Matt Jansen's 2011 contest prep

[Bmarchio]

good stuff bro, vlogs are great! Thanks for the shout-out on the grocery store convo, hahaha…

killin the squats man. Your face is looking LEAN too

[mattjansen]

Hit a new low today of ... 161.8!

Dropped a lb yesterday. My normal SFP 2.0 was pulled today and just had a 30 min miss session.

Refeed meals today.
Big bowl of blueberry vanilla oats
(by far my favorite carb especially when hungry. Mucho volume!)
Egg whites

M2:
Ground turkey, green pepper Italian seasoning sandwich with sweet potato. Guys trust me on this, sweet potato sandwiches are $$$.

M3:
Cream of rice another volume fav! I add this in with seasoning, hot sauce chicken and veggies. Made a partial sandwich out of this as well. Sandwiches FTW!

M4:
Same as meal 1 I'm a creature of habit!

[Bmarchio]

i had 3 samiches today during my refeed, samiches just never get old!

[NattyFLEX]

i had 3 samiches today during my refeed, samiches just never get old!

LOL its Sandwiches bro

[Bmarchio]

LOL its Sandwiches bro

Nope I eat samiches

[mattjansen]

Samiches are reserved for the ones found in the frozen section with ice cream between them...if its bread and its room temp or warm its a sandwich

[mattjansen]

Weight: 162.4 post refeed
Morning cardio. 1 hour treadmill 15 incline 3.3 speed (been favoring a lot of youtube vids and listening to past episodes of Natty bodybuilding radio to pass the time. Put a cosmo over the time so I dont stare at it every 5 seconds haha, head down, head phones in and go to work.

Performance has been good this week, I have been fighting something cold wise so today i tried to take a nap which like last year doesn't really happen at this point in my prep. For some reason I cant sleep before sessions, I guess my mind is already on the task at hand. Well I did manage to fall asleep for all of 5 minutes but it took me an eternity to wake up from it mentally. Had a good session today!


Rack Deads 1-2 in below kneee:
430x1 3 sets

Speed Deads
225x2 (8 sets)

Pull Throughs
4 sets 160-180

Sumo Hack
335x6 (2 sets)

Seated Ham curl really squeezed these out
130x10 (3 sets)

Calves HEAVY 3 sets on the hack with 365
Abs: machine crunch and knee roll outs

Occluded leg ext

DONE!

Looking forward to the weekend!

[mattjansen]

Woke up for my normal cardio routine this morning and shocked myself when I stepped on the scale. Weight has dropped from 162.4 post refeed on friday hit a new low yesterday of 160.8 and then this moring woke up at 158.4 so needless to say I went and watched sportscenter. If Jason decides cardio still needs to be done I will get after it later on. So this morning I basically hit a very flat competition weight from last year, lights might be a good possibility. Something That I originally was not going to shot for then went back and forth but realized I just wanted to come in my best wherever that may be.

[mattjansen]

One of those days

After Sundays low weigh in Jason told me to go get a Burger and Fry which at first I tried to fight and ask for a clean refeed but I was told that it was not negotiable haha. Just a mental thing this close, but I went to Longhorns had a Chedder burger and fries and enjoyed every last bite. Sunday was a complete day off as well but the weight drops along with being sick this past week has really caught up to me and I felt really really low probably the worst day of prep so far and I really besides a few moments have not even had bad hours of prep overall so no complaints. Sunday Jason added 30g of carbs to my macros on all days. Waitwhat? Never thought I would be the guy that got to eat into a show and continue to get better but it looks like that is where we are headed at least for the time being

New Macros:
Training Days 40/195/225
Off days: 40/155/225
Refeed: 30/270-300/225

Yesterdays workout seemed to go on the same trend as I was feeling sunday, extremely low energy and on top of that It was supposed to be a ME day but after my warm ups I new it would be in my best interest to deviate and go with a different approach for the day. I ended up shooting for 20 reps with 295 because of the Holiday I had no spot in the gym and I just wasnt feeling it so I had fun with the 295 and also used some other intensity techniques to still get the most out of my session on a day when I really wasnt feeling it.

squats
295x3/3/3/3/2/2/2/2

DE squats
205x2 (10 sets)

Pull Throughs
170x10-12 (4 sets)

Cluster set on Hacks
5x6 @ 225 with 30 sec rest between sets

Myo calves
3pps on leg press x 15,8,8,8,8

Hanging leg raises
3x15

Occluded leg ext
4x12 to finish it off

Moving on and forward. By far the toughest leg day of prep mentally I just felt like I had zero pop out of the bottom of my squat.

