Stu sounds delicious. Was that for a cheat day? Or just not really worrying about a strict diet yet? How is the back feeling? Oh and sorry if i missed it but what do you teach again?
It wasn’t a cheat day, but my schedule lately is pretty strict dietarily during the week, and then on weekends, I’d say about 80% clean. As long as I’m getting adequate nutrition to support my training, I enjoy myself on weekends. Lately that’s involved pnackes (one of my favorite things in the world!)
Not to say that clean stuff isn’t tasty, in fact I think I’ve come up with some nice little combos over the years, but who wants their offseason food to be the exact same as their precontest food? As much as I do enjoy competing, I’m not going to miss out on the fun stuff in life because of it.
One combination I’ve been enjoying quite a bit lately is combining a cup of cottage cheese (use the Trader Joe’s variety, it’s creamy as all hell!), a scoop of banana Metabolic Drive, some cinnamon, and 1/4 cup of slices almonds (also purchased from Trader Joes). Seriously, I have to eat this with a tiny spoon so I don’t scarf it down too quickly and miss out on feeling like I’ve eaten 
The back is doing better. I’m still focusing primarily on vertical movements for most of my back work, but this past weekend, I was able to incorporate some light rowing (50 lb DBs) for high rep, very controlled rows, just feeling things out a bit, and hopefully getting some blood flow into the injured area. I’ll probably train in a similar manner for my next beck session, and then the week after, actually see how it feels reintroducing some actual weight for rowing movements.
In my ‘real’ job, I teach High School Art. Before this though, I worked as a professional animator for 12 years (Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, even a few seasons on SNL), so when I started teaching (originally college, but no Universities were offering full time faculty positions, so I was all over the place during the week), I was able to design classes on Film, Photoshop, Advanced Drawing, you name it!
Now, however, with the BS going on in NY schools (budget cuts, blaming teachers for students not coming to school and then failing…), I teach basic stuff, and essentially babysit at one of the schools that the Mayor keeps trying to close (I ended up here last year after budget cuts at the really good school I used to teach at). Kinda sad, I honestly used to love teaching.
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Stu that is quite the career. I wish i had any artistic skill. If i draw stick men people get confused and dont userstand what they are supposed to be. I can picture things in my mind fairly well but i dont quite have the eye for true artistic things.
I agree about the “clean” food. I actually really like rice,potatoes and chicken and lean steak ect. I thnk anyone who doesnt like these just has no idea how to cook it right. When i grill boneless skinless chicken breasts they come out just as juicy as a fatty steak. And with the right seasoning or mexican style marinade they are amazing. But some pancakes or what ever every once in a while is not going to do any harm. Love the updates.
Are you getting together with ashy and thoughts this weekend?
I always figured it was my artistic background that actually drew (sorry for the pun) me to bodybuilding. Unlike the usual ex-jocks, or injured athletes you hear about who found their way to the gym, I pretty much viewed the weights as a sculptor’s tool. If I could use them to make myself look like the characters I enjoyed drawing,… cool!
Most definitely, the more you have to cook and prepare food for yourself while trying to keep to clean choices, the better and more creative you get at it. It’s become a joke now, but Cat always lets me order first when we go out to eat because I pick ‘better’ (her word) stuff. Of course IHOP trumps everything in my book 
Oh yeah I’m gonna be there this Sunday! Hopefully we’ll get more of a turn out than in the past, although I will say that even with just a few T-Folk showing up, it’s been some great experiences. Talking shop, lifting iron, and of course, eating enormous quantities of food (always some entertainment value watching Thoughst1053 eat -lol). Also, with Ashy’s girl, and Cat both coming, we’ll have some T-chicks busting ass as well. Always good for some photo-ops.
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Makes sense to me and i can really see what you mean when you see the weights as a sculpting tool. Seems like that might be one of the best mind sets. That has to help really keep the ego out of it.
The training should be really fun. Synergy TRU and I are going to get together on friday and synergy’s gym and train chest. Should be a great session. Cant wait for the vids and pics. The girls will kick ass and everyone will kill some food after.
So cool that T-Nation-ites are starting to meet up and train together. I think I suggested this a long while ago, but it’s only this past summer that we started actually getting a few real meat-heads willing to make an effort. Should be very cool hitting it with Synergy and TRU, hope you guys get some pics to share. If distance weren’t such an issue, it’d be damn cool to hit up the real hardcore spots, Golds in venice, Bevs (of course!), Metroflex… be a hell of an article if Shugart grabbed a couple of folks from on here for a T-Nation gym-tour each summer (hint hint -lol).
When I first met a few folks on here last summer when I was at Strong n’ Shapely gym in New Jersey, I was talking to Colin, and as he thanked me for being so helpful in answering his questions throughout the day, it really made me realize how far I’ve come since I was just reading other people’s posts (lurking) on here back in '01.
