Bo Flecks' Training Lean and Power Density Experiment

[Bo_Flecks]

Sunday 9/23/12- Pre Contest: Legs "A Week" Rotation

Leg Extensions
12x150
12x150
12x150
12x150
12x150

Wide Foot Position Leg press PWO
12x600
12x600
12x600
12x600
12x600

Narrow Foot Position Leg press PWO
12x500
12x500
12x500
12x500
12x500

Lying Leg Curls
12x70
12x70
12x70
12x70
12x70

Glute-Ham Raise
20xBW
20xBW
20xBW
20xBW
20xBW

Leg Press Calf Raises w/Toes turned out PWO
12x700
12x700
12x700
12x700
12x700

Leg Press Calf Presses w/Toes in PWO
12x700
12x700
12x700
12x700
12x700

Observations

• Training weight: 171.2lbs (I weighed 164.0lbs at 6AM this morning, so the big, ugly carb load I am carrying did its job today!!! More on that later)
• Energy and Endurance: Very good
• Focus: Much better than yesterday. Having some energy back and not dealing with any back pain keeps my mind on the job at hand
• Mood: My mood was extremely good today. Loading up on a huge batch of carbs when you are not used to it almost provides a feeling of euphoria

Re-feed day:

Today I went with a full blown Layne Norton protocol re-feed. I dropped my protein down to exactly 1 gram per pound of body weight and raised my carbohydrates up to pre-cut maintenance levels.

My plan right now is to do another re-feed on Thursday this week where I drop my protein down to 1 gram per pound of body weight, and then add the calories that were dropped back with carbs. My calorie total for the day will not change, but my carb load will. As I see it right now, this is the protocol I will follow for the last two weeks of cutting.

I do not have much left to go, so I think I can go very slowly and get that last bit of fat off of my lower quads and glutes. 2.8mm or bust!

Leg Extensions:
Slight hold as the top as per Yates protocol.

Wide Foot Position Leg Press:
Heels are about 15 inches apart with the quads coming right down to my chest at the bottom of the movement.
Narrow Foot Position Leg Press:
I put this movement in today in place of the hack squats. The heavy hacks drove my sacrum out of place three weeks ago, and really caused me some problems last week. I will be doing the narrow foot position leg presses for the remainder of the contest prep to protect my lower back. As I mentioned earlier this week, it is no big deal at this point to change out the hacks. At the level I have my calories set right now, I am not going to add an ounce of new muscle, so the goal from here on in is to hold onto what I have and stave off any catabolism. The heavy narrow foot position leg press will do that job just fine.

Lying Leg Curls:
Yates cadence with a short hold at the top and a slow negative.
Glute-Ham Raise:
Slow rep cadence on this one to totally focus on how the hammies pulling. Wide knee position which brings a little more of the upper hamstrings into play.

Leg Press Calf Presses- Toes turned out:
Gastrocnemius focused.
Leg Press Calf Presses- Toes in:
Tibialis focused.

Final Thoughts
This will be the last posing compilation I post until I have my Peak Week photo shoot.

**Jan Tana tanning product review**
The main reason I took this compilation was to experiment one last time with the Jan Tana tanning product, as well as the Jan Tana glaze. I put the color product on Friday night at 8 PM and slept on it. The product goes on easily using the provided application pad without streaking. Wearing surgical gloves during the application process is a good idea if you do not want dark brown fingers for the next few days. Exfoliating several days in a row prior to application is a must. It was surprisingly resilient through the night while I was sleeping, and the next morning there was no reason to re-apply or fix any places that wore off.

One downside to the Jan Tana color product is that it is not waterproof in the least. But if a bit of fluid does get on it and cause the area to streak, it is very easy to fix.

The glaze was very easy to apply. It comes in a pump spray bottle and easily squirts onto the target areas without making any kind of a mess on the floor. Then, just rub it in. There was absolutely no streaking of the tanning product at this point, nor did it come off on my hands. The glaze worked extremely well, and for the most part as best I could tell, fixed the non-waterproof issue of the tanning color product.

