snagency 
"Heal up from injuries incurred this summer & get back on track.."
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| Created: | 10/20/2007 |
| Total Visits: | 1869 |
| Total Blog Entries: | 51 |
| Total Comments: | 46 |
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May 18, 2008
Thought I’d throw out some progress notes. Was a rough last week, physically I just wasn’t "on" where I usually am, and intensity was suffering, so I took consecutive days off from training and made the 3rd day all cardio with treadmill/bike ride/tennis. Nice change of pace to recharge my batteries, had a very intense back/hamstring day Friday and an awesome bicep/tricep/ab day yesterday, resting today. Weight’s at an even 200 this morning. Really feeling the Recreate these last few days; tennis esp. was crazy, had to break out the headband to control the sweat in my eyes!
Yesterday was the 17-week out mark. I’ve never started prep this far out before, but Ben (Scivation athlete) sure has made me reconsider my timing, dude looks incredible for 11.5 weeks out. My previous preparation was always focused on doing it in the least amount of time possible..
The goal is still to compete in the 182-185 range; I mean I’ll go wherever the diet takes my body (obviously), but I’d like to think with this much time to prepare I’ll be able to hold more muscle than last time around. Quality mass has been added in the last 6 weeks, shoulders & traps are the biggest they’ve ever been, and legs are thick..
I am thoroughly enjoying the VasoCharge/Xtend combo, this is good stuff. Very impressed with the Core products as well; I plan on rotating the ABC/Xtend throughout prep. I created a concoction of 2 scoops Beverly MassMaker/1 scoop Core PWO for my after w/o shake (then some solid complex carbs 45 min. later), this is one tasty shake & the macro complex is PERFECT!
Yesterday’s workout:
Close-Grip Bench 4×6-12
Reverse-Grip Pressdowns 4×6-12
V-Grip Pushdowns 4×6-8
EZ-Bar Curls 4×6-12
Spider Curls 4×6-8
Reverse-Grip Curls 4×6 ss w/
Wrist Curls 4×20-30
Hanging Leg Raises 4×12-16
V-Ups 4×12-16
Posted in Training
May 8, 2008
The body is really responding to the change in w/o format; back day today, pump was just off the hook, lats swole to the hilt!
Bent Rows 5×6-12
Lat Machine Pulldowns (D-Grip attachment) 4×6-15
1-Arm Long Pulley Rows 4×6-15
Standing Straight-Arm Pulldowns 2×15
Flat-Back Deads 4×6-15
Wrote up a structured diet that I’ll start out with; will run this for the next couple weeks or so, see where I’m at then.
Macros are 300/270/40@2640 cals from whole foods, 5 days/week (not counting aminos or liver tabs or the like, which of course I’ll be using), and 2 days/week (SUN/WED) I’ll bump the carbs up to 450 or so. I’m spreading the foods out over 7 meals. Just ordered some Core Nutritionals ABC (so I’ll be using this and Xtend/VasoCharge this time around instead of PurpleWraath), Core MRP & PWO (so I’ll be using these in addition to Beverly MassMaker/Ultra Size/Muscle Provider). Adding back PowerFULL & Recreate into the mix Saturday. All the supps are lined up (wish I had some USP test booster tho…), diet’s ready, LET’S ROCK!
Posted in Training
May 8, 2008
Well, starting to work towards the cut cycle again, which I’ll begin this w/e. Saturday is the 18-week out mark. Made some good progress with size, got up to 207 the other day, at 202.5 this morning. A little bloat in the belly (left over from a couple days eating whatever at the end of the bulking cycle) but I’m still veiny & look decent - LOT of difference between this 202 bw & the 203 bw I started prep last time at, I mean there is NO comparison. I’m feelin like a mini version of Jay Cutler right now, haha..
Back to 1-bodypart/day (5 days/wk) training for a minute, blasted shoulders something fierce today.. strength continues to be awesome..
