***road to uk physique 2015***

[OmegaredAfy]

With short cluster sets it makes sense,
do you not warm up much?

Yeh i am really liking the cluster set stuff, its excellent! I do like 1-3 warm up sets for first movement and 1 set warmup for each exercise after.

First guys , hope you all had a fantastic day with family and friends!!

This "mini" cut is coming to an end, so i will be logging my next phase which will be a rebound of sorts . goals as always are to progress strength, increase calories slowly and decrease cardio, give myself a bit of a reverse in gears and basically prime myself for my next "recomp/cut"

I am competing in september 2015, my goal is to start the prep 12 weeks out looking how most would look several weeks out and then to really focus on coming in full and hard as nails. I want to really push the limit of my condition. TO DO THIS I KNOW I MUST MAKE THE NEXT 10 MONTHS COUNT! EVERY DAY , EVERY WEEK , EVERY MONTH.

[OmegaredAfy]

So started my new routine for the next 8 weeks or so , main goal ... as always is to get stronger and bigger, specifically need more thickness and density and more damn bicep in side shots!!!

OK, so a basic overview of my plan of attack looks like this :-

Sun :- Push Power Emphasis / Load
Mon :- Legs hypertrophy emphasis
Tues :- Pull Power Emphasis
Weds :- Push hypertrophy emphasis
thurs :- Legs Power emphasis
fri :- pull hypertrophy emphasis

Nutrition :- I keep it basic , lots of protein and fats during my day, carbs around workout dependant on how i feel, i basically don't really care about protein pre workout, i just eat whatever calories i fancy that will give my a great workout, some days it may be small some days it may be a lot. This seems pretty unorthodox, but I believe in listening to my body and working a diet based on performance . I will list my meals out for each day to give you guys an idea and to detail this log to!

Onto my workout , today (sunday) looked like this:- AM workout on empty stomach / no preworkout or any of that stuff

Power Push -
Decline Bench Press - 10 sets of 3 reps / 45- 60 secs rest between sets, pause for 2 at bottom of the rep , explosive drive up then static for 2 seconds then 3-4 sec negative.
Dumbell Fly extreme stretch for 60+ secs

Machine Push Press - 10 sets of 3 reps / 45- 60 secs rest between sets, pause for 2 at bottom of the rep , explosive drive up then static for 2 seconds then 3-4 sec negative.
Side lateral Hold for 45 secs

Smith Machine Skull Crusher - 10 sets of 3 reps / 45- 60 secs rest between sets, pause for 2 at bottom of the rep , explosive drive up then static for 2 seconds then 3-4 sec negative.

Weighted barbell tricep stretch - over 60 secs

Post workout - cardio 30 mins

Great workout , loved it!

Came home feeling primal and smashed 15 egg whites / 2 whole eggs and can of tuna mixed into an omelet for meal 1 (post workout)

i will edit this and add all my meals today .

Picture from end of todays workout, not much pump going on with this workout and damn do i need more bicep, hate it, flexed they are decent but side shots they effing suck!!!

[OmegaredAfy]

Ok so far been having a good week for sure. here are my last two sessions (mon and tues)

Mon AM - 40 mins cardio LISS

Mon PM - Quads /Hams / Forarms

Squats - 10 sets of 5 reps / pause at bottom of each rep / around 45-60 secs rest in between Absolutely brutal work, but now everything on me is fixed i LOVE squats

Quad Stretch - 60 seconds

Hamstring Curls - worked up to 1 set of 8 then a constant tension set of 20 reps

Hamstring stretch - 60 secs

Machine Wrist Curls - worked up to 1 set of 8 then a constant tension set of 20 reps
Reverse wrist curls - worked up to 1 set of 7 (couldnt effin get 8!) then a constant tension set of 20 reps

So far loving this and cannot wait to see what this training cycle brings.

[OmegaredAfy]

Tuesday workout AM -

Deadlifts - 10 sets of 3 reps ( around 45-60 secs )
weighted hangs - 50 secs

Barbell EZ bar curls - 10 sets of 3

Bicep Stretch - 60 secs

Weighted crunches - 10 sets of 10.

