MisterJC’s BodyBlog

So typically I dont do a whole lot of high volume training for my arms, as they tend to respond better to a lower volume training protocal, but as I subscribe to a Non-Linear Training philosophy, I do work in some higher reps stuff.  Plus, a friend of mine asked for some ideas on a good high volume arm routine.  Well…ask, and you shall recieve.

As with any effective workout, the key, at least in my mind, is to maintain a high level of intensity.  Doesnt matter if you are running through more of a "Strength" routine, or a "Hypertrophy" one, keep that level of intensity up there.  I say this, b/c in the routine I am about to outline, I will not specify any weights, as it is obviously specific to the individual, but you should be selecting weights that allow you to FAIL (that means you can NOT perform even one more rep to completion with proper form) at the prescribed rep ranges.  It is important to make a note of this last statement and clue in on one sailient point; I said "with proper form".  This is key, as without maintaining good form, you will most likely miss out on the some of the hypertrophic benefits of what good muscle contraction provides.  I am a huge advocate of the "mind muscle connection" (as you might have noticed in some of my other posting on yet another blog that I maintain Naturally Strong Blog ). So, the take away here is to make sure that with each rep you preform, whether it is the first one or the last, that each one gets a good contraction at the top of the movement.  This may require a slight pause, and an emphasis that is basically isometric in nature.

On to the workout.  High Volume Bis & Tris Routine #1:

Note: this workout should be done at a relatively rapid pace, that is not to say you should race through it, but you shouldnt be screwing around either.  In my opinion, the gym is NOT for socializing, keep the talking to a minimum, maintain your focus, and make some gains!  Let the talkers talk…Ill be lifting.

Warm up - 2-3 sets of lightish preacher curls (20 reps)

Monster Set (Biceps) - Preacher curls (Close Grip) (15 reps) / DB hammer curls (15 reps) / Straight bar curls (standing with a wide grip) (15 reps) / back to preachers curls with less weight (15 reps)

Do that 4 times…trying to keep the reps in the 8-15 range…although you will find that gets pretty tough.  The early sets should be up in the 15 rep range, but as you get on in sets (Since you are keeping the weight the same or going heavier!) you may end up dropping the reps as far down as 8 by the time you get to the later sets.
The last 2 sets of those 4, do the first set of preacher curls as a drop set, so…Preacher (8-10 reps), drop weight (6-8 reps), drop weight (10-12) (all of these drops are done to failure) / DB hammer curls / Straight bar curls / preacher curls.

At this point your biceps should be so smoked and so full of blood that you should barely be able to move them.  In fact, if you can still touch the back of your head, then you did something wrong!!  So get back on there and repeat!! lol

Now, time for some tris:

Monster Set (Triceps) - Close grip bench on a smith machine (15-20 reps) / DB overhead extension (12-15 reps) / Close grip bench (8-10 reps)

4 sets of this

Super Set (Triceps) -  Cable skull crushers (15-20) /  ‘V’ bar push downs (15-20)

4 sets of this

The entire workout should not take more than 60 min.  And you should feel an unbelievable pump upon completion.  No go and eat some fast acting Carbs and have some high quality Whey Isolate, make sure you get every benefit of that workout.

Let me know what you think.

JC

I am an addict!  I will be the first to admit it, I am hopelessly at a loss for self control when it comes to the matter of…Peanut Butter!!  Ok, maybe I am not at the total mercy of PB, but it is difficult for me to resist it.  I am pretty certain that at least in the bodybuilding world I am not alone here.  I am sure that if I were to ask 10 bodybuilders back stage after weeks and weeks of dieting, what one food they missed/cant wait to have after the night show, that at least 8 of them would respond without hesitation: Peanut Butter.  I mean that shit is magical!!  Dont know what it is, creamy/crunchy, on some bread or on its own, it doesnt matter, Peanut Butter is the bomb!!  lol

Unfortunately, there are some concerns with it.  Whereas PB is a great source of some good quality unsaturated fats, it is just so dam riddled with fat that you cant eat too much of it, at least not during a contest prep.  I tend to limit my intake of it even during the off season, due to the amount of oil in there that causes my face to breakout terribly.  But there is no denying the lure of the PB, I could honestly live on that stuff.  I am happy putting it on just about anything.  I even have been know to put it on a hot dog!  You may think that sounds nuts, but give it a try, it is surprisingly good.  So, how do you get around the desire to eat something that contains more fat than you ideally want to be having.  Well, you could go to the super market and pick up a "low fat" PB, which to me in all honestly is a flipping joke.  Peanut Butter typically has 16g of fat per serving (serving size = 2 tblsp), and most "low fat" Peanut Butters contain…what…12g of fat.  Ok, at least it is moving in the right direction, 25% less fat is cool and all that, but at the amount of that stuff that I want to be eating, 4g of fat less really isnt buying me much of anything.  So now what?  I guess you could just…not…eat…much of it, but that would be crazy!!

