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