This is the second time I have applied the Jan Tana product. From what I learned, there is really no reason to apply it the night before and mess with sleeping on it. It is advertised as same day application for the competition, and that is what I will do. It only takes about 15 minutes to paint up, and it dries almost instantly. The color product as well as the glaze showered off easily once I was done with it.





A note about this compilation:
This compilation was taken on Saturday morning when my body weight was 164.7lbs. Because of struggling with the stomach virus earlier in the week, my body stayed very depleted and flat.

In a way, I like what I see here under these hugely carb depleted circumstances. Even though I was not in optimal physical condition to get a great set of pics, it does speak well for what will happen when I am fully carbed up and hydrated during peak week. I still believe I can take that stage at 170+ lbs this year.

I just have to get this ship righted in a hurry, and get back on track without any real damage having been done.






Oh yeah, I changed the camera position and angle for Zav . He was right. I think this works much better.

[bamazav]

Oh yeah, I changed the camera position and angle for Zav . He was right. I think this works much better.

IMHO, your legs look fuller and show, more clearly, your hard work with the new camera angle.

[hazto]

Pics look great, your back is very impressive. I don't know why but you have stated you can not DL, you are proof one can still build a solid back. Impressive all over!

[cmoore]

Lookin good Mr Coppertone.

[HoustonTXMuscle]

Steve, as others have stated: "Pics look great." Question on the mandatory side poses: Not sure how the NANBF judges, but in the NPC the pros and amateurs do it a bit differently and they want the amateurs hands down by their sides.

[BergMuscle]

Tan looks good, accentuates your muscle definition. Hope your stomach is being better to you. I don't know if I could do close to what you've done following major league puking. Of course, you gotta do what you gotta do. That's just part and parcel of being a competetor.

[-=FLEX=-]

Looking absolutely fantastic Steve.

Colour me impressed.

You are gonna kill this comp.

[securekey]

The tan definitely makes everything pop... glad things are back on track. Looking great.

[Bo_Flecks]

I been reading your post, but you have gone above my head in awesomeness.

To tell you the truth, I am in way over my head/experience level right now. For the last several weeks, everything I have done is breaking new ground. The time coming up is going to be a matter of just feeling my way through the last 14 dog days of the cut, and then getting peak week hit correctly.

But, a guy has to start somewhere if he is going to compete.

The reason I have been recording my training weight has to do with the fact that I need to know what different carb loads are doing to my body. That will give me an idea just how much I need to take in during peak week without spilling over. When it comes to that, though, I would much rather have some spill over at the morning show rather than be flat. Being flat for me this year will be the kiss of death.

The carb load I took in today made nearly an 8lb weight increase from 6AM to 2PM. An 8lb increase in 8 hours. I looked like a different person when I hit the gym. Carbs functioning like that are pretty impressive.

tell me what you did, mine is driving me crazy.

Inversion work multiple times per day. I did both inverted, and hanging work to separate that area as much as possible. A lot of stretching and twisting, too. Eventually, by the end of the week, I was able to get the sacrum to shift back into place with a big clunk, and the hip pain from the girdle being off kilter immediately subsided.

For the remainder of the prep, I am only going to be doing leg press work for my quads. I will put the hacks on hold so that I have no possibility of any more issues during the contest prep. It will also allow whatever inflammation might be left in the hips to completely subside.

It is no big deal to drop the hacks. With my calories as low as they are, there is no way I will be adding one ounce of muscle mass to my quads, so it is completely about not going catabolic right now.

IMHO, your legs look fuller and show, more clearly, your hard work with the new camera angle.

Yep. This is why the journals are so valuable. I was going along very myopically, and you felt comfortable enough to share an observation and make a suggestion. I appreciate it.

Wow, that's a lot of puking. Glad your feeling better (on all accounts).

Walking a tightrope with my calories just above starvation levels, and continuing to train and hold onto muscle was tough enough. Throw the stomach virus into the mix, and it got real complicated in a hurry. I have spent the morning today bathing myself in carbs to try and get the ship righted.

