No Fancy Titles: red_cat's 2013 Prep Log

[Ccm644]

Going well!

Dont stress about the cardio session, you did everything you could to get it in and you even dropped calories for it

Keep going at it

[red_cat]

3/24/13

Weight: 203.8 (NEW LOW!)

Back/Triceps

D-Ring Pulldown - 135x15; 140x15; 150x12
BB Row - 175x15; 185x15; 195x11+2
Straight Arm Pulldown - 100x15; 110x13, 12+2
HS Row - 135x15; 135/90/45x14/9/13
Decline Skull Crusher - 50x15; 60x15; 60x13
Rope Pushdown - 30x18; 40x12, 13
BFR Underhand Pushdown - 20x1 cluster

Thoughts: Happy to get the scale moving in the right direction again! I still think I'm on track for both shows. I'll be changing cardio a bit this week after listening to a whooooole bunch of podcasts on the drive out to Indiana and back. I'm going to try duplicating the wingate sprints Layne and Jake Wilson talked about on their last show with a spin cycle. Of course, I'll do a little less LISS before and after my sprints, since I'll be going all out. I'll also probably end up doing fewer sprints. To keep my total cardio time about the same, I'll add a little Step Mill time onto the end of my Delts/Traps/Calves day (since that's probably the least intense training day I have).

Going well!

Dont stress about the cardio session, you did everything you could to get it in and you even dropped calories for it

Keep going at it

Yeah, I went to sleep that night thinking about it. Posed after my workout the next morning and it's probably the best I've looked thus far. I ain't even mad.

[red_cat]

03/25/13

Weight: 203.2 (NEW LOW)

HIIT/Abs

8 Total Sets of Abs

5 min warm-up
"Wingates" x6 (5 sec @ lvl 10, 10 sec @ lvl 24-MAX)
=15 min total

Thoughts: ...and the cardio experiment begins......holy sh*t that was tough. I've listened to Layne and others say, "People feel sick after tese. Your lungs burn. Blahblahblahblah." but they weren't kidding!!!!! I went to the locker room afterwards and just laid down. Felt kinda dizzy getting home and in the shower at home. Yikes. On the plus side, my legs looked really full when I got done and my upper body was veining out...from lower body cardio. Sweet!!! Going to pose later tonight after I get home as I was not feeling it after my HIIT.

I added DAA back into my supplements today. I think this time around I might notice the effects just a bit more. In terms of other supplements, I recently ordered some HMB (found a great deal and jumped on it), still using a pre-workout (Animal Rage right now), taking fat burners before cardio (had some free ones laying around...may as well use them for them energy), and of course multivitamins and such (a little extra green tea added in this week). I think this is a pretty respectable stack and I can explain exactly why I take each of those supplements (unlike last time where I just kinda took stuff and hoped it worked).

[Crazyups]

03/25/13

Weight: 203.2 (NEW LOW)

HIIT/Abs

8 Total Sets of Abs

5 min warm-up
"Wingates" x6 (5 sec @ lvl 10, 10 sec @ lvl 24-MAX)
=15 min total

Thoughts: ...and the cardio experiment begins......holy sh*t that was tough. I've listened to Layne and others say, "People feel sick after tese. Your lungs burn. Blahblahblahblah." but they weren't kidding!!!!! I went to the locker room afterwards and just laid down. Felt kinda dizzy getting home and in the shower at home. Yikes. On the plus side, my legs looked really full when I got done and my upper body was veining out...from lower body cardio. Sweet!!! Going to pose later tonight after I get home as I was not feeling it after my HIIT.

I added DAA back into my supplements today. I think this time around I might notice the effects just a bit more. In terms of other supplements, I recently ordered some HMB (found a great deal and jumped on it), still using a pre-workout (Animal Rage right now), taking fat burners before cardio (had some free ones laying around...may as well use them for them energy), and of course multivitamins and such (a little extra green tea added in this week). I think this is a pretty respectable stack and I can explain exactly why I take each of those supplements (unlike last time where I just kinda took stuff and hoped it worked).

