The Road To Competition

Today was going to be another rest day, but I was feeling energized and antsy, so I figured I would start the week early with a Fun Leg Workout! Plus, since Thursday (Thanksgiving) will be an off day, I wanted to get all my workouts in before then

I started out with Squats. This was only my 2nd squat workout since about 3 yrs ago, so I still haven’t worked on going ‘too’ heavy yet. Still working on making sure my form is correct and slowly adding weight as I go along. Warmed up with a few BW Squats and a set with just the Bar. Then I went 135×10, 185×10, and finished with 205×6. Not bad overall. Next workout I’ll start with 185 and work up to at least 225 for my last set.

Next were Deadlifts, which follows the same story as my Squats do. I’m excited to get my weight up to a respectable level on both of these lifts. Went right into 135×10, 185×10, and finished with 225×5. I definitely could have squeezed out more than 5, but my grip was what gave out first. I’m not using heavy enough weight to use straps in my opinion, so I’ll wait until I get up there before I do that and just continue to work on my grip strength. Next workout I’ll work my way up to 250×5 on my last set and see how that feels.

After that I headed over to the Leg Press. I don’t have any worries about these so I can go all out. I did 3 working sets of 860×8. 860×6, 860×5

Leg Extensions went as followed. 130×12, 150×12, 170×10. Next week I’ll start at 150 and work my way up from there

Seated Leg Curls - 110×12, 130×12, 150×8. Next workout I’ll start at 130

and I finished it off with Standing Calf Raises 120×12, 160×12, 160×8

Finished it all up with 20 minutes of HIIT on the Elliptical.

Overall a good workout. Definitely want to get those Squat and Deadlift numbers up though. Other than that, no complaints!

This is the week it all starts. I’ve finally decided that it’s time to get back on the road to competiton I set out upon years ago, before all the excuses started (no matter how justified they might have been at the time)  I spent last week getitng my diet and nutrition plan all set and together as well as designing my workout routine and split for the up coming weeks. I also had my measurements brought up to date so I know my starting point and what I have to do to get from that point to my ultimate goal. I’m giving myself roughly a year to accomplish the task at hand. The plan is to spend the next 4-6 months getting back into the groove, while cutting down as much as I can to see what’s left underneath. After that, I’ll spend the next 4-6 months focussing on making the improvments in my physique that I feel are neccessary as well as bringing up lagging bodyparts and weak points before finally putting it all together, getting it fine tuned, dialed in, and taking to the stage

As of now I stand 6?3 312.6 lbs, and 33% bf. So I have a nice journey ahead of me, but nowhere near an impossible one. If I do the math, that puts my LBM around 210 lbs, give or take, as of now, so I feel like I have a decent starting point as far as that is concerned. Now it’s just working hard to whittle down what’s covering it and taking it from there. I’d love to be able to compete at a weight of at least 215 lbs for my first time out, but we will see. I have plenty of time to worry about that. One step at a time.

Workouts are going to consist of a lot of compound core lifts, such as Deadlifts, Squats, Overhead presses, Bench Presses, etc. etc. Back to the basics! Plus, since it’s been years since I’ve been able to do them I’m kind of antsy to get my weights back up on those lifts as well. Cardio is going to be done twice a day. After my resistance training workouts, which will consist of heavy to moderate reps as well as low rest periods (30 - 60 seconds in between sets on most sets and up to 90 seconds the most on heavy compound lifts) I’ll be finishing up with 15 - 20 minuts of HIIT cardio and then, later in the evening after my last appointment, I’ll throw in 30-60 minutes of LISS cardio to finish off my day. The reason I say 30 - 60 minutes is because it depends on my day. On busy days, where I have 6-10 clients, I get a lot of extra calorie burning work in, so I don’t want/or need to burn myself out. On slower days I’ll do more cardio at the end of my day to make up for that. My workouts will most likely follow a 5-6 days split, depending on how I feel, energy lvl-wise, that week.

I’ve updated whatever measurements I can on my profile and I plan on updating them a least once a month, as well as keeping track of my workouts, max lifts, and updated blogs to keep anyone who feels like reading up to date on the situation. You can never have too much support

As soon as I get some batteries for my digital camera I’ll take some progress pics to keep records of the journey ahead. I’ll pop them frequently at the gym using my cell phone camera, but it’s not the same.

