I have always wanted to keep better track of my progress through the adventures of contest preparation, and this year I stuck to my word and kept tight records! I hope this provides someone some inspiration and something to learn from. Take a look at my journey through the last 18 months as I have prepared for the Ronnie Coleman/Gasp Classic of 2013 in the Men’s open light heavyweight division!

Fall 2011.

I competed twice in the fall of 2011, once as a middleweight at the Heart of Texas in September and once as a middleweight at the Texas State Championships. 2011 was an interesting year for me, I had gotten up to around 218 pounds which was the highest weight I had been at but suffered a fully ruptured bicep in February 2011. Recovery was quick and I trained the rest of my body throughout the whole recovery period and after 14 weeks of not using my left arm I was able to train full tilt again. About 6 weeks after this recovery I was around 194 pounds and started my prep for the fall shows. I won’t go through the prep but here a few photos from last year. I placed second in both contests.

Offseason 2012.

Immediately following the shows in 2011 I started working with Skip Hill (teamskip.net) for my offseason program. I wanted to take my first full year off from competing in 6 years since I began bodybuilding competitively.   All in all it was a successful offseason, I was able to put on a good amount of muscle and it felt good to train full steam with all 4 limbs in working order! In hindsight, I wish I would’ve periodized my training better. I pushed 100% most of the offseason which sounds good but I think it held my gains back. I can remember a few points in the offseason where I was pushing harder and the results were getting worse (losing strength, bodyweight dropping), this should’ve been the point I took a couple weeks off and lowered my training frequency for a bit then pushed full steam. I would also like to note that I used the West Side Barbell Club split for about 2 months during the offseason which is very different from any bodybuilding split I have ever done. I did hit a personal record of a 405 pound raw bench press in the gym, which was a great accomplishment for me.

This takes us to December of 2012. After returning from a cruise vacation with Tawna and our friends Howard and Stephanie, I was tipping the scale at 220 pounds! Late November early December I spoke with Jonathan Irizarry about him handling my contest prep for the Ronnie Colmean Classic of 2013. Jonathan had done some great work in 2012 with his clients and we made the decision to work together for 2013. Having had such a long break I was anxious to diet so we started my official program on December 1, 2012; right at  6 months away from the show. The plan was to stick to the program 95%, enjoying the holidays though without worrying about being too strict.

6 months out.

Here are the photos from 6 months out. We started my program with A LOT of clean food, more than I really wanted. It was tough for me to eat the meals and if I cheated it was usually by missing some of a meal as opposed to adding to them. My macros looked something like this:

Bodyweight:220 pounds

Macros: 315 grams protein, 415 grams carbs, 92 g fat: 3750 calories

Cardio: We also started with cardio of 25 minutes low intensity 4 days per week.

11 weeks out

We really didn’t change a whole heck of a lot for the month’s of December and January. Just a few minor tweaks here and there, the program changes really started about 11-12 weeks out.

Here are some photos from 11 weeks out and my macros looked something like this:

Bodyweight: 201

Macros:280g protein, 325g carbs, 70g fat:  3,050 calories

Cardio: 30 minutes of moderate intensity stairs, 5 days per week.

Comments: It was obvious by my bodyweight dropping and by my midsection getting “firmer” I was dropping bodyweight but at this point I was still eating WAY more than I was used to at this point in the prep. It was harder on me mentally to keep eating so much food than it was to be dieting. To be honest I didn’t still even feel like I was getting ready for a show even though I had realistically been closely monitoring my food and cardio for over 2 months now.  I think I put on some good muscle throughout the first part of the prep Jonathan did a great job really getting my metabolism cranking that would set up the rest of the prep very well.

6 weeks out.

From the 11-12 week out point I saw a LOT of changes. I still wasn’t feeling like I was dieting much. I had one cheat meal at the 8 week out marker after Tawna finished the Arnold Classic, but other than that it had been 100% since January without a cheat meal. Which was fine because I still felt like I was eating a lot compared to my normal preps.  Here’s a look at 6 weeks out, you can see big changes from the last 5-6 weeks of dieting.

Bodyweight: 192

Macros:  320g protein, 215g carbs, 15g fat: 2275 calories

Cardio: 30 minute fasted walk on treadmill 5 days per week, 30 minutes post workout stairs 5 days per week

Comments: You can see here the fats were almost completely out, just what I was getting from meat sources and double cardio had started. My bodyfat was getting low but there I was staying full and getting better by the week. Still felt like I had plenty of energy and strength and training were on fire!

3 weeks out.

