Spadaboom's Journey (Offseason & Pre-Contest) 2012 The Leaner the BETTER

[Spadaboom]

Purpose

The purpose of this log is to showcase my offseason and pre-contest journey while trying to maintain a balanced life and LEAN physique. In 2012 I am going for my Natural BB pro card in both the IDFA and UFE (Canadian) organizations. After years of following magazines and bulking huge, I have decided to pursue bodybuilding as a lifestyle, not a competition. Staying 10-12 lbs away from stage weight making lean muscle gains through committed nutrition and training IS THE PLAN. Also, I'm really trying to learn MY body and better understand what works and what does not. I want to use this log as a place to highlight my journey, help others learn from my mistakes, connect with a community that I am very passionate about and learn from others. I am going to be trying new things and using this log as my place to track my progress and overall just keep me on track. There are going to be bi-weekly progress pics, daily workout logs, daily nutrition breakdowns, general notes and where my head is at and pictures of some of my good eats lol.

Introduction

I just recently turned 23 years old and picked up my first set of weights at 20 but before that I had a strong background in sports. Working out for me was something I pursued as a filler while trying to quit smoking and partying. All that my friends did were those types of things so to shrink temptation I used the gym as a hideaway. Over the summer of 2008 I lost 20 lbs doing everything "wrong" but nonetheless got it done. I was eating twice a day, fruit for lunch and for dinner a home cooked meal of any sorts. Training wise I only did chest 3 times a week and abs 4x lol. After talking with some trainers at the gym they convinced me to take a look into calorie counting and different workout programs and that is where it all began. The initial remnants of BB making every other part of my life better were visible when the following semester after starting to train my average in UNI went from a 65% to 95%. To stay motivated I decided to try out a local (Toronto, Canada) BB show in fall of 2010. I have completed 2 contest seasons (2010,2011) and 3 shows since. As a 100% committed lifetime Natural BB the journey so far has been awesome but there is still so much more to learn. I am happy with my accomplishments but by no means satisfied or continent with the body I have sculpted. In my first show I placed 3rd in the IDFA Pro Universe Novice HW 2010. In 2011 I took allot of the mistakes from the year before and used this new knowledge to apply to my contest prep. I did a 14-week prep loosing a total of 43lbs (lol), primarily using a med-low carb and tons of cardio prep. I ended up placing second in the 2011 IDFA Pro Universe Open Middleweight division (3 points behind first place and eventual pro card recipient). The following week I competed in the UFE North AMERICAN Championships Elite division placing 10th out of 17 in a much more competitive class. I learned so much about myself, mentally and physically through the 2011 season and I am super stoked to work hard for 2012 and beyond.

2 main things that I took away form this season were the need for a more balanced lifestyle and the importance of staying lean in the offseason. Firstly, to loose 43lbs in 14 weeks pretty much beat the **** out of me and it was ridiculous how depleted and little energy I had. This prep style may work for those that are enhanced but for me being 100% natural it is CRAZY HARD. Taking the advice of the TOP NATURAL CANADIAN PRO BODYBUILDER, GOOD FRIEND AND TRAINING PARTNER WINSTON JOHNSON, moving forward I am looking to stay lean and not try and rush muscle gains. This way going into the shows next year, I will have much more energy, bring a fuller less depleted physique and enjoy the experience much more. Secondly, BB prep in 2011 affected the rest of my life waaayyyyy tooo much. My work, family and girlfriend faced the rath of such a grueling prep and moving forward this is the last thing I want. It is very important to have balance and there definitely are ways to do so (I JUST NEED TO LEARN THEM LOL). That is going to be a focus of this log also, ways to have balance.

So I hope everyone is in for the ride and enjoys the log because 2012 is going to be filled with new knowledge, experiences, friends, accomplishments and mistakes.

