Squat:
Bar/10
135/10
185/5
225/5
275/3
315/3
365/1
Leg Press:
3pps/25
4pps/25
6pps/15,12
Hack Squat:
185/12
225/12
315/10
Leg Extension:
80/30
110/30,30
Right hip got real tight on 365 and my form is less than perfect with a low bar placement. I'll stay with high bar for now. I'm getting stronger with that stance, so I'll ride it for awhile.
Also, I will not be doing the Illinois Ironman. Just have way too much other stuff going on that takes precedent. There will be other shows.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Tampa Pro Rundown.
The dust has settled in Tampa, Fl and super promoter Tim Gardner has wrapped up another phenomenal Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships. This is fast becoming one of the premier IFBB Pro League events of the year. Along with the Europa Dallas promoted by Ed and Betty Pariso, the Tampa and Dallas provide a one-two punch combo to end off the year of stateside IFBB mens pro shows. Pretty hotly contested show all around and number one, two and three could have been switched around in any way.
1: Evan Centopani: Steadily improves his physique with each showing. This was a great show for him to pick as he didn't have to break his body back down by doing the Arnold Classic after doing the Olympia. For as big as he is, he has a pretty tapered waist with no distended stomach. Quads are still filling out a big, but they aren't small by any means. Hamstrings could have a bit more drop to them in his side shots and the chest can come up a bit more as well. Back is a great body part on him, but could still stand to have more mass and knots back there. He's still pretty young in the sport so we are seeing some signs of whats to come in the future.
2: Juan Morel: He was coming off a great NY Pro showing and was training like a hoss getting ready for Tampa to get an Olympia qualification. He kind of underwhelmed here as we've seen better. He was a bit smooth and didn't carry the dryness he had in New York. Fuller quads putting to rest he needs to fill out his lower half more, but I think he may have tried to come in a bit bigger at the expense of conditioning. His frame can carry lots more muscle and look very good. But it has to be conditioned to the max. He's one to watch for and dangerous in lineups. I'd like to see him at the Arnold Classic next year to be honest. I think he can make a lot of noise there, even if people are coming off the Olympia.
3: Essa Obiad: Improved from Chicago. He has a great physique, but I think he loses a little bit in the way he presents it. There are a couple pictures of him relaxing his stomach a bit in his side poses(we must have went to the same posing school). He's also still building a "name" over here in the states. Very rugged physique that can still improve by leaps and bounds. I'd love to see him here in the states with a solid year of training. I really would like to see him in the lineup in Vegas.
4: Mo Bannout: Surprise of the show. Very thickly muscled and came to play. I thought he could have been a bit tighter. Shape not the greatest but made up for it with a good combo of condition and size.
5: Lionel Beyeke: I was expecting more. Thats about all I can say. Pretty smooth all over. I think thats more of a travel issue than anything. France is not exactly walking distance to Florida. With that being said, if he was in top shape, the show would be his. No question about it. He looks like a cartoon character but will be regulated to lower placements if he doesn't get it together. He's in Dennis James hands now, so I think we'll see a big improvement from Florida.
6: Lee Banks: Shouldv'e been top five. He wasn't as sharp as he's been in the past, but he was sharper than Lionel. Hands on hips most muscular is a winner Needs to be tighter from behind in the back and glutes. Front double bicep was top 5 worthy.
I know many think Evan took this away easily, but I really think Essa could have won. Third was a bit harsh in my opinion. Second for Morel was a bit giving, but I'm judging on pics as I wasn't there.
Others who impressed:
-No, his physique isn't pretty, but lets give credit where credit is due. Keith Williams has brought great condition with every show he's been in thus far and he's been killing it since May.
-You'd be hard pressed to find a better shape on that stage than Jeff Beckham. Needs more size and condition. He may be the next one to be a superstar on an IFBB stage.
-Top ten for Rafael Jaramillo after winning his class at USA's is a win. He can build upon this for the future.
