Last year, his first time competing, was fun and a learning experience. This year though, I really put him to work, and the results speak for themselves. I cannot fully express how proud I am of this guy.
S
Last year, his first time competing, was fun and a learning experience. This year though, I really put him to work, and the results speak for themselves. I cannot fully express how proud I am of this guy.
… and yes, I did get a lot of comments from other coaches backstage, and in online messages the next day telling me how great “my guy” looked.
Nice little feather in my cap as well 
S
From those pics it definitely looks like he came in much more conditioned than his previous show.
I’m sure he would do well at musclemania, if he takes the bait.
Great little write up Stu. Inspiring physique and certainly yet another display of showing The Mighty Stu know’s his stuff for prep!
Wow, so my metabolism has been a little weird lately. I’m sure the combination of post-contest, heightened insulin sensitivity, 2 a days, and going balls out intensity every training session is to blame. Just like during my contest prep, I’ve had days where I’ve eaten nothing the day before, yet my weight increased, as well as days where I’ve totally binged, and then lost weight.
These are my morning weights for the last week or so:
Today : 182.0
7/3 : 184.4 (lost half a lb after all you can eat sushi the night before and crumbs cupcakes!)
7/2 : 184.8
7/1 : 185.4 (after a little binge the night of Jon’s contest)
6/30: 183.8
6/29: 184
6/28: 182.4
6/27: 182.4
6/26: 182.4
So you can see that my weight has bee pretty stable at around 182-183 lbs, without really obsessing about #s (avg cals: 2700-2800, avg carbs: 175-200 with ‘cheats’ every few days as life offers them)
The 2 a days are a serious ass kicking. This past Monday, I hit chest in the morning, and then returned about 6 hours later to do back and bis. I’m not really doing the ‘large bodypart in the morning/small bodypart in the evening’ approach because I need to hammer my weak points, and then figure I’ll just back off a bit with the intensity and volume on everything else.
Today, I did chest in the morning, but after finding out that the gym was going to close early, went home, ate something, walked the pup, ran a couple of errands, and then quickly downed a few more Finibars and Surge before heading right back to do delts and tris. Gotta be real careful with this day though. My history of left elbow issues, combined with doubling up on chest work makes me very wary of delt/tri sessions. As such, I did very little shoulder pressing, opting instead for a lot of DB lateral type work. Also, for Tris, no dips or pressing, only some pressdowns and overhead rope work.
We’ll see if my weight takes a dive and I have to bump up my #s quicker than I planned to in a week or so. Surprisingly, I’ve been very strong in my 2nd daily training sessions. Not that I was hoping to be weaker or anything, but certainly not expecting to be stronger than if I had only trained once that day.
S
Thanks for the pics of Jon. You guys made a great team.
I hope your doubles go well.
Jon looks awesome. You did a great job, Stu! I hope to see more pics and updates.
I’ve always heard about the post-contest rebound and imagined that guys would eat much more calories and carbs than you are now. But I guess that is how those guys just get added fat after the contest by going overboard?
[quote]iDrDan wrote:
Jon looks awesome. You did a great job, Stu! I hope to see more pics and updates.
I’ve always heard about the post-contest rebound and imagined that guys would eat much more calories and carbs than you are now. But I guess that is how those guys just get added fat after the contest by going overboard?[/quote]
Thanks Dan and Timm. Having worked with Jon before made it much easier to really step everything up this year. As we were in contact throughout his offseason, Jon ran a lot of ideas past me in terms of training as well as dietary approaches. Going into this contest with much more LBM also gave us a big advantage over last year, where the last thing I wanted to do was to sacrifice any muscle in bringing him to the stage. This year, already having an of what he looked like at a certain weight, I knew just how far we could push his conditioning, even with the added muscle and still make a specific weight class.
In my opinion, the ‘post contest rebound’ is one of those gym myths that was based on some degree of truth, but just got blown out of proportion. You always hear about how much the body wants to grow after being beaten down so badly during a prep. In this regard, I do believe that it’s a great time to keep pushing, and not slack in your training. Think for a moment of what your schedule looks like going into a show. Lots of training, lots (depending on the person) of cardio, nowhere near enough nutrients… it’s not a great situation. Now if you suddenly stop the cardio, take it easy on the training, and then throw in a surplus of nutrients (remember, your BMR may have dropped considerably along the prep!) well, you’ve got the recipe for some serious fat gain. Of course, if you slowly reverse the prep: ease off on the cardio, add nutrients (especially carbs) in small step-ups, all the while still training hard enough to warrant a reason for the body to actually make use of the incoming nutrients, you will not only not blimp out, but add LBM as your BMR increases.
