It has been 4 weeks since the New England’s and 2 weeks since the Northern USA.
For the New England’s I weighed in at 197.7 but was too flat and small. I need to be bigger and fuller on stage. So I started eating more carbohydrates and for the Northern USA (2 weeks later) I weighed in at 207.6. I was 10 pounds heavier and just as tight, but this time I was bigger and fuller and I still felt I could have even been bigger and fuller, but I was very happy and in the best shape so far for me.
So it’s all about growing right now and we all know you need to eat to grow, in fact, the more you eat, the more you grow, it’s just the way it is. But it’s all about what you eat that really makes a difference.
Seeing that 1 gram of fat is 9 calories and 1 gram of a carbohydrate or protein is only 4 calories, you need to just about eat double the amount of food to get the same calories in carbohydrates and protein that you get with fats
I have been eating anywhere from 3500 to 5000 calories a day (700-1000 every 3 hours) and by not eating fats, I need to eat tons of food, it’s like having another job…
This whole week I’ve been waking up weighing 215, I did manage to get to 217.6 for a few days but I leveled off back to 215. And because of Thanksgiving I was able to gets some fats in and it felt funny getting filled up on such a little amount of food by comparison.
On Thanksgiving (and the last few days since) because I took in a large amount of calories without stuffing my stomach as I normally do with non-fat foods, I was able to really increase my calories. I just kept eating until I got that full stomach feeling that I normally do.
I woke up yesterday and 217 and today at 218.6, the heaviest so far and I’m just as lean, which tells me I could have been even bigger for the stage… but lets not worry about that
Here is a breakdown of what I’m eating
Weight gainer drink when I wake up and before bed
1 pound of pasta
Carbo force (400 calories/100 carbs) a pre-workout drink
2 cans of tuna
10-12oz chicken
1 to 2 cups of rice
3 protein drinks
This is my second job and although I don’t get money, it does pay!
I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving weekend
Time for a protein drink
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
The more you eat, the bigger you get
6:30am weigh-in 215
For the second day in a row, I’ve weighed this. I am still so lean and I can’t be more then 6% body fat. This is the heaviest I have been with my abdominals still showing, I have most defiantly grown from competing 3 times this year.
My plan is to see how big I can get without changing my waistline, so I won’t have to buy new work pants.
To build muscle as fast as possible, it’s all about pounding down the calories (carbohydrates and protein), so that your body has enough to grow as fast as it can, but also eat clean fat free foods, so you don’t get fat fast too.
If by over eating my “clean foods” and they turn to fat, because I don’t use them, this is a good thing. For one, it ensures I’m getting enough caloric intake to grow and two, my body needs some fat, let it makes it’s own, I don’t need to give it fat.
Besides, I’d like to see this food turn into fat, because the more I eat the harder I train. Eating more allows you to train harder, training harder burns more food.
So all this week, I’ve been eating somewhere between 3500 to 5000 calories a day, having 5 meals, ranging from 700 to 1000 calories every 3 hours.
Now there is one thing to eat that many calories with a high fat content, but it’s a totally different story eating all those calories with low to no-fat, fat having 9 calories per gram and carbs and protein only 4, It requires you to eat almost double the amount food.
So on Monday I decided to have a Weight Gainer drink that has 1840 calories to one serving and only 2/5 grams of fat, not bad! (3 rounded scoops 24 oz water)
Well after drinking all those calories at 7am before work, all I wanted to do was sleep. It completely wiped me out and ruined my appetite for the whole day, but I did manage to force myself to eat every 3 hours (after waking up from my naps) :-)
At first I was going to have this drink every 3rd day, seeing you only get 5 servings in the 5 pound tub it comes in. I figured if I have it every 3 days, it will last me for 15 days.
But seeing what ingesting 1840 calories at one sitting did to me, I thought it might be best to have 1 scoop every day instead.
Now taking the serving size and dividing it by a 1/3 has the protein coming up short at around 16 grams, so I added a scoop of whey into the mix, just to get it close to 50 grams of protein, which is what you want to take in ever 2-4 hours because protein builds muscle.
