Rich's New Beginning: WNBF Pro Stage in 2009!

[rich55]

[u]CHEST & TRIS 5/18:
Today's chest workout was awesome. Tremendous pump and excruciating tension from several different angles. I threw in tris at the end which felt pretty good. I just kept going till I had nothing left, so yes there is quite a bit of volume here. I will be hitting arms on Friday by themselves when I am nice and fresh.

DB Pullovers
Super hard contraction at the top.
55 x 10
65 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
- SUPERSET -
Flat DB Press
55 x 10
65 x 10
70 x 7
70 x 5 + 3 after rest pause ----> these are super hard after pre-exhausting pullovers

Incline Bench
135 x 8
175 x 8
175 x 8
185 x 5 + 1 w/spot

Decline Pushups
Loved these after the incline work. Burned like crazy. Toes on bench nice and slow.
BW x 15
BW x 15 ----> had to take a few breaths to finish
BW x 12ish

Flat DB Flys
Focusing hard on squeeze bringing pinkies together at the top
40 x 12
45 x 9 + 3 after a few breaths and James yelling at me
45 x 9 + 3 w/spot
- SUPERSET -
Rope Pulldowns
90 x 12
90 x 10
90 x 9

Straight Bar Skullcrushers
65 x 10
70 x 9
70 x 9
- SUPERSET -
Close-Grip Smith Bench
95 x 10
105 x 8
105 x 8

Strict V-Bar Pushdowns
50 x 12
60 x 9
50 x 12
- SUPERSET -
Parallel Bar Dips
BW x 6
BW x 9 ----> had to wait on Clint, so I had a little more of a break
BW x 6

[conda]

GREAT!! June is just around the corner



Yes, and chewing them while terrible, certainly enhances the absorption. Try it, I dare you.


------------------

SHOULDERS & ARMS 5/15:

We blasted shoulders & arms today. Next week arms will get their own day to have plenty of undivided attention. After all of the shoulder work, we just wore down. Lots of volume:

Shoulder Stability Presses with Bands
Seated DB Glass Front Raises superset to Seated DB Laterals
Hammer Behind Neck Press to Bent Over DB Laterals
Seated DB Shrug to Lateral Push superset Cable Pushdowns
Barbell Curls triset Lying DB Extensions triset Close-Grip Bench Pushups
Outside Cable Curls
Across Chest Hammer Curls superset to various Cable Extensions

22 sets for shoulders
13 sets for tris
9 sets for bis

JUDGING THE INBF TRI-STATE
I will be judging Delbert and LaDawn Hickman's Tri-State show in Dayton this weekend. I will be doing some various hamstring & core stuff on Saturday at Neo Limits gym there. My legs are SO CRUSHED!! Top 10 leg day soreness of all time from Wednesday. But, I saved some for my hammies and lower back.

My waist is down to 29" (down 1/4 inch from last week) while staying at 169 lbs. NICE!!

Ok so today i did Chest and Tri's ..And i chewed my BG. I gotta say it does work! Sure it tasted like sweaty sour toes (not that i've tried that) But i'm chewing my BG from now on! Nice suggestion!


PS: I Always accept Dares!

[rich55]

Ok so today i did Chest and Tri's ..And i chewed my BG. I gotta say it does work! Sure it tasted like sweaty sour toes (not that i've tried that) But i'm chewing my BG from now on! Nice suggestion!


PS: I Always accept Dares!

Haha, very nice! Told ya!! You definitely FEEL the Blue Gene kick in rather fast. Who cares about the taste! Pretty soon your smashing weights and have forgotten all about it.

---------------------------

BACK & BIS 5/19:

Back and bi training was awesome with good strength and a killer pump for both my back and biceps. When mixing up your training, sometimes it is just good and other times it is great. Today was great!

