2015 muscle building log

[DavidZiegler]

I AM HOME! Spent the weekend in Harrisburg PA competing in Northern USA's. The man behind the weekend was Todd Howe- Talk about an amazing person and an unbelievable representative for the NPC. The show was the smoothest I've been a part of and the people were perfect! I Couldn't have been happier with anything and the weekend will go down as one of my favorites!

[DavidZiegler]

[DavidZiegler]

Today was my first day back in the gym since Northern USA's.. I felt amazing! I was in my zone training chest and the weights felt light. I was fortunate to have pictures taken by one of the best! I only have a few more days and I will be trying to bring this all to stage again. It's a tough job.. Someone's got to do it!

[DavidZiegler]

[DavidZiegler]

[NaturalPursuit]

Solid showing man! Do you have plans for another show seeing as your glutes were fairly soft? If you could tighten them up you could do some damage!

[DavidZiegler]

I was lucky to have a world class photographer follow me around during my Back day yesterday! ;-)

I started my day with cardio and started putting in carbs.. I wanted to pop for the pictures! I took a little MEGATRON before hitting the weights - but that's it. No stimulants. I had tons of energy and I was crushing my workout. My contractions were awesome - I had such a strong connection! going on. Can't wait for my next back.. But first I need to crush this weekend.

When I got done the workout I passed out on my couch! I was beat. When I woke up I took a look at these and I am a fan of how the shots came out! Hopefully this a good preview of how I will look this weekend.

[DavidZiegler]

[DavidZiegler]

Solid showing man! Do you have plans for another show seeing as your glutes were fairly soft? If you could tighten them up you could do some damage!

I'll try to do better for you bro :-/ I have some stuff planned

[NaturalPursuit]

I'll try to do better for you bro :-/ I have some stuff planned

Awesome man! Given how conditioned you were everywhere else it seems thats the only area holding any bf. Very smart to continue to do shows while this lean!

[DavidZiegler]

Wednesday has been my consistent day off for this prep. I wake up and hit cardio, come back to the house and get to work. I finish up all the things I need to for clients and whatnot, and then I run around and get a bunch of errands done. I don't train, but I have a ton of stuff I still do.. One of the big highlights of my day is going to All Sport Muscles Therapy. Every Wednesday I go for an hour and always see Bob or Joe.. Well today I worked with Ruby! .. Let me just say, wow! Joe and Bob are going on a rotation schedule - their entire team crushes it. I want to work with everyone! I am happy that I have has work done by the entire staff, and I can rely on any of them to hook me up.. It makes a huge difference.

[DavidZiegler]

Came in and crushed legs! I skipped cardio in the morning because of the rain... If you don't know about it, it has been raining everyday for the last two weeks.. Says it will continue to rain for the next week, and a hurricane is coming.. Cool.

So I went in a crushed legs rested.. They were ready to work. I took Fierce Domination before training and I was going hard! Hit legs for a few hours, had them pumped!

When I was finished I rushed home, I have to eat! Also, I have a ton of stuff to do for the weekend.

[DavidZiegler]

Today was spent getting ready for the weekend.. Tanner, carbs, tanner, more carbs.. Little time packing, more time with the tanner.. So much color! I want to be darker for this show, last weekend I was to pale. Soon enough it will be time to see what's going on at the Big Cat Classic! I'll be back on Sunday to tell you all about it, talk to you guys then! Follow on Instagram @ ZieglerMonster

[DavidZiegler]

The NPC Big Cat Classic is over for me... I took second in the Men's Super Heavy Weight Class - Taking the win was my friend Tavish - The show was incredibly smooth and I couldn't have been happier to be a part of it! Even my Grandparents came out! .. I am going to take the next couple weeks to relax and get back to normal. This was my third time peaking/showing in three weeks.. TOUGH STUFF! I have traveled over 6500 miles and been from Vegas - North Carolina - Pennsylvania.. Not saying I am done.. But I will take some time to get back to my consistent normal self -So much stress on the body and muscles!

[DavidZiegler]

I am writing this Sunday night.. I drove home from Pennsylvania. Hit my bed.. I was feeling amazing after sleeping for awhile in my own bed, such a long weekend! After I woke up I hit the gym and crushed it! Felt amazing to be back in the gym.