Here are some pictures to show you where I came from and where I am. The first few pics are form 2010 and the show pics in the middle are form this year. The last pic I took yesterday. Alot of pics I could not put up b/c they were too big and when I went to optimize them, the uploader would not let me attach. (Any advice would help)

Current Stats:

Weight= 181lbs
Height= 5'7
Backround= Italian
Age=23
Years Training= 3
Competing= 2 years

Training Split

Monday- Cardio (20mins before breakfast HIIT) and ABS at Lunch
Tuesday- Cardio (20mins before breakfast HIIT) Chest and Tri (630pm)
Wednesday- Cardio (20mins before breakfast HIIT) BacK,BI and Calves(630pm)
Thursday- Cardio (20mins before breakfast HIIT) and ABS at Lunch
Friday- Shoulders and Traps (630pm)
Sat- Arms, Calves and ABS (12pm)
Sunday-OFF

You may be wondering where Legs are!!! I am not training them until Feb.1st to work on some of my proportions

Diet
Chest, Back- P200/C150/F60
Arms/Shoulders- P200/C100/F60
Just cardio days and OFF days (MON/THURS/Sun) P200/C60/F60

Cheat Meal (Once a week)

Food

Sweet potatoes
Brown Rice
Fruits (blueberries, banana etc.)
Prunes
Ezekiel bread
Chicken Breast
Turkey Breast
White fish
Salmon
Tuna
Extra Lean Ground Turkey
Eggs
Egg Whites
Natural Peanut Butter
(Sodium= hot sauce or mustard)
Vegetables (Greens, onions etc.)

[Spadaboom]

Saturday Dec.31st 2011

NOTE: Awesome training today. I had intensity and focus and just kept going. ARMS IS BY FAR MY BIGGEST WEAKNESS and largest focus for 2012. Every time I get in the gym to do arms I just go as hard as I can. Funny enough the last month (last show was 1.25 months ago) has been the best, most intense and fulfilling training I have ever had. I am just loving the gym right now and seeing improvements every week.

Tonight is new years so I am going to go out with my beautiful GF for a awesome dinner and I am so stoked (1 CHEAT MEAL FOR THE WEEK).

Macro Wise (Today C=175-225, P=225 F=125) These are rough b/c of the cheat meal.

Tomorrow I am going to be changing up my diet to include less carbs and some more fat. My body just has so much trouble breaking down carbs and when my carbs are pretty low I still have lots of strength and energy so i am going to try out a lower carb cycling diet. Its really about trying things out and seeing how your body reacts. 3 weeks back I cut out oatmeal b/c it just was plugging me up and since then I have felt alot less constipated and bloated. Little things do make a difference.

I forgot to include supplements in the intro:

SUPPLEMENTS
CLA -5 gram/day
NO (ISS Satur8) -3 pills x2/day (waiting for my MRI Black and using this in the meantime but does not work well)
Creatine- Con-Cret (2 servings 1 hour before workout (Best Creatine I have ever tried, strength, recovery and intensity through the roof)
Multi-Vitamin- 2x/day
BCAA- INTRA AND POST/WORKOUT (Dymatize Recoup 2 scoops x2)
Dymatize Iso 100- 1 scoop post workout
Glutamine- Pre and Post workout
L-Carnitine - 2.5 grams a day
Vitamin C-1000mg
Calcium- 3x/day

2012 is right around the corner and I am super stoked. Hard work is truly the secret to success.
I have also attached a couple more pics from yesterday.

Training:

ARMS and CALVES

Triceps

Plates on waist dips
1 plate x12
2 plates x12
3 plates x10
3 plates x10 Drop Set 2 plates x 5, 1 plate x6, no plate x 5

Skull Crushers
70x 10
80x 10
80x 6, 10 second rest another 4
80 x 6, drop set (70 x6)

Close Grip Bench Press

135x 10
155 x 10
155 x 10

Seated dumbell 2-handed extension

70 x10
75x 10
75x 10 (Drop Set 60 x6, 50 x8)
75x 10 (Drop Set 60 x6, 50 x8)

Biceps

EZ Bar Preacher Curls

70x 12
80 x 8
80x 8 (Drop Set 70 x 4, 60x 4)
80x 8 (Drop Set 70 x 4, 60x 4)

Seated Barbell Curl

70 x12
80 x12
85 x 12
85 x 12

Bent Over Concentrations Curls

20 x 10
25x 10
30 x 9
30 x 8 (Drop Set 25x 6, 15 x10)

Hammer Strength Preacher Curl

75x 10
75x 8 (Drop Set 50x 8, 25x 10)
75x 8 (Drop Set 50x 8, 25x 10)
75x 8 (Drop Set 50x 8, 25x 10)

Bicep Curl Machine

50 x 10
60 x 10
60 x 10

Calves

Super Set (Seated and Standing Calf Raises) 12 sets total (6 each)

Seated 180 x 12 Standing 260 x 12
Seated 190 x 12 Standing 280 x 12
Seated 200 x 12 Standing 300 x 12
Seated 220 x 10 Standing 340 x 10
Seated 220 x 10 Standing 380 x 8
Seated 220 x 8 Standing 400 x 6

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE

[Spadaboom]

2012 is HERE!!!!

