Bo Flecks' Training Lean and Power Density Experiment

[rpaul11]

Hey Steve...Hope you're well.

[alex2363]

still looking....

[KingLerxst]

Hi Steve, just catching up here after being gone a while. Holy crap dude! You are a specimen! Your workouts are insane and your physique is really impressive as always, but dang the recent comparison pic is a jaw dropper. Way to rep the O35! I'll try to keep up a lil better this time. Good to see such inspiring work.

[bamazav]

Must be deload, BoStevus has dropped off the map.

[Bo_Flecks]

If I had intercostals like you I'd try and shred paper with them.

You look hella cool.

I went to a local place this week and bought a cheap pair of classic posing trunks to wear while getting some progress pictures. At this point, I am fairly satisfied with where I am. I'm seeing some really good things, and some things that I definitely need to shore up before October. Of course, that will always be the case.

I think doing this first as a trial run is a great idea. Not only will you be in shape to do very well even being your first, but with your well planned methods and strict adherance, you'll only get better for the next and have the first time jitters beaten as well.

As someone once said, "A plan is always the best way to approach anything and is what seperates goals from dreams."

Trial run is right. I took two sets of pictures this week. The first was just to work on my posing and see which positions looked best. The second was for my records to reflect and build on. It shocked me how tiring an hour of posing can be. I definitely have my work cut out for me over the next few months.

That is exactly what I was thinking, that "Peak Week" was anywhere from 3-6 days too early (at least for me, and your results lend credence to my idea). Might be a good experiment for me to try. Sooooo many variables.

Of course I am not contest lean right now, but I think I am lean enough to see how my body reacted to coming off of the cut and introducing carbs. After 6 days of increased carbs I looked the best from the initial carb up. After about 10 days on increased levels, I had actually lost a little more weight. Nothing much, but the fat loss had not yet stabilized.

I am slowly in the process of establishing my new maintenance for the next 5 months of training. I am in no hurry to get the calories too high, so this will be a slow process to make sure I get it right.

I'd go with over 40 masters and novice if you're looking at doing two classes...

I was looking over the results of recent NANBF comps and will definitely do the Novice and that Masters 40-49. I may decided to do a third class, but we will see.

It seems like the lower abs may be a little flatter last year, but you also did increase weighted leg hanging ab work which may make it thicker too.

It could be that I was leaning back a little more in the pic from last year and stretching the lower abs a little more, too. The main thing for me is that when I compare the body of photographs from last year to this year, I see reasonable amounts of improvement. I am good with reasonable amounts. No matter what, though, it is NEVER enough.

Awesome as usual. Steve, have you ever done behind the back shrugs? There is a great YT video on these. I did them, and they were brutal. Just curious if you did, and if you found them helpful. I had to cut the weight in half to do them correctly.

Shrugs behind the back used to be one of my staples, but after my last L5 outage all unsupported shrug work got put on the shelf indefinitely. Until October, I will not be getting out of my exercise bubble of lower back safe movements. I cannot afford a setback between now and the day I step on stage.

Lots of Rep and Weight increases FTW! Enjoy the deload.

Throughout the whole Stage 1 Cut I was able to keep my progression moving forward. I did not try to push my gains at the same rate and with positive calorie training, but I kept them moving forward either through reps or additional weight.

Layne Norton says that is the key to his cut technique. Load your available carbs so they can be used during training, and then train with high intensity using heavy weight. His protocol works.

shoulders should feel well worked after that one SteBo

BTW....all the 7's in your weights drive me crazy..

Yep. I had a lot of one and two pound increases throughout the cut, but they were still increases and very important.

Well, that's a drag; I was curious (as I'm sure you are!) to see what the results were going to be.

Steve, I might send you a PM later to discuss how it was conducted and, more importantly, what assumptions were made. If memory serves, there's a "residual volume" number that has to be assumed since I don't think there's a direct way to measure for it. It's the amount of air that remains in your lungs/system even though you've tried to exhale all of the air that you could. This assumption WILL influence your result (albeit, not by much), but as long as they're consistent with the value that they use, subsequent measurements (assuming you do this again) will reveal whether you've made additional progress or not. Basically, if they assume that you're retaining more air in your system than you are, then the calculated "lean mass" will be too low and consequently the BF% will be too high.

