ups ss/ Cable Crunch
Twists

CARDIO - done after training on Treadmill

MONDAY
CARDIO only - done on Home Treadmill
Since I trained yesterday, I am treating today as a rest day. Back at it again tomorrow and I can't wait!

 

[rantorcha]

So, today was a training day to remember. But first, I woke up with a pretty decent-sized headache. Actually, it started last night before I hit the sack. These headaches usually go away during my sleep. Don't know why, but this one lingered all night long and into the morning. I always try not to take any medicine, but today I had to! I took some ibuprofen and hit CARDIO at the gym today on the Stairmill. I love to hate & hate to love that thing!! But, I am sure the results will show come November.

By the afternoon, I wasn't feeling all that great either. Actually, I felt a little run down. But, as I have been lucky enough to feel during these last couple of months, once I take my EFX supps, then 30 minutes later my pre-w/o shake and set foot in the gym, a switch gets turned on. And to add to the motivation, I've been checking out a few minutes of the pre-Olympia footage from Branch, Wolf and Kai.

On a side note, I don't know why, but there is something about watching & listening to Kai & Oscar that speaks to me. I watched every one of Kai's Arnold "video journal" entries and was in awe. I have picked so many different training techniques - most notably his passion to go above and beyond any limitations of rep scheme. And I am incorporating them today!

So, like I said at the beginning, this one was one to remember!

DELTS
Life Fitness Delt Press Machine ss/ Standing Side Laterals
120/12..32.5/14
120/11..32.5/12.5
110/11..32.5/13
Alt Hammer-grip DB Front Raises ss/ Seated Side Laterals
25/10each...25/12
20/13each...25/13 (Fr Raises done really slow, controlled and squeezed at the top)
Upright Cable Row (Narrow grip) ss/ Rev Pec Dec - 2 sets each
AND........................DONE!!!!! SHEESH!

Mini-TRIs
Body-over-bar Pushdown (triple drop)
200-stack + 2-25s/11..drop..200+25/4..drop..200/6
Incl Tri Ext ss/ Bench Dips
95/10...16 reps
Rev One-arm Pushdowns ss/ Bench Dips
17.5/15...14 reps

CALVES
Leg Press Raises - 2-triple drop sets
6plts each/20...5ea/12...4ea/16
6plts each/16...5ea/14...4ea/15
Walking would be a serious challenge after these.

Another fantastic workout in the books. If I didn't grow at least a little after this one, then there is no hope! Lol

 

[rantorcha]

Every couple of weeks, and sometimes every couple of days, I find myself rededicating myself to my mission. I don’t find myself dropping off in terms of intensity or anything like that, but every few days/weeks, I feel that I need to focus that much more to what I am doing. Sometimes, eating the same things every day, the same supps every day, the same everything every day, you could tend to get a little robotic. So, last night I refocused my outlook. At different places in my apartment, I taped notes around my house.

I am also going to stop looking in the mirror for a little while! lol I am pretty much not wanting to constantly critique myself. I am going to start wearing big, baggy shirts and try to only see my progress after a few days, at least.

This mental aspect of my prep usually comes on days that I am not scheduled to train. haha So, obviously today is a cardio-only day!!

CARDIO – 45 minutes on the home treadmill

 

[crader]

I can completely sympathise with the same food and same supps rut. It can get really old to do the same things every single day with nothing new to look forward too. Props to you for finding a way to stay motivated to the end goal.

 

[rantorcha]

I can completely sympathise with the same food and same supps rut. It can get really old to do the same things every single day with nothing new to look forward too. Props to you for finding a way to stay motivated to the end goal.

Thanks, crader! I really appreciate the support. It's nice to see I'm not alone soemtimes. lol

 

[rantorcha]

This morning started out a little rough. I woke up at 5am, but my alarm wasn't set to go off until 5:50am. Of course, i couldn't go back to sleep, so I said, "F-ck it!" and I got up to do my morning cardio.

CARDIO - 1st thing in the morning. And it was almost as easy as pie. With a little more than 6 weeks left and cardio on training days coming so easy at this stage makes me nervous! I AM NOT complaining, that's for sure.

