"Belief creates the actual fact."
~William James

This season so far has been a crazy roller coaster ride with a lot of sharp turns and many ups and downs. Life's issues have surfaced which has made this contest prep the toughest I’ve faced mentally. Not only have I been dealing with unforeseen outside issues, but also weeks where my weight didn’t want to budge which is something I’ve never really experienced in my bodybuilding career. That had me emotionally in the dumps and my confidence was a bit shaken. There were a lot of doubts brewing in my mind and I temporarily lost the belief in myself. It wasn’t until my teammates and I talked about a change in my approach where I began to show some signs of confidence. We came up with a good game plan on paper that would seem to get my prep rolling again. Since implementing that plan of attack two weeks ago, it’s been working perfectly and now my confidence level has been steadily climbing. Also, add in the fact that last week my stepfather’s cancer was diagnosed as terminal and that really has ignited a fire within me. My motivation is now sky high and I’m pushing myself harder than ever in dedicating this season for him. I’ve now re-captured the belief in myself to not only be successful, but to have fun with what I’m working towards.

Okay enough of my serious side…now on to some progress and a little bit of fun!

Weight
Start Date - 12/06/11 – 206.5lbs (never again will I ever be this heavy in the offseason! Buh-bye Baja Fresh Burritos and Cold Stone Ice Cream you are my worst offseason enemy LOL!)

5/17/11 – 178.4lbs (This is more like what my offseason weight should be like)



Goal Weight - 160lbs

*Notes – My weight has been pretty predictable as of late and I’m really happy to see some good progress. If everything goes accordingly, I will see 162-163lbs by July 16th’s IFPA Pro USA, which probably won’t get me to my all-time best, but will allow me to perform well in my stepfather’s honor. 

Training – 1 on 3 off
Yes…only every 4 days…I don’t want to over train now ;) Seriously though…this is a planned approach so that my training days land on the day after a refeed (every 4th day) which gives me plenty of energy in the gym. It’s kind of hard for me to train more frequently on 150 grams of carbs and then to expect a full recovery afterwards with little food in me especially now that I’ve ramped up my cardio.

Saturday 5/13/11 – Lower
Squats – 330 x 3, 335 x 3, 3, 275 x 10
Stiff Legged Deads – 315 x 10, 10
Leg Extensions - ??? x 8, 8
Leg Curls - ??? x 8, 7
Seated Toe Press - ??? x 8, 8, 8, 8

*Notes – I trained with Eric down at the Gold’s in Elk Grove, so I was not too familiar with their equipment and that’s why you see the question marks above. On a side note… a funny story…as I came off the squat rack with 330lbs for my 1st set of squats the bar felt a bit uneven, so I re-racked the weight and shifted myself under the bar a little to the left. I tried again and the bar still felt a tiny bit off, but I just went ahead with it and proceeded to complete the set fairly easy. Then Eric tells me he accidently put a 10lb plate on one side instead of a 5lb plate. No wonder I was off balance LOL! The good news was I told him before we started that I was going for 325lbs for 3 reps and because of the mishap I ended up doing 330lbs! So, for my following sets Eric easily talked me into 335lbs and it was a success.
-The End.

Wednesday 5/18/11 – Upper

Decline Bench Press (Smith) – 245 x 4, 4, 4, 4
Bent Rows – 225 x 9, 8, 8
Lat Pulls (Palms Up) – 190 x 6, 6
Upright Rows – 135x 5, 125 x 8, 6
Rear Fly’s (pec deck) – 60 x 8, 7
Overhead Tricep Press – 115 x 10, 115 x 7
Barbell Curls – 95 x 8, 8, 7
Hammer Curls – 35 x 10, 10

*Notes – My shoulders are still surprisingly feeling great. I’m loving it!

Cardio
Weight training days – 60 minutes
Non lifting days – 90-105 minutes
Refeed Days – Off (every 4th day)

*Notes – All cardio sessions are LISS or MISS and even though at times it can be boring…right now I’m so focused on the task at hand I’m really enjoying it. Cardio is currently the single most important aspect to my prep which is going to take me where I need to be, so mentally I’ve really come to embrace it and now I even look forward to it.
 
Nutrition
Days 1-3 – 200p, 150c, 50f (by Day 3 the hunger really kicks in high gear)
Day 4 (refeed) – 150p, 500c, 30f
Repeat cycle

*Notes – Lately I’ve been addicted to English muffins with sugar free jelly especially on my refeed days.


My refeed power breakfast…4 Wheat Muffins with Sugar Free Jelly (130carbs) and a cup of Hulk Joe! And yes I like them extra toasty!

Yesterday was a refeed for the ages…700 grams of carbs!!! I know guys (my 3DMJ teammates) I was only supposed to take in 500, but I just needed the extra food. I’m still on track don’t worry!

Progress Pics 5/18/11


Until my next blog keep training hard, smart and naturally!