BF test, April is still early, but with the OCD most of us have it makes you want to yell, NO I WANT IT NOW!

When I called the lady who does the hydrostatic testing, I asked which hospital she would be at on that Friday. She told me it would be at her house, and gave me the address. What she didn't initially tell me was that she was on vacation and getting ready to leave for a couple of weeks. Later I found out she was going to do me a favor and get it done, but must have changed her mind. I don't blame her for not wanting to do it while she was trying to get ready for a trip. That is why it will have to wait until April because she is gone on vacation.

Early April is fine for my purposes. I am most interested in seeing how my caliper measurements compare.

Hi Steve, just catching up here after being gone a while. Holy crap dude! You are a specimen! Your workouts are insane and your physique is really impressive as always, but dang the recent comparison pic is a jaw dropper. Way to rep the O35! I'll try to keep up a lil better this time. Good to see such inspiring work.

Glad to see you back my friend. Hopefully I will be able to represent the O35 well in October!

A well earned rest, and I look forward to seeing you come out of the gates after the deload.

Hey Steve...Hope you're well.

still looking....

Must be deload, BoStevus has dropped off the map.

Today is my last day of de-load. Whenever I de-load from my training, I typically de-load from my journal, too.

I did this de-load a little differently than I have for the last year.

For my training I did a 50/50/50 type of de-load workout. In one session, I did 50% of my weekly training, at 50% weight, for 50 reps. The two workouts I did were actually kind of fun and I got a good pump, yet didn't stress the connective tissue. I will put up the two workouts following this post.

I kept up with my hill hikes on off training days, too. I took a picture on one of the hills with my phone. You can see the steepness of the grade from angle of the power lines in the background. These are pretty steep little hills. That is why I have been referring to my cardio as MIIT.

[smharris1971]

Glad to hear things are good Steve! Looking forward to seeing your deload sessions!

[ironwill2008]

Throughout the whole Stage 1 Cut I was able to keep my progression moving forward. I did not try to push my gains at the same rate and with positive calorie training, but I kept them moving forward either through reps or additional weight.

Layne Norton says that is the key to his cut technique. Load your available carbs so they can be used during training, and then train with high intensity using heavy weight. His protocol works.

^^^^This.

Seems like it should be common knowledge, but hundreds of 'failed cut' posts in the 'nutrition' and 'workout programs' forums says it isn't so. Many first-time cutters just automatically assume they're going to lose strength/get weak during a cut, and just let it happen. A self-fulfilling prophesy, IMO.

I kept up with my hill hikes on off training days, too. I took a picture on one of the hills with my phone. You can see the steepness of the grade from angle of the power lines in the background. These are pretty steep little hills. That is why I have been referring to my cardio as MIIT.

OUTDOOR cardio, FTW.

We have a very good Vision Fitness stationary bike in the gym (which my wife uses 3-4 times every week). Other than as a systemic warmup before training, I think I've used it for CV maybe twice in 15 years!

[Bo_Flecks]

Tuesday 3/20/12- 50/50/50 De-Load Training: Chest/Biceps/Legs

Incline Barbell Bench Press
15x120
15x120
20x120

Decline Bench Press
15x120
15x120
20x120

Dumbbell Pullovers
15x50
15x50
20x50

Incline DB Curls
15x25
15x25
20x25

Tricep Bar Spider Curls
15x75
15x75
20x75

EZ Bar Reverse Curls
15x75
15x75
20x75

Wrist Curls
15x50
15x50
20x50

Leg Extensions
15x85
15x85
20x85

Leg press-Wide Foot Position PWO
15x225
15x225
20x225

Hack Squats Wide Foot Position PWO
15x155
15x155
20x155

Lying Leg Curls
15x50
15x50
20x50

Leg Press Calf Raises w/Toes turned out PWO
15x275
15x275
20x275

Leg Press Calf Presses w/Toes in PWO
15x275
15x275
20x275

Observations
I have mentioned it before that I cannot be trusted on a de-load. To put a level of challenge into it and still make sure I did not over-do it, I decided to go with the 50/50/50 format: 50% of my weekly training, using 50% of my working weights, for 50 reps. It was not a bad way to get my training in, and was challenging enough to keep me interested.