Underhand High Pulley Rows
Still digging these and feeling stronger.
110 x 10
130 x 10
140 x 10
150 x 10
150 x 8
- SUPERSET -
Alternating Hammer DB Curls
35 x 8
45 x 8
50 x 5
45 x 7

Hammer Wide Pulldowns
115/side x 8 ----> little much after the above work
105/side x 9 ------> felt these much better
105/side x 8 + 2 w/ spot
- SUPERSET -
Wide Barbell Curls
Strict and controlled. Tried to keep the pace continuous to enhance burn.
65 x 10
75 x 10
85 x 6 + 2 w/spot

Close-Grip T-Bar Rows
The mind-muscle connection on these never felt so good as today. I felt a huge pull from my lower lats and mid-back. EXACTLY what I want to grow. Kept it all about feel on these.
70 x 8
80 x 8
90 x 8
90 x 7

EZ Close-Grip Preacher Curls
55 x 15
65 x 13 ----> started messing around with various DB curls between sets
65 x 7 -------> all the messing around crushed my arms

Across Chest Hammers & Side Incline DB Curls
2 sets each with 20's between sets squeezing the bi's as hard as possible

Straight-Arm Pulldowns
120 x 15
130 x 13
130 x 12
- SUPERSET -
Low Pulley Overhand/Narrow Rows
Awesome upper back finisher!
120 x 10
130 x 9
130 x 8 + 4 after a little razzing from James

LITTLE UPDATE:
I dropped my calories just a touch from 3200 to 3050 on training days pulling from my last two meals of the day. Off days are much lower. I have still stayed away from cardio, but keep in mind that I train 6-8 hours per day plus workouts and am very active. My training is very fast paced. My poor training partners. I will continue to adjust my diet as needed.

Tonight, was one of the AHA moments! The past 3 days has been spent checking my progress in my mirrors at home for more progress. I came to the conclusion that I want to look very ripped at the 8 week out mark and shredded at 4 weeks out. And this evening it was very evident that I am on my way with a little more quad, delt, ab and hamstring showing through. Very nice!

MY CONTROLLED LABS PLAN & TIMELINE:

9 Weeks out (5/30): Posing begins 3 times weekly with posing class at least every other week.
8 Weeks out (6/6): Progress pictures with goal of being VERY ripped. Adding WHITE FLOOD & BLUE UP. Off Blue Gene.
6 Weeks out (6/20): Adding REDUCTION.
4 Weeks out (7/4): Adding back in BLUE GENE. Pose, pose, pose with posing class each week. GOAL = BE SHREDDED more than ever before at this mark.

[rich55]

LEGS!!!!!

Need I say more. Quad focused workout yesterday with some lower back and glute emphasis as well.

Low Box Squats
Below parallel, narrow stance resting on box. Slow descent. These actually felt almost rehabilitating on my right knee.
95 x 8
135 x 8
185 x 6
225 x 6
245 x 6
265 x 5 ---> missed on #6 needing a spot

Hammer Leg Extensions
90 x 12
120 x 12
140 x 9 + 3 after a few breaths
140 x 8 + 3 after a few breaths
- SUPERSET -
Hammer Leg Press
230 x 12 ----> burned right from the start
280 x 12
300 x 9 -----> fading
280 x ???
drop set at end to 180 x 13 w/ very narrow stance pumping out fast

Reverse Hypers
Nice and light just focusing on squeezing lower back & glutes.
BW x 15
BW x 15
BW x 15
- SUPERSET -
Walking Lunges
BW x 30 or so
30 lb DB's x 30 or so
45's x 15 or so
drop to BW x 15

This workout definitely took it out of me the rest of the day. I will be hitting hamstrings this weekend down in Cinci. We are taking a little Memorial Day vacation this weekend to get away. I will be packing my cooler and locating some nearby gyms.

[rich55]

Well have fun on the mini-vaca. Way to hit those legs, some day I hope to grow some big boy legs as well. I may start drinking miracle gro, it works on plants. Keep it up rich can't wait to see the results.

Thanks Justin! We are definitely looking forward to it. We are staying 3 nights on the Kentucky side and will be checking out a Reds game, Newport aquarium and Tommy Bates preach. SO looking forward to it. I have a few options on gyms for Saturday and Monday.