Also, I like to joke that your hunger switch gets a little broken in the final weeks of the contest. Some competitors just aren’t ready to go back to being ‘normal’, and not following a rigid, preplanned dietary outline for each day. That’s why I always try (TRY!) to give myself a limit, whether a few days to enjoy myself, or a certain number of meals per week that aren’t the cleanest. There’s also the psychological issue of feeling small, and as your perception is skewed, that quick weight gain can feel like muscle (and you keep telling yourself it’s muscle -lol)
Currently, my daily intake is approximately 2800-3000 cals on days that I manage to accurately track everything. If I end up having a meal out with friends, I try to stick to mostly protein sources, and veggies with minimal starchy carbs. So that even when I can’t figure out the #s, I don’t feel like I’ve shot myself in the foot. Additionally, there have been the days where I just enjoy a complete cheat meal without any real regard for #s. Sure, I allow for a good amount of protein in order to make it somewhat worthwhile, but with my body handling food so well at over a month since I was onstage, coupled with the twice daily training the last week or so, my morning weight has been pretty steady between 183-185 lbs. I’ve got chest and delt striations any time of day, and fairly deep upper quad definition as I continue to get larger and thicker each week despite the steady scale readings. This is definitely the most strict I’ve ever been in an offseason. Based on my weight, mirror reflection, and strength levels, I’ve got no reason to think that I’m doing anything other than making progress. It’s a pretty good feeling
S
As much as I’m enjoying training twice a day (I actually LIKE this!), some days you just take a beating.
This morning was my 2nd quad session this rotation, the one where I basically do a lot of squatting as opposed to when I use other movements in order to limit the strain on my spine each week. Knowing that I was going to be grabbing pancakes with my buddy Phil Swing (fellow WNBF pro) as a few other big meat-head trainers from the gym afterward really ensured that I earned my grub. Training went down like this:
-10 mins, stretching and foam rolling (if you don’t do this, laugh all you want, but it does help)
-Front squats - low reps (5-6 range), ass to ankles, non-lockout, explosive with slow negatives - 6 work sets
-Back squats - higher reps (10-15 range), same execution method - 6 work sets
-Back squats - very low weight (135), 15-20 rep range, same execution method - 3 work sets
-Weighted Hyperextensions - 5 sets, slow negatives, very controlled motions
-5 mins foam rolling
I felt like my quads has blown up to double their usual size! Definitely one of those great training sessions that leaves you feel great about giving your all, and not overcomplicating matters. Basic movements, hit 'em hard, make 'em suffer, and then go refuel.
Gonna get a few meals in me while I tare care of errands, work, puppy etc, then go back later to obliterate my hammies and calves!
Feeling good
S
Sounds like a hell of a way to go about training legs!
Pretty brutal looking leg day. Not suprised you like the two-a-days, you’re too much of a meathead not to. I feel like I have better focus when doing them, especially when spitting up quads and hams like you did or chest and tris. It’s funny when you come back the second time, whoever is working the front desk will almost always say “back again?” or “weren’t you just here?”
That is a damn brutal amount of volume there Stu. So you are hitting your legs with 20 sets in the morning then an unkown amount again that night then 1 day off for upper body work then hitting them again with this volume? WOW!. Lot of volume for the upper body as well. I LOVE IT I might have to try this. I recently switched to a 3 day split hitting everythign 2 times every 6 days but i like yours better.
Sorry I haven’t had much time to update this past week, our wedding is two weeks away, and 2 of Cat’s 3 family dogs have suddenly been diagnosed with cancerous tumors, with 1 going into surgery (yesterday), and the other going downhill horribly quickly and having to put put to sleep within the week (Wednesday). I always say that your training sometimes has to take a backseat to real life, and this was one of those times without a doubt.
