Oak's "I think ill go pro" training log....

[fltallpaul]

I laugh at your heat and humidity...welcome to every day in Florida from April to September!

[ErickStevens]

I laugh at your heat and humidity...welcome to every day in Florida from April to September!

For real. Nothing like FL Summers: Torrential downpour followed by scorching heat.

[AustrianOakJr]

I believe we've all had days like that. They're never any fun.

Great numbers on those stiff leg deads last week :eek:

Thanks man. SLDL's continue to ramp up as I grow fatter and fatter!!


Hmm. Split's will do that. Why do you think I like em so much :D

Today was brutal. We went to the beach and when we got home I decided it would be a good idea to go for a jog. Ha. Not so great idea. Must have dropped a couple of pounds of water though.

Jogging in this crap? You're insane. I think they have some kind of advisory for ozone and air quality out....but thats just for girly men. :D


I laugh at your heat and humidity...welcome to every day in Florida from April to September!

And thats why I dont live in Florida......;)

I need to find a place on earth where its 65 and sunny all year long.

[fltallpaul]

I need to find a place on earth where its 65 and sunny all year long.

Venice, California....Gold's Gym with no AC because the temperature is always right and the doors are always open to let in the breeze! Some guy named Arnold lived there as well.

Here are the temps this week in Venice...

High: 72° Low: 60°
High: 69° Low: 62°
High: 69° Low: 63
High: 68° Low: 63°
High: 69° Low: 64°

[dwcsoup22]

Hey man amazing log! I am in even though I am really late. Which contests are you doing? I am from Niagara Falls and will be doing my first show at the inbf natural championships in Rochester on October 9th, is that one of the shows you are shooting for?

[ErickStevens]

I always laugh when my friends from the Northeast complain about the heat in their cities. I break a sweat walking from my car into the gym!

[co1e_train]

Here are the temps this week in Venice...

High: 72° Low: 60°
High: 69° Low: 62°
High: 69° Low: 63
High: 68° Low: 63°
High: 69° Low: 64°

jealous

[AustrianOakJr]

Venice, California....Gold's Gym with no AC because the temperature is always right and the doors are always open to let in the breeze! Some guy named Arnold lived there as well.

Here are the temps this week in Venice...

High: 72° Low: 60°
High: 69° Low: 62°
High: 69° Low: 63
High: 68° Low: 63°
High: 69° Low: 64°

Yes....this is what im talking about. Unfortunately, every one and their brother has already realized this and there is no more room in California. I would have to ebay one of my children to afford rent for a week there. And then I would be swearing all the time because it takes an hour to drive down the block. But, I would like to visit LA again soon.


Hey man amazing log! I am in even though I am really late. Which contests are you doing? I am from Niagara Falls and will be doing my first show at the inbf natural championships in Rochester on October 9th, is that one of the shows you are shooting for?

I will probably be going to watch the April 9th show.....its a great show. I did it last year and the Iatomasis are great people with a real love for this sport. I came very, very close to winning the overall so for that reason, I am taking a full year off in a calorie surplus to build some more mass then im back to cutting this January. Ill be looking to compete sometime late May early June or so.



I always laugh when my friends from the Northeast complain about the heat in their cities. I break a sweat walking from my car into the gym!

I've never been to Florida in the summer (several times in the winter) but I dont know how it could be toooo much hotter than we have experienced here over the past few days. Its been in the mid to high 90's with about 8 million percent humidity.....its been hotter in the past, but not much. Its been pretty much exactly as you describe......you break a sweat just standing outside for more than a minute.

[AustrianOakJr]

LEGS - HYPER

This was supposed to be a quad-focused day, but I actually felt more recovered in my hams than anything. My glutes and quads were still a bit tender and my lower back felt unusually fatigued. I think switching up to the split squats threw my body a curve ball. So, I didnt really spend too much time separating my quads out and just did some whole-leg staples. I felt pretty good, but my lower back seemed to be screaming at me so I went with some leg presses to relieve the back.


ATTG SQUATS

225 X 8
295 X 10
300 X 8
300 X 8
335 X 8 (box squats to knee)

LEG PRESS

6 pps X 10
7 pps X 12
8 pps X 8

LEG EXTENSION

3 plates shy of stack X 10
"""" X 12
"""" X 12

[JimmyChitwood]

I sweat even when it's 65 degrees. I sweat all the time. Even when I'm cold, I think.

What are you getting out of those box squats? Never done those before...

[AustrianOakJr]

I sweat even when it's 65 degrees. I sweat all the time. Even when I'm cold, I think.

What are you getting out of those box squats? Never done those before...

I sweat all the time also.....except in the last month or so of my diet and then it takes an hour to work up a sweat. The box squats take the hams and glutes out of the exercise to overload the quad.....which is supposedly my goal on the the "quad focus" leg day. I think my hams and glutes are quite a bit further behind my quads, but I can still use some more meat there as well.....

[JimmyChitwood]

Maybe I try those soon. I need as much quad overload as I can get. Any tips on set up and feel? Do you pause, or just touch and go? Or slam down as hard as you can and bouce back up?

We don't have any boxes - but I assume a bench is about the right height? Or an exercise ball if you prefer the mega bounce method? I wonder if you could pop one of those doing that... That's a funny image. I'ma try it.

[AustrianOakJr]

Maybe I try those soon. I need as much quad overload as I can get. Any tips on set up and feel? Do you pause, or just touch and go? Or slam down as hard as you can and bouce back up?

We don't have any boxes - but I assume a bench is about the right height? Or an exercise ball if you prefer the mega bounce method? I wonder if you could pop one of those doing that... That's a funny image. I'ma try it.

Oh yea...you just flip you feet out right from underneith you and get as big of a rebound as possible. :)

Or....bring it down nice and controlled and actually pause on the box (or bench)....then power it back up again. Obviously, because of the height youre not bringing the hams into the picture very much but that means a lot more weight can be added (for me) and my quads can be taxed a bit more.

[AustrianOakJr]

OK>.......its been a while since I logged. ITs still crazy summer time and I havent even been home very much lately. I hit some PR's in my last two leg sessions, which is good. The bad news is that I slipped into some nasty form getting my last PR with deep squats that I slipped a disk in my back. NOT GOOD. I didnt notice anything at the time but when I got home I was starting to notice my back was just a bit tweaked. I went outside and I was moving my daughters stroller from the back of the car and must have moved just right.....the pain buckled me right down to my knees. I had to walk back inside all hunched over and lay on the floor. I did some stretches and that got my mobile again but its still pretty sore.......all the muscles in my mid and lower back are all tensed. I may go see the doctor and see whats up. For now, ill be taking it easy on the back until that feels right again.....it seems to be improving pretty quick so hopefully it wont be too long.

OK, here are the highlights.......


Tuesday......LEG POWER - HAM FOCUS:

RDL's

405 X 5
415 X 5 (PR)

Friday......LEG POWER - QUAD FOCUS

ATTG SQUATS:

365 X 5 (PR) - Im pretty sure this is where i hurt my back because I remember my back rounding a bit on the last rep...but i noticed no pain at the time. I went on to do at 6 more sets for legs

BOX SQUATS:

385 X 5
405 X 4 (PR)

[wrkoutfrq]

sounds pretty serious... i think if i were you i'd see the doc just to be safe.... if it is something serious the sooner it gets diagnosed and treated, the better it'll be for ya. it'd suck to not be able to do squats or deadlifts anymore just becuase you didn't go to the doctor right away

[JimmyChitwood]

Ouch. That's always the way those back injuries come about. It's never anything manly or worth bragging about. With you, it's moving a baby stroller or lifting your wife off a hospital bed with a nurse handling the other side no problem. With me, it's doing retarded stuff like running a race with my upper body twisted carrying a washing machine. We're lucky we can still walk.

Maybe you should try my "ultimate bouce" box squat method to help? Tried it this morning. 225 was still light enough that the exercise ball ejected me across the squat rack and slammed the bar into the uprights. 350 on the bar is enough to pop an exercise ball with a hard drop, though. There's a sudden stop when you hit the floor which is a bit jarring. So I only did one rep. Then left. Holding my tailbone. I sure hope this makes my legs huge, though. I turned in the deflated ball at the desk as asked if they could patch it before my next leg day. Thanks again for turning me onto box squats.

Nice numbers on your leg game. Those are PRs for sure. Big time.

[AustrianOakJr]

sounds pretty serious... i think if i were you i'd see the doc just to be safe.... if it is something serious the sooner it gets diagnosed and treated, the better it'll be for ya. it'd suck to not be able to do squats or deadlifts anymore just becuase you didn't go to the doctor right away

I dont think its too serious. I have ruptured a disk before (my back is messed up) and its not bothering my like that. Still a little bit tight but its getting better.

[AustrianOakJr]

Ouch. That's always the way those back injuries come about. It's never anything manly or worth bragging about. With you, it's moving a baby stroller or lifting your wife off a hospital bed with a nurse handling the other side no problem. With me, it's doing retarded stuff like running a race with my upper body twisted carrying a washing machine. We're lucky we can still walk.

Maybe you should try my "ultimate bouce" box squat method to help? Tried it this morning. 225 was still light enough that the exercise ball ejected me across the squat rack and slammed the bar into the uprights. 350 on the bar is enough to pop an exercise ball with a hard drop, though. There's a sudden stop when you hit the floor which is a bit jarring. So I only did one rep. Then left. Holding my tailbone. I sure hope this makes my legs huge, though. I turned in the deflated ball at the desk as asked if they could patch it before my next leg day. Thanks again for turning me onto box squats.

Nice numbers on your leg game. Those are PRs for sure. Big time.

Well, im gonna attribute this one to the 365 PR...even though I didnt actually hit the floor in pain at the gym, I def think that was the trigger. Sounds way more manly anyways.....

Glad you liked the box squats. Too bad about the exercise ball. Maybe you could use a real wide racing slick mounted up on a rim.....it'll still have good bounce and it'll probably hold all the weight you can throw at it. You could strap a half ton to your back and have your partner just kick your legs right out from under you......it'll hold up.

[wrkoutfrq]

I dont think its too serious. I have ruptured a disk before (my back is messed up) and its not bothering my like that. Still a little bit tight but its getting better.

ah ok, didn't know you have been through this before... i haven't so i wouldn't know how serious these things are... glad it's getting better tho!

[AustrianOakJr]

ah ok, didn't know you have been through this before... i haven't so i wouldn't know how serious these things are... glad it's getting better tho!

Wait until you get old...;)

[wrkoutfrq]

Wait until you get old...;)

lol, you aren't old... besides, you are in hella better shape than most guys younger than you

[JimmyChitwood]

That is true. He is in much better shape now than he was when he was in college, and he was darned stack then and very strong. 99% of dudes on the street fall well below the Oak in terms of strength, build, and conditioning right now. But just wait... he might lose interest and get fat again. (If they outlaw bodybuilding and put trash plates on clearance)

[AustrianOakJr]

That is true. He is in much better shape now than he was when he was in college, and he was darned stack then and very strong. 99% of dudes on the street fall well below the Oak in terms of strength, build, and conditioning right now. But just wait... he might lose interest and get fat again. (If they outlaw bodybuilding and put trash plates on clearance)

Im actually approaching my level of fatness towards the end of college. I've hit 192 lbs now......but my strength continues to rise so im gonna go with this for a little while longer before I totally put the brakes on.

I did my leg hyper day yesterday in Syracuse....I was working for my dad again. My back is still bothering me so I was a bit limited in my exercises. I decided to focus my efforts on the leg press. This is the one that I maxed out last time and had to get creative with stacking a plate on the back side of the foot platform. Well, even that fell a bit short this time so I had to do some re-arranging to get two plates on the back of the platform and I still hit 9 reps with a total of 20 plates loaded on the machine. Im back in Rochacha today and off to train some back and biceps......werd out.

[AustrianOakJr]

Well, I finally broke down and went to see the witch doctor. I thought my back was getting better.....but I was still having some tightness in my very lower back which I have learned is my SI joints flaring up and all the muscles getting very tight. The real kicker that sent my over the edge was that my left glute was constantly twitching. It was firing every couple seconds for two days straight (prior to seeing the chiro). So I thought something must be messed up. So I went in and he loosened up my lower back fairly well and I was feeling a bit better, but my dang glute kept twitching.......this is the weirdest thing........and although humorous at first.....after a few hours.......VERY VERY annoying. Try going to sleep while someone kicks you in the ass every two seconds. Kinda hard. The chiropractor didnt have answers. He said "call me if it doesnt calm down by thurs". I wasnt really thrilled at that idea. I figured its one of a couple things.......either something is still pinched and the nerve is going nuts, the muscle itself if strained and overtrained, or my CNS is strained and overtrained. I was betting on the first one yesterday when I set out to train my legs. I figure if there is something out of place, some solid (but not crazy heavy) training will make things right. And I was right. Within an hour after my legs training yesterday, the twitching stopped. The bummer is that im going on three weeks now without serious deadlifting (I went up to 225 last night) and serious squats (went to 275 on the smith). So, im itching to get back at it and do some lower training. I hope that I havent lost any progress.

[fltallpaul]

Good to see you solving your problems. Play it safe as its a long road. I also find it funny that the cure for your problems was squats.

[AustrianOakJr]

Good to see you solving your problems. Play it safe as its a long road. I also find it funny that the cure for your problems was squats.

Isnt that the cure for everything? I find training relieves anything from a headache to back out of whack, to a head cold.


.....and it builds big muskels. ;)

[AustrianOakJr]

Well, yesterday I got back from visiting some family on Long Island and spent much of the time on the beach "relaxing", which really all about playing in the water and digging holes all day with the kids. Actually, its surprising how much that really saps the energy......especially the waves.....playing in the waves is some great cardio!

So I figured my back had plenty of time to rest but it was feeling a bit stiff from the long car ride back. But I was off to the gym by early afternoon. So I warmed up plenty and then hit it pretty heavy for a hyper day. Now my right side SI joint is really flared up. :( Its killing me now especially with the muscle soreness in my lower back, hams and glutes on top of it. So, I may be back to the witch doctor if this doesnt clear up soon. Feels like the joint is sitting wrong or something. I havent had it this bad in quite a long time. Man, it sucks having a crap lower back...well, I guess its actually a crap pelvis.

DEADLIFTS

Sumos:
225 X 8
315 X 8
405 X 8

RDL's:

365 X 8
315 X 8

LEG CURLS

75 X 10
90 X 8
105 X 6, drop 75 X 4
120 X 2, drop 105 X 4, drop 75 X 4 (hams are BAKED)

Not a lot of volume here, but I guess since its been 3 weeks or so since I did decently heavy DL's, I am just wicked sore today.

[illilian]

Oh man dude, hope things get better for you soon.

It's interesting how lower back strain and pinched nerve pain floats around from one side to the other. I used to get lower back strains and sciatica frequently... i eventually took the squats out and i haven't had any problems in over a year. I hate not doing squats, but the chiropractor can get expensive quick.

[AustrianOakJr]

Oh man dude, hope things get better for you soon.

It's interesting how lower back strain and pinched nerve pain floats around from one side to the other. I used to get lower back strains and sciatica frequently... i eventually took the squats out and i haven't had any problems in over a year. I hate not doing squats, but the chiropractor can get expensive quick.

I have had a pinched nerve before when I ruptured one of my lower disks. That sucked big time. This is SI joint inflammation though......the two joints where the spine basically connects into the pelvis. They provide a very small amount of rotation when youre bending over or twisting. The chiro does a pretty good job of getting them back in place but I have to work on some core stability stuff to keep them in place. Im not giving up on squats just yet......that exercise has worked wonders for my lower body, so finding a substitute probably wont happen.

.....luckily the chiropractor is covered by my insurance :)

[co1e_train]

Hey ol buddy,

Good to see your not letting your back make you settle for something less.


Chiro FTW!

[AustrianOakJr]

Hey ol buddy,

Good to see your not letting your back make you settle for something less.


Chiro FTW!

Eh.....dang thing is STILL bothering me. I might have to let it win this week and skip the squats and sub leg presses tomorrow. The dead lifts really did it to me pretty good. Lots of pain when im sitting down or going to sit down. Ill get through it though.....been here a couple times in the past....nothing new.

[JimmyChitwood]

Getting old. Probably time to retire from this game and take it easy.

Ever tried shuffleboard?

[AustrianOakJr]

Getting old. Probably time to retire from this game and take it easy.

Ever tried shuffleboard?

Im working the shuffle board court in my spare time, so as soon as I win the Pro-Worlds, I can just jump right into the pro-shuffle board arena and not even skip a beat.

[AustrianOakJr]

LEGS HYPER - VERY HYPER INDEED!

My SI joints are still not happy with me (although they are getting better). I didnt want to go crazy heavy or do any deep free squats to further aggravate the situation. So, I took a cue from Kurt Weidner's training log and tried GIANT sets.....moving from one machine to the next with no break.....boom, boom, boom. Then, about a 3-4 min rest between sets. This was probably the most intense leg session I have had in quite a while. Its been about 45 minutes since I finished and as I sit here typing my head is still foggy. I didnt quite know where to start with the weight because I knew it was going to get heavy fast, so I started with a weight that would make me grunt a little but not really dig deep. I finished my first set and the pump was just insane. I knew I could handle a bit more so I loaded another 50 lbs on the hack and left the press alone at 6 pps. By set number 2, my head was just spinning and my legs were buckling under me just standing there resting. I knew I was in for a world of hurt after 4 sets. After the third set the pain in my legs from the pump was so intense I was nauseated....my head was pounding and the room was spinning. I told myself I was gonna get four giant sets so I rested a bit and set out for the last. I fell two reps short on the leg press only hitting 8 reps, but I made up for it on the leg extension as I kept dropping the pin to get 15 reps. Oh MAN! Intense indeed.

GIANT SETS - HACK SQUAT, LEG PRESS, LEG EXTENSIONS

Set 1:
Hacks 3 pps X 10,
Leg press: 6 pps X 10
Leg extension: 3/4 stack X 10

Set 2:
Hacks 3 pps +25's X 10
Leg press: 6 pps X 10
Leg extension: 3/4 stack X 10

Set 3
Hacks 3 pps +25's X 10
Leg press: 6 pps X 10
Leg extension: 1/2 stack X 10

Set 4:
Hacks 3 pps +25's X 10
Leg press: 6 pps X 8
Leg extension: 1/2 stack X whatever, drop until I hit 15 reps

Done, baked, cooked, fried, etc......

[JimmyChitwood]

Not bad, dude. Definitely an old man workout - training for the shuffleboard tourny. I see all the old guys at the Y doing circuit training just like that. :p

Seriously - that looks like fun. Maybe I try? I always feel rude using more than one machine though, and the leg extensions are a highly popular machine at my gym, so it'll be tough to keep that one open the whole time. Might have to substitute sissy squats or lunges in there in my case. No break in between those, eh? Very interesting. I likey.

Sorry to hear about the back issues. Take it slow on the recovery and let that thing knit back up, ok? Lots of time left to play this game. You won't be losing anythng by throttling back a tad more.

[AustrianOakJr]

Not bad, dude. Definitely an old man workout - training for the shuffleboard tourny. I see all the old guys at the Y doing circuit training just like that. :p

Seriously - that looks like fun. Maybe I try? I always feel rude using more than one machine though, and the leg extensions are a highly popular machine at my gym, so it'll be tough to keep that one open the whole time. Might have to substitute sissy squats or lunges in there in my case. No break in between those, eh? Very interesting. I likey.

Sorry to hear about the back issues. Take it slow on the recovery and let that thing knit back up, ok? Lots of time left to play this game. You won't be losing anythng by throttling back a tad more.

Yea, I was pretty much just like the soccer moms who shuffle from one machine to the next with that clueless look on their face......"Oh, I think ill try this one......Oooo, how about this one?".....wait, I got a call....Helloooo?......im working out right now". :)

I know what youre saying about the use of multiple machines......it was dead quiet in there on a Friday evening though. There are two leg extension machines so I knew if someone snuck onto the one, I could go with the other. The hack and the press are right next to each other so I could guard them pretty easily. BUt, yea......only the rest you get from moving from one machine to the next. At about rep 5 on the leg press, I found myself really looking forward to the long (30 foot) walk over to the extension machine.....as I hobbled and tripped over my own legs. You should try. Fer sher.

