Week Three: Training

Just like that, the third week of my three-month pre-contest training regimen is in the books!  Well, more accurately "in the book", or, even more accurately, "in the tattered 8 x 5-inch one-subject notebook I use as my training log that I will need to replace in a little over four weeks."  However I choose to word it, the good news is that my third week of training has been successfully completed, and, more importantly, my hard work in both the gym and kitchen is paying off nicely.

As I've mentioned in past entries, I started the first week of my twelve-week prep on May 17 in pretty soft condition with a bodyweight of 162.6 pounds.  One week later I was down to 154.2.  Seven days after that, 152.2.  I learned this morning, June 7, that I have whittled myself down to 149.8 pounds.  Most importantly, the past seven days have been marked by the most noticeable improvements to my physique thus far.  As expected, my extremities are closing in on being "contest ready" the fastest, as the veins in my arms and the cuts in my legs are both becoming more prominent.  My chest and back are both hardening up nicely, and, most satisfyingly, my serratus and obliques are starting to poke themselves out from their hiding places.  The fat covering my midsection has very noticeably decreased, and I'm again comfortably using the second hole in my belt.  Because all of this has come with no changes to "Stage One" of my pre-contest diet, the best is obviously yet to come.

Anyway, because the title of this entry is "Week Three: Training" rather than "Week Three: I'm Not As Fat As I Was A Week Ago", it's time to detail what I did this past week in the gym.  Bear in mind that I once again jump-started the week's workouts with a Sunday morning session before the gym had opened.  Whether this becomes my standard practice for the remaining nine weeks remains to be seen.

Sunday, May 30: Quads and Abs (C)
a) Light warm-up and stretch.

     (1-6 performed as a giant set, with no rest between each) 
1) Squats (full range of motion), near failure at 225 lbs.
2) Squats (full range of motion), near failure at 180 lbs.
3) Squats (full range of motion), near failure at 135 lbs.
4) Barbell Jump Squats, 12 reps
5) Genie Squats, 20 reps
6) Leg Extensions, 20 reps (see video of the entire circuit below)

     (7 & 8 performed as a superset, with no rest between each)
7) Bulgarian Split Squats (with dumbbells), 3 sets of 12 reps
8) Leg Extensions, 3 sets of 20 reps

     (9 & 10 performed as a superset, with no rest between each)

9) Squats (full range of motion), 2 sets of 3-4 reps

10) Leg Extensions, 1 set of 20 reps (only performed after the final set of squats) 
     (11 & 12 performed as a superset, with no rest between each)

11) Lying Leg Thrusts, 2 sets of 15, 10 reps
12) 1/4 Sit-ups, 2 sets of 25, 20 reps

• C-workouts are of a high intensity, marked by shorter rest periods, and plenty of intensity-increasing techniques.  While C-workouts are extremely difficult for all the bodyparts I train, they're absolutely brutal for quads!  This workout started off with a giant set of squats, jump squats, genie squats, and leg extensions, and, as detailed above, the squats were done as a strip-set, which was pretty damn hellacious.
• I didn't perform my last two prescribed sets of squats until after the supersets of Bulgarian split squats and leg extensions had been completed.  Doing so allowed me to pump up my quads significantly before returning to the power rack, making the last two otherwise dull sets of heavy squats ridiculously tough on the quads.
• Not surprisingly, this workout made my quadriceps incredibly sore for a couple of days.

Monday, May 31: Chest and Shoulders (B)

1) Incline Dumbbell/Cable Presses, 1 warm-up, 4 sets of 4-6 reps (see video below)

2) Incline Barbell Presses, 3 sets of 10-12 reps

3) Supported Cable Crossovers, 3 sets of 20 reps (see video below)

4) Reverse Pec Deck, 4 sets of 10-12 reps

5) Incline Side Lateral Raises, 3 sets of 10-12 reps

• Incline dumbbell/cable presses are one of my favorite chest exercises, as they absolutely torch my upper pecs.  As seen in the video above, they're performed like standard incline dumbbell presses, except the bench is placed in the middle of the cable crossover station, and a low-pulley cable with a very light weight is attached to each wrist.  This prevents my pecs from ever being able to "rest" during the entirety of the set, and gives me an incredible pump.  After all, I'm not just pressing, but sort of doing flyes at the same time.

Wednesday, June 2: Back and Hamstrings (A)

1) "Bottoms Up" Deadlifts, 2 warm-ups, 6 sets of 4-6 reps

2) Wide-Grip Weighted Chins, 4 sets of 4-6 reps

3) Lying Leg Curls, 4 sets of 10-12 reps
4) Alternating Lying Leg Curls, 3 sets of 10-12 reps

• The deadlifts were performed in "bottoms up"-style: My first set was performed while standing on a platform of a few inches, increasing the bottom half range of motion, forcing me to pull the weight from below the level of my feet (which makes a set of deadlifts positively excruciating); set two was performed on a smaller platform so range of motion was slightly decreased; set three was a standard deadlift from the floor; and sets four through six were partial deadlifts in the power rack (a.k.a. "rack pulls"), resetting the pins on each set so the range of motion got shorter each time.
• Alternating leg curls are performed on a standard lying leg curl machine, one leg at a time.
• This workout made my back extremely sore, though I feel as though my hamstrings were done a disservice.

Thursday, June 3: Biceps and Triceps (C)
     (1-3 were performed as a "suicide" giant set; explanation below)
1) J.M. Press, 1 warm-up, 6 sets of 2-5 reps
2) EZ-Bar French Press, 3 sets of 10-12 reps
3) Overhead Tricep Extensions, 3 sets of 20 reps
     (4-7 were performed as a "suicide" giant set; explanation below)

4) Barbell Preacher Curls, 1 warm-up, 6 sets of 2-5 reps
5) EZ-Bar Reverse Curls, 3 sets of 10-12 reps
6) Machine Curls, 2 sets of 20 reps
7) DeFrancos Curls, 1 set of 21 reps
     (8 & 9 performed as a superset, with no rest between each)
8) Lying Triceps Extensions (a.k.a. "Headbangers), 2 sets of 20 reps
9) Drag Curls, 2 sets of 20 reps

• "Suicides" are absolutely crazy giant sets that involve "zig-zagging" between three or four different exercises for the same bodypart: one exercise is heavy (approximately 5 reps), one moderate (10 reps), and one light (20 reps).  Once I set up the barbells/dumbbells for the giant set, I "zig-zag" through a total of 12 sets with no rest in the following fashion: 5-10-5-10-5-20-5-10-5-20-5-20.  That's right, I crank out twelve sets in a row with no rest, only taking as long as I need to move from one exercise to the next, lowering the poundage slightly as I go through.  As you might imagine, these giant sets are quite intense.
• This was honestly one of the most intense biceps & triceps workouts that I've ever performed.  I accidentally dropped several barbell plates as I was trying to put them away, and my arms were aching and almost useless for the end of the night!  The aches and pains were severe enough to disturb my sleep that night, and the soreness the next day was ridiculous.

Mercifully, that insane arm workout finished off my third week of training.  Questions?  Concerns?  Criticism?  Suggestions?  As always, I'm all ears.  Or eyes, as the case probably will be.