In the last decade I’ve gone from a newbie in search of the answers, to being one of the guys that others turn to with their own questions. I guess that’s why I’ve always felt such a loyalty to this place.
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I know Ashy said he’s gonna post up the few vids/pics he snapped this past weekend, but I just wanted to say that getting together with other folks from the T-Nation forums has been one of the coolest things I’ve done this past year. Hanging out, training and talking ‘shop’ (and eating of course!) with younger competitors like Thoughts and E-bomb, younger trainers (like Parsley), more experienced trainers (like Colin and Maf), and even T-Nation writers (like Chris Colucci) has just really shown what a great community this site really is.
Hopefully this is something that we can keep going into the future, with other locales and more people showing up.
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I’ve written before about how much I dislike my current gym (NYSC during the week), but in trying to make the most of it, I’m at least being forced to opt for exercises I might not normally choose (due to the horrible equipment, as well as overcrowding of the tiny weight area). Last night, a young man (maybe teens, early 20’s) who used to hang around my last gym approached me.
He used to always be excited at seeing actual competitors train each day (big fan of Desmond Miller who used to train there too), and was always asking questions, albeit usually in very inopportune moments. He seemed a decent kid though, so I would always try to be cordial. On many ocassions, as nicely as I could, I would have to explain that I was getting ready for contests, and that no, he couldn’t train with me. I had ‘work’ to do.
Well, last night, feeling somewhat in a friendly, maybe charitable mood, I allowed him to work in with me on shoulders. All I can say is wow,… a 45 min delt routine took me almost an hour and a half. I had to constantly tell him that no, I didn’t need a spot just because I was deliberately lowering the Dbs slowly. I didn’t need someone shouting encouragment at me during every set (loud enough to draw attention -lol). And no, I didn’t need to hear about how Demond Miller does things differently than I do.
He had remarked at one point “Stu, if I could train with you every day, that would be amazing.” I decided it best to just let the comment go.
Once he finally left, I realized how long I had entertained this kid. I still had traps and triceps to do. Traps were no problem, no one ever does front prone BB trap raises, and then I was able to grab the one smith machine for some rear shrugs. Triceps though were going to be a bit of an inconvenience. The one cable station had been occupied by the last hour by the same group of 3-4 guys. They did cable x-overs, cable bicep curls (with both cables, just like IFBB Pros!), tricep pressdowns, you name it, no matter what muscle group it hit, if it involved cables they were going to do it.
Since my elbow issues started last year, I always try to warm them up with pressdowns of some sort before moving on to anything that may end up proving uncomfortable or irritating. With the cable station effectively locked up, and both pulldown machines serving as location for what looked like a field trip of high school students, I had no choice but to do what I could, and warm up slowly as can be. I don’t think I’ve ever started DB french presses with 10’s before, but once I had slowly worked up to some respectable poundages, I had a good pump going.
With still no options available for pressdowns, and every single bench occupied (so much for bench dips), I wandered the gym in search of something, anything to do for tris. Lo and behold, in a ‘hardcore’ gym like this, the pullup/dip station was vacant. I’d never been a fan of regular dips, they always bothered my shoulders, but I geuss I had no other otpions.
Luckily, with such a long and sufficent warm up, I felt my tris like I never had before when doing this exercise. With extra attention being paid to any slight pains in my left elbow, I knocked out about 10 sets and went home, hoping I had indeed made the most of the situation I had been dealt.
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You mean you don’t like the encouragement of someone yelling, “It’s all you, bro!” lol
[quote]thoughts1053 wrote:
You mean you don’t like the encouragement of someone yelling, “It’s all you, bro!” lol[/quote]
How many ‘bodybuilders’ (or wannabes) does it take to change a lightbulb?
3, one to actually change it, and 2 to shout “it’s all you bro” while he does.
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Stu, how is the “off season” going brother? Having a competitive mindset myself these days, I fully get the “there is no off season” mentality, but it is nice to not have to be zoned in 100% every single day.
What is your weight at now? When do you begin dieting again? Any GOOD training stories?
I’m hovering around the mid 190’s. I think my decision last year to consciously stay under 200 lbs proved a good one, so with that in mind, I’m assuming a better starting point for my next prep. The fact that the weight classes for pro shows aren’t rigid like the amateur divisions will also figure into where I ultimately end up. For WNBF pro shows, if 20 men show up, they just split them down the middle into light and heavyweight classes. So it really is just a matter of raising the bar yet again as far as my conditioning goes.