Today 2 days post burger weight: 159.0. This was the same as yesterday

[domingochavez]

What was the reasoning behind not being allowed a clean refeed? If that's what you wanted that's what you should of had! In the end it's all calories and macros, whatever makes you feel better mentally, so if having the burger / fries makes you feel bad then I would certainly be questioning it.

You have made some outstanding progress from when you started! When is your competition?

[adamrochester]

our deadlift form is very much the same same biomachanics bruh

3.5 weeks out yeah ?

ive had to drop out pre workouts as there band and last 2 workouts mang have been so rough doing squats with low body weight like you explained just then ^ feeling the same and no stims is death ! but keept on trucking bro !

[mattjansen]

Thank you man that means a lot. Actually after really processing what Jason said he was going for more of a higher fat meal as opposed to a higher carb refeed. I do agree with you that when it comes down to it a Kcal is a Kcal but he was going for something higher fat which would not have been accomplished by a refeed. It has seemed to work the drastic loss stopped and cardio has been tailored back, I feel that I am at a good spot for a little over 3 weeks out.

What was the reasoning behind not being allowed a clean refeed? If that's what you wanted that's what you should of had! In the end it's all calories and macros, whatever makes you feel better mentally, so if having the burger / fries makes you feel bad then I would certainly be questioning it.

You have made some outstanding progress from when you started! When is your competition?

[domingochavez]

Higher fat is definitely a lot more satisfying! Plus hormonally I guess it will make you feel better also. I've had my fats slightly dropped this week, but man I am noticing it, the hunger signals are through the roof!

[mattjansen]

Hit a new low today of 158.2! This was coming after we adjusted carbs on all days by 30g.

Jason adjusted again today adding another 20g to all days. Today is a refeed on 300g and cardio that was originally pulled last week from a hiit/miss session to just an hour miss was cut back to just 30 min miss for today. I killed it though, Kinda PR'd the session 3.6-3.8 speed 15 incline for the 30 min. Felt really good!

Macros are now:
Training: 225/215/40
off: 225/175/40
Refeed: 220/300/30

I am feeling really good. Increased energy in and out of the gym and hunger has also increased since Sundays cheat which I dont mind and feel its a good thing. I am now right at where I weighed in last year but still with 3 weeks to dial in a bigger and sharper package. Cant wait for Oct 1st!

[mattjansen]

Higher fat is definitely a lot more satisfying! Plus hormonally I guess it will make you feel better also. I've had my fats slightly dropped this week, but man I am noticing it, the hunger signals are through the roof!

I couldnt feel you any more bro, my hunger has gone through the roof since the cheat last week. Seems like it did it job!

[mattjansen]

Sorry about the Video beings sideways guys, I recorded it on my phone and got a call as soon as I started recording which shifting my screen. So just listen and do something else if you choose lol.



Just to give you guys an idea of what has happened this week, I sent pics to Jason after I recorded the video and I got another 20g of carbs added. I am continuing to lose weight and am not really filling out so food is still coming up.

Last sundays macros:
Training: 40/165/225
off: 40/125/225
Refeed: 30/250/220

Todays Macros:
Training: 40/255/225
Off: 40/215/225
Refeed: 30/340/220
Even with these changes its crazy for me to say but I really do feel more fatigued, actual training feels good but hunger has increased drastically. Before this week I was hungry and there were times that it was pretty intense but I dont rememeber having a pretty constant hunger like I do now. I have also woke up sweating in the middle of the night every day this week so my body is definitely going through some changes.

Training: I will be going into a sheiko 29 hybrid routine which I cannot wait to start tomorrow super pumped about that on a refeed none the less!

20 DAYS THILL SHOWTIME!

[mattjansen]

Hit a new low of 156.0 today following an off day and another 20g increase in carbs. Another 20 was added today and it's a refeed so I am hoping to soak them up. This is just crazy how my body is responding right now, I have woken up sweating almost every night this week.

Starting back with hybrid sheiko today.

Squats
200x5
240x5(2)
280x5(5)

Good mornings
5x5

MR calves
20-25 activation

Occluded leg extensions

[mattjansen]

Hit an all time prep low and the am so close to the overall goal of making it to the top of the light weight class today with 154.8!

Today is a refeed and one of my biggest since the first week of july: 30/400/220 Yum!

