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

Today was about as brutal as it gets. It started as normal – on the gym’s Stairmill at 6am. But when it got to training time, it was time to let it all hang out. This is more than likely going to be my last leg-training day. My legs are “special”. lol So, since I am so special, I decided to throw caution to the wind and absolutely thrash them. There were actually times where I was feeling extremely light-headed and a couple other times where I felt a tad pukey. All in a day’s work!

QUADS
Smith Squat ss/ Leg Press
275/12..6plts each side/10
275/12..6plts each side/10

DB Step-ups on a bench ss/ Rev Hack Squat
60/8 each leg…3plts + 25lbs/10
60/7 each leg…3plts + 25lbs/10

Leg Ext – 160/15..drop..115/6

GLUTES
Improvised Butt Blaster (using Leg Curl machine a la Kai Greene) ss/ Abduction Machine
50/15…115/30
65/15…115/30

HAMS
Lying Leg Curl
140/12
140/11..drop..110/5
SL Deads
225/12; 225/12
Seated Leg Curl
160/12..drop..130/5

CALVES
Seated Raises – 105/20; 130/15
Leg Press – 5plts each/15; 5plts each/15

At this point, I am DYING for my LG5 and KA-Pro and counting the minutes until my post-workout meal! My NF-Pro protein shake and Ezekiel pasta never tasted so freaking good.

The countdown is really on now. At this point, there are only 2+ weeks left…18 days left…about 9 more training sessions…and probably about 21 more cardio sessions!
 
Well, as you probably know, yesterday was my cardio-only and posing day. I hit my first session at the crack of dawn and my second before Meal #3. After having a pretty strange night where I woke up at 2:30am and not being able to go back to sleep until around 3:30am, I had decent energy thoughout the day. Quite surpising. Got through yesterday pretty unscathed and was able to have a great time with my kids the last two nights.

Today was a pretty great day all the way around. My morning cardio went pretty quickly and my afternoon training felt fantastic. It was Back and I went so full-force that I seemed to strain my neck a tad. Nothing that rest and some icy-hot can't deal with. lol

LATS
Free-Motion Pulldown Machine - 2 sets
One-arm Seated Cable Row - 2 sets
Underhand Hammer Pulldown - 1 set; 1 more set with dropset
Two-arm DB Bent Rows - 2 strong sets
Stiff-arm Pulldowns - 1 dropset

REAR DELTS
Rev Pec Dec - 1 drop set; 1 triple dropset

LOW BACK
Hyperextensions - 1 set; 1 triple-dropset

All the way around, I got a great pump and feel like I built muscle today!
 
Its always a good day in the gym when you feel like you built muscle.

Though not sure how you survived on so little sleep the other day. I need my sleep these days.
 
Another arm workout in the books, and yet again, another week is crossed off the calendar before the show. We are now officially at 2 weeks out! UGH. It is so bitter-sweet for me. The “process” seems to take so long, but in the end it seems to go by rather quickly. Right around this time I also tend to reflect on how things went, how things are, and what’s to come. I also get pretty emotional regarding all of the people who have helped me get to this point. No matter what, there are always people that surround you that make a difference in your life and have helped you to get to the point you are at.

My list would be too long to type…besides, I have to eat soon. lol But suffice it to say that very soon, I WILL list everyone…and it will take a while for people to read. One person I will mention right now is my trainer and, most importantly my friend, Eric Broser. I feel really lucky to have him in my corner when it comes to this contest-prep stuff. I am NOT an easy client to deal with – although even he will admit that I have gotten WAY better over the last year or so. lol He is a fantastic prep coach, but he is an even better friend. Due to time issues, we don’t get to hang out as often as I would like, but when we do hang out, it is a great time. And you should see this guy eat a pizza! Holy Sh*t!! But, I digress!!! HAHA

I just wanted to take the time to thank Eric (for the one millionth time already) for everything he does as a coach and a friend. With two weeks out, my physique has never looked like this. And no matter what place I end up in, I am extremely happy with the way things have gone. That said, I’m not exactly satisfied! No matter what I say, I AM going after the big prize. 

