Journey to a natural pro card

[ebomb55]

something else you could try add frequency to your bicep/triceps training is myo-reps.

Here's an article explaining them a bit: http://www.yewhealth.com/2010/10/11/myo-reps/
And a video of Berto explaining how he does them for his bi's


just something you could try, keep things fresh and stuff. keep killing dude.

Thanks for the video bro!

I've actually done these before and love them...but you posting reminded me of how awesome they are!

These could definitely get the job done with the extra work on back day.

[ebomb55]

5.5.12

Arms/Calves

Seated Calf Raise/Standing Calf Raise
3 plates x 10/100 x 10
3 + 25 x 10/100 x 10
4 x 10/100 x 10
4 + 25 x 10/100 x 10
4 x 10/100 x 10

Palms-Forward DB Curls (same time, 3 second negative)
25 x 6
27.5 x 6, 6
JM does these with 35s...so I tried to use appropriate form/weight

EZ Bar Preachers
40 + bar x 12
50 + bar x 12
40 + bar x 12

EZ Bar Reverse Curls
20 + bar x 10 full/10 half
20 + bar x 10/10
20 + bar x 10/10

Barbell Curls (20 seconds rest between each)
75 x 10, 8, 6
85 x 10, 95 x 8, 105 x 6

V-Grip Pushdowns
2 x 15 warmup
4 x 25 (1 second flex at bottom for 15, 10 continuous)

Weighted Bench Dips (super deep stretch...no lockout)
2 plates x failure (somewhere between 18-25)
3 plates x failure (10-15)
2 plates x failure
2 plates x failure

Close Grip Bench Press (2 second pause/no lockout)
225 x 8, 185 x 8
(move to EZ bar)
50 + bar x 8, 100 + bar x 8

Amazing arm session...felt sick. Pump was nice.

Here's an update pic...bw is 219.

[ebomb55]

Here's an update pic...weighed in at 218.6 first thing in the morning. This is about as lean as I was last year around 210-212.

[andregrenier]

Hey man, first time checking out your log. Crazy size/thickness in your latest progress pic, and with abs showing already. Should look ridiculous once you're shredded!

[ebomb55]

Hey man, first time checking out your log. Crazy size/thickness in your latest progress pic, and with abs showing already. Should look ridiculous once you're shredded!

Thanks bro!

Ya, I'm excited to see what I'd look like at around 210...thats the weight/leanness level id like to hopefully maintain.

[ebomb55]

5.7.12

Legs

Seated Leg Curl
2x15 warmup
110 x 12 (1 squeeze, 2-3 eccentric, stretch)
130 x 12 (same as above)
115 x 12 (2 second squeeze, 3-4 second eccentric + stretch)

Superset 1
Leg Press (continuous tension)/DB RDL (deep stretch, no lockout)
2 Warmups
5 pps x 50/55 x 6
6 pps x 40/55 x 6
7 pps x 30/55 x 6
8 pps x 20/55 x 6
11 pps x 10/55 x 6
(woah)

Smith Squats (feet in front, toes pointed out, to parallel, no lockout)/DB RDL (same as above)
185 x 30/60 x 6
225 x 20/60 x 6
315 x 10/60 x 6

Leg Press Toe Push
2 pps x 60 seconds x 2
1 pps x 60 seconds x 2

30 minutes elliptical

Today was a wild one. High reps + heavy weight = big legs as Platz said...

The leg press superset was awesome. 11 pps x 10 wasn't even to failure, but I literally couldn't put any more plates on the leg press at school. I had 2 100 lb DBs on top of the machine and 8 plates on the machine which were just holding on.

The smith squats felt great and were done to simulate a hack squat. They crushed my sweep. The RDLS were deceptively hard because I was getting as deep a stretch as possible, probably lasting 3-4 seconds/rep so every set had my hams under tension for 30 seconds or so.

Still looking to shed a little BF for my vacation May 25th...pushing cardio hard for the next 3 weeks or so.