It is going to be an awesome year and what better way to start it off then egg whites and a banana lol.

The quest for balance is very very difficult and everyday I am faced with the daunting task of doing so. It is necessary to make a balance because if you cant BB will consume every part of our lives.

One thing that I am dedicated to doing is turn off the bodybuilding switch. What I mean by this is when I am with my girlfriend turn off the switch (dont think about the food, training. mirror etc.), at work dont be looking at the newest news videos etc. Just enjoying other things in life by giving them focus.

Today is my day off from training and my body is crazy sore from arms yesterday and shoulders Friday. I took my 2 scoops of con-cret (creatine), mutli-vitamin, glutamine, NO, L-carnitine, and my other vitamins (c, b etc.) In an attempt to not be so consumed with food I am not weighing the food but instead making rough estimations moving forward. If i have 70 grams of carbs for the day instead of 60 my body will still make necessary improvements. When the science of BB is interwoven into every part of one's day it becomes crazy. I personally know of champions in natural bodybuilding that do not weight food or count carbs but instead make estimations and they have bodies most aspire to in our world.

I am sticking to general rules that co inside with the macro guidelines I am trying to stay around.

-Low carbs, medium protein, medium fat and high fiber.
-2-3 fat protein sourced meals a day (salmon, eggs etc.)
-lots of veggies in each meal
-carbs in the morning and around workout time (pre and post)
-LISTEN TO MY BODY (when I am sore don't train, when I'm hungry EAT lol).

I am focused and ready to make unbelievable improvements in all aspects of life for 2012 and I hope you are too.

"Hard work is the most uncommonly traveled road to success, but it is the most efficient"

[Spadaboom]

Monday January 2nd 2012

Training:

20 Minutes Cardio (HIIT) BEFORE Breakfast

Nutrition:

Carbs-75g
Protein 200g
Fat -50g

Carb Sources -Banana, sweet potatoes, brown rice
Protein Sources- Chicken breast, egg whites, sole, salmon
Fat Sources- Nat PB, FISH OIL, egg

Notes;

Filling pretty rough because I am still recovering from new years eve cheat fest lol. I definitely ate too much and the bloat was painful but there is no point in getting crazy about it. I brought my carbs down yesterday as the first step to better understanding what works for me. Carbs dont mix well with me b/c my body has tons of trouble breaking it down so im am going to try out this new approach. I am looking at my bodyshape and traditionally meso's have trouble breaking down carbs and because of this their bodies have adapted to using fat and protein efficiently to energize the body.

I am going to do some abs at 5pm and will input the training breakdown later tonight.

Go hard or go home!!!

[Spadaboom]

Tuesday January 3rd

Yesterday evening I had a sick Ab workout with my trainer/friend. He beat the **** out of me and had me shtting diamonds this morning lol. The purpose of intense ab training moving forward is to bring my waist in. After going from 212lbs to 170 lbs in 14 weeks there was some skin left over and overall thickness in the waist that I want to bring down. Here is a rough breakdown of our work out.

Low back extension 2 sets x 10
Side crunch on (lower back extension platform) 2 set x 10 reps each side
lumber crunch on low back extension platform 2Sx10 each side
Crunches on low back ext. platform 2 x15

Decline bench leg raises 2S X15
Ab roller 2S X15
Hanging Leg raises 2x10
Side hanging leg raises 2x10 each side

Captain Chair leg raises 2x10
Captain Chair Side LEG RAISES 2x10 each side
Medicine ball crunches 2x25
Rope pulldown crunches 2x20
Incline bench crunches 2x25
Back extension on leg press machine 2x10
Side Crunch with twist on leg press machine 2 x 10 each side

Todays Nutrition

C=110G P=200 F=60G (CARB TIMING =40G Breakfast, 30g pre-workout and 40G post WO)

Tonight I am going to crush some chest with emphasis on Decline. Will update workout later tonight.

Mindset- Continuing to think positive and understand that I have a long way to go but if I can achieve more and more each day I am getting closer to where I want to be.

