Bustasinclair's 30 Days to the Branch Warren Journal

[bustasinclair]

Since I have finally committed to this show on July 11th, I thought I'd document the last 30 days.

I started dieting for this show at around 13 weeks out. I have been on the fence because I haven't added anything in the way of muscle in the last year. I have basically been spinning my wheels, which is pretty common when you get into your 40's. I'm just happy to hold onto the muscle I do have, lol.

Right now, here's an outline of what's going on:

Cardio:

7 days per week at this point

50 minutes in the morning, fasted. Treadmill at 6.0 incline and 4.1 for the walking portion and 2.0 incline and 5.8 for the light jog. I try and split the time 50/50, but some mornings I just have no fuel in the tank, while others I feel like a champ and go faster and longer with the jog.

At night, I do 35 minutes on the StairMaster and I try to keep an average of 100 floors per 20 minutes. So, roughly 180 floors. Again, the intensity depends on energy levels.

Training:

Monday - Shoulders, abs
Tuesday - Legs
Wednesday - Upper back, abs, light shoulders
Thursday - Chest, arms, calves
Friday - Legs, abs
Saturday - Deadlift and circuit training (full body) focus on the tempo and squeezing the muscle
Sunday - Cardio only

Diet:

Meal 1:

Two scoops ON whey
1 tbsp Natty PB

Meal 2:

The following in my scrambled eggs:
3 whole eggs
3/4 cup egg whites
1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 oz 2% cheese

Meal 3:

1/2 cup cottage cheese
6.4 oz Tuna pouch
2 oz almonds

Meal 4:

5.3 oz yogurt

Meal 5:

7 oz chicken breast
Maybe a starchy carb if needed for energy

Meal 6:

8-12 oz Lean meat of choice
starchy carbs

As you can see, I don't go all scientific like maybe I should. I rarely measure my carbs, but I do not go overboard--that's for sure.

So, I have trimmed down my diet some and obviously added to my cardio over the last 8-9 weeks to arrive here. I think I'm in a good spot right now.

I estimate my body fat at 9-10% somewhere, but it's hard to say. If you asked me in the morning after some carbs at night, I'd say closer to 8%, lol

Here's a picture which is nothing like I truly look--thanks camera for leaving out the detail, lol! Let's go!

[Plateauplower]

Awesome - Looking great. Your prep journal runs are always interesting. I wouldn't worry too much about not adding any appreciable size over the last year. At your level just holding on to your muscle, staying lean and still throwing down impressive numbers seems like a pretty difficult but rewarding balancing act. That is a lot of cardio, Im guessing the stairmaster gets the burn going, hate that thing. Good luck with teh prep, No Keto this time huh

[fittofattofit]

Plenty of definition and you can see the striations over your obliques and the vascularity over that right teardrop ... I'd have guessed 8ish% allowing for the lighting. Looking in a good place for 30 days out

[SteveWright1]

I shall also follow this journey Bustasinclair

good luck with the competition

meal plan is interesting, more than 4 meals a day is an alien concept to me and most days 3 is all I have

I will be interested in seeing what your weight training routine looks like (Numbers are of no consequence in terms of weight being used, but my interest is in terms of sets and reps and types of excerises chosen to see how they may vary from a typical strenght training based routine )

so anything you can share, without giving away secrets to potential competitors (which will never be me by the way LOL?) would be read with great interest.

[Jtbny]

Hiya Matt. Will lurk along for sure. What's the plan on bringing up those tiny legs? (You know I'm messing with you...I know that's been your goal this year )

[bustasinclair]

Awesome - Looking great. Your prep journal runs are always interesting. I wouldn't worry too much about not adding any appreciable size over the last year. At your level just holding on to your muscle, staying lean and still throwing down impressive numbers seems like a pretty difficult but rewarding balancing act. That is a lot of cardio, Im guessing the stairmaster gets the burn going, hate that thing. Good luck with teh prep, No Keto this time huh

Thanks, bud! Yeah, retaining muscle is my goal right now. Always chasing leg size too, lol. Cardio is my zen time. Lately, it's become more difficult as I dial in the diet. I have been rather loose up until now.

Plenty of definition and you can see the striations over your obliques and the vascularity over that right teardrop ... I'd have guessed 8ish% allowing for the lighting. Looking in a good place for 30 days out

Thanks man! Yeah, if you saw me IRL, especially after training, you'd say 7%. I have guys in the gym looking at me daily and shaking their heads in disbelief. This pic above is flat first thing in the morning after fasted cardio.