This is the point where I think Jonathan proved to be really worth his weight in gold.  From 6 weeks out we really started to push things hard, getting up to as high as 105 minutes of cardio per day and 50 grams of carbs on my low days. This worked well for about 2 weeks but right around the 3 week out marker my body stopped responding to this. For the first time in the prep I was feeling very run down, and my weight was being stubborn. It seemed the lower the carbs got the less my weight would change.   I was doing 3 low days around 50g of carbs, and a high day of about 300g. Once Jonathan recognized my “over dieting symptoms” he didn’t wait around to make changes we made a quick and VERY effective switch. I should also note my weight did hit it’s lowest around this point of 185 pounds in the am, but as the carbs stayed low it actually began going up again.  SO after we switched this is basically what the program looked like.

Bodyweight: 188

Macros: (Low day) 150g carbs, 300g protein, 10g fat: 1900 calories

(High Day) 450 carbs, 300g protein, 10g fat: 3090 calories (every 5^th day)

Cardio: 30 minute HIIT Cardio after meal 1, 30 minute HIIT Cardio after post workout carbs

Comments: When we dropped the cardio down and increased the carbs on my low days the results were great. My weight came up about 3 pounds, and my body started looking better each and every day. I should also note, we only did double cardio about 3-4 days a week, a lot of the time we would cut the 2^nd session to help my legs recover, which helped their fullness big time.

1 week out

 The last 3 weeks went great, for the most part my energy levels were pretty good. I would always have a few hours in the afternoon that were difficult and my brain battery was low. Focusing past a couple hours was difficult.  But training was awesome. I included a video of us training at 3 weeks out and another on Tuesday before the show to you that the intensity stayed high the entire time! At one week out we were still pushing my conditioning just a little further. Keeping mainly low carb days in, but we were doing primarily single session cardio days. The more my legs recovered the better they looked. We also increased the fats some at about 2 weeks out in the forms of CLA and 2 whole eggs with my last meal on low days.

Bodyweight: 186

Macros: Macros: (Low day) 150g carbs, 300g protein, 34g fat: 1900 calories

Cardio: 30 minute HIIT Cardio after meal 1.

Peak Week

Now I can’t go into too much detail here because this is how Jontahan makes his living but as a very basic description of our peak week.  Water was increased to 3 gallons per day starting Monday and going through Thursday. Once we increased the water my weight dropped just over a pound per day. I was going to be around 190 and waking between 184 and 182 by Thursday. We intended to drop sodium early in the week but the high water was pulling on me so hard we kept sodium in until Thursday. The difference between Thursday and Friday was pretty drastic with the sodium cut. We kept carbs very steady most of the week with a small increase from 200 to about 300 grams per day Thursday and Friday. We also added in some fattier meat sources for the entire week to help with density. Water was low on Friday but was not pulled out all the way until the day of the show. I weighed in Friday night at 184.6 pounds. Just about 9 pounds heavier than I was the last time I was on stage in Houston for the 2011 Texas State championships.

Game Day.

I woke up very light the morning of the show. About 180.3 just from the lowered water and a being a second day of no sodium. We felt I was a little bit flat and I had my first meal of steak and potato around 5am and then we gave me a few more bites of steak and 3 waffles with syrup on them at about 7:15 am. I’ll have to say that sugar hit my brain QUICK, and I felt almost drunk from eating all that sugar for the first time in months. I also felt in flood my muscles, and felt like I could get a pump brushing my teeth!  Around 9:30am about 20 minutes before I was supposed to be on stage I had a few bites of Jonathan’s “mash”, which consist of rice cakes, applesauce, almond butter, and natural jam, and then hit the pump up room. It didn’t take a lot to pump up, with the waffles and few bites of mash I was pumped pretty quick!  Here are a few shots from the stage!

Recap.

I ended up in 4^th place at the end of the night. It was a tough class and a great group of competitors. I couldn’t be happier about how the show went for me. This was the best prep I have done, I’ve never had more fun training with my fellow Metroflex Plano gym rats and getting incredible results from my prep. I was very happy to bring my best physique ever to the stage because that’s what it’s all about! At the time I’m writing this my posing routine isn’t available online yet but if it becomes available I’ll add it to the post!

To contact Jonathan for training: JiFitness89@gmail.com

To contact Skip for training: TeamSkip@intensemuscle.com

Until Next Time, Stay Strong!

IFBB Bikini Pro Tawna Eubanks gives us the skinny on a cool seminar taking place in Dallas, Texas. If you’re in the area or ever wanted to train and learn from some of the best in the bodybuilding and fitness industry, this is your chance. We’re stoked to see this new facility come to fruition and it’s sure to be a popular spot for fitness enthusiasts.

As shared by Tawna Eubanks…
There are exciting things going on in Dallas, Texas as the opening of “…destination Dallas” draws closer. What is being promised as a “must visit” for everyone living the extreme fitness lifestyle there’s a lot of anticipation behind the opening of this place! As a sneak peek into Destination a Super Star Seminar is being held on April 27th for everyone to meet top pros, watch them train, and interact with them in a question and answer formatted seminar.

