28 June 2008

My leg session was slightly more intense compared to last week:

Leg extension	3	20, 20, 20
Lunges	3	10, 10, 10
Leg press	3	20, 15, 10
Seated calf raises	3	12, 10, 8
Lying leg curl	2	15, 12

I aim to alternate leg press with squats for a nice shock and a bit of variety. Although my legs are growing they are starting to get a little more defined. This gives me a clearer look of how they will look in the month’s to come.

23 June 2008

A good start to the week as my weight has gone from 14 stone (196lbs) to 14.9 (205lbs) so I’m up 9lbs. It’s not muscle that I’ve gained it’s purely cell volumisation so I’m just regaining what I’ve lost. I was like a deflated football, I’m simply blowing the air back in until It’s full.

Cardio has now increased to 40 min’s, up 10 min’s from last week. I’m finding this very easy. 4.5mph and an incline of 5%. My dog’s just lay down next the treadmill and watch me, they was going nut’s at first but they have got used to it, good job because Keiko is a big lad. Suki is small with a big mouth, sounds like a few people I know, ha!

Chest tonight and really looking forward to it as this is one area I am prioritising along with a million other things.

22 June 2008

Got up at 7.45, took my supplements and did 30 mins on the treadmill. I have a treadmill installed in my shop so nobody talks to me at the gym. Not to rude it’s so I can focus more, plus I’m not really one for talking as soon as I get up (who is?) especially doing this as soon you get up. I had my Volumize pre-workout drink then at 9.00 a.m. I headed to the gym which is right on my doorstep. My arm workout:

Rope pushdowns	3	30, 20, 15
Preacher curls	3	20, 15, 12
Incline EZ extensions	3	20, 15, 12
Concentration curls	3	15, 15, 12
Bench dips	3	failure
Seated cable curl	3	12, 12, 12

After this my arms were fried. My full body workout is now complete! I’ve had long lay off’s many times before and I usually just play around the first week and increase poundage’s and intensity in increments like the following; Week (2) 50% max handling weight, Week (3) 75% max handling weight, Week (4) 100% max handling weight. I’ve had 2 month’s off so it will take me half of that time to get back to where I was, roughly.

21 June 2008

Last night was legs. I hate training them... Until last night! I did lunges, an exercise I haven’t done in years. This has spiced things up for me as I really enjoyed them. My legs are in total agony and I can hardly walk, I didn’t do that much at all but my legs grow very quickly compared to my upper body, I wish it was the other way around. My workout:

Leg extension	2	20, 20
Lunges	2	20, 20 (10 per leg)
Leg Press	2	20, 20
Hamstring curl	2	15, 15
Standing calf raise	1	20

Very simple and took me 20 minutes. I will increase the poundage’s and intensity slightly next week.

19 June 2008

Last night I trained back. I was like a duck to water. Although this is only my second session I really wanted to push the boat out and train more intensely but this would not be a wise decision because the impact would be far too much and besides, I still want to get out of bed in the morning!

My routine was as follows;

HAMMER STRENGTH PULLDOWNS	3 SETS	REPS; 20, 15, 12
CABLE ROWS	3	20, 15, 12
DUMBELL ROWS	3	20, 15, 12
CYBEX REAR DELT MACHINE	3	15, 10, 10
SEATED DUMBELL SHRUGS	3	10, 10, 10
ROPE CRUNCHES	2	30, 30

My 4th day into cardio and I am really feeling the effects of this along with the diet. Because body is missing out on the good stuff (sugars) I feel kind of strange, slightly light headed really. It’s not for lack of Kcals, not when I’m taking in 3,600 CLEAN calories. It’s just my body adjusting to the diet, eating regular, training and cardio. All of this is certainly a shock to the body but it’s all good.

I do feel hungry which is a good sign and also I don’t use the toilet as much (just thought id share that), this can only mean my metabolism has increased and my body is utilising all the protein, carbohydrates and essential fats that I consume on a daily basis and also my body is in a muscle building, fat burning state which is exactly where I need to be.

Only a few days in and I’m feeling very confident as for what is expected of myself, especially compared to last year anyway. The outcome will be relieved once I step on onstage. I think it’s always best to let your body do the talking!

16 June 2008

LOSING BODYFAT – CARDIO

Started my cardio today, this is a must to lose excess body fat and is done first thing before breakfast as soon as I get up out of bed. Your body burns fat by as much as three times more efficiently at that time then in the evening because your glycogen levels are at the lowest point. I.e. the body has fasted so the body will use fat as the primary source of fuel. The treadmill was set on a incline of 3% and a speed of 5.5mph. My heart rate will maintain a minimum of 120 BPM and a max of 130 BPM. This is my fat burning zone. Contrary to what some people may think as regards to losing fat, if you go over your fat burning range (zone) you will start to use stored glycogen (carbs) because your energy output is too great. It may seem strange to some but you burn fat faster by fast walking as opposed to running.