Anyway, after this morning’s Cardio on the gym’s Stairmill, this week’s last training session went like this…

BICEPS
DB Curl – 2 sets
DB Preacher – 2 sets
Hammer Curl ss/ Lying Top Cable Curl – 2 sets of each

TRICEPS
My triceps have hit a wall in the last couple of weeks. I can no longer do anything overhead. My left elbow has basically demanded that I stop. Not ideal, but it’s better than having to stop 8 weeks ago. I improvised and still had a kick ass tri workout.
Dip Machine – 1 dropset and 1 triple-dropset
Pushdowns – 1 set and 1 dropset
Dips between benches – 17 reps and 17+3, respectively

CALVES
Leg Press Raises ss/ Seated Calf
1 superset; 1 superset with a dropset on the Seated
 
Ahh so sweet. You deserve the win alone, just for realising that although in the end nobody but you can do the hard work, there is always someone there cheering and critiquing you. Someone to help through the hard times when you get sick of dieting and help you to improve....lol Although I can't imagine you being difficult!


i hope you post pics of the show. I'm excited to see how well you do.
 
crader said:
Ahh so sweet. You deserve the win alone, just for realising that although in the end nobody but you can do the hard work, there is always someone there cheering and critiquing you. Someone to help through the hard times when you get sick of dieting and help you to improve....lol Although I can't imagine you being difficult!


i hope you post pics of the show. I'm excited to see how well you do.
Click to expand...

Thanks, crader. That's really nice of you to say. I truly appreciate it.

I will post pics of my show...hopefully it'll be easy to post on this board. I haven't had very much luck in the past.
 
At this point, it's just about writing out the to-do list and crossing off each item as you do it. It started this morning with cardio at home since I've got my girls. It went pretty well for the most part, I guess. Did my morning things with the girls and chilled out for a bit. Got my 2nd session in at the gym on the Stairmill, which was a great session. Got thru it quickly and was absolutely drenched! Even cranked up the intensity a little more than usual.

Went home really quick to eat, then rushed out the door to go tanning and hit the grocery store. When I got home, I took a shower and had a nice hour and a half nap. YUM!!

Now I sit here watching football (Canes just lost in OT>>>>MOTHER F*CKER!!!) and gearing up to chill the rest of the night. Tomorrow...starts right back up again. :) And that's the way I like it with two weeks to go.
 
Ok, so...not much time to update, so I'll make it fast. BUSY AS HELL week at work this week with deadlines, plus I've got my girls all week since their mom is traveling. Can you say hectic?! The good news is that it is keeping my mind off of the contest prep process. That said, I am settin' up the pins and knocking 'em down each day. Just crossing off the list of things to do.

A Tale of Two Days...
Yesterday's workout kicked ass! I was rockin' and rollin' through the workout and felt great. I did my post-workout posing and everything was fine.
Today's workout was almost the opposite. Everything was a struggle today. I just couldn't get into that zone during my training for some reason. Add to that the fact that I felt really small and flat today. Could've been in my head, but my energy levels were way down comparatively. Oh well. As long as I come in at my best, I really don't give a shiz what I look and feel like now.
 
I just looked at my calendar and after a few more hours, I will wake up tomorrow with there being only 8 days until showtime. All of my hard work, all of my hours of training and cardio will come down to these 8 days. Ok, maybe I am overstating it a bit for dramatic purposes. lol Funny thing is, I should be nervous as hell, but for some reason I'm not. Go figure. It's not as if this contest isn't important to me. I'm just not stressing like I normally do at this time. Ask me again in a couple of days and maybe that will change, though. HAHA

Yesterday was a ho-hum type of day. I had REALLY low levels of energy, but I am attributing that to low carbs and a VERY busy day! Aside from two cardio session (one in the morning and one in the afternoon), in my afternoon session, I threw in some ahms/glute work. When I picked up the girls from school, we carved our pumpkin (we did a Cinderella shoe..they liked it!), watched our Casper the Friendly Ghost DVD and baked Pumpkin-shaped cookies!! I only have them at this age for so long, so I am trying to enjoy it as much as possible.

Today started (AS USUAL) on the home treadmill for my cardio session. This afternoon, training was great. Somehow my energy levels were back up again. It was ALL supersets!

LATS
WG Smith Bent Rows ss/ Rev Smith Bent Rows - 3 sets each
Lat Pulldowns ss/ Hammer Rev Grip Pulldown - 3 sets each
One-Arm DB Row ss/ DB Shrug - 2 sets each

Mini-CHEST
DB Angled-hands Incl Press ss/ DB Flye - 2 sets each
Hammer Incl Press ss/ Dips - 2 sets each

LOW BACK
Hyperextensions - 2 drop sets
 
Sounds like you had some good Halloween time with the little ones!


Wow only 8 days until you bring home the win!!
 
It is such an accomplishing feeling to finish a week of training and marking another day and week off the calendar. In a few short hours, it will officially be 1 WEEK OUT!

This contest will essentially mark the end of thie year for me and I have looked back over this past year and it has been an eventful one. Personal stuff aside, I have pretty much maintained my contest bodyweight, but not with the same structure! I am leaner than ever and I've put on muscle in some much needed areas of delts, chest and some width in my back. So much so, that people are stopping me in the gym now and asking me questions. That has never really ahppened before. HELL, someone asked me about developing their chest the other day. I literally turned around to see if they were talking to someone else. For this, I HAVE to thank ERIC again. My physique is NOT an easy one, believe me.

