Today marks the 1 week out point from my first WNBF Professional bodybuilding competition. Needless to say, I am feeling very excited for the event. Not only will it be a landmark day for me, for obvious reasons, but this will also be the first year that this show is being offered, and it promises to be a world class event.
I am in the best shape of my life, I have made all of the improvements to my physique that I set out to over the last 11 months. That is not to say that I have polished my physique to a point that it is complete. I was realistic with my goals over the past year, and set my sights to a level of improvement that is realizable in a natural forum. Within bodybuilding, as with any sport, and life in general for that matter, there is not perfection. You need to be constantly striving for something just outside of the current level of attainment. Otherwise you will stagnate, become lazy, sloppy, unfulfilled, and eventually, dissatisfied with life. And that is a devastating thought.
I feel confident with my level of conditioning, and the size that I was able to maintain through the dieting process. My posing is good, my routine and song I think are solid, just waiting on my new custom posing suits to arrive. Carried with the fact that this is my first Pro competition is the knowledge that this will be the first time that my night posing routine will be judged. As an amateur, that portion of the show is typically just for "fun", but as a Pro, it is judged and can certainly have an influence on the judging panels decision. So in the past, I have usually waiting to develop and practice my routine until closer to the show. This time, I was on the lookout for music from the moment I won my Pro card 11 months ago. I basically finished developing my routine about 4 months ago, but alas, I still waited probably longer than I should have to actually start practicing it. That is OK though, b/c I still feel confident with it, I am happy with the song, and the selection of posed that I made. That is one of the nice things about the routine, there are no mandatory poses to include. So you are free to leave out the ones that don't flatter your physique.
Anyway, I am at the 7 day mark, and I am feeling great! Food will start to come up even more than it has in the past 2 weeks, this will help me to "fill out" a bit more, and collaterally provide me with some more energy. My workouts will drop slightly in intensity, again providing me with some more energy. All in all the final week (peak week), is a fun time, your diet starts to feel less and less like one, and the anticipation of the contest grows and grows.
I cant wait to get to Indiana!! This is going to be awesome!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
High Volume Back Routine
I am a big fan of the Deadlift. For years I had ineffective back workout upon ineffective back workout. It wasn't until I started deadlifting that I was able to get some respectable lat development in my physique. However, I realize that I can not deadlift heavy every week. My body just cant take it. So even though I found what I considered to be the holy grail for lat work, I was forced to figure out why I was having such poor back workouts all these years. Bottom line is, that I was unable to consciously isolate my back muscles, I would overpower the exercise movement with my biceps for the most back, and even some shoulders. This is a fairly common scenario among lifters.
It was thanks to the biggest money winner in the WNBF that I was able to make this mind-muscle connection finally. I had the please of training with former WNBF Pro Dave Goodin last year, and it was worth every painful rep he put me through. Since our workout, I have had muscle soreness in my back after almost every workout, whether I am deadlifting or not. Perhaps in another post I will outline some of the isolation principles that Dave shared with me. But for now, I am going to share with you one of my deadlift free back workouts that I felt was very effective.
As my show approaches (less than 2 weeks away now), I am unwilling to perform some of the heavy compound movements, as my body is waring down, I don't want to risk injury. For that reason, I developed and performed the following deadlift free back workout the other day.
WARM UP - Super slow rep cadence - close grip lat pull down
perform these reps with a 5 sec count concentric portion, 2 sec pause fully contracted, then a 5 sec eccentric portion.
3 sets - 15-20 reps
Giant Set #1 - Close grip lat pull down/wide grip cable pull over/wide grip supported T-bar row/Wide grip lat pull down
Each exercise gets 25 reps with good contraction at the top of the movement for a total of 100 reps per set.
3 sets
Keep the weight the same or increase with each set, try not to decrease weight, but maintain good form
Giant Set #2 - Isolateral HammerStrength underhand seated row/Isolateral HammerStrength behind the neck pull down/ Isolateral HammerStrength neutral grip seated row/Seated bent over bilateral DB row
Each exercise gets 25 reps with good contraction at the top of the movement for a total of 100 reps per set.
3 sets
Keep the weight the same or increase with each set, try not to decrease weight, but maintain good form
Final Exercise - Isolateral HammerStrength plate loaded lat pull down
4 sets - increasing weight with each set. Starting your first set with 15-20 reps, and your final set having 8-12 reps.
Hopefully you will get as much out of this workout as I did.
It was thanks to the biggest money winner in the WNBF that I was able to make this mind-muscle connection finally. I had the please of training with former WNBF Pro Dave Goodin last year, and it was worth every painful rep he put me through. Since our workout, I have had muscle soreness in my back after almost every workout, whether I am deadlifting or not. Perhaps in another post I will outline some of the isolation principles that Dave shared with me. But for now, I am going to share with you one of my deadlift free back workouts that I felt was very effective.
As my show approaches (less than 2 weeks away now), I am unwilling to perform some of the heavy compound movements, as my body is waring down, I don't want to risk injury. For that reason, I developed and performed the following deadlift free back workout the other day.
WARM UP - Super slow rep cadence - close grip lat pull down
perform these reps with a 5 sec count concentric portion, 2 sec pause fully contracted, then a 5 sec eccentric portion.
3 sets - 15-20 reps
Giant Set #1 - Close grip lat pull down/wide grip cable pull over/wide grip supported T-bar row/Wide grip lat pull down
Each exercise gets 25 reps with good contraction at the top of the movement for a total of 100 reps per set.