[smharris1971]

I have mentioned it before that I cannot be trusted on a de-load. To put a level of challenge into it and still make sure I did not over-do it, I decided to go with the 50/50/50 format: 50% of my weekly training, using 50% of my working weights, for 50 reps. It was not a bad way to get my training in, and was challenging enough to keep me interested.

I like this idea! I may have to try it sometime.

[Bo_Flecks]

Thursday 3/22/12- 50/50/50 De-Load Training: Back/Triceps/Shoulders/Abs

Wide Grip Pull Ups
15xBW
15xBW
20xBW

Barbell Rows
15x110
15x110
20x110

V- Grip Pull-ups
15xBW
15xBW
20xBW

Decline Close Grip Bench Press
15x110
15x110
20x110

Decline Dumbbell Tricep Extensions
15x45
15x45
20x45

Weighted Bench Dips
15x55
15x55
20x55

Hanging Knee Raises-Obliques
15xBW
15xBW
20xBW

Hanging Knee Raises-Abdominals
15xBW
15xBW
20xBW

Seated Calf Raises
15x175
15x175
20x175

Seated Barbell Overhead Press
15x110
15x110
20x110

Barbell Front Raises
15x30
15x30
20x30

Bent Lateral Raises
15x25
15x25
20x25

Medium Grip Barbell Shrugs
15x165
15x165
20x165

Seated Dumbbell Shrugs
15x55
15x55
20x55

Observations
De-Load complete.

I took a series of progress pictures while on de-load, too. I took them wearing posing trunks, so I am not sure about posting them yet. I still have a bit of a concern about students getting a hold of pictures of me wearing so little. I guess I will have to get over that before October, but since those will be competition pictures, I will feel different about it.

I also experimented with a professional spray on tan while on de-load. While it looked extremely good, it was not near dark enough for competition purposes. I guess I am am back to square 1 on that one.

Okay. Time to get back to business as usual!

[bamazav]

[Bo_Flecks]

Oh yeah... I almost forgot.

One of my de-load projects was to paint my weight room. I didn't realize how dreary it was down there until I got a couple of coats of paint on the dark concrete walls. No more dungeon atmosphere. I guess the next thing is I might actually get some mirrors and posters up on the walls. It could start looking like a fru-fru gym... lulz

[smharris1971]

You need some pink lights like FIM's dungeon! LOL

[bamazav]

Great looking gym Steve. To borrow from Sean, I'm jelly.

[KingLerxst]

Excellent work Steve! Your deloads are close to my normal routine! Very clean weight room, looks great sir.

[Brackneyc]

Wow, the gym looks amazing. Making me think I need to do the same. I like a dungeon and all, bu that looks very conducive to killing it. "Posterize" it and you are gold.

[2nd_chance]

negged for no mirrors

[Swann74]

Wide Grip Pull Ups
15xBW
15xBW
20xBW

Your deload > my max. Awesome.

I took a series of progress pictures while on de-load, too. I took them wearing posing trunks, so I am not sure about posting them yet. I still have a bit of a concern about students getting a hold of pictures of me wearing so little. I guess I will have to get over that before October, but since those will be competition pictures, I will feel different about it.

Sadly, with things being what they are these days, this is a very legit concern. Don't do anything you aren't sure about.

It could start looking like a fru-fru gym... lulz

Nah.... you still have too many free weights for it to be one of those. Looks great Steve.

[OutOfStep]

I have mentioned it before that I cannot be trusted on a de-load. To put a level of challenge into it and still make sure I did not over-do it, I decided to go with the 50/50/50 format: 50% of my weekly training, using 50% of my working weights, for 50 reps. It was not a bad way to get my training in, and was challenging enough to keep me interested.

Yeah, I can't be trusted on a de-load either, that's why I just take a whole week off every 8-10 weeks. No lifting, just some cardio. If I'm in the gym, I'm going to bust my ass. I just can't bring myself to come in and do a half ass workout for a week. My mind needs the break just as much as my body does anyhow. Taking some time away from the gym is important for longevity.

[bamazav]

Your deload >

Sadly, with things being what they are these days, this is a very legit concern. Don't do anything you aren't sure about.

