Mike's 2013 NPC Contest Journal

[Mac]

We took Saturday off and hiked 3 miles in First Landing State Park.

Sunday we did legs:

Squats: 185/8, then 3 sets of 225/5
One legged leg press: 4 sets of 12 on each leg, going deep, feet high to emphasize hams
Superset between leg extension and leg curl: 4 sets each

No weight lost in the past week, and waist stayed the same. Might have to do some cardio.

Did you ever try intermittent fasting?

[gman]

Did you ever try intermittent fasting?

No sir, I have not. I need to read more about it, and see if I might like to try it!

[HeavyDutyGuy]

The body after a good workout is like Ryback after trashing a couple of punks in the WWE ring: FEED ME MORE!

LOL! true.

[gman]

Last night was chest

Incline BB press: 4/185 6/175 5/175 5/175. I am the weakest chested guy ever on 200mg of TRT. Hopefully will get stronger
Pec deck: 12/150 10/165 10/170 8/170
Flat db press: 75/8 85/3 (sucked, so moved back down), 75/6 75/6
DB pullovers: 85/10 85/9 85/9 85/8
Bodyweight dips to failure: 4 sets

[gman]

Did back this morning, as we are taking a half day off today and all day tomorrow to spend a couple of days up in the Shenandoah National Park area. Paula is taking me up for my birthday, and we will be hiking a few hours each day. We will miss our shoulder day, but I think I have a good excuse this time!

Weight is holding steady at 216, so down 5 1/2 lbs since I started, but was 5 lbs down after two weeks and have not lost since.

Anyway

Underhand pullups: 9 7 6 5
Seated rows: 205/7 205/6 205/6 205/6
Shrugs on Atlantis machine: 12/315, 10/365. 10/365, 8/365
Yates rows: 185/8 205/5 205/5 205/5

[Mac]

Weight is holding steady at 216, so down 5 1/2 lbs since I started, but was 5 lbs down after two weeks and have not lost since.

Don't use the scale as your ultimate tool since you don't know how much muscle you may have gained since you started back training harder again?

[gman]

Had a nice trip. Hiked 10 miles Friday and was dead. I wore minimalist shoes and my calves were on fire all day Saturday and Sunday. Lots of up and downhill hiking. We got to see President Hoover's Rapidan Camp, and that was cool.

So we basically went Friday through Monday with no lifting, and we ate off plan, but hopefully no damage. I was afraid to weigh and still haven't!

Tuesday we did chest and I definitely was weak:

Incline bench: 10/135 4/175 4/175 5/175 (cheated last one up)
Incline flys with 45's: 8 8 7 8
Flat db press with 65's: 6 5 5 4
Flat db flys with 45's: 6 6 5 5

I must have rested less between sets because I was totally worn out and running out of gas on the exercises.

This morning we did a back day, and I didn't do a lot of exercises because I deadlifted.

Pullups 9 7 7 5
Deadlifts 275/6 315/5 365/4 365/4

Totally drenched after deads, I am so psyched to be doing them seriously again, can't wait to get stronger again at them

[gman]

Abbreviated leg day....

Tried front squats. If I put any weight on at all, I cannot hold the bar up with the arms crossed method, and my wrists aren't flexible enough to do it the alternate way. I have no idea how anyone can front squat, much less with 315+!

Switched to back squats. I had wondered why my quads never hurt after squatting. Apparently I was doing the type of squat where you hold the bar down on your back, and in that position you use more ass and hams. So I put the bar up more on my neck and I could feel the difference in where my legs were effected

185/8 225/5 245/4 225/5

Then stiff leg deads, no straps this time: 225/8 225/8 245/4 225/6

[gman]

Busy as hell at work...the final deadline for extensions is Monday.

We did Chest and a small amount of shoulders on Tuesday

Flat bench press: 8/185 6/205 5/225 4/225 (haven't done 225 in a long time...but felt pretty strong)
Pec deck: 10/165 9/170 8/175 8/175
Flat flys: 8/55 7/55 5/55 5/55
Standing db press with 55's: 6 5 5 4...triceps were fried and I was giving out

Today was back

Reverse grip pull ups, just inside shoulder width. short rest periods: 10 8 7 6
Seated row with wide bar: 185/8 185/8 185/7 185/7
Atlantis machine shrugs (actually use plates on it, it's kind of like a hammer strength machine...each hand can move independently): 315/10 365/10 365/9 365/8
Back hyperextensions at bodyweight, don't know what the apparatus is called: 2 sets of 10, 2 sets of 8

[Down4whatever]

Mike & Paula, hope you guys are safe from the storms. Take care!

[Mac]

Mike & Paula, hope you guys are safe from the storms. Take care!

Yes, I was thinking the same thing when I saw a news report from VA Beach and thought of you two.

Let us know you'll are OK when it's done and over.