4BC's Odyssey. MY Journey

[4backcracks]

I'm Chris and I'm logging my journey to an IFPA Pro Card.

I chose the title for very specific reasons. This is an odyssey. I don't know what type of training I'll use, what diet, my peaking protocols, or what shows I'll be doing. I have no doubt finding out the best methods for me will be a long and trying journey, but make no mistake it is MY journey. I love reading the stuff put out by guys like Layne, John Meadows, team 3DMJ, Alan Aragon, and other gurus of diet, training, and supplement, but at the end of the day the choices are mine and the journey is mine. That is why I love bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is my universe, the one area of my life where I am free to make any decision and follow any path I choose.


As of right now, the first two battles of the war are the Pine Tree State Championship, and the Spirit of America. Both are OCB shows, and they are 16 and 23 days away respectively. My journey begins in earnest with these shows, so I thought it would be fitting to make my public declaration of the beginning of my journey to the IFPA as I am planning for them.


Briefing on the current prep

As I said, I am currently 16 days out from my first show. I believe my weight to be around 173, and given that I am competing in a teen's and a men's novice U172 division, I feel pretty good about my weight. I regret that my macros haven't been quite as precise as they could have been. I am a college freshman, and despite my best efforts it is damn near impossibru to nail your macros every day when all of your food is coming from dining commons. While I am disappointed about this, I have taken away from this prep the fact that I have both the mental strength and a rough blueprint for future preps. I think both of these will be invaluable tools going forward, and I'm positively giddy at the prospect of doing an entire peak at my house where I can control my macros down to the last calorie.

I started with Layne Norton's PHAT split, but I have since added some flavor of my own to it. I decided to switch from 3 upper body and 2 lower body days to the other way around, making my split

1. lower strength
2. upper strength
3. cardio
4. quads hypertrophy
5. upper hypertrophy
6. hams hypertrophy
7. cardio

My daily workouts feature FST-7 style training, some of the techniques employed in Y3T, some of John Meadows' techniques, and some of the original PHAT work. i've found that leaning further towards the bodybuilding end of the spectrum as my diet has become more and more restricted has worked pretty well, and I actually believe I have made progress in my back, hams, and quads in the last month.

I think that working out daily in a deficit makes you a much more crafty lifter, and i deffinetely feel like I "know" my body much better than I did even as recently as 10-12 weeks ago. It forces you to adapt mentally and physically, and anything in your program that doesn't get you results quickly falls by the wayside. I can't wait to apply my knowledge going forward while eating at a surplus, I think I have a fantastic offseason ahead of me.

My diet is also based on layne norton's rec'd program. I found in this area I was less eager to tinker, since this is my first time using a pre-contest diet.

My macros right now are
~40 g fat
~150 g carbs
~200 g pro


I'll be posting a lot of pictures within the next couple of days, hopefully i'll get a few up tonight, and again in two days when I have a refeed.

[jpfaherty]

Get those pics up brah! I'll be seeing you at both shows. Should be a great time!

You decided to shoot for the U172 for novice men huh? That means you're on my turf haha jk, can't wait!

[4backcracks]

Get those pics up brah! I'll be seeing you at both shows. Should be a great time!

You decided to shoot for the U172 for novice men huh? That means you're on my turf haha jk, can't wait!

no kiddin! haha wow it didnt even occur to me from our PM's that we'd be in the same class, i just assumed from the get go id be in tall and you'd be in short. here's hoping I make weight, but like we talked about this is more about me bringing my best package and getting the best feedback so that I know what to work on going forward.


Here are a couple of my pics. unfortunately, given that nowhere in college do i have access to either a good camera or good lighting, all my pics are pretty much washed out. here are two i managed to salvage. I guess for now you'll have to take me at my word that I'm much leaner in real life, but in the meantime im down for a brutal critique. (note that the most muscular was in a carb depleted state and that the RLS was on a refeed)



tough to see, but my abs look better IRL




ill be taking more, much higher quality pics this weekend when im at home

[Pastier911]

Do you even lift? (SrS)

[SDube52]

Looking good dude, especially in the RLS shot. Keep at it man, I am looking forward to seeing your progress as you mature in your training.