D-Bell Press 1×12/3×6/drop set
Front D-Bell Raises 3×10-12
Lateral Raises 2×10-12
Bent Laterals 2×10-12
Shrugs 4×6-15
Posted in Training
April 24, 2008
POSEIDON Review
Well there seem to be no shortage of reviews to this product, but I’ll add to the fray..
Nimbus Nutrition was kind enough to gift a bottle to me so I could use it specifically in my pre-onstage shake for a bodybuilding show. I received the tub 5 days prior to the show, so I had to jump in to full usage to make sure my body would adapt by show day — didn’t want to chance having any unforseen issues for “the big day” due to the Magnesium content. I tell ya, it was a good thing I did too..
Initial Reactions
Jumped right in with 2 scoops immediately upon receipt (6pm), and took another scoop that night. Immediately got the Niacin-flush going on, I mean in a huge way, more than I ever have prior. While this bothers some, I’ve always kinda liked this feeling; this intensity did border on the uncomfortable tho. While I continued to get these flush-like responses all thruout usage, at no point was it as intense as this very first dose.
I was warned by the Nimbus guys about initial stomach issues, and this proved to be dead on. Wasn’t so much discomfort (tho there was a little) as much as heavy & loose bowel movements. Again, this was pretty much limited to the first dosing, tapering off thru the next day and gone by the third day.
Effect
My sole purpose in trying this product was for performance & energy enhancement for the stage. I will have to say that there was definitely something to this. I added this to my P-Slin shake both before pre-judging and for my nighttime routine, and man, energy levels were off the hook! I definitely felt a synergism going on, and there’s no doubt the Poseidon matrix helped absorbability. No problems with bloating or anything, and no stomach issues or the like at all.
Post Competition Usage
I jumped right back into training the Monday following the show, and came off pretty much all supps with exception of P-Slin, Anabolic Pump, creatine & EAA’s. So I used Poseidon in my pre & intra w/o creatine/EAA shakes, and there was increased performance and energy in my workouts. I mean, I was in a very anabolic state at this point I realize, but my performance in switching to a heavy, powerlifting routine for clean bulking purposes was pretty amazing, strength awesome, energy enhanced & stable thruout - and this was with no stims. In the 3 heavy lower body workouts I’ve had since starting this routine (I do a lower/upper split right now, and alternate heavy & lighter days within these), I’ve added 20 lbs. each to my working squat weight/deadlift/calf raise, and 10 lbs. to my leg curl! And again, the energy w/ no stims is where I feel the most benefit has been gained.
Conclusion
There’s no doubting the importance of mineral intake in relation to performance & absorption of other things by the body. This was my first experience in using a product of this magnitutde, and I will continue to use Poseidon as I feel it just enhances everything else I use in addition to getting my body in positive mineral balance.
Posted in Training
April 16, 2008
A summation of all USP products I used in contest preparation. With the exception of AnabolicPump, these were all first-time usages for me..
AnabolicPump/P-Slin
AP was the first USP product I ever used, and it produced such remarkable results in such a short time frame I was immediately hooked. Keeping in mind the goal I used these items with (contest prep), these were the results I saw:
*Ability to consume heightened carb amounts during prep, which was previously unheard of to me.
*Despite more carbs, body recomp exceeded that which I experienced during previous ketogenic dieting.
*More carb intake of course allowed me to maintain more of my muscle; as well, energy remained level & abundant.
P-Slin was awesome for preworkout, again allowing ingestion of carbs to fuel training; pump & vascularity improvements were noticeable.
I am currently in the process of using these two products in my clean bulking phase, and P-Slin especially I notice having an incredible ability to sock nutrients straight to the muscles; bloating on this is practically non-existent despite extremely (for me) high carb intake, and the immediate pumps from these meals are crazy.
PowerFULL
Definite raise in GH levels with this product. Sleep was much improved, in fact the synergy from this & the beta product added about an hour and a half a night to my previously lagging sleep! The "clearest" result here is just that — clear skin. Not to be feminine, but I noticed definite improvement & clearing in my complexion, softer & younger looking skin on my face, and clear skin all over the body. This to me is key evidence of GH boost. The big thing with this I think is the synergism with all the other products, and a boost in test levels.