Wingates?? Please expound or link...BTW, your macros SUCK!!! LOL..amazing still that high!!

[red_cat]

03/28/13

Weight: 202.2 (NEW LOW)

HIIT/Abs

8 Total Sets of Abs

5 min warm-up
"Wingates" on Stationary Bike x6 (5 sec @ lvl 10, 10 sec @ lvl 24-MAX)
=15 min total

Thoughts: Another tough round of cardio, though not as bad as Monday was. I figured out a couple of adjustments that I needed to make to my riding position to get rid of my patellar tendonitis...seems to have worked. Tomorrow will be the real test there as I'll have a high rep leg day!

Wingates?? Please expound or link...BTW, your macros SUCK!!! LOL..amazing still that high!!

lulz I just realized that I've only dropped a total of 700 kcal through this entire prep. Kinda crazy when I think about it. I'm not really sure how much longer I'll be able to stay above 3,000 kcal. Probably gonna have to dip just under that number in the last 3-4 weeks of prep. We shall see!!

As for Wingates, I got the idea from Layne. It's all based off the Wingate Test for anaerobic power. Basically, you sprint the bike up to full speed (should take 1-3 seconds) and then increase the resistance significantly. This way you're getting incredibly fast speed AND heavy resistance at the same time. Right now I'm only doing about 15 second sprints, but you could go up to 30 for a serious challenge. It's by far one of the most challenging forms of HIIT I've done and helps me get in and out of the gym quicker in the morning since I can currently only do about 5 or 6 sprints.

Check this YouTube video (ignore the annoying cheering) and watch the little weight at the front of the cycle. That weight will only drop once you get to a certain rpm...I think 170. Then you keep going until failure and the test is over.

[Crazyups]

03/28/13

Weight: 202.2 (NEW LOW)

HIIT/Abs

8 Total Sets of Abs

5 min warm-up
"Wingates" on Stationary Bike x6 (5 sec @ lvl 10, 10 sec @ lvl 24-MAX)
=15 min total

Thoughts: Another tough round of cardio, though not as bad as Monday was. I figured out a couple of adjustments that I needed to make to my riding position to get rid of my patellar tendonitis...seems to have worked. Tomorrow will be the real test there as I'll have a high rep leg day!



lulz I just realized that I've only dropped a total of 700 kcal through this entire prep. Kinda crazy when I think about it. I'm not really sure how much longer I'll be able to stay above 3,000 kcal. Probably gonna have to dip just under that number in the last 3-4 weeks of prep. We shall see!!

As for Wingates, I got the idea from Layne. It's all based off the Wingate Test for anaerobic power. Basically, you sprint the bike up to full speed (should take 1-3 seconds) and then increase the resistance significantly. This way you're getting incredibly fast speed AND heavy resistance at the same time. Right now I'm only doing about 15 second sprints, but you could go up to 30 for a serious challenge. It's by far one of the most challenging forms of HIIT I've done and helps me get in and out of the gym quicker in the morning since I can currently only do about 5 or 6 sprints.

Check this YouTube video (ignore the annoying cheering) and watch the little weight at the front of the cycle. That weight will only drop once you get to a certain rpm...I think 170. Then you keep going until failure and the test is over.

OK...then it's essentially what I've been doin' (I do 30 mins of HIIT, 5 30 second sprints on the stationary bike), great pump for legs. You may wanna' peep this out as it's really dialed in my legs/glutes this far out...but, again, I usually do 30 mins HIIT. Now, to preface, I realize that when you crank the stairmaster up to 20..it's not really "all out". However, when you do 10 30 second sprints with 1:30 rest b/w...it's a helluva grind and havoc on your legs!! Great work thus far....200 is right round the corner!!