Ain't this the truth. For this reason alone I took down almost all of my pictures. I have some in my picasa account, but I keep it private so there shouldn't be anyone snooping there.

Steve, as an FYI, I did take some starting pics. They are not great, but will give me a comparison after our 10 week experiment.

[Brackneyc]

I took a series of progress pictures while on de-load, too. I took them wearing posing trunks, so I am not sure about posting them yet. I still have a bit of a concern about students getting a hold of pictures of me wearing so little.

This is so very true^^. Not only do I have to be careful with pics, but I have to be mindful of every word I type and submit here, or anywhere. Just part of the job.

[ProtienandIron]

I like the outdoor cardio you are doing. I do a fair bit of hiking, but I have never looked at it as part of my training. I have always believed it is better to train outdoors then trapped in some sweat box breathing second hand air.

With regards to your tan for competition, I always thought that bodybuilders use a combination of natural tanning, spray tan, and then on the day of competition they spread on some stuff similar to fence paint. I think its called dream tan, but I could be mistaken.

Good work on the gym, although I am a little bit dissapointed as I like the way it looked before. There is something about a dark dingy gym that makes me train harder.

[baker]

Wow, basement cleaned up nice!!

[VoxExMachina]

Nothing like a coat of paint to transform a basement. It had the same effect in my gym. Just a little nicer to go down to on a dreary day.

[Bo_Flecks]

Saturday 3/24/12- Chest/Biceps "B Week" Rotation

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
10x105
10x105
10x105
10x105
10x105

Incline Dumbbell Flyes
10x85
10x85
10x85
10x85
10x85

Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
10x90
10x90
10x90
10x90
10x90

Seated Dumbbell Curls
10x45
10x45
10x45
10x45
10x45

Tricep Bar Spider Curls
10x145
10x145
10x145
10x145
10x145

Dumbbell Reverse Curls
10x35
10x35
10x35
10x35
10x35

Wrist Curls
10x95
10x95
10x95
10x95
10x95

Observations
And so begins Stage 2 of the contest prep.

Stage 2 will consist of 5 months of maintenance-plus calorie training. But when I say plus, I mean just enough to get the job done. I am going to walk a very tight rope for the next five months so that I do not add any fat that I will need to re-visit during the final contest prep. This training period will be about fine tuning, shaping, and holding onto the size that I put on over the last 15 months. If some additional LBM is added, then that would be fine, too.

As I sit here today, I am in the best physical condition of my life. No doubt. The goal of Stage 2 will be to take my current level of conditioning to the next level. In order to accomplish this, I am going to tweak a few things in my training and nutrition to try and get a fraction more out of it here and there. If I find enough of these fractions, they will begin to add up.

I will post more on that later.

Chest Workout
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press:
As per my normal post de-load protocol, I backed the weight down on all exercises by a couple of pounds. The reason for this is two fold: It has been three weeks since I last performed these movements, and I want to make sure I have the proper MMC to handle the weight properly with pristine form. The last thing I want to do is tweak a muscle or tendon coming out of the box from a successful de-load. Performed at a 30 degree bench angle.
Incline Dumbbell Flyes:
Performed at a 30 degree bench angle using the classic "hug the tree" form.
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
This is an awesome variation of the decline press. Performed at a 30 degree decline.

Bicep Workout
Seated Dumbbell Curls
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. I work hard on my bicep movements to use a controlled speed so that no momentum builds up. Slow negative where constant tension stays on the biceps.
Tricep Bar Spider Curls:
These are the money sets for my biceps as far as I am concerned. 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. Slow, controlled negative.
Dumbbell Reverse Curls
I really feel these working the outside part of the bicep as well as the forearm.

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

Final Thoughts
As I mentioned earlier, I took a series of progress pictures in compulsory poses wearing posing trunks. I intend to post the pics over the next few weeks, but due to the nature of my job as a middle school teacher, I will crop the pics so that they would be appropriate for middle schoolers to see if they happened to access my journal. It is really a shame because the full pics showing the wheels are much better.

This first compulsory pose is the FRONT RELAXED, which is really anything but relaxed.



As with all of my contest prep, these first posing shots are a work in progress. At this point, my body fat level is no where near contest conditioning, but it is lean enough to get an idea of how things are shaping up.

