Week 10 Progress Update

Here are pictures for week 10

Weight is 69.4kg's



Again the diet hasn't needed to change or reduce in calories. Training is still going strong and i still feel like i have alot of energy.

Define your goal

It’s important when starting an exercise regime to have a clear idea about what you want to achieve.

A common example is to ‘loose weight’. This is a generalised term and is unspecific. You need to break down what is behind your desire to loose weight. Maybe you want to fit better in your clothes? Maybe you have a holiday or a wedding approaching that you want to look better for? It also doesn’t go into specifics of where you want to loose weight from, for most people though this will be from body fat.

Once the goal is clearly defined a series of mini goals can be created. These mini-goals are measurable over time and can help keep you focused and motivated on the long term one.

Goals that are focused on performance work very well. Setting yourself a target of attendance at a gym is a first step. Another goal could be to increase your overall activity level during the day. This can be measured through the use of a pedometer (measuring the steps you take).

If the goal is fat loss then making changes to your eating regime is a crucial step. Examples of mini-goals could be increasing the amount of water you drink and the number of times you eat per day. Although it seems like a contradiction, eating more frequently then the typical three times per day will actually help you loose weight.

Setting a time line on achieving these mini goals is important as it gives you a sense of urgency and accountability to make changes. These goals should also be constantly reviewed and updated to reflect the changes you are making. Working on progression is critical, if you are not going forwards then something isn’t working.

Here are steps you must take:

* Define you overall goal in detail, Include feelings desires
* Set mini-goals that can be constantly reviewed and updated. It feels great when you feel you are achieving something every day!
* Set a time line on your goals, hold yourself accountable

Using the above strategies will help you achieve much greater success with your training goals.

Lifting Heavy, Lifting Light

I had someone come up and ask me the other day why I was using such a light weight on my chest. I responded that it was my third chest exercise and that the day anyway was a ‘lighter’ day for me. What confused him is that I had previously worked in with him on sets using a lot heavier weight.

Getting stronger is an important measure of progress but not at the expense of stimulating the muscles effectively.

What a lot of people fail to understand about bodybuilding training is that it is not always about how much weight you are lifting. I categorise bodybuilding training as lifting weight to improve the size and overall appearance of the musculature. Power lifting is a completely different kettle of fish and I’ll save that for another day.

The key is to be able to feel the muscles working properly. Form and technique is an important aspect in order to achieve this. If you are only using partial range repetitions because the weight is really too heavy for you to lift properly you are not only cheating yourself out of some hard earned muscle growth, but you are more likely to injure yourself also.

Developing a ‘mind-muscle’ connection so that you can feel the muscle working is also crucial. This often means that you need to lower the weight and perform the repetitions a bit more slowly until you start feeling it where you are supposed to.

I often hear people complain that they can’t get their chest or back to grow; this is often because they are just trying to lift the weight without any thought as to where they are trying to work. Consequently these people can quite often have quite nice shoulder and arm development because those body parts are taking most of the effort!

Drop the weight and the ego and really focus on trying to feel the muscle you are working. Give your tendons and ligaments a break and stop trying to lift heavy every time.

The Importance of Fibre

Fibre forms the skeletal system of plants. Without it no plant or tree would be able to stand upright. Dietary fibre consists of those parts of the plant that cannot be digested by enzymes or other digestive secretions in the digestive system.

Dietary fibre plays an important role in the maintenance of health and prevention of diseases.

There is sufficient evidence to suggest that an artificial depletion of fibre as in case of refined cereals and sugar has over the last 100 years contributed to several degenerative diseases.

Recent studies in this area indicate that sufficient intake of fibre-rich diet may help prevent obesity, colon cancer, heart disease, gallstones, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulosis and diabetic conditions.

Studies have also established that dietary fibre is a collection of elements with a variety of functions rather than a single substance with single function as was assumed earlier. This new insight into the true nature of fibre has given the lie to old beliefs that bran is synonymous with fibre, that all fibre is fibrous or stringy and that all fibre tastes the same.


Effects on the body

Fibre in the diet promotes more frequent bowel movements and softer stools having increased weight. The softness of stools is largely due to the presence of emulsified gas which is produced by the bacterial action on the fibre. A high fibre intake results in greater efficiency in the peristaltic movement of the colon. This helps in relieving the constipation which is the main cause of several acute and chronic diseases.

Recent studies suggest that increasing the dietary fibre intake may be beneficial for patients with irritated bowel syndrome who have diarrhoea and rapid colonic transit, as well as to those who have constipation and slow transit. The high fibre diet, like bran, thus regulates the condition inside the colon so as to avoid both extremes - constipation and diarrhoea. Investigations have shown that several potential carcinogens are produced in the faeces. Their production is related to the acidity of the gut content. The greater the acidity in the bowel content, the less is the production of these carcinogens. The breaking down of the fibre by bacteria renders the faeces more acidic. This reduces the amount of possible carcinogenic substances. Fibre also reduces the possibility of formation of harmful toxins in the large intestine by reducing the intestinal transit time of the food contents.

