Nationals Night Show Nov 22 2008!!

After a long night Friday is was back at it again on Saturday. Today was a better day I was feeling better after being very dehydrated the prior night. Dave took a look at Mike and myself at 11pm and told us to go have another burger with fries, which was music to my ears. The night before I was feeling like shit and barley ate anything after pre judging. Mike and I didn't even hesitate we walked out and went to the Hard Rock Cafe to eat. After the meal, it was back to getting more spray tan and relaxing until the night show came. The show started at 5pm but men didn't get on until 7-8ish, so Mike and I found a corner and laid down until they called the men in the back room. When they finally called us it was a relief I could finally get on stage and see where I stand. I knew I was top 5 and had to pose to my routine, so I was pumped because I loved my routine music and couldn't wait to get on stage. Props to Colette Nelson for helping put my music together, it came out great and I got a lot of good feed back from friends and fans that saw the routine.
Then it was judgment time, they called all top five guys back up on stage for awards. I was at the same place a year ago and I was called for runner up behind Jose Raymond. They called 5th place Lorenzo Jones, who took 5th place last year as well, then the competitor everyone thought was neck and neck with me Ronald Torres they called as 4th place. He and I were both shocked, Ronald was big, and thick as shit, but lacked a lot of conditioning and detail, that's what the judges wanted to see. It was clear they were looking for conditioning, because 3rd place went to Jeff Cook, and then there was two, Kam Gallam and myself. I just stood in my front relaxed pose looked up and said, this is it. And when I didn't hear my number called for second place, I had to turn my back to the audience because I started getting very emotional. I couldn't believe that I just won my IFBB PRO card. It was a dream come true, my dream since I was a kid to become a pro bodybuilder. My goal was never to compete as a pro, but to make it to the pro ranks, and I did what many thought I would never do, I walked away with 1st place and my pro card. Then following my win, my boy Mike Liberatore walked away with his pro card. We were both relieved and excited, it was nice to win with a friend I was close too. We all had a great time during the overall and the pose down, all the guys that won their cards were great and the comradery we all shared was great, it was like being in the NFL draft together, we all shared that common bond that night, a bond that will last a life time, we were all the new 2008 national class winners and newest IFBB professional bodybuilders.
After the night show there was a pack of us that all went out to eat at the Hard Rock again. There were a ton of friends and family there supporting me, and I thank each and everyone of you guys (you know who you are) for being there and supporting me, it meant the world to me to have the people I am closest with in my life share that special moment that will never be forgotten. There were a few people that couldn't make it to the show for certain reasons, but I know I was on their mind the whole weekend, and that alone means a ton to me.
After we got back Mike and I went up to Dave's room to wrap up and go over a few things for the next couple of days, with that Dave also had the score sheets and what was more flattering to see that Mike and myself both took straight first place across the board, so that made the win that much more gratifying. I couldn't be more pleased and happy with the outcome of that night, and it will forever be one of my greatest memories of my life and I was happy to share it with the people that were there with me, and also the ones that were thinking of me.
JUST LIVE YOUR LIFE!
GUY

Nationals Pre Judging Novemeber 21 2008

So it's been awhile since I wrote, so this will be a long one. Well, in 2003 when I first stepped on stage in West Virginia, I would have never thought I would be calling myself an IFBB PRO. This goes to show that anything in life is possible if you put your heart and mind to it.
A recap of Nationals weekend, here it goes. Arrived Thursday with my mother around 1:30pm, my boy Darrell picked us from the airport along with PJ who flew in around the same time as us. Darrell not only picked me up from the airport, but he drove from Alabama to Atlanta and brought me a microwave to use along with a Foreman grill, that boy went above and beyond for me. Thanks Darrell, I can't thank you enough for all your help that weekend, made my weekend a lot less stressful. Then that afternoon started getting my protan sprayed on (my girls Nicki, Carla, Jay and Deanna really hooked up with my tan...thank you girls so much for everything.) After getting 3 coats on Thursday I weighed in at 7pm and weighed in right around 175-176. I started carbing up two meals prior to weighing in but had to cut my water and not eat for about 4 hours to make sure I made weight. Mike Liberatore and myself went to weigh-ins around 7ish, Mike and I were together all weekend, pretty much did everything together besides sleep. As soon as I weighed in it was off to my room to start my carb up until I went to bed. Dave took a look at me that night and didn't change a thing, I was on point, full, and hard as nails so I just passed went to bed and waited for pre judging the following night. Thursday night before I went to bed Kris and Jen came by to say a quick hello since they're flight got in a little late, so it was nice to see them. Along with people there, the Darren Montanari (owner of Gold's New Haven) and Kenny Wallach (my posing coach) were there as well and came down to look at me and couldn't believed how I was looking.
Friday morning, I woke up and woke up looking plain nasty, I was striated from head to toe, by far the best I had ever looked in my life. My good friend Erin showed up Friday morning along with my sister and father, so it was nice to have a good support group with me. Erin brought her little goodies which are amazing (homemade Pb cups and Oreo cookie balls), I had to watch PJ eat them all weekend until after the night show when I could dig in. So after my first meal I went to get tanned, I had three appointments that day to get tanned before pre judging. So most of my day consisted of tanning, eating, and relaxing. As it got closer to the time we had to be onstage Mike and I went to the competitors meeting got our numbers and awaited our time to get on stage. Finally after all the waiting they called for the men backstage so I got myself together, and Kenny and I went to the pump up room. Right before I went onstage I always find a quite area and say a quick prayer, then Carla Solotti one of the pro tan girls (she's the only one I let oil me-my good luck charm) made my tan amazing with the secret sauce she used. Then I pumped up for about 1-2 mintues and lined up.
We all came out did our quarter turns and 60 second routines to no music the it was time for comparisons. First callouts came and I was called out along with Kam Gallam, Ron Torres, and Jeff Cook. They didn't move anyone around they kept me next to Ronald for the first round then flip flopped everyone, so I was then on the end not the middle. They only compared us once and we were done. I wasn't sure what to think, I knew I wasn't the heaviest muscled guy on that line up, but I knew I was the best conditioned hands down, maybe best in the show. There was a lot of talk about Ronald and I battling for 1st place, but I kept to my protcall and went out to eat a burger and fries after Mike did his pre judging. He was called out 1st round as well and there was talk that it was between him and Mark Alvisi.
Friday night came and gone pretty fast, I was shot at the end of the night, very dehydrated, almost got very sick from being too dehydrated but Dave fixed that with the help from PJ, a vitamin water and some salt. So that was Friday night. I will blog about the night show tomorrow...

OFF TO ATLANTA!!!!

This is it end of the road, all the work is done. Now, the only thing left to do is relax, weigh-in, get tanned, and carb up, then get on stage. I have had a long 16 weeks of trials and tribulations in my life with work, family, and friends. Through it all, I have to say you have to stay focused on your goals and dreams, but never lose focus of what's really important in life. I try to live every day to the fullest, you never know when your last day here will be. If it weren't for my friends and family I don't know where I would be today, and I can't thank them enough, they all know who they are. I could sit here for hours and list them and explain why each one of them mean something to me, but they all know who they are, and I love each one of you guys.

As for the show, there is so much talk on the boards and magazines about every class and mine included. I can't and won't sit here and say I will win, because if I knew that, then the battle is already lost. I train and diet every day like I am in last place fighting for that first place spot. Everyone is going to be at they're all time best and anything can happen on Friday and Saturday night, it's up to the judges and what they think. Many people come up to me and tell me I'm going to win or "how does it feel to be the new pro" and yes it is a complement for people to look at me in that spot light, but at the end of the day I'm not better than any of the other competitors. We all work hard, make sacrifices, and go through hoops getting to this point of the contest. So GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF THE COMPETITORS, AT THE END OF THE DAY WE ARE ALL WINNERS!!!!