Ok...I have been struggling in my mind and going back and forth as to whether I even wanted to touch on this since this prep has been such a positive experience for me and I did not want this to be any excuse or negative but it is apart of my prep so ill share. Friday as I was on day two of my squat cycle for sheiko 29 on my second to last set of my heavy reps for the day I was standing up on my 3rd rep and felt and heard something pop on the lateral part of my knee. First thought was just to walk it off and continue squatting but my body said otherwise. The longer i waited and walked around after that set the harder and harder it became to walk. Well I was determined to still get something out of the workout so I finished that day with occlusion work on seated ham curls which I was able to do and finished off with occluded leg press. I also had 45 min of cardio to knock out and felt that I was only going to get worse so I got that out of the way as well on the spin bike since by this point I couldnt really walk it was more of a hobble and the treadmill just was not going to work. Saturday morning I woke up so stiff and swollen so I decided to go to the ER and get an X Ray with the hopes of them continuing and giving me an MRI being that I knew it was not bone related but that did not happen it was basically just an expensive X Ray visit. So again both saturday and sunday I knocked out my cardio on the bike and was able to get in a very productive upper session saturday as well doing everything seated and having my buddies hand me DB's. Today I went to the orthopedist and he has ruled it down to a possible acl but most likely a meniscus tear and sent me to get an MRI which I had this afternoon. I will get the results on wednesday and will proceed from there. I really feel at peace with this whole citiation and know that good will come of it. I am looking at all the positives that I can 1) being that I still will be able to compete and am going to bring the best matt to the stage that I can. Posing is a challenge but with a proper pump up I think i can get my knee warmed up enough where it will not be a huge issue. 2) I am very thankful that I chose to diet long and hard which means for me at this point I was basically ready and most of my cardio has been pulled so that has been a huge blessing being that getting around has been a bit of a challenge. I wanted to share because you all have been so supportive of me and wanted you to be apart of all of my prep. 12 days! till I hit the stage I am so excited and cannot wait to be there. Peak week is right around the corner and no matter the outcome I know that I have done everything to be the best I can be and with that I am 100% content!

This weekend being that leg training is now going to be completely different that it has been all year I took the time to contact Jeremy Loenneke one of the leading researchers in Occlusion training and helped me out with a program to be able to still train legs effectively with little to no stress on my knees. Today felt great, no pain and I had a crazy good and effective workout. Here is how it went.

Occluded leg press regular stance: 4 pps x 30,15,15,15

Seated leg curl (really focusing on MM connection) 125x3 (3 sets)
superset
Seated calf raise (the only type I can do now) 3 plates

Occluded leg press feet close: 4pps x 20 (4 sets)

Occluded lying leg curls partials: 85 lbs x 12 (4 sets)

That was it for the day.

I am a firm believer in that we will never be given anything that we cannot handle and this is another example of this. I could dewell on the negative but why? I am still able to do what I love and for that I am thankful!

[Webber91]

I am a firm believer in that we will never be given anything that we cannot handle and this is another example of this. I could dewell on the negative but why? I am still able to do what I love and for that I am thankful!

Heck yes bro, that's the attitude right there! Love it! Nearly there now, and I can tell you've definitely got no signs of ever slowing down. This will be a great year for you!

[wheathins]

sorry to hear about the injury, Matt... that's definitely unfortunate, but hearing that you're not letting this set back put you on your ass and that you're going to fight through and compete is pretty damn awesome. Shows your mental toughness as well as physical toughness. Like the late great Jimmy Valvano said 'Don't give up, don't ever give up.'

Being such a big sports fan I'm sure you know who that is

Keep it up, big guy!!!! Almost there!

[mattjansen]

It has been way too long since I have updated...Heard bad new about my knee, competed in Ohio at the NPC Natural Northern USA, heard even better News about my knee and am on the road to recovery now. Might be doing a few more shows

Instead of spending all day trying to catch you all up I though I would do a show recap in pics as well as commment on a few things. I ended up doing a one day load for the show that went really well I think if anything we learned to pull back on water a bit the day of but thats about it. Friday prior to the show I ended up loading on approx 80/850/250 which was not the original plan but in the morning it seemed the more I at the flatter I was getting so at that poing Jason decided to add in fats in the form of oil and it worked well. Day of pre judging I had two 100g carb pancake meals with 3tb of almond butter per meal as well as some rice cakes more AB and Reeses leading into Pre J. Had an absolute blast, took 3rd in juniors and 4th in the mens lightweight open (Oh yeah I made lights which was a story in and of itself. I stepped on the scale .8 over and the guys at weigh in told me to do all this crazy stuff to make weight saying that I deserved to make it since I was so close including run a mile, go sit in a heated car and all this other crazy stuff I was like brb I gotta go to the bathroom and sure enough that did the trick weighed in right at 154.25.)

