Week 17
Posted by Jeff Alberts on Friday, May 1, 2009
Under: 2009 Capital City Journey
Another week has gone by! Time is going so fast, it is May 1st already! I did not weigh myself today but as of yesterday I was 170 lbs. but I look a little leaner than yesterday so it may be possible I am 169lbs. I am starting to get really close to my competition weight. I am estimating that I need to lose about 10-12 more lbs. but I will see where I am as go on with my training. The weight cut off for a lightweight is 156lbs. but I am not aiming to be a lightweight rather just trying to get in my best possible shape no matter what I weigh. I am getting fairly lean and I still can shed more fat off of my legs and glutes. My upper body seems to shed fat first and it is always my legs (especially my thigh area) that is always last to shed that little amount of fat. Judging from my last show in 2006, my thighs were cut but they did not have that shredded look to them. I am trying to get a little leaner this time to show more separations in my thighs. My goal is to be at my best on July 18, 2009. I do not want to have all my hard work go to waste by not showing up in my all time best condition. If I win that will be great but if I lose it will be OK because someone will have been better than my best and I can definitely live with that. I have lost some shows because I failed to be at my best and I always had to live with the question, what would of happened had I been at my best? I do not want this question this time around, so I am taking one day at a time and doing the necessary things to prepare to be my best. I remember back in 1993, I asked former Mr. Universe and one of the greatest posers of all time, Ed Corney, on advice for my first competition. His response was "people pay good money to see bodybuilders who are in shape". I am trying to focus on that by showing up in shape.
Training
My training is going really well. I have had to make small adjustments with the amount of weight I use and the number of reps. I lowered the amount because I do not want to risk an injury. At this stage of my training the focus is not about lifting extreme weight but rather lifting with a weight that is heavy but allows me to keep good form and really focus on muscular contractions. My rep speed is also on the slower side to eliminate the risk of injury. I have increased my rep range as well to avoid injury and also to focus on better contractions. This does not mean I have lowered my training intensity it just means I am training more cautiously and smarter!
Cardio
Cardio is doing the job to get me as lean as possible. People have told me they hate cardio, it is so boring, or some have even said it is a waste of time! I have to argue this point with the most conviction! You have to have the mindset to do your cardio like you do your weight training and that is with 100% effort and commitment. I am doing 60 minutes almost everyday and the results are awesome. I ride the recumbent stationary bike with my heart rate averaging between 82-95 bpm. This is not high intensity but rather a medium pace but I get in about 18 miles in that hour. Since I have increased my cardio the fat seems to be melting right off and my metabolism is as fast as ever. I will continue this pace until I have achieved my ultimate goal and that is to be the most shredded bodybuilder on that stage come July 18, 2009.
Diet
Diet is going really well. I still eat 6 times per day and I usually take in the same things everyday. I feel if something is working stick to it. The only real changes I have made is that every three or four days I have to eat up to 600 grams of carbs to keep my muscles full and my energy levels up. I know this seems like a lot but the cardio has increased my metabolism and eating a high amount of carbs actually fills my muscles back out and I actually look better the day after I do this. I am still losing weight so I know I am still burning more calories than I take in so I will continue on this path until my weight loss has subsided. Than I will make the necesasry adjustments to return to losing the weight. I have thought about on my practice show on June 20 that I will carb up on the Friday before with up to 800 grams of carbs split over 10 meals to see what happens? My last show I carbed up with 540 grams split over 8 meals. While being so lean and with low sodium levels and high water intake there is no way I will hold water but I will see what happens. If it works than I know it works if it doesn't than I know not to go that high with carbs for July 18.
Supplementation
I still only use Optimium Nutrition whey protein powder, multivitamin, vitamin C, and glucosamine. I have decreased the glucosamine back from 2 pills per day to one. My joints seem to be a lot better so I cut back for the reasons that I do not want to put something in my body if it is not necessary.
Another good week in the books and I still have 11 weeks to go to July 18. Plenty of time so I have to be disciplined and stay patient and focused on the task at hand. Until my next blog keep training hard and naturally!!
Training
My training is going really well. I have had to make small adjustments with the amount of weight I use and the number of reps. I lowered the amount because I do not want to risk an injury. At this stage of my training the focus is not about lifting extreme weight but rather lifting with a weight that is heavy but allows me to keep good form and really focus on muscular contractions. My rep speed is also on the slower side to eliminate the risk of injury. I have increased my rep range as well to avoid injury and also to focus on better contractions. This does not mean I have lowered my training intensity it just means I am training more cautiously and smarter!
Cardio
Cardio is doing the job to get me as lean as possible. People have told me they hate cardio, it is so boring, or some have even said it is a waste of time! I have to argue this point with the most conviction! You have to have the mindset to do your cardio like you do your weight training and that is with 100% effort and commitment. I am doing 60 minutes almost everyday and the results are awesome. I ride the recumbent stationary bike with my heart rate averaging between 82-95 bpm. This is not high intensity but rather a medium pace but I get in about 18 miles in that hour. Since I have increased my cardio the fat seems to be melting right off and my metabolism is as fast as ever. I will continue this pace until I have achieved my ultimate goal and that is to be the most shredded bodybuilder on that stage come July 18, 2009.
Diet
Diet is going really well. I still eat 6 times per day and I usually take in the same things everyday. I feel if something is working stick to it. The only real changes I have made is that every three or four days I have to eat up to 600 grams of carbs to keep my muscles full and my energy levels up. I know this seems like a lot but the cardio has increased my metabolism and eating a high amount of carbs actually fills my muscles back out and I actually look better the day after I do this. I am still losing weight so I know I am still burning more calories than I take in so I will continue on this path until my weight loss has subsided. Than I will make the necesasry adjustments to return to losing the weight. I have thought about on my practice show on June 20 that I will carb up on the Friday before with up to 800 grams of carbs split over 10 meals to see what happens? My last show I carbed up with 540 grams split over 8 meals. While being so lean and with low sodium levels and high water intake there is no way I will hold water but I will see what happens. If it works than I know it works if it doesn't than I know not to go that high with carbs for July 18.
Supplementation
I still only use Optimium Nutrition whey protein powder, multivitamin, vitamin C, and glucosamine. I have decreased the glucosamine back from 2 pills per day to one. My joints seem to be a lot better so I cut back for the reasons that I do not want to put something in my body if it is not necessary.
Another good week in the books and I still have 11 weeks to go to July 18. Plenty of time so I have to be disciplined and stay patient and focused on the task at hand. Until my next blog keep training hard and naturally!!
In : 2009 Capital City Journey
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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