Needless to say, I was a tad tired by about midday, but that was training time and I needed to get up for my back day. Back is an area I have really been busting ass on to improve in terms of width. Hopefully I have done that, but with 6+ more weeks to go, now is no time to back off.

LATS
Wghtd Chins - 2 drop sets. Held contraction at the top for 1-sec. 2nd dropset was less total reps, but double the effort to get there. Even used rest/pause on the drop.
High Cable Seated Row - 2 really nice dropsets of this one
Hammer...
- High Row ss/ Rev Pulldown - 1 supserset
- Rev Pulldown ss/ High Row - 1 supserset
Hyperextensions - triple drop
2-25s...1-25...0. Did two triple drops of that!
Rope Stiff Arm Pulldowns - very nice contraction and stretch

TRAPS & ABS
1/2 Pulldown (almost to top of head) - squeeze traps
ss/ V-ups - did 2 supersets of each
DB Shrugs ss/ Decl Bench Crunch - did 2 supersets of each

Mini-CHEST
Star Trac Machine Press - did 2 dropsets of this and was toasted! On the surface, this doesn't seem like much of a mini-chest routine, but I can assure you, I couldn't do a thing more than this after those dropsets.

I must say, it took me a little bit to get into the swing of things. But once I was "in", there was no turning back. Once again, I left everything I had in the gym. Hopefully, the results will speak for themselves.

 

[rantorcha]

After yesterday's early wake up call, I went home and crashed! I laid down on the couch to watch TV and took a half-hour nap. Good nap...but DAMN was it hard to get up after that! I still had one more meal to eat. Later after scarfing that down, of course getting to sleep was a bit of a challenge...and I woke up tired again! MOTHER! lol

Anyway, since I didn't have my girls, I went to the gym for morning Cardio so I could hit the Stairmill. Have I mentioned that I love that thing! After that, I went home and had my first meal. I have to say that first meal is like eating candy. I savor almost every bit of that meal like it was my last.

So, this afternoon was training and the last of this week. So, essentially after today, I have 6 weeks until the dance. When I think about 6 weeks and look at it on a calendar, it seems like forever, but for some reason, it “feels” like the day is right around the corner. No rest for the weary! I must make sure that each day is better than the last.

TRICEPS
EZ bar Pushdowns – 2 sets (dropset on 2nd set)
Dip Machine – 3 hard sets
Overhead Lean Forward Rope Ext – 1 dropset 120/7…90/6
Cross Body 1-arm Ext – 3 increasing weight-sets

BICEPS
Life Fit Preacher Curl – 2 sets (dropset on 2nd set). Used this machine for the first time and love it! Major pump.
Seated Curl – 40/8 x 2 sets! Arms were SO freakin’ pumped!
Lying Top Cable Curl – 120/16

Mini-SIDE DELTS
DB Side Laterals (run-the-rack)
35/10..30/9..25/9..20/9..15/9 – 46 total reps!!
35/10..30/6..25/6..20/6..15/8 – 36 total reps!! Couldn’t lift my arms after this.

CALVES
Seated (drop)
4plts/12...3plts/10...2plts/10…1plt/20!!
Leg Press (drop)
5plts each sd/16
4plts each sd/16
3plts each sd/15
Walking to the car was a major challenge…even after stretching.

 

[Old Navy]

You know I am a contest judge. I have judged more than a dozen shows for the NGA, OCB and SNBF. If you would like to email me a few shots of you "six weeks out," I will give you some solid feedback.

[email protected]

I am Master of Ceremonies at an NGA show in Atlanta tomorrow, and you already know I am Master of Ceremonies at the NGA show in Coral Springs on November 7th. I won't be judging in Florida so I can offer you some advice without prejudice.

Old Navy

 

[rantorcha]

After a pretty long weekend filled with fun and surprises, I am almost looking forward to the week! lol Over the weekend, I did my 45 mintues of cardio at the crack of dawn. Since I've had my girls for several weekends in a row, I've had to wake up way before them to get it in. If they are up, they're too young (at least Sienna is) to let me get cradio in.

And, this morning...same thing. Got my cardio in and will be hitting the weights this afternoon...in about an hour.