[jked4life]

Sorry to hear about the problems with the low back. Those nagging injuries are such an annoyance. That's the sucky part about getting old :( (I can relate)


If you want to head out to grab a workout sometime this week, let me know. For the first time in over a month, I'm home for more than a few days and not got a lot on my calendar. You're welcome to head out here or I can make it out to the East Side.

[AustrianOakJr]

Sorry to hear about the problems with the low back. Those nagging injuries are such an annoyance. That's the sucky part about getting old :( (I can relate)


If you want to head out to grab a workout sometime this week, let me know. For the first time in over a month, I'm home for more than a few days and not got a lot on my calendar. You're welcome to head out here or I can make it out to the East Side.

Yea, man....me too. This summer has been crazy.....I have either been working for my dad, out of town, or training at some weird hour because we have been doing something with the family. I think this week should be pretty low key.....I hope. I would like to hit some hamstring and glute exercises on tuesday if you are up for that......hopefully, my ridiculously sore quads and messed up lower back make it possible to do something else other than leg curls. Or if that doesnt work, im up for some upper back/shoulder stuff on Monday. I can make the drive out to Ballys.

[AustrianOakJr]

HAMSTRINGS AND GLUTES

Lying a little low today. My back actually felt pretty darn good going in to the gym today so I did some very light romanians just to get a good stretch and keep the blood pumping to my back, then I focused on the curls to hit the hams. I didnt go nutz because I am hoping to squat on Friday for the first time in a while. My quads are STILL sore from friday's insanity so we'll see how that goes.

RDL's

135 X 15
225 X 12
225 X 12

GHR's

BW X 8
BW X 8
BW X 10 (with some more help from my hands)

LYING LEG CURLS

90 X 8
105 X 8
105 X 8

STANDING LEG CURLS

35 X 10
40 X 10

NAUTILUS GLUTE MACHINE

4 plates from whole stack X 12
2 plates from whole stack X 12
whole stack X 10

[GymRat26]

Just wanna say this is a great workout journal, and good work bro...I'm just curious what ur current diet looks like if u could post it, thanks bro..

[AustrianOakJr]

Just wanna say this is a great workout journal, and good work bro...I'm just curious what ur current diet looks like if u could post it, thanks bro..

......um.....thats an embarrasing subject at the moment. Im on the see-food diet right now. :D

I stopped counting when I got to about 3400 calories a day and decided to take a break for the summer b/c ill be starting to cut in September. Ive been conscious about my protein intake every day and I guesstimate my carbs, but have pretty much let fat lie where ever and just eating till im full. Last night I went to a BBQ and had two burgers, 1 hot dog, mac salad, potato salad, fruit salad, cole slaw, two pieces of cake and two beers. So, sometimes it gets pretty ugly. Im sitting at about 193 lbs right now which is the heaviest I have been in a long time......but my abs are still faintly visible in the right light when the stars are aligned and and the earth gravitational pull is just right. ;) I figure on another pound or two before I begin my prep. Its going to be a long prep.....probably 28 weeks or more divided into two parts with some metabolism rehab/break in the middle.

[jked4life]

......um.....thats an embarrasing subject at the moment. Im on the see-food diet right now. :D

I stopped counting when I got to about 3400 calories a day and decided to take a break for the summer b/c ill be starting to cut in September. Ive been conscious about my protein intake every day and I guesstimate my carbs, but have pretty much let fat lie where ever and just eating till im full. Last night I went to a BBQ and had two burgers, 1 hot dog, mac salad, potato salad, fruit salad, cole slaw, two pieces of cake and two beers. So, sometimes it gets pretty ugly. Im sitting at about 193 lbs right now which is the heaviest I have been in a long time......but my abs are still faintly visible in the right light when the stars are aligned and and the earth gravitational pull is just right. ;) I figure on another pound or two before I begin my prep. Its going to be a long prep.....probably 28 weeks or more divided into two parts with some metabolism rehab/break in the middle.

Nice little workout there yesterday. Glad to hear the low back is on the mend and quads are still toasty. I had a nice little lower hyper workout yesterday too.

BTW, I think that prep strategy is a very good one for you at this point.

I hear ya on the "see food" diet. The main problem I'm having is that my caloric intake/needs are completely different over the summer as opposed to during the school year. Over the summer I wake up, get going on projects/construction stuff and don't sit down until 9pm. My activity levels are absolutely off the charts so my caloric needs are completely different than what I'm used to counting. I've been doing the same thing as you, make sure to get 40-50g of protein per meal (5 X) and eat the carbs and fat until satiety. I actually had to make a conscious decision to eat more, just to not loose weight :cool:

[Work-Hard]

......um.....thats an embarrasing subject at the moment. Im on the see-food diet right now. :D

I stopped counting when I got to about 3400 calories a day and decided to take a break for the summer b/c ill be starting to cut in September. Ive been conscious about my protein intake every day and I guesstimate my carbs, but have pretty much let fat lie where ever and just eating till im full. Last night I went to a BBQ and had two burgers, 1 hot dog, mac salad, potato salad, fruit salad, cole slaw, two pieces of cake and two beers. So, sometimes it gets pretty ugly. Im sitting at about 193 lbs right now which is the heaviest I have been in a long time......but my abs are still faintly visible in the right light when the stars are aligned and and the earth gravitational pull is just right. ;) I figure on another pound or two before I begin my prep. Its going to be a long prep.....probably 28 weeks or more divided into two parts with some metabolism rehab/break in the middle.


You and I are in about the same boat right now. lol. I stopped counting when I got to about 3500. I figure life is too special to count macros 365 days a year. I like eating, and as long as I don't have to buy new clothes due to the fat gain, I'm happy. I am starting my prep at the end of October and looking to do the same thing with 10 weeks, then a 2 week break and then the final 10 weeks. I'm in no hurry and think the break will do wonders for the body and mind.

[JimmyChitwood]

......um.....thats an embarrasing subject at the moment. Im on the see-food diet right now. :D

I stopped counting when I got to about 3400 calories a day and decided to take a break for the summer b/c ill be starting to cut in September. Ive been conscious about my protein intake every day and I guesstimate my carbs, but have pretty much let fat lie where ever and just eating till im full. Last night I went to a BBQ and had two burgers, 1 hot dog, mac salad, potato salad, fruit salad, cole slaw, two pieces of cake and two beers. So, sometimes it gets pretty ugly. Im sitting at about 193 lbs right now which is the heaviest I have been in a long time......but my abs are still faintly visible in the right light when the stars are aligned and and the earth gravitational pull is just right. ;) I figure on another pound or two before I begin my prep. Its going to be a long prep.....probably 28 weeks or more divided into two parts with some metabolism rehab/break in the middle.


Nice little workout there yesterday. Glad to hear the low back is on the mend and quads are still toasty. I had a nice little lower hyper workout yesterday too.

BTW, I think that prep strategy is a very good one for you at this point.

I hear ya on the "see food" diet. The main problem I'm having is that my caloric intake/needs are completely different over the summer as opposed to during the school year. Over the summer I wake up, get going on projects/construction stuff and don't sit down until 9pm. My activity levels are absolutely off the charts so my caloric needs are completely different than what I'm used to counting. I've been doing the same thing as you, make sure to get 40-50g of protein per meal (5 X) and eat the carbs and fat until satiety. I actually had to make a conscious decision to eat more, just to not loose weight :cool:


You and I are in about the same boat right now. lol. I stopped counting when I got to about 3500. I figure life is too special to count macros 365 days a year. I like eating, and as long as I don't have to buy new clothes due to the fat gain, I'm happy. I am starting my prep at the end of October and looking to do the same thing with 10 weeks, then a 2 week break and then the final 10 weeks. I'm in no hurry and think the break will do wonders for the body and mind.

Welcome aboard, everybody. Glad to see you're all in MY boat now. I live on this boat year round. I never count. Ever. Unless someone challenges me to go round for round at a potluck supper or something. But that's just counting whole plate fulls. :D

[AustrianOakJr]

.

I hear ya on the "see food" diet. The main problem I'm having is that my caloric intake/needs are completely different over the summer as opposed to during the school year. Over the summer I wake up, get going on projects/construction stuff and don't sit down until 9pm. My activity levels are absolutely off the charts so my caloric needs are completely different than what I'm used to counting. I've been doing the same thing as you, make sure to get 40-50g of protein per meal (5 X) and eat the carbs and fat until satiety. I actually had to make a conscious decision to eat more, just to not loose weight :cool:

I have the same issue. At school, my activity is relatively the same day in and day out, but in the summer i might have one day when im busting hump all day and the next where im bumming around. Im not gaining weight very rapidly and i never lose weight by accident ;) so I figure im good to go as long as im lifting hard.


You and I are in about the same boat right now. lol. I stopped counting when I got to about 3500. I figure life is too special to count macros 365 days a year. I like eating, and as long as I don't have to buy new clothes due to the fat gain, I'm happy. I am starting my prep at the end of October and looking to do the same thing with 10 weeks, then a 2 week break and then the final 10 weeks. I'm in no hurry and think the break will do wonders for the body and mind.

I hear you on the life is too special thing......my next prep im looking at counting everything from mid-september to mid June. I plan to come back up to maintenance from T-giving to New Years, and hang just above my set point......have a nice metabolism rehab and then slingshot deep into shredded territory before I start to stall.



Welcome aboard, everybody. Glad to see you're all in MY boat now. I live on this boat year round. I never count. Ever. Unless someone challenges me to go round for round at a potluck supper or something. But that's just counting whole plate fulls. :D

I would have eaten you right under the table at the BBQ I was at last night. I think it was because I hadnt eaten that much all day and I was working like a dog on the house.......I got to the BBQ and just ate and ate and never even topped off the tank. Felt a little ill later that night though. :eek:

[JimmyChitwood]

You worked on your house? I thought you were strictly a car guy. You ARE a Renaissance man.

[AustrianOakJr]

You worked on your house? I thought you were strictly a car guy. You ARE a Renaissance man.

Ive got a small list of things this week......i know, I know.....jack of ALL trades. Im in the midst of painting the garage, which is very technical. I thought about calling you up but I figured it out. Then, I had to fix the plumbing in the bathroom.......the little plunger for the sink stop broke and I had to replace that, then it snow balled into replacing some pipe that was pretty crappy and falling apart and unclogging the drain pipe down inside the wall. Plumbing is almost worse than working on a car b/c you have to be able to get both arms underneith the sink and thats a bit of a challenge. I also have to fix the front door which will require, cutting, drilling, planing and gluing WOOD. Yep. Wood. I was going to replace the whole stinking thing.....jam and all, but I decided I can cob it up nicely for a fraction of the time and money.

[JimmyChitwood]

Ive got a small list of things this week......i know, I know.....jack of ALL trades. Im in the midst of painting the garage, which is very technical. I thought about calling you up but I figured it out. Then, I had to fix the plumbing in the bathroom.......the little plunger for the sink stop broke and I had to replace that, then it snow balled into replacing some pipe that was pretty crappy and falling apart and unclogging the drain pipe down inside the wall. Plumbing is almost worse than working on a car b/c you have to be able to get both arms underneith the sink and thats a bit of a challenge. I also have to fix the front door which will require, cutting, drilling, planing and gluing WOOD. Yep. Wood. I was going to replace the whole stinking thing.....jam and all, but I decided I can cob it up nicely for a fraction of the time and money.

I don't know about fraction of the time, but definitely a savings of money. Speaking of door cob work... I'm still very pleased with my job of reversing the door swing of our back door. Used to swing the wrong way and it was very awkward to enter and exit the house. The same door with the opposite swing was over $900. Ouch. So... I did my own routering with a bit on my Rotozip, flipped the hinges, reversed the deco glass and frame, reversed the lockset/handle, filled the old hinge recesses with wood filler and sanded. Voila. Works great and you'd never know. Took a lot of time in careful measuring though. Doors get funky in a hurry if they're not hung perfectly straight.

[AustrianOakJr]

I don't know about fraction of the time, but definitely a savings of money. Speaking of door cob work... I'm still very pleased with my job of reversing the door swing of our back door. Used to swing the wrong way and it was very awkward to enter and exit the house. The same door with the opposite swing was over $900. Ouch. So... I did my own routering with a bit on my Rotozip, flipped the hinges, reversed the deco glass and frame, reversed the lockset/handle, filled the old hinge recesses with wood filler and sanded. Voila. Works great and you'd never know. Took a lot of time in careful measuring though. Doors get funky in a hurry if they're not hung perfectly straight.

Yep, I remember that from your thread.......top quality cob!! Love it.

Yea....now that im into the job, its not a fraction of the time for sure. The door broke right around the knob and latching mechanism. Its an OLD door and it was set up for the old box style, unitized latch and knob, so the door actually had a hollowed out section about 4"X6" where the knob goes. Well, somewhere along the line someone updated the knob/latch but never filled the cavity so after years of opening and closing the cavity broke open and the latch was just floundering around. So......I being the cob king that I am......cut the whole hollowed section right out to solid wood, cut a piece of 8/4 stock to match, glued it and screwed it in, filled it with wood filler and now it sits drying waiting for sanding and paint. I redid all the mechanicals and hung it first to make sure it would open and close properly and we are good to go. So.....almost done.....total cost is 9 dollars for a new door knob and latch (which it didnt really need). But now that the door is gonna be all freshly painted, i have to blow 100 bucks on a new storm door to match. DOH!

[JimmyChitwood]

I hate storm doors. They're a pain when you're carrying stuff, and these days with a little one, I'm always carrying stuff. Coach wants me to put one on the back door. They're sort of cool, but the spring loaded self closing feature is a double edged sword. I hate when it swings shut on you. The one on the front door is the full glass type, which is great when the glass is in. When the screen is in, you can get killer air flow into the house, but when you come in carrying stuff and it swings shut on your butt or whatever you're carrying, it stretches the screen. I don't like that. Makes me feel fussy and cranky.

MAN I know I lead a good life when that's the sort of thing that bothers me.

Nice cob on your door, by the way. Some robber is gonna kick in that door and the whole thing will blow open and just the new glued-in wood piece and handset will still be hanging there securely latched.

[AustrianOakJr]

I hate storm doors. They're a pain when you're carrying stuff, and these days with a little one, I'm always carrying stuff. Coach wants me to put one on the back door. They're sort of cool, but the spring loaded self closing feature is a double edged sword. I hate when it swings shut on you. The one on the front door is the full glass type, which is great when the glass is in. When the screen is in, you can get killer air flow into the house, but when you come in carrying stuff and it swings shut on your butt or whatever you're carrying, it stretches the screen. I don't like that. Makes me feel fussy and cranky.

MAN I know I lead a good life when that's the sort of thing that bothers me.



I hear you on the double edged sword thing......but when the kids are old enough that they are running in and out of the house every 10 minutes in the summer......you will be glad the door shuts automatically.



Nice cob on your door, by the way. Some robber is gonna kick in that door and the whole thing will blow open and just the new glued-in wood piece and handset will still be hanging there securely latched.

I already thought of that so I hook up a whole series of booby traps every night before I go to bed......like "Home Alone". I have the blow torch behind the door, the Christmas ornaments on the floor, the roofing tar and the nail thing.......even the ice around the entrance way (thats wicked hard to do in August). A bit of a tiring routine to do every night, but at least I didnt have to buy a new door.

[AustrianOakJr]

LEGS - QUADRICEPS DESTRUCTION DERBY

Well, I wanted to try squatting and I did. I hadnt been under a barbell in about a month since I hurt my back. I kept it light and I felt some moderate pain at the bottom of the movement, but I focused on perfect form and came out the other side OK. I mixed in 3 GIANT sets after squats for a real doosy of workout. Came home all spacey and ready to hurl. It was awesome.

ATTG SQUATS

225 X 10
275 X 10
275 X 10

3 GIANT SETS

1. HACKS 3 PPS X 10, PRESS 6 PPS X 10, EXTENSIONS 3/4 stack X 10

2. HACKS 3 PPS +25's X 10, PRESS 6 PPS X 10, EXTENSIONS 2/3 stack X 10

3. HACKS 3 PPS +25's X 10, PRESS 6 PPS X 10, EXTENSIONS 2/3 stack X 10

[jked4life]

Well, I'll never underestimate the importance of a storm door and a healthy dose of caulk around the exterior of an entry door. The prior owner of our house never had one. When ripping out 750 sq foot of ugly fooring, I found some wet and punky wood. Pulling that crap away with my chisel, I got to this gem.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee159/mspreter/IMG_3758.jpg

A piece of plywood underneath adhered with some drywall screws, then a piece on the top that fits the profile of the hole, add a little mortar to fill the gaps and a new 2X4 to support the king and Jack stud and voila... good as new. Major pain in the butt though. Then the backerboard, and then some tile...

Got the rest of the floors done though.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee159/mspreter/IMG_3807.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee159/mspreter/IMG_3808.jpg

Alrighty, enough thread hijacking :p


That prep plan sounds like a really good one. I can't believe I forgot to ask you the other day what your more specific plans were as far as the specifics go. PM me if you're not ready to put that out there yet or still in the planning stages. I've been mulling your prep over and got a few ideas, lol. If you ever need another set of eyes or a second brain, you know where to find me.

[AustrianOakJr]

DANG Matt!! Wow, that looks really good! You and Tim (Jimmy) should get together and go into business together....."Hyuge Guys Remodeling". You could pound nails in with your bare hands and stuff for entertainment. :D

I would post pics of my handy work......but its just not that "handy" when I stack it up against you guys. I got the painting done.....that came out pretty good....but its just painting. If you cant paint, then you should be shot. I fixed the door and im reasonably happy with it.....but its got some pitting and pock marks around the repair. I need to go back in with some "fast and final" spackle and repaint that area. My wife is actually repainting our whole entry way right now because it needs to match our newly repainted door. Thats OK with me as long as im done painting. She's pretty good with the indoor painting......but she doesnt let me display my bodybuilding trophies like you wife, so ......:D

|Specific prep plans? What do you mean? I plan on eating less and losing a lot of fat. :) Is there anything more to it? He he! Im thinking about inquiring with 3DMJ or Berto or Eric individually.....dont know yet. If I do, it will be for the last 12 weeks or so. Im pretty confident I can guide myself into a good position.....that is until dieters brain sets in and I am no longer rational. So, another eye will definitely be helpful. Ill be calling on you towards the end for some advices and some morale boost in the gym, for sure. Thanks.

[jked4life]

DANG Matt!! Wow, that looks really good! You and Tim (Jimmy) should get together and go into business together....."Hyuge Guys Remodeling". You could pound nails in with your bare hands and stuff for entertainment. :D

I would post pics of my handy work......but its just not that "handy" when I stack it up against you guys. I got the painting done.....that came out pretty good....but its just painting. If you cant paint, then you should be shot. I fixed the door and im reasonably happy with it.....but its got some pitting and pock marks around the repair. I need to go back in with some "fast and final" spackle and repaint that area. My wife is actually repainting our whole entry way right now because it needs to match our newly repainted door. Thats OK with me as long as im done painting. She's pretty good with the indoor painting......but she doesnt let me display my bodybuilding trophies like you wife, so ......:D

|Specific prep plans? What do you mean? I plan on eating less and losing a lot of fat. :) Is there anything more to it? He he! Im thinking about inquiring with 3DMJ or Berto or Eric individually.....dont know yet. If I do, it will be for the last 12 weeks or so. Im pretty confident I can guide myself into a good position.....that is until dieters brain sets in and I am no longer rational. So, another eye will definitely be helpful. Ill be calling on you towards the end for some advices and some morale boost in the gym, for sure. Thanks.