3 sets
Keep the weight the same or increase with each set, try not to decrease weight, but maintain good form
Giant Set #2 - Isolateral HammerStrength underhand seated row/Isolateral HammerStrength behind the neck pull down/ Isolateral HammerStrength neutral grip seated row/Seated bent over bilateral DB row
Each exercise gets 25 reps with good contraction at the top of the movement for a total of 100 reps per set.
3 sets
Keep the weight the same or increase with each set, try not to decrease weight, but maintain good form
Final Exercise - Isolateral HammerStrength plate loaded lat pull down
4 sets - increasing weight with each set. Starting your first set with 15-20 reps, and your final set having 8-12 reps.
Hopefully you will get as much out of this workout as I did.
Monday, July 21, 2008
My New Site
A while back I purchased a domain with the intent of getting my own personal site up. It was intended to be a site that would cover my endeavours as a personal training, fitness model, and professional bodybuilder. It took me a little while to start building the site, but I finally got started yesterday. I currently have the "front page" up in a beta testing section of the domain. Please feel free to take a look at it and let me know what your thoughts are. Keep in mind though, that I have never designed a page before, so not only is this a first go around for this particular site, it is also a first go around for any web development for me.
Also, there are a number of links on there, but the only ones that will actually lead you anywhere are the ones in the bottom left hand corner. All the rest lead to pages that I have not generated yet. And I am not entirely sure when I will have those ready, as I have mentioned, my competition is quite close at this point, let than 2 weeks away, so that is where my focus is for now.
Again, all feedback is welcome.
I hope you like it.
EF Beta Site
Also, there are a number of links on there, but the only ones that will actually lead you anywhere are the ones in the bottom left hand corner. All the rest lead to pages that I have not generated yet. And I am not entirely sure when I will have those ready, as I have mentioned, my competition is quite close at this point, let than 2 weeks away, so that is where my focus is for now.
Again, all feedback is welcome.
I hope you like it.
EF Beta Site
Saturday, July 19, 2008
A Day of Replenishmen
Thank goodness for my higher CHO (carb) day. At this point in my contest prep I am starting to increase my CHO a bit to fill out. But I am still feeling depleted the majority of the week. That is because even though I am not on minimal levels of CHO any longer, my metabolic rate is going a bit nuts, and my fat intake is still quite low. As a result I am still having feelings of fatigue for the majority of the week...until now!
One day a week, I up my CHO significantly, this is meant to replenish my glycogen stores in the muscle so that I don't become stringy and waste away. And that day is today! I have been looking forward to it pretty much all week. But yesterday was especially tough. I am not entirely sure why. Most of my prep so far has been a relative breeze, over the last couple of weeks I was finally starting to "feel" the effects of the diet. but the past few days have really started to become a true test in will. It is times like this that I maintain that the sport of natural bodybuilding is without a shred of doubt in my mind, the most demanding sport I have ever taken part in. I don't want to put down anyone else's sport or belittle it, so I will keep that statement to my own experiences. I have played some tough sport though, a respectable second would probably be wrestling though, I also played football, rugby, and ran the 300m hurdles and the 400m in track and field. But when it comes to overall strength of will, consistency, coupled with athleticism and strength, in my experience, nothing compares to the sport of bodybuilding.
Anyway, back to the point at hand, aside from being the day signifying the 2 week out mark from my show, it is also my day to satiate myself through an increase amount of carbs. And I cant wait!!
I got up at 430 am and did my 40 mins of cardio just as any other day at this point in the prep process, but the rest of the day will be spent in a state of relaxation and food! Until of course it is time to hit the gym this afternoon. But until then, my girlfriend and I are heading north to checkout a Bison farm and stock up on some good lean meat, then relax at a nice state park and have a picnic. Notice how the whole day is revolving around food! Sweet!! Which reminds me, it is her high CHO day too, and as such, I need to start making her our very own formulated, low fat Protein Pancakes...mmm.
One day a week, I up my CHO significantly, this is meant to replenish my glycogen stores in the muscle so that I don't become stringy and waste away. And that day is today! I have been looking forward to it pretty much all week. But yesterday was especially tough. I am not entirely sure why. Most of my prep so far has been a relative breeze, over the last couple of weeks I was finally starting to "feel" the effects of the diet. but the past few days have really started to become a true test in will. It is times like this that I maintain that the sport of natural bodybuilding is without a shred of doubt in my mind, the most demanding sport I have ever taken part in. I don't want to put down anyone else's sport or belittle it, so I will keep that statement to my own experiences. I have played some tough sport though, a respectable second would probably be wrestling though, I also played football, rugby, and ran the 300m hurdles and the 400m in track and field. But when it comes to overall strength of will, consistency, coupled with athleticism and strength, in my experience, nothing compares to the sport of bodybuilding.
Anyway, back to the point at hand, aside from being the day signifying the 2 week out mark from my show, it is also my day to satiate myself through an increase amount of carbs. And I cant wait!!
I got up at 430 am and did my 40 mins of cardio just as any other day at this point in the prep process, but the rest of the day will be spent in a state of relaxation and food! Until of course it is time to hit the gym this afternoon. But until then, my girlfriend and I are heading north to checkout a Bison farm and stock up on some good lean meat, then relax at a nice state park and have a picnic. Notice how the whole day is revolving around food! Sweet!! Which reminds me, it is her high CHO day too, and as such, I need to start making her our very own formulated, low fat Protein Pancakes...mmm.
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Ideal Physique
For me, the ideal male physique is embodied by one of the all time greats. 3 time Mr. Olympia; Frank Zane.