I shall also follow this journey Bustasinclair

good luck with the competition

meal plan is interesting, more than 4 meals a day is an alien concept to me and most days 3 is all I have

I will be interested in seeing what your weight training routine looks like (Numbers are of no consequence in terms of weight being used, but my interest is in terms of sets and reps and types of excerises chosen to see how they may vary from a typical strenght training based routine )

so anything you can share, without giving away secrets to potential competitors (which will never be me by the way LOL?) would be read with great interest.

Good deal, brother! You won't see much in the way of detailed muscle growth training methods as right now it's all about fat loss and it's a different game. I'll definitely share my philosophies of training in some detail as well at some point in here.

Hiya Matt. Will lurk along for sure. What's the plan on bringing up those tiny legs? (You know I'm messing with you...I know that's been your goal this year )

Yeah, I'm tempted to saw these twigs off and use them for firewood. They frustrate me to no end. Thanks for following, John!!

[bradandblake]

IN for this! Good luck man! Love following the competitors journal, especially yours.

[RT1957]

Looking great.....I'll trade legs with you if you'd like.........In for the ride

[bustasinclair]

IN for this! Good luck man! Love following the competitors journal, especially yours.

Thanks bro! I lurk in your journal as well. You're kicking ass!

Looking great.....I'll trade legs with you if you'd like.........In for the ride

Cool! Great to have you. I'd need to see said legs before I agree to a trade deal, lol.

[ajdahlheimer]

Definitely will be following this, Bustas. I've learned a lot about diet/nutrition from you.

[bustasinclair]

Definitely will be following this, Bustas. I've learned a lot about diet/nutrition from you.

Thanks, AJ. That's awesome that, as unscientific as I diet, that someone could learn something from me!

[mirroroferised]

In again as well. Hope all goes well man! Love the approach to dieting. Making it simple!

[bustasinclair]

Hit the gym last night a bit earlier than usual due to having to take a half day at work to get my dog her shots. I also got my oil changed and the car all sparkly and clean. I missed a couple of meals and it really showed in my gym performance. I couldn't get much of a pump and I was weak as a kitten. Not a huge deal as I'm not trying to add muscle right now; just keep it.

I did some Chest, Biceps, Calves. I didn't keep track of the weight and reps were kept mainly in the 12 zone, with a few sets in the 8 range

Hammer Strength Incline press 6 sets
Hammer Strength chest press 4 sets
Hoist Pec flys 4 sets
Straight bar curls 3 sets
Cable curls 4 sets
Hammer Strength standing calve raise 4 sets
Hoist Machine standing calve raise 4 sets

After that I did my Stairmaster for 186 floors at 36 minutes

I was pretty exhausted after all that. I, again, had a guy come up to me and ask me what show I was doing. You know you're getting close when random people know you're prepping for a show. Guy said I was "sliced and diced" LOL. I know I'm lean, but I'm not that lean, I thanked him and didn't say anything.

I woke up to my lowest weight I have observed this prep at 210.4. I'm really flat, so I'm going to have some more carbs today. YAYYYYYY!

I did my usual 50 minutes on the T-Mill this morning with reasonable amount of energy. Monitor said I burned 767 calories, but I always discount at least 20% if not more for calculation errors. My max heart rate was 136.

I took some closer up pics of the ol' midsection this morning trying to capture the detail.....still pretty fuzzy. I'm not a huge fan of ab shots, but in my case with the stubborn lower abs, I think it's pretty indicative of my conditioning at this stage.

Hitting legs again tonight for round two for the week.

[SteveWright1]

looks like a good 1st workout logged in here Bustasinclair

29 sets - and between 8 and 12 reps per set, so average of 10 would mean there was a total of 290 reps in that session

How long did you spend in the gym including the stairmaster work?

Good luck with the leg workout, I imagine the calve work and stairmaster hit those pretty hard already

[fittofattofit]

Those are deep cuts into your serratus and with that vascularity over the obliques you'd have to be getting looks at the gym .. honestly, you hardly ever see anyone big at 10% in my gym, let alone at 7%
Looking really good Matt

[bustasinclair]

looks like a good 1st workout logged in here Bustasinclair

29 sets - and between 8 and 12 reps per set, so average of 10 would mean there was a total of 290 reps in that session

How long did you spend in the gym including the stairmaster work?

