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

[rantorcha]

Wednesday...my least favorite day of the week! During the week, I truuly enjoy going to train during lunch. Then on the weekends, not training is ok because it's the weekend and there is a ton of stuff to do and get done. However, on Wednesday, there is nothing to look forward to and I end up at the office the whole day.

After a pretty rough night sleeping, I woke up and did my cardio session at home. Other than that, it's about recovery.

[rantorcha]

I'll be a little out of commission from today through the weekend! I am taking some time off to celebrate my bday with family and friends and won't be by a computer.

However, rest assured that all of my training will be crossed off the list of things to do and I am planning on doing my cardio (more than likely) on the beach! I'm bringing all of my food and supplements with me, so it's all good.

See ya'll on Monday.

[crader]

Have a wonderful birthday!

[rantorcha]

Have a wonderful birthday!

Thanks, C...I most certainly did!

[rantorcha]

What a crazy last few days!!!

My bday weekend was ridiculous. We hung out all weekend on South Beach with family and friends. I was even able to do my cardio on the beach. Good stuff….no, great stuff!

Then back at it on Monday…and I decided to do a Power Week this week to take advantage of the last couple weeks of my Test Charge run. Cardio started things off, as usual, but training was the story of the day. I have no idea what got into me on Monday, but I was a man possessed in the gym. I am sitting here at 5+ weeks out and I am throwing around weights that I haven’t in quite some time!!! My Rack Deads especially freaked me out. I didn’t know I had it in me. Did I mention Test Charge is the f’ing bomb! lol Here are a few highlights…
T-bar Row – 6 plts/6
Rack Deads – 425/7
Rev Grip BB Row – 275/7

Yesterday’s session was a little more difficult to get through. I think my weekend plus the extreme soreness I was feeling from Monday made me really tired. Thank goodness for my CellRush and Kre-Alk PRO, or else I am not sure if I would have had the output I was still able to exert. I really pushed through some serious mental barriers. Some highlights…
Smith Delt Press – 185/5 (great for me!)
BB Upright Row – 135/7
Not-so-Cheat Side Laterals – 45/15

Needless to say, I am really glad today is my off day!!! I woke up and did my 40 minutes of off-day cardio on the Stairmill and had a few extra minutes to get in a good Calves and Abs workout. Now, if I could only call it a day and take a freaking nap!

[rantorcha]

Yesterday was extremely busy and I didn’t have much time to do much of anything, much less post my workout. But today is another day! My split looks like a hodge-podge of bodyparts together, but who cares. Right now it’s working for me.

Yesterday was Quads, mini-Back (Width) and Biceps. Here are a few highlights…
Smith Duck Squat – 275/, 275/15, 275/13…225/11
Leg Ext ss/ Wghtd Sissy Squat
CG Pulldown – 210/15, 225/11, 225/10..drop..180/5
Rev Pulldown ss/ 1-arm Pulldown

Intensity was up there again yesterday. Tomorrow is officially 5 weeks out and besides wanting my pro card once and for all, I keep throwing around a phrase before, after and especially during each set – “No one is going to outwork me!!!” This is especially true when I hit a certain number of reps and think I can’t do any more. It’s that fire from within that will take to new undiscovered heights.



Today is another monster day. I had Chest, mini-Delts and Triceps…and what a day it turned out to be. I was actually pretty tired from the harsh week (training and work) I had, so I was a little worried I wasn’t going to have a great session. But, I threw on my music and let it take me into my happy place! lol

Really, just another great high-intensity workout. I really feel like I look better now than I did even one week out from my last show. More lines, muscle is popping all over the place, vascular as hell (thanks, Nytric PRO!!) and my glutes are even starting to trim down to somewhat respectable levels.

Now, it’s all about cardio, rest and recovery!

GO CANES vs. those stinkin’ Noles! AND, I’m going to the game.

[rantorcha]

Going back to the weekend, I got in all my cardio and even got in some Abs and Calves after my Sunday morning session. The UM/FSU game sucked ass, but I really had a great time with my little sister and I almost didn’t mind losing that game.

By the time Monday rolled around, I was SOOOOO excited. I got my stash of K-Otic from EFX on Friday afternoon and it was my first chance to use it!!! And I must say, it did not disappoint. I was pretty jacked and ready to go to begin with, but K-Otic really took my intensity to a new level. I haven’t done WG Bent Rows that heavy (and certainly for that many reps) in quite some time and my Rack Deads were just crazy fun!