[ebomb55]

5.8.12

Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Flat Chest Press w/Doubled Mini Bands
Pause at bottom, explode, squeeze as hard as possible for 1-2 count
150 x 8
155 x 8, 8
150 x 8

Incline Barbell Press (pause at bottom, explode)
225 x 8
230 x 8
245 x 8
225 x 8

DB Flat Press (deep stretch, 1 second flex at top)
50 x 10
70 x 10
60 x 10, 10

Decline Smith Press (full deload pause, explode)
275 x 8
315 x 4

Cable Single Arm Laterals
4x20

Single Arm Bentover DB rear Delts
15 x 15 LR
10 x 3x15 LR

Seated DB Press (continuous tension)
80 x 6
100 x 6, 6 (nice)

Rope Pushdowns (hard flex hold at bottom, 15 seconds rest)
4 x 12-15

15 minutes elliptical/15 incline treadmill

Awesome session.
The machine presses with the hard flex really take a lot out of me, so they hindered the amount of weight I could use on incline, but I was happy with the 245 set which was done with a pause and flex.

Flat press with the stretch/flex humbles you.

I was pleased with the declines don't with a pause. 315 x 4 in that manner felt strong.

Delts were crazy pumped and I was also pleasantly surprised by my man handling of the 100s. Wouldve gone higher, but school gym only goes to that weight.

I'm looking leaner every day at this point...it feels like I'm back in contest prep. We'll see where this 'mini diet' takes me, but I'm looking to finish in 2.5-3 weeks and then try to hold that weight/leanness level.

[ebomb55]

5.9.12

Cardio, Calves, Abs

Extensive warmup
Agile 8 (lower + upper body) + spiders, iron cross, scorpions, various hamstring work/plyos

Leg Press Toe Push
1 pps x 4x60 seconds/60 seconds rest
calf stretches in between

Decline Reverse Straight Leg Raise
4 sets just short of failure

Feet-Elevated Hip Up Situps
5 sets to failure

Sled Pushes
5 x 15 seconds/60 seconds rest
3 x 10 seconds/30 seconds rest
(tough)

Solid overall day. Abs felt good and sled pushes felt awesome for cardio.

[ebomb55]

5.10.12

Back/Traps/Biceps

Close Grip Cable Rows/Pro-Grip Pulldowns
(sets 1 and 2: squeeze hold on rows, big stretch on pulldowns)
#14 x 10/16 x 6
#15 x 10/15 x 6
(order and techniques reversed)
#8 x 10/16 x 6
#10 x 10/15 x 6

Dead Stop Single Arm Barbell Rows using 25s
75 lb x 8 LR
100 x 3x8 LR

Barbell Shrugs w/2 second hold/Lat Hang Stretch
225 x 15/30 seconds
315 x 12/30
365 x 9/30
405 x 6/30

Good Mornings (slow, 3 second eccentric, 2 concentric, continuous)
95 x 8
135 x 2x8

Palms-Forward DB Curls w/3 sex eccentric/EZ Reverse Curls
30 x 8/20 + bar x 8
2 times

30 minutes cardio split between elliptical and incline treadmill

Awesome back session. The first superset was nice and dead stops really fried my lats.

The superset with shrugs and hangs felt great as well and then good mornings were a nice change from hypers.

Definitely am getting significantly leaner pretty quickly. I'll throw some update pics this coming weekend or week.

[ebomb55]

Here's an update pic from today. Bodyweight is 218.

[ebomb55]

5.11.12

Cardio/Abs

Decline Straight Leg Raise/Swiss Ball Roll-Outs
15/8
15/8
15/8

Decline Situp w/DB
10 lb x 8 LR
10 lb x 8 LR
10 lb x 8 LR

Standing Rope Crunch (short rest)
6 x 8-12 (5 sets)
6 x 25
6 x 10 LR to 8 x 6

Agile 8 warmup, plus other mobility drills
3 x 40 yard sprints
2 x 60 yard shuttles

Sled Pushes
2 x 20 seconds all out/1 min/30 seconds active rest
2 x 15 seconds/same
4 x 10 seconds/30-45 seconds rest

Solid cardio/abs. Definitely am getting much leaner.

My buddy and I have been going down to the football team's practice field where they have a bunch of 1-man sleds and we are pushing those for 10-25 second intervals. It's pretty brutal. I've done car pushes before and these are definitely tougher. Was pretty toasted after these.