[red_cat]

3/29/13

Weight: 202.4

Legs

Leg Press - 500x20; 540x20; 630x16
Single Leg Squat - 30x20; 35x20
Reverse Hack Squat - 100x20; 115x17; 125x16
Seated Leg Curl - 120x20, 120x17/DROP/80x8
Extension/Lying Leg Curl - 90/70x20/20; 95/75x18/18
Extensions - 100/70x15/8


Thoughts: GREAT leg day. I'm one of the sadists who truly enjoys every bit of pain from a really tough leg day.

I'm starting to get in my own head about my conditioning. I've got hams from the back, glutes from the side, Xmas tree is pretty much in...but there's just some pesky ab fat hanging on. I know that isn't a huge deal and I know that is the last place for me to lose fat, but I'm getting to that lovely point we all get to when we start second guessing whether or not we'll be ready and want to push it to extremes, cut calories, add tons of cardio, etc. I'm 7 weeks out from show #1 and 9 weeks out from my first pro-qualifier. Everything will be fine. I'm still losing weight (just had to move another notch on my belt this morning) and my lifts are still going up. I already look bigger and leaner than I did last time and I'm at the exact same weight this far out from my shows.

OK...then it's essentially what I've been doin' (I do 30 mins of HIIT, 5 30 second sprints on the stationary bike), great pump for legs. You may wanna' peep this out as it's really dialed in my legs/glutes this far out...but, again, I usually do 30 mins HIIT. Now, to preface, I realize that when you crank the stairmaster up to 20..it's not really "all out". However, when you do 10 30 second sprints with 1:30 rest b/w...it's a helluva grind and havoc on your legs!! Great work thus far....200 is right round the corner!!

It sounds like the only difference between us right now is that you're doing more steady state before and after your intervals on the stationary bike. I'll probably do a little extra before my intervals next week...just to start ramping things up a little for the home stretch.

[Ccm644]

. I'm still losing weight (just had to move another notch on my belt this morning) and my lifts are still going up. I already look bigger and leaner than I did last time and I'm at the exact same weight this far out from my shows.

Doing great in here

That is great news

That bike looks good, we only have normal bikes or a spinning bike in the gym

Hand games about fat etc... im getting that but you know what your doing and will come in great

[red_cat]

This morning was exactly what I needed to see. Here are the exact numbers and measurements from today and from 7 weeks out two years ago (I know the BF % is very generous...I'm not at or under 6% right now, but it's a consistent way to track my progress year to year).

4/23/2011 - 202.2#, 8.66% = 184.6 LBM, 17.5 Fat; Caliper Measurements: Superilliac - 7; Chest - 5; Abs - 16; Thigh - 10

3/30/2013 - 202.2#, 5.84% = 190.3 LBM, 11.8 Fat; Caliper Maasurements: Superilliac - 5; Chest - 3; Abs - 9; Thigh - 8

Doing great in here

That is great news

That bike looks good, we only have normal bikes or a spinning bike in the gym

Hand games about fat etc... im getting that but you know what your doing and will come in great

Thanks for the encouragement and positive words, man! Yeah, we only have spin bikes as well, but those work damn well for this purpose. I'd be interested to compare them to an actual Wingate bike.

[Trapzillaoo7]

Doing great Wade, can't wait to see you at a few shows this Season!

[red_cat]

3/30/13

Weight: 202.2 (Equals Prep Low)

Back/Triceps

(I'm still tracking weights on paper, but this is the important info and show my progress a little better...weights are somewhat irrelevant at this point)
Reverse Close Grip Pulldown +Reps
Low Cable Row +Weight
Incline DB Row -Reps
Keiser Pulldown Same
V Bar Pushdown +Reps and Weight
Dip Machine -Reps
Double Reverse Pushdown +Reps and Weight


Thoughts: Just keep on truckin! Sent in my entry forms today. I wanted to wait until I got under 8 weeks for the first show to assess where I was and whether or not I thought I could bring a better package to the stage than my previous showing. Needless to say, I feel good enough about where I'm at (especially good on refeed days and the day after ) to oficially put my name in the hat.