BACK/Low Back
WG Bent Row
255/12+1, 275/8+1, 285/6..drop..225/9
Wghtd Pullups
45/7.5, 45/6.5, 45/6..drop..bw/5
High CG Seated Row
225/10, 225/9..drop..180/9
Rack Deads
365/15, 365/13..drop..315/8!!!
Rev Pulldown
225/11, 225/11

TRAPS
BB Shrug
315/12, 315/12, 315/12

Mini-CHEST
Incl Hammer Press
115each side/11, 125each/6, 125ea/6..drop..90ea/6..drop..45/10
Cable Crossover – 1st set (bottom, mid, top); 2nd set (top, mid, bottom)
30/10-8-10
30/10-8-7

Today, was more of the same. As usual, it started out with morning cardio. Tuesday’s are rough for cardio, since I train Back on Monday’s. But, it’s part of the deal, I guess. Training today was fun, but particularly exhausting. My intensity is still amazingly high, but I am pretty much doen for the day as it pertains to doing much of anything afterwards! lol

Anyway, here is how today went…
DELTS
Smith Rack Press
185/4, 185/4, 185/4, 175/6..drop..135/9
DB Side Laterals
45/16, 45/14, 45/13..drop..20/10
Face into Pad Machine Press ss/ Rev Pec Dec
110/12-165/18
110/9-180/10

HAMS
Lying Leg Curl
140/9!!, 140/7+1, 140/6+1..drop..80/12
SL Deads – doing these heavy was tough after doing Back yesterday
275/12, 275/10..drop..185/6
“Hoist” mach Seated Leg Curl
P7/36, P8/23

Unfortunately, I’ll have to do glutes tomorrow with some Abs and Calves. I ran out of time today.

[rantorcha]

I’m not sure if at this point it’s more mental than anything else, but I really don’t like my off days…more specifically Wednesdays. At least on the weekends, I can rest, nap, play with the girls and keep busy overall. But on Wednesdays, it’s just boring to stay in the office. Don’t get me wrong, I really need and desire rest, but not going to the gym and really fighting hard is a bit of a mind-screw.

To at least try to combat this, I decided to hit the gym today for the Glute work that I missed out on yesterday and some Calves and Abs. I must say it was good to get out of the office, but it wasn’t a ball-busting workout by any means.

[rantorcha]

I had a look at the calendar today and it all made sense! It is about that time where things start to go just a bit south and some things start to happen…I’m hungry more often; when I get up form a chair, I get light-headed; sleep becomes more screwy; and my energy levels start to deteriorate. It’s all part of the process, but sometimes it isn’t all that fun.

It makes hitting the gym a tad harder as well. But, since I have a certain goal in mind, all of that doesn’t matter. Once I hit the gym, no matter how tired…no matter how exhausted, I’ve got a job to do – blast through my workout as if it was my last!

I had a pretty rough go of it today. I am sore & tired, but I pushed through all barriers as best as I could. My volume has been relatively high recently, so I am thinking as prep starts to wind down, I should probably turn down the volume a bit…keeping UP the intensity. Growing at this point isn’t really an option, but rest and recovery is key!

I did Back (width), Triceps and Biceps today and thanks SO very much to K-Otic (my new favorite supplement!!!!) I was able to crush the weight. Ask me now though and I will tell you that I am on my death bed and ready for a long-winter’s nap! lol

One more day and it’s rest aaaaaaaaall weekend.

[crader]

Hang in there!

[rantorcha]

Hang in there!

Thanks, C! I appreciate it. Good to see ya!

[rantorcha]

Well…the countdown is on my friends! Only 4 weeks to go until show day. That means that I am on the downswing of prep. Not too much changes in reality, but it is nice to know that I only have 4 more weeks. That said, I am trying to enjoy “the process” and take each day one step at a time. If I start to think about too much and what’s to come, I start to get a little anxious and that does no good.

So, since this was my last workout of the week, it was a serious crusher. It was Chest and mini-Delts.

CHEST
Incl Smith Press – 3 sets with a triple drop on the last
Machine Press – 3 sets with a drop on the last
Incl Flyes – 2 sets
Incl Hammer Press – 2 serious-pumping sets!

DELTS
Power Partial Side Laterals
60/10..50/10..40/10..30/10 X 2 sets!!!! Those hurt!
Hammer Press – 2 sets with a drop on the last
Plate Front Raises – 2 sets of pretty high reps
Side Laterals – 1 4xdrop sets

ABS
POSING

After that, I was ready to rush back to the office for my wonderful, “somewhat filling” post-workout meal! I’ve got a pretty chill night tonight, but tomorrow is going to be a bit of a whirlwind…good luck to me!

Have a great weekend everybody!

[rantorcha]

So, I am officially less than 4 weeks out from my show in November & this is usually the time where although there seemingly isn’t much time left, actual time seems to go by slower!!! With each passing week, time slows down to a crawl and that final week (for me, at least) seems like it takes FOR-EVER!