With that in mind, I do have to remind myself when I’m in the gym about the younger, other hungry Pros that will be going into their first pro shows in the Spring as well. Also, the more seasoned veterans, whether truly in terms of years, of just experience who I’ll be up against. Some days this serves well to fire me up, and bring me back to my old mantra of “Shows are won in the off-season”. Other days though, I look around at the facility I’m forced to train in for now, thinking about all the wannabes and housewives just plodding through their ‘workouts’, while pondering other aspects of my life (such as my job at the moment) and wondering how long I can keep ‘this’ up, or even how much longer it will still seem important to me.
At the moment, without complianing too much, I’m not especially content with quite a few areas of my life. In the past, I was always able to find solace and control when hitting the weights. Now, with the poorly equipped facility I’m at, and the much later hours I’m forced to keep, I feel as though a part of that has faded a bit. Hitting up a better gym on Saturdays certainly rekindles my fire a bit, but my plan is to actually move from where I’m living by next summer, ideally to a place a little closer to where Cat works (Long Island), which will afford me an actual choice ofquality gyms.
I’ll definitely try to share a few stories of my ‘training’ at the NYSC, but at the moment, I’m sitting at work, finishing up a container of cottage cheese with Banana Met Drive n’ slivered almonds, and gathering up my ‘stuff’ in preparation of shaping young minds in a few moments.
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Sounds like a rough patch, brother. I hope you get some of the “love for the game” back when you have a better facility to train at. I know how important that atmosphere can be having gone from a Golds to my current gym (Metroflex LBC), it makes a huge difference having people who love training all around you.
Keep us posted Stu, we’re all here for you.
Oh yeah, I know there’s a thread in the Alpha-forum about it, but your training environment has a huge impact on not just your mental focus, but I believe your productivity as well. I’ve trained at a heck of a lot of gyms over the years, and I can easily tell you that there have been several situations that have always gotten the best work out of me…
1-There are people much more advanced than I am, and it’s a situation where I can learn (I want to stress the ‘advanced’ part, not guys who are ‘big’ naturally, or simply juiced out of their minds, or even the mostly fat but some muscle guys. I mean the “results clearly prove lots of knowledge and hard work” types)
2-Good number of people at a similar level, whether competitors or not. Creates a friendly, supportive, albeit still competitive (in a good natured way of course) atmosphere. Always a welcome feeling when you come in to train.
3-People not quite at my level, but I’m not constantly being hit with the glare of “he’s not so big” in the mirror by wannabes in their too-tight wife beaters. This was pretty much my last gym. Lotta younger guys who knew I competed, showed respect, and knew that I’d always answer their questions when I had time.
The NYSC I’m at now is certainly not going to suddenly expand their weight area and re-equip what they’ve got to meet my needs (I doubt anyone would seriously care about my contest history -lol), but I will note that the longer I’m there, the more occasional friendly nods I’m getting. Sure it’s still a cramped and poorly designed facility, but I keep reminding myself it’s a temporary situation, and doing my best to hit better gyms on weekends when I can.
You went from a Golds to a Metroflex? Soooo Jealous!
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Hey Stu.
Have you made any changes to your training (exercise selection, rep ranges) since the Training Lab ?
Well I just spent the better part of my day reading your thread and by the sounds of things you need to get out of this gym asap cause it is killing you. At the beginning of the thread or even the middle you were upbeat and optimistic and enjoyed working out and now it sounds like you just dread it everyday.
Edited for spelling
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Not too sure what to say about the judging at this show (I took 2nd in the Middleweights). I had a ridiculous number of other competitors and audience members express their disbelief in the final decision. I won’t say anything negative though, just hoping to crush my 2nd show in 5 weeks. I do honestly feel I’ve improved considerably since last year. at 175 lbs, I’m a good 2.5 lbs more of LBM than I was when I won my Pro Card in the USBF last May.
S[/quote]
Doesn’t make any since, you should have def. took first compared to the other 3 competitors.
[quote]tolismann wrote:
Hey Stu.
Have you made any changes to your training (exercise selection, rep ranges) since the Training Lab ?[/quote]
I haven’t really changed my exercise selection or rep ranges at all. At this point, I’m pretty comfortable adjusting as I need, especially after being so analytical of my own progress since I first began competing. I will say that as injuries arise, or act up, adjustments do have to be made, and usually on the fly. That’s just part of the game though.
So many beginners, or even intermediate trainers come to the gym with a rigid plan in their minds, and no matter what happens, they refuse to deviate (even when faced with serious pain, or even just not ‘feeling’ a certain motion that day). The last few weeks, I’ve had some odd aches and pains in my midback/lower trap area, which has certainly made me alter what I would have liked to have done for back and traps. Still, I find what movements I can comfortably manage, and continue to lift as heavy, with solid form as I can, while being very careful not to aggravate the cause of my discomfort.
