EPIC QUEST to 220 with O'Hearn & Norton
Right now I'm stuck at 193-195 and want to get up to 215-220. My plan is to do a lean bulk but I'm not going to cry if I decided to get wings & a pizza or cheese and wine.
Why do I want to get bigger you may think? The answer is simple ... because I want to.
Why are you using O'Hearn's and Norton's programs? Gotta start somewhere.
[b][size=3][color=blue]O'Hearn's Program can be found here:[/color][/b][/size]
[url]http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/other/power-bodybuilding-12-week-logs.pdf[/url]
He has some pretty neat videos and I'll post those the first day of each workout I begin. I'll put them up a second time when i start the second phase, and again on the third phase.
[b][size=3][color=blue]Norton's Program can be found here:[/color][/b][/size]
[url]http://www.simplyshredded.com/mega-feature-layne-norton-training-series-full-powerhypertrophy-routine-updated-2011.html[/url]
I'll use supplements here and there but the baseline plan is to just have my coffee and hit the gym.
[B][color=red][size=4]Follow along, it'll be good.[/B][/color][/size]
[B]THE INTRO[/B]
Okay so I'll flesh out a little bit here my goal and give some background of my exercise experience.
First of all my goal of 220 is "reaching for the stars." I'd love to be that weight and look shredded, but in the back of my mind I'm thinking that realistically I'll get to about 210 and maintain there. I'm going to carb cycle, as that has already shown more results in two weeks than two years at a level carb intake of around 150 - 200g a day, with some serious binging on the weekends ;).
After a couple online contests I got to where I'm currently at, but haven't changed in a good 6 months. My strength, however, has consistently gone up - perhaps due to the Promera Sports CONCRET and GLUTA-TREN, as I just finished being a rep with them after about a year. Now I want to see what a steady intake of real food and limited supplements can do for me. The big picture is health, and I'm at the point were (even though I've taken the above product for a long time) I still don't feel comfortable taking in processed foods - let alone processed powders! I just worry about what my liver and kidneys are going through over the long haul, regardless of cycling on or off supplements. They are performance enhancers, and I want to see what I can do without any 'assistance' for awhile. When I plateau I may look into it again, if a de-load doesn't work first.
[B]So the cliffs thus far are:[/B]
>> Shooting for 220 but expect in reality to get to about 210 (I'm thinking family here too, as my older brothers weigh more than this and I'm just getting to be 30 ... my body comp. is going to be changing!)
>> Planning to carb cycle
The chart below is what my High Carb days are going to look like. On my low carb days I'm going to take out two high carb elements - probably the oatmeal and sweet potato and get my carbs from the whole grain bread (which have steel cut oats in it)
Secondly, my exercise experience. In high school (12 years ago) I was a gymnast. I did all the events but really liked floor and parallel bars the most. So I have some good flexibility still and really think that my strength stems from this, but I'm planning to explode through these programs.
When I got to college I just went into the weight room and started lifting. For a long time, the next 10 years really, I didn't follow any programs and didn't focus on diet. My strength stayed the same and I wasn't consistent in the gym. Two years ago I decided that if I want to have any kind of accomplishment in fitness I should stick to [U]something[/U]. Since I had a good set of home free weights and a good bench it was only natural to start bodybuilding. So after a few months I joined the Double-T Transformation and did okay. Only until these last two online competitions, the 100K Challenge and the BSN Get Shredded (I have 5 more weeks in this) did I really start to focus on my diet. I finally have my regular food schedule, and am now tinkering with that to get my ideal look.
Through all that, I realized that I'm not actually eating enough! I am getting more and more consistent, but the weekends still mess me up. But now I'm trying to bulk, so bring on the thick-sauced chicken wings! I love those - they're made with a Catalina (french dressing) base, BBQ, and other nasty goodness :p
The programs above I have used before, and have found GREAT success with O'Hearn's program. My bench went from around 230 for 1 rep to 270 for 6 sets of 2 reps. With Norton's program I just scratched the surfaced and am looking forward to messing around with that.
Last week was my first full week with a lifting partner, and this should help motivate me to push harder. He's a solid looking 214 and with this program could turn the flab to some serious shredded muscle. He may even try to get his pro card. When he brings it up I encourage him to do so. Two of his friends got theirs and I try to motivate him to do the same. If I actually get to be 220 I may try for mine :eek:!
Right now the best, one line summary I can think of for my goal is: To look like Frank Zane. I think I have the body type for it, and if I get to be about 210 with 10% BF I think I'd look really close, and on a cut would accomplish that goal.
So thanks for reading, thanks for following, and get ready for some steady PRs!!