But, that isn’t me complaining…it’s more like me “expressing myself:…lol. I feel like I look pretty good at this point – light years ahead of where I was for my August show. I am planning on seeing Eric this coming weekend and am eager to see what he says about the next few weeks. But, like every week leading up to a show, I am taking things day by day.

This weekend was pretty good. I was actually able to go out (movies on Friday & to a bar on Saturday night…I had diet coke all night!) and felt pretty good overall. Sunday was a chill day where I pretty much did nothing, except for my cardio! However, cardio on Sunday afternoon was probably the most labored cardio session I’ve done in quite some time. I wanted to die for most of it.

Today started off pretty good. I got a good night of sleep and went to the gym early this morning for some more Stairmill-action! By the afternoon, after not training over the weekend, I was itching to hit the weights again. And, thanks to K-Otic, I was physically ready as well!!!

With only 3 full training weeks left, there is no room for not giving it my all…every ounce of energy is being put into my workouts…

[rantorcha]

Here are more hints that the show is getting close…

1) Every time I get up from a chair or the couch now, I get extremely light-headed. Not to mention, during Hamstring training today, after each set, I needed to compose myself before getting up!

2) My pants don’t fit! And I’m not talking about my off-season pants either. I bought a couple of NEW pants with a size 32 waist and THOSE don’t’ fit me now.

3) EVERYTHING is starting to piss me off! I am hoping it’s only today because I had a really funky night of sleep, but I was ready to kill a few people today!!!

Even though I am still giving each workout my all (down to each set and each rep)…and even though the combination of K-Otic and Test Charge are still allowing me to train pretty heavy and still get higher reps, I need a few extra seconds of recovery after each set. Plus, I feel completely drained and run down after each workout. Comes with the territory I guess…especially if you are going balls out!!!

So, here was today’s action.
DELTS
Hammer Press (someone was on the Smith…Grrrr)
100each side/11; 105each/7; 105each/6..drop..90/5..drop..70/10
WG Upright Row
125/9, 125/8..drop..105/8+1
DB Front Raises
30/15, 35/15
Side Laterals
35/18, 35/18, 35/16..drop..25/8!!!

HAMS-GLUTES
“Hoist” Seated Leg Curl
Pos.12/13, Pos.12/11, Pos.11/10..drop..Pos.9/8
Glute-Hyperextensions
BW/25, BW/25
Lying Leg Curl
110/14, 110/9+1
Cable Glute Kickback
30/15, 30/18
back to Lying Leg Curl – dropset
110/8..drop...80/8

I don’t think walking will be much fun tomorrow…and I think I’ll be going to be bed at the same time as the girls tonight! LOL!

[rantorcha]

Rough night…better day (so far)

Not only did the Yankees lose again and appear about to be bounced in the playoffs, but I had an extremely rough night sleep. I couldn’t fall asleep and that annoyed me, then I woke up about 4-5 times just because. I tossed and turned and even had a pretty rough nightmare. And even though my alarm clock was set for 5:30am, but I woke up at 5am and decided to say screw it and start my day.

Today is my off day, but cardio is big today. I did 30 minutes this morning and will do 20 minutes tonight. I also went to the gym in the afternoon at my “normal” time to do a little extra stuff for Calves, Abs and to get in my posing practice for mandatories.

I’m having a bit of a “mind-screw” day. I’m not sure if it’s me or not, but I don’t feel like my physique is doing much changing these days and it is starting to worry me. I want my physique to blow away any doubts in anyone’s mind that I’m at my best ever and I am starting to cast doubt on myself. I am trying to stay positive, but the last few days have been rough for some reason. I guess we’ll see what Eric says…since he IS the Natural Freak Pro-Maker guru, after all!

[crader]

I bet you are making great progress you just cant see the changes in yourself because you see yourself daily in the mirror!! We are also the biggest critics of ourselves we could have!

Stress has kept e from sleeping for nights and I hope you get some sleep tonight!

[rantorcha]

I bet you are making great progress you just cant see the changes in yourself because you see yourself daily in the mirror!! We are also the biggest critics of ourselves we could have!

Stress has kept e from sleeping for nights and I hope you get some sleep tonight!

That doesn't sound good! I sincerely hope your stress is relieved soon. Thanks for the words of encouragement! I can use all the help I can get these days.

[rantorcha]

Things are really getting down to the wire and things couldn’t possibly be more confusing! lol What I mean is, one day I feel like I look amazing…the next day, I’m flat, small and I ain’t gonna win sh*t! Not sure why this is so surprising to me…it happens every freaking time!! Whatever, I guess. Today was a “good” day and I guess last night helped a little. I did some posing for my girlfriend and she gave me a nice little confidence boost when I needed it.