My genetic code only blessed me with one thing...big legs. Nothing else on my body has been easy for me. I don't gain muscle very easily - and it is much harder for me to get delts and chest. My legs are big and my quads looked ok, but from the back you could never really make out my hams.

It was ERIC'S plan and his diet that put me in the spot that I am in right now. My glutes/hams have never been tighter, I have what appears to be capped delts (lol), and my chest looks decently full.

It has been one hell of a ride this year...some good, some bad. But, bodybuilding-wise, it has never been better! THANKS, E!!!

As for today, cardio started it off as usual. For today's training, since this will pretty much be my last full week of training, everything I had was left at the gym. Here's how it went...

BICEPS
Seated Incl Curl (drop)
40/8...30/8
40/8...30/4+4
(did these two-arms at a time except for the last 4 on the last set)
DB Hammer Curl ss/ DB Curl
40/8--35/7
40/8--35/6
Fr Dbl Bicep Curl-Top Cable
30/10...25/6

TRICEPS
Dip Machine ss/ Pushdowns
210/18--150/11
210/15--150/9
Rev Cable Ext ss/ Rope Pressdown
80/15--80/8
100/12--80/6+2
Rev Cable Ext ss/ Dip Machine
100/11--210/11
Between Bench Dips - 18 reps with 3 xtra pulses

SIDE DELTS
Side Laterals ss/ Single-handle Cable Upright Row
20/20--140/12
20/20 (R/P-16+4)--140/10
20/20 (R/P-15+5)--140/10
 
The day of reckoning is here! 6 more days and it is game on. It's funny how this last week before the show there is an strange calm that I have at times. I have my plan and I cross things off (each meal, each supplement timing, each training session and each cardio session) as they come.

With only 2 more days of training and cardio after today, the carb-up starting today, and posing practice giong well, I am more and more ready for Saturday. I just have to stop trying to wish it here already. It'll be here in due time.

Nothing too crazy at the gym today. It started off on the Stairmill for 30 minutes this morning. In the afternoon, I hit the gym for a nice training session...

CHEST
Incl DB Press ss/ Incly Flye - 3 nice sets
Chest Press Machine ss/ Pec Dec - 2 solid sets
Cable Crossover (start at the top for 15, then another bunch of reps from the bottom)

TRICEPS
Rope Pressdown - 3 sets
Dip Machine - 3 sets
One-arm Cable Pushdown (Cross-body) - 2 sets

ABS
 
Another day, another list of things to do crossed off! It's so funny/odd/crazy how so many weeks of training, cardio, meals and supplements come down to about 10-15 minutes on stage. It's like the Kentucky Derby. All that waiting around and it's done before you know it. It even seems a little sureal when it's over. Like..."what just happened?" lol

Anyway, today was the last day I am able to hit cardio at the gym (Stairmill) because I've got my girls tonight and tomorrow night. I thrashed my buttock muscles, as normal, in a ferocious manner! lol

The diet was pretty much the same with a tad more protein and a tad less carbs. I trained in the afternoon and I hit Back pretty good. I did some posing afterwards and I am really filling out nicely. I see lines in my legs that I have NEVER seen before. I see other things I've never seen before too, but I need the judges to recognize, so there's no use even talking about it.

BACK
WG Pulldowns ss/ Horizontal D-bar High Seated Rows - 3 really good sets
T-bar Corner Row ss/ Rev Hammer Pulldown - 3 sets
Rev Grip Smith Row - triple drop set
Rope Stiff-arm Pulldown - 2 straight sets to 15 reps

TRAPS
Pulldown to top of head ss/ Seated DB Shrug - 2 sets each, but dropset on last DB Shrug

LOW BACK
Hyperextensions - 3 sets with dropset on the last set

I must say it was a great workout. Posing was eye-opening for me. I may not be the biggest or most shredded in the show, but I don't care at this point. Don't get me wrong, I will be posing hard and doing my best to win, but I am quite amazed how I look compared to shows past. I almost feel like I belong now on a BBing stage and can hold my own.
 
Today marked pretty much the end of the cardio and training portion of contest prep. All that's left is posing practice, eating and sleeping/recovering for the rest of the week...and it's game day.

I woke up this morning, hit the home treadmill for 30 minutes and I was off to the races. Today's cradio session was probably more arduous than normal for some reason...but that was probably more mental than anything else. I made sure to give it my all, all the way thru.

Work was CRAZY! Since I am off on Friday, I needed to make sure I got my shiz in order and after tomorrow, I will have done that. Training was pretty damn good too. At the end I decided to have some pictures taken and I was somewhat pleased, I guess. Doesn't really matter what I look like now or how I feel...it's all ab out Saturday! lol

DELTS, BIS, a little GLUTES and some posing was essentially what I did today. I must say my most improved bodypart from where they were are my delts. I saw lines in them today (with a little added mass ;)) that I have never seen before. I am really pleased with that!

