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Mission Grand Prix: 120 days to go!

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Mission Grand Prix Is Born

About 5 months ago I came to the owner of the Metroflex Gym in Long Beach to discuss my situation. I explained to him that I had been stuck at the same weight and fat percentage for months and that I was getting frustrated. He talked with me, took a look at my training and examined my nutrition. He agreed to work with me to get me to my goals. About 3 weeks into the program I announced to him that I had always wanted to step on stage for a bodybuilding competition. As a competitive bodybuilder himself, he encouraged me to pick a date and go for it. As I examined the calendar, April 14, 2012 jumped out at me. The NPC Amateur Grand Prix in Culver City, California would be where I would make my entrance into the world of bodybuilding.

Transformation Process

I started out at 32% body fat and 240 lbs. on the scale.

Day1

Day2

Day3

Today I am at 19% body fat and 225 lbs. on the scale. I’ve lost 30 lbs. of fat and gained 15 lbs. of lean body mass.

FrontRelaxed

SideRelaxed

BackRelaxed

FrontLat

RearLat

My Thoughts on This Mission Grand Prix

The idea of doing the work doesn’t scare me at all. Honestly, even the idea of not doing well isn’t on my mind at all. I know I am not only going to get the job done, but I am going to kill it on stage. I have an amazing support system in my family, my trainer and my posing coach. I am working hard at nutrition and training. I am overcoming every obstacle placed in my way. I want to do this for myself, but I also want other 46 year old men to realize that it is never too late to get yourself into shape. If I can do it, anyone can do it!

Posing

As mentioned, I have a posing coach, Ken Turchek, and he is putting me through the paces. We had our first session yesterday. I was very surprised at both the tricks to getting your muscles to pop as well as how difficult posing really is. Ken is going to work with me to perfect my posing techniques. Together we will present the best body at the 2011 Amateur Grand Prix.

Nutrition and Training

My trainer and nutritionist is Chris Albert. He has just finished work on an eBook called Getting to Shredded and having personally utilized the principles in that book, I can highly recommend his methods. The way he works reminds me a lot of everything I was taught by my friend and mentor, Carlos DeJesus. Chris works me hard and feeds me well. He has my metabolism running on high.

The Next 17 Weeks

Today marks 120 days until the show. That means I have 17 weeks to get into ripped shape. I know I am going to get there. My contest dieting begins on January 1, 2012. I am changing up my training a bit at that point as well. I will be pushing hard to win this thing! I appreciate your support.

My Challenge To You

If you are reading this post I have a challenge for you. Tell me (in the comments below) what is the ONE thing that keeps you from getting into the best shape of your life. I look forward to reading your comments. Please help me along this journey towards a successful bodybuilding debut.

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Mastering the Hinge Technique

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Hip Hinge Developing the posterior chain is very important when it comes to your ability to lift heavier and heavier weights. A strong posterior chain is needed for squats, deadlifts, overhead press and every other spinal load exercise you can do. In developing a strong posterior chain, the hinge technique plays a huge role.

The hinge is an explosive technique that involves a dynamic hip snap. You see it in Olympic lifts all the time. While the squat is called the King of Lifts, it isn’t possible to squat properly without good hinge technique. A powerful hinge will improve hamstring flexibility, help you avoid injuries, and give you better control on lifts like the squat and deadlift. Some say that the hinge is the single most powerful movement pattern you can perform. I can personally attest to the power of the hinge movement as I have improved my squat by using this pattern.

 

 

This is a list of some great articles to read in your quest to master the hinge technique.

  1. The Metabolic Swing – great article that explains the concept in detail.
  2. Hardcore Hinging for Hamstrings – a great article about using the movement pattern with hamstring training.
  3. Excelling at the Big Lifts – another great article about improving your squat and deadlift by improving your hinge technique.
  4. Quick Trick on Teaching the Hip Hinge and Mastering the Deadlift – good article (with videos) that explains the hip hinge
  5. TRX Hip Hinge – a great video introducing the this movement pattern using TRX suspension straps.

Take the time to master the hinge and you will see a massive improvement in your posterior chain. This is an area that is neglected by athletes and average Joes as well. Join the club that understands and works the hinge movement pattern on a regular basis by going through this list I have provided to you.

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8 Tools for Total Gym Domination

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Everyone who likes to train and go hard has their favorite tools. My gym tool belt includes 8 tools for total gym domination.

