16 weeks out - off season diet

This weekend puts me 16 weeks out from NPC Nationals. Currently I'm at 169 pounds. This is just a few pounds lower than my normal "off-season" weight of 171.

I really started my diet just a few weeks ago and what I like to do is make a basic meal plan and follow it for 4 weeks before I think about changing anything. Currently my diet looks like this:

5:30 - oatmeal, VP2, natural PB, Myo-D, multi-vitamin, ALA

6:30 Anabolic Rush, VP2, DGC

8:00 (post training) - VP2, DGC, Creatine, Glutamine, Beta X, Vit C and E, NAC, ALA, BCAA

8:30 - Potatoes and egg whites

9:00 - Muscle XGF and VP2 Shake

11:00 - Potatoes, egg whites and VP2, creatine

1:30 - chicken, vegetables, Rice, CLA

4:00 - Muscle XGF, VP2, Beta X

6:30 - Lean Beef, Vegetables, Rice, Myo-D, Multi vitamin

9:00 - Muscle XGF, skim milk

18 weeks out photos

A week ago (July 20th). I started my official show prep for the NPC Nationals. The NPC Nationals is the top amateur show in the country. The winner of each weight class earns his Pro Card. This will be a step up in competition for me. I've always competed in drug tested shows in the past, but this year in order to earn my Pro card I will be competing drug free in a non-tested event. This may make things a little tougher but after winning my weight class two times at the Team Universe (the top drug tested show in the NPC) I feel I'm ready to step onto the Nationals stage to see what I can do.

NPC Nationals is held in Florida on November 21st. This puts me 18 weeks out from the contest. I had a very good "off-season" staying lean while making improvements to my week points. In the past I think I've had a tendency to flatten out while attempting to get leaner. My friend and coach Chris Faildo noticed this last year and helped me devise a game plan to come into the show a little fuller.

I plan on sticking with the same strategy this year and hopefully earn my Pro card in the Lightweight Class.

Bad advice in muscle magazines

Do you remember when you first started working out. The changes your body made and how simple the workouts were. I believe that when it comes to exercise you need to keep it simple and it seems like the less you know the better off you are sometimes.

There are so many "experts" out there giving crappy advice that it can drive you crazy. The one that really gets me that is in practically every muscle magazine is the whole "shaping" vs. Mass building exercises. You can't shape a muscle. If fact, all you can really do to your body is gain fat, lose fat, gain, muscle and lose muscle. Your muscle may appear to take on a new shape because of the muscle gain and fat loss, but if you want to overall best results, stick with basic compound exercises in the 4-6 rep range.

It's ok to put yourself first

I can't help but notice that we live in this world where people are so concerned that they have to do everything for everyone around them. I'm not saying it's bad to help. I'm saying that you need to take care of yourself as well.

Too many times people give up on their fitness plans because of stress that they have no business being stressed about.

When you're on an airplane and there's a problem, they always advise you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first. The reason for that is that if you're OK, you can better help others. It's time you put on the oxygen mask, take an active role in your health and help others by helping yourself first.

max-ot cardio

One of the questions I get asked most, is how much cardio should I do? To me, cardio makes up one of the three components that you must look at when developing a physique-changing program (the other two being weight training and nutrition).
We all know that cardio is good for your heart. So, in most cases, there should always be at least a few weekly cardio sessions in your plan, but I first look at cardio as a fat loss tool so I develop my cardio routine around how much fat I’m looking to lose. Doing too many weekly cardio sessions will lead to muscle breakdown, and not doing enough sessions will leave you falling short of your fat loss goals. Yes, you really can do too much or too little! That’s why for most people 3-4 cardio sessions per week should be plenty. Doing this many sessions in combination with a proper weight training program and well designed nutrition plan should be plenty to keep fat levels where you want them.
Knowing how much cardio to do is only one piece of the cardio puzzle. You also want to make sure you are performing it in the most effective manner. I’ve personally seen, and science backs up the fact, that short and intense cardio session do a much better job at increasing your metabolism and maintaining muscle mass when compared to doing longer duration cardio. When I say short and intense cardio session, I’m talking about 16-20 minute sessions. I realize this doesn’t sound like much, but trust me, doing 16 minutes of “all out” intense cardio is one of the toughest things you’ll ever do if done correctly.
I realize that this high intensity, short duration cardio goes a bit against what most people consider to be “the norm.” However, your “norm” probably hasn’t gotten you in the kind of shape you are looking for. Now, in order to see results you’ll need to perform these precious 16-20 minutes correctly. This type of cardio is taxing on your body in much the same way that weight training is. Because of this, high intensity cardio should ideally be performed 8 hours or more apart from your weight training workout. A good strategy would be to alternate days of lifting and cardio. This way you ensure that you are fully recovered for both. There is no warm-up or cool-down during a 16-20 minute session. You jump on the bike and you go as hard as you possibly can for the entire length of the workout. You should be working as hard on minute 16 as you were during the first. You should not be able to chat on your cell phone or make weekend plans with your workout partner during your cardio session. You should not feel like mowing the lawn or taking the kids for a walk an hour later. You should be spent, sweaty and feeling accomplished or you didn’t work hard enough!
I know that some people will say that four 16 minute sessions per week isn’t enough. The fact of the matter is that it should be enough! Keep in mind that cardio is only part of the puzzle, and in order to maximize your overall results, you’ll need to combine it with resistance training and proper nutrition.

Be Prepared

Getting good results from your nutrition plan is all about consistency and one of the places many people fall short in is planning. I noticed when my son was very little, that we made sure we had all his food for any emergency ready to go. I know that's what most parents do, but here's my question: why do you stop preparing for yourself? Aren't your nutrition needs important too?

We are all busy and on the go, but just because your on the go doesn't mean you can't take food with you. There are tons of strategies such as making food ahead of time and placing it in Tupperware or you could bring meal replacement shakes or bars such as Muscle XGF or vyo pro bars. Either way just think ahead and bring the food you need!

No Bad Reps...ever!

Good form. You hear it all the time but what exactly is it? I believe that good form means using your natural body mechanics to lift the weight through a full range of motion. That being said, I don't believe you should EVER do a bad rep...ever!

The best way to approach your set isn't to think of doing 5, 8 or 10 reps. You should approach each set with the mindset of doing one perfect rep at a time. When you start thinking of a certain number you have to reach, many times you will start rushing through your reps. When this happens you get sloppy.

I suggest you focus on executing one rep at time, this way you won't get sloppy and even if you can't get the next rep, you should still lift it with the same form. You just might not be able to complete it.

Remember, you last rep of your heavy set should look just as good as you first rep of your warm up set. Being tired or "it was my last rep" is no excuse for bad form.

No guts no glory

If you are ever going to be truly successful at something, you can't be afraid to fail. This is true not only with the big goals, but also with the small ones. After all, that mansion is built one brick at a time. Today I had someone doing squats and I couldn't get them to go deeper. Her reason was, "I'm afraid I'll fall." Now I'm not going to lie to her, she might fall, but that's why you have safety bars on a squat rack. I asked her, what if Michael Jordan was afraid to take the last shot? I mean there's a good chance he could miss, right? My point is you need to try things and try your best at them. Will you fail? Maybe...but you might not.