There's a First Time for Everything

[Eric-B]

well...it's time to do it.

I certainly won't be the biggest, but my goal is to be the leanest. I've never been below 10%bf for an extended period of time. In the past I've wasted a lot of time not tracking macros and focusing on different things that conflicted with my goals (running, oly lifting, sports, etc.). When (not if) I get to a condition that I am satisfied with, I would like to compete. Giving myself plenty of time to get in shape. I get a ton of inspiration from guys like berto, eric (quelly), paul (fltallpaul), other paul (blazed), brett (baftub) and many more who have shown what it really takes to get in nasty condition. So, without further ado..

About Me
Recently moved from upstate New York to South Florida. I'm taking grad classes at night working towards a master's in Exercise Science, and I work full-time at a spinal cord injury rehab facility. (I love my job ) Started lifting after high school (wish I started sooner!)...started off just for general fitness to combat my Crohn's Disease and stay healthy, but I was bit by the bodybuilding bug and I've had an interest in competing for quite awhile now.

GOALS
-Get as lean as humanly possible
-Be a part of the shredded glutes club
-Maintain lower offseason bodyfat to make this easier next time around
-Learn a lot about myself (mentally and physically)

Possible Shows
NGA Flamingo (Miami) - August 21, 2010 (21 weeks)
OCB Southern Cross Naturals (Daytona Beach) - October 9, 2010 (28 weeks)
NGA Florida Naturals (Coral Springs) - November 2010 (Date TBD)
Unfortunately there's not many options for Fall shows in Florida. May travel up north a bit depending on how I'm looking.

Training
Saturday – Lower Hyper
Sunday – Upper Hyper
Monday – HIIT
Tuesday – LISS/Active Recovery
Wednesday – Lower Power
Thursday – Upper Power
Friday - HIIT

Diet
Fat - 50g
CHO - 195
Pro - 230
Might seem a little low to start but I've never really had a fast metabolism. This should get me 1-2 lbs a week after the early drops. Refeeds will be every 10 days and move to once a week when I start to lean out. Using principles from Layne's precontest write-ups. If for some reason things aren't going right with the diet, I'll get in touch with the ivory latino to see if he has time in his schedule to fix my mistakes.


Here's a starting pic to show just how far I have to go:



Morning bodyweight: 187.0

I'm here to learn so any input along the way is much appreciated!

[The Solution]

Diet
Fat - 50g
CHO - 195
Pro - 230
Might seem a little low to start but I've never really had a fast metabolism.

Does seem low, but just keep an eye on that scale to see how things roll.
Best wishes in the contest prep season Eric, you know I will be following.
Ever roll up to Erie again let me know.

[Eric-B]

Does seem low, but just keep an eye on that scale to see how things roll.
Best wishes in the contest prep season Eric, you know I will be following.
Ever roll up to Erie again let me know.

Yea I'll be doing daily measurements and going by the weekly average. Anytime I go 3000 cals or above I start to put on weight, so I think this should be about 7-800 cal deficit. Hopefully I won't have to drop from these macros for awhile. Thanks for checking in Bob, always appreciated. I'll be up north a few times this summer so if I get any freetime I'll let ya know.

Morning Bodyweight
185.8

Hitting up some legs hypertrophy today...should be a good one! I'll try to get some vids if it's not too crowded.

[IndianForeigner]

I'm in on this. Good luck!

[Eric-B]

I'm in on this. Good luck!

good to have ya! This should be fun.



Lower Hypertrophy

HS V-Squats
1 plate/side x 20
2 plates/side x 20
3 plates/side x 20
4 plates/side x 12
Bottomed out each rep, still kinda new to the machine so these should go up.

DB Lunges
105's x 12 steps
105's x 20 steps (PR)
Pussed out on the first set, had to redeem myself..



Seated Calf Raises (30 sec. rests)
2 plates x 20
2 plates x 18
2 plates x 14
Up a few reps on the later sets, shooting for 3x20 with the short rest.

Leg Extensions
220 x 15
250 x 12 (PR?)

Calf Machine (Soleus focused)
2 x 10-12

Notes: Took it easy on the hamstrings as I just had a hamstring dominant workout a few days ago and I'm transitioning into the power/hyper split. Pretty fast paced today, I was sweating buckets. All three squat racks were in use when I got there and I didn't have time to wait. Good workout though.