Dietary fibre also increases the bacteria in the large intestines which require nitrogen for their growth. This in turn reduces the chances of cancerous changes in cells by reducing the amount of ammonia in the large bowel. Fibre reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the diet. It also slows down the rate of absorption of sugars from the food in the digestive system. Certain types of fibre increase the thickness of the food content. This increased thickness indirectly reduces the need for insulin secreted by the pancreas. Thus a fibre-rich diet can help with diabetes and controlling insulin secretion.

Controlling insulin secretion has been show to be beneficial when trying to burn off body fat. The lower the circulating levels of insulin in the blood stream, the higher the levels of natural Growth Hormone will be. Growth Hormone has been shown to aid in fat loss.

How to get more fibre?

* Switch to wholemeal sources of bread, pasta.

* Add more fibrous green vegetables to your diet. Green beans, Broccoli and spinach are excellent sources of fibre

* Porridge at breakfast is a good source of fibre.

* Incorporate a fibre supplement such as wheat bran, apple fibre or psyllium husks, in your daily eating

Week 9 Progress Update

Here are pictures for week 9

Weight is 70kg's




Upper body is getting a lot leaner now, I will start my posing and presentation practice this week.

I haven't had to reduce my calories this week, still eating 250 grams of Protein, 200 grams of Carbohydrate and 55 grams of fat per day.

Protein at breakfast

If you typical breakfast consists of toast or some breakfast cereal then you are probably not getting enough protein in your first meal.

The body is in a depleted and catabolic (muscle breakdown) state when you wake up, its been starved of food for 6-8 hours. Because of this it’s important to make sure that you are getting a sufficient intake of protein with breakfast.

For example-

• a bowel of corn flakes (1 cup) with 150ml's of milk will only provide you with 7 grams of protein.
• Two pieces of toast with jam will provide you with 4 grams of protein.

So how much protein do you need?

Well this will depend on how heavy you are and also what you want to achieve. A good guideline for most people though would be to aim to get around 25-30 grams of protein at breakfast.

This applies to you whether you are trying to loose, gain or even maintain weight. Including more protein in your breakfast will lead to better body composition and less body fat.


How to get enough protein

There are many sources you can get your protein from, here are some examples

• 6 egg whites with 1 yolk quickly scrambled will provide- 26 grams of protein.
• A typical scoop of whey protein will provide you with 20-30 grams of protein.
• 200 grams of Cottage cheese will provide you with 25 grams of protein.

If you are busy and on the go then using a protein supplement to get your quota in the morning would be the best option.

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Week 8 Progress Update

Here are pictures for week 8

Weight is 70.6kg's



Legs look a bit watery in these pictures, probably due to the hard leg workout I had yesterday, I can hardly flex them!

I have made some good progress this week; the upper body is starting to get a lot leaner. Food intake is still the same, aiming 250 grams of Protein, 200 grams of Carbohydrate and 55 grams of fat per day.

Perserverance

I often get asked how stick to my regime preparing to this show. For me it’s simple because I have a goal.

The first stage of achieving something is desire. You have to clearly define exactly what you want. This is what you would set as your long term goal.

Achieving a big goal has to be broken down into stages otherwise it can seem to far away and overwhelming.

Examples of my smaller goals are as follows-

• To train as hard as possible in the gym in the weeks leading up to the show
• Perform stretching, foam rolling and injury prevention exercises to help me recover as fast as possible from training
• Stick to my dietary regime.
• Sleep 6-8 hours every night

These goals can be further broken down into even more detail as needed. For example on a day I am training I would set myself a mini goal to achieve a certain number of reps with a weight, or I might set myself a goal of foam rolling my IT bands for 15 minutes today.

Leading up to the show I will add additional goals such as practice my posing and presentation. This included practicing my mandatory poses, my quarter turns and my individual posing routine.

In order to really be a successful as something you do need to develop a laser level of focus on it, just ‘giving it a go’ will only lead to failure and frustration.

When you start to develop this focus you will find that you will be surrounded by naysayers, people who will call you names and try and hold you down. These are cowardly people who feel inadequate about themselves because they have not achieved anything significant, they are too afraid to take the risk. You should try to eliminate these people from your life as much as possible.

Its important to surround yourself with positive people who will give you encouragement and feedback.

Another factor you need to consider is dealing with fear of failure. The most successful people have failed numerous times but the reason they made it in the end is because they readjusted their methods and kept trying. You shouldn’t be afraid of failure; in fact it’s a wonderful opportunity to learn. It’s not about not being afraid, but being able to handle whatever the outcome is and keep going.

Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb failed over 10,000 times before he finally created the successful invention.

Perseverance - steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

FAME CAMP

I am off today to FAME CAMP to learn how to improve my presentation and stage appearance for the show.

It’s important to be able to display you physique in the best way possible. A good poser can highlight their strong points to the maximum while hiding weak points.

I will post more in future about how shows are judged and how posing is involved in this.