What I learned is that i think my body really responds to consistency so Jason and I are going to take a much more predicatable approach this time to peak week, probably with less changes than last time although we hardly made any for the first show except for the last day. This time around I will probably hit a refeed the monday of peak week, then keep macros consistent just as the were any other week being a training or off day then refeed again friday and go into saturday continuing to eat.

I am going to keep you guys more updated from here on out because in this prep has gotten pretty crazy from a metabolic standpoint and I think you guys would find it quite interesting. I have also struggled a little bit with it because I know a lot of people do struggle with prep and I did at one time in this prep too but I have been very fortunate and am at some pretty high macros right now, actually close to what I was at during the peak of my off season.

But first here are some pics from my show Oct 1, 2011: In order these are Friday night. Saturday morning when I woke up, Saturday mid day and the night show, we uploaded pics to send to Jason the morning of the show and left the camera card in the computer so I do not have any to share from pre judging. Oh and one nudz (litterally) haha



Taken mid day saturday in between Pre J and Night show


Friday night after about 3/4 of my meals


Saturday morning after a meal

[mattjansen]

She looks way better than me IMO



And last but not least the $$$ shot (taken friday afternoon)

[Quelly]

sick conditioning!

[andyboi]

geez louise that is INSANE

[Frankdaddy]

Great job bro, sorry to hear about the injury and good news on the approach to recovery. I think your conditioning rocks, and color look good as well! You looked dry Friday night, legs looked a little flat that morning obviously, but they seemed to have tightened by final pics it seems. Hopefully you can get the leg injury solved some and maybe hit another show, because you seem to have a bit more drive to do even better than you have. Good luck bro!!

[adamrochester]

looking crazy man !

[mattjansen]

Lol at my picture being removed!

Ok so just a quick update on my diet and then we will be up to date and ready to roll. Basically as you guys know about 5.5 weeks ago my metab took a turn for the better after have a cheat meal of a burger and fries and since then it has been a crazy fun ride! I have been blessed for sure I am now in my 29th week of prep and getting stronger, sweat like crazy when I sleep and as far as my mental state I am enjoying every day, every workout and look forward to waking up everyday and the challenges that lie ahead!

Macros pre cheat
Training: 40/165/225
Off: 40/125/225
Refeed: 30/270/220

In between:
numerous macro changes that for a two week stretch were almost daily, cannot say enough about the close eye Jason has had on me in our effort to improve and bring our best

Show weekend where my calories were extremely high just with what was calculated it was probably about guesstimate 300/1600/350 between my load on friday night and through out the day on Saturday.

Post show Cheesecake Factory
-Omelet yeah i know but I walked by one and it looked awesome and after not having them in a while yolks sounded incredible to me
-mex rice
-loaf or two of bread
-slice of pizza
-oreo milkshake and a few bites of Reeses cheesecake

Sunday in the back of my mind with my pre op on Monday but my recovery going so well I had it in the back of my head to get back on my macros in hopes of hearing some good news the next day which did happen! So i hit my macros and managed to fit in Chipotle and by Monday it was full on back in prep mode after going to the Dr. I walked in expecting surgery on Friday of that week and being that It had been two weeks since the Dr had seen me he wanted a fresh x ray of my knee in preparation for surgery. What the X ray relieved is that a healing process had begun on its own and the fracture was back in place, truly a miracle so with that I immediately contacted Jason who told me to increase carbs and fats right off the bat knowing that my metabolism would be sped up because of the load over the weekend.

Monday: Weight has continued to drop even with the adjustments, I hit 150.8 on monday so I was told to go get a meal of whatever I wanted and EAT. Time was a bit of an issue and I actually contemplated skipping class so I could do it up but I refrained. After training on my way to class I got two chick fil a chicken sandwiches, large fry and a blizzard. I have not craved much this prep but that was something that I wanted and it hit the spot! Woke up Tuesday morning up 1.2.

Macros as of today:
Training Day: 90/415/265
Off day: 90/375/265
Refeed: 75/520/245

Feeling good. Really ready to show the improvements that the added cals have brought out in my physique. Weight is still below what it was at my last show but I feel that it has made a difference in my physique now its just a matter of coming in full enough for it to be seen. Ready and excited for the challenge as well as my upcoming shows!

[mattjansen]

Thanks everyone for the support really means a lot. I honestly missed being on here and the community of bodybuilders who just want you to succeed. The encouragement and constructive criticism is something that i think we all need and can grow from! My best is yet to come hope everyone is along for the ride!

[Bmarchio]

good work bro! keep pushing on

[andimoff80]

Matt, awesome write up and congrats on placing! Crazy amount of work you have done and hope you are enjoying yourself now! Good to hear that there is some progress on the leg issue as well!