Bo Flecks' Training Lean and Power Density Experiment

[mharrislove]

Great lesson to be found there in the body recomp, Bo. Also, it was great to read about the Swan74 call, too - stories of O35 Forum training/whatever camaraderie are always great to hear!

[baker]

STAGE 2: Run my nutrition on a razor's edge at maintenance and slightly above. This will be the mythical level of increasing muscle mass but not adding fat. I have done it before, but it takes A LOT of attention to detail and discipline. I think I am up to the task. I will also run another 10 weeks of DAA/Triazole during this time.

What would this said mythical level be? Perhaps 200 calories per day above maintenance? Is your view on this subject to keep the weekly caloric surplus under 3500 since a pound of fat = 3500 and a pound of muscle = 600 calories?

[Bo_Flecks]

Thursday 2/23/12- Shoulders/Traps/Calves "B Week" Rotation

Seated Overhead Barbell Press
10x205
10x205
10x205
10x205
13x205

Barbell Front Raises
10x57
10x57
10x57
10x57

DB Lateral Raises/Front Raise Combo
10x10x26
10x10x26
10x10x26
10x10x26

Bent Lateral Raises
10x46
10x46
10x46
10x46

Medium Grip Barbell Shrugs
10x315
10x315
10x315
10x315
15x315

Seated Dumbbell Shrugs
10x107
10x107
10x107
10x107
15x107

Narrow Stance Hack Squats
10x300
10x300
10x300
10x300
15x300

Calf Presses
25x410
25x410
25x410
25x410

Observations
Went in today and accomplished my agenda with the iron.

Shoulder Workout
Seated Overhead Barbell Press:
Rep increase day. I wanted to get 12 solid reps, and I got 13. No complaints here. The delts are continuing to feel strong on this opening lift.
Barbell Front Raises:
Weight increased by 2lbs. This variation of the front raise movement is coming along nicely. I am seeing some things in the front delt development that I have been looking for. Very narrow grip on this one to isolate the front delts as much as possible. Raising the bar to just above shoulder level, and then controlling a slow negative for the burn.
DB Lateral Raises/ Front Raise Combo:
Weight increased by 1lb. Ten lateral raises followed by ten front raises. This movement following the barbell front raises is a killer. A serious burner.
Bent Lateral Raises:
Weight increased by 1lb. Chest supported at a 30 degree angle. Concentrating on pulling the dumbbells up with the elbows, forcing the work to be done by the rear delts.

Trap Workout
Medium Grip Barbell Shrugs:
Rep increase day. Chest supported at a 45 degree angle forcing the traps to pull a little more to the rear. Holding and squeezing at the top.
Seated Dumbbell Shrugs:
Rep increase day. Performed seated on my SuperBench at an 80 degree angle to focus on the height of the traps. Dumbbells pulled around to the back slightly to add more emphasis to the top of the traps.

Legs
Narrow Stance Hack Squats:
Rep increase day. I set the stop on the hack machine to drop this one two inches lower. I am really trying to emphasize the outer quad with this one.
Calf Presses:
My third calf session of the week. Hi rep work with the feet together and toes straight forward to hit the belly of the calves.

Final Thoughts
Overall, another very good week of training.

[bamazav]

Observations
Went in today and accomplished my agenda with the iron.

This is what you want every day. Good job Steve. Push toward the win!

[BergMuscle]

This is what you want every day. Good job Steve. Push toward the win!

Ditto that.
I'm always impressed with the volume of shrugs you do.

[alex2363]

it seems like the micro weight increase gives you that extra oomph to push forward. I too have been doing the micro weight increase, it seems to give my pumps a boost.

[Payton1221]

Seated Overhead Barbell Press
10x205
10x205
10x205
10x205
13x205

Mind = Blown!!!!!

[smharris1971]

Mind = Blown!!!!!

^^^^ This!

[wedjim]

I'm always impressed when I come in here. It is odd to feel inspired and overwhelmed at the same time, but it is what it is.

You keep posting, i'll keep absorbing and trying to do better!

[Swann74]

I'm always impressed when I come in here. It is odd to feel inspired and overwhelmed at the same time, but it is what it is.

You keep posting, i'll keep absorbing and trying to do better!

^^^ Well said.

[ljimd]

Seated Overhead Barbell Press
10x205
10x205
10x205
10x205
13x205

I just popped a delt readin' this.^^^^^^ Strong................good work Steve.