-I know this is a mens review, but Shannon Courtney is just all types of awesome! Go forth to Dallas!
-It's good to see Johnathan Rowe, but he has to show more to move up. Lots more. Great shape, but thats only part of the equation.
All in all, great show and I'm eagerly looking towards Dallas. My dark horse........Steve Kuclo. Bet on it!
1: Evan Centopani: Steadily improves his physique with each showing. This was a great show for him to pick as he didn't have to break his body back down by doing the Arnold Classic after doing the Olympia. For as big as he is, he has a pretty tapered waist with no distended stomach. Quads are still filling out a big, but they aren't small by any means. Hamstrings could have a bit more drop to them in his side shots and the chest can come up a bit more as well. Back is a great body part on him, but could still stand to have more mass and knots back there. He's still pretty young in the sport so we are seeing some signs of whats to come in the future.
2: Juan Morel: He was coming off a great NY Pro showing and was training like a hoss getting ready for Tampa to get an Olympia qualification. He kind of underwhelmed here as we've seen better. He was a bit smooth and didn't carry the dryness he had in New York. Fuller quads putting to rest he needs to fill out his lower half more, but I think he may have tried to come in a bit bigger at the expense of conditioning. His frame can carry lots more muscle and look very good. But it has to be conditioned to the max. He's one to watch for and dangerous in lineups. I'd like to see him at the Arnold Classic next year to be honest. I think he can make a lot of noise there, even if people are coming off the Olympia.
3: Essa Obiad: Improved from Chicago. He has a great physique, but I think he loses a little bit in the way he presents it. There are a couple pictures of him relaxing his stomach a bit in his side poses(we must have went to the same posing school). He's also still building a "name" over here in the states. Very rugged physique that can still improve by leaps and bounds. I'd love to see him here in the states with a solid year of training. I really would like to see him in the lineup in Vegas.
4: Mo Bannout: Surprise of the show. Very thickly muscled and came to play. I thought he could have been a bit tighter. Shape not the greatest but made up for it with a good combo of condition and size.
5: Lionel Beyeke: I was expecting more. Thats about all I can say. Pretty smooth all over. I think thats more of a travel issue than anything. France is not exactly walking distance to Florida. With that being said, if he was in top shape, the show would be his. No question about it. He looks like a cartoon character but will be regulated to lower placements if he doesn't get it together. He's in Dennis James hands now, so I think we'll see a big improvement from Florida.
6: Lee Banks: Shouldv'e been top five. He wasn't as sharp as he's been in the past, but he was sharper than Lionel. Hands on hips most muscular is a winner Needs to be tighter from behind in the back and glutes. Front double bicep was top 5 worthy.
I know many think Evan took this away easily, but I really think Essa could have won. Third was a bit harsh in my opinion. Second for Morel was a bit giving, but I'm judging on pics as I wasn't there.
Others who impressed:
-No, his physique isn't pretty, but lets give credit where credit is due. Keith Williams has brought great condition with every show he's been in thus far and he's been killing it since May.
-You'd be hard pressed to find a better shape on that stage than Jeff Beckham. Needs more size and condition. He may be the next one to be a superstar on an IFBB stage.
-Top ten for Rafael Jaramillo after winning his class at USA's is a win. He can build upon this for the future.
-I know this is a mens review, but Shannon Courtney is just all types of awesome! Go forth to Dallas!
-It's good to see Johnathan Rowe, but he has to show more to move up. Lots more. Great shape, but thats only part of the equation.
All in all, great show and I'm eagerly looking towards Dallas. My dark horse........Steve Kuclo. Bet on it!
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Arms and shit...........