Recreate
What can I say — the best fat-burner I have ever done, bar none - and I’ve done a few in my time. Check out my video in the USP Recreate product link for everything I have to say about this: http://www.usplabsdirect.com/catalog/Recreate-p-107.html (CASE STUDY #2, MIDDLE OF WRITE-UP)
Cissus
And probably my favorite (now THAT’S saying something) of all the USP goodies..
This stuff is amazing. Tendon & joint issues, what few I had, just disappeared very shortly after I began using this. I could feel these become stronger, like steel rods, when I began pushing more & more weight as my strength began to increase. I felt like the Terminator! It was very cool being able to go deep & heavy, ATG on squats, and still be able to walk & climb stairs normally the following day. Recovery was insane, and could definitely pinpoint anabolic properties with this product as I increased usage thru prep.
Summary
Geez, I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it again — USP ROCKS! These products create the finest results I have ever experienced. Looking forward to getting more results as I train for a couple upcoming shows this year; the 11 short weeks I had to use these products left no doubt in my mind that I’ve found my Holy Grail!
Posted in Training
April 16, 2008
Thought I would put my summations of the beta product in this log..
Training
Intensity was the #1 aspect I noticed to be most affected. The focus & animal-like ferocity with which I attacked the weights during training was a daily constant. In the 7 weeks I was able to use this product, I had only 1 "off" training day.
Strength was steadily improved; bigger jumps at the beginning, then steady increases thruout. These gains never really leveled off. 9 days out from a bodybuilding show I was incline-pressing the most I ever have.
I also experienced fullness within the muscles, this effect lasting thruout the day and not just during training.
Mood
From the very beginning, there was an immediate, intense "on top of the world" feeling, I mean I just felt GREAT! Outlook was upbeat, nothing could get me down — of course, when your training sessions were going like mine were, I guess it’s pretty easy to stay upbeat. I experienced this effect all thruout usage.
This upbeat feeling was combined with an aggresive alpha-male outlook as well. Early on, this aggression was intense and bordering on a bit uncontrollable (but I liked it, it felt good!); after a few weeks, this did level out somewhat & became more manageable, however the aggression was there in some amount all the way thru usage.
Sides
I experienced no bad side effects with this product, no acne or sexual malfunctions or the like. As for impacting sexual performance, I noticed no effects for approximately the first 4 weeks of use, then was hit all of the sudden with some pleasant effects: more powerfull orgasms, thicker & fuller erections, and I was able to last longer as well.
Sleep was solid thruout; was able to get at least 6 hours/night in, and mostly averaged 7 a night; this after previously averaging about 5-5.5 hours nightly.
Overall
There is no shortage of feedback to the effect this compound is having on people. Awesome intensity & focus, strength gains up, body pumps & recomp, alpha male aggression, improved sexual function — an incredibly wide range of benefits with this product. Truly beyond comparison with any other test boosters I’ve ever done. USP, you have another winner.
Posted in Training
April 7, 2008
Awesome collection of athletes competed at this event, it definitely drew some of the best drug-free amateur level guys I’ve ever seen. My class had 13 competitors, it was tough. I think I was penalized a spot for chewing gum at the night routine (just too amped! didn’t even realize I was chomping away till my wife told me afterwards..)
The show itself had some glitches timeframe-wise — my class didn’t get up to do our night routine until 10pm (the show started at 6pm), but there were 156 competitors overall, atttendance exceeded 1800, and guest-poser Jay Cutler was just awesome! I wasn’t a Cutler fan per se prior to this; I am now! You don’t realize how big that dude is until you see him in person, just unbelievable. Got to shake his hand as he was moving around the floor in his posing routine, that was pretty cool. He’s a pretty nice guy it seems too.
