9/30 Back & Hams

Zaptastic workout. Legs are still hurting from field sprints so no cardio today, will do a HIIT only day on friday. Got a sick pump in the lats today. Manager was working out and wouldn't let me do T bar rows (stupid planet fitness) so i grabbed a bar with parallel grips and killed those. Hammies were experiencing some serious DOMS so I lightned up weight and focused on form. Hit some posing post workout, weighed in at 151.4 this morning so its been consistenly going down since saturday.

Wide Grip Underhand Lat Pulldown - 90/12, 105/12, 135/8, 155/5/4/4
Parallel Grip Row - 90/10, 150/8/8/8
Rack Pull-up - Bodyweight/10/8/8
Seated Leg Curl - 60/12, 65/10, 70/8/8
Single Leg Curl - 30/10/10/8

9/28 Chest & Triceps

Insanely focused in the gym today. Made some nice gains in strength while keeping form perfect. DB Flys and Tricep Pressdowns felt insanely light today. Left with a crazy pump and sick vascularity. Having a shredded carcass is in my sights and nothing is gonna stand in my way. Hammies are feeling it hard from the field sprints. Going to hit some mandatories and muscularity rounds later tonight after I finish up school work.

Flat DB Press: 50/12, 60/12, 75/8, 80/6/6/6
Mid Bar Press (15 degree angle): 135/10, 145/8/7/6
Incline DB Fly: 35/10/10/10
Tricep Press: 110/10, 135/8, 140/8/8
Lying DB Ext: 30/8/7/8

HIIT w/ field sprints, 5 min warm up, 17-50 yard sprints, 3 min cool down

9/27 Quads and Calfs

Real solid workout this morning. Being 5 and 7 weeks out really going to put more emphasis on form and range of motion and keep increments in weight small (+5 lbs everytime i hit the desired rep range). Went with a shoulder width stance on leg press on squats to focus on the outer quads a bit more. Since the DB's at my gym don't go past 80 I decided to just hold 2 DB's between my legs for db sumo squats, good thing i can get creative. Walking lunges were brutal but i started my prep doing 12 steps with 25's, so that def made a big jump. Off to another hard day of work watching football :)

Leg Press: 360/12, 410/12,450/9,560/6/6/6
Squat: 205/10, 245/8/8/7
DB Sumo: 75/12, 90/10/10
Walking Lunge: 40/10/10
Standing Calf Press: 155/12, 175/10, 205/8, 225/8

25 min on treadmill @ 3.7 mph and 9% incline

9/26 Delts and Biceps

7 and 5 weeks out
Weight: 152.4 (-.6)
Waist: 30 (no change)
Skinfolds
Chest: 3 mm (-1)
Waist: 6 mm (-1)
Quad: 6 mm (-2)

LBM: 147.49 lbs (+1.39)
Body Fat: 4.9 lbs (-1.98)

No change in waist but skinfolds and how I look in the mirror are showing progress. Felt like the Hulk in the gym today (especially since I had my hulk juice with me, green apple xtend). Had increases across the board in weight and reps, which is downright silly for being 5 weeks out. Used the thick bar on shrugs, still without straps, so it kept slipping around the 4-5 rep mark. Getting asked a lot more if I am getting ready for a show which shows things are definitely moving in the right direction. Biceps were blown up today after curls! Form has definitely improved after learning about the stretch reflex and series elastic component of muscle spindles and tendons in kineseology. I love how I'm learning about things I can actually apply to what I do outside of school.

Military Press: 85/12/12, 110/8, 125/6/5/4
Shrugs w/ thick bar: 185/10, 235/8/6/6
Side Laterals w/ DB: 20/10/9/7
Barbell Curls: 45/12, 50/10, 65/8/6
DB Curls: 15/10, 30/6/6

HIIT on the Arc Trainer, 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cool down = quads, hammies, and glutes burning up

9/24 Back & Hams

Intense workout today. Went in there and got it done. Went loose form on bent rows and kept everything else with strict tight form. Slowed down my rep speed on seated leg curls and focused on pausing at the bottom and top of the movement to really work the hamstring through the entire range of motion. Threw in some rear delt raises between sets of db sldl. Cold is just about gone, still a little congested so i've been resting longer than usual still about 60 second rest between sets.