INSULIN SENSITIVITY

One of the biggest mistakes people make when losing body fat is consuming sugars. This is a big no no! Insulin is a fat storage hormone. When you ingest carbohydrates your body releases insulin. The higher the sugar content the more your body will release insulin from the pancreas. To keep off unwanted fat its best to stick to complex carbohydrates only to keep blood sugar levels stable. Refer to glycemic index chart to help out.

Also I add in an array of essential fats that include fish oils, extra virgin olive oil and legumes in the form of almonds. Just for the record, peanuts grow in trees and legumes grow in the ground. I prefer to have legumes than nuts as legumes are an excellent source of omega 3, the most important compared to omega 6 and 9. Its best to have all three but the majority would be omega 3. Adding good fats as stated can blunt the insulin response even further so if your blood sugar levels are stable your chances of losing fat is far greater.

That’s the basis of losing body fat. Here’s my diet and supplement program to complement gaining lean muscle tissue which coincides with my cardio to achieve the look that I will have within 16 weeks.

MY DIET

PROTEIN	300g = 1,200kcals
CARBS	300g = 1,200kcals
FAT	133g = 1,200kcals
TOTAL:	3,600kcals (Divided by 7 = Protein 43g, Carbs, 43g, Fat 19g)

7.30	NAR Red Heat fat burner 2 Capsules, 5g NAR Micronized L-Glutamine
8.00	Cardio 30 mins
8.45	2 SCOOPS NAR Ultimate Protein blend, 70g Oat’s, 40g Almonds, 1g NAR Cla
12.00	250g Fish, 250g Potato, 40g Almonds, 1g NAR Cla
3.00	6 whole scrambled omega3 eggs, 1 slice whole wheat toast, 1g NAR Cla
6.00	PRE-WORKOUT (1hr Before)
	1 Serving of NAR Volumize
7.00	Train
8.00	POST-WORKOUT
	1 Serving of NAR Volumize
9.00	Chicken breast, 1 Packet of Uncle Bens white rice, 1g NAR Cla
10.00	200g Fish, 50g Oats, ½ Scoop NAR Ultimate Protein Blend, 35g Almonds, 1g NAR Cla
3.00	5g NAR Micronized L-Glutamine, 2 Scoops NAR Ultimate protein

AND TO COMPLIMENT THE ABOVE IS MY TRAINING PROGRAM

Monday P.M.	chest and shoulders
Tuesday	rest
Wednesday P.M.	back, rear delts and traps
Thursday	rest
Friday P.M	legs
Saturday A.M	biceps and triceps
Sunday	rest

My workout was short with low intensity. I always train shoulders after chest as this will pre exhaust my delt’s to a degree. I had keyhole surgery last June so I have to very careful. No more heavy lifting for me these days, I can but only to a degree. At present I’m having trouble with the tendon on my right shoulder and my left forearm (hurts like hell) but I’m not one keep moaning about it so that’s the last you will hear about it.

MY ROUTINE ON MONDAY WENT LIKE THIS

Cable crossovers	4 sets	40, 20, 15, 15 Reps
Incline d’bell press	3	15, 12, 10
Flat hammer press	3	15, 12, 10
Lateral raises	3	20, 15, 10
Crunches	2	20

I added 2 sets of crunches for my abdominals, very easy but I don’t want to overdo things. My intensity, sets, reps and cardio will all increase over the coming weeks.

Here I am after my lazy lay off, not much to look at but I will get better.... I’m going to put my heart and soul into my preparation and with the help of my newly formulated NAR product’s range I know this will make a dramatic difference.

Pre Contest Blog

Well, it’s that time again for me to get my body into tip shop shape as opposed to chip shop shape. My unclothed morning weight today is 14 stone (196 lbs). I plan on competing at the same weight but the difference being is that my body fat realistically maybe around 18-20% at the present. When I compete I hope to turn it around into single digits, around the 5% mark. I don’t use callipers or anything like that, the mirror will be my guide throughout the whole process, and also keeping a close second eye on my condition will be my best friend and girlfriend, Natalie.

Most guys tend to stay heavy, check themselves out, stay heavy for months on end and then get ready to trim down. I prefer to normalise my physique, chill out, live normal and eat what I want when I want. That also means NO weight training or any kind of physical exercise what so ever.

In 2006 I took 6 months out and weighed 12.5 (175lbs) and competed at 12.8 (178lbs). This year I’ve taken 3 months off all supplementation and 2 months off training. My reason for this move is because I’m priming my body to venture into a post anabolic state, the total opposite of what my body has just been through (catabolic). Mentally I can handle being smaller than usual, it’s no big deal. Purposely going catabolic is not the norm for a bodybuilder in fact it would be there worst nightmare... But to each their own, everyone has a plan and this is how I prefer to do things these days. The anabolic rebound from my normal state is just immense. Weight gain for me isn’t an issue but body composition is and will be at this crucial time. The change will be fast and dramatic as you will see as I will upload photos every 4 weeks and in between I will add varies miscellaneous photos from the gym etc, also I will include my bodyweight on a weekly basis to assess how things are going.