Savage Muscles - Recomp Contest Log 2008

[Ronald A. Strahan]

Contest Entry Application
1. Screenname: Savage Muscles
2. Age: 25
3. Sex: Male
4. Total body weight: 243.2 lbs
5. Total training experience (when did you start working out): My Freshman year of high school, August of 1997
6. Have you regularly and seriously been working out (= at least three workouts per week, on 80% of weeks during the year) during the last
- one year: Yes
- two years: No
- more than five years: No
7. Describe shortly the progress you have made during the last 12 months (how did your weight change, your body composition, your strength): Between July 1st & Oct 20th, 2007 I participated in InStone?s lifechangeCHALLENGE. My body weight went from 283.5 to 217, my body fat went from 29% to 14%. At 217 I didn?t feel like I was as strong, though I looked good. Since then I?ve come back up and hovered around 240, but not a 240 I want to be.
8. At your bodyspace you need to upload photographies* that have to be done between January 28-31, 2008 (specifications for photographs see below): I will have these uploaded by midnight tonight, January 31, 2008.
9. A short statement why are you going to participate in this contest: I did achieve success and good results, but since the contest end date, I?ve found it difficult to stay on track. I?m also hoping to become better acquainted with the bodyspace forums feature, which I have not yet explored.

I still need to take / post my pictures for January 31st, 2008. Because I am new to forum posting and threads I will close here and post more shortly, like after I figure this out.

[skipper123]

glad to see that you made it...

to put ur pics up, first upload them to your bodyspace, then when you are looking at all the progress pics,
Right click on the image, then click on properties, it will give you the image URL

then in ur journal.log paste it., BUT, you before the http:// you need to put
[i m g] (remove the spaces)

and after the .jpg or .gif
[/ i m g] (remove the spaces)

[Fuerza_M]

Good luck and impressive transformation

[Ronald A. Strahan]

Clockwise from top left: Front Relaxed, Front Flexed, Back Flexed, Weigh-in, Back Relaxed



As I just learned of the Body Recomposition Contest 2008 today, I will get my body fat and circumference measurements taken tomorrow. I haven't been in the gym since January 22 because I've been sick. My first day will be Sunday, February 3rd, 2008. I was not able to get my back waxed, or have time to shave my lower body but, here are my starting point pictures. After I get the measures tomorrow, I will establish my overall goals and workouts for the next few weeks. I also need to re-read the rules to make sure I?m not missing anything. Skipper123, thanks for the help with posting my pictures in this thread, and for the tip about the contest.

-Savage

[skipper123]

glad you made it ready to win 2nd place?

[Ronald A. Strahan]

So, I found exactly what I need to get me out of my current rut and back in the saddle; The Re-comp Contest 2008. Thank you Skipper123 for tipping me on to this contest. The contest is run through the forums on bodybuilding.com. The contest is six months long which makes me very excited it will end up being the saving grace for my physique through my transition off of the border mission, which I've been serving on in El Centro, CA since July 19th of 2006.

I posted my official staring pictures yesterday, January 31, and will have my body fat and circumference measurements taken later on today at the Imperial Weight Loss Clinic. Later tonight or tomorrow, bear in mind it?s 0435, I work Midnight shifts and I'm not sure when I'll be sleeping today, I'll be able to sit down, look over my pictures and measurements and put some goals on paper as well as my plan of attack to achieve those goals. I'm thinking along the lines of 'cut down quick and then grow like hell' but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

My overall goal, of course, is to own a physique worthy of Reeves, either Christopher or Steve. 'Do you like the name play there? You know who I am talking about.' Because I'm stating on Sunday, the day all my prescriptions for the cold from hell run out, I have about two and a half days to get prepared. February 3rd ? July 26th equals 25 full weeks. 5 days tacked onto the end brings us to July 31st, the final day of the six month contest.

I saw the prize list and it blew me away! I?m going to date myself here, but I didn?t recognize a product form the prize list. I feel liken the old men from ?No Country for Old Men?. I did just turn 25 last week, maybe I?ve having a midlife crisis. Yes, I said ?Midlife crisis.? I plan to live to fast, die young and leave a good looking corpse. As it should be, I?m in the contest to play for pride, for love of the iron game.