THIS ISN'T THE END. ITS THE END OF A CHAPTER AND A BEGINING OF ANOTHER...
GUY

11/16/08 Five Day Out Pics From

Just posted last night in the members section were 5 day out pictures taken at New Haven CT yesterday after my last posing session with my coach and close friend Kenny Wallach. These were taken around 9am, with not one meal eaten yet. I have to give a huge thanks to my close friend and coach Kenny Wallach, he has been such a tremendous help to me these past two years. Evan introduced him to me while I was training for the Metropolians in 2007 and he has been my posing coach for every show thus far. My posing went from decent to outstanding and I can't thank him enough for all his time and effort he puts into helping me out. Your like a big brother Kenny, thanks for everything, Love ya bro.
THIS IS WHERE IT ALL COMES TOGETHER...
GUY

1 Week Out!

What can I say, it's been a long 15 weeks so far and only 7 more days left. This is the best I have ever looked, and I can say I have done all I can to be the best I can be at this point. The next few days are going to fly, I have 3 more workouts to go, cardio stops next week, and soon enough I'll be on the plane to Atlanta. All I can say that's it's been a long, but fun road. In the end, it's YOU puts the work in, it's YOU who makes the decisions to diet and not cheat, it's YOU who decides to go to the gym and workout or do cardio twice a day when you want to. Any one can hand feed you a diet and workout, the ones who follow it and don't go off the path are the ones who will succeed in the sport and in life. Yes, I owe a lot of how I look to my nutritionist Dave Palumbo, without his eye, I would not be where I am at right now. But, in the end it was ME who put the time and effort into doing what I felt I was born to do, and that's compete. I love bodybuilding, even the days I hate waking up and doing cardio, or going to the gym, it's those days when I finally walk into my apartment and I finished everything for the day, it's those days that make it all worth it. There are many people to thank, they all know who they are, and I adore everyone of them, family, friends, and fans. I have a lot of support and love around me and I can't thank you all enough for all your care and support through the 16 weeks of my diet. One more weeks and these cheeks will be filled with pumpkin pie, you can guarantee that.
I am heading to NYC tomorrow so Dave can have one final look at me before he sees me again in Atlanta, I don't think I will go to pre judging because I am so drained. After that I have to pose with my posing coach Kenny Wallach one last time, and get my final leg workout in (God that's good to say.) Can't wait to get to ATL. Good luck to all competing in the Eastern and Good Luck to all competitors in the Nationals next weekend. I will be posting final pictures tomorrow, then after that, it's show time!!!!
IT'S NOT HOW IT BEGINS THAT MAKES A CHAMPION, IT'S HOW THE CHAMPION MAKES IT END...
****Oh and I have been asked about my quotes, they are 99 % of the time from the top of my head
GUY

2 Weeks Out!

Ten days out today from the 2008 National BB Championships, what can I say, the work is done. Only eight days left of working out and cardio, feels good right now. It's the best I've ever looked in my five years of competing, and the happiest I've been dieting. There's one reason I am much happier this year than others and only one person knows why. This pre contest I made sure to keep myself busy with guest appearances and other things to keep my mind off of dieting and cardio. This past weekend was jam packed, I had to guest pose at the NJ State BB show on Saturday night. It was a one of the biggest shows I've ever seen in Jersey to date. There were a ton of people and competitors there. Thanks to the promoters for having me there! Sunday there was the all star seminar at Apollon gym in Edison, where there were a ton of top amateur NPC competitors along with IFBB pros in all fitness, figure, and bodybuilding. Host Dave Palumbo was there and there was a good crowd that filled the gym. Kai Greene was there along with his girlfriend Dayana Cadeau they both told me that I looked amazing and Kai told me that I had some of the best conditioning that he has seen, coming from him meant a lot to me. I spoke with Kai for awhile and he is one hell of a guy, down to earth, nice, intelligent, one of my all time favorite bodybuilders.
Today, was another long ass day, drove to the Mecca of east coast bodybuilding, Bev's Powerhouse gym in Syosset to shot an In The Trenches, plus did a photo shoot with MD's very own Bill Comstock. Steve Wienberger was very impressed on my conditioning and total package and when you hear good things from one of the top judges and promoters it really means a lot. After a long day I stopped in Syosset at Adam Reich's Miami Tan's and got a quick tan and talked to him for awhile, he's looked big as hell at 5'6 215lbs. Thanks for the tanning Adam. Well, that's enough writing for one blog.
Never lose focus of who you are and what you want to be, never get lost in the mix, you are your own creator or yourself!-ME
Guy

2008 NJ Bodybuilding, Fitness, and Figure Championships!!

This Saturday, November 8th will be the NJ State Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Championships. The contest is being promoted by Robert Samborsky and Irina Veselova of Apollon Gym, and is being held at Kenilworth high school. There will be a lot of greats of the bodybuilding world there, Dave Palumbo will be hosting the show. Guest posers will be Kai Greene, Dennis Wolff, Drew Jemmot and myself. This is the biggest show of the year for NJ, so be sure to come and check it out and support your friends and meet some of bodybuilding greats. Pre Judging starts at 11am and the night show starts at 6pm. If you around the area come and check it out. See everyone there!!!
Guy

3 WEEKS OUT! 180LBS BABY

This weekend was 3 weeks out and it wasn't a regular weekend it was a very busy one at that. Friday I trained down at Apollon in Edison with my boy Kris Lecomte, we banged out shoulders and hamstrings, then finished my last cardio session. Afterwards I relaxed a bit and shot the shit with Rob (the owner) and Kris then headed home. Saturday was a long day, I had to be in Long Branch early because the promoter Mark Steinfield got me a room at the Ocean View which was right on the beach, and I made my appearence at the pre-judging, and also had to help my client Nick out for his first ever show. OH and by the way Nick won his class as a bantam weight and is nationally qualified...GREAT JOB NICK, YOU DESERVED IT, YOU BUSTED YOUR ASS BRO!!! I'M PROUD OF YOU!! After the pre-judging PJ, Kris and myself went over next door to the Gold's Gym which is one of three gyms that Mark Steinfield owns to catch a arm workout before the night show. The gym was very nice, clean, had a ton of equipment and very up to date, I highly recommend checking out the gym if you're ever in the area. I had a great workout then headed back to the room, through some tan on and got on stage for my guest posing routine. Guessing by the reaction from the crowd they loved the routine and I had a lot of positive feed back from pros Craig Richardson and Carlo Filiopone, who both said I look great and stage ready. After the show I cleaned up showered and headed home. It was a long exhausting day but in the end was fun and it was good to catch up with my friends, they always keep my mind off the dieting because of all the joking around and laughing we do.
Sunday, I sent my updates to Dave and I have to say this is the first time he actually backed off on my cardio be backed my down to 90 minutes and said by next week he might add all my fats back in since I am 180 lbs and shredded. He said I am looking great and the best he's seen me. I guarantee this is my best package yet, I can't wait to show all the improvements I have made on stage in less than 3 weeks it's going to be exciting.
I will be posting my guest posing routine in my members section tonight so be sure to check it out!
NO MATTER HOW BAD YOUR DAY IS GOING, REMEMBER THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE IN THE WORLD HAVING A WORSE DAY THAN YOU...STAY POSITIVE!
GUY

Last Minute Guest Posing At The Gold's Classic..

I was asked on Wednesday of this week if I could guest pose at the Gold's Classic being held in Long Branch, NJ. I never can say no to guest posing for a few reasons. First off, I like helping out and giving back to the sport in any way that I can. Secondly, I live in NJ so anytime I can represent my state in a show I love doing it, there's not a lot of NJ guys out there so I like to represent. And lastly I enjoy being on stage, I'd rather be on stage like I am now only 3 weeks left before Nationals but I do guest pose at 225 and 180, just depends on the time of year we're in. So if you're around on Saturday be sure to stop by and check it out. Pre judging starts at 11am and the night show starts at 6pm. I will be there for both pre judging and the night show. I will be there with my two close friends PJ and Kris for most of the day.
I also have a client Nick Lepore in the show, it's his first show, he will be competing in the Bantam weight class, he's looking ripped and hope he can place high in his first ever bodybuilding show at the age of 20. GOOD LUCK NICK, you worked your ass off kid!!!
As for me I will have up dated photos and video of my guest posing up on my website by Sunday in my members section, so be sure to check it out.
BODYBUILDING ISN'T ABOUT WHO WORKS HARDER, IT'S ABOUT WHO DOES THE RIGHT THINGS!!!
GUY

