RAntorcha - New & Improved Natural Freak Journal

[rantorcha]

Another insane workout on Tuesday afternoon with my new training partner...for now. We thrashed Delts and afterwards I was screaming for some rest and recovery. As soon as work was over, I took a shower, ate and hit my couch for the rest of the evening. Here is how it went yesterday...

DELTS
"Rack" Smith Delt Press - 3 sets
Run-the-rack Side Laterals - 2 full sets using 4 different sets of DBs
Rev Cable Rear Delts - 3 sets
Side Lateral Machine ss/ Machine Press (facing pad) - 2 sets each

mini-CHEST
Chest Press Machine - 3 sets
Dips - 3 sets

CALVES
Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets

[rantorcha]

It's funny how as the week progresses, my energy levels seem to diminish. Between work and how extremely hard my trianing is, my body just gets beaten up! However, I make my mental state take over to finish out the week as hard as I started it.

So, tomorrow ends my 8-week growth plan with higher carbs and a run of Test Charge. I am talking it over with Eric tonight to see if I should continue on another 4 weeks or if I should start a mini 4-6 week diet on Monday. We'll see how that goes!

As for today's training, here is a glimpse...
HAMS
Lying leg Curl (FD/FS-Style!) - 5-sec negative/1-sec hold @ bottom/Xplode up/1-sec hold @ top
2 brutal sets
Lying leg Curl (FD/FS-Style!) - 2-sec negative/1-sec hold @ bottom/Xplode up/5-sec hold @ top (contraction)
2 even more brutal sets
Lying leg Curl (FD/FS-Style!) - 1 all-out set of more than 20 reps
Seated leg curl - 2 sets of 20 reps

mini-BACK
WG Pulldowns (strict) - 3 sets
DB Row - 2 sets
Stiff-arm Pulldown - 1 double dropset

TRICEPS
Incl Tri Ext (EZ bar)
Dip Machine
1-arm Rev Pressdown
Pushdown

[rantorcha]

Another great weekend that I decided to fill with cardio at the begin of each day. Fun with friends and not getting a whole heck of a lot of rest. That made last night's sleep very welcome - I slept right through, which I hardly ever do without needing even a bathroom break. lol



I was too tired and woke up too late to start with cardio, but I had an amazing start to my training week with today's back workout. It may not look like much, but the intensity was through the roof. I'm gonna kinda miss my training partner!



BACK
WG Pulldowns - 3 sets

One-arm DB Row - 3 sets

One-arm Rev Hammer Pulldowns - 3 sets

Rope Seated Row - 3 sets

Hyperext - 2 long sets!



CALVES

Seated Calf ss/ Leg Press Raises

[rantorcha]

Hmmm. Somehow I forgot to post on Tuesday! Oh well. Long story short, it was my last day with my new (now ex-) training partner, as she moved to Canada! Hopefully it works out for her. Great day training again. Did high-intensity Delts and 30 minutes of post-workout cardio on the Stairmill, since I didn't wake up to do it in the morning.

Wednesday was supposed to be my off-day, but got together with my new part-time training partner. lol I've never had a training partner before and now I've had two in a matter of a month!!!

She is a Figure IFBB Pro, so it is pretty cool to train with her so far. Again, I wasn't supposed to train quads yesterday, but it was our first day together, so I bit the bullet. I will be hurting for a few days - that's for sure.

Today I was flying solo and really took it to myself. Here's a brief glimpse of today's fun...

HAMS
Seated Leg Curl - different foot positions. Started heavier and then lighter with each set - from 13 to 20 reps
Stiff Leg Deads - with pause for 2 sec @ bottom; 15 reps each
Lying Leg Curl (1-1/2 Reps) - OOOUUUUCCCHHHH

TRICEPS
Incl Tri Ext
Pushdowns
Face-away Cable Ext
1-arm Rev Cable Ext

mini-LATS
Alternating sets between:
WG Pulldown & CG Pulldown

[rantorcha]

Another great end to the week! No cardio this morning, as I am starting out with 4 days a week. So, I was again solo for today's session, but I am making a few split changes to make changes for myself and coincidentally works out with my new training partner.



SO, to finish off this split, here's what I did...



