MisterJC’s BodyBlog

This August 1st, the Evansville based INBF/WNBF Mid-America Pro/Am is returning to Indiana. Only this year a few things have changed.

Instead of just being a WNBF Pro-Qualifying event, it has gain "Advance Qualifier" status, this is the only show of its type in the INBF/WNBF.

This means that instead of just the overall winner in each division receiving their pro card, the TOP TWO overall winners will!!

Additionally, due to last year success with the show, new events have been added to the days activities. These include:

- Powerlifting Strength Challenge (kids division as well)
- 5K Road Race (kids fun run included)
- All day Health expo with tons of great vendors

Not to mention the Pro and Am divisions of one of the biggest natural bodybuilding events in the country.

There is something for everyone!

Tix are now available. All seats for the finals are assigned, and VIP Packages are available as well. Contact Sean McCauley @
sean@thedietdoc.com
or
812.868.8710

Additional information regarding the show, and a highlight reel from last year can be found here:
http://www.midamericaproam.com

This show is head promoted by Dr. Joe Klemczewski, you can listen to Dr. Joe’s interview with John Hansen from earlier this year @
http://naturalbodybuildingradio.com/bodybu…joe-klemczewski

This is easy…competition. There is no better motivator in my mind than competition, good and healthy competition, not cutthroat competition. I know that when it comes to stepping on stage, especially now that I am a pro, there is no room for error, and that is a pretty big motivator. What some people may not realize is that a bodybuilding competition victory starts years in advance. You can’t expect to get serious about a show 2-3 months out and be the victor. As such the motivation of competition extends deep into the off-season when you are going after those big gains. It continues and perhaps amplifies once the contest diet begins (even though the off season diet should be controlled as well), and crescendos all the way up to the day of the show.

It is not uncommon for me to think about a competitor whose physique I admire as I am getting ready to perform a big lift. Thinking that they are likely doing the same thing or perhaps more tends to light a fire under my ass, if I don’t push myself outside of my comfort zone, then I know with certainty that I will be disappointed come the day of the show. It is mandatory for me to leave zero doubt in my mind that there was anything else I could have done to prepare better for a competition.

At times the competitor that drives me under that bar is a familiar one. I am my own toughest critic; I am constantly striving for some level of improvement in the gym and with my physique. So when getting under that squat bar, or strapping in and preparing for a big deadlift, I will often times take a long look at myself and commit to something more than I had done on the previous lift.

Life is about striving for improvement, pushing yourself past that point where you feel comfortable, and achieving something that you may have thought was unattainable, and doing so without any doubt of success. That notion itself can be a pretty powerful motivator.

Last weekend while I was in Buffalo to help some friends compete, I managed to squeeze in a pretty sweet leg workout that I haven’t posted up on here yet. Yesterday, a week later, I did another leg workout. Both were awesome, as I am typing this I can feel the soreness throughout the entirety of my legs and glutes. Both however where different from the other in style. The workout in Buffalo was a higher volume workout focused mainly on muscle hypertrophy, whereas the workout I did yesterday was focused on increasing strength. Both have their place in the bodybuilders training regime, the key is to know when to incorporate the different types of workouts.

High Volume Workout.
Warm up - 3 sets of squats with increasing weight (reps kept at 20 per set)

Giant Set
- Squat 225 x 20
- Lunge 40 lb Dumbbells x 10 steps each leg
- Prone Leg Curl 100 x 10
- Lunge 40 lb Dumbbells x 6 steps each leg
- Hack Squat 45 lb plate each side x 15 reps

Repeat that rotation 4 times
This should cause your heart to race as though you just sprinted a 5K!!

Superset
- Leg Extension heavy x 15 reps
- Leg Curl heavy x 12-15 reps

Repeat this rotation 4 times

Granted as far as "high volume" leg workouts go, this isnt the most volumous (is that even a word!!??), but after the first giant set I think you will find that you are toast. In the past I had done workouts consisting of 3-4 sets of 225 for 20 reps on the squat and was spent, now try adding all the rest of that onto it with no rest! The key is to pick weights that will make you have to dig deep. I found that by the second set of 225 for 20 on the squat that I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make the full 20 reps. So you can imagine how I felt on the 3rd and 4th set!

Strength Workout
Warm up - 3 sets squats

Exercise 1
Squat - 7 sets total after warm up
225 x 15
275 x 12
315 x 6
365 x 5
385 x 5
405 x 3
405 x 3
315 x 12

Exercise 2
Dumbbell Walking Lunges
60 lb DBs x 10 steps each leg
70 lb DBs x 8 steps each leg
80 lb DBs x 6 steps each leg
80 lb DBs x 6 steps each leg
85 lb DBs x 5 steps each leg
85 lb DBs x 5 steps each leg

SuperSet 1
Leg Extension ss Prone Leg curl
3 total sets increasing weight each time.
reps kept between 6-10 on each.
All sets to failure.

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