GET TO THE CHOPPA!!!! 2011 contest prep journal

[Work-Hard]

How tall are you? Whats weight like? We are both doing shows around the same time.

Hey man thanks for stopping in. I'm 5'7" sitting around 210 right now. I started dieting around 4 weeks ago at 218. I'm looking forward to following your prep this year.

[AustrianOakJr]

Hey man thanks for stopping in. I'm 5'7" sitting around 210 right now. I started dieting around 4 weeks ago at 218. I'm looking forward to following your prep this year.

Dieting through the holidays.....the mark of a real maniac!!!

[Work-Hard]

Single Leg Press 4ppsx6, 4ppsx5rp2 + DBL Legx8
Split Squat 85x8, 85x6
Squat 225x10, 225x10, 225x9
Front Squat 185x7, 185x5
Single Leg Ext 70x12, 70x10+5 Neg

Shoulder Press Machine (seated rev) 110x6, 110x5rp2
Cable Lateral Raise 25x6, 25x5rp2rp1
Rear Delt Raise 25x10, 25x9rp2rp1
Shoulder Bomb 15x15x2

Great session following Thanksgiving Dinner. I was the only one in the gym and really let it all out. Needless to say it was one of the best sessions in a long time. Squats sat really deep, but I find it funny that I'm more comfortable with more weight on the bar.

Song of the day

[Work-Hard]

Rack Pull 405x6, 405x4, 315x8
BB Row 275x6, 275x4rp2rp1
Chin BWx6, BWx5, BWx4rp2rp1
CSDB Row 85x8, 85x6+1par rp 2
High Row 60x10, 60x8rp2rp1
Seated Row 60x14, 50x15

Seated DB Curl 45x5, 45x5rp2, 30x6
Spider Curl 30x8, 30x7rp2rp1
Rev BB Curl 55x10, 55x9+3neg
Single Arm Preacher 35x10rp2rp1 drop Double Arm 35x15

Killer Pumps today. a couple movements felt really good so I went with a little extra volume.

[Work-Hard]

Inc BB 225x6, 225x5 drop 205x4 drop 185x3
Flat DB Press 100x6, 100x5 drop 50x5rp3
Weighted Dips 50x6, 50x4+4neg
DB Fly 40x13, 40x10rp3rp2
Cable C/O 35x10, 35x8rp3rp2
Bench Machine 70x15

Skull Crusher (dropped behind head) 25x7, 6, 5rp2
Overhead Ext. 80x6, 80x4rp2rp1
Single Rope Ext. 25x8, 25x7,+3FR+2neg
Dip Machine 190x12rp7

Calves

Weighted Dip done with dip belt hung around the neck. This really seems to put alot of stress on the pecs and really feels good. skull crushers completed with BB behind my head really feeling the stretch at the bottom of the movement.

[Work-Hard]

Dieting through the holidays.....the mark of a real maniac!!!

Thanks man. I am giving myself a little wiggle room for Thanksgiving and Christmas day, but, it is really hard when you have to go and celebrate on multiple days. We went to three Thanksgiving dinners this past weekend and I allowed myself to eat at one. I was still able to net a .5lb loss for the week.

[Work-Hard]

*Only working sets listed
Seated Leg Curl 90x6, 90x5rp2rp1+3Negs
DB SLDL (Single Leg) 80x8, 80x6rp2
GM's 245x8, 245x6rp2rp1 drop 225x5
Leg Press (ham glute focused) 4ppsx12, 4ppsx10rp2 drop 3ppsx7
Standing Leg Curl / glute kickback (hybrid) 50x12, 50x7rp3rp2rp1

Facepulls (high/medium/low angle) 85x10, 80x10, 80x10
Seated Row (Leaning back/upright/leaning forward) 50x10/50x10/50x10

30 Min LISS

It's been pretty darn cold here lately.....(relatively speaking of course). It seems to take a little longer to get warmed up which in turn, lengthens the workouts a bit. It's been teetering around 30 degrees in the morning and not getting over 55 in the afternoon, which is near freezing in Southern California....How on earth do you guys in other parts of the country deal with it?
Song of the day (Dedicated to Bob)

[IronResolution]

Solid Sessions.
The empty gym on Thanks-Giving certainly distinguishes the "bros" from the "pros".
I have subscribed and am enjoying / following the log.
Keep up the work.