Bent Rows - 155/12, 165/12, 205/8, 225/6/6/7
Deadlifts - 185/10, 225/8/8, 235/8
1 Arm Rows - 70/10/10/10
Seated Leg Curls - 75/12, 80/9/7/6
DB Stiff Leg Deads - 75/10/10/10

25 min on treadmill @ 3.7 mph and 9% incline.

9/23 Chest & Triceps

Workout was as solid as the back fat on oprah! Hows that for changin up what i start off with lol! Chest felt great when I got in but on my 2nd set of incline DB my right shoulder started acting up and I was havin a difficult time getting the right DB to the top of the movement off the first rep. Decided to play it safe with the chest. Mid bar press, took it easy and rocked out 135 for sets with a pause at the bottom and top of the movement. Even for playing it safe my chest and tri's were rock hard and pumped by the time I got to HIIT. Decided to change HIIT up and went on the arc trainer (my calves are in some serious DOMS pain).

Incline DB - 45/12, 55/12, 75/8, 80/6/3/5
Mid Bar Press - 135/10/8/6/6
Gironda Dips - 9/8/7
Rope Press - 110/10, 130/8/8/7
Tricep Overhead Extension w/ curl bar - 65/9/8/5

HIIT on Arc Trainer, 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cool down

9/22 Quads and Calves

My calves are frickin sore from posing yesterday! Class was awesome and had a great time even though I hit tons of traffic on the way back that turned my 3 hour drive home into a 5 hour drive, had a hard time finding a gas station with a microwave so I ended up downing broccoli and chicken cold, never any fun, lol. Woke up and went for some office hours with my kinesiology professor before hitting the gym. Cough is going away but still dealing with some cold symptoms so I didn't go too crazy today. Quads were begging for me to stop by the time I got to hack squats and step ups were just brutal. Hit some posing before cardio, wish yesterday had been a workout day, I was looking freaky in the locker room.

Squat - 135/12, 185/12, 235/8, 265/6/6/6
Leg Ext - 120/10, 145/8/7/8
Hack Squat - 90/12, 130/10/8
Step Ups - 35/10/8
Standing Calf Press - 135/12, 155/10, 175/8, 195/8
Crunches - 25/20/20/30

25 min on treadmill @ 3.7 mph and 9% incline

9/20 Delts and Bi's

Woke up this morning and felt like a truck hit my back, hams felt sore as hell, killed it yesterday! Woke up half an hour before I had my alarm set, the anticipation is building up and its just motivating and driving me more than I thought I could. Woke up and didn't even feel like taking Zap or Y-RD because I was already so pumped up for this mornings workout. Adjusted weight accordingly to weight used during warm ups and focused on maximum contraction with a slow negative and pause at the bottom before beginning the movement again. Delts, traps, and biceps were on fire!! I cannot wait for november 1st (i've already made weight for the lighweight class, no bantam, with 5 weeks to go, im gonna be peeled).

Wide Grip Upright Rows - 45/12/12, 55/8, 65/6/6/6
Standing DB Press - 35/10, 40/8/8/9
Front Raises w/ DB - 20/10/8/8
1 Arm Cable Curls - 20/12, 30/10, 40/8/8
Preacher Curls - 45/8/8/8

HIIT on bike, 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cooldown

9/19 Back & Hams

8 + 6 weeks out
Weight: 153 (-2.8)
Waist: 30 (-.3)

I was so ready to get my grown on this morning. Been on Prime for almost 3 weeks now and all I can say is, damn, when I got on the bike for HIIT, i felt like could do the workout all over again, and i put a serious beat down on back and hams. Big drop in weight but minimal drop on the waist, def notice more definition and separation in other body parts but it seems as if my waist has decided to become a stubborn bastard like my legs. Went all out this morning and felt like I was going to puke when i laid down for leg curls! Relaly focused on squeezing the back during all movements and i'm still feeling pumped. Shaved up and ready to go for sunday's posing class!

