IFPA Pro & Scivation Athlete Tommy Jeffers ~ The Never Ending Quest To Be The Best

[AustrianOakJr]

I negged you because I find your posts annoying

Oh. OK. I thought that perhaps you thought that my comment about me not being a type one diabetic because I handle a lot of carbs on a load was a shot at you......indirectly calling you an idiot. But it wasnt intended that way. You had no way of knowing my history with carb loading and your inference based on the one piece of info about my sugar blackouts was fair. So, I just wanted to make sure you didnt think I was taking a shot at you b/c thats not the way the post was intended.

[JohnBrowne]

Oh. OK. I thought that perhaps you thought that my comment about me not being a type one diabetic because I handle a lot of carbs on a load was a shot at you......indirectly calling you an idiot. But it wasnt intended that way. You had no way of knowing my history with carb loading and your inference based on the one piece of info about my sugar blackouts was fair. So, I just wanted to make sure you didnt think I was taking a shot at you b/c thats not the way the post was intended.

Actually that's exactly how I took it. But we're all good.

[AustrianOakJr]

Actually that's exactly how I took it. But we're all good.

Well, why didnt you say so?? No need to beat around the bush with me. You know im not into bashing people for their ideas on here.....I wrote that comment because Tommy and I joked a bit back when he was helping me prep about my ridiculous carb loads. No other motive there.

Neg me again for no good reason and I will e-thump you.

[Sporto1633]

Wednesday - Legs/Calves

Hack Squat
Top Set: 8ppsX6 drop 5p+25psX20

Leg Press Superset Barbell Squats
Top Set: 10ppsX10 SS 315X10

Barbell Walking Lunges
Top Set: 275X6 steps each leg

Seated Plate Loaded Calf Raises
Top Set: 3ppsX6

Inner/Outer Thigh
235X20/150X20
235X20/150X20
235X20/150X20

~What a great day to start the journal back up There's nothing like a really good leg day to kick start the training after the holidays! My strength is very close to what it was before I started prep, and my physique has never looked better at this weight. I'm am sitting very comfortably at a weight my body likes to be at, so my goal for the next few months is to just maintain right around this weight and continue to gain strength in all areas and rep ranges. My lifting has been pretty sporadic around the holidays; I took about a week off and let the body heal while I visited family and had my first Christmas with my baby girl In about a week, I will be in Terre Haute for what will be my last tax season. There are some exciting changes my family will be going through in the coming months, but one thing is for sure - there isn't a single thing that will deter me away from my goal of stepping back on stage in a couple of years with the best and showcasing an all new and improved package! I have a lot of work to do, which will be worth it in the end. For now, one day at a time - and today starts with the wheels! Sets felt strong and I feel like I will be back to full strength very, very soon

Topic Of The Day - Vitamin D3

This is a topic I have discussed a lot lately. Having done really well in my shows this last year, my online training business almost tripled and I completely have my hands full! Now I know what Layne feels like One thing that I always talk about initially with any brand new client (along with nutrition, training, and cardio of course) are the supplement staples that I highly recommend...one of which is Vitamin D3. It is a very cheap supplement that gives you a lot of bang for your buck (which me being a frugal guy is something I love lol). It is an incredible mood and immune system booster. Anyone has been serious about diet and exercise for any amount of time knows how detrimental being either sick or injured is in achieving your goals. I absolutely HATE being sick. And let me tell you, ever since I have started implementing Vitamin D3 at about 10,000IUs/day (I recommend 5,000IUs for women), I have noticed a huge difference. The literature on this supplement is out there, so anyone wanting to do some quick google or pubmed searching can find a lot of info on it. Keep in mind though that regular Vitamin D won't cut it - your body can't get Vitamin D3 from regular Vitamin D, so you need to supplement with it. Anyway, I use the NOW Foods brand, and even at 10,000IUs/day, it lasts awhile and is pretty darn cheap. I highly recommend reading about it and picking some up to add to your arsenal!

Movie Quote Of The Day

"I am the LAST barman poet. I see America drinking the fabulous cocktails I make. America's getting stinky on something I stir or shake. The Sex On The Beach...the Schnapps made from peach...the Velvet Hammer...the Alabama Slammer! I make things with juice and froth...the Pink Squirrel...the Three-Toed Sloth. I make drinks so sweet and snazzy...the Iced Tea...the Kamakazi! the Orgasm...the Death Spasm...the Singapore Sling...the Dingaling! America you've just been devoted to every flavor I got, but if you want to got loaded, why don't you just order a shot? Bar's open!

Sporto

[Sporto1633]

I'm wondering if there is any logic behind it other than "I ate like X and then like Y and I looked better when I ate Y" - which is no doubt reasonable in a singular case but I'm looking at this empirically.

I find it unfortunate that so many people take what pros say without expecting some rationale behind it.