[ebomb55]

5.12.12

Arms/Calves/Cardio

Leg Press Toe Push
2 pps x 60 sec
4 pps x 60
1 pps x 2x60 sec

Incline Bench Press (my buddy was doing it so I thought I'd play around)
Worked up to 275 x 5 (easy)

Palms Forward DB Curls into Hammers w/3 second eccentric/Machine Preachers
27.5 x 6, 6/70 x 6
30 x 6, 6/70 x 6 (2 of these sets)

Standing EZ Bar Curls (heavy)/Single Arm DB Preachers w/twist stretch
75 + bar x 8/20 x 8 LR
105 + bar x 8/20 x 8 LR
75 + bar x 8/20 x 8 LR

Cross Bodies
35 x 8-4 x 2

Rope Pushdowns w/flex at bottom, 30 seconds rest
#4 x 4x15, #3 x 15

Close Grip EZ Press to nose w/3 second eccentric
Warmup
60 + bar x 12
90+ bar x 10
100 + bar x 8

Seated OH Rope Extension w/deep stretch on every rep
3 x 25 (ouch)

30 minutes steady state + posing

Awesome arm session. Pump was nasty and arms looked huge today. Took some progress pics and will post in a bit.

[ebomb55]

Here are some progress pics. Bodyweight is just under 218 here.

I'm pretty happy with my conditioning right now and can already see improvements in my arms/overall upper body thickness.

[ebomb55]

5.14.12

LEGS!

Barbell RDL
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 10
Work Sets:
385 x 10
405 x 10
385 x 10
405 x 10

Leg Press: Feet high, toes slightly out (3 second eccentric, no lockout)
1 pps x 10
2 pps x 10
3 pps x 10
4 pps x 10
5 pps x 10
6 pps x 10
8 pps x 10
11 pps x 10
Work sets:
11 pps x 8, 8, 8, 8

Back Squats: slightly wider than shoulder, toes out (to parallel, 3 second eccentric, no lockout until last set)
135 x 6
225 x 6
315 x 6
405 x 6
455 x 6 (lockout on last few)

Machine Leg Press (rock bottom, rest-paused, no lockout)
4 x 12

Sled Pushes
6 x 25-30 yards with 40-50 seconds rest between each...dead.


Leg destruction today.

The heavy RDLs to start were nice. Used 45s, good form, and very deliberate pull.
Leg press was awesome today...too bad I had to use the school one and couldn't put enough weight on lol. I literally had two guys on each side making sure the plates wouldn't fall off and stuck 2 100 lb DBs on top + a 45 lb plate lodged between them. This was one of those 'don't try this at home' kinda things. 4x8 with this weight felt awesome though.

Back squats felt nice. 455 was heavy with the 3 second eccentric, but I powered through it and it crushed my quads. The machine press was ridiculous and actually on my first set, or I should say, my first attempt, both of my legs cramped up like crazy and I got out, collapsed, and had my partner stretch me. Was fine after that and crushed it.

We decided to get a little crazy after and do some cardio sled pushes for a finisher. Amazing.

[mattjansen]

Quad sweep on that MM is silly bro. Awesome

[ebomb55]

Quad sweep on that MM is silly bro. Awesome

Haha thanks man! It's always been a strong part, but it's definitely gotten better this offseason!

[ebomb55]

5.15.12

Chest/Shoulders/Cardio

Doubled Mini Band Life Fitness Incline Press (flex hard at top for second)
1 pps x 8
1 pps + 25 x 8
2 pps x 8
2 pps + 25 x 8 drop to 1 pps + 25 x failure to 1 pps x partials to failure

DB Bench w/45 lb plate under back for slight incline (super strict, flex at top, deep stretch/pause)
30 x 12
65 x 12
70 x 12, 12 + 8 flexes

Pec Deck Flies
2x20
3x3

Slight Decline Smith Press (no lockout)
275 x 8
285 x 6
285 x 6 to 195 x 10 to 135 (ultra wide) x 20

DB Laterals w/slow negative/Incline Rear Delt Swings
30 x 8/35 x 50 (try to really make all swings 'big')
35 x 8/50 x 50 (half like top, half just making it)

Pec Deck Rear Delt Flies
2x15
1x35

Barbell Over and Back Press
65 x 10
95 x 10
100 x 10
80 x 10

Reverse EZ Bar Pushdowns
5 sets, 12-15 reps

15 minutes stairmaster
15 minutes incline treadmill

Awesome chest/shoulder session.
The life fitness incline is like a hammer strength incline clone, but in my experience it's a bit harder for some reason. Flexing hard against the bands felt awesome. The DB presses destroyed my chest...funny that I used to think I had to hit at least the 130s or 140s for 8-12 in a chest session to have a good workout.

