Tuesday, August 23, 2011

NOT GREAT DEADLIFTS!!!!

Well I was not pleased with my deadlifts at all last night, my legs were still extremely sore from Friday so I was not able to hit the weight or the reps I wanted to. Other than that it was an ok workout, not spectacular but not bad either. If leg soreness continues to interfere with my deadlifts I will have to switch leg day and back day and see how that works.

Monday, August 22, 2011

WEEKEND RECAP!!!

Ok, so Friday I managed to have a pretty good leg day even though I was not feeling it. I decided to up the weight and drop the reps on squats, and then I kept the reps a little bit higher on everything else. This worked out pretty well, in fact my legs are still so sore that I can hardly walk, this is no good because I was supposed to deadlift tonight with my back workout. I will try to deadlift if I can loosen up a bit, if not I will forgo deadlifts this week.
On Sunday I hit shoulders, which was also a good workout, I actually managed to get shoulders sore which I have a hard time doing so that’s good as well. I also upped the calories this weekend so now I will be over 3100 calories per day so I should start seeing my body weight going up pretty consistently.


Friday, August 19, 2011

SO HUNGRY!

I hit arms last night and had a pretty good workout, I mixed it up a little and threw in some different exercises so that was a nice change of pace. Tonight I have to hit legs, and I have to say, so far I am not feeling it, I hope in the next 8.5 hours I can get it together and get ready for a big leg day because ready or not I will be squatting tonight. I will check my weight tonight and decide if I will up the calories again tomorrow, or if I will wait until Monday for the next increase. I have been eating every 2 hours now, and even though I have increased my intake and decreased the time between meals I am getting hungrier and hungrier.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

WHAT ARE YOU MADE OF?

It’s not what you do when everything is going well and you are on top of the world that counts, anybody can be positive in these situations. What really counts and speaks to the strength of your character, or lack thereof, is how you react in the face of true adversity, it’s what you do when the chips are stacked against you, when you have been kicked, beaten, knocked down, when you have nothing left to give and when no one believes in you anymore. Then and only then will you understand what you are truly made of. So it’s your call, will you rise to the occasion, will you prevail against all odds, when everything seems hopeless will you press on with your head held high with nothing more than sheer willpower and determination driving you tirelessly forward, or will you become a prisoner of your circumstances, take the path of least resistance and surrender to defeat?  

Off Day!

Yesterday was an off day, so there is not a lot to write about, however I did spend some time setting up my next diet change which will take place today. I increased the calories by a few hundred and I am now slightly over my T.D.E.E. so the weight should start to come on a little bit quicker now. I addition to the increase in my caloric intake I am also testing out some new supplements and some different food sources, so I t will be interesting to see how my body responds to these changes.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Chest Day!

I have to say that I am pretty pleased with my workouts lately, everything seems to be going well and my strength is rapidly increasing on all lifts. This was epically evident last night when I was training chest, my numbers were up a good bit and I was pushing weight that I have not been able to in some time. On the other hand I am also looking a little bit smoother, it’s not a huge difference but I am decently seeing less vascularity and striations in the different muscles. That is to be expected as I up the calories and put weight back on. I am hoping to get over 200lbs for the first time ever in the next 6 months. I am currently taking in about 2367 calories per day, this is still a little under what I would need to maintain my current weight, and I am slowly working it up to 3189-3492 calories a day, which is the amount I would need to take in in order to start putting weight back on. I am planning on continuing to up the calories about every 2-3 days until I hit those numbers, from there I will only up the calories when my weight plateaus.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

First day of new split!