CHEST
Smith Incline Press

Flat Hammer Press

Angled DB Incl Press

Cable Cross - alt between top and middle



BICEPS

DB Curl

Preacher Curl

Incl Seated Curl



mini-DELTS

Side Lateral Machine - 4 sets



ABS



For the weekend, I've got cardio on Saturday morning, but after that it is smooth sailing! Nothing but rest and relaxation!

[rantorcha]

Week #2 of my mini-diet started Monday. I am currently trying out something different than what I've used for so long...carb cycling. I wanted to see what this does to my physique and maybe I'd use it for contest prep next time. So, for the first week, I went 1-high (150g) - that's high for me!; 1 med day (100g); 1-small, then 1-high, 1-med, 2-small. That makes 7 days. I am obviously going to be altering that as time goes along, but wanted to start out like this.



I started last week with cardio 4 days a week, but the change for this week is one additional day - so I'm at 5 days a week. This week, I also threw in some fat burners (some left over stuff I had on hand for a while), so we'll see how the weight comes down, if at all.



Next week will be a diet (carb) change.



I really took it to the weights yesterday! And BACK was the target.



BACK

Pullups - I alternated between WG and CG - 4 sets

Rev Bent Rows - 3 sets

Corner T-bar Row - 3 sets

One-arm DB Row - 3 sets

Stiff-arm Pulldowns - 4 sets



CALVES

Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets

[rantorcha]

Yesterday was another absolute pounding in the gym - this time the self-inflicted pain was directed at delts! Here's how it went.

Smith Delt Press - 3 sets
Side laterals (down-the-ladder) - 3 sets of 3 with pretty high reps
Two-arm, 1-DB Front Raises - 2 sets
Rev Pec Dec - 3 sets

I was going to do HAMS as well as part of my new split, but I decided to push it back to Wed (today). As for today's workout, that'll be done later in the early evening.

[rantorcha]

I've been busy! I've had my girls the last few days and we are all getting ready for the first day of school. That, plus work, plus training...whew! I have to say that I am pretty beat. Not sure what I am going to do this weekend, but the calendar seems to be filling up quick.

Anyway, I did some Hams/Glutes with a couple of Quad sets mixed in. Yesterday, I hit Chest and cardio post-workout. Today was Triceps and Biceps (no cardio).

So, as for the diet situation, I haven't quite moved the scale this week which was a tad disappointing, but I am gonna take things up a notch diet-wise to see what that does. I guess we'll see how it goes next week.

[rantorcha]

Well, today I started week #3 of my carb-cycling diet and it has been kinda strage! Although I haven't budged on the scale, I do feel and look tighter.

Regardless, I am stepping it up a notch or two this week. Lower carbs on my higher days and less high-carb days. We'll see how that helps things. Plus I've added an additional 10 minutes of cardio post-training.

Today was a bit discouraging with the weights. It appears that my left elbow pain is back. I tried hitting back today and working through it, but couldn't get that "feel" at all today. That tells me a couple of things.

#1 - time to re-order my EFX Joint Repair!
#2 - I will be backing off the weights this week. Since this flare up occurred, plus the fact that I've been at this hardcore for the last 12 weeks, I think it's time to back off a week and give my body some recovery time.

I usually take a full week off, but I want to try this out for a change and see how it works.

[rantorcha]

Yesterday was a bit rough trying to train around my left elbow issue. I had to modify the exercises that I wanted to do plus I don't think I focused as well as I could have. I guess it's just something I need to get used to for the near future. I was able to muster through for both delts and Hams.

Diet has stayed 100% on and am goingthrough my 2nd day straight of only 50g of carbs (my low-carb day in my carb cycling). We'll see how this diet works by week's end. I have also been hitting cardio relatively hard - 30 min per day & 10 extra minutes post-workout.

Again, we'll see in the next few days if this is working.

[rantorcha]

So much for lowering my intensity. It's funny, when I find a way to lower my intensity, I have a hard time getting that intensity back (mentally). And when I'm up, it's hard to ratchet it back down. Perhaps I'll need to actaully take a week off.



My elbow does feel better, albeit just a little better. I'll really have to be careful with biceps today. Who knows, I might even skip biceps today.