Declines to finish it off felt great as they usually do. The laterals/swing superset had my entire shoulder screaming. Finishing with the over and backs was brutal.

Very happy with where I'm at right now.

[ebomb55]

Here's another update pic:

[ebomb55]

5.16.12

Abs/Arms/Cardio

Decline leg up/leg raise
4 supersets

Rope Pushdowns/Alternating Palms Forward DB Curls w/3 second negative
4 supersets

EZ Bar Reverse Curls
10 full reps/10 bottom half reps
2 sets

Hill Sprints
8 sprints

Swiss Ball Crunches
4 sets weighted

Off day work.
Back tomorrow : ).

[ebomb55]

5.17.12

Back/Traps/Abs

Single Arm Cable Rows (drive elbow back as far as possible)
3x10 heavy

Dead Stop Smith Rows
225 x 10
255 x 10
275 x 7
305 x 7

Meadows Pullovers
65 x 3x15

Half Chins
2x15

Barbell Shrugs
225 x 2x35

Hypers
35 lb x failure (slow, 5 count every rep) to bw x failure
3 sets

An Circuit
Hanging leg raise x 8
Accentuated Swiss Ball Crunch x 8
Plank 1-Arm Row x 6 LR
Leg On Sb Crunch x 8
5 sets (brutal)

Very solid back/ab session. Pump was nasty on all the movements, especially the half chins.

Ive been hitting abs pretty hard in the past 4-6 weeks and it's definitely making a difference in how they 'pop'. Will continue for sure.

[ebomb55]

Hey guys,

Haven't updated in a while because I just graduated this past Friday and it's been a whirlwind.

Here is my training from Yesterday:

5.27.12

Legs

Leg Extension/Leg Curl 'Double Set' (do 1 set, rest 15 seconds do another, then move on to second exercise and do the same)
150 x 8/8 to 95 x 10/10
200 x 8/8 to 95 x 10/10
200 x 8/8 to 110 x 10/10

Back Squats (double set, do 6 reps, rack weight, rest 15-20 seconds, do another...tough) Done with a 3 second eccentric and with continuous tension
Works
315 x 6/6
335 x 6/6
365 x 6/6 (brutal)


5.28.12

30 minutes treadmill FMC
10 minutes 90 lb sled drags (jogged/did sprint motion on these)

5.29.12

Chest/Shoulders/Arms/Calves

Leg Press Toe Push
3x60 seconds
2 pps

Machine Chest Press (1 second flex)
2 warmups
190x12
220x10
240x8
265x6

Smith Incline (continuous)
225x10
205x10, 10

Flat Bench (2second pause/no lockout)
185 x 6
225x6
255x6

Cable flies
1 set to failure

DB Laterals
15x25, 25
25 x 8
30 x 8

Standing Smith Overhead Lowers + 15 second hold at chin, 20 seconds rest
135 x 1
185 x 1
165 x 1, 1, 1, 1

Machine Rear Delt
3 x 35

Arm Superset
Rope Pushdown x 15
EZ Preachers (3 negative, 1 squeeze) x 8
DB Pronated Kickback x 6
Standing BB Curl (3/1) x 8
2 times

Awesome session...good pump, felt strong. BW this AM was 216.5.

[ebomb55]

5.29.12

Cardio/Abs

Back Supported Leg Raise
2xfailure

Aerodyne Bike Sprints (15-20 second s all out)/Ab Work
Sprints 1-4/Leg Raised Hip Up Crunches to failure
Sprints 5-7/vacuums
Sprints 8-10/Standing Rope Crunch

Palms Forward DB Curls to Hammers (3 second eccentric, 1 squeeze)
25 x 6/6
25 x 6/6

Stair Sprint Finisher
10 floors as fast as possible (on actual stairs)

Good session...back tomorrow.