Good luck with the leg workout, I imagine the calve work and stairmaster hit those pretty hard already

Thanks Steve. Yeah, I suppose I did a good amount of reps. At this stage I'm just doing things instinctively. I was at the gym about 1:45. I try to keep it under 90 minutes, but I was moving slowly, lol.

StairMaster is a love/hate thing. Seems to do wonders for the glutes and calves.

Those are deep cuts into your serratus and with that vascularity over the obliques you'd have to be getting looks at the gym .. honestly, you hardly ever see anyone big at 10% in my gym, let alone at 7%
Looking really good Matt

Thanks bud! I appreciate the analysis.

[bustasinclair]

Had a good weekend. I took Friday off as I needed a recharge...felt very nice to chill.

Saturday, I was back at it. I did 1:12 on the treadmill around 10am and then relaxed for a while and ate some breakfast.

I headed to the gym around 2:30 pm and did deadlift and OHP. Worked up to 135 x 6 on OHP and 500 x 3 on deadlift. i was taking it easy on OHP and did a ton of reps before that top set so I was spent. Finished up with some various circuits; nothing crazy. Then I did 30 minutes on the Stairmaster.

Sunday, all I did was 60 minutes on the treadmill and cooked food for the week and relaxed.

Diet was very loose over the weekend. That has to be the last relaxed weekend. I woke up this morning looking very tight and roadmap-ish, so I'm not too worried about it.

Back on diet today! Killed the morning cardio since I had some weekend energy

Shoulders tonight with maybe some calve and abs thrown in.

[MissHolly]

Had a good weekend. I took Friday off as I needed a recharge...felt very nice to chill.

Saturday, I was back at it. I did 1:12 on the treadmill around 10am and then relaxed for a while and ate some breakfast.

I headed to the gym around 2:30 pm and did deadlift and OHP. Worked up to 135 x 6 on OHP and 500 x 3 on deadlift. i was taking it easy on OHP and did a ton of reps before that top set so I was spent. Finished up with some various circuits; nothing crazy. Then I did 30 minutes on the Stairmaster.

Sunday, all I did was 60 minutes on the treadmill and cooked food for the week and relaxed.

Diet was very loose over the weekend. That has to be the last relaxed weekend. I woke up this morning looking very tight and roadmap-ish, so I'm not too worried about it.

Back on diet today! Killed the morning cardio since I had some weekend energy

Shoulders tonight with maybe some calve and abs thrown in.

Sounds like a great weekend. In for roadmap-ish-ness. Very cool!

[bustasinclair]

Sounds like a great weekend. In for roadmap-ish-ness. Very cool!

I took a picture with my phone and nothing really showed up, so I deleted it out of anger!

I suppose I need to get a real camera. I had company on Saturday, but that didn't end well as it never does. Should have gotten her to take pics before the blow-up.

[MissHolly]

I took a picture with my phone and nothing really showed up, so I deleted it out of anger!

Know that feeling! My problem is that the camera doesn't capture the definition I see clearly in the mirror. Roadmap-ish-ness is definitely not my issue.

I suppose I need to get a real camera. I had company on Saturday, but that didn't end well as it never does. Should have gotten her to take pics before the blow-up.

Maybe next time...but hopefully not? You can't keep going on that rollercoaster. I'm not judging, believe me.

[Plateauplower]

Maybe next time...but hopefully not? You can't keep going on that rollercoaster. I'm not judging, believe me.

^^^Rollor Coasters, fun to ride sometimes but not fun to own, too much maintanance....

Sounds like your pretty well dialed in. You seem further ahead this time than your last prep. It seemed like you were scrambling more last year. Mid section looks great even with phone camra. I know my slefies always look worse than what I think they should, of course the mirror does that to me too ...

[bustasinclair]

Know that feeling! My problem is that the camera doesn't capture the definition I see clearly in the mirror. Roadmap-ish-ness is definitely not my issue.

Maybe next time...but hopefully not? You can't keep going on that rollercoaster. I'm not judging, believe me.

Haha. I know the feeling very well!

No, I am a glutton for punishment I guess.... Loneliness makes a person do some stupid things..that's for sure.

^^^Rollor Coasters, fun to ride sometimes but not fun to own, too much maintanance....

Sounds like your pretty well dialed in. You seem further ahead this time than your last prep. It seemed like you were scrambling more last year. Mid section looks great even with phone camra. I know my slefies always look worse than what I think they should, of course the mirror does that to me too ...

LOL, sounds like you know what we're talking about.

