bradford4fitness’s BodyBlog

Has anyone out there used Gakic.  If so, what are your thoughts on the supplement? 

After a friend of mine recommended Gakic I did some research on the ingredients.  It appears to be mainly an amino-acid chain, and it purports to provide greater energy during workouts by way of helping remove ammonia build up. 

My research revealed that there were no banned substances (which is critical because I am a natural competitive bodybuilder), and did not have pro-hormones or any ingredients that seemed harmful.  Therefore, if it will help me make greater progress I’m willing to try it out.

What I don’t know is whether or not it is effective.  In theory it should be, but I have no experience with it so I won’t know for sure till I try it out.  If anyone has tried Gakic I’d be grateful for your thoughts, particularly its effectiveness and if you had any negative side effects.

V/R,

Jeff

I took a week off this starting this past Sunday to catch up on recovery and come back at my training stronger.  I usually plan this sort of break ahead of time but when the scheduled time for that week comes around I keep postponing it thinking I can get just a little more growth or a little more cut before I need to take a break.  Sooner or later I completely forget to take the break and eventually I find myself overtrained and have to take a week off not only if I want continued growth but if I want to simply have the energy to work out.  I would like to say that this time around I learned my lesson, but I thought I learned it before.  This time around, what made it click was insomnia and feeling like I was catching a cold and feeling a bit at the end of my rope at work.  I’m pretty even keel but when I get overtrained I get as moody as if I’m prepping for a contest.  I had been in a state of overtraining for a while before I figured it out this time, because I guess I’m not the sharpest pencil in the box when it comes to my own recovery.  (The funny thing is that as a personal trainer I force my clients to take scheduled breaks because I know the trainee is usually the last to recognize his own overtraining symptoms.)   

But the great thing is that everytime I take a week off, not only do I get rid of the aches that build up over the course of the training cycle, but my energy stores and motivation also get replenished.  Usually so much so that it starts to drive me nuts not to be going to the gym about half way through the week.  I usually like to spend some of the time going to back to the drawing board to plan my attack for when I get back to the gym. 

Over the years I’ve learned how my body responds to training and have developed a basic program that I end up tweaking and trying to improve as I go. 

My weekly training schedule is as follows:

Sunday - Rest (optional stretching and optional cardio)

Monday - Cardio - run long slow distance 1 hour followed by stretching

Tuesday - Resistance Training: Chest, front delts, Abs 

               cardio:  run - sprint/jog repeat for 30 minutes followed by stretching

Wednesday - Resistance:  Upper Back, Rear delts, Traps, Forearms, Calves

                    Cardio:  run moderately challenging pace for 30 minutes followed by stretching

Thursday - Resistance:  Rest

                 Cardio:  run slow - moderate pace for 1 hour followed by stretching

Friday - Resistance:  Arms, abs

            Cardio:  run - a moderately challenging pace for 30 minutes (followed by stretching)

Saturday - Resistance:  Legs, calves, forearms

                 Cardio:  run a slow pace for 30 minutes to 1 hour (gets the lactic acid moving from the legs) -followed by stretching

   I keep the cardio training the same throughout, but change the type of training up with the resistance.  The first three weeks I train with high intensity (due to heavier weights - lower reps) for a lower volume.  I do this to improve power and to increase the amount of weight I can work with in my hypertrophy training in the next cycle.  Weeks 4-10 to 12 I usually train moderate intensity (weights I can handle for reps of 8-12) and a higher volume.  This training is to increase size by forcing the muscles to have to store greater amounts of energy.  In the past I scheduled a break I never ended up taking at this point.  I think this time around I might adjust the training so that in the second cycle it will last weeks 4-9 and then finish with a short cutting cycle of 2 to 3 weeks which will consist of higher intensity (due to decreased rest time rather than weight handled), lighter weights and higher volume (than the first cycle but similar to the amount in the second cycle.)  Then…. If I can summon the discipline to do it, no matter how energetic I feel at the time, I’m going to take a week off, reassess, improve and go at it again. 

