I think it's time for a fresh new start, so I decided to create a new journal for the second part of my bodybuilding journey. First though, I think it would be smart to take a look back at where I came from.
I joined BB.com in March of 2008 with the following stats:
I began a "bulking" program, and was really focused on gaining some serious size. Well needless to say, I gained some serious weight, but a lot of it was fat. By November 2008 my body had certainly changed:
Looks like pretty good progress huh? Unfortunately it looked like this:
I was disappointed and honestly a little disgusted at how my body had transformed. In November of 2008 I also attended my first BB show and afterwards told my wife that I would be on stage myself in one year. That was a bold statement, and probably more of a pipe dream than anything. But right then and there I decided that a change needed to be made, and I switched gears into cutting mode. Weeks turned into months, and my progress was SLOW. At many points in time I was ready to throw my hands in the air and give up. I was ready to go back to my vegetarian and whittle myself back down to 175lbs and skinny.
I knew that wouldn't satisfy me, so I persevered, kept trying new approaches and soon began to learn how my body worked. But only when I made a personal commitment to entering my 1st competition in November of 2009 did my transformation really crank into high gear. I dieted and trained very hard for close to 6 months, but I think that the hard work paid off as I got myself into the best shape of my life:
So that takes us to the present. Here are some of the goals that I'm setting for myself:
Short Term
1. Place 1st in the current OBF competition (Dec 2009)
2. Make my current physique look skinny
Long Term
1. Place 1st in a Men's Novice Heavyweight Class (2010)
2. Place top 5 in a Men's Open Heavyweight Class (2010)
3. Be a legitimate contender for a Pro Card (By 2012)
4. Win a Masters Pro Card (2012)
So this is it guys, where my new chapter begins. There have been a lot of people from these forums that have been there for support and motivation, and to them I owe them my thanks.
Ultimately I couldn't have done any of this without my wife Jennifer and 14 week old Nathan:
I saw your pics in Jaime's journal and you looked amazing.
Thanks very much and welcome.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stayfit2008
Welcome to the O35 forum Buddy!!
I'm excited to join this forum, thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2nd_chance
He who is not with you is against you!! I'm with you. Let's blow this place up!!!
Subb'd.
I love it. Time to get to work!
After 4 days off from the weights, I felt the need to lift some iron. And what better way than to get back to my old program, what I used before my contest prep, Dr Hatfield's Hardcore Bodybuilding program. Here's some info on it:
3rd day after my contest and my body feels back to normal. I am really looking forward to hitting the weight with full force tonight. So far I plugged out an easy 64 min of LISS this morning, and may do a light session PWO. Considering I got up to 2.5 hours during contest prep (darn stubborn fat) this is a cake walk. Mmmmm cake....forget I said that...
Interesting read on Hatfield. How long have you used the program?
Let's see....each cycle is a month long, and I think I got through 4 or 5 cycles. It is a high volume program, and I was doing a double-split to get all the weights in. When I started my prep I couldn't devote that much time to the weights, as my cardio had to increase, so I switch my program. I'm excited to get back to it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tifflex
How long will you be doing 60+ mins of cardio?
I don't know. During my last month of prep I got up to 2.5 hours of cardio a day. Now that I'm in my off season I want to taper that down. I don't know how much I'll be able to do that by or how long it will take. I want to start gaining some muscle, but not too much fat. Something that I've had problems with in the past.
So you're going heavyweight? How much do you have to weigh? Is it easier to be at the top end of the weight class below or the bottom of the weight class above? All other things (e.g., bf %) being fairly equal.
__________________
David
My Workout Journal:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=117774621
I am with you - Congratulations on learning how your body works (I am still trying to figure this one out for myself) and looking amazing.
There is one place I got lost in the mist
Quote:
Short Term
1. Place 1st in the current OBF competition (Dec 2009)
2. Make my current physique look skinny
was number 2 above for the contest december 2009? Never heard anyone doing bodybuilding say they wanted to look skinny ... could you explain?
__________________
I don't want to be the biggest or strongest.
I don't want to be the fleetest of foot.
I want to be the best I can be this very moment in time.
____________________________________________
I'll be following along...sounds like you have made some great accomplishments so far, congrats!!!
__________________
I want muscle...
This is maturity: To be able to stick with a job until it's finished; to do one's duty without being supervised; to be able to carry money without spending it; and to be able to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.