Thanks man. I've certainly been working my butt off to get it done, but you know how persistent I can be when I get something I want to do stuck in my head ;)

As far as the handywork, I guess growing up with a Tech teacher as a dad you pick up a few things. Basically building a house or two with him growing up, you catch on, even if you're bored out of your skin at the time. He really knows his stuff but he got his training at some cracker jack school along some big lake. :D

"Hyuge Guy Remodeling", it has a classy ring to it. I can see it now, "They did a good job but they were kind of slow because they took so many protein breaks. And, certainly don't ask them to install any mirrors for you... " I think the two of us would have a good time with that. I've still got a few lessons in overbuilding to learn from him though.

That job on the door actually sounds like a few I've done. A little wood filler, caulk or bondo will go a long way. I actually finished the excessive scraping, caulking, priming, painting and other OCD weatherproofing measures around all my doors today. There's no way I'm fixing any more holes in my subfloor from water damage. It's my new obsession, lol.

You really ought to have a conversation with her about the trophies. I'm sure you guys can negotiate some type of arrangement. I was actually surprised that I got away with it. I put them up there after the shows and never said anything. I was fully expecting them to be gone when I cam home one day. I think since we usually hang out in the family room and don't use the living room, she let it slide. Plus, when you're 5'1 it's kind of hard to see what's up on that shelf :D




Prep...That's excactly where I was going with that. I just didn't know if you wanted to talk about that in here yet. You probably know my thoughts on that already. I'll talk to you offline about that. I have a couple insights and thoughts you might want to ponder, specifically related to prep. I've got some theories and such. You know I got your back though, especially once it gets tough.

[AustrianOakJr]

HAMSTRING/GLUTE/LOW BACK - HYPERTROPHY

IM starting to get very frustrated with my lower back. I was feeling really good today with very little pain so I wanted to do some dead lifting. I started out with sumos and was feeling great up 315 lbs. I loaded 405 and went to lift the first rep and felt "crack, pop, pop".......felt like rice crispies back there. :( I didnt feel any pain but I set it back down because I didnt want to risk it. I went on to do some light Romanians and I supersetted them with legcurls for a pretty sick ham blast. So that went well. I finished with some strict standing leg curls and lots of stretching and rolling. I hope this back can get back to normal. I really miss the heavy dead lifting and i feel it was integral to my training. Im gonna be bummed if it has to go.

SUMO DL's

135 x 15
225 X 12
315 X 8
405 X 1 (aborted mission)

RDL's superset w/ LEG CURLS

275 X 12, 75 X 10
275 X 12, 90 X 10
275 X 12, 105 X 4-drop 90 X 5-drop 60 X 8 - killed

STANDING LEG CURLS

2 sets, strict X 10

[GymRat26]

What's up bro, first wanna say good work and great journal...jus got a question, how far out are u from ur show and what's the current diet lookin like as of now (what foods u eatin and wuts the macros look like)?

[AustrianOakJr]

What's up bro, first wanna say good work and great journal...jus got a question, how far out are u from ur show and what's the current diet lookin like as of now (what foods u eatin and wuts the macros look like)?

I wont start dieting until mid sept. And that will be just to tighten up a bit before the holidays where I will be running maintenance cals for a month and a half. Then it will be about 25 weeks of hard dieting until the first show. So, im trying a multiple stage approach this year where the first stage will simply be dieting to hover just above my set point, then a little metabolism rehab to sling shot into the tough road ahead......hopefully if I start in Jan with only 15-20 lbs to lose I can be ready 3-4 weeks early and eat into the show. I have yet to nail down my starting macros, but I believe they will be about 215P/350C/60F to begin my cut.

[JimmyChitwood]

Well, I'll never underestimate the importance of a storm door and a healthy dose of caulk around the exterior of an entry door. The prior owner of our house never had one. When ripping out 750 sq foot of ugly fooring, I found some wet and punky wood. Pulling that crap away with my chisel, I got to this gem.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee159/mspreter/IMG_3758.jpg

.

This is awesome. But are you sure they didn't build it that way by design? It's good to leave plenty of room around your wiring when you run it between floors, you know.

It's funny - in my house we found all kinds of fist-sized holes in our walls and ceilings like that behind medicine cabinets, kitchen range hood, ceiling lights, etc. Their method of wiring apparently consisted of using a sledge hammer to create a hole large enough for half your upper body to fit in so that fishing wire in the wall was a snap.

Am I an overbuilder? Just because I use 2x12 headers for closet doorways in a non-bearing wall? It's under my boy's room... and he's gaining mass quick.

[AustrianOakJr]

Major frustration set in today. Im just bumming.... I went in to train legs early this morning.....I warmed up nicely and did some stretches and then started light on the smith machine doing squats. I was planning to get to 4 pps for a set or two of 6-8 reps. Well, I got to 3 pps and went for rep 6 (which was still feeling light for my legs) and I felt my back go out......well, a bit of a twinge but I was still OK. So, I took the plates off and went over to the leg press......and its being used. AAARGH. So I decided to try some hacks. 3 pps felt good so I racked up 4 pps and got to about rep 6 or 7 and whammo.....thats all she wrote. My back was spasming and locking up and I was down on my knees (after painfully racking the sled). I stretched it out and layed on the floor for a while.....and still wasnt ready to accept defeat, so I tried to do some light leg presses and couldnt even get my legs up to the plate. So, now im sitting at work in a lot of pain. Unfortunately I have to work for my parents today and monday so I wont be in to the doctor until tuesday. This sucks big time.....I cant squat or deadlift. Basically I cant seem to load my spine without injury which is bad news for bodybuilding. Hopefully, ill be able to do leg presses so I can at least maintain until my back heals. Ive been working real hard on my legs and its really a major let down to think I wont be able to continue.

[FATHER FLEX]

Major frustration set in today. Im just bumming.... I went in to train legs early this morning.....I warmed up nicely and did some stretches and then started light on the smith machine doing squats. I was planning to get to 4 pps for a set or two of 6-8 reps. Well, I got to 3 pps and went for rep 6 (which was still feeling light for my legs) and I felt my back go out......well, a bit of a twinge but I was still OK. So, I took the plates off and went over to the leg press......and its being used. AAARGH. So I decided to try some hacks. 3 pps felt good so I racked up 4 pps and got to about rep 6 or 7 and whammo.....thats all she wrote. My back was spasming and locking up and I was down on my knees (after painfully racking the sled). I stretched it out and layed on the floor for a while.....and still wasnt ready to accept defeat, so I tried to do some light leg presses and couldnt even get my legs up to the plate. So, now im sitting at work in a lot of pain. Unfortunately I have to work for my parents today and monday so I wont be in to the doctor until tuesday. This sucks big time.....I cant squat or deadlift. Basically I cant seem to load my spine without injury which is bad news for bodybuilding. Hopefully, ill be able to do leg presses so I can at least maintain until my back heals. Ive been working real hard on my legs and its really a major let down to think I wont be able to continue.

Seriously if I wasn't young and dumb with a mullet, or powerlifting I would probably rack pull 90% of the time, and use hack squats and leg pressses as my main overload movements for legs. Also single leg work with dumbbells ala split squats etc work like a charm, and require less overall loading. Not to mention they seem to minimize imbalances that many people have in the hips and legs, which leads to uneven loads into the spine etc, and often is what is causing back pain. Get well dude! Back issues suck.

[AustrianOakJr]

Seriously if I wasn't young and dumb with a mullet, or powerlifting I would probably rack pull 90% of the time, and use hack squats and leg pressses as my main overload movements for legs. Also single leg work with dumbbells ala split squats etc work like a charm, and require less overall loading. Not to mention they seem to minimize imbalances that many people have in the hips and legs, which leads to uneven loads into the spine etc, and often is what is causing back pain. Get well dude! Back issues suck.

Thanks man. I appreciate the encouragement. This is gonna be my plan after a two week layoff as ordered by the doc. I went to him last night and he had me laying on my stomach on the table. He started probing around my lower back to isolate the source of the pain and he pushed on my right SI joint and I felt a "THUD". He said...."well, theres your SI joint popping back into place" :eek: So, apparantly my right side SI is in pretty bad shape and suspects that the joint cavity has been stretched and there is some slop in the joint now.......which goes along with the way it feels. We are gonna go for an x-ray because we have to before the MRI (stupid insurance company crap) and then hopefully see the extent of the damage. So, I have to lay off any deep knee bend exercises for a while. So I will attempt some extensions and possible light standing leg curls just to keep the blood flowing but im gonna try and let this heal up. Then start loading it with single leg presses and lunges.......I really hope to be able to handle some weight on these exercises before I start dieting. If not, im going to have to post pone dieting......I didnt work so hard on my legs to waste them away due to lack of stimulus and calories. This sucks, but I will heal.

[co1e_train]

Hang in there man, youll get all healed up in no time!

[Blazed]

IIf you put off dieting too long we might have a rematch. Wooooot.

[AustrianOakJr]

IIf you put off dieting too long we might have a rematch. Wooooot.

Well the plan is to compete in spring/summer of 2011. But if my SI joint doest want to stay lodged in my pelvis than that could prove to be more difficult than I thought. Either way....I dont plan on getting much heavier than I am now. Even if I eat everything I want my weight seems to have stabilized. But......I COULD start force feeding my face full of Oreos all day long.....we'll see.

[co1e_train]

But......I COULD start force feeding my face full of Oreos all day long.....we'll see.

mmmm oreos... nom nom nom

[bwelch1985]

Keep your head up Oak. We all have to deal w/ injuries at some point.

It's a marathon.

[AustrianOakJr]

Keep your head up Oak. We all have to deal w/ injuries at some point.

It's a marathon.

Yep.....ill get back at it soon enough. I hit the gym today for some chest and back work and that went pretty well. Im a little nervous about shoulders because its hard not to load up the spine, but ill figure it out. Back is feeling a touch better than yesterday so im moving in the right direction. I figure by tomorrow ill be deadlifting 500. ;)

[jked4life]

Seriously if I wasn't young and dumb with a mullet, or powerlifting I would probably rack pull 90% of the time, and use hack squats and leg pressses as my main overload movements for legs. Also single leg work with dumbbells ala split squats etc work like a charm, and require less overall loading. Not to mention they seem to minimize imbalances that many people have in the hips and legs, which leads to uneven loads into the spine etc, and often is what is causing back pain. Get well dude! Back issues suck.

Interesting that you posted this. What you are suggesting is pretty much exactly what I've been doing the past month or so. I've gone this route in the past and honestly, I think my best leg size gains have been in the periods I've not done full free bar squats. Injury wasn't exactly the cause for me, but the results were very good. IMHO, Back can be even better hit from Rack Pulls. Hammies...well more than one way to skin a cat on those.

I've been talking up the unilateral leg movements to Sean for a while too ;) .... Just sorry it's not by choice that he's gonna do them.


Anyways. Sean, hope the back is feeling better. Injuries most definitely do suck. I'm confident that you'll pull through and come out even better in the long run. I know I was bumming about a couple of injuries during prep and a wise person once told me "no exercise is mandatory, stay healthy".

Check your voicemail.

[AustrianOakJr]

Interesting that you posted this. What you are suggesting is pretty much exactly what I've been doing the past month or so. I've gone this route in the past and honestly, I think my best leg size gains have been in the periods I've not done full free bar squats. Injury wasn't exactly the cause for me, but the results were very good. IMHO, Back can be even better hit from Rack Pulls. Hammies...well more than one way to skin a cat on those.

I've been talking up the unilateral leg movements to Sean for a while too ;) .... Just sorry it's not by choice that he's gonna do them.


Anyways. Sean, hope the back is feeling better. Injuries most definitely do suck. I'm confident that you'll pull through and come out even better in the long run. I know I was bumming about a couple of injuries during prep and a wise person once told me "no exercise is mandatory, stay healthy".

Check your voicemail.


Got your message......my wife and I were watching a movie.....turned out to be pretty dumb.....but thanks for the call. Ill give you a ring tomorrow.

Yep, I think ill be sticking to the one-legged stuff until im sure than im knitted back up to full strength. I can hit the hams pretty well with a one-legged press combined with GHR's, and a bunch of leg curls.....maybe some lunges when I know im in better shape. Im confident ill be ready to start cutting mid-sept....if not beginning of oct. As long as I can get some weight on the sled and start doing the one leg presses without pain, ill be good to go. Then, hopefully by nov/dec when I bring my calories back up, ill be able to squat and deadlift again and be ready for serious prep. Time will tell. It is what it is and ill work around it any way I have to.

[AustrianOakJr]

Well, today was leg day. Kind of difficult without the ability to do deep knee bend exercises. I was planning on taking this week off from legs completely, but my SI injury is recovering pretty quickly. So, I got in there and did a whole bunch of extensions and curls. I actually got a pretty monster pump going and I felt it was a decent session considering I am so limited. I figure if i can keep the blood flowing and put some strain on the muscle I wont lose too much ground as long as my calories are up there. On Friday I may consider adding some single leg presses depending on how I feel.

I went in to get some x rays taken and saw my primary care doc. He is the only one who can order the MRI. Supposedly he'll be talking to my chiropractor today or tomorrow to collaborate a plan. Im hoping the MRI doesnt show anything too nasty and I can feel good about loading up the sled within the next couple weeks......maybe even get back to some squatting in a couple months.

[jked4life]

Well, today was leg day. Kind of difficult without the ability to do deep knee bend exercises. I was planning on taking this week off from legs completely, but my SI injury is recovering pretty quickly. So, I got in there and did a whole bunch of extensions and curls. I actually got a pretty monster pump going and I felt it was a decent session considering I am so limited. I figure if i can keep the blood flowing and put some strain on the muscle I wont lose too much ground as long as my calories are up there. On Friday I may consider adding some single leg presses depending on how I feel.

I went in to get some x rays taken and saw my primary care doc. He is the only one who can order the MRI. Supposedly he'll be talking to my chiropractor today or tomorrow to collaborate a plan. Im hoping the MRI doesnt show anything too nasty and I can feel good about loading up the sled within the next couple weeks......maybe even get back to some squatting in a couple months.

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for ya. Did you ever read any articles from Layne on Occlusion Training? That might be something to consider for a week or so. Make sure to really read up first though.

Even if the doc clears ya for free bar squats in a few months, you might be better off steering clear for a while.

[AustrianOakJr]

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for ya. Did you ever read any articles from Layne on Occlusion Training? That might be something to consider for a week or so. Make sure to really read up first though.

Even if the doc clears ya for free bar squats in a few months, you might be better off steering clear for a while.

Thanks Matt. I have read a little on occlusion training. Might not be a bad idea to try.....ill look into it some more. It will be a while before I squat with a free bar. I have a personal goal to be back to the smith machine before I start my serious dieting. I can get a solid workout with the smith and it helps me with the stabilization that I apparently lack. My big worry is more the dead lifts. Worst case ill be doing light SLDLs and focusing more on leg curls and GHR's for my main ham movements.

P.S. Your buddies from Ballys are very persistent in selling memberships.....took a while before they finally realized that im NOT buying a membership to a gym thats 25 min from my house. But we should get together for some more training before school starts......maybe the beginning of next week?

[SemperMachina]

IN. Good luck!

[JimmyChitwood]

Glad to hear the back is feeling better already. Your struggle will be in keeping yourself away from free squats and deads for an adequate time, I think. Don't be fooled by feeling better - you need time on this. I'm no expert, but I would think that stressing that lower back during while it's in a tender state of repair would be very bad indeed.

I remember we used to do split squats with DBs in our hands or the preloaded bars, and those were money. My legs had never been bigger. Sure we did free squats too, but there are so many ways to load the legs without a great deal of stress on the low back. Sissy squats with a hand on a nearby machine for balance might be good. Ever done squats with a dip belt? I remember gymratluke had some back issues a while ago and thought these were good - standing on a couple benches and letting the weight down between them. Sounds awkward to set up, but he liked them since it lowered the center of gravity.

I think if you continue to stimulate them, you're not going to waste away your gains on legs. You can adapt and keep going with your plans. It may actually be a good thing that you're forced into a different routine. Change in stimulus isn't a bad thing for growth, right?

[co1e_train]

Glad to hear that your back is already starting to feel better, keep it up man.

[AustrianOakJr]

Glad to hear the back is feeling better already. Your struggle will be in keeping yourself away from free squats and deads for an adequate time, I think. Don't be fooled by feeling better - you need time on this. I'm no expert, but I would think that stressing that lower back during while it's in a tender state of repair would be very bad indeed.

Well this is the mistake I made to begin with....the SI's have been hurting me for a month and I figured I could work through/around the pain. But that was a bad idea.....lesson learned.




I remember we used to do split squats with DBs in our hands or the preloaded bars, and those were money. My legs had never been bigger. Sure we did free squats too, but there are so many ways to load the legs without a great deal of stress on the low back. Sissy squats with a hand on a nearby machine for balance might be good. Ever done squats with a dip belt? I remember gymratluke had some back issues a while ago and thought these were good - standing on a couple benches and letting the weight down between them. Sounds awkward to set up, but he liked them since it lowered the center of gravity.

I think if you continue to stimulate them, you're not going to waste away your gains on legs. You can adapt and keep going with your plans. It may actually be a good thing that you're forced into a different routine. Change in stimulus isn't a bad thing for growth, right?

Pretty much any weight that compresses my spine is a no-no at this point even if the weight is in my hands. I do like the idea of the dip belt........im anxious to try that! My question is whether I could weight the belt down enough.....and yea, the awkwardness of balancing the swinging plates while standing on a couple of benches. But it sounds very good in theory. Ill report back on that soon.


Glad to hear that your back is already starting to feel better, keep it up man.

Thanks man....it seems to have made some real immediate progress and now its slowing down......I still have a constant dull ache and if I move in certain directions, i get that shooting pain. But I am happy its improved past the point of having to lay on the floor to get any kind of relief.

[JimmyChitwood]

Pretty much any weight that compresses my spine is a no-no at this point even if the weight is in my hands. I do like the idea of the dip belt........im anxious to try that! My question is whether I could weight the belt down enough.....and yea, the awkwardness of balancing the swinging plates while standing on a couple of benches. But it sounds very good in theory. Ill report back on that soon.
.

Oh. I thought that it was just the leverage on the low back that was bad. If that was the case, I would think that DB splits would work ok... or lunges and sissy squats.

With that weight belt thing... as I recall, gymratluke used a couple of benches at an angle to each other so that he could set up the belt with the weight at the narrow end where they touch (or put a box between) and then shuffled down the benches once he loaded the belt to get to the right foot spacing he wanted. Then you're just letting the weight down between the benches (if you use plates, that is). This would be money if your gym has hundred pound plates. Otherwise, the 45's will get a tad bulky and it'll be hard to get much weight on there and still keep it wieldy. Might be a good move for later in the workout?

[fltallpaul]

Just get healthy and get your Pro Card already so I can meet you on stage!

[AustrianOakJr]

Just get healthy and get your Pro Card already so I can meet you on stage!

OK, OK......geez.....dont be so pushy!! :D

And you can meet me on stage......in the INBF or OCB......;) I probably wont be getting my NGA card....there are no more local NGA shows around here. The promoters have started a new org......the "NMA". :rolleyes:. Yea.

[Quelly]

OK, OK......geez.....dont be so pushy!! :D

And you can meet me on stage......in the INBF or OCB......;) I probably wont be getting my NGA card....there are no more local NGA shows around here. The promoters have started a new org......the "NMA". :rolleyes:. Yea.

serious? Natural Muscle Assocation (guessing)?

[RichKnapp]

serious? Natural Muscle Assocation (guessing)?

http://www.naturalmuscle.com/

[Quelly]

maaan....last thing we need is ANOTHER natty org.

[RichKnapp]

maaan....last thing we need is ANOTHER natty org.

YA and the WFF (Tested) and WFFB (non tested) are dealing on things to come to the US also. We will have more bb orgs than competetors. lol

[Blazed]

YA and the WFF (Tested) and WFFB (non tested) are dealing on things to come to the US also. We will have more bb orgs than competetors. lol

Oh noes.

we can battle it out on a Wnbf or ifpa stage =p

[jked4life]

OK, OK......geez.....dont be so pushy!! :D

And you can meet me on stage......in the INBF or OCB......;) I probably wont be getting my NGA card....there are no more local NGA shows around here. The promoters have started a new org......the "NMA". :rolleyes:. Yea.