4 Weeks Left!

Today is exactly 4 weeks out from the night show of Nationals. I would say in my opinion and many others including Evan, PJ, and my posing coach Kenny Wallach that I am ahead of schedule. I weighed this morning 184, and I should drop down to about 183.5 or 183 by tomorrow. I am still doing 1 day fat and proteins and 1 day just protein, so my weight is consistently dropping every week. Well, the diet along with cardio and training I can honestly say I look the best I have ever looked this far out from a show. Last year I started dieting for Nationals at 207 lbs, although I only had 2 months off between winning the Mets and the Jr USA's, I weighed 170.4 lbs the morning of prejudging. Right now at 4 weeks out I am 184 lbs and can defiantly step on stage and do some damage. Mine and Dave's plan is to get me to 182-180 lbs and maintain me there from 2 weeks out up until a few days before the show so I can stay as full as possible.
As for my training, still going balls to the wall and making every workout as intense as I can. Keeping my sets to around 12 I think was a good idea so I do not over train and give my body a little more time to rest and recover from all the torture I've put on my body for the past 12 weeks. I have been doing everything I can above and beyond to make sure I am at my all time best this year on stage. So hopefully it all pays off in 28 days. I will be posting 4 week out pictures tomorrow so be sure to check them out, I have been getting a lot of feed back from everyone, so thanks to all who have been keeping an update on my prep.
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU GET OUT, IT'S WHAT YOU PUT IN!
Guy

5 Week Out Updates....Pics In Members Gallary!!

OK so 5 weeks out today or 35 days if your a bodybuilder, that's how we roll. Or if you want to get to the nitty gritty of things, you can say 28 days out because the last week is a breeze with just working out on Monday and Tuesday then carbing up on Thursday, so NO I don't count the last week. I guess in my head just is a little easier to cope with.
I went to go see Dave today in Long Island, I was happy to hear all the complements he gave me, he was very impressed on my overall package. Dave said that I look overall completely different than last year and made a lot of improvements more so in my back and my quads. That made me feel great because after standing next to Jose last year the one thing I wanted was freakier legs and I think I accomplished that part of my goal in the off season. My current weight as of today was 186.4 and I still have 5 weeks to go, the game plan is to get me down to 180 lbs 2 weeks out so I can maintain that and keep my size before cutting water and carbing up. I think that is very reasonable at this point that's about 2 lbs per week for the next 3 which I have been doing consistently.
My workouts I cut down on a little, the reason for this is because this is the leanest I have been this far out and I don't want to risk injury. I am still lifting as heavy as my body allows but instead of doing 15-17 sets I cut down to about 12 sets per body part. Part of that decision was due to talking with Dave, PJ, and Evan, who all agreed that I am ahead of schedule and cutting down at this point will do nothing but help since I am conditioned already. Workouts are going well, so I really can't complain a few aches and pains but who wouldn't doing a butt load of cardio, but complaining isn't an option, we do this body building not because we have to but because we want to. Sure, there are days when I ask myself why the hell I do this, but I don't even answer that question I just look in the mirror and the reason is staring right back at me. There are a lot worse things in life than dieting, and cardio, and I don't' think I need to get into the details, if you can't figure them out then there's a problem.
Train hard and Live harder!!
Guy
****Members section as promised is updated and be sure to check out the new pics and post comments on my blog to let me know what you think!

Sorry For The Delay...

Guys I apologize for the delay with my members section and my updates, I just realized the reason it wasn't working because the soft wear that I have I can no longer use for free the FTP on my computer doesn't offer it anymore so I have to re download it tonight and pay for it, I didn't realize it until this morning. So there will be pictures and updates posted 100% by tonight along with my blog and how my training has been going, so keep checking later on in the day.
Guy

6 Weeks Out!

This past week flew by, with a ton of different things going on, I can't figure out where to start. Had another great week of training, and being on protein and fats or a day then just protein for another I was still manage to push some good weight in the gym this week. So lets recap the highlights of this weekend.
Friday, went to New Haven CT to train and pose with my coach Kenny Wallach, who kicked my ass for over an hour with conditioning and my posing routine. I finally got to see my boy Evan whom I haven't seen in a few weeks since we are on different schedules and I have been going there usually at 7am on Saturdays. Evan weighed in on Friday morning at 300lbs so he is walking big right now and not even close to fat, just big, thick, and full of muscle from head to toe. He's defiantly a top contender next year for the NY Pro show. Kenny, Evan, and owner of NH Gold's Darren all told me I was looking the best they had ever seen me and Evan thinks I am where I should be 3 weeks out. So all they're encouragement means a lot to me. So after a long day at NH I drove home only to get stuck in 4 hours for traffic on the GWB, but just had to stay calm and not get too stressed out.
Saturday, I guest posed in Perth Amboy for the Victor Martinez BB show. It was a blast I had a great time, and got a lot of great feed back from the fans and friends. I had a boot set up to raise money for my friend JJ who got killed in a car accident on Sept 5th of this year. My friend and I raised well over 100 dollars and Victor told me he is donating some of the proceeds from the show to his family in their time of need. Thanks to all that came out to support the show.
Today I weighed in at 188, so I'm down another 2 lbs from last week, which is only 12 more pounds to make my weight, and I have 6 weeks to do it so I know I'm right on target. I sent Dave pictures today and he didn't change a thing, and told me I'm looking GREAT! So a good end to an good weekend.
I will be posting pictures and my posing video on my website tomorrow, so be sure to check it out.
DO THE RIGHT THING!
Guy

7 Weeks Left Baby!!!

7 weeks left, or 49 days, been dieting now for 9 weeks and I can honestly say along with, Kenny my posing coach, my good friends, Dom, Kris, Pj, and Carlo, along with Dave, that this is by far the best I have ever looked. I am hard as nails in the back, hams are coming in very nicely, glutes are tight not quit striated yet, and from the front, legs are still thick and holding water in the abs and quads. Overall I am very pleased with how I am looking still at 190 lbs, my diet just changed, I am now doing one day of fats and one day without. Dave said he wants me ready 2 weeks before my show so he has some time to fine tune things at the end, so I am excited to see the different things he does to help out my physique. I had a good workout week last week doing different things and keeping my body guessing. Although I can't grow I want to improve on what I can for the next 7 weeks. I have been changing a lot in the gym. Still going heavy, and still strong, but I have been doing things from drop sets, giant sets, straight sets, sometimes I'll do all machines, or all free weights.
Today, is the day of the quad crew, and it was pretty intense again, if you don't believe me just ask Jay, who called me telling me his knees have never hurt this bad before. You'll be fine bro, it's from going heavy, get used to it. This is what I did for the wheels today...

Warmed up with 2 sets of extensions
Leg extensions-120x15, 140x15, 160x15, 200x15
Smith machine squats-315x10, 365x10, 405x10 (this are a good change from barbell squats you can't cheat and you can focus on staying on your heels and driving straight up)
Hack squats-225x12, 315x10, 405x8
Single leg-leg press-135x12, 185x10, 185x10-then did both legs until failure

So judging by how my body has been responding I am hoping to be in the high 180's by the end of this week, which is good I am doing my first guest posing of my prep at the Victor Martinez Greater Perth Amboy BB show on Saturday October 11th. The night show starts at 6pm, be sure to come and check it out.

When I was at Steve Stone's funeral, the pastor said something that made much sence.
YOUR BODY IS A GIFT FROM GOD, AND BODY BUILDERS SHOW OFF THE GREATEST GIFT THAT WAS GIVEN TO US..OUR BODIES
GUY

Quad And Chest Recap.

Just a quick recap of my past two workouts from the past two days. I have some updates coming to my members section this week, including progress pictures and training pictures from this week and last. As for Monday, I blasted quads again, and this time was even worse for the "Quad Crew", my boys Kenny and Jay both tapped out early. I believe the text I got from Jay today said, "I couldn't get out of bed and my whole body is killing me." This is what the workout consisted of:

Warm up with 3 sets of squats 135, 225, 315
Squats: 405x10, 440x8, 455x7
Leg press: 8 plates x 12, 12 plates x 12, 16 plates x 10, Triple drop set last set 16 plates, 12 plates, 8 plates
DB lunges: 3 sets 40 across the gym
(Super set)
Leg extensions: 3 sets x failure, last set was a drop set

For chest today, I pretty much went old school, power lifter heavy. I went as far as doing some sets of only 5 reps which is odd for me dieting and being 8 weeks out from a show, but I wanted a change of pace and this defiantly was a good one.

