Rob's 2021 Contest Prep Log - Round 3

Yikes, sorry to hear that! Slow and steady, better to work around the problem than through it! How did your workout go? Any pain?

Thank you very much, great to have you on board!

Thank you so much my friend! Really excited to bring some serious conditioning in the legs, thatā€™s always been my weak point in terms of conditioning, Iā€™ve never reached that final dialed in lines-in-my-glutes level. This is the year!

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Yeah I hear ya. Was able to put a few more pounds on the bar today so going in the right direction. About 95% recovered right now. Have a call into the doc to see if we can do a little better.
Looking great btw. Been following your progress. Diet looks tough. Good luck with your bicep.

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Good to see you back. I will be following as well :raised_hand:t2:

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@Gorillakiv83 great to have you on the thread, good to see you on here again!!

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Progress continues! Weight for todayā€™s check in was 150.7, same as last weekā€™s, so Cliff has made some adjustments in macros and cardio.

Current normal day macros: 220p, 140c, 53f
New normal day macros: 210p, 125c, 53f

Re-feed day macros havenā€™t changed, they are still: 190p, 305c, 51f

Cardio - 3 LISS - 15min each (was 2 sessions per week, now itā€™s 3)

BUT! I just finished the 3rd phase of a 3 phase training plan Cliff gave me which took 13 weeks to complete. He told me to take 4 days off completely, and up carbs to 180g per day to help with recovery, before implementing the new macros. Woo! He also gave me a new 12 week training plan which will take me just about to peak week for the first show on March 27, currently 11 weeks and 5 days out.

I am really excited for 4 full days off. Cliff is a fan of full off days, rather than de-load, as ultimately it will aid recovery and progress more significantly, and when I get started training again on Friday Iā€™ll be fresh and ready to push hard to the show.

As weā€™re getting closer to the show Iā€™m also going to start implementing posing practice sessions daily starting Friday after my off days, and will need to come up with a new posing routine. Iā€™m going to hold off on constructing the routine for now but will definitely be practicing posing each day. I usually like to do it after the gym, right before dinner. If I do it earlier in the day it tends to wipe me out and workouts arenā€™t as productive.

I did officially register for the show as well on March 27, ordered and received my tanning products. Iā€™ll be using Jan Tana based on Cliffā€™s recommendations, Iā€™ve usually used Pro Tan so this will be my first time with Jan Tana, then a topical layer of Dream Tan on show day.

SUPER PUMPED for these recovery days and then pushing hard to the show!

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Taking 4 days straight off would so mess with my head.

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I definitely used to feel the same! After going through the prep this way so far it has solidified even more for me that days off are GOOD, help progress, and are needed to keep the momentum going. Nothing will change with 3-4 days off as long as nutrition is still in line, your body will thank you for it!

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Couple shots from my check in earlier this week:

Feeling good after 3 days off of training. Iā€™m going to get back in the gym today, Cliff gave me an optional 4th day off but we did add in an extra cardio session so I want to be sure I can get all three sessions in this week. I do have an extra day of higher carbs today which I am certainly grateful for! Iā€™ve been on 140g carbs a day for about 4-5 weeks now, so getting 180g a few days in a row really seems like a lot.

Currently weā€™re a little over 11 weeks out now and are feeling good about where I am now, and where Iā€™ll be by show day. Getting ready to order some new posing trunks and starting to get logistics organized for the weekend, getting real!

Overall this prep feels noticeably easier than the others. Part of it is definitely a mental approach and the fact that it is my third competitive season, I know what to expect and am more used to it. But also the reality that physically itā€™s been much easier on my body helps tremendously as well. It doesnā€™t quite feel as much like a prep as the others because it hasnā€™t been grueling yet, and the suffering has a lot to do in my mind with relating to a contest prep. That being said, it is definitely going to get harder as we continue moving towards stage conditioning, and Iā€™m ready for it.

Life wise things are picking up as real estate typically picks up right after the new year, which is the case here. November and December not as much going on due to the nature of the holidays, people donā€™t really want to move around that time unless they have to. Things have picked up very quickly, so it will certainly take a lot of additional discipline with the schedule to ensure my family time, real estate business, music business and prep can all function together.

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Back looks sick dude!

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Looking peeled mate

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I canā€™t wrap my head around the fact that you weigh just 150. Iā€™m 5ā€™9 and I looked like a toothpick (with a stomach buldge lol) when I weighed 150

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@wanna_be and @ChongLordUno, thank you very much guys!

@whang, yeah man I get that a lot, mostly though just when people see a picture of me by myself and itā€™s hard to gauge. Reminder Iā€™m only 5ā€™4", hereā€™s a pic of me when I recently finished a couple rounds of P90X and got lean for the first time, I was about 133 here and it was about 9-10 years ago.

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Legs today, first week of the new program. Long workout but nothing was super high reps, mostly in the 4-12 range with a few exercises of 20 reps at the end of abduction, adduction and calves. Quick shot from after the workout, currently knocking out 15min cardio.

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Looking awesome!!! Keep up the good work!!

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Looking great! If I had a physique like that Iā€™d be a very happy man.

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@s.gentz @caesium32 thank you very much gentlemen, I appreciate that and the motivation helps a lot!

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Robā€¦ Youā€™re always very inspiring! :wink:

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Thank you so much my man, I really appreciate that!