What, the fame and evny from every natty bodybuilder in western NY doesn't sound enticing to you? You could run the pro circuit and travel to far off and exotic places like Cheektawoga, Irondequoit, Batavia or maybe even Pembroke. What could be better than that?

[JimmyChitwood]

What, the fame and evny from every natty bodybuilder in western NY doesn't sound enticing to you? You could run the pro circuit and travel to far off and exotic places like Cheektawoga, Irondequoit, Batavia or maybe even Pembroke. What could be better than that?

HA haaaa!!! That's exactly what I was thinking. Instant acclaim and and limitless potential to climb the organization's ladder. Sky's the limit.

[AustrianOakJr]

Matt.....I laughed out loud when I read that post...HA! Pretty much exactly my thoughts. Not that I was going to do another one of their shows anyways. The "NMA" was the nail in the coffin. I guess its a good thing for guys who don't have aspirations beyond the local level but seems like an awful big let down to the winner......."You are now an NMA pro!". Well whoopity doo!

[AustrianOakJr]

Well I have some good news to report. Me being the ass that I am decided to push things a bit today and see if I could get a decent legs session in today. I focused my efforts around the single leg press and I am happy to say I can do them without issue. Even if it comes down to it this one exercise can carry me until I heal up. I kept it fairly light but I was pushing hard and got a real good session in.

SINGLE LEG PRESS
1pps X 12. (Each leg for all)
2 pps X 12
3 pps X 12
3 pps + 25's X 12
Same X 15 (smoking now)
Same X 12

LYING LEG CURL
90 X 10
120 X 10
130 X 6, 100 X 4
130 X 5, 100 X 3, 70 X 5

LEG EXT
3 sets X 10 .....loong hold on last rep

Done and done. Woo hoo!

[jked4life]

Nice. I'm glad you were able to get something in to smoke those legs...especially without back pain. As frustrating as this is, not being able to squat and dead, it might be a blessing in disguise. Being forced to think outside the box and do some different things just may be what those puppies need to get some new growth, especially for those glutes and hammies.

Worst case scenario, I think you'll at least be able to hold on to the size you've gained.




As far as the NMA... I was probably not going to do another show with them. I had a feeling I may have been black balled last season. I think I tend to ask to many tough questions and hang with the wrong crowd. That's okay though. This new org. kind of seals the deal for me anyways. I got my name dropped in one radio show and about 30 seconds of discussion in the other though, lol.

[AustrianOakJr]

Nice. I'm glad you were able to get something in to smoke those legs...especially without back pain. As frustrating as this is, not being able to squat and dead, it might be a blessing in disguise. Being forced to think outside the box and do some different things just may be what those puppies need to get some new growth, especially for those glutes and hammies.

Worst case scenario, I think you'll at least be able to hold on to the size you've gained.




As far as the NMA... I was probably not going to do another show with them. I had a feeling I may have been black balled last season. I think I tend to ask to many tough questions and hang with the wrong crowd. That's okay though. This new org. kind of seals the deal for me anyways. I got my name dropped in one radio show and about 30 seconds of discussion in the other though, lol.

Yep.....new stuff for the legs can't be a bad thing.

30 second of discussion? Missed that....what was said?

[jked4life]

Yep.....new stuff for the legs can't be a bad thing.

30 second of discussion? Missed that....what was said?


Variety is the spice of life :)

I'll tell you, legs were actually my weakpoint 2 years ago. I used to do a lot of "heavy" squatting, the center of my leg workouts. I didn't do a ton of other stuff for them and I was struggling with progression on them. I tried bumping up legs to 2X a week and adding leg presses, 1 leg press, hack's, walking lunges, extensions, curls, glute-ham raises, ect...On off days I was doing a lot of short sprints on the track and pavement. Basically my legs never stopped being sore for 10 months straight. The increased frequency, a little more volume and working the whole rep range (3-20) is what really whalloped them.

Dunno. I've been thinking about that lesson a lot, which has been dictating my upper body training lately...


The 30 sec spot? It was on #4 I think. They were talking about the shows and designated the LHeavies as the dominant group. Each of the top three got a little of a talk. I apparently looked phenomenal and was one to "keep an eye on". I guess because of my legs and hammies, I was "dangerous". They compared Trevor and I and said he needed to bring up the legs to see great success and I needed to do the opposite and really bring up the upper body. Something to that effect. Dunno, nothing that really surprised me. Their discussion of all the athletes was pretty positive and encouraging, which I thought was good.

Actually, for two regular guys who just decided to start a radio show about bodybuilding, it's not bad. Decent coverage of some local shows and a little banter about some local stuff. I was pissed about the bit on us people from Greece and our Italian Garages, haha. My Garagiolo is awesome this time of year :D

What do your evenings look like in the Fall? Because of practice, I'm limited to going around 7-8:30 or so. If you ever wanted to get a session in at that time, I'd come on out there anytime. More importantly, think about what weekends you guys might be around. The warm weather will slowly start fading and we're long overdue on cooking some animal flesh over a flame. I'm sure the kids would have a great time playing together too. We can host or travel. I gotta feed you before we starve you, lol.

[AustrianOakJr]

Variety is the spice of life :)

I'll tell you, legs were actually my weakpoint 2 years ago. I used to do a lot of "heavy" squatting, the center of my leg workouts. I didn't do a ton of other stuff for them and I was struggling with progression on them. I tried bumping up legs to 2X a week and adding leg presses, 1 leg press, hack's, walking lunges, extensions, curls, glute-ham raises, ect...On off days I was doing a lot of short sprints on the track and pavement. Basically my legs never stopped being sore for 10 months straight. The increased frequency, a little more volume and working the whole rep range (3-20) is what really whalloped them.

Dunno. I've been thinking about that lesson a lot, which has been dictating my upper body training lately...


The 30 sec spot? It was on #4 I think. They were talking about the shows and designated the LHeavies as the dominant group. Each of the top three got a little of a talk. I apparently looked phenomenal and was one to "keep an eye on". I guess because of my legs and hammies, I was "dangerous". They compared Trevor and I and said he needed to bring up the legs to see great success and I needed to do the opposite and really bring up the upper body. Something to that effect. Dunno, nothing that really surprised me. Their discussion of all the athletes was pretty positive and encouraging, which I thought was good.

Actually, for two regular guys who just decided to start a radio show about bodybuilding, it's not bad. Decent coverage of some local shows and a little banter about some local stuff. I was pissed about the bit on us people from Greece and our Italian Garages, haha. My Garagiolo is awesome this time of year :D

What do your evenings look like in the Fall? Because of practice, I'm limited to going around 7-8:30 or so. If you ever wanted to get a session in at that time, I'd come on out there anytime. More importantly, think about what weekends you guys might be around. The warm weather will slowly start fading and we're long overdue on cooking some animal flesh over a flame. I'm sure the kids would have a great time playing together too. We can host or travel. I gotta feed you before we starve you, lol.

Ill have to check out episode number 4.....interesting.

I am not opposed to training in the evening at some point. Definitely. I would say that we should get one in this week before we go back.......maybe mid week and then once we are back we'll talk about an evening session in a few weeks. Word?

As for the BBQ.....we are busy labor day weekend and most likely the weekend after. But the last two weekend in sept look clear. Technically this will be after the start of my mini cut......but im taking in over 3500 cals a day right now (by my best estimates) so at the beginning of my diet ill be able to house some food still.

[jked4life]

Ill have to check out episode number 4.....interesting.

I am not opposed to training in the evening at some point. Definitely. I would say that we should get one in this week before we go back.......maybe mid week and then once we are back we'll talk about an evening session in a few weeks. Word?

As for the BBQ.....we are busy labor day weekend and most likely the weekend after. But the last two weekend in sept look clear. Technically this will be after the start of my mini cut......but im taking in over 3500 cals a day right now (by my best estimates) so at the beginning of my diet ill be able to house some food still.

I should have some free time mid week, probably in the mid to late afternoons. Practice 7-11 and then probably some time to get my room at school together.

Second half of Sept. should be pretty clear for us. We'll talk.

[stayfit2008]

How bout an organization called the NOA,...National Oak Association??? youll be sure to get your pro card in that Sean,..Buwa hahahaha,..;) How ya been brotha??!!

So Spring or Summer eh? Im looking into the same direction,..wanted to compete this October but decided to keep my mass building through next year. Lets hit the stage again Oak,..keep me posted on what your gonna do so I can tell the promoter to black ball you,...hehe. Love ya man!

[AustrianOakJr]

How bout an organization called the NOA,...National Oak Association??? youll be sure to get your pro card in that Sean,..Buwa hahahaha,..;) How ya been brotha??!!

So Spring or Summer eh? Im looking into the same direction,..wanted to compete this October but decided to keep my mass building through next year. Lets hit the stage again Oak,..keep me posted on what your gonna do so I can tell the promoter to black ball you,...hehe. Love ya man!

Whoa....StayFat?? Is that you? Do my eyes deceive? I thought you left to go start a Zumba class and eat starfruit and crackers all day long.

The NOA started a long time ago but I cant find anyone to join. Actually, theres comp almost weekly which consists of me eating dinner shirtless and then once im all bloated from my mound of spaghetti, I do my mandatories in front of the mirror while my kids point and laugh. But, I do have my pro-card.

So, yep....im thinking of late May at the earliest and then hitting shows right through mid-summer. But I wont be back on stage until my arse looks like a roadmap....so if im not ready in May....it might be later. Looking at a USBF show in plattsburgh and then there are a few OCB and INBF shows in the CT/MA/DE area in early-mid June. Id love to do round three at any one of those.....or if you have another suggestion besides the NMA. HE HA!

[stayfit2008]

Whoa....StayFat?? Is that you? Do my eyes deceive? I thought you left to go start a Zumba class and eat starfruit and crackers all day long.

The NOA started a long time ago but I cant find anyone to join. Actually, theres comp almost weekly which consists of me eating dinner shirtless and then once im all bloated from my mound of spaghetti, I do my mandatories in front of the mirror while my kids point and laugh. But, I do have my pro-card.

So, yep....im thinking of late May at the earliest and then hitting shows right through mid-summer. But I wont be back on stage until my arse looks like a roadmap....so if im not ready in May....it might be later. Looking at a USBF show in plattsburgh and then there are a few OCB and INBF shows in the CT/MA/DE area in early-mid June. Id love to do round three at any one of those.....or if you have another suggestion besides the NMA. HE HA!

Yea,..Im wondering about May myself,.Im having too much fun gaetting bulky and fat,..actually thats not entirely true,..I did manage to still saty lean at 25lbs. over last competiton weight. Can you believe October 2009 is that far gone?? Are you going to watch any shows in October this year? Im going to the NPC in Lakewood Ohio to watch a few O35'ers compete for their first time,..it will be nice sitting on the other side of the stage for once,..Ahhhh,..but I do miss it.

Maybe you, me, Tim, and Mat could all do the same show somewhere,..that would be real cool!

[AustrianOakJr]

TODAY IT BEGINS

My journey to shreddville.

So the plan is to cut from today to mid-november or there abouts. I want to cut about 15-18 lbs to sit just above my set point. Last year, my hunger turned off right around 178-180lbs. I figure if I can lop off this chunk of fat prior to the holidays it will give me a nice platform to start "hardcore" prep mode. Ill then run maintenance calories while I rehab my metabolism from mid november to January 2. This will free me up to enjoy a few meals around t-giving and Christmas and also get my metabolism revving again to start cutting under my set point. Im figuring from 180, I might have another 15-20 lbs to lose to see the conditioning I am after for this year.

Todays nutrition will be 215g Protein, 300g Carb, 55g fat which will put me just over 2500 calories for day one of my cut. Im hoping to be able to lose a couple lbs a week for the first phase of my diet. I may have to chop those carbs some more but ill see how this first week goes. I dont want to make the mistake of chopping too much too soon.

[bwelch1985]

awesome plan Oak. it's hard to start super early, but at this point we all know you pretty much have to be what a normal person would call 'shredded' at the START of prep if you want pro level conditioning.

how are things on the injury front? i ask b/c i'm personally dealing w/ a nagging upper back injury that's been pestering me for nearly a year and it's kinda got me nervous to start prep w/ it. i'm just concerned that a steep deficit will only exacerbate the injury and i won't be able to train properly at some point during prep. so, basically, i guess i'm just asking what are your thoughts on prepping w/ an injury?

[AustrianOakJr]

awesome plan Oak. it's hard to start super early, but at this point we all know you pretty much have to be what a normal person would call 'shredded' at the START of prep if you want pro level conditioning.

how are things on the injury front? i ask b/c i'm personally dealing w/ a nagging upper back injury that's been pestering me for nearly a year and it's kinda got me nervous to start prep w/ it. i'm just concerned that a steep deficit will only exacerbate the injury and i won't be able to train properly at some point during prep. so, basically, i guess i'm just asking what are your thoughts on prepping w/ an injury?

Yes, this is pretty much my plan. I want to start the core dieting phase of prep in January with a full set of abs, quad seperation and a solid metabolism. I am not going to step on stage unless I know I am shredded enough that my conditioning wont be questioned. And if my metabolism stalls before I see lines in my ass and hammies popping like crazy, I will do another metabolism rehab period and try again. If I lose I want to lose to a guy who is a total freak of nature.

As for the injury, my low back feels almost 100% right now. I have been doing a lot of unilateral leg work without any issue. I did some smith machine split squats last week and they felt great. I even got into some light sumo deadlifts yesterday (225 X 10-12 reps) just to test the waters. I think I am going to be good to go but I will err on the side of caution and leave free bar squats for another couple months. I will probably start deadlifting and smith squatting (light) either this week or next and just ease back in. In the mean time I will focus my heavier work towards the unilateral movements. So, i guess to answer your question, I am hoping that the injury has healed up and im ready to move on. Otherwise, yes...prep would be very difficult if I wasnt able to train legs efficiently.

[fltallpaul]

I like your plan buddy. I just started doing something similiar, getting bodyfat in check for next competition season. Great minds think alike!

[Blazed]

I just finished my 46 day mini so I guess we all on the same sexypants boat.

I wishh I had more time to cut another month.

Ill see you on stage big guy.

[jked4life]

Awh yeah!

Let's get the ball rolling. You already know what I think of your general plan :)

After my last cut I'm a fan of getting a tad bit aggressive in the beginning and allowing for the back peddle if you are getting ahead of yourself. I'm not sure what your metabolism is looking like these days, but just make sure to get that scale moving on the get go because you've already made solid plans to avoid the downward spiral.

I also like the fact you're staying conservative with the low back. Play it safe fo sho.



I think I'm gonna be joining ya on some cutting. It's almost time :cool:

[AustrianOakJr]

I like your plan buddy. I just started doing something similiar, getting bodyfat in check for next competition season. Great minds think alike!

Good stuff. Indeed.


I just finished my 46 day mini so I guess we all on the same sexypants boat.

I wishh I had more time to cut another month.

Ill see you on stage big guy.

Why dont you have any more time?


Awh yeah!

Let's get the ball rolling. You already know what I think of your general plan :)

After my last cut I'm a fan of getting a tad bit aggressive in the beginning and allowing for the back peddle if you are getting ahead of yourself. I'm not sure what your metabolism is looking like these days, but just make sure to get that scale moving on the get go because you've already made solid plans to avoid the downward spiral.

I also like the fact you're staying conservative with the low back. Play it safe fo sho.



I think I'm gonna be joining ya on some cutting. It's almost time :cool:

I think my metabolism is cranking right along. But I dont want to get anymore aggressive than 2 lbs a week. If I can drop 15 lbs by the time t-giving comes, that will leave me in a nice spot, I think. Especially since I put on like 15 lbs of solid muscle this off season.....come to think of it, i will be darn near ready to compete t-giving. ;) :D

[Blazed]

Because if I wanna make my competitors fear me I need to bring up my glaring weaknesses a bit.

Maybe a two week mini will be in order between turkey day and baby jesus day.

I just feel pressed for time, I might just start transitioning into prep jan rather than diving in feb 1st.

[AustrianOakJr]

Because if I wanna make my competitors fear me I need to bring up my glaring weaknesses a bit.

Maybe a two week mini will be in order between turkey day and baby jesus day.

I just feel pressed for time, I might just start transitioning into prep jan rather than diving in feb 1st.

Gotcha. Well, I am fearing the wrath of Blazed V2.0. And maybe if "fear" isnt the right word choice.....I am really excited to see you do well, man. I have no doubt you will bring it.

[jked4life]

I think my metabolism is cranking right along. But I dont want to get anymore aggressive than 2 lbs a week. If I can drop 15 lbs by the time t-giving comes, that will leave me in a nice spot, I think. Especially since I put on like 15 lbs of solid muscle this off season.....come to think of it, i will be darn near ready to compete t-giving. ;) :D

No, I wouldn't get more aggressive than that either. By aggressive, I was thinking closer to 2lbs a week than 1. Whatever numbers get ya to that point. I'd tend to be a tad more conservative on the phase starting in Jan. though.

[AustrianOakJr]

No, I wouldn't get more aggressive than that either. By aggressive, I was thinking closer to 2lbs a week than 1. Whatever numbers get ya to that point. I'd tend to be a tad more conservative on the phase starting in Jan. though.

Agreed. The first 15 can come off pretty fast without worry for muscle loss. Its more metabolism that is the issue. BUt I will have that two month rehab period though so I think 2 lbs a week is a good goal. Ill see how these numbers work out for me this week. I was actually at a weight I hadnt seen in a loooong time - 196 lbs on Mon morning after a BIG dinner the night before (as a diet kick off). I havent weighed myself since but I am surprised at how I am feeling the deficit already....even at 2500 kcals. Its a little adjustment coming out of fat-guy mode. :)

[AustrianOakJr]

HAMSTRINGS - HYPER

Big ham day today. This will be my first week since my injury that I split up hams and quads again. My back feels really good. So good that I figured I would try some romanian deadlifts. I did single leg presses first to hit the hams and glutes hard so that I could do more with lighter weight on the romanians. Seemed to work good and didnt have any low back pain at all even up to 275 lbs. BY the workout's end, I was pretty light headed due to all the blood in my backside. Im still not pushing anywhere near the power training rep ranges because I want to be extra cautious with my back. At this point in my prep, im so fat that muscle loss is not a huge concern.....as long as im getting some solid stimulus I should be fine. I want to be able to add the power training back in by mid november.

SINGLE LEG PRESSES (feet high on platform for max glute action)

2 pps X 12
3 pps X 10
3 pps + 25's X 8
3 pps + 25's X 8

REG LEG PRESS

5 pps X 20

RDL's

135 X 12
225 X 12
275 X 8 (being cautious)

LEG CURLS

105 X 10
120 X 8
120 X 10 (w/spot)

SINGLE LEG CURLS

30 X 10 each leg

[jked4life]

Agreed. The first 15 can come off pretty fast without worry for muscle loss. Its more metabolism that is the issue. BUt I will have that two month rehab period though so I think 2 lbs a week is a good goal. Ill see how these numbers work out for me this week. I was actually at a weight I hadnt seen in a loooong time - 196 lbs on Mon morning after a BIG dinner the night before (as a diet kick off). I havent weighed myself since but I am surprised at how I am feeling the deficit already....even at 2500 kcals. Its a little adjustment coming out of fat-guy mode. :)

I thought so. Great minds :)

I know how you feel. I touched on 214 twice in the past 4 days, one pound from mini time. It feels so strong in the gym but sluggish and sloppy too. Hormonally it's real nice, but not so much in other ways. Energy levels are starting to turn a corner and decrease at this weight, have you noticed that at all?

Out of curiousity, a refeed weekly? Numbers on that?

[AustrianOakJr]

I thought so. Great minds :)

I know how you feel. I touched on 214 twice in the past 4 days, one pound from mini time. It feels so strong in the gym but sluggish and sloppy too. Hormonally it's real nice, but not so much in other ways. Energy levels are starting to turn a corner and decrease at this weight, have you noticed that at all?

Out of curiousity, a refeed weekly? Numbers on that?