When I read your workout weights, I didn't notice any weakness there, even if it felt that way. 225x12 for multiple sets on bench press is some good work, any way you cut it.

Tough break with the virus, though. 169 is quite a weight drop. Most definitely time for some carbs!!

A huge weight drop that quickly is going to be felt. Especially with my BF% as low as it is.

Yesterday, the strength was just not completely there to keep good form through the end of the pressing movements. I have expected a strength drop-off as I got closer to competition time, but under the circumstances it came was very frustrating. I was doing everything humanly possible to keep everything in balance, and then I got hit with a circumstance completely out of my control.

Well, I worked with my nutrition this morning to take that control back. I guess we will see how successful I was.

Glad you are on the mend, it must be a huge relief to have sorted that back/hip problem.

Keep your fluids up as you are still not 100%.

Hope the family are feeling better too

Lower back problems and the hip shifting problem has been a fact of life for me for a long time. The hip girdle shifting due to the sacrum is more of a nagging/annoying type of pain than when the L5 slips. The L5 slipping out is just flat miserable, and tends to impact all facets of my training.

As it was, the hip issue had no impact on my training. The virus on the other hand did a number on me this week.

All stomachs in my house are back to normal, so this should be a much better week.

Pics look great, your back is very impressive. I don't know why but you have stated you can not DL, you are proof one can still build a solid back. Impressive all over!

I lamented over dropping the deads from my training program back in 2010. VoxExMachina basically talked me through it, and convinced me it was not the end of the world, or even really necessary from a bodybuilding perspective. It led to the focus of my back work shifting to weighted pull-ups and supported free weight rowing movements. As he is most of the time, Vox was right.

Lookin good Mr Coppertone.

I am going to re-order the color and the glaze to use in the comp this week. I was hoping I would like it, and I did.

I also have some other stuff to buy for the comp. I need to get a new sweat suit, some exercise bands for warm-ups, and maybe a new electric shaver. The one I used to shave down on Thursday night did a decent job, but I got of piece of skin in a very sensitive area caught and nicked. Darn place is still sore.

Steve, as others have stated: "Pics look great." Question on the mandatory side poses: Not sure how the NANBF judges, but in the NPC the pros and amateurs do it a bit differently and they want the amateurs hands down by their sides.

That is good to know, Bob.

The position I am using is the one suggested by the prep coach I was using a few months ago. As I found out back then, he was wrong about many things. Possibly the hand position of that pose, too. I will check it out to make sure.

The thing is, I do not like my arm position like that. It would be much easier to hit and hold the pose with it straight down to my side.

Tan looks good, accentuates your muscle definition. Hope your stomach is being better to you. I don't know if I could do close to what you've done following major league puking. Of course, you gotta do what you gotta do. That's just part and parcel of being a competetor.

Last week after the puking was a weird chain of events on the timeline. I felt like crap at work on Tuesday and could not get all of my food in. Then on Wednesday, I was able to eat and got in a very good back training session. Then on Thursday, while I was able to eat normally, my energy started to tank. By the end of the day on Friday, I was feeling like the walking dead. It shocked me when I woke up on Saturday morning, weighed in and was 2.7lbs down from 7 days before.

Today was a major re-feeding, and it seems to have done the trick. I will get everything back on schedule to the nth degree starting tomorrow morning, and take this thing home.

Looking absolutely fantastic Steve.

Colour me impressed.

You are gonna kill this comp.

I am totally amped for this thing, Jim. I am looking forward to the whole experience. My wife asked me if I was getting nervous, and the answer was NO. I have set no expectations other than to have a blast. After all, this is my 50th birthday present to myself!!!

The tan definitely makes everything pop... glad things are back on track. Looking great.

It is pretty amazing how the color and the sheen can do that. I had a guy tell me not too long ago that if I thought I was dark enough, then add another coat. He may be right, and I will find out this year, but the color you see in the pics is the color I am going with for this competition.

