“It is my feeling that Time ripens all things; with Time all things are revealed; Time is the father of truth.”
~Francois Rabelais
It’s hard to believe I began this prep back on December 6, 2010 and I’m just now starting to show some good signs of muscularity 27 weeks later. It’s been a long time in the waiting, but I’m very motivated to reach my full potential this year…it’s just going to take some more time. Not only does it take time to shed body fat, but it also takes quite ...
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"The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations."
~Eli Khamarov
Current Thoughts
Today I was feeling a bit light headed and really fatigued from a long road trip to Oregon that my wife and I went on Tuesday through Thursday in which we had a very nice visit with my stepfather. Yesterday’s 11 hr drive back home took its toll on me, so I wasn’t expecting too much in the gym today. I don’t know what it is, but just when I think I’m not feeling it, I seem to pr... Continue reading ...
Quote
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
~Confucius
Current Thoughts
Things have been progressing a little slower than I anticipated last week, but the good news is I’m still improving and I’m moving forward. I went ahead and made some changes recently because my physique was beginning to look too stringy. Mentally it was frustrating to look flat most of the time and when my scheduled refeed rolled around I decided to eat more than my scheduled target. My last re... Continue reading ...
"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...
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Week 21 was spent on the road from San Rafael, Ca to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Last Sunday, my father-in-law and I loaded up all of my grandmother-in-law’s belongings and moved her out to New Mexico. It was a long 1,300 mile one way drive which took two days to do. After the first day of driving we stopped in Flagstaff, Az. for the night. In the morning, I was able to get in a 20 minute cardio session at the hotel’s fitness center before getting back on the road, but that was the extent of my... Continue reading ...
When I'm getting ready to settle in for the day I do not want to reflect back and second guess myself…could I have did anything better today? I want that answer to be a resounding NO!
Weight
Start Date - 12/06/10 - 206.5lbs
Goal Date – Whenever - Goal Weight – 160lbs
Current – 04/23/11 – 180.6lbs
*Note – The scale has finally moved past 182.2! It’s time to show what this veteran is all about :)
Nutrition
This prep I’ve been trying a different approach. In years past, I simply would... Continue reading ...
Wow! I have been so busy lately…family time, 3DMJ, training, studying, etc. it’s been hard to get a blog up. I’m a little behind, but I’ll do my best to cover everything.
Family Day
On Saturday April 9th my wife and I shared a family day with her dad, grandmother, aunt and uncle. We all drove out to Marin Headlands where we celebrated my wife’s late cousin, Mary Kate, by spreading her ashes over a beautiful mountain side which overlooks the stunning San Francisco Bay where she is now ... Continue reading ...
I ‘m totally over my cold from last week and I have resumed my normal activity.
Weight
Start Date - 12/06/10 - 206.5lbs
Goal Date – Whenever - Goal Weight – 160lbs
Current – 04/05/11 – 183.4lbs
*Note – I hit 180.6 on Friday 4/1/11, but it was a fluke weigh in. As of Friday, I began taking creatine monohydrate as suggested by my teammates. Because of the creatine intake, recent high sodium levels and Saturday’s big re-feed the scale moved up, but visually I look leaner and much... Continue reading ...
I came down with a damn cold right after my last workout on Tuesday. Knowing from my past experiences in training with a cold it only ends up making things worse, so I decided to play it safe and cease my cardio sessions the past few days. In doing so, I just lowered my carb intake to make up the difference. On regular days instead of 260 grams of carbs I lowered it down to 240 grams. I will re-adjust back to 260 starting on Sunday. I'm feeling much better now and ready to resume my normal t... Continue reading ...
Week 15 was a great one as I am progressing nicely. Weight training is going as planned, cardio is on par and so is nutrition. I’m in the middle of Week 16 as I write this and everything seems to be right on schedule.
Weigh Ins
Goal Weight – 160lbs
3/10/11 – 185.4
3/12/11 – 185.4
3/13/11 – 185.4
3/14/11 – 187.6 *day after huge re-feed
3/15/11 – 186.2
3/16/11 – 184.8
3/17/11 – 184.8
3/18/11 – 183 *slight dehydration
3/19/11 – 184 *re-feed of 450carbs
3/20/11 – 185.6
3/21/11 – 183.... Continue reading ...
First off, I am sending my deepest sympathy and my good thoughts to all the people in Japan and to the rest of the world who have been affected by the catastrophic Japan quake. I have high hopes they will have a quick and smooth recovery. It’s a devastating event to say the least and it really does put into perspective just how unimportant my bodybuilding endeavors truly are. I feel very fortunate that my wife and I are safe and secure. I do not take for granted that at any moment that all... Continue reading ...
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 ... Continue reading ...