6 WEEKS TO GO!

 

[rantorcha]

In my previous post, you saw I had a bit of a rough weekend. So, I was a little concerned that I wasn’t going to be able to “get up” for my training today. And even as I was entering the gym, I didn’t seem to “have it”. But, as I walked up the steps into the main part of the gym, something clicked. I threw on my elbow sleeves after my first warm up set, my wrist supports after my second, and my belt after my third….and it was ON!

To be perfectly honest, after this weekend of keeping myself covered up and never being pumped in any way, I started to get a little down. Maybe my body just wasn’t responding properly. And with only 6 weeks to go, now is not the time to feel that way. Well, after my first exercise, I decided to do a little posing in the mirror and I feel ok now. My condition is really starting to take shape and sometimes I still can’t believe that’s me in the mirror!

Make no mistake, I don’t know what my competition will look like, but I will be at my best ever!

CHEST
Incl DB Press – hands angled – 2 sets…90/8, 85/10
Star Trac Press Machine – 210/13, 225/8, 225/8
Incl Flyes – 2 sets
Incl Hammer – I was absolutely brutalized after these! I had to do some major stretching. I also did some posing.

Front & Side DELTS
Hammer Press 2 sets with drop set on last one
Front Raises – 2 sets alternating hammer-grip & hammer grip with twist at top
Cable Upright Row – 2 high-rep sets…toasted my delts
Side Lateral Raises – major pump!!! Side delts are really noticeable these days, which for me is a major accomplishment.

ABS
V-ups – 2 sets of 20 reps
Decl Bench Crunch – 2 sets of 20 reps
Decl Bench Side Crunch – 2 sets of 15 reps each

 

[crader]

How old are your little ones?

 

[rantorcha]

How old are your little ones?

Sidney is 5 and Sienna is 2!

 

[rantorcha]

Due to some work conflicts, I had to rearrange my workout schedule today. I woke up at 5:45am to hit the gym for a grueling leg workout. My plan has been to hit legs every 2 weeks and this week was the week. I’ll be honest (as I always am), I was looking forward to it, but at the same time, not. I went in there with a sense of purpose. Since I am only hitting it once every two weeks, I blast my legs into submission. And it’s even funny to me how badly I “F” them up…I have a seriously hard time walking down the stairs to get to my car!

HAMS
Lying Leg Curl (drop…done as Glute Crunch)
140/12…65/8; 140/10…65/8 – these always kill me. And to start out with them was a bitch!
Stiff Leg Deads – 265/ 12 and 11 reps
Seated Leg Curl – 160/13; 160/10…115/8+3 X-Reps
It’s funny how when I try a contracting movement after SLDeads, it’s hard for me to get that good contraction. But, since I did a dropset on the last one, that sufficiently toasted my hams!

QUADS
Smith Front Squats – something told me to try these today. I don’t know why! I can never seem to get this right. But I tried them anyway. I ended up doing…225/10, but this isn’t heavy enough to stimulate my quads, but TOO heavy on my shoulders. Lol
Ft Forward Smith Squat – since the Front Squats didn’t work, I went under the bar…
315/15; with less than a minute rest… 225/15
Smith lunges – 135/12, 135/12
Single-leg Leg Press – 3 plts each side/9; 3 plts ea/10 reps…then put both feet up and did 12 faster reps.

GLUTES
Abduction – 2 sets of 30…really concentrating on the contraction
I only had time for these…I may end up doing more glute work tomorrow on my cardio-only day.

CALVES
Free motion Calf Ext
200/18 + 6 X-Reps
200/18 + 6 X-Reps
Talk about sufficiently toasting my calves on only the first exercise!
Seated Calf
115/18
115/16 + 10 X-Reps

CARDIO – 20 minutes on the Stairmill
I really hate doing cardio after training now. I’ve gotten so used to doing it first thing in the morning and then training in the afternoon! But after doing legs, it was even MORE grueling. This was probably the most arduous cardio session of my whole prep so far….and it was only 20 minutes. Now, I have the luxury of going home and refeeding!

 

[rantorcha]

Yesterday I felt great and I was hoping to carry that momentum into today. But if you know anything about getting ready for a show, it doesn't always pan out the way you'd like or hope. That brings me to last night...