I asked Tommy because he used to be a huge advocate of eating "within macros" and similarly he used to be against flat bench pressing as a chest exercise and he's changed his mind on both. It's worth the line of questioning.

Sorry that so many of you are so upset by something on the internet. Christ.

I don't mind being questioned at all, I just didn't appreciate how you did it initially.

Unfortunately, I don't have the background scholastically to have a profound understanding of the endocrin system. So based on what I have seen with food source being important in literally several examples, all at the competition level, and making a difference, it seems that one of the reasons that I thought it was making a difference was a faulty one. Hey, I can take that. But, I still stand behind the fact that food source does indeed matter at a certain level - my experiences in the field have me convinced of that. Whether or not I can completely explain every facet as to why on an emperical level, I honestly can't, and as long as my clients are winning pro cards and what I am doing is working, I don't have a desire to.

I believe that eating within macros can take most people pretty far, but if you want to compete and place well at an elite level, I don't think hitting macros will cut it unless you are a genetic freak that will do well in spite of what you do.

As for the chest press, I was really against it for a chest exercise before mainly because the proper form to execute the strongest bench press possible does not activate chest nearly as much as it does other muscle groups. However, I do think that you can manipulate the form on a flat press along with focusing on mind/muscle connection and still be able to utilize flat pressing exercises well into a chest routine. It's just all in the manner in which you do the lift and what the overall goal is with the lift. Since my ultimate goal is getting the most aesthetically pleasing bodybuilding physique possible, I don't necessarily care how much I can bench, but what I can bench in certain rep ranges using form that allows me to activate my chest.

Hope that makes sense...

I see what you're saying. Why is it against the law for someone to change their mind? I thought you knew that bodybuilding is almost always singular in regards to how one responds to certain protocol. Tommy was just making the it known that getting to an ELITE level is very difficult to do and it may require going against the grain to achieve it. This is not surprising considering everybody is unique in their bodies makeup, chemistry, and overall response to variables. Sure, just about anybody can get stage lean. However, it's getting stage lean, filling back out, and having a POP to your muscle/physique is a pretty hard combination to achieve. Doing so is gonna require some experimentation and may even require one to go against what they previously held as gospel or truth.

Very true. Interestingly enough, I have found that by talking to all the pros who actually win overalls (which I can proudly say that I can finally include myself now), we all have a very similar belief on food source, water/sodium/potassium manipulation, etc. They may not mean anything on an emperical level, but there might be a little merit to it if a lot of the top natural pro overall winners are doing it...

In bold---my thoughts exactly! It infuriates me that all the 150lbers etc on this site reFUSE to accept real world experiences as truth. If it isn't done in a lab coat as an experience then it isn't true. Ridiculous. Emulate what you aspire to be. And what most successful bodybuilders do whether natural or enhanced works GREAT FOR THEM (in b4 it works in spite of them whatever) ..so why not emulate that?

How is the rebound going Tommy? Still getting strength back it seems...

That is actually the very advice I give people on a regular basis who stop me and ask questions in the gym. I always tell them that a great place to start is to find someone who looks the way they want to and emulate what they do. Granted that won't always work because some people get results in spite of what they do, but I still think it is good general advice.

Strength is almost back! Looks like it should be here around the start of the new year and then I will be hitting the weights with a vengeance until the next stage time!

Well, you got a LITTLE bit leaner than I did. A "LITTLE".

LOL - it's only fair, I did have to go up against some absolute monsters ya know

I don't think you're grasping it entirely. I was actually enjoying the discussion, and I feel there is a lot to learn (and a lot to be learned) by forcing someone to explain the rationales behind their reasoning. Most people are pissed off because of the condescending tone to your posts and how quickly you are to get hostile, whereas Tommy has pretty civil and has at least engaged you and tried to defend his perspective.

I actually tend to side with you on the GI debate based on the studies that I've read. But, at the same time, I'm not trying to get to stage-ready levels of leanness. I just want to look good naked. To get to 10% body fat, I'm sure I can just make sure I hit my macros/calories with pretty much whatever foods I please.

But, to my knowledge, there are NO studies out there about these sorts of issues (GI, insulin sensitivity and its role in calorie/nutrient partioning) that are done in exclusively a population of VERY LEAN individuals. If I'm wrong, please post the studies because I genuinely would like to read them. Absent that, all we have is anecotal evidence and at least I'm getting anecdotal evidence from Tommy's perspetive; from your end, I just get an assumption that the body processes things the same way at extreme levels of leanness. I don't know which one is accurate, but I do know that Tommy looked hella shredded this past season, so I appreciate the perspective.