[Payton1221]

Seated Overhead Barbell Press
10x205
10x205
10x205
10x205
13x205

I just popped a delt readin' this.^^^^^^ Strong................good work Steve.

Steve's an example of what someone said it takes to be big: You don't get big by lifting light weights with high reps and you don't get big by lifting heavy weights with low reps. You get big by lifting heavy weights with high reps!

[induced_drag]

Steve,

Had a question for you. A while back I thought I remember you saying you had a body-soild leg press/hack squat.

If that was you, how do you like it? I am thinking of adding a new piece to the home gym and I think a leg press/hack would be a great addition.

Any thoughts?

[2nd_chance]

Steve,

Had a question for you. A while back I thought I remember you saying you had a body-soild leg press/hack squat.

If that was you, how do you like it? I am thinking of adding a new piece to the home gym and I think a leg press/hack would be a great addition.

Any thoughts?

For the bang for the buck, you can't go wrong with adding this piece IMO.

[Bo_Flecks]

Been gone for a week on a "no-load" - looks like I missed many tons of iron being moved around in your basement. Unbelievable.

I was just looking over my calendar, and I am not particularly thrilled with how my up-coming de-load schedule looks.

I am going to train for the next three weeks and then do a 5 day walk away no-load for chest, bicep and legs (Saturday and Sunday training). Three weeks later I have to go to 6th grade camp and will have to miss my Tuesday and Thursday training (back, triceps, and shoulders). So I will get a full body no-load within a period of 4 weeks. I really do not want to do two de-loads within a month of each other, but it is what it is.

I feel like i'm at church and being chastised for not contributing enough....haha.

I have to find some time to weigh my portions, but right now I use the palm and fist method 95% of the time. I have weighed them on occasion though, so many items I know I am close. But not within 10 calories for the day certainly. :/

I am just not at a point where I can quit one of my jobs and make BBing one of them. I want to. I plan to bring things in line as I make progress with each level. Kind of like how a race car driver would start out in go carts, not jump right into F1?
Am I blowing it with this perception and it's just an excuse? Maybe, but I want to stay in this long term and also not burn out if that makes sense.

No reason to feel bad. It all has to do with specific goals. Normally throughout the year I do not micromanage my nutrition and cardio like I am now. It is just that my current goal demands it. Usually I follow the portion control method, and it works perfectly fine: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/eating_made_simple.htm

I'm always impressed when I come in here. It is odd to feel inspired and overwhelmed at the same time, but it is what it is.

You keep posting, i'll keep absorbing and trying to do better!

In about a month, once I have this first stage of the cut/prep completed, things are going to get really interesting.

Great lesson to be found there in the body recomp, Bo.

I take a lot of pictures and have a lot of notes that never make it into the weekly journal entries. Sometimes, it is fun to pull out some of those old pictures and data and post them up.

I just spent some time this morning going over some notes from last year. Based upon what I read and what is going on right now, I decided it was time to make a 100 calorie per day nutritional change. If I keep everything as it is now, I am convinced I will stall this week. I intend to be at my goal in three weeks.

What would this said mythical level be? Perhaps 200 calories per day above maintenance? Is your view on this subject to keep the weekly caloric surplus under 3500 since a pound of fat = 3500 and a pound of muscle = 600 calories?

That is a good question and I do not know there is a formula for working it out. But, here is my plan for staying in mythical territory until the final contest prep begins sometime in August.

First: Once this first stage of the cut is over slowly start introducing calories back in to establish my maintenance. This will be tricky because most of the calories added back in will be carbs, and I will gain some weight (not necessarily fat) back very quickly. The thing that I will have to watch very carefully is the skin folds and waist measurement.

Next: Weekly skin fold checks for diet modification. The difference between a bulk, a cut, and maintenance during this time will be very subtle.

Ultimately: Run my diet and exercise on a razors edge for the months leading up to the final contest prep. Hit that perfect level of nutrition where I can continue to add some muscle yet not add any fat.

I have done it before and made some reasonable gains. It takes a lot of attention to detail, but I am more motivated now than ever to get it done.

This is what you want every day. Good job Steve. Push toward the win!

Realistically, I am setting no expectations of a win for this first competition. My goal for October is to get the stage jitters off and learn from the entire experience. My real goal in this game is long term, but I have got to start somewhere.

I'm always impressed with the volume of shrugs you do.