I do get a little more sluggish in general when im fat......hard to get moving in the gym but once I do, I am strong. I wont be refeeding until at least next week. I would like to get an initial burst of fat loss going out of the hole and then ill think about refeeds. Numbers? Dont know yet. Ill probably make up the difference in whatever my maintenance turning out to be in carbs......which ill have to watch the scale over the next week or so to find out.

[DanTheManB]

I thought so. Great minds :)

I know how you feel. I touched on 214 twice in the past 4 days, one pound from mini time. It feels so strong in the gym but sluggish and sloppy too. Hormonally it's real nice, but not so much in other ways. Energy levels are starting to turn a corner and decrease at this weight, have you noticed that at all?

Out of curiousity, a refeed weekly? Numbers on that?

Not to barge in but just wanted to say I've noticed (esp at the beginning of a cut) that energy levels go thru the roof after dropping 10-15lbs. After thatI worry about keeping them stable. There's a point where SS, and giant sets are a breeze and feel amazing to the point where I don't have the energy for them know what I mean?

[RichKnapp]

^5 Oak. I'm still here.

[fltallpaul]

Agreed. The first 15 can come off pretty fast without worry for muscle loss. Its more metabolism that is the issue. BUt I will have that two month rehab period though so I think 2 lbs a week is a good goal. Ill see how these numbers work out for me this week. I was actually at a weight I hadnt seen in a loooong time - 196 lbs on Mon morning after a BIG dinner the night before (as a diet kick off). I havent weighed myself since but I am surprised at how I am feeling the deficit already....even at 2500 kcals. Its a little adjustment coming out of fat-guy mode. :)

This reminds me of the morning I woke up at 246 and thought...that's too much morning weight for me. I woke up today at 238...gonna get it down to 230.

[stayfit2008]

Hey Sean! Damm,..I feel the fat rolling off in here! How could you let yourself go?? lets see some of the fatty pics before you shed,..Good plan tho,..use the holidays to celebrate your mini cut,..do you plan on maintaining the new cut weight?

[fltallpaul]

Hey Sean! Damm,..I feel the fat rolling off in here! How could you let yourself go?? lets see some of the fatty pics before you shed,..Good plan tho,..use the holidays to celebrate your mini cut,..do you plan on maintaining the new cut weight?

I couldn't resist, i love this picture!

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg123/AustrianOakJr/923a5535-1.jpg

[AustrianOakJr]

Not to barge in but just wanted to say I've noticed (esp at the beginning of a cut) that energy levels go thru the roof after dropping 10-15lbs. After thatI worry about keeping them stable. There's a point where SS, and giant sets are a breeze and feel amazing to the point where I don't have the energy for them know what I mean?

Yea.....granted I am less than four days into this cut.....but with the exception of after my legs training I have not felt at all like im dieting. Down 2 lbs in 3 days though.


^5 Oak. I'm still here.

And im glad to have you!


This reminds me of the morning I woke up at 246 and thought...that's too much morning weight for me. I woke up today at 238...gonna get it down to 230.


246 :eek:

Hey Sean! Damm,..I feel the fat rolling off in here! How could you let yourself go?? lets see some of the fatty pics before you shed,..Good plan tho,..use the holidays to celebrate your mini cut,..do you plan on maintaining the new cut weight?

Ill cut to about 178-180 and hold there until I begin the core dieting phase in January.


I couldn't resist, i love this picture!




In not THAT fat right now. :D I think I am closing in on 220 in that pic less about 5-10 lbs of muscle. Ill get some pics up soon. I have to remember to bring the camera to the gym.......not really forefront of the mind at 35 lbs over contest weight. Ive got major muscle group seperation and the faint outline of abs.......I look pretty beefy in a large tee shirt! Picture Lee Priest in the offseason. :D :D

[jked4life]

Not to barge in but just wanted to say I've noticed (esp at the beginning of a cut) that energy levels go thru the roof after dropping 10-15lbs. After thatI worry about keeping them stable. There's a point where SS, and giant sets are a breeze and feel amazing to the point where I don't have the energy for them know what I mean?

You make a really good point.

During my prep, it took a few weeks to settle in to the diet. Once I was settled in, I was so energetic at times I really surprised myself. I'd actually go as far as saying I've never been so energetic during that "core phase" of dieting. Tons of energy at all times of the day, positive mental outlook all the time, lifts were solid, and productive up the ying yang in daily life.

I started out at 215 and rolled this way from 205 or so all the way down to about 188 or so. I actually trained with Sean one day right around 190 lbs and he was shocked at how much energy I was having at that point. I actually would go as far as to say I'd never felt better in my life. Right around that mark is when I hit what must have been my setpoint because the Piano literally fell on me very quickly. After that, zombie mode.

I was told this phenomenon was because when you really get in fat burning mode, you are getting a ton of good energy from that oxidized fat. Once that runs out and you go below your setpoint, the body no longer wants to give that fat up for energy and then it's zombie mode. Dunno, that's what I was told by a local and extremely knowledgeable bodybuilder.

[DanTheManB]

I was told this phenomenon was because when you really get in fat burning mode, you are getting a ton of good energy from that oxidized fat. Once that runs out and you go below your setpoint, the body no longer wants to give that fat up for energy and then it's zombie mode. Dunno, that's what I was told by a local and extremely knowledgeable bodybuilder.

good stuff man. this explanation makes a lot of sense to me actually

[AustrianOakJr]

LEGS, LEGS, LEGS, LEGS.....

Hit me up some legs last night with a focus on the quads. I have come tor realize the quads are going to be toughest to work around the back injury. My hamstrings are absolutely hammered from tuesday's session and not a twinge of pain in sight for the back. I was able to hit my quads pretty hard last night but I felt if I were going much heavier my back would not be thanking me. I tried to do hacks last night with very light weight and keeping my knees above parallel. I didnt hurt anything but I felt very slight twinges of pain again in my right SI, which has been completely fine up to now. So, it seems that any squatting movement is irritating. On the other hand I need some type of squat movement to keep the quads working......I might try smith front squats next week or something. I did get decently heavy on the leg press (in the 12 rep range) so my legs got a bit of workout.

LEG PRESS (shoulder width, feet pretty low on platform for max quad action)

6 pps X 10
8 pps X 12
8 pps X 12
8 pps X 12

HACKS

2 pps X 12
2 pps + 25's X 20
2 pps + 25's X 20

SINGLE LEG EXTENSIONS

3 sets with long TUT

REG LEG EXTENSIONS

4 plates shy of stack X 10

[MattB4686]

Good looking workout oak!! I have back problems that flair up as well. One exercise I really like when my back is giving me problems is one leg squats in a smith machine. I just set up a bench behind the smith machine to put one leg on and use my other leg for the squat. It really cuts down on the weight you have to put on your back, but you still get the advantage of squatting. Just a thought!!

[AustrianOakJr]

Good looking workout oak!! I have back problems that flair up as well. One exercise I really like when my back is giving me problems is one leg squats in a smith machine. I just set up a bench behind the smith machine to put one leg on and use my other leg for the squat. It really cuts down on the weight you have to put on your back, but you still get the advantage of squatting. Just a thought!!

Yep....I have tried these with success. I was actually planning on them for this workout but a couple of goobers were doing squats (which actually looked more like good-mornings) on the smith machine. I asked how long they were going to be and they gave me the ol' "we just started" thing. So, I tried to find a substitute. I thought about free bar split squats but I dont know that im ready to load a free bar on my back yet.

[MattB4686]

Yep....I have tried these with success. I was actually planning on them for this workout but a couple of goobers were doing squats (which actually looked more like good-mornings) on the smith machine. I asked how long they were going to be and they gave me the ol' "we just started" thing. So, I tried to find a substitute. I thought about free bar split squats but I dont know that im ready to load a free bar on my back yet.

Yeah I dont blame you. Plus trying to keep your balance could be tough. DB's work pretty good, but my grip always gives out lol

[AustrianOakJr]

Hitten da hammies today. Good session indeed. I did some single leg presses, feet high on the platform......MAN those things just rip the hams and glutes to pieces. Probably the best exercise I have found. So I hammered those then onto the romanian deadlifts.......still a bit nervous about my back but I was able to get up to 315 without even a twinge of pain. I might be in pretty good shape! I was repping these out with 405 prior to my injury but that was at the beginning of my session when I was fresh. I think this is a smarter way to train though......hit up the singles, pre-exhaust and then do the riskier stuff. Bingo.

So I have been dieting for a week and a day and I lost a couple of lbs. Honestly I was expecting a bigger drop for the first week as I depleted a bit, but I just dont think I am giving up much water with my carbs at 300g a day. Ive never started a diet this high in cals or carbs before though. So I want to be pretty sure that my calorie level is set correctly for two lbs of FAT loss per week. I have been wearing my polar HR monitor today to confirm calorie expenditure. Ive had it on for 12 hrs and I have burned 2600 calories so far. Now, im heading into the pretty sedentary part of my day, but I dont think ill have trouble burning another 900 cals in the next 12 hrs. So, im thinking 2500 cals should be good to go for dropping two lbs a week. And therefore, I must not be losing much in the way of water. Does that make sense or am I crazy?

Workout rundown:

SINGLE LEG PRESS

2 pps X 12
3 pps X 10
3 pps + 25's X 9
3 pps + 25's X 8

LEG PRESS (feet high):

6 pps X 15

RDL's

225 X 10
315 X 6
275 X 10

LEG CURLS

105 X 10
120 X 8
120 X 8

[jked4life]

High foot placement on those 1 leggers, very nice! RDL's are back too, sweet. Just take it easy on the back.

That thingy says you're burning 3500 a day? You've made improvements with the met rate but that sounds kind of high. I can manage around 3200 a day without much change in the scale but it's still above maintenance for me.

At the start of my prep last year, I was at around 2450 with 3 days LISS and a HIIT day too. That got me rolling pretty good, but I still think I was shy of 2lbs a week. I'd hope to do a little better next time but probably wouldn't be that different. I'm a bit taller and heavier though too.

My gut would be a slightly larger deficit with a refeed day per week. I think even from the get go, that might not be a bad idea for you. Besides, you could always get rolling a bit quick and add a carb bump for week 3-4 if you needed. I don't know what you did in the past though, so just some ideas to throw out.


BTW, I got stuck in your hood tonight. Bus broke down on the way back. We had to pull over before hitting the bay bridge and got stuck. Didn't get home until 9:45. Ugh.

[RichKnapp]

still lerking. :) Nice work Oak.

[AustrianOakJr]

High foot placement on those 1 leggers, very nice! RDL's are back too, sweet. Just take it easy on the back.

That thingy says you're burning 3500 a day? You've made improvements with the met rate but that sounds kind of high. I can manage around 3200 a day without much change in the scale but it's still above maintenance for me.

At the start of my prep last year, I was at around 2450 with 3 days LISS and a HIIT day too. That got me rolling pretty good, but I still think I was shy of 2lbs a week. I'd hope to do a little better next time but probably wouldn't be that different. I'm a bit taller and heavier though too.

My gut would be a slightly larger deficit with a refeed day per week. I think even from the get go, that might not be a bad idea for you. Besides, you could always get rolling a bit quick and add a carb bump for week 3-4 if you needed. I don't know what you did in the past though, so just some ideas to throw out.


BTW, I got stuck in your hood tonight. Bus broke down on the way back. We had to pull over before hitting the bay bridge and got stuck. Didn't get home until 9:45. Ugh.

I hear you on the deficit. Considering the way that I was eating, I dont think the monitor is too far off. I stopped counting calories at 200P/450C/80F when my gains were slowing down (3300 cals)......I just started eating anything I wanted. My HR monitor had me at 3700 cals yesterday......granted a leg day. It seems hard for me to believe too, but I am pretty darn hungry through the day as I keep a lot of carbs and fats for night time. Its interesting to watch the HR monitor and its clear my metabolism is revving like a turbo motor......I was laying on the couch.....70BPM and I just roll over on my side and make an adjustment......85BPM. I got up to walk up the stairs......by the time I reached the top of my stairs I hit 115 BPM and then it sinks almost as fast. It used to take me 20 min of LISS on an incline treadmill to hit 115 BPM at the end of my prep!! Now it takes 5 seconds. The body is an amazing thing.

The scale dropped another half pound. Im gonna keep it here on legs days and maybe drop to 250g of carbs on other days and see what happens. I may add a day or two of MISS cardio. Uggh.....HIIT? I need to save that crap for when im desperate!


Stuck on the bus eh? You are the third person (my kindergarten son inc) in the last few days that I have heard getting stuck on a bus. Dang busses. Overheat?


still lerking. :) Nice work Oak.
Thanks Rich!

[coloBB]

good work in here Oak, I notice you only post your lower body workouts... you still rolling with the power/hyper split?

[AustrianOakJr]

good work in here Oak, I notice you only post your lower body workouts... you still rolling with the power/hyper split?

No, I stopped a lot of the focus on power training because I hurt my back (SI joint). So, I have been doing two leg days but training a little more instinctively for the time being......one ham day, one quad day where I have been staying more in the hyper range. Actually the one set of RDL's I did with 315 for 6 was the heaviest I have trained in about two months. It felt fine so I think i am getting back on track. Just have to be careful. I only log my leg days because this is my main area of focus for improvement......its really just a record for me to look back on for reference.

[AustrianOakJr]

I keep forgetting to bring the camera to the gym......then I remembered coming out of the shower today that I promised nasty fat-mass pics. So, here they are at 193 lbs this morning. Yes I am standing in my shower, but thats the only way to get into a position to see my legs in the b-room mirror (at least I didnt take a Quelly-naked-ass pic) :). It aint pretty, but it is what is.....my starting point.

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg123/AustrianOakJr/IMG_4020.jpg

[coloBB]

I keep forgetting to bring the camera to the gym......then I remembered coming out of the shower today that I promised nasty fat-mass pics. So, here they are at 193 lbs this morning. Yes I am standing in my shower, but thats the only way to get into a position to see my legs in the b-room mirror (at least I didnt take a Quelly-naked-ass pic) :). It aint pretty, but it is what is.....my starting point.

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg123/AustrianOakJr/IMG_4020.jpg

wheels are looking nice and thick, after a few weeks of dieting you should find out what kind of progress you made on them this off-season.

[Blazed]

Tank

[AustrianOakJr]

wheels are looking nice and thick, after a few weeks of dieting you should find out what kind of progress you made on them this off-season.

I know that measurement-wise my legs are approaching 24 3/4".......definitely a solid 24 1/2". They are 1/2 inch larger than they were at my fattest last off season (and I put almost an inch on them the season before). Closing in very closely now on my 25" inch upper leg.....which has been my goal for some time. I started out at my first season at just over a 23" upper leg......so im getting there.

This is the beauty of logging progress.......I went back and found this post from March 12th 2010:




Afterward, I measured my legs. Havent measured since just before I started last prep. My legs were 23" two years ago, prior to cutting for the 08 Olympus. This last season prior to cutting, they were 24". Today they measured 24 1/4" inches!!! YEA!!!! Twenty five inch quads are in the future!




Tank

He he.....I dont know if thats a good thing.....:D

[fltallpaul]

Looking good Oak...going to look different for sure. Well done Mr. Hamburgler!

[Quelly]

hey....you would take that pic if you had my ass

and bryce took that pic anyway lol

[AustrianOakJr]

hey....you would take that pic if you had my ass

and bryce took that pic anyway lol

Yes....you are right......one day I will have an ass worthy of nude internet pictures!!!!



Looking good Oak...going to look different for sure. Well done Mr. Hamburgler!


http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg123/AustrianOakJr/_hamburglar.jpg

[AustrianOakJr]

Another day o' leg trainin' .......


Cranked up the weight on the sled today and im still feeling good. I am pretty certain this is a safe exercise. I had 18 plates racked up and not even a twinge or inkling of pain. Got some "what the :eek:" looks today and some comments from the peanut gallery like: "dont plan on walking home today do you?", so that always feels good when others notice youre putting some effort in. I tried the front squats on the smith and I dont know if im a fan.......I got to 225 for a set of 9 and it just feels like my dang shoulders are taking so much concentration from my legs......i might try regular old shallow smith squats next week and see how I do.

LEG PRESS

6 pps X 10
8 pps X 10
9 pps X 8
9 pps X 6 (7 w/spot)

SMITH FRONT SQUATS

185 X 12
225 X 9
205 X 8, drop 135 X 5

LEG EXTENSIONS

3 sets with long TUT on the negatives

Yea buddy.

[coloBB]

smith front squats eh'? How do those feel compared to BB front squats? Seems like it might be a good exercise to throw in to overload the quads since you probably don't have to use your core nearly as much to stabilize the bar.

[AustrianOakJr]

smith front squats eh'? How do those feel compared to BB front squats? Seems like it might be a good exercise to throw in to overload the quads since you probably don't have to use your core nearly as much to stabilize the bar.

Exactly what I was thinking, but just like regular front squats, I dont like the fact that I have to support the bar with my shoulders. I need to invent something that you clip onto your hips and it supports the bar in front you......take all the load off the spine and places it on your hips. GENIOUS. ;)

[AustrianOakJr]

Whooo......legs are roasty toasty today. Whowzer-sore. As I discussed with Matt a few posts ago, I dropped my carbs down to 250 except on legs days (they remained at 300) so I have been taking in between 2300-2500 cals with zero cardio and I think I might be losing a touch too fast.....I was at 191 today, so 5 lbs in less than two weeks. However yesterday was legs day so I took a big glycogen hit. Ill see how it goes for another few days but I might split the difference and just do 275g of carbs everyday with a weekly refeed on friday on see if that lands me my desired 2 lbs a week. Today is my daughter's 3 year birthday so I am going to enjoy some good food (within reason) with family without worry of counting and then back to the grind tomorrow.

[Blazed]

I'm sure u lost some bloat, it being the first week and all.

[AustrianOakJr]

I'm sure u lost some bloat, it being the first week and all.

Maybe.....Its the end of the second week though and my carbs are fairly high. Generally, the water loss will come in the first few days for me.....maybe a pound or two. Last week, I only lost my targeted 2 lbs, which I chalked up to the pretty high carb diet (not losing much glycogen storage). In my fat ass state, I think the body is readily giving up the fat over glycogen.....but maybe this week im dipping a bit into both. Who knows....time will tell.

[DanTheManB]

I keep forgetting to bring the camera to the gym......then I remembered coming out of the shower today that I promised nasty fat-mass pics. So, here they are at 193 lbs this morning. Yes I am standing in my shower, but thats the only way to get into a position to see my legs in the b-room mirror (at least I didnt take a Quelly-naked-ass pic) :). It aint pretty, but it is what is.....my starting point.

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg123/AustrianOakJr/IMG_4020.jpg

Dude. You kept lean for sure this offseason man. Don't be so damn hard on yourself (or humble even). Quads def improved and come shred time it will be obvious....Chest and arms big as usual...traps look good from what I can tell and midsection is not out of control by any means. Good stuff Sean.

Edit: Delts looking thick too... lats will pop out nice once midsection leans up a bit more too

No homo'ing entire comment

[DanTheManB]

Exactly what I was thinking, but just like regular front squats, I dont like the fact that I have to support the bar with my shoulders. I need to invent something that you clip onto your hips and it supports the bar in front you......take all the load off the spine and places it on your hips. GENIOUS. ;)

Not a bad idea. I have a bar (weighs like 70-80lbs with no weight on it) that has handles draped over your shoulders and a slight curver at the ends so when you hold the handles up it brings the weight to where it would be on a front squat but you're holding the bar on your back. works perfectly. still smashes your core hard too

[AustrianOakJr]

Dude. You kept lean for sure this offseason man. Don't be so damn hard on yourself (or humble even). Quads def improved and come shred time it will be obvious....Chest and arms big as usual...traps look good from what I can tell and midsection is not out of control by any means. Good stuff Sean.

