The past two weeks have flown by and my progress has been nice and steady. I just keep reminding myself to take each day as they come and to not over analyze things. I really want to keep this process as simple as possible that way I can thoroughly enjoy myself without any added or unwanted pressure.

Current State
As of today, I weighed in at 188.4lbs which is about 2lbs lighter since my last blog, but I feel more than likely tomorrow will be even lower. I have seen a low of 187.6lbs late last week, but that was short lived. At this point, I am very happy to take those two pounds to the bank!

Mentally I am in a much better place now than I was a few weeks back where some of life’s issues were requiring most of my attention. I am still dealing with some of it to a certain degree, but I am trying really hard to focus in on the positives. That is easier said than done and at times I do falter, but I have so much support from my wife who reminds me each and every single day to have a positive outlook and to do what makes me truly happy. Her encouragement has given me so much inspiration to focus in on contest prep without stressing myself to death over outside things I really have no control of.  I’ve realized there will always be circumstances that come up, but when you go through contest prep it just seems like those things are magnified 100 times more.  

How have I been handling the stressors and maintaining a lot more balance during the past few weeks of prep? It’s simple. I am just doing what I am supposed to be doing in a given moment. Whether it’s eating my first meal, performing my first rep of a workout, a LISS cardio session, or whatever it may be…I do it to the absolute best of my ability. And with that simple thought process I am a hell of a lot more confident. Not the kind of confidence as in guaranteeing a victory at my next show because that is something I would never do, but confidence in achieving my own personal excellence with each meal, rep, set, cardio session, etc.

Nutrition
Food increased last week because I noticed I was dropping weight very rapidly since I incorporated more cardio. Training was becoming somewhat labored as well, so by adding in more food I have stabilized the weight loss and also my performance in the gym.  This is a critical adjustment if I want to maintain my size as I continue on with a very long prep. From my previous contest experiences I have learned this process is one that should not be rushed at all if you want to come in as shredded and full as possible. I cannot overemphasize enough the importance of having patience when it comes to dieting. One of the most common mistakes I see competitors make is rushing the diet process and by the time they hit the stage they end up looking flatter than a pancake. Not to mention the extra stress it brings to the table. With the latest adjustment my current macros are 180p/300c/40f on normal days and 180p/500c/30f on high days.

Cardio
Last week I did not perform as many sessions as I would have liked. My wife’s grandmother has been battling a few health problems, so we have been driving to her house on and off throughout the week. I did manage to get in 2 LISS sessions last week. The first session was for 50 minutes and the second was for roughly 55 minutes. This week my goal is to get in at least 4 LISS sessions if things permit, but it will not be doomsday if I don’t get them in. I can always adjust my nutrition to meet my requirements.

Weight Training

Lately my focus has been to train instinctively and so far so good. I do have a game plan in mind, but my body will tell me what I can and cannot do in a given workout. The past two weeks I have had a couple of small issues with pain, but I have managed to work around it. I am not setting any PR’s by any means, but I am okay with that. The one aspect to my training that has really assisted me lately is slowing down my rep speeds. I find that if I engage with more time under tension I can prevent a lot of pain in my joints and tendons, but at the same time maintain a lot of intensity to my training. The only drawback I have experienced with TUT is I tend to lose a lot of my explosive strength, but right now I am totally okay with that. My main goal is to keep a lot of tension on the working muscle to maintain size and remain injury free.

In Other News
Team 3DMJ and the some of the natural bodybuilding community had the opportunity to train with Layne Norton at the World Gym in San Francisco on February 27th. We all had a great time training legs and engaging in great conversation afterwards during a post workout luncheon over at Tommy’s Joynt. Tommy’s definitely had some killer food, but of course I didn't eat and I stuck to my diet.J It was very insightful listening in on some of Layne’s knowledge, but for me, I was even more impressed by his outlook and approach to the sport in general. He really stressed the importance of the journey and to truly enjoy the process of this sport and for me, that was great to hear. He is truly elevating natural bodybuilding as a whole and inspiring so many. After meeting him in person, I have an even higher appreciation for his passion, desire, and willingness to share his knowledge with fellow athletes. I look forward to future workouts with him in the future. And yes…he is very strong! Keep an eye out for a short video which will be coming out soon by Mass Muscle TV.



Just For Fun
In 1988, I was 17 years old and somewhat kind of an egotistical teenager with a very bad mustache and mulletJ.  People who inspired me were Rambo, Rocky, Mike Tyson (yea I know…but that was before all the trouble), and Arnold of course. I also loved the Scorpions, Def Leppard and Quiet Riot too…that explains the mullet! In the photo below, I had been weight training for about 2 years. I was about 165lbs and I benched 3x per week with no pain and I could max out with 315lbs for a double, curl over 100lbs for 10 reps and military press about 200lbs for a single.   

Flash forward to 2011, I am now 39 going on 40 with a lot of grey and slight balding hair (but I shave my head LOL). I am a lot older and in too much pain to be egotistical. People who inspire me now in no particular order are my wife, my momma, Team 3DMJ (Brad, Eric and Berto), my step dad, John Wooden, Luke Ehlis and Oprah (yea don’t laugh). I also listen to a lot softer music at times, but not when I’m training LOL! It’s Disturbed, Metallica or something of that nature. I am now lucky enough to bench press 1x per week without pain and I can probably max out with 250lbs for a double, curl 95lbs for about 8-10 reps, and military press 185lbs if it is a good day. It’s a little bit crappy to think I was stronger at 17 years old than I am now, BUT...22 years later… I get to say I am BIGGER J


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