Well there comes a time in every great diet where the two-a-day becomes a part of everyday life. Luckily for me about five years ago I was able to get a gym quality Stairmaster from a gym that was closing. That means I don't have to go to the gym three times a day. I try to break up all my gym work: Morning cardio (50min now) on the Stepmill at the gym; second round at the gym midday for training and posing; and lastly the third session at home on the Stairmaster for 25min before I eat my last meal.
At this stage in the game I am looking at shredding that last 5-8lbs and this is the only way it’s going to get done. Hany has devised a pretty good game plan for this prep and everything we have set out to do has pretty much gone according to plan and we are right where we need to be for four and a half weeks out. Most of you probably think it’s a pain doing all this cardio and work, but to be honest I kind of welcome it at this point.
I have lost my attention span; I can't concentrate on anything for more than 20min. I put in a movie the other day and I watched it in like six different segments because every 20min I would get up to go do something. So seeing as I can't focus on anything, I just sit and think about the show. I think about things I have to do and eventually it stresses me out. Luckily, the cardio and training keeps me busy. Besides cardio and training, there is cooking, eating and all the other errands that go along with competition so my day is completely filled.
When the day is filled it goes faster, when it goes faster I don't have to worry about hunger or cravings and when the days go faster the show comes up faster! I have to say, the training is getting tougher at this point as far as strength goes. I realize that not every day is going to be a record breaking day at the gym since I am so depleted right now, so I have to come up with new ways to push the intensity. This was my leg workout yesterday to try and salvage a bad day.
Most weeks I am standard with the squat, hack and leg press but yesterday since I felt a little weaker I decided to throw a curve ball into my training and man did it F&% me up! Here it is: 1. Seated Leg Curl – 6 Sets / 20 – 8 Reps ** 2. Lying Leg Curl – 4 Sets / 20 -10 Reps ** 3. Leg Press – 5 Sets / 25 Reps 4. Hack Squat & Machine Squat Leg Press Superset – 4 Sets / 15-20 Reps on Hacks, then to failure on Machine Squat ** 5. Smith Squat & Walking Lunge Superset – 4 Sets / 12-8 Reps on Smith Squats and about 15 yard Lunges 6. Leg Extensions – 3 Sets / 30 Reps 7. Adductor Machine – 3 Sets / 15 Reps (** exercises are pyramid sets raising the weight and lowering the reps as we go) It doesn't look pretty and it’s not hardcore, but my legs were and are a mess. Some guys get in the gym and are stubborn about their bodies and how they go about their training; they think every day is a strongman event.
We all know from the beginner to the pro that you have days where the muscle just isn't cooperating and those are the days you need to use all that time in the gym to create something your body can use! These are the days where you think back to some of the craziest shit you have seen or learned and think, “ok, if today isn't going to be a record breaking day and I'm not feeling a 500lb squat then how can I beat my legs to death in other ways?'. Think outside the box and I guarantee as long as you hit it hard your muscle will respond!