Incline barbell press: 225x12, 275x10, 315x6
Incline hammer strength: 225x12, 315x10, 405x8
Incline db flys: 40x12, 45x12, 50x12
Barbell bench: 225x12, 275x10, 315x5
Cable cross overs: 60x15, 70x15, 70x15

I was pretty burnt at the end of chest as well, my chest stays pretty strong whether dieting or not, my weaknesses are usually shoulders and arms. As for my legs, back, and chest, I can usually keep my weights heavy until about 2 weeks out. My weight currently is 190, and coming down. I dropped 3 pounds from last week so I am excited to see what this week will bring. Only 8 weeks to go so that's less that 2 pounds a week. Dave sent me an email after reviewing my pictures and told me that he is very impressed with my progress and I am looking right on track. That's always a boost of moral when your this far into dieting.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY AND EVERY DAY, FOR YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL BE YOUR LAST CHANCE OR LAST DAY.
GUY

RIP STEVE STONE....

I HEARD LAST NIGHT THAT STEVE STONE A PROMOTER AND AN ANNOUNCER AT MANY NPC AND IFBB SHOWS. HE DIED WHILE WORKING IN LOS ANGLES AT THE 2008 MR. OLYPIA, DOING WHAT HE LOVED DOING, HELPING OUT THE SPORT WE ALL ENDURE. HE WAS ALWAYS TAKING PART IN THE ORGANIZATIONS OF THESE SHOWS. ANY ONE BODYBUILDER, FIGURE OR FITNESS PERSONAL HAD MET OR SPOKE WITH STEVE. I SPOKE TO STEVE MANY TIMES AT BACK ROOM IN THE SHOWS AND MOSTLY AT SHOWS WHEN I GUEST POSED. STEVE WAS HANDS DOWN ONE OF THE NICEST AND SINCERE INDIVIDUALS I HAVE EVER MET, HE ALWAYS HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE AND HAD A TRUE LOVE FOR THE SPORT OF BODYBUILDING. WORDS CAN NOT DESCRIBE THE IMPACT THAT STEVE HAD ON OUR SPORT. HE WILL BE MISSED BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN. MY HEART GOES OUT TO STEVE'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN THIS TIME OF MORNING. REST IN PEACE STEVE

8 Weeks Down, 8 Weeks to Go.

Down from 222 to 191, and looking better and better every week. I have to say not only is having 8 weeks of dieting behind me, but I think these next 8 weeks are going to fly by. I have a lot of things lined up to keep me busy, besides the training and cardio. I have to pose with Kenny every weekend, I have two guest posing appearances in Oct 11 for the Victor Martinez Perth Amboy Classic, and the NJ States on Nov 11th. So I have quite a schedule ahead of me. I went down to New Havens Golds on Friday afternoon to meet with my boy Kenny Wallach. I have to say I posed with Kenny for an hour and a half, and it was hands down the hardest I ever posed and Kenny and myself were pumped to see my progress in my body conditioning and my improvements on my posing. Kenny tells me that I am one of the best posers he's ever worked with but we constantly are changing things to improve my stature on stage, and we are trying a bunch of new poses this year and I am pumped to get on that stage. So after Kenny beat the shit out of me I then had to hammer out shoulder and hamstrings and this is what I did...
***you're going to notice that I did all sets to failure that's because I was beat from posing so I wanted to max sure I was going balls to the wall with every set.
SHOULDERS
Standing lateral raise machine- 4 sets to failure
Standing front raises (using the lateral raise machine)- 4 sets to failure
Reverse pec dec-4 sets to failure
Dumbbell presses-4 sets 100 to failure
Shrugs machine-2 sets in the front, 2 sets from behind

HAMSTRINGS
Lying hamstring curls-3 sets to failure
Lying hamstring hyper extensions-3 sets to failure
DB stiff legs-80x12, 90x10, 100x10

Never leave a stone unturned, that only leads to regrets.
GUY

Big Back At Lions Den...

Thursday night, my close friend PJ Bruan drove down to take a tour of the Jersey gyms. Last week we hit up Apollon Gym, and this week we went to Stokley Palmers LIONS DEN in fair field. The Lions Den is one of the hard core gyms on the east coast, and why wouldn't it be owned by top national ranked super heavy weight Stokley, the gym is nothing short of it's name. Stacked with new and up to date equipment, the gym blasts music and has a bodybuilding aura, not at so-called fitness center that the fitness industry is trying to implement in this current day and age. After talking with Stokley, PJ and I got after Big Back, and this is what I did.

Old school t-bar rows-warm up 2 plates, 3 plates x 12, 4 plates x 12, 5 plates x 12, 10 plates x 10
Underhand barbell rows-225x12, 275x10, 275x10
Lat pull downs-3 sets x failure
Rack Pulls-315x12, 365x10, 405x8
Reverse close grip pull downs-3 sets x failure

It was a good workout, I worked out a little with PJ and did some other exercises on my own because PJ is just off his contest win and isn't back 100 % balls to the wall yet...PJ told me he thinks I am looking great for being 8 weeks out, and that if I come in anything less that 176lbs that I f***ed something up...lol...But it was a great workout, and PJ and I talked and will be working out probably once a week since his shows over, so stay tuned for our workouts.
NOTHING HITS HARDER THAN LIFE
GUY

The Official Leg Day Crew Is Growing..

OK, so from those reading my blogs, or seeing pictures on MD, or in the Trenches, my legs are my best body part. Everyone has that one body part that stands out more than the other one, my boy PJ has huge arms and forearms, Dom has a wide thick back, Evan has crazy arms and shoulders, Kris for his round full shoulders and arms, and myself for my legs. As a kid, I always had thick quads, short and stocky like a Pit Bull (inside joke). My legs only got bigger as I put in 15 years of football all through college, along with hours in the gym. Now they have become my best body part, I think I need a lot more work on them, but they do stand out.
When I moved back home to NJ in March of 2007, I was training by myself, which is what I prefer most of the time. I do not need someone yelling at me, pushing me, if I can't push myself to my own limits then I shouldn't be a bodybuilder. But while dieting for the Nationals last year I started training a few times with national level competitor and close friend Dominck Dichio. No matter what Mondays aka quad day, he never missed. He always said, "I can get through any workout without you besides quads." So every Monday in the gym it's always a scene Dom and I going heavy and hard in the leg area of the gym for a solid hour. As I started talking to more people in the gym and training more people in the gym, I got asked if I could be shadowed during my leg day. I never turned down anyone wanting to train with me, but I always had two conditions, I'm training how I want, and you go at my pace or you don't go at all. So as the weeks when on quad day consists of Dom, my buddies Jay and Kenny, who all are bodybuilders and all whom I train for shows. Jay did his first show last year, placing out of the top 5, he was miss guided from the start of his prep so I have been helping him with his off season prep, hoping to put him in the higher ups in the years to come. As for Kenny, I worked with Kenny for only the last 6 weeks before his show, he was big, but holding a decent amount of fat and doing almost no cardio, after 6 weeks of torture he went from being in the 220's to the high 180's and took 2nd at both of this shows. Jay and Kenny both needed to bring up their legs, so they figured what better way to do it then training with Dom and myself. They love the progress they make but hate it in the process. So I told them I would post about the Monday Quad Crew. So this is what I did with guys yesterday for Quads...
Pre exhausted with extensions-warm up, 120x15, 140x12, 160x12, 180x10, 200x10
Squats-405x8, 405x8, 405x8
Smith machine front squats-225x12, 275x10, 315x8
DB lunges-3 sets across the entire gym, until failure

At the end, I have to be honest, Kenny tapped out because his quad "popped" and Jay made it though border line puking, but it was a good hard workout..See you guys again on Monday.
SQUAT TIL YOU PUKE
GUY

Back With The Coachs...

Saturday was a day well spent. It better have been since it started at 5:30 in the morning. I woke up packed my cooler, and drove to New Haven Gold's to meet my posing coach for an hour of posing at 7 o'clock. Kenny Wallach is a very close friend, besides my posing coach, and national level competitor, he's like a big brother to me. His eye is so in tune with posing, it's amazing how the little he changes can make my physique look that much better. After an hour of posing with him, we changed a few things, he said this is the best I have ever looked at 9 weeks out weighing 193 lbs. After, eating breakfast at the gym, I waited around and banged out arms and calves. Three hours at the gym was enough for the day, I then had to head to Dr. Mike's Physical Synergy to get some ART work done on my arms, shoulders, and back. Dr. Mike and I have a love/hate relationship. I love him when he's not working on my and cursing him out once he starts, it's like a torture chamber but after I leave I feel 100% better and my workouts following that week are great. After all that it was only 1 o'clock and I had to head home to finish up my cardio and finally relax.
As for dieting is going good, getting up there in the cardio, but I still have my fats and cheat meals in. I went to go see Dave with my good friend Kris on Sunday. Dave said I am right on point and thinks I look very good. He keeps increasing my cardio and keeping my fats and cheat meal in because he said that he wants to keep as much size on me as he can before he starts taking food out. No matter what I know I will get tortured. My body is ready for the stage at 185, I have to get killed to drop those last 10lbs, but in the end it's when I look my best, and that's what I will be this year...at my best. I put on around 7lbs of muscle and re distributed my weight on places that needed it. Put more sweep to my quads along with more inner quad development. I also added a lot of width and thickness to my back and shoulders. I still have a lot of things to work on next off season but the improvement part is over. It's all about the show for the next 9 weeks. I keep posting my progress throughout to let everyone know how everything going.
EVERY DAY IS A CHALLENGE, LIVE UP TO IT
GUY

Training At Apollon With My First Training Partner...