I went to bed seemingly just fine when all of a sudden I practically jumped out of bed thinking it was time to get up. But when I looked at the clock, it was only 12:34AM!! For some reason my body was ready to wake up and I had no idea why. So, in the hopes of falling back asleep, I turned on the TV for about 1/2 hour. I finally got back to sleep and woke up again 20 minutes before my alarm went off.

Now I could have said the hell with it and started my day, but I decided to try to fall back asleep for those all important 20 minutes. And sure enough when the alarm clock went off, I wanted to kill someone! Not a good feeling at all. But I got up and hit the gym for my CARDIO session - the long version, since its a cardio-only day. I kind of dread these days, but I know they are a means to an end.

I'm going to try to find a way to get some rest tonight. We'll see how that works out for me. lol

 

[rantorcha]

It's been a mixed bag of a day. I woke up and did my training-day Cardio on my Home treadmill. I woke up my kids and they wished me a happy birthday, which was awesome and got several phone calls and emails since then.

On a training-front, things were weird today. For the last couple of days, I've had a strange impingement on my left hand between in index and middle fingers. It doesn’t quite hold me back from gripping, but it is uncomfortable. In addition, I’ve had a nerve impingement right above my left shoulder blade and it sometimes shoots up my neck.

Needless to say, this caused a tad bit of a problem when it came to pulling from below upward. Add to that the fact that I wasn’t quite feeling it today. It was a pain in the ass!

ALL OF THAT SAID, I obviously didn’t let it stop me! I made sure to push through and go past the level of comfort during each set. No time to back down. After today, there are only 36 days left…a tad over 5 weeks…essentially only 4 hard training weeks to go.

LATS
Underhand Bent Row - 3 sets of 11, 9+2, & 8 reps
D-bar Pulldown - 3 sets of 13, 9, & 8 reps
T-bar Row - 2 sets of 12 reps
Hammer Rev Pulldown - 2 sets of 13 & 12 reps
Hyperext - 25/15; 25/14..drop..0/10
Rope Stiff Arm Pulldown - major pump!!

TRAPS/REAR DELTS
Seated DB Shrug - 100/18, 100/18 - major stretch and contraction
1/2 Pulldown to top of head - 2 sets of 20 & 15 reps
DB Bent Over Laterals - 2 pump-inducing sets

ABS - ran out of time because I wanted to do some posing...

POSING - did one round of mandatories. Got some comments from some guys in the gym about my physique and were surprised how I still have 5+ weeks left.

 

[crader]

Happy Birthday!!!!!

 

[rantorcha]

Happy Birthday!!!!!

Why thank you, crader! That's very sweet of you!!!

 

[rantorcha]

Last night was awesome...my family came over and I had my girls celebrating my bday. But without chocolate cake, it just didn't seem like a birthday to me. lol

I hit the CARDIO machine early this morning yet again and was ready to hit the weights in the afternoon. Once noon came around, I crossed that off my list with a fury.

Now, all that's left is to get my weekly update from Eric and follow the plan. I am down another pound and a half and am really noticing some nice lines recently - and not a moment too soon! lol

5 WEEKS TO GO kids!!!!

 

[rantorcha]

What a great weekend! I went to my H.S.’s football game. St. Thomas is ranked #1 in the country and the team they played from South Carolina was ranked #2. It was even on ESPNU! Then I went to The “U”’s game against Oklahoma. And even though it was a ton of fun, I was SOOO tired. I took my food and supps with me so that was cool, but staying up that late was rough on me….to the point that I had to hang on the couch for most of the day on Sunday!

I woke up this morning and was still pretty tired, but I hit the gym to do CARDIO on the Stairmill. Training was in the afternoon.

CHEST
Incline Hammer Press – 1 straight set, 2 drop sets
Machine Press – 1 straight set and 1 triple drop set
Incl Flye – 2 sets
Cable Crossover – 3 sets

DELTS
Smith Press – 1 dropset and 1 triple drop set
BB Upright Row – 2 sets
DB SideLaterals – 3 sets

ABS – ran out of time, so I’ll have to hit them tomorrow!
Did some posing during and stretching afterwards which made the session complete.

 

[crader]

You're almost there!!!

 

[rantorcha]

You're almost there!!!