Anyway, I am off to eat my last meal and watch the Yanks win the WS! ;D (hopefully). Catch you all tomorrow!
 
I love the Final Week before the show. The anticipation...all of the hard work coming down to the wire...everything.

But, it is TODAY...the Thursday before the show...that is my absolutely least favorite day of this week. Right now, I'm tired, I'm hungry, there are no pick-me-ups, no training (which I love). The only good thing is that there is no more cardio!!

Meal spacing and lack of vloume are a problem and now I have a headache. Not surprisingly, I didn't sleep well last night either (but that is because of other things). After work today, I am going to rent a couple of movies to see if I can entertain myself tonight. lol I guess we'll see how it goes.

Tomorrow...polygraph!
 
Well, where do I begin?!?! It has been about a week and a half since my show was complete and I still have a bunch of things running through my head. Here’s my version of the day’s events…

First, I have to say what a great day it was backstage. I was able to hang out with both Eric and Kyle (Hoss), who I consider two of my best friends. Two nicer people on the planet you’d be hard-pressed to meet. And Kyle lives about 1500 miles away, so that should tell you something about him. What made this even more fun was hanging out with Troy and Krissy as well as Paul and it made for some nice camaraderie backstage.

I know no one mentioned above would find this disrespectful, but what made this a truly great experience was that I had a bunch of family and friends at both the pre-judging and night shows. Most importantly, my girls were there and my uncle bought poster board and pom-poms for them to cheer with when I was on stage. Honestly, after everything, that is what I am going to remember most of all!

RESULTS:
Well, here is where things didn’t quite turn out the way I would have wanted it. My goal was obviously to win my class and fight for the Pro Card. Well, in my eyes there was only one person who would give me any trouble. After pre-judging, I got a lot of positive feedback and just couldn’t wait until the night show. The posing routine came and went and it was time for the results. Unfortunately, I was called for 2nd place. While it was truly a bummer because I really did put all of my eggs into this basket, I accepted it. So, I went after the show for some feedback. One judge mentioned something about my legs and I just had to walk away. Legs are probably my best body part and they were pretty shredded for me being natural and for how big they are. So, I moved on to the one judge that I actually knew and respected from previous shows – the head-judge. After speaking to him I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or even more pissed! He told me that the guy who won had me beat in some body parts and others, I beat him. He also mentioned that my physique was more pleasing and that I had more body parts than he did overall. He said he had my in first on his sheet and that the judging scores were really close. So, of course I asked him…how close – he said, you lost by one point!

Oh well. I honestly felt like not competing any more at that point. I was pretty down, but didn’t want any of my family and friends to know it. I am so grateful for everyone’s support – here on the board and at home.

DINNER:
This was probably the most fun of the evening. I went to dinner with my sister, my uncle, Eric and his family, Kyle and his family and Dave (d1swanny). And boy did we eat. Ooof! It was really cool to meet Dave (finally!) and it is always a good time with everyone’s family. Mine didn’t come out because they had to take my girls to bed – it was pretty late.

AFTERMATH:
After my divorce mediation on Monday, and my vacation (from Tuesday until Sat night), I’ve obviously been away from the boards and it has given me some time to think. I feel a bit rejuvenated, although to be really honest, I am still a tad bummed. I will, however, use this as motivation. I am truly ready to provide the judges with no doubt where my placing should be next time. I am going to take a little break between shows because this year was pretty rough – between getting divorced and doing two shows within 5 months, it’s been taxing. But, make no mistake, I am ready for the challenges ahead. It may take a year, but rest assured, I’ll be back!!
 
I would have posted earlier but my computer crashed and I can only get on it on safe
mode. Sounds like you did great! You should be proud of the fact that it was so close!!!
 
I have to admit today's workout was quite effective. I had a nice frame of mind heading into today and I didn't quite go ape-sh*t, but it was fun.

Not really a lot of time to write it all out, but I am ready to take it up a notch next week.
 
Week #2 of training post-contest has started. I must admit the last couple of weeks I haven't been on much of a diet at all and it shows. I am currently getting myself back into the groove. My diet will now be spot on, except for a little (very little) break over the weekend to "live a little". My training starting today will be ferocious and I will hold nothing back. Every single workout will be specifically designed to work on bodyparts that I feel I need looking forward to my next show. I am truly ready to make my vision, my reality.

So, last week's training was nothing more than getting the blood flowing and getting used to having iron in my hands again...still sticking with my cardio sessions. Today was the start of the serious portion of training. Here's how it went...