Friday, was shoulders and hamstrings as usual. One of my best friends PJ Braun (who took top 10 at the North Americans, and overall at the AC), came down because he wanted to train at Rob's hardcore gym. He got to my house around 3pm, and we ate then headed out to the gym around 4:30pm. We hit some traffic, but got there and started training around 6pm. PJ loved the gym as I told him he would. We trained some shoulders together but he wasn't going balls to the wall because he just came off his show, so you have to take it easy when that's the case. But it was good to be at the gym with PJ, he was one of my first training partners back in 2003 when I met him. Since I moved back to NJ it's hard to train with him, but yesterday was just like old times, during the sets balls to the walls, in between, the usual PJ and Guy joking around. I got some of my best workouts and gains with PJ, we always push each other to the limit and this time was no exception. Got keep getting those trainng days in bro, miss ya. So this is what I did.
Shoulders:
Seated db lateral raises-20x15, 25x15, 30x12, 40x10
Hammer strength press-2 warm ups, 225x15, 275x15, 315x10, 315x10
Cable side raises-30x15, 40x12, 50x10
High cable rear delt extensions-30x15, 35x12, 40x10
Upright cable rows-3 sets until failure
Barbell shrugs-225x12, 225x12, 315x12, 315x12

Hamstrings:
Stiff leg barbell dead lifts-225x12, 275x10, 275x10, 275x10
Lying ham curls-4 sets until failure
**After 8 sets I was shot, my hams were on fire, I went pretty slow on the stiff legs and I think that burnt out my hams a lot faster than usual.
BODYBUILDING ISN'T A ONE MAN SPORT, BECAUSE IT'S YOU AGAINST YOURSELF!
GUY

Got To Have The Eye!

Don't know how/why, but only nine and a half weeks left and I'm still strong as shit. Weighing this past Sunday 194.5 still throwing around the weight. People always ask how I still use the same weight I do when I am dieting or why I still go heavy, and this is why. First off, my shoulder is fully recovered and I have to give a lot of credit to Dave's Artholyze, since I have been taking that my recovery on my shoulder has been amazing. Secondly, if I am training for a show, why would I go lighter if I am trying to keep on as much size as possible right? OK, now that that's covered, also I think it's a mental thing too. When I go into the gym, I forget I'm dieting, I forget I'm hungry, I'm there for one reason only, to train. NOTHING else matters at that point, my problems, my hunger, and my emotions, are gone for those hours I train. As cliche as this sounds you have to have the EYE OF THE TIGER mentality. So this is how I hammered out chest yesterday...

Flat Barbell Press-225x12, 275x10, 315x9
Incline Barbell Press-225x10, 275x8, 275x8
Flat db flys-40x12, 45x12, 50x12
Incline db flys-40x12, 45x12, 50x12
Cable Crossovers-60x15, 70x15, 70x15

Although, my weight dropped a little, for being 194 with no carbs, and not being even a year since my shoulder surgery, I am happy where I am. I will be posting progress pics this weekend.
NOTHING HITS HARDER THAN LIFE
Guy

MY OH MY LEG DAY!

Yup I did it again managed to murder my quads completely different than the normal workouts. Let this be known that I have yet to do the same leg workout in the past 7 weeks of dieting. But today was sick. This is what I did

Squats-405x10, 405x10, 405x8, 405x6
super set
Leg Press-8 plates x 10, 10 plates x 10, 12 plates x 8, 12 plates x 8

Leg Extensions-120x15, 160x12, 180x10, 200 x failure (drop set to 110)
super set
Sissy Squats-4 sets to failure

Total of 16 sets and this workout was done at a pretty fast pace, I was done within an hour, my quads are shot, but I had a great workout and a sick pump. The reason I have my carb/cheat meal on Sunday is so I have some stored glycogen for my leg workouts on Monday since it's a very hard and intense workout. Although, all my workouts I go balls to the walls, legs are just on a different level!
Light weight, is for light people
Guy

ATLANTIC CITY PRO/AMATEUR SHOW!

I had the liberty of going to the AC show this weekend. I drove with my two close friends Kris Lecomte and Jenn Symthe. It was good for two reasons. One, because I have never been to AC and YES I am from Jersey. Secondly, I got to see my boy PJ murder the competition along with watching some of the top pro and fitness girls compete. I will start with the Pros.

I have to say it was a battle for the top 5 spots. Melvin Anthony, was hands down the best of the show and best I have ever seen him, he is usually soft from behind but had shredded glutes and hams. Big JJ took a respective 2nd after winning last year, he lacked a little condition which is why I think Melvin beat him. Darrem deserved 3rd, and also deserved the win in the masters edging out the X man Toney Freeman, Toney was not as crisp as he usually is. Toney took 2nd in the masters and 4th overall. And 5th was Joel Stubbs, HOLY SHIT this guys back and upper body is sick, I mean his back I think blows Ronnie's out of the water, if he brings his legs up he will be a big threat at ANY show he does. A big shout out to my boy Craig Richardson, who was trying a few new things with Dave, he came in big, but not as hard as he usually does, but I can't wait to see what he does for the Olympia in two weeks.

As for the fitness, the only girl that I watched was my friend Bethany Wagner, who looked amazing and her routine was awesome. Everyone including the guys on MD doing the play by play had her 2nd or 3rd but she took 5th. If she placed top 3 she would have qualified for the Olympia. I just met Bethany a few weeks ago while training at Apollon Gym with Kris and his girl friend Jenn. She is a sweet heart and a very funny, down to Earth girl. GREAT JOB Bethany, you looked great and did awesome, keep your head up, and kick ass next year!!!

PJ, was a highlight of the amateur show, he smoked the competition and looked great. PJ earned a compliment from Steve Bleckman, saying that he has a pro upper body but needs to bring up his legs and ham glute tie-ins. He looked sick and as always when I'm with PJ there's always fun and a ton of stories. Everyone already knows the story of the pound cake, that was great. CONGRATS BRO, WELL EARNED AND DESERVED, NOW GET FOCUSED FOR A BIG HARD OFF SEASON AND GET IT DONE IN 09.

As for myself, Dave got a chance to look at me and said I am right on schedule although he's killing me with cardio he said I'm right on point but does not want to take my food out because he wants me to be as full as possible so uping the cardio is what he is doing instead.
I have pics from the show in my members section be sure to check them out.
There's only one thing that can change your focus in life, YOU!
Guy

Gotta Push Ahead!

After a long, hard, and emotional weekend, it was back to business. I had to try to put the hard times behind me but keep my boy JJ's memories with me. Yesterday was the funeral and what a worse day for legs to fall on after a very emotional ceremony at the cemetery. But I had to try and get my mind right, although I had lost a close friend, I still gotta push ahead and get through the tough times. For my two guest appearances before Nationals I am going to talk to the promoters to see about having a small table for donations for JJ's family. He left behind, 4 children and a fiance, so I am going to try and do my part to help JJ's family out as much as I can.

So, this had to be the hardest Monday yet to come, I had emotions running wild, but I knew I had to get in a good workout. So I decided to get a good, hard, fast workout in by doing giant sets. So I game planned my workout on the way to the gym with my boy Dom and this is what I decided to do.

Warm up with 2 sets of extensions.
Leg extensions-120x15, 160x15, 180x15, 200x12

GIANT SET-Smith Machine squats (feet far in front)/Leg Press/DB lunges
weights were heavy the smith was around 225 up to 315, leg press we got up to 12 plates, and db lunges were 40 lbs.