If you haven’t heard about …destination Dallas yet, this is the combination of three great entities: Gasp and Better Bodies clothing line, Metroflex Gym, and Ultimate Sports Nutrition. Gasp and Better Bodies is one of the world’s top fitness clothing brands and they will have a showroom and warehouse inside of Destination. Metroflex Gym of Plano, sequel to the legendary gym of Ronnie Coleman, Branch Warren and a host of other great pros will offer a 10,000 square foot facility built specifically for hard training competitors. Ultimate Sports Nutrition is one of Texas’s top performing supplement retailers, will have their 11th Denver / Fort Worth location inside the destination, offering premier sports supplements at great prices.

WHEN:
Saturday, April 27, 2013

TIME / WHERE:
8am – 12:30pm
Metroflex Plano
2700 K Ave 200
Plano, TX 75074

12pm-5pm
Destination Dallas
2655 Premier Drive
Plano, TX 75075

On the women’s side of the event champion fitness competitor, Adela Garcia will kick things off with an 8:30am workout at the current location of Metroflex Gym of Plano. You can grab a healthy breakfast and watch Adela show you what helped her create a dominant fitness physique. Harbody’s own and Better Bodies’ IFBB Bikini Pro Tawna Eubanks will be training with new figure pro Jennifer Baker at 11:30am also at Metroflex Gym of Plano. Bikini and Figure competitors alike these are two extremely talented girls with a top level coach behind them, this is a great opportunity to pick up a few exercises to add to your contest prep or off-season training plan. Following a BBQ cookout from 12-2pm the girls, will be joined by Dallas area prep coach Jeff Dwelle. Collectively they will (4pm at the construction site of Destination Dallas) discuss everything from A to Z about competing. Diet, training, suits, shoes, posing, presentation you name it they are ready to talk to you about it! They’ll stay until the last question is answered!

On the men’s side of the event, Better Bodies athlete Mike Rashid (out of Long Beach, California) will be doing a high intensity, high volume bodybuilding workout at 8am at the current location of Metroflex Plano. Followed shortly thereafter by none other than Texas’ own, Gasp Athlete Branch Warren at 10am! Branch will show fans how to train insane in his own backyard. Branch Warren and Mike will be back at 2pm following the BBQ cookout and will be joined by contest prep guru Neil Hill. Don’t miss this opportunity to talk to one of the best bodybuilders Branch Warren and one of the top gurus in the sport, Neil Hill.

You can also catch a live webcast of this event at: MetroflexPlano.com!

Read more: http://www.hardbodynews.com/2013/04/12/dont-miss-desitnation-dallas-superstar-seminar/#ixzz2QpigWmxe

At first glance, one would assume that powerlifting is simply moving weight.  A battle between human and bar.  One will win.  The other will experience defeat.  But a closer glance is required because while powerlifting seems to be a solitary sport, based on “physical might,” it is actually a team effort that requires a unique, unwavering mental fortitude and is surrounded by spotters, judges, and bystanders to support, correct, and cheer the seemingly lone wolf standing on the platform, facing the doom of iron before him or her.

I recently competed in the 2013 APF/AAPF Texas State Meet on April 13^th in Dublin (Texas…not Ireland, though that was a good joke to play on a few people in the gym).  And if I would have to had to travel to the meet alone and perform my lifts alone, I do not think I would have achieved quite the outstanding results that I did on that long long long (did I say long?) Saturday.  Four guys accompanied me to that meet, and each one of us has a story to tell.  I hope you take the time to read each of the five summaries, as you might walk away from this article having caught a little powerlifting and Metroflex fever yourself!

*****

Jackson Thomas

After watching this guy train with Metroflex trainer TJ Clark, it’s hard to imagine that this was his first powerlifting meet.  His wife, Danielle Biddick, has been training with Metroflex owner Greg McCoy and preparing for NPC Bikini competitions for the past year, and Jackson caught the competition bug…badly!  Previously struggling with the consistency factor of his workouts, he gave himself four months and set out to achieve a goal to compete in his first ever powerlifting meet.  I am proud to say that he met that goal with shining success.  Achieving a 455-pound squat, a 286-pound bench, and a 529-pound deadlift (that’s nothing to sneeze at!), Jackson earned a total of 1,270.  He says, in regards to the meet, “I learned how much I enjoy training again.  It has been a long time since I have thrown myself at a physical goal like this.”  There’s no stopping Jackson now!  He plans to compete in the Show of Strength meet, held at the new Metroflex/Destination gym on June 22^nd.