[alex2363]

Darn it Steve,,, great abs plus a great gym...im jelly

[alex2363]

.

ok, Steve i take it back...your lower abs are definitely flatter this year, it must have been the lighting from last pic that made them thicker..... niceee

[rpaul11]

how much over maintenance do you plan on going Steve?

[Bo_Flecks]

Seems like it should be common knowledge, but hundreds of 'failed cut' posts in the 'nutrition' and 'workout programs' forums says it isn't so. Many first-time cutters just automatically assume they're going to lose strength/get weak during a cut, and just let it happen. A self-fulfilling prophesy, IMO.

I believe it is either, like you say, a self-fulfilling prophesy or guys just randomly strip calories out of their diet without any real plan for where they are going to get the necessary energy in the gym from. Truth be told, it is probably a combination of both.

During this stage of my prep, I was able to shed 22.8lbs of fat and bloat and not miss a rep in the gym. But it took some pretty serious planning and attention to detail to get it done.

Something I have noticed about myself, though, is 12 weeks on a cut is about all I can handle before I start to get dragged down by it mentally. That is why I wanted to do this thing in two stages.

If I were to start prepping for the contest today, I would be less than 8 weeks away from the conditioning I will shoot for. I can do 8 weeks standing on my head.

OUTDOOR cardio, FTW.

We have a very good Vision Fitness stationary bike in the gym (which my wife uses 3-4 times every week). Other than as a systemic warmup before training, I think I've used it for CV maybe twice in 15 years!

I got out and did my hikes at every opportunity this winter. I only did indoor cardio when the weather would not allow me to get out on the hills. There were days I hiked in my rain suit with my long johns underneath, rather than do my cardio on an elliptical inside a nice warm gym. The hikes were simply better and more enjoyable cardio.

I like this idea! I may have to try it sometime.

Since my de-load was going to cover the whole of Spring Break this year, I sat down and thought about how I was going to fit something into the time that I had available. The 50/50/50 seemed to make sense. Under the same circumstances, I would do it that way again.

You need some pink lights like FIM's dungeon! LOL

I do have long range plans for my gym, but pink lights are not on the blueprint.

Before I go spending any more money on it, I need to get momma back to work. The paint was free. My uncle gave me several 5 gallon containers of white paint just to do the basement. The first thing that was painted was the play area for the kids. My gym had to take a back seat to that, so I used some spring break time to get it done.

Great looking gym Steve. To borrow from Sean, I'm jelly.

I still have about $100 of my birthday and Christmas money left to spend on my gym. First I need to pick up some more plates for my leg press. Whatever is left may go to some mirrors.

Excellent work Steve! Your deloads are close to my normal routine! Very clean weight room, looks great sir.

That has always been the problem with my de-loads; I do too much. By coming up with the 50/50/50 plan, there was enough volume that had to be accomplished that it kept me interested.

Wow, the gym looks amazing. Making me think I need to do the same. I like a dungeon and all, bu that looks very conducive to killing it. "Posterize" it and you are gold.

I was looking on e-bay at posters a couple of days ago. I could actually get some pretty nice posters for cheap that way.

negged for no mirrors

I do have one mirror down there. It is a floor mirror that I can move around. I just do not have any attached to the walls yet. I will get it done eventually. I have only had my gym down there for four years, now.

Sadly, with things being what they are these days, this is a very legit concern. Don't do anything you aren't sure about.

Last year, some kids found my BodySpace, Journal, and Transformation Feature. It was kind of a big deal for the kids. They thought I was some sort of a celebrity because of the feature. That was the very reason I did not have anything in any of those items that would come back to bite me.

People at school know what I do. As long as I keep things appropriate, there should be no problem. While there is nothing inappropriate about posing trunks on a bodybuilder, it is just something that I would just as soon not have to worry about.

Nah.... you still have too many free weights for it to be one of those. Looks great Steve.

Putting a little paint on the walls will not take away the Spartan atmosphere it still has.

Yeah, I can't be trusted on a de-load either, that's why I just take a whole week off every 8-10 weeks. No lifting, just some cardio. If I'm in the gym, I'm going to bust my ass. I just can't bring myself to come in and do a half ass workout for a week. My mind needs the break just as much as my body does anyhow. Taking some time away from the gym is important for longevity.

