Looking Back at 2014

Well it is almost the end of another year, just 9 days left to go and I thought |i would take some time to look back at this year and see just how far I have come. Because some times we can feel like we are standing still, not growing, not stretching, not pushing ourselves, stagnating in the dark. But, when we look back at our lives, our journey, you will see just how far the road has taken you.

So here is some of the stand out moments and achievements for me in 2014.

Body Building:
1 Competing - This year I made my first steps on tot eh body building stage, Placing 3rd and 5th in two big shows in Northern Ireland. 3rd Place at my first show with NABBA was a great feeling and a great memory, and the journey to IBFA Ireland was also extremely enjoyable but tough. Through both endeavours I have gained a lot of new skills, and learnt a lot about myself, how i respond to certain training styles, certain foods and I am looking forward to my next show and hopefully learning even more about my body and its abilities.
2. Training - This year I made some big jumps in training, from training twice a day for the 2 contest preps to general strength gains all year.
For example my normal back squat routine improved from:
15 reps of 120kg                  to                            15 reps of 140kg
12 reps of 130kg                                                 15 reps of 150kg
12 reps of 135kg                                                 12 reps of 160kg
10 reps of 140kg                                                  8 reps of 170kg
8 reps of  145kg                                                   4 reps of 180kg
3. Diet - This year i spent almost 50% of the time on a show prep diet, prepping for the two shows and that was a first for me, I also kept it very clean in the off season between shows I also learnt a lot about how my body reacts to certain foods and how to properly design a diet plan for myself when preparing for a show.
4. Working alone - I have always trained alone, I rarely had a training partner and so I meant pushing myself, but when it came to both show preps I had no coach, and no guidance, it was experiment and research and my own intuition and hard work. But it taught me a lot and there is still room for improvement and I am excited to see what 2015 brings to my physique.


Work:
This was the first year I worked in a gym, I had been personal training before this with outdoor sessions and classes as well as home visits, but having the chance to work in the Hanwood Centre gym taught me new skills, and really encouraged me to improve and work hard as a trainer, as well as providing great facilities to work with clients and really bring out results.
Working with clients, has also been great this year, you always have one or two who don;t want to put the work in, but I have to say this year has been a good crowd, working hard, and following my advice well. I'm not going to name names here, those that worked hard know it and saw the results, those that didn't well, they know it themselves.

All there is left to say is that 2014 was good, but 2015 will be even better. You ain't seen nothing yet!

Getting stronger

Well since the show 6 weeks ago I have been steadily working on improving my strength and size and it is starting to show some serious results. Yesterday I hit a new PB for squats and over the past weeks almost every exercise has improved. The plan from here is to continue with the bulk and strength programme until January first, and then begin to strip some of the fat off again and work on adding lean muscle and maintaining the improved strength.
The aim is to stay below 10% body fat from January right through to this time next year, adding quality muscle and looking at symmetry and proportion . But I will keep you posted on that aim throughout 2015.

Notable improvements since IBFA 2014:
Squat up from - 160kg for 8 - 180kg for 5
Front squat up from 75kg for 8 - 85kg for 8
Bench press up from 120kg for 8 - 127.5kg for 8
Bent over row up from 80kg for 12 - 95kg for 10
and a lot of other small gains as well

Protein Pancakes

Here is another tasty meal idea for you, and it is super easy to make.

These protein pancakes use 3, yes just 3 ingredients, oats, eggs, and protein powder. Simply blend together 4 egg whites, 2 scoops of oats and 1 scoop of whey in a blender and then pour into a pan and cook for a few minutes each side and your done.

It tastes good on its own, but if cooked too long it can be a bit dry so I usually add natural yogurt and some almonds or fruit to bring up the macros and make it a more complete meal. This morning I had the pancake with 50g almonds, blueberries and some black coffee. But try it for yourselves and see if you like it.