The volume and the lower back safe protocol have made difference in how my traps are responding. Even at that, it is a slow process.

it seems like the micro weight increase gives you that extra oomph to push forward. I too have been doing the micro weight increase, it seems to give my pumps a boost.

The micro-loading and constant forward progression while on a cut is very important to me. While the gains are a little slower, they are still gains.

Mind = Blown!!!!!

^^^^ This!

^^^ Well said.

I have got that CrAzY oLd MaN strength going on them there OH presses.

Steve's an example of what someone said it takes to be big: You don't get big by lifting light weights with high reps and you don't get big by lifting heavy weights with low reps. You get big by lifting heavy weights with high reps!

The higher volume of the 5x10 protocol with (relatively) heavy weight seems to fit that bill. I have been very pleased with my progress on it so far. I am really looking forward to seeing what happens between April and August while using it.

Steve,

Had a question for you. A while back I thought I remember you saying you had a body-soild leg press/hack squat.

If that was you, how do you like it? I am thinking of adding a new piece to the home gym and I think a leg press/hack would be a great addition.

Any thoughts?

The leg press/hack squat machine I have is a Continental Systems. It spent the first 20 years of its life at a commercial gym in Springfield, Missouri. When the gym went under, a local equipment company called ShoMe Weights bought all of their equipment. I got the machine from them for $250. They delivered it and set it up for me.

I shopped CraigsList for a long time looking for a leg press/hack squat combo. There were plenty out there, but guys were asking more for them than I was willing to pay.

For the bang for the buck, you can't go wrong with adding this piece IMO.

I remember you started a thread a while back about essential equipment, and I put that for me it was the leg press/hack squat. Without it, my leg training would be non-existent. The fact is, though, these other pieces of equipment are used much more throughout the week.

[wedjim]

Thanks for the positive reply Bo.

Btw, I wish I could put a gym like that at my home, just no room other then maybe my garage. But I bet it would shorten my training sessions by 30 minutes since it eliminates all the BS that comes with the local social gym.

What do you figure the total investment is?

[alex2363]

Wow, Stevo you have better equipment than my gym at Any Time Fitness in NJ

[Meatpants]

Great looking set up Steve.

[Brackneyc]

Great looking set up Steve.

This for sure^^. I also now (more than usual) want a leg press.

[Bo_Flecks]

Saturday 2/25/12- Chest/Biceps "A Week" Rotation

Incline Barbell Bench Press
10x227
10x227
10x227
10x227
10x227

Decline Bench Press
10x227
10x227
10x227
10x227
10x227

Dumbbell Pullovers
10x87
10x87
10x87
10x87
10x87

Incline DB Curls
10x45
10x45
10x45
10x45
13x45

Tricep Bar Spider Curls
10x147
10x147
10x147
10x147
10x147

EZ Bar Reverse Curls
10x92
10x92
10x92
10x92
13x92

Wrist Curls
10x97
10x97
10x97
10x97
13x97

Observations
God help me... I love this stuff!

Chest Workout
Incline Barbell Bench Press:
Weight increased by 2lbs. My pecs really felt the workload and got a very good pump.
Decline Bench Press
Weight increased by 2lbs. Dropping the bar just below my sternum.
Dumbbell Pullovers:
Weight increased by 2lbs. Performed on my SuperBench at a 30 degree decline angle to achieve a good stretch. Keeping the arms with the same amount of bend throughout the entire rep.

Bicep Workout
Incline DB Curls
Rep increase day. The bench angle is at 60 degrees. I started the dumbbells at the bottom in the hammer position and put a quarter twist on them as I raised them to their apex.
Tricep Bar Spider Curls:
Weight increased by 2lbs. Chest supported at a 45 degree angle. Using a total hang at the bottom to stretch the bis, and then pulling the bar to the apex.
EZ Bar Reverse Curls
Rep increase day. Slow negative to burn the forearms and bis as much as possible.

Forearm Workout
Wrist Curls:
Rep increase day. Performed with a barbell with my wrists facing up.

Final Thoughts
I met my cut goal this morning of being at 178lbs. While this makes me happy that I am exactly on track at my 1lb per week target, the fact is I really only lost .4lbs this week. That means a nutrition adjustment is necessary.

From the beginning I did not front load my cardio. But as the weeks progressed and adjustments had to be made, I made some time additions until I got to 45 minutes per session, 3 days per week. My last calorie adjustment was to add 75 minutes per week of additional activity. NOT additional cardio, but 15 minutes of running errands and moving around the school that I was not originally getting in the morning. At this point, I am topped out on the amount of exercise I am willing to do. So that means the calories must come out of my diet.

