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Operation Get Swole Week 1 Report

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Operation get Swole

 

This is the end of Week 1 of Operation Get Swole. As mentioned in another post, the mission didn't start off well. Some unforeseen circumstances that were not part of my plan got in the way, but I didn't quite and now know I will just have to push harder.

Weight Training Update

Date/Body Part Exercise Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5
2/2/2013 – Legs Hack Squat 140 x 15 230 x 15 320 x 15 370 x 15  
  Leg Extension 150 x 15 160 x 15 170 x 15    
  Lying Leg Curl 130 x 15 135 x 15 140 x 15    
  Standing Calf 300 x 15 300 x 15 300 x 15    
  Leg Press 540 x 25 450 x 35 360 x 50 270 x 75   
             
 2/7/2013  1 Arm DB Curl 20 x 10 20 x 10 20 x 10    
  Standing BB Curl 55 x 10 55 x 10 55 x 10    
  Cable Curl 60 x 15 70 x 15 80 x 15    
  Tricep Rope Pushdown 90 x 15 130 x 15 170 x 15    
  Rope Overhead Tricep 90 x 15 110 x 15 130 x 15    

Cardio Training Update

Date Exercise Time
2/2/2013 Treadmill intervals 00:30:00
2/5/2013 Stepmill 00:30:00
2/6/2013 Treadmill with Jumping Jacks 00:30:00
2/7/2013 Treadmill intervals 00:30:00
2/8/2013 Stepmill 00:30:00

Nutrition Update

I have been eating 300 grams of protein daily and taking in 200 grams of carboydrates. I have kept on track with my supplementation (all of it). My water intake is up to 1 gallon a day now (again). 

Mental Update

This is the key element for me. I think this is where most people fail. During my last contest preparation cycle I had to drop out because of some major personal issues. This time the week started with some issues that I had not foreseen, but instead of giving in to them I made a concerted effort to focus more. My mindset is strong right now. I want this and I am going to get it. I have had major stress with work issues, but I am tackling those things as well. Keeping your head in the game is going to be one major key to your success. Contest preparation is about convincing yourself that you can and will do whatever it takes. 

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Initial Operation Get Swole Report

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Operation get Swole

 

Operation Get Swole has started but with a whimper. Unfortunately, life has gotten in the way, but that is now under control. I have not had the booming start I wanted even though I launched the mission with a brutal leg workout. I am now back to a major focused effort. 

[pro-player width='420′ height='315′ type='video']http://www.youtube.com/embed/GCKNzEYCDUc[/pro-player]

There is a lesson to be learned from my situation. Just because  a mission or a goal doesn't go as planned does not mean you should throw in the towel. Too many people do that. They get started on a program and they don't do it exactly as they planned, so they give up. That's the surest way to failure–giving up. In my case, 8 weeks was a push and 7.5 weeks will be even more of a push, but it is a push I am willing to take. You need to have that same attitude. Learning from the mistakes of others costs us very little because it enables us to avoid making mistakes others have made.

Never give up and never surrender–that's my motto. Live it and you will start to achieve things you never thought were possible.

 

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Operation Get Swole!

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Operation get Swole

[pro-player width='420′ height='315′ type='video']http://youtu.be/ilzQ1fkslfY[/pro-player]

Starting on February 1, 2013 and ending on March 29, 2013 (8 weeks) I will be conducting Operation Get Swole which will be a clean bulking mission. My goal will be to gain a lot of mass in that 8 week period of time while bringing out my six pack as well. I want to be ripped and big. I want to be in even better shape than I am right now.

This effort is going to require some major focus and effort on my part. I am going to have to take my training to an even higher level. My nutritional discipline will need to be extreme as well. The effort I will put in will result in some major changes no matter what, but my goal is to be big and lean. As a reader of this blog you will be able to follow my progress here on these very pages. I will do a weekly update with pictures starting on 2/1/2013. If you are interested in contest preparation, this is the place to come. I am a regular guy doing contest preparation. You can learn from my mistakes and benefit from everything I learn going into it.

If you are even the slightest bit interested in what someone goes through to prepare for a contest, this is the place to be. I will hold back nothing. I am going to present my findings in diary format. You will be reading exactly what I'm thinking as I go through this mission. It is going to be amazing. It is going to test my willpower. However, I will not fail. I am going to succeed and be in the shape I am looking to be in. I will bring up weak body parts through a variety of means. I will lean out to bring out the best of my physique. You will be amazed at what you see.

As you follow my progress you will learn:

  • The proper tactics and strategies for contest preparation.
  • Cardio strategies for burning fat while maximizing muscle retention.
  • Weight training strategies for maximizing muscle gain while emphasizing fat burning.
  • Nutrtional strategies for building muscle and burning fat.
  • Mental strategies for getting through low-carb dieting and intense weight training.
  • Insight into a bodybuilder's thoughts as s/he goes through contest preparation cycles.

I am ready to reveal all as I go through this process. I am an open book. Transparency is going to be the name of the game. Please comment and hold me accountable. Enjoy the video. There will be plenty more to come.

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Contest Preparation Journal – 5 Weeks Out

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Excalibur 2012

Friends, it is with great disappointment that I am announcing my withdrawal from the Excalibur contest on December 1, 2012. Certain issues have kept me from focusing completely on the goal and I do not want to give less than 100% effort to the cause. After much contemplation, I consulted with my coach and decided not to continue contest preparation at this time.

However, because I have been having great results I am going to continue training and eating the way I was during contest prep. My goal will be to bring up lagging body parts. Thus, my new focus is going to look something like this:

  • Leg  training – weekly
  • Biceps training – 3x a week ( 1 pump style and 2 heavy and use different angles every time)
  • Triceps training – 3x a week (1 pump style and 2 heavy and use different angles every time)
  • Back training – 2x a week (1 for thickness and 1 for width)
  • Chest training – 2x a week (heavy weights)
  • Shoulders – weekly (aim for hitting every head and hitting the traps at each shoulder training)

I will continue with the supplements I've been using and the regimen that has been working for me. Watch for major success in the future as I grow to a size I've never been before.

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Excalibur Contest Prep Journal – 6 Weeks Out

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Excalibur 2012

Excalibur is now 6 weeks out and I am in the best shape I've been in. At the same time, I am starting to panic. Some personal issues in my life are starting to interfere with consistent training and nutrition. I have to re-focus myself and fast or I am going to let this slip away. That simply is not an option for me. These are the times that discipline followed without any thought is what I need.

I have been leaning down nicely and gaining muscle. I am looking much more ripped now than I did when I stepped on stage on April 14, 2012, yet I am 20 pounds heavier. That's thanks to the muscle I've built since April. I have worked hard at improving my physique in areas where it needs improvement. I am working certain body parts 3 times per week. I am pushing harder and harder–until this week!

This week I was not getting enough sleep. That lack of sleep took down my motivation levels tremendously. It is not something I have a lot of control over either. Just things on my mind that are keeping me from getting the job done. This is something that is very important to me and I will not allow myself to fail. I've come too far and my preparation coach has done too much work for me to allow failure to be an option.

I am now changing the way I am thinking about this. I am allowing myself to be OK with missing a couple of workouts in the past. I am not going to be OK with it going forward though. By changing my thinking and accepting that I've made some mistakes in the past week, I am giving myself permission to move forward. It will make a difference if I let it.

I am still training instinctively. I don't stick to a split anymore. I just train what needs training on a particular day, focusing on building lagging body parts. It works well. If you are tired of worrying about splits, give this method a try.

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