Yesterday was another fun day at the gym. I really tried to focus everything on the mind-muscle connection for Chest. I also threw in a few sets of quads just for a little quad stim.



It seems that I've only lost a couple pounds in the last couple of weeks (which really pisses me off), so it's time to push it to the next level. We'll see how it goes next week.



On tap for today, Triceps, Biceps and Abs.

[rantorcha]

I had a great weekend with the girls. ASide form all the fun, we even went to watch Spy Kids in 3D. Not bad for a kids movie. And, as a dad, it had a nice message.

As for the training/diet situation, I did my cardio and stayed on my diet with no issues. My weight, however, hasn't gone down like I would have hoped, so I am taking it u pa notch this week. More cardio (from 30 min mrng sessions with 10 min post-workout, now I'll be doing 25 min in the morning; 20 min b4 last meal). I also lowered my high-carb day to 100g and added an extra low-carb day (1-high; 3 low). We'll see how that works out

Yesterday's trainingwas great. Back is something I love to train. here are the exercises I went with...
Pullups
D-bar Pulldowns
Rev Grip Bent Row
Corner T-bar Row
Partial Deads
Rev Pulldowns

[rantorcha]

It's been a terrific week of training. I've been really focused and hitting it hard. I have had very little time to post, but here is a quick catch-up rundown...



Tuesday - was Delts and Hamstrings. Higher volume with extreme focus on the muscle.

Wednesday - was my bi-weekly Quad workout. And I let 'em have it! I started with Smith Squats, Leg Press, one-leg on bench Lunges, Leg Ext - all at 20+ reps.

Today - I decided to switch around days (chest and bis/tris), so I did Bis and Tris today! My intensity & focus was through the roof today. I did...

EZ bar Pushdowns

Flat bench EZ bar Ext

Dip Machine

1-arm Rev Pushdowns

DB Curl

Preacher Machine

Lying Top Calbe Curl



Let's see how that feels tomorrow.

[rantorcha]

Hello all! After 13 straight weeks of hardcore training and 5 weeks sprinkled in of dieting, I decided to give my body a bit of a mental (and more importantly) physical break. It doesn't mean I've stopped dieting or doing cardio. On the contrary, I am going at those with full force! I am doing double sessions of cardio a day and for this entire week keeping my carbs pretty darn low. We'll see how that turns out.

Other than that, there isn't much to report. I am going to my littlest one's Open House tonight (and my 2nd Open House in a week). Those are always fun!

[rantorcha]

After a week off, it was was good to get back to they gym and lift something heavy...and picking up my kids and playing with them just wasn't filling that desire. lol

I did manage to rest up, stay on my diet, and stayed on my cardio. I am at about 196 today and hopefully by the end of the week, I'll be at or lower than 195. I was hoping for lower, but it is what it is. The reality is, I don't think I could have done more without sacrificing muscle density. I am already pretty low carbs and doing 2 cardio sessions a day on most days. This week will more than likley be my last week of dieting (restricitvely, anyway). Then, I plan to runa little maintenance and see how that progresses.

The good news is that the trianing never differs! Here is a glimpse of today's Back workout...

BACK
Pullups - 3 sets as warmup
Bent Rows - 3 sets
Rack Deads - 3 sets
Corner T-bar Row - 3 sets
WG Pulldown - 3 sets
Stiff-arm Pulldown - 4 sets

[rantorcha]

Yesterday was Day #2 of my first week back form my break. My back was pretty damn sore already. So, I had one hell of a rough ass day yesterday, but my solice comes form training. I did have to switch things around a bit and hit chest yesterday instead of Thursday, but that was cool.

I took the opportunity with this being my firswt week back to start from scratch in terms of forgetting about the weight and REALLY focusing on the muscle working. I squeezed on each rep, focused on my hand position and made sure that my delts were completely eliminated from the exercise (or as much as possible). I remember that my best growth came from a period where I did that...then I got more into trying to train heavier and I got derailed. SUCH a delicate balance!

CHEST
Smith incl Press - 3 sets
Slight incl (almost flat) Smith Press - 3 sets
Incl Hammer Press - 3 sets
Incl Flye - 3 sets
Cable Crossover - 4 sets with limited rest

[rantorcha]

Today was my bi-weekly Quad training day and it was a really good one.