[Spadaboom]

Wednesday jan.4th

Notes: feeling pretty beat up today just from weeks of intense workouts. Time for a deload next week and one thing I want to emphasize here is listening to your body. Yesterday was chest day and I could still feel some soreness from last weeks workout so instead of killing my chest I hit it without going to complete failure. Also I can feel my body tellin me chill buddy so next week I will deload and then my body will be prime to grow.

Also, I wanted to share win everyone the mindset I am in and apply to work, BB, family and life in general. This is usin positive thinking methodologies to push myself everyday. Treating negative occurrences and experiences as distractions and instead focussing on the big picture. Understanding that a person can do absolutely anything in life and I mean anything. Anyone that is a bodybuilder understands this because they went from a average joe to a beautiful sculpted body that many believe is impossible to create. How did they do it, by not lettin the thought of impossible enter there head and every single day working their ass off to get closer and closer to realization.

Chest training last night

Flat bench
215 x 10
220 x 10
225x 8
225 x 10

Dumbbell incline bench

60 x 12
70 x10
75 x 9
75 x 8

Decline smith press

185 x 10
205 x10
215 x 10

Dumbbell decline press

60 x 11
65 x.10
70 x 10
70 x 8

Triceps

Rope pull downs ss push downs
8 sets 8 reps each

Tricep extensions with barbell standing

60 x 12
70 x 10
75 x 10
80 x 6 drop 70 x 8 drop 60 x 8

Nutrition today ( back/cardio/calves)

C150 p200 f60

[Spadaboom]

Thursday January 5th

Had a sick Back training session last night with my buddy and IDFA pro natural BB. My abs are ridicoulously sore from my workout on Monday, like never before. I was planning on doing abs today but they are way too beat up so i am going to let them recover. Who said you can train abs everyday is insane. A muscle is a muscle and if it is sore you will do way more good resting it then working it again. My strength is doing really well even with my carbs alot lower. A couple things this is showing me is 1) my body is using the amount of carbs efficiently and more than what I am consuming currently may of just been under utilized. Also, my supplementation is on par, with fast recovery (for the most part, abs is an exception since I have not worked them that hard EVER), energy and strength advancements.

Nutrition Today:

C=60G (30G BREAKFAST and 30g mid-day), P=200, F 40G

Training Today: 20 minutes HIIT cardio pre-breakfast (with a cup of coffee)

Training Yesterday (Jan.4th)

Wide Grip Pullups

3 sets x 10 reps

Reverse Grip Bent Over Rows

155 x 12
185 x 11
205 x 9
225 x 8

Reverse Grip Mounted T-BAR rows

4 (25's) x 12
4 (25's) + 20 x 10
4 (25's) + 30 x 10
4 (25's) + 40 x 8 drop set (4 (25's) + 20 x 5)

Close Grip Pulldown

130 x 10
140 x 8
140 x 8
140 x 6 Drop Set (110 x 5) Drop (100x 7)

Hammerstrength Single High Rows

4 plates (2 plates each side) x 10
4 plates (2 plates + dime each side) x 10
4 plates (2 plates + dime each side) x 9 Rest Pause (10 secs) 4 more reps Rest Pause 3 more reps

Machine Rows

120 x 10
130 x 7 (drop set 100 x8, drop set 80 x 6)

Bi's

One arm hammer ss with standing curls
20's x 10 reps each execercise
25's x 10 reps each ex
25's x 10 reps each ex

Incline Bench Dumbell Curls

20's x 10
25's x 10
25's x 8 (Drop set with 20's x 6)

Perfect Curl Barbell

50 x 8
50x 7 ss (partial curls x 10)

THE FIRST STEP IS YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE!!!

[jaredmus]

you are a big dude with sick legs, condition looks good too man, il be following along keep up all the good work

[Spadaboom]

you are a big dude with sick legs, condition looks good too man, il be following along keep up all the good work

Thanks borther and nice to see your going to be following along.

Conditioning is where I feel i really got to pick up my slack. Balance is next in line.

Cheers

[Spadaboom]

Jan.6th 2012

Last night was awesome. Got home from work had some chicken and asparagus and watched tv PERIOD.(lol) No training no stressing nothing. Got about 10 hours of sleep and had my lunch pre ready to take to work (lunch...3 meals lol). Today is Shoulders and Calves and both are noticable weaknesses of mine. I have been focusing alot on rear delts as the front delts have begun to dominate the shoulder. Calves are tricky because mine are not small but in comparison to my quads they are so I need to bring them up a bit. Tommorrow all the guys are getting together for a awesome potluck/dinner before we all( I already did) start eating clean for the 2012 BB season. Should be fun.