Amazingly, I managed to get to the gym everyday, although my 2 a days became 1 a day on a couple of occasions, but with the much increased frequency of hitting each bodypart, I still think I’m ahead in the ‘pushing yourself’ game.
My weight has actually crept up on its own, and at 185 lbs most days (my food intake has been fairly constant), I’m looking pretty thick, with lots of veins, and even some serious cuts in my obliques this morning. I was actually very surprised by this myself!
So far, on the days I’ve had to combine 2 workouts into 1, it’s always been just putting my quads and hams back into one session. This morning though, I had to combine my chest, delts and tris, which left me considering how best to do this without exacerbating any existing injuries nor stepping over the overtraining line in the process. I held back a bit with the shoulder pressing, and did all isolation tricep work, while definitely pushing the volume envelope just a bit.
Recently, my sessions have been under an hour each due to the twice a day training. Today, I was at the gym for an easy 2 hours. I will point out though that I was definitely in a relaxed mind set, talking a lot about the wedding, and the Bachelor Party my brothers have planned for me later tonight. I figure with my evening starting out at an all you can eat Brazilian restaurant, I’d better earn the several lbs of meat I plan on ingesting!
S
Sorry to hear about the cats Stu, anyone who has had a pet for any length of time knows how hard those moments can be. They truly do become a family member. Sounds like you are striking that balance that is needed during these hard times.
Having said that… Enjoy your meat feast tonight!
Sorry about the dogs.
I hope your meat-fest was awesome.
thanks guys, the evening was certainly a blast, lots of food, lost of drinks (yes, I got a bit sloshed -lol), lots of laughs,… did I mention lots of food?
The one little glitch in the evening was when my left rear shoulder started bothering me over dinner. I couldn’t recall doing anything odd in the gym, so I shrugged it off. The next day, my shoulder was definitely feeling ‘off’, and would click and give me little jolts of pain when I would retract and pronate the humeral head. Deciding to err on the side of caution, I took a day of from the gym.
As I had agreed to watch my brother’s dog for a couple of nights (he had to speak at a convention/seminar out of state), I was able to get him to quickly palpate the area when I dropped in to pick up the pup. His rough diagnosis: possible labral tear. What to do? Well, avoid excessive stretching for the joint, whether benching or even back squats, and no overhead stuff. So Monday, I was able to do leg work, no problem, and today, which would have been chest in the morning, involved skipping DB flyes, and relying on cables with shortened ROMs, and some pressing, again with shortened ROMs.
I was debating going back for my 2nd session when my brother called, letting me know he was back in town. So I drove over and joined him heading to the gym. We altered my back work to avoid my usual close/v-grip pulldowns instead opting for overhand work. Also, barbell rows were replaced with DB rows as I figured it would be more natural of a movement. Bicep work was my usual, although I went a little lighter on my incline DB curls because of the deep stretch it puts on the joint.
After training (and dinner of course!) we went by his office for a serious beating, uh, I mean session of treatment involving manual work, ice and muscle stim, ultrasound, a little PT work, and more ice. His final verdict, without the benefit of an actual MRI of course, is that he’s 99% certain I’ve got a partial labrum tear. Our plan of attack is for me to get in there for treatment as often as I can before my wedding (and subsequent honeymoon) next Saturday, train around it as best as I can, and after I get back from Hawaii, reassess, and maybe get an MRI and/or cortisol shot.
What really gets me upset, is my thinking that what may have actually triggered the injury, was when I was getting dressed to go out last Saturday, and I tried on a couple of shirts that I normally reserve for work when I’m really close to a contest (Mens’ Large instead of my usual XL shirts), and then I had problems getting them off and had to seriously fight them off inside out, up over my head. In hindsight, not really a normal movement.
As with all of my training news, good and bad, I’ll keep you guys in the loop. Certainly not what I wanted to be dealing with after having such a productive month in the gym.
S
Looks like its time to invest in some Xtra Medium shirts, Stu.
Damn… Adversity strikes, but you will overcome. Its what you do.
Yeah tough break man. Sound like you had a damn good time at the bachlor party though. Are you going to be able to work through the injury for your upcoming show or is it something that will need surgury? My medical knowledge is pretty limited.
