RED ROCKET- quest for provincials

[red rocket]

Hey bro's, just thought I'd share my quest to get ready for the june super show.

A little about me. Well I started way way back in 2000 at the kingston classic, in the grand theater. Placed 3rd as a light weight and was ready to concur the world, lol. Well a divorce followed, then an accident that side lined me for 9 months and I went from 240 to 170 while sitting on the couch feeling sorry for myself. It took a few years too many to get life back on track to a point where I could pursue this again.

So this year I got remarried and while my wife was still in honeymoon bliss, lol, she gave me the thumbs up to try my hand at the OPA again.

So I set out for the Ottawa's and took home 1st in middleweight's. I was elated to say the least. I got my arse handed to me in London last weekend, and though I can make a thousand excuses as to why I showed as poorly as I did, I wont. I took it as an eye opener as to what I have in store for me in June if I dont bring a better physique to the stage.

So I'm going to log my progress and the steps I take as I get closer and closer to the stage.

[razorsedge]

Awesome..it will be fun to follow along and help out whenever possible..bear down and get at 'er...

[red rocket]

Thanks bro, I've already started implementing some changes to my training.

I widened my grip on my bench, as I'm trying to stimulate my pecs more and shoulders less. My front delts are a little heavy, which isnt a bad thing, but makes my chest look smaller. I would like it to be rounder if that makes sence.

I need to figure out how to engage my abs in all my lifts, I know everyone says that they do get engaged, but I think I learned how not to, lol, cuz they are weak, and make my entire upper body appear smooth. Even though I may have striations throughout my entire upper body, having a weak smooth looking midsection washes it all out, IMO.

I need to work on upper leg thickness, so I'm splitting up my legs into 2 different days a week. One day quads, other day hammies, with partial reps on smith squats in the lower end of the squat.

I'm also going to go to a chiropractor to get my hips aligned and see if it helps me widen my stance with squats. As as soon as my stance gets wider then shoulder width then it locks my hips and I cant get close to parallel without pain.

I have never been a big dead lifter so I am deffinately encorporating more of them into my work load.

I have my plan now its time to excecute.

[GYMBRAT]

short and sweet.........You sir will do just fine, I know you and know you have what it takes!!

[Delt King]

Awesome. I'll be following along in your progress. Kill it!:D

[Nickjehook]

sounds good man..get that chest up and come in on some branch warren size wheels

[countrychic]

Goodluck!

[bigtavi8]

Go to hear RR. A lot of us in the same boat looking to make improvements for this upcoming season. It seems we all need a bit more quads around here. IMO a man can never have to much quad sweep lol.

Keep up the good work and im subbed to this thread.

[red rocket]

Thanks Bro, I was hoping to get the chance to meet ya in London. I'll be hitting up all the shows along the way next season, and I have 2 people competing in stratford as of now.

[bigtavi8]

Thanks Bro, I was hoping to get the chance to meet ya in London. I'll be hitting up all the shows along the way next season, and I have 2 people competing in stratford as of now.

I know man i knew u were competing but couldnt manage to put 2 and 2 together to figure out which one was you. Ill be a stratfords and look forward to meeting ya there.

[red rocket]

LMAO log for today, went to gym, all locked up????

WTF, gotta find a new home now. The owner of the gym was tryin to break his lease, and instead of moving in the middle of the night and fighting it out in court afterwards, he gave his notice. So the landlord served him papers to pay $11k by yesterday or the doors would be locked, I guess Jake didnt take him seriously.

[Praetorian]

Thanks bro, I've already started implementing some changes to my training.

I widened my grip on my bench, as I'm trying to stimulate my pecs more and shoulders less. My front delts are a little heavy, which isnt a bad thing, but makes my chest look smaller. I would like it to be rounder if that makes sence.

I need to figure out how to engage my abs in all my lifts, I know everyone says that they do get engaged, but I think I learned how not to, lol, cuz they are weak, and make my entire upper body appear smooth. Even though I may have striations throughout my entire upper body, having a weak smooth looking midsection washes it all out, IMO.

I need to work on upper leg thickness, so I'm splitting up my legs into 2 different days a week. One day quads, other day hammies, with partial reps on smith squats in the lower end of the squat.