Awesome workout, i love working out early in the morning, roll out of bed, no pre workout , no pre training meal, just primal viking strength haha.

I am SO happy my sciatica is fixed, doing dead lifts and squats again is such a privilege and is going to add thickness that i really lack.

[OmegaredAfy]

OK Lads, firstly HAPPY NEW YEAR, hope everyone had a great one and i am looking forward to smashing my goals this year and watching you guys do the same! Got a bunch of workouts to catch up with on this log, so let me update you with those, i am really enjoying this new routine and cannot wait to see how things progress!

Weds workout - Push Hypertrophy

35 mins cardio AM

Incline bench press - worked up to 1 max set of 10 reps then did a set of 20 reps
Flat Bench Press - Worked up to a max set of 6 reps ( should of been 8! but i will fight to get 7-8 reps next week) then a set of 20 reps
Extreme Stretch for 48 secs
Machine Skull crushers - worked up to a max set of 8 reps and then a set of 20 reps
Reverse Pushdowns - worked up to a max set of 8 reps then did 20 reps on bench dips weighted (love these)

Read Dumbell Laterals - worked up to 1 max set of 13 reps (aiming between 12-15 on these exercises) then did a set of 20 reps
Side Laterals Dumbell - worked up to max set of 12 reps then did a set of 30 reps
Dumbell hold - 45 secs

Excellent workout , loving how things are going, will aim to get pictures every 1 or 2 weeks, keep myself honest!

[OmegaredAfy]

Thursday Legs power workout AM:-

So today was pretty effin brutal, its so cold over here and my stupid knees were giving me issues, so next week i will warm up thoroughly before legs , anyway here is how the session went :-

Squats - 10 sets of 10 reps
Leg Curls - 10 sets of 3 reps
Barbell wrists curls - 10 sets of 3 reps
weighted crunches - 10 sets of 15 reps.

I was destroyed after this, looks nothing on paper but progressing weight over last week and pushing hard especially on the squats was a mental challenge, my legs are looking better and better i am excited to shave them ( sounds right stupid haha)
incase you want to know what my diet looks like, here is an exact extract from todays diet, most days are similar :-

m1 post workout - 3 scoops whey isolate / 1 large banana (that is what she said ! oi oi ;-) )
m2 - 4 x greek yoghurt fruit pots / 4 slices wholegrain toast with jam
m3 - 12 egg whites / 3 whole eggs / low fat cheese / raisins
m4 - 10oz of chicken breast / 10oz green beans / 1 oz cashews
m5 - 10oz chicken breast / 10 oz green beans / 1 oz peanut butter
m6 - 2 whole eggs / 3 scoops total protein (egg white / casein / whey mix ) plus physillum husk

[The Solution]

carbs look pretty low for someone your size and trying to gain, you always pack on weight easy?

[OmegaredAfy]

Bob, do you wanna know the truth mate, basically i know everyone and this new "science" stuff say about a calorie is a calorie etc. But i find if i drive my carbs up very high i get smooth and gain fat pretty quick, usually over a period of time the highest i will go is around 400g max when gaining. I have actually tried the exact same calories and used higher and lower carbs vs higher and lower protein and higher protein more fats. I find the following works well for me to gain muscle :-

HIGH protein +veg + fats during the day
carbs before workout and after workout.
When i plateau i will add some carbs in to meals , usually rice and sweet potato is i digest them well.

One thing i should note, is i live a VERY sedentary life , I am a work at home consultant for IT , so basically i dont do much during the day that would warrant any high caloric intake from carbs.

Again this is just what i have found and unlike many, i did actually try other methods before coming to what im doing now !

[The Solution]

^^ Thats why right there low levels of NEAT
some people thrive off carbs and lower fat, some are opposite (Such as yourself) its about finding what works best for the individual.

[OmegaredAfy]

Exactly mate , pretty much do nothing actually physically taxing until i am in the gym so my diet setup in most cases would be fat loss oriented for most guys who are active.

Ok on to fridays workout, which was a pull hyper!

