WhomperFit's Preparation for First Steps on Stage

[DesireToGrow]

Looking good so far bro. Keep it up. We need to get a few videos of some big lifts to keep this thing interesting ;p. Not that the work outs are boring, I've just already been through every one of them right next to you haah.

[Whomper107]

Woke up this early morning for an 8AM leg workout. Not for any good reason really, my workout buddy and I were just excited to get in there. Sometimes it feels good to have eaten 3 times and worked out before I would normally wake up. Had a cup of coffee, chicken breast, a few handfuls of whole wheat pasta, and a Redline beforehand, and I was good to go.

LEG DAY - 12/18/-8
Squats
135 x 12
225 x 10
315 x 10
365 x 6

Lunges (with DBs)
60 x 2 laps up and down the racquetball court
I find that doing lunges for a distance, rather than a count, makes it a little more productive. Something about having the end in sight makes those last few reps seem more possible, rather than just doing 'as many as I can.'

Lying Leg Curl (done with 1 second contraction at top of rep)
170 x 12
170 x 7, RP (rest pause) 2

Seated Leg Curl
170 x 10
170 x 8

It was a little bit shorter of a workout than normal... I think maybe the squat/lunge combo tired us out sooner than normal. In my opinion, those are two of the hardest exercises known to man. We tried to get in a few more hamstring exercises than normal, lately the workouts have been mostly quad focused, with little to no soreness in the hamstrings. Unfortunately, between squats and lunges, my lower back was too tired to do any SLDLs. Maybe next week will be a hamstrings first leg workout, I have heard good things about using this as a change up strategy.
My mom inspired me with a new idea to get in some easy, clean carbs. I found a bag of cooked, plain whole wheat penne pasta in the fridge, so I have just been walking around my house munching on it while I do things. It doesn't taste too bad, is easy, and requires no silverware. I figure if I cook a box a day and make it a goal to finish the bag before bed, I could easily squeeze in some extra good carbs. At least until precontest diet starts.

[Whomper107]

Had push day today at around 1. Got around 9 hours of sleep, and had a Redline Pump beforehand, so I was feeling pretty good going in.

PUSH DAY - 12/19/08
CHEST
Hammerstrength Flat Bench Machine
90 (2 plates) x 15
180 x 10
230 x 10

I've noticed the flat HS is a lot tougher than the others, such as the wide chest or decline, although maybe not the incline.

Incline Smith Machine Press
135 x 10
275 x 5 --> 225 x 3

Incline DB Press/Incline DB Fly superset
65 x 10 --> 35 x 12
65 x 12 --> 35 x 9

SHOULDERS
Arnold Press/DB Lateral superset
50 x 10 --> 20 x 12
50 x 12 --> 25 x 13

Cable Front Raise/Cable Upright Row superset

TRICEPS
1-arm Pulldowns
Cable Skullcrushers

CALVES

Weighed in at 226-227 afterward. Arms measured 17" with the tricep pump, calves were 17.5" pumped. Took a picture on my training partner's phone after, he may post that up sometime later today.

[DesireToGrow]

Here's the picture we took post work out today ! Hope the quality is good as it was my blackberry.

[Whomper107]

Had a late night pull day, at around 10 tonight. I decided to give lower back a rest for today, because I will be doing legs tomorrow and push on Tuesday (3 workouts in a row) due to the fact I am leaving for a ski trip on Wednesday. Figured I would want some lower back strength for legs tomorrow...

PULL DAY - 12/21/08
BACK
BB Row
135 x 10
225 x 10
245 x 15
275 x 10

One Arm T-Bar Row
1 plate x 10
2 plates x 10
(2 armed) 4 plates x 25

Pull Ups
BW x 12
BW x 10

Machine Row

DB Rows

TRAPS
BB Shrugs
225 x 25
345 x 15
(Power shrug set) 345 x 25

Rear Delt Cable Flys

BICEPT
Standing Cable Curls

BB Curls

ABS
Roman Chair supersetted with hanging leg raises

Pretty good workout, ran a little long... we started at around 10:20, finished at midnight. My partner (DesireToGrow) has started leaning down with his keto diet as of about a week ago, be on the lookout for a log from him when he gets his lazy ass in gear. That's all for now, tune in for legs tomorrow.