Ingredients:

1 scoop of whey protein

4 egg whites

2 scoops of oats

50g almonds

Nutritional Values:

Plain:   Protein - 42 grams

           Carbohydrates - 32 grams

           Fats - 3 grams

With almonds & blueberries:   Protein - 53 grams

                                            Carbohydrates - 36 grams

                                            Fats - 27 grams

2 Year Transformation

In the spirit of a throw back Thursday / transformation picture combo here is my personal progress shot from 2012 to 2014.
In 2012 I had finished kick boxing, after my club closed down and I turned my attention to a passion that had been growing in my mind for the last few months, body building. it took a long time to get the change from training for speed, explosive power and endurance into training for mass, shape and strength. I had been feeling different for a few months that my mind was wondering away from kickboxing and in the end the closure of the club i trained with was the perfect push to get into a new style of training and explore a new lifestyle, and I have to say I think I have found the one for me. In the last 2 years I have grown, both physically as well as mentally and spiritually, and a big part of that is down to the bodybuilding lifestyle and in particular this years two show preps.

So what has changed from 2012? Well for starters I have gained a lot of lean muscle mass, taking into account the body fat readings at the time I have gained over 31 pounds of muscle in those two years which always makes me laugh, because so many people told me I would never gain too much muscle because I had already been training for years and refused to take steroids, so now I can say, you do not need them, all you need is time, and dedication to training and your diet. Get those right and you will do just fine.

So where next? Well I am going to keep competing, and trying to improve my physique, focusing on adding size, and maintaining symmetry. Lets see what the next 2 years brings.

Individuality

There are so many competitors out there today, be it for bodybuilding, fitness, physique, bikini, so what sets you apart from the rest?
INDIVIDUALITY. It is key, not only to making an impact on stage, but also in life in general, no one wants to be just another number on a page, they want to stand out, and you should because we are all unique, the trick is showing your strengths and your individuality to the people.
When you prepare for a show, really prepare, work on the body you want not what your friends or you think the judges want, be yourself, build yourself. When you come on stage don;t just stick to the basic poses, and then repeat them in your routine, be different. Pick music you like, pick a style of posing you like to watch, poses that show your best features, your strengths and your talents, if you are flexible show it, if you are artistic show it, if you have a huge back, play up to it, and show it off, what ever makes you unique show it. You want to make the crowd and judges remember you, because sometimes in competition it is so close between competitors on stage that something a little different just sends you up a level in the judges mind, and can make the difference between being on the podium, or being an also ran, from being number 1 or 2.
It can also been seen how much it has faded when you look at the comparisons between the old and current class of athletes on the top stages of the sport. In the 70's 80's and early 90's you could almost tell right away who an athlete was by his or her silhouette, their individual hair styles, body shape, characteristic pose, stance, or taper made them stand out as an individual, where as today more and more athletes are opting for the short back and sides, with most having little difference between the structure and shape of their physiques. They have lost that individual edge.

What do I do?
I work on my posing, I work on building my ideal physique and I make sure to have a fun and impressive routine the way I want to pose and using poses I admire and like to look at. For me the compulsory poses are good because people know them and can appreciate them in a routine, but you need some spice and artistic expression to bring the art that is bodybuilding to completeness. I am a big fan of a good posing routine and I work hard at mine when getting ready for a contest, spending several hours each week organizing the poses I want to use into a flowing and impressive display in time with the music. I have always been quite flexible from kickboxing so I use slit like poses in my routine, I also pick music that builds from slow to a rousing crescendo and fit my poses in with that, using more artistic lunging poses first and building up to the back double biceps and most muscular the crowd loves. Also just be yourself, there is nothing better and no other way to have fun. Enjoy the process of working on yourself for yourself, and keep making those improvements. 