Squats-225x12, 315x10, 315x10

After squats I was pretty much shot, my legs were on fire from every angle, even my ham glute tie-in were tight from the smith squats. I did this workout in under an hour and was in and out of the gym. I would highly suggest doing this once a month for a good change of pace. It defiantly shocks the muscles and keeps your muscles growing.
EVERY DAY IS A NEW DAY!
GUY

MY CAPTIAN JJ DERAFFELE....R.I.P.

On Friday morning I woke up and turned on my phone to hear a voice mail from my good friend Mike telling me I needed to call him that he had some bad news. As soon as I heard that message I knew one of my football buddies from high school had died. The reason I knew this is because we are all friends with the same group and just about every one of my friends either played baseball or football, and since Mike made the call I knew it was a football player. I immediately called Mike back, and he had told me that our captain and close friend, owner of his own auto body shop was killed Friday morning in a car accident where he was the passenger. I'm not going to get into the details, but he was drinking and the girl that was driving was drunk and underage, and she only walked away with a sprained ankle. I didn't know what to do, this was the second person from my graduating class that was a passenger, friend, and whom was killed from a car accident.
JJ was an offensive and defensive lineman on the football team at West Milford High School and also a Pitcher for the baseball team. I originally met JJ when I played on his team in 5th grade for little league baseball, we were close friends from there on out. When you grow up with someone and share so many memories with them it's hard to let that person go. Out of our entire senior class in High School there were only two kids that went on to play college football, JJ and myself. Right after we graduated we both went on to college and met up only a few weeks later where JJ and I had our first college scrimmage together. JJ attended Pace University and it was like old times that day on my college football field, except I had big ass JJ trying to tackle me instead of me running behind him like I did in high school. He was the nicest kid I have ever known, I never saw him without a smile, never saw him in a fight, and never got into any trouble. He was brought up with a great mother and father, and great supporting siblings along side him. He was the baby of 1 brother and 2 sisters. I will never forget his laugh, well that's because that's all I remember him doing. I can sit here for hours on end going into stories with me and JJ. There was always that group of us football guys that were always together...JJ, myself, Chuck, Fantry, Argott, Sly, Pork, and probably more I was leaving out. We would always make trips the night before games to Kings Chef Buffet and pig out before we went to war the next day. Things like that will live with me forever.
JJ leaves behind his girl friend with two babies, and another two babies which he adopted, JJ will be missed as a friend, brother, and son. He is no longer with us but his memories will always remain. I heard the pastor speak of a quote that she heard at his mass. The quote said, " Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the breaths we take away." And JJ did just that. You will never be forgotten JJ....I love and miss you...Rest In Peace Bro.
LIVE EVERYDAY AS IF IF WAS YOUR LAST ONE
JAY J. DERAFFELE
DECEMBER 30, 1981
SEPTEMBER 5, 2008

GUY

Apollon Gym Leg Day!

WOW! Is all I can say. Last night was my third cheat meal, so I had some glycogen in my body today for legs but my leg workout was off the chains today. I trained at Apollon gym and the owner Rob I told needs to build one of these hard core gyms around here. This placed is stacked with the equipment, some pieces I've never used before that gives you a totally different feel of the muscles, and is one of the best gyms to workout at in the South Jersey area. Thanks again Rob for all your hospitality. Rob trains over 50 competitors in bodybuilding, fitness, and figure, but also trains a lot of fighters as well. Rob knows his stuff that's all I can say. Rob also is hosting a show on Oct 8th which he asked me to guest pose at and I willing accepted. (I will get the info on the show as soon as I get the poster.) As for my leg day, I trained with Kris and we got after it today in the gym. So this is what I did...

Warm up with a few sets of extensions
Squats-405x10, 455x8, last set was a triple drop set 455x6-315x6, 225x6
Hack squats-405x12, 495x12, 585x10
Leg press-4 plates x 12, 6 plates x 12, 8 plates x 10
Single leg extensions-4 sets until failure
Leg extensions-2 drop sets until failure (just wanted to murder them at the end)

My legs have been cramping ever since I left the gym, I might have over done it with the drop sets at the gym, but it's not every day I get to train at Apollon gym so when I'm there I make the most of it.
MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT GOD GAVE YOU.
GUY

My Weekend In Ohio...

Kris Lecomte (Mets overall champ, and 2nd place Jr USA 08) and myself renter a seven passenger Chrysler Uplander to drive to the North Americans. We left Friday morning around 7am. It was an 8 hour drive there. It was the most boring ride, there's one road 80W that you're on for 7 out of the 8 hours with no scenery. We got there around 2pm, and the night show started at 4pm. As soon as we got there the first thing we did was go to PJ's room to see how he was doing. We got to his room and he was surrounded by IFBB Pro Evan Centopani and our posing coach Kenny Wallach. When I got into his room PJ showed us what he looked like. All I can say was holy shit, the separation all around was ridiculous. After a bunch of running around we got to prejudging and was awaiting PJ's class. Finally after about 1 1/2 hours his class came out and he was called out with the second group. I had PJ as 6th, but the judges finalized their votes and had him at 9th. That class along with every class was stacked with competition. The problem PJ ran into was the carb up, he couldn't carb up for anything. After pre judging and the next day he was eating a lot of food and a lot of sodium and starting to fill out and looked like a new human on stage at the night show. You live and you learn, and that's what PJ did, Dave and PJ figured out what needs to be done, and I can assure you PJ will dominate at the Amateur Atlantic City Show. PJ congrats on all you've accomplished, hands down your best showing yet and I still think the best is yet to come, Love ya bro.
As for the weekend with Kris, it was all full of laughs, fun, and working out. We got to workout at a Balley's fitness, which was good. The workouts we had were sick even though we both were lacking sleep most of the weekend. By the time we all got home, and PJ got to eat at every fast food chain, we were all exhausted. And PJ is already into his prep for the show in 2 weeks in AC. Lets get 'em this time kid.
WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES ANOTHER DOOR OPENS!
GUY

WHATS ALL THE PRESS ABOUT

OK, this week wanted to kick it off old school and bring back some basic movements into my workout, and I did just that for legs and chest. Back in the day there was none of these machines around, or smooth cables to do curls with. There were barbells, dumbbells, squat racks, leg presses, and benches. So I planned my workout around that. My gym I workout at most of the time in Totowa doesn't have the best leg equipment, so I decided to go to REPS gym in Hawthorne owned by good friend Guy Delcorso. The reason I went there is it's the only gym around that has a vertical leg press and I wanted to hit my quads a little differently so this is what I decided to do for legs:

Warm up with a few leg extensions
Squats: 405x10, 455x8, 455x8, 315x12
Vertical leg press: 225x15, 315x15, 405x10
Standard leg press: 8 plates x 15, 12 plates x 12, 14 plates x 10
Leg extensions: couldn't tell the weight but I did 4 sets until failure, and last set was a drop set..

Although this doesn't seem like a ton of sets, I couldn't drive my car comfortably home, due to all the core exercises my legs were on fire...So if you want a change in pace I would def give this leg blaster a shot.

As for chest I kept my pressing mind set and this is how I blasted chest:
Warm up with two light sets of db presses...

DB presses-100x12, 110x12, 120x12
Incline db presses-100x12, 110x10, 120x10
Smith machine presses-225x12, 275x10, 315x8
Cable crossovers-60x12, 70x10, 70x10
Seated Pec Flys-3 sets 100 x failure

I got the same reaction from the 9 sets of pressing, my chest was shot...For some reason I usually do about 6-8 sets of a pressing movement for chest but those 9 sets plus the flys at the end were a good change of pace for me..If it was the off season I would have done 4 sets of each but working out during the week with 0 carbs, you have to keep that in the back of your mind, because I don't want to over train and under recover. So give these workouts a shot, and give me some feed back...Our life isn't measured by obstacles we face but by the obstacles we over come....
Guy

Positve Week!