[BigFatCox]

Looks good, this is really interesting to follow.
This is good for me too, because I can now just look at this instead of constantly shooting you questions about this stuff whenever we all hang out lol.

I'm still relaxin the shoulder and trying to take it easy, it seems the inflammation is responding well to a complete lack of stress. Its just STRESSFUL to NOT be able to go in and lift heavy, you know? But it's all for a greater good in the end, I guess. As long as I keep up my cardio and stretching every day then my real losses at MMA will be minimal.

And props to your mom for the pasta idea lol. Is there any specific weight that you want to try and reach before the cutting period (saw you weighed in at like 227 the other day, wow), or are you just hoping for the most clean mass you can possibly stack on??

[Whomper107]

Thanks for posting dude, this thing has been dead lately haha. I'm hoping more people will be interested after I have begun contest prep. I know how to add weight as well as anyone, it's the shredding down that I will need help with, so hopefully people will have more to say when that begins. I know what you mean about how stressful taking time off because of an injury feels. The only productive thing I have been doing over the break is lifting haha. Just ice your shoulder a few times throughout the day to keep the inflammation down, and go through your rotator cuff exercises and light (5lbs or so) front/side raises several days a week. That's what fixed both of my shoulders when I injured each of them. I'm not shooting for a target weight, but just plan to continue this routine until the first or second week in January. By then I should be sitting comfortably at around 227-228 or so. Over the course of those five months I plan to get down in the 200-205 range, which I think will put me in contest shape.

[Whomper107]

Decided to forego leg day yesterday due to soreness. I figured it would be worth it to skip a day working my strong point (legs) to enable me to better work my weak point (chest). I find working out more than 2 days in a row is just too taxing on my body, it leaves me feeling drained. Went in to work out today at around 2.

PUSH DAY - 12/23/08
Push Press
95 x 10
135 x 10
155 x 12

Incline DB Press
70 x 10
90 x 10
105 x 8

Flat SM Bench
135 x 12
205 x 12
235 x 10 --> 185 x 4 --> 135 x 6
235 x 10 --> 185 x 5 --> 135 x 6
Not sure why I was stronger on the 4th set than the 3rd, but somehow I squeezed out an extra rep on the second drop. Same thing happened to my workout partner.

Incline DB Fly
40 x 12
65 x 7

Side raise giant set
Front raise giant set

TRICEPT
Cable Skullcrushers
Lying DB Extensions
Rope pulldowns

CALVES

Good workout, this will be the last one until Monday of next week, when I get back from a ski trip. I may do some isometric/bodyweight type of exercises over there, but I know for sure my legs will be getting worked enough on the slopes, and my upper body may benefit from the rest. Bye everyone until then.

[Burk2100]

First things first you are a nerd for saying bicept and tricept haha, second of all looks like things are going pretty well. I definitely miss bulking haha this diet really blows, carbs are a distant cherished memory by now. Between MMA class, lifting, cardio, and tackle football with the boys my body has really been put through the ringer. I switched to swimming laps for cardio to relieve some of the stress on my joints also I am at my aunts house for christmas so I am taking a few days off from working out, its a good thing because I have had to take 2 ibuprofen just to get out of bed in the mornings these last few days haha. Keep up the good work kiddo see you back at school.

[wada]

Just saw this tread. I think i'm going for this show too, my 1st as well! But i'm 27 so ill be w/ the big boys. Wish you best of luck!
Maybe ill see you down the line!

[Whomper107]

Just saw this tread. I think i'm going for this show too, my 1st as well! But i'm 27 so ill be w/ the big boys. Wish you best of luck!
Maybe ill see you down the line!