Going right back into training today. Got my couple days cheats in, time to prepare for the next show. Looking at the Mr. Natural Indiana show in September, then I want to go back to do the Natural Northern in Ohio, avenge myself there in October. Got some plans to get bigger & add more mass for these shows — want to move up to lightheavy and come in with some huge mass. I think if I utilize P-Slin & AnabolicPump to their fullest and change my trainiing a bit, I should be able to accomplish this..
Posted in Training
March 29, 2008
Switched up the routine a bit to set things up for final week; did shoulders/bi/tri work yesterday with abs at the end. Heavy weight was feeling good, so I stayed in the 5-8 rep range with straight sets, keeping rest periods down to 45 seconds, abs at 30 seconds, and utilizing only 2 exercises per bodypart. Again, not anything I’d probably recommend doing, but it was right for me.
So today I did cardio, 5 minutes light followed by 8×60 yd. all-out sprints, followed by 15 minutes medium stride cardio. Finished up with 15 minutes posing; will have posing sessions 3x more thruout day.
Sets me up for final week. Got the diet plan nailed, workout format set, supps all lined up, LET’S ROCK!
SUN - legs, abs, med. cardio
MON - back/bi circuit, sprints
TUE - chest/shoulders/tri circuit, abs & cardio
WED - upper body circuit, sprints
THUR - sprints only
posing every day, 4×15 minute sessions
Posted in Training
March 28, 2008
Little bit of randomness as I wait to work out here this morning..
From yesterdays newspaper, front page:
MIDDLE-AGE BELLY FAT LINKED TO ALHEIMER’S RISK
(Washington Post)
People who have big bellies in their 40’s are much more likely to get Alheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in their 70’s..
The study of more than 6000 people found the more fat they had in their guts, the greater their chances of showing signs of senility as they aged. Those who had the biggest midsections faced more than twice the risk of the leanest.
"A large belly is the most potent predictor of dementia," said Rachel Whitmer, a research scientistat the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA, who led the new study.
The research is the latest evidence that fat in the abdomen is the most dangerous kind. Previous studies have linked the apple-shaped physique to a greater risk of diabetes, heart disease and even cancer.
Researchers suspect that those fat cells are the worst because of their proximity to major organs. They ooze noxious chemicals, stoking inflammation, constricting blood vessels and triggering other processes that might also cause damage to brain cells..
Wow, doesn’t bode well for the future of the world’s most obese nation.
Just another reason to keep that six-pack up, eh guys & gals?
Posted in Training
March 27, 2008
INCREDIBLE workout this morning, as I knew it would be.
Felt pretty aggressive, so I busted out some power schematics to take advantage of the feeling, just felt like moving heavy weight today. Not anything I would necessarily recommend doing at this point in prep, but it felt right for me this day; besides, it’s the last chest/back day before peak week protocol, so wth..
CHEST/BACK
10×3 incline BB (285, 45 sec. rest)
5×10-12 flat DB flyes (45 sec. rest)
8×8 deadlifts (315, 60 sec. rest)
5×12 1-arm DB rows (75, 45 sec. rest)
12 minutes HIIT
Everything straight sets today, but kept rest periods down. Was extremely pleased w/ all aspects — kept the negative nice & slow on inclines (almost snapped my neck on that last rep of last set, but got it up; one of the disadvantages of training alone, there’s no one to help ya). Not a strong guy on deads, but I rarely do them, concentrate on stiff-legged & Romanian forms for hammies, so that was good weight for me. Nice pump in the lower back from this.
Strength was off the hook today - I would go ahead and say the inclines were a PB (in this type format). I’ve done 295 for 10×3’s before, but not w/ concentrated negatives or 45 sec. rests, used 2 min. rests previous. Most definitely some factors boosting the training today - carb rush from Hades!
I’ve passed several PBs at points thruout this prep, in terms of both strength & endurance; I’ve learned not to be surprised.
Kinda felt this coming. Combination of great supplements fueling my progress, as well as those supps allowing me to train in a non-keto nutritional environment, it’s a PowerFULL 1-2 punch there (couldn’t resist the product pun on that one, hah)..
Posted in Training
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