I will update later on tonight with my shoulder and calf routine and tomorrow Ill post some pics of the cheesecake im baking.

"I'M WORKING HARD PERIOD!!!!"

[Spadaboom]

Jan.7th 2012

Had a sicccckkkkkk shoulder workout with my boy and TOP CANADIAN NATURAL PRO BB Winston Johnson (CHECK OUT PICS BELOW). He is going to smash the US Natural BB scene next year. Neways....I have been focussing on my rear delts and boy did I smash them yesterday. Feeling nice and sore today in my shoulders and I am pumped to hit some arms. Although I have only been competing 2 years the people around me have enabled me to grow as a BB much faster but also understand that PROPORTIONS are super important even when a competitor is in his/her infancy. This is why I try my best to bring up weak points to build a better overall physique.

Nutrition TODAY (Couple Cheat meals today so these are not that accurate)
C=250 P=250 F=125

Training Last Night (SHOULDERS)

Smith REAR (Rolling) Shrugs

90 (2 plates total) x13
100 x 11
110 x 10
110 x 10 (rest-pause 6 reps, rest-pause 5 reps)

Incline Bench Upright row (Rear's)

60 x 15
70 x 13
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 6

Bent over rear raises(stomach on incline bench)

15's x 13
15's x 12
15's x 10
15's x 10

Punch out dumbbell presses

25's x 12
30's x 13
35's x 12
35's x 10

Lateral Raises (Palms facing stomach)

20's x 12
25's x 10
30's x 10

Hammer Press ss with cable rear flies

3 sets each 10 reps (flies 20's and hammer 1 plate and quarter each side)

Machine press ss Rear delts on peck fly machine

3 sets each 10-12 reps (Machine press 100,120,140 and fly (70 x3)

Upright Rows(stopping at belly button and bringing over head)

60 x 12
60 x 11
60 x 10

Dumbbell shrugs

80's x 13 (3 sets)

Looking forward to some cheesecake tonight !!!!!

[Spadaboom]

Supplementation

L-carnitine
CLA
Fish oil
Dymatize Recoup
Dymatize ISO 100 (Whey)
Con-Cret
Glutamine

[Spadaboom]

Jan.8th 2012

Last night was awesome all the guys got together and had a FEAST!!! I didnt go over board and have crazy bloat but I defiantly had my fair share. Today is about relaxation and catching up on some zzzz's. The week ahead of me is filled with mandatory trAining at work so why not use this week as a deloAd. I am still going to get most of my cardio sessionS (4) in for the week and 1 ab workot but from a training side of things I am taking it easy.

Had a sick arms session yesterday and really went to work on them. I have been doing alot of super setting and drop sets to pound the blood in there. I have seen small improvement and getting consistent pumps week after week.

Nutrition for today and the rest of the week.

C=60 p=200 F=20For the most part I am going to keep carbs low and protein high without counting much. I wont be able to prep much of my food since Ill be in a hotel away from home for work training. I don feel it is necessary to increase my carbs b/c I wont be training for the most part so I am going to focus on breakfast and mid day as the carb times.

[Spadaboom]

Jan.10th

Feeling great today. Going to training with work for the next 5 days and it worked out perfectly for a deload. Diet is going to stay on point and im looking forward to letting my body rest. Did 20 minutes of HIIT Cardio yester and the same today. I also did a ridiculous AB workout yesterday that almost made me throw up.

For the next 4 days Nutrition will be:

C=60-75G P=180-200G F=30-50G

Wont be updating for a bit just because there is no training for the week.

On the mindset piece, its all about balance and taking the appropriae time to pay attention to other parts of one's life is crucial.

"WORK HARD IN ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE"

[bigryan03]

I cant believe more people arent in on this. Well im in and along for the ride brother! Looking phenomenal and ready to do damage.

[Webber91]

You're looking incredible dude, awesome stuff! I'll be following along for sure

[Spadaboom]

I cant believe more people arent in on this. Well im in and along for the ride brother! Looking phenomenal and ready to do damage.

Nice to see you join for the ride. I will make sure I keep the log as detailed as possible to give you a true look into my full prep on and off season.