The purpose of this journal entry is to lay out exactly how I?m going to document my participation in the contest. I have as all or nothing style of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Back home in a closet somewhere I have a stack of old training logs in which I have meticulously documented almost ever workout I have ever done. Enter bodyspace,com into my existence and suddenly I don't feel like such a weirdo.

Documenting my participation in the Re-composition Contest 2008:

Progress Pictures: Guidelines state those progress pictures are to be posted the last day of the month. My intention is to still upload a progress picture to my bodyspace on a weekly basis ? In the style of my 01 JUL 07 ?disgusting pig monster? picture ? because I?m in the habit of it and it was my 2008 resolution.

Sats: Guidelines also state that stats for the waist measure, chest measure, bench press and leg press should be updated at the same time as the monthly progress picture. I am out of practice on the leg press, it?s been years since I?ve used the leg press sled for its intended purpose because I prefer to perform squats. So, I?m hoping that an exception can be made in my case. As the function in the lifting stats are of bodybuilding.com has a max rep calculator, I will be updating my bench press, squat, dead-lift, barbell curl, barbell row and overhead press records on an ?as completed? basis. A caveat in the rules states that stats must be update within four days of the last day of the month. I received a message form Re-Comp Contest 2008 Guru Dr. P letting me know that I need to enter new waist and chest measures ASAP. ? Which I will have up by the end of today: February 1 ? No mention was made of my two mandatory lifting stats. I will make sure I get numbers up for the bench and squat by the 7th of Feb, I am hoping I will be forgiven for this because I have been out of the gym since the 22nd. For the future I will make sure that I schedule my workouts in a manner that will put my bench / squats in the timeline of the 4 days prior to the last day of the month.

Log / Journal: Contest rules state that, at a minimum, the contest journal log, mine can be found at: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post123779471, should be updated twice a month with short summaries on current progress and projected goals. As every time I get on the scale I jot down a few lines along those lines, this will probably be the easiest aspect of the contest for me to get right. I will attempt to end this journal entry by explaining my approach to documenting workouts, progress / goals and journaling, mostly so I don?t get confused in the future.

Some guys can't live without their cell phone, some guys can't live without their personal digital assistant; I can't function without my diet / exercise log or my hardcore training journal, which I happen to write almost everything in before I post it to bodyspace.com.

As was my practice in December and January I will continue to transcribe my daily workouts from my pencil and paper exercise log to the workout tracker accessible through my bodyspace home base at: http://www.bodyspace.com/savagemuscles. At a minimum I will transcribe weekly from my pen and paper hardcore training journal, again, which I wrote this post in first, to both my bodyblog and my forum thread, that way, I believe I?ll have all my bases covered.



The beauty of having hand-written copies of both my diet / exercise log and my hardcore training journal is that after technology fails, and all the chips digress to sand and are blown away like dust, and the nuclear fallout clears, and cockroaches are all that are left, 100 millennia from now when the former Earth is discovered by extraterrestrials or the protozoa mutate into bipedal thumbed being and replace us they will find, buried in a steel time capsule beneath a pile or barbells, this journal, along with every other journal I complete before the ends of days.

Suddenly, I don't feel so weird for have a hand written note in a journal entry form late 1997 when I was a 14 year old freshmen working out with the football teams that says, "Today was leg day, I couldn't get enough plates on the leg press; the gym ran out. Rune Wynn christened me The Ox and Blake Cozair endorsed the nickname." I'm sorta proud to know that whoever finds it, millennia from now will know that hit the gym, hard at times, for nothing more then the love of the iron game.

Ok, obviously I've been up to long, Midnights shifts do that to the brain, I'll post more follow today's body fat and circumference measure

[Fuerza_M]

great detail man, hey great to see people from Imperial Valley in the contest, I am not from the Valley but I work in Calexico,Ca

[tdog69]

Subbed nice journal so far and nice transformation on the body space progress picture. dam good job

[Ronald A. Strahan]

great detail man, hey great to see people from Imperial Valley in the contest, I am not from the Valley but I work in Calexico,Ca

I am surprised as hell to see another Valley dweller on bodyspace. I'm not form here either, just a victim of circumstance. I?m not sure what you do for work, but we should open a 24hr gym, with the amount of Law Enforcement officials that do shift work down here and the current availability, or should I say lack of availability of fitness centers, I think we?d do very well.