[mharrislove]

All stomachs in my house are back to normal, so this should be a much better week.

^^^Good to hear. Also, thanks for sharing the pros and cons of the color regimen, as well. Keep up the great work!

[ironwill2008]

The back is fine, and the virus is just a memory

Good deal on both counts, especially your back.

When I got back to work on Tuesday I had a person say to me, "Well, at least the stomach virus will help you reach your goal weight."

Seriously, WTF??? The level of unaware in what bodybuilders do and what we intend to accomplish with our nutrition is just mind altering to me.

Lulz. Unfortunately, that opinion is par for the course among the civilians.

Good on ya for not biting that person's head off.































You didn't bite that person's head off, did you?

[Payton1221]

Lower back problems and the hip shifting problem has been a fact of life for me for a long time. The hip girdle shifting due to the sacrum is more of a nagging/annoying type of pain than when the L5 slips. The L5 slipping out is just flat miserable, and tends to impact all facets of my training.

Steve, you're a machine! On two occasions, I've had a glimpse of what it's like to have REAL back problems, and because of that, I'm very sympathetic when I read what others like yourself must deal with. Uber-impressed!!!!

[bamazav]

Camera guy is back again.

The advise you received about the color has a lot to do with the lights. They will be much harsher than what you are able to set up in your basement. Even at that color, you will appear lighter on the stage. Just a thought to keep in mind.

[highiso]

Lookn great with the tan man!!!

[Vytis]

Looking good Steve. Just hang on to as much muscle as you can until the show. I'm getting super excited for you!

[ljimd]

Looking good Steve. Just hang on to as much muscle as you can until the show. I'm getting super excited for you!

I gotta echo this ^^^^^^^^. Color looked good.

[Bo_Flecks]

^^^Good to hear. Also, thanks for sharing the pros and cons of the color regimen, as well. Keep up the great work!

I appreciate you recommending it to me. The Jan Tana seems to be a very good product. Of course, until I live it on contest day, the final review cannot be written. There may be a whole unseen set of circumstances I have to deal with.

I wore the product for a long time on Saturday to test out as many contingencies as possible. After I took the morning pics, I wiped the glaze down and messed around the house (even worked out while having it on) until evening. I checked it, put the glaze back on, and took pics one more time. It was definitely a little lighter that evening, so I will possibly consider re-applying before the evening show.

Good deal on both counts, especially your back.

That has always been the nature of my back issues. I can have a slippage, be in misery for a few days, and then the problem disk (or in the case the sacrum) shifts back into place giving me immediate relief. That said, I am not willing to test it again until after the competition.

The adjustment I made by dropping the hacks and going to the narrow foot position leg presses worked out just fine.

Lulz. Unfortunately, that opinion is par for the course among the civilians.

Apparently, there are people out there who get their nutritional advice from reliable sources such as The Devil Wears Prada

Good on ya for not biting that person's head off.

You didn't bite that person's head off, did you?

I did not. As a matter of fact, I do not remember even acknowledging the statement with anything other than a forced smile. The thing is, when people are so clueless there is absolutely no benefit in me expending one bit of breath trying to explain it to them.

I have come to realize that I live in different universe than the regular people.

Steve, you're a machine! On two occasions, I've had a glimpse of what it's like to have REAL back problems, and because of that, I'm very sympathetic when I read what others like yourself must deal with. Uber-impressed!!!!

My whole training program is one big pre designed work-around to protect my lower back. I made the decision two years ago that I was not going to fight against my limitations, but work with them. The supported back work, the chains, and especially the leg press/hack squat machine are all part of the overarching protocol.

That does not mean I do not encounter a problem every now and then, but it allows me to get the job done.

Camera guy is back again.

The advise you received about the color has a lot to do with the lights. They will be much harsher than what you are able to set up in your basement. Even at that color, you will appear lighter on the stage. Just a thought to keep in mind.