Thanks for the kind words dude. I feel like I have a loooonnngggg way to go but happy with how my body is responding to both my nutrition and training plans.

[Spadaboom]

You're looking incredible dude, awesome stuff! I'll be following along for sure

Thanks a lot man. Glad to see you are following along. It's going to be a crazy 2012 with two shows inked for July and another 2 inked for November.

[Spadaboom]

Jan.11th

Been in a conference at work for the lay 2 days and still of 2 more to go. No cardio no weight training his week but NUTRITION IS ON POINT!!

My body is feeling great and my hunger to train is Increasing. These are the 2 major benefits of taking a break and sometimes you just got to chill.

I speak to balance in life and when it comes to nutrition while at the conference this is directly tackled. I brought chicken, sweet potatoes and protein shakes with me but that's it. I'm usually off when it comes to timing but I'm still eating super clean so it's really about making reasonable adjustments to satisfy all pieces to ones life. My interaction, involvement and mind are totally into work where it needs to be but BB is still there and being off when it comes to little things won't do much damage.

"LIFE IS SWEET"

[Spadaboom]

Jan 15th

What a great week of letting my body rest. Decided to take a week off and it was perfect because I had to go away for a conference at work. I feel so rested and pumped up to make some gains.

Nutrition wise I keep my carbs lower for most of the week since there was no training and had a couple cheat meals on Friday which were delicious.

I am doing some cardio and abs tomorrow and jumping into the full swing of things with chest and tri on Tuesday.

[Spadaboom]

Jan.17th

What a first day back in the gym yesterday. It's so funny how much you realize what the gym does for you mentally after a week off. I felt like a million dollars walking out of there covered in sweat. Today my chest and tri's are super sore which is sick. Tonight I am going in to do Back/BI/Calves with my buddy Winston (TOP CANADIAN PRO NATURAL BB). This guy pushes me to new limits.

Nutrition Yesterday
Carbs-100 P=215 F=60

Nutrition Today
Carbs-130 P=215 F=50

Meal 1= zero fat french toast (ezekiel bread x2) (Vanilla extract, 1/4 cups egg whites/ 1/8 cups skim milk and cinnamon)
2 tbls Natural PB
1 CUP egg white (onions and tomatoes) (1 slice of zero fat cheese)

Meal 2
5.5 oz Chicken Breast and Zuccini

Meal 3
1 can of tuna and 6oz Sweet Potato, spinach

Meal 4 (2 hours before training)
1 cup of brown rice, spinach and 5oz of salmon

Post training
1 banana and protein shake

1 hour after training
5oz chicken and cucumber


Training yesterday

Chest
Warm up 3 sets on pec deck

Smith Decline Bench

12 x (1 plate and a quarter each side)
10 x (1 plate and a 35 each side)
10 x (2 plates)
10 x (2 plates), rest pause (10 secs) 5 reps, RP 3 reps

Flat Dumbell bench press

10x 60's
9x 65's
8x 65's
8x 65's Drop Set 50's for 7

Hammer Strength Press

11 x (1 plate and a quarter each side)
10 x (1 plate and a 35 each side)
9 x (1 plate and a 35 each side) Drop set 1 plate x 10

Incline dumbell Press

10X 55'S
10X 60'S
8X 60'S
8X 60'S

Incline Bench smith

10 x (1 plate and a quarter each side)
10 x (1 plate and a quarter each side)
9 x (1 plate and a quarter each side)
8 x (1 plate and a quarter each side)rest pause (10 secs) 5 reps, RP 3 reps

Triceps

Rope Pulldown SS W/PUSHDOWNS

10 Reps x 4 sets (120 pounds on each)

Machine Tricep push downs

10x 80
7x 80


PICS COMING SOOOOONNNNNN

[Spadaboom]

Jan.19th

Had a freckin sick back workout with my buddy on Tuesday. My back has never been this sore ever!!!! He is a big fan of just going so we kept going lol. Working out with someone that uses a routine you are not use to is really rejuvenating. Trying new things gets me pumped. When it comes to nutrition I kept everything in check this week and then last night decided to have a piece of cake, then I NEEDED another piece lol then some cookies. I didnt go crazy to the point of a super sore stomach but I did eat too much junk. Im cool with enjoying myself once in a while but the problem is that I am training my body to utilize fat instead of carbs for energy but when I have these types of days it puts my body back in the use carb mode. Regardless I just have to chill and not go overboard anymore when I have a cheat.