Started day with 35 mins am cardio LISS

Then the workout itself:-

Lat pulldowns to front - worked up to maximum set of 10 reps
Machine pullovers - 20 reps
Barbell Row - worked up to 1 max set of 9 reps
seated rows - 1 set 20 reps
Weighted stretch
Barbell shrugs - worked up to 1 max set of 6 reps
Farmers hold stretch
Barbell shrugs - 1 set 20 reps
DB curls - worked up to 1 max set of 9 reps then 1 set of 20
Hammer DB curls - worked up to 1 max set of 10 reps then 1 set of 20

Daily Diet -
m1 - 12 egg whites / 3 whole eggs / raisins
m2 - 11oz chicken / 12 oz green beans / 1 oz cashews
m3 - 8oz chicken / 10oz green beans / 2 whole eggs
m4 - 4 x greek yoghurt / 2 x bagels
m5 - 3 scoops isolate / 1 x large banana
m6 - 1oz peanut butter

[OmegaredAfy]

Sundays workout was a power push day, progressed nicely, probably due to the fact that sat night i had a rather large cheat meal, i mean i was relaxing with my misses , enjoying some good TV and hungry as heck so i saw no reason no to splurge , i ended up eating:-

1 large pizza with multiple meat toppings ( i know the owner so basically have him load it up with chicken, turkey and beef)
chicken wings
kebab
and around 6 cookies with some other chocolates.

cheeky i know!

So on with the workout, basic stuff:-

Decline Bench Press - 10 sets 3 reps 45-60 secs rest
weighted pec stretch 60 secs
Smith Machine Skull Crushers - 10 sets 3 reps 45-60 secs rest
weighted tricep stretch 60 secs
Machine Shoulder Press - 10 sets 3 reps 45 - 60 secs rest
weighted stretch - 45 secs
Weighted crunches - 10 sets 20 reps

On these sessions i like to really control the power, so i explode on the postive hold for a second on at the flex of the movement, lower slowly then hold at the stretch position for a 2 count before repeating.

Diet for the day looked like this :-

m1 - 9 egg whites / 4 whole eggs / 4 slices wholegrain toast
m2- 8oz turkey breast / 8 oz green beans / 2 x large banana
m3 - 8oz chicken breast / 8oz green beans / 3 whole eggs with cheese
m4 - 10oz 90% organic beef (delicious) / 8oz green beans
m5 - 8oz fat free greek yoghurt + 1 scoop egg/whey/casein protein powder and 1 oz peanut butter ( basically made into a pudding)

here is a shot from yesterday not very pumped and VERY bloated from pizza, but screw it just good to keep you updated

[The Solution]

Your bloated looks better than most of the people on here bro. Good work.

[CupraZ]

Already got the veiny look going! Keep up the good work bro!

[OmegaredAfy]

Thanks for the props guys, keeps me motivated and thanks for checking in! Really enjoy the brotherhood on this board!

Yesterday (tuesday) was legs hypertrophy, good session BUT over here in the UK its pretty damn cold and well my knees are feeling it, so i need to restrain myself a bit before squatting and invest time to warmup correctly. Anyway here is how the day played out:-

Morning - 35 mins cardio AM

PM - Quads / Hams / forerarms Hyper

Squat - worked up to 1 working max set of 8 reps , then rested and did all out set of 20 reps
Quad stretch 60 secs
Leg curls - worked up to 1 working max set of 8 reps , then rested and did all out set of 20 reps
Hamstring stetch 60 secs
Wrist curls - worked up to 1 working max set of 8 reps , then rested and did all out set of 20 reps
Reverse wrist curls - worked up to 1 working max set of 8 reps , then rested and did all out set of 20 reps

Todays diet looked like this :-

m1 - 8 egg whites / 4 whole eggs / cheese
m2 - 8oz turkey breast / 8oz green beans / 1oz almonds
m3 - 8oz chicken breast / 8oz green beans / 3 whole eggs
m4 - 4 x greek yogurt fruit pots
m5 - 8 whites / 4 whole eggs / cheese / 2 x large bananas / dried apricots
m6 - 10oz plain greek yog + whey 1 scoop / 1oz peanut butter

Here is vid just giving a brief overview about my training plans for the next 2 or so months

[The Solution]

I like the 20 rep sets (widowmakers) reminds me of DC training.