[Quelly]

awesome definitely in on this!

[Eric-B]

awesome definitely in on this!

Good to have ya fellow Eric. It was great following your prep last season. You really went through a lot and it was pretty damn inspiring.


Monday March 29th

HIIT/Abs
Upright Bike - 15 intervals (15 on/45 off)

Body Solid Plate Loaded Ab Machine
4 sets 10-15 (115-150 lbs.)
superset with hanging leg lifts

Notes: Sweating buckets today with the intervals. Did it on an old school upright bike with a hand crank for resistance, so there wasn't really anything to record. I actually felt kinda hungry a few times today, not in a bad way, just the way that you know you're in a little caloric deficit

Morning Bodyweight
185.4

[Quelly]

Erics gotta stick together

[Eric-B]

Erics gotta stick together

Absolutely!



Alright, probably a stupid question....Do you guys weigh your chicken/beef before or after cooking for macro purposes? I'm using a George Foreman and there's a pretty good difference between cooked/uncooked weight. Fitday numbers are also pretty different than what's on the label so I'm a little confused.

[Quelly]

Absolutely!



Alright, probably a stupid question....Do you guys weigh your chicken/beef before or after cooking for macro purposes? I'm using a George Foreman and there's a pretty good difference between cooked/uncooked weight. Fitday numbers are also pretty different than what's on the label so I'm a little confused.

before, and fitday normally accounts for stuff added in preparation....in general use labels whenever possible

[FATHER FLEX]

Oh yeah!

[The Solution]

Either way doesn't matter as long as you continue to do the same and be consistent, some packages will label cooked and some raw. You can always find the macros online for both. For every 4 oz raw = 3oz cooked.

[Quelly]

Oh yeah!

thank you coolaid man

[Eric-B]

before, and fitday normally accounts for stuff added in preparation....in general use labels whenever possible

Yea I almost always use the labels. I figured it'd be better to weigh before cooking to be safe. That's what I've been doing anyways.

Oh yeah!

yeaa buddy, thanks for checking in!

Either way doesn't matter as long as you continue to do the same and be consistent, some packages will label cooked and some raw. You can always find the macros online for both. For every 4 oz raw = 3oz cooked.

Sounds good, just trying to be as precise as possible for this.

thank you coolaid man

lol I read it in that voice too



Tuesday March 30th

LISS
Treadmill - 30 minutes
3.0-4.0 MPH, 5 Incline

Notes: Not much to say there. Getting loosened up for a couple power days wednesday and thursday. Feeling good right now.

Morning Bodyweight
185.0 (-2.0)

[Eric-B]

Gonna switch the split around a little bit this week because the gyms closed on Sunday for Easter. Good news is that I'm off from school and work on Friday. Life outside the gym has been pretty hectic so it'll be nice to have a day with a little more time to relax.

Morning Bodyweight
183.4 (-3.6)

Already down almost 4lbs in the first week. I expected I'd lose at least 5 pounds of water pretty quick so I'm not stressing. Upper Power tonight after class...

[Eric-B]

well...looks like I'll be wrapping this thing up early. Just not feeling it with the cut macros and I'm too tired during the day to be real productive at work/school. Not even really into lifting lately, been looking into some new hobbies and I think I'm gonna pursue those for the time being... We'll see. :/

[Eric-B]

Last post was just for April Fools. I'm still all in. Guess I don't have enough followers yet for those jokes lol


Upper Power

BB Rows
225 x 5
275 x 5 (2 sets)

Decline CGBP
225 x 5
245 x 4

Lat Pulldowns (V-bar)
230 x 5
250 x 5 (PR)

DB Shoulder Press
60's x 5
70's x 6
Haven't done these in awhile...

Seated Face Pulls (on cable row station)
105 x 5
125 x 5 (2 sets)

Pec Deck / Rear Delt Machine
160 x 5 / 100 x 5
180 x 5 / 130 x 5

Notes: Gym was packed tonight. All of the flat/incline benches were in use the whole time I was there. Starting to feel a little depleted but it hasn't affected strength yet. Looking forward to the refeed in a few days. Already down almost 5 pounds for this first week. Hit some poses after the workout and I'm starting to see some nice changes. I'll try to post update pics every week or two.