Posing practice in a different lighting/location. Feeling pretty good in general. My transitions are solid. Legs were a little difficult to contract today as I had some pretty sweet DOMS this morning. Pretty psyched about the Xmas tree.

Doing great Wade, can't wait to see you at a few shows this Season!

Thanks, Brian! Good to see you back on the boards. Will you be down for the Southern States in KC?

[adknows]

What is your training split now? How many days of cardio (HIIT/LISS)? I'm trying to find the right balance for my cardio. But the fact that I walk to/from the gym ~1mile is kinda throwing off my calculations lol

[red_cat]

Sorry for the lack of updates. Conducting a major concert this weekend, playing on two recitals, my teaching load right now, and prepping for my own lecture recital has taken the front seat. Hopefully I'll be able to sit down in the next day or two and give a good update. I've been hitting everything perfectly and, though the scale hasn't moved a ton this week, I'm seeing the progress in the mirror. I'm going to alter my training a bit from here on out because of an experience I had on my last leg day.

What is your training split now? How many days of cardio (HIIT/LISS)? I'm trying to find the right balance for my cardio. But the fact that I walk to/from the gym ~1mile is kinda throwing off my calculations lol

Cardio right now is 2 HIIT sessions per week (5 min warm up and 5 or 6 all out intervals (~:15 sec sprint an 1:45 rest) and 15 minutes of LISS on the Step Mill tacked on at the end of Delts/Claves since I don't burn as many calories during that workout. I don't really take the every day activities (for me, playing saxophone, walking around a lot, conducting a band, etc) into account. I just started out with very minimal cardio and adjusted from there as I needed to.

Training split is 5 days/week, but I rotate four workouts, so I end up working everything once every 5-6 days. Volume changes a bit each time I go in. I really like the frequency that I'm hitting everything at right now, but I miss the heavy days of PHAT training...I've got something brewing right now that should fix that. More on that tomorrow/this weekend.

[adknows]

Sorry for the lack of updates. Conducting a major concert this weekend, playing on two recitals, my teaching load right now, and prepping for my own lecture recital has taken the front seat. Hopefully I'll be able to sit down in the next day or two and give a good update. I've been hitting everything perfectly and, though the scale hasn't moved a ton this week, I'm seeing the progress in the mirror. I'm going to alter my training a bit from here on out because of an experience I had on my last leg day.



Cardio right now is 2 HIIT sessions per week (5 min warm up and 5 or 6 all out intervals (~:15 sec sprint an 1:45 rest) and 15 minutes of LISS on the Step Mill tacked on at the end of Delts/Claves since I don't burn as many calories during that workout. I don't really take the every day activities (for me, playing saxophone, walking around a lot, conducting a band, etc) into account. I just started out with very minimal cardio and adjusted from there as I needed to.

Training split is 5 days/week, but I rotate four workouts, so I end up working everything once every 5-6 days. Volume changes a bit each time I go in. I really like the frequency that I'm hitting everything at right now, but I miss the heavy days of PHAT training...I've got something brewing right now that should fix that. More on that tomorrow/this weekend.

Cool can't wait to see what changes you're making. I actually added that walk from gym as a way to get in ~20 min of LISS without further disrupting my work day. My goal in this process has been to get an equal mix of efficiency/effectiveness. Although I fear I may have hit a plateau but I'm not sure. The scale is no longer moving but I feel like I'm getting leaner. I don't think I should be worried but its psychological warfare between my brain and my body at this point. Scale doesn't even go up the morning after my refeed days now. I'm not sure if that means I should be eating more. Do you just get to a point where the weight really doesn't matter?