Both studies and real world experience have their place. The body is so complex, it's impossible to really speak in absolutes. The more I try to study the human body and learn, the more I realize I simply don't know and probably never will LOL

On the contrary there are studies that examine this subject. I agree with the majority of Tommy's philsophy's. It would be inappropriate to think that carbohydrate selection has little bearing on ones physique, especially in our sport. I reference a study published in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrtion A novel interaction between dietary composition and insulin
secretion: effects on weight gain in the Quebec Family Study1–3
Jean-Philippe Chaput, Angelo Tremblay, Eric B Rimm, Claude Bouchard, and David S Ludwig
This study concluded several interesting facts which I interpret to support Tommy's viewpoint. A few notable points in the study:
1. insulin-30 (measurement taken after 30 minutes) at baseline strongly predicted changes in bodyweight and waist circumference...
2. The primary findings of this study are that a proxy measure of insulin secretion strongly predicted weight gain and change in waist circumference over 6 y in adult whites...

Another study brushes on some of the debated topics and explores several other variables.
Potentiation of the thermic effect of insulin by
exercise: differences between lean, obese,
and noninsulin-dependent diabetic men13

I'm surprised that anyone challeged Tommy's perspective as the belief that keeping insulin and bay or as low as possible is pretty fundamental with the exception of post workout and perhaps the first meal of the day.

Sorry to add my perspective to YOUR thread, Tommy. I normally don't get too involved. congratulations on an excellent season, your physique was truly remarkable.

Thanks for commenting Jesse, you are a true ambassador to the sport!

Can you post link to those studies please?

Lyle McDonald actually presented me with the idea that one should keep insulin as elevated as possible while dieting as its anticatabolic effects on muscle tissue tend to be greater than its antilipolytic effects especially in leaner individuals.

At the end of the day though it's extraordinarily difficult to manipulate blood insulin endogenously. I think some of the concepts that have been presented here are valid but only when dealing with exogenous humulin supplementation.

In simplified terms I think many of these concepts have become commonplace in the natty bodybuilding scene but really have no relevance to athletes that aren't manipulating insulin through injections.

I think that carb selection can have a huge effect on body water balance but it's not insulin dependent by any means.

Interesting, perhaps I just happened to be using the right carb sources by accident that helped give me the most optimal water balance come stage time...

Great season this year Tommy!! Maybe one day I'll share the stage with you. Best of luck in your next season whenever that ends up being. I won't be on stage til 2012.

Thanks! I'm sure you will...I still have a lot of things I want to do in this scene before I am finished...my next stage time will either be 2012 or 2013 as of right now.

I can't wait to see what natural bodybuilding has to offer in 2-4 years. It really seems like it's growing in all phases.

I agree! And the bar gets raised every year!

Think so. A lot of guys are getting really into taking their body as far as they can go on their own. Its really fun and I think more guys are catching on to that. There's a lot of young pros too that with a few years off will come back looking awesome.

Forget awesome, I want to be unimagineable!

I'm not aware of any competitors that eat carb sources in insolation in a fasted state.

Maybe we can get one of those IF'ers to do it

What was the time frame "after the meal"? Sure, an insulin spike is going to blunt fat burning.....thats not exactly a news flash.....I dont understand how that lends any support to the argument. This is the problem with the whole low glycemic index argument and most of the studies and rationale that surround its support. People fail to view fat loss in the big picture. If my net loss is greater than my net storage, then I am moving in the right direction. Just because carbs are stored now, doesnt mean that they cant be used later on when blood sugar is low......and they will if you are in caloric deficit. If I am in a 500 calorie deficit, I am going to lose my pound per week.......it doesnt matter how many insulin spikes I have in that week......its still a 500 cal deficit. Might I FEEL more hungy on a high GI diet? Probably, but thats a different discussion.

Well, if we can't manipulate insulin via food intake, then we actually can't spike insulin with a post workout shake and blunt fat burning anyway, so it doesn't matter, right?

Sporto

[Sporto1633]

Read the study for the particulars. Your calories in calories out explanation is very valid and will get you pretty lean however when you are looking to get as lean as Tommy and some of these other pros get EVERY apect counts. Keep in mind that the majority of low glycemic carbohydrates are more nutritious that high glycemic choices (this is a general statement)

Are we talking about glycemic index or insulin?

We aren't talking about both? I thought that was the whole issue with you, I mentioned using a high glycemic carb source post workout to spike insulin and you said that GI has nothing to do with insulin control...right?

Great log Tommy! Congrats on a great season and a beautiful baby.

I'm in and following along. I appreciate all your insights and knowledge.

Thanks! I appreciate you following along!

I will say though, that I have had different experiences, I had the hardest graniest look ever, after eating a ton of crap following my last show, where my peak went pretty well, and it was a back load with entirely "clean food" consisting of nut butter, rice cakes, chicken breast and organic jelly. But after pizza, sushi, mac and cheese, there was a point where I looked the graniest and hardest I'd ever had. I saw this again during my reverse diet, during which I maintained contest condition (fully striated glutes) for about 3 weeks while upping food, I had big cheats one day a week, and without fail, after these cheats I looked crazy.

