Pikey

I've been thinking about posting a log for a while now and have decided to take the plunge as I’ve found reading Paul’s and Lee’s very motivating and I thought telling you guy’s how I’m coming on and what I’m up to will help keep me focused and you never know some of you out there might enjoy reading it.
A little about me first, I’ve been training with weights now for 27 years, god am I really that old? The early days spent power lifting and then following a pec tare which put paid to properly heavy benching a period weight lifting and also as cross training for one or two other sports I’ve indulged in.
All that time my main passion has really been the gym I have always got a real buzz from training hard. Ever since I started training I’ve been saying I’d like to get in good enough shape to go on stage, about two and a half years ago I realized if I was going to do it I’d better get on with it. I’ve entered 3 qualifiers now placing third each time, the first time 3rd out of 3 the last time 3rd out of 5. I’ve made progress but have a lot of improving to do. This year I was delighted to qualify for the NABBA British, I thoroughly enjoyed the finals, my aim was to get a call out which I did so I went home a happy chap realizing I need to make big improvements if I ever hope to make the evening show which is now my aim.
I need to pack muscle on everywhere but am looking to really improve my back, Hamstrings, and calves. I’ve posted a couple of photo’s below taken when I came home from the British, my guts bloated because as you do after a show I’d eaten every sugary fatty thing I could get my hands on, but you get to see what I looked like.
5 weeks later I’m 7.5K heavier weighing 86K, I’ve just started a bulking cycle eating 7 meals a day, and also having a protein drink when I get up for the loo in the night. I’m having 250g carbs and 400g protein per day, the only fats are from fish oils, and omega 3 supplements and my cheat day. I’m eating clean Monday through Saturday night when I tend to have a takeaway and while keeping the protein high Sunday I basically eat as much as I can face and whatever I fancy.
I’m training 5 days per week Wednesday and Saturday are rest days 45 minutes to an hour per session with 30 minutes cardio first thing every morning

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Tall

Your quads look huge mate - good going.

Pikey

Cheers – Quads probably are my best bodypart, although upper chest is ok especially on the pec that doesn’t look like the dog’s been chewing it
;-)
Heather is running Mansfield half Marathon this morning, I’d normally go with her to get some photos at the finish line but as this is a club thing and it’s not so far away I’m going to the gym as usual Sunday morning. That said all the support and help she gives me I feel bad about not going. So I thought I’d take the time to update the log and post my routine

Monday Shoulders and Traps
Tuesday Back and calves
Thursday Arms
Friday Quads and Calves
Sunday Hams and Chest

I don’t really have set routines I constantly vary the exercises around a core and usually perform isolation movements first. Friday for instance Quads was; Leg extensions 3 x 30 reps. Leg press two sets each feet narrow medium and wide pyramiding down from 30 reps on the first set to 8 on the last adding a 25kg plate each side each set. Then my core Quad exercise which is Triple drop leg extensions super set with a Leg press matrix, 20 full, 5 partial lower portion of the movement, 5 upper, 5 full. After that another for sets of free bar front squat for 12 – 15 reps and one set of hack squats to positive failure which fried them. I felt ill afterwards which is common enough for me after a quad session and I’ve a nice deep ache which is always good.

This morning is Hamstrings I get a much better ache training them separate from Quads I’ve never much energy to give the isolation movements proper focus after Quads, then its chest which seems odd and I’ve not decided yet if it’s a good idea or not.

Body weight this morning is 87.8K and bodyfat showing 10% not sure if I believe the bodyfat on the scales but they give an indication if its going up or down.
Off to take my creatine, L-Glutamine, Nitorox and have a very stong coffee before I hit the weights

Tall

How did she cope in the rain this morning mate?

Pikey

She managed to miss the rain, did ok (1hr 56) considering we'd been away for two weeks and only got back last weekend so only a few treadmill sessions in the last three weeks. Then it is only 4 weeks since H did the Blackpool marathon so she must be carrying a good amount of fitness. Although she's just come in the room and said "she's not as obssesed as I am with my bodybuilding" :-) I'm not obsessed just focused... well maybe a little...

LeeB

ur obsessed mate.. its a good thing tho... tell her to stop moaning and check if your xmas tree is showing or not!! lol

good to see your log on here too. i really should update mine.. yuo have inspired me to put some more effort into it!!

for hamstrings.. this year i have really been concentrating in squeezing the reps out for high reps (15-20) and it has made a massive difference!! i got a hold of milos sarcevs "secrets of the pros" dvd from bodybuilding.com last year and picked up loads of great info from this.. its great for learning to isolate specific areas!

Pikey

I'll see if I can find that - I tried something I haven't tried before yesterday - Dumbel Leg curls holding the dumbel between your feet. I don't know if it's just because its a new movement as the feel in the lower portin of the movement is great or if squeezing your feet together makes a big difference but I got a great pump and what with that and quads I'm walking around like a 90 year old...

Pikey

H is out putting in a few miles, a fast paced training session, so I thought I’d update my log as today is a rest day.
One week into my bulking cycle – guess I should be calling it growth phase and I’ve lost a kilo since Sunday morning which is a net gain of about a K. But as my coach says “stop weighing yourself you compete in height class and the judges don’t have scales”. So trying to check progress in the mirror the only thing I’m sure of is I need to get rid of the body hair :-) . Quads have grown as my legs are chaffing doing cardio at least that’s a positive sign – try telling anyone but a BodyBuilder that your chuffed because your legs are chaffing when you walk and they’d think you was away with the fairies
Workouts have been going well, I had a great one last night training Shoulders and Traps, I trained with the guy who owns the gym I mostly train at, he’s got to be one of the most motivational people I’ve ever trained with his focus and drive are awesome whenever we do train together I can guarantee a top notch workout, we normally set a high rep target on a compound exercise at some point, and see who can get the most out in one set, I’ve only ever beaten him on legs although I give it everything I’ve got every time.

Pikey

10 days in now and I'm back to 87.5K, definitely harder condition than when I started. I’ve kept my carbs to 100g for the last three days, tomorrow its Belly to the table and try and eat through as much decent food as I can I’m going to try for 500gram of carbs. Just figured by keeping it low for a couple of days my body might really grab hold of them when I throw a high day in.
– 45 weeks out from the NABBA NE, I’ve made the decision now that’s my next show.
taken the hair off - here's me back today -

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Pikey

Hev is out doing a AAA cross country race with the club, I missed taking the dogs out this morning so really should now but I’ve a lazy mood on, so as it’s my rest day I thought I’d have a look at Musclechat and update me log.
15 days in and something’s working, after the carb bounce my bodyweight is 91K, BF showing the same on the scales at 10%. I'm dropping back to the previously mentioned quantities for a few days as I think If I kept the quantities in I’d soon pile fat on and I’m struggling to face the food I’ll stay with this till next week and then try the same again.
I don't know about anyone else but I find following a bulking diet/ regime harder than pre contest?