Michael C - My Journey towards breaking my bodybuilding competition virginity

[Mylissa1]

Simple and not easy!! Love it!! Sometimes the simplest of routines are the toughest!!! Have a good one Michael!!

[Michael C]

Originally Posted by bluespower

Michael I will def let you know what I think as you go through this..So far in just the short time you have been training like this I am really into it..It is so different from anything I have ever done. And I am really interested in hearing what you think of it as you go!lol But like I said this is very different than anything I have done and its new to me. Many exercises you are doing I have to try and google to see what you are doing.lol Is this training inspired by any specific training routine?

Thanks for explaining that military press. That exercise sounds awesome! Def something I would love to try when I am able..I am sure there is numerous things you will do in this training routine I can learn from which is always exciting! And you are right, strength and fitness is about a lot more than max strength on a free weight exercise..Some of the best athletes are not some of the best bench pressers or squatters ect..And it also shows how specific in nature exercises tend to be. No doubt what you are doing is increasing your strength and fitness levels!

I don't know if you have read these articles? but just incase you have not here you go..They are a great read and if you have not read them enjoy

http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/...basics-part-1/
http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/...Basics-Part-2/
http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/...basics-part-3/

Cool I can't wait to hear what you think of this new training philosphy. Its as new to me as it is to you ad so it will be a terrific learning process full of great gains. Its inspired by a guy called Mark Lauren in addition to my desire to make the most of what I have in that no matter where I am or what I am doing, I will always be progressing in some form. Check Mark Lauren out and type him in google, he wrote a book which I bought a while ago and I thought it was a fantastic book.

NO worries and yeah its an awesome exercise. Hopefully its something else you can have in your archive of exercises so that when your shoulder issue heals you will be able to give it a go!

Thanks for posting those articles. I havn't quite found the time to check them out, but I sure will do lol. Mike Robertson is another legend in the field..I love reading his articles too!

I hope your hectic day went ok. I know nothing can beat you down.

Thanks again!

[Michael C]

Originally Posted by Mylissa1

Simple and not easy!! Love it!! Sometimes the simplest of routines are the toughest!!! Have a good one Michael!!

Absolutley! I couldn't agree more.Thanks Lissa you too!!

[Michael C]

Hey guys,

I will update the thread when I get a nice period to write it down.

In the mean time, I would like to share this story that I read today. I hope it moves you as it did me!


A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive
through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Time is short, Wake Up and LIVE!

[bluespower]

Wow michael that really moved me too! I am so happy you found and took the time to post this and share it with us. reading this was the highlight of my day

[Mylissa1]

I saw that on FB and it had the picture of the lady....made me cry like a baby!! Have an awesome weekend Michael!

[Michael C]

Originally Posted by bluespower

Wow michael that really moved me too! I am so happy you found and took the time to post this and share it with us. reading this was the highlight of my day

I'm glad it made your day sean. and no worries. Its stories like that, that really help lift our spirits and show us that there is so much worth living for and to try to appreciate every moment! Catch up with you soon

Originally Posted by Mylissa1

I saw that on FB and it had the picture of the lady....made me cry like a baby!! Have an awesome weekend Michael!

Its an amazing story and I am sure you weren't the only one. Thanks lissa and you too!

[Michael C]

Finally got my butt into gear and am updating my WO's for this past week lool


Tues 1.5.12

Legs+Core *Ladders*


WU - SMR, pogo hops, mobility drills

Alternating 1-leg (assisted) Squats
9 (half a ladder)

Alternating reverse lunges w/ 6 sec hold at bottom position (weighted backpack used)

Hip Extns (feet raised on a chair)

Supermans

Stairway to calf heaven (weighted backpack)
finished off w/ partials and negative reps


Cool Down - Static stretching


Weds 2.5.12

Active Recovery

AM:
Counterpreparatory movemnts, micromvts (i.e tiny shoulder circles), SMR (chest, upper back, calfs, ITB's, Rectus Fem and glutes)
Mobility drills;- High knee walk, 1-leg RDL, High knee walk to forward lunge, squat to stand, wall hip flexor mobs, OH lunge walk, split-stance kneeling adductor mobs, walking spiderman, seated 90/90 mobs, cradle walks, split-stance hip swivels, kneeling glute mobs, 1-leg supine bridge (I suck at these lol), side-lying clams, thoracic extn on roller, bent-over thoracic rotation, forearm wall slides, no money drill, scap wall slides, prone Y raise (need to practise wall slides more before progressing to this), supine chin tuck, nod+lift, quadruped chin tuck.

