How I Train, Eat, and Think About Stuff

Training
41

[quote]LiquidMercury wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Very cool to see someone else making use of NOW Brand Glycerin -lol. I just sent someone a PM about that yesterday after a question on my contest thread! [/quote]

And I went and bought it! I may photo-document my usage of it and my pre-photo process to see the effects and get some input. Thanks again for the advice!

Paragon - this thread is great![/quote]

Thank you very much!

Talking of glycerin. On high carb days, this is one of my favorite meals:

  • Cut half an apple into small cubes
  • Cook apple in approx. 8 oz. water for 3 minutes
  • Add 4 oz. oatmeal and cook for 8-10 minutes
  • Add half a teaspoon of cinnamon
  • Add 2 scoops vanilla Grow!
  • Add 10g glycerin

This is really delicious, satisfying, it fills up my glycogen stores and hydrates my muscles nicely because of the added glycerin.

Cheers, PA

42

[quote]ashylarryku wrote:

[quote]ParagonA wrote:
The only time I eat 3 FINIBARS at once it when I’m on the originalk Anaconda proctocol. I can’t imagine working out with Surge Workout Fuel anymore, so I’m getting some carbs from there as well and go for 2 bars pre-workout.

Cheers, PA[/quote]

Did you mean to say you can’t imagine lifting withOUT Surge WO?

Again, thanks for sharing your philosophies. There is some good info in here.

EDIT: I didn’t see anything mentioned on HOT-ROX. Do you have any experience with it?[/quote]

Oh yes, of course I meant I can’t imagine lifting without SWF. Just edited/corrected my post. Thank you very much.

Oh boy, HOT-ROX. This really works for me and I use it from time to time. I react very sensitive to stimulants and only drink coffee once a week or so. Since my body isn’t used to stimulants, I avoid taking any later than 2 pm - my sleep would suffer if I did.
In addition to that, I am a natural bodybuilder and taking any, e.g., pre-workout supps with lots of caffeine almost feels like taking “drugs” to me. Ya, this might be a little sick, I know.
However, I have used HR in the past when I wanted to get really shredded. Works fantastic for me. The only thing I always experienced was very dry skin while “on it”. I always have that problem towards the end of a prep, but it’s somewhat pronounced when I use HR.
I usually go for 2 caps at first and then go to 3 caps a day after 3 weeks and to 4 caps a day after another 3 weeks.
Another plus using HR in a prep is that it really helps me with my energy levels towards the end of the prep.

I can highly recommend it in combination with a very strict diet and exercise program. If I were on a budget I would probably buy other Biotest supps first.

Cheers, PA

43


I’m not a “pro”, really. I am a passionate amateur bodybuilder and will be until the very end.
For me, it’s always been about the way, not the aim. It’s always been about taking the road less traveled by.
Bodybuilding is about passion, it’s for warriors. That’s how I see it.

You find some pics of mine in some other threads I suppose. Must have posted some somewhen. Most of my contests I did in the time pre-digicam. So I will have to somehow scan those pics. I will for sure post pics of my next contest!

44

[quote]Adolfo wrote:
Hi guys,
First of all kindly share the picture of the competition.Many of the people want to see these images.The experience you mentioned above shows that you are really a pro.20 years is a big time period.
I shall soon going to make some changes in my training log after viewing yours.[/quote]

By the way: have you read The Mighty Stu’s threads? This guy actually is a pro natural bodybuilder and you won’t find any better information anywhere else on this site (or in any other bodybuilding forum, for that matter).

45

I wasn’t sure where to post this and I didn’t want to start a whole thread for the question, so I thought I’d ask it here.

For High Incline Presses, do you (or others) lower the bar to your eye/nose level, or down to your chest?

46

[quote]howie424 wrote:
I wasn’t sure where to post this and I didn’t want to start a whole thread for the question, so I thought I’d ask it here.

For High Incline Presses, do you (or others) lower the bar to your eye/nose level, or down to your chest?[/quote]

I don’t even do high incline presses. I consider HIP being a shoulder exercise rather than a chest exercise, and I prefer doing other movements for my shoulders.

47

A NICE TREAT

This week was very busy and quite tough. Long hours at work, a lot of travelling, demanding clients, you name it.

Just like everybody else, I tend to feel the desire for a treat after weeks like this. We deserve that for all our hard work, I believe.

If this feels familiar and you are thinking of a “happy meal” and a big bowl of ice cream right now, you failed!

Ok, to be honest, I do eat some ice cream some times, but rarely and certainly not to reward myself for bullying through a hard week.

Don’t get me wrong: you should absolutely, positively eat and try some delicious foods form time to time, experience new things, do stuff that is totally new to you and completely falls out of your usual habits and your comfort zone - life is just too short and great not to!
But: don’t establish a pattern of action of rewarding yourself with sweets or “happy meals”!