Edit: Delts looking thick too... lats will pop out nice once midsection leans up a bit more too


I can still see the outline of my middle abs so i know im in about the same spot I was in last off season when my cut began.......about 5-6 lbs heavier though. So, no.....im not in a bad spot, but im still 30 lbs heavier than my stage weight so thats a good chunk to move. Hence the breaking it up into two installments. But thanks for the critique.....honestly I would surprised if my uppers improved much because I just wasnt focusing on constant improvement in the gym.....however, I am hoping the legs will show im moving in the right direction come show time.



No homo'ing entire comment

Of course.....goes without saying. :D :D




Not a bad idea. I have a bar (weighs like 70-80lbs with no weight on it) that has handles draped over your shoulders and a slight curver at the ends so when you hold the handles up it brings the weight to where it would be on a front squat but you're holding the bar on your back. works perfectly. still smashes your core hard too

You might have to take a pic of that.......maybe ill see if I can round one up and bring my own bar with me on leg day.

[DanTheManB]

I can still see the outline of my middle abs so i know im in about the same spot I was in last off season when my cut began.......about 5-6 lbs heavier though. So, no.....im not in a bad spot, but im still 30 lbs heavier than my stage weight so thats a good chunk to move. Hence the breaking it up into two installments. But thanks for the critique.....honestly I would surprised if my uppers improved much because I just wasnt focusing on constant improvement in the gym.....however, I am hoping the legs will show im moving in the right direction come show time.



Of course.....goes without saying. :D :D





You might have to take a pic of that.......maybe ill see if I can round one up and bring my own bar with me on leg day.

i think i have one. kinda hard to tell brb

edit: still on my phone...ill upload tom

[DanTheManB]

Also love the idea of a two part gradual cut. Will put you in perfect position around 178-180 for the holidays...Say you eat junk moderately...blow up to 185-187(mostly water)...you'll be feelin good mentally and ready to get to work on the training big time. Great way to go about it.

[AustrianOakJr]

Also love the idea of a two part gradual cut. Will put you in perfect position around 178-180 for the holidays...Say you eat junk moderately...blow up to 185-187(mostly water)...you'll be feelin good mentally and ready to get to work on the training big time. Great way to go about it.

My goal is to not blow up much at all. I plan on counting macros right through with the exception of a couple special holiday celebrations......ill run maintenance cals for most days and just eat reasonably on celebration days. I want to hit the diet starting Jan 2nd at no more than 181-182 max......20 lbs over contest weight. Then ill have a solid 20-25 weeks from there to get shredded beyond recognition.....I want my striations to have striations. :)

[AustrianOakJr]

HAMSTRINGS

Well, I was able to lay the smack down on last week's workout......im feeling pretty good in the gym despite being a little hungry during the day, I get 50g of carbs in me 45 min prior to training and I am ready to rock. I hit a PR on the single leg ham presses today and my RDL's are continuing to improve. I dont know how I stack up to where I was before my injury because I moved the deadlifts to the middle of my workout rather than the end......so naturally the weight is lighter. I have come to realize I dont have a lot of endurance. I come out swinging really hard and can lift some pretty heavy weight but I konk out fast. I was training chest yesterday with a guy who is prepping for his first show.......ive trained with him quite a bit in the past.....Anyways, I hit a set of 110's for 9 reps right out of the gate and he barely got 2 on his own. By the time we are three sets in, I am pyramiding down to 90's for 8 reps and he's keeping up at this point. By the end of the session he was actually repping out more than I was. Strange how that works......I dont know what to make of that.

SINGLE LEG PRESSES

2 pps X 12
3 pps X 10
3 pps +25's X 10 (PR)
3 pps +35's X 7 (PR)

LEG PRESS - FEET HIGH

6 pps X 20 (glutes were SCREAMING)

RDL's

225 X 12
315 X 8
315 X 6

LEG CURLS

90 X 8
120 X 8
105 X 9 (w/spot)
105 X 8 (w/spot)

[DanTheManB]

Good workout man.

About your training partner :: That's how I am too. It's really odd. I get STRONGER the more sets I do. I'm thinking I'd be an excellent candidate for HIT because of that.

You're like the Rocky from Rocky 6...come out swinging and pack a wallop but the endurance isn't there :-p Funny how different we all are.

[AustrianOakJr]

You're like the Rocky from Rocky 6...come out swinging and pack a wallop but the endurance isn't there :-p Funny how different we all are.

HA HA! Yes, actually ive been that way all my life too. When I wrestled, I was known for destroying guys in the first 30 seconds on the mat (pinned guys in under 10 sec before)....but I would have a hard time winning if the match reached the third round. Maybe thats the fat guy in me??? :D But that was more a cardio endurance thing........we were doing bench press stuff......it wasnt like I was breathing hard......I just lacked the muscular endurance that he had.

[stayfit2008]

Hey Sean,..when you competing next? Im doing my debut pro show in Buffalo March 2011,..NGA

[AustrianOakJr]

Hey Sean,..when you competing next? Im doing my debut pro show in Buffalo March 2011,..NGA

I dont know exactly.....I want to find a pro-q for the WNBF or IFPA somewhere around the end of may to middle of june. Havent locked my sites on anything yet.

[jked4life]

Interesting. I actually didn't think your endurance was that bad when I've trained with you. I think I konk out faster than you do, at least in terms of sets. I've noticed that you tend to recover between sets more/faster than I do. If we were doing one long set, like a mega drop set or something, I think you'd kill me on the top end weight but I'd keep coming and take longer to fade into complete exhaustion.

You seem to have an extra gear that I just don't have, at least on the top end. I do think doing some of the power training is helping me a bit on that though.

[AustrianOakJr]

Interesting. I actually didn't think your endurance was that bad when I've trained with you. I think I konk out faster than you do, at least in terms of sets. I've noticed that you tend to recover between sets more/faster than I do. If we were doing one long set, like a mega drop set or something, I think you'd kill me on the top end weight but I'd keep coming and take longer to fade into complete exhaustion.

You seem to have an extra gear that I just don't have, at least on the top end. I do think doing some of the power training is helping me a bit on that though.

Well, if you think i move fast, you should train with the guy im working out with now......he's all about bam, bam, bam......one set after another. When we were about 8 sets in on chest, I wanted to move on to the last exercise and he gave me a look like "thats it??". I asked how many sets he usually does for chest......."FOURTEEN" :eek: But I can tell you his intensity isnt as high as mine.....so I guess its all relative right? Different strokes for different folks.

[DanTheManB]

Well, if you think i move fast, you should train with the guy im working out with now......he's all about bam, bam, bam......one set after another. When we were about 8 sets in on chest, I wanted to move on to the last exercise and he gave me a look like "thats it??". I asked how many sets he usually does for chest......."FOURTEEN" :eek: But I can tell you his intensity isnt as high as mine.....so I guess its all relative right? Different strokes for different folks.

wut. 14 is a lot for chest? Damn. I'm at least 20 every chest day including presses, dips/finishing movements. Very rarley under 25 normally.

Not bragging. Just enjoy training I guess

[stayfit2008]

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg123/AustrianOakJr/IMG_4020.jpg

GET IN MY BELLY!

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll247/stayfit2008/fat-bastard.jpg



jk - you look good buddy Oak!

[AustrianOakJr]

wut. 14 is a lot for chest? Damn. I'm at least 20 every chest day including presses, dips/finishing movements. Very rarley under 25 normally.

Not bragging. Just enjoy training I guess

Wow. Yea I rarely train any upper body part beyond 9-10 sets in a session. When I was going the power/hyper route I would only hit 3-5 sets per body part each session (twice per week). My legs I hit with a little more volume......usually 12 sets or so. I just dont know how I would recover if I did more. I guess different people respond to different intensity vs. volume.


GET IN MY BELLY!


jk - you look good buddy Oak!

I think you post that pic in my thread every year at this time. :D Its ALL muscle ;)

[fltallpaul]

Wow. Yea I rarely train any upper body part beyond 9-10 sets in a session. When I was going the power/hyper route I would only hit 3-5 sets per body part each session (twice per week). My legs I hit with a little more volume......usually 12 sets or so. I just dont know how I would recover if I did more. I guess different people respond to different intensity vs. volume.



I think you post that pic in my thread every year at this time. :D Its ALL muscle ;)

If I am doing a bodypart once a week I will do more sets so for chest 12-15, back 16-20, arms 8-12, shoulders 10-12. With the frequency and heavy work of the power hypertropy I generally keep it lower like 10 for chest, 12-15 for back and so on. I do love changing it up though and just going to town on one bodypart some days....keeps things interesting. Nothing beats a sick pump in the chest and back!

[Quelly]

If I am doing a bodypart once a week I will do more sets so for chest 12-15, back 16-20, arms 8-12, shoulders 10-12. With the frequency and heavy work of the power hypertropy I generally keep it lower like 10 for chest, 12-15 for back and so on. I do love changing it up though and just going to town on one bodypart some days....keeps things interesting. Nothing beats a sick pump in the chest and back!

same here, I always make sure to temperate volume with frequency and intensity, seen a lot better growth that way too

[AustrianOakJr]

Man, I dont know that I could stomach much more than 12 or 13 sets for my hams or quads......by the time im done the whole world is spinning and im hobbling out of the gym like I have a stick up my butt.

But.....maybe I should up the volume on upper body days and finally rid myself of this tiny chest and twig arms??? :)

[DanTheManB]

Man, I dont know that I could stomach much more than 12 or 13 sets for my hams or quads......by the time im done the whole world is spinning and im hobbling out of the gym like I have a stick up my butt.

But.....maybe I should up the volume on upper body days and finally rid myself of this tiny chest and twig arms??? :)

LOL! *thumbing motion* this guy.

I think its a matter of just not stopping LOL. Focus on one set at a time and by the end I end up with 18+ for each bodypart each day.

[jked4life]

Man, I dont know that I could stomach much more than 12 or 13 sets for my hams or quads......by the time im done the whole world is spinning and im hobbling out of the gym like I have a stick up my butt.

But.....maybe I should up the volume on upper body days and finally rid myself of this tiny chest and twig arms??? :)

Good call dude. ;)


I can stomach that kind of volume, I just don't think I benefit from it. Once I've done more than 6-8 sets on a bodypart, it's seriously diminishing returns. I can do more but it's pretty useless. That's why I prefer to up intensity and frequency as well.

[DanTheManB]

Good call dude. ;)


I can stomach that kind of volume, I just don't think I benefit from it. Once I've done more than 6-8 sets on a bodypart, it's seriously diminishing returns. I can do more but it's pretty useless. That's why I prefer to up intensity and frequency as well.

I find it fascinating that Sean is a huge Arnold fan but keeps volume relatively low (compared to what Arnie recommended)

I think that's why I started crazy how volume. Reading too many Arnold workouts

[BBTake2]

Anyone ever tell you, you look just like Les Stroud, the survivor man?

[AustrianOakJr]

Good call dude. ;)


I can stomach that kind of volume, I just don't think I benefit from it. Once I've done more than 6-8 sets on a bodypart, it's seriously diminishing returns. I can do more but it's pretty useless. That's why I prefer to up intensity and frequency as well.

I hear you.....I can blitz a muscle pretty quickly and feel like its roasted, toasted and done within 30-40 min....in and out. Beyond that I feel like im going through the motions without much focus and its very hard to keep pushing into that pain barrier for much longer.


I find it fascinating that Sean is a huge Arnold fan but keeps volume relatively low (compared to what Arnie recommended)

I think that's why I started crazy how volume. Reading too many Arnold workouts

I admire Arnold for his mental attitude, determination, and his charisma. I think he did the best with what was available to him at the time. There is no doubt in my mind that his training style, nutrition, supplementation and "supplementation" would have changed with the time if he were competing today.


Anyone ever tell you, you look just like Les Stroud, the survivor man?

Nope.....ive gotten Jason Statham before, but not Les Stroud. :)

[AustrianOakJr]

I have been at about 190 lbs even for two days in a row, which is pretty much on target for the end of the 3rd week coming up.....6 lbs down......10 more to go. Im doing my first refeed today and ill hit 400g of carbs today. Im actually feeling pretty full. When im lean, I just devour the carbs on refeeds and im still looking for more. In my fatness, im really not that hungry.

I hit quads today. Crazy workout! I got 18 plates on the leg press for (almost) 10 reps (had a little spot). I attempted some regular smith squats but kept my knees at or slightly above parallel to keep the back in good shape. I got to 315 for 12 reps and then a nice killer drop set. I was waiting for my quads to split open and the muscle to fall out on the ground, they were just splitting with pain. Love it.

LEG PRESS

6 pps X 10
8 pps X 10
9 pps X 10 (small spot)
9 pps X 8 (bigger spot)

SMITH SQUAT

225 X 10
315 X 10
315 X 12
315 X 10, drop 225 X 10

SINGLE LEG EXTENSION

2 sets to failure

LEG EXTENSION

1 set X long TUT on negatives past failure.

[AustrianOakJr]

Just want to record yesterday's refeed numbers and current macros so that I have them. Refeed yesterday: 200P/415C/55F. Gained a little over half a pound. Diet numbers: 215P/250C/55F. I bump my carbs to 300 on hamstring day. Losing 2 lbs per week with no cardio.

[DanTheManB]

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/9682/snc00223.jpg (http://img543.imageshack.us/i/snc00223.jpg/)


heres a pic of that front squat bar at my gym i was talking about

[DanTheManB]

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/9682/snc00223.jpg (http://img543.imageshack.us/i/snc00223.jpg/)


heres a pic of that front squat bar at my gym i was talking about

the ends where u put the plates on are shaped like

----__

[AustrianOakJr]

Thats pretty interesting.....i have never seen one of those.

[DanTheManB]

Thats pretty interesting.....i have never seen one of those.

It's home-made. Weighs about 70lbs with nothing on it. Basic premise is to have the handles in front over your shoulders (obviously) and when you squat hold them up high so the weight on the sides moves closer to the front. So it's the same feeling as front squats but with the security of the bar on your back.

Works pretty well actually. I'm sure you could figure out how to make one. Got any access to welding equipment?

[AustrianOakJr]

Got any access to welding equipment?

Yes, I have a MIG welder and arc welder at school. Welding is not an issue. I guess you would start with an Olympic bar and add the handles and modify the end? If you get a chance, can you snap a pic of the whole bar sitting on the floor or the squat rack so I can see the whole design? I am interested......I might take one of the bars I have at home and make one up....then just leave it at the gym or throw it in the back of my truck for legs days. Thanks Dan.

[DanTheManB]

Yes, I have a MIG welder and arc welder at school. Welding is not an issue. I guess you would start with an Olympic bar and add the handles and modify the end? If you get a chance, can you snap a pic of the whole bar sitting on the floor or the squat rack so I can see the whole design? I am interested......I might take one of the bars I have at home and make one up....then just leave it at the gym or throw it in the back of my truck for legs days. Thanks Dan.

def man i'll see what i can do. may need a heavier/slightly thicker bar than a normal olympic bar. piping maybe? i'll ask this one dude at my gym what the guy used. trust me you'll like it a lot. hits the quads hard directly

[AustrianOakJr]

def man i'll see what i can do. may need a heavier/slightly thicker bar than a normal olympic bar. piping maybe? i'll ask this one dude at my gym what the guy used. trust me you'll like it a lot. hits the quads hard directly

Yea, ask him.....I would imagine its loaded with regular Olympic plates, right? So either way, its going to need olympic bar ends on it to accept the 2" hole plates, no? |Sounds like what I need to help with my SI joint issue. I did back squats on the smith machine and the day after I was feeling little twinges back there, so being able to do front squats comfortably would be nice. Thanks!

[DanTheManB]

Yea, ask him.....I would imagine its loaded with regular Olympic plates, right? So either way, its going to need olympic bar ends on it to accept the 2" hole plates, no? |Sounds like what I need to help with my SI joint issue. I did back squats on the smith machine and the day after I was feeling little twinges back there, so being able to do front squats comfortably would be nice. Thanks!

correct on loading it with olympic plates. so yeah would at least need the olympic ends. ill see what i can do for you

[DanTheManB]

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/3226/snc00228z.jpg (http://img401.imageshack.us/i/snc00228z.jpg/)


here's a better look at the bar....

the guy i wanted to talk to for you about it wasnt at the gym today (go figure as he's a trainer and monday is a busy day for him)

[AustrianOakJr]

Thanks Dan.....ill be looking into this, for sure.

[AustrianOakJr]

Dem legz. Dem legz......hammies to be specific.

So, like a darn fool I did some heavy ass deadlifting today. I was feeling good....perhaps even a little giddy about moving some weight. But I didnt go balls out.....and kept it reasonable. Im happy to report that my SI injury has not cost me any strength in the hamstring dept. I think my PR for romanian dl's with 405lbs is about 7 or 8 reps (id have to go back and look). Well, I knocked out 6 today with relative ease. Most likely had a 7th in me but i decided to play conservative. So, that felt good to move some weight and no issues with the back. Booyah.

RDL's

225 X 10
315 X 6
405 X 6
365 X 9
315 X 10

LEG CURLZ

90 X 10
120 X 7
120 X 6
105 X 8

SINGLE LEG PRESS - FEET HIGH

1pps X 10
2pps X 10
3 pps X 10
3 pps X 10

Done and done.

[fltallpaul]

Nice RDL's. I am assuming by RDL's you are referring to the SLDL with a slight bend in the knee. This is how I do them but refer to them as SLDL. Actually I am not completely sure what a Romanian deadlift is so I am going to research. Either way good job smoking those hammies!

[AustrianOakJr]

Nice RDL's. I am assuming by RDL's you are referring to the SLDL with a slight bend in the knee. This is how I do them but refer to them as SLDL. Actually I am not completely sure what a Romanian deadlift is so I am going to research. Either way good job smoking those hammies!

Yes, for a while I was referring to them as SLDL's and someone piped up and said those are Romanian dead lifts. So.....whatever they are......the dead lift where you keep a slight bend in the knee and your ass in the air. They blast the crap out of your hams and lower back. And traps for that matter. Mucho sore today!

[FATHER FLEX]

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/3226/snc00228z.jpg (http://img401.imageshack.us/i/snc00228z.jpg/)


here's a better look at the bar....

the guy i wanted to talk to for you about it wasnt at the gym today (go figure as he's a trainer and monday is a busy day for him)

Safety squat bar, certainly changes leverages a bit. Great for GMs!

[DanTheManB]

Safety squat bar, certainly changes leverages a bit. Great for GMs!

it hangs lower than your shoulders...havent tried good mornings with the bar but it'd be kinda awkward. well it's an awkward movement anyway....

keep in mind the bar weighs about 70lbs with no plates on it. thicker bar (besides the olympic ends) plus the handles/ pad

[Work-Hard]

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Unpainted-Outlaw-Strength-Safety-Squat-Bar-/260662386383?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb0b05ecf

Found this one on ebay, which seems to be a viable option if you don't have tube bending capabilities. Looks to be made with 1" plate and possibly 1 1/4" x .250 wall tubing for the working portion of the bar. Also note that the plates have been drilled out to allow the bar to slide into it. I would definately make sure to pre heat the plate before welding the tubing to it as to ensure adequate penatration. I would also suggest using DOM type tubing. Actually looks like a fun little project.

Definately looking thick in that last pic. I'm interested to see how this approach to prep works as I'm doing the same thing starting the 1st of Nov.

[DanTheManB]

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Unpainted-Outlaw-Strength-Safety-Squat-Bar-/260662386383?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb0b05ecf

Found this one on ebay, which seems to be a viable option if you don't have tube bending capabilities. Looks to be made with 1" plate and possibly 1 1/4" x .250 wall tubing for the working portion of the bar. Also note that the plates have been drilled out to allow the bar to slide into it. I would definately make sure to pre heat the plate before welding the tubing to it as to ensure adequate penatration. I would also suggest using DOM type tubing. Actually looks like a fun little project.

Definately looking thick in that last pic. I'm interested to see how this approach to prep works as I'm doing the same thing starting the 1st of Nov.

good find. pretty similar. all i know is it CRUSHES your quads hard. easier to get real deep with it too

[AustrianOakJr]

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Unpainted-Outlaw-Strength-Safety-Squat-Bar-/260662386383?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb0b05ecf

Found this one on ebay, which seems to be a viable option if you don't have tube bending capabilities. Looks to be made with 1" plate and possibly 1 1/4" x .250 wall tubing for the working portion of the bar. Also note that the plates have been drilled out to allow the bar to slide into it. I would definately make sure to pre heat the plate before welding the tubing to it as to ensure adequate penatration. I would also suggest using DOM type tubing. Actually looks like a fun little project.