Speed CG Press:
Bar/ 30
135/10
185/5
225/ 8x3 (3 sec negative, 30 secs between sets)
Rack lockouts
135/10
185/5
225/5
245/5
CG Dumbbell press
45/15
60/10,10
70/8
Extensions:
75/10
125/6,8
Hit mount biceptius with some curls
Done.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Chest and Shoulders
Bench
185/5
210/5
225/2,2
255/2
270/3x2
Dumbbell Presses(3 grips, 10 sets)
Arnold press
40/20,16,10,12
Neutral grip
40/14,20,15
Prone
15,14
Dips
BW/10,10,10,10
Superset with
Nautilus Laterals
80/10,10,10,10
Lots of work in a small amount of time. I got into the gym and it was 8:45 pm already, so I was working against the clock. I got in the work I needed to and caught a great pump. So I'm happy with it. Tons of running around and no end in sight.
Onward.
Training and the NPC USA.
I've kicked off prep for the NPC Illinois Ironman. It takes place on November 2nd and I'm actually looking forward to showing up conditioned this time. First workout was legs/back and was designed by Jennifer Petrosino. I have liberty to play around with it, but I'm trying to follow things to a T right now. We give each other feedback based on what the mirror is saying as well.
I don't have far down to go, so I'm trying to get in my best shape possible.
Legs/back
Squats:
Bar/10
135/10
185/3
225/8 x 5
On all my sets with 225, there was a 5 second eccentric, one second in the bottom position and a explode on the way up.
Lat Pulldowns:
80/10
120/10
180/5
120/20
Leg press:
3 sets of 10 (4 second eccentric)
Leg extension
3 minute timed set
This was an abbriviated workout as me and a buddy helped out Ben Pakulski (2nd place finalist at the Arnold Classic) out with getting him hooked up with food while he's in town. I'm trying to be a bit better about my time with workouts and what not, but somedays I just get caught. Yesterday was that kind of a day.
It was a good session overall and having more time under tension is something I'm really striving for. I'm also playing around with angles in certain exercises to make sure I'm hitting the muscle the way it should be hit and not just lifting. Although somedays I may get a wild hair and do that, I'm trying to minimize those days. But hell........somedays deadlifts be calling me.
NPC USA
I was going to make one big, blow out post about it, but everyone else has it covered pretty well and I'd only be repeating things everyone has heard. I will say that Max Charles was a deserving winner. He still has work to do to become a big time pro, but I say he should test his mettle in Tampa. It's not far off, he has time to come in a bit tighter and see where he stands. Golden opportunity in my eyes.
Heavyweights were called correctly. Rafael Jamarillo (sp) has never really not come in shape. He was always shredded, but lacked a bit of that "umph" to push him in the pro card circle. Cant really say that now. Matt Burzacott did himself justice. Very flowing physique and did right by going back to work in the gym to make a name for himself. Another year and he may take the class.
Kevin Ofurum was a deserving winner in the light heavys. He could've been a tad drier, but no one was really dry (I blame the vegas heat). Caleb Blanchard moved up a few spots from 5th to 2nd and has a pretty good back double biceps. Joseph Hubbard was in the mix with some good conditioning although he appeared a bit flattish in the upper body. Thomas Linihan has the potential to leapfrog everyone and take this class. I think he had the best structure out of the lineup. He must be tighter though to make that a reality.
The middleweights were a bit smooth for my liking which is uncharacteristic of middles in pro qualifiers. Breon Ansley looked good, but needs more work to make himself noticibale in a 212 show. The second(Chuck Williams) and third place(Robert Whichman) looked fine, but could've came down more. All the aforementioned gentlemen need to take their conditioning to another level, especially Ansley since he's a pro now, to move up the ranks. Good thing is that it's not impossible
Pretty much the same thing for the welters. Delcampo, Hester (a blast for the past), Aman, Vengas and San Juan have work to do. I will say that San Juan could've been moved up a spot if he was fuller at prejudging. If he filled out, he may have been as high as 2nd or 3rd. But he showed a degree of hardness the other guys, DelCampo included, didn't show.
Derek Leverant has to have the best pair of legs I've seen on a lightweight. Back double bicep is impressive as well. Luis Moreno has a great structure, but just came in pretty smooth for a show of that caliber. He can do Nationals and possibly take that class however. Martae Ruelas could take Nationals as well. Everything is there, he just needs to come in grainy hard.