[Ronald A. Strahan]

I just got finished with my body fat analysis and circumference measurements. And my way back from the Valley Weight Loss clinic I swung by the gym at the local Naval Air Facility to make a cameo workout appearance. Basically, I just wanted to perform a Bench Press / Leg Press workout to cover my bases in terms of getting official stats up for the Recomp. Contest 2008. Because this was a very abbreviated workout, I will not be posting it in my workout tracker.

My complete measurements and stats will, of course, be posted on my bodyspace. But, for the purpose of the Recomp Contest, here are my currents stats, as of today.

Starting Stats:
Weight- 242.8 pounds
Chest- 48 inches
Waist- 38 inches
Bench Press- 275 x 4 (Estimated one-rep max of 301)
Leg Press- 360 x 12 (Estimated one-rep max of 432)

Time to get some sleep, before 8:00am tomorrow I will have my beginning goals posted here, as well as in my body blog.

[jamesV1.1]

Awesome posts! Good luck in the contest!

-subd-

[Ronald A. Strahan]

Self Analysis: Since I last had my body fat and circumference measures taken on December 2 2007, my hips and waist measures have each gained an inch. No Bueno! But, there is some good news. My arms taped even at 16.5 inches (last time my right arm was a half inch bigger then my left) and the difference between my thighs is only half an inch (a decent improvement considering that last time my right was 1.75 inches then my left. I'm not too far off from my goal measures. Looking at my pictures from January 31, 2008, I see that what I need the most before I grow is what I have always needed; a smaller, more defined waist, bigger arms and more definition overall. I am especially noticing a lack of thigh / ham definition in my starting pictures.

Circumference Measurements Goals (in inches):
Neck 17.5
Shoulders 52
Chest 50
Waist 34
Hips 36
Arms 18
Forearms 14
Thighs 26.5
Calves 18

Body Fat: I am currently sitting at 242.8lbs @ 18.2% body fat: 198.6lbs lean mass / 44.2lbs fat mass. This puts me up .8lbs of Lean Mass and 6lbs of Fat Mass since December 2, 2007. Looking at the pictures and comparing between the tow dates I can see a big difference. I see the extra six pound layer of fat. On October 20, 2007 I was 217lbs @ 14% body fat: 186.6lbs lean mass / 23.5lbs fat mass. I have said in before and I'll say it again, 217lbs was not enough for me, I feel like I can be a power house at 235lbs @ 10% body fat: 211.5lbs lean mass / 23.5lbs fat mass or at 225lbs @ 8% body fat: 207lbs lean mass / 18lbs fat mass.

Body Weight / Body Fat Goals:

To weigh between 225 and 235 pounds at 8% to 10% body fat, which means I am trying to gain 15lbs of muscle and lose 25lbs of fat by July31, 2008

Strength Goals:

It is too early to establish these goals yet, I will establish them when the time comes for me to switch my training up from high rep / light weight training to low rep / heavy weight training.

[Ronald A. Strahan]

Target: It goes without saying that at this point my midsection needs more attention than any other body part at this point. I know what needs to be done, my AbQuest for Karla was going well and I was making great progress right before I got sick on January 22, 2008.

Diet: These first four weeks I want to get the bloat out, so the crash cut is the way to go.

Training:
Day 1: Chest / Back
Day 2: Legs / Shoulders
Day 3: Biceps / Triceps / Forearms
Day 4: Chest / Back
Day 5: Legs / Calves
Day 6: Biceps / Triceps / Forearms

Arms: Lower rep range with heavier poundage
Calves: At this point I think my calves benefit more from intense stretching and low weight low rep training than anything else
All other muscles groups: high rep range / lower weights

*Abs: Six days a week, alternating workouts between weighted day abdominal exercises and weightless day abdominal exercises.

Cardio: I hate to have to go here, but I have to get back on the treadmill, building up to a daily 30 minute run. In addition to the treadmill, I think 30 minutes a day of fat-burning cardio is called for.

Stretching: I need to make time to perform my 12 basic stretches every day.

Supplements: 2 multi-vitamins a day, 3 protein shakes a day. I will consider adding a fat-burner to the mix after my first week, I have to earn it.