Other then drinking to increase my calories, the only other food for me that I’m able to eat a large amount of is pasta, for some reason I can pound down the pasta, warm or cold, with nothing on it. I can put away a pound like it was nothing and that is 1680 clean calories and one of the best carbohydrate energy sources. So every morning I’m boiling up a pound of pasta and taking it to work
So far so good, I’m having fantastic results, I’m growing like a weed, and my energy is through the roof, I feel like a friggin machine in the gym, strong, thick and huge and for the most part injury free…
The weights are going up too with my body weight increasing, this is how it’s suppose to work, there is no magic, just stick to the plan
The more you eat, the bigger you get, the bigger you get, the more you weigh, the more you weigh, the more you can lift, the more you can lift, the bigger you will get, but this all has to start somewhere and that somewhere is what and how much you eat.
Time for a protein drink
For the second day in a row, I’ve weighed this. I am still so lean and I can’t be more then 6% body fat. This is the heaviest I have been with my abdominals still showing, I have most defiantly grown from competing 3 times this year.
My plan is to see how big I can get without changing my waistline, so I won’t have to buy new work pants.
To build muscle as fast as possible, it’s all about pounding down the calories (carbohydrates and protein), so that your body has enough to grow as fast as it can, but also eat clean fat free foods, so you don’t get fat fast too.
If by over eating my “clean foods” and they turn to fat, because I don’t use them, this is a good thing. For one, it ensures I’m getting enough caloric intake to grow and two, my body needs some fat, let it makes it’s own, I don’t need to give it fat.
Besides, I’d like to see this food turn into fat, because the more I eat the harder I train. Eating more allows you to train harder, training harder burns more food.
So all this week, I’ve been eating somewhere between 3500 to 5000 calories a day, having 5 meals, ranging from 700 to 1000 calories every 3 hours.
Now there is one thing to eat that many calories with a high fat content, but it’s a totally different story eating all those calories with low to no-fat, fat having 9 calories per gram and carbs and protein only 4, It requires you to eat almost double the amount food.
So on Monday I decided to have a Weight Gainer drink that has 1840 calories to one serving and only 2/5 grams of fat, not bad! (3 rounded scoops 24 oz water)
Well after drinking all those calories at 7am before work, all I wanted to do was sleep. It completely wiped me out and ruined my appetite for the whole day, but I did manage to force myself to eat every 3 hours (after waking up from my naps) :-)
At first I was going to have this drink every 3rd day, seeing you only get 5 servings in the 5 pound tub it comes in. I figured if I have it every 3 days, it will last me for 15 days.
But seeing what ingesting 1840 calories at one sitting did to me, I thought it might be best to have 1 scoop every day instead.
Now taking the serving size and dividing it by a 1/3 has the protein coming up short at around 16 grams, so I added a scoop of whey into the mix, just to get it close to 50 grams of protein, which is what you want to take in ever 2-4 hours because protein builds muscle.
Other then drinking to increase my calories, the only other food for me that I’m able to eat a large amount of is pasta, for some reason I can pound down the pasta, warm or cold, with nothing on it. I can put away a pound like it was nothing and that is 1680 clean calories and one of the best carbohydrate energy sources. So every morning I’m boiling up a pound of pasta and taking it to work
So far so good, I’m having fantastic results, I’m growing like a weed, and my energy is through the roof, I feel like a friggin machine in the gym, strong, thick and huge and for the most part injury free…
The weights are going up too with my body weight increasing, this is how it’s suppose to work, there is no magic, just stick to the plan
The more you eat, the bigger you get, the bigger you get, the more you weigh, the more you weigh, the more you can lift, the more you can lift, the bigger you will get, but this all has to start somewhere and that somewhere is what and how much you eat.
Time for a protein drink
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Back to the drawing board
6:30am weigh-in 212.4
Dead-lifts are a basic compound movement that is a must if you want to build a thick body from your legs to your neck. Dead lifts work your whole body.
Dead-lifts will build thick legs, they work your hamstrings and ass muscles like no other (next to squats) and wouldn’t you know it, this is exactly what I need to improve on. (Hams and Ass) So I’ve added Dead-lifts to my Back workout on Monday nights.
Monday night while doing the Dead-lifts, my partner (who happens to be an ex-power lifter and dead lifts being his best movement) noticed I wasn’t doing them completely correctly. What I was doing wrong was, at the top of the movement, when I’m bringing my hips forward, I tend to shift all the weight onto my lower back at the end and relax my ass muscles, only to tighten the back up again as I’m lowering the bar back down and he’s right.
Instead I should be keeping the tension on my ass and hams as I reach the top while bring my hips forward with a slight lean back, never relaxing during the movement (now I know why my lower back get such a pump)
So I worked my way up to 315, and then did 3 sets of 10. Which is kind of high on the reps for dead lifts. For one thing, I didn’t want to go to heavy seeing that I just competed this past Saturday and I am not completely rejuvenated and I wanted to work on the form.
