[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I wouldn’t ‘lean forward’, but I would be conscious to pull my midsection back, while keeping my arms and shoulders slightly forward. I’ve found that the slight forward positioning of the arms, especially in the front bicep pose, not only gives a better lat flare, but also ensures that your pecs don’t disappear if they are a weakness.
S[/quote]
Got it, makes sense. I have been trying to do this more. I understand what you mean about the pecs disappearing. Thanks.
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
[quote]ColinD624 wrote:
Tim,
Thats awesome. Your g-flux is off the charts right now. I’m averaging 2000 cal per day at 174 and just barely losing 1 lb per week. Starting next week I am jacking up the activity, I refuse to cut cals any further unless ABSOLUTELY necessary.
I will start incorporating some more explosiveness and see how it goes. In the meantime, best of luck.[/quote]
Yes it is!
Are you trying ring work at all?
Definitely focus on being explosive, it will lean your metabolism revving. I agree with your thoughts, I wouldn’t want to cut much more below 2000, that is already quite low for an active adult male.
I really think you will like the results you get if you:
I dont have rings, but I keep hearing about them and I will look into a pair.
Explosiveness, I am incorporating more and more. Its really tough to get out of that “beat the book” grinding out heavier weights concept. But if you say your poundages are going up and explosiveness is increasing, then you are clearly progressing.
I am still losing about 1 lb per week on 2000 cal, but I will agree my metabolism needs a shot in the ass. Hopefully this increased activity (ie G-Flux) can help.
Thanks again.
@ Colin
I still want to beat the book. It is just that instead of grinding, I am focused on beating my previous weight and keeping the same level of explosiveness or staying at the same weight and being more explosive. The focus is still progressive. Just no grinding.
Good luck in your continued journey.
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
[Just wanted to comment, I am glad the cold front is done. My basement gym was a frigid 41 degrees F a few weeks ago. But now it feels like spring outside and my gym is more temperate.[/quote]
Wow, did I ever speak to soon (or type).
A winter storm blew through and it is frigid outside. Plus, my gym hit a new low, 38 degrees this morning.
I got quite warm with some Squats and OH Pressing supersetted. Occluded Leg Extensions are another fine way to stay warm.
I do mostly HFS and ring work, but I have time for some extra structural work. I’ve been reserving that time for mostly arms/delts and some legs (I feel like back and chest are decent at this point).
However, I am curious to get other people’s opinions, looking at the pictures/video’s I’ve posted on this thread and in my previous thread:
What are the areas, in terms of bodybuilding, that would benefit me the most from extra structural work in these final 7 weeks?
Some updates:
WHOOPS, TOO EXPLOSIVE
I was finishing up a bench session with a lighter set (as CT talked about, always ending with a really explosive set). Well…
Not griping the bar tight enough + Light weight/super explosive = Bar slipping out of hand
Bar slipping out of hand also happens to equal the bar landing extremely close to my neck. I was a bit shaken up from this, but luckly I recovered quick, got it off my chest and moved on. Did I mention I am squeezing the bar harder now?
SHRUGS
Doing a set of shrugs with a deep stretch, I accidently let it stretch too far and really strained my neck. That was on Tuesday, 2 days later it still is really tight and hurts if I move it suddenly.
Needless to say, I was ticked off at myself. Shrugs aren’t exactly a personal favorite of mine, nor do I think they offer much bang for your buck, however, I like to give my traps that extra bit of stimulation and it’s easy to strip a bit of weight off after doing deadlifts and hit a few sets. Well, I will either be ditching the shrugs or being much more conscious of how far I let the weight pull my traps down.
NEW NIGHT SHOW POSING VIDEO - 52 Days out from the show
I’ve tweaked the routine slightly since last time. I think it complements my body more with the changes I have made. I realized after watching this that I need to work on making my transitions smoother. I’ve been practicing mostly the mandatory poses and obviously, you don’t have to worry about hitting a pose timed to music during pre-judging. I feel confident that if I practice the night show routine more often I can get it smoother, but right now my priority is still practicing the mandatory poses.