OR

You could get down on your knees and thank god for the best food product on the planet!!  PB2.  There is a company in Georgia (Bell Plantation), that has learned of a way to exploit everything you love about Peanut Butter while holding back the parts that you dont (the fat).  PB2 is a powdered version of Peanut Butter.  Basically Bell Plantation squeezes all of the oil out of the peanut, and what is left over is a powdered version that has 85% less fat than when it started!  All you have to do is add a little water to it, and you have a creamy butter that you honestly could not tell the difference from any other natural peanut butter.  Simply amazing.

I discovered PB2 just a couple of months ago, and I cant stop putting it on things, it is great mixed in with your oatmeal and some chocolate protein powder, in your shake, or just mixed up and put on a piece of toast.  Looking back now, I have no idea how I ever made it through a contest prep without this stuff.  It is pure powdered gold!!

Check out their site: www.bellplantation.com they are coming out with some new products too.  But if you do end up ordering some, put the following address in the referral field…I would appreciate it: jabberjaw000@yahoo.com

God Bless the PB2!!  lol

I watched the opening ceremony last night for the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, and despite the hype the commentators made about how grand the show would be, I was completely blown away. What impressed me most wasn’t quite how grandiose of a spectacle they made it, or the obvious fortune that was spent to pull something of that level off, but rather the creativity that was shown by the orchestrator.  Simply amazing!

That said, I still have beef with the Olympics.  Don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to watching as much of the 2008 games as I possibly can, in fact I currently have the US vs Japan womens soccer game on the TV as I write this (we are up by 1!), as well as a live feed going on the computer of the Mens Judo competition.  But I cant get by one simple irritation; why in the world has the sport of Natural Bodybuilding not made it into the list of Olympic events yet?  I know this is a tired subject, I have read many articles on it and sorry attempts to justify why it is not included, but with the onset of these 2008 games, the feelings and questions are renewed in my mind, and I wanted to resurface the topic.

Let me start by stating the obvious, at least the obvious in my mind.  I am specifying the sport of NATURAL Bodybuilding, in no way do I believe that the untested side of this sport should be even on the table for discussion.  That fraction goes against everything that the spirit of the Olympics stands for, and the IOC has gone to extreme lengths to uphold this standard.  I am going to leave the remainder of that debate to someone else, as I feel it is a waste of time to include here.  Never will the untested Bodybuilding athlete be included in the Olympics, so just give it a rest.

On the other side of the table you have the Natural, tested, bodybuilder.  Now this athlete exhibits the very essence of what the Olympics is all about.  This is not to say that the bodybuilder is above another Olympic athlete, there are many events that I feel embody the true spirit of the Olympics; Wrestling, the Triathlon, Gymnastics, Weight Lifting,  Cross Country Skiing, Swimming, just to name a few.  But in my mind it is insulting to know that Natural Bodybuilding is left at home while some events are included that in my mind have no business being part of the Olympics, I wont call out which ones I am referring too, as that would be unsportsmanlike, but I strongly feel that if some of these sports are present then there are a myriad of sports that deserve inclusion in the Olympic games as well.

The Natural Bodybuilder displays a level of athleticism, will, dedication, strength, intelligence, perseverance, and focus that was made for the Olympics, not to mention the physique aesthetics that embody what most of the world picture the ideal athlete to look like.  Does it get any more tailor made than that?!  Then WHY does this sport continue to get overlooked.

Aside from the fact that the Natural side of the sport gets lost in the shadows of the freak show that is its untested sister side of the sport, the most common argument I hear is that is is just too subjective of an event.  WHAT!?  Then how in the hell did events like, figure skating, diving, equine, synchronized swimming (don’t even get me started on this one), and gymnastics make it onto the scene?!?!  These are all sports that are completely dependent on judges scoring an athletes performance, not unlike that of Natural Bodybuilder.  So to me, that argument is simply ridiculous and holds no water.

So then what other reason could there possibly be to overlook this sport that quite honestly is so fundamental that its very nature can be seen in the training of virtually every other athlete on the planet.  Show me one athlete that does not have the goal of building muscle.  Whether it be in a gym, on a track, or in the water, every athlete wants to be stronger, healthier and more athletic, and that is the very essence of Natural Bodybuilding.  How insulting it is then, to have the entire sporting world discredit our efforts as athletes, and to deprive us the opportunity to compete on the most prestigious of world stages.