Today I cut 100 calories per day by dropping my almond intake from 1oz. to 1/2 oz. This will be a per day decrease of 100 calories, 3 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbs, and 7 grams of fat. My estimate is that this 700 calorie per week drop will get me through the next three weeks. No matter where I am at, this stage of the contest prep/cut will end in 21 days. I will not go more than 12 weeks at a calorie deficit at this stage of the game.

When I weigh in on Saturday mornings, I want my variables to be as consistent from week to week for my diet modification purposes. So far in 9 weeks of cutting, I have been able to use this method to avoid any stalls in fat loss, and keep hitting my 1lb per week target. This is a much better track record than I had the first time I used the Norton protocol cut techniques, so I must have learned something.

The way I ultimately see this playing out is by the end of this first stage of the prep I will weigh in at 175lbs in a fairly glycogen depleted condition. As I re-introduce the carbs I have cut out and slowly find my new maintenance level, I will gain between 3 and 7lb of muscle fullness. My best estimate is that my training weight until the final contest prep begins will be in the neighborhood of 180lbs.

Did I mention I love this stuff?

[baker]

Did I mention I love this stuff?

Really??!! We had no idea.

I'm very interested to see where you add calories back in to start gaining muscle again.

[wedjim]

lulz....I just posted in my journal that I was eating nuts in the evenings without weighing them and I am now committed to weighing my nuts....

srs

[BergMuscle]

God help me... I love this stuff!

I'm with you on that.

[ljimd]

"God help me... I love this stuff!" - Bo_Flecks

^^^this made me smile.

[Brackneyc]

Did I mention I love this stuff?

I'm with you on that.

"God help me... I love this stuff!" - Bo_Flecks

^^^this made me smile.

Me too. The past year of training has been the best ever. I actually now have to find reasons "not" to train. IOW, I would do it everyday if I could. That first taste of progress was all I needed.

Of course, following guys like Steve, David and Micheal (and those who frequent their journals) have made the quest more fun than ever.

[hibiscus0905]

You sound as crazy with the numbers as I am. Congratulations!

Happy Sunday!

[wedjim]

did I mention I love this stuff

It is something in a lot of us I think Bo, when your on your way to the gym and feeling a buzz about it. Some dread it, but do it anyway, some are wondering "what PR will I be able to accomplish today!"

I'm with you and in the latter of the two.

[Bo_Flecks]

Thanks for the positive reply Bo.

Btw, I wish I could put a gym like that at my home, just no room other then maybe my garage. But I bet it would shorten my training sessions by 30 minutes since it eliminates all the BS that comes with the local social gym.

What do you figure the total investment is?

My initial investment in my equipment really was not all that much as some of it was given to me. But, I bought most of it 4 years ago before the price of iron sky rocketed. As the years have passed, I have added a few pieces here and there.

*SuperBench combo package: $325
*TDC Power Rack: $300
*500lbs Olympic weights @ .39 cents a pound: $200
*Hampton Oly Bar- 1,200lb capacity: $100 (priced wrong, but they let me have it for the amount it was tagged)
*18 inch dumbbell handles: $40
*4 25lb standard plates: $35
*Continental leg press/hack squat machine: $250
*Floor mats, heaters, and wall clock: $100
*4 weight trees: $80
*Chains and snap hooks for my suspension/spotting system: $40
*300lbs Standard weights: Free-given to me by a friend
*14 inch dumbbell handles and two 3 EZ bars: Free-given to me by a friend
*Supplementary cable machine: Free-given to me by a friend

So, at this point a little less than $1,500. Every penny of it worth to me. I have been planning on adding some additional used Oly plates, but I will not buy them until I absolutely need them.

Wow, Stevo you have better equipment than my gym at Any Time Fitness in NJ

Great looking set up Steve.

This for sure^^. I also now (more than usual) want a leg press.

Initially, I wanted to set up a home gym because I wanted to be able to spend less time away from home. When I got started, I had 18 month old twins, and then not long after that a third child came along. Keeping momma happy was the ultimate concern.

But as time has gone on, and I have modified my gym to meet my needs, I cannot imagine training anywhere else, now. Last fall, I had the opportunity to train at Lifetime Fitness on a free pass for five weeks. I actually did four complete workouts there. Believe me, Lifetime is a Taj Mahal gym with all of the bells and whistles with plenty of iron to get the job done. The fact is, I missed my grunge gym and my solitude.