Bryan Moree

A training partner of Josh Glover, a Metroflex trainer and posing coach, Bryan was also a first-timer to the powerlifting world.  But after the April 13^th meet, Bryan is no babe in the woods any longer!  Competing in the 198-pound class and doing it raw (sounds weird, huh…but this just means that he could not use any equipment except for a squat belt and wrist wraps), Bryan had his work cut out for him.  Early on, he made a decision to cut 25 pounds off of his body weight in order to enter the 198-pound class and smash an old state record in the Master’s class for the total: 1,140.  Cutting weight was not easy since Bryan had never had to do this previously.  It came down to the wire, with the meet organizer telling Bryan at weigh-ins, “Take off your shirt.”  The scale moved, and Bryan was right at 198 pounds…whew!  By the way, he killed that old record like a fly swatter kills a pesky fly: with a 1,201 total.  With this “bucket list item” when he turned 40-years old in the history books, Bryan is now “addicted” (his word…I swear!) to powerlifting meets and will also compete in the Show of Strength Meet, held at the new Metroflex/Destination gym on June 22^nd.

Charlie Armstrong

Though not a first-timer to the powerlifting scene, as Charlie used to compete in high school meets, it has been a few years since he stepped onto a platform and pitted himself against the iron.  A friend and fellow firefighter to Bryan Moree, Charlie made a solid return to the powerlifting world in the 181-pound class with a 370-pound squat, a 270-pound bench, and a 380-pound deadlift, for a total of 1,020.  It’s always cool to see those total numbers get over 1,000.  Charlie now has a starting point for his training, as he too will compete in the Show of Strength meet, held at the new Metroflex/Destination gym on June 22^nd.

Craig Koffler

Where do I begin with this guy?  With tattoos snaking along his arm and a tell-it-like-it-is attitude, Craig is a force to be reckoned with in the gym.  His powerlifting knowledge is even more prevalent and vivid than those tattoos.  A veteran in this industry, Craig set out to compete in this meet and complete all three lifts with total brawn.  An unfortunate hamstring tear early on his prep derailed that plan, but Craig—like a true competitor out of Metroflex—simply flipped the switch on his focus and headed in a new direction…the bench direction.  With razor sharp vision on the old APF national bench record in the 220-pound class, Craig prepared to perfect his bench and beat this record into submission.  And he did it with ease.  His first attempt:  457.2 pounds.  Success!  His second attempt: 485 pounds.  Complete with only a slight stickiness.  His third attempt:  512.5 pounds.  This one went up like butter.  I saw it, and it was phenomenal work on Craig’s part.  Afterwards he said, “[It’s] amazing what your body can do if you push yourself to do it!”  Craig went on to describe the entire powerlifting experience with Jackson, Bryan, Charlie, and myself as: “An amazing few days with great people that I will never forget!”  He too plans on doing the Show of Strength meet at the Metroflex/Destination gym on June 22^nd.  Hmm…do I see a pattern here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDoouY_ms2Y

Jodi Miller

(It’s me, but I’ll switch into third person to describe my lifting experience to keep the summaries parallel; yep…you can tell I was a high school English teacher at one point.)

The one female out of the group, standing at only 4’11” and weighing in at just 112 pounds, this little “beast” (as many at Metroflex like to call her, much to her chagrin) blew in like a Texas tornado and walked away with debris of broken records strewn about her.  A long-time powerlifter and successful bodybuilder, carrying the title of Ms. Natural Olympia in her back pocket, Jodi made a decision back in December to compete in powerlifting.  After learning that many of the guys at Metroflex were doing the 2013 APF/AAPF Texas State Meet, Jodi decided to take advantage of the camaraderie and join in on the fray.  Thus began a nine-week prep and a challenge to rid herself of her dependence upon knee wraps when doing squats over 200 pounds.  Cutting to the chase, at 40 years of age, Jodi smashed records left and right:  a 270-pound squat, a 143.5 pound bench, and a 281-pound  deadlift all led to a record-breaking total of 694 pounds. With all AAPF 114.5-pound, raw national Master’s records broken and three out of four (everything but the deadlift) AAPF Open 114.5-pound, raw, national records broken, Jodi proved that small and female does not mean frail and weak.  Jodi also plans to compete in the Show of Strength meet at the Metroflex/Destination gym on June 22^nd.  The interesting part?  She will be in the beginning stages of contest prep for Women’s Physique, proving that a well-rounded training regimen builds a well-rounded physique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM3UoouxJ3k

*****

In final words, as we like to say at Metroflex:  All we seem to do is win and win and win.  In our hearts, our minds, our bodies, and our souls.  Job well done to this amazing group of people!

Jodi Miller is a personal trainer and competition posing coach at Metroflex Gym in Plano, with over 30 competitions under her squat belt, ranging from obstacle course competitions to Figure to Physique to Bodybuilding. A former Team Universe title holder and Ms. Natural Olympia, Jodi also holds an English degree from the University of Texas at Austin.  Please visit her website at www.jodileigh.com and her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/JodiLeighProAthlete.  If you are interested in working with Jodi for weight loss goals or competition prep, please contact her via email at jodileigh@gmail.com.

