Vytis Chapter II - The Realization of a Dream

[Vytis]

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:

Weight - 180 lbs
Body fat - 9.4%
Quads - 22
Arms (flexed) - 15.5
Shoulders - 48
Chest - 42.5
Waist - 32

And here's what that looked like:



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:

Weight - 215 lbs
Body fat -16+ %
Quads - 25.25
Arms (flexed) 17
Shoulders - 52.5
Chest - 45.5
Waist - 34

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:

Weight - 176 lbs
Body fat - 6.4%
Quads - 22.5
Arms (flexed) - 15.5
Shoulders - 48
Chest - 43.5
Waist - 31





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.

So to Jaime, Dawn, Paul, Lesa, Anne Marie, Mary Anne, Clement, Heidi, Tara, Sammy, Brian, and Jimmy and The Rock (if you guys are out there) and to anyone to whom I missed (I blame the low carbs, lol) I say thank you. You guys have been super supporters of me. I hope that you'll stick around for the next go around. Who's with me?

[dogg74]

Count me in Vy..On for Chapter 2. You have already made serious strides from last year..and it will only become better..MARK THAT! We have a great support system around here and we are going to see you to it thru Thick N Thin! Let do this bro..

Heeey where's the Pic of lil Nathan? You have done it all bro..esp having a newborn and Wiffe to give your attention to. You my friend are... THEE ROLE MODEL!

[Vytis]

Count me in Vy..On for Chapter 2. You have already made serious strides from last year..and it will only become better..MARK THAT! We have a great support system around here and we are going to see you to it thru Thick N Thin! Let do this bro..

Heeey where's the Pic of lil Nathan? You have done it all bro..esp having a newborn and Wiffe to give your attention to. You my friend are... THEE ROLE MODEL!

Thanks Clement - YOU are the Man!

And you're right. Ultimately I couldn't have done any of this without my wife Jennifer and Nathan:

[tonsti]

count me in!! Fathers FTW!!!

[AllDai]

I'm in on this...great progress so far!

[MoEcho]

subbed!!

pro card ftmfw!!

[Major T]

OMG!!! Those are AWESOME new goals!!! I have no doubt at all that you will achieve them

You are TEH CAPT!!!

Progress pics are fantastic!

[BillyUrias]

I am in with you man. As I myself is making my journey to my first stage apparance. Lets do this thing.

[ironviolin]

Rob...what a fantastic job you did... love these photos..and so very proud of you... Jennifer and Nathan did a wonderful job supporting you.. i know it can get hard during contest prep and the three of you worked well together... the family that plays and works hard together stays together...same as the forum memebers... we all work well together and support each other...count me in... this is going to be fun!!!!! again many congrats to you...glad to see you starting on another chapter so soon...thats how its done!!!!

[jaim91]

2010 is going to be YOUR year babe...

Your friggin' year.... And you have the support of SOOOOOOO many.

And we're starting it off with a bang! Enjoy the week off...we begin teh new phase next week!

[thom2355]

I'm with ya. Here I was telling you a few months ago that it wouldn't be wise to start your first prep with a newborn. I thank you for proving me wrong. Definitely an awesome journey and I look forward to your progress to the OBF....then some mass.

[KennyForbes]

I'm in for sure!!!

Rob you looked great on Saturday, I'm sure your family is super proud!!!

[KennyForbes]

Bring on 2010!!

[Vytis]

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:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...light=hatfield

Today's workouts looked like this:

AM Cardio - 64 min LISS

PM Weights
Back (A), Chest (A) & Biceps (A)
Rack Deads 225 - 10 sets of 10
Chest Press 190 - 12 sets of 10
EZ Bar Curls 75 - 10 sets of 10

This first workout felt great. We'll see how the legs hold up tomorrow....they are still sore from contest day. Have a great night all.

count me in!! Fathers FTW!!!

YES....let's do this!

I'm in on this...great progress so far!

I'm happy to have you follow along, welcome.

subbed!!

pro card ftmfw!!

Alright Mo. You're getting me excited now!

OMG!!! Those are AWESOME new goals!!! I have no doubt at all that you will achieve them

You are TEH CAPT!!!

Progress pics are fantastic!

Thanks Tara - The Major - My Twin Tower!

I am in with you man. As I myself is making my journey to my first stage apparance. Lets do this thing.