Stuffed Sweet Potato and Chicken

This is quite simply DELICIOUS. Seriously, it is awesome, and very clean and low fat at the same time.
packed with vitamins, minerals and lots of clean carbs and protein this is a great meal to sit down and enjoy after a tough workout. And that's just what I did last night.
Having blasted through an arm workout I came home and got to work. its pretty simple to prepare as well, just oven bake the chicken and the sweet potato, making sure to slice it down the centre to let you fill it when ready. Then when they are around 5 minutes from being ready you stir fry the veg and then put it all together. For veg I used sweet corn, broccoli, mixed peppers and red onion.

As I say it is packed with protein and it gives you a good boost towards hitting your daily intake of vegetables so its a win win.

Ingredients:
200g chicken breast
200g sweet potato
50g sweet corn
50g mixed peppers
1 portion of brocolli
1/3 of red onion sliced

Nutritional Values:
Protein - 46 grams
Carbohydrates - 64 grams
Fats - 9 grams

Patience

Patience is a virtue. Never has this been more true. Patience is key, it is everything, without it you will either fall short of your goals, or attempt to rush the progress and end up with problems and ultimately failure.

As a natural bodybuilder patience is a huge part of the journey, I hear it all the time that I can't get big without steroids, or if I take this or that I will gain 10 pounds in a week, or in a month, or I will not win because I am not big enough. BUT, with patience you can achieve your goals, and stay natural.
2 and a half years ago I stopped Kickboxing and started to focus on Bodybuilding, and in those 2 and a half years I have gained 32 pounds of muscle mass. That's pure muscle, calculating out the fat and water weight, so with patience and dedication you can do it, it takes a long time, but anything worth doing is worth doing right, take your time and do it to the best of your ability.

Patience is also very important when you are preparing for a show, you can't shred down in 3 weeks, unless you are already sitting at a low body fat to begin with, and even then it may take at least a month to get ready. You need to be patient and consistent in your endeavour. Patience is also a big necessity for the day of the show, you may have to travel for hours or even a few days to make it to the show, and when you finally get there, there is a lot of waiting before you get on stage.You may be registering at 11am, then not on stage until 2pm for prejudging, and then not on stage again until 8 or 9pm for the night show. So you need to be patient, don't go out after pre judging and go nuts with food, if you can be strict for 12-14 weeks you can be strict for 6 more hours and actually look good for the audience that night.

Patience is vital to any athlete, growing slowly, day after day, getting one more rep, losing 1 more pound, and growing that little bit better each and every day. So keep your head up and keep aiming higher, every day is an opportunity to get better, to learn and to grow.

Fresh Air

At this time of year it can be hard to get some cardio done, especially in the great outdoors, but this morning we had a great clear, bright and dry autumn morning. So with the sun shining and the leaves crunching beneath my feet I set of for a relaxing Sunday walk.

I drove to Stormont park and began there, walking around the lower forest paths before leaving the park and heading along the road towards another favourite spot of mine. After about 15 minutes or so I was there, the best bit being that it only took 1 traffic light crossing, so there was very little waiting around and almost no interruption to the steady pace cardio I had planned. Then it came into view, Motte Park. The site of an ancient Motte and Bailey castle in Dundonald. The view this morning looking back towards my house was epic and so I snapped a quick pic from the top of the mound before heading back down the steps and along the road to the forest paths of Stormont once more.

In total the walk lasted around an hour, and it is one I will use now and again to mix up the otherwise repetitive cardio section of the gym, especially after weeks of contest preparation when you want the variation and ease the gym cardio equipment provide, as well as the easy heart rate and calorie monitors they have installed. 

But there is nothing better than a nice walk in the cool fresh air to help clear your head and let you get your thoughts in order for the day and week ahead. And when you have the great scenery around you like I had this morning then it makes it even better.

Blueberry and Cinnamon Porridge

This is a high carb and low fat breakfast I use some days to load up before a training session, not only is it an effective kick start for your day but it's also pretty tasty.
Take 100g oats and pour them into a bowl, then add 100g of plain natural yoghurt on top. take 1 banana and 50g blueberries and lay these on next, before sprinkling it all with cinnamon. Nice, simple and quick to make. and if you want to add some more protein you could add some nuts or a protein shake to the mix, but today I chose black coffee, leaving the protein until post workout.