I'm also going to go to a chiropractor to get my hips aligned and see if it helps me widen my stance with squats. As as soon as my stance gets wider then shoulder width then it locks my hips and I cant get close to parallel without pain.

I have never been a big dead lifter so I am deffinately encorporating more of them into my work load.

I have my plan now its time to excecute.

Its great that you are able to appreciate your weak points and create a plan to target them...just a few words of advice that you can use to optimize things.

1. Hand spacing is usually not the issue with benching and too much front delt involvement less then adequate pec development. The main cause is poor benching technique. Here is a link to a video that will help take the shoulder out of the exercise and in turn you will get much better pec development and remain injury free.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh3t6T-nqP0

2. If you have poor ham development I would really suggest keeping them in the same day as quads. Much of the development of the posterior core namely the glutes and hams comes from deep squatting not leg curls etc One of the best exercises for hams would be the low (below parallel) box squat...this will put tremendous pressure on the glutes and ham when you drive off the box. Followed by glute ham raises there is no better exercise and you will see dramatic development very quickly. I would suggest avoiding the smith machine at all costs....it will not provide the same development as the regular squat and it can be very dangerous....it basically forces you into an unnatural position. For upper leg mass use the regular free bar squat with a wide stance, and move some heavy weight...see links below

Box Squat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue_GrU4mhqc

Regular squat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhXNgzjlsuE&feature=related

P

[red rocket]

Thanks P, that is great advice, and I do appreciate it.

Still nothing today, thurs is family night. I am looking into leasing a gym full of equipment and opening up right beside where this one closed. Its the only one in town, and as Andre (from anytime) can attest, it doesnt take much to be more professional then the owner of this place.

Anyone here have anyhook ups with fitness depot or what not let me know.

[Andre]

LMAO log for today, went to gym, all locked up????

WTF, gotta find a new home now. The owner of the gym was tryin to break his lease, and instead of moving in the middle of the night and fighting it out in court afterwards, he gave his notice. So the landlord served him papers to pay $11k by yesterday or the doors would be locked, I guess Jake didnt take him seriously.

You can come train at my place in the mean time :)

[red rocket]

You can come train at my place in the mean time :)

Thanks bro, is the newcastle one yours too, its the closest.

[red rocket]

K, managed to get some passes for the Y, as my gym is down till Jan 1st, FML.

Anyway had a great chest workout felt strong.

A very intense leg day, this gym has a hack squat so I got to finish of the legs with them. Thanks Prae, for the squating link. I tried sitting back further (box squats without a box) and I feel it alot more in the top of my hammies, almost glutes.

Shoulders tonight, I didnt feel too strong tonight, got the 120 db's up for 7. Not bad but I really wanted the 130's. Again my gym only goes to 100's, so having these extra db's is really nice.

Weight is upto 218, not bad since I weighed in 1.5 weeks ago at 183, lol. Although I think I need to get my water consumption up, I am deffiantely bloated, my face look like I would if I were running dbol. lol.

I may just stick with the y, its tough cuz we only have 3 options. The Y, which has alot of great leg equipment, chest, and shoulers. Not alot for back.

Goodlife has more for back, shoulders, chest, but not as much for legs.

Anytime is right at the end of my street, not the next town over. Very convenient.

IMO for my needs the Y is the winner.

[Praetorian]

K, managed to get some passes for the Y, as my gym is down till Jan 1st, FML.

Anyway had a great chest workout felt strong.

A very intense leg day, this gym has a hack squat so I got to finish of the legs with them. Thanks Prae, for the squating link. I tried sitting back further (box squats without a box) and I feel it alot more in the top of my hammies, almost glutes.

Shoulders tonight, I didnt feel too strong tonight, got the 120 db's up for 7. Not bad but I really wanted the 130's. Again my gym only goes to 100's, so having these extra db's is really nice.

Weight is upto 218, not bad since I weighed in 1.5 weeks ago at 183, lol. Although I think I need to get my water consumption up, I am deffiantely bloated, my face look like I would if I were running dbol. lol.