As I watched the opening ceremony last night, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride in myself and in my sport as I watched the montage of athletes talking about what it means to them to be at these games.  I almost teared up as I watched, because as I listened to them, it recalled the shared feelings that I myself had for what my sport means to me; the struggle of the countless reps in the gym, pushing past the point of comfort deep into failure, working towards something that you want even though the pain is almost unbearable because you KNOW it will be worth it, and because you KNOW not just anyone can do it.  Isn’t this what the Olympics is all about, unwavering focus and drive to reach a level of elite athleticism that is anything but commonplace?  And of course, the sportsmanship, respect and comradery among athletes across our various disciplines?  Then I ask you…where is the respect and love for the sport of Natural Bodybuilding?

It is clear to me that I should have activated this blog in the weeks leading up to my WNBF Pro Debut.  However with the anticipation of competing with the pros for the first time and the focus that I had in my trainin for this event I think I let my vision narrow a bit.  Anyway, I am here now, and I plan on keeping this blog up to date as I move away from this past weekends show and toward Pro Show number 2!!

So, a little recap of this past weekend.  The competition was held in Evansville Indiana, it was a WNBF Pro event, "WNBF Mid America Championships", and it was a first year show.  For that reason, I had some concerns that the Pro mens line up might not be super competative, but lets face it, this is the WNBF, and these Pros are some of THE most competative physiques in the natural circuit.  Regardless of my concerns, I showed up to find out that there were some big names and solid physiques present.  World Class competitors like Tony Ruffin, Kurt Weidner, Roy Perry, and Martin Daniels just to touch on a few came to bring the quality of competion up a notch or two.  For a first year show, the Mid America Championships were a stand out event.  21 total pros in the Mens division came to vie for the overall, and the heavyweight class winner Martin Daniels looking like an absolute freak was able to beat out the lightweight class winner, Tony Ruffin, to walk away with the overall trophy.

As for myself, I was able to secure a top three placement, which as this was my pro debut, I was very pleased with.  As mentioned, Tony Ruffin took first in the light weights, and Vaughan Twigger landed second with quite possibly the most dominant set of lats I have ever seen…just unbelievable, his lats to waist ratio was simply stupid!  There was a moderate seperation in points between the top three competitors, not a huge spread, but enough to make the placements clear cut.  However there was a significant point spread from third to fourth (9 points), making my top three placement secure.

Honestly going into this show I had obvious confidence in myself, as any good competitor must have, but I maintained a level of concern with how I would handle the pro ranks.  This is a different class of competitor now, and as such, there is now room for flaws in your physique or presentation, you have to be spot on.

The venue was awesome, the majority of Natural Bodybuilding shows are held in the most embarassing of places, school auditoriums, simply b/c there is just no money in the natural side of the sport (a topic/rant for another post!!), but this show was held in the Evansville Victory Theater.  A beautifully crafted and maintained high end venue that just underwent a multi-million dollar renovation.  It was refreshing to come compete in a show where there wasnt little kids fingerpaintings posted all down the hallways.

As usual, I was able to connect up with friends and competitors that I havent seen since the last show, or longer, and as usual I met a whole host of new competitors that continue to blow me away with how nice and genuine they all are.  I maintian that the athletes that I have met over the years in the bodybuilding world are some of the nicest and coolest people I have ever been exposed to.

It was great to meet and talk with some of the pros that I have been following since I started competing back in 2004, like Kurt Weidner, and Tony Ruffin.  And to meet up and joke around with guys from past shows and whatnot like Duke Bell, and Layne Norton.

This show had all the elements for me to be just an awesome experience; great people, great competitors, great venue, well run, and of course…great placement for me!  lol

I have decided that I will compete in one more Pro Show before I go into a slightly extended off season.  In just over 5 weeks I will take another crack at the stage in Kansas City and the WNBF International Championships.  I am very excited for this one, as it has been around longer, has a great reputation, and as such will bring in a slightly more competative class of competitor.  I am eager to see how I will stack up against a little bit deeper of a line up.  But having just competed, I have a lot of feedback and things to go on to make my next outing that much better.  It was clear to me that I brought my best package ever to the stage this past weekend, and I fully believe that in 5 weeks time I will move past that and take my physique to even new levels.

I would just like to mention in here quickly, that my girlfriend Judy is one of the critical reasons for my success this past weekend, with her taking care of my tan, food, and every little thing, I probably would have stressed out and burst a blood vessel!!  lol, but with her help, the entire weekend was a breeze and completely smooth running for me.

Also, show promoters; Dr. Joe Klemzcewski, and Sean McCauley deserve some credit for pulling off an unprecidented success for a first year Pro show.  Cant wait until next year.