[Work-Hard]

Off day yesterday, cardio only.



30min LISS AM cardio (stair machine)



On tap for today is Quads and Shoulders.....my favorite day of the week. I'm already pumped!



Song of the day

I saw these guys for the first time at the 99 OzzFest....Probably the greatest lineup of all time.

[The Solution]

Warped Tour 3 years ago.
AILD FTW!

[Work-Hard]

Squats from today detailed entry tomorrow morning

[IronResolution]

Squats from today detailed entry tomorrow morning

Squats are looking solid!
Keep up the great dedication and log.
The music is key... as usual.

[Work-Hard]

Been slacking on the journal the past few days, and on top of that, like a bonehead I forgot my journal twice this weekend. However, I do have Thursdays leg day and can go off memory for a few things from back/bi, and chest/tri

12/2 Quads/Shoulders

Squat 215x5, 365x3, 365x2
Front Squat 225x4, 225x4
BB Split Squat 135x6, 135x6, 135x6
Leg Press Machine 260x12rp3rp2, 280x7rp3rp2rp1
Leg Ext. 130x15, 130x10rp3rp2
(single leg 50x12rp50x50

Sh Press Machine 110x7, 110x6rp2rp1
Cable Lateral 25x8, 25x5rp2drop15x5
Rear Delt 30x10rp2, 30x8rp2rp1
Shoulder Bomb 15x15

12/4 Back Bi
Pull up (weighted) 25x8rp2, 25x5rp2rp1
BB Row 275x8, 275x5
Seated Row
CSDB Row 85x12, 85x8rp2rp1
High Row

DB Curl 45x7, 45x6
Hammer Curl 50x6, 50x5
Preacher Curl 25's (2sets)
Cable Curl 2sets
Concentration Curl (1 set)

12/5 Chest/Tri
BB Bench 255x6, 255x5
Weighted Dips 50x8, 50x5 drop BWx4
Incline DB 100x7, 100x6rp2
Incline Fly 45x10, 45x8rp2
Pec Deck 2x15

Dip Machine 230x8, 230x6rp3rp2rp1
Skull Crusher 25's x 8, 25's x 6rp2rp1
Pushdown 65x12, 65x8rp2rp1
Rev. Ext 15x15, 15x12

Ended the week at 209 which is right on track. After 5 weeks I am down a total of 9lbs and still getting stronger. I am still 17, 19, and 23 weeks out from my respective shows. Supplementation will take a significant changes beginning after the first of the year.

Song of the Day

[Work-Hard]

Cardio only yesterday. Hams and Arms(hyper) on tap for today

Song of the Day

[Work-Hard]

12/7 Hams, Arms(hyper), Abs

SLDL 325x6, 325x4, 225x7

Gm's 225x8, 245x6 rp 245x6

GHR 10,10,8

Seated leg curls 70x8rp3rp2

Lying vertical leg curl 35x9rp3rp3



EZ curls 55x12x3 ss Bench Dip BWx15x3 / weighted v-ups 35x12x3



Preacher curl machine 45x12x3 ss Overhead DB Extention 65x12x3 / weighted crunches 30x12x3



Great workout. End of the workout was run in circuit fashion to get the heart rate elevated prior to cardio. Followed everything with 30 LISS on the Treadmill. Things in the midsection seems to be tightening up considereably this week and I'm expecting a dip in weight any day now.



Song of the Day

[Work-Hard]

Finished up this week strong. Hit a new low of 207 Sunday morning which puts total weight loss at 11lbs in 6 weeks, pretty darn good in my book. No more changes at this point.



Highlight from last weeks training.

Rack pull 405x10, 415x6 (increased reps and weight from start of prep.)



Updated Pics at 16, 18, 22 weeks out

[bwelch1985]

significant improvements in the midsection bro. keep on grinding!

[ehlisl]

Really tightening up Tim. Quads are going to be sick, they already are!

[Work-Hard]

Thanks for stopping in guys, I've really been pushing, getting in my cardio and hitting my numbers. I realize I still have a long ways to go but, I'm optimistic I'll be able to bring the conditioning I'm after in enough time. I'm going on 7 weeks in and haven't touched my Macro's yet, which is a huge positive in my book.

