Bo Flecks' Training Lean and Power Density Experiment

[Bo_Flecks]

**Workout Bumped to New Page**

Sunday 10/28/12- Legs "A Week" Rotation

Leg press-Wide Foot Position
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600

Leg press-Narrow Foot Position
10x500
10x500
10x500
10x500
10x500

Hack Squats
10x400
10x400
10x400
10x400
10x400

Lying Leg Curls
10x60
10x60
10x60
10x60
14x60

Glute-Ham Raise
10xBW
10xBW
10xBW
10xBW
15xBW

Leg Press Calf Raises w/Toes turned out
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600

Leg Press Calf Presses w/Toes in
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600

Observations
I have my NANBF judging comments sheet posted right over my leg press/hack squat machine.

Work legs is highlighted.

They were right, so that is what I did.

Leg Press: Wide Foot Position
As I mentioned last week, I adjusted the stops on my leg press machine which forces me to drop the weight 3 inches deeper. I was already taking my leg presses and hack squats well past parallel, but I feel like I need to get a little more emphasis on the outer sweep of my quads. The only way to do this is to go ridiculously deep with the leg work. Dropping another 3 inches qualifies as ridiculously deep. Heels are about 15 inches apart with the quads coming down well to the outside of my chest at the bottom of the movement.
Leg Press: Narrow Foot Position
Once again, I adjusted the stops on my leg press machine forcing myself to drop the weight 3 inches deeper. Heels are about 5 inches apart with the quads coming down and pressing against my chest at the bottom of the movement.
Hack Squats:
One last time I adjusted the stops on my leg press machine forcing myself to drop the weight 3 inches deeper. The feet are positioned to put as much emphasis on the outer sweep of the quad as possible.

Lying Leg Curls:
Steady cadence with a short hold at the top and a slow negative.
Glute-Ham Raise:
Slow rep cadence on this one to totally focus on how the hammies pulling. Wide knee position which brings a little more of the upper hamstrings into play.

Leg Press Calf Presses- Toes turned out:
Gastrocnemius focused.
Leg Press Calf Presses- Toes in:
Tibialis focused.

Final Thoughts
The wheelz have no idea what is coming on Thursday for the next leg workout.

[bamazav]

Wow, let us know how you feel in the morning. Nice pounding.

[Lou1se]

I'd love to video you walking away from some of these leg routines! Steve doing the old man shuffle

If you thrash on the legs too much they might chuck a hissy fit and walk out on you

[alex2363]

**Workout Bumped to New Page**

Sunday 10/28/12- Legs "A Week" Rotation

Leg press-Wide Foot Position
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600

Leg press-Narrow Foot Position
10x500
10x500
10x500
10x500
10x500

Hack Squats
10x400
10x400
10x400
10x400
10x400

Lying Leg Curls
10x60
10x60
10x60
10x60
14x60

Glute-Ham Raise
10xBW
10xBW
10xBW
10xBW
15xBW

Leg Press Calf Raises w/Toes turned out
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600

Leg Press Calf Presses w/Toes in
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600
10x600

Observations
I have my NANBF judging comments sheet posted right over my leg press/hack squat machine.

Work legs is highlighted.

They were right, so that is what I did.

Leg Press: Wide Foot Position
As I mentioned last week, I adjusted the stops on my leg press machine which forces me to drop the weight 3 inches deeper. I was already taking my leg presses and hack squats well past parallel, but I feel like I need to get a little more emphasis on the outer sweep of my quads. The only way to do this is to go ridiculously deep with the leg work. Dropping another 3 inches qualifies as ridiculously deep. Heels are about 15 inches apart with the quads coming down well to the outside of my chest at the bottom of the movement.
Leg Press: Narrow Foot Position
Once again, I adjusted the stops on my leg press machine forcing myself to drop the weight 3 inches deeper. Heels are about 5 inches apart with the quads coming down and pressing against my chest at the bottom of the movement.
Hack Squats:
One last time I adjusted the stops on my leg press machine forcing myself to drop the weight 3 inches deeper. The feet are positioned to put as much emphasis on the outer sweep of the quad as possible.

Lying Leg Curls:
Steady cadence with a short hold at the top and a slow negative.
Glute-Ham Raise:
Slow rep cadence on this one to totally focus on how the hammies pulling. Wide knee position which brings a little more of the upper hamstrings into play.

Leg Press Calf Presses- Toes turned out:
Gastrocnemius focused.
Leg Press Calf Presses- Toes in:
Tibialis focused.

Final Thoughts
The wheelz have no idea what is coming on Thursday for the next leg workout.

legs are a easy muscle to work with....i grew 4 inches on mine. Quads are popping too

[Payton1221]

Steve,

With a focus on your legs, how does that affect back and chest? Will you be changing the frequency that these parts get worked, the volume, or is it your intent to keep those parts worked similar to last year but with MORE work on the legs?