I went to the gym this afternoon to train and I was at the top of my game again. I somehow felt terrific (don’t ask questions, Ram…just take it and enjoy it!).

Since I have “special” quads (and not necessarily in the good way), I did Quads today, but didn’t go all out. I stopped about 2-3 reps short of failure…just got a nice pump and took everything nice and slow.

I also had a mini-Back session that was pretty stellar. Not sure if it’s the K-Otic, the Test Charge, or the combination of the two, but I am seriously and sincerely surprising myself at how a) strong I still am this close to the show; and b) how many more reps I am getting now, again, this close to the show. Anyway, I threw down some CG Pulldowns, Super WG Pulldowns, DB Rows with 120s and a triple dropset of Stiff-arm Rope Pulldowns.

I ended my actual training with some Biceps – some heavy Hammer Curls and the 3 sets of Lying Top Cable Curls that really dug into my peaks. But that wasn’t it! I went into the Spinning room and started posing like crazy. I went through my mandatories, as usual, but also did some free-styling to see what kinds of poses will look good for my posing routine.

Funny story: yesterday I was in the aerobic room doing my posing practice by myself and a couple of ladies walked in half way into my practice. I ignored them…but they didn’t seem to be ignoring me! lol I had my headphones on so it was easy to concentrate on what I was doing, but I could “feel” them staring. Once I was done, of course they asked me if I was competing, when, where, etc. I humored them and answered them. They were both very nice and were very encouraging. It was all good. I hope they enjoyed the show.

[rantorcha]

MAN, did last night suck ass! I was really tired so I figured it would be a great night of sleep…WRONG! I woke up at midnight thinking it was time to wake up…then woke up seemingly every hour on the hour until about 4am. At which time, I turned on the TV and tried to go back to sleep. One crazy dream later, I woke up at 5:30ish and just decided to screw it and wake up.

I hit cardio and tried to occupy my mind as best I could while on the Stairmill, because if I didn’t, the tiredness would overwhelm me. I spent the morning also trying to occupy my mind (work is a little slow today) and was just hoping that my training session would snap me out of my funk!

I went…and it did snap me out of it a bit, but I’m still pretty salty and ornery right now. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to ride it out and pray this day ends soon! lol

Here’s what I did today…
CHEST
Incl DB Press
Press Machine – with bar across the front
Wghtd Dips
Incline Hammer Press

Mini-DELTS
Smith Behind-the-neck Press
Power Partial Side Laterals
Kneeling Cable Front Raises (Broser-style)
Side Laterals

TRICEPS
Incl Tri Ext
EZ bar Pushdowns
Dip Machine

I sent Eric my update and I am wondering what kind of changes he’s going to throw my way. Plus, I’m set to see him tomorrow afternoon so he can look me over and see if I’m insane or not. I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see.

No matter what, there are a couple of mantras that I continue to repeat to myself…
“No one is going to out-work me”; and,
“YOU decide…who is going to win that Pro Card & how are you going to TAKE it”

[rantorcha]

My weekend was pretty up and down. I went on Saturday early-afternoon to see coach Eric for a quick eval. I won’t overstate his reaction…suffice it to say that he was pleased. lol

But for the rest of the weekend, for some reason it was mentally tough. I guess that old saying about “idle hands” was in full effect. I just couldn’t get food off my mind even though I was having a great time with the girls. We did some pumpkin carving, made Halloween cookies, etc.

I guess that’s all part of the ups and downs of contest prep. Oh well…the countdown is on! I’ve sent in my entry form, etc., so there is no turning back (as if I’d turn back anyway). I have to say I am in rare form. I’ve never looked like this in my life. Now it’s all about keeping it together mentally and physically for almost 3 weeks and bringing it on that Saturday.

So, today started out a little crazy. I woke up late somehow, but managed to get my cardio in and my kids to school on time (even a little early)! Phew!!!

Here is how today’s insane training session went…
BACK/TRAPS
WG Bent Row
255/12, 265/10, 275/8…225/8+1
WG Pulldown
210/13, 225/7+2 (R/P), 225/7+2..drop..165/5+2
Corner T-bar Row
5 plts/9, 5 plts/7+2, 4plts+25/11+2
BB Shrug
225/+15, 275/10, 275/12
Rev BB Bent Row
210/11+2, 225/7+2
Hyperext – 25/15, 25/15, 25/13

Mini-CHEST
Hammer Incl Press
3plts each/6.5
3plts each/5.5
3plts each/5..drop..2plts/9..1plt/13
Cable Crossover
(Top/Mid/Bottom)– 35/12..30/8..25/10
(Bottom/Mid/Top) – 25/10..30/8..35/9