Richie Langit and Eric Yamashita in the bantams didn't even push the envelope in the bantams as far as conditioning. That is very unusual as they usually show some pretty sick conditioning.
If I sound like I'm repeating myself a bit with "conditioning, conditioning, conditioning"......I am. What was showed in all class winners and top five guys, won't cut it on a pro stage. Things become doubly hard when you have "IFBB" attached to your name.
Thats all I have for now. Chest and shoulders tonight.
Later
I don't have far down to go, so I'm trying to get in my best shape possible.
Legs/back
Squats:
Bar/10
135/10
185/3
225/8 x 5
On all my sets with 225, there was a 5 second eccentric, one second in the bottom position and a explode on the way up.
Lat Pulldowns:
80/10
120/10
180/5
120/20
Leg press:
3 sets of 10 (4 second eccentric)
Leg extension
3 minute timed set
This was an abbriviated workout as me and a buddy helped out Ben Pakulski (2nd place finalist at the Arnold Classic) out with getting him hooked up with food while he's in town. I'm trying to be a bit better about my time with workouts and what not, but somedays I just get caught. Yesterday was that kind of a day.
It was a good session overall and having more time under tension is something I'm really striving for. I'm also playing around with angles in certain exercises to make sure I'm hitting the muscle the way it should be hit and not just lifting. Although somedays I may get a wild hair and do that, I'm trying to minimize those days. But hell........somedays deadlifts be calling me.
NPC USA
I was going to make one big, blow out post about it, but everyone else has it covered pretty well and I'd only be repeating things everyone has heard. I will say that Max Charles was a deserving winner. He still has work to do to become a big time pro, but I say he should test his mettle in Tampa. It's not far off, he has time to come in a bit tighter and see where he stands. Golden opportunity in my eyes.
Heavyweights were called correctly. Rafael Jamarillo (sp) has never really not come in shape. He was always shredded, but lacked a bit of that "umph" to push him in the pro card circle. Cant really say that now. Matt Burzacott did himself justice. Very flowing physique and did right by going back to work in the gym to make a name for himself. Another year and he may take the class.
Kevin Ofurum was a deserving winner in the light heavys. He could've been a tad drier, but no one was really dry (I blame the vegas heat). Caleb Blanchard moved up a few spots from 5th to 2nd and has a pretty good back double biceps. Joseph Hubbard was in the mix with some good conditioning although he appeared a bit flattish in the upper body. Thomas Linihan has the potential to leapfrog everyone and take this class. I think he had the best structure out of the lineup. He must be tighter though to make that a reality.
The middleweights were a bit smooth for my liking which is uncharacteristic of middles in pro qualifiers. Breon Ansley looked good, but needs more work to make himself noticibale in a 212 show. The second(Chuck Williams) and third place(Robert Whichman) looked fine, but could've came down more. All the aforementioned gentlemen need to take their conditioning to another level, especially Ansley since he's a pro now, to move up the ranks. Good thing is that it's not impossible
Pretty much the same thing for the welters. Delcampo, Hester (a blast for the past), Aman, Vengas and San Juan have work to do. I will say that San Juan could've been moved up a spot if he was fuller at prejudging. If he filled out, he may have been as high as 2nd or 3rd. But he showed a degree of hardness the other guys, DelCampo included, didn't show.
Derek Leverant has to have the best pair of legs I've seen on a lightweight. Back double bicep is impressive as well. Luis Moreno has a great structure, but just came in pretty smooth for a show of that caliber. He can do Nationals and possibly take that class however. Martae Ruelas could take Nationals as well. Everything is there, he just needs to come in grainy hard.
Richie Langit and Eric Yamashita in the bantams didn't even push the envelope in the bantams as far as conditioning. That is very unusual as they usually show some pretty sick conditioning.