PM:
SMR- (Chest, upper back, rectus femoris, glutes)
Static stretching- single wall pec stretch, leaning wall tricep stretch, forearm wrist flexor stretch, Kneeling hip-butt stretch, kneeling wide-stance adductor stretch, cross leg glute stretch, knee-to-knee stretch, 3-point band hamstirng stretch, ITB strech.



Thurs 3.5.2012

Push/Pull *Ladders*

WU - SMR, pogo hops, star jumps, mobility drills

Alternating 1-arm push-up w/ hands elevated to above waist height surface

Assisted Pull-ups

Military Press

Towel let-me ins

CG Push-ups

Ledge curls

book swivels
The claw

Cool down - static stretching


Fri 4.5.12

Legs+core *Ladders*

WU - SMR, pogo hops, mobility drills

Alternating assisted 1-leg squats

Alternating Side lunges w/ 3 sec hold at bottom position (initially used a weighted back pack, but took it off as couldn't complete them with good form)

Alternating 1-leg SLSLDL w/ foot on pillow

Sissy Squats

Iron Crosses w/leg lift w/ bent legs


Cool Down - Static Stretching


Sat 5.5.12

Weak point training

WU - pogo hops, mobility drills

Alternate stairway to calf heaven
*(I had a weighted backpack and a 5 gallon bucket with as much stuff in as possible. Holding the bucket I started with as many standing calf raises on my left foot as possibe then I put the bucket down, leaned down and bent my knee and do another 10 reps of bent leg donkey calf raises and then lastly standing back up without the bucket and performing another ten reps of standing calf raises. Then I grabed the bucket and switched legs and then I moved onto the next step. For a total of 7 steps.)
This was tough and I made it too tough in the sense that I couldn't complete 10 reps on any of the steps after the first. I had to significantly reduce the load. Next time I will not put nearly as much on so that I can perform these more properly next time. But it was still awesome!!

The Cliffhanger
*standing on one foot on the edge of a stairor any stable platform. Only the ball of my foot and toes would be touching the surface without holding onto anything!*
I could only manage 20-25 secs, so I performed 3 sets on each leg..shesh.


*Stappers*- for 15mins non-stop

6 Divebombers
8 reverse-grip let-me-ups
5 Semi Planche push-ups (woo what a killer exercise)
Thumbs up with poll-off modification

Grip holds


Cool Down - Static Stretching



Sun 6.5.12

Active Recovery

AM:
Counterpreparatory movements, 300 pogo hops, 100 star jumps
mobility drills (see wednesday above) but with the added variations of OH Lunge with posterolateral reach, walking spiderman with hip lift and reach, squat-to-stand with thoracic extn and rotation, goblet squat, prisoner squats.


PM: SMR (chest, upper back, rectus femoris + glutes)
Static stretching (see wednesday)




Ahh so that wraps it up for this week. These past two weeks I have been using ladders as the main style of WO, this has been emphasising more muscle endurance as well as to help improve my movement proficiency with these exercises (even though I still have a long way to go). However now the emphasis will now change to a 2-week strength block primarily focused on building strength. So this will be great! At the moment I am utilising linear periodisation but in about 4 weeks this will change to daily undulating periodisation.

So lots to look forward to! As well as this I will be making every effort to put into action a solid and consistent (lol) regime of SMR and mobility exercises to help correct some of my imbalances.