No miracle gro necessary for legs. Just grow your tolerance for pain and burn. Every leg day should be a mission for you! Get it!


------------------

SHOULDERS TODAY, ARMS TOMORROW & I'M OUT:

That's right! A 4 day break from the same old. I am hitting arms at 11am, running a few errands and I'm out. Our shoulder workout was brutal:

Shoulder Stability Presses
15 lbs dangling from purple bands on each side with shoulder width grip on bar.
125 x 10
165 x 10
185 x 10
205 x 6
205 x 5
- SUPERSET -
45 degree Calf Raises
230 x 15
230 x 15 barely
230 x 12
230 x 11

Front Glass DB Raises
25 x 12
25 x 12
25 x 18
- SUPERSET -
Seated DB Lateral Raises
25 x 12
25 x 11
25 x ??? ----> no clue, took two rest pauses and spot from James

Standing Underhand Laterals
Starts with laterals at bottom and ends with palms facing up real wide at top. Very unique travel path to hit the shoulders just right on the front and pec-tie in.
20 x 12
20 x 12
20 x 12
- SUPERSET -
Bent-Over DB Lateral
Started out easy and then entire shoulder started to burn because of the above work^^
20 x 12
20 x 12
20 x 8 + 4 after rest pause

Seated DB Press
Palms facing on shoulder with pronated grip together high at top. Pulled in top of shoulders.
25 x 10
30 x 10
35 x 7
35 x 6
- SUPERSET -
Seated Shrug
Nice and slow focusing on lower traps by leaning over.
25 x 10
30 x 10
35 x 10
35 x 13

[rich55]

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!

Our weekend was AWESOME! My wife and I enjoyed watching the new Star Trek movie, going to the Newport Aquarium, enjoying Tommy Bates preach, eating at the Taste of Cincinnati (cheatin), going to the Reds game and hanging with family. All around a great weekend that was much needed!

This morning I watched a nice segment on CNN discussing Memorial Day that I found touching. God Bless our current troops and veterans for giving us our freedom each day! Yes, grilling out with family is all good, but take a minute and just think about the sacrifices that many individuals and families have made.

HAMSTRINGS, LOWER BACK & ABS 5/24:
I found a smaller, but very nice Ideal Fitness less than a mile from our hotel.

Straight Leg Bar Deadlifts[/u]
Focusing on stretch and feel on these.
135 x 10
225 x 10
275 x 10
285 x 11 ----> #'s 8-11 were grueling

Seated Leg Curl Machine
90 x 10
90 x 8
90 x 7
- TRISET -
Prone Leg Curls Machine
This machine was a little different with a slightly more upright position that seemed to burn more. I will be tweaking my leg curls for a little while to incorporate this body position change and superset that just BURNED!!
90 x 10
90 x 10
90 x 7
- TRISET -
Weighted Crunches
20 lb DB behind head holding at top for 2-count. 3 sets of 10-15.

High Stance Leg Press
Different angle and machine that what I am used to, so it took a little adjusting.
2 plates/side x 15
3 plates/side x 15
4 plates/side x 15
5 plates/side x 15
5.5 plates/side x 16

Twisting Crunches on Ball
2 sets of 8
- SUPERSET -
Hyperextensions
2 sets of 10

I felt straight-up nauseous after this one. I am really digging the quad and hamstring split, which allows me to focus much more on my hams and lower back as needed.

Sunday was the scheduled Taste of Cincinnati day for my cheat meal, so to deserve such an awesome eating affair I got up early before church and did 30 minutes of fasted cardio. Boy did I eat! Carol's famous banana nut bread, bbq ribs, pizza, calzone, wings, mexican rolls, chocolate fondue, ice cream....YUMM!!! Just bit of each, but it added up.

PLAN FOR THE WEEK:
We took today off and are training back and chest tomorrow. I am doing fasted cardio again in the morning just to shock my body a little. I certainly leaned out a bit last week while holding steady at 169 lb, but I would like to see a little more fall off this week.