Here's a quick rundown...

QUADS
Leg Press - 3 sets (7 plts each side for 20 reps) - really focusing on the mid- to upper quads
Reverse Hack Squats - 3 sets of 15 reps. Again, really tring NOT to use too much glute and more upper quads
Diagonal Single-leg Leg Press - 2 sets

SPRINTS - this is something that I have been trying to really improve the quality of my quads. I have plenty of size, but I am really trying to being out the splits and detail of them. I figure sprinters have insane definition, so I thought I'd give this a try for a few weeks/months. Seems to be doing pretty well over the course of the last few weeks.
Went to the parking garage and did the following...
Sprint - up the ramp; jog - on the flat part...all the way up for three levels
Jog - down the ramp; spint - on the flat part...all the way down.
Did this two times each. Tired...sucking wind...gonna feel this tomorrow!

All for the best package ever in less than a year from now!!

[rantorcha]

MAN! Time just keeps running right past me! My last post was for my quad day and didn't post anything after that?! Not good! So, Thursday was my day off, as I was going to train on Fri & Sat. Friday's Hams and Delts day was off the charts good - I was sore as hell all weekend. However, Saturday was what you might call a "lost" day. Something happened between Friday night and Saturday morning where I just felt like absolutel dog crap (not the trianing method...like real crap!) lol

Not sure if it was a stomach virus, or something else, but I was out of commission all day. I didn't feel better until the UM game kickoff! Oh, well...so much for Arms Day.

The rest of the weekend was good. I am slowly but surely coming off the diet and getting into more of a "controlled" growth...decreasing the amount of cardio a tad, and slowly increasing carbs. NO MORE BODYFAT!!!

This week's training started off with a bang with Back. Here's a quick rundown...

BACK
Pullups - as a warm up (hold squeeze at top)
WG Pulldowns (1-1/2 Reps) - 3 sets
One-arm Row - 3 sets
Rev Grip Bent BB Row - 3 sets w/ 1-dropset @ end
Rev hammer Pulldown - 4 sets

REAR DELTS
Rev Pec Dec - only 2 sets...I was fried like a chicken!

LOW BACK
Hyperextensions - 3 sets of 20 reps

[rantorcha]

Last week I had to tweak some things in my split and I ended up having to train delts and hams on Thursday of last week. So, training them again today was goign to be tough. So, for one more week, I am having to move things - I trained Quads today and will train Delts & Hams tomorrow.



So, after morning cardio, I went to hit Quads this afternoon...

QUADS

Hammer Squat Machine - very deep for 3 sets/20-15 reps

Leg Ext (toes pointed in) - 3 sets/15 reps

Smith Squat - very deep - 3 sets for 15+ reps



ABS

V-ups - 3 sets

Cable Crunch - 3 sets

[rantorcha]

Started today with some cardio and had another insane day at the old gym-yard this afternoon. The diet is going really well and I will slowly but surely start to increase carbs over the next couple of weeks. Yesterday was my higher carb day (although it was only 100g worth). I want to see what weight I end up at by the end of the week.

As for my training...
DELTS
Side Laterals - 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Arnold DB Presses - 3 sets
Cable Upright Rows - 3 sets
Side Lateral Machine ss/ Machine Presses - 3 sets each

HAMS
Lying Leg Curl (1-1/2 Reps) - 3 sets of 8-10
Standing Leg Curl - 3 sets
Smith Machine Stiff Leg Deads - 3 sets w/ double-drop on last

Now it's time to rest, relax and hang with my girls later tonight.

[rantorcha]

I had a bit of a rough go of it yesterday at work which pushed my workout until later in the day. It wasn't my best workout by any means, but I pushed through it. It was chest day and I really hate not getting a great workout on a bodypart that is lagging on me, but it happens sometimes.

Today was a little better for Arms, but still not as stellar as it could have been. It could be because I have so many different issues going on around me, but that shouldn't be an excuse.

I'll try to rest and recover this weekend and mentally prepare myself for a better week next week.

[rantorcha]

After a really great weekend with the girls, it was back on the diet and back at the gym again today. I hit cardio last night before bed as well as this morning. I did this because I didn't quite stick to my 1 cheat meal rule. I def don't want to give back all the positive steps I've taken.