I am REALLY looking forward to it! I am really looking forward to a...:burger:

 

[rantorcha]

It has been quite a whirlwind the last few days. Not only am I at capacity at work, but with my kids and some other things that I’ve had to do (life stuff), it has been hard. However, that hasn’t quite stopped me from kicking some ass in every facet of life. It’s just taking me a little longer to post some of my results. lol

Tuesday’s training was leg day again and I must say that I am pretty pleased with my legs’ progress lately. Although I don’t think I’ll ever have ripped glutes, they are certainly much, much different/better than ever. And I have pretty high hopes for the next 4+ weeks. In the evening, on the way to pick up my girls, I signed up for my one-month tanning membership. This is probably my least favorite part of the contest prep. I really don’t like standing there (albeit for only 7 minutes) and waiting for that thing to stop. But, MAN!!! What a set of veins I had coming out of that booth! Whew.

Wednesday was a pretty rough day. I started my day with my split cardio session #1 and at lunch, I went home and did my second session. All of this while work was pretty brutal. I had NO time for anything. Wednesdays are probably the hardest day of the week for me. Not only am I limited on carbs (since I am not training that day), but I am also feeling a little flat and a little more on the tired side. Luckily, it hasn’t been too bad yet. But I am ready for whatever comes my way!

Again, since I have my girls, I hit cardio this morning at home. And training, as usual, in the afternoon. It was ON today! I actually felt pretty good all things considered and I had a decent workout. I keep having to push myself mentally to get every ounce of energy into every rep I do. My back is pretty sliced already, but it can always use more muscle and width, so there is no time like the present to get it.

LATS
Chin-ups – 3 sets. 1-sec hold at the top and bottom.
Smith Rev Grip Bent Row – 3 sets of increasing weight from 185 to 255 with a dropset on the last set
Hammer-Top Row – 2 relatively high-rep sets
One-arm Row – 2 sets. My left trap/upper shoulder blade seems to be having a problem the last couple of weeks, but I went slow to ensure I didn’t get a nerve pinch.

TRAPS
Seated DB Shrug ss/ Cable Partial Pulldown - 2 sets of each.

LOW BACK
Hyperextensions – 3 sets with a dropset on the last one.

REAR DELTS
Rev Cable Crossover – 2 sets

ABS
Decline Crunch ss/ Twists – 2 sets of each

 

[rantorcha]

What a last few days! Whew! I have a lot of catching up to do, so let's get to it...

FRIDAY
I had a kick ass arm workout on Friday prefaced by a morning cardio session. Arms felt absolutely great. I've been doing some extra posing after training now and really enjoy watching my body transform. Eric made a few changes this week, including a couple of fat burner changesm, but none to my actual diet except for no more fast-dig carbs after training...all slow-dig carbs from here on in. And, I enjoyed Friday night watching the Yankees pull one out in the Bronx!

SATURDAY
I woke up and hit the gym first thing in the morning to hit that Stairmill thing. Did my first session there as well as my second session before meal #3. After which I took a nice 1+ hour nap which really made my day! I did some stuff around the house, went to the store to get food, and rested for what was about to be a long evening. I already had it set that I was going to take my good friend (who just turned 40!) out to dinner, so that was rough, but I had my food with me! Then, another friend of mine had some family in town that I said I would meet and we ended up going out after dinner to a bar-type place. Luckily (again), I had everything with me that I needed (LG5, Kre-alkyline creatine, LBAs, etc.) and I spaced out my meals so that my last meal was around 2:30am. (Don't ask!!! What we do for friends!!)
BUT THAT'S IT until AFTER the show!!!!!!!!!!!! No one gets me past midnight on ANY night and I am not setting foot outside my crib for 4 weeks. lol

SUNDAY
First session of Cardio on the gym's Stairmill. Had a meal and then my massage therapist friend (Blanche) came to my house where she proceeded to destroy every fiber of my being. From my forearms, up my arms and into my delts and armpits! She ripped up my back unmercifully! And the pain didn't stop until she finished my legs, calves & glutes!!! And with not much bodyfat to speak of at this point, she got ALL muscle! We concluded everything with some serious stretching. I am not lying when I tell you I was SPENT and couldn't move. Unfortunately, I still needed to complete my second cardio session, but this time I stayed home and ran it up on the treadmill. After eating Meal #3, I decided it was time for a nap!!! And I ended up taking a very nice 2 hour nap while watching football. That was pretty much it for Sunday besides some household stuff including cooking.

