| Related Articles... | |||
| Anyone who has used creatine can tell you that this stuff works! So why can't the researchers agree?? Well a simple look at some of the 'Research' and you will see why! Get The Scoop |
Whey protein has more health benefits than just packing on muscle. It has implications in almost every aspect of health. Here I have compiled a review of decades of research and laid it out in a simple to understand manner. A Whey Review |
||
| If you play your cards right, you can use the glycemic index in conjunction with your cardio to build muscle! it is a simple strategy that I have put a lot of time and research into. And the results are amazing! Anabolic Aerobics |
In the world of sport, knee injuries are just a part of the game, Especially for women. That doesn't mean you can't train to reduce the chances that you actually get one. Learn how to prevent ACL injuries | ||
Only 4 Weeks Left
There is a little less than four weeks until my competition on October
12th, and I would like to go over what I have been and plan on doing. So lets
get the party started.
There has been no alteration in my training at all. I continue to lift as heavy as I always have and follow basic Max-OT principles. I start my day with weights a 6am and follow a 5-day split that looks like this:
Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Chest & Forearms
Wednesday: Back & Traps
Thursday: Calves & Shoulders
Friday: Biceps, Triceps & Abs
Weekends: No weights, just cardio.
I
stopped taking creatine about a week and a half ago, however, this is NOT because
I believe that it will make me look bloated or watery. I’ve been using
creatine consistently for months and it has been shown that the specific creatine
receptors(CRT-1) will not only down regulate, but literally reduce in number
after prolonged use. And when a brief lay off(3 weeks) is implemented, these
receptors will not only “up-regulate” but also over compensate in
number. A couple days before I begin to carb load I will begin to load with creatine
to dramatically increase cell volume which, in turn will allow for greater amounts
of glycogen and water to be held inside muscle cells. That’s exactly what
I want!Cardio
I’m sure that many of you have read anabolic aerobics and are somewhat familiar with it. Well, I do in fact practice what I preach and have been doing exactly what I outlined for almost a year straight. Here is what my cardio schedule looks like:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 14 min @ 4:45pm
Tuesday and Thursday: 10min @ 1:45pm, and 14 min @ 6:45pm
Saturday and Sunday: 14min @ 6:30am, and 14min @ 4:45pm
I try to mix up my cardio to keep things interesting. I use a rowing machine, a recumbent bike, I do some swimming, and one of those old school health rider things. I like to use machines because I can always monitor if I have performing up to par or not.
So I do 11 sessions a week as of now and I don’t think that I will need to do anymore than this. And as I said before, I do follow anabolic aerobics closely with calories allowing. Because my session at 1:45 is so short, I just take 10g of L-Glutamine and have my next meal at 2:30. My night sessions (and weekend) are surrounded by VP2 and a carbohydrate drink called, Hydra fuel from Twin labs. It was one that met the amount of carbs and calories I was looking for with out any creatine.
Diet
This is the nitty-gritty as far as overall diet goes. I had
to bite my tongue and believe that it was possible to get, as I call it, “Cut
To The Bone” with out going on an ultra low carbohydrate diet as long as
my calorie amounts were in
check.
This has allowed me to keep pre/post work out and cardio drinks all the way through
to the show. And I’m very impressed with my progress. I’ve gotten
down to 175lbs from 197 and .I don’t feel that I have lost any muscle at
all. I feel this way, because my weight has become pretty stable the last week
or so, but I continue to get leaner. Plus I am a good 12lbs heavier and just
as lean I was last year around this time.
To keep my calories exactly where I want them, I do eat the same thing at the
same time every day of the week. Currently I am eating 1510 calories a day divided
between 12 “meals” a day (including pre and post work out/cardio).
This comes to about 210g protein, 130g carbs and about 20g of fat. I also make
sure to have 1 teaspoon of crushed flax seeds with every meal except pre and
post workout shakes.
School
I’m in college so on top of everything I have to do for preparation; I have to stagger my way to classes. It is becoming harder and harder to walk around campus. The longer I am out and about, the more it drains me of what little energy I may have. To be honest, Dymetadrine Extreme and a couple diet sodas a day are what keep my motor running. There are some days that I have class from 8am to 7pm, but I still eat every one of my meals on time and find time to study as well.
Plans
I have a good posing routine in line and I feel that it shows my good points. By popular demand I decided to use “The Rock’s” New entrance music as my posing music. It has a great beat and I have planned my routine so I hit poses and transitions in line with the music. My posing has gotten better over the months as I practice. But I will begin to crack down and polish everything so there are no mistakes.
Even though I have dark skin, I try to get about 15 min of
tanning every other day. I think I will go with Dream Tan for the show. I have
ordered 2 pairs of posing trunks from BODYBUILDING.COM,
however, they haven’t arrived yet (HINT HINT). I hope they didn’t
lose them.
As for the final week I am still debating as to if I will continue to train for
the first few days or do a full week carb/creatine/potassium load like I did
last year. It worked out rather well. I will have to see what I look like when
that time comes. But my main focus no is to continue to get leaner and show up
at the contest “Cut to the Bone”. Even though I’m not
entered in the national qualifier, I want to display the type of conditioning
and physique that would get me there with out having to mess with water, sodium
and potassium or carb load. If I
can reach that level without it, I know I’ll
me that much better with it! After seeing the kind of condition Skip LaCour displayed
this year, I have a new standard of what, “In contest Shape” means.
Other than my posing suits not arriving, I think everything is squared away.
I’ve got my posing oil, I’m tanning, working on posing. I have 2
bottles of potassium pills, and luckily I found a salt sub that is made totally
of potassium! I won’t have to send my taste buds into shock this year (Thank
God!).
Well, those are my plan for the next couple of weeks. I will be sure to update
everyone after the show and have some pictures to go along. I’m determined
to take the whole Damn Thing, even if it means a little pain. Sometimes you have
to feel bad to look good.