Aside from sharing some key principles on training philosophy, I feel that I can relate to Zane in that we share a common body type. I have, as he does, an ectomorphic body type with mesomorphic tendencies. One of the more preferred pairings for sure. Additionally, my build in general could be said to be akin to his. Having that common ground is surely part of the reason I look to his physique as one to strive for.
I also believe, and this was backed up by a poll that I think IronMan magazine did a few years back, that his is the physique that the majority of American fitness conscious males would most like to have themselves. Not the freak-a-zoid builds that many modern day competitors have. And there is good reason for that. Zane displays a form that is attainable and symmetrical, not overly developed and awkward.
As I start my pro career in 2 weeks and throughout the years to come, I will strive to polish my physique to be aesthetically pleasing in the same vane as the '77, '78, and '79 Mr. Olympia Frank Zane.
Aside from sharing some key principles on training philosophy, I feel that I can relate to Zane in that we share a common body type. I have, as he does, an ectomorphic body type with mesomorphic tendencies. One of the more preferred pairings for sure. Additionally, my build in general could be said to be akin to his. Having that common ground is surely part of the reason I look to his physique as one to strive for.
I also believe, and this was backed up by a poll that I think IronMan magazine did a few years back, that his is the physique that the majority of American fitness conscious males would most like to have themselves. Not the freak-a-zoid builds that many modern day competitors have. And there is good reason for that. Zane displays a form that is attainable and symmetrical, not overly developed and awkward.
As I start my pro career in 2 weeks and throughout the years to come, I will strive to polish my physique to be aesthetically pleasing in the same vane as the '77, '78, and '79 Mr. Olympia Frank Zane.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Mind-Muscle Connection
Next to safety, the most important aspect of weight training is arguably the Mind-Muscle Connection. This is what is going to increase the efficiency of your workouts, spark muscle hypertrophy, and for some, ensure that they are not completely spinning their wheels in the gym.
Allow me to elaborate, many gym goers approach a bench with one goal in mind, to move the heaviest amount of weight they can as many times as they can. Are these exercise enthusiasts ego driven? Perhaps, but also likely is that they are ignorant on the matter. And that is OK provided they aren't doing something that will result in someone getting hurt. I like to think that I will never stop looking for knew things to learn, that I will never assume that I have it all figured out. What I have come to learn during my years spent in the gym, is that it is NOT about how much weight you are moving. It is true however that one can mention arguments about total work done on a muscle and time under tension and all of that. All of which is valid, but none of which makes any bit of difference if you are not using the proper muscles and maximally contracting them. Think about it, what causes your muscles to grow? Is it the fact that there is a mass that is moving up and down? Of course not, it is the fact that your muscle, while acting on that mass which is moving up and down, are contracting. So why would you focus on the movement of that mass during your workout instead of the contraction of your muscle?
This is where the Mind-Muscle Connection comes into play. For every exercise you preform, there are primary muscles that are intended to perform the desired action and secondary muscles that are intended to act in support to the primary ones. When a lifter is overly concerned with getting that weight up at all costs and the primary muscles are incapable of doing this, it is entirely possible for the lifter to recruit force from other muscles by twisting the body in unsafe ways to achieve the completed concentric movement. This is a waste of time, not to mention potentially dangerous. Now you are not even working the intended muscles anymore, and over time this can result in an imbalance in muscle symmetry, and eventually a complete disconnect of the muscle from the conscious control of the brain. I know individuals who, even though they have muscle that is of respectable size, can not even control it well enough to flex it. The problem being, that when it comes time to do an exercise that calls on that muscle, they will not be able to effectively contract it and work it properly, resulting in an inefficiency in the ability to attain muscle hypertrophy and therefor progress.
So how do you ensure that you are getting maximal muscle contraction during an exercise. The answer is a simple one, the application of the answer is the difficult part. Most simply stated, one must focus on using the muscle intended to be worked while performing the concentric and eccentric portions on the exercise. Making the conscious effort to imagine that muscle flexing and contracting during the movement will help you in making the connection between the nerves and the muscles. But often times more effort it required to achieve this connection initially. One technique that I have found useful is to preform exceptionally slow repetitions. An example of this would be to perform a bench press where you take a full 5 secs to push the weight to the top of the movement (concentric portion of the exercise) and pause there. While you are at the top of the movement you squeeze the chest muscles for about 2-3 seconds (imagine you are flexing them), and then lower the weight (eccentric portion of the exercise) at the same 5 sec rate you pushed up with. Perform 15-20 reps in this fashion, and do about 3 sets of this. This is a great way to start your workout because it will do two things for you. First, it will serve to get you in touch with that muscle, so that while performing the remainder of your workout you will have a higher likely hood of achieving maximal muscle contraction. And Second, it will "pre-fatigue" the muscle so that during the remainder of your workout you are more likely to reach failure and spark muscle hypertrophy.
There are other ways to attain this connection, having proper form will aid in muscle isolation, such as keeping your shoulders back and chest out during chest pressing movements. But for the most part the simplest thing you can do to make that Mind-Muscle connection is to reduce the weight and perform the reps slowly so that you can focus on the muscle. You might be surprised how effective just imagining the motion can be, but it works too. Once you have that down, then start stacking on the weight...because everyone wants to lift heavy things, but don't you want to look like you can too?!
