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.