[rich55]

CHEST AND BACK:

That is right, both chest AND back. My training partners were a little hesitant before the workout knowing that I was going to put us through the ringer. Oh, and my gym's AC broke and it was SUPER hot!

DB Pullovers
Focusing hard on contraction at top.
55 x 10
65 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10
- SUPERSET -
Flat DB Press
55 x 10
65 x 10
75 x 8
75 x 6

Incline Bench
135 x 10
175 x 8
185 x 6
185 x 5
- SUPERSET -
Underhand High Pulley Rows
120 x 10
130 x 10
140 x 9
140 x 8

Hammer Wide Pulldowns
100/side x 10
105/side x 8 + 2 w/spot
105/side x 7 + 2 w/spot
105/side x 6 + 2 w/spot
- SUPERSET -
Decline Pushups
BW x 15
BW x 15
BW x 15
BW x 15

Close-Grip T-Bars
Accentuating stretch and squeeze as usual.
80 x 8
95 x 8
105 x 8
- SUPERSET -
Flat DB Flys
45 x 10
50 x 8 + 2 presses at end
50 x 8 + 4 presses at end semi-sup

Incline DB Straight Arm Flys
Playing with a Glass move. Chest DONE.
25 x 10
30 x 12

Straight-Arm Pulldowns
130 x 10
130 x 12-15 ---> James was standing over me forcing me to get more
- SUPERSET-
Low Pulley Medium Rows
130 x 10
130 x 11 -----> exhausted

Did 30 minutes of walking on incline / elliptical this morning and was just starved the rest of the morning. I probably burned 30% more calories today too being in that hot gym for 10 hours. Looking LEANER!!!!

[conda]

CHEST AND BACK:

That is right, both chest AND back. My training partners were a little hesitant before the workout knowing that I was going to put us through the ringer. Oh, and my gym's AC broke and it was SUPER hot!

DB Pullovers
Focusing hard on contraction at top.
55 x 10
65 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10
- SUPERSET -
Flat DB Press
55 x 10
65 x 10
75 x 8
75 x 6

Incline Bench
135 x 10
175 x 8
185 x 6
185 x 5
- SUPERSET -
Underhand High Pulley Rows
120 x 10
130 x 10
140 x 9
140 x 8

Hammer Wide Pulldowns
100/side x 10
105/side x 8 + 2 w/spot
105/side x 7 + 2 w/spot
105/side x 6 + 2 w/spot
- SUPERSET -
Decline Pushups
BW x 15
BW x 15
BW x 15
BW x 15

Close-Grip T-Bars
Accentuating stretch and squeeze as usual.
80 x 8
95 x 8
105 x 8
- SUPERSET -
Flat DB Flys
45 x 10
50 x 8 + 2 presses at end
50 x 8 + 4 presses at end semi-sup

Incline DB Straight Arm Flys
Playing with a Glass move. Chest DONE.
25 x 10
30 x 12

Straight-Arm Pulldowns
130 x 10
130 x 12-15 ---> James was standing over me forcing me to get more
- SUPERSET-
Low Pulley Medium Rows
130 x 10
130 x 11 -----> exhausted

Did 30 minutes of walking on incline / elliptical this morning and was just starved the rest of the morning. I probably burned 30% more calories today too being in that hot gym for 10 hours. Looking LEANER!!!!

Killer workout Rich! Maybe you scared them , cuz they saw you chewing Blue Gene!

[rich55]

Killer workout Rich! Maybe you scared them , cuz they saw you chewing Blue Gene!

Haha, yes they think I am a freak. I am!!





1000 DEGREE QUADS 5/27:

Gym was again 1000 degrees and we had to seriously watch for overheating on this one. I drank about 60 oz of water during and postworkout to rehydrate. Clint admitted to having butterflies and being nervous for this workout. I noticed the skin on my quads getting much thinner with vascularity starting to become more visible.