Allow me to elaborate, many gym goers approach a bench with one goal in mind, to move the heaviest amount of weight they can as many times as they can. Are these exercise enthusiasts ego driven? Perhaps, but also likely is that they are ignorant on the matter. And that is OK provided they aren't doing something that will result in someone getting hurt. I like to think that I will never stop looking for knew things to learn, that I will never assume that I have it all figured out. What I have come to learn during my years spent in the gym, is that it is NOT about how much weight you are moving. It is true however that one can mention arguments about total work done on a muscle and time under tension and all of that. All of which is valid, but none of which makes any bit of difference if you are not using the proper muscles and maximally contracting them. Think about it, what causes your muscles to grow? Is it the fact that there is a mass that is moving up and down? Of course not, it is the fact that your muscle, while acting on that mass which is moving up and down, are contracting. So why would you focus on the movement of that mass during your workout instead of the contraction of your muscle?
This is where the Mind-Muscle Connection comes into play. For every exercise you preform, there are primary muscles that are intended to perform the desired action and secondary muscles that are intended to act in support to the primary ones. When a lifter is overly concerned with getting that weight up at all costs and the primary muscles are incapable of doing this, it is entirely possible for the lifter to recruit force from other muscles by twisting the body in unsafe ways to achieve the completed concentric movement. This is a waste of time, not to mention potentially dangerous. Now you are not even working the intended muscles anymore, and over time this can result in an imbalance in muscle symmetry, and eventually a complete disconnect of the muscle from the conscious control of the brain. I know individuals who, even though they have muscle that is of respectable size, can not even control it well enough to flex it. The problem being, that when it comes time to do an exercise that calls on that muscle, they will not be able to effectively contract it and work it properly, resulting in an inefficiency in the ability to attain muscle hypertrophy and therefor progress.
So how do you ensure that you are getting maximal muscle contraction during an exercise. The answer is a simple one, the application of the answer is the difficult part. Most simply stated, one must focus on using the muscle intended to be worked while performing the concentric and eccentric portions on the exercise. Making the conscious effort to imagine that muscle flexing and contracting during the movement will help you in making the connection between the nerves and the muscles. But often times more effort it required to achieve this connection initially. One technique that I have found useful is to preform exceptionally slow repetitions. An example of this would be to perform a bench press where you take a full 5 secs to push the weight to the top of the movement (concentric portion of the exercise) and pause there. While you are at the top of the movement you squeeze the chest muscles for about 2-3 seconds (imagine you are flexing them), and then lower the weight (eccentric portion of the exercise) at the same 5 sec rate you pushed up with. Perform 15-20 reps in this fashion, and do about 3 sets of this. This is a great way to start your workout because it will do two things for you. First, it will serve to get you in touch with that muscle, so that while performing the remainder of your workout you will have a higher likely hood of achieving maximal muscle contraction. And Second, it will "pre-fatigue" the muscle so that during the remainder of your workout you are more likely to reach failure and spark muscle hypertrophy.
There are other ways to attain this connection, having proper form will aid in muscle isolation, such as keeping your shoulders back and chest out during chest pressing movements. But for the most part the simplest thing you can do to make that Mind-Muscle connection is to reduce the weight and perform the reps slowly so that you can focus on the muscle. You might be surprised how effective just imagining the motion can be, but it works too. Once you have that down, then start stacking on the weight...because everyone wants to lift heavy things, but don't you want to look like you can too?!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
One of my favorite leg workouts
Early on in my bodybuilding career I had, as many males in the gym tend to, ignored my leg development for the most part. Leaving the network of gyms across the nation to become ever increasingly more populated with buff upper bodied chicken legged meat heads. Now I am no hypocrite, at least not on this matter, so as soon as I smartened up, I embarked on a mission to bring my wheels up to par and beyond, with my upper body. I recognized the challenge that lay before me, and for multiple reasons. First, leg training is grueling, and that is why it gets so commonly overlooked, that and usually ones legs are covered up and you cant see them in the mirror, so the vain are not as apt to pay them any mind. But painful they are to train, if you train them right that is, the legs contain the largest muscles in the body (Quadriceps, Hamstrings, and Glutes), and as such, they require the most amount of energy expended to train. Second, the fact that I was looking down a road of playing catch up was not motivating. I had trained my upper body for years at that point, and had made some appreciable advances there. Now, since I was not planning on slowing my upper body development, I was going to have to work doubly hard to bring my legs up to match the rest of me.
I decided that if I was wanted to be successful, I was going to need a team. People to spot me was the biggest concern, as I was planning on training beyond failure in many cases, but also, having others to commiserate with I knew would helpful. Additionally, I knew I was going to have to make the realization that to achieve my goals, I would have to endure some significant amount of voluntary pain, which is the toughest kind. I was going to have to be ready to be uncomfortable, and in the midst of this pain and discomfort, I would have to tell myself to push even further into the torture. And believe me, there were countless times that I felt like I was going to collapse, pass out, and even vomit, but yet I pushed on. And before too long, I found myself "enjoying" those previous feelings of agony. They conveyed to me that I was doing something right, that I was moving beyond where I was. I was proving something to myself, and doing something that most people wouldn't have the will to push through. When it comes right down to it, these are the things that kept me going. Even though I was seeing results in my leg development, it was the soreness in the days to follow that served to remind me of what I was accomplishing, and that feeling of attainment through self sacrifice is what was satisfying.
So here I stand, two and a half weeks away from my Pro debut on the WNBF bodybuilding circuit, and I have been hitting my legs hard for the past 2 years, and mercilessly for the past 15 months, and I am please to say that I believe I will step on stage with wheels that truly look like they belong on a pro stage.