I just did cardio yesterday (20 minutes HIIT) on the spinner.

Today I did 20 minutes HIIT, 20 sets of calf raises and about 5 exercises for abs.

Nutrition wise today my carbs were around 90g, Protein around 210g and fat around 50g.

Pics are coming this weekend and I am stoked to see the changes.

[Spadaboom]

Jan.24th

Training has been sick all weekend. I got to say the people you work out with is so crucial. The fitness center team is so supportive and anytime we get in the gym together we just smash a bodypart. Did Shoulders and Arms on Fri/Sat last week with Frank and he kicked th **** out of me. Still sore!!!!

Yesterday I trained abs and did cardio. For abs I have been focusing on obliques to bring in my waist. I definetly have some work to do but its getting better. Tonight is chest and tri and I am focussing on bringing more of a pop to my chest b/c it tends to be flat.

Nutrition wise I have been sooooo on point. Carbs are keeping low but fat and protein are a little higher. Strength and energy wise I am great and condition is staying there. I am probably around 8% right now at 180lbs and i want to stay here.

Nutrition today (Chest/Tri/cardio day)
Carbs=110g Protein 210g Fat=60g

Im pumped!!!!!

[Spadaboom]

Well its been a rough week or so in my bodybuilding world. The culprit BING eating!!! The diet is clean as a whistle 95% of the week and then when it is time to enjoy my cheat meal it turns into a cheat FEAST. This is what is making everything counterproductive because when you bing eat your stomach gets smashed first of all and when you consume so many grams of fat and carbs at once you are bound to store it.


Anyways, time to get back on track nutrition wise. To avoid these bings I am going to add some craving satisying foods throughout the week.

Training wise it has been amazing. Great intense workouts and strength gains and at the same time having lots of fun.

Work has been going awesome and I can truly say I have achieved more balance in my life not just bodybuilding, bodybuilding, bodybuilding. My bodybuilding team and I (The Fitness Center) are getting ready to launch an awesome new site and online platform. Our team is pretty sick with some of the best natural bodybuilders in Canada representing and our online push is going to be intense. Keep an eye out.

I will post some pics soon (when the bloat goes away lol)

Go hard or GO HOME!!!

[Spadaboom]

Got 35 minutes of cardio in this morning (25 MINUTES OF INTERVALS). Took the night off to relax super tired.

Pumped to go hard this week.

[Spadaboom]

Last night had a sick chest and tri workout. Got about 17 sets of chest with little rest time in there. Really focusing on lower chest and tri b/c they are areas in need of work.

Diet is on point about 120 carbs yesterday and 200 grams of protein. Today a little more carbs b/c I got some back to do tonight.

STOKED

[Spadaboom]

As many have done in the past I too am now guilty. Starting a log and letting it die out. Disappointed yet not detured. Although the log stopped the training and dieting did not.

I have been able to make some awesome improvements to my overal strucutre and approach to contest prep.

As it stands I have done a here and there log in the contest prep section of the forum:http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=144359711 that showcases my last few weeks of contest prep leading up to my show this past weekend.

As an update I won my pro card in the UFE (Canadian Natural BB ORG) and I am super stoked about it. Got another hsow in 3.5 weeks so I will be loggin that here with pics.

Weight: 172 this morning (recovering from a pig out after th ehsow on the weekend) Took plenty of steps back but worth it lol (3.5 weeks got a while to adjust)

Supps right now:

Con-cret
Green Tea Extract
Multi
Fish Oil
BCAA
Glutamine
Hemavol
L-carnitine

I will post some pics from the show soon

[Spadaboom]

Here are some pics from this past weekend and my Pro Card WIN (YOUNGEST PRO'S IN THE ORG 23YRS OLD)







Super happy with the results but know to be competitve in the Pro's I have lots of work to do

[fltallpaul]

Congrats on the win. Get dialed on more time for the next show and keep up with the journal this time around. I like the motivation a good journal provides!

[Spadaboom]

Congrats on the win. Get dialed on more time for the next show and keep up with the journal this time around. I like the motivation a good journal provides!

Thanks brother will do. Going to give it my all.

For the past weekend really didnt go crazy with cardio most certainlty no HIIT...going to try and throw a couple of those in a week and really keep the diet in check