From there it was onto wide grip pull downs, machine bent over rows, t-bar rows, reverse grip pull down, then onto hams and ass working between the ass machine (kick backs) and the legs curl machine, back and forth for 4 sets to end it with standing one legged curls and finishing the workout by filling the calves up with blood.
Today I’m really feeling my hamstrings and ass and I can tell this is exactly with the doctor ordered, this will give me exactly what it need to bring my legs to the next level…
It’s all about the legs
Time for a protein drink
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
My 2009 NPC Northern USA completion experience
It’s November 14th Saturday morning 2:30am and my alarm is yelling at me to get up and this time I’m getting out of bed to head to NY and not too pee
I arrive at my friend Eric Calvert’s house at 3:30am on time and we arrive in NY at 7am an hour ahead of check in. We found parking right out front and I decided to take a nap for an hour or so.
8:30 comes along and it is time to check in...
When we walk into the Tribecca Performing Arts Center, I was blown away by all of the people there to compete. This is the biggest show I’ve ever seen, never mind competed in and the size of everyone was so intimidating. Bodybuilding sure has changed in the last 17 years.
There were over 200 contestants and most were male bodybuilders; I would have to say a 4 to 1 ratio. Now remember there are 3 women’s events and only 1 men’s event, usually there are more total women competing than men, but not today.
With the Nationals this coming weekend we had a lot of talent competing to try and qualify, to re-qualify or even doing a warm up before the Nationals. There were some huge guys there. I’m talking HUGE.
The Nationals is where every competitor bodybuilder wants to get to. If you win your class in the Nationals you will be awarded a Professional Bodybuilding card, turning yourself into a Pro. This will allow you to compete in the IFBB (International Federation of Body Building); where in these competitions winning a placement in the top five wins you prize money.
But before you can get to the Nationals you need to qualify by placing in the top 3 of your class at one of these National qualifying shows. Qualification only lasts one year.
I stepped onto the scale at the weigh-in at 207.7 , the biggest I’ve every competed at and I’d have to say the best condition I’ve brought to the stage so far. I still feel I could have been a little fuller, I think I cut back on my water too soon, but that’s another story for another time.
I entered the over 35 heavyweight masters division class and the open heavyweights class, this is the first time I every competed as a heavyweight, so I was a little unsure of myself, especially after seeing how big everyone was.
I ended up placing 12th out of 25 in the Open Heavyweight Class and 10th out of 18 on the over 35 Masters Class.
I’m am extremely pleased with my placements, seeing this is my first year back competing after taking 17 years off from lifting weights all together and the caliper of the competition was incredible.
We ended up leaving after the pre-judging, seeing I wasn’t placing and receiving a trophy. I didn’t want to be coming home at 5am in morning. This show had way too many contestants and we didn’t even get out of pre-judging until 3:30pm. The night show wasn’t going to start until 7pm, the show would not have ended until at least midnight and we were 3 ½ hours from home
So that was my experience in a nutshell, It’s time to grow, so come next year I can do it all again…
See you in May for the Jay Cutler Classic
Time for a protein drink
Friday, November 13, 2009
New York City or bust
6:30am weigh-in 207.8
My BF says…. Much thicker and looking so much better at this weight than at 197
It is a complete green light to the Northern USA in New York City. I’m very pleased with the condition I was able to keep for this weekend.
There is less then 30 hours left before I hit the stage and I don’t see a problem bringing this package there to compete.
Just like yesterday, I will eat a potato every hour and chicken every four. This worked out nicely yesterday keeping me thick and hard throughout the day. I’ll just sip water as needed. I only drank ½ gallons worth yesterday and will probably drink less today
Last night I was looking nice and thick and my legs were coming in again, it’s amazing what a zero sodium diet will do to your skin.
I was a little nerves at first, thinking I wasn’t going to get the water out of me, having been so carbed up, but it happened slowly and the water became less and I became more and more defined
I was able to get two coats of Pro-Tan on last night; we got to bed just after 11. Today I'll do another three coats; you can never be dark enough for the stage.
Today it’s all about eating and keeping my insulin up, staying full and hard with carbohydrates and growing back all the broken down muscle I caused during the week and concentrating on flexing and posing
We will be leaving at 3am tomorrow morning and coming back around the same time on Sunday and as much as I would like to write in my blog tomorrow I don’t think I will have time… but I will be sure to tell everyone all about my trip to NY when I come back
I’m in it to win it!