Excellent....when is your contest?

Rob...what a fantastic job you did... love these photos..and so very proud of you... Jennifer and Nathan did a wonderful job supporting you.. i know it can get hard during contest prep and the three of you worked well together... the family that plays and works hard together stays together...same as the forum memebers... we all work well together and support each other...count me in... this is going to be fun!!!!! again many congrats to you...glad to see you starting on another chapter so soon...thats how its done!!!!

Thanks Lesa. Now that I've gone through a prep and actually got myself on stage I finally feel like I can legitimately consider myself a bodybuilder. And I couldn't have done it without the super support team I have - I am one lucky guy. Just keep setting the pace and I'll follow your lead champ!

2010 is going to be YOUR year babe...

Your friggin' year.... And you have the support of SOOOOOOO many.

And we're starting it off with a bang! Enjoy the week off...we begin teh new phase next week!

Thanks Jaime. You know how awesome you are, right??? (And maybe I shouldn't have listed my workout from today huh?)

I'm with ya. Here I was telling you a few months ago that it wouldn't be wise to start your first prep with a newborn. I thank you for proving me wrong. Definitely an awesome journey and I look forward to your progress to the OBF....then some mass.

Thanks Paul. I got my strength from my family, if that makes sense. I actually got even more disciplined...wierd. And I look forward to gaining some mass - maybe I can reach your level one day.

I'm in for sure!!!

Rob you looked great on Saturday, I'm sure your family is super proud!!!

Bring on 2010!!

Thanks so much Crystal. I had a blast, and I look forward to cheering you on as well!

[jaim91]

Thanks Jaime. You know how awesome you are, right??? (And maybe I shouldn't have listed my workout from today huh?)

*sigh*

(can you PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE do me a favor and at least take off til Wed, and then do a deload workout *i can help if you want*...and take the cardio down a notch?)

pweeeeeeeeeease?

[Vytis]

*sigh*

(can you PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE do me a favor and at least take off til Wed, and then do a deload workout *i can help if you want*...and take the cardio down a notch?)

pweeeeeeeeeease?

Not to be combative, I'm only asking from an educational standpoint. What is the benefit of the timeoff, a deload and scaling back cardio so quickly? Wouldn't I have to cut calories even more during this time to fend off fat gain?

[ms_mac]

Count me in for this one, too, my friend! I knew once you hit that stage you would be hooked! Such an incredible high, isn't it? I have decided not to compete again until 2012.......can't come fast enough!


I love the pic of you and Nathan. Too cute! And your wife is beautiful.

Now about that celebration cheat meal.......DO IT! LOL@

[sammykapp]

Sheesh....at least I'm in on page 1!!!!!!!!


Can't wait to see Chapter II unfold!!!!!! This is the best news ever!!!!

[MoEcho]

Hmmmmmm... I'm reading about this Hatfield Hardcore business.... interesting! MoLikesIt!

[jaim91]

Not to be combative, I'm only asking from an educational standpoint. What is the benefit of the timeoff, a deload and scaling back cardio so quickly? Wouldn't I have to cut calories even more during this time to fend off fat gain?

You're in a VERY fortunate position with your body composition right now, but a very vulnerable one from a physiological point of view being at such a low bodyfat, and having put your body through so much physical stress over the past little while.

I wasn't suggesting taking in excess amounts of calories or doing nothing, just decreasing the general volume of your workouts for 1-2 days. Take advantage of this anabolic rebound; you'll grow using heavy weights! That's your best bet coming off a contest prep...

[Vytis]

Count me in for this one, too, my friend! I knew once you hit that stage you would be hooked! Such an incredible high, isn't it? I have decided not to compete again until 2012.......can't come fast enough!


I love the pic of you and Nathan. Too cute! And your wife is beautiful.

Now about that celebration cheat meal.......DO IT! LOL@

Excellent, glad to have you along. My wife is beautiful, in more ways than is imaginable.

Sheesh....at least I'm in on page 1!!!!!!!!


Can't wait to see Chapter II unfold!!!!!! This is the best news ever!!!!

This is gonna be good Sammy!

Hmmmmmm... I'm reading about this Hatfield Hardcore business.... interesting! MoLikesIt!

You would do very well on a program like this. Something to consider.....