. . . inquiring minds

[Bo_Flecks]

I like the plan, Steve. I know that there's nothing I could tell you that you haven't already considered.

Good luck adding mass to the legs, I've been working on that for over 3 years......darn genetics

Bulking has always been a challenge for me in the past. Not due to genetic limitations, but due to the fact that I am a former fatty and I have run into mental difficulties when my body fat level gets to a certain point.

Now that I have been on stage and finally have the mindset of a competitive bodybuilder, the whole mass gaining phase takes on a new paradigm. I know what I have to do to win my classes next year, and I will get it done.

Great plan and good to see you back to moving iron. In for the bulk phase.

I have not trained on a calorie surplus for almost 11 months. I have not really been in a position to move big iron in nearly 4 months. I am ready for both!

Personally, I like spider concentration curls (I've been logging them as Scott DB curls, but your description is what I've been doing). I think they've helped me add some thickness and peak to my biceps. I usually do my inclines at 45 degrees; I should try them at 60 sometime. Always love seeing someone using the triceps bar for spiders. I love that exercise.

The spiders are great for me on two counts. The movement itself is a great bicep builder, but probably more importantly it allows me to handle a lot of weight with my bis and not have to worry about tweaking my lower back.

Before I started doing the spiders, my biceps were out performing what my lower back could reasonably handle. No more.

Indeed, Steve.

And heavy, by necessity.

I have been close to 4,000 calories a day since last Wednesday. My wife forgot what it was like having me actually eat like a bulking bodybuilder.

Here we go.

This is the fun part!

Just checking in. Looking forward to learning from the mass attack.

Pretty much will be the same hybrid training protocol based on GVT, but using the 5x10 rep scheme and A/B exercise rotation. Through all of my experimentation, it has become obvious that my body responds best to high volume training.

Wow, let us know how you feel in the morning. Nice pounding.

The wheelz were tired the rest of the evening. When I got in bed, they were still buzzing. This morning they are a bit stiff. The DOMS will hit sometime tonight. No doubt.

I'd love to video you walking away from some of these leg routines! Steve doing the old man shuffle

I did use the handrail when leaving my gym and going back upstairs, yesterday.

If you thrash on the legs too much they might chuck a hissy fit and walk out on you

There is always that, but my real concern is will my lower back hold up to the thrashing. About a month into the cut when I did the leg presses with 700+lbs and the 500lb hacks, my back let me know it was not amused.

legs are a easy muscle to work with....i grew 4 inches on mine. Quads are popping too

I would kill to get 4 inches of lean growth on my quads in the next year (figuratively, of course).

I like the way you go for broke on the last set getting a few extra reps with most sets. Do you use this info to determine how much of a weight increase (if any) that you use for your next workout?

Ah, I see someone in the class is paying attention.

Yep. That is exactly how I use that last go for broke set when using the 5x10 method. I always try to have the weight set so that by the time I get to that 5th set, the 10th rep will be all I can handle. If I can get more than 12 reps, I increase the weight on the following training session by 2 to 5lbs depending upon the muscle group I am working. If I can get 15, the weight is increased even more.

This pretty much ensures the probability of constant forward progression without plateauing.

With a focus on your legs, how does that affect back and chest? Will you be changing the frequency that these parts get worked, the volume, or is it your intent to keep those parts worked similar to last year but with MORE work on the legs?

. . . inquiring minds

In my normal upper body work, I use a push/pull scheme where the muscle groups have a primary day they are pushing and a secondary day where they are pushing again. The same thing goes for the muscle groups that are training with a pulling movement.

For example, I train chest on Saturday which involves the triceps pushing as well. Chest is primary, tris are secondary. Then on Tuesday, I do my primary tricep work which involves the pecs on a secondary level. Each upper body muscle group must work twice during a training week, either as a primary or a secondary factor.

For legs, there are two separate training sessions during the week. Sunday and Thursday.

Sunday is the primary day, and Thursday is the second leg training day. Over the past year, that has meant more of a PHAT approach to legs with Sunday being the heavy day, and Thursday being the high rep day.

That will change this year.

Sunday will continue being the heavy, primary day but with added volume. 15 heavy pressing sets will now be the norm.

Thursday will now be a barbell squatting day. Yep. Going back to the squats. I tried that about 8 months ago, but my back was not healed well enough following my last L5 blowout. I am pretty sure it can handle it now, and I am going to run with it.

[Vytis]

Check this out Steve. I've passed this along to people who can't squat:

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/genom...l-article.html

[baker]

Have you read up on Laynes mini bulk, mini cut cycles? I think he recommends a two week bulk and four week cut for muscle building phases.

