Nic Brunicardi

Monday … DANG! I sure love the weekends. Not that I do anything really during the weekends - but I guess that’s what I love about them. Love being a lazy bum .. doing nothing but training, eating and lying on the couch with my gf watching Seinfeld and tons of other TV-shows.

This weekend however, I did manage to do ONE more thing. I fixed my recumbent-bike that’s been sitting in my living-room the past 3-4 months collecting dust. So now I can finally do my cardio at home … indoor where it’s warm and dry … in front of the TV. Couldn’t be happier

Training is going well. I’ve been doing some more drop set workouts and the burn and pump is immense. Haven’t been able to get any new pics taken this weekend, so I will try to see if I can do something about it today or tomorrow.

I hope everybody is doing great and are training like maniacs

Not too many days ago I started experimenting with alternating between heavy and light workouts. I quickly learned that when on a diet you don’t have a whole lot of energy or power for those heavy workouts. Therefore I ditch those for now!

I’ve been reading the Blog of the mighty BodyAuditor, and my workout today was inspired by his drop sets. My workout today was in every way fantastic! It was quick but brutal. In no time I was drenched in sweat and cherry red in my face. I did both compound and drop sets and pre-exhausted my pecs before moving to the bench. It looked something like this:

1 warm-up set of pec deck flyes

1 drop set of pec deck flyes with 2 drops

1 drop set of bench presses with 2 drops

2 sets of decline push-ups compound with incline db flyes

1 drop set of seated barbell concentration curls with 2 drops

2 sets of incline hammer curls compound with cable pose curls

I finished off with 20 minutes on the stationary bike.

Yesterday I received a book by Dr. Warren Willey called "Better Than Steroids" which is basically a guide to optimal nutrition for bodybuilders. It is so interesting and well written that I can hardly put it down! When I’m thru with it, I will write a review.

I wish you all a fantastic weekend - keep training hard and eating healthy

I’m proud to announce that a new CW (compliment whore) has been born into "the circle"! Today at training a couple of guys (both competitive - one won his class last year) said to me: "Wow! You really lost some weight, dude! V-taper starting to show and everything…" - I just stood there and showered myself with the compliments! LOL Seriously, it was really nice to hear and get some recognition. This gives me even more motivation and dedication to keep shredding.

On another note, I’ve been super busy lately with work and all, and I haven’t had much time to write about this and that here in my Blog. And I’m sorry if I’ve neglected some of you great guys and gals from my friends list, but I will do everything I can to get updated on your profile once or twice this week. You guys are in my thoughts when I’m at the gym pounding the weights!

Rock on!!!

Nic

Well, I decided not to go to the Dennis James seminar yesterday. I figured the $50 would be better spent on food than on hearing about the training and diet of a pro bodybuilder leaving out the details about performance enhancing drugs. Not that I have a problem with that - it’s a personal choice like so many other things, but I just didn’t think I would get that much information I haven’t already heard on other seminars.

I’m still VERY sore after my leg workout from Friday. Training at a very fast pace and with high reps is an explosive cocktail and leaves you with a nasty pump and following long lasting DOMS.

I’ve altered my training program just a little. I’ve included heavy training every other time doing only 4-6 reps on work sets. Using strict form and only going heavy every other time will prevent injuries I hope Alternating between low heavy reps and lighter high reps will provide me with the best of both worlds.

This weekend I bought a new lifting belt from Schiek. My old belt got stolen from the gym. Usually when I have forgotten some equipment at the gym, the staff find it and store it till the next time I get there. But this time someone apparently needed a belt and took mine.

Besides training I went to the movies on Saturday. I watched ‘American Gangster’ which is 2-3 months old in the US. Very cool movie - loved it, loved it, loved it!

A great day to you all

Okay, so this Blog is a little of this and that!

Yesterday I trained legs with a gym buddy who’s a competitive bodybuilder. Now, this guy doesn’t train that heavy even though he has way better legs than I do - however, he does train at an insane tempo and with mile high reps… He really toasted my legs! Today I don’t have DOMS - what I have is the feeling that I have just completed my leg workout even though it was like 18 hours ago! We literally went from set to set with a: You go, I go, you go, I go tempo… Grueling!

Dennis James is in Copenhagen at the moment and training at my gym. He and the owner of the gym go way back. Tomorrow he’s giving a seminar at my gym - I haven’t really decided yet whether to go or not. I’d like to see him, but on the other hand I know he won’t have much to tell that I haven’t heard a hundred times before! So if I go, it will only to be in awe of his mighty physique.