You're in a VERY fortunate position with your body composition right now, but a very vulnerable one from a physiological point of view being at such a low bodyfat, and having put your body through so much physical stress over the past little while.

This is why I asked the question. If not doing your normal amount of work (weights/cardio) would you have to lower your calories to compensate for the reduced caloric expenditure?

I wasn't suggesting taking in excess amounts of calories or doing nothing, just decreasing the general volume of your workouts for 1-2 days. Take advantage of this anabolic rebound; you'll grow using heavy weights! That's your best bet coming off a contest prep...

I definitely want to take advantage of the anabolic rebound. And I thought I was doing well. Limiting my cardio to only 60 some minutes (90 minutes less/day) and only starting to lift yesterday. I feel great right now and am looking forward to lifting some heavy weight again.

[jaim91]

This is why I asked the question. If not doing your normal amount of work (weights/cardio) would you have to lower your calories to compensate for the reduced caloric expenditure?

Not while you're in your anabolic rebound phase...

[Vytis]

Not while you're in your anabolic rebound phase...

Well I hope I do this right then. I'd love to be on stage next year 10lbs heavier. I know this may be a stretch but I'm going to give it my all.

My workouts have been going great, I feel good. Yesterday I trained Triceps and Shoulders, both B workouts. This morning it was cardio and a C Legs workout. Remember the C, the giant set:

5 reps, 12 reps, 5 reps, 12 reps, 5 reps, 40 reps, 5 reps, 12 reps, 5 reps, 40 reps, 5 reps

I alteranated between squats, leg curls and leg extentions, and completed a total of 2 giant sets. Felt good.

More weights tonight.

[sammykapp]

Nice to see the hatfield again.

I'd missed seeing the "C" workout

[tonsti]

Ahhh! Its gotta feel good being back at the weights again! Enjoy!

[annemarie_DJ]

Great new goals setting, Rob. Write them down and make them real !! Why would you want to make your "current physique look skinny"? I didn't quite understand that one. Pleeze clarify for my pea brain.

Be careful not to over train. Rest is a very important part of bodybuilding and growing lean mass. You may have missed my last post in your other thread. It said: Always listen to Jaime!! hahaa

Also, I posted OPA pics in my thread for you as requested.

[Vytis]

So how are you feeling now Rob? Has the excitement from Saturday worn off at all?

Man, I want to hit the stage again already. The wierdest thing is that I miss being in contest prep. Even though it nearly killed me...

Uh Oh..you got the BUG ! And it ain't the swine flu!

Makes sense that you got "into" your cardio - it's so natural and normal for you. Jennifer is SMART. That's why you married her. Always listen to Jennifer... and Jaime !


Very addictive, yes? So glad you enjoyed it !!


Sounds like very good comp day treats! You are so well balanced, you don't need to go mental and wolf down a load of junk food. It would defeat the purpose. This is a "lifestyle" not a crash diet ! Props to you on the food choices.


Wut? 8 litres!?! On comp day?


And this is why you're told NOT to do any weights after the competition! Time to REST !!!


*sniff* Awesome! It's true, your color was GREAT. And your face looked great too. Alot of men really screw up the color on their face. Jennifer rocks! Woot!

CONGRATS!

Yeah, like everyone else who competes for the first time, I've caught the bug. It was such a great experience, and I learned a lot throughout the process.

I did get a lot of looks backstage when I kept filling up my water bottle...

Jennifer does rock. She was a great "trainer" for me that day.

Nice to see the hatfield again.

I'd missed seeing the "C" workout

You know Sammy if you missed them so much you could have thrown one out yourself...

Ahhh! Its gotta feel good being back at the weights again! Enjoy!

Sure does!

[sammykapp]

You know Sammy if you missed them so much you could have thrown one out yourself...

To do something like that would be to take stuff into my own hands....and result in an untimely death at the hand of my boss.....

[jaim91]

You may have missed my last post in your other thread. It said: Always listen to Jaime!! hahaa

I like this chick

P.S. Your wife + Me = Kobe + Shaq circa 2005, Karl Malone + John Stockton, MJ + Scottie Pippen...you get the point. Thank her for me, btw...like, big time!

I <3 your workouts

[RUBICON19]

Good stuff!! CUTE baby! Good luck with this journey! That Hatfield routine is BRUTAL!