I train very early in the morning (ideally around 0430 hours) so I have my greatest energy stores to dedicate to my workout, vs. trying to depend on whatever is left over after a day of work.  (That’s why the insomnia was a problem causing me to finally recognize I was overtrained.) 

I use this to sort of keep track of my training notes for myself, but I would certainly welcome any comments or suggestions on this program. 

To all my fellow iron buddies out there.. Keep it up.  and thanks for keeping me motivated.

Very Respectfully,

Jeff Bradford

It is clear that President Obama and the Democrat controlled Congress are going to try to push through some form of government health care and quick.  It is unknown whether it will be by taking over the nation’s health insurance industry, through overly intrusive regulation directly imposed on the medical community (pharmaceutical companies – supplement companies watch out!, doctors offices, emergency rooms, etc.), or a combination of both.  But if the knuckleheads on Capitol Hill can’t stop this nonsense a few things are known.  First, the basis of rationing of health care based on one’s ability to acquire money to pay for it will be replaced by one’s ability to acquire political favor with the bureaucrats who will be running the new system.  And the system will be one that decreases the incentive to improve the quality and increase the supply of medical care, making it difficult to acquire sufficient health care for even those fortunate few who can acquire such favored status.  The fact that our politicians are really considering this seems surreal in Orwellian proportions.  I lack faith in our politicians, though I write mine often anyway (Hey, may as well give it a shot.), and am sad to say that this goofy idea that the government is the solution to the health care problem seems to have wheels in both the legislative and executive branches of government. 

At first this thought was really depressing me.  I found myself frustrated with the citizens who support the idea of government run health care.  Are they so lazy, greedy and lacking in initiative that when they see some poor person unable to provide for their own health care they don’t try to find solutions on their own to help him or her by either directly lending the money, or starting or joining a charity but rather demand the government take money from other citizens and provide it to that person?  And the politicians, are they so seduced by power and fame that they would destroy the greatest medical system in the world and create the illusion of a false caste class system in which nobody can rise without the government’s help (thus making hay off of making people feel like victims rather than encouraging them to improve their personal situation) all for the purposes of gaining enough popularity to win the next vote? 

But then it hit me.  I needed to look at the bright side.  You see, I work a full time job but also run a fitness consultation business, objective Fitness Training Consultants,  on the side that I hope to make my primary means of income on day.  (See www.objectivefitness.com for details.)  If the government destroys health care, which it seems bent on doing, people will want to avoid needing health care.  If you don’t have access to a doctor or the right medicine then you certainly want to avoid getting sick.  If there is a curable disease you can prevent, and the cure is taken away, then the prevention becomes all that more important.  Since exercise and nutrition are key elements in good health and disease prevention I should be able to expect an increase in revenue with my fitness consultation business as more and more people realize that their life depends on their fitness now more than ever before.  And as long as the government doesn’t tax me out of existence to support this health care program, the stimulus bill and all the other fiscally irresponsible policies of this government, I may even see a profit increase.

This is a good time to reflect on the benefits of the lifestyle we, who frequent this site, have chosen.  We should be grateful to your Creator for giving each of us the wisdom, perseverance and ability to pursue the fitness lifestyle.  We should be grateful for those who have encouraged us to start and who continue to encourage us along the way.  And we should be grateful for each other’s support in this endeavor.  I personally started the fitness pursuit as a past time.  I appreciated the health benefits, but the fitness benefits were my main motivation.  However, with the way things are going I have an even greater appreciation for those health benefits than before.  Best of luck to you all in your fitness endeavors and here’s to your health as well.     

Work and family obligations have kept me from posting for some time but not from the training.  I’ll be back on the blog regularly within the next two weeks.  Hope everyone is doing well. 

 Jeff

Brothers and Sisters of the Iron Art,

 I haven’t written frequently because I have been on a business trip overseas, which will have been 3 months long when I complete this.  I intend to get more on this as I want to use this as a journal for my own reference in addition to acquiring input and the great information and inspiration I receive from your advice and reading about your experiences.  While I haven’t posted much I have frequented many of your sites.  Your photos and stories have been a great boon to my own training.  Whatever your level, be it elite competitor or novice using the iron to forge a body that reflects your soul, I’ve been able to gain great wisdom and spirit from it.  Thank you.