Let me start by recapping my workouts from Thursday on.
Thursday-Back, abs
Lat pull downs-170x12, 200x12, 230x10
Over hand barbell rows-225x12, 275x10, 315x8
Bent over hammer strength rows-225x12, 315x10, 405x8-drop set 225 x failure
Rack pulls-315x12, 365x10, 405x10
Wide grip cable rows-160x12, 180x10, 200x10

Friday-Shoulders(I did all super sets), Hamstrings
Shoulders:
DB lateral raises-25x12, 30x10, 35x10 (Super Set) Centopani raises-60x12, 70x10, 80x10
DB rear delt raises-30x12, 35x10, 40x10 (Super Set) Reverse pec dec-3 sets 100x10
Smith machine press-225x12, 245x10, 275x10, 315x8
DB shrugs-100x12, 110x10, 120x10
Machine shrugs-3 sets 315x12-10

Hamstrings:
DB stiff legs-80x12, 100x10, 110x10, 120x10
Lying hamstring curls-60x15, 70x12, 80x10, 90x8-drop set x failure
Standing hamstring curls-2 sets x failure

Saturday- I had to wake up at 5am which is going to be a constant during my contest prep to meet with my close friend and posing coach Kenny Wallach at Gold's in New Haven Connecticut. Everyone seems to think that I am a CT native but I'm not I just have a lot of close friends there, PJ, Evan, and Kenny, and I also go see my massage therapist and good Friend Dr. Mike in CT. So my life is lived in NJ, but a lot of time spent in CT. So, after a good 45 minutes with my coach Kenny, we changed a few things around with my posing and for session #1 he stated that we are so ahead of the game 13 weeks out. I started with Kenny before I did the Mets last year, and it took me from a decent poser to a great poser. Not saying I am a great poser to toote my own horn, it's more of a complement to Kenny, because no matter what show I have been in the number of people who tell me how good my posing is on stage says enough. So this year Kenny and I are more so tweaking things because all my mandatory poses are on point. So I finally got to workout at NH which is hands down my all time favorite gym to workout at, you only will understand if you go there. They have so many different pieces of equipment that no other place has so I can hit every muscle in a different way. So this is how I blasted my arms and calves.

Bis:
Standing straight bar preacher curls-70x12, 80x10, 90x5-drop set 45 x failure
Alternate db curls-40x10, 50x8, 60x6-drop set 30 x failure
Seated cable curls-60x12, 70x10, 70x10 (super set) Hammer curls-40x10, 50x8, 60x8

Tris:
Skull crushers-95x12, 105x10, 135x8-drop set 95 x failure
Straight bar push downs-80x12, 100x10, 110x10 (super set) Machine Dips-220x failure
Over head rope extensions-60x12, 70x10, 80x10 (super set) Over head db extensions x failure

Calves:
Donkey calf raises-4 sets
Standing calf raises-4 sets
Seated calf raises-2 sets

After the gym, I went to go see my good friend PJ who is one week out from North Americans, and all I can say is DAM! My boy is looking sick, he looks bigger than last year and in better conditioning already and he hasn't dropped his water or started carbing up, all I can say is watch out. He is going to be top of the ranks at the show, hands down. So after spending a few hours with PJ and his 3 crazy as cats I headed home and relaxed the rest of the day. IN BODY BUILDING THERE IS NO LIMITS!
GUY

Strong Like Bull

As quoted by my boy and training partner Dominick, " I don't know how the hell you stay that strong when you diet." Sometimes neither can I, I had my first cheat meal on Sunday which consisted of 5 sushi rolls, and some brownies, so I figured my leg workout would be off the chains. As 7pm rolled around as I entered the gym I felt tired and lethargic and I knew it was from the carbs because they had been scarce in my body for over 14 days. I felt like shit had a headache but had to get my thoughts together because every workout counts dieting or not. I wanted to squat heavy but knew that 500lb squats weren't in the routine that day, so this is what I did.
Warm up with 2 sets of extensions
Leg extensions-120x15, 160x15, 180x12, 200x10
Squats-405x8, 405x8, 405x8, 315x12
Hack squats-225x12, 315x10, 405x8, 405x6
Walking db lunges-4 sets with 40lb db's

Now, today, I felt good, I slept like a baby last night, shoulder was feeling great and I was ready to blast chest. On the way to the gym I told Dom that I hadn't done db flat bench in awhile, so as I always do I planned in my head what I wanted to do for chest and this is what I devised for chest today.
DB flat press-100x12, 110x12, 120x10, 130x10
DB flat flys-40x12, 45x10, 50x10
DB incline press-110x12, 120x10, 130x8, 100 x failure
DB incline flys-40x12, 45x10, 50x10
Cable cross overs-2 sets x failure

So, tomorrow is my off day and I will be up dating my site, I am putting on some recent pics and two videos of me squatting 500lbs. Be sure to check it out.
LIGHT WEIGHT IS FOR LIGHT PEOPLE!
GUY

Rest Of Week Workouts...

Thursday was another hard day at the gym, once it's Thursday it's close to the end of the week and that's when I start to get very tired and run down, but getting through these workouts and I mean physically and mentally (not just going through the motions) is what sets people apart from one another. So with my warrior mentality this is how I made a good week a great week.
Thursday, Back:
Lat pull downs-170x12, 200x12, 210x10, 230x10
Rack pulls-315x12, 365x12, 405x10
Barbell rows-225x12, 275x10, 315x10
One arm db rows-110x10, 120x10, 130x10
Seated cable rows-160x10, 180x10, 200x10

Friday, Shoulders and Hamstrings:
Shoulders:
DB shoulder press-100x12, 110x10, 120x8
Smith machine press-225x12, 275x10, 315x8
DB lateral raises-25x12, 30x10, 35x10
Machine lateral raises-3 sets x10, last set was a triple drop set
Reverse pec dec-90x12, 100x10, 100x10
Barbell shrugs-225x12, 275x12, 315x10, 315x10
Hams:
Barbell stiff legs-3 sets 225x12 super set with 3 sets of standing one leg curls
Lying hamstring curls-3 sets for failure-last set was a drop set

Saturday, I trained with my buddy and overall 2008 Metropolitan winner Kris Lecomte, who is looking massive holding a steady 256lbs. Let me remind you that he weighed in at the Mets at 193 and at the Jr USA where he took a close 2nd at 196. He defiantly put on a lot of mass from May until now. Kris was telling me how he was readying about fsFST-7 which is a training routine that Charles Glass uses to train Phil "The Gift" Heath. It's very simple you pick three exercises for smaller body parts and four to five exercises for the lager ones. Then what you do is perform your first two exercises with a rep range from 10-12 and only 3 sets, with a rest period of only 30-45 seconds. Then for your final exercises you do 7 sets until failure with only 30 seconds of a break (kind of like a very long drop set). So he liked it a lot and I wanted to give it a try, so I figured since I want my arms to come up I would try it out and what a workout we had. This is what Kris and I did:
Saturday, Bis and Tris:
Bis:
Barbell curls-95x12, 105x10, 105x10
Hammer cross body curls-40x10, 45x10, 50x10
Machine preacher curls-7 sets until failure, weight didn't matter
Tris:
Skull crushers-95x12, 105x12, 105x12
DB over head extensions-40x10, 45x10, 50x10
Straight bar push downs-7 sets until failure, weight didn't matter

That was my wrap up for the week, great 2nd week of dieting, and I'm getting ready for a 3rd. Down to 204 and counting. Well, after my sushi and brownie cheat meal I might be a little heavier tomorrow. Thanks Kris and Jen for coming up tonight for dinner, had a blast. Jen your brownies are off the charts.
REACH YOUR GOALS AND YOUR DREAMS WILL FOLLOW.
GUY

Monday & Tuesday Workouts

So, my weight is still 206, but tomorrow I will defiantly be lighter, it's just one of those days that I can tell I will be light. So just wanted to recap my quad and chest days. For quads I wanted to do more exercises so I only did 3 sets per exercise, and you will see for chest, I did nothing flat, because my shoulder was bothering me. So this is what I did...

Quads:
Warm up-2 sets extensions
Squats-500x8, 500x8, 405x10
Smith machine squats (legs very far in front)-225x12, 275x12, 315x10
Leg Press-8 plates x 15, 12 plates x 12, 14 plates x 10
Leg extensions-140x15, 160x15, 180x15
Sissy squats-3 sets x failure

Chest:
Incline barbell-225x10, 275x10, 315x7-drop set 225x7
Incline hammer strength-225x15, 315x12, 405x7-drop set 225x10
Incline flys-40x12, 45x10, 50x10
Bent over cable cross overs-60x15, 70x12, 70x12
Bottom cable cross overs-40x12, 40x12, 40x12
Calves:
Leg press calf raises
Seated calf raises
Body weight calf raises-(My good friend Evan introduced these to me, what I do is alternate with my feet hanging off any bench or machine, each foot for 10-12 reps, but keep going back and forth until I can only do around 4 reps per foot, this usually can take up to 5 minutes for a set to finish-I usually finish with it every other workout.)
FOCUS AND DETERMINATION BUILDS A CHAMPION!
GUY

206 And Couting

Today I woke up at 206.2 which is 10lbs that I have dropped this week, well tomorrow will be exactly a week, so my goal is by the end of this week to be 200 lbs then I will be 24 lbs away which is a good goal for 14 weeks out. So I want to recap my ending week workouts so here they are...