Ingredients:
100g oats
100g natural yoghurt
1 banana
50g blueberries
1 tea spoon cinnamon
1 cup of black coffee

Nutritional Values:
Protein - 23 grams
Carbohydrates - 78 grams
Fats - 5 grams

IBFA All Ireland 2014

So its been a few days since the IBFA All Ireland Show in Londonderry. I have to say that night I had mixed emotions about the result. Personally, like everyone else bar the winner I'm sure, I felt I should have placed higher, but having said that it was a very tough line up and I will happily take a top 5 finish.
Placing 5th as a natural body builder in a non-natural show, going up against guys who almost all out weighed me by at least 10 pounds, in some cases 30 pounds I can feel proud and satisfied with my personal performance.
In terms of my own package I gained 7 pounds of muscle from the previous contest in April and had almost as good conditioning, with lighting playing a part as well, in the presentation. So that is a big plus for me, that was my goal, to bring a bigger physique and I did it. I was also super, super excited and thrilled with my posing routine, the crowd loved it, I loved it and I wanted to just stay there and keep hitting shot after shot as each was greeted by a roar. When you have an atmosphere like that, you honestly don;t care what suffering you went through to get there, you just love every second, and want to get back on stage as soon as possible. So when I step back and asses it again 5th place seems acceptable, and like I always say it is you against you, you can only try to bring what you want to look like and what your goal is and if the judges like it great, if the fans like it even better, but as long as you are happy and improving, then you are a winner.

The venue itself was awesome, the Guildhall is a sight to behold and the backdrop to the stage was a massive and beautifully carved organ, the walls lined with stained glass windows and the entire building felt magical. it gave me almost a religious ceremonial feeling while pumping up and then posing in such a beautiful and ancient arena.

If you want to see the pictures from the show check out the gallery page or the routine page at the top and you can enjoy some of the best shots of the night.

So, what's next? Well a few months of off season and then I begin to look for the next contest, but before then it's all about hard work, making improvements and as always working on being the best you, both physically and mentally that you can be, every single day.

Training Montage for IBFA 2014

Here is a fun little training montage I have compiled over the last 12 weeks of prep, just something fun to share and look back on fro myself so I can see what I was doing and how I looked. Plus there is a lot of clips and exercises you haven't seen on this blog before so check it out and let me know what you think. Almost there now baby, just gota keep working, 2 days to go!

Check out my full youtube channel at youtube.com/user/kurtyweir1 if you want to see more training and workout videos, as well as my previous show prep diaries.

IBFA Prep 2014 Arms Day

So its just over 1 week to the show and I thought I'd share my arms routine with you. Now the reps are a bit higher than normal at this stage would normally be around 12 but I pushed for 15 in a lot of sets for the last few weeks.
So as always we begin with stretches, mainly as I have already done cardio for 45 mins prior to this arm workout. Then its into the routine, I start with seated curls before hitting the first superset. I use the straight barbell and take a narrower grip than normal in order to hit the outer bicep head more to try and improve the peak fort the back double biceps shot, and super set that with hammer curls.
Then its concentration curls to finish off the biceps.
You may notice that I have hanging crunches next, this lets me forget about biceps, hit some abs and get the blood out of the biceps before I go straight into triceps, it helps me focus on the mind muscle connection more in each muscle to give them a break for 5-10mins in between.
So after the hanging crunches, it is triceps time. I start with heavy push downs for 5 sets then into a superset of held rope pull downs and a sloped grip push down. for a finisher i use dumbbells to do skull crushers. I find this lets me get a better mind muscle connection on the tricep and relieves stress on the elbow that an EZ bar can bring.