[DavidZiegler]

Back the normal grind. Woke up for cardio, put together BCAA PRO5000 in a shaker and headed for the lake.. The lake has been my cardio loop for a few years and I have really like it. I can knock out the 4ish miles quickly and it has just enough elevation to make it challenging.. The lake and woods aren't so bad either!

When I returned home I put down a couple cups of Egg Whites and two scoops of SAN Titanium Whey - That shake has been a staple this prep. I have a similar shake with SAN Element, Creatine, and Fiber mixed with water just after the first shake.. Then I wait about half an hour or so before having my first real meal.

By early evening I was in the gym. CRUSHING LEGS! I made a switch to my training split, now I train Legs on Monday instead of Thursday.. I was noticing that come Saturday.. My legs were still crushed. They were tired and the pop was gone. Even the veins seem to retreat while recovery happens. With the change, come Saturday.. My legs will want to be trained! So.. They should be fuller and ready to pop.

[DavidZiegler]

Took the day off.. I got up and hit cardio - then I took a nap. I didn't even want to train. My body is beat and I need a break.

[DavidZiegler]

I've come to the decision.. I will not compete again this year. I have qualified twice for Nationals and that was my front most goal.. I succeeded. I need to get back onstage fighting for pro status and now I can make that happen. I very much would like to finish out the year as planned. Unfortunately I have two hernias and I am scheduled for surgery early November. I had a big year and I plan on 2016 being my biggest year ever. I need to pull off the gas for a bit.. It's about to get real!

[NaturalPursuit]

Sucks about the injuries but it is the smart move. Props for knowing when to pull back! A whole year off is going to be incredible and can definitely help towards making that run for a pro card!

[DavidZiegler]

FRIDAY

Back in the gym! I am crushing food and I need to crush these weights! I have to rebound as much as possible before I go into surgery. I will be out of the gym for at least two weeks.. Hopefully not much longer than that. I want to take that time and relax. Work on some projects and stay out of the gym - as a productive move. Not necessarily just forced out.

I crushed Chest like a champ! I was hitting it from every angle and it felt awesome. It took a little while for the connection to really grab; but once it was there.. It felt amazing. I was grabbing my chest so hard on cable cross-overs I could fell it grab off of the collarbone.. Like a shelf would form and the pecs roll up.. Hard to explain. But it was awesome!

I am really looking forward to this off season. Too bad I had to take any time off at all... Or maybe it is good. I need to have these fixed and I should take serious time off.





SATURDAY

I trained in a different gym today! Well.. I have a few different gyms available to me, but most times I train at Retro Fitness in Raleigh. But today I was at Life Time to hit arms and shoulders with a friend of mine. It was the first time I have directly trained arms in a long time and the different gym was a perfect spot to crush them. I had access to tons of dif​ferent pieces of equipment and the people were different.. If you are a regular in a gym you know that sometimes it's nice to not recognize anyone. Go in and just do the work. No head nodding to the familiar crowd, no small talk, no nothing.. Just pumping iron. Today Lance and I did just that. We destroyed the weights, had tons of fun and got the work in! We did a lot of sets for everything; maybe not for shoulders.. We hit still hit them hard, but not from as many angles as the others and not nearly as much volume. Biceps and Triceps had most of the effort today. My training partner wants bigger arms, and I love to train them.. As you can imagine - It was one hardcore awesome workout. Too bad I didn't get any pictures, next time I'll have to have someone film it. I am eating like a champion and my pumps are out of control.

[DavidZiegler]

Nothing special to talk about.. I woke up and hit my cardio both days- I am done for shows for a a few months, but I am going to keep cardio in. I have plans to get back in contest shape soon and to make it easier for the stage. I need to be ready!

I sip in SAN BCAA PRO5000 for the first half of the cardio. My loop is about 4 miles or so, and it makes fasted cardio much easier. It keeps me confident I am not losing muscle, and it tastes delicious... More so when I am hungry.

One of the big differences is when I arrive home. Instead of putting in my super clean food.. I start to slam carbs and proteins... Fats and more carbs!! I am crushing everything in sight!