What were the workouts you might ask. I am a big believer in high volume training when it comes to leg development. I feel that this is the best way to achieve muscle hypertrophy. I do alternate my leg workouts (and my other body parts as well), to train heavy one week, and then more volumous the next. And it is those volumous weeks that really spark the muscle growth, whereas the heavy weeks promote strength gains. Anyway, in my quest for bigger legs, I would construct various routines that inevitably would consist of giant set after giant set. This proved to be a great way of reaching muscle failure from all different angles at high rep ranges while maintaining a moderately heavy weight. Although over time, I began to bore slightly of this workout blueprint, even though the exercises and rep ranges changed from workout to workout and I was continuing to achieve the sought after soreness, I felt like I was beginning to stagnate. It was at this point that I turned to high rep free bar squats, and completely fell in love!!
I have created various high rep squat routines, but the following one is probably my favorite. I am always looking to advance with my workouts, obviously I want to evolve this one as well, but with my contest so close, and my body fat so low, to pursue that at this point would be stupid, as I am at a heightened risk for injury in my weakened state. So, upon completion of my contest expect to find improvements to this routine.
I will also post other stand out leg routines that I have done, but I wanted to get this one up first, as I have never had such complete leg domination with any other workout. We are talking all four heads of the quads, total hamstring and glute soreness and fatigue. It was great!!
So, here it is:
First thing is first - WARM UP adequately, for me this is usually 5-10 mins on a recumbent bike at a moderate pace, followed by 3-4 sets of controlled squatting starting with a light weight and slowly increasing with each set, but never getting too heavy, and keeping the reps within the 15-20 range.
100 rep Squatting - This might seem a little different than what you are used to, this is not a single set of 100 reps. This is picking a weight that is heavy, but that you can get somewhere in the 30-40 rep range out of when you reach complete failure, and then getting all 100 reps in as few sets as possible.
This is how it went for me:
225 lbs x 35
225 lbs x 25
225 lbs x 22
225 lbs x 23
After each set I would drop to the floor with my heart rate at something like 180 bpm. Each one of these sets were done to complete failure, and that is key. I also realize that I did 105 reps instead of 100, but I chalk that up to the fact that the majority of the blood in my body was contained within my legs and not in my brain at the time. lol
Giant Set - Hack Squats / Prone Leg Curl / Leg Extension
3 total rotations of this were completed each exercise failing in the following rep range:
Hacks: 15-20
Leg Curl: 12-15
Leg Ext: 12-15
And that was it...complete leg soreness for the next week was to follow, along with a tremendous feeling of self-satisfaction.
A few things to note: This is what I would consider to be an advanced workout. If you are not an advanced weight lifter, do NOT attempt this routine. If you are an advanced lifter and are capable of competing this routine, make sure that you have an adequate spotter with you, especially with the squatting. Additionally, for squats with this sort of weight and at these rep ranges and levels of failure, I would highly recommend a quality power lifting style belt to help protect your core and lumbar region.
Other than that...Please...Do enjoy!!
I decided that if I was wanted to be successful, I was going to need a team. People to spot me was the biggest concern, as I was planning on training beyond failure in many cases, but also, having others to commiserate with I knew would helpful. Additionally, I knew I was going to have to make the realization that to achieve my goals, I would have to endure some significant amount of voluntary pain, which is the toughest kind. I was going to have to be ready to be uncomfortable, and in the midst of this pain and discomfort, I would have to tell myself to push even further into the torture. And believe me, there were countless times that I felt like I was going to collapse, pass out, and even vomit, but yet I pushed on. And before too long, I found myself "enjoying" those previous feelings of agony. They conveyed to me that I was doing something right, that I was moving beyond where I was. I was proving something to myself, and doing something that most people wouldn't have the will to push through. When it comes right down to it, these are the things that kept me going. Even though I was seeing results in my leg development, it was the soreness in the days to follow that served to remind me of what I was accomplishing, and that feeling of attainment through self sacrifice is what was satisfying.
So here I stand, two and a half weeks away from my Pro debut on the WNBF bodybuilding circuit, and I have been hitting my legs hard for the past 2 years, and mercilessly for the past 15 months, and I am please to say that I believe I will step on stage with wheels that truly look like they belong on a pro stage.
What were the workouts you might ask. I am a big believer in high volume training when it comes to leg development. I feel that this is the best way to achieve muscle hypertrophy. I do alternate my leg workouts (and my other body parts as well), to train heavy one week, and then more volumous the next. And it is those volumous weeks that really spark the muscle growth, whereas the heavy weeks promote strength gains. Anyway, in my quest for bigger legs, I would construct various routines that inevitably would consist of giant set after giant set. This proved to be a great way of reaching muscle failure from all different angles at high rep ranges while maintaining a moderately heavy weight. Although over time, I began to bore slightly of this workout blueprint, even though the exercises and rep ranges changed from workout to workout and I was continuing to achieve the sought after soreness, I felt like I was beginning to stagnate. It was at this point that I turned to high rep free bar squats, and completely fell in love!!
I have created various high rep squat routines, but the following one is probably my favorite. I am always looking to advance with my workouts, obviously I want to evolve this one as well, but with my contest so close, and my body fat so low, to pursue that at this point would be stupid, as I am at a heightened risk for injury in my weakened state. So, upon completion of my contest expect to find improvements to this routine.
I will also post other stand out leg routines that I have done, but I wanted to get this one up first, as I have never had such complete leg domination with any other workout. We are talking all four heads of the quads, total hamstring and glute soreness and fatigue. It was great!!