[red_cat]

Cool can't wait to see what changes you're making. I actually added that walk from gym as a way to get in ~20 min of LISS without further disrupting my work day. My goal in this process has been to get an equal mix of efficiency/effectiveness. Although I fear I may have hit a plateau but I'm not sure. The scale is no longer moving but I feel like I'm getting leaner. I don't think I should be worried but its psychological warfare between my brain and my body at this point. Scale doesn't even go up the morning after my refeed days now. I'm not sure if that means I should be eating more. Do you just get to a point where the weight really doesn't matter?

I think that point is right about now for me. I mean, I still want to see progress on the scale here and there and I'm still looking for a generally downward trend, but I frankly don't care what I end up weighing. That was a different story for the first 15 or 16 weeks of prep, though. If I'm improving in the mirror, that's the main thing now. I do pay close attention to my caliper measurements every week and if those aren't moving down then I start to wonder if I should adjust something. Still, the mirror is the biggest indicator of progress for me at this point.

Incidentally, the scale has only gone up after a refeed once or twice over the past 16 weeks. It generally goes down just a bit or stays the same.

[adknows]

Incidentally, the scale has only gone up after a refeed once or twice over the past 16 weeks. It generally goes down just a bit or stays the same.[/QUOTE]

For me the day after it would go up a pound or two, then drop to lower than pre-refeed day after 48hrs. Now its just stays the same pre/post refeed and generally whatever else I do lol. But I have been at this for nearly 20 weeks. First time around for me so I have no clue what normal is and nothing to compare it to.

[Ccm644]

Sorry for the lack of updates. Conducting a major concert this weekend, playing on two recitals, my teaching load right now, and prepping for my own lecture recital has taken the front seat. Hopefully I'll be able to sit down in the next day or two and give a good update. I've been hitting everything perfectly and, though the scale hasn't moved a ton this week, I'm seeing the progress in the mirror. I'm going to alter my training a bit from here on out because of an experience I had on my last leg day.
.

Hope the concert goes well!
Good that prep is still going great

Hope you enjoy the altered training

I think that point is right about now for me. I mean, I still want to see progress on the scale here and there and I'm still looking for a generally downward trend, but I frankly don't care what I end up weighing. That was a different story for the first 15 or 16 weeks of prep, though. If I'm improving in the mirror, that's the main thing now. I do pay close attention to my caliper measurements every week and if those aren't moving down then I start to wonder if I should adjust something. Still, the mirror is the biggest indicator of progress for me at this point.

Incidentally, the scale has only gone up after a refeed once or twice over the past 16 weeks. It generally goes down just a bit or stays the same.

You certainly know what works for you and your body
Doing a great job

[red_cat]

04/05/13

Weight: 200.8 (NEW LOW!)

Back/Triceps: Round 1

Deadlift - 250x5, 5; 290x3, 3; 325x1, 6 (New Working 1RM =
Pullups - BWx10, 8, 7 1/2
Underhand BB Row - 155x12; 165x11; 170x11
D Ring Pulldown - 92x12; 105x8, 8
Close Grip Bench - 125x12; 135x10; 145x10, 10
Rope Pushdown - 35x12; 45x10; 50x8, 8

Thoughts: Today was my first time deadlifting in quite awhile...felt good to get back into that.

So I had a really depressing leg day on Wednesday. I went for 275 and only got it 3 times. Now, granted, I'm deep into prep and my lifts will suffer a bit...but I miss throwing some heavy weight around for low reps. So, I'm taking what I like about the 5-6 day frequency and alternating weeks of volume that I'm doing right now and combining that with some power lifting movements. It's kind of a Y3T/PHAT hybrid and looks something like this:

Round 1
Power Movements - 1-5 Rep Range
Accessory Movements - 8-12 Rep Range

Round 2
Power Movements - Band/Chain/Speed Work
Accessory Movements -15-20 Rep Range

Training Split: 5 days a week rotating these days
Delts/Traps/Calves (OHP)
Quads/Hams (Squats)
Chest/Biceps (Bench)
Back/Triceps (Deads)

I think this is going to work well going into the last phase of prep. I don't expect to put up huge numbers, but I think that I could make a little progress given that I've taken several weeks off from big weights and low reps. We shall see!