LATS
Wghtd Chinups - 3 sets
Corner T-bar Row - 3 sets
CG Pulldown - 2 sets
One-arm DB Row - 2 sets
Stiff arm Pulldowns

LOW BACK
Partial Deadlifts - 3 sets
(it was nice to get the feel of deads back again. I wasn't using nearly the weight I am used to, but its not about the weight anymore! It's about building my physique to greater proportions!

TRAPS
BB Shrug - 2 sets
Behind-back BB Shrug - 2 sets
 
Today...was a good day!

Chest and delts are a focal point for me, so this day is of particular importance. It’s a strange transformation for me when I change out of my work clothes and into my gym clothes. I really feel like I turn into a different person.

Recently, I’ve noticed that for these two body parts, I need to lower the weight and really focus on the muscle I am intending to do the work. For example, with chest I feel like I have been using everything (except my chest muscles) to get up the weight. Going forward, that has changed. However, I do seem to need to remind myself at times…and sometimes within a set.

Already sore from yesterday’s back thrashing, I could probably stand to get in a nap right about now! Can’t wait to see how I wake up tomorrow after today’s workout…

CHEST
Incl Hammer Press – 3 sets
DB Flat Press – 2 sets (nowhere near the weight I’ve used in the past, but who cares!)
DB Pullover – 2 sets
Incl Press Machine – 2 sets

DELTS
DB Side Laterals (strict from the side) – 3 sets from 25, 15 and 15 reps
Seated DB Press – 3 sets
Single-handle Two-arm Cable Upright Row – 2 sets

CALVES
Seated Calves – 4 sets that crushed me
 
Alright, boys and girls, I trust Thanksgiving was good in your household. Mine was fantastic! I had my girls the whole time and had my family come over for dinner at my place. We were in somewhat close quarters, but it didn't matter. We were together and we enjoyed our time together, which is what is most important.

I was able to get in all of my training last week, but was done by Wednesday. I basically took the rest of the week off to be not-a-bodybuilder. And although I still have some serious guilt about the food that I ate, it was somewhat nice for that period of time not to have to go nuts with my food.

It's time like these that make me realize that I am a bodybuilder through and through. I am not sure if it's partly an obsessive-compulsive issue, but I realized that bodybuilding is part of my being. I am really looking forward to training over the course of the next year to see what kind of gains I can make with a good year of solid, focused training.

My biggest issue will be my diet. I have no problems with training and even get in my 4-5 cardio sessions each week. After my first contest in June, I didn't really go too far with the ugly foods, but after this show I feel like I am going a tad overboard. I may need to ask Coach Eric what to do about that. I am making sure NOT to gain too much fat this off-season...even if it means I go on a mini-diet in a few weeks. Until then, I am done with crappy foods except for 2x per week...probably on Fri and Sat night.

That's the plan for now. I'll catch up with everybody tomorrow to talk more about my training.
 
Today was on off day, so no training. Hell, I didn't even do cardio this morning. I slept in instead and I think I needed it. I think I overdid it at the gym the last couple days that I gave myself a headache! lol I will say that I am sore as hell the last couple of days in my back, chest and delts. I must be doing a good job! I, instead, concentrated on my diet...not the most fun in the world, but a necessary evil.
 
I gotta tell ya… I am seriously kicking my own ass the last couple of weeks at the gym. I have been relentless on myself. I can really feel it now that I’m at the end of the week. My body is really sore…and very tired. I look so forward to the weekends when I feel like this.

I have also been giving my body rest from all of my EFX supps (although I am still using V&M Vitamins, ZMA, & LBA’s. I probably have about a couple more weeks like this before I start putting some back in slowly but surely. Eric recommended this, and I agree – the body just needs the rest. Plus I really believe it “primes” the body for when you start up again. I have to say, though, that my body really feels the effects of NOT using my EFX supplements. That just goes to show ya…you can throw up a bunch of cool studies that show how great a product (or product line) is. But if it doesn’t work in the real world, it just don’t matta! Lucky for me, EFX supps do BOTH!

I’ve stayed on my diet all week and now I am looking forward to tonight where I get to “live a little” by eating some pizza with my girls. YIPPEE!!!! Goodbye abs…I’ll see ya in a couple of days. lol

Here was today’s thrashing…
DELTS
Side Laterals – 2 sets
Smith Delt Press – 3 heavy sets
Rev Pec Dec – 2 sets
DB Front Raises (1/2 regular way; ½ Hammer grip) – 2 sets
Side Laterals – 3 sets

MINI-CHEST
Hammer Incl – 3 sets
Life Fitness Machine Press – 2 sets

TRAPS
DB Shrug – 4 sets (2 lighter; 2 heavier sets)

CALVES
Seated – 2 sets
Life Fit Claf Machine – 2 sets
 
Another weekend passed with mixed results. I kept to my diet for the most part, but when I went off of it, I really went off of it. Nothing a little mini-diet or extra cardio can’t fix, right. Please…right?!?!? Lol Anyway, I had the girls this weekend and we put up our tree, read some books, watched movies, went to the stores to do some Christmas shopping. I even had time to watch football!!! We had a great time.