My wife joined Lifetime, though. She and the kids absolutely love it. Her yearly membership is $996 with the kids added on. Since she is motivated to work out again, I would gladly pay double that.

Once she goes back to work, though, I may be forced to train at a commercial gym just for the child care . Lifetime would be okay, and would only cost us another $30 a month. But until then, I will train in my own digs.

Really??!! We had no idea.

I'm very interested to see where you add calories back in to start gaining muscle again.

Would it surprise you if I said I already had that worked out???

Ultimately, I figure my new maintenance will be 2,400 calories on training days and 2,200 on non-training days. The difference being the 200 calories of carb loading I do on training days which is offset by the intensity of the workout. That gives me 500 or so calories I will initially be working back in. I have the option of continuing with a re-feed on leg day, or I can build those calories into my daily total. That is the only decision up in the air at this point.

The first 200 calories I will add back in are going to be from the almonds I cut and the desiccated liver tabs I cut. Obviously I want to make sure my fat intake is on track to keep my hormones in balance, but the concentrated protein source, aminos, and B vitamins of the liver tabs are extremely attractive to me.

That leaves 300 calories/60 grams of carbs to work back in just to get to my new maintenance. From April until August, carbs will be the variable that I manipulate.

Starting on March 26th, my training really gets a kick in the pants.

*I will be done with my first de-load of 2012
*I will be back on a positive calorie balance
*I will start a 10 week run of DAA/Triazole
*I will be using a pre-training sup again for the first time since July- DS Craze stacked with Vasotropin

Should be fun!

lulz....I just posted in my journal that I was eating nuts in the evenings without weighing them and I am now committed to weighing my nuts....

srs

Well, it was time to make a 100 calorie adjustment and as much as I think the fat is important, at this stage of the game keeping my carb level as high as possible was more important. If I do have to make another adjustment (and I do not think I will), the calories will have to come out of carbs. Lowering the carbs is where most of the calories will come from next fall on my final prep cut.

I'm with you on that.

I do love this stuff, and for many reasons.

I thought about you yesterday, and the "Spontaneous Complement" thread you started a few months back, Dan. It was church directory photo day at the church my mom and dad go to. My mom wanted a big family picture with all of the kids and grandkids, so I drug my family back to my old home town for the photo.

While I was standing in the church lobby waiting, an old friend from high school came in. The first thing he said was, "Damn, son! You look good!" I laughed. One of the church ladies cringed.

"God help me... I love this stuff!" - Bo_Flecks

^^^this made me smile.

After I posted that in my log, I saw where you had posted in another thread that you would just like to see peeps on here say they “enjoy” training. Love of the iron seems to be in short commodity out in the open forum. But here in the journals, you can find the love affairs .

Me too. The past year of training has been the best ever. I actually now have to find reasons "not" to train. IOW, I would do it everyday if I could. That first taste of progress was all I needed.

Of course, following guys like Steve, David and Micheal (and those who frequent their journals) have made the quest more fun than ever.

Means a lot, Craig.

You sound as crazy with the numbers as I am. Congratulations!

Happy Sunday!

Yep. I am pretty much an obsessed data geek when it comes to this stuff.

By the way, I read what happened with your user name. I had a problem a couple of years ago where every time someone who was using Hughes satellite Internet service got IP banned, so did I. In a period of 6 months, I got IP banned 13 times. I had to deal with customer service every time. They would have a mod check my post history, and then un-ban me. The biggest aggravation was that I had to deal with a new customer service rep each time. I just kept a long copy and paste explanation I would send each time it happened. They were always very nice and told me they would have someone look into it. Finally, they got the glitch solved.

Hang in there!

It is something in a lot of us I think Bo, when your on your way to the gym and feeling a buzz about it. Some dread it, but do it anyway, some are wondering "what PR will I be able to accomplish today!"

I'm with you and in the latter of the two.

My friends at work know exactly when my workout days are because I am always geeked up and watching for the busses to pull out on training days. On non-training days, I am pretty relaxed at the end of the day. Nobody really gets it, but I don't care. It is just who I am.

[mharrislove]

Sweet set up, Bo. Hell, my annual gym dues are in the same ballpark of your overall costs...

[Brackneyc]

Sweet set up, Bo. Hell, my annual gym dues are in the same ballpark of your overall costs...

You're lucky they do not charge by the lb for how much weight is being lifted.