[Bo_Flecks]

Check this out Steve. I've passed this along to people who can't squat:

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/genom...l-article.html

Yep. I have become a believer in more time under tension (TUT). That is why I have experimented with different variations of GVT and settled on the 5x10 protocol which I had very good success with last year.

The problem with strict adherence to GVT (as I see it) is the lack of variation, and the mind numbing effects of doing the same movement over and over. I get bored with it fast and lose interest.

The difficult thing for me when using an extremely high rep scheme (such as the 50 or so reps advocated in the article), especially with legs is that my old joints simply cannot handle it. I did a couple of really high rep leg workouts last spring and had my knees screaming at me for three weeks following. It took a walk away de-load to get them healed up.

I have increased the volume of sets I am going to perform for my quads by 33% this year. I am going to run with that, and see what the results are. If my back can hold up to the squats I have added to my Thursday training session, I should be able to make the gains I am looking for.

Have you read up on Laynes mini bulk, mini cut cycles? I think he recommends a two week bulk and four week cut for muscle building phases.

I have read several things on the mini bulk/mini cut protocol. Of all of the methods Norton advocates, this is one that I am not convinced would work for me. At times, he has even seemed a bit sketchy about it himself. Here is an article where he gets questioned on the technique, and he doesn’t quite convince me:

http://fit-universe.com/layne-norton-faq-part-m.html

I am going to stick with my plan. I have no intension to eat below maintenance or anywhere near maintenance for the next 10 months.

I am not afraid of cutting. I DO believe that Norton is absolutely correct when he says that immediately following a bulk, calories can be (initially) cut quite a bit without any refractatory response or hormonal problems. After that initial large calorie drop and subsequent fat loss, then and only then is it necessary ease the calorie depletion and slow down the fat loss to stave off catabolism.

At this point, I am more afraid of not fueling my mass gaining phase with enough calories, and not hitting my muscle gaining goal by July.

[Bo_Flecks]

Tuesday 10/30/12- Back/Triceps/Abs/Calves "A Week" Rotation

Wide Grip Pull Ups
10xBW+30
10xBW+30
10xBW+30
10xBW+30
12xBW+30

Chest Supported Barbell Rows
10x200
10x200
10x200
10x200
15x200

V- Grip Pull-ups
10xBW+30
10xBW+30
10xBW+30
10xBW+30
12xBW+30

Decline Close Grip Bench Press
10x200
10x200
10x200
10x200
13x200

OH Dumbbell Tricep Extensions
10x90
10x90
10x90
10x90
12x90

Weighted Tricep Dips
10x40
10x40
10x40
10x40
14x40

Hanging Knee Raises-Obliques
(left)
10xBW+10
10xBW+10
10xBW+10
(right)
10xBW+10
10xBW+10
10xBW+10

Hanging Knee Raises-Abdominals
10xBW+10
10xBW+10
10xBW+10

Decline Crunches
20xBW+10
20xBW+10
20xBW+10
20xBW+10
20xBW+10

Seated Calf Raises
10x315
10x315
10x315
10x315
10x315

Observations
Today marks a focus shift for my back work. This year my lats were a bit of a conundrum to me. From the rear, my back was visually a strong muscle group. From the front, not so much.

Exhibit A:


In the Front Double Bicep pose, my lats just did not have a good appearance to them. I was given some posing suggestions to get them to flare out and round more, but that was not the issue. The problem was a genetic/mass issue. With no more mass than I had on my lats this year, they simply would not flare out any more than this.

So, focusing on training keys that add more width and a rounded look to the lats from the front is in order. I will address this in the exercise selection descriptions.

Back Workout
Wide Grip Pull Ups:
Wide grip, working to flare the lats out as much as possible at the bottom of this movement. The protocol shift will be to watch the lats work from the front and force the angle to round the lats to my maximum ability at the bottom of the pull. My MMC is going to be focused more on the lats from the front, rather than the back in an attempt to address the weakness in the front double bicep pose. If I can get my lats to respond to the point that they show well from the front, the visual from the rear will fall right in line.
Chest Supported Barbell Rows:
Using my rack and chest supported on my SuperBench at a 45 degree angle to protect the L5-S1. With this protocol, the BB rows almost feel like an isolation movement for the back.
V-Grip Pull-ups
To meet my shaping goal for the lats, I increased the width of the grip by a few inches which forces the lats to spread out more at the bottom of the movement. This has now been moved into more of a width exercise, rather than a thickness exercise. I will be addressing the thickness issues through the barbell and dumbbell rowing movements.