So you're going heavyweight? How much do you have to weigh? Is it easier to be at the top end of the weight class below or the bottom of the weight class above? All other things (e.g., bf %) being fairly equal.
In the federation that I plan on competing in for a while, the IDFA, they split the novice groups into 2 classes only - lightweight & heavyweight, the cutoff being 165lbs, so there I'm definitely a heavyweight. In the open they have a middleweight class that is 175 & under. Even at my present weight I would still be a heavyweight. Because of this I will add muscle and get more competitive with the other heavyweights.
All being equal it's better to be at the top end of your class. That's where I'm heading in the heavyweights.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TwoWalks
I am with you - Congratulations on learning how your body works (I am still trying to figure this one out for myself) and looking amazing.
There is one place I got lost in the mist
was number 2 above for the contest december 2009? Never heard anyone doing bodybuilding say they wanted to look skinny ... could you explain?
Thanks and welcome. I should have wrtitten:
2. Gain muscle to make my current physique look skinny. Meaning that I'll be bigger and more muscular than I am right now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by runninmom
I'll be following along...sounds like you have made some great accomplishments so far, congrats!!!
Thanks very much. I'm very excited about the future.
in
subbed
5 stars
welcome back
reps
and all that jazz
I remember you very well, and you look nothing like you used to. I have mad respect for you and your transormation.
Congrats on all this work you just did and seeking out the guidance to get you on stage.
You have some very realistic goals and I have no doubt you'll meet them!
__________________
Layne Norton FTW
Tifflex's and Fiend_73's journey to the stage
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?p=361189401&posted=1#post361189401
R.I.P CandyJunkie
With great power comes great responsibility.
~Spiderman/Stan Lee~
Thanks and welcome. I should have wrtitten:
2. Gain muscle to make my current physique look skinny. Meaning that I'll be bigger and more muscular than I am right now.
Now that makes sense to me. Skinny always bring to mind the guy with about 5% body fat and 98#'s of lean muscle. Adding mass while remaining cut A+
__________________
I don't want to be the biggest or strongest.
I don't want to be the fleetest of foot.
I want to be the best I can be this very moment in time.
____________________________________________
in
subbed
5 stars
welcome back
reps
and all that jazz
I remember you very well, and you look nothing like you used to. I have mad respect for you and your transormation.
Congrats on all this work you just did and seeking out the guidance to get you on stage.
You have some very realistic goals and I have no doubt you'll meet them!
Right back at you 10 fold. I know we now appreciate the amount of work, sacrifice and determination it takes to get on stage. So great work...let's both do it again in 2010!
Quote:
Originally Posted by TwoWalks
Now that makes sense to me. Skinny always bring to mind the guy with about 5% body fat and 98#'s of lean muscle. Adding mass while remaining cut A+
That's the plan.....I need some size on this frame!
In terms of the diet, I am going to very slowly scale back on the cardfio and add calories to the diet, mostly in the form of PWO carbs. It took me 6 months to take off the fat, I don't want to gain any of it back.
Tonight I trained shoulders and arms. The weights still feel rather heavy. Hopefully I'll be pushing my usual, pre contest weights soon.
Today was a cardio only day (did 50 min of LISS this morning), and I also threw in some abs and calves for fun. Compared to an average prep day this felt like an off day. Back to the weights tomorrow - shoulders and triceps.
whoa v-man is over here - cool deal brutha - happy friday - good to see ya
Hey Rock. I thought I'd get in with the cool Over 35 crowd.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2nd_chance
Hey V. Weighted crunches are my punishment of choice as well. Tiff is right... Holy Delts! Great work.
Thanks - these C workouts are killer!
Quote:
Originally Posted by stayfit2008
Good Work here V-man! Ya know with those glasses on My nickname for ya is Clark,..Thats as in Clark Kent,......aka Superman!!!
I laughed hard when you first made the reference - and I'll definitely take it as a compliment! I followed your preps very closly and was happy to see you get your pro card. You have now made it a goal of mine to follow in your footsteps and go for that Masters Pro Card myself. You are a great inspiration!
So since they are so fun, and you guys seem to enjoy it, I did another C workout tonight. This time it was triceps:
I have some dates in mind for next year. Actually I could use your input as to which ones I should focus on. Right now I'm eyeing the following dates: May, July, August & November? Is it possible to shoot for all 4 or should I choose 2 or 3. I could use your advice....
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