If I sound like I'm repeating myself a bit with "conditioning, conditioning, conditioning"......I am. What was showed in all class winners and top five guys, won't cut it on a pro stage. Things become doubly hard when you have "IFBB" attached to your name.
Thats all I have for now. Chest and shoulders tonight.
Later
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
The Road Back Part 2: Methods
When we set out on a quest we usually have some sort of map to guide us along the way. The map can be based on some template we've seen or done in the past, it could be based on another competitors plan, or it our map can be various aspects of dieting and training philosophies, strung together, to create something we think will work perfectly.
Going back to competitive bodybuilding, I was in a predicament. I didn't want to lose a lot of strength I worked real hard to attain. I'm not a freak that can move six plates on the squat for reps or bench over 400 like it's paper. I'm more of a "struggle to get brute strength" type guy. So while I know bodybuilding has never been about developing strength as a skill (yes, strength development is a skill) it's still an important one to have. You can't be weak and big. Everyone that stood up on that stage in the pro division for bodybuilding slung some fucking weight around in preparation for the show. You can best believe it that as gospel. Heavy lifts combined with rep work give you that dense thick muscle you can't, or at least shouldn't lose .
Programming:
Since this was my first time back onstage in awhile, and I wanted to experiment a bit because the "conventional" way of training didn't appeal to me, I talked to Team EFS athlete Jennifer Petrosino about what I wanted to do. I agreed to let her program me for this show, but I made no bones I would take liberty with the program. So the days were set up like this
Legs/Back
Chest/Shoulders
Glutes/Hams
Tricep/Bicep
Calves/ Rear delts
Without getting into much detail, I pretty much followed the program. Some changes were made here and there, but overall, the program was followed. Lots of tempo based movements, along with some eccentrics and timed sets. The goal was to grow into the show a bit as well, so even though I was dieting and doing an upwards of two hours of cardio a day, I think I added a couple pounds. Or I at least think I did.
I also wanted to stay strong for the majority of my prep. That way, I didn't lose much size.
Cardio and a quick word on gym performance:
Like I said before, I went on the "King Kamali" special which was an upward of two hours of cardio a day. This can prove to be a recipe for disater, but with what I had to work with, I thought to myself, why not? So me and the Stepmill became best friends forever. From the Monday after USPF Nationals, all the way to the end, it was only a couple of times I couldn't work up the gumption to do it. During the last three weeks of prep, I would be on the stepper twice a day for 45 minutes. I tried to peel the fat off as much as I could, and it worked to a point, but I didn't want to overstep (no pun intened) what the purpose of cardio was. I also wanted to use more energy for my gym sessions. To showcase a phenomenal physique, you have to be able to perform in the gym. If you don't have optimal gym performance, then you're setting yourself up for failure. Optimal performance is different for everyone. I like to use Paul Carter's philosophy of +10/-10 for gauging workouts. Look for it on his blog Lift-run-bang.com
Diet:
I pissed in the wind in regards to this one. I just kept the protein high, kept carbs low, had some refeeds and kept going. Nothing scientific. It did get to a point where I wasn't eating enough and I had to increase portions. Made the adjustments and got tighter. Wasn't a wise thing to do. At all. But that will be fixed moving forward
Just some of the things I did leading up to the show. Nothing fancy............and some stuff, just not even optimal.
Going back to competitive bodybuilding, I was in a predicament. I didn't want to lose a lot of strength I worked real hard to attain. I'm not a freak that can move six plates on the squat for reps or bench over 400 like it's paper. I'm more of a "struggle to get brute strength" type guy. So while I know bodybuilding has never been about developing strength as a skill (yes, strength development is a skill) it's still an important one to have. You can't be weak and big. Everyone that stood up on that stage in the pro division for bodybuilding slung some fucking weight around in preparation for the show. You can best believe it that as gospel. Heavy lifts combined with rep work give you that dense thick muscle you can't, or at least shouldn't lose .