My full Arms routine:
Stretches -10mins
Seated Dumbbell curls - 5 sets of 12 -15 reps
Super set - close grip bar curls - 4 sets of 12
                - dumbbell hammer curls - 4 sets of 12-15 reps
Concentration curls - 3 sets of 12 reps

Hanging ab crunches - 4 sets of 25-30 reps

Triceps pushdown - 5 sets of 12-15 reps
Super set - rope tricep pulldowns - 4 sets of 12-15
                - sloped grip pushdown - 4 sets of 12 reps
dumbbell skullcrushers - 4 sets of 12 reps
Stretching - 5mins

Reading to Relax

For me I need intensity and focus in the Gym, especially the last 3 - 4 weeks of the prep as it comes into crunch time, when calories are at a lowest, energy levels can be lacking but we need to be pushing harder and harder.

So when I'm not in the gym I need to be relaxing my body, but not my mind. I believe in keeping the mind working, but relaxing the stress it is working under. So I read books. Lots of Books.

Between January 20th and April 26th I read 21 books. For my Show Prep for WABBA Ireland (August 11th - November 1st) I read a further 19 books. Including a lot of Shakespeare plays, Macbeth, the Tempest, 12th night and Julius Caesar. Dante's Divine Comedy and Homer's Odyssey as well as a lot of other fiction and historical fiction. 

For me reading is a great way to relax and take my mind of the stress of a show prep when I'm not training or working. And it also helps take your mind away from any stupid craving you may develop as your sugar levels are lowered, because unlike when you are watching tv, your mind is less likely to wonder when reading a book, especially if it interests you. Other people play video games and stuff like that and I do as well, but not as much.

In the words of Socrates “The mind is everything, what you think is what you become.”

Keep dreaming, keep working and never give up.

IBFA Prep 2014 Chest Day

Wednesday, October 15th, Chest day. It's just under 3 weeks now until IBFA so its 100% focus on the end goal. Today's session is a short and serious weight session followed by a quick cardio stint and then it'l be back later on for back.

But anyway Chest Day, I love this day, one of my favourite body parts to train. So lets get into it.

I start as always with a 12 minute walk to the gym, then its time to warm up and stretch. Being three weeks out now injuries are a big concern so this is crucial. 

Abs next so this morning it was 4 sets of crunches to failure with 30 seconds in between sets, the crunches are just basic crunches but with my feet up over an exercise ball. 

Then into one of my favourite exercises for chest incline dumbbell press, I love the feel and the squeeze you can get with the dumbbells and this is great for getting that last bit of definition to come through leading up to the show. I will mix this up with incline barbell press for extra strength and power but for the next three weeks its all dumbbells for me.

Anyway here is the whole routine for chest day:

My full Chest routine:
Stretches -10mins
Incline dumbbell press - 4 sets of 10-12 reps
Flat dumbbell press - 4 sets of 12 reps
Incline dumbbell flyes - 4 sets of 15 reps
Plate loaded machine - 4 sets of 12-15 reps
Dips - 4 sets to failure
10 minutes on the stairmaster (steady pace)
Stretching - 5mins

IBFA Prep 2014 Deltoid Day

Tuesday, October 7th, Cardio and Delts day. It's just under 4 weeks now until IBFA so its all guns blazing for me until the show is over and todays sessions are short and sweet, a cardio morning followed by an intense shoulder session.
For a while now I have been starting my Deltiod workouts with a particular pressing exercise, a standing press usually with dumbbells because for me this really lights up that mind muscle connection compared to a seated press. I will interchange between barbell and dumbbell but for now its dumbbells.After this then its all about isolation and carving the individual muscles and adding seperation.