Metroflex Plano and Gasp/Better Bodies are working hard to create THE place for bodybuilding and hard training athletes to train, learn, and spend time together inside the walls of Destination! You love the gym, you love the people in the gym, you love the events we put on and the lifestyle we promote, let’s REPRESENT!

Gasp and Better Bodies wants to put clothes on your back! Not as a marketing scheme to make money off our members, but to create a sense of team, and a sense of identity! This is OUR home base and when people are traveling here from across the country, even around the world to attend our events and to train in our gym it should feel like the true HeadQuarters for Metroflex and Gasp and Better Bodies!

Like walking into a stadium at a College Football game, you have no question whose TURF you just walked into because it’s a sea of team color and pride. Now we wish it was as easy as just GIVING everyone free clothes but this is still a business and we all have to put food on the table so while we can’t do FREE clothes we can make a very generous offer to our great member base!  Like walking into a stadium at a College Football game, you have no question whose TURF you just walked into because it’s a sea of team color and pride. Now we wish it was as easy as just GIVING everyone free clothes but this is still a business and we all have to put food on the table so while we can’t do FREE clothes we can make a very generous offer to our great member base! From now until May 15^th if you buy 2 items at 50% off you receive a 3^rd item FOR FREE!  It’s difficult to run this offer over the web and it’s best if you get a chance to check out the clothes in person so pop down to the Gasp/Better Bodies Store with your membership card and get in the right colors!

Metroflex Plano athletes took home 3 first place trophies!

John Garcia killed the competition in the novice heavy weight bodybuilding with his crab most muscular shot.

Hugh Biddick, wins another class with shredded legs in the masters over 65.

Nick kopchencko won the teen physique class after only 6 weeks of dieting at his first show!

As always the Metroflex Plano booth and crew were on hand to support the team and spread info about the opening of destination. We were proud to have the team do so well and more importantly, represent our gym and who we are with such class and pride.

I would like to talk to you about an age old proven exercise that not too many people have heard about or implemented into their training…The kettlebell (kb) swing.  Now let’s begin!

The kb swing is quite possibly the easiest and most effective tool you can use when it comes to training the whole body for multiple fitness qualities at the same time.

The kb swing is a unique whole body exercise that teaches hip drive.  It  is taxing on your grip, abs, as well as the entire posterior chain (commonly known as the hamstrings, glutes, and erectors).

Benefits of kb swings

Increased Power
kb swings are initiated with a powerful hip thrust using your hips and glute muscles.  In Powerlifting these muscles are used in conjunction with your lower back, referred to as your power zone.  Using a heavy kb for low reps/sets will improve your muscular power.

Increased muscular endurance
Muscular endurance is your ability to generate sub-maximal contractions for extended periods of time.  For example, moderate-high reps using a light kb, combined with short rests will help improve your muscular endurance.

Increased aerobic capacity
Kb swings can be used as an effective aerobic exercise.  For example, using a light kb and performing very high rep sets 50 or more to give your heart and lungs a workout

Increased anaerobic capacity
You can perform interval training using kb swings.  For example, swing a moderate to heavy kb for 30-90 seconds, rest for as long as you feel you need and repeat as many times as desired.   YOU WILL FEEL THE BURN WITH THIS ONE…

Execution

• Stand with feet 6-12 inches outside shoulder width. Turn toes slightly out.
• Keep shoulders retracted and down to avoid rounding of the back.
• The lowering movement (backswing) is a sitting back in a chair movement. Not a squatting down movement..
• Take the kb in both hands with a double overhand grip.
• The main thing to remember when doing a bk swing.  Let the kb hang in your arms.  Imagine it as a pendulum.
• All the force that propels the kb comes form the hips, not the arms and shoulders.
• Do not let your shoulders go in front of knees at any point. Swing the kb in between legs as the kb swings back pop your legs and hips–Imagine pinching a penny between your butt cheeks when you pop your hips forward.
• This should be a forceful pop. The kb will swing in front of you.
• Once the kb reaches its max height let gravity pull the kb back through legs and repeat.

Here are some kb swing workout ideas:

• 3 sets of 30 swings.
• 100 reps in as little time as possible. Always try and beat your best time.
• As many reps as possible in 1min, 3min, 5min,10min etc……

Thank you for taking the time to read this article I hope it helps in your training.  I am available for strength coaching and personal training at 214-200-6641 or markswankpwr@yahoo.com.