Looks like you and I will be standing on stage sooner than you think, as I plan on doing both the teen and open divisions. Not sure how I will fare in the open, but I figure I may as well go all out if I am going to be troubling myself to diet down. Best of luck to you man, you definitely have a competitive physique.

Got back from the ski trip yesterday, and hit back and shoulders today. My partner and I decided to change up the split slightly, it is now broken into back/shoulders, chest/arms, and legs. Went in and kicked ass today, I really felt strong after the week of rest.

BACK/SHOULDERS - 12/30/08
Deadlift
3 warm up sets
405 x 3
475 x 3

T-Bar Rows
115 x 10
160 x 10
225 x 11

Machine Lat Pull/DB Pullover superset
3 sets lat pull
3 sets DB pullover - 80 x 15

Machine Shoulder Press
3 sets

DB Shrug/Rear Delt Rope Pull SS x 3

DB Laterals giant set
15 x 4 --> 20 x 4 --> 25 x 4 --> 30 x 4 --> 35 x 4 --> 40 x 4 --> 35 x 6 --> 30 x 6 --> 25 x 6 --> 20 x 6 --> 10 x 10

I have decided to begin dieting this coming Monday, which will be just over 20 weeks out from the show. My plan is to eat something like this:

BREAKFAST
-Egg whites
-Oats

LUNCH
-Chicken breast
-Veggies
-Olive oil/nuts

PREWORKOUT
-Chicken/fish
-Complex carb

POSTWORKOUT
-2 scoops whey, 40g dextrose

POSTWORKOUT MEAL
-Chicken/fish
-Complex carb

DINNER
-Chicken/fish
-Veggies
-Olive oil/nuts

BEFORE BED
-Cottage cheese
-Olive oil/nuts

I haven't yet worked out the caloric specifics, but a quick calculation of my BMR (225lbs, 6'1", 19y/o) indicates that I burn about 2265.65 calories a day. I will have to do some further calculations to figure out exactly how many I should be eating. I have a very fast metabolism, so it will likely be around 3000 or more, with cardio and training factored in.

[DesireToGrow]

Well looks good so far bro! I'm demolished from the gym today. As for the guy from Sugarland who is considerin the show; I may be entering as well . Haven't decided, I will be out of the teen class by the time it rolls around and fear that i won't be adequately developed for the Opens class. I'm still on the fence about it though so we shall see.

[Whomper107]

Didn't get around to logging this yesterday, so here it is.

CHEST/ARMS 1/2/08

Incline Barbell Bench
135 x 15
185 x 10
225 x 7, RP 3

Flat DB with supination at top
85 x 9
90 x 9
105 x 7 (no supination)

Decline Barbell
135 x 10 x 7 sets, short 30-45 second rests

Skullcrusher/EZ Bar Curl superset x 3

Rope Curl/Straight Bar Pressdown superset x 3

HS Dip Machine x 3

EZ Bar Curl giant set

EZ Bar Reverse Curl giant set

Good workout, chest is very sore, tris are definitely feeling it, and like usual bicept feel okay. Today was leg day, I'll put that in a separate post to keep things organized.

[Whomper107]

Since these are the last 2 days of eating off the diet, I thought I should enjoy myself within the bounds of healthiness. So for breakfast I had 6 scrambled eggs with ~1.5-2 pounds of red potato hash browns. I made them by dicing the potatoes, mixing them with sea salt, ground pepper, and rosemary, and frying them in olive oil. My mom gave them a 'damn good' rating, which is impressive considering she is a superb cook herself. Included is a picture of breakfast. Coincidentally, the amount of food I cooked was exactly enough to fill the plate to its' limits. I have concluded that potatoes are more satisfying, less gas inducing, and more difficult to prepare then 2 cups of raw oats in water, my usual breakfast.