Ok, so I have decided to go with a different split than the one I listed yesterday. The split I will be following now is: Monday-back/traps, Tuesday-chest, Wednesday-off, Thursday-arms, Friday-legs/calves, Saturday-off, Sunday shoulders/abs. I will follow this for the next 1-2 weeks and see how it goes, and if it’s not working I will change it, and if it is working out well then I will follow it for the time being.  So with the new split I hit back/traps last night, I was still a little sore from training back on Friday but I was able to work through it without any issues. I also managed to add 10lbs on my deadlift over what I did on Friday, so that is not horrible considering I only had 2 days of rest between the workouts. I think this split should work out pretty well and I am excited to see how my strength and body weight change over the next few months.
 In addition to the changes in my workout I have also added more carbs into my diet, I am now taking in close to my T.D.E.E. and by this time next week I should be exceeding my T.D.E.E. thus allowing my body weight to increase. The plan is to try and pack on as much lean tissue as possible over the next 6-8 months, then it will be time to start getting ready for the next show, this show should be some time around November 2012. I will hopefully come in not only bigger and fuller but also leaner.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Friday, big back day!

Friday I hit back, and I did deadlifts for the first time in a few months. I only went up to 405lbs because even that was feeling pretty heavy, but at least everything went smoothly. I did feel my tendonitis’s start to flare up a little so I may have to start training back and biceps on the same day to try and avoid overuse and allow more rest for my biceps, that being said I guess I will start a new split today and see how that goes. I think I will do something like this: Monday-back and biceps, Tuesday-Chest and triceps, Wednesday-traps, abs, and calves, Thursday-off, Friday-legs, Saturday-off, Sunday-shoulders and arms. This is just a tentative split and I may tweak it as I go, but I think for now this is what I will try.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Shoulders/Abs!

Last night I hit shoulders and abs, and it was yet another great workout, my energy levels are increasing, I am getting stronger, and my endurance is increasing as well. Today I will hit back and I will attempt to deadlift as well, that is if my hams will allow me to do so,(they are still sore from leg day). I am going to see how I feel come Monday and decide if  I will keep my split 5 on 2 off (training Monday-Friday, with weekends off) or if I will shift it to 4 on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off (training Sunday-Wednesday, off Thursday, on Friday, off Saturday). The main benefit in training on Sunday is that it puts more time between some muscle groups, thus allowing for more time to rest and repair damaged muscle tissue.  I am also increasing my carb and calorie intake again today by adding in another 3oz of brown rice, this will give me about an additional 30g carbs. By the end of next week my caloric intake should be back up to my T.D.E.E. (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), and then from there I can continue to increase my intake to promote lean tissue growth.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

ARMS!

Yesterday I hit arms, and it was an awesome workout, I had someone come up to me and say that I had gotten noticeably bigger since my show. That was a huge boost seeing as how the show was only 4 days prior. Everything is going great, I am having great workouts, I am getting bigger and fuller and I have only just started to increase my calories and carbs, I can’t wait to see what the next year will bring. I also found out that I qualify to compete for my Pro-card for all of 2012, so that is good because this means that I will not have to rush and get ready for a show in November. I have also been discussing the possibility of receiving a sponsorship with a major supplement producer and distributor so I am very excited to see how that turns out as well.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Legs!

Last night i hit legs and I had a pretty good workout, it all went pretty well and my weights are defiantly coming back up. I am also planning to get back to doing deadlifts so I am looking forward to seeing how that is going to go. After thinking it over and seeking some advice, it looks like it would be my best bet to take about 4-6 months off and try to bulk up a little and bring up any weak points and then look for a Pro-Qualifier around this time next year. So that is what I will do and hopefully I will come in closer to the upper limit of my weight class than the middle.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

My first day back!

So I hit chest last night and had a pretty good workout, my numbers were up a little but nothing y too crazy seeing as how I was still hurting from all the junk I ate after the show. I am back on track with my diet and I am planning to slowly bring the calories and carbs back up over the next few weeks.
The main thing I need to figure out is when I am going to do my next show (this will be the Pro-Qualifier), there is one in November that I could do but that will only give me 3-4 months, this would allow for a short period to relax my diet and put back on some weight, but then it would be right back to cutting in a few weeks. The advantage to this is that I should be able to come in tighter than I did in Knoxville, the disadvantage is that it does not give me much time to bulk up and put on more size. If I don’t do that show I don’t know what the date will be because they have not listed the dates of the 2012 shows yet, but it will have to be before August of next year because I only have 1 full calendar year of eligibility from the date of the show that I qualified at. This is going to be a tough call, I will have to get some advice on this one.