I would also like to take a moment to thank Mr. Greg McCoy for giving me a chance to introduce myself and giving me the opportunity to write this article. In addition, I would like to take a moment to say thank you to all his fantastic staff for showing me and everyone at Bad Attitude nothing but kindness and professionalism.. With much humility ,THANK YOU..   Mark Swank…

Dieting can be tricky! There are so many different diets out there, all with their different benefits, all with their drawbacks, and most with a catchy name! The Atkins diet, The Abs diet, South Beach Diet, recently the Paleo diet.. And in the competitive world, the keto diet, the high carb-no fat approach, carb cycling, reverse carb loading, etc. etc. etc..  As an athlete and a diet coach I have spent a lot of time using, coaching, or reading about these diets. I think what surprises a lot of people is that, while I have my favorites I will be the first one to tell you they all work! There is almost always multiple ways to accomplish a goal, and this is definitely the case when it comes to dieting.  Yes certain diets fit certain people better,  I fully believe that, but I don’t want to get into that or into which diets I prefer and why..  Those topics could both be articles in themselves! I’d like to discuss what I think is one of the most important factors in ANY diet.  And that is the concept of working from baseline. While all diets are far from equal there are a few things that they ALL have in common.  A couple of those I think are fairly obvious..

1)   Consistency and Discipline – No matter what kind of program or diet you’re on consistency and discipline are vital. It takes consistency and discipline to follow the “rules” of your diet, to prepare your food, to consistently avoid empty calories, keep track of your intake, not skip meals, and the list goes on. No matter what your dietary goals are you can be sure they will not likely be attained if you’re inconsistent with your efforts.

 2)   Measuring – This word takes on several meanings for it’s importance in the diet. First, just measuring the amount of food in each meal is very important.  If you’re reading this article you probably already know the days of NOT eating to lose weight by starvation approaches are archaic in fitness, maybe not runway modeling, but in fitness. So most diets recommend small frequent meals, it’s important to measure these meals. If you’re “eye balling” your amounts, I can almost GURANTEE as you get hungrier your portion size will increase. What once looked like a lot, now looks like a little. Don’t let the extra calories sneak up on you. Diet progress is made in the little details. Secondly, measure your daily diet. By this I mean, track your diet. If you don’t track your diet it’s impossible to reflect on your success. Most bodybuilding/fitness competitors eat the same thing daily, so they have it easy. But for diets with a lot of variety a food journal is an important tool.

3)   Preparation- Preparation of meals is in my opinion the hardest part of dieting.  In every diet you have to be prepared so that you are able to maintain your consistency. Getting stuck with no meals leads to one of two issues both of which are detrimental to your goals. 1) Cheating on your diet – this is obviously never good on a plan. Cheat meals are important, again a whole independent article, but they should be planned out to take advantage of their benefits, not the result of poor preparation. 2) Not eating- this is almost as bad, and sometimes depending on the person WORSE, than eating off your diet.  Don’t let poor preparation get in your way. Take this seriously and you’re results will show that you do. (I recently wrote an article with one of my clients, Yuri Diogenes, about time management and fitness, check that our here)

Let’s get into the “meat and potatoes” of this article- working from baseline.

Our base metabolic rate (bmr) is an elusive number that tells us how many calories our body burns in a day just by existing. You add activities to your routine and the calories you burn performing the activities plus your base metabolic rate is your total caloric burn for the day. In theory if you ate exactly this amount of calories each day your weight would not change. It’s however my opinion, and the opinion of a lot of the bodybuilding community, that not all calories are created equal and the kinds of calories you eat may not affect your total weight but the composition of that weight, but again that’s another article in itself.  This takes us to “baseline”. Baseline refers to what your intake is on average.  A baseline diet is a diet that is followed for 1-3 weeks in the utmost consistency and gives dieters and their coaches an insight into the bmr and “break even” point. For many people their baseline is a very randomized caloric intake that over time works out to an average amount that maintains their weight. For those who know the power of “baseline” it is a crafted diet that will serve to prepare your metabolism for a fat loss diet.  If you set a baseline that’s high in clean calories and the individual doesn’t gain a single pound, you know their metabolism is in great shape, and that this high baseline is very close to their BMR and total caloric expenditure. These high consistent calories will do a great job of “priming” the metabolism so that as diet cuts have to be made small changes yield big results.  If you set a high baseline and the individual gains weight it’s then known that the athletes metabolism and activity level doesn’t match the intake and it should be taken into account that they will require less food to maintain weight and even less food to lose weight.  This generally leads to a body reaching a starvation state and no matter how low the calories or how high the activity the body is stubborn to change. Lastly, if that person follows their baseline diet and loses weight, it’s then known that that athlete’s bmr and caloric expenditure is greater than their baseline diet and they can stand to increase calories to ensure their metabolism stays healthy and will serve to work for the athlete as the diet progresses.  Let’s use a couple examples. I’d like to use two athlete examples because they’re consistency make measurements and concepts easier.