It would really good if I had a nice natural base tan, and that would give the color a more mahogany look. A few sessions in a tanning bed would take care of that. I was working to scrounge up the money for it last night but ran into some problems.

I have been having trouble with my internet modem for the past week, and was unable to access some of my money due to the website not recognizing (you guessed it) my modem and IP address. I have a technician coming today to fix all of that. Hopefully, I can get something done tonight.

I am going to check with the local Pacific Beach tanning place and see if they have any kind of a deal going. I think I would really only need 4 sessions in the tanning bed to get as dark as I would ever get. I need to start it next week, though.

Lookn great with the tan man!!!

I pulled some comparison pics from two weeks before when I was very pale and had to laugh at the difference the dark tan and the sheen of the glaze made. The main difference I see is the contrast between the slightly bunched up skin of a flexed pose, and the tight skin.

Really makes it all stand out.

As I get this last bit of fat off, and then carb up during the peak, I think it will all come together nicely.

Looking good Steve. Just hang on to as much muscle as you can until the show. I'm getting super excited for you!

I gotta echo this ^^^^^^^^. Color looked good.

I have dialed my workouts back to hold mode. In other words, I am not dropping poundages, but dropping back to the 10-12 rep scheme. This should give me some feedback on how my muscle mass I holding up to the final few days of cutting.

So far, the only strength drop-offs I have had were in my chest pressing movements.

One thing I did not mention about that, though, is the biggest part of not being able to get the 5th set of 12 reps with 225lbs on incline barbell press had to do mostly with my left shoulder not cooperating. It was screaming at me Saturday afternoon. That along with the nutritional issues from the virus created a less than stellar performance.

My leg work on Sunday was as strong as ever. Today, when I do my weighted pull-ups and heavy rows, I will be able to get some true feedback on how the muscles are holding up since the shoulder issue will not come into play.

I will take a break to let the shoulder completely heal AFTER the competition. I will work through and around the pain for now.



**I want to apologize upfront to the folks whose journals I regularly visit**

As I go through the next 2 1/2 weeks of this contest prep, I will probably not be posting in any other journals than this one. Pretty much every spare minute of my time is involved in the prep somehow, and finding the time (and mental motivation for that matter) to post on BB.com is difficult.

Once the competition is over, my time frees up, and my brain has a few extra grams of fat to fuel it, I will be back to posting as usual.

In the meantime, I will do my best to keep this log updated to my normal standards.

[bamazav]

Excited for you my friend, just ticked that I can not be there. Know that I am with you in spirit any way.

[litljay]

Looking fantastic Steve. I have zero doubts that you'll be in top notch condition come contest time (not that your not in top notch condition now).

You're inspirational in you attention to detail.

[IronAvalanche]

You're inspirational in you attention to detail.

This ^^^! And your detail has paid off for you big time!

[Lou1se]

I like that color! What a difference it makes on bringing out those muscles, especially your quad muscles!

I'm surprised you are able to devote time into your journal with work, prep, wo, family and unforeseen events..

You've done an excellent job getting to where you are and all being new! Who would know eh?

Good going getting that sacrum to shift back.

[alex2363]

I appreciate you recommending it to me. The Jan Tana seems to be a very good product. Of course, until I live it on contest day, the final review cannot be written. There may be a whole unseen set of circumstances I have to deal with.

I wore the product for a long time on Saturday to test out as many contingencies as possible. After I took the morning pics, I wiped the glaze down and messed around the house (even worked out while having it on) until evening. I checked it, put the glaze back on, and took pics one more time. It was definitely a little lighter that evening, so I will possibly consider re-applying before the evening show.



That has always been the nature of my back issues. I can have a slippage, be in misery for a few days, and then the problem disk (or in the case the sacrum) shifts back into place giving me immediate relief. That said, I am not willing to test it again until after the competition.

The adjustment I made by dropping the hacks and going to the narrow foot position leg presses worked out just fine.