Well, to be honest, what you consider "clean" foods...nut butter, processed rice cakes, etc. is not something I would ever have a client load on. I'm not saying that I am right and you are wrong, I just pointing out that I don't load my clients on foods that are deemed "clean". I load them on very specific foods, with very specific, calculated water, sodium and potassium intake.

I'm happy for you that you ate all the so called "dirty" foods and felt that you looked your best. Introducing new foods that you haven't been eating the whole prep is not something I will ever do with clients for their peak weeks, but that is just me.

Also, from what I have seen, hard and grainy tends to go hand in hand with being full vs flat.

Not from what I have seen. Hard, yes. Grainy, no.

For example, Layne put up pics from your show Tommy, and at the morning show he looked soft and flat, but his night show pictures he appeared to have a very similar look to yours, hard and grainy.

I wasn't there, and pictures don't tell all, and it's just my opinion based on photos, but I'm not sure if I'm convinced that insulin response and food source dictate the hard and grainy look. And if it does, it may have more to do with glycogen production and food allergies.

All I am going to say is that I'm going to agree to disagree with you here.

Also...John Browne mentioned that Lyle is of the opinion that keeping insulin as elevated as often as possible during a diet while still losing bodyfat should be the goal, because its anti catabolic effects are superior to its negative effects on fat burning....not surprisingly, Dr Joe is of the exact same opinion and I got to talk to him about this at a seminar. It makes sense, as fat loss is dictated in the end by calorie balance, not the isolated time frames around meals.
Like Sean said, you can store fat at one point of the day, but what really matters is net fat loss.

I agree to a certain point. At very lean levels, I don't think end calorie balance is all that dictates fat loss. I've seen too many bodybuilders that subscribe to that philosophy get beat because they didn't pay any attention to the finer details that others are...

EDIT
BTW tommy if you feel like this is a hijack, just say so, I'll edit/delete my post and start a thread in the contest prep section[/QUOTE]

Not at all...I don't care.

So with that, in terms of showtime, aren't we all trying to peak at a specific point in time (i.e. at prejudging, etc.)? If so, then the first part of that sentence DOES become the more important matter, which I think Tommy is essentially talking about, right? If so, then I think breaking this stuff down to such isolated issues as specific food sources, and exact (or as exact as possible) timing of food intake, etc. really WOULD matter, and make a difference in truly "peaking".

Isn't it crazy how specific this stuff can get?!?

That is my stance, and that is what they are disagreeing with, which is fine with me.

I think that's a very good point, and probably the one time during a 24 week diet where I think food source, carb source, meal timing, fiber content, electrolytes etc. all matter the most is the final week.

I think I should be more clear that the final week's and especially the final day's approach to nutrition will look very different from the rest of the prep.

Well Eric, what do you think I am referring to here? I've said over and over that I agree with most of what you all are saying up to a certain point, but where I disagree is at the very lean levels...especially peaking.

Sporto

[Sporto1633]

Update us more, champ! We want to see more pics, videos, everything! Keep us in touch, sir! ~

I certainly will! I was caught traveling for a couple of weeks to 4 different Christmases, so keeping a journal up to date was just not in the cards LOL But I am definitely going to keep it up from now on!

Sporto

[quest-x]

Thanks for sharing the info on D3. Has it really improved your mood?

I guess I'm just skeptical of the high dosage, even with the studies out there (though I'm sure you understand, it's easy to be skeptical with the ****load of supps out there), but I did indeed find a few studies that indicate ~10,000 IU to be a good dose to actually notice the benefits. Are there are possible risks to the high dosage?

I do experience seasonal affective disorder, so I'm going to give this product a shot.

[Sporto1633]

Thanks for sharing the info on D3. Has it really improved your mood?

I guess I'm just skeptical of the high dosage, even with the studies out there (though I'm sure you understand, it's easy to be skeptical with the ****load of supps out there), but I did indeed find a few studies that indicate ~10,000 IU to be a good dose to actually notice the benefits. Are there are possible risks to the high dosage?

I do experience seasonal affective disorder, so I'm going to give this product a shot.

Yes, mood had a noticeable improvement. And no, toxicity doesn't start until you reach upwards around 40,000IUs - 50,000IUs a day consistently for about a month.

As for your seasonal affective disorder...have you ever noticed that when it is a bright sun-shiny day that your mood inevitably is always better? And when it is overcast, gray, and crappy outside, that your mood is usually worse?

Well, that's is because of D3

Sporto

[JohnBrowne]

Tommy I do apologize for coming off so aggressively and at the end of the day you are the professional that won a show in his first season as such. Putting you next to Layne pretty much answers the question as to whose methods are more effective.What you do is obviously working. That being said I do think you would benefit from reading up on the function of insulin - the link Eric posted a page or two back covers the whole topic very effective and I know Lyle and Alan have gone very much in depth on it repeatedly. Again there is NO doubt that food selection can make a night and day difference especially when extremely lean but I think we can agree now that it's unlikely to be insulin dependent.