Well, according to my brother, an MRI or not won’t affect our approach for the next four weeks, and with everything pointing to a torn labrum, I’m popping in for PT every day that I can before leaving on my Honeymoon on the 7th. Chest work is very abbreviated in terms of movements and ROM, focusing solely on some type of contraction without a stretch. Delt work is completely out. Bicep work will be barbell curls only. Tricep work will be various pressdowns, nothing over my head of with an excessive stretch. Back work will be fine, aside from avoiding my usual close grip pulldowns where I keep my elbows close together, it just puts too much strain on the shoulder capsule. Legs are what I had been doing anyway, very frequent, alternating a squat centric session with a session of extensions, hacks, and walking lunges.
Really killing the fish oils, curcuim and alieve pills, and trying not to allow my left shoulder to pronate forward when just standing or sitting throughout the day.
Obviously any thoughts of competing this Fall are gone, but all the therapists have been quick to stress to me the large number of professional athletes (football players and even baseball pitchers) who perform no problem with torn labrums. Eventually, depending on pain, quality of life etc (and hopefully we’re talking years down the road), I may have to go in for surgery, but for now, I guess the plan is to build up everything surround the joint, allow the inflammation to go down, and see where I’m at.
Sadly, on top of this (and a week away from my wedding), Cat’s 2nd dog, who had gone in for surgery, passed away while in the animal hospital. Definitely dealing with a lot of crap over here. Right now, I just wanna get through next Saturday, go off on my honeymoon, and not worry about anything for a while.
S
So the basic plan of action has been getting Physical Therapy every day (lots of rotator cuff, lower trap, pec minor etc work), muscle stim, ice, ultra sound and the usual Active Release and manual therapies. My approach has been to get to the gym first, training legs as I normally would, or any other bodypart as much as I’m able, and then going straight to PT.
The general thinking is in banking for the area to ‘scar over’. As my brother has actually torn both his labrums (and both have scarred over and been fully usable for years before requiring further care), as well as dealing with so many professional athletes, I figure he’s got a darn good handle on our options at the moment. Part of me is really itching to get an MRI and see just how badly I screwed things up, but I do realize that even knowing more than I do won’t really change what we can do the next few weeks (Wedding in 3 days and Honeymoon next Tuesday).
I’m trying to stay positive here, constantly telling myself how many pro athletes come back from serious injuries like this. Of course my ‘real life’ isn’t based around my performance in the gym, so it’s not like people are gonna wheel me into the ER for an emergency labrum repair in order to keep me earning my millions of dollars in endorsements.
Thanks to Youtube, I spent a few hours yesterday watching videos describing labrum tears as well as a few documenting actual repair surgeries. I know that the procedure itself is relatively simple (if it ‘takes’), but the rehab would have me looking at 6 months. Certainly enough to put me in a serious funk. I’ve come through some bad injuries over the years, but most of them were muscular in nature. I’ve partially torn both biceps, torqued my sacrum, herniated discs, partially torn meniscus, suffered more tendonitis than anyone should, and who knows what else I’m forgetting at the moment. I’ve commented before that as I approach the big 4 - 0 I realize that while I may still be competitive, the window of time where I can actually make noticeable improvements from year to year is slowly getting smaller. I guess I’m just hoping that this isn’t the issue that forces that point. Despite my left elbow issues the last two years, I’ve been able to bring the tricep back into proportion with my right side. I honestly don’t know if, should I lose 6 months of training, I could bring things back into what they were.
I’m certainly not the type to rollover in situations like this, having always regarded the gym as the one area of my life where I could actually have some sense of control. As usual though, I enjoy not only sharing my thoughts, but I’m sure it helps me as well to get everything out of my head.
In the meantime, despite several curveballs that life has thrown my way of late, I plan on marrying my wonderful fiance’ Catherine this Saturday. The following Tuesday, we will honeymoon in Hawaii where Cat has spent considerable time planning activities and excursions that she’s excited to participate in (where I will do my best not to be the ‘cripple’ slowing her down). I’ll make use of various cables and bands that my brother has given me to keep up with as much of the Physical Therapy modalities as I can, and when we return home, I’ll realistically assess what my options are.
To quote Rocky Balboa (or my buddy ParagonA when I first hurt my elbow and was considering sitting out the 2011 contest season): “Fighters Fight”
S