Monday, August 8, 2011

8/6/2011 DAY OF THE SHOW!!!

8/6/2011

DAY OF THE SHOW!!!

1:54P.M. (After the pre-judging, before the evening show.)

Well after much tossing and turning, and about 1-2 hours of sleep last night I finally made it to 4A.M., this was the time I had to get up and start getting ready for the show. First I needed to get something to eat, then I needed to apply some more tanner, I managed to get in two final coats and this put me at a total of….  Hum… looks like I lost track, as far as I can tell it was between 16-18 coats I believe (thank you Caitlin, I could not have done this without you).  Then it was off to the pre competition meeting, after that it all went pretty quick, first, backstage, then pumping up, then oil, then there I was standing right by the entrance waiting to walk out on stage, time only stopped for a brief moment, just  long enough to take a deep breath, then next thing I know I am charging out on stage, from here it was all a blur, and it seemed that I was only out there for what was a few seconds, then I found myself back in the locker room wondering how it went by so fast. Although it was all in over in the blink of an eye it was freaking awesome. Now I turn my sights to the evening show, and my routine, the only thing standing between it and myself is time.

8/8/2011

Well the evening show did not go as quick as prejudging, I had to wait for about 3 hours in the locker room for my weight class, I had not accounted for this and did not bring enough food with me, but that was not a major issue. Once I finally got on stage I had a few massive and almost fell over, but I managed to hide it pretty well I think. Then after my routine they called us back out to announce placement, I took 2nd, and this I is what I needed to do to qualify for nationals so I can compete for my pro-card next year. Qualifying for nationals was one of my goals so I am pleased with that. Now it’s back to the grind, it’s Monday and I think I am going to hit chest today so we will see how that goes.

Friday, August 5, 2011

1 Day Out!

Well, it’s about 5:30pm and I am heading out to weigh in in about 1 hr., other than that I just need to apply a few more coats of tanner and try to relax and stay off my feet, (this is probably the hardest part). It looks like I will be making the 2nd weight class,  Lightweight - over 143.25lbs and up to and including 154.25lbs, this is good because seeing as how I am fairly short  will have an advantage over taller competitors in my weight class. So other than that I just have to get up at about 3am tomorrow and get ready for prejudging, then it’s a short break in the middle of the day, then on the evening show, and then finally I can get this tanner off and get a solid meal.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

2 Days Out!

Well, not much to do today, I just need to shave, apply  about  5-6 more coats of tanner, do some lite cardio, pose, go through my routine, pack my clothes, pack my food, make sure I have all the stuff in need back stage, make sure we bring everything that the dogs need, oh yea and relax. Let’s do this thing already, after six months of dieting and preparing I am ready to go.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

3 Days Out!

I hit arms and abs today, and I am now 3 days out. Everything is going well but the tanning process is a huge pain in the butt. I am up to 6 coats of the tanning product and I look about 15 shades darker, like some jersey shore reject with liver disease, but that’s the name of the game. Another 6-8 coats and I should be good to go. I can’t wait to get up on stage and do some damage, get a hot shower and get this stuff off my skin, then get a good meal.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

4 Days Out!

I am getting closer and closer, I feel like a child waiting for Christmas, I am 4 days out and already I am having trouble sleeping. Hope fully I will be able to get some sleep tonight because I probably only got 2-3 hours of sleep last night.  Yesterday I hit chest and back, it all went pretty well, I am still looking full and lean so hopefully this will keep up. Tonight I will hit shoulders and abs in addition to my cardio and posing. I am also going to start applying tanner tonight so that is an entire world of fun in and of its self.

Monday, August 1, 2011

5 Days Out!

Yesterday I hit legs and I went really well, I had a great workout and my physique was right where I wanted it to be, in fact it was so on point that I have decided not to change my diet to try and up the carbs like I had original planned. I figure it will be better to play it safe and come in solid rather than risk it and maybe come in a little soft. Tonight I will be hitting chest, back posing, and cardio, and I will probably be doubling up on the posing sessions this week. I am definitely feeling the excitement growing as I get closer and closer, its going to be hard to sleep soon if this keeps up.