My full Deltoid routine:
Stretches -10mins
Standing Dumbbell press - 4 sets of 12 -15 reps
Lateral raise - 5 sets of 12-15 reps
Upright rows - 4 sets of 10-12 reps
Super set - Front forward dumbbell raises - 4 sets of 12
                - Rear delt flyes - 4 sets of 12-15 reps
Seated machine press drop set - 4 sets of 15-12 reps (for 4 drops using a plate loaded machine)
Decline bench leg raises - 4 sets of 30 reps
Stretching - 5mins

Food Prep

For me this is a HUGE help when living a body building lifestyle,. whether you are preparing for a show or, taking some time off stage to grow and improve, having your meals prepared and with you is essential for all fitness and body building enthusiasts.

So with that said, I am currently working on a 'cook it the night before' method, this way, as I am training in the mornings due to work and personal preference, it means I can have my meals ready before and after my sessions exactly when I need them.
Now you don't have to prepare every meal, for example I don;t prepare my first 2 meals of the day, but I'll explain why in a second, but the rest, they are all done and boxed up the night before.

So what are my meals and how do I prep them? Well here we go:
Meal 1- Scrambled eggs + water to drink (4 eggs with either 2/4 yolks or 0 yolks depending on what I am training that day)
Meal 2- 100g oats with water and 50g almonds in a bowl with 1 orange and a glass of water to drink
Meal 3- 200g chicken + 200g brown rice+ 1 portion of broccoli
Meal 4- 200g chicken+ 100g rice + 1 portion of broccoli
Meal 5- 200g cod + 100g rice + 100g cooked spinach (can switch rice for sweet potato here)
Meal 6- 150g cod+ 200g sweet potato + 1 portion of green beans
With 1 protein shake before bed (1 scoop of pHD pharma whey)

So how is it prepared? Well I start with oven baking the chicken and fish for about 30-40 minutes depending on the weight and quantity, then while that is in the oven, I get the rice weighed out and the veg sorted and then boil them on the hob until cooked through. While this boils I have the sweet potato weighed out, and washed before cooking it in the microwave (like a baked potato). Then as and when it is all done I get out my many Tupperware boxes and place the portions associated with each meal into the appropriate boxes.
Then leave to cool and stick them in the fridge ready for tomorrow.

For the first two meals, as they take all of 5 minutes to prepare I usually leave them until the morning to make and then enjoy them.

Hope this was helpful, after the show prep is over on November 2nd I will be sharing some interesting recipe ideas I will be experimenting with so keep an eye out for the nutrition or bulking tag at the side of the page.

IBFA Prep 2014 high rep leg day (p2)

So it's 6 weeks into prep, 6 weeks out and on Monday the 22nd of September and now the second stage of the battle has arrived. But this one is different, its not all about hard work, it requires more focus, and intent.

As I make my way back through the doors of the gym the whisper of 'round two' crosses my lips with a queer grin as I begin to go through my stretches once more, giving each muscle that has already been trained just as much focus as those about to suffer the same fate. With that done a quick warm up on the bike once more focuses me to the plan ahead, but this time i focus on using the hamstrings to pull the pedals rather than forcefully pushing with the quads.
Hamstrings and Glutes time. it begins with a simple leg curl, 5 sets of 15 reps, nothing too hard, but focusing on the mind to muscle connection and getting quality contractions with each rep. Then its stiff leg deadlifts, again all in the mind as you focus on the hamstrings and glutes, not the back doing the work, stretching and squeezing with each of the 15 reps. Another 5 sets of those.
Then, as my gym has no other natural hamstring machines a small amount of improvisation is needed, I start with standing cable curls wearing ankles and simulating the movement of a standing leg curl machine. 4 sets of 12-15 of these, and then into 4 sets of lying cable curls again for 15 reps.

Once done the main part of the day is done, now it's time to mop up the remnants and plant your flag on this workout. Ballerina squats focusing on the glutes and squeezing them at the summit of the movement is a great way to hit them, before a 5 set super set of the abductor and adductor finishes the job nicely.