On to today…
Woke up this morning and felt like I could have used more sleep. But, I got up and hit the treadmill for 20+ minutes.

My quest for a thicker, wider back continued today in the form of a hellacious training session. Holy crap, was I spent after this one…sweating like a dog…bent over from exhaustion after each rep from the middle until the end.

LATS
Chin-ups – 3 BW sets going slow and controlled making sure to squeeze each rep.
Smith Mach. Rack Deads (mid-shin) – 405/10, 405/11, 405/12 (someone is going to have to explain to me how I got stronger with each set!)
Corner T-bar Row – 3 sets at 205 for 8-10 reps
DB Row – 2 sets at 105 & 115, respectively for 11 and 9 reps.
Stiff-arm Pulldowns (Rope)

CALVES
Leg Press Calf – 2 sets of 18 and 13 reps…total failure!
Seated Calf – 2 sets of who knows, but to total failure
 
Well if Monday was brutal, Tuesday was exhausting. And sore…sore is putting it lightly. I crushed myself yesterday.

The day started as normal with 20 minutes of cardio…but I did an extra 5 minutes because of weekend guilt. lol

CHEST
Smith Incl Press – 2 sets
Free Motion Chest Press Mach – 2 sets
Dips – 2 sets
Hammer Incl Press – 3 sets

DELTS
DB Press – 2 sets
Side Laterals – 3sets
DB Upright Row

ABS
V-ups – 3 sets
Decl Crunch – 1 set
 
Yesterday was my off day, but because my diet wasn’t exactly spot-on the last couple weeks, I decided to wake up and do cardio. Instead of 20 minutes, I did 25 minutes on my home-treadmill. I went through the rest of the day being good on my diet…although it was mentally tough. I don’t know why it has been so hard to keep on my diet lately, when it is relatively easy during contest prep.

Today, I woke up and did cardio again…this time for the regular 20 minutes. And, a little while ago, I came back from my training session. While I wasn’t quite at my best to start energy-wise, I pushed through and actually had a pretty decent workout!

Since I only train quads once every two weeks, I really make sure to thrash them as hard as I can while still maintaining the focus on what I want to do. I am pretty much done building mass at this point, so it’s all about refining the muscle and making sure I do targeted glute work.

HAMS
Stiff-Leg Deads
265/13, 265/12
Lying Leg Curl
125/13, 125/8+1
Seated Leg Curl
130/15, 130/15

QUADS/GLUTES
Walking Lunges – 100/36 steps, 100/34
I decided to start with these to kind of pre-exhaust my quads…I wanted to see how I would react
Leg Press – 540/13, 540/12
Rev Hack Squat – 320/12, 320/12
Leg Ext – 100/15, 100/12+1 (slow and contract)

Adduction – 115/20
Abduction – 115/25
 
It’s been a couple of days since I posted, so let me give everyone a quick run down of what’s been going on.

Friday, I started the day off with cardio – 22 minutes (I did an extra 2 minutes to get to 250 calories, knowing full well the cal count doesn’t mean anything.) I did Triceps, Biceps & Calves in the afternoon. My left elbow is really bothering me lately, but I am working through it. At this point, it looks like any tricep extension exercise is pretty much out, so I am constantly inventing ways to increase my tricep size…as this is a bodypart I NEED to improve.

I did cardio on both Saturday and Sunday - on Sat in the morning and in the afternoon on Sunday. I NEED to try to keep my bf down.

Monday was the start of a new training week. After getting in my cardio in the morning, it was time to focus on training in the afternoon. I decided to make this a HYBRID week of Power, Rep Range, Shock.

LATS - Hybrid
Smith Rev Grip Rows (1x13-15, 10-12, 7-9)
255/14, 275/12, 295/8+1
Chin-ups
BW+45/5, BW+35/6 (reduced weight because I still wanted to squeeze at the top)
Seated Row
210/10, 210/10
Underhand Grip Pulldown ss/ Rope Stiff-arm Pulldown
195/10…110/11
195/9…110/9+2

Mini-DELTS
Side Laterals – strict from the side
20/15, 25/16, 30/11
30/9+1…drop..22.5/6
Life Fit-Machine Press
115/11, 115/9 (my delts were screaming after the side laterals)

CALVES
Seated – 90/25, 115/18
Leg Press – 450/15, 450/15


Today, I started with cardio as usual. Again, I used Hybrid style for Chest.