Sorry for being a ****tard LOL

BTW for what it's worth insulin and GI are not directly related - that's why there is the Insulin Index. Just FYI

[Quelly]

And I'd like to say Tommy, thanks for taking the time to address everything I brought up, I appreciate it. You have definitely found a winning combination of dietary manipulation to peak VERY well, and although you don't necessarily care as to WHY it works, more so, that it does (which is very pragmatic and respectable), I will echo JB above and refer to the research on insulin, and state that although its very tough to nail down exactly why certain protocols do certain things visually to the body, we can probably rule out insulin response.

[anonymous]

Hey Tommy,

I went to your website.. nothing shows. Is it still under construction?

Also, you talked about your last tax season. Is there something new on the horizon?

Where is your online training/nutrition offered?

Thanks,
Brad

[anonymous]

Topic Of The Day - Vitamin D3

This is a topic I have discussed a lot lately. Having done really well in my shows this last year, my online training business almost tripled and I completely have my hands full! Now I know what Layne feels like One thing that I always talk about initially with any brand new client (along with nutrition, training, and cardio of course) are the supplement staples that I highly recommend...one of which is Vitamin D3. It is a very cheap supplement that gives you a lot of bang for your buck (which me being a frugal guy is something I love lol). It is an incredible mood and immune system booster. Anyone has been serious about diet and exercise for any amount of time knows how detrimental being either sick or injured is in achieving your goals. I absolutely HATE being sick. And let me tell you, ever since I have started implementing Vitamin D3 at about 10,000IUs/day (I recommend 5,000IUs for women), I have noticed a huge difference. The literature on this supplement is out there, so anyone wanting to do some quick google or pubmed searching can find a lot of info on it. Keep in mind though that regular Vitamin D won't cut it - your body can't get Vitamin D3 from regular Vitamin D, so you need to supplement with it. Anyway, I use the NOW Foods brand, and even at 10,000IUs/day, it lasts awhile and is pretty darn cheap. I highly recommend reading about it and picking some up to add to your arsenal!

Tommy,

Do you think 10,000 IU is a bit much or not? Since D is fat soluble, is there any risk of overdoing it?

Thanks,
Brad

[Sporto1633]

Thursday - Shoulders/Traps

Military Press
Top Set: 285X5 drop 185X20

Barbell Shrugs
Top Set: 495X10 (2 second pause at top and bottom) drop 315X20 (same tempo)

DB Front Raises Superset Reverse Incline Dumbbell Raises
Top Set: 50X8/30X10

Hammer Strength Military Press
Top Set: 3p+25psX5

Cable Lateral Raises Superset Reverse Pec Deck
20X10/145X10
22.5X10/160X10
25X10/175X10

Weighted Ab Machine Crunch
120X10
120X10
120X10

~The ONLY thing on my mind right now is how freaking bad my legs hurt - HOLY HELL! I mean, it took 5 minutes just to put socks on - and I'm talking both sides of my legs here. I don't know what hurt worse today, the burn in my shoulders/traps, or the pain in my arse just sitting on the benches! The shoulder girdle felt really good today. Strength is, again, close to where it was. Hopefully by the new year, I will be back in full force and ready to push through some new PRs! I've got my eye on 315 for reps on the military press before too long!!! For now, it's all about the consistency of the nutrition, supplementation, and of course, the training! Tomorrow is a day off, and I will pick right back up on Saturday!

Other than that, life is amazing - my baby girl is now able to recognize us and actually smiles now when she sees us. It is the most amazing feeling in the world! I sometimes just stop and stare at her while she sleeps and she completely takes my breath away.

The wifey is now back in the gym and working her way back up - she is such a trooper! She is really such an amazing woman, and I consider myself to have hit the ultimate jackpot finding someone like her to put up with me

Topic Of The Day - Tempo On Calf Raises

I had a discussion today with someone about how to train calves properly. One thing that I see most people doing when they train calves is they "bounce" the weight way more than actually lifting the weight with their calf muslces. See, the achilles tendon has so much elasticity that if you aren't paying attention, can do a lot of the actual work of the lift, leaving your calf muscles not nearly as worked as they should have been. One way to take as much of the elasticity out of the lift as you can is to pause at both the top and the bottom of the lift. I like to squeeze at the top for a count, but at the bottom, I like to pause there until there is no bouncing motion at all. Then, I felx my calves to lift the weight up, and so on, and so on. Another thing that will help is to not neglect the heavy work either. I wouldn't treat my calves any different than other muscle groups - so I train them in all rep ranges just as I do everything else.

Implement those two simple approaches and you will have your calves turning into cows in no time!

Movie Quote Of The Day

"The key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands. It's a good non-specific symptom; I'm a big believer in it. A lot of people will tell you that a good phony fever is a dead lock, but, you get a nervous mother, you could wind up in a doctor's office. That's worse than school. You fake a stomach cramp, and when you're bent over, moaning and wailing...you lick your palms. It's a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school."