Tricep Workout
Decline Close Grip Bench Press:
Performed at a 30 degree decline with the thumbs about 10 inches apart. This movement will become my primary tricep exercise for the foreseeable future.
OH Dumbbell Tricep Extensions:
This movement will be the staple for working the medial head of the tricep. Very little forearm tendon stress at this angle.
Weighted Tricep Dips
Really concentrating on keeping constant tension on the triceps.

Direct Ab Work
Hanging Knee Raises-Obliques
Turning the hips and pulling the legs up with the obliques from the hanging position.
Hanging Knee Raises-Abs
Knees straight ahead.
Decline Crunches
Trying to really burn the abs here.

Calf Workout
Seated Calf Raises:
Soleus focused calf work.

Final Thoughts
My motivation was crazy today.

I pulled the pictures of the guy who won the Masters 50 and Over Class from the NANBF website. I also saw that he had won the Over 40 Open Masters as well. I would assume that meant he got his Pro Card.

He looked good, but he can be beat.

I intend to do it.

[alex2363]

Do they test to make sure all contestants are really natty?

[HoustonTXMuscle]

Been following, Steve, but lagging in my replys to others. Impressive workout yesterday. Great volume on your CSBB Rows, Decline CGBPs and Seated Calf Raises.

[bamazav]

He looked good, but he can be beat.

I intend to do it.

I, for one, am in for the mega ride!

[Bo_Flecks]

Do they test to make sure all contestants are really natty?

NANBF bodybuilding competitions are double tested.

Each competitor must take a polygraph prior to the show to answer questions about the use of PEDs and banned substances. Once the show is over and placings have been determined, all top 3s in each class have to take a WADA urinalysis test administered by an NANBF official.

Many of the guys I talked to at the competition take it very seriously. Some to the point of not using supps for a few weeks prior to competing so that a stim, or something in a proprietary blend does not get mis-identified by the urinalysis.

I was not that concerned about it.

Been following, Steve, but lagging in my replys to others. Impressive workout yesterday. Great volume on your CSBB Rows, Decline CGBPs and Seated Calf Raises.

The fact that I have placed a major emphasis on my leg development for this mass gaining phase seems to have misled some folks to believe that I am not going to be hammering away at all of my other muscle groups, too.

Nothing has been done to back off of upper body work. As a matter of fact, there have been some changes to my training scheme to increase upper body development in lagging muscle groups as well.

I think the confusion has come from legs being my greatest focus to bring in line to shore up my ability to truly be competitive for titles next year.

I, for one, am in for the mega ride!

I was sent a picture from one of my crew that was taken on a camera phone. It shows me going head to head with the winner of the Masters Men (who also came in 2nd for a pro card in the Open Masters) and shows exactly why he beat me.

When I look at the pics, assess the placements, and make honest evaluations it really is not rocket science what I need to do in the next 10 months.

[bamazav]

My one concern for you going in, and I am in no way an expert, was the wheels. They are just tough. Have you read this article? How did Platz Build Those Legs?

[Lou1se]

Lots of volume in your workouts! How long do they usually run?

Keep pounding away!

[Bo_Flecks]

Thursday 11/1/12- Shoulders/Traps/Legs "A Week" Rotation

Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press
10x80
10x80
10x80
10x80
15x80

Dumbbell Front Raise
10x35
10x35
10x35
10x35
10x35

Bent Lateral Raises
10x50
10x50
10x50
10x50
12x50

Medium Grip Barbell Shrugs
10x300
10x300
10x300
10x300
10x300

Seated Dumbbell Shrugs
10x100
10x100
10x100
10x100
10x100

Barbell Squats
10x175
10x175
10x175
10x175
10x175

Lying Leg Curls
10x60
10x60
10x60
10x60
10x60

Calf Presses
25x400
25x400
25x400
25x400

Observations
I predicted months ago that at my first competition the wheelz would be my Achilles heel. As usual, my prediction was pretty much right on target. Seriously, though, I did not have to be Nostradamus to see this coming.

This is the picture I mentioned to Zav earlier today. It was taken on a camera phone by one of my friends at the Gateway Naturals. She just sent it to me last night so I had never seen it before. It shows me going head to head with the winner of the Masters Men, who also came in 2nd for his pro card in the Open Masters. It illustrates very clearly why he beat me.

When I look at all of the competition photos, assess the placements, and make honest evaluations it pretty easy to see what I MUST GET ACCOMPLISHED in the next 10 months if I expect to win my classes next October.



It can be done.