[red_cat]

4/6/13

Weight: 201

Delts/Traps/Calves

OHP - 100x5, 5; 115x3, 3; 135x1, 4
Side DB Raise - 30x13, 35x10 1/2, 10 1/2
Plate Front Raise - 45x10, 12, 10
Seated Bent Laterals - 20x15; 25x12
DB Shrug - 75x14; 80x12; 85x12, 12
HS Seated Calf - 140x15, 12, 12
Sh*t Squat Calf Raise - 45x17, 18

+15 min of StepMill (Lvl 7 Unassisted)

Thoughts: 6/8 weeks out and still feeling good. Still busy. Turning it up just a bit with cardio. I think I can handle it, and an extra 5 minutes isn't like an extra 30 minutes. I'm happy with where I'm at, but feel like I can start to really go after it now. I know parts of me are better than last time around, but I also know I've still got some work to do.

[DiamondMaker]

Just got caught up today with this log, things looking good my man - you got some wide ass clavicles, should help you a ton on stage.
I recently switched over to windgate style sprints after hearing that same radio epsiode. The way I've been doing them though is 30seconds at level 5 (which is very easy) at basically an all out sprint pace, and then crank it up to maxium (level 25) for 15 seconds. It then takes me roughly 2-3minutes to get my wind back for another.
Previous to this I was doing 30second all-out sprints with 3:30 min rest between - which are imo much harder, so I'll probably go back to those.

[red_cat]

Just got caught up today with this log, things looking good my man - you got some wide ass clavicles, should help you a ton on stage.
I recently switched over to windgate style sprints after hearing that same radio epsiode. The way I've been doing them though is 30seconds at level 5 (which is very easy) at basically an all out sprint pace, and then crank it up to maxium (level 25) for 15 seconds. It then takes me roughly 2-3minutes to get my wind back for another.
Previous to this I was doing 30second all-out sprints with 3:30 min rest between - which are imo much harder, so I'll probably go back to those.

This week I'm going to try for 20-25 second sprints...see what I can get! This past week I was doing 3 second at lvl 8 and 12-13 seconds at lvl 23-24. Some of the hardest cardio ever, but boy is it effective!!

It's nice to hear someone say I have wide anything! I always think of myself as kind of narrow...but I'm also pretty hard on myself.

[red_cat]

04/07/13

Weight: 199.8 (NEW LOW & 1st time under 200 this prep)

Chest/Biceps: Round 1

BB Bench - 175x5, 5; 200x3, 3; 225x1, 3 (New Working 1RM = 255)
Incline DB - 75x12; 80x10, 9
Bodyweight Dips - 9, 8
Cable X - 50x12; 60x12, 10
DB Curl - 40x12; 45x10, 8
EZ Cable Curl - 100x13; 110x10, 10
Cross Body Cable Curl - 40x12, 12

1 hour later: Hill Sprints
5 warm-up
10 all out (maybe 8-10 seconds each going up)
2 min rest
4 all out
3 min rest
4 all out


Thoughts: Really enjoying this new split. Workouts are still manageable time-wise and it's definitely a little more my style when I get into the weight room. I'm purposely starting a little light on the weight just to get back in the swing of things and really focus on some imbalances in my form.

Cardio today was completely spontaneous. My friend Jeff texted and asked if I wanted to do some sprints and I thought, "I'm inside 6 weeks...might as well go outside my comfort zone." Ended up being me, Jeff, and our friend Jill. Had a blast and it absolutely kicked my ass. I think I'm going to keep the extra cardio in my routine now on the weekends...Saturday or Sunday depending on if I have a leg day planned. HIIT has been working VERY well the past several weeks, I'm still within a very reasonable amount of cardio, and I feel like my body can handle just a little bit more.

Adjusted my diet to include some sweet potatoes...same macros...just had a craving.