My full hamstring and glute routine:
Full Leg Stretches - 10 mins
- warm up for thighs Bike - 5 mins level 12
Leg curl machine - 5 sets of 15
Stiff leg deadlifts - 5 sets of 15 reps
Standing leg curl - 4 sets of 12-15 reps
Lying leg curl - 4 sets of 15 reps
Ballerina Squats - 4 sets of 12 reps
Abductor and Adductor superset - 5 sets of 20 reps each
stretches - 5-10 mins

IBFA Prep 2014 high rep leg day (p1)

So it's 6 weeks into prep, 6 weeks out and on Thursday 25th of September it was time for pain, high reps leg day. Starting as always with a short walk to the gym I began to prepare myself for the ordeal. In my first session I was to train quads and calves. And like posing practice I believe in working form the floor up so it was stretching time and then straight into calves.
After 15 sets of a mixture of 20-30 reps I had 5 minutes on the Bike to warm up the Quads and prepare for battle. Starting with leg extensions I repped out 5 sets of 15 reps before heading outside for the walking lunges. With the cool morning air in my face I loaded my bar and set of for a gruelling 3 sets of 40 reps. By 20 I was sore, by thirty it was burning but when you make it to 40 reps, place the bar on the floor and stand up tall that wind in your hair feels epic.
after the lunges it was time for another tough choice, high rep squats, 4 sets of 20 reps with 120kg. This is a mind game this one. The first 12-15 are okay, but the last five are each a battle, especially after the first few sets.
Then to kill the quads completely it is over to 4 sets of 15 reps on one of the most dreaded exercises of them all, the front squat. The burn here is epic, especially after the previous challenges, but you persevere, knowing it will all be worth it in the end. And boy when you put that bar back on the rack after that final rep of the session, you experience this odd sensation of weakness and absolute strength, as your fatigued legs almost buckle below you, but your mind screams in its ancient cry of victory.

But its not over yet, now its time for only a quick respite, a lull in the battle, hamstrings is approaching on the horizon. You take a quick breather, grab a meal if you need it and then begin the ritual of stretching over again before charging on tired limbs back into the fray. But I will save that adventure for tomorrow.

My full quad and calf routine:
Full Leg Stretches - 10 mins
Seated calf press - 5 sets of 30 reps
Calf press on the leg press machine - 5 sets of 20-15 reps
Standing  calf press - 5 sets of 20 reps
- warm up for thighs Bike - 5 mins level 12
Leg extensions - 5 sets of 15 reps
Walking lunges - 3 sets of 40 reps (20 each leg)
Squats - 5 sets of 20 reps
Front squats - 4 sets of 15 reps
stretches - 5-10 mins

Stretch, Stretch, Stretch!

The importance of stretching cannot be over emphasised. Especially when we are on a show prep and training more intensely and more frequently. It is absolutely crucial that your muscles are allowed to relax, expand and recover, and also that you warm up and stretch before a session as well.

It only means an extra 10-15 mins each session, and if you incorporate an abdominal routine into your warm up it also ticks that off the workout list.
For me its all about leg flexibility, having kickboxed prior to getting heavily into body building it is something that has always been a staple in my routines. Not only because I wanted to maintain as much flexibility as possible but also because of the benefits it has on my muscles. In a typical week during a body building contest prep I will complete 2-3 cardio sessions and 2 leg days so the legs need to be stretched (A LOT).

But you also cannot neglect the upper body as well, it is just as important to keep the arms and shoulders limbered up.

My normal stretching routine:
- 5-10 minute warm up - (either walking to the gym or on the cross trainer)
- lunging quad stretch - 20 seconds each leg
- standing quads stretch - 20 seconds each leg
- standing toe touch - 30 seconds
- seated single leg toe touch - 15-20 seconds each leg
- Abdominal and lower back stretches (up and downwards facing dog yoga position) - 15-20 seconds each
- seated Glute stretch - 20 seconds each leg
- splits - 15 seconds on elbows then 10 seconds on each leg pulling ear into the knee, then 10 seconds walking the hands back through the legs
- torso rotations - 20 reps each side
-continued joint mobility for either hips and knees or elbows and shoulders depending on the body part to be worked
-if training upper body at this point I will add in the stretches for that muscle group holding each for 20-30 seconds