CHEST
DB Incl Press-Angled hands (1x13-15, 10-12, 7-9) – 3 sets of 14, 11, & 9 reps. I did these slow to really feel the muscle working
Smith Incl Press (2x4-6) – after the rep range sets, it was tough to do power…which was this point. I did sets of 6, 7, and I increased the weight on the last set to get 4-1/2 reps.
Pullovers ss/ Incl Flye
80/15…45/9
90/12…45/8

HAMS/GLUTES – was still sore from last week’s thrashing, so I decided to take it a little easier weight-wise, but concentrate on the contraction more.
Lying Leg Curl
110/15, 110/10
Lying Leg Curl (Glute Crunch)
50/12, 50/12
DB Stiff Leg Deads
90/15, 105/12
Abduction ss/ Adduction
130/25…105/20
130/20…105/15

ABS
Lying Leg Lifts – 3 sets of 12-15
 
Today is my off day and I decided early on that my body needed a true off day. I have been doing cardio in the morning for the last 10 days. So, it was time. I slept in a little bit (5:50am-haha), but had a weird night sleep.

Today is all about eating…making sure I stay on my diet. Actually, I am taking today as a very-reduced carb day. I only had 30g of carbs with my first meal and am only having healthy fats with each meal the rest of the day. I NEED to stay leaner this off-season.
 
What a strange day so far. The weather has been lousy, so the mood throughout the day has been rather somber. I woke up this morning determined to smoke today's workout, and I did, but it wasn't easy!

I got my pre-workout meal in and felt ok...off to the gym! Once I got there, something strange happened - I started to feel a tad light-headed for some reason. I'm not sure why, but it started off looking like it was NOT going to be a good day. But once I hit my first couple of sets - even though I was pretty dizzy afterwards - I was off to the races.

BICEPS
90 degree EZ bar Preacher Curl (1x13-15, 10-12)
65/15, 65/11
DB Curl (5-7)
50/7, 50/6
Lying Top Cable (drop)
120/10..90/8
120/10..100/5

TRICEPS
Rope Pressdown (13-15, 10-12, 7-9)
90/21 (too light), 110/8+2 (too heavy..lol), 110/8
Dip Machine (5-7)
230/10 (too light...again), 260/7, 260/6
Rev Grip Pressdown (drop)
90/15...70/7

Mini-LATS
Rack Deads
405/12, 405/12
Corner CG T-bar Row
4plts/12; 5plts/7
Pulldowns
180/10, 180/8..drop..150/6
 
After a great workout on Friday, it was smooth sailing until today. I enjoyed my time over the weekend with the girls (and can’t wait until Christmas Eve)!!! I was even able to include some relaxing in there as well. Lucky for me, after today, I have off from work until January 4th! WOO HOO!!

But that doesn’t mean that I am stopping from working out. Matter of fact, I am moving around my schedule so I can get in a workout with Broser. I get jacked up when we train together. Too bad we don’t live closer to each other…no telling what kind of gains I could have if we trained together.

Anyway, it’ll probably be hit-n-miss with me being on the boards, since I’ve got my girls all of next week for their winter break. But here is today’s fun…

LATS
Pulldowns
210/8, 210/8, 195/9..drop..165/5..drop..135/5
Life Fitness Rev Grip Seated Row
235/10, 235/10
One-arm Row
100/15, 100/12
CG High Seated Row
195/10, 195/10
Smith WG Bent Row
185/12, 185/13..drop..135/9

TRAPS
DB Shrug (70/10..warmup)
100/15, 100/13
Pulldown to Top of Head
105/16, 105/15

LOW BACK
Rack Deads
405/10, 405/10
Hyperext
BW/25

ABS

Oh, and cardio was done this morning! No rest for the weary. Since I have resolved the fact that my diet will be a tad off the next couple of weeks, I need to stay on track with cardio.
 
My last post here was on Monday, 12/21 and my last workout was with Eric Broser at his place on 12/23. I decided I was going to use that time to rest, relax and let loose a little bit. I was able to enjoy my girls Christmas Eve and into the morning, plus the whole last week of their vacation. MAN, did I have fun with them!! It was a perfect end to the old year and beginning to the New Year!

Now that it's the New Year, I was excited to get back at the gym. Same goals for the New Year apply! It's time to make 2010, the best year to date...

BACK
Rev Grip Smith BB Row: 255/10, 13
Chinups: bw/ 11, 9
CG Seated Row: 190/10, 10
Hammer Rev Pulldowns: 90each side/10, 9
Rope Stiff-arm Pulldowns: 110/10 x 3

CALVES
Free Motion Raises: 3 sets of 220/15

LOW BACK
Hyperextensions: bw/25, 10/18, 25/13

CARDIO - done in the morning on the home treadmill
 
Woke up this morning and hit the treadmill. But that was after lying awake in my bed for over two hours. I woke up at 4am and could not go back to sleep. Not sure what happened, but I guess we'll see how it goes tonight.