Shoulder Workout
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press:
My triceps were screaming with DOMS from my Tuesday workout. So, I kept the OH DB presses on the manageable side today. Probably not a bad idea anyway since it had been nearly three weeks since I worked shoulders. Training with the 80s was not a problem, and by the time I got to the 5th set, the triceps were cooperating just fine. Bringing the dumbbells down until the backs of my arms go well below the parallel plane. There was absolutely no left RC pain, so the extra time off took care of the issue.
Dumbbell Front Raises:
The 35s were all I wanted here today. Raising the dumbbells to just above shoulder level, and then controlling a slow negative for the burn.
Bent Lateral Raises:
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:
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:
Dumbbells brought around a little more to the back to try and focus on the top of my traps. Performed seated on my SuperBench, back supported at an 80 degree angle.

Legs
Barbell Squats:
This is the break-in period with the squats. I have not been able to do them since 2010. I have an ugly history with this exercise, but as long as the L5-S1 holds up, I am going to run with it. I believe it will pay off, or I would not be doing it.

The last time I did a serious squat routine, it was with 385lbs at a bodyweight of 175. That led to a major blowout of my L5 on the 6th rep. This time around, I plan on the rep scheme with squats staying much higher, and the weight being more within the L5s ability to handle it properly.

The session today went off without a hitch. My quads felt strong as I figured they would. Teh stabilizers on the other hand were screaming at me by the end of the 5th set. I am expecting major DOMS tomorrow on the inner thigh and upper glutes. The erectors may get in on a little of the DOMS action, too.

I will stay with body weight work for a few weeks, and work the rep scheme.

Lying Leg Curls:
This felt like crap after the squats today. I am sure it will all gel as soon as I get used to the squatting again. Controlled cadence with a short hold at the top and a slow negative.
Calf Presses:
Hi rep work with the feet together and toes straight forward to hit the belly of the calves.

Final Thoughts
I have been eating at 4K+ calories for a little over a week now. My body weight has increased a whole 2lbs. Mostly, I just look buttered over from the additional carbs. My endurance feels really good, but my strength is dicey. I also had major DOMS all week long which had to be taken into consideration with weight selections.

I still feel like I am at least a couple of weeks away from fully recovering from the competition level conditioning. In the mean time, the massive amount of food I am taking in is quite enjoyable!

[ArchAngel'73]

The problem with strict adherence to GVT (as I see it) is the lack of variation, and the mind numbing effects of doing the same movement over and over. I get bored with it fast and lose interest.

It builds character.
Wut else can I say to this? I understand completely despite being a proponant of GVT.


Legs. Got this advice from kimsquit years back when I was thinking of competing... When it comes to bodybuilding comps, the leg press is king.
Most amount of weight that can be used safely without dying and varying the foot position ensures you get the muscle where you want it.
Good choice using it on calf training too!

Back. I brought up my back big time between show#1 and show#2.
Switched to 2x/week training and focussed on chins and my own exercise, "kneeling reverse narrow grip lat pulldowns". Vid in my profile.
I credit my increase to those 2 exercises alone.
Caucasian guys tend to have sh*tty backs, might be thick but lack width. I'm particularily proud of mine as its the only bodypart I had to bust azz on and it worked.

I'm proud of you Steve.

[jonnyboy44]

Been a silent follower for some time. Great read with loads of advice and ideas. one more fan following.
Respect to you
jon

[VoxExMachina]

Steve, 2012:





Steve, 2013:





Am I getting the picture?

[Payton1221]

Thursday 11/1/12- Shoulders/Traps/Legs "A Week" Rotation

I think it was Layne Norton who said that a meta-analysis indicated that volume was most indicative of hypertrophy even when compared to intensity, so I'm sure he would approve of you 5x10 routine . . . I might have to run that myself sometime in the future

[stayfit2008]

Did you ever have back surgery? Been over a year since my surgery. I get numbness and a little discomfort now after putting a light load on my back. I am only training one leg at a time. Curious how your going to train legs w L5 S1 issues. That's where my damage was done.

[induced_drag]

Yep. I have become a believer in more time under tension (TUT). That is why I have experimented with different variations of GVT and settled on the 5x10 protocol which I had very good success with last year.

The problem with strict adherence to GVT (as I see it) is the lack of variation, and the mind numbing effects of doing the same movement over and over. I get bored with it fast and lose interest.
...

Been following your plans for hitting the legs closely as I am thinking of doing the same.

I am going to try a run at GVT. This is pretty big jump for me as I have not changed my routine at all in almost 18 months. (meaning the basic philosophy)

I found this out of that article and going to see about doing it.

So I've come up with a simple remedy. Keep doing your current program — whatever it is — but with this simple change:

Allow for two lower-body days.
On one of them, do deadlifts for 10 sets of 10.
On the other, do squats for 10 sets of 10.

Instead of squats, I am going to do leg press though.

I am not sure if this would be of benefit while I am on a deficit though....so I might wait till I can at least bring my cals up a little. I will be watching with interest on how you do.