To bring this journal up to date I have been competing in bodybuilding since 1997.  [I am a natural bodybuilder and take great pride in that, but my sport is bodybuilding, and I don’t differentiate between two types of the same sport (natural vs. untested).  I merely differentiate between two types of competitive bodybuilders.  (I say ‘competitive’ because anyone who uses training and nutrition to sculpt their physique to reflect an inner spirit is a bodybuilder.  I use the term competitive merely to distinguish those who chose to compete in the sport on a stage vs. those who do not but bodybuild for their own personal reasons.  Both, in my opinion, are true artists.  One just takes his or her art to the metaphorical stage.)  Those who earn their progress and further the art/sport of bodybuilding and those who decide that they don’t have enough drive in them to do it honestly.  To the competitors who do not do this naturally, all I can say is… its never too late to come back to the natural side.  I never did take steroids, growth hormones or drugs, but for what its worth, I’d have a lot of respect for the person who was able to overcome those temptations after having tasted them and come back to the natural side of bodybuilding.]  I did not compete as I decided to attain my MBA.  I had to work the muscle above the neck a bit more I felt.  I continued my resistance training regimen during that time and made significant gains in strength and muscle, but my diet and cardio were dropped by the wayside and I gained much more bodyfat than I needed.  I completed my MBA and weighed about 205 lbs at 5′7. 

The weight by itself wasn’t an issue.  Indeed, I hope one day to compete at that weight or higher because it will mean I have added significant lean mass.  But I realized that much of that weight was not the muscle I wanted.  I was not obese, but I didn’t look like a bodybuilder.  I looked like just a strong guy.  Without the definition I didn’t feel my look on the outside expressed who I am.  Once I acquired my MBA I decided to compete in a bodybuilding competition that is to take place on 22 Nov of this year. 

Originally my business trip would have had me back home in time to do the competition.  I continued training, restarted my cardio and began my precompetition dieting in early September.  (I have photos posted for some of the progress I made with more to come soon.)  However, my work requirements demanded that my trip extend and I would miss the competition.  I was several weeks into the competition preparation when I found out.  I debated whether I should continue with the diet (The diet consistis of dropping all junk food and following a 4 day carbohydrate rotation of 3 days of healthy carbs and protein with residual fat from the lean protein sources and nuts followed by a fourth day of reduced carbohydrates to create a 24 hour calorie deficit.  I repeat this cycle throughout the preparation phase about three months.) or come off of it, simply eat clean and try to add even more muscle to compete in April when the shows in my area start up again.

I decided that I needed to drop the fat and see where I would have stood would I have been able to compete using the date of the competition as my personal deadline.  It would also be a good test of my resolve and a forge for hardening my personal will power. 

Its now 10 weeks in and I have leaned out significantly.  I am almost in the condition that I will want to maintain during the off-season.  I have two more weeks and one day to go until the date and I feel I am on track to be stage ready on the target date.  My current weight is 186lbs and I have become significantly ripped without losing much of my muscular size.  (I’m hoping to take and post photos soon.)  I just need to get a few more etches in and may be ready a week early. 

This time I am doing an experiment with the dieting.  Rather than try to carb deplete for several days and then carb load and dehydrate a few days before the show, I am going to simply continue the four day rotation and stay hydrated.  I think that this plan will allow me to get shredded for the stage, avoid the risks of ’spilling over’ or ‘going flat’ and provide for vascularity that is often lost when too much water is dropped.  We will see how it works when the 22nd rolls around.  I’ll post the results.  Then I will have a bowl of cookies and cream ice-cream and then get back on track for maintaining a much leaner off season body composition that I have in the past.  It should make muscular gains come more cleanly and future show preparation much smoother.

Being away from my extraordinary wife and four little rugrats has been tough, especially with the dieting, but their love, and the joy of training has kept me focused.  The blogs, stories and pictures you all have posted have been an invaluable resource throughout this process.  I hope I can return the favor with my own story in some small way. 

Keep pushing the iron.