[ebomb55]

5.31.12

Back/Calves/Sprints

Leg Press Toe Push for time
2pps x 60 seconds x 3 sets (60 seconds rest, 3 second eccentric, 1 second squeeze)

Wide Grip Pulldowns (big stretch at top)
2x15
3 x 15 work sets

T Bar Rows
4 plates x 12
5 plates x 10
6 plates x 8
7 plates x 6

Dead Stop Dumbbell Rows (slow eccentric, focus on stretching lats big time)
70 x 15 LR
80 x 15 LR
100 x 15 LR (brutal)
80 x 15 LR

Meadows Pullovers
55 x 12
70 x 3x12

Stair Sprints (actual stairs)
5 flights x 5 (each in under 20 seconds, rest = walk down)

Awesome back workout. The focus today was really stretching the lower lats and scapula on every movement. Old school t bars felt great, especially with the heavier weight as I haven't hit that in a while. Dead stops were absulutely brutal. Don't be fooled by the 'baby weight'...I encourage you to try these with as close to perfect form as possible, be honest with yourself, and you'll be crying.

I've been on vacation this whole week, which is why I've been throwing in sprints and stuff as finishers, but I might do it more often, especially when I return and ramp up my diet, i.e. cut out dessert every night lol.

[ebomb55]

6.1.12

Tabata Stair Sprints (actual stairs!)
4 minutes

6.2.12

Arms/Cardio

Standing EZ bar curls (1.5 reps)
2x15 warmup
40 + bar x 8
50 + bar x 8
40 + x 8

Preacher Hammer Curls
10 x 12 LR
20 x 3x12 LR

EZ bar preachers/Reverse EZ Bar Curls
20 + bar x 8/12
40 + bar x 2 x 8/12

Close Grip Decline (4 second eccentric, flex)/Rope Pushdown (3 second squeeze at bottom)
185 x 8/6
205 x 8/6
225 x 8/6

Machine Dip (3 second eccentric, 2 second squeeze at flex)
2 x 8

Lying DB Skulls w/big stretch
2 x 10

20 minutes step mill

Pump today was out of this world...arms looked as big as they ever have.

Saw some guys at the gym that hadn't seen me since December and they said I looked like I put on 10 lb of pure muscle in the shoulders/arms/chest. Meadows ftw!

[ebomb55]

6.5.12

Legs

Agile 8 Warmup

Lying Leg Curls (3 second eccentric) (30-40 seconds rest)
2x15 warmup
110 x 15
120 x 12
130 x 10
155 x 8 to 110 x 10 to 65 x 10 to 95 x 25 partials

Back Squats
worked up to 455 x 6 (not to failure, felt pretty good)
3 second eccentric, no lockout
315 x 3x6 (30-40 seconds rest)

Hack Squat (weird machine, was 'sitting')
continuous tension, 30 seconds rest
2 pps x 35
3 pps x 20
4 pps x 12

Dumbbell RDL (bottom half, no lockout, 45 seconds rest)
65 x 15
100 x 12, 12
110 x 12

Leg Extension
Set 1: 2 seconds squeeze at top, 110 x 12
Set 2: 4 seconds squeeze at top, 130 x 10
Set 3: 6 seconds squeeze at top, 150 x 6
Quad stretch each leg

Standing Calf Raise (2 second stretch, 2 second flex on toes)/Tibia Raises
195 x 20/8 LR
250 x 12/8 LR
250 x 12/8 LR
295 x 8/8 LR

Awesome overall leg session. Both hamstring and quad felt fine despite having some issues in previous weeks. I'm still working with JM, but we're gonna be starting a different split soon, so this was my own creation. Decided to go a bit heavier on back squats and try to see how it felt. 455 x 6 was smooth, felt great. Probably could have gotten to 8-10, but I'm easing myself back into heavy, normal tempo, squatting for now. The hack squat was a funky machine, not like the normal where your body is lying down, but I was sitting on the machine with my legs straight...it wrecked my quads.

[Frankdaddy]

COngrats on graduation first thing. FIrst time jumping in here, and I am pretty amazed at your thickness. Strength seems to be right with you on your size, just focus on staying as strong as possible throughout your prep. I am working with Layne as well for my 2nd round. The setup we get put with has always helped me maintain strength very well. How many weeks out are you now?