[OmegaredAfy]

Yes after a heavy set of 8 - 10 reps, it shocking how much weight you can pump out in the higher rep range, the weight feels "light"

Ok two workouts to log, so lets start with tuesdays which was PULL POWER , absolutely loving it!

Workout looked like this :-

Deadlifts - 10 sets of 3 reps ( around 45-60 secs )
weighted hangs - 60 secs

Barbell EZ bar curls - 10 sets of 3

Bicep Stretch - 60 secs

Weighted crunches - 10 sets of 20-30 reps.

Diet looked like this , was pretty hungry for some carbs after that, i auto regulate, so i basically eat on how i look, feel and perform:-

m1 - 8 egg whites / 4 whole eggs / 5 slices wholegrain bread
m2 - 8oz turkey breast / 8oz veg / 1 oz almonds / 10oz rice / 1 large banana
m3 - 8oz chicken / 8oz veg /3 whole eggs
m4 - 10 oz 90% beef / 10 oz veg
m5 - 10oz 0% greek yog / 2 scoops whey / 1 oz peanut butter

[OmegaredAfy]

Weds workout - Push Hyper

started day with 35 mins cardio

onto workout :-

Incline bench press - worked up to 1 max set of 10 reps then did a set of 22 reps
Flat Bench Press - Worked up to a max set of 8 reps then a set of 22 reps
Extreme Stretch for 68 secs
Machine Skull crushers - worked up to a max set of 9 reps and then a set of 20 reps
Reverse Pushdowns - worked up to a max set of 8 reps then did 20 reps on bench dips weighted
weighted tricep stretch - 60 secs
Read Dumbell Laterals - worked up to 1 max set of 13 reps (aiming between 12-15 on these exercises) then did a set of 23 reps
Side Laterals Dumbell - worked up to max set of 13 reps then did a set of 23 reps
Dumbell hold - 52 secs

Daily diet looked like this :- energy felt great today and gym was great so i basically didnt eat much

m1 - 10 egg whites / 4 whole eggs / cheese
m2 - 8oz turkey / 8oz green beans / 1 oz peanut butter
m3 - 8oz chicken breast / 8oz green beans / 3 whole eggs
m4 - 10oz 90% beef / 10 oz veg
m5 - 10oz % greek yog / 2 scoops whey / 1oz peanut butter

Here is a cheeky unpumped bicep shot, would like another inch ...THATS WHAT SHE SAID ! HAHA:-

[The Solution]

Easily pushing 20" Guns!

[NaturalPursuit]

Arms looking HUGE!!! Damn man! Im busting my azz tryin to get them there! awesome motivation!

[OmegaredAfy]

Thanks a lot fellas! Im trying my best, just gives me more motivation, alex trust me in real life you would dwarf me mate, i just have muscles that "Look" bigger than they are, i have a small skeletal structure.

Ok lets take a look at thursdays and fridays workouts:-

Thursday - 30 mins cardio am

PM - Quads / Hams / Forearms power

Squats - 10 sets of 10 reps 60 secs rest .... basically GVT, its incredibly taxing , honestly its like a mountain of a task.

quad stretch 60 secs

Hamstring curls - 10 sets of 3 reps 45 secs rest

Hamstring stretch - 60 secs

Barbell Wrist Curls - 10 sets of 3 reps
30 secs rest

Weighted Crunches

Thoughts :- very good workout but to be honest the knee's are really subtracting from the squat , i need to be patient and warm up correctly, any tips guys? This is the first time ive experienced this issue.

[OmegaredAfy]

Onto friday, which was pretty tedious to be fair. Had an all day network audit for a customer, which really means one thing DETAIL, so I put a LOT into getting that perfect, my attitude of focus is not limited to just working out , it expands across all my endeavors, i aim to put in everything i can to everything i do.

so the day looked like such :-

Cardio - 30 mins am ( tbh this is PURELY because i do NOT move during the day , so this is for basic cardiac work and not to "burn" fat or any of that BS)