IBFA Prep 2014: Back Day

It's now only 44 days until the show and it's Back Day, (well chest and back day, but I'll get to chest later) I love this session. One of the best muscle groups to train to get that mind muscle connection and really have a good time training.
With back I always start out wide and work my way inside and then back out working from the lats to the rhomboids and the traps and then back out. So that means starting with either lat pull down, or pull ups.
Today it was pull ups. I normally aim for 4 sets of 12-15 reps with these.

My full Back routine:
Full stretching routine - 10 mins
Ab crunches with feet up on exercise ball - 4 sets of 80/80/70/60 reps approx.
Wide grip chins - 4 sets of 12-15 reps
Cable row - 4 sets of 12 reps
Underhand lat pull down - 4-5 sets of 12-15 reps
Barbell shrugs - 5 sets of 12-15 reps
Machine row with hammer grip - 4 sets of 12 reps
Straight arm cable push down - 4 sets of 12 reps
Stretches - 5mins

Into the Unknown

Waking up and heading out early this morning for my morning abs and cardio session I was suddenly surrounded by the early autumn mist. And this made me realise, that this journey, preparing for my next show had almost become symbolised by the fog and mist surrounding me.

For although we can see the immediate path before us, what we are doing in the present, none of us can really see what lies just around the corner. In a show prep, we can have a plan of what we are training today, what meals we have prepared, but we do not know exactly how it will pan out, in a week from now, a month? I cannot say that I can guarantee that I will come into the show better, or worse than before, but what I do know is that I can see the immediate future and act on it, and as we keep working hard to move forwards we can unveil the next step, and the one after that.
But there are two ways to look at this, as uncertainty and doubt clouding the path, or as a blank, white canvas allowing you to paint your future through your efforts and perseverance. Hard work always pays off, and if you really go after your goals, your dreams, then they will come true.
And that was were I found myself, in the midst of the fog, seeing just enough to keep moving forwards and keep me excited about what tomorrow could bring. I believe this is a key part to any show prep, and in fact to any part of life. We never know what could happen next, so just keep working hard and believing, success could be coming fast on the horizon.

IBFA Prep 2014 heavy leg day

So it's 4 weeks into prep, 8 weeks out and on Monday the 8th of September I attempted my heaviest ever barbell squat during my prep and was pretty happy with the results, aiming for good strong reps to parallel to really hit the quads in my first of 2 leg sessions that day and with my aim of 8 reps and thrust myself under the bar.
Prior to this set I had competed my normal 3 exercise, calf routine and 5 minutes on the bike to warm up the quads, then jumped straight in with 4 sets of squats of 130, 140, 150 and 155kg for reps of 15, 15, 12, 10 and then it was time for the big 160kg.

My full quad and calf routine:
Full Leg Stretches - 10 mins
Seated calf press - 5 sets of 30 reps
Standing dumbbell calf press - 5 sets of 15 reps
Calf press on the leg press machine - 5 sets of 20-15 reps
- warm up for thighs Bike - 5 mins level 12
Squats - 5 sets of 15-8 reps in pyramid style
Leg extensions - 4 sets of 15-12 reps
Walking lunges - 4 sets of 20 reps (10 each leg)
Sissy squats - 4 sets of 20 reps
stretches - 5-10 mins

Nathalia Melo

Nathalia is the first IFBB pro that I have ever had the pleasure to meet. it was almost the perfect time to meet her as I was prepping for my first ever show and she moved to Northern Ireland and started training in my gym. Just watching the intensity and passion in every one of her training sessions during her own prep for the Arnold Classic 2014 was a real mind opener and a huge inspiration. I have used that insight into the professional training to fuel my fire in my own training and was delighted when she agreed to pose for these pics a few days out from my first show.