Sporto

[Sporto1633]

Tommy I do apologize for coming off so aggressively and at the end of the day you are the professional that won a show in his first season as such. Putting you next to Layne pretty much answers the question as to whose methods are more effective.What you do is obviously working. That being said I do think you would benefit from reading up on the function of insulin - the link Eric posted a page or two back covers the whole topic very effective and I know Lyle and Alan have gone very much in depth on it repeatedly. Again there is NO doubt that food selection can make a night and day difference especially when extremely lean but I think we can agree now that it's unlikely to be insulin dependent.

Sorry for being a ****tard LOL

BTW for what it's worth insulin and GI are not directly related - that's why there is the Insulin Index. Just FYI

And I'd like to say Tommy, thanks for taking the time to address everything I brought up, I appreciate it. You have definitely found a winning combination of dietary manipulation to peak VERY well, and although you don't necessarily care as to WHY it works, more so, that it does (which is very pragmatic and respectable), I will echo JB above and refer to the research on insulin, and state that although its very tough to nail down exactly why certain protocols do certain things visually to the body, we can probably rule out insulin response.

No worries guys. I will be the first person to admit that I only have the physique I currently do and the overall wins I now have due to a bunch of people WAY smarter than me. Exercise science, physiology, etc. is not my background or degree and has been a self taught journey for the last 10 years of trying to listen to people that are hands on in the field of those areas. I will never pretend to know everything and I do appreciate the insight.

Hey Tommy,

I went to your website.. nothing shows. Is it still under construction?

Also, you talked about your last tax season. Is there something new on the horizon?

Where is your online training/nutrition offered?

Thanks,
Brad

Ha...if only I had someone that would help me finish it as I know nothing about computers. I have been through 3 different people and have yet to get it finished...

Yes, this will be my last tax season as I have a lot of upcoming options to choose a different career path - one that will be more family friendly and one that I will enjoy much more. As soon as I know something, I am sure I will be excited enough about it to bring it up in here

Email me at: Sporto4323@yahoo.com

That is the email I use for all my clients - we can discuss online consultation through there for you or anyone else who is interested!

Tommy,

Do you think 10,000 IU is a bit much or not? Since D is fat soluble, is there any risk of overdoing it?

Thanks,
Brad

If you google "high dose vitamin d3" you will find a ton of information on the subject. I recommend doing a little reading on the latest research if you are a little leary of the higher dose. Even at 10,000IUs/day, you are nowhere close to toxicity. I have been taking that dose for over 2 years now and I seem to be doing alright

Cheers!

Sporto

[co1e_train]

Farris Buelers day off FTW!

[anonymous]

Thanks Brad and congrats to you as well!

Ah yes, the newborn definitely changes things and it does make things a little more difficult to live the bodybuilding lifestyle, but my wife and I will make it happen!

Best of luck to you as well on your pro card venture, and if you are looking for some guidance, feel free to hit me up when the time comes!

Sporto

Hey Tommy,

Any tips or tricks you can pass on? I start my diet soon (and modified training). Any words of advice?

Thanks,
Brad

[Sporto1633]

Hey Tommy,

Any tips or tricks you can pass on? I start my diet soon (and modified training). Any words of advice?

Thanks,
Brad

Best general advice I can give would be to:

A) Give yourself plenty of time to diet slowly
B) Be picky with your food sources
C) Pay attention to how your body responds to everything

Other than that, have fun!

Sporto

[thatswoleguy]

Are those standing military presses???

[chuckles_345]

Subbed! Can't believe I haven't seen this before! I'll be following.

Chuckles

[COZ999]

invited or not, interested in your upcoming endeavors

[wrkoutfrq]

how on the hell i missed the start of this thread i'll never know, but DEF in on this one!

to start off hounding you, lol, how would you go about upping cal's to gain some muscle without gaining hardly any fat?

i ask because i wanna try to improve one some areas that didn't keep up during my last bulk (rear delts, back thickness, and overall chest), but i wanna stay the leanness i am now for spring break (in 2 months)

[Sporto1633]

UPDATE!

~Hey gang! I wanted to start this journal back up now that I have the time to devote to it on a regular basis. Thing lately have been extremely hectic. Over the last week or so, I've been spending long hours in the tax office getting it ready for the upcoming traffic of tax season. All last week, my wife and daughter were with me, which meant that time with them was much more important than getting to the gym since I won't be seeing them during the week (only weekends) for almost four months! So, needless to say, training was a little sporadic. But, I've since settled in, got the office ready to roll, and even hit the gym yesterday evening for a great leg workout. From here on out, I will be implementing my multi-year offseason approach to bring yet another all-time best physique to the stage. I have been sizing myself up against the top naturals in the sport that I want to compete against this next time around, and boy do I have my work cut out for me! But, again, that's why I love this sport! I'm excited to see how some of my ideas and approaches this time around work as I move towards my goals.