That said, I am pushing up the carbs slowly but surely this week. After having 2 high days and the rest of the days being low-carb days for the last couple of weeks, I am going low, high, med, low, high, med, low for the week starting on Monday (today). We'll see how that works, but I certainly want to add more clean muscle over the next couple of months. At this point, I am less than a year away from making my return to the stage for my pro card!

Today's training was insane! Today was Back/Rear Delt day.
Pullups - 3 sets as a warmup
D-bar Pulldown - 3 sets with dropset on last
Corner T-bar Row - 3 sets with drop on last
Rev BB Row - 3 sets
CG Pulldown - 3 sets
Stiff-arm Pulldown - multiple dropsets

REAR DELTS
Rev Pec Dec Machine - these were almost useless...my rears delts were pretty fried already, but I still did 3 sets @ a much lower weight.

[rantorcha]

There are times in life where things just get a little out of hand. This past week was one of those times! Not all good; not all bad. But here was this past week in a nutshell...

9/27 - took my girls to a co-op commercial shoot for Party City/Maroone Dealerships. It's their first commercial! lol Very cool stuff.

9/28 - took my girls to the final Marlins game of the year and at that stadium. Oh, and their first baseball game ever. Pretty emotional day all the way around. Many memories in that stadium with my late grandfather. It was nice to spend the last day of that park with my girls.

10/1 - My Birthday...was supposed to go out with friends. However, the night didn't quite turn out that way. First, my uncle got locked out of his house, so I had to drive him a set of keys. On the way down, I got a call from my step-daughter telling me that my ex-wife was on her way to the hospital with some abdominal pain and my DAUGHTER HAD JUST HIT HER EYE on the nightstand playing in her room! I rushed over there and immediately took her to the hospital. Long story short, Sienna's incredibley lucky to be ok but has a HUGE shiner. We didn't get out until past midnight (over 8 hours!)

10/2 - woke up early to take Sienna to Bason Palmer (a world renouned eye hospital). Another lost day!

10/4 - Appt #2 for Sienna. All is looking better, but the doc still wants to see her on Friday...again!

Now, as far as training goes, all has been ok except for missing yesterday's training session (which I made up today). Everything should be on track for the rest of the week.

UGH...CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!!

[rantorcha]

You know, I used to make fun of Eric with how busy he was. But now I feel like I am following in his footsteps! lol It seems like this particular time in my life is on overdrive. Work is at an all-time high pace. My family life has gone ape-spit lately. Training has been fantastically. And I am buying a house!!!

Time has been extremely limited lately. As a matter of fact, I am closing on my house tomorrow (hopefully). But I must say that my training/diet has been great! I am roughly at about 192-193 right now, which is the perfect off-season weight for me. I plan to stay at this weight for the next month or so and then try to go on another growth-stage with increased carbs.

Did delts and hams today! These are two areas of major emphasis for me as I slowly start to contemplate competing again next year. My delts have really come up in the past couple years, but no where near where they need to be. As for my hams, I am pleased with them too, but not as much. DAMN my Cuban ass!

[rantorcha]

It has been an extremely hectic time in my life these last few weeks, for a variety of reasons. Nothing too bad for the most part. My littlest one ended up in the hospital a couple of times with falling accidents. I did buy a house and have been putting all of my extra time and effort into making it the way I want it for me and the girls.

That doesn't mean that I haven't been putting in the time and work into my training, though. I have really been pushing things to the limits. I've noticed that what I have been doing for my back has really worked and I have added some width to it. I have also added size and width to my delts. Now it's time to refocus things on my chest.

As for my diet, that has been "on" about 90% of the time. I am holding steady at about 191-193, but do think I've added a couple pounds of muscle, so I have leaned out a bit. I can always tell by how my lifting belt fits me...and right now I am on the last hole! lol

So, I did Back today and won't go too detailed into it bc I've gotta go get the girls for some trick-or-treating tonight. But I've added some sets of chest to Monday's now. We'll see how that goes for a little bit.

[rantorcha]

Another sick round of training at the gym today. My head seemed to be completely engulfed in thrashing every muscle fiber of both my delts and hams. I really was in rare form today.