Johnny Bicep weight 200 pounds, 8% bf, trains with weights 5 days per week and does 20 minutes of cardio 5 days per week on an empty stomach. Johnny Bicep wants to compete in 20 weeks. His diet is clean but he isn’t measuring his food, and he’s been in an “offseason” for quite some time and he eat’s cheat meals somewhere between 2-4 times per week. As Johnny Bicep approaches his contest it’s time to establish a baseline diet. For 2 weeks Johnny Bicep will follow a baseline diet with 100% consistency.  His levels are 300 grams of protein, 400 grams of carbs, and 50 grams of fat, equating to 3, 250 calories. At the end of this 2 weeks Johnny weighs 201 pounds but looks much better. He’s dropped some water weight but gained some muscle fullness. His BMR and average caloric expenditure is right around that 3,250 calorie mark that we set for baseline and making small changes to his diet will yield great results. By creating a baseline Johnny’s body has become accustomed to that exact amount of calories and his body is maintaining it’s weight at these levels. When Johnny cuts 50 carbs, or 200 calories from his diet his body will notice IMMEDIATELY and fat loss will occur. Because Johnny established a strong baseline his metabolism is healthy and his consistency set him up for success so that he could make small changes to his diet and big changes to his physique.

Here’s another example of a female, and this situation happens often. A lot of time when establishing a baseline girls will have a panic attack because their baseline diet causes immediate weight gain.  Let’s work through this example and explain why this is not a bad thing.

Jenny Toned is 5’6” 135 pounds, she trains with weight 4 days a week, does cardio 5 days per week for 30 minutes, eats clean but doesn’t eat very much, except for on occasions where she enjoys way too much wine and pizza with her friends. She feels like she is barely eating and she can’t lost any weight.   Jenny is in a BIG TIME need of a baseline diet. Her metabolism is barely alive and this is evident by her low caloric intake, high output , and lack of weight/body fat loss.  Jenny gets some good advice and starts a baseline diet. She will be following this diet 100% for 3 weeks, at 150 grams of protein, 200 grams of carbs and 25 grams of fats for a total of 1650 calories. At the end of 3 weeks Jenny is 140 pounds and pissed that she ever listened to this “expert”! But Jenny has yet to see the fruits of her labor. What she doesn’t realize is that she is creating an environment in her body that will set her up for success. Her body has been accustom to eat that exact baseline diet for 3 weeks now. She’s at a very healthy level of 1650 calories per day, her workouts have improved and her energy level is up. Now it’s time to start dropping pounds and body fat! Jenny ‘s coach removes 25 grams of carbs, only 100 calories from her diet, and after 3 days she is down 2 pounds. Wow that was easy Jenny thinks! That happened because she consistently followed her baseline, primed her metabolism for success, and made a small change that yielded a big result. Had she subtracted 100 calories from her old scattered diet it’s VERY likely she would have not noticed a single change.  Jenny will be able to slowly make small changes in her diet and will be able to achieve her dream body. When she gets back to her 135 pound starting point not only will she look much better at this weight but she will be eating MORE food every day, have more energy, and enjoy her workouts more!

Ask your coach about using a baseline diet before you’re next prep, or if you’re ready to drop body fat FAST, take 2-3 weeks to establish a baseline and you’ll be very glad you did when you begin dieting and the fat comes off faster than ever before.

In summary and for reference here are a few notes!

Baseline diet – A baseline diet is a diet that has a very consistent amount of macro nutrients, and calories that is followed for 1-3 weeks prior to a fat loss diet and has several important benefits.

Benefits of a baseline diet-

1. Great way to gauge your metabolism
2. “Primes” your metabolism for fat loss
3. Creates faster progress if followed prior to a fat loss diet
4. Creates an environment where small changes yield big results
5. Increases the amount of calories an athlete can eat during their fat loss diet

3 key concepts of ANY diet

1. Consistency and Discipline
2. Measuring
3. Preparation

How long have you been physically active/working out?

What motivates you to work out?
God is a big part of why I work out. Jesus Christ put his body through pain for me so why wouldn’t I be able to put myself through not even a fraction of pain that He had to endure. He died so that I can live and why live my life unhealthy and unhappy? My body is my temple. Working out makes me stronger not only physically but mentally and spiritually. Also my son and wife… I will not teach my son the life this generation lives… video games bic macs laziness ect.. You have to practice what you preach..

About how long have you been a member of Metro Flex?
About a year

Do you work out solo or with a trainer or training partners?
I sometimes work out alone but I find it more motivating to have workout buddies. Its kind of hard to max out w out a spotter. Alex “the a-bomb” Coloma has been currently helping me out. He has taught me a lot and my max has been shooting straight up from bench to squat to dead lifts. Thanks bro!