Wide Grip Overhand Pulldowns - 90/12, 100/12, 120/8, 130/6/5/5 burn 105/5
Seated Cable Rows - 80/10/8, 90/8/9, burn 50/7
DB Deads - 80/12/12/10
SLDL - 185/12, 205/10, 215/7/8
Lying Leg Curls - 70/10/10/8

HIIT, 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cooldown

9/18 Chest and Tri's

Excellent workout this morning. I was pumped up for it from the moment I woke up and it was hard to sit in class without flexing, lol. By my third set of flat bench I was in the zoneeee. Uneven pushups with just bodyweight were killer especially after pounding my chest with on flat bar and incline db. Tried out DB extensions with one arm at a time but def felt I had better form using both arms at once. Killed underhand pressdowns and left with a sick pump in my upper body. Did a hybrid of lying leg raises and reverse crunches in between underhand pressdowns. Almost 6 weeks out and I just keep getting more and more pumped up about it.

Flat Bench - 125/12, 135/12, 165/8, 185/6/4/4
Incline DB - 60/10, 65/8/6/7
Uneven Pushup - 10/10/10
DB Extension - 30/10, 35/6/8/8
Underhand Pressdown - 80/10, 90/10, 100/10 burn 80/7
Lower Abs Hybrid - 20-10,15-5,10-10,10-8

HIIT on bike, 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cool down

9/16 Quads and Calves

I hate no Zap weeks, lol. Energy levels aren't as crazy high, but i still have that "crush the weight before it crushes you" mentality and aggression. Leg extensions were controlled and explosive as usual and had a solid increase in reps on leg press with 450. On my last set of front squats I felt some pressure on my spine, not sure why this happened. By the time I got to barbell step lunges I was drenched and ready to just drop, quads and hams were on fire but I gutted out the last few reps. Finished up with some cardio and pwo brown rice cakes + scivation sludge! Gonna switch between that and regular brown rice, my jaw was in pain from all the chewing.

Leg Extensions - 100/12/12, 130/8, 150/6/6/7
Front Squat - 125/12, 145/8, 150/8, 155/8
Leg Press - 360/12, 450/10/10
Barbell Step Lunge - 115/20/20
Seated Calf Press - 160/12, 180/12, 210/8/6
Lower Abs - 2 sets of 20

25 min on treadmill @ 8.5% incline and 3.7 mph

9/15 Delts & Biceps

Had a loco workout today. Went in with the plan of completely smoking my delts and bi's. I liked starting off with an isolation movement, definitely pre-fatigued my delts for the push presses. Haven't done front raises in god knows how long so that was good addition. Biceps were done by the time I hit cable curls, even though i overestimated the weight (different cable tower) and did 3 sets of 8 instead of an adjustment set of 10 and 2 working sets of 8. Hit some posing afterwards, i swear i'm seeing changes daily, my legs(which i killed with HIIT today) are definitely much improved from my last show and better than they were at 8 weeks out this past spring. There will be no reversal in conditioning this time around. I'm going to get as shredded as I possibly can in these next 7 and 9 weeks. Personal problems were resolved last night so my head is in a much better place, now I just have to go to the doctors and find out what this nagging cough from my chest is. Its me and my fiancees one year anniversay today so after classes I'll be spending the rest of the day with her, she got me this awesome vegetable chopper as one of my gifts, I'm probably the only 20 year old guy who enjoys getting kitchen gadgets as gifts.

Side Laterals - 15/12/12, 20/8, 25/6/5/4
Push Press - 95/10, 105/8/6/7 drop 75/7
Front Raise - 15/10/10/10
Incline DB Curl - 20/12, 30/10, 50/8/5
Cable Curl - 90/8/8/8

HIIT on bike, 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cool down

9/14 Back and Hams

Taking a week off from Zap and still had an intense workout. Strength is still increasing and enjoyed the new movements thrown in. Dealing with some personal problems so going to the gym is helping to give me a break from it all. Looking forward to the posing class down in PA next sunday.

