livinonlava

Aloha fellow IMPC'rs! I've decided to try to keep up a journal on this site in an effort to get to know my competion. I've already started a journal on another site, so I'll try to bring in the info from there and then follow where this one leads. So...

About Me
Age: 30
Sex: Male
Height: 6'2
Weight: 219
Training Experience: 12+ years

Current Training Protocol

I have experimented with several different training programs over the years. Most recently during my last cut, I utilized a system some may be familiar with as P/RR/S (Power/Rep Range/Shock). I have to say that I enjoyed the constant variation, but after 15 weeks of that I decided to rotate a little. In the past I have used a pretty simple periodized plan with mini-cycles aimed at hypertrophy followed by strength followed by power. This is the approach I'm currently using and will continue until I begin my cutting efforts in July. The cycles will break out as follows:

Weeks 1-4 (hypertrophy)
During this phase, I'm looking for maximum muscle stimulation and growth through the recruitment of additional contractile proteins (actin/myosin). Training is organized to target both slow twitch (endurance) and fast twitch (explosive power) muscle fibers. I use a standard pyramid method but with somewhat higher initial repetitions. Look for 4 working sets per movement with rep ranges of 16, 12, 10, and 8. There will typically be 4 movements per body part for a total of 16 sets. This is pretty high volume, and I get different feedback from people on the efficiency of the approach -- for me, it works, so that's that! During the 4th week, I usually begin to prepare for heavier weight by adding a 5th working set at 6 reps.

Weeks 5-8 (strength)
During these weeks, I increase the weights and reduce the rep range to a fixed number: 8. Again, I perform 4 working sets of 8 reps per movement, and 4 movements per body part for a total of 16 sets. The goal here is take any newly developed muscle and increase its efficiency. By training heavier, I'm working to coordinate the movements of additional muscle motor units, and thus produce more strength. Increased strength supports the ever-progressing loads that must be applied to continue growth.

Weeks 9-12 (power)
During the final weeks, I'm looking for maximal explosive power. The weight is increased to allow for a maximum of 6 reps per set (target is 4-6). Power is really about neurological adaptation -- can you make strong muscle contract more efficiently and explosively to produce power. Again, this should build on gains from the previous weeks and support the next cycle's increased work load.

After 12 weeks, I usually take 1-2 weeks of rest to heal battered old joints and connective tissue.

At present, I am in the "power" phase, or weeks 9-12 above.

Diet

I'm trying to keep this mass building phase lean, so I'm utilizing a variation of a carb cycle. The program below is probably going to change when I start my second mini-cycle as outlined above.

Day 1 (Chest) - High Carb/Calorie
Day 2 (Back) - Low Carb/Moderate Calorie
Day 3 (Shoulders/Traps) - High Carb/Calorie
Day 4 (Rest/Cardio/Abs) - No Carb/Low Calorie
Day 5 (Bi's & Tri's) - High Carb/Calorie
Day 6 (Legs) - Low Carb/Moderate Calorie
Day 7 (Rest/Cardio/Abs) - No Carb/Low Calorie

Basically, I try to reach 1.5g/lb for protein, 75-100g fat, and make the rest up with complex carbs. I can record macros and/or meals if anyone is interested.

Supplementation

I'm not one for willy-nilly supplementation, so I have settled on a few products that have delivered excellent results for me in the past. I'd be happy to discuss them further during the course of this journal if anyone is interested.

Dymatize ISO-100 Whey Isolate
Multivitamin
HFS EFA's
CL Green MAGnitude
Scivation Xtend
MuscleTech GAKIC
MuscleTech Aplodan
XF Ultra Peptide
Ergopharm AMP

I'm a beta alanine fan, so I will likely bring MAN Clout (they were out of stock when I recently purchased) into the mix in place of the Green MAG. I'm also considering trying Gaspari SizeOn, so we'll see.

As a final thought, some may be interested to know that I've finally decided to compete in my first live show in November as well -- the Paradise Cup here in Hawaii. This journal and the IMPC will be a way for me to record that journey. Thanks in advance for reading along

__________________
"You gonna do somethin'? Or are you just gonna stand there and bleed?"

livinonlava

14 APR 2007 (Chest)

Flat Dumbell Press
130's x 7
140's x 5
140's x 4
140's x 4

Precor Pec Fly
280 x 10
330 x 6
340 x 6
340 x 5
340 x 5

Hammer Strength Iso Wide
290 x 8
320 x 6
340 x 6
360 x 5
360 x 5

Biangular Incline Press
170 x 8
210 x 5
210 x 5
210 x 4

Notes
An excellent workout! I've had achy joints for several weeks now, but today was relatively pain free. I was very pleased with the numbers and the overall muscular stimulation. I've had a silent strength goal with the db press, and I believe I'm nearing that mark. My chest felt 3ft thick after this workout

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15 APR 2007 (Back)

T-Bar Row
180 x 8
190 x 6
200 x 5
200 x 5
205 x 4

Reverse Grip Pulldowns
240 x 8
260 x 5
260 x 6
260 x 7

Rotary Lat Pulldown
250 x 5.5
250 x 6
250 x 5
250 x 5
265 x 4

Straight-Arm Pulldown
100 x 10
110 x 6
120 x 5
120 x 5

Lower Back Extension (Machine)
250 x 12
270 x 10
270 x 10
290 x 8

Notes
Solid, but not extraordinary. My elbow bothered me a bit today, and I feel it limited my intensity somewhat. On the positive side, the T rows were a personal best, and the rotary pulldowns were really hitting the lats perfectly. I really think I'm making improvements in this weaker bodypart.