Bottom Line: I take pictures and get measured again on Friday, February 29, 2008. By then I want to be 230lbs @ 14% body fat with a smaller waist and smaller hips. I hope to maintain the rest of my circumference measurements as much as possible, but have an ever thigh measure on February 29. I know I get lose 12.2lbs in 25 days, I may even lose more, the though part is going to be getting to 14% from 18% in this time. I may not make the body fat goal but damned if I won't try for it!

[Ronald A. Strahan]

Subbed nice journal so far and nice transformation on the body space progress picture. dam good job

Awesome posts! Good luck in the contest!

-subd-

Forgive my naivety gentlemen... I'm new to the forums... what does subbed mean?

[skipper123]

Forgive my naivety gentlemen... I'm new to the forums... what does subbed mean?

subscribed... meaning when there are new posts ull get an email

[Ronald A. Strahan]

This was shot on 04FEB08. It took me a few days to edit and figure out how to get it posted in this thread. It's very rough, but, there is an awesome clip Pumping Iron - Don't ask how I got it in there.

[skipper123]

This was shot on 04FEB08. It took me a few days to edit and figure out how to get it posted in this thread. It's very rough, but, there is an awesome clip Pumping Iron - Don't ask how I got it in there.

dude. u got too much free time!! im strugling to find time to take a piss....

[MarvelComicGirl]

Just stumbled upon your journal, read it, and all I can say is ... HOLY Details Batman~!

It seems like you got this all planned out and ready to go. Wish you luck with the contest

[DemonXXL]

So I can tell you have things in order. Guess I will have my work cut out for me, Lookin forward to it. You see I have never done a comp/recomp before so I am glad I have people like you who push themselves hard enough to push me. if that makes any sense. Good luck man. Oh and the video blog is a nice touch.

DemonXXL

[UNCfan1]

Great log and awesome detail Savage!

[Giorrgi]

Lol @ video. Funny

Good luck, sick log

[curjo]

Awsome transformation in your last contest. Hoping you don't do quite as well this time, or actually that I just do a little better. Good luck hope you reach all your goals.

[Fuerza_M]

I am surprised as hell to see another Valley dweller on bodyspace. I'm not form here either, just a victim of circumstance. I?m not sure what you do for work, but we should open a 24hr gym, with the amount of Law Enforcement officials that do shift work down here and the current availability, or should I say lack of availability of fitness centers, I think we?d do very well.

I am from Mexico(Mexicali) but I was hired as accountant in Calexico for a Company, hey man good luck again you have a very good log.

[Ronald A. Strahan]

I am from Mexico(Mexicali) but I was hired as accountant in Calexico for a Company, hey man good luck again you have a very good log.

The office I work for has a ban on going to Mex but I hear great ads for Porky's, Raw & M2 club all them time. Ever been? I love all these hot Latinas running around in the Valley, is there anything South of the border worth risking it for?

[Ronald A. Strahan]

Awsome transformation in your last contest. Hoping you don't do quite as well this time, or actually that I just do a little better. Good luck hope you reach all your goals.

I'm not counting on doing as well this time, just trying to get gains again and grow some, bascially I entered because I want to see other people reach their fitness goals and learn how to use forums inside & out. With your starting point, I see you making a drastic change over six months. Looking forward to seeing you realize your goals aswell.

[Ronald A. Strahan]

Great log and awesome detail Savage!

Lol @ video. Funny

Good luck, sick log

So I can tell you have things in order. Guess I will have my work cut out for me, Lookin forward to it. You see I have never done a comp/recomp before so I am glad I have people like you who push themselves hard enough to push me. if that makes any sense. Good luck man. Oh and the video blog is a nice touch.

DemonXXL

Thanks guys, I find it to be a positive outlet for my obsessive compulsive disorder. If I stay on my blogging, maybe I won't need to lock the door and turn the lights on five times when I come back to my room from the gym.

[Ronald A. Strahan]

Awesome posts! Good luck in the contest!

-subd-

Subbed nice journal so far and nice transformation on the body space progress picture. dam good job

Think it's good now? Just wait till the end of the month so I can tear myself apart with the mo 2 mo analysis.

[Ronald A. Strahan]

Just stumbled upon your journal, read it, and all I can say is ... HOLY Details Batman~!

It seems like you got this all planned out and ready to go. Wish you luck with the contest

Thank you, it was a surprise to get a ping from someone who?s not in the recomp contest. Guys, if you get a chance, click on this girl?s name and look for her post, she has made some amazing progress and done some fantastic things. Her thread "On a mission to loose the flab" has over 50 pages.