Wide Grip Underhand Lat Pulldown - 90/12, 100/12, 130/8, 150/6/6/6
T Bar Row - 90/10, 135/8/8/6
Rack Pull-up - Bodyweight/10/9/7
Seated Leg Curl - 75/12, 85/10, 100/7/5
DB Leg Curl - 30/19/10/12
25 min on treadmill @ 8.5% incline and 3.7 mph

9/12 Chest and Tri's

9 and 7 weeks out
Weight: 155.8 (-2.2)
Waist: 30.3 (-.3)

Sick a** workout this morning. Went in with the crazy intensity I've been bringing lately and burnt out my chest and tri's. I had the craziest pump going all around and some nasty vascularity I have not seen since I was this lean last prep. Chest was smoked after mid bar press and I kept it light on DB Fly's but had a slow negative, 2 second hold, and explosive positive, my chest was on fire! Triceps were smoked by the time I finished tricep presses, kept the negative slow with a 2 second hold after an explosive positive. Did a round of posing before HIIT and I was very happy with where I am at, big improvements from last week, very close to my 8 weeks out conditioning this past spring. Definitely having one of my best preps to date, weights and reps just keep going up even as I keep dropping cals and upping the cardio. I haven't even gone over 25 minutes which still blows my mind considering at this point during my spring prep I was doing 50 in the morning and another 20 post workout.

Flat DB Press: 50/12, 60/12, 75/8, 80/6/5/5
Mid Bar Press (15 degree angle): 135/10, 145/8/8/6, drop 115/7
Incline DB Fly: 30/10/10/10, burn 20/12
Tricep Press: 110/10, 130/8/7/5, burn 110/3
Lying DB Ext: 35/4, 30/8/7
Crunches: 25/25/25/25

1 round of mandatories, 1 round of muscularity poses
(Gym locker room lighting was awesome, will snap some pictures there next week)

HIIT on bike, 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cool down

9/11 Quads and Calves

Totally destroyed my legs today. I went in the gym with the sickest intensity and all I could think about during class was how badly I was going to kill my legs. Hit all my target reps, increased some weight on exercise and had picture perfect form. Hit a couple of poses in the locker room and am very happy with the progress I am making. One guy asked me if I was soccer player because of how hard and intense I was working out my legs, kindof laughed to myself because I don't think I've ever met a soccer player who trains as hard as I do, or in genereal. Started talking about bodybuilding and supplements but made sure to not let it interfere with the fast pace of my workout. Thinking about investing in some magnetic weights to bring along with me to the gym, damn db's dont go past 80.

Leg Press - 360/12/12, 450/8, 540/6/6/6
Squat - 205/10, 235/8/8/8
DB Sumo Squat - 75/12, 80/10/10
Walking DB Lunges - 35/20/20
Seated Calf Press - 170/12, 180/10, 200/8/8

25 min on treadmill @ 8.5% incline and 3.7 mph

9/10 Delts and Bi's

Had a good workout this morning. Still have somewhat of a cough and a little congested in the nose but nothing that is serious enough to keep me out of the gym. Rest was kept short as usual. Delts were smoked after military press. Have to invest in some wrist wraps since I fell short of target reps on shrugs simply because of my grip slipping, thinking about getting some haulin hooks, they just look cool, haha. Switched back over to db side laterals. Going to cables for a bit def helped me get up to 20's and dumbbels with consistent good form on each rep. Aimed a bit too high for weight on bicep exercises but still hit working sets. Hammies were still sore from monday but still finished off with some HIIT.

Military Press (no back support) - 85/12/12, 110/8, 120/6/6/5
Shrugs - 185/10, 235/8/7/6
DB Side Laterals - 20/10/8/7
BB Curl - 45/12, 65/8/6/5
Seated DB Curl - 25/8/8
Reverse Crunches - 25/20/20/15/20

HIIT on bike, 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cooldown

9/8 Back and Hams

Sick workout this morning and absolutely killed it. The intensity I'm bringing day in and day out is off the charts. Completely nailed every set and got a killer pump all around. Haven't done deadlifts in awhile and I've gotten injured on them before so I played around with the weight. Plan on killing it next week and making some increase weight wise. Definitely enjoying the new split and the focus on individual muscle groups. Finished it off with a brutal HIIT session. Can't believe I am almost 7 weeks out, time is flying by which means got up the ante and come in absolutely shredded!