I have been off of just about ALL supplementation for the last couple of months. I had been taking a multi-vitamin, vitamin d3, and vitamin c...that's it. As of yesterday, I started taking all of my staples again. Those include:

Breakfast
2 NOW Foods ADAM Multi-Vitamin
2 NOW Foods Vitamin D3
1 NOW Foods Vitamin C
3 Nature's Best Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc
6 Scivation Essential EFA
3 Primaforce MAX CLA
1 Primaforce Alcalean
3 Primaforce Pro Liver
1 Primaforce Idebenone
3 Primaforce Elastimine
3 Primaforce Cissus

Pre-Workout Meal
1 Primaforce Alcalean
3 Primaforce MAX CLA

Pre-Workout
2 scoops Scivation Xtend
4 scoops Scivation Quake 10.0 (whoa - taking this for the first time in 2 months had me FLYING)

Intra-Workout
4 scoops Scivation Xtend
4 scoops Primaforce Beta Alanine

Post-Workout
2 scoops Scivation Whey
50g NOW Foods Dextrose Powder
10g Primaforce AAKG
5g Primaforce Creaform
1 Primaforce Alcalean
3 Primaforce Pro Liver

Final Meal
6 Scivation EFA
3 Primaforce MAX CLA
3 Nature's Best Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc
1 Primaforce Idebenone
3 Primaforce Elastimine
3 Primaforce Cissus
3 Primaforce ZMA
3 Scivation Knockout

I can already tell how much better my body feels now that I'm taking everything again. That along with my nutrition should have me gaining some nice size and strength here before too long! My legs feel like death from yesterday...it was the first time lifting legs in over a week and a half or so, so I took it easy on the volume and just went by feel. I did some max effort work on Barbell Squats along with a drop set as my final set (talk about getting your heart rate up!). I also did some leg presses supersetted with some Hack Squats. Now that I am back in Terre Haute, the hack squat machine they have available is very different from the one I had been using at LA Fitness. This particular machine has the support pads located at the lower back in stead of the shoulders. Very weird feeling, but I will make it work. I followed up with some Dumbbell Walking Lunges...they only have Dumbbells that go up to 100s, so I did some hypertrophy sets of 12 with them. I then finished up with some abductor/adductor work. The volume was decent, the intensity was high...everything felt good. It will take a little bit to get back in my groove, but I don't think it will take long.

I will start taking some videos very soon! I can't wait to hear all the you-tube tough guys tell me how bad I suck LOL. Hope everyone had a great holiday and new years!

Movie Quote Of The Day

"Well, I got a 426 hemi here, 3/4 cams, nitro boosters, I can get 'er up to as good as 155! Never do, though, of course, unless I'm chasing a cute chick in a Ferrari! Haha! I guess I was goin' about... 65, tops."

Sporto

[Sporto1633]

Are those standing military presses???

Seated

Subbed! Can't believe I haven't seen this before! I'll be following.

Chuckles

Welcome!

how on the hell i missed the start of this thread i'll never know, but DEF in on this one!

to start off hounding you, lol, how would you go about upping cal's to gain some muscle without gaining hardly any fat?

i ask because i wanna try to improve one some areas that didn't keep up during my last bulk (rear delts, back thickness, and overall chest), but i wanna stay the leanness i am now for spring break (in 2 months)

Simple...just up the cals slowly and readjust your ratios! Weight gain does not equal muscle. I'll never understand why so many people think that they have to see the scale constantly go up for them to think they are making progress...

Sporto

[bwelch1985]

7...you were going 7 miles per hour!

...and usually when I pull people over...they pull over to the shoulder!

[Rsardinia]

Hey Tommy,

Great lifts dude, and holy crap you take a lot of supplements. Do you feel those supplements are working for you or did you feel relatively the same while off them?

I'm blown away by the leg workout posted above, 10pps leg press supersetting with 315x10 is solid. And 275 walking lunges motherofgod.jpg

Keepin bustin em out!

[wrkoutfrq]

Simple...just up the cals slowly and readjust your ratios! Weight gain does not equal muscle. I'll never understand why so many people think that they have to see the scale constantly go up for them to think they are making progress...

cool man thanks... i'm just gonna have to hit it hard and keep a close watch.

good to see you back around here, looking forward to keeping up with the journal!

[Sporto1633]

7...you were going 7 miles per hour!

...and usually when I pull people over...they pull over to the shoulder!

I miss Chris Farley...

Hey Tommy,

Great lifts dude, and holy crap you take a lot of supplements. Do you feel those supplements are working for you or did you feel relatively the same while off them?

I'm blown away by the leg workout posted above, 10pps leg press supersetting with 315x10 is solid. And 275 walking lunges motherofgod.jpg

Keepin bustin em out!