Low Box Squats
Below parallel resting on box with a narrow shoulder width stance.
135 x 6
185 x 6
225 x 6
265 x 6 ---> got it
275 x 4 ----> barely got 4 and stopped

Hammer Leg Extensions
90 x 12
120 x 12
150 x 10 + 3 after a few breaths
- SUPERSET -
Hammer Leg Press
230 x 12
250 x 12
270 x 15
drop to 180 x 15

^^^This superset was terrible b/c I felt like I lost a pound of sweat every set. Kept on pushing though!!

DB Bench Step-Ups
Really wanted to do some unilateral quad work here and lunges bugged my knees last week. Really focused on the leg up on the bench doing the work and performed consecutively.
BW x 10
25's x 10
35's x 10
35's x 15

The point of overheating. Really just wanted to get a little extra glute and hip work, while surviving to train clients for 4 hours afterwards.
Reverse Hypers
BW x 15
BW x 15
15 lbs x 12
- SUPERSET -
Abductor Machine
Holding at point of contraction. Burned!
80 x 15
80 x 15
80 x 14

[bull.dogz]

I noticed the skin on my quads getting much thinner with vascularity starting to become more visible.

Is that what it is? I looked at my shoulders the other day and thought ew gross. I can see my veins.

[rich55]

Is that what it is? I looked at my shoulders the other day and thought ew gross. I can see my veins.

Haha, yes. That is what happens when you get lean. It is common for females with developed delts and low body fat to have that happen. Good for you hehe!

[rich55]

9 WEEKS OUT!!!

That's right! 9 weeks already!! What does that mean? Posing begins. Tightening up the diet a little and adding some cardio back in to keep the fat loss coming along. I've pulled out my workout carbs and added White Flood.

This past week I did 4 days of cardio to kick in a little more fat loss without diet changes. I weighed in at 168 lbs (down 1 lb in a week) and have certainly noticed the difference. James and I hit two rounds of poses today postworkout to get things started.

I went light on shoulders in terms of volume on Thursday b/c we did chest just 2 days earlier. Arms yesterday was just AWESOME! I was feeling strong and felt a REALLY good pump. Today was hamstrings and core:

HAMS & CORE 5/30:

Prone Upright Machine Leg Curls
Rested on elbows to pull differently through the hams. Hard stuff!
80 x 10
90 x 10
90 x 8 -----> got a spot on last 2
- SUPERSET -
Seated Leg Curl Machine
Squeezing hard at the bottom became quite difficult after the prior leg curls ^^^
90 x 10
90 x 10
90 x 8ish ---> got a spot on last 2 again

Straight-Leg DB DL's
Nice and slow holding stretch at bottom pushing hard through the heals.
60's x 10
80's x 10
105's x 11 ---> started to lose grip even with chalk

1-Leg Kettlebell Deadlifts
Noticed myself pulling differently on each hamstring above, so this was nice unilateral work. BURNED on the lower back on the 2nd leg!
25 x 12/leg
25 x 12/leg
25 x 12/leg

High Stance Leg Press
Nice and controlled keeping as much tension on the hams as possible.
4 plates/side x 15
5 plates/side x 15
5.5 plates/side x 15
6 plates/side x 12 ----> hams were getting SO tight and wobbly I had to stop haha

Weighted Crunches
20 lbs for 2 sets of 12
- SUPERSET -
Twisting Crunches on Ball
BW x 5/side for 2 sets

THEN, we posed for 2 rounds. TOTALLY not used to that! All in all a great day. Cooking my cheat in tonight and then heading to the Columbus Symphony Orchestra with the Mrs. later. Looking forward to both!!

[rich55]

SUPA DUPA CHEST TRAINING 6/1:

As I leaned out a little more last week, I did notice kind of a deflation in my chest. So, today I decided to beat my chest into obliteration. For those afraid of a little volume, don't read this below. My chest has felt inflated the rest of the day and even the wife noticed later at 8pm when I got home. I trained at 1:30pm. My tris certainly felt this a bit as well, which was the point.