Time to compete
My BF says…. Much thicker and looking so much better at this weight than at 197
It is a complete green light to the Northern USA in New York City. I’m very pleased with the condition I was able to keep for this weekend.
There is less then 30 hours left before I hit the stage and I don’t see a problem bringing this package there to compete.
Just like yesterday, I will eat a potato every hour and chicken every four. This worked out nicely yesterday keeping me thick and hard throughout the day. I’ll just sip water as needed. I only drank ½ gallons worth yesterday and will probably drink less today
Last night I was looking nice and thick and my legs were coming in again, it’s amazing what a zero sodium diet will do to your skin.
I was a little nerves at first, thinking I wasn’t going to get the water out of me, having been so carbed up, but it happened slowly and the water became less and I became more and more defined
I was able to get two coats of Pro-Tan on last night; we got to bed just after 11. Today I'll do another three coats; you can never be dark enough for the stage.
Today it’s all about eating and keeping my insulin up, staying full and hard with carbohydrates and growing back all the broken down muscle I caused during the week and concentrating on flexing and posing
We will be leaving at 3am tomorrow morning and coming back around the same time on Sunday and as much as I would like to write in my blog tomorrow I don’t think I will have time… but I will be sure to tell everyone all about my trip to NY when I come back
I’m in it to win it!
Time to compete
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Back to potatoes
6:30am weigh-in 208.8
My BF (best friend) the mirror, is still getting dryer looking with each passing day, I did hit the sauna last night and I’ll grab one more tonight.
Notice how my weight is slowly lowering, it’s the water I’m losing from going no sodium this week. I’m just as carbed up and big as I was at 212, only now with definition
But like I’ve said, I’m very happy with how I look right now, full and healthy looking, nice and thick and still very lean, abdominals pushing though with very little effort. Legs cuts have been a little deeper, but I still have a couple of days to dry out
I called my buddy yesterday to see if we are still on for Saturday’s departure at 3am for NY and he’s all for it, a true friend that would do anything for me, as I him!
So tonight after the gym, I’m coming home shaving my whole body, (thank god for my hairless chest and back) and putting on the Pro-Tan. I figure I’ll put on 2 or 3 coats tonight and another 2-3 tomorrow. I will need to make sure I wear head to toe clothes for bed so I don’t ruin our sheets, this shit stains like no tomorrow….
A little change of plan for my food, I decided to switch to potatoes for my carbohydrates. They tend to be a little dryer than pasta and are high in potassium.
So after the gym last night I grabbed 10 pounds and 2 gallons of distilled water and had 4 big spuds before bed. I’m figuring I’ll eat a potato every hour or so, just to make sure I keep my calories high and continue to have this muscle bound look, which I’m trying to keep for Saturday.
I’ve put myself through some intense workouts this week going heavier then normal to shock the body and keep it swollen, now I have to eat tons of carbs to heal back even bigger and tighter for this weekend… tonight’s workout ends the week with Shoulders and Biceps
Time for a protein drink
My BF (best friend) the mirror, is still getting dryer looking with each passing day, I did hit the sauna last night and I’ll grab one more tonight.
Notice how my weight is slowly lowering, it’s the water I’m losing from going no sodium this week. I’m just as carbed up and big as I was at 212, only now with definition
But like I’ve said, I’m very happy with how I look right now, full and healthy looking, nice and thick and still very lean, abdominals pushing though with very little effort. Legs cuts have been a little deeper, but I still have a couple of days to dry out
I called my buddy yesterday to see if we are still on for Saturday’s departure at 3am for NY and he’s all for it, a true friend that would do anything for me, as I him!
So tonight after the gym, I’m coming home shaving my whole body, (thank god for my hairless chest and back) and putting on the Pro-Tan. I figure I’ll put on 2 or 3 coats tonight and another 2-3 tomorrow. I will need to make sure I wear head to toe clothes for bed so I don’t ruin our sheets, this shit stains like no tomorrow….
A little change of plan for my food, I decided to switch to potatoes for my carbohydrates. They tend to be a little dryer than pasta and are high in potassium.
So after the gym last night I grabbed 10 pounds and 2 gallons of distilled water and had 4 big spuds before bed. I’m figuring I’ll eat a potato every hour or so, just to make sure I keep my calories high and continue to have this muscle bound look, which I’m trying to keep for Saturday.