My other option was a neat idea of doing heavy single leg negatives on leg press. (and then using the other leg to get weight back up). Been doing it for calves and actually seen some response. Not sure if it would be too much for the quads though..... It is a very interesting idea... Could also incorporate into hack squats as I know you like. Lots of science show the eccentric is the most hypertrophy inducing part of the move. By doing them slow and even pausing at point you greatly increase tension and TUT. Using weight greater then you can press allows greater stimulation.

One word of caution....it really takes a lot out of you and recover can become an issue. I used to do calves 3x/week and had to drop to 2 when I stated doing negatives. Then I had to move to where I only did the negatives on one of those workouts and only for 2-3 sets. I could feel I was not recovering.

[ironwill2008]

..... legs being my greatest focus to bring in line to shore up my ability to truly be competitive for titles next year.

Good deal. Continued improvement is all about prioritization.

Barbell Squats
10x175
10x175
10x175
10x175
10x175

Steady as you go, Steve.


High bar?

[litljay]

Steady as you go, Steve.


High bar?

This.

And I hope you find the groove that keeps the back happy.

[alex2363]

Thursday 11/1/12- Shoulders/Traps/Legs "A Week" Rotation

Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press
10x80
10x80
10x80
10x80
15x80

Dumbbell Front Raise
10x35
10x35
10x35
10x35
10x35

Bent Lateral Raises
10x50
10x50
10x50
10x50
12x50

Medium Grip Barbell Shrugs
10x300
10x300
10x300
10x300
10x300

Seated Dumbbell Shrugs
10x100
10x100
10x100
10x100
10x100

Barbell Squats
10x175
10x175
10x175
10x175
10x175

Lying Leg Curls
10x60
10x60
10x60
10x60
10x60

Calf Presses
25x400
25x400
25x400
25x400

Observations
I predicted months ago that at my first competition the wheelz would be my Achilles heel. As usual, my prediction was pretty much right on target. Seriously, though, I did not have to be Nostradamus to see this coming.

This is the picture I mentioned to Zav earlier today. It was taken on a camera phone by one of my friends at the Gateway Naturals. She just sent it to me last night so I had never seen it before. It shows me going head to head with the winner of the Masters Men, who also came in 2nd for his pro card in the Open Masters. It illustrates very clearly why he beat me.

When I look at all of the competition photos, assess the placements, and make honest evaluations it pretty easy to see what I MUST GET ACCOMPLISHED in the next 10 months if I expect to win my classes next October.



It can be done.

Shoulder Workout
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press:
My triceps were screaming with DOMS from my Tuesday workout. So, I kept the OH DB presses on the manageable side today. Probably not a bad idea anyway since it had been nearly three weeks since I worked shoulders. Training with the 80s was not a problem, and by the time I got to the 5th set, the triceps were cooperating just fine. Bringing the dumbbells down until the backs of my arms go well below the parallel plane. There was absolutely no left RC pain, so the extra time off took care of the issue.
Dumbbell Front Raises:
The 35s were all I wanted here today. Raising the dumbbells to just above shoulder level, and then controlling a slow negative for the burn.
Bent Lateral Raises:
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:
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:
Dumbbells brought around a little more to the back to try and focus on the top of my traps. Performed seated on my SuperBench, back supported at an 80 degree angle.

Legs
Barbell Squats:
This is the break-in period with the squats. I have not been able to do them since 2010. I have an ugly history with this exercise, but as long as the L5-S1 holds up, I am going to run with it. I believe it will pay off, or I would not be doing it.

The last time I did a serious squat routine, it was with 385lbs at a bodyweight of 175. That led to a major blowout of my L5 on the 6th rep. This time around, I plan on the rep scheme with squats staying much higher, and the weight being more within the L5s ability to handle it properly.

The session today went off without a hitch. My quads felt strong as I figured they would. Teh stabilizers on the other hand were screaming at me by the end of the 5th set. I am expecting major DOMS tomorrow on the inner thigh and upper glutes. The erectors may get in on a little of the DOMS action, too.

I will stay with body weight work for a few weeks, and work the rep scheme.

Lying Leg Curls:
This felt like crap after the squats today. I am sure it will all gel as soon as I get used to the squatting again. Controlled cadence with a short hold at the top and a slow negative.
Calf Presses:
Hi rep work with the feet together and toes straight forward to hit the belly of the calves.

Final Thoughts
I have been eating at 4K+ calories for a little over a week now. My body weight has increased a whole 2lbs. Mostly, I just look buttered over from the additional carbs. My endurance feels really good, but my strength is dicey. I also had major DOMS all week long which had to be taken into consideration with weight selections.