But I digress


The “treat” I am talking about, what I did to reward myself for what I accomplished this week, were two very nice workouts on Friday!
I decided to have fun in the gym and to have two fun pressing/shoulder workouts. Did I mention I love lifting weights? And did I feel great after the two sessions!

Here is what I did:

Morning - Heavy performance workout

A. Push Press - Ramping sets of 3 reps for 9 sets up to 264 lbs. One explosive rep with 282.

B. Fat-bar standing front press - 2 sets with 194 lbs and as many reps as possible

C. Incline barbell bench press - ramping sets of 3 reps for 6 sets up to 352 lbs

D. Barbell bench press; contrast training - ramping sets of 3 reps up to 414 lbs for 6 sets with a light and explosive set of 3 reps with 264 lbs staggered in between the ramped sets

Additionally, I did a lot of blast straps work for rhomboids, rear delts and rotator cuffs.

Evening - Circuit style shoulder and core workout

A1. Pulley lateral raise
A2. Pulley bent-over lateral raise
A3. Dumbbell lateral raise
A4. Dumbbell front raise

3 circuits with 10-12 reps per exercise.

B1. Hanging leg raise
B2. Swiss ball crunches
B3. Floor crunches
B4. Reverse crunches

2 circuits with as many reps as possible.

C1. Dumbbell overhead side bend
C2. Trunk rotations at cable pulley
C3. Wood chops
C4. Twisted planks

2 circuits with 12 to 15 reps per exercise

Additionally, I did some eccentric-less bicep work and some blast strap bicep work.

Cheers, PA

48

[quote]ParagonA wrote:

[quote]howie424 wrote:
I wasn’t sure where to post this and I didn’t want to start a whole thread for the question, so I thought I’d ask it here.

For High Incline Presses, do you (or others) lower the bar to your eye/nose level, or down to your chest?[/quote]

I don’t even do high incline presses. I consider HIP being a shoulder exercise rather than a chest exercise, and I prefer doing other movements for my shoulders.[/quote]

I found this comment to be pretty interesting in light of your next post, which included talking about your circuits involving various forms of lateral raises.

Could you say a bit about your method of exercise selection? I feel like 90% of what I’ve read has basically called stuff like lateral raises a total waste of time, but then again I acknowledge that I’m a beginner and don’t have sufficient experience to really evaluate these claims.

49

Keep in mind that PragonA has been at this a long time, and like most experienced lifters, he has come to realize what works and what doesn’t for him. In my opinion, more people should spend time doing laterals if they want big, wide delts, and less time obsessing over their anterior delt heads, which already receive plenty of stimulation from all their chest work,
 but what do I know? -lol.

S

50

I wouldn’t say that isolation movements like lateral raises are a waste of time. To be honest, I do not know a single competive bodybuilder who doesn’t do quite a bit of isolation work.
I like to do isolation work in the form of circuits. Volume-wise, of course, I do much more compound exercises.
I said I didn’t do high incline presses because to me, they are much more a shoulder than a chest exercises. And I like other shoulder coumpound movements much better. Like the push press, the olympic lifts, seated dumbbell presses and standing one-arm dumbbell presses. That’s what works for me. I mix that with 20% isolation stuff.

I fully agree with Stu. I am very passionate about pushing and pulling big weights, but I’m a bodybuilder after all, not a weight lifter. So I always have some isolation work in my routines.

Chees, PA

51

MOVE

A couple of days ago, I entered the building I work in and headed towards the stairs. I always take the stairs instead of the elevator. I work on 5th floor, so it’s certainly not a big deal.

A few colleagues were standing in the hall, waiting for the elevator. When I passed them (and friendly said “good morning”
), they realized that I will not join them but decided to burn a few extra calories. They smirked and said “Ah, you’re going to take the staaaairs?”.
I could have answered anything not-so-nice, since those guys are all fat and weak and would be better off taking the stairs more often themselves. But I don’t like to proselytize for my life style. So my short answer was: “Always!”

As I see it, there will eventually and inevitably come a time in our lives when we would be glad to even be able to take the stairs. To lift weights, to walk or to move dynamically. Be it because of an accident (knock on wood that will never happen) or simply because of age, the natural decay of our bodies and our time on earth slowly running out. I am absolutely sure that there will come a moment when we would literally give everything to be young, healthy and strong again.

I worship the fact that I still am. I worship the gift of life. And I decide to move as much as I can for as long as I can.

Cheers, PA

52

Very good point. I always found it amusing when people in my dorm freshman year would take the elevator to go up or down at most two floors. In fact I found carrying my laundry up and down two flights of stairs a good way to up NEPA.