DELTS
Side Laterals - 3 regular sets
DB Seated Press - 3 sets
DB Front Raises (switching bw palms down or palms diagonal) - 3 sets
Rear delts - Lying flat on Incl bench - 2 sets
Up & Down the Ladder Side Laterals using 20/25/30/35/30/25/20 x 2 sets!

HAMS
1-Leg Lying Leg Curl - 3 sets
Lying Leg Curl (21s) - 3 sets
DB Stiff Leg Deads - 2 sets

[rantorcha]

Yesterday was my modified Quads day. I did some Leg Press, Walking Lunges and Leg Extensions. Then I went out into the parking lot and did sprints.

Today was a little more of a traditional workout. I pounded chest and threw in a few back-width sets for good measure...

CHEST
High-Incline Smith "Rack" press - 5 sets
Flat Smith Press (high reps) - 3 sets
Incl Flyes (thumbs facing each other - 4 sets
Machine Press - triple drop set

mini-BACK
WG Pulldowns ss/ Stiff-arm Pulldown - 3 sets each

[rantorcha]

At the end of last week, I had a really hard time with my neck/trap area. I even tweaked it during some skullcrushers on Friday to the point where my neck was stiff for a couple of days.

I tried to lay low over the weekend (even though I ended up doing some landscaping stuff on the new house) and did feel a little better as of Monday. I tried to get after it on Monday for Back day in a controlled way. I went the FD/FS route and it really fried my back withouthurting my neck too much. I think I am also coming down with a small cold (thanks to my girls...lol), so that isn't helping. I even woke up in the middle of the night to take Advil.

So, here was yesterday's fun...
BACK
Pullups - 2 warmup sets
WG Pulldowns (5/1/1) - 3 sets
WG Seated Cable Rows (2/3/1) - 3 sets
CG Pulldowns (2/3/1) - 3 sets
Rev Bent Row (1/1/1) - 2 sets of 20+ reps

Rear Delts - Rev Pec Dec - 3 sets of 15

I am not sure if I will make it to the gym today. I'll have to see how I feel later.

[rantorcha]

Alright, so yesterday I was still struggling pretty good with my neck being pretty stiff and seemingly coming down with a little cold, but I didn't think I would do too much damamge by training delts. I probably could have used the rest, but decided to go anyway. I am planning a scheduled week off from training in a couple of weeks, so I didn't want to miss more time.

Aside from yesterday's delts, I went today to hit up some legs. I did a thorough hamstring/glute routine, but went really heavy on quads. I went up to 10 plates per side today on leg press - something I haven't done in a very long time. From there, on my last set, I did drop sets going all the way down to one plate. Needless to say, I will be sore as all get out this weekend!

I am breaking down and goign to see a chiropractor tomorrow for an initial consult. I'll give everyone an update afterwards, but I can no longer train effectively, much less live a normal life without at least trying to figure out what is wrong and trying to correct it.

[rantorcha]

I had a really good initial consultation with the chiro last week and set up a plan of action. I saw my xrays on MOnday morning and gt pretty scared with what he showed me. I have slight scholiosis (sp?) and some compression from some sor tof sports injury I got god knows when! I'm gonna go for treatment 3x a week for 3-4 weeks and we'll reassess from there.

So, I got my full-on treatment on Monday as well and for the last two days - even though my neck is still slightly sore - my training has been off the chain and I'm not getting the sharp pain in my left trap. I go back tomorrow and Thursday, so we'll see how it goes.

Today's training was freakin' awesome. We started out with Machine Delt Press facing pad and we were already pumped as hell. Then we went over to the cables and did a "special" superset of side laterals; jumping over the cable and doing front raises thru the legs; then a side lateral from behind - all for 10 reps each.

From there we went over to do another special, fun exercise bringing the DBs together in front (side of palms touching) and up from thechest up over head. After, we did some two-arm/one-DB Front Raises (those are my new fav), and FINALLY, ended thing with reverse cable rear delts.

We decided to save Hams for tomorrow when we throw in a few Quad reps as well.

I am really looking forward to the chiro again tomorrow to see what's in store for me. Plus, I am really looking forward to seeing how my neck reacts to doing legs.