So, here it is:
First thing is first - WARM UP adequately, for me this is usually 5-10 mins on a recumbent bike at a moderate pace, followed by 3-4 sets of controlled squatting starting with a light weight and slowly increasing with each set, but never getting too heavy, and keeping the reps within the 15-20 range.
100 rep Squatting - This might seem a little different than what you are used to, this is not a single set of 100 reps. This is picking a weight that is heavy, but that you can get somewhere in the 30-40 rep range out of when you reach complete failure, and then getting all 100 reps in as few sets as possible.
This is how it went for me:
225 lbs x 35
225 lbs x 25
225 lbs x 22
225 lbs x 23
After each set I would drop to the floor with my heart rate at something like 180 bpm. Each one of these sets were done to complete failure, and that is key. I also realize that I did 105 reps instead of 100, but I chalk that up to the fact that the majority of the blood in my body was contained within my legs and not in my brain at the time. lol
Giant Set - Hack Squats / Prone Leg Curl / Leg Extension
3 total rotations of this were completed each exercise failing in the following rep range:
Hacks: 15-20
Leg Curl: 12-15
Leg Ext: 12-15
And that was it...complete leg soreness for the next week was to follow, along with a tremendous feeling of self-satisfaction.
A few things to note: This is what I would consider to be an advanced workout. If you are not an advanced weight lifter, do NOT attempt this routine. If you are an advanced lifter and are capable of competing this routine, make sure that you have an adequate spotter with you, especially with the squatting. Additionally, for squats with this sort of weight and at these rep ranges and levels of failure, I would highly recommend a quality power lifting style belt to help protect your core and lumbar region.
Other than that...Please...Do enjoy!!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Natural Bodybuilding vs. the "Other" Side of the Sport
Since this blog is entitled NATURALLY Strong, I figured I should get a post out there dealing with the insane state of the professional bodybuilding world. Many people do not realize that there are multiple federations out there in which physique athletes compete. Some of which self impose mandatory strict drug testing policies that are on par with those of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), one such federation is the WNBF (World Natural Bodybuilding Federation), this is where I compete. Others mascaraed around acting as though they care about this matter and have so called "random" drug screening. The most prevalent of these in the IFBB (International Federation of Body Builders). The fact that they do not have mandatory drug testing is not so much the issue, but rather the blind eye that gets turned to the glaringly obvious abuse of anabolic steroids, growth hormones, diuretics and other dangerous performance enhancing drugs that their athletes "must" use in order to be competitive in their organization. Some may beg the question; "Who cares", if it isn't something you subscribe to then pay it no mind. Well the problem is, that in the growing popularity of the subculture of bodybuilding, the IFBB reigns king. Why? Perhaps it is because this is the federation in which Arnold Schwarzenegger was a part of, and without a doubt, he is the most identifiable bodybuilder of all time. Kids still idolize "The Austrian Oak", and he has been out of the competitive scene for decades, and doesn't even posses the extreme physique any longer for which he was so well know. Or perhaps it is due to the ironically ever growing obsession the American public, who insist that in order to be better, it must be bigger! Either way, there is no denying that the "enhanced" athletes in this sport are the ones who the kids are turning to as idols. This is arguably worse than professional athletes in more well know sports using drugs to give them an edge. Not because it is more acceptable for them to use, but rather due to the blatant abuse shown in the bodybuilding community. The health risks in this arena are much more extreme and dire simply because of the perverted use of anabolic steroids and the like.
Looking back to why I got involved in this sport, I realize that it was a motive seeded in the desire to attain a healthy body and achieve as close to the ideal male physique as possible. The operative word in the last sentence being; healthy. I doubt that any IFBB Pro can honestly say that they are driven in any way by the concern to remain healthy. IFBB champions are capable of making a very comfortable living competing. This is due to the sponsorships that they receive, but also the prize money for winning big shows like the Mr. Olympia. Last year first place at the Olympia walked away with over 150,000 dollars with prizes sitting on top of that. Even 10th place earned almost 15,000 dollars. For comparison, the 2007 WNBF overall world champion walked off the stage with 6,000 dollars, and no one under 3rd place received a dime. And they all did it completely drug free. That displays the sort of sacrifice, commitment and hard work that the youth of America should really be looking up to. So you tell me, are our principles in the right place here? Shouldn't we be rewarding the athletes who are exemplifying the true passion for the sport and the qualities that we want our children to learn, with the sponsorship contracts and the greater prize money. Instead we are telling our youth that we hold cheating, drug abuse and winning at all costs with no regard for health as our highest concern. To me that is completely irresponsible and sad.
This sport used to be one that showcased what could be achieved physically if you were patient and willing to work hard for something, and it was shown through grace and aesthetics. Today, this sport showcases physiques that are beyond extreme, through cheating and drug use, and it is shown with disproportion and a distended stomach.
Looking back to why I got involved in this sport, I realize that it was a motive seeded in the desire to attain a healthy body and achieve as close to the ideal male physique as possible. The operative word in the last sentence being; healthy. I doubt that any IFBB Pro can honestly say that they are driven in any way by the concern to remain healthy. IFBB champions are capable of making a very comfortable living competing. This is due to the sponsorships that they receive, but also the prize money for winning big shows like the Mr. Olympia. Last year first place at the Olympia walked away with over 150,000 dollars with prizes sitting on top of that. Even 10th place earned almost 15,000 dollars. For comparison, the 2007 WNBF overall world champion walked off the stage with 6,000 dollars, and no one under 3rd place received a dime. And they all did it completely drug free. That displays the sort of sacrifice, commitment and hard work that the youth of America should really be looking up to. So you tell me, are our principles in the right place here? Shouldn't we be rewarding the athletes who are exemplifying the true passion for the sport and the qualities that we want our children to learn, with the sponsorship contracts and the greater prize money. Instead we are telling our youth that we hold cheating, drug abuse and winning at all costs with no regard for health as our highest concern. To me that is completely irresponsible and sad.