One thing I did take away from my recent Colorado outing was Christian’s idea of ‘Active Rest’. While I really can’t be jumping to multiple exercises with my current sub-par training situation, I am trying to get a few lighter, almost pump sets for any lagging muscle group on the day after I’ve trained it directly. I had a fraternity brother in college who had a fairly decent build. Everything was in proportion, except his chest.
He had such a desire for huge pecs, that before bed on the days he’d trained chest, as well as the day after, he would knock out multiple sets of push ups. He wouldn’t go to failure, just sets of 25 to get some blood there. Let me tell you, after a few years of doing this, his pecs were just huge. Up until recently, I always just attributed it to genetic predisposition. Now, I find myself wondering if all those ‘rest’ sets improved nutrient delivery and recovery.
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[quote]Merritt87 wrote:
Well I just spent the better part of my day reading your thread and by the sounds of things you need to get out of this gym asap cause it is killing you. At the beginning of the thread or even the middle you were upbeat and optimistic and enjoyed working out and now it sounds like you just dread it everyday.
Edited for spelling[/quote]
Well, I started this thread when I began my contest preps for the 2 shows I competed in for Spring 2011. At the time, I was training at a fairly well equipped old school gym. I had been there the past 5+ years, and had completed all of my past contest runs there. The gym had everything I needed, as well as a fairly serious atmosphere (most of the time), several other competitiors, spacious layout (no people falling all over me), and people who knew and respected the fact that when I was getting ready for a show, I didnt’ have time for distractions.
Due to that facility closing its doors, I’m forced to train at the local NYSC, which is far and away from being a well equipped gym. It’s filled with gym zombies, wannabes, as well as many of the disillusioned and misinformed masses. I’ve got people falling all over me as the free weight area is about the size of my apartment (a real Queens apartment, not one of those huge ones you see on ‘Friends’ -lol), and the weights are in various states of wear and tear (if you can find ones that match in the first place).
The problem is that I need to have a location that I can walk to after work. I don’t get home until about 5pm, so after taking care of my (and my neighbor’s) dogs, washing out the tupperwares from the day’s food (I carry a cooler to work every day), mixing my Anaconda/MAG-10/SWF, downing a few Finibars while answering emails, and if I’m lucky, using the bathroom, I can take the 20 minute walk and get to the gym by about 6:20 or so.
Usually done training by 8:00, home by 8:30, walk dogs and back inside at 9, eat, shower, pass out, and wake up at 4:30/5 am (I teach high school). It’s really a very tight, stressful weekly situation. With my Fiance’ and I planning to find a better apt/house before my lease is up next summer, I remind myself that this is only temporary. At least I already secured all the Pro-cards I need. If I don’t place in a Pro-Show, it’s okay, because I’m at that level where being at the bottom of the lineup is still being one of the top natty guys in the world.
I realize that my current situation is not ideal for my best prep work. Sure I’m planning to give it all I’ve got for my 2012 shows, but finding a place to live, planning a wedding, and hopefully finding a better teaching position are right up there on my list of priorities.
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[quote]Mike T. wrote:
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Not too sure what to say about the judging at this show (I took 2nd in the Middleweights). I had a ridiculous number of other competitors and audience members express their disbelief in the final decision. I won’t say anything negative though, just hoping to crush my 2nd show in 5 weeks. I do honestly feel I’ve improved considerably since last year. at 175 lbs, I’m a good 2.5 lbs more of LBM than I was when I won my Pro Card in the USBF last May.
S[/quote]
Doesn’t make any since, you should have def. took first compared to the other 3 competitors.[/quote]
Yeah, that show was a serious joke. The head of the WNBF called me the following week to tell me he personally thought that I should have won and that he was hoping I would still compete in the 2nd show that I had registered to do a few weeks later . The promoter of the show (who actuallys owns the ‘Mr. America’ contest itself) approached me a few months later saying that not only did the events that transpired make him look bad, but that he couldn’t even use the photo of the winner on his posters for next year as it looked laughable that this was the new “Mr America”.
I can’t really bitch n whine though, as I was so bothered by what was an obvious backroom situation that I brought my all time best conditioning to the 2nd show, which is famously a very very difficult and respected contest, and won my second natural pro card there (actually beating the most serious competition I’ve faced yet! Quite unlike the guys who showed up for the show you posted up).
Having followed the magazines that cover natural bodybuilding contests, I know quite a list of competitiors who turned WNBF pro at this particular event (The Hercules). Suffice to say, they’re all amazing bodybuilders, and just realizing that my name now resides on that same list,… well, it’s a hell of a good feeling. Certainly much better than beating a sub-par lineup just for a fancy title, and knowing I hadn’t really fought for it.
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