First off…I want to say Happy Valentine’s Day to my wife Jhanna! I love you very much!
Where Have I been?
It has been a month since my last blog. Some may have been wandering why I have not been blogging lately? Let’s just say life has been kicking my a** lately. There have been many stressful issues other than my contest preparation that have surfaced in my life which needed my attention. Without a doubt there has to be balance in one’s life in order to put forth 100% effort into conte... Continue reading ...
What a complete turnaround from last week’s down and out experience! Everything fell into place and it was due to re-programming my mindset and my nutrition plan. Mentally contest prep can sometimes get the best of you and that is exactly what happened in Week 5. I was not seeing the results I am accustomed to attaining and that left me to feel a bit discouraged. I was down on myself and I was definitely beating myself up. In order to overcome this problem I needed to step back for a minute... Continue reading ...
Week 5 did not go as planned as I lost my focus on a few occasions and I missed all of my cardio sessions. I was off on my nutrition target numbers on 3 out of the seven days. Also, my lower back has really been bothering me as of late and I skipped another leg workout earlier in the week. Deadlifts and free weight squats are out of the question for now. It was one of those weeks where nothing seemed to go right. I have re-focused for Week 6 and mentally I am ready to have a great week! Ther... Continue reading ...
The past couple of weeks have been extremely busy! Christmas and then New Years made it really hard for me to find the time to write my blog. First off, I want to say my stepfather’s surgery went really good and he is on his way to recovery, so I am very happy about that. I want to thank everybody who sent their thoughts and prayers his way and it is truly appreciated.
Since my last blog I have transitioned into a new training program and so far it has been working beautifully. I put HIT on... Continue reading ...
Today was officially the start of my 2011 contest prep and my first official weigh in was 206.5lbs. A little high from yesterdays food binge on ice cream, chips, cake, etc. So I am a bit bloated, but nothing I can't lose. I hit my nutrition numbers almost to the exact numbers (200 p, 300 c, 50 f) I am shooting for in my first week. Protein was at 203 grams, carbs 301 grams and fat was 45 grams. I got a bit hungry in the middle of the day and that was confusing to me as I really have not had a... Continue reading ...
It‘s getting really close…very close and I am getting more and more fired up. The start of my contest prep is just 9 short days away! It is hard to believe 15 months of offseason have gone by. There are many questions that are spinning around in my mind that are causing some doubts as to what kind of gains I have made… if any at all. This offseason had its share of injuries that has tested my mental will. Usually that only happens when I am in full contest prep mode, but mentally it has... Continue reading ...
It has been a while since my last blog and things have been going great as far as my training. I have been hammering away in the gym with Eric Helms, and our training sessions are through the roof! In my last squat session I did 370x6x4, so my squats continue to climb. Yesterday, I did deadlifts with 415x6x6 and that is a personal best for reps. The deadlift session before that, I hit 440x3 and that was a personal record beating my previous best by two reps. I cannot complain about my trainin... Continue reading ...
Reflecting Back on a Frustrating Offseason
This past offseason was by far the hardest I have ever experienced. It was difficult due to the fact I had to deal with so many nagging injuries. I pretty much battled every upper body workout this offseason because of shoulder pain. The pain limited my ability to lift heavy at times and mentally it has been frustrating because it makes you feel like progress is not what it should be. About a month ago, I did some research regarding shoulder pain on ...
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I had some bad news this week…my video camera died on me! I was not able to film any training sessions this week. I have to look into getting another one and then I can start filming again.
Training Update - Deload Week
This past week I went into the gym with a scheduled deload to help me recover from the previous two weeks of high intensity training. On Monday night I had leg day and I did some free weight squats, stiff legged deadlifts, standing toe press on the smith machine and then ... Continue reading ...
The past month has been a real challenge for me in the bodybuilding world. Some things are appearing to be tougher for me mentally and physically. My age and the past 24 years in the gym are beginning to be a major factor with my performance in the gym. I know some people may look up to me as this hardcore bodybuilder with terrific drive and determination, but just like anyone else I am a human being first before a bodybuilder. With that being said, I have my own share of downfalls. I want t... Continue reading ...
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Team 3DMJ Coach/Natural Pro Bodybuilder
Welcome to my 3DMuscleJourney! As many of you know I created this website back in January '09 to journal my training leading up to the '09 INBF Capital City Championships. Since then the site has seen some incredible changes, including the formation of Team 3DMJ. I'm very proud of all the great changes to the site and it couldn't have been remotely possible without the help from all my teammates, family and friends! My 2011 contest season was a huge success with a few division titles and a trip to the IFPA Yorton Cup World Championships where I proudly finished 7th in a very competitive middleweight lineup. I'm officially in my offseason and you are more than welcome to follow along! jeffalberts@3dmusclejouney.com
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