  Arm Blaster. This thing helps you keep your elbows back and stops you from using momentum when doing any curling exercises for your biceps. While it is a newer tool in my tool belt, it has been quite effective.
  Quad Blaster. This one was invented by my mentor, Carlos DeJesus, and it gives an incredible quad workout. It removes the pressure put on your spine by squats, but gives you all the benefits of squatting. I like to insert this into my training on a regular basis.
  Vibram Five Fingers. I love training in these shoes because of the barefoot feeling they give me. I love deadlifting and squatting while wearing my Vibrams. I feel more connected to the floor when using these shoes.
  Ab Wheel. My core has always been one of the weakest aspects of my body. I have found that by starting out slowly with the ab wheel and working towards more and more difficulty my core has slowly improved. The consistent use of this thing will definitely add core strength to anyone.
  The Rotater. This thing is the best device ever created for shoulder flexibility. I find that as I get older my shoulder joints were getting very tight. Using the Rotater has improved my flexibility as well as my rotater cuff strength.
  Jungle Gym XT. Most of you have heard of the TRX Suspension Trainer. This is, in my opinion, the better alternative to the TRX Suspension Trainer. The Jungle Gym XT has been an awesome addition to my bodybuilding workouts.
  Pullup Revolution Pro. If you are like me and had difficulty completing one pull up, this device is for you. I use this twice a week and I can now do one unassisted pull up (after just 4 weeks of consistent use). It is a great tool for improving pull ups.
  APT Lifting Straps. When I get to the point that I am hitting weight that causes my grip to fail before the muscle group I am working, I put on my APT Lifting Straps and crank out the reps. They are very high quality straps put out by a reputable powerlifting supplier.

As you can see, the tools I use are varied, but I find that they improve the effectiveness of my training. Getting an edge is what the tools are all about. The tools I list above are my main weapons of choice, but they are by no means the only weapons I use to gain an edge. Tell us about your weapons of choice by leaving a comment below.

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The Mind Muscle Connection

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Mind Muscle ConnectionOne of the most important lessons I've learned from my adviser is the need for a very strong mind muscle connection when training. He has stressed this to me on every single body part. When I first trained with him I had a hard time feeling my hamstrings. Since he wanted me to improve my squat and that involved feeling my hamstrings, I was given homework. I was told to walk a mile and pay attention to my hamstrings during that walk. I was told to do my best to feel the hamstrings as I walked. To my surprise, this worked quite well.

I took advantage of my latest training session to put together a short video about feeling the mind muscle connection.

 

Mind Muscle Connection – Video

[pro-player]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqeNNSLmkIo[/pro-player]

As you can see from the video, the squeeze of the shoulder blades is very important for back training. My adviser tells me that most people don't do that very well. They pump out the repetitions, but don't pay attention to getting a good squeeze in the back. As you can see in the video, taking the time to arch the back properly, pulling with the elbows and squeezing and holding at the bottom of the movement is essential for getting everything from the exercise. Form is very important for the first two sets, but on the third set a little cheating is allowed because the weight gets very heavy.

The next time you get into the gym see if you can make that mind muscle connection with whatever body part you are training that day. Pay attention to how the muscle feels throughout the full range of motion during the exercise. You will find that you are much more sore the next day when you train with these things in mind.

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The Training Mindset

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The Training MindsetThe training mindset is so important when you enter the gym. Why do I believe this? The biggest block to your success is your mind. Everything else could be in alignment, but if your mind is not willing you will fail. This is why you need to be sure that  your mindset is right when you enter the gym.

A training mindset is one where you are ready to give everything you have to the workout. You should not leave the gym with a shred of energy to do more. You should feel as though you couldn't have done one more repetition on any exercise.

Your training mindset should have you in the place where you know you are going to experience discomfort, but you are ready and willing to overcome it. As my mentor, Carlos DeJesus, has said, you need to be prepared to “go beyond” in order to grow bigger. When you are doing a set of shoulder raises, don't stop just because things get uncomfortable. Push through the discomfort and finish the set.

If your training mindset is something that is holding you back it is time to make some adjustments. My son, Matthew, and I have a term — Beast. When we hit the gym our job is to be a Beast (capital B). Being a Beast means adjusting your training mindset to endure the discomfort and fatigue you undoubtedly will experience during a worhtwhile training session. It means killing it on every repetition. It means never giving up. These things will cause an adjustment to your training mindset that will simply elevate your training to the next level.

Once you've experienced a modification of your training mindset you will be able to make the mental adjustments as needed. You will learn to recognize when things are just not quite right in your training mindset. At that point you will be in complete control of your training.

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