I’ve put myself through some intense workouts this week going heavier then normal to shock the body and keep it swollen, now I have to eat tons of carbs to heal back even bigger and tighter for this weekend… tonight’s workout ends the week with Shoulders and Biceps
Time for a protein drink
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Sometimes it just takes people longer
6:30am weigh-in 210
My BF says keep doing what your doing, the skins is starting to dry out and I look nice and thick with full muscles bellies (carbed up)
So about 6 weeks ago I showed this guy in the gym (lets call him Cliff) how to correctly do low rows and a week later I see him doing the rows incorrectly once again, I ask why?
He tells me that one of the trainers (not mentioning names) corrected him, told him that he was doing it wrong. This ended up being our joke whenever Cliff and I would see each other. I would tease him for not training right and he would flex his back at me and say things like “what you (say?), you see how big my back is…”
Now this trainer has no muscle and is by no means a bodybuilder or even a weightlifter. But he is “certified” (whatever that means)…
So last night, I guess Cliff noticed I do in fact have a back and a well develop back at that, because he finally broke down and asked me again to teach him how to row correctly- a “25 cent tip of the day”-and afterwards said “wow! you are right” doing it that way really does make a difference…
Sometime it’s takes people longer to understand a movement and to realize themselves how it should feel.
This made my night. If you know me, then you know how passionate I am about correct form, especially when training you back.
The funny thing is, Cliff has a decent back, and he’s just missing the lower part, the part this movement primary hits.
All I can hope for is that Cliff gives this a chance and in no time he should start to see a difference
Last nights Chest and Triceps work out was the bomb! We worked our way up to 275 on the flat bench, and then to 90# dumbbells on the inclines, to 90# dumbbells on the flat bench, to incline flies, ending it on the cable crossovers. Triceps started with lying down extensions, to over heads, to pushdowns.
My whole body is thicker and bigger then ever; I just need to keep removing water out of my skin. I hit the sauna again and worked up a nice sweat. I can see and feel I have less water in my skin, it’s just my legs are not as dry as they were at 197 and I’m not sure if while being this carbed up that this is possible, but we shall see.
Today is my 3rd day at zero sodium and my third day training in a row; let’s see what tonight brings in terms of how dry I am.
I have no problem stepping on stage in this condition, in fact the guys who beat me at the New England’s didn’t have dry legs, but had a full body, which is what I’m bring this time around
Happy Veterans Day!
Time for a protein drink
My BF says keep doing what your doing, the skins is starting to dry out and I look nice and thick with full muscles bellies (carbed up)
So about 6 weeks ago I showed this guy in the gym (lets call him Cliff) how to correctly do low rows and a week later I see him doing the rows incorrectly once again, I ask why?
He tells me that one of the trainers (not mentioning names) corrected him, told him that he was doing it wrong. This ended up being our joke whenever Cliff and I would see each other. I would tease him for not training right and he would flex his back at me and say things like “what you (say?), you see how big my back is…”
Now this trainer has no muscle and is by no means a bodybuilder or even a weightlifter. But he is “certified” (whatever that means)…
So last night, I guess Cliff noticed I do in fact have a back and a well develop back at that, because he finally broke down and asked me again to teach him how to row correctly- a “25 cent tip of the day”-and afterwards said “wow! you are right” doing it that way really does make a difference…
Sometime it’s takes people longer to understand a movement and to realize themselves how it should feel.
This made my night. If you know me, then you know how passionate I am about correct form, especially when training you back.
The funny thing is, Cliff has a decent back, and he’s just missing the lower part, the part this movement primary hits.
All I can hope for is that Cliff gives this a chance and in no time he should start to see a difference
Last nights Chest and Triceps work out was the bomb! We worked our way up to 275 on the flat bench, and then to 90# dumbbells on the inclines, to 90# dumbbells on the flat bench, to incline flies, ending it on the cable crossovers. Triceps started with lying down extensions, to over heads, to pushdowns.
My whole body is thicker and bigger then ever; I just need to keep removing water out of my skin. I hit the sauna again and worked up a nice sweat. I can see and feel I have less water in my skin, it’s just my legs are not as dry as they were at 197 and I’m not sure if while being this carbed up that this is possible, but we shall see.
Today is my 3rd day at zero sodium and my third day training in a row; let’s see what tonight brings in terms of how dry I am.
I have no problem stepping on stage in this condition, in fact the guys who beat me at the New England’s didn’t have dry legs, but had a full body, which is what I’m bring this time around
Happy Veterans Day!
Time for a protein drink
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