MONDAY
This morning I woke up feeling SORE AS HELL from that damn so-called massage! lol But, it was time for cardio and I hit the gym for the Stairmill again. At lunch, it was time to hit the weights. This week will be a tad on the heavier side with some drop sets

CHEST
DB Inline Press (Angled hands) – 90/7, 90/6..drop..65/6 – very intense and very focused
Hammer Incl Press – 115each side/7, 115ea/7.5, 115/6..drop..70each/8
Dips – BW/16 and 15 reps each set
DB Pullovers – 80/14, 90/9

FRONT/SIDE DELTS
Hammer Delt Press – 90 each side/8, 90ea/6..drop..70ea/5..drop..45ea/8
Rev Pec Dec – 150/22 (went ape **** on this one!), 180/11, 180/10.5
DB Side laterals – 40/15 (somehow got 15 solid reps!), 35/15 (major pump!), 30/15..drop..22.5/10!!!

ABS
Cable Crunch – 2 sets
V-ups – 2 sets
Side Crunch – 1 set of 15 each side

 

[rantorcha]

Today started out nicely - as usual. I woke up and hit the gym's Stairmill. Got my cardio in and hurried home to catch the top of the hour's SportsCenter! I fell asleep at halftime last night and didn't catch the Fins finish. Awesome game, by the looks of it! lol

I looked at the calendar again today and it hit me pretty hard....after all of the time that I've been getting ready for this show, there are only 25 days to go! That is nothing! But with each passing day, with each passing workout, meal, tanning session, cardio session, etc., my focus becomes more narrowed. I keep visualizing my name being called for my weight class. There is nothing stopping me at this point. Hop aboard or get the f*ck out-the-way! lol

With that in mind, I destroyed my legs again. I am "special" when it comes to legs and I'm not sure if this will be my last leg training session or not. Regardless, they were pounded pretty damn good. Thank goodness I had my LG5 and Kre-Alkalyn Creatine from EFX! I needed to start the recovery process ASAP! Matter of fact, I almost puked during and after legs. It's going to be rough walking anywhere the next couple of days...not to mention how hard cardio is going to be.

QUADS
Single-leg Leg Press
3 plts each side/15; 3plts+25each/10
Walking Lunges
100/30 slow steps; 100/30 steps - after my sceond set I actually got an ASS CRAMP on my left side!!!
Leg Ext
130/15; 130/13, 130/13 - honestly wanted to die!

HAMS
Seated Leg Curl
145/15, 160/15
Lying Leg Curl
125/10, 125/9+1..drop..50/8 as Glute Crunch ALmost puked. Had to chill out face down on the pad for a couple of minutes to settle down!
SL Deads - 185/12, 185/13 - super light and very deliberate!

CALVES
Seated Leg Press
4plts/8; 3plts/14; 2 plts/20 + 5 XReps
Leg Press Raises
5 plts each side/15+5 XReps
5 plts each side/16+5 XReps

GLUTES
Abduction Machine - 130/30, 130/30

Major stetching afterwards!!!

 

[crader]

LOL looks like you had a pretty intense leg day yourself!

 

[rantorcha]

I must say that I am not very fond of the days off of training for a variety of reasons...

1) I LOVE training and not training makes me not so happy
2) non-training days are the days of much longer cardio sessions
3) less carbs for the day
4) and overall, the day just seems longer.

And, of course, today is a non-training day, so I'm not much in the mood for much. I hit my first cardio session this morning on the gym's Stairmill and plan to go home at lunch for my second session to hit my treadmill. And, after yesterday's leg thrashing, my glutes were KILLING me this morning on the damn Stairmill. Nothing is being held back at this point. I've got all my cards on the table...eggs in this basket and any other cliche you want to add.

Tanning and the grocery store tonight!

 

[rantorcha]

I realize I didn't post anything yesterday, but there was a reason for that. Between work and taking my girls to the dentist, it was a long day. That didn't stop me at all from getting my morning cardio in as well as my afternoon workout.

