Power Shack Classic in the books

[Hammerfit]

What a class event. Very well run, super promoter, everything was well ran, best show I have competed in by far. It was billed as the best competitors from all around the southeast and it didn't disappoint with the level of talent.

We had a class of 8 in the over 50. I finished a disappointing but realistic 4th.
I was told my upper body can compete with anyone in the show but being 6' tall with very long quads I just can't compete with 5'-8" guys and their short wide lower quads. The top 2 had better legs, the guy that placed 3rd had a slightly tighter lower back. The guy that won should have been at nationals, he was that good. Around 5-7, good symetry with big legs.

All that being said, I was not disappointed. I came in with my best conditioning to date. Hamstrings and quads were detailed and I was dry as a bone. I had striations all over my abs, back was vascular. Everything was in line but the quads are going to have be much wider at the bottom to match my big upper body.

I got an assesment from my sponsor who is also a show promoter and former IFBB Pro. He ask me why I was competing. My answer: to compete on the national level. His anwser: then only concentrate on that show. Pick a show early to qualify and then go to Nationals and that's it. The rest of the year is for growing legs. Also told me the lower back needs to be tighter, lower quads have to be bigger. Duh! Great guy and he meant it in the best intentions and it was well taken.

Started offseason diet today, lots of slow and fast carbs are on the menu. Time to get big. Going to concentrate on legs. My back is my strength so Im going to let it go a bit as far as intensity goes and work on adding overall thickness to my legs.

Best part of the show, getting to talk to Branch!

[joedemarco]

You looked great! Congratulations!

[Baldiewonkanobi]

Congrats on the conditioning and presentation. You are now so very close I bet you can taste it. Hammer...you ARE a Bodybuilder.

I am dedicating my training this year to outer thigh sweep, bigger delts/traps and adding full inch to my arms. I WILL GET THIS DONE. OK, lets grow some legs Hammer. Also at 6' I know how hard this is. I must do my squats in the Smith due to lower back spasms. I wear a heat belt and a lifting belt. I wrap my kness at 285+. Then I go to heavy ass leg presses, calf, hamstring machine then dead lifts. Backing this up I will force feed myself to 235+ by Feb. and keep my Test on the high side best I can. I would love to see YOUR leg plan.


Baldie

[Hammerfit]

Congrats on the conditioning and presentation. You are now so very close I bet you can taste it. Hammer...you ARE a Bodybuilder.

I am dedicating my training this year to outer thigh sweep, bigger delts/traps and adding full inch to my arms. I WILL GET THIS DONE. OK, lets grow some legs Hammer. Also at 6' I know how hard this is. I must do my squats in the Smith due to lower back spasms. I wear a heat belt and a lifting belt. I wrap my kness at 285+. Then I go to heavy ass leg presses, calf, hamstring machine then dead lifts. Backing this up I will force feed myself to 235+ by Feb. and keep my Test on the high side best I can. I would love to see YOUR leg plan.


Baldie

OK, lets's do this. I am 210 right now. I plan on adding at least 10lbs lean mass by Jan. by adding 2 cups of brown rice or large serving of potato to each of 6 meals. It takes carbs to fill out.

I started my new leg program yesterday. I normally do high volume stuff when I was pre contest, which was way too long, 6 mos! Now Im going low volume very high intensity. I have been studying Dante's philoshy and adapting it to a grand masters style.

Check out yesterday's quads. I will hit hams on wed then hit quads again on Fri but it will be different exercises, only 3 exercises, 2 of which will be compound and one will also be some form of extensions most likely unilateral to work on the weaker knee.

The thing about DC training that I am going to focus on is the last set all out, with 3 rest pause added to get up to the required rep range. Example: back sqaut, 365lbs x 6, rack it, 15 deep breaths, 2-3 reps, rack it, 15 deep breaths, 2-3 reps, then do what he calls a widow maker, which would be 20 reps with as heavy weight as you can do for 20 reps, for me after that last set, maybe 225. After that do what he calls extreme stretching, which for quads is do a static hold sissy squat for 60 seconds on your toes!

This shit is going to get nasty! But Im going to do it or die trying!
My goal is to add to 2" to my quads by Jan. Im going to do it by squatting my ass off and eating. No more pretty beach body for me, Im going to eat to grow. I know thats what it takes and Im going to focus on nothing but growing legs, the rest of my body is good.

I will tell you I used to only squat in the Smith Machine. With a knee replacement on one side and bone on bone on the other side I had the right.
But I meet an Army Ranger one day that had his leg just about blown off by a roadside bomb tell me to get the quads big you have to squat under the bar. Reason being is the balance it takes to support the weight fires much more muscle fibers than staying under a supported device such as the smith machine. I started off very slow and light and under the watchful eye of an experenced power lifter and "taught my mind" how to squat properly with good form. And it killed my back until I got the form correct. It was humbling for some time since I could only use 135 lbs. But the strength comes back very fast if you focus on form and function. I also place my toes on 10 lb plates while I squat to help keep my back straight.

There's nothing wrong with using the Smith Machine. Im just saying I've gone both routes and the rack is far superior for what we are trying to do. I know you are a tough son of a bitch and if you want to it can be done. That's the way I look at it. If you want something bad enough, it can be done. Mike Horn gave me a tshirt this weekend that has a bodybuilder holding a barbell and looking at his reflection in the mirror and saying "the only thing that can stop me is me" That is my new war cry, I dare anyone to get in my way! They want big quads on a 6' frame, well by god you're gonna see what that looks like come April. Stay Tuned

Peace and Stay Strong!

[GerryT]

Terrific showing. Top half of the class. Very good conditioning. Best wishes for the future.

[rcp1936]

Will pics from the contest be in the Contest Galleries ?

[ibt]

Hammerfit, in DC you dont rest pause quads, you work up to one set of 6-8 then widow maker of 20+. With quads being a weak point I would suggest the last set to be 8-12 range the do widow maker.

[axioma]

You look phenomenal. Looking forward to following your progress.

[Hammerfit]

Hammerfit, in DC you dont rest pause quads, you work up to one set of 6-8 then widow maker of 20+. With quads being a weak point I would suggest the last set to be 8-12 range the do widow maker.

yep, I did see that. I've done something similar to this before and I think I am adapting a style of DC specifically for me, not going to follow Dante's exact setup on everything but most of it.

[Hammerfit]

You look phenomenal. Looking forward to following your progress.

Thanks Bro, just trying to catch up to you!

[Mac]

Great improvement from the last show. Looking great Mike.

[Hammerfit]

Will pics from the contest be in the Contest Galleries ?

Doesn't look like it.
There really wasn't a official photographer, but several pros took various pics.
They did do a DVD, so when that becomes available I'll link it up here to share with you guys for sure.

[Hammerfit]

Great improvement from the last show. Looking great Mike.

Thanks Bro, got to work on the wheels now. I think I learned alot about drying out this time. Only missed it by about 6-10 hours instead of days LOL Friday night I was freaky looking!