In this video, I feel the lighting accurately shows my conditioning. Overall, I am pleased with how I look. Legs are a bit behind my upperbody, but I have seen them steadily improving so I am not concerned. I woke up at 183 the day this video was shot (last night). VERY happy to be 13 pounds OVER the previous cut (October 2010) and just as conditioned.
ORDERED MY TRUNKS
I ordered my posing trunks yesterday, I went with dark grey flex cut from Cherry Bombs. I plan to do a mandatory poses video once I get the trunks.
That’s all for now, training is going well.
The shred is ON, man. Nice work! 13 pounds over last year is just crazy.
At :28 in the routine, the music really builds up to a big crescendo, but you only hold that pose for a brief second…it comes off as a little anti-climactic. Maybe you could adjust the timing so you can hold that pose a bit longer so it matches the music better?
(And that concludes my brief stint as somebody posing as a posing coach)
Awesome job, Tim. Please stop trying to crush your larynx with barbells, by the way.
[quote]Serge A. Storms wrote:
The shred is ON, man. Nice work! 13 pounds over last year is just crazy.
At :28 in the routine, the music really builds up to a big crescendo, but you only hold that pose for a brief second…it comes off as a little anti-climactic. Maybe you could adjust the timing so you can hold that pose a bit longer so it matches the music better?
(And that concludes my brief stint as somebody posing as a posing coach)
Awesome job, Tim. Please stop trying to crush your larynx with barbells, by the way.
[/quote]
Okay, I just watched it again, this time from my home computer instead of my phone. I take back what I wrote regarding :28… now I’m seeing/hearing it as part of a bigger picture and it looks good.
Carry on then.
Looking VERY lean for 7 weeks out, keep up the good work.
Any tips on explosive HFS deadlifts, I felt like I was hyper extending too much? Any cues to put on the brakes at the top?
Once again you’re looking great, awesome to watch your journey starting from january.
Yeah, my legs are always a couple of steps behind my torso as well, but looking very VERY conditioned at this point… at :51, your obliques just looked spot on. One suggestion though is to hold each pose a bit longer, you seem to be constantly in motion, and it can not only bit a bit distracting, but you’re missing out on people seeing just how tight you actually are.
Good stuff Tim!
S
[quote]Serge A. Storms wrote:
[quote]Serge A. Storms wrote:
The shred is ON, man. Nice work! 13 pounds over last year is just crazy.
At :28 in the routine, the music really builds up to a big crescendo, but you only hold that pose for a brief second…it comes off as a little anti-climactic. Maybe you could adjust the timing so you can hold that pose a bit longer so it matches the music better?
(And that concludes my brief stint as somebody posing as a posing coach)
Awesome job, Tim. Please stop trying to crush your larynx with barbells, by the way.
[/quote]Okay, I just watched it again, this time from my home computer instead of my phone. I take back what I wrote regarding :28… now I’m seeing/hearing it as part of a bigger picture and it looks good.
Carry on then.[/quote]
I listened to the music (I was at work and couldn’t see the video) and thought, you know, he’s right, 0:28 does deserve a longer pose. Then I got home and watched it, and realized that is probably the pose I hold the longest, lol. Good feedback.
Thanks for the “shredded” comment, that is definitely how I want to be described when I step on stage.
BTW, you are welcome to pose as a posing coach anytime. I see your log, you know who to strike a pose… on the log note, did you abandon your new one already? : )
And yes, I definitely have no future plans to crush any part of my body with weights.
[quote]ColinD624 wrote:
Looking VERY lean for 7 weeks out, keep up the good work.
Any tips on explosive HFS deadlifts, I felt like I was hyper extending too much? Any cues to put on the brakes at the top?
Once again you’re looking great, awesome to watch your journey starting from january.[/quote]
Thanks Colin, I appreciate you taking the time to watch and give feedback.
Not sure if I am the guy to ask about HFS deadlifts, I got some feedback on mine for hyperextending (See video a few pages back). I personally am not experiencing any back pain and I know that I use my glutes to finish, but I can’t really give advice other than make sure you are consciously squeezing your glutes/hams once you get past the knees and using them to finish the motion.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Yeah, my legs are always a couple of steps behind my torso as well, but looking very VERY conditioned at this point… at :51, your obliques just looked spot on. One suggestion though is to hold each pose a bit longer, you seem to be constantly in motion, and it can not only bit a bit distracting, but you’re missing out on people seeing just how tight you actually are.