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16 APR 2007 (Shoulders & Traps)

Lateral Raises (Machine)
120 x 8
130 x 6
130 x 6
130 x 5

Barbell Front Raises
70 x 10
80 x 8
90 x 6
90 x 6

Precor Rear Delt Fly
200 x 6
220 x 6
220 x 6
220 x 6ish

Rotary Shoulder Press
190 x 8
205 x 6
205 x 5
205 x 5
220 x 3

Barbell Shrug
315 x 12
365 x 8
365 x 8
365 x 8
415 x 6

Notes
My last 3 workouts have combined to be some of the best I've had in awhile. My chest, back, and now shoulders are all feeling really worked over. In addition, however, my joints are all aching as well. I'm looking forward to my rest in a few weeks -- I'm going to Germany I last went in January when I was dieting, and that sucked big time. Since I'm in a more relaxed phase, there will be schnitzel and pretzels all day

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17 APR 2007 (Active Recovery)

My two off days are spent resting but also trying to aid recovery with some increased bloodflow. I train abs first, and then proceed to some form of low-intensity cardio.

Today I did 5 sets of cable crunch twists, 4 sets of ab machine, and 4 sets of what I'd call pelvic raises (toes in the air, on back, lifting hips off the bench).

Then it was on the stepmill for 40 minutes of sweating like a beast I really believe the stepmill is contributing to my recent strength increases with leg work -- I just broke the half-ton mark on leg press last week.

__________________
"You gonna do somethin'? Or are you just gonna stand there and bleed?"

Ikaika

You're a beast bro, this is gonna be fun to watch.

__________________
No supplement can make up for the lack of a strong work ethic.

livinonlava

Thanks, but I'm a wanna-be-beast I think I do pretty well for myself, but you know how it is when you always want more. That's what's got me to finally wanting a competition. Always reaching for the next level.

__________________
"You gonna do somethin'? Or are you just gonna stand there and bleed?"

spaceclown

what up

__________________
Spaceclown

hibiscus09

Nice workouts! You're very strong. Wow, I must suck. :lol3: I just go in the gym and lift and everyone else seems to put so much thought into it.

livinonlava

Honestly, I used to take that approach for the first 10 years. After awhile, though, I kinda hit a plateau. Since I have taken a more aggressive approach to planning and training, I have seen new results and bests in strength and muscle growth.

Or maybe I'm anal :p

__________________
"You gonna do somethin'? Or are you just gonna stand there and bleed?"

livinonlava

Total: 2231 calories
Fat: 93g
Carbs: 33g (Fiber: 10g)
Protein: 301g

Meal 1: Egg white/lean ham omlet, CLA
Meal 2: Almonds, Ultra Peptide Shake
Meal 3: Lettuce (Romaine), chicken breast, balsamic vinaigrette
Meal 4: Beef brisket (lean), lowfat swiss, EFA
Meal 5: Lettuce (Romaine), chicken breast, chedder cheese, ranch
Meal 6: Peanut butter, whey isolate, Ultra Peptide, CLA

I went out to dinner so I ended up going a little higher on the calories then I intended for the day (darn cheese and ranch dressing). Thankful no-carb day is over

__________________
"You gonna do somethin'? Or are you just gonna stand there and bleed?"

hibiscus09

Good. No, it's probably a good thing -- I'm just not very good at it. :p

You're a better man than me :lol3: with the 33 carbs also. I'm a little piglet when it comes to carbohydrates. :p I'm glad your no-carb day is over.

Nice job on the nutrition!

livinonlava

I can think of at least one other MAJOR reason why I'm a better man than you... :lol3:

And don't worry, the carbs were up near 400g today, and they'll clear 600 tomorrow. Things won't get dicey till I start cutting in July

__________________
"You gonna do somethin'? Or are you just gonna stand there and bleed?"

livinonlava

Seated Incline Alternating DB Curls
60's x 8/8
65's x 8/8
70's x 6/6
70's x 5/5
70's x 6/6

Standing Wide Grip Curl (EZ Bar)
135 x 6
145 x 6
150 x 5
150 x 4
155 x 4

Standing DB Hammer Curl
65's x 6/6
65's x 6/6
65's x 6/6
70's x 5/5
70's x 5/5

Straight Bar Cable Pressdown
160 x 6
160 x 7
160 x 6
170 x 5

Belt Weighted Dips
BW + 90 x 10
BW + 100 x 8
BW + 100 x 6
BW + 115 x 6

Skull Crushers (Incline Bench, EZ Bar)
135 x 10
145 x 8
155 x 6
155 x 6

Tricep Extension Machine (Neutral Grip)
170 x 8
180 x 6
180 x 6

Notes
I really should cut some of this volume down, especially because I'm adding a pump set of tri's to my chest day. But, I just love the feeling of absolutely pushing the arms to the max. Of course, I also love pushing chest... back... legs... Just about the only muscle group that I don't get much pleasure from destroying is shoulders. Overall, this was an outstanding workout. My tendinitis flared a little in my left elbow, but it was manageable.

__________________
"You gonna do somethin'? Or are you just gonna stand there and bleed?"

Trick D

Good numbers man. Good luck

__________________

hibiscus09

Ha,ha -- but can you find anyone to concur? :lol3:

Great job on the workout!

spaceclown

Damn you're strong! Good job!

__________________
Spaceclown