[ebomb55]

COngrats on graduation first thing. FIrst time jumping in here, and I am pretty amazed at your thickness. Strength seems to be right with you on your size, just focus on staying as strong as possible throughout your prep. I am working with Layne as well for my 2nd round. The setup we get put with has always helped me maintain strength very well. How many weeks out are you now?

Thanks bro! Appreciate that!

I'm actually not working with Layne right now or prepping for a show currently. I'm just in the offseason looking to lean up a bit!

Good to hear you're with Layne...as you know, you're in great hands!

[ebomb55]

6.5.12

Chest/Shoulders/Arms/Abs

HS Iso Wide Chest w/ Doubled Mini bands (hard flex for 1 count at top, slow eccentric)
3 x 12 warmup
2 pps x 12
3 pps x 10
4 pps x 8

Low Incline Dumbbell Press (1 second stretch, 1 second flex at top)
50 x 15
70 x 12
80 x 10
90 x 10

Pec Dec (2 second flex)
1 x 20, 1 x 15, 3 x 12

Partial Laterals
50 x 30, 25, 25, 25

Bent-Over Cable Rear-Delts
3 x 15 LR

DB Press
3 sets, 8-12 reps

Rope Pushdown (10 seconds rest)
5 x 12

EZ Bar Cable Curl (3 second eccentric, 1 count at flex)
3 x 8

Reverse Decline Leg Raise (4 second eccentric)
4 sets

Awesome chest/shoulder session...pump was nasty. Haven't done the iso-wide chest in a while and it felt pretty good, especially with the band tension and the hard flex at the top of the movement. Dumbbell presses felt solid as well...really burnt out with the 50s, 70s, and 80s...by the time I got to the 90s, they were very tough.

Shoulder work felt great as well...loving the partials with the slightly increased ROM.

Will be doing cardio a bit later...stay tuned!

[ebomb55]

6.7.12

Back/Calves/Traps

Dead-Stop Smith Machine Rows (drive elbows back hard, 2-3 second eccentric, set pins 3 inches or so below knee)
135 x 15
185 x 15
225 x 12
265 x 10
275 x 8
295 x 7

Wide Grip Pulldowns w/partner pushing down on eccentric
1 warmup
3 work sets x 8 reps

Rack Pulls (3-4 inches below knee, focus on flexing lats and stretching them on the eccentric, which is controlled)
135 x 5
225 x 4
315 x 3
405 x 3
495 x 3
585 x 3
675 x 2 (all time PR, prob could have done another or 2, but not with good form)

Banded Chest Supported Rows (drive elbows back hard, elbows out as well)
25 x 10
50 x 10
Strip Set
50 x 10, 25 x 8, bands x failure + static holds

Dumbbell Shrugs (3 second squeeze at top)
110 x 2 x 12

Standing Calf Raise/Tibia Raises
1 x 12/10
1 x 12/10
1 x 12/10

Awesome overall back session. The dead-stop smith rows always destroy my entire back. Focusing on driving the elbows back and using as little momentum as possible to get the weight going is key with those.

The partner pushing pulldowns are brutal, especially when your partner really puts a lot of added resistance on. Each rep, the eccentric was roughly 4-5 seconds of me resisting and the concentric was powerful.

Felt like pushing it a bit on rack deads and I was very happy with the result. Since I've changed my rack pull form a bit to focus on the lower lats when doing the eccentric, I am doing a 2-3 second negative on each rep, not just setting the weight down, but these felt great. 675 x 2 was fun.

The banded chest supported rows were no joke. I used 2 '25 lb' plates on these and that was tough lol.

I'm going to actually try and ramp this diet up for once. I've been eating whatever I've wanted really until this week and am going to make a concerted effort for the next month or so to get down to 208-210 hopefully as lean as I was at 202 or so last summer. Cardio/abs later today before I work.

[ebomb55]

6.8.12

Arms/Cardio

Fat Gripz Rope Pushdowns/Palms Forward DB Curls (3 second eccentric)
4 sets, 10 + 10 partials/8

Incline Smith JM Press/EZ Bar Curl (full reps, then partials)
3 sets, 15/10 + 8

Fat Gripz Rope Curls/Bench Dips
3 sets

Reverse Curls
3 work sets

Stairmaster
30 minutes

Nice arm work. Cardio sucks. That's all.