Good stuff Tim!
S[/quote]
Stu, I am an idiot, did you mean MY legs are looking conditioned at this point? Or your legs? I couldn’t tell from your wording and I know you are in prep mode as well.
Thanks for the oblique comment, they definitely are a strong point for me.
You and Serge seem to agree on holding poses longer. I appreciate your point of view that it can be distracting.
My focus will be:
IN OTHER NEWS…
Not sure what is going on, but I weighed in at 183 yesterday morning and 184 the past two mornings. As you can see from the video (I hope), it hasn’t impacted my conditioning, I still feel and look lean. I am not going to make dietary or training changes, no need to overreact, I am still happy with what I see in the mirror.
I did strain my neck and wondered if there were some type of inflammation and water retention, but that wouldn’t cause a 4 pound swing. I also considered the fact that I just started taking Resveratrol, but if anything, due to its circulation benefits and overall purpose, it would be more likely that I drop a pound or two from the Resveratrol.
No dietary (other than Resveratrol) or training changes that would have caused it. In fact, I was actually eating slightly less now than I was the past few weeks. I was trying to prevent my body from dropping too fast so I was doing refeeds and adding in some oatmeal in the afternoons. Now it seems that my body has recovered from the need to drop weight and is actually weighing in heavy…odd.
Like I said, I am not going to react to it. Just observe because I still feel tight. I almost feel as if my scale just adjusted and 184 is the new 180, because my body doesn’t feel different.
Fun Card My Wife made me for my birthday
To see bigger (probably need to in order to see the detail):
Hopefully you guys are familiar with AMC’s “The Walking Dead”
Thanks Tim, I’ll work on firing the glutes at the top of the lift. If that doesnt put the brakes on, then I’ll see if anyone else around here has any advice.
[quote]ColinD624 wrote:
Thanks Tim, I’ll work on firing the glutes at the top of the lift. If that doesnt put the brakes on, then I’ll see if anyone else around here has any advice.
[/quote]
Good luck with that!
Weight finally fluctuated back down, weighed in 181 this weekend.
Average for the week was 182.2 after being 180.4 last week, but I am not stressing it, I clearly look the best I have ever looked right now.
MY TRAINING WEEK - February 27 to March 4, 2012
I am not sure if there is any interest (and I don’t plan on continuing to document training), but since there a decent number of people following along, I thought it would be informative to give you a glimpse into a week of training for me.
From week to week, the barbell training and “rings” (rings in quotation because I don’t actually own rings, I have DIY blast straps) pretty much looks the same, just small jumps in weight mostly.
Maybe some tweaks here and there in regards to structural work. What varies is typically the amount of time I have to do tire work, abs, posing, etc. I will not be documenting when I do posing because it varies greatly depending on other factors.
A Few Notes:
Morning Band Work
I do my best to get into a “hollow body” position while standing (I hope you can picture it), resistance band wrapped around my stair banister, then I proceed to go 10 set of 5 second holds each for two positions;
Total band work session takes about 5 minutes max.
Tire Dragging
I follow CT’s Leg Protocol (almost), except done with a tire sled.
I personally do:
Forward Drag and Hold / Backward Drag and Hold x 3 sets
Forward Drag and Hold x 2 / Backward Drag and Hold
For a total of 5 forward drags and 4 backward drags
I then proceed to do;
Tire Chest Press Forward / Bicep Curl Backward / D-Roy Raise hold with band (band under my feet, arms up in front supinated, really focus on contracting the chest to raise the bands) x 4 sets
Tire Tricep Extensions
AR - Active Rest supersetted with the exercise it is paired with
Regular Sessions
These take place during my lunch break, I have 35 minutes from start to finish to get it done
I workout in HFS fashion, alternating between deadlift/OH press and squat/bench daily. My HFS weights are “light” relative to my PRs (Recent PRs are Squat 320x7, Deadlift 405x8, Bench 285x3) and I really try to take the idea of being intellectually involved and explosive on each rep seriously. That is why my working weights are roughly 65 to 70% of 1 rep max.