Programming:
Since this was my first time back onstage in awhile, and I wanted to experiment a bit because the "conventional" way of training didn't appeal to me, I talked to Team EFS athlete Jennifer Petrosino about what I wanted to do. I agreed to let her program me for this show, but I made no bones I would take liberty with the program. So the days were set up like this
Legs/Back
Chest/Shoulders
Glutes/Hams
Tricep/Bicep
Calves/ Rear delts
Without getting into much detail, I pretty much followed the program. Some changes were made here and there, but overall, the program was followed. Lots of tempo based movements, along with some eccentrics and timed sets. The goal was to grow into the show a bit as well, so even though I was dieting and doing an upwards of two hours of cardio a day, I think I added a couple pounds. Or I at least think I did.
I also wanted to stay strong for the majority of my prep. That way, I didn't lose much size.
Cardio and a quick word on gym performance:
Like I said before, I went on the "King Kamali" special which was an upward of two hours of cardio a day. This can prove to be a recipe for disater, but with what I had to work with, I thought to myself, why not? So me and the Stepmill became best friends forever. From the Monday after USPF Nationals, all the way to the end, it was only a couple of times I couldn't work up the gumption to do it. During the last three weeks of prep, I would be on the stepper twice a day for 45 minutes. I tried to peel the fat off as much as I could, and it worked to a point, but I didn't want to overstep (no pun intened) what the purpose of cardio was. I also wanted to use more energy for my gym sessions. To showcase a phenomenal physique, you have to be able to perform in the gym. If you don't have optimal gym performance, then you're setting yourself up for failure. Optimal performance is different for everyone. I like to use Paul Carter's philosophy of +10/-10 for gauging workouts. Look for it on his blog Lift-run-bang.com
Diet:
I pissed in the wind in regards to this one. I just kept the protein high, kept carbs low, had some refeeds and kept going. Nothing scientific. It did get to a point where I wasn't eating enough and I had to increase portions. Made the adjustments and got tighter. Wasn't a wise thing to do. At all. But that will be fixed moving forward
Just some of the things I did leading up to the show. Nothing fancy............and some stuff, just not even optimal.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Back to my roots: Part 1
When I began to gear up for USPF Nationals earlier I went in with only that meet in mind (ok, so maybe I was going to do a USAPL meet too, but I quickly came to my senses). I wanted to have a great day on the platform and redeem myself from a shitty showing I had a couple years ago.
But something happened along the way. I began getting the bodybuilding bug again. But why? Well, lets rewind about a year ago..........
July 2012
I was sitting in the press pit at the inaugural Wings of Strength and NPC Tim Gardner Chicago Extravaganza in Rosemont, IL. Helping cover the show provided me the opportunity to not only talk to pro's but some amateurs as well. At this point I was working for Flex Magazine for a couple months and was just soaking in the atmosphere of watching various shows and filming workouts of other competitive bodybuilders, women/men's physique competitors and figure girls. As I was sitting down in the press pit, I was thinking to myself of how cool it would be to participate in a pro/am show. Standing on the same stage that the pro's would use. But that thought quickly went away when I thought of the work involved
"Man.....lots of cardio? No Chipotle? No PIZZA?!?!?! I'm good dawg........"
So the beat went on. Just heavy training and being pretty liberal with my eating.
Mr. Olympia 2012
I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Mr. Olympia as part of Flex Magazine (or swole up water-boy, whichever you prefer) and once again was provided a unique aspect to see the pinnacle of the sport. I saw how athletes approached the biggest show of the year. I once again thought to myself of how cool it would be to get a warmup suit, be briefed on how the show will go and pump up backstage before showing my wares off to a crazy audience. But once again, I was afraid of taking the first step of competing in an NPC local show........
"Bro, your'e broke, you have a lot of fat to lose and you have to give up what little social life you have. Sit the fuck down!"
Larry's best supporter is Larry, right? So I listened. And stayed sitting the fuck down.
March 2013
I started prep for Nationals around this time, give or take a few weeks, and was getting stronger. I was feeling good and decided to start doing some fasted cardio to bring my weight down a bit. Well, one morning per week turned to two, two mornings per week turned to three and three turned to five. I'm not sure why it happened but then the thought popped in my mind....