Yes, this prep has been much more manageable. Part of it is the lower stress levels. My BP is lower by a mile from where it was before she moved out. Problem is that she moved out and right across the lawn in the same apartment complex. Nice, huh?

[MissHolly]

Haha. I know the feeling very well!

No, I am a glutton for punishment I guess.... Loneliness makes a person do some stupid things..that's for sure.

You're human.

Problem is that she moved out and right across the lawn in the same apartment complex. Nice, huh?

That is rough. Hope things get easier for you soon, Matt.

In to see your continued progress and results of the show.

[danap3681]

In...

and

subbed!


Love following journals when someone is competing. I love the dedication and get to live vicariously through others because I will never compete. LOL!!

And you are looking great!

[bustasinclair]

That is rough. Hope things get easier for you soon, Matt.

In to see your continued progress and results of the show.

LOL, yes, yes it is rough. Thanks, Holly!!! Glad to have you along.

In...

and

subbed!


Love following journals when someone is competing. I love the dedication and get to live vicariously through others because I will never compete. LOL!!

And you are looking great!

Awesome! I hope to make it more interesting. Pics and vids really liven up a journal, but alas, no vids and grainy, crappy pics only, lol.

Thanks Dana!

[mirroroferised]

but alas, no vids and grainy, crappy pics only, lol.

Too bad. Always in to see some of your huge lifts!! Back to lurking

[bustasinclair]

Too bad. Always in to see some of your huge lifts!! Back to lurking

Sorry, brother. I couldn't lift my way out of a paper bag right now, lol.

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Well, I was loving the energy levels from the good carbs over the weekend, but I'm back to depletion land. Last night, I felt really good and had loads of energy.

Training went something like this:

Ab Crunch machine - 6 sets each set progressively heavier 12-15 reps
Life fitness Shoulder Press Isometric (plate loaded) - 8 sets; last set was a dismal attempt at 3 pps at three reps.
Dumbbell lateral raises - 4 sets top set was 35's x 8 shoulders were popping like crazy.
Reverse Pec deck - 4 sets 10-15 reps; each set progressively heavier

Writing it out, sure seems like I did very little, but it took over an hour. I also messed around with some seated dips for a couple of sets, but....meh.

After that I hit the StairMaster for 40 minutes. I hit 218 floors. Definitely a personal best, though it's not like I was trying; it just felt smooth and easy last night. Monitor said 680 calories burned.

Didn't get done until 8pm. Got home and had 9oz. Tilapia and 5 strips of turkey bacon with some potatoes. Roughly 600 calories.

Got up at the usual 4:50 am this morning and I was back to the good ol' depleted feeling. I looked pretty good in the mirror, but I didn't feel like I looked. Hit the treadmill and got to progressively feeling better. Ended up with my standard 50 minutes and monitor said 786 calories burned.

Anyway, it's officially back to the grind. Hungry as hell and feeling weak. Ahh, the joys of contest prep!!!

I usually weigh in on Thursday, but I am not one who puts any stock whatsoever in the scale. That thing is all over the place. On any given day I could weigh anywhere between 210-216, so it's just for record-keeping purposes nowadays.

[ajdahlheimer]

You're a cardio machine, brah.

[bustasinclair]

You're a cardio machine, brah.

Haha, man, you should have seen me for my first contest prep back in 2010. I was up to over 3 hours at the end of it. I vowed never to do that again. I think my problem back then was that I was so cardiovascularly conditioned that it took that much to get any notable fat loss. That was the year I did a full marathon in April and bobybuilding show in November. (and powerlifting competition in July)

My philosophy on cardio does go against the grain around here, but I do enjoy keeping a healthy heart and it really helps me psychologically deal with prep. I eat around 2600-2800 calories per day. If I cut cardio out, I'd be eating much much less. I'd rather work hard and eat than sit around chewing my fingernails hungry as f'ck waiting for the next poverty meal. It's just a preference. It also passes the time that I may otherwise be without anything to do. Anyway, YMMV. I'm doing about the max I will allow myself to do right now, so if I need, I will cut food next.

[ajdahlheimer]

My philosophy on cardio does go against the grain around here, but I do enjoy keeping a healthy heart and it really helps me psychologically deal with prep.

I'm with yah there, brah. I run 7-10 miles a week, year-round. Want the heart workout. Also, being a home-gym guy--I like to get out of my basement for some exercise (when it isn't winter anyway, then I'm confined to my treadmill). I definitely like my runs at 226 better than I did at 244 though.