I still feel like I am at least a couple of weeks away from fully recovering from the competition level conditioning. In the mean time, the massive amount of food I am taking in is quite enjoyable!

stebo, take it easy on the Squats, also what is ur massive amount of food?

[Bo_Flecks]

My one concern for you going in, and I am in no way an expert, was the wheels. They are just tough. Have you read this article? How did Platz Build Those Legs?

I had not read that particular article, but I have read a lot of Tom Platz' stuff over the last couple of years that echoed those same insights.

I have never been one to follow much of the Platz protocol or training methods. While it would seem that a guy who is trying to build his quads would want to try and copy in some way what Platz did to build those massive quads, the reality of the situation is that he and I simply do not respond to the same stimulus.

Just like he said in the article, he lost size doing high volume training. I gain size doing high volume workouts. That pretty much puts his methods in perspective for me.

Lots of volume in your workouts! How long do they usually run?

Keep pounding away!

When I am on surplus calories like I am now, my workouts take a little less than 90 minutes. When I am on maintenance calories like I was prior to the contest cut, they were taking just a little over 90 minutes. When I was calorie depleted, especially towards the end of the contest prep, my training was taking close to 2 hours. Calories definitely impact recovery time between sets.

I do not place much stock in the cortisol response or its negative effects. I am a believer in getting the reps in no matter what it takes.

It builds character.
Wut else can I say to this? I understand completely despite being a proponant of GVT.

I remember we talked about GVT about a year and a half ago. Seems one of the big problems I recall discussing with you was forgetting how many sets had been performed when in the middle of the routine. After that, I came up with a way of remembering by placing a peg in the adjustment holes of my power rack to keep track. Simple and works well. I still use it for the 5x10.

Legs. Got this advice from kimsquit years back when I was thinking of competing... When it comes to bodybuilding comps, the leg press is king.
Most amount of weight that can be used safely without dying and varying the foot position ensures you get the muscle where you want it.
Good choice using it on calf training too!

The leg press will be the staple of my training routine. Especially for the heavy pounding sessions. Squats on the other hand will be my secondary leg day movement as long as I can handle them. Since the secondary leg day was ultra high rep work anyway, the squats should fit in there nicely.

Back. I brought up my back big time between show#1 and show#2.
Switched to 2x/week training and focussed on chins and my own exercise, "kneeling reverse narrow grip lat pulldowns". Vid in my profile.
I credit my increase to those 2 exercises alone.
Caucasian guys tend to have sh*tty backs, might be thick but lack width. I'm particularily proud of mine as its the only bodypart I had to bust azz on and it worked.

I'm proud of you Steve.

I may play around with that one and see what I get out of it.

Been a silent follower for some time. Great read with loads of advice and ideas. one more fan following.
Respect to you
jon

Thanks for the support, my friend!

Steve, 2012:



Steve, 2013:


Am I getting the picture?

That is pretty much the picture.

But, I am planning on taking the other muscle groups in that direction right along with the wheelz. 180lbs shredded is my goal for next October.

I think it was Layne Norton who said that a meta-analysis indicated that volume was most indicative of hypertrophy even when compared to intensity, so I'm sure he would approve of you 5x10 routine . . . I might have to run that myself sometime in the future

The hybrid 5x10 I have been running, and will run for the next year was designed by evaluating my hypertrophy response, and then melding Norton's PHAT theories with GVT.

Did you ever have back surgery? Been over a year since my surgery. I get numbness and a little discomfort now after putting a light load on my back. I am only training one leg at a time. Curious how your going to train legs w L5 S1 issues. That's where my damage was done.

I have not had back surgery, and do not intend to unless it is the only possible alternative. At this point, training around the L5-S1 issue is not a problem so surgery is not even a consideration right now.

I purchased the leg press/hack squat so that I could work around the L5. To this point, I just simply have not had enough time training with it to get the results out of my legs yet. This coming year, I will fix a lot of that.

Been following your plans for hitting the legs closely as I am thinking of doing the same.

I am going to try a run at GVT. This is pretty big jump for me as I have not changed my routine at all in almost 18 months. (meaning the basic philosophy)

I found this out of that article and going to see about doing it.

I liked what I got out of GVT when I experimented with it. The results are what led me to designing my current 5x10 training method. GVT as written was hard for me to mentally sustain. I simply needed more variation.

Instead of squats, I am going to do leg press though.

I am not sure if this would be of benefit while I am on a deficit though....so I might wait till I can at least bring my cals up a little. I will be watching with interest on how you do.

It has been a long time since I have trained on a significant calorie surplus. My body is slowly starting to adjust to the extra calories. I figure it will be another week or two before I get my full strength back and start moving forward again.