Thursday-Back
Lat pull downs-170x12, 200x12, 220x10, 230x10
Rack pulls aka 3/4 dead lifts-275x12, 315x12, 365x10, 365x10 (my legs were still shot from Mondays leg day)
Old school t-bar rows-3 plates x 15, 4 plates x 12, 5 plates x 10, 5 plates x 10
Cable pull downs-3 sets 130 x failure

Friday-Shoulders, Hamstrings
Barbell press-225x10, 225x10, 225x10-drop set 135x10
DB lateral raises-25x12, 30x10, 35x10
DB front raises-25x12, 30x10, 35x10
DB rear delt raises-25x12, 30x10, 35x10
Hammer strength front presses-225 x failure, 225 x failure
Smith machine shrugs-225x12, 315x10, 315x10
Hammer strength shrugs-225x12, 315x10, 315x10
Lying ham curls-110x15, 120x15, 130x12, 140x10-drop set 80 x failure
DB stiff legs-90x12, 100x10, 110x10, 120x10
Standing leg curls-50x12, 60x12

Saturday-Bis, Tris
Barbell curls-95x12, 115x10, 115x10, 115x8-drop set 95 x failure
Seated alternate db curls-30x12, 35x10, 40x10, 45x8-drop set 20 x failure
Hammer curls-40x12, 50x10, 60x10
High pulley cable curls-35 x failure, 40 x failure
Skull crushers-95x12, 115x10, 145x8, 145x8-drop set x failure
Straight bar push downs-140x15, 165x15, 185x10, 120 x failure
Over head DB extensions-35x12, 40x10, 45x10
Rope pull downs-100x12, 110x10, 120x10

Those were my last three workouts, they have been good but halted a little by bad headaches that I have been getting due to the no carbs and increase in sodium. Today the headaches started to subside so hopefully tomorrow I can have a good start and end to my workout and day with none. THERE IS ONLY ONE YOU, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT WHILE YOU CAN!
GUY

Day 2 Out Of 112...

Today was chest and calves and I didn't have the normal "no carb headache" or cravings that some people normally have. Actually, I like doing no carbs, I don't get those bad pumps in my lower back when I squat, I don't cramp nearly as much, and overall I feel better, less bloated, and can breathe a lot easier. This is what I am currently eating, and what I will be eating for the next at least 6-8 weeks, Dave usually doesn't change my diet until 8 weeks out or so.

Meal#1
5 whole eggs, 4 whites

Meal#2
2 scoops whey protein (isolyze)
1 1/2 tbsp natural pb

Meal#3
7 oz chicken
1/3 raw nuts

Meal#4
2 scoops whey protein (isolyze)
1 1/2 tbsp natural pb

Meal#5
7 oz lean red meat
1 tbsp mac nut or olive oil
salad w vinegar

Meal#6
2 scoops protein (isolyze)
1 1/2 tbsp natural pb


My supplements that I take on a daily basis are omegalyze, lipolyze, somalyze, ultra juice, acidophilus, fiberlyze, b complex, artholyze, testosolyze, and zma. As you can tell 99 % of the supplements are SPECIES products, and I am not one of those guys who just because I am sponsored I use the products, I use them because they are the BEST on the market. The products sell out any store or gym that they are in, that''s not just a fluke, it's because it's Dave's SPECIES line is the real deal.

OK, so today my Chest and calve workout consisted of the following:

Chest:
Incline DB press-100x15, 110x12, 120x10, 130x10
Incline flys-40x12, 45x10, 50x10
Hammer strength bench press-225x15, 275x12, 315x10, 315x10
Flat flys-40x12, 45x10, 50x10
Cable cross overs-60 x failure, 70 x failure

Calves:
Leg press calve raises- 3 sets
Angled standing calve raises- 3 sets
Seated calve raises-3 sets
****weights for me when I do calves doesn't' matter, I feel my calves grow more when I do higher reps so I don't include weights for these exercises because it doesn't matter how much when I am working calves.

Tomorrow is my first off day since the diet so I am going to work, cooking, and relaxing. Bodybuilding is not a hobby it's a lifestyle!
Guy

No Carb Quad Day!

Today was my first day of dieting and training for the 2008 Nationals in Atlanta Georgia in November. Last year although I took 2nd to Jose, which I think was well deserved, I think it was for the better. I don't think I had the quality of muscle that I have now for starters and secondly I don't think I was ready to be a pro. And standing next to Jose showed me what the best middle weight should look like and what a under 202 lb class pro should look like. So, this year I believe I made some huge improvements in my physique that I think will show on stage in 16 weeks.

As for today in the gym, good old quads, this is how I hammered my quads on my first day of no carbs.

Warmed up with a few sets of leg extensions
Squats-405x10, 405x10, 405x10, 315x12
Leg press-8 plates x 15, 12 plates x 15, 14 plates x12, 16 plates x 10
DB and Lunges (super set) 40lbs dbs for all three sets and extensions were 140, 160, and160 all for reps of 10-12

Overall it was a pretty good day dieting and in the gym I can only hope the next 111 days are like this...
Remember: You need to be a great loser, before you can be a good winner!
Guy

16 Weeks out...NEW UPDATES!!!

Yesterday, took a trip to Palumbo's house to have him look me over and evaluate me before my first day of dieting. I hit a few shots for him and his exact words were, "Looked like you did your home work this off season and put on a lot of size and muscle." Dave also said that my legs looked huge, a lot bigger than they were last off season which made me feel awesome because that was one of my main focuses this year after standing next to Jose and seeing his quads. So all in all, everything went well and I am on my journey to the 2008 Nationals as we speak.

Also, I worked with Colette a little bit and we updated the site with new pictures for sale, new home page, and added some new pictures to the members gallery. Be sure to check them out!!! Since I am dieting I will be posting a TON of pictures and updates daily on my progress. I will post my eating regime and any changes I will be undergoing through my 16 week prep for Nationals. Be sure to stay tuned to my training, diet, and weekly pictures. IT'S GO TIME!!
GUY

USA Aftermath...

So the USA was a sick show this year. A lot of good competitors, very deep in every class, men and women. There were some upsets and some dark horses. The bantam weights through the welter weights are always stacked with shorter guys shredded to the bone, and this year was no different. I do not know many names in those classes, I usually watch the middles since that's the class I compete in, and have many friends in the heavier classes. Nathan Detracy won the middles this guy is a true light heavy weight, I was looking at his contest history and he was a light heavy weight 2 years back, but he went for conditioning, not size and dominated his class hands down. He was thick and ripped, looked awesome. Curtis Bryant was a dark horse who took out favorite Brandon Ray for 1st in the light heavy weights. Both these guys were thick as shit, my boy B-ray wasn't as hard as Curtis and edged him out to take home 1st and a pro card. The heavy weights were another class. I thought hands down Mike Liberatore was going to win. Mike called me after prejudging and asked me what the hype was on the boards and I told him everyone was saying he had it hands down. But I was reading and when the night show came apparently B-Curry was fuller and much better than prejudging. Mike was edged out by 1 point. And another friend Jeff Long took 9th out of 16 competitors. Congrats to all of the guys in that class. As for the super heavy weight class Edward Nunn took home 1st after taking 5th at Nationals, came back and put the nail in the coffin with a 1st place finish and I'm sure was a front runner for the pro card. I am sure we will see Ed, Mike, and B-Ray at Nationals taking home pro cards, and hopefully I will be in the same boat. Also my boy PJ Braun was there supporting his girl friend and my close friend Nicole Vitalli, who got robbed at Jr USA's due to the change in figure criteria, and took 8th out of 23 girls. Nicole came in they way the judges wanted and still took 8th. Nicole has some conditioning up top that some guys wish for, she looked awesome, you should be proud of yourself Nic you looked great, Love ya. Next up, look for my boy PJ Braun to make a statement in 5 weeks at North Americans. I already have a car load of guys driving to see him, myself, Kenny, Kris Lecomte, and Dominick are all going to cheer our boy on. Stay focused kid almost there.
Guy