Bent Rows - 155/12, 165/12, 205/8, 215/6/6/4
Deadlifts - 185/10, 205/8, 215/8, 225/8
1 Arm Rows - 65/10/10/10
Leg Curls - 75/12, 85/10, 100/7/6
DB Stiff Leg Deads - 70/10/10/10

HIIT on bike, 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cool down

9/7 Chest & Tri's

Awesome workout today. Still got that cold hanging around so I decided to save HIIT for tomorrow, rather play it safe this time around. Insane pump and mind-muscle connection today, in the zone and rest was short. Set up the mid bar press in the squat rack, actually worked out pretty well, used the thick bar so lifts are probably 5 lbs heavier than listed. Haven't done gironda dips in awhile and loved the burn in the chest i get on those. Killed the triceps to finish off.

Incline DB - 45/12,55/12, 75/8, 80/6/6/6
Mid Bar Press - 135/10, 145/8/6/4
Gironda Dips - bodyweight/10/10/8
Rope Press downs - 110/10, 125/8/8, 130/8
Overhead Tricep Extensions w/ bar - 65/10/9/8

25 mins on treadmill @ 8.5% incline and 3.7 mph

9/6 Quads & Calves

Killed it today even with just 6 hours of sleep and one meal in me. Blew through this workout in about 30 minutes, no drop sets or burns since I have work at 1130 and did not know how long the workout would take me. Rest has just been getting shorter and shorter, recovery is awesome, and nailed all my target reps. Definitely going to make increases around the board next time around. The mentality that I have once I start up my workout is borderline crazy, definitely attributing this to Prime. Decided to try out Recreate today (i got a bottles worth of samples so i figured why not) and I was drenched, i've always had an increase in thermogenesis with most fat burners but not like this, inital response is good, lets see if it continues.

Squats - 135/12, 185/12, 235/8, 255/6/6/6
Leg Extensions - 120/10, 140/8/8/8
Hack Squats - 90/12, 120/10/10
Step Ups - 30/10/10
Seated Calf Press - 160/12, 170/10, 180/8/9

25 mins on treadmill @ 8% incline and 3.7 mph

9/5 Back & Delts

10+8 weeks out
Weight: 158 (-1.4)
Waist: 30.6 in (-.65)

Balls to the f*cken wall workout today. Intensity was through the roof and I went in like a mad man, hit me around the bent rows. It was like a flip switched and I just started killen the weights. I pounded my back and delts into the ground and finished this workout in under 40 minutes with the addition of a drop set to each exercise. Destroyed rope pull downs with heavier weight from last week and more reps, felt like I was going to toss the weight on military press into the ceiling, and I was just itching to hit set after set. I had a killer pump....in my chest, wtf? But that killer pump was in the lats, arms, and delts, bascially the whole upper body. Been on Prime for 4 days (today being the 5th) and I'm definitely noticing a big difference considering carbs dropped this week and yesterday I only took in 60 grams. 8 weeks out til the first show and not a minute to waste. Recovery is awesome, sleep is the best its been even with class and work, intensity is through the roof, and I'm on a war path to first place and becoming a NATURAL national level competitor in the NPC on November 1st. Can't you just feel the intensity in those words right there?