Thanks for sharing PA.

53

764×1024 214 KB

BE PREPARED

Just wanted to shortly recommend a dvd everybody interested in strength sports should watch. It’s “Magnificent Mobility” by Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson.
IMO one of the best dvds in my collection (and that includes Conan, Gladiator and all Die Hard movies
).

Basically, it’s about proper preparation for competition or training, as well as about rehab. Even more importantly to me seems the concept of “pre-hab”! Look, the best workout routine and the most sophisticated approach to nutrition and supplementation won’t make you big and strong when you are injured and can’t even go to the gym!

Great dvd, highly recommended.

Cheers, PA

54

[quote]ParagonA wrote:
BE PREPARED

Just wanted to shortly recommend a dvd everybody interested in strength sports should watch. It’s “Magnificent Mobility” by Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson.
IMO one of the best dvds in my collection (and that includes Conan, Gladiator and all Die Hard movies
).

Basically, it’s about proper preparation for competition or training, as well as about rehab. Even more importantly to me seems the concept of “pre-hab”! Look, the best workout routine and the most sophisticated approach to nutrition and supplementation won’t make you big and strong when you are injured and can’t even go to the gym!

Great dvd, highly recommended.

Cheers, PA
[/quote]

Sad to say, but most people never even consider this type of information until after they’ve already hurt themselves. My own combination of injuries and age have certainly made me look much more into warmups and “pre-hab” as you so eloquently put it -lol.

S

55

[quote]ParagonA wrote:
BE PREPARED

Just wanted to shortly recommend a dvd everybody interested in strength sports should watch. It’s “Magnificent Mobility” by Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson.
IMO one of the best dvds in my collection (and that includes Conan, Gladiator and all Die Hard movies
).

Basically, it’s about proper preparation for competition or training, as well as about rehab. Even more importantly to me seems the concept of “pre-hab”! Look, the best workout routine and the most sophisticated approach to nutrition and supplementation won’t make you big and strong when you are injured and can’t even go to the gym!

Great dvd, highly recommended.

Cheers, PA
[/quote]

I own the DVD as well, its been a life saver but I wished they focused a bit more one upper body mobility instead of making a separate DVD on it.

Do you do the entire DVD or do you break it up the way they broke it up (easy, Medium< hard)?

56

[quote]Mephisto_ wrote:

[quote]ParagonA wrote:
BE PREPARED

Just wanted to shortly recommend a dvd everybody interested in strength sports should watch. It’s “Magnificent Mobility” by Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson.
IMO one of the best dvds in my collection (and that includes Conan, Gladiator and all Die Hard movies
).

Basically, it’s about proper preparation for competition or training, as well as about rehab. Even more importantly to me seems the concept of “pre-hab”! Look, the best workout routine and the most sophisticated approach to nutrition and supplementation won’t make you big and strong when you are injured and can’t even go to the gym!

Great dvd, highly recommended.

Cheers, PA
[/quote]

I own the DVD as well, its been a life saver but I wished they focused a bit more one upper body mobility instead of making a separate DVD on it.

Do you do the entire DVD or do you break it up the way they broke it up (easy, Medium< hard)?
[/quote]

I do all the exercises from the dvd, but not all in the same session. I ususally have a heavy morning workout. If I work legs in the morning, I do the leg/hip specific exercises only; as part of my warm-up (which includes a bit of rope jumping and some neural activation exercises as well).
In the late afternoon or evening, I often have a second workout. Mostly neural charge workouts and/or mobility and flexibility work and lots of foam rolling. I do more mobility exercises then.

I’d say I do 4-5 exercises as part of my warm-ups and 10-12 exercises as part of my mobility/flexibility workouts.

57

What is a Siff Squat? Is it similar to the Siff lunge, i.e. as a normal lunge but up on your toes to stimulate the calves? Or something entirely different?

58

Awesome, I like to view my training the same way. Approach every session like it’s a privilege.

59

thank you for this thread, your time, insight, and inspiration. This thread and a few others (Stu’s contest stuff) are great resources to those of us who love this lifestyle and the training, diet, science, theories behind it all. Seeing the methodologies put to use is far more fruitful than reading 10000 threads on misc. bodybuilding minutia.

While i’m am not stepping on stage anytime soon, my partner is doing her first women’s natural BB show, i’ve been taking bits and pieces from threads like these and helping tune her prep. all thanks goes to threads like these.

good luck in 2011 and 2012 w/ all that you do.

60

i always thought glycerin was mainly for aesthetics more-so than anything else
 primarily just for contests but you said you use it for your high carb days as well? i think poliquin said it only lasts 2 hours in an article so


would the normal gym-rat/trainee see any benefit to using glycerin?

(hope this isnt a dumb question but a quick google/site search didnt give me any answers)