Thing are pretty good eight now :-D

[DavidZiegler]

Tuesday I came into the gym with an attitude. I had a plan to attack back and it was on. Before leaving my house I took a couple servings of Fierce Domination, filled my shaker with ice and headed out the door. In my gym bad I come prepared with V-MODA headphones, a shaker bottle full of ice, a serving of MEGATRON and a serving of BCAA PRO5000, sine wrist straps, a towel, and more attitude!!!

Took my time to warm up - shoulders need blood. Elbows need blood. Muscles need a slight pump going on before I can lay the hammer down.

Back was destroyed.. Crushed! Here is an example workout, not exactly what I did.. But something to take a look at.

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Warmed up with 4 sets of Lat Pull downs, 30 reps, overhand wide grip

Pull - Ups / As many sets at it takes to hit 60 reps

Barbell Rowe

set 1 - 20 reps
set 2 - 20 reps
set 3 - 30 reps

Dead Lift Over Hand Both Hands

Set 1 - 15 reps
set 2 - 25 reps
set 3 - 10 reps

Cable Rowe using a Rope, Stretching at the bottom of the negative

set 1 - 12 rep
set 2 - 6 reps
set 3 - 6 reps

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WEDNESDAY

Great day for training Chest! Woke up to my normal routine.. Love walking my cardio loop and I really enjoy sipping on my SAN Nutrition, BCAA PRO5000. It's a beautiful walk around the lake, and the morning was fantastic. The temperature is starting to drop but it's at a point where cardio is the best. The day is warm and bright and the nights cold.. Perfect for sleeping, just right for morning cardio.

I had some stuff to do before I could head to the gym.. My errands and obligations are really a blessing in disguise. I need to put in a tremendous amount of calories and I have a habit of rushing to the gym too quickly. With the things I have to do during the day, I am forced to eat and eat and eat, can't miss any meals! By the time I get to the gym. My food is right where it needs to be. I am able to achieve a killer pump and energy is high! My enthusiasm drives me to the gym, but my brain (and obligations) keep me out until just the right moment.. It makes all the difference in my workouts.

Chest day was a huge success and I felt great in the gym. Next on my list is Legs.. I have been putting them off.. I have had some issues with my left shin/knee.. But I am cleared and feeling good. So Friday, it's on for Legs!

[DavidZiegler]

Took the day off from the gym. I had a ton of stuff to get done and it was time for a rest. I really have a ton of stuff to do everyday... But when I have a rest day from the gym I really like to get stuff done. Also on a level you can all relate to.. I feel lost on rest days. I love to train and I wish I could do it everyday.. I wish I could train everyday and for all of the day. It always seems that once the pump gets awesome, the workout is at least half way over! I want to train and be pumped all day! .. Though that's just the way it is.. We chase the pump, as often as we can!

[DavidZiegler]

Woke up and feeling lazy. I laid in bed and looked at my phone for a while.. Not good stuff! When my eyes open I need to get up and get moving! I have things I need to do! Bodybuilding is all about timing and it's a big deal to do the right things at the right times!

I laid in bed for maybe ten minutes and before I got moving. Downstairs and I quickly put together my SAN BCAA PRO5000 shake. After just a couple minutes of getting my ipod and shoes on I was out the door. Crushing my cardio!

I have work and clients in the middle of the day. It's nice to have my stuff so close together and at a decent hour.. The big benefit... It keeps my out of the gym. I need to have a certain amount of meals in me before my training can really be efficient. Spending my mornings out of the gym I am able to get work don and eat my meals. Then in the early evening I crush my workout. If I didn't have those things lined up to slow me down I would rush off to the gym, excited and not really not ready to train. MY pump would be weak, and I would constantly be thinking about how I should have eaten more.. Allowed more time to pass by before coming in to hit weights... Nutrition is key! I need to take advantage of food and the muscle powers it hold!

Before hitting the weights I took SAN Fierce Domination. I really dig this stuff. It gets me going fast and tastes good.. One of the best things is that it doesn't drop me afterwards. When I get to the gym, I sip on SAN BCAA PRO5000 mixed with SAN MEGATRON.. I try to finish that before I am half way done the workout. MEGATRON works as a pre workout/intra workout pump amplifier.. So really I want to get that stuff in me kinda fast.

Check out this sample Arm, Shoulder workout, it's not exactly what I did - But it will give you an idea.