"Larry, your last show was 2005. How long are you going to wait for the prefect situation? Just do it. Your'e going to be broke either way this summer, you may as well accomplish something you've been wanting to do." And with a little nudging from my friends Marisa Inda and Troy Smith, I started cleaning up my diet for a run at the NPC Tim Gardner Extravaganza held that July. There was one issue though. USPF Nationals was the first weekend of May. The show was scheduled for July 6th (which currently is next week) and if we do math, that leaves me with about 8 eight weeks to basically pull a rabbit out of my ass. So now, here come negative Larry again.
"Thats a lot of work. You have to be super focused and can you do it?"
It happened to be a chance conversation with a classmate of mine at UNL named Paige that made me think a bit about doing the show. She also sent me a rather encouraging Facebook message telling me to go for it, because she saw what I posted and that my heart was still in the sport.
I also remembered a conversation I had last year with someone who was preparing for a show. What was said triggered something in me a bit and I'll never forget it. I normally don't let a whole lot of things rattle me, but this did. I'm paraphrasing as the convo took place more than a year ago........
"You can't do both. You have to be big and fat for powerlifting."
Oh really? Lets see about that hypothesis. Game the fuck on.
I cleaned up my diet and kept doing fasted cardio. I kept telling myself to not go overboard because my main focus was the meet. Once that was over, I could drop the hammer and go full bore into contest prep. I didn't care about how much it was going to suck. I didn't care about how much money it would cost. I didn't care I wouldn't be able to eat my favorite foods the first half of summer. All that mattered was standing up on that stage knowing I gave my all...........but lets rewind to the Nationals.
May 2013
With my programming done by the crazy Jennifer Petrosino of Elitefts.com, I felt at my all time best. I did a weight cut to 220 and went in to set some records.
That didn't work out too well, as evidenced by my performance in the video.
I bombed............I cried.........I had to show my face at the NPC IL State as a semi fat powerlifter who is trying to be a bodybuilder. Not only that, I had to explain to people what bombing out meant. You live, you learn, you move forward.
So with the meet over, I rested and ate up on Sunday and began my prep on Monday for the show. So basically everything was switched up and my program had more tempo based training, heavy eccentric and timed sets. All of which made a difference. Sometimes I took the liberty of changing things based on the day and how I felt, sometimes I didn't. But the best part about the program Jenn put together is I stayed pretty strong throughout. I was still able to squat 500 in knee sleeves (high-bar so I was pretty much all quads)
My cardio consisted of what I like to call the "King Kamali special" which was two hours a day, 6 days a week. Optimal? Absolutely not, but very "cleansing" to me. So I kept doing it. Add that with the training I was doing and you get the pics below of where I started doing prep at, as compared to now
The pic on the left was the Monday after Nats, the pic on the right was Monday morning before cardio. Perfect? No. 100 percent in shape? No.......but that wasn't the goal. What I wanted to accomplish and how I went about will be explained in the next installment. Until then, I have to fuck this stepmill up.
But something happened along the way. I began getting the bodybuilding bug again. But why? Well, lets rewind about a year ago..........
July 2012
I was sitting in the press pit at the inaugural Wings of Strength and NPC Tim Gardner Chicago Extravaganza in Rosemont, IL. Helping cover the show provided me the opportunity to not only talk to pro's but some amateurs as well. At this point I was working for Flex Magazine for a couple months and was just soaking in the atmosphere of watching various shows and filming workouts of other competitive bodybuilders, women/men's physique competitors and figure girls. As I was sitting down in the press pit, I was thinking to myself of how cool it would be to participate in a pro/am show. Standing on the same stage that the pro's would use. But that thought quickly went away when I thought of the work involved
"Man.....lots of cardio? No Chipotle? No PIZZA?!?!?! I'm good dawg........"
So the beat went on. Just heavy training and being pretty liberal with my eating.