I may just stick with the y, its tough cuz we only have 3 options. The Y, which has alot of great leg equipment, chest, and shoulers. Not alot for back.

Goodlife has more for back, shoulders, chest, but not as much for legs.

Anytime is right at the end of my street, not the next town over. Very convenient.

IMO for my needs the Y is the winner.

Are you serious about the weight gain...if so you are flirting with a serious health issue...its called peripheral edema and is caused by eating too many carbs too soon after dieting. 35lbs in 1.5 weeks is asking for trouble...the water retention makes it very difficult for the heart to get blood flow back from the extremities....causing much stress on the heart muscle which can lead to cardiac issues...even heart attack is not uncommon in these cases.
You are not gaining muscle...its is 90% water and some fat....you need to get your weight under control ASAP...drop the carbs and get down to at least 200lbs...then add the carbs back in in smaller amounts every other meal and monitor your weight.
P

[GYMBRAT]

that is some truly great info Prae! thx

rr keep your self safe ya crazy bastard!

[red rocket]

K, I lnew it was alot of water, but didnt think it was that bad. Alright time to get er under control.

[red rocket]

Water is good, down a couple lbs. Had a great chest workout tonight. Liking the new gym, great equipment. HA broke their incline machine press just doing some finishing touches at the end of the workout. Oops.

Did incline bench to start, then flat db's. I was able to handle the 130's without too much of a problema at all. Got 8 nice clean reps out of them. :) It was my first time trying db's that big.

[red rocket]

FML!!!! Last night having a great leg night, then on my last set lof leg presses, 3rd last rep, went a tiny bit to deep and my discs are fubarred. I ruptured 2 discs a few years ago deadlifting, I couldnt get outta bed this morning, had to call into work. Got the anti-inflammatories going with heat and ice. I'm taking the next 2 nights off, and then back to the grind.

I did finish my workout though, as my back just tightened at first. So I pushed through it and did some nice hack squats. I love that sled. Alot of ham work, and boom done.

When I went home I found that it kept getting stiffer, then by the end of the night it was getting bad. Hope it feels good tomorrow, I am mobile atleast now, and found the heating pad.

[GYMBRAT]

be careful ya crazy bastard!

[red rocket]

So my lower back is a little stiff, but thats about it. My hips are deffinately out of alignment, but I'm going to get that looked at this week.

New training split:
Sun- quads, hams, calves.
Mon- chest, abs
Tues- arms, calves
Wed- rest
Thurs-quads, hams, abs
Fri- back, abs
Sat- rest

[red rocket]

I'm not good at counting calories. Can somebody figure this out. Still bulking fo rhte next 3 months. Goal is to put on quality size only from this point on.

Diet:

Meal 1:
8 Egg whites
1 scoop whey
1 cup oats
1 banana

Meal 2:
8oz chicken breast
1/4 cup almonds
1 med baked potatoe

Meal 3:
12 oz fish(white)
1 cup brocoli
1 med baked potatoe

Meal 4:
Pre, intra, pwo shakes. Its approx 100g protien, 100g carbs, 20g fats

Meal 5:
6 oz steak
1 cup greens
1 cup rice/pasta
1 scoop whey

Meal 6:
Icecream

[Bojangles31]

Go to fitday.com and plug it in there. It does it all for you.

[GYMBRAT]

thats awesome Bo thx mang

[red rocket]

Well great chest day yesterday. Strength is holding awesome and can only go up from this point on ;). Sitting @ 228 with slightly visible abs, water retention is down to a normal level. My back feels back upto its original 75%, lol.

[GYMBRAT]

get atter mofo :p NO more excuses!

[red rocket]

Rest day today, and well needed. 3 heavy days in a row.

I cant remember ever looking or feeling as full as I am. I am hoping this off season is going to be as good as I think it is.

[ironwill]

Good stuff RR....So what do you feel has got you feeling bigger and more full this yr??
Different trng, Different diet, etc.....Good on you for keeping this log going RR...Im subscribed, havent seen this up for awhile....Keep us in the loop over here....Nice to see another serious competitor jump on board...