Normally I do not mess with the light workouts, either. I will usually do a 5 day walk-away de-load where I stay out of the gym for half of my weekly routine. Eight weeks later, I will do the same thing, but for the other half of the routine. It has really worked out well.

This de-load was a little different. Because of the prep/cut I went 13 weeks without a de-load and then started it on Spring Break. I decided to take the full workout rotation off, but since I had no little injuries to let heal, I did a couple of light workouts to keep things flowing. For the next five months, I will go back to the five day walk-aways.

Ain't this the truth. For this reason alone I took down almost all of my pictures. I have some in my picasa account, but I keep it private so there shouldn't be anyone snooping there.

People snooping is going to be a fact of life in this age of ********. As long as I do not have pics posted that would be inappropriate, they can snoop all they want as far as I am concerned. In six months, I will have a whole series of pics posted only wearing posing trunks on Straw Productions. But, competition photos are a little different than me prancing around in my basement wearing the trunks, so I will choose my pics wisely.

Steve, as an FYI, I did take some starting pics. They are not great, but will give me a comparison after our 10 week experiment.

In my opinion, the progress pictures are the best way to track your progress.

This is so very true^^. Not only do I have to be careful with pics, but I have to be mindful of every word I type and submit here, or anywhere. Just part of the job.

Yep. That is why I do not spend too much time posting in the misc section.

I like the outdoor cardio you are doing. I do a fair bit of hiking, but I have never looked at it as part of my training. I have always believed it is better to train outdoors then trapped in some sweat box breathing second hand air.

I have a two mile and a three mile hike I do. Each have three hills that have to be climbed. I am only going to be doing the two mile hike, three times per week for the next five months.

With regards to your tan for competition, I always thought that bodybuilders use a combination of natural tanning, spray tan, and then on the day of competition they spread on some stuff similar to fence paint. I think its called dream tan, but I could be mistaken.

I have not figure the tan situation out yet. I do not want to look orange on stage so I want to get it worked out in advance.

The NANBF always offers personal spray tanning the day before their comps. If worse comes to worse, I always have that available. But like I said, I would like to get it worked out on my own so I have the tanning variable under control.

Good work on the gym, although I am a little bit dissapointed as I like the way it looked before. There is something about a dark dingy gym that makes me train harder.

I still have the tarps and the bare rafters, so there is still plenty of grunge atmosphere.

Wow, basement cleaned up nice!!

I almost had some carpet squares to put in there. I found two boxes of them at the thrift store and thought I could get rubberized mat carpeting in there for $60. I was going to be a few squares short of getting the whole thing done, so I passed. It would have been a good deal, though.

Nothing like a coat of paint to transform a basement. It had the same effect in my gym. Just a little nicer to go down to on a dreary day.

It definitely brightened things up. I did not realize how dark it was in there until I got the paint up.

ok, Steve i take it back...your lower abs are definitely flatter this year, it must have been the lighting from last pic that made them thicker..... niceee

Depending upon the pose and the amount of flex I put on them, they can really look different in pictures. There is still about 4mm of fat on them, so I will be interested to see what they look like when they are truly shredded.

how much over maintenance do you plan on going Steve?

For the last couple of weeks, I have slowly been establishing my new maintenance. I will continue this process for another week.

I have made the mistake in the past of running my calories up too quickly following a cut. I will not make that mistake again this time. When I put a stop to the cut two weeks ago, I added back 100 calories of protein, 100 calories of fat, and 200 calories of complex carbs. I also cut out the equivalent of 100 calories per day of cardio. So to this point, I have added back 500 calories per day. So far this has not shown to be enough as I have continued to slowly drop some weight.

Since I have a high amount of energy right now, I will stay at this level of calories for another week. If I continue to drop weight at the rate I have for the last two weeks, I will then have the necessary information to make the adjustment. Any additional calories I add will be in the form of complex carbs.

This is how I will do it. It will be a continuous monitor and adjust process for the next 5 months. I have no plans to say I am going to eat X amount of calories over maintenance. The difference between eating at a bulk, maintenance, or a cut will be very subtle.

[2nd_chance]

4 years is not enough time to buy a mirror?!