Leg Day and Why Stress Got The Better of Me

Leg Curl with 1.5 reps: 4 sets of 10

1.5 reps = full rep followed by a half rep

Squats: So this is where things got a bit iffy. I'm trying to get back under the bar more. But on my third set I felt a small pop right around my knee. Not a terrible one, but enough for me to put the stop on my free weight squat. But I won't be stopped. I'll get back in the squat rack next week.

Ended up hitting 4 plates per side on the hammer v-squat for around 6-10 reps.

Leg Press: 5 sets with 60 second rest in between each set. 4 plates per side.

Westside Barbell Hip and Quad Developer: 3 sets

Interesting exercise for sure.  Here's a video example with Louie Simmons instructing some poor soul

Heavy Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 8

I won't lie....things in my life have me re-evaluating the path I'm on. Not frustrated, but needing a change. Life decisions stress me the hell out. But the show goes on good people.Stress will sap you, but remember the end goal and keep it moving.

Tenacity Strength: Why The Rename and What to Expect

Tenacity, noun: The quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly OR the quality or fact of being very determined.


So if you have not gathered by now, I changed the name of my blog. Why the switch? Well....a couple of reasons.

I wanted a name that describes most, if not all of us, in this health and fitness game. Whether or not you compete, you show a determination to be better simply for getting out of bed for an early morning gym session, or not going straight home after work to work on a better you.

When I first launched what use to "Leroy's Training and Life Blog" it was merely an outlet in which I could just write pretty much what the blog title was. My training and life. Nothing spectacular....just an outlet.

I don't train or coach, but I feel I have enough "under the bar" experience to impart some wisdom to some people. I hope to do that in videos and posts. I have this wonderful little tool called an Iphone 7 that has a wonderful camera, so I plan on using it more.

Also, I don't know everything and I know there are others that know more than me. Being as I'm a journalist by education and profession, I'm looking to interview guys who are established, as well as up and comers in the strength game through q&a interviews.

I hope you all stick around for what I hope will be the start of something greater.


Welcome to Tenacity Strength.

Halfway Point: Where Do You Stand?

If you have not noticed by the decreased bitching about the cold and snow, summer is here. For some reason Mother Nature completely skips spring, which I'm fine with.....damn allergies.

But since it's June, it really got me to thinking the other day....it's the halfway point of 2017. Where do I sit in terms of personal and professional development? Am I better? Am I worse or regressing? Floundering?

While I'm not going to reveal where I am (my closest friends know), I will say that if you are floundering....you are not alone. I know for a fact because I've been there. But take it from me....it gets better, just takes work.

One thing I see is people just putting things off to a later time. I cannot stress how much of a mistake that is. Time is your friend and an enemy at the same time. Attack each day and task with some sort of urgency. Tough to do, but can be done.

Another thing is to rid your life of useless clutter. For example, I have cable that I don't even look at. When I do watch it, I look at Law & Order SVU and Criminal Minds marathons. Not bad shows, but honestly, if I have cable for that...it may be time to get rid of it. Although it's not harming me, it's not really adding. If something is not enhancing your life, then my friend, it must go.

Also, and this may be the most important point, is to not beat yourself up if you are behind. The shit happens. What really matters is the work you put in and if it's moving you forward.


Get to Work and Be Great

2015 Contest Prep Memories

Omaha saw another NPC Duel of Champions yesterday and without a doubt, one of the most well run shows out there. Pro, national and local judges were on hand so it was a good mixture on the panel. Many sponsors on hand and Dexter Jackson guest posed. My co-worker worked his ass off and made improvements and won his class. So it was a good day.

But it also made me think of my own prep in 2015.

                                                          "FUCK IT!, WHY NOT"

Around two years ago, I competed in the Duel of Champions. It was a show I really decided to do on a whim. I was sleeping on my couch (couldn't afford a bed), looking at the ceiling in January of 2015 and said "Fuck It, I'll do the June show."

In retrospect, I should have thought that out a bit more. I had to go from shit to great in around 20 weeks.

So....with June looming, I shifted my ass into high gear.

Where I started at in January of 2015

My schedule at the time was not what you call fun.....
10:30 pm: Get off work, rush to gym to get cardio in for up to an hour before

5 am or so: Get up and do fasted cardio

11am: Go and train

2pm-1:30 pm: Work

I'd fit in eating while on the job (another reason why I'm not a reporter. I can be muscular, not have people comment on my body and eat at meal intervals, barring a breaking news situation).