[Cone1]

in brah

[4backcracks]

Do you even lift? (SrS)

not sure if UMiscer or a troll..

Looking good dude, especially in the RLS shot. Keep at it man, I am looking forward to seeing your progress as you mature in your training.

thanks bro, the support is always appreciated

[Pastier911]

not sure if UMiscer or a troll..



thanks bro, the support is always appreciated

good luck with your contest goals of 2012

[wheathins]

daaaaaaaaaamn brotha, macros seem kinda low with still 16 weeks to go, only 1760 calories?! Brutal! But if you can hack it, more power to ya, I'll be along for the ride - go get em!

[4backcracks]

daaaaaaaaaamn brotha, macros seem kinda low with still 16 weeks to go, only 1760 calories?! Brutal! But if you can hack it, more power to ya, I'll be along for the ride - go get em!

16 days! ha no theres no way I'd be able to survive like this if the end wasn't so clearly in sight. Everyday has just been zombie mode, it hasn't even been easy physically getting to my classes, much less pay attention when i get there.





Today was legs.

Smith Squats
2x8x225 Felt surprisingly heavy, esp considering I had been doing 275x3-5

Hack Machine
Carriage+ 140
3 sets wide flare
3 sets widowmakers
- these felt fantastic. great pumps throughout the quad but esp in the vastus medialis

leg extension
2x80x12 (30 sec rest)
Dropset 110x10 - 80x10 - 60x15

Leg curls
2x80x15 (with 10 partials at the end of each set)

SLDL
3x95x15
Just focusing on the squeeze, using it to practice my hamstring flexing.

back extensions
2x20




Felt like a pretty good workout considering how low my macros are, can't wait for my refeed and upper body day tmrw! I'm trying to get good pics tmrw also!

[DoomedByCurry]

bump

[UphillFitness]

Good luck with the rest of your prep. I considered doing the spirit of America so I'll be anxious to hear how it goes

[jpfaherty]

Good luck with the rest of your prep. I considered doing the spirit of America so I'll be anxious to hear how it goes

Where ya from brah? I'm doing SOA so just curious!

What's your plans for the season?

[UphillFitness]

Where ya from brah? I'm doing SOA so just curious!

What's your plans for the season?

Way up here in northern NY, picture the corner of the state next to Vermont and on the border of Canada... That's where you'll find me. I've got my first show coming up this weekend, the OCB empire state championships, and following that up with the NGA north American pro/am 6 weeks later.

How about you? Any others besides SOA?

[jpfaherty]

Way up here in northern NY, picture the corner of the state next to Vermont and on the border of Canada... That's where you'll find me. I've got my first show coming up this weekend, the OCB empire state championships, and following that up with the NGA north American pro/am 6 weeks later.

How about you? Any others besides SOA?

OCB Pine Tree State in Maine! Good luck man. Just saw your log, ill sub.

(sorry for thread hijack)

[4backcracks]

OCB Pine Tree State in Maine! Good luck man. Just saw your log, ill sub.

(sorry for thread hijack)

haha its straight.


uphill ill check out your log tonight man, avi looks sick.



today was hams and cardio

seated curls
2x15 (+10 partials on the last set)

lying leg curls
2x10-12

kai greene style SLDL (primary focus is on peak contractions, essentially just practicing flexing my hams with a 95 lb barbell)
3x15x95

RDL
- lookin to maintain some strength without burning out, so i tried to go relatively heavy
3x8-185


cardio
HIIT for just under 12 minutes on the bike> 150 calories ( 11:55 is my new PR for burning 150 cal)
HIIT rowing i think i did 5 min for 100 cal
100 calories from LISS

doin some LISS tonight, shootin for another 100 calories

[WoopItsKevin]

Good luck with the rest of your prep man I'll be following along to see the finished product!

A mutual friend of mine Luke Hall just did the OCB Uprising...He took 2nd in the open lightweights, anybody hear of him? Freakiest quad sweep in the game!

[UphillFitness]

A mutual friend of mine Luke Hall just did the OCB Uprising...He took 2nd in the open lightweights, anybody hear of him? Freakiest quad sweep in the game!