On my way to the gym in a few...
 
Quick update on last week...
Majorly busy both at work and at home. Quarter-end and year-end at work brings about many reporting needs and with the new year, more and more projects are coming my way. I am really liking how things are going work-wise lately...so that's good. At home, I've reorganized some things, including my kids room to have things flow more easily. My closet got the once over as well. Plus I had my girls in the middle of the week, so getting on the computer was difficult to get to.

That said, my workouts were pretty crazy! I was sore as HELL all week long and after doing legs on Thursday, I could barely walk ALL WEEKEND!! UGH. Last week was my "normal" week where I hit each bodypart once. This week is my N.I. (Needs Improvement) week, where I hit bodyparts that need a little help once the normal way and once again in a mini-workout fashion.

BACK-Width
Pulldowns
195/13, 210/7+1, 195/8+1..drop..150/6
One-arm Row
105/11, 105/11, 115/9..drop..95/6
Rev Hammer Pulldown
90each side/11, 90each side/9+1
Rope Stiff-arm Pulldown
102/13, 120/11..100/6+1

Mini-Delts - I decided to concentrate all my efforts on side laterals with limited rest between sets
30/12, 30/10, 30/9, 25/11, 25/9, 22.5/10
6 Total Sets and MAN were my arms ready to fall off!

CALVES
I tried calves, but they were still sore from last week and started to cramp, so I stopped. Since I do them 2x per week, I don't feel so bad.

CARDIO - was done in the morning at home for 20 min.

That's pretty much it for today!
 
Today started as normal with 20 min of cardio. Not a bad round of cardio...jstu got through it with SportsCenter! :)

This afternoon was Chest and Biceps. I was particularly "in the mood" to train this afternoon. I was ready to rock and roll when I set foot in the gym.

CHEST
Incl DB Press - hands angled
85/8, 85/6-1/2, 80/7..drop..65/6
Machine Press
195/11, 195/12, 195/10
Dips
bw/13, bw/11..ss/ Cable Crossover 27.5/12

BICEPS
DB Curl
45/10, 45/10
Incl DB Curl
35/10, 35/8+1
DB Preacher - 90 degree
35/6, 30/9

My arms and chest were spent after this one.
 
It is Wednesday, so it is an off day for me I didn't do cardio either because I like to have my off days with no work what so ever. I call it "priming the pump" for when I have to hit cardio everyday for a contest.

I am staying consistent with my supps, though. I really feel that my supp regimine has been spot on. With the drug-free status and absolute purity of the products AAEFX makes, it has helped me get past some serious stagnations in my muscle-building quest. And at age 36, I can use every advantage I can get.

I'll give you a quick rundown of my protocol tomorrow...I'm spending the evening with my girlies! :)
 
Its unreal these days…it seems the more time I need, the less I have. I meant to get on the computer yesterday to give my update, but I had NO time and ended up having to go bed later than I wanted. Needless to say, waking up was not much fun this morning. But, I rolled out of bed and did my 20 minutes of cardio nonetheless.

I mentioned I would update everyone on my latest supplement regimen for this off-season. I am giving a TON of credit to my All American EFX supps for getting me past a very serious plateau last year and it is proving its worth, as I continue to improve at a much faster rate than ever! I really feel that the extreme high-quality and purity of these products make then second-to-none. So, here’s where I am at right now…

Kre-Alk PRO - 1 cap pre workout; 1 cap post workout
LBA Pro – 1 srvg before Meal #1, 3, 5 (& one more in the middle of the night)
CELL RUSH - 1 srvg pre workout
NYTRIC PRO - 2 tabs pre & 1 post workout
Kre-Generator - 1 scoop mixed with NF-Pro post workout
LG-5 PRO – 1 srvg post workout; 1 srvg before bed
HBM: 2 caps Meal 1; 2 caps pre workout; 2 caps post workout
V & M: 2 caps in AM; 2 caps in PM

That’s my current/quick rundown. This is the Flex Wheeler signature series of EFX supps and they have really taken it to a new level.

Anyway, although yesterday’s workout kicked ass, today’s was even better. For some reason I was frothing at the mouth at the gym today. Don’t question it…just take it and say thank you! lol

BACK (Thickness day)
Rack Smith Deads (just below knee..full stop before coming up)
405/12, 455/6, 455/6..drop..315/6 WHEW!!!

Smith WG Bent Row ss/ Smith Rev Grip Bent Row – 225/12; 225/8
2nd set…reversed the order (did Rev Grip 1st) – 225/11; 225/5+1

CG Seated Cable Row – 20/9, 210/7+1

Hammer Row-1 arm at a time – 3plts/8..drop..2plts/8

TRAPS
Seated DB Shrug – 105/14+1, 105/14+1

I can now go home to take a nap!!
 
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