Morning Bodyweight
182.6 (-4.4)

[Eric-B]

Morning Bodyweight
181.8 (-5.2)

Heavy Leg day later...

[Eric-B]

Lower Power

Banded Rack Pulls (Lowest Pins)
225+quaded minis x 3
315+quaded minis x 3 (2 sets)
365+quaded minis x 1
Bands with this setup add about 200 at lockout. Pulls were from upper shin.

HS Iso Leg Press (Single Leg)
7 plates/leg x 5
8 plates/leg x 6
9 plates/leg x 6
10 plates/leg x 5
First time using this, pretty cool machine.

Calf Press (on leg press)
6 plates/side x 12 (2 sets)

Calf Machine
175 x 8
220 x 6 (2 sets)

Glute Press Machine
135 x 6
180? x 6

GHR's
bw x 5
+25 x 5
+45 x 5 (ties PR)
Setup my legs like a PL squat stance, felt really good.

Notes: I think I'm gonna keep the bands for speed work and not on max effort stuff. Didn't generate enough speed on the 365 pull and it just got heavier and heavier towards lockout. Rep probably took 5-6 seconds and I almost blacked out lol. Planning to use squat/dead accessories on power days for a bit, with high rep squats on the hyper day, and then switch things back in a few weeks.




HIIT (after legs)

Cybex Arc Trainer - 10 intervals
15 sec on/45 sec off
Resistance: 100 on/50 off

Notes: This is a great machine for intervals. HR was up around 180 before the start of each interval and I was just drenched in sweat. HR recovery should get a lot better as I get conditioned.

[2 D]

Wonderin where you ran off to.

In.

[AllGenetix]

lurking for sure

[Eric-B]

Wonderin where you ran off to.

In.

lurking for sure

good to have you guys! I know these prep logs can be hard to find, but thanks for checking in.


Here's a quick shot of the wheels. They're beat up from legs/HIIT yesterday, but I'm pretty excited about how these are gonna end up looking...


warning...crotch shot...





















Morning Bodyweight
182.0 (-5.0)

[Eric-B]

Shoulders/Arms

BB Shoulder Press (Seated)
95 x 12
135 x 12 (PR)
135 x 10
135 x 8

Ez-Bar Curls
100 x 8 (PR)
100 x 6...70 x 4

Tricep Pushdowns
190 x 10 (PR)
190 x 8

Incline One-Arm Laterals
20 x 10
20 x 9
Really can't cheat on these, felt good even with the light weight.

DB Hammer Curls
50's x 10 (2 sets)

Skullcrushers (Paused behind head)
90 x 10

Dips
bw x 18
Just a burnout on the way out.

Notes: Felt pretty strong on everything today. Not much else to say

[xquick]

u lied to mehz, u aint fat

[Young9]

you know Im IN!

[Eric-B]

u lied to mehz, u aint fat

lol I am for sure, but this will be a long journey!

you know Im IN!

yea buddy! thanks for checking in, it's gonna get nasty in here.





Morning Bodyweight
180.4 (-6.6)

At what point should I be concerned that I'm losing too fast? I was planning on going two weeks and seeing if it starts to slow down because I was obviously carrying some extra water and flub that would come off quickly. I'm down almost 7 lbs in 8 days so far. Still feel plenty strong and hunger hasn't been an issue. Not worried yet, just curious what you guys think?

[xquick]

Morning Bodyweight
180.4 (-6.6)

At what point should I be concerned that I'm losing too fast? I was planning on going two weeks and seeing if it starts to slow down because I was obviously carrying some extra water and flub that would come off quickly. I'm down almost 7 lbs in 8 days so far. Still feel plenty strong and hunger hasn't been an issue. Not worried yet, just curious what you guys think?

I'd wait another week or so, I lost 9lbs my first week lmao

[FATHER FLEX]

Wait another week before you are concerned about the pace.

[thepacman]

although it was a few days late, I loled at the April fools joke. Good luck with your prep, I'll be checking in!

[Sean15782]

I got some serious lulz too, and I already knew it was a joke!

Those quads however, are NO joke. Serious business only with those tree trunks.