In the past I have done my research on many different diet and nutrition programs. Not neccessarily because I’m looking for help (I went to school for health and exercise science with a minor in nutrition) but because I find it interesting to read about new hints, tricks, and fads. The one thing I’ve noticed about a lot of ‘relatively new’ people on bodyspace.com lately is the quick jump to the Velocity Diet.

Personally, in my opinion, from what I’ve read, research I’ve done, and testimonials I have seen, it is a diet that can work if done correctly. However, it is an EXTREMELY difficult diet to follow! It’s difficult to follow for 5 days, nevermind 28 actual days of, more or less, no solid food whatsoever. I, myself, would never recommend it to anyone, based on the fact that I don’t believe anyone should give up solid food. I have my share of protein shakes throughout the week, mostly used as meal replacements on busy days, and post workout meals. But on my off days, I tend to stick to as many solid food meals as I can and limit the amount of ‘liquid’ meals I take in.

Here’s my rant about all of this. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, have never truly been on an ‘exercise’ program, and have horrendous nutrition habits, going on this diet (again in my opinion) is one sure fire way to set you up for failure!

Don’t look for the QUICK FIX! If you don’t know ‘what to eat’ now, then what are you going to do in 28 days (if by some miracle you make it that long) when you have to go back to eating whole food? Instead of jumping right to the extreme you should work on cleaning up you eating habits the old fashioned way. Read magazines, articles, the forums on bodyspace.com, post blogs asking questions, etc. etc. Learn to make the little changes throughout the day that add up over time and give you the results your looking for while teaching you how to live a healthy life! So without getting too crazy, here are a few easy tips:

1) Drink more water! (I shouldn’t even have to explain the benefits of this. you already know! a gallon a day is the old stand by for most people)

2) Cut out empty calories! (sugary drinks such as sodas and sweetened iced teas, high calorie coffees, etc. etc. They add up!)

3) Eat more protien! (build your meals around lean sources or protein: Chicken, turkey, egg whites, lean beef, etc.)

4) Choose Whole Grain Carbohydrates! (whole grain pastas, wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice)

5) Eat lots of Veggies! (high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, LOW in calories. Who gets fat eating too many veggies!? Noone!)

6) Choose Condiments wisely (lose the high calorie condiments and dressings and make smarter choices. Mustards, low fat/non fat mayo, low fat/non fat dressings)

7) Eat 4-6 times a day! (smaller, more frequent meals will keep you full and keep you from overindulging later in the day. 3 main meals, 2-3 snacks a day is perfect. Aim to take something in every 3-4 hours you’re awake)

8) Snack Smart! (opt for lower calorie snacks in between meals, such as fruits, veggies, mixed nuts, string cheeses, yogurts, healthy sandwiches, protein shakes, protein bars, etc. etc.)

9) Eat Breakfast! (Still the most imporant part of the day! Starts the day off right, gives you energy to get moving, and also prevents you from overindulging later in the day)

10) Eat out less/Eat in more often! (if you want to control how many calories you’re taking in, don’t eat out every night. When you’re in charge of what you’re putting in your food you have noone to blame but yourself. Control your own calories!)

11) Make Smart Choices When Eating Out! (Tell the waiter/waitress how you want your food prepared and make sure you get it the way you want it. Put dressing on the side, skip dessert and alcoholic beverages, and make sure to make good use of the doggie bags are a few good tips to remember)

12) Prepare in Advance! (If you know what you’re going to be eating throughout the day and you prepare your food in advance to getting your day started you have no excuses to fail! Invest in a lunchbox, a cooler, or a mini fridge if you have your own office. There’s nothing wrong with packing your own lunch! You’ll control what you eat, and you’ll save money!)

Now there are a few more tips and tricks you can learn. However, I guarantee that if you follow these simple tips and tricks listed here, you’ll get the results you’re looking for and you’ll keep your sanity in the process. Once you gain control over your own nutrition and eating habits, you’ll see there’s no need to go on these extreme diets that , more often than not, lead to failure. Add all of this to a proper Resistance training program and there’s nothing that can stop you from achieving your goals!

All comments, concerns, and questions are more than welcome