Kept this schedule up and then......BAM! Shift change and then worked a morning show.

So the changes? Well, no more fasted cardio. That shit went out the door because I had to get work at 3am and I didn't want to get another gym membership.

So with this turn in events....I went from

3am-7am: Work on morning show

7am-around 8:00: Take lunch break and do cardio after eating zero carbs. Oftentimes the stepmill

8:00 am: Get back to newsroom and start to work on midday show

12:00 pm: Midday show goes on

12:30: Go home, eat and nap

2:30 pm: Get up and train

5:00 shower, eat and back in bed.


Kept that schedule for a couple weeks, but was tasked with booth producing another show. So that put another dent in things a bit, but nothing I couldn't manage.


All this happened around March after sweeps, so besides the goofy face and nappy head, this is how I was looking.....

Getting a little cut

I kept that schedule up until June.

The week of the show, I took a couple days off to finish prep.

                                                             ISSUES DURING PREP

I like to live alone. The thought of a roommate actually makes me want to hurl. I like my space, I like silence most times. So I had that, but it came with a cost. 

It was many a time I had to rob Peter to pay Paul....still do today sometimes. Shift payments down to other paydays, go into overdraft....but in January, I committed. Quitting was not an option. If some shit didn't get paid, guess what? It didn't get fucking paid. 

So obviously prep is a huge undertaking and food is not cheap. I had people help me out. Among them, Tim Rexius, my part time employer, Jeff McCray, my friends Dan, Mike and Kenneth. They also kept my head on straight during the process. Which wasn't easy. 

I just didn't have the finances or tools others had at their disposal, but I didn't let that deter me. And let's face it....I wasn't lean enough even though I tried my damndest.

                       

Show day in 2015

Most muscular in 2015

I did what I could with what I had and pushed the envelope. I didn't have much of a life during the show and didnt have one after. Prep pretty much depleted any funds I had, but I kept going. 

                                                            Chicago Wings of Strength

I wanted to stop, but again...I had to keep going. Had to try and avenge my shitty showing in Omaha. 

I shouldn't have. I looked about the same and the effort didn't reflect in the result. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret it, but I should have dropped out.

The following are from NPC Chicago Tim Gardner Extravaganza.

                             

                                                                     AFTERMATH 

I was happy prep was over...but I faced a little bit of mild depression where I essentially ate my feelings. The only person who's feeling fine and dandy after a show is the winner. And if a second place person is happy, good for them, but their competitiveness is not at it's highest potential. I really didn't want to talk about the show after. Because the shit kinda stung. But as with all things....you move on and I got my shit together and got back to training.


                                   COMMIT TO THE SUFFERING TO GET THE GLORY

I look at things differently than most, and it's due to my bodybuilding. If I bitched, I immediately reminded myself is that I chose to compete. No one else did.

I look at my professional life, and sure...it's not all sunshine and rainbows. I have issues with things, but I keep going. Bodybuilding has taught me you will have good days and bad days, but how you respond is completely up to you. I'm not going to have good newscasts everyday, but rather than bemoan, I let it go. the show is in the stratosphere and I move on.

I say all that to say this...commit to the hurt. Because you won't get to where you are going without pain. Sorry to tell you if your parents or friends told you different, but they suck for not telling you the truth.

And most importantly, never be a quitter, but know when shit is not going to work and move forward. Just re-direct your focus.

What's Good

I am bad at blogging....really bad. But making a conscious effort to turn the tide on it.

Since my last post, I had stopped training for a little over a month. I recently crossed the Burning Sands into the land of Omega. After six years of numerous screw-ups (on my part) I finally became a member of the GREATEST fraternity (not up for debate), The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

So now, whats next? The Memorial Holiday is over....I'm about to enter my sixth, solid week of training. So whats the goal?

1: Get stronger: Really, that's always a primary goal for me. I'm not a fan of light days, but they serve their purpose in the grand scheme of things. I always try to push the max amount of weight I can for whatever bodypart I'm training. Over the past year I've been able to build a good base amount of strength. So I know on days I feel shitty, I can handle decent weight on exercises, so that base strength isn't going anywhere.