[GYMBRAT]

yup serious just like myself ;) ROCK ON RR

[red rocket]

Thanks brother, in all honesty its gotta be the consistency in my training and diet that have me swole. The drive I have to be perfect for the provincials. I'm not leaving anything for chance. I had a great year last year as far as gains and supplementation went, and this year I think I am reaping the benefits as my supplementation is next to nil. 95% Diet, training and focus.

[bcaamuscle]

I have to say, I used to run a plethora of supplements, but supplementation is just that, the extra bits. Now that I scaled my diet involving higher amounts of whole food such as brown rice, red meat, chicken and eggs I am the biggest I've been on the least amount of supplements I've ever taken. 190lb @ 5'7 natty with just NO-Xplode and fish oil with zma before bed.

Good luck with growth!

[JacktheThriller]

The drive I have to be perfect for the provincials. I'm not leaving anything for chance..

pefection is unabtainable. Be relentlessly persistant in pursuing your goals instead.

[red rocket]

So my left shoulder felt a little "tweaked" on saturday, so I decided to switch to db's and move away from bb as far as chest and shoulder work go.

Great back workout tonight though. Felt stronger then I have in quite a while. Was good.

neutral grip pull ups 3 X 10
bb rows 15,12,12,10,8,12
wide grip pull downs 15,12,10,10
db rows 15,15,12,10
narrow pull downs 15,12,10,10
deads 15,12,10,8,6

[GYMBRAT]

keep atter my brutha :)

[red rocket]

What a leg night I f-en killed em.

Finally put 4 plates a side on the bar and got a full squat out of it. It was heavy I'd be flat out lieing if I said it wasnt. But not as heavy as the last time I attempted it.:D

Then onto the dreaded leg press. Its foreign to me, this one is. I have used many brands but this cybex sled has been killing my lower back. I was bound to give it one last go tonight. I changed up where I put my hands, instead of the handles I grabbed the bottom of the seat. No back pain, and I set a personal best too. 24 plates for 4.:sup

[red rocket]

So this week, well where to start.

Legs on monday, great workout.

Tues I stepped back onto the wrestling mat, hell of a cardio session. I'm gonna keep at it for tuesdays. It is a great physical workout, plus it is something to do with my son, and give him something to focus on.

Wed was a killer chest night, and thurs friday were busts. But I will make up for it over the weekend.

[ironwill]

Good work RR, i like your determination, it fires my ass up back up when i read these type of logs...... Kind of opposite here but,,,Its not the journey, its all about the destination (last day up on stage).....Sometimes we miss a workout, or a meal, we are not perfect, but keep thinking about the final day......I hate missing workouts, or meals....But dammit, on that last day that one meal or workout wont make a difference....Unless you compound them over and over through the weeks....That isnt you from the impression i get...Stay strong and healthy....
I only say this because it seems when i go in and Make up from lost sessions, thats when something gets hurt....:mad:, or try and make up for lost meals, belly gets bigger....lol...:fart
Thanks for sharing...

[red rocket]

Good work RR, i like your determination, it fires my ass up back up when i read these type of logs...... Kind of opposite here but,,,Its not the journey, its all about the destination (last day up on stage).....Sometimes we miss a workout, or a meal, we are not perfect, but keep thinking about the final day......I hate missing workouts, or meals....But dammit, on that last day that one meal or workout wont make a difference....Unless you compound them over and over through the weeks....That isnt you from the impression i get...Stay strong and healthy....
I only say this because it seems when i go in and Make up from lost sessions, thats when something gets hurt....:mad:, or try and make up for lost meals, belly gets bigger....lol...:fart
Thanks for sharing...


Thanks IW, I'm glad to get to share this with bros like yourself. I here ya on the little injuries, I almost always get them when working with one of my boys, we push eachother too far sometimes, lol.

The fart emoticon is funny, my wife is 3 weeks into her diet now, its her first time, and her farts are smelling like mine. Ruined my buddies fantasy of her doing bent over rows, lmao.

[red rocket]

Working hard, trying to keep the momentum going. My leg and back strength is at an all time high. My weight is holding pretty constant right now @ 224. I have been trying to eat more, but there just isnt enough food in a day. My digestive track just wouldnt be able to handle it.