Anyways, today was leg day. It is the first time I have worked them, not including 3 days of skiing, since 12/18, so I really felt the need to hammer them. Unfortunately my strength was not all there... one of those days where you wake up and can instantly feel your focus is not all there. Even a redline beforehand was not able to shake the feeling, but it was an absolutely exhausting workout nonethless. I was just unable to hit the numbers I would like on squats/hack squats. A PR on leg extensions though, moved the stack without increments for 15 very legit reps, with pauses at the top. Not that I wouldn't trade that for a PR on a useful lift.

LEGS - 1/3/08

Leg Extension
150 x 15
190 x 15
290 x 15 PR

Squat
135 x 10
225 x 8
315 x 6
365 x 3 , down 3 reps from my best. Maybe next time

Hack Squat
180 + sled x 10
360 + sled x 8
540 + sled x 6 (Would have liked to get a couple more, but not my day.)

Lying Leg Curl
185 x 10 x 4 sets
170 x 10 x 2 sets
155 x 10 x 1 set

Straight Leg Deadlift
185 x 15
185 x 20 (Last set of the day focus boost)

My training partner and I were completely obliterated after this workout. The kind of tired where you are lying on the floor between sets, and plagued with a hacking cough at the end of some sets. Very satisfying indeed. It seems like it is impossible thoroughly devastate quads, hams, and glutes in one workout. I feel like one is always left off a little easy, but I simply don't have the energy to hit them all. So we try to rotate which one is neglected each week. This week was glutes... the only thing that really hit them in the absence of lunges was squats. Next workout will be either quads or hams, depending how I feel. I can't get over how tired I was at the end of this workout. This was not by any means a 'feel good' kind of workout. It was the kind of workout that leaves you broken willed and exhausted. I can only hope to reproduce the feeling next time.

[Whomper107]

Today is the first day of my contest prep. Decided to kick it off with a grueling 9AM workout.

BACK/SHOULDERS - 1/5/08

Rack Pull
225 x 10
315 x 10
500 x 12

Hammer Strength Low Row
90 x 10
180 x 10
270 x 10
360 x 7 (barely, heavier than I expected)

Underhand Lat Pull
105 x 10
135 x 10
180 x 10
220 x 12

BB Row
215 x 10 --> 195 x 10 --> 175 x 10 --> 155 x 10 (dropset)

DB Press
45 x 10
70 x 10
90 x 12

Behind Neck BB Press/Rear DB Fly superset
95 x 12/25 x 12
135 x 12/30 x 12
160 x 11, 2 assisted/35 x 12

DB Laterals
20 x 10, 7 sets with 30 second rests - this is a technique I am using to hit weak points, I will do one every workout.

BB Shrugs
135 x 12
225 x 12
315 x 15 --> 225 x 15 --> 135 x 30 (dropset)

Calves

Pretty grueling workout, ran a little over an hour and a half but it was well worth it. My legs are still devastated from the other day, quads and hamstrings were aching this whole workout. Looking forward to an off day tomorrow, where I will do some cardio. At the end of the day I will post up what I ate today with a macro breakdown... it just so happens that on the day I decide to start my contest prep, I found out my food scale is broken. Will have that replaced sometime today, but for now portions are approximated.

[liftjunkie06]

Hey man looking good. Good luck on the diet.

One suggestion I would have is try to get through those lifting sessions a little faster. I like to limit them to an hour or so, and I think most people advocate this. You could try to pick up the pace and add in some supersets.

Also, if you're not doing HIIT cardio you may want to look into that. It has numerous benefits.

[Whomper107]

Hey man looking good. Good luck on the diet.

One suggestion I would have is try to get through those lifting sessions a little faster. I like to limit them to an hour or so, and I think most people advocate this. You could try to pick up the pace and add in some supersets.

Also, if you're not doing HIIT cardio you may want to look into that. It has numerous benefits.

Thanks man, I appreciate the advice. What I was thinking of doing is splitting back/shoulders into two workouts, as I have done in the past. The reason this one took so long is we were essentially doing 2 workouts in one. Great for adding size because of how frequently you are able to hit each muscle group, but maybe not ideal for a precontest diet. I will see what I can do about speeding up the workouts.
I planned on doing cardio tomorrow, I will be sure to make it HIIT. Thanks again, I appreciate any and all input.