I also wanted to post this quote by Jason Ferrugia. This really hit home with me as I know I am a massive worry'er when it comes to small things like calories, what exercises to put in my WO and what foods I should have today etc. I know this is a massive flaw and this quote will really help me practise and help eliminate it so I can become a better person. I hope that it helps any of you guys that may be reading this thread!

Jason Ferruggia, The Renegade
I specialize in helping skinny guys gain size and strength. One thing that is probably the biggest thing holding these guys back is their never ending worrying. They over-think and over-analyze everything, much to their detriment. They obsessively count calories and change their diets and workouts every week, then they wonder if they are overtraining or not doing enough. They second guess EVERYTHING.

This type of constant worrying is hurtful in so many ways--regardless of your goal. First, you never get anywhere. If you always second guess what you’re doing and don’t believe in it you will never make progress. NEVER. Do you think Arnold or Dorian Yates or Walter Payton or Michael Jordan lived with constant worrying and doubt? Of course not. They went to the gym or field every day and worked their asses off with complete confidence that they were doing exactly what it took to be the best. They weren’t switching up their workouts or their shooting or running style each week.

When you lean to worry less about things like this you can actually start to enjoy your training and your life. For too many people today, training is a source of stress more than a stress relief. Stop over thinking it and learn to enjoy the process.

Of course, just telling someone not to worry isn’t enough. If only it were that easy. Learning to worry less is a skill. And like any skill you want to master it must be practiced religiously. This is no different than learning to play the guitar or perform the Olympic lifts. You need to read books like “F*ck It” and anything by Leo Babauta. Associate yourself with people who have already mastered this skill. And look to guys who seem physically incapable of worrying or hearing negativity of any kind, like Donald Trump and Magic Johnson.

Assign a reward and punishment to your behaviors. Let others know what your goal is and then whenever they hear you expressing these negative thoughts they are to call you on it.

Eventually this will improve just like any other skill you constantly practice. And when it does you will be leaner, stronger, healthier, happier and more successful.

[Michael C]

Start of 2 week strength block

Monday 7.5.12

Push day

*Interval sets - 3 sets per exercise in ideally the 6-12 rep range but depends. 3 minute intervals for each set. Start at 0 minutes then go to failure or 12 reps whichever is first and rest for the remainder of the interval. First set begins at 0 minutes, 2nd set at 3 minutes and 3rd set at 6 minutes then move on. At least one set on each exercise will take me to failure*

1-arm push-ups w/ hands elevated
12, 12 (lower platform) 6 + 5 negative reps

Dive Bombers
12, 10, 10

Military press w/ feet elevated on chair
8, 10, 12

Dips (with weighted backpack)
6, 12, ? hit failure but then continued to perform negative reps untill time expired

Forearm Curls (felxion and extn.) + swivels (pronation+supination)
3 sets of each mvt, reps ??



Great WO today. Really enjoyed this one as it felt really fresh and a nice change from the ladders. I felt really positive after this one and am excited as always for tomorrow

[bluespower]

damn bro your mobility work is thorough!! And you do a lot of very advanced stuff! See wat I wrote to you in my journal about clamshells!lol Do you use bands for your clamshells? That is awesome you have included them. I am only on my 2nd week of 1-leg supine bridges and suck at them too and allready this morning I was doing them better..You will get them in no time.

Your stretching is great too as is your rolling! WTG Michael!! What are "Semi Planche push-ups" Love the way you did those calf raises with the 5gallon bucket..You have managed to create an insanely difficult training routine with the bare essentials. Outstanding my friend!

undulating periodisation FTW!lol I cannot wait to see your strength blick with this routine. I can only imagine what kind of torture you are about to put yourself through!lol It is Great to see you working on being consistent with the tissue work and stretching ect..Keep it up!

That is a great post about the worrying ect..It can be a thin line between analyzing things in a good way and over analyzing it. I have def over analyzed it and worried..But like he said its something you gotta work at.

Love the way you set up the intervals for your push day..Your training right now is so much fun!

Btw here is a vid with Layne
http://rxmuscle.com/videos/iatrainin...-deadlift.html