Triceps

Rope Push-downs

Warm up, don't go to failure

Set 1 - 20 Reps

Set 2 - 20 Reps

Set 3 - 8 Reps

Set 4 - 8 Reps

Close Grip Bench - Don't train to failure

warm up 2 sets

Set 1 - 15 reps

Set 2 - 15 reps

One Arm Incline Hammer Strength Press

- Close grip.. Focus on the Triceps (Weight that you can feel )

Warm up for two sets

Set 1 - 12 reps to Failure

Set 2 - 8 Reps to Failure

Set 3 - 8 Reps to Failure


Cable Rope French Press

Set 1 - 20 Reps

Set 2 - 10 Reps

Set 3 - 10 Reps



Move to Shoulders



Hammer Strength Overhead Press


Set 1 - 12 Reps

Set 2 - 12 Reps

Set 3 - 20 Reps

Set 4 - 20 Reps

Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Set 1 - 10 Reps
Set 2 - 10 Reps

Set 3 - 20 Reps

Set 4 - 20 Reps
2 More Sets until complete failure


Biceps


Hammer Strength Preacher Curl

Take a very, very narrow grip. squeeze the top.

(Straight, slow reps with a crazy Peak Contraction squeeze, hold it for more than a second - hold it as long as you want. This squeeze should be real. Keep the shoulders safe! Smooth, no firing, just smooth, into a squeeze, negative stretch, reset..

Set 1 - 12 Reps

Set 2 - 12 Reps

Rest Pause

Set 3 - 5 Reps / 5 Reps / 5 Reps / 5 Reps (Do what you can, don't go so heavy it's ugly or you really get three or four.. I'd rather you go six, five, fiver, maybe four.. Give it to everything you got, but be safe - and choose the right weight.)

Single Arm Elevated Preacher Curl Machine

One arm at a time.. But Really give yourself time between each set so that oxygen replenishment and waste can be restored/cleared efficiently enough to have equal work - Both arms get the same attention..

Rest - Pause

Set 1 - 15 Reps / 8 Reps

Set 2 - 10 Reps / 6 Reps

Set 3 - 8 Reps / 4 Reps

Set 4 - 5 Reps / 7 Reps / 7 Reps / 7 Reps

[DavidZiegler]

Doing a little quality testing of my own. Make sure everything is in order.. Proven time and time again SAN supplements are my favorite!!



SATURDAY​
​
I made sure to get right out of bed and put together my Amino Acid shake. One scoop of SAN's BCAA PRO5000 and I am out the door! Timing is everything and I need to take advantage of it. To be honest I also really enjoy doing cardio. I like to think about my goals and my day as I power walk through the woods. It is also a great way to anticipate my first meal. Without cardio.. Sometimes it is hard to begin eating right away. Sipping on my BCAA PRO 5000.. And a four mile walk.. Really is a quick way to get the appetite started! I think it's a great tool if stimulating your appetite is a goal.

The time has come for some serious leg training. I want to crush them hard! Really get deep and hit everything from all angles. I do have one small problem... Everything for hamstrings is broken at my gym.. Well, really all but one machine is broken. It forces me to get creative when it comes to hammie training.. Everything else however is great. I can crush quads and calves hard - today I did just that. The big move for me was Hack Squats. I spent a ton of time on that machine today. I was supper-setting it with just about everything other exercise I was doing. Sometimes the the reps must have been in the hundreds.... Totally was easily closing in on the 1000 rep mark. Needless to say I had a blast today. Legs can be 50/50 with me. Sometimes I absolutely love training them and the other days I am crawling home covered in tears and vomit. Today was a fun day in the gym. Plenty of intensity, but I didn't pass out :-)

I will take Sunday off and Monday return to the gym..

[DavidZiegler]

Woke up to hit a little cardio.. I am debating leaving this in or not during the entire off-season. On one hand the cardio will help to keep me lean, spike my appetite, and help with my cardiovascular system.. Where on the other hand if I don't do cardio. There is the idea that my body will become unconditioned and when I lay cardio back on, it will work that much better.. It will work that much better. But no one really knows if it really works like that or not. I personally don't think it works like that, so. I should just keep cardio in for the off-season. The benefits are there so I need to just keep it in! Overall I will see the difference and I will be thankful I kept it in.