 Your fan,

Jeff

Brothers and Sisters of the Iron Sport, 

I haven’t kept up on recording what I"ve been up to but the short of it is that I finished the MBA program in July and am now on a business trip.  I’m preparing for the Mt. Rogers Bodybuilding Competition on November 22nd.  So I am about 8 weeks out.  I started the contest prep diet about 4 weeks ago.  I’ve dropped some bodyfat (I’ll post some before pictures later when I get to my home computer.) and have maintained my strength levels although I’m starting to plateau.  (I might need to increase the carbs I’m taking at the appropriate point in the diet cycle.  I’ll go into that more later.)  I’ll probably be pretty regular on this now as I want to use it to keep a sort of journal so that I can use it for follow on competitions.  It’s great to be getting back into the game after such a long time of a competition lay off (2 years).    As always, I’m open to any suggestions anyone might have. 

Respectfully,

Jeff

Assessment

Body Stats:

Chest:  Exceeded goal by 1"

Arms:  Missed goal by - .4"

Waist:  Missed goal + 4.5"

Thighs:  Met goal

Forearms:  Missed goal by -.4"

Shoulders:  Met goal

Other Goals:

(1)  A leaner off season body composition:  Now I want to look like a bodybuilder for more than the two weeks before and after a competition.  Deadline: 1 August 2008 - Missed this one but will push back deadline and get leaned out.  I’m not in bad shape now but still softer than I’d like to be, even in the off season.  (This should be easier to attain now that I have more free time.)

(2)Back in competition:  No later than Spring 2009.  Still time to add lean size.  Realistic goal of competition weight of approximately 180-185 lbs by that time.  Still time to attain this goal.  Very realistic.

(3)  Win Pro Card by 2010  - Still time to attain this goal.  Very realistic.

(4) Open a personal training studio by 31 Dec 2008:  Capitalize on physique and pro card to support that goal. I have already acquired one client who I am training out of my studio (currently in my basement) and developed a website for the business as well.  I finished my MBA and now I am trying to organize life to fit in expanding this business as I pursue my bodybuilding career.

Plan

Training - Proper rotation of resistance training methods (power, hypertrophy, circuit - anaerobic endurance) and cardio training methods (LSD, Moderate dist/ mod. intensity, sprint/interval) to reach updated goals to be posted on bodyspace site.

Nutrition - Adjusted to training.  A rotation of looser restrictions for short periods of time to maintain sanity as well as keep metabolism high, combined with lean muscle growth intake (enough calories to allow for muscle growth but not so much as to gain fat) as well as fat loss (e.g. zig-zagging caloric intake). 

Competition - Find, plan for and compete in a competition in early 2009.  These shows will not likely be posted till November at the earliest and possibly as late at January 09.  In the meantime I will visit as many shows and follow the progress, plans and training of as many other bodybuilders (particularly through this site) to continue to learn the lessons that will make me a better competitor on stage.

Business - Continue to improve website and acquire clients.  Particular focus for the next three months will be to improve the web-based program development aspect of the business. 

I took about a three week sabbatical to finish up the final course for my MBA.  The course ended about two weeks ago and I returned to my training.  My goals haven’t changed though depending on how things go from here on out I may push the timeline back just a little.  I don’t think it will be a problem though I think those three weeks did more good in terms of recovery and growth than they did harm and already I’m about back to where I was prior to taking the break. 

The better news is that the MBA work is behind me.  I’m so glad to have the free time to dedicate to family and training and the return of at least a small amount of social life…(although, all you bodybuilders, fitness and figure competitors out there as well as the non-competing but never-the-less hardcore training enthusiasts understand the limits of social life even without many demands outside of training and diet.  But when you’ve had none for so long, just a little seems like plenty.)…that I haven’t even really thought about having the degree.  It’s like being more excited about the pizza and ice cream after the competition than the trophy.  Maybe it will hit later. 

Anyway, I’ll update measurements goals etc. later.  Its good to be back with my fellow trainers here in cyberspace.  Best of luck to you all in your fitness goals as well as any other goals you may have.

v/r

Jeff