In my old Blog I made a post called "My gym has been pussyfied", which was the story about my gym going from a hardcore bodybuilding environment to a regular fitness location - still having heavy weights and good machines but with soft music from the speakers, no flexing in mirrors, no bodybuilding posters on the walls, no bodybuilding videos on the TV screens etc. Now the gym has taken further steps to become even worse! Today they are throwing an open house day to attract new members. When I went there this morning to do my cardio, they were busy making the place look good. The first thing the new members will see is a GIANT bowl of candy standing on the counter at the reception. Then right before you go into the weight room, you will be passing a playground where they have set up video games … and even more candy! What the hell is the deal here? They try to get new members AND keeping them fat? I mean I love candy as much as the next guy, but I sure as hell don’t expect to find it nor gorge it at my gym.

I know a lot of my good friends here on this site swear by home gyms, but living in an apartment and having a stationary bike in the living room already taking up too much space, that’s not really an option for me. So for now I’ll have to endure a little longer and blow off some steam in my Blog once in a while

A fantastic weekend to you all… Today I will treat myself to some extra food and some sweets … yummi!

The past couple of months my left shoulder has become more and more sore. I haven’t paid much attention to it but just kept pounding my shoulders as hard and heavy as I could. Now that I’m on a diet and not as energetic and strong, I felt it would be a good time to give my shoulders a little R&R - not that I would completely stop training them, but just use less weight.

So yesterday I got a real nice burn and pump in my shoulders by compound setting seated db presses with barbell upright rows. After that I did some face pulls, barbell shrugs and machine laterals using partial reps in the end of all three exercises. Loved it!

My weight is still dropping, and I shed off 1.3 lbs overnight from yesterday.

I trained pecs and biceps yesterday. Since I’ve started dieting I’ve noticed a small setback in strength and stamina - however, I feel more motivated than ever to create the body that I want.

So I tried something I haven’t tried in a long, long time … pre-exhaustion! Started my routine with 3 sets of 15 reps on the pec deck fly before doing bench. MAN, what a great pump! I felt my pecs catching fire only after 2 sets, and the agony just kept growing set after set. I got the idea from one of the great blogs written by jcon40 (http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/jcon40/) - he writes some very interesting stuff and has an awesome physique to show for! Check him out…

Later today I’ll do shoulders and abs. I think I will be doing some compound sets for shoulders. Nothing is as deliciously painful as when the shoulders catch fire and you can’t move your arms without feeling pain

A great day to all my brothers and sisters of iron!

Yesterday was Saturday so I was allowed to eat a bit more calories than on other days. Of course I have to eat good, clean foods however, in order to not get sick and tired of dieting I allow myself a bit of sweets on Saturdays so I have something to look forward to.

I bought a new digital weight yesterday so I can check my bodyweight each morning when I get up. My weight has already dropped from 218 to 213 lbs. This fast rate won’t continue of course - most of the weight reduction is probably due to the water loss. I don’t plan on getting too skinny either … it is important to me that NB still finds me attractive and not just another paperdoll! LMAO

No training today, but tomorrow I will hit chest and biceps hard.

Food yesterday was pretty much the same as Wednesday although instead of lean beef I ate chicken.

Cravings for sweets are starting to wear off, which is nice. I know I’m on track! When I made my diet I only counted calories, and assumed I was on target for proteins, carbs and fat. To be sure I did the calculations yesterday, and everything looks fine to me. The break down is like this: Proteins: 290 grams. Carbs: 280 grams. Fat: 60 grams.

I know it’s going to turn around, but I’m still able to pull off some PR’s when training. Because my left shoulder is a bit sore (like BAD sore) and because I’m not pushing the high energy levels at the moment, I’m doing a lot of high rep workouts. But I’m able to do more reps than before, so I’m still breaking old records. Yesterday I beat my old PR in standing military press. Great satisfaction!

A great Friday and weekend to you all…

Day 2 on the diet. Yesterday was hell… I was hungry ALL the time. I don’t think it was because I had too little to eat but probably because I didn’t have any sweets that I have been consuming vast amounts of during the month of December. It’s like an addiction!

My meals yesterday looked like this:

5,3 Oz oats blended with 2 Oz whey protein

7 Oz lean ground beef + 5,3 Oz potatoes

8,8 Oz lean ground beef + 2,3 Oz white rice

2 Oz whey protein + 1 banana (post workout)

6 Oz lean meatballs + 3,5 Oz whole grain pasta

1 Oz whey protein + 1 banana

Worked my pecs and bi’s yesterday. Used drop sets and compound sets so I’m pretty sore today … nice!

Later today I’ll hit the shoulders and abs.

Have a great day!