I hit Chest a little later in the evening that I am used to. Well.. To think about it. I always train the evening now. So this is becoming the normal for me. To train in evening. I think it's a good idea. It's been working out better than my last training time.. Wake up and go after I eat something. That is no way to go about it. I need to wake up, do my normal routine. Then let hours and thousands of calories go by before hitting the gym.

When I did finally hit Chest it was with the help of MEGATRRON! I love my SAN products and MEGATRON has got to be one of may favorite supplement that they offer. It is a non-stim pre-workout and I rock it just before going to bed sometimes.. It works and it will not keep you awake! Training Chest was a success. I hit all the exercises that I wanted with the intensity needed to stimulate growth. My calories are where they need to be, I am finally back to growing! It is a good feeling. :-)

[DavidZiegler]

BORING! .. Not really, I crushed chores and meetings! Saw clients and replied to emails! I thought about the gym the entire time.. Rest days are the hardest days.

[DavidZiegler]

I skipped cardio this morning. I wanted to hit it but I just couldn't. I had trouble sleeping so I was out of bed around 4 AM. I went down to my office and started on some work in an attempt to try and get sleepy again.. It was dark - I didn't feel like cardio would have been beneficial at the time. I put in some clean calories and did work. The boring work that comes out of my fingers and onto a computer screen! Dumbbells and sneakers are way more fun.

I took my time before hitting the weights. Happy I did that. I didn't have a choice passed a certain time - I was busy with the normal day. I will tell you though, in the real early morning I was thinking about heading to the gym and knocking out my workout. I didn't thankfully, I stayed awake and eventually went about my normal routine.. Minus the cardio.

The trend of the day was the same. My night was messed up, cardio was skipped and when it came to the weights.. That got messed up as well. Of course I was eager to train, I love to train! Unfortunately The energy wasn't there, I didn't feel the connection. It was going through the motions. I hate that. I dropped the weights and took my time. I began to count my reps and made sure that everything was over 20. I needed to force a connection no matter what it took! The pump came alive and I turned this into a good workout. When the minutes turned into an hour.. I was coming to life. The workout was getting better and better - so was my pump. The veins were making an appearance. I made it happen. It was tough but in the end it all came together. Throwing in some Triceps between sets helped to bring it all in. I think it helped with my moral, the stretch in my back, and to slow down the overall pace of the workout. When I feel unattached, and begin to go through the motions.. The workout can speed up, and I'll be out of the gym to fast. Not today! I am happy I have the yeas invested that I do, I feel like my decisions are becoming more thought out and overall more productive to the goal. Bodybuilding is a journey and I am loving it! It will be exciting to see where everything is in five years, ten, twenty! How the workouts and nutrition evolve, I really get a kick out of this whole thing.



Hit back tonight rocking my All Sport Muscle Therapy shirt! ALL SPORT is my spot, I try to always get two sessions a week.. The consistent work helps with injury prevention.. But it helps me grow fester! And bring out separation - best spot to recover

[DavidZiegler]

I had a bunch of stuff to do today.. I had meetings to in the morning and an appointment early afternoon. Easy enough to say the day went by fast! Before I could really get a break I was at home prepping for the gym. I was feeling positive and a little uplifted from the morning.. Almost everything I had planned went as well as it should have and the day outside was beautiful!

The ride to the gym is always quick. I've been making the same trip for about three years now and I could probably do it with my eyes closed. Today things were a little different and the difference was my gym. The energy and atmosphere are not the same and I need a change. I decided that today would be my last day training at Retro Fitness. In the spirit of things I hit arms and Rear Delts. Those are some of my favorite body parts to train and I hit it hard. I spent more time on Biceps than I have in a long while. Over 6 exercises and from every angle. Took me just over an hour.. Curling, and curling! Felt great. Pump was out of control!



Tonight was my last night training at Retro Fitness in Raleigh.. I hit Biceps and Rear Delts hard! For the last three years I have trained here. Now it's time to move on.

[DavidZiegler]

I am in and out of the gym, but just to hit some weak areas.. Mostly this is my time off. I need my body to relax and I need to bring my mind back to center. I will relax and let everything recover. Finish up some loose ends and work on my business. I will still update here and all my social sites. But with a more relaxed attitude until November. I have plans to compete in March and April - maybe the schedule is posted.. Kinda doubt it.