Wide Grip Lat Pull downs - 90/14, 100/12, 125/10, 145/7, 155/5 drop 110/11

Bent Rows (strict form) - 165/10, 205/8/8/7 drop 145/12

Rope Pull downs - 125/12/12/11 drop 95/12

Military Press (no back support) - 75/14, 85/12, 100/10, 110/8, 120/6 drop 95/8

Cable Side Laterals - 20/10/10/8/8 drop 15/5

Crunches - 35/25/22/18

HIIT on bike, 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cool down

9/3 Chest & Arms

Sick workout but still adjusting weight at the new gym. Used a different, thicker bar today and definitely heavier, probably about a 5 lb difference from the bar i normally use. Decided to change up the angle on db bench, to add more variety, so i'll have to adjust the weight next time around. I had a killer pump in my arms today, felt like ballons that were blown to the point before they pop. Weight stack for pressdowns had more than one cable to pull the weight, hence the higher weight used, i figure as long as I am in the corect rep range, its all good. Killed HIIT and it felt as if I had barely done a workout during sprints with the intensity and energy I had. Lately have been having this shooting pain in my forearms whenever i do curls. Not sure if it may be a small stress facture or what, but its only felt when i do a curling motion with something heavy. I got really scared last night when I felt as though I had a cold coming on, last spring getting sick around the 8 week out mark completely threw me off track when I was on my way to having some sick conditioning, thankfully I feel great this morning. 10.5 and 8.5 weeks to go!!

Flat Bench: 115/14, 125/12, 155/10, 175/8, 190/4 drop 135/8
30 degree Incline DB Bench: 65/8/8/8
Chest Fly: 125/12/12/12 burn 100/6
Incline Curl: 20/12, 30/10, 40/8, 45/4 burn 25/6
Pressdowns: 72.5/12, 90/10, 115/8, 130/6 burn 100/7
Cable Curl: 120/10/10/7
ss w/
Lying DB Extensions: 35/10/10/7
Leg Raises: 25/20/20/20/15

HIIT on recumbent bike 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cooldown

9/2 Legs

Awesome leg workout today. Worked out at the gym around my house since classes started up today, went to exercise physiology and then hit the gym, should be an awesome class. I feel that the consistent progession in heavier weight on leg extensions is affecting squat strength, 285 felt heavier than normal again and I was about to call it quits and do a drop set but something in the back of my head just made me say "f*ck it" and i went for 315 anyways. Workout was fast paced and my hams were done once I got to leg curl, pretty sure the machine is different from the one i use making the weight heavier.

Leg Extensions - 160/10/10/10/8

Squats - 135/14, 165/12, 225/10, 285/6, 315/3

Lying Leg Curl - 90/12, 100/10, 110/8, 120/6 drop 90/8

Sumo Squat -215/12/10/10/8

Step Lunge w/ BB - 105/28/24

Seated Calf Raise - 140/20/16/15/15

25 mins on treadmill @ 8% incline and 3.7 mph

9/1 Back & Delts

Insane workout today. Sitting home before heading to the gym I could just feel my back begging me to pick up some weight and crush it. I think I was just really pumped up to start Prime after anticipating its release and the feedback from other sponsored atheletes. Whatever it was I was ready to kill it in the gym. Worked on upping the intensity by adding in drops and burns on nearly every exercise. Increased weight and reps all over the board. Hit a P-R of 225 for 8 on underhand rows. Upped reps on my last 2 sets of rope pulldowns by +1 from last workout. Rest was kept short and intensity was high! Got a sick pump in my back and delts by the end of the workout. Military press went much better this week, found what weights allow me to get in 2 good warm up sets without fatiguing the delts too much. Followed this all up with an intense HIIT session, ended each sprint thinking "thank god that ones done with". Spending the rest of the day relaxing before I start up class tomorrow. Actually excited since I have 2 exercise science classes with a 3 hour break in between to hit the gym for a killer leg session.

Wide Grip Lat Pull downs - 90/14, 100/12, 125/10, 145/8, 155/5 burn 110/6

Bent Rows (loose form) - 165/10, 225/8/7/7 drop 175/10

Rope Pull downs - 120/12/11/9 drop 90/9

Military Press (no back support) - 75/14, 85/12, 100/10, 110/7, 120/5 drop 95/7

Cable Side Laterals (different gym, had to lower weight) - 25/8, 20/10/8/7

Reverse Crunches - 20/20/15/15/15/15

HIIT on bike, 5 min warm up, 15 sprints, 3 min cool down