Apparently, there are people out there who get their nutritional advice from reliable sources such as The Devil Wears Prada



I did not. As a matter of fact, I do not remember even acknowledging the statement with anything other than a forced smile. The thing is, when people are so clueless there is absolutely no benefit in me expending one bit of breath trying to explain it to them.

I have come to realize that I live in different universe than the regular people.



My whole training program is one big pre designed work-around to protect my lower back. I made the decision two years ago that I was not going to fight against my limitations, but work with them. The supported back work, the chains, and especially the leg press/hack squat machine are all part of the overarching protocol.

That does not mean I do not encounter a problem every now and then, but it allows me to get the job done.



It would really good if I had a nice natural base tan, and that would give the color a more mahogany look. A few sessions in a tanning bed would take care of that. I was working to scrounge up the money for it last night but ran into some problems.

I have been having trouble with my internet modem for the past week, and was unable to access some of my money due to the website not recognizing (you guessed it) my modem and IP address. I have a technician coming today to fix all of that. Hopefully, I can get something done tonight.

I am going to check with the local Pacific Beach tanning place and see if they have any kind of a deal going. I think I would really only need 4 sessions in the tanning bed to get as dark as I would ever get. I need to start it next week, though.



I pulled some comparison pics from two weeks before when I was very pale and had to laugh at the difference the dark tan and the sheen of the glaze made. The main difference I see is the contrast between the slightly bunched up skin of a flexed pose, and the tight skin.

Really makes it all stand out.

As I get this last bit of fat off, and then carb up during the peak, I think it will all come together nicely.





I have dialed my workouts back to hold mode. In other words, I am not dropping poundages, but dropping back to the 10-12 rep scheme. This should give me some feedback on how my muscle mass I holding up to the final few days of cutting.

So far, the only strength drop-offs I have had were in my chest pressing movements.

One thing I did not mention about that, though, is the biggest part of not being able to get the 5th set of 12 reps with 225lbs on incline barbell press had to do mostly with my left shoulder not cooperating. It was screaming at me Saturday afternoon. That along with the nutritional issues from the virus created a less than stellar performance.

My leg work on Sunday was as strong as ever. Today, when I do my weighted pull-ups and heavy rows, I will be able to get some true feedback on how the muscles are holding up since the shoulder issue will not come into play.

I will take a break to let the shoulder completely heal AFTER the competition. I will work through and around the pain for now.



**I want to apologize upfront to the folks whose journals I regularly visit**

As I go through the next 2 1/2 weeks of this contest prep, I will probably not be posting in any other journals than this one. Pretty much every spare minute of my time is involved in the prep somehow, and finding the time (and mental motivation for that matter) to post on BB.com is difficult.

Once the competition is over, my time frees up, and my brain has a few extra grams of fat to fuel it, I will be back to posting as usual.

In the meantime, I will do my best to keep this log updated to my normal standards.

It is understandable, we all get it and will be here for you. Just reading and in awe of your unbelievable journey.

[Bo_Flecks]

Tuesday 9/25/12- Pre Contest: Back/Triceps/Abs/Calves "A Week" Rotation

Wide Grip Pull Ups
12xBW+40
12xBW+40
12xBW+40
12xBW+40
12xBW+40

Chest Supported Barbell Rows
12x210
12x210
12x210

V- Grip Pull-ups
12xBW+40
12xBW+40
12xBW+40

D-Handle Low Pulley Rows
12x160
12x160
12x160

OH Dumbbell Tricep Extensions
12x90
12x90
12x90
12x90
12x90

Decline Close Grip Bench Press
12x200
12x200
12x200

Weighted Tricep Dips
12xBW+50
12xBW+50
12xBW+50

Weighted Bench Dips
20xBW+50
20xBW+50
20xBW+50

Hanging Knee Raises-Obliques
(left)
10xBW+15
10xBW+15
10xBW+15
(right)
10xBW+15
10xBW+15
10xBW+15

Hanging Knee Raises-Abdominals
15xBW+15
15xBW+15
15xBW+15

Decline Crunches
33xBW+10
33xBW+10
34xBW+10

Seated Calf Raises
15x315
15x315
15x315

Observations

• Training weight: 172.4lbs (Good to see that my body is responding again to the minor carb loads prior to training)
• Energy and Endurance: Adequate to get through the entire workout
• Mood and Focus: My focus seems to slip in an out depending upon how gassed I get by a set. I just have to keep telling myself this is part of the deal, and then go right back to it.