This sport used to be one that showcased what could be achieved physically if you were patient and willing to work hard for something, and it was shown through grace and aesthetics. Today, this sport showcases physiques that are beyond extreme, through cheating and drug use, and it is shown with disproportion and a distended stomach.
2007 WNBF World Champion -
Lifetime Natural Bodybuilder
Lifetime Natural Bodybuilder
8 Time IFBB Pro Mr. Olympia
Monday, July 14, 2008
High Volume Chest Routine
As my contest grows closer, I have been hitting high volume training with more frequency, mostly because as my body fat continues to drop and stay at these minimum levels, I am at a higher risk for injury if I were to train heavy too often. Plus, my strength has waned slightly, not too much, but at this point I am not looking to be making any personal records in the gym. So I will hit my more hypertophic high volume training a little more often.
This is a workout that I hit last week with two of my lifting partners. I found it pretty effective, and part of the reason I put the first part in here is b/c one of my training partners has trouble getting that mind muscle connection with his chest. As it turns out, this was effective for him as well.
Enjoy...
Warm up: Extremely slow rep cadence flat bench Dumbbell press
Select a moderate weight (I used 50 lbs dbs), and perform 10-15 reps in a slow manner, the concentric and eccentric portions of the movement should each last approximately 5 secs each (i.e. the up part and the down part), when you have the weight fully up, flex and squeeze your chest for a moment to really feel that muscle contraction.
While doing this, remember to keep your shoulder blades pulled back and stick your chest out, this will help to isolate the chest from you anterior delts in the movement, ensure that you maintain this posture during all chest exercises throughout this routine, whether it is a pressing movement or a fly movement.
Perform 3 sets like this. The point of this part of the workout is to first provide a nice slow and controlled warm up for the rest of the routine so that you can prevent injury. But also to focus on the muscle contraction part of the movement, even though this is a warm up, it should serve to actually get the muscle very pumped up and somewhat fatigued, so that when you continue with the rest of the workout at a "normal" cadence the muscle will not only be getting tired already, but the muscle will also "remember" what that squeeze felt like and hopefully get a better contraction during these "normal" reps.
Giant Set 1: DB Flat bench press / Decline cable flys / Decline DB Bench press / DB Flat Bench Flys
This should be done with a minimum amount of time between exercises, just enough time to walk from one station to the next, so pick out your weights ahead of time, and know any adjustments to the equipment that will need to be made to expedite the process.
Select weights that will allow you to fail on each exercise within the following rep ranges for the first rotation through.
DB Flat bench press: 15-20
Decline cable flys: 15-20
Decline DB Bench Press: 10-15
Decline Flat bench flys: 10-15
Keep these weights the same for the next 3 rotations through, for a total of 4 rotations all together. Your reps ranges on the following sets will begin to drop since you are using the same weight and your beginning to fatigue, just make sure that you are reaching failure with each set.
Giant Set 2: Incline Chest Press (weight stack machine) / Pec Deck Flys (weight stack machine) / Push ups / Push ups on knees
Just as with the last giant set, this should be done with a minimum amount of time between exercises.
Also, as with the previous set of exercises, pick a weight for each that you will fail within the following rep ranges and keep that weight through a total of 4 rotations, each time your reps more than likely will be decreasing.
Incline Chest Press: 10-15
Pec Deck Flys: 10-15
Push ups: As many as possible
Push ups from knees: As many as possible
I hope you like it.
JC
This is a workout that I hit last week with two of my lifting partners. I found it pretty effective, and part of the reason I put the first part in here is b/c one of my training partners has trouble getting that mind muscle connection with his chest. As it turns out, this was effective for him as well.
Enjoy...
Warm up: Extremely slow rep cadence flat bench Dumbbell press
Select a moderate weight (I used 50 lbs dbs), and perform 10-15 reps in a slow manner, the concentric and eccentric portions of the movement should each last approximately 5 secs each (i.e. the up part and the down part), when you have the weight fully up, flex and squeeze your chest for a moment to really feel that muscle contraction.
While doing this, remember to keep your shoulder blades pulled back and stick your chest out, this will help to isolate the chest from you anterior delts in the movement, ensure that you maintain this posture during all chest exercises throughout this routine, whether it is a pressing movement or a fly movement.
Perform 3 sets like this. The point of this part of the workout is to first provide a nice slow and controlled warm up for the rest of the routine so that you can prevent injury. But also to focus on the muscle contraction part of the movement, even though this is a warm up, it should serve to actually get the muscle very pumped up and somewhat fatigued, so that when you continue with the rest of the workout at a "normal" cadence the muscle will not only be getting tired already, but the muscle will also "remember" what that squeeze felt like and hopefully get a better contraction during these "normal" reps.
Giant Set 1: DB Flat bench press / Decline cable flys / Decline DB Bench press / DB Flat Bench Flys
This should be done with a minimum amount of time between exercises, just enough time to walk from one station to the next, so pick out your weights ahead of time, and know any adjustments to the equipment that will need to be made to expedite the process.