Been getting comments on leaning out nicely. So I may be doing something right ;). Not dieting per say, just alot choices. Trying to focus on really targetting the muscle rather then just how much I can lift.

[red rocket]

Things are still going great. I feel full all the time and seem to still be leaning out some. Holding at 221 right now. I got the fire lit under my ass this last week to make sure I'm dialed in in June.

Arms are the biggest they have ever measured in at 19, so are legs 28. Working upper back thickness also. Aw shit who am I kidding, I'm trying to make every thing better. 14 weeks to go, and I'm comparibly a bit leaner then 8 weeks last year. Gonna work on some striated glutes for this one ,lol.

[faller]

How the hell did i miss this??

Here's some green to make up for my negligence :)

[red rocket]

So moving right along. Just caught a friggen cold, which sucks ass. Hasnt affected my strength yet, but I feel like shit. Got the 125's up for military presses tonight. Made me smile.

Here's a couple picks from last week.

[faller]

Nice to put a face behind the name. Looking good rr!!

[JMP]

Hey Props to you RR , looking good man !

[ironwill]

looking real good RR.......I can definitley see improvements....Legs are more full and the upper chest, and upper shoulder area looks much improved....cant wait to see your progression...

[countrychic]

great job RR!

[red rocket]

So I may have torn my pec tonight. Slight tear and hopefully nothing major. Felt a cutting type pain up where my pec and shoulder meet. I know joint issues and this isnt that. I waited and then tried again nice and slowly. Still felt it so I re-racked.

Been icing it all night. On for 10 off for 50. repeat.

Its not gonna stop me from running this train down. At this point its still to push forward. Rest my pec for a week or 2, and hopefully it heals up.

[cog]

Hopefully just a strain.

[Talo]

What were you doing at the time (for weight , reps , set) ?

[red rocket]

Just reppin out 225. Still warming up. Felt it around 12-13 but pushed to 26.

[red rocket]

For the last week I did legs 3times and arms twice. Tonight I went for shoulders. Felt good 225 for 10 sets of 10. Probably could have gotten abit more but didnt want to push it.

Tomorrow back day, and I'ma killa bitch.

[red rocket]

26276262772627926280262812628226283So this morn sittin at 199.5. I feel abit behind but we'll see.

[Delt King]

Well RR it's time to put things into high gear bro...with 5 weeks to go there's no more wiggle room for errors. Looks like you'll be a middle weight.

[red rocket]

Things are really improving. I'm thinking I must have been holding some water from mexico. Maybe the oils they use to cook with, not sure.

Diet is in full swing, feltlike shit today had to force feed to of my meals. UGGGHHH. I was always planning for middleweight, and hopefully classic too. We'll see. Weight honestly isnt what I'm concerned with its being conditioned. I have shape and symmetry, and look pretty big as a middle weight on stage.

I cant wait its going to be a great show. I was originally taking this year off, however I just couldnt pass up the oppertunity to do this show.

[Praetorian]

You are not holding water.
P

[red rocket]

You are not holding water.
P

So I'm just outta shape then????

K

[Praetorian]

Sorry to rain on your parade but if you want to do well...and I think you do...then you need to know the truth...if your friends tell you otherwise they arent friends...lose them!!! Im not saying you wont be in shape...but its time to move if you are going to be.
P

[red rocket]

Thanks for the honest input P. I do appreciate it. And I am moving. HARD. I am seeing results daily, which is where I need to be. I'm nowhere near happy atm, but results are coming.

[red rocket]

Made some phenominal improvements in the last week. I am very happy with the way things are starting to take place.

My waist is already smaller then last year on stage. Got a good bit of work to put in still. And I'm looking forward to it.

[red rocket]

Not doing too badly, was great to see the stage again yesterday. Helped put things in perspective. Final stretch, feel good about this.

[bcaamuscle]

Any pics?? What's your weight?

[red rocket]

No more pics till show time. 191 am weight

[red rocket]

Well things are deffinately where I like to see them at this point. Just like to say this has been fun getting here. Goodluck to you Korillon, lets have some fun this weekend.

[Korilon]

Gonna be a good time man!! ya better come in shreaded cause I am feeling like dog shit witch means i must be shreaded hahahahaha