I take a lot of supplements because I want my body to be as efficient as possible...that's the only way I have a chance to gain any ground on my competitors. I am strict with my nutrition as well, but you just can't get all of what your body needs from food anymore, no matter how well you eat. If there's any chance I can take a supplement that might give me a little edge, even if it is really small, I take it...especially if it has some solid data and research behind it. Add in a couple of years of doing that, and that small difference might actually be noticeable

Now, most of what i take you can't actualy feel, but everything I take has a purpose.

Thanks for the kind words about the leg workout...my goal is to get up to a nice 315 for walking lunges for a good 6-8 steps a leg!

cool man thanks... i'm just gonna have to hit it hard and keep a close watch.

good to see you back around here, looking forward to keeping up with the journal!

Yep...that's all it is really - consistency over time and doing the extra little due dilligence that most don't!

Sporto

[Sporto1633]

Tuesday - Chest/Back Width/Shoulders

Barbell Incline Press
135X20 (Warm-Up)
185X12 (Warm-Up)
225X8 (Warm-Up)
265X10
285X6
315X4 drop 225X8

Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral Lat Pull-Downs
3ppsX15
3p+25psX12
4ppsX10
4p+25psX8 drop 2p+25psX8

Barbell Upright Rows
95X15
105X12
115X10
135X8 drop 95X8

Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral Decline Press
3ppsX15
3p+25psX10
4ppsX8
4p+25psX6 drop 2p+25psX12

Close Grip Cable Lat Pull-Downs
90psX15
100psX10
110psX8 drop 90psX8

Hammer Strength Military Press
2ppsX15
2p+35psX8
3p+10psX6 drop 2p+10psX6 drop 1p+10psX6

Low-To-High Cable Flys
30psX15
30psX12
30psX12

~Nothing like a good upper body pump to get back into the swing of things! I amnow back in Terre Haute full time and lifting at the new recreation center on the campus of ISU. Some of the machines are quite different, so the weights that I will be using will reflect either lower or higher numbers depending on the type of machine. They have a lot of hammer strength iso-lateral stuff, which is nice, but the cable machines they have are a little outdated...plus the dumbbells only go to 100s, so I will have to adjust accordingly. My overall strength seems to be just fine and very close to what it was before I started prep, but my endurance is still playing catch up Anyway, I am holding a very solid 225ish right now and I feel fantastic! Strength PRs....here I come!!

Topic Of The Day - Mind/Muscle Connection

One thing I wanted to briefly talk about today is the mind/muscle connection with any lift that you are doing. One thing that always amazes me as how many times I see people in the gym doing an exercise and clearly not using the intended muscle group(s) for that lift. As I have gotten older, and hopefully much wiser, I have definitely learned the importance of lifting every set of every exercise with purpose and making it all count. I was once victim of the gym ego and only cared about how I was perceived in the gym and how much weight was on the bar. But, now I understand that in order to get maximum muscular development, the mind/muscle connection is VERY important. For instance, for anyone that knows me and has seen me in person, I have rather large forearms/arms. The problem with that is that when I do back/pulling movements, if I don't concentrate really hard on using my back and pulling back with my elbows, my forearms/biceps will take over and do themajority of the work - taking the emphasis off my back (where I really need it). So I've taken measures to try and reduce that as much as possible - one of which is using straps. I've found that by locking in my grip with straps, I can focus more on my elbows pulling, rather than my hands. The result? Much more focus on the intended muscle group.

Bottom line - anything you can do to help connect you with the exercise and the mind/muscle connection, the better...even if it measn dropping the weight and working more on form and tempo. One of the hardest things to do in the gym is to leav the ego at the door - but if you want that great looking well developed physique, that's exactly what you need to do in order to achieve it.

Movie Quote Of The Day

"So I jump ship in Hong Kong, and I make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

Sporto

[BaFtub]

Thanks for sharing the info on D3. Has it really improved your mood?

I guess I'm just skeptical of the high dosage, even with the studies out there (though I'm sure you understand, it's easy to be skeptical with the ****load of supps out there), but I did indeed find a few studies that indicate ~10,000 IU to be a good dose to actually notice the benefits. Are there are possible risks to the high dosage?

I do experience seasonal affective disorder, so I'm going to give this product a shot.

I'm not Tommy but I can shed my two cents.

Alberto Nunez (father flex obviously) recommended I add Vitamin d3 to my list of supps (that being scivation whey..and the occasional creatine mono/beta alanine) and I was a bit skeptical at first-but after doing some research/applying it, I was pretty surprised. I supplement with ~10,000 IU (which I believe comes out to 4-5 caps? ) and it GREATLY improved my mood.. that being the biggest noticeable factor. Days where I would forget about taking them in the morning were noticeable, so definitely not a placebo effect to any degree.

So for how cheap they are.. definitely worth it.

Keep up the good work Tommy!