Actually, yesterday's Back workout was one of the most intense workouts I have ever done. I had a pretty narrow rep range in mind going in, but my muscles decided that the number was TOO LOW! I just seemed to have more gas than usual and kept of rollin'.

LATS
Wghtd Pullups
45/8, 45/7, 45/6
Smith Rack Deads
405/15, 455/10, 505/5 (NEVER did 505 before!) I actually tried to lift it from the bottom once and didn't get it up. The second time...it was ON!
Smith Rev Grip Row
225/15, 225/15
Hammer Rev Pulldown ss/ DB Shrugs
90each side/14..105/12
90each side/13..105/13
Stiff Arm Pulldown (drop)
130/12... 110/6... 80/6

DELTS #2
Front Raise-across chest at the top ss/ Side Laterals
20/10...25/15
20/10...25/15

ABS - need to do tomorrow!

 

[rantorcha]

Another week of training is in the books and with that another week is crossed of the calendar in anticipation of November 7th. Things are going as well as can be expected, I guess. I'll probably see Eric this coming weekend to have him eval me, so I'll wait for him to see where we're at.

Another great day in the gym today. I left nothing in the tank! Every single bit of sweat, every ounce of energy went into this workout. By my calculations, I only have a handful of training sessions left...prob about 11. Each one counts even more than the last. Win or lose, I want to make sure I have given myself NO EXCUSES.

CALVES
Seated Raises -
140/15
165/13..drop..115/15..drop..70/20
Free Motion Press
240/15, 240/15

BICEPS
Top Cable-Double Bicep Curl - 2 sets
Incl DB Curl - 2 sets
Hammer Preacher Curl - 2 sets

TRICEPS
Overhead EZ Bar Press - 95/12, 95/10
Pushdowns - 2 sets
Dip Machine - 2 sets
Rev Single-arm Pushdown - 2 sets

ABS
V-ups ss/ Decl Bench Crunch - 2 sets each
Side crunch on Decl Bench - 2 sets

 

[rantorcha]

My friends. What a weekend! I probably had the best man-weekend in a LONG time. Check it out…

Saturday
I woke up and hit the gym for my morning cardio session on the loved/hated Stairmill. After, I came home, ate and then went to see friend’s kids play soccer. That was the extent of me leaving the house essentially for the entire weekend! I came home, ate and got ready for my second cardio session at the gym. After that, it was ALL food and football all afternoon and evening…and add in there a nice hour+ long nap. I watched so much football, my ass turned into a football from sitting on it for so long. At one point, I was flipping back and forth between three football games – including the Canes - and the Yankees. So picture me eating, sleeping, watching sports all afternoon and night. AWESOME DAY!!!!

Sunday
Did the same thing as Saturday morning, but I was able to sleep in until 8am!! Stairmill, food, food, but this time I hit the treadmill in my apartment for my 2nd session. Then I moseyed on over to see Eric for a quick eval. Everything looks ok, but I know in these next three weeks, I’ll have my work cut out for me. Let’s see how it goes! After that, I went to tan, got some food to prep and back home to do a little cooking and watching more football!

Monday
Today started out the same as usual…at the gym on the damn stairmill. Today I felt pretty sluggish at the outset. Not sure why, but I just couldn’t get my gears going after cardio. Maybe I needed more sleep last night; or maybe the effects of contest prep are starting to hit for real now. Either way, I pushed through and was ok by training time. That said, it took me until the second or third set to really get going during my training…then it clicked! Here’s how it all went down…

CHEST
Incl Smith Press
215/8..drop..185/7
215/6..drop..185/5..drop..160/5
Incl DB Press ss/ Incl Flye
80/6..42.5/8
80/5..42.5/8
Cable Crossover
30/15
30/12..drop..25/10..drop..20/15

POSE-STRETCH

DELTS
DB Press
60/9
60/8..drop..45/5
Side Laterals
32.5/15
32.5/14
32.5/12+1..drop..25/8..drop..17.5/8
BB Front Raise ss/ BB Upright Row
40/12..80/12 (2 sets like this!)

ABS

 

[crader]

LOL I loved the man weekend phrase. Glad you got some good down time!