Lat Pulldowns - working up to 1 max set of 10 reps

Machine Pullovers - 1 set of 20 + reps

Barbell Rows - working up to 1 max set of 9 reps

Single arm seated cable rows - 1 set of 20+ reps

Weighted Lat Stretch - 60 secs

Barbell shrug - worked up to 1 max set of 8 reps and then 1 set of 20
Farmers hold - 40 secs

Dumbell Curls - worked up to 1 max set of 10 reps then 1 set of 20 + reps
Hammer Dumbell curls - worked up to 1 max set of 10 reps then 1 set 20+ reps
Weighted Bicep stretch - 58 secs ( brutal, my biceps looked like they were "hanging" afterwards)

Thoughts :- Session was good, was a bit pissed of as i did not "feel" the back movements that much in spite of good form, but i was depleted a bit and the main thing for me is performance i progressed all my weights with strict form , this is key for me to gain maximum muscle.

Daily Diet :-

m1 - 10 egg whites / 4 whole eggs / cheese
m2 - 8oz turkey breast / 8oz green beans / just over an 1oz of almonds
m3 - 8oz chicken breast / 8oz green beans / whole eggs
m4 - 4 x greek yog pots / 2 slices of wholegrain bread with nutella / 1 large banana
gym
m5 - 11 egg whites / 3 whole eggs/ fruit salad ( 1banana , 2 apples , figs)
m6 - 10oz 0% greek yoghurt / 1 scoop whey / 1 oz peanut butter

[OmegaredAfy]

works been MENTAL so far this week, but all good i love my job so its fine just have not been able to update this log! Still hit it hard all week and kept diet on point, things calmed down now , so will start logging again tomorrow. Here are two shots this week, nothing special kinda flat, but not concerned with that as my strength is progressing and thats what matters to me.

P.S my biceps are to long and frigging suck with my arms relaxed down ! got to remedy this with more muscle

[The Solution]

lean as hell dude.

[OmegaredAfy]

Cheers bob, i am looking to get that Brian whitacre condition, the contest is September, i really want to spend my last few weeks eating "In" to the show, i believe you worked with scooby, he does something similar right ?

[NaturalPursuit]

Serious vascularity man! Cant wait to see you on stage!

[The Solution]

Cheers bob, i am looking to get that Brian whitacre condition, the contest is September, i really want to spend my last few weeks eating "In" to the show, i believe you worked with scooby, he does something similar right ?

Jason is a big advocate of being early and eating into the show yes sir.

[OmegaredAfy]

Alex, me neither mate, contest is in September so i got lots of time to get DISGUSTING.

Bob, i thought so , he has a great approach and thats going to be my approach i want to eat up into the show , not 2 days prior but weeks prior.

So Yesterday was a LOAD POWER PUSH DAY , felt like a warmachine. routine looked like this: first thing empty stomach just lots of water:-

10 sets of 3 reps Decline Bench Press
Weighted Fly Chest stretch for 60 secs
10 sets of 3 reps Smith Machine Skull Crushers
60 second weighted tricep stretch
10 sets 3 reps of Machine Shoulder Press
60 sec lateral dumbell hold

Diet for the day looked like this:-

Meal 1:- 10 egg whites / 4 whole eggs / cheese / fruit salad :- 1 x banana large, 1 x med apple , 2 x small oranges

Meal 2 :- 10oz turkey breast / 8oz green veg / just over 1oz nuts

Meal 3:- 10oz 10% beef mince / 8ox veg green

Meal 4:- 10oz chicken breast / 8oz veg green / just over 1oz nuts

Meal 5:- 10oz 0% greek yoghurt / 3 scoops why isolate / 30g peanut butter

Felt great , keeping myself honest here are some pics :- I will weigh myself at the end of the 8 week block

NOTE:- Just started creatine 15g pre workout, think that is bloating me a bit.

[OmegaredAfy]

Also not really for the regulars here but for some lurkers maybe. here is a vid i made on building muscle, top tips....Before anyone flames haha this is MY EXPERIENCE that i would like to share :-D

[mhilliard44]

P.S my biceps are to long and frigging suck with my arms relaxed down ! got to remedy this with more muscle

I feel your pain here. Looking great man. Vascularity is nuts!

Keep grinding

[jpfaherty]

Looking like a beast brotha!