I am officially in HOLD MODE right now.

I am continuing to use the (relatively) heavy weight that I have been using for the past few weeks, but I am no longer pushing the rep scheme. A few reasons for doing this is because 1) I want the muscles to have to handle the heavy weight so that my body has no reason to want to shed muscle mass, 2) I want to monitor my strength for the purpose of checking catabolism from the extreme calorie restriction, and 3) so that I do not incur an injury this late into the prep process.

Nothing particularly good or bad about this workout. Just a workman like session with the iron to keep the prep moving in the right direction.

Back Workout
Wide Grip Pull Ups:
I am going to keep this training order for my back work for the remainder of the prep. Wide grip, dropping to a dead stop at the bottom and flaring the lats to bring them out as much as possible.
Chest Supported Barbell Rows
Chest supported at a 45 degree angle and pulling the weight to my mid section.
V-Grip Pull-ups
The feel of this is kind of a cross between a pull up and a low pulley rowing movement.
D-Handle Low Pulley Rows:
Chosen as a finisher. This is really a back burner.

Tricep Workout
OH Dumbbell Tricep Extensions:
Focusing on making the rear head of the tricep move as much of this weight as possible.
Decline Close Grip Bench Press:
Performed at a 30 degree decline with the thumbs about 10 inches apart.
Weighted Tricep Dips
Really concentrating on keeping constant tension on the triceps.
Weighted Bench Dips
Some higher rep work to finish the triceps off.

Direct Ab Work
Hanging Knee Raises-Obliques
Turning the hips and pulling the legs up with the obliques from the hanging position.
Hanging Knee Raises-Abs
Knees straight ahead.
Decline Crunches
Trying to really burn the abs here.

Calf Workout
Seated Calf Raises:
For some reason the calves were starting to cramp up around rep 15, so I kept it at that rep scheme. Soleus focused calf work.

Final Thoughts
I had to wait until this morning to post this workout. We had a pretty severe storm that dropped a tree over the road to my property and took out the power lines. On the way to work this morning, I had to put a tow cable to part of the tree and pull it out of the way just so I could get to school. Good times.

Wednesday is a cardio and low carb day. I will do an even calorie re-feed on Thursday prior to my training session to bolster up my carbs. As I mentioned earlier in the week, I will be doing two re-feeds per week during the final 14 days of the cut.

[Athena]

SteBo!!

Nancy and I were just talking about you last weekend as we conquered a stupidly easy hike. We're both thinking of you and know you'll crush it!

Huge hugs,
Nancy and Athi

[Payton1221]

Wide Grip Pull Ups
12xBW+40
12xBW+40
12xBW+40
12xBW+40
12xBW+40

I think it was you who wrote that "double digit" pull-ups never go unnoticed! And you're doing it with an extra 40 lbs!

Regarding the storm, you're about 4 hours due west of me, and when it reached us, it just lingered . . . lots of lightning for what seemed like several hours!

[bamazav]

SteBo!!

Nancy and I were just talking about you last weekend as we conquered a stupidly easy hike. We're both thinking of you and know you'll crush it!

Huge hugs,
Nancy and Athi

Wha???????

Did we just have an Athi sighting?

[Bo_Flecks]

Excited for you my friend, just ticked that I can not be there. Know that I am with you in spirit any way.

A friend of mine who is a photographer is going to take pictures at the competition with his high tech equipment. Hopefully between his skill and expensive lenses, there will be plenty of good pics to let you see what went on that night.

I plan on doing an MHL style write up of the whole experience following the competition, so if it all works out, you should not miss out on much...