Select weights that will allow you to fail on each exercise within the following rep ranges for the first rotation through.
DB Flat bench press: 15-20
Decline cable flys: 15-20
Decline DB Bench Press: 10-15
Decline Flat bench flys: 10-15
Keep these weights the same for the next 3 rotations through, for a total of 4 rotations all together. Your reps ranges on the following sets will begin to drop since you are using the same weight and your beginning to fatigue, just make sure that you are reaching failure with each set.
Giant Set 2: Incline Chest Press (weight stack machine) / Pec Deck Flys (weight stack machine) / Push ups / Push ups on knees
Just as with the last giant set, this should be done with a minimum amount of time between exercises.
Also, as with the previous set of exercises, pick a weight for each that you will fail within the following rep ranges and keep that weight through a total of 4 rotations, each time your reps more than likely will be decreasing.
Incline Chest Press: 10-15
Pec Deck Flys: 10-15
Push ups: As many as possible
Push ups from knees: As many as possible
I hope you like it.
JC
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Just getting it off the ground
So this is the first post in what will become a long line of bodybuilding and fitness related posts in the time to come. I figured that it would be in poor form to spend the time creating this blog only to stop short of at least generating a maiden post once I finished the account.
What to blog about for the first time? Well, there is only one thing I can think of, my upcoming WNBF Pro debut. Last September at the INBF Naturalmania Nationals, I earned my Professional Natural Bodybuilders status, and as such, I was under agreement to compete as a pro within 1 years time of earning my pro card. So the show I choose to compete in is the brand new WNBF Mid America Championships, located in Evansville Indiana. Yes, Evansville! Unfortunately there are a limited number of shows offered at the pro ranks, and I wanted to take the full 1 year to put on as much size as I could going into this new level of competition, and the Mid America show was the show that offered that to me.
At this point I am 1 day under 3 weeks out from the contest, and I am right on schedule. And by right on schedule I mean that I am ahead of schedule. If I get my body fat down to contest weight early, this will allow me to take some extra time and start eating more food as the show approaches, all the while getting my muscle bellies to fill out more and more so that I will appear bigger and fuller on stage. Since I am right on schedule, I am feeling quite confident. As I look at my progress in the mirror, I see a physique with a level of muscularity and conditioning above and beyond anything that I have been able to produce in the past. This show will without a doubt showcase my best physique to date. And lucky for me, as I will be competing in a second show just four weeks after that, which means I will have an opportunity to best myself again!
Its funny, I am not the kind of person that has ever really felt comfortable getting up in front of crowds, but from my very first competition I have never been nervous stepping on stage. I have actually felt quite comfortable. When I realized that this was going to be my pro debut and started thinking about the quality of the physiques that would be present there I started letting my thoughts get away from me for the first time. But thankfully I made a friend in the current WNBF Mr. Universe, Clarence McGill, and he grounded me, and told me that no matter what show you are going into, or no matter what in life you are preparing for, train like a champ and go in there with your guns blazing and looking to win. That is all it took to get me back on track.
So here I am, 3 weeks out, looking right on and feeling great. I am so excited for this competition I can hardly contain myself.
Just for reference, in the future these posts will have more content pertaining to training principles in general, in addition to my own progress and perhaps some posted routines that I feel are stand out. Well, it is time for another meal, then a workout, and some posing practice. I hope you enjoy my blog.
Train hard, and stay focused.
What to blog about for the first time? Well, there is only one thing I can think of, my upcoming WNBF Pro debut. Last September at the INBF Naturalmania Nationals, I earned my Professional Natural Bodybuilders status, and as such, I was under agreement to compete as a pro within 1 years time of earning my pro card. So the show I choose to compete in is the brand new WNBF Mid America Championships, located in Evansville Indiana. Yes, Evansville! Unfortunately there are a limited number of shows offered at the pro ranks, and I wanted to take the full 1 year to put on as much size as I could going into this new level of competition, and the Mid America show was the show that offered that to me.
At this point I am 1 day under 3 weeks out from the contest, and I am right on schedule. And by right on schedule I mean that I am ahead of schedule. If I get my body fat down to contest weight early, this will allow me to take some extra time and start eating more food as the show approaches, all the while getting my muscle bellies to fill out more and more so that I will appear bigger and fuller on stage. Since I am right on schedule, I am feeling quite confident. As I look at my progress in the mirror, I see a physique with a level of muscularity and conditioning above and beyond anything that I have been able to produce in the past. This show will without a doubt showcase my best physique to date. And lucky for me, as I will be competing in a second show just four weeks after that, which means I will have an opportunity to best myself again!
Its funny, I am not the kind of person that has ever really felt comfortable getting up in front of crowds, but from my very first competition I have never been nervous stepping on stage. I have actually felt quite comfortable. When I realized that this was going to be my pro debut and started thinking about the quality of the physiques that would be present there I started letting my thoughts get away from me for the first time. But thankfully I made a friend in the current WNBF Mr. Universe, Clarence McGill, and he grounded me, and told me that no matter what show you are going into, or no matter what in life you are preparing for, train like a champ and go in there with your guns blazing and looking to win. That is all it took to get me back on track.
So here I am, 3 weeks out, looking right on and feeling great. I am so excited for this competition I can hardly contain myself.
Just for reference, in the future these posts will have more content pertaining to training principles in general, in addition to my own progress and perhaps some posted routines that I feel are stand out. Well, it is time for another meal, then a workout, and some posing practice. I hope you enjoy my blog.
Train hard, and stay focused.
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