[red_cat]

04/10/13

Weight: 198.6 (NEW LOW! Where did THAT come from!?!)

Back/Triceps: Round 2

Deficit Deads (Standing on two 45's)
Wide Grip Pulldowns 2 sets
Seated Rope Row 3 sets
HS Pulldown 3 sets
Dip Machine 3 sets
Underhand Pushdown 3 sets
BFR Rope Pushdown - 20x30, 15, 12 10


Thoughts: Very solid day at the gym. My sessions are getting a bit more difficult as the weeks wear on, but I'm still trying to get as much volume in as I can. I push as much weight as I can and give it everything I have...pretty much all I can do right now.

Weight drop kinda freaked me out this morning. Came out of nowhere, though I wasn't feeling great last night and that may have had something to do with it. I've been thinking about increasing refeed frequency, so I'm giving it a shot today. Instead of 6 low-1 high I'm going to try 4-5 low (depending on cardio)-1 high and see how it goes. I think I'm getting lean enough and am pushing hard enough in my weight/cardio sessions that another refeed won't hurt anything and could actually help give me just a little boost.

And, finally, a shot of my legs from last night...because I can.

[red_cat]

4/13/13

Weight: 200.0

Legs


Full Pause Box Squats - 4 sets
Hack Squats - 3 sets
Split Squats - 2 sets
Glute/Ham Raises - 4 sets
Standing Leg Curl - 3 sets
BFR Extensions - 1 cluster


Thoughts: I just keep on killin it. Weight hasn't changed much, though it is down a pound from this same time last week. Body fat measurements HAVE dropped, though, so I'm doing something right.

Took video last night. This was about 5 hours after sweet potatoes/chicken/whey shake and about an hour after nuts/chicken/spinach/olive oil/vinegar.


Compared to 5 weeks out last prep:

[Crazyups]

great work dude...forgive my oversight, but how many weeks out now??

[red_cat]

great work dude...forgive my oversight, but how many weeks out now??

Thanks, bud! 5 weeks from Omaha and 7 weeks from Des Moines. Definitely excited about how things seem to be starting to come together!

[DiamondMaker]

Huge improvements everywhere man. I like the way you're hitting your lat spread but I think you could improve a little bit on the side relaxed shots. Try not bending your wrists, that might be what it is ( im a bit ocd about posing).

[red_cat]

Huge improvements everywhere man. I like the way you're hitting your lat spread but I think you could improve a little bit on the side relaxed shots. Try not bending your wrists, that might be what it is ( im a bit ocd about posing).

Thanks, bud! On my FLS I'm still doing some weeeeeird things with my shoulders, but once I get that sorted out I think I'll be good. I've definitely learned what it feels like to flare my lats.

I'll try out your advice on the side relaxed as I think you're right. My main concern in those shots is I get worried about looking thin and end up looking too compact/covering up abs and glutes.

[red_cat]

4/14/13

Weight: 199.8

Delts/Traps/Calves: Round 2


DB Press (Full Range + Pause at Bottom) - 4 sets
Seated Side Raise - 3 sets
LF OHP Machine - 3 sets
Reverse Pec Dec - 2 sets
Smith Machine Upright Row - 3 sets

Hill Sprint HIIT
3-4 min warm-up (5 hills 12-3/4 speed)

5 Hills Full Speed
1 min rest
Repeat
Repeat
Total Time for HIIT: ~15 min


Thoughts: Felt really good doing delts. They're definitely a body part that I need to work on symmetry with, so I'm trying to take the lighter weight/stricter form approach.

Cardio was a little rough as I tweaked my left glute yesterday doing legs. Endurance-wise I probably could have done another round (barely), but I didn't want to aggravate that tweak too much. Been trying to ice and elevate as much as I can and it helped quite a bit last night. Gotta push the cardio these last few weeks, though...hopefully it doesn't turn into a nagging injury.

[JustBulk]

Nice lat spread, looks pretty wide.

All the best and good luck for your contest!