I am being patient. I had read articles on just how hard competition level conditioning is on your body, but actually experiencing it is a different thing. Ultimately, I never felt bad or particularly weak, but recovery times were massively impacted. At this point, I can tell things are still a little away from normal but improving rapidly.

By doing them slow and even pausing at point you greatly increase tension and TUT. Using weight greater then you can press allows greater stimulation.One word of caution....it really takes a lot out of you and recover can become an issue. I used to do calves 3x/week and had to drop to 2 when I stated doing negatives. Then I had to move to where I only did the negatives on one of those workouts and only for 2-3 sets. I could feel I was not recovering.

I think this is the main reason why my muscle groups responded so well to the 5x10: High volume, controlled reps with maximum weight being handled.

This year I will continue that protocol, but with heavier weight. The only way that will happen is if I fuel the process properly. That means I will definitely be carrying more mass this year than I have since I started this training log. I am okay with it. If I am going to be a competitive bodybuilder, I have got to think and eat like one.

So for the most part, I have now abandoned the entire original premise for this journal.

Good deal. Continued improvement is all about prioritization.

Steady as you go, Steve.

High bar?

The plan is to do my weekly hi-rep quad work with the squats. I blew my back out in 2010 because squats were my only way of doing heavy leg work. Now that I have the leg press/hack squat, heavy squat work is no longer necessary. I believe my back will benefit from doing the squats in the way I have planned.

I tend to set the bar in a low(ish) position. That allows me to maintain a more upright posture than the higher bar positions.

Here is a pic from 2010 showing the bar position.



It was interesting that when I did the squats Thursday night, the form and balance was such that it did not seem as if I had taken a two year hiatus from the movement.

This.

And I hope you find the groove that keeps the back happy.

The groove on the squats was easy to find. I was wearing my Chucks, and I really liked how they felt as well.

stebo, take it easy on the Squats, also what is ur massive amount of food?

For me, a massive amount is 4,000+ calories per day. Since I am not adding any junk calories to the mix, 4,000+ is a lot of food.

The reason I am using the 4,000 (+) figure is that I am not trying to be real strict on hitting 4,000 exactly at this point. I am giving myself a little freedom at this point early in the mass gaining phase to eat some foods that I have typically stayed away from for the last 10 months. There will more than likely come a time several months down the road where I will need to become more strict with my calorie intake, but right now is not that time.

[Bo_Flecks]

Saturday 11/3/12- Chest/Biceps "B Week" Rotation

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
10x100
10x100
10x100
10x100
13x100

Incline Dumbbell Flyes
10x80
10x80
10x80
10x80
15x80

Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
10x90
10x90
10x90
10x90
12x90

Seated Dumbbell Curls
10x45
10x40
10x40
10x40
13x40

Tricep Bar Spider Curls
10x150
10x150
10x150
10x150
13x150

Barbell Reverse Curls
10x130
10x130
10x130
10x130
12x130

Wrist Curls
10x95
10x95
10x95
10x95
14x95

Observations
The food is starting to kick in, and my strength is starting to return after nearly three weeks away from full bore training. Recovery time between sets is much shorter, and that speeds up the pace of the training. This training session shows some promise.

Chest Workout
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press:
The 100s were manageable today. No shoulder pain, so I should be able to start running the weight up on these very soon. Performed at a 30 degree bench angle.
Incline Dumbbell Flyes:
The 80s were probably a little on the light side, so I will increase the weight next time I do dumbbell flyes. Performed at a 30 degree bench angle using the classic "hug the tree" form.
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
The 90s were really all I wanted today. Performed at a 30 degree decline.

Bicep Workout
Seated Dumbbell Curls
I started out with 45s, but really felt like all I was doing was lifting the weight. It was difficult to concentrate on the biceps, so I dropped the weight of each dumbbell down by 5lbs. That made the difference I needed to actually feel like I was training the bicep muscle. Slow negative where constant tension stays on the biceps.
Tricep Bar Spider Curls:
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.
Barbell Reverse Curls
Chest supported to protect my lower back.

Forearm Workout
Wrist Curls:
Continuing the forearm rehab work. Performed with a barbell with my wrists facing up.

Final Thoughts
Looking forward to the leg training tomorrow.

[BergMuscle]

Like the exercise choices in this routine. I'm a big fan of DB chest work; I love the greater ROM I get over BB work. And we've discussed the tricep bar spiders before.

[Lou1se]

Understand your enjoyment of da foodz

Long sessions! 2hrs on a severe cut like that is good going considering the volume and intensity of your workouts, even after you changed things down a notch towards the end.

Another question

In this picture I see you are both striking the same pose and yet the back foot is placed differently. Is there a rule in place that all competitors must strike poses in the same way? I expect a slight change in stance affects what is being presented.

Looking forward to your leg day