[Whomper107]

Here is what I have eaten today. I am still unsure of all this, never in my life have I weighed food or counted calories, so I think it will take me at least a few days to get the hang of it. Like I said earlier, my food scale was conveniently broken this morning, I wasn't able to weigh any food until I bought a new one this afternoon. So the earlier half of my meals will be approximated portions.

BREAKFAST/PREWORKOUT - 8:15AM
-4 egg whites - 4/0/0, 16
-2 whole eggs - 4/0/12, 125
-1c oats - 12/54/5, 300
441 total

POSTWORKOUT SHAKE - 11:30AM
-2 scoops Dymatize whey - 48/4/4, 234
-40g dextrose - 0/40/0, 150
384 total

POSTWORKOUT MEAL - 12PM
-1 medium sized chicken breast - 23/0/2.5, 110
- ~5oz. (1/3 box) whole wheat pasta - 17.5/102.5/3.75, 525
-1 tbsp. olive oil - 0/0/14, 125
760 total

LUNCH - 3PM
-1 small chicken breast - 23/0/2.5, 110
-1 medium ziploc bag of salad - 3/7/0, 30
-1 tbsp. olive oil as dressing - 0/0/14, 125
265 total

DINNER - 7PM
-3oz. chicken breast - 23/0/2.5, 110
-5.5oz. white potato - 3/30/4, 162
-medium salad w/ walnuts, avocado - 6/10/5, 70
342 total

DINNER 2 - 10PM
-3oz. chicken breast - 23/0/2.5, 110
-5.5oz. white potato - 3/30/4, 162
-medium salad - 3/7/0, 30
302 total

BEFORE BED - 12/1AM
-1c fat free cottage cheese - 30/10/0, 160
160 total

TOTALS:

BURNED (based off 6'1", 225lbs): 2265 (BMR) + 900 (1.5 hour intense weight training) = 3165

CONSUMED = 2654

DEFICIT = 511

It looks like overall a pretty successful day, especially considering this is my first time ever cutting and counting calories. I have an unusually fast metabolism, and one of my worst fears is that I will drop too fast and begin losing muscle mass. On the same token, I realize I am working with only a 20 week window to get lean enough, and need to keep my weight loss going at a fairly steady pace. I suppose this is a dilemma everyone faces... must be what makes this such a tough sport, among other things.

I would really value any criticism at all of today's diet, from anyone with something to say. In fact, if you are reading this, please say something, whether it is a thumbs up, thumbs down, piece of advice, or hell, even a broscience comment. This is as new to me as anything I have ever done, and I would really appreciate any help I could get.

Tomorrow is an off day from lifting, but I plan on doing 20 minutes or so of HIIT, either on an elliptical or just running outside, depending on how well my legs have recovered. I can definitely feel a difference in how my body functions with these eating habits. My mood was cyclic throughout the day, based on whether or not I was hungry - a feeling I have only rarely experienced in the last few years. Luckily my energy in the gym was superb still, but I'm sure it is too early to expect any effects there.

I placed an order this weekend containing Xtend, Dialene 4X, Sesamin, and Vasocharge. That should be here toward the middle of the week, so I will have those working for me throughout my prep. I plan on using Xtend before breakfast, during workouts, and before bed. I will follow the instructions on Dialene and Sesamin, and use Vasocharge as a preworkout supplement on training days only. Hopefully I will see some good results from these - in the past I have been disappointed by every supplement I have ever used, with the exception of whey proteins and weightgainers.

My goals for the rest of the week are as follows:

-Get used to weighing/portioning my food, and make myself more knowledgeable on the calorie content of different foods. It took way much more time then I would like to go through and crunch all these numbers. Using calorie counting sites is a real pain, but I think I will learn quickly.

-Correct my diet and routine with the advice of experienced people from here.