Cardio is still at 5days at 30 min LISS. I know most on these boards are opposed to fasted LISS, but I do it because A) I feel it works and B) I can do it before I leave for work so it doesn't take away from my time with my wife and kids.

Food choices have mainly been
Protein: chicken,96/4 ground beef, top round, tilapia, fat free cheese, egg whites
Fats: Olive oil, flax oil, nuts and nut butters
Carbs: Sweet potato, red potato, ezekial bread, whole grain flat bread, brown rice and oats.

When I feel like making something not in these food choices I do it. It helps me to feel more normal and breaks up the monotomy of dieting.

[Work-Hard]

significant improvements in the midsection bro. keep on grinding!

Thanks Britt. I always notice that my fat tends to break down in cycles. First it gets soft, then tightens up. It seems to be a two week cyclical process, and last week it seemed to tighten up tremendously

Really tightening up Tim. Quads are going to be sick, they already are!

Big LUKE! Thanks man. The quads are definitaley my strong point, but I sometimes wish the held the fat as instead of my torso, it makes the progress pics misleading. I did start to notice some striations in both quads yesterday, I'll post up some pics with better lighting.

[Work-Hard]

highlights so far this week.



Tuesday Hams/ Back(hyper)



RDL 315x10, 315x8, 225x15





Thursday Quads / Shoulders



Squat 315x10 385x3, 385x2, 315x6

Standing Mil Press 35's ps x 6rp2, 5rp2rp1 (Big PR)



Weight is holding steady at 207 this week and the changes aren't feeling like they have in the previous weeks. If weight isn't down tomorrow morning I will add two additional days of cardio (saturday and sunday) and see what happens.



Song of the day

[Work-Hard]

Finished off this week at 206, but didn't hit it till this morning (sunday). I usually hit my low by friday or saturday and then hold it for a couple days. I am going to add 30 mins of cardio to saturday and sunday and drop 5 grams of fat per day and see if things return to their normal pattern. If things drop too fast I'll add the fat back in.

My body seems to be burning through the carbs, so I dont really want to reduce them quite yet. It a nice change from the keto type diet I ran last season, an I feel I'm holding on to more muscle.

[Work-Hard]

Monday marked 14 weeks out from show number one. I am implementing GDA's and additional vitamin and mineral supplementation since my fats are low to support test levels, cortisol reduction and nutrient partitioning.



Caffeine and Green Tea Extract prior to fasted morning cardio



Multi Vitamin with meal 1



ALCAR / ALA / Biotin with meals 2&5 on training days and meals 1,3,5 on non training days



Vit-C with meals 2



Zinc, Vit-A, Vit B-6, Vit-D, Vit-C with meal 5 (last meal of the day) prior to bed



I have had a hard time nailing down any reliable information regarding the timing of these supplments, so I did alot of reading and designed this on my own. I'd more than appreciate and input.

[Work-Hard]

finished off last week at 205, but place my free meal in on Friday night instead of Sunday, so I may have been on track to get lower. Regardless, at 13 weeks out from my first show I feel I may need to catch up a little. I am going to be lowering my carbs by 20 a day. If weight drops too fast I will either pull back on cardio or add the carbs back in and see if things stabalize. Last weeks lifts went well.

Highlights
Deadlift 385x7, 385x5
Leg Press 10PPSx8, 10ppsx6 (alternated heavy leg press for squats since the lower back was pretty toasted from Deads)
Walking Lunges 85x12 steps, 85x10 steps
Bench was a little lighter this week, but I really focused on slow negatives and explosive positives. 225x8, 225x6....Followed by Inc DB Presses 100x8, 100x6

New Macros are:

240 Pro / 320 Carbs / 40 Fat

[TheNZWizard]

finished off last week at 205, but place my free meal in on Friday night instead of Sunday, so I may have been on track to get lower. Regardless, at 13 weeks out from my first show I feel I may need to catch up a little. I am going to be lowering my carbs by 20 a day. If weight drops too fast I will either pull back on cardio or add the carbs back in and see if things stabalize. Last weeks lifts went well.