Mr. Olympia 2012
I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Mr. Olympia as part of Flex Magazine (or swole up water-boy, whichever you prefer) and once again was provided a unique aspect to see the pinnacle of the sport. I saw how athletes approached the biggest show of the year. I once again thought to myself of how cool it would be to get a warmup suit, be briefed on how the show will go and pump up backstage before showing my wares off to a crazy audience. But once again, I was afraid of taking the first step of competing in an NPC local show........
"Bro, your'e broke, you have a lot of fat to lose and you have to give up what little social life you have. Sit the fuck down!"
Larry's best supporter is Larry, right? So I listened. And stayed sitting the fuck down.
March 2013
I started prep for Nationals around this time, give or take a few weeks, and was getting stronger. I was feeling good and decided to start doing some fasted cardio to bring my weight down a bit. Well, one morning per week turned to two, two mornings per week turned to three and three turned to five. I'm not sure why it happened but then the thought popped in my mind....
"Larry, your last show was 2005. How long are you going to wait for the prefect situation? Just do it. Your'e going to be broke either way this summer, you may as well accomplish something you've been wanting to do." And with a little nudging from my friends Marisa Inda and Troy Smith, I started cleaning up my diet for a run at the NPC Tim Gardner Extravaganza held that July. There was one issue though. USPF Nationals was the first weekend of May. The show was scheduled for July 6th (which currently is next week) and if we do math, that leaves me with about 8 eight weeks to basically pull a rabbit out of my ass. So now, here come negative Larry again.
"Thats a lot of work. You have to be super focused and can you do it?"
It happened to be a chance conversation with a classmate of mine at UNL named Paige that made me think a bit about doing the show. She also sent me a rather encouraging Facebook message telling me to go for it, because she saw what I posted and that my heart was still in the sport.
I also remembered a conversation I had last year with someone who was preparing for a show. What was said triggered something in me a bit and I'll never forget it. I normally don't let a whole lot of things rattle me, but this did. I'm paraphrasing as the convo took place more than a year ago........
"You can't do both. You have to be big and fat for powerlifting."
Oh really? Lets see about that hypothesis. Game the fuck on.
I cleaned up my diet and kept doing fasted cardio. I kept telling myself to not go overboard because my main focus was the meet. Once that was over, I could drop the hammer and go full bore into contest prep. I didn't care about how much it was going to suck. I didn't care about how much money it would cost. I didn't care I wouldn't be able to eat my favorite foods the first half of summer. All that mattered was standing up on that stage knowing I gave my all...........but lets rewind to the Nationals.
May 2013
With my programming done by the crazy Jennifer Petrosino of Elitefts.com, I felt at my all time best. I did a weight cut to 220 and went in to set some records.
That didn't work out too well, as evidenced by my performance in the video.
I bombed............I cried.........I had to show my face at the NPC IL State as a semi fat powerlifter who is trying to be a bodybuilder. Not only that, I had to explain to people what bombing out meant. You live, you learn, you move forward.
So with the meet over, I rested and ate up on Sunday and began my prep on Monday for the show. So basically everything was switched up and my program had more tempo based training, heavy eccentric and timed sets. All of which made a difference. Sometimes I took the liberty of changing things based on the day and how I felt, sometimes I didn't. But the best part about the program Jenn put together is I stayed pretty strong throughout. I was still able to squat 500 in knee sleeves (high-bar so I was pretty much all quads)
My cardio consisted of what I like to call the "King Kamali special" which was two hours a day, 6 days a week. Optimal? Absolutely not, but very "cleansing" to me. So I kept doing it. Add that with the training I was doing and you get the pics below of where I started doing prep at, as compared to now
The pic on the left was the Monday after Nats, the pic on the right was Monday morning before cardio. Perfect? No. 100 percent in shape? No.......but that wasn't the goal. What I wanted to accomplish and how I went about will be explained in the next installment. Until then, I have to fuck this stepmill up.
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