Don't Forget To Deadlift

The Deadlift is one of the most productive exercises there is out there. What is more basic than picking a weight up from the floor?

The deadlift arguably recruits more muscles groups than any other exercise. The muscles recruited are as follows-

• Torso

o Front
• Abdomen
• Rectus abdominis (under aponeurosis)
• Obliques
• Abdominal external oblique muscle
o Back
• Iliocostalis
• Intertransversarii laterales lumborum
• Latissimus dorsi
• Levator scapulae
• Longissimus
• Quadratus lumborum
• Rhomboideus major
• Serratus posterior superior
• Serratus posterior inferior
• Splenius cervicis
• Teres Major
• Trapezius muscle

• Legs
o Quadriceps
• Rectus femoris
• Vastus lateralis
• Vastus intermedius
• Vastus medialis
o Hamstrings
• Biceps femoris muscle, long head
• Biceps femoris muscle, short head
• Semitendinosus
• Semimembranosus

• Hips
o Gluteal muscles
• Gluteus maximus
• Gluteus minimus
o Piriformis
o Superior gemellus

• Forearms
o Flexor digitorum profundus

Your biceps will also contract isometrically

As you can see from this long list the amount of muscle used in this exercise is huge. Performing exercises that recruit many muscles have been shown to raise natural testosterone and growth hormone levels. Having both these hormones raised is something that you want to strive for if when improving your body shape.

The problem with the deadlift is that people do not take the time or invest in a competent trainer to teach them how to do it properly. And so they try to lift too much weight, using mostly there lower back and consequently get injured.

This will often put them off from dead lifting in future. This is a cop out! Invest the time and money into learning how to do it properly and you will get a great return on your investment.

Here is a video of me dead lifting 170kg’s for 3 reps

Deadlift 170kg's-

Week 7 Progress Update

Here are updated pictures for week 7


Weight is 71.1kg's





There has been good progress this week. My training is still going strong even though my bodyweight is dropping. This is a good indicator that I am not dieting too fast.

The Power of Visualisation

If you have seen me train at the gym you might notice that I tend to keep to myself with my headphones in and remain quiet during my rest periods. I’m not trying to be rude; I do this because I am using visualisation. This is a mental technique where I imagine myself performing the set I am about to do. I think about every rep, performing it with the right technique and finishing the set successfully.

This ‘mental trick’ is very powerful and can really help you get that extra few percent out of a set. Focusing on what you are about to do is essential, when the weight gets heavy you have to have that 100% focus in order to get the job done!

Nutrition Update

I have made some changes to my eating in the last couple of days. My progress slowed a bit last week so I have adjusted the quantities of nutrients I am eating per day. I am aiming to get 250 grams of Protein, 200 grams of Carbohydrate and 55 grams of fat per day.

I have removed the 25 grams of dextrose both pre and post workout and replaced this with 10 grams of L-Glutamine. I have also increased my dietary fibre by adding wheat bran to my protein shakes.

Week 6 Progress Update

Here are updated pictures for week 6

Weight is 71.9kg's






Weight is 71.9kg's

Weight hasn't changed a lot in the last week although my legs are showing a lot more cuts and definition. I might be making some dietary changes in the next few days.

Tuesday- Legs: Hypertrophy

Glute Activation-
Clamshell
Single Leg Glute Bridge
Single Leg Squat

Single Leg Extension

30kg's x 15 reps
40kg's x 15 reps
45kg's x 12 reps
50kg's x 8 reps

Smith Machine Split Squat

40kg's x 15 reps
50kg's x 15 reps
60kg's x 12 reps
70kg's x 8 reps

Close Stance Leg Press

200kg’s x 20
230kg’s x 15
260kg’s x 12
280kg’s x 10

Single Leg Curl

30kg's x 12 reps
30kg's x 12 reps
30kg's x 8 reps
30kg's x 8 reps

Hamstring Pendulums

6 Slow negative reps
6 Slow negative reps
6 Slow negative reps
6 Slow negative reps

Rest was 60-90 seconds between sets.

Calves were trained separately in the evening

The hypertrophy leg workout contrasts to the power leg workout I posted previously. In this workout I focus more on feeling the muscles contract as hard as possible, the weight I use is not so important.

Getting Eccentric

I see many people when they train only concentrate on lifting the weight without thought for the lowering phase of the movement. The Eccentric/lowering phase of the lift is when the most damage is done to the muscle. It is this damage that causes the muscles to grow stronger and get bigger.

You are cheating yourself out of a lot of muscular growth by ignoring the lowering phase of an exercise. Emphasise the negative part of the exercise, taking 3-4 seconds to lower the weight under control.

This might mean that you initially have to lower the weight you have been using but in time the eccentric portion of the movement will strengthen and you will return to the weights you have previously used or even surpass them.

Concentrate on working the muscle group you are targeting and not your EGO. The muscle doesn’t care if you are lifting 5kg’s or 50kg’s. What is important is using the correct technique in order to stimulate the most damage to that muscle which in turn will lead to more growth.