I truly don’t believe that I could workout as often/recover/progress as well as I have been if I were working out with heavier weights. I am not at the point where I can explode with greater loads, such as 80 to 85% of 1 rep max.
MONDAY
MONDAY 7 am - Band Work
MONDAY 11 am - regular session
Squat - AR: Band Curl Holds
265x5, 4 sets
Bench
207.5x5, 6 sets
superset
Front Lever Holds
Triset: 5 rounds
A) Inverted Row on Rings - BWx4, isometric hold for 4 seconds on last rep
B) Ring Dips - BWx6
C) Band Chest Hold - maltese position, 3 reps x 5 seconds
MONDAY 4PM - Abs
L-Sit Hold, 10 seconds
superset with
Weighted Serratus Crunch, 19 lb DB each hand x 10 reps
7 rounds
TUESDAY
TUESDAY 6:45 am - Walk Dog
TUESDAY 11 am - regular session
Deadlift - AR: Stiff Arm Band Lat Hold
348.5x5, 5 sets
Shrugs
285x10, 2 sets
OH Press
140x5, 5 sets
120x3, 5 sets
superset with
Maltese Cross Holds
Barbell Bicep Curl
50x10, 2 sets
TUESDAY 4pm
Tire Dragging
Forearm roller
WEDNESDAY
WEDNESDAY 7am - Band Work
WEDNESDAY 11am - regular session
Squat plus chains - AR: Band bicep curl hold
232.5 (+50) x5, 5 sets
Bench with chains
180 (+50) x5, 5 sets
superset
Front Lever Holds
Triset: 5 rounds
WEDNESDAY 4pm - Extra OH work, Abs
OH Press - super explosive, paused reps at chest level
120x3, 10 sets?
Not really sure how many sets I did, I didn’t keep track, just did a set every now and then while I coached my 7 and 11 year old through their workout
Ab/Ring work: 5 rounds
a) Maltese Hold
b) Blast Strap fallout hold
c) Weighted Serratus Crunch
d) Band Bicep Curl Hold
THURSDAY
THURSDAY 6:45 am - Walk Dog
THURSDAY 11am - regular session
Deadlift with Chains - AR: Stiff Arm Band Lat Hold
315 (+50) x5, 5 sets
Chinup
BW+40 x 6, 3 sets
BW+40 x 5 - just fatigued, didn’t want to grind out the last rep because I don’t see grinding as effective
OH Press
141x5, 6 sets
superset with
Inverted Glute Ham (otherwise known as Suspended Bridge Leg Curl)
BWx10
Matlese Hold, 4 holds
superset with
Heavy Lateral Raise Swings
22x10, 10, 7
OH Press
120x3, 1 set - super explosive
THURSDAY 4pm - Tire Dragging
FRIDAY
FRIDAY 7am - Band Work
FRIDAY 11am - regular session
Squat - AR: Band Face Pull Holds
266.5 x 5, 4 sets
Bench
208.5x5, 6 sets
superset
Front Lever Holds
Triset: 5 rounds
A) Inverted Row on Rings - BWx4, isometric hold for 4 seconds on last rep
B) Ring Dips - BWx7
C) Band Chest Hold - maltese position (not every round)
FRIDAY 4pm - Tire Dragging
SATURDAY
SATURDAY 11 am - regular session
Squat with Chains - some reps paused in the hole, trying to be explosive
227.5 (+50) x3, 10 sets
superset with
OH Press
122.5x3, 10 sets
Arms: 30 seconds rest between each set, crazy pump
Band Bicep Curl Hold, 3 sets
Wide Grip Barbell (elbows narrow, hands wide) Preacher Curl
46x10, 3 sets
Narrow Grip (elbows wide, hands narrow) Barbell Curl
46x10, 3 sets
Incline DB Curl
12x10, 2 sets
Band Tricep Extension
4 sets of 10
Suspended OH Tricep Extension
4 sets of 8
Floor Press
127.5x10, 4 sets
SATURDAY 4pm - tire dragging
SATURDAY 8pm
Calve Raises - on my stairs, I pause in stretch position and also make sure to get full contraction, I do these one leg at a time, continuously, rest period is while the other leg is working
BWx10, 3 sets
BWx15, 2 sets