Definately looking thick in that last pic. I'm interested to see how this approach to prep works as I'm doing the same thing starting the 1st of Nov.

Nice, but pricey. Looks good to copy from though. Thanks for that!!

[AustrianOakJr]

ANOTHER LEG DAY - HAMMIES

Well, I didnt post my last quad day b/c there wasnt anything substantial write. I was a bit under the weather and was consistently a few reps shy of my PR's on all the lifts. Felt the same the next day with shoulders.....barely got 4 reps with 100's on DB presses, when I should have gotten 6-7. But I after a relaxing weekend of camping with the family I feel better and went back to the weights yesterday and my strength had returned. Today I hit hams and hit them HARD.

SINGLE LEG PRESS- FEET HIGH

2 pps X 10
3 pps X 10
4 pps X 5-6 (with spot) (PR)
3 pps + 25's X 8 (I think this is a PR as well)

RDL's

225 X 8
315 X 10 (PR for pre-exhausted RDL's)
315 X 8

LEG CURLS

90 X 10
120 X 8
120 X 8 (w/spot)
105 X 8 (totally spent!)

[DanTheManB]

ANOTHER LEG DAY - HAMMIES

Well, I didnt post my last quad day b/c there wasnt anything substantial write. I was a bit under the weather and was consistently a few reps shy of my PR's on all the lifts. Felt the same the next day with shoulders.....barely got 4 reps with 100's on DB presses, when I should have gotten 6-7. But I after a relaxing weekend of camping with the family I feel better and went back to the weights yesterday and my strength had returned. Today I hit hams and hit them HARD.

SINGLE LEG PRESS- FEET HIGH

2 pps X 10
3 pps X 10
4 pps X 5-6 (with spot) (PR)
3 pps + 25's X 8 (I think this is a PR as well)

RDL's

225 X 8
315 X 10 (PR for pre-exhausted RDL's)
315 X 8

LEG CURLS

90 X 10
120 X 8
120 X 8 (w/spot)
105 X 8 (totally spent!)

Strong W/o...seems as if with the weather fluctuations a LOT of people are getting sick. Make sure you get enough rest...plus taking down the cals a bit won't help in that respect. Single leg leg presses are pretty excruciating as well. Puttin in work man, can't wait to see the quad improvement this go around

[AustrianOakJr]

Strong W/o...seems as if with the weather fluctuations a LOT of people are getting sick. Make sure you get enough rest...plus taking down the cals a bit won't help in that respect. Single leg leg presses are pretty excruciating as well. Puttin in work man, can't wait to see the quad improvement this go around

THanks Dan....I cant wait. I dont know that it will be as dramatic as last offseason's progress, but it will be something......a half inch should be noticeable. Yep....I know what you mean with the sickness. I think about half of the tech-ed dept at school had some kind of chest cold and was out sick or moping around for three days like their life was going to end. Somehow I managed to catch it, but it was a lesser version.....just coughing, weezing and general crappy feeling. Blasted right through it in a few days though. Back to it!!!

[DanTheManB]

A half inch in shredded condition on both legs is a ton of progress. and it will be noticeable for sure.

for as much as i give layne a hard time he did bust his ass and his legs are noticeably bigger/thicker/better.

[AustrianOakJr]

QUADRILATS AND QUADRANGLES


Hit em hard today. Last week was a big downer due to being a bit sick I figured I better step up my game to keep my muscles from falling off. ;) Seriously, I had a little fire lit under my butt today. Had a big ole' refeed day breakfast and lunch.....had over 200g of carbs in me by the time I hit the weights and I felt pretty good. By the time I got done I felt like someone beat me with a baseball bat. I love this sport.

LEG PRESS

6 pps X 10
8 pps X 10
9 pps X 9 (small spot on last one)
9 pps X 7

HACK SQUAT

2 pps X 10
3 pps X 12

GIANT SETS

HACKS - 4pps X 8,
LEG PRESS - 6 pps X 8
LEG EXTENSION - X 8

HACKS - 3 pps X 10
LEG PRESS - 6 pps X 10
LEG EXTENSION - X 6, drop X 4

* Smoke was starting to trickle out my shoes at this point :D

LEG EXTENSIONS

X 8
X 10

Done, DONE! Hack squats felt good up to 4 pps ......no pain or anything in my SI. So that was great.

[co1e_train]

Lovin the creative workout names man ;)

For real tho, you sir are doing work like no other. When exactly is the the show?? Your not too far into prep right?



Forgive me if this info is in an earlier post. I have a severe case of laziness while Im home for fall break.

-the train

[AustrianOakJr]

Lovin the creative workout names man ;)

For real tho, you sir are doing work like no other. When exactly is the the show?? Your not too far into prep right?



Forgive me if this info is in an earlier post. I have a severe case of laziness while Im home for fall break.

-the train

Hey train....good to hear from you. I havent really posted any info on the shows yet. Im just cutting right now to get within range of cutting for a show ;). I plan to start the core dieting phase January 2 and go until im done.....whenever that is. Im eying a series of four or five shows starting May 21 through the end of June. ANd if im not ready by then, ill wait until July. So, its up in the air right now....just depends on when I get to shredville. :)

[co1e_train]

Hey train....good to hear from you. I havent really posted any info on the shows yet. Im just cutting right now to get within range of cutting for a show ;). I plan to start the core dieting phase January 2 and go until im done.....whenever that is. Im eying a series of four or five shows starting May 21 through the end of June. ANd if im not ready by then, ill wait until July. So, its up in the air right now....just depends on when I get to shredville. :)

Ah I see,


We are in similar boats then as I am myself also cutting currently but very slowly. Ive put on some quality size but am carrying a bit too much fluff and so myself and others thought it would be wise to slim down a bit. I also wish to compete in the april/may time period so i thought id start slimming down now and then once i figure out a show date then plan an actual prep.

Nothing crazy now, just hitting consistent macros and doing a bit of cardio but my no means am i depriving myself of calories. Just gonna melt off fat slow and easy for the time being and who knows, maybe even recomp and build a bit.

[AustrianOakJr]

Ah I see,


We are in similar boats then as I am myself also cutting currently but very slowly. Ive put on some quality size but am carrying a bit too much fluff and so myself and others thought it would be wise to slim down a bit. I also wish to compete in the april/may time period so i thought id start slimming down now and then once i figure out a show date then plan an actual prep.

Nothing crazy now, just hitting consistent macros and doing a bit of cardio but my no means am i depriving myself of calories. Just gonna melt off fat slow and easy for the time being and who knows, maybe even recomp and build a bit.

Sounds like a good plan, train. Do some recomp work and keep an eye on progress and then make your decision by early January if you want to show by april or may.

For me, I am already committed (mentally) to hitting the show circuit in late spring. So, im actually cutting quite hard right now (at close to 2 lbs a week). I feel I can get away with a pretty steep deficit at this point in the game and leave some metabolism rehab time before my long, slow steady cut. Im hoping that this plan works and I come in at my absolute best.

I went to watch a local comp last night and thats helped to really light the fire. I want to get back up there NOW.

[stayfit2008]

Sounds like a good plan, train. Do some recomp work and keep an eye on progress and then make your decision by early January if you want to show by april or may.

For me, I am already committed (mentally) to hitting the show circuit in late spring. So, im actually cutting quite hard right now (at close to 2 lbs a week). I feel I can get away with a pretty steep deficit at this point in the game and leave some metabolism rehab time before my long, slow steady cut. Im hoping that this plan works and I come in at my absolute best.

I went to watch a local comp last night and thats helped to really light the fire. I want to get back up there NOW.

Hey Sean, what shows you planning on doing? I'm pretty much committed to the NGA in Buffalo,..March 26th (my first masters Pro show) and the NPC in Lakewood Ohio, April 2

[InclineDBPresss]

Great attitude, definitely a good influence to see someone this far in the game with such a great mindset!

[co1e_train]

Niceeee Oak, good to hear the motivation is up!

Yeah hopefully I can recomp in a good way.


Haha get up there now!!! Right NAO!

[AustrianOakJr]

Hey Sean, what shows you planning on doing? I'm pretty much committed to the NGA in Buffalo,..March 26th (my first masters Pro show) and the NPC in Lakewood Ohio, April 2

I wont be anywhere near ready in March......and I dont plan on doing anymore of Jerry/Joe's shows. Unless things have changed recently, thats not an NGA show anymore. I think they are still calling it a "pro" show but its within their own federation called the "NMA" or Natural Muscle Association. So, just a heads up on that....

I am tentatively looking at few different shows starting in the end of May and potentially running through mid July. It all depends on how fast I get ready. I want to be absolutely pealed to the bone and then have a good few weeks of eating into the first show. Im not stepping on stage again unless I can look in the mirror see lines in my ass and hamstrings popping like coke cans .....and say :eek: I have to take it to the next level or there is no reason to compete again. I guess ill be traveling around a bit to hit the show circuit b/c there are none around me at that time.....probably go to Ohio and Mass.....there are a few INBF pro-q's and an IFPA pro-q in thes areas. Its up in the air at this point.


Great attitude, definitely a good influence to see someone this far in the game with such a great mindset!

Thanks man.....Im not sure I know what youre referring to specifically but ill take it!! :D


Niceeee Oak, good to hear the motivation is up!

Yeah hopefully I can recomp in a good way.


Haha get up there now!!! Right NAO!

He he! :) You will. Set your sights on the prize and stay focused on the things that matter and you will get there.

[AustrianOakJr]

Absolutely awesome workout today. Loved it. I was feeling good......the weight is dropping on the scale and my cals/carbs are higher than they have ever been at this much of a deficit. Ive got energy up the wazoo and im really feeling like im hitting on all 8 cylinders. I hit a HYUUUGE personal record in romanian deadlifts today. I was completely pumped b/c I am still relatively fresh out of my SI injury and just crushed my previous best on this exercise. I did a little celebratory dance after the set.....let out a big "YESS!!" with a fist pump. And dont you know it, some dorkwad comes up to me and says "Nice, man.....got a long ways to go though". So, im like "huh?" He says: "Yea, im weighed down with injuries now but ive had that for 14 reps". So, im like....."wow. thats great" :rolleyes: Whatever. Regardless, I was PUMPED. Hit the rest of the workout hard and did some real heavy leg curls with a spot for several forced reps and long TUT on the negatives. Hams were just writhing in pain before we started the single leg presses. Good day. :) :)

RDL's

225 X 10
315 X 8
405 X 8 (P freakin' R)
405 X 4
315 X 10

LEG CURLS long TUT on final negatives

90 X 10
135 X 8 (spot on last two)
135 X 8 (spot on most of them)

SINGLE LEG PRESS

1 pps X 10
2 pps X 10
3 pps X 10
3 pps + 10's X 8

Roasty toasty.....

Nutrition:

Normal diet day: 215P/250C/55F
Ham day: 215P/300C/55F
Refeed/Quad day: 200P/400C/55F

[jpfaherty]

Ive got energy up the wazoo and im really feeling like im hitting on all 8 cylinders.

What is this 1995? 8 cylinders isn't the real deal anymore! You must have been hitting on all 12 cylinders Oak! :D haha.

Congrats on the PR.

[AustrianOakJr]

What is this 1995? 8 cylinders isn't the real deal anymore! You must have been hitting on all 12 cylinders Oak! :D haha.

Congrats on the PR.

Well, I guess we are actually doing more with less nowadays......so maybe I was hitting on all four cylinders. ;) Thanks man.....that workout felt good. The CNS fatigue is setting in now and im feeling sapped a bit. And my SI is twinging a little. I hope its nothing but ill find out tomorrow.

[co1e_train]

Noice last workout was noice.

[jked4life]

I've had almost zero time to come on the forums lately, but I checked back over the posts in here that I missed.

I'm really liking what I'm seeing in here. Weight seems to be moving according to plan, macro's look really good to me (and well thought out), lifts look freakin amazing, and most of all you are still healthy.

All really good things.


I've figured out some of the roots of my injury problems from the work with my buddy, who also manages my gym. He helped me greatly to work on my squats a while back, namely how to activate the posterior chain correctly in the lifts and it paid off greatly. I trust his advice and he flat out told me why I'm chronically injured in the shoulders... lack of Thoracic Mobility (movement of the mid/upper back). I guess it keeps me from physically being able to maintain an appropriate amount of arch in my back during ALL lifts. This can cause major shoulder problems, as well as back problems. A quick test he gave me; Lay on the floor on your back with your feet on the floor (knees bent) and raise your arms directly over your head and back until your hands and wrists touch the floor. Try to arch the back to help you get there if you need too. If they can't, you have some problems. The results of my Thoracic Mobility test.....complete crap! Surprise. Give it a try. I'm curious to see how you do. If it's as poor as me, it might be something to look into. I have a whole host of things to work on to improve it.

[AustrianOakJr]

. Give it a try. I'm curious to see how you do. If it's as poor as me, it might be something to look into. I have a whole host of things to work on to improve it.

INteresting....as long as im doing it right, I have no problems touching my wrists on the floor above my head. My low back arches a little bit naturally when my wrists are about an inch off the floor in order to gain the last inch of travel, but I dont feel any strain or stretch to make it happen. I can rest comfortably with my hands and wrists touching the floor in that position.

The doc said he was pretty certain my issue is just core stability so I have been working on a lot of plank variations a few times a week. Its been pretty good. I did hack squats last week and felt fine. My SI joint is bothering me very slightly tonight after todays DL session but it might be more fatigue feeling than anything. Getting that last rep out was really probably pushing it more than I ought knowing I have this problem.

[fltallpaul]

Nice work on the RDL's. What's the most you have ever deadlifted? Sounds like you should be in the 500 club.

It's also great to hear that someone in your gym used to do 14 reps with 405...so you still have work to do. Don't forget he is the measuring stick for all of us. Was his name Doug Miller by chance?

[AustrianOakJr]

Nice work on the RDL's. What's the most you have ever deadlifted? Sounds like you should be in the 500 club.

Honestly, I have never tried to max. I dont know if I could do 500. I really dont deadlift much more than I RDL. And 405 is actually hard for me to get moving, but once I get it going I can rep it pretty well. It seems my sticking point is at the very bottom of the movement so if I can get it an inch off the floor, I can get it up all the way. The other problem is that my grip cant hold onto much more......I always deadlift with straps. I guess I have a real bodybuilder mentality and im not really paying much attention to actually powerlifting the weight. In two weeks, ill try a max effort for 1 rep and report back. :)




It's also great to hear that someone in your gym used to do 14 reps with 405...so you still have work to do. Don't forget he is the measuring stick for all of us. Was his name Doug Miller by chance?

I think his name was Kai something......Kai......eh I dont know....some big black guy. ;) Actually, he's about the same size as me and has a good physique and also competes.....one of those guys who has a lot of stories. Every time he competes though he's always "holding water". ;)

[AustrianOakJr]

ANyone ever question when too much sore is TOO SORE?? My lower back and hams are rocked like it was my first day training. I dont know if thats a good thing or a bad thing. Two days out from that workout and I was struggling to get out of bed!

[AustrianOakJr]

QUADS - HYPER

Well, I guess every workout cant be the best one youve ever had. Although that would really be good for progress, I guess thats unrealistic. This freaking cold that I had two weeks ago, has reared its ugly head again.......right after my awesome ham day on tuesday, I woke up wed morning sick.....and sore as heck. I think it was a bit much and I hadnt fully recovered from the cold i had last week. Its amazing that the immune system can get knocked out like that from a heavy-ass deadlift day. So anyways, im not bed-ridden sick, but ive been dragging the last few days in the gym. Plus I still havent recovered from tuesday's ham session. My hams and lower back are still rocked. Unbelievable. Today, I felt it was all I could do just to get in there, move some weight, and maintain. Hopefully it was enough that I didnt lose any progress. Luckily, today is a refeed and I can sleep in tomorrow for some good recovery.

LEG PRESS

6 pps X 12
8 pps X 12
8 pps X 10
8 pps X 10

LEG EXTENSIONS - slow, controlled, big squeeze

3/4 stack X 10
Full stack X 8
Full stack X 8
3/4 stack X 10

One leg extensions X long TUT X 1 set

HIP ADDUCTERS

X 3 sets

SMITH SQUATS- CLOSE STANCE, KNEES TOGETHER

225 X 25

[rich55]

Hey Sean, what shows you planning on doing? I'm pretty much committed to the NGA in Buffalo,..March 26th (my first masters Pro show) and the NPC in Lakewood Ohio, April 2


I am tentatively looking at few different shows starting in the end of May and potentially running through mid July. It all depends on how fast I get ready. I want to be absolutely pealed to the bone and then have a good few weeks of eating into the first show. Im not stepping on stage again unless I can look in the mirror see lines in my ass and hamstrings popping like coke cans .....and say :eek: I have to take it to the next level or there is no reason to compete again. I guess ill be traveling around a bit to hit the show circuit b/c there are none around me at that time.....probably go to Ohio and Mass.....there are a few INBF pro-q's and an IFPA pro-q in thes areas. Its up in the air at this point.

Time to e-flyer....

BAM!

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b98/rich55/Buckeye-Classic-Flyer-2011-New.jpg

But, it all seriousness. I would consider it if you like a well run natural show with some great competition. Not to mention the WNBF card up for grabs. I've been trying to get Chris to come down to Columbus for years. :D

[AustrianOakJr]

Time to e-flyer....

BAM!

[/IMG]

But, it all seriousness. I would consider it if you like a well run natural show with some great competition. Not to mention the WNBF card up for grabs. I've been trying to get Chris to come down to Columbus for years. :D

Rich, I would love to do your show......I just think its a bit too early to come with my "a game". I might look decent by mid april, but decent wont be good enough......I want that card!!! If by some freak accident the fat just melts off and I am way ahead of schedule, I will be there. If not, ill probably see you at the Arnold.

[AustrianOakJr]

DEM LegZ!!!

Training the hammies again today and it was a doosey. I started out really well....I felt fired up and had good focus. I dont think i said two words to my training partner for the first 15 min of training (he likes to blab a bit, so I try not to start conversation ;)). I tried out some "anabolic raptor" by NRGX ......it had about 30g of carbs plus the BCAA's and some other crap. I figured it would go in place of my pre-workout oats and whey. I felt good for a bit, but I hit the leg press very hard and kind ran out of steam. By mid workout I was getting that tunnel-vision, head swirling, puke fest feeling......my performance suffered a bit. On the last set of leg curls I gave it everything I had and had to get 3-4 forced reps to meet my rep goal. I was literally laying on the floor of the gym after that set. :) Took about 15 min in the locker room to recover. I dont know what it is....I think my return circulation sucks in my legs.....when I pummel my legs my head gets so dizzy and disoriented sometimes I feel like im gonna pass right out. Not a big fan of that. Anyways.....all in all, I did OK.

ONE LEG PRESS - LEGS HIGH FOR MAX HAM

2 pps X 12
3 pps X 10
4 pps X 6 (1 forced rep on left leg) (PR- less help than last week)
3 pps + 25's X 10 (1 forced rep) (PR)
3 pps + 25's X 8 (couple forced)

RDL's

225 X 8
315 X 9
315 X 7.5 (couldnt lock it out)

LEG CURLS

90 X 10
120 X 8 (spot on last one)
120 X 8 (spot on last 3)

[co1e_train]

Looks like your killin with dem legz. Can't have it any other way!

[Sporto1633]

Great job so far Sean! Keep that progress rolling!

Sporto

[AustrianOakJr]

Looks like your killin with dem legz. Can't have it any other way!

Oh yea.....I gotta hold every bit of muscle on these things I can.


Great job so far Sean! Keep that progress rolling!