[Whomper107]

Today was an off day from the weights. I woke up feeling destroyed from back/shoulders yesterday, but after I got up and moved around some the soreness eased up. Legs are still aching, especially my quads. It was a pretty badass workout the other day, in spite of the fact I was not at full strength. Just reminds me there is never an excuse to not have a good workout - even a bad day can be productive.

I did my cardio on the elliptical at home today. Started off with a 5 minute moderate pace warm up, followed by 15 minutes of HIIT. I would do 30 second sprints, followed by 45 second periods of light intensity. Ended with a 3 minute cool down. I'm not a big fan of the elliptical we have here at home... I feel as though, somehow, it does not fit my anatomy well. Either I am too tall, or have too long of legs. Will probably go to the gym for the next one, or just run outside. I am open to suggestions on improving my cardio regimen, HIIT is something that is fairly new to me.

Today's diet was pretty good, as far as I can tell. Realized after checking some some food labels that I made some mistakes with my calories yesterday, but nothing significant enough to have major effects. Just thought I should explain any inconsistencies between yesterday and next time. I didn't write everything down, but will tomorrow.

[Cronos1247]

I've been lurking for a while now so thought I would post. Awesome progress, and your potatoes look amazing lol. Always nice to see another person over or around 6' with mass and a lean physique seeing as it takes so much longer to finish our frames.

I think you'll definitely due well in this contest.

[Whomper107]

I've been lurking for a while now so thought I would post. Awesome progress, and your potatoes look amazing lol. Always nice to see another person over or around 6' with mass and a lean physique seeing as it takes so much longer to finish our frames.

I think you'll definitely due well in this contest.

Thanks a lot for the kind words. I took a look at your log, and it looks like you have made great strides with your body, congrats on the weight loss. That was a pretty drastic transformation you underwent, you can see it everywhere, even your face. I'll be following your progress bro, best of luck with your goals to compete. With enough persistence and hard work, you will be there sooner than you think. I appreciate you posting.

Today was chest and arms again. Pretty good workout, got in the gym at around 8:45AM or so and was feeling good. Quads and hams are still slightly sore from leg day, they should be recovered just in time to hit legs again tomorrow.

CHEST/ARMS - 1/7/09

Incline BB Bench
135 x 10
185 x 8
225 x 8 - up 1 from last week, but this is still a really weak lift for me

Wide Grip SM Press
155 x 10
245 x 10 --> 155 x 10

DB Press w/ supination at top
70 x 10
85 x 10

Cable Fly
25 x 10 for 7 sets, ~25 second rests

1 arm cable pressdowns x 3
Cable Skullcrushers x 3
1 arm lying DB extension/HS Dip machine superset x 2

BB Curl x 3
DB Preacher Curl x 2
Reverse Grip Curl/Wrist Curl superset

Pretty good workout, I can feel it throughout my upper body. My supplements are scheduled to come at some point today, so I am looking forward to that.

[imccarthy]

I would decrease the length of your sprints to no more than 15-20 seconds... if you are "sprinting" for 30 seconds, then you really aren't working hard enough.

[Whomper107]

I would decrease the length of your sprints to no more than 15-20 seconds... if you are "sprinting" for 30 seconds, then you really aren't working hard enough.

Thanks for the tip, I will give that a shot. I had the same thought, but soon realized the elliptical is much easier than real running, and it took a little longer to get to exhaustion. Wasn't too big a fan of the elliptical, I'm going to try using either the Stairmaster or just running next time.

I thought it would be a good idea to log my diet directly on here, to save myself the trouble of writing it down once on paper, and again when I transfer it here. I will edit the post as the day goes on.