Decline Bench
135 x 8
185 x 8
225 x 8
225 x 6
225 x 4
- SUPERSET -
Flat DB Press
65 x 8
75 x 8 ---> superset started to get tough at this point, the final 2 supersets needed much spotting beyond the listed reps
75 x 6
75 x 5
75 x 5

High Cable Crossovers
35 x 10
40 x 10
45 x 10
45 x 10
- SUPERSET -
Semi-Sup Incline DB Press
55 x 10
55 x 8
55 x 7
55 x 7 + 2 w/ spot from James

Machine Chest Squeezes
110 x 15
120 x 13
120 x 11
- SUPERSET -
Medicine Ball Pushups
Had not done these in a while and the extra stabilizer and wrist work is awesome!
BW x 7
BW x 6
BW x 5 + 3 after a few breaths

Incline Smith Press at 40 Degrees
Just tore up at this point, but wanted to hit just a little more.
185 x 5
195 x 5
205 x 3 + 1 extra w/ a little help

HUNGER REPORT:
2800 cals and some fasted cardio this morning had me starving! Yesterday, more of the same hunger. I embrace it as fat leaves the body!! Ah yes, it is crunch time.

[bull.dogz]

SUPA DUPA CHEST TRAINING 6/1:

As I leaned out a little more last week, I did notice kind of a deflation in my chest. So, today I decided to beat my chest into obliteration. For those afraid of a little volume, don't read this below. My chest has felt inflated the rest of the day and even the wife noticed later at 8pm when I got home. I trained at 1:30pm. My tris certainly felt this a bit as well, which was the point.

I will go no further.

How's the wifey feeling these days?

[rich55]

I will go no further.

How's the wifey feeling these days?

Oh no, you of all need to read on! Hehe.


The wife is doing well! She is just getting used to baby growth. It is certainly an amazing process and I give her much love for it.


-----------------------------

LITTLE RUN THROUGH OF A TYPICAL DAY 6/2:

8:30 wake - slept in a little
9:00 make breakfast shake for me, some eggs for the wife with her cereal
9:30 doctor appointment. My little girl's heartbeat is thumping and all is well. Read a little of the Bible while waiting and also checked email.
11:00 am head back to house and prep gym bag and food for training
11:30-12:45 train back, calves and a touch of bis with Jeff and Clint who I train (see below)
1:00-1:45 train female client
2:00 head back home, 3pm cancelled leaving me a luxurious break to clean, check email, cook again, eat and talk on the phone to the The_Animal.
4:15-5:45 head to train at Nationwide Wellness Center to train 2 female clients
5:55-6:00 walk 3 blocks while eating chicken and brown rice
6:00 train mixed group of 3
7:00 train group of 2 men
8:00 train group of 3 men
9:00 head home and pose for 20 minutes, then cook, relax, spend time with the wife and then share my day with you peeps

All in all a great day! MY day in the gym:

BACK, CALVES & A LITTLE BIS:

A little lighter on the volume side for a typical back day, but it was REALLY hot and the pace just wore us down. Back felt thoroughly hit from each necessary angle.

Chins
Nasty little superset if done right! As with all back training, holding a stretch and squeeze.
BW x 13
BW x 8
BW x 7
BW x 6
- SUPERSET -
Alternating Hammer Curls
35 x 8
40 x 7
40 x 6
40 x 5

Underhand Medium Grip Pulldowns
Nice change of pace on this by doing them seated at a lower angle. Stretching more at top pulled wider.
150 x 10
160 x 10
170 x 9
- SUPERSET -
Standing Calf Machine
200 x 12
200 x 9
200 x 8

Close-Grip T-Bar Rows
90 x 8
105 x 8
115 x 6 + 2 after a few breaths
90 x 10ish

Seated Cable Rows
180 x 8
190 x 7
180 x 7
- SUPERSET -
Angled Calf Raises
270 x 12
270 x 9
270 x 7