2: Improve Leg and Back Development: I don't care how good of a bodybuilder you are....people can tell how much you work from how developed you back and legs are. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that you need to squat "x" weight for "y" reps and your legs will grow, but you certainly have to figure out what you need to put some size on them. And they have to be trained heavy for reps. Legs are a bitch to grow, and the more emphasis you can put on them (especially while you're young) the better off you'll be in the long run.

Back is another one of those bodyparts that show how obsessed you are with slinging some weight around. It's a very dense group that requires thickness and width.

My plan is to keep hitting the heavy stuff for both legs and back. I would also like to get back under a squat bar and get it in.

3: Improve Nutrition: Don't need to really expound on this.....it's pretty damn simple ( this should really be number one to be honest)

4: Take Control of My Own Training More: I don't work with a coach on my own programming, but I pay for tools and resources from more knowledgeable people than me. But it comes a point in time when you have to take what you know, experiment and see what you can do on your own.

That's about it....I have what I want to do, now it's just time to put it into action.

Training Evolution: From Magazines to Actual Things That Help

When I first started training there simply were not many resources like there are today.  You have YouTube, websites, Facebook, hell even Instagram has some quality guys on there giving tips (Coach Eugene Teo is an excellent resource on IG and he offers coaching).

So back in 1991 when I started this "never ending journey" I just had magazines. No books, because mom wasn't buying any.

Workouts were written in Flex and Muscle and Fitness. Laid out halfway decent too. But featured established bodybuilders routines, that often times didn't take into account things like tension, load, set and rep sequencing. Yes, it's bodybuilding and it doesn't need to be super complicated, but those things need to be taken into account when a program is put together.

What I'm saying is your training has to be more than what you read in a magazine. I only get them for pictures these days.

Why is the evolution of your own training important? Well for one, the body just doesn't work in a straight line. So things have to change at certain periods in time.

Second, the body just gets old. Load plays a role, but you can't go banana's with it as much as you could when you were younger. That's not to so say go light, but you. me and others aren't Ronnie Coleman. That heavy, ballistic style of training will catch up to you.

Same as volume....while there's rarely a "sweet spot" for volume, it can be played with until you find something that beats you good, yet doesn't debilitate you.

Another subject that wasn't really covered in magazines in direct terms is tension. All that means is to keep pressure on it. Usually it's done with slower movements or some type of rep tempo. I've gotten more into tension, due to the fact that things I just have to work around. Keeping a tempo helps me keep all the weight on the target muscles.

Variety plays a big role in training evolution. With so many variations available for bodyparts and how angles can be played with, a trainee can experiment with much. Just remember to keep a log of what works and what doesn't.

Training is rarely a straight line. many nooks and cranny's. These are just some of the things I've found along the way in my own evolution. And thanks to many coaches, authors, etc....it continues to grow.

The List: Strength and Fitness Resources for 2017

So, It's officially 2017...and you're wanting to get in shape, tighten up, gain some discipline and all that.

But you have zero idea of where to start. That's fine, I have your back.

These are some of the resources that have helped me get better over the years.

Elitefts.com

This is possibly the best resource I have ever come across for strength training. While you may say to yourself "I don't want to be strong," your goal will require the use of some strength. Because getting a tight ass wont work with just a bar honey.

Coaching logs, videos, exercise index....you name it, they got it.

Lift-Run-Bang

Paul Carter has spent a good bit of time under the bar, and has helped trained the normal everyday person, to competitive bodybuilders/powerlifters all the way up to IFBB Pro's.  He recently teamed up with strength coach Christian Thib to release the Maximum Muscle Bible. He touches on more than just training as well.

Ashman Strength Systems

Jay Ashman is another strength coach with considerable time under the bar. Another trainer who's worked with a variety of folks across the spectrum.  He has an ebook on his site as well, which is available for purchase.

Jim Wendler-Creator of 5/3/1

This is the program that took me to a 600 lb squat. Jim lay's out the program simple and easy to understand. It's very basic. So if you're looking for bells and whistles....forget it.

While he doesn't have a website, Brandon Lilly is the creator of the Cube Method. It's helped me experience success in powerlifting after I stopped using 5/3/1. You can get the Cube Method at Juggernaut Strength Systems.

These are just some of the BASIC resources I advise people look up. Yes, a lot are powerlifting based...but your workouts have not been working more than likely, so step outside your comfort zone and try something new.

And no ladies.....you won't turn into a man if you get stronger.

Good luck.