It?s nice a see a girl this dedicated to fitness, ever if she is the poster child of my rival publisher. Have a super likeness, I have to stay true to DC. Just like my good friend Bruce

[Ronald A. Strahan]

This was shot on 04FEB08. It took me a few days to edit and figure out how to get it posted in this thread. It's very rough, but, there is an awesome clip Pumping Iron - Don't ask how I got it in there.

dude. u got too much free time!! im strugling to find time to take a piss....

Actually, I don't sleep every other day. Hmmm... no time to take a piss? I read a thread titled "Drink Two Gallons, Piss One" which leads me to believe someone who posted is it pissing in bottles to measure. I don't endorse it but, it may help?

[Ronald A. Strahan]

I will only be posting reps and sets in my log as long as I'm cutting. When it's time to grow I'll post my poundage. If you?d really like to see, all of these workouts can be found in my Workout Tracker through my bodyspace home base page. But, I'm telling you, unless you're in need of a good laugh, there's not much to look at there.

These workouts should not be considered to be complete. Coming back from a 12 day layoff, I wanted to sort of ease into it these first few days back.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feb 3: Chest / Back

Abs: with weights
Cardio: 63 minutes total
Bench Fly- 5 x 20
Flat Bench- 3 x 20
Reverse Sit-Ups- 5 x 20
Dead Lifts- 3 x 15
Chins- 3 x 5
Dips- 3 x 12

I had intended to do 3 sets of 20 for the dead lifts, but it just wasn't happening today. I had also wanted to do 6 sets for each Chins & Dips, but I ran out of time and got bounced from the gym. I know the effectiveness of high rep / low weights training first hand from last year. I think I tried to incorporate the Bench and Dead in today just for the sake of doing them. I'm not sure if it does me any good to use such high reps with these motions. I think I'll stay away from these until its time to grow. It's like this, before my lay-off I benched 295 x 4, dead-lifted 385 x 3, and push-pressed 205 x 6. I guess using 175 x 20 on the bench and 185 x 20 in the dead just made me feel like 'why the hell was I even doing them'?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Feb 4: Legs / Shoulders

Abs: without weights
Cardio: 61 minutes total
Rear Deltoid Dumbbell Laterals- 5 x 20
Seated Dumbbell Presses- 3 x 20
Leg Extensions- 5 x 20
Single Leg Step-Ups- 3 x 20

I was sore as hell from the previous workout, especially in the abs and lower back, no surprise there. I only performed half the sets I normally do for my abs workout. I opted for the seated shoulder press today instead of an over head type of barbell press; I didn't want to end up like I did about the bench & dead. Oh well, I still have a good memory of my last strong weeks, pre-ear infection. Cut now, grow later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feb 5: No Weights

Abs: with weights
Cardio: 33 minutes total

I woke up at 1am and I couldn't get back to sleep. Went to the gym around 5am and did my abs / cardio workout. I'll be damned if I didn't fall asleep about 6 times at work. When I get off I was going to take a nap so I jumped in bed around 4:30pm and got up around 9:00pm. Dilly-dallied around a little, went back to bed around 1:00am. Because I skipped a half an hour of cardio and my weight workout, Saturday I get to play catch-up.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feb 6: Forearms / Biceps / Triceps

Abs: w/o weights
Cardio: 50 minutes total

Reverse Barbell Curls 5 x 10-12
Wrist Curls 5 x 15
Barbell Curls 5 x 8
Lying Triceps Extensions 5 x 10
Concentration Curls 5 x 8

I?d been having some tightness in my left trap / rhomboid area lately so I visited a chiropractor after work before my workout. In was a humorous session, I was a little big for the doctor and he couldn't get a pop or crack out of my back, but he did get a few out of my neck and gave me a nice ultra-sound massage with some bio-freeze gel. I have a bottle of some stuff called HPQR - High Performance Quick Recovery - which I use from time to time, it's sort of the same stuff as bio-freeze but it's a stock grade, usually used on race horses. It's nice because it's guaranteed not to burn hair.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Diet over this period: I have not eaten anything that?s not on my approved intake list, but I haven't been accurately documenting it, which basically means I need to eat more. I have been maintaining my water quota of 1 gallon / per day