...other than the awesome experience of getting to meet me in person .

Looking fantastic Steve. I have zero doubts that you'll be in top notch condition come contest time (not that your not in top notch condition now).

You're inspirational in you attention to detail.

I have ten days of slow cutting left, and then I hit peak week.

I spent yesterday and today outlining exactly what I am going to do with my training and carb loading starting on Saturday, October 6th all the way to 5 minutes before I step onto the stage on October 13th.

How is that for some detail???

This ^^^! And your detail has paid off for you big time!

We shall see. Paying attention to the details has brought me this far, so there is no reason to change anything now.

I like that color! What a difference it makes on bringing out those muscles, especially your quad muscles!

The color turned out pretty good. Based upon a couple of things I learned during the two times I experimented with it, I am going to:

• Try and get into a tanning bed a few times before the competition to even out my natural skin color prior to application,
• Apply the Jan Tana the morning of the competition instead of the night before

I'm surprised you are able to devote time into your journal with work, prep, wo, family and unforeseen events..

My time once I get home is very complicated right now, so computer time is extremely limited. I am taking time every day on my lunch shift to tend to my journal.

You've done an excellent job getting to where you are and all being new! Who would know eh?

If it were not for the advice I have received in my journal from the experienced guys who have competed, and all of the information I have gleaned from Layne Norton, I would have been lost during this process.

Good going getting that sacrum to shift back.

After nearly 30 years since the parachuting accident, I have learned to deal with it somewhat successfully. That does not keep it from going out every now and then, but when it does I have found some strategies that work pretty well to get back to normal.

It is understandable, we all get it and will be here for you. Just reading and in awe of your unbelievable journey.

I appreciate all of the support my BB.com friends have given me. I realize from all of the hits this journal gets, there are a lot of folks who lurk and read as well. I kind of figure if I am going to run a public log, I should be responsible enough to keep it updated to the best of my ability.

Plus, I am a big believer in reflection. All too often, reading the comments that are put in here really gets me out of what can sometime be a very myopic mindset. The suggestion Zav made about the camera angle, and Bob made about my hand position on my side relaxed pose are two of the most recent examples. Both were very helpful in getting me to my goal.

SteBo!!

Nancy and I were just talking about you last weekend as we conquered a stupidly easy hike. We're both thinking of you and know you'll crush it!

Huge hugs,
Nancy and Athi

I miss having you two around.








But it is somewhat of an ego booster knowing that two very hot women on the other side of the country are thinking about me.

I think it was you who wrote that "double digit" pull-ups never go unnoticed! And you're doing it with an extra 40 lbs!

Regarding the storm, you're about 4 hours due west of me, and when it reached us, it just lingered . . . lots of lightning for what seemed like several hours!

My goal right now is to get through the low calorie/low carb training sessions left without having to drop the weight of any lift. My back and tricep work remained very strong, as well as my leg and bicep work.

Because of the cranky left shoulder, I had to back my chest pressing down a little.

Quite frankly, I have no idea what to expect this evening as I train shoulders. I know this, though, if the shoulder barks at me, I will not hesitate to make the smart adjustment.

[Athena]

Wha???????

Did we just have an Athi sighting?

WHERE?! OMG!! I didn't know she was even still allowed in here!!

[Athena]

I miss having you two around.

We miss you, too. I love to tell clients the story of how your MIL thought you had glued a pic of your face onto a photo of someone else's body. Always gets a laugh!

But it is somewhat of an ego booster knowing that two very hot women on the other side of the country are thinking about me.

Awwwww...shucks! *kicks dirt*

[bamazav]

A friend of mine who is a photographer is going to take pictures at the competition with his high tech equipment. Hopefully between his skill and expensive lenses, there will be plenty of good pics to let you see what went on that night.

I plan on doing an MHL style write up of the whole experience following the competition, so if it all works out, you should not miss out on much...






...other than the awesome experience of getting to meet me in person .

And the Ted Drews Custard. I was so looking forward to some custard.