BREAKFAST - 7:30AM
-4 egg whites
-2 whole eggs
-1c oats

POSTWORKOUT SHAKE - 10:30AM
-2 scoops Dymatize whey - 48/4/4, 234
-40g dextrose - 0/40/0, 150
384 total

POSTWORKOUT MEAL - 11:30AM
-4oz. whole wheat pasta
-4oz. chicken
-1tbsp. olive oil

LUNCH - 3PM
-3oz. chicken
-1.5c roasted mixed vegetables

SNACK - 6PM
-1tbsp. Smart Balance PB 8/5/17 (p/c/f), 100

DINNER - 7PM
-3oz. chicken
-1c roasted mixed vegetables
-1c salad, no dressing

[Whomper107]

LEGS

Squat
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 6
375 x 4 (Up from last week, but not a PR. Best is 405 x 3)

Leg Press
530 x 10
710 x 30 (14 plates + carriage)

1-Leg Curls
40 x 10
70 x 12
90 x 9.5

Glute-Ham Raise
BW x 5, 7 sets - 3 free form on the first set, PR

Lunges
110 x 1 lap around the free weight area, ~12-14 per leg

[Chris@UGA]

Very impressive size and strength especially for your age. Good luck in your show. I hope to get up the courage (and size in my legs) to compete one day.

[Whomper107]

Got in the gym for back today at around 2:30PM. Pretty solid workout, set a PR on my 1RM deadlift. Great workout. Decided to change the split, and do shoulders tomorrow. Hopefully the soreness in my back won't interfere too much.

BACK - 1/10/09

Deadlift
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 5
455 x 1
500 x 1 (PR)

Low Cable Row
135 x 10
210 x 10
255 x 10
300 (stack) x 10

Lat Pull/DB Pullover superset x 3

BB Row drop set
215 x 10 --> 195 x 10 --> 175 x 10 --> 155 x 10

Calves

[Whomper107]

Very impressive size and strength especially for your age. Good luck in your show. I hope to get up the courage (and size in my legs) to compete one day.

Thanks man, I appreciate the compliment. Looks like you are making some good progress, just keep working at it. If you haven't tried it, you should give Layne Norton's PHAT training a shot. It's not something I would use for myself, given that my legs are a strong point, but I have heard good things from people who struggle with legs.

[wada]

Got in the gym for back today at around 2:30PM. Pretty solid workout, set a PR on my 1RM deadlift. Great workout. Decided to change the split, and do shoulders tomorrow. Hopefully the soreness in my back won't interfere too much.

BACK - 1/10/09

Deadlift
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 5
455 x 1
500 x 1 (PR)

Low Cable Row
135 x 10
210 x 10
255 x 10
300 (stack) x 10

Lat Pull/DB Pullover superset x 3

BB Row drop set
215 x 10 --> 195 x 10 --> 175 x 10 --> 155 x 10

Calves

Nice..hittin PRs during contest prep!! Couldn't ask for more huh? Keep at it bro..Can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

[Whomper107]

Nice..hittin PRs during contest prep!! Couldn't ask for more huh? Keep at it bro..Can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

You know it haha, but then again it's only week 1. I expect a couple months in I may not have the same vigor in the gym... Have you made a decision about doing the show? How is prep going?

Got in the gym at around 9 tonight for shoulders. Definitely felt yesterday's workout in my back, although surprisingly it was mostly my upper back. I suppose that is good, since that's where I could use improvement the most back-wise. Need to build some good thickness there.

SHOULDERS - 1/11/09

SM Military Press (note: I am counting the base weight as 45)
95 x 12
135 x 12
185 x 12
225 x 8

Arnold Press
40 x 10
60 x 10

DB Shoulder Press
80 x 7

Machine Shoulder Press x 3 sets

Cable Laterals (one at a time)
20 x 12, 2 sets
25 x 8 --> 15 x 8 --> 5 x 8 (dropset)

DB Rear Delt Fly
25 x 10, 7 sets short rests

ABS
Weighted situps supersetted with hanging leg raises, 3 sets each

Good workout overall, I really enjoyed the cable laterals, as well as the high volume rear delt flys.

[Work-Hard]

Workout is looking good, I love cable laterals they burn like hell. How is the diet treating you?