My intent within this article is not to belittle or discourage questions being asked but rather help the younger generation of physique athletes coming up. This is also for those who might not be so young but a group of individuals who I am seeing get caught up in paralysis by analysis and are missing the bigger picture.
Physique development in a lot of ways is so basic once you understand a few fundamentals, but to some that simple understanding is not enough and this is where I see things starting to head in the wrong direction in terms of the thought processes and overall focus/direction of athletes aiming to build their physiques.
I feel like I am very equipped to write this because I once like many of you was there myself. My focus was on the wrong things, details that were so minute that really did not matter and these details were in my head going to help me get better but in all reality they were actually a distraction for me and I was loosing sight of what I really should have been focusing on.
I cannot tell you guys how many times within a given month I am asked questions over and over like the following:
- What is the best ratio of DHA to EPA when it comes to proper omega supplementation?
- How long after training should I consume a post workout shake or post workout meal? OR If I have a shake post workout how long should I wait to have my post workout meal?
- If I am eating every 2.5 hours normally and something comes up and I cannot get a meal in for 3 hours is that to much time between meals and will I go catabolic?
- Are artificial sweeteners bad and how much is to much?
- How many grams of leucine is needed to start muscle protein synthesis?
- If I my workout goes longer than 90 minutes am I going to really blunt my natural GH levels?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with these questions but the concern to me is the frequency they are being asked by a lot of individuals and the lack of emphasis within their questions about things that are truly important and are going to yield real quantifiable progress over time. To put it simply when I get these questions I typically assume they are a beginner or just needing some guidance so the first thing I do is try to ease their mind, get them to relax and let them know that there are very few rules in bodybuilding. Which I touched on here as well The 3 Rules of Physique Development and then I go into answering their question but often times that answer is left open to show them its more about to what is best for them within.
The truth of the matter is we can address these commonly asked questions over and over but I do not believe anything above is the make or break between a successful and non successful bodybuilder.
We need to be asking and answering more questions like the following:
- How can I improve open my training on a daily basis?
- What is the caloric intake I should be aiming for in order to be able to truly make some progress in terms of adding lean body mass?
- How can I better execute my form within a given movement in order to get the most out of it?
- If my progress comes to a halt and I am not gaining any fat either what should I do next?
Consistency trumps most in this game, it’s about consistently doing the right things over and over. The big picture stuff is what makes a difference. Bodybuilding is not about living your life chained to a cooler 24 hours a day and not being able to leave your home in fear you miss a meal at the exact time it is needed rather what is about really boils down to who is the most consistent and thorough at the important details that really matter. Get your meals in, stay on a somewhat set schedule but be flexible within it, keep and emphasis on your health and don’t be negligent of it, train like your life depends on it and aim to improve in some way every time you step into the gym.
Whether that be increasing reps at a same given weight that you did last week, increasing weight and matching reps from the previous week, seeking to improve your movement patterns every time you step into the gym and making sure you are placing an emphasis on recovery daily. That is what is going to help you improve the most, having your omega intake down to a science at the end of the day is not going to be the difference between you winning or loosing a show nor will it keep you from becoming a top tier pro one day so just keep that in mind!
Until next time!
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]]>Day 1: August 16, 2015
Intro
Welcome to my Journey to the Mr. Olympia. This is going to be a look inside every aspect of the last 5 weeks of my prep. My daily thoughts, how I am feeling physically and mentally and how from a quantifiable perspective of training, cardio and diet how we are approaching every variable on a daily basis. Thank you guys for following along with my journey as I am quickly approaching the Olympia stage! I cant wait to touch down in Vegas in just 4 short weeks!
Daily Notes
We are now in the final phase of this year’s Olympia prep. Travel is done until after the Olympia and camp will be set up and fully established in Boca for the remaining 4 weeks until Matt, Jordan and myself as well as the rest of the Redcon1 team heads out to Vegas.
One of the biggest things that helps me mentally throughout prep is taking progress pictures often. Not only for myself but also for Matt and I to review and insure we are on the right track. I also am often comparing this years pics to last years in terms of the day to date to monitor the progress I’ve made over the past year and I am excited about what has taken place.
The goal is to really push the conditioning over the next 3 weeks so diet changes as well as changes to cardio have been made to start this week and you will see that as follows below!
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Diet for the Day: What I Eat! Macros: 55 Fat / 320 Carb / 430 Protein |
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Meal 1 – Pre Training Meal Meal 2 – Post training
90g – Cream of Rice
65g – Isotope (Whey Protein)
Meal 3
224g – Grass Fed Sirloin steak cooked
300g – Yukon
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Meal 4
224g – Chicken cooked
210g – Jasmine Rice cooked
75g asparagus
Meal 5
112g – Sirloin Steak cooked
112g – Chicken cooked
150g – Yukon Potato cooked
30g – avocado
Meal 6
2 – whole eggs
300g – egg whites
90g – Chicken cooked
75g – Asparagus
Cardio
40 min AM upon waking
30 min PM following meal 5
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Exercise 1: Superset
1A: Adduction
INTO
1B: Abduction
Aiming to get a hard set of 15 – 20 on each reaching full contractions on each rep. Once we can no longer get a full contraction the set is done.
4 rounds
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Exercise 3:
Barbell RDL’s – Done off of a platform to increase the stretch component out of the bottom of each rep.
Working as heavy as possible here with the intent on the hamstrings and not allowing the lower back to take over.
3 Working sets no less than 12 reps
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Exercise 2:
Lying leg curl – Using a modified 21’s method.
7 Top half contraction reps
7 Full range of motion reps
Finishing up with getting as many bottom half reps as possible out of the stretched position.
3 sets
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Exercise 4: Superset
1A: Barbell Glute Bridges – 2-3 second holds on each rep at contraction
INTO
1B: Walking Long Stride lunges – never fully locking out onto knees
Glutes are a focus for Dallas for the Olympia so within our exercise selection we are choosing movements that directly hit them as well as have carry over to other major compound movements.
3 sets of 10 each.
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Exercise 5:
Standing single leg leg curl – Alternating sets which is essentially 3 sets in 1. This is a type of rest pause as we are doing 3 sets in 1 alternating between left and right legs until all sets are complete.
1 working set comprised of 3 mini sets within the 1 working set.
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