Highlights
Deadlift 385x7, 385x5
Leg Press 10PPSx8, 10ppsx6 (alternated heavy leg press for squats since the lower back was pretty toasted from Deads)
Walking Lunges 85x12 steps, 85x10 steps
Bench was a little lighter this week, but I really focused on slow negatives and explosive positives. 225x8, 225x6....Followed by Inc DB Presses 100x8, 100x6

New Macros are:

240 Pro / 320 Carbs / 40 Fat

Looks to me like you are behind on the dieting. At 5'7 I cant see you on stage more than 160 being shredded so I would start lowering your carbs more than just 20 300/day at 13 is quite a lot and you are still having "free" meals something else I would drop.....

[Work-Hard]

Looks to me like you are behind on the dieting. At 5'7 I cant see you on stage more than 160 being shredded so I would start lowering your carbs more than just 20 300/day at 13 is quite a lot and you are still having "free" meals something else I would drop.....

Thanks for your concern, but, I'm not really in a big hurry. If I'm not ready for the first show I will wait. I am still losing 1-2lbs a week so I'm not gonna push things to fast and risk losing more muscle than i need to, or crashing my metabolism.

I honestly don't think I could get down to 160 without giving up alot of muscle. 176 (the top of middleweights) is my goal.

[Sean15782]

Thanks for your concern, but, I'm not really in a big hurry. If I'm not ready for the first show I will wait. I am still losing 1-2lbs a week so I'm not gonna push things to fast and risk losing more muscle than i need to, or crashing my metabolism.

I honestly don't think I could get down to 160 without giving up alot of muscle. 176 (the top of middleweights) is my goal.

What did you get down to last show? I think you're doing great! As long as the scale is moving, time is the only thing you need!

Your legs are going to be just disgusting, they pretty much look better than the last show already!

[Work-Hard]

Thanks Sean. I came down to 163 last time, and while I probably still had about 5lbs to go, I had only been training for a year and a half at that point. I have taken the last two years off and added a significant amount of mass to my legs and back.

[bwelch1985]

Looks to me like you are behind on the dieting. At 5'7 I cant see you on stage more than 160 being shredded so I would start lowering your carbs more than just 20 300/day at 13 is quite a lot and you are still having "free" meals something else I would drop.....

Thanks for your concern, but, I'm not really in a big hurry. If I'm not ready for the first show I will wait. I am still losing 1-2lbs a week so I'm not gonna push things to fast and risk losing more muscle than i need to, or crashing my metabolism.

I honestly don't think I could get down to 160 without giving up alot of muscle. 176 (the top of middleweights) is my goal.

I have to agree w/ NZWizard. Not to be negative in any way...but my honest assessment would be that 176 is a probably going to leave you w/ a good bit of fat still to move. I don't know about 160, but if you want to get truly "natural pro" shredded I do believe you'll be at least dropping into the high 160's...and honestly, it may be lower than that.

You've definately got the right mindset though...take it nice and slow...drop your 1-2lbs per week and let the chips fall where they may. There will be plenty of shows to do throughout 2011 so there's no need to get drastic w/ the macros.

Just keep grinding away like you've been doing! If you can get away w/ the free meals while still dropping weight then I see no reason to cut them out.

You're doing great in here bro! I just wanted to give my $.02 on the matter and encourage you not to focus on the scale, but rather aim for a look that wins shows...and that is SHREDDED!

[Work-Hard]

Been slacking on the log a bit lately. Finished up last week at -2lbs, putting me at 203. I hit my low Saturday so I removed cardio for the day and had my weekley free meal (large helping of pasta, bread and a couple meatballs). I estimate my free meal macros for the day to be about 200/500/40. Weighed in sunday morning following the free meal up 1lb.

Highlights for last week.

SLDL/RDL Hybrid 335x6, 335x5
Squat 405x3,405x1
BB Row 285x6, 285x5
DB Press 100x7, 100x5 (3 second negatives, explosive positives.)

Strength is holding strong. With the revised supplementation I feel like a million dollars. Better mood, elevated energy levels, and a elevated sex drive. I feel like I'm firing on sll cylinders.

I have some updated pics I will get on here tonight.

On a side note, I picked up a hand-me-down treadmill this weekend from my mother in-law, and it makes it so convenient having this at the house, espcially with the new wave if new years resolutioners expected to hit the gym this week.

Song of the day