Sporto


Thanks Tommy! Ive lost about 12 pounds in the last 5-6 weeks and hit 184 this morning. Ill get some new pics up soon. Im thinking another 2 weeks of dieting and then ill start the recomp/metabolism rehab right through until January....then core dieting will begin.

[DanTheManB]

Oh yea.....I gotta hold every bit of muscle on these things I can.




Thanks Tommy! Ive lost about 12 pounds in the last 5-6 weeks and hit 184 this morning. Ill get some new pics up soon. Im thinking another 2 weeks of dieting and then ill start the recomp/metabolism rehab right through until January....then core dieting will begin.

nice work bro!

[AustrianOakJr]

My last two days have had me off schedule a bit......I went to a conference for two days about an hour out of town. I knew lunch was going to be difficult as I would be eating out with colleagues.......so I pretty much just ate by feel with some rough guesstimates for numbers. I think I underate on thursday and then I probably overate a touch today on my refeed. I've been pretty much right on target with weight loss, so im not gonna lose sleep over it. Back to the numbers tomorrow.

I hit quads today and hit them pretty hard. However, I think my left bicep took a good licking. Its been bothering me for some time and bicep training has been minimal the last 3 weeks. Well, apparently I was gripping the handles on the sled with all my might because my left arm is brutally sore and stiff. So, this is going to be interesting. Hopefully it heals right up. Beyond that, it was a great workout......no serious PR's but I did get some successful hack squats in with only a little irritation to my SI joint. DId some heavy leg presses and some good extensions.....solid session.

QUADS

LEG PRESS

6 pps X 12
8 pps X 12
9 pps X 9 (spot on last one)
9 pps X 7 (spot on last one)


HACKS

2 pps X 12
3 pps X 15
4 pps X 10
4 pps X 8, drop 3 pps X 4 or 5, drop 2 pps X a few........toasty.

LEG EXTENSIONS

4 sets X 10-12 reps with forced reps.


Heres a pic from yesterday at 184 lbs......down about 10-12 lbs from the beginning of my mini.....and about 20-25 lbs outside contest condition. Im figuring on another 4 lbs of fat to move before I go to maintenance cals for several weeks.

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg123/AustrianOakJr/IMG_4146.jpg

[DanTheManB]

My last two days have had me off schedule a bit......I went to a conference for two days about an hour out of town. I knew lunch was going to be difficult as I would be eating out with colleagues.......so I pretty much just ate by feel with some rough guesstimates for numbers. I think I underate on thursday and then I probably overate a touch today on my refeed. I've been pretty much right on target with weight loss, so im not gonna lose sleep over it. Back to the numbers tomorrow.

I hit quads today and hit them pretty hard. However, I think my left bicep took a good licking. Its been bothering me for some time and bicep training has been minimal the last 3 weeks. Well, apparently I was gripping the handles on the sled with all my might because my left arm is brutally sore and stiff. So, this is going to be interesting. Hopefully it heals right up. Beyond that, it was a great workout......no serious PR's but I did get some successful hack squats in with only a little irritation to my SI joint. DId some heavy leg presses and some good extensions.....solid session.

QUADS

LEG PRESS

6 pps X 12
8 pps X 12
9 pps X 9 (spot on last one)
9 pps X 7 (spot on last one)


HACKS

2 pps X 12
3 pps X 15
4 pps X 10
4 pps X 8, drop 3 pps X 4 or 5, drop 2 pps X a few........toasty.

LEG EXTENSIONS

4 sets X 10-12 reps with forced reps.


Heres a pic from yesterday at 184 lbs......down about 10-12 lbs from the beginning of my mini.....and about 20-25 lbs outside contest condition. Im figuring on another 4 lbs of fat to move before I go to maintenance cals for several weeks.

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg123/AustrianOakJr/IMG_4146.jpg


lookin tight man. definite leg impriovements too. ...upper body is THICK dude. good stuff

[AustrianOakJr]

lookin tight man. definite leg impriovements too. ...upper body is THICK dude. good stuff

Thanks man. Im hoping to bring something much better to the stage this year.

[AustrianOakJr]

Werkin' dem hams....and my butt

So, I hit up some more hams and glutes on the hyper side of things again. My SI was a bit flared up for the last couple days.....not direct pain, but just feeling a little bit out of sorts. I left out the deadlifts for today just to be safe. It might look like I lost some strength on the single leg press, but I was going for a longer ROM and deeper stretch than before. It changed the exercise quite a bit and felt pretty good for the hams and glutes. I subbed in split squats for deadlifts today and that went pretty well. I dont feel as sapped as I usually do when I do deadlifts but I guess its OK to give the CNS a break for a bit.

ONE LEGGED PRESSES (deep ROM and big stretch)

2 pps X 12
3 pps X 12
3 pps +25 X 10
3 pps +25 X 8 (spot on last two left leg)

SMITH SPLIT SQUATS

135 X 10
185 X 10
195 X 10

LEG CURLZZZ

95 X 10
120 X 8
120 X 8 (Spot on last one)
120 X 8 (spot on last 2-3)

[RichKnapp]

Things looking good Oak. ^5

[coloBB]

looks like this mini-cut is clearing all the fluff away nicely! I am in the middle of a mini aswell, should make things a bit easier come prep time!:)

[AustrianOakJr]

Things looking good Oak. ^5

Thanks man.


looks like this mini-cut is clearing all the fluff away nicely! I am in the middle of a mini aswell, should make things a bit easier come prep time!:)

Yea, ive moved a solid 12-13 lbs so far and my abs have come in nicely. I carry a good chunk of fat in my lower back though that will hang on for dear life till the bitter end. Im figuring on another 3 lbs in the next week and half and ill be happy to get my calories back up in time for the holidays.......ultimately, I think that will be a big help.....starting quite a bit leaner than in the past with a revved up metabolism.

[Quelly]

Thanks man.



Yea, ive moved a solid 12-13 lbs so far and my abs have come in nicely. I carry a good chunk of fat in my lower back though that will hang on for dear life till the bitter end. Im figuring on another 3 lbs in the next week and half and ill be happy to get my calories back up in time for the holidays.......ultimately, I think that will be a big help.....starting quite a bit leaner than in the past with a revved up metabolism.

I think your gonna get diced this season, I got the same game plan myself! Good work in here bro

[AustrianOakJr]

I think your gonna get diced this season, I got the same game plan myself! Good work in here bro

Dude, I hope you are right......I want it BAD. IF I have to diet/break/diet right through the summer to get what I want.....ima gunna get it. :)

[B-Neva]

lookin good up in hurr'

[AustrianOakJr]

lookin good up in hurr'

Thanks. You are looking HYUUUGE in the new avatar. HA HA!! :D

[Quelly]

Dude, I hope you are right......I want it BAD. IF I have to diet/break/diet right through the summer to get what I want.....ima gunna get it. :)

nothing wrong with that!

[JimmyChitwood]

I hit a HYUUUGE personal record in romanian deadlifts today. I was completely pumped b/c I am still relatively fresh out of my SI injury and just crushed my previous best on this exercise. I did a little celebratory dance after the set.....let out a big "YESS!!" with a fist pump. And dont you know it, some dorkwad comes up to me and says "Nice, man.....got a long ways to go though". So, im like "huh?" He says: "Yea, im weighed down with injuries now but ive had that for 14 reps".

This story just cannot be for real. Who does this? Who puts a man down to his face like that when he's enjoying a personal best? Unbelievable.

FYI - I'm weighed down with puniness now but I've hit that for 27. Hundred. Just sayin'. Long ways to go.

Edit: forgot to comment on that picture. It's a pretty cute pose, I guess, but most notably...you look huge. Leg improvements are undeniable. Really solid work you've done on those, Sean. This is going to be a good season (if you don't stay this fat).

[AustrianOakJr]

This story just cannot be for real. Who does this? Who puts a man down to his face like that when he's enjoying a personal best? Unbelievable.

FYI - I'm weighed down with puniness now but I've hit that for 27. Hundred. Just sayin'. Long ways to go.

Edit: forgot to comment on that picture. It's a pretty cute pose, I guess, but most notably...you look huge. Leg improvements are undeniable. Really solid work you've done on those, Sean. This is going to be a good season (if you don't stay this fat).

If I didnt talk to you on the phone the other day, I would have sworn you were dead again. Thanks for stopping by. And yes.....that story is real. Maybe I misunderstood him in my lightheaded, heart pounding, winded state, but thats what I heard......I even gave him a real dumbfounded look and said "what?" and he clarified he hit 405 for whatever. Seemed like a blatant put down to me. Well, with any luck we will meet on stage one day and ill drop kick him into the audience.

Thanks for the props. Ive been working hard at it. And I have never been this lean going into a diet. I hit 182 lbs on the scale this morning so im hoping only another week on the mini cut before ill be eating burger king and pizza hut and ruin it all before january. Werd.

[Work-Hard]

If I didnt talk to you on the phone the other day, I would have sworn you were dead again. Thanks for stopping by. And yes.....that story is real. Maybe I misunderstood him in my lightheaded, heart pounding, winded state, but thats what I heard......I even gave him a real dumbfounded look and said "what?" and he clarified he hit 405 for whatever. Seemed like a blatant put down to me. Well, with any luck we will meet on stage one day and ill drop kick him into the audience.

Thanks for the props. Ive been working hard at it. And I have never been this lean going into a diet. I hit 182 lbs on the scale this morning so im hoping only another week on the mini cut before ill be eating burger king and pizza hut and ruin it all before january. Werd.

Seriously, who the heck says something like that??? I'm all for drop kicks but I'm more of a figure four leg lock kinda guy ala Rick Flair, or even the camel clutch ala the Iron Sheik.

I must also agree, the wheels are looking vastly imporved over last season. I predict big things for you this season. Great work!

[Quelly]

talk about insecurity, can't let someone have a PR without reminding them you've done better (if he's telling the truth)

[AustrianOakJr]

Seriously, who the heck says something like that??? I'm all for drop kicks but I'm more of a figure four leg lock kinda guy ala Rick Flair, or even the camel clutch ala the Iron Sheik.

I must also agree, the wheels are looking vastly imporved over last season. I predict big things for you this season. Great work!

Oooh.....the figure four leg lock. I like it!! :D


talk about insecurity, can't let someone have a PR without reminding them you've done better (if he's telling the truth)

Unfortunately bodybuilding is filled with these people. Insecurity abounds.

[AustrianOakJr]

QUADS

Well, back in August/Sept when I hurt my back, I said I wanted to be back to squatting come November so I took what I think is the first step back into it.....the smith machine. I did pretty heavy squats to slightly above parallel and they felt good. I havent done these in ages and I was happy to see my strength has not dropped even the slightest. I banged out 405 for 8 on my first working set. Then I got two more sets of 6. I felt good about that.

Interesting thing to note about todays training......I had an appt at 4 PM to have some blood taken for life insurance and I was instructed to not eat after noon. I was kinda bummed b/c its a refeed day and I couldnt get a nice pre-workout carb meal in.....my workout would start at 2:45. So I ate at exactly noon and had 55g protein, 113g of carbs, and 8g of fat. It was a good size meal. Well, I havent felt this good training in a long time and I have come to realize I may be eating too close to workout time.


SMITH SQUATS

315 X 8
405 X 8
405 X 6
405 X 6

HACK SQUATS (waiting for press to free up)

3 pps X 12

LEG PRESS

6 pps X 12
7 pps X 12
5 pps X 15, drop 4pps X 10, drop 1 more plate X 3 or so.....DONE.

LEG EXTENSIONS

3/4 stack X 12

ONE LEG EXTENSIONS

1/3 stack X 10 each leg (with forced reps)
1/3 stack X 10 each leg (with forced reps)

Done and done.....lots of sharp pain in my quads and blood loss to the brain!!.....solid session.

[J_Bo]

Interesting thing to note about todays training......I had an appt at 4 PM to have some blood taken for life insurance and I was instructed to not eat after noon. I was kinda bummed b/c its a refeed day and I couldnt get a nice pre-workout carb meal in.....my workout would start at 2:45. So I ate at exactly noon and had 55g protein, 113g of carbs, and 8g of fat. It was a good size meal. Well, I havent felt this good training in a long time and I have come to realize I may be eating too close to workout time.



How close to training do you typically eat? I know if you have a lot of food being digested, it causes blood to be diverted to your digestive tract, taking away potential blood from working muscles, not allowing them to be reoxygenated, thus interfering with your aerobic metabolic pathways.


Nice work getting back at those squats btw!!!

[AustrianOakJr]

How close to training do you typically eat? I know if you have a lot of food being digested, it causes blood to be diverted to your digestive tract, taking away potential blood from working muscles, not allowing them to be reoxygenated, thus interfering with your aerobic metabolic pathways.


Nice work getting back at those squats btw!!!

Well, I normally have a good size meal 2-3 hrs prior to training and then a smaller carb meal 30g or so right before (30 min prior). In the depths of contest prep I felt like this was a real pick-me-up meal and was absorbed immediately. Since I started this prep, I guess I have kind of stuck with that in mind....but often I get lightheaded and sick to my stomach on ham and quad days. I would suppose you are right that blood being used for digestion is causing an issue with oxygenating those large muscles. I might stick with the meal 2 hrs prior and run with that until I get lean enough that I start to drag a little.

P.S. Good to see you back on the boards J!! I havent seen you around the CP section.....How the heck are you?

[J_Bo]

P.S. Good to see you back on the boards J!! I havent seen you around the CP section.....How the heck are you?

I've still been reading the logs, but gotta get back in the loop here.

[AustrianOakJr]

I've still been reading the logs, but gotta get back in the loop here.

Good to see you around, buddy. Thanks for the PM.

[AustrianOakJr]

Im getting very bummed out about this stupid, freaking SI joint injury. Apparently squatting on friday was a bad move. I noticed no specific injury during or immediately after my session......I was actually really happy with the workout. Come sat morning, the joint started throbbing really bad to the point where I cant really sleep. I have been in denial a bit until yesterday when I decided I better go see the doc and he seems to think I have aggravated some scar tissue inside the joint capsule and now its swollen and fluid filled. AAAARGH!! :mad: I just want to get back to squatting again I feel like im at square one with rehabbing this injury. And on top of this all my left elbow has some substantial tendinitis and I am having a hard time with a lot of upper body movements. Today I am supposed to hit hams so hopefully I can work around the injury and it heals fast.

[Work-Hard]

Hey man, sorry to here about all the injuries of late. Just curious, when is the last time you took a week off of training to let the body fully recover?

[AustrianOakJr]

Hey man, sorry to here about all the injuries of late. Just curious, when is the last time you took a week off of training to let the body fully recover?

Week off??? Hmmmm.....three years ago? And that was a bit more than a week....more like a 2 year fat guy vacation. ;)

I hear you though. I was actually considering this because I will be bumping my calories up next week. Maybe I will put in the rest of this week (dieting), one more week at higher cals and then take a week off to give it a rest for a bit.

[J_Bo]

Week off??? Hmmmm.....three years ago? And that was a bit more than a week....more like a 2 year fat guy vacation. ;)

I hear you though. I was actually considering this because I will be bumping my calories up next week. Maybe I will put in the rest of this week (dieting), one more week at higher cals and then take a week off to give it a rest for a bit.

Hope the rest helps you buddy.

I am forgetful, do you do chiropractics?

[AustrianOakJr]

Hope the rest helps you buddy.

I am forgetful, do you do chiropractics?

Yes, I have been going to a chiropractor. He set me up with some exercises to do for my core. He has also been working with my tendinits lately and its gotten a touch better. My SI joint was doing great for the longest time focusing on leg press and dead lifts. I HAD to go and ruin it!!!

[tsajdak]

Hey Oak, I've seen your name all over in here but this is the first time I'm stopping in on your thread. I know its probably posted in here somewhere, but 42 pages is alot to search through. Are you prepping for a specific show? I just started my prep for the spring season and was curious to know if I would see you around.

[ever1964]

Yes, I have been going to a chiropractor. He set me up with some exercises to do for my core. He has also been working with my tendinits lately and its gotten a touch better. My SI joint was doing great for the longest time focusing on leg press and dead lifts. I HAD to go and ruin it!!!

Hey Sean. I injured my lower back doing deadlifts and am currently being treated by a chiropractor. He told me that the leg press machine is one of the worst machines he knows on the back. He says it puts sheer force against your back which it is not designed to take. He said he would much rather have me doing squats with good form and lunges with upright posture. They are compression lifts vs. the sheering movement. You might ask your chiro for another opinion on this.

[AustrianOakJr]

Hey Oak, I've seen your name all over in here but this is the first time I'm stopping in on your thread. I know its probably posted in here somewhere, but 42 pages is alot to search through. Are you prepping for a specific show? I just started my prep for the spring season and was curious to know if I would see you around.

I am prepping with several shows in mind starting in late May through early July. Mostly in NY and Mass. I was eying one in OH but I cant remember right now which one it was. I am not locked in on any one show....im gonna diet and compete when im ready.....im not sure when that will be exactly though. How about you? What shows are you looking at?


Hey Sean. I injured my lower back doing deadlifts and am currently being treated by a chiropractor. He told me that the leg press machine is one of the worst machines he knows on the back. He says it puts sheer force against your back which it is not designed to take. He said he would much rather have me doing squats with good form and lunges with upright posture. They are compression lifts vs. the sheering movement. You might ask your chiro for another opinion on this.


Yes, I have discussed this in depth with my chiro. The SI is not actually a low back injury (like a traditional lumbar injury) although its symptoms mimic it. Its often misdiagnosed as a lumbar injury. The sacro iliac joint is basicly where the spine inserts into the pelvis. You get a lot of movement at the SI joint at the bottom of the squat and a lot of leverage over the small end of the joint......wanting to pop it out of the joint capsule. So, squats are the big no-no for me. I thought I could get back into a parallel squat on the smith, but apparently not. The leg press doesnt bother me in the least. But IMOP, its an inferior leg movement and just doesnt recruit the big movers like a deep squat. It will have to work as a crutch for now and hopefully at some point in the future I can bring back the squat.

[AustrianOakJr]

So after considering the advice of several friends on the forums, my plan is to deload this week while finishing my diet. This seems a bit counter intuitive to me because I have drummed it into my head that I need the stimulus to hold the muscle. BUT.....i am still (relatively) fat......and its only a week. After this week I will re-evaluate my injuries and my mental state and decide if I want to take a few more days of total rest at a higher calorie level. Im hoping the one week deload will get me back in gear to start training hard again next week. We shall see.

[tsajdak]

I am prepping with several shows in mind starting in late May through early July. Mostly in NY and Mass. I was eying one in OH but I cant remember right now which one it was. I am not locked in on any one show....im gonna diet and compete when im ready.....im not sure when that will be exactly though. How about you? What shows are you looking at?

My plan right now is to start with the Northern States Supernatural in Buffalo. I'm originally from Buffalo and would like to come back and compete. After that will probably be the Natural Buckeye Classic down here in Columbus, is this the show you were thinking of? Its April 16th. I also have the Mr. Buffalo in the back of my mind also, just don't know if I really want to do an untested show. Just want to take advantage of this long prep I'm using this time out.

[AustrianOakJr]

My plan right now is to start with the Northern States Supernatural in Buffalo. I'm originally from Buffalo and would like to come back and compete. After that will probably be the Natural Buckeye Classic down here in Columbus, is this the show you were thinking of? Its April 16th. I also have the Mr. Buffalo in the back of my mind also, just don't know if I really want to do an untested show. Just want to take advantage of this long prep I'm using this time out.

I would love to do the buckeye but I just dont think I will be ready. There is a slim chance, but I doubt it. I may see you at the Supernatural though. I have a friend who is doing the show and I may go to cheer him on. If I see you back stage or whatever, ill make sure I stop and say hey.

[RichKnapp]

I would love to do the buckeye but I just dont think I will be ready. There is a slim chance, but I doubt it. I may see you at the Supernatural though. I have a friend who is doing the show and I may go to cheer him on. If I see you back stage or whatever, ill make sure I stop and say hey.

No Buckeye? :( Thought I would meet ya there. But do whats right for you.
BTW I went to Versa Grips and forarm pain is dropping fast. I think all along it was the noose effect from the straps.