I saw the show, the guy who won open lightweights is a beast, Cory Lozier, and took 2nd overall to the lightweight winner.

[WoopItsKevin]

I saw the show, the guy who won open lightweights is a beast, Cory Lozier, and took 2nd overall to the lightweight winner.

I heard the overall winner was a freak, I'll have to try and get a hold of some pictures from the show.

[4backcracks]

Good luck with the rest of your prep man I'll be following along to see the finished product!

A mutual friend of mine Luke Hall just did the OCB Uprising...He took 2nd in the open lightweights, anybody hear of him? Freakiest quad sweep in the game!

thanks for the support bro.


decided to switch up my macros a little. i lost a little too much weight last week (2lbs) so i think im gonna bump my carbs back up to around 165, and keep my fat down between 30 and 35 grams per day. protein will remain the same.


today is just a cardio day. plannin to do 150 cal HIIT on the bike, 100 LISS, 100 rowing, and then probably 100 more HIIT on the bike.

[4backcracks]

really got after it with legs yesterday

squats
3x245x3
felt good. my max this offseason was 275x3 with a belt, and yesterday at 11 days out i hit this weighing about 172. feels pretty good.

hacks
carriage+140lbs
super wide stance
2x20
super narrow stance
2x20

leg extensions
FST-7 protocol
90x6

then did a dropset of 110x10 90x12 70x10 60x5
this was brutal, got a sweet pump. bishes all around me were bertstaring at my epic dropset and the epic facial expressions that went with it

leg curls
3x20x70

kai greene style flex RDLS
3x15x135

deadlifts
3x5x225<< felt like sht getting it off the ground since my quads were so fried.

RDL
1x5x225 << got a sick contraction and pump just from this set


felt good all around. stoked for my refeed today, im shootin for around 320 carbs, 180 pro, and just limiting fat to as low as possible

[4backcracks]

just finished my upper body workout

pullover-lat emphasis
2x12

pulldowns
3x15

DB rows
2x95x8 << thought it'd be lower, that's only 10lbs below my offseason DB row

flex wheeler pulldowns
1x60x8
1x50x12

seated rows
2x27.5x12 w/ 2 second pause
^ used the cambered grip bar for greater ROM, got a sweet pump in my low traps and lats

low row machine
1 arm at a time
2x120x12 w/2 second pause

shoulders

only lift i really cared about was OHP
got 3x95x10


chest

hit incline
3x65x8




will try to post refed pics tonight. im feelin fantastic going in to peak week. 10 days out mofos.

[UphillFitness]

Looking like some good workouts here. What's a flex wheeler pulldown?

[4backcracks]

Looking like some good workouts here. What's a flex wheeler pulldown?

you use a parallel grip on the lat pull down ( not the most common one, but the one where the handles are about 7-8 inches apart), you arch your back over the thing meant to hold your legs in, and you row down until your elbows are on the leg support thing. Let me see if i cant find a video....



uploading refed pics as well now..

[4backcracks]

refed picks. lets hear what you think! how is my conditioning for 10 days out? any clear weaknesses?

note that this was right after a tough legs day, which is why my hams dont show at all

[4backcracks]

[4backcracks]

tried cutting my fat down a little bit today, felt even more like a zombie than usual. off to do my 450 cal of HIIT, and i guess ill adjust based on how im looking tmrw morning

[SDube52]

Looking good overall man. It looks like your still holding some fat in the low back, glutes and hamstrings, but this could also be over emphasized a little bit because of fluid retention after a leg day. Your back overall is definitely your standout muscle group, it's looking great.

[4backcracks]

Looking good overall man. It looks like your still holding some fat in the low back, glutes and hamstrings, but this could also be over emphasized a little bit because of fluid retention after a leg day. Your back overall is definitely your standout muscle group, it's looking great.

yeah i think its a combination of the two, because i admit my hamstring and erectors are not my strong suits.


just finished my last true workout, i feel fantastic heading in to peak week.

[jpfaherty]

Glad to hear you're feeling fantastic man! You gettin excited or what? 1 more week until our first show!