Do you compete and if so what have you won or placed in?
I do not compete but maybe Id like to in the near future

What is your least favorite exercise?
Abs used to be my least favorite but then I realized in every sport a strong core is necessary.

What is your favorite exercise?
Chest days and back days are my favorite. These are the days I can max out.

What kind of music do you like to listen to when you train?
P.O.D, August Burns Red, ACDC, Jimmi Hendrix, Tupac, Ugk, Immortal technique  ect… it all depends on my mood. Sometimes ill jam Bob Marley other days I listen to trap step music.. It just depends on how im feeling that day.

What is your diet currently like?
Eating meals 6-8 times a day. Mix and match Chicken, steak, broccoli, brown rice, sweet potato and tilapia. A gallon of water a day.

What are some of your training or fitness goals?
Looks mean nothing to me. I would like to get stronger mentally and physically. Lifting weight I couldn’t lift a month ago always feels good. “Mind over Body”

What was the best advice you were given in regards to fitness?
My boxing coach once told me that Everything in this life is temporary. Pain is temporary..

What’s the best advice you can give to someone just starting out training?
Nobody is going to give it to you. In life great things aren’t just tossed your way, why would it be different in working out? Nobody is going to shed that weight off of you. Nobody is going to build muscle for you. If nobody will give it to you I guess you just have to go and TAKE it.

Who is your favorite bodybuilder, fitness model, and/or athlete?

Bruce Lee…

“The doubters said, ”Man can not fly,” The doers said, ”Maybe, but we’ll try,” And finally soared In the morning glow While non-believers Watched from below.” ― Bruce Lee

What is your favorite sports supplement?
Jack3d…Gives me the boost I need without the jitters

Is there anyone you would like to thank for supporting your fitness journey?
I would like to thank God bc without Him I am nothing. I ask that in this journey it is His will that is to be done NOT mine.

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Also my wife nancy Barron.. I know it gets frustrating sometimes for you when im training 2 a days 6 days a week at metro but you never discourage me. You support me in everything I do and I could not have done any of this without you. Thank you for the support my son and I receive and need. I love you.

My son Liam Isaiah Barron, Follow me and I will lead you. Put your Faith and hope in the Lord and everything will always be okay. Daddy loves you “Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Thank you Metroflex plano, Ive found my second home. I break and better myself every single day. It would not be the same at a nit picky, snobby, perfect gym. Loud music, big lifts, and dedicated individuals is where its at. Don’t ever change! #FLEX

By Kyle Cavnar, B.S. Kinesiology

A professor at my university taught me one of the most important life lessons I utilize on a daily basis into my training. He said there are really three ways to learn and improve:

1)     EDUCATE yourself via literature and research

2)     EXPERIMENT and put what you’ve learned into practice

3)     LISTEN to others in the field and those that share your same passion and interest

Never did I think these three rules would help me open up greatly to new ideas and new styles of resistance training. Implementing these three simple tasks into my shoulder training this past year has been amazing (and amazingly painful). That being said, I’d like to share with you a shoulder routine that I put together earlier this year. This particular routine is focused more on volume than sheer strength and you will want to follow it in order. A few key pointers:

-        CONTROL the weight at all times. Not everything needs to be a 4 second negative, but you should be able to focus on the delts contracting rather than your lower back swinging.

-        WORK through your pain threshold. I, along with a few other my fellow co-workers (including owner Greg McCoy) have achieved some incredible delayed onset muscle soreness from this routine. But, that is only because we work through the nail biting lactic burn. Pain is temporary!

-        EMBRACE the new routine with an open mind. This may sound silly, but bodybuilders (professional, pre-fessional, or just recreational) have a tendency to stubbornly stray away from anything outside their comfort zone. Remember to experiment and to listen!

Now that I’ve covered all that, let’s get down to the fun part:

THE WORKOUT:

-        Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

• Slowly work up to a weight that you can do for 8 reps. Once you do so, perform 4 sets of 8 reps. No drop set at the end, but maintain full control and range of motion the whole time. Full Range of Motion = go past parallel at the elbows, i.e. 90 degrees! Drop the weight if you need to!

-        Power Set for Rear Delts

• Standing Rope Pullbacks
• Seated Reverse Pec Deck (only perform half range of motion: from the beginning to %50 range of motion)
• Lying Reverse Incline Rear DB Lateral Raises (lightweight, FULL range of motion, slow negatives!)
  • 3 sets of 15 – 20 reps on each!

-        Seated DB Lateral Raises

• 4 sets x 20 reps
  • Finish each set with 5 – 10 forced negatives. Drop the dumbbells and have your partner force your arms inward as you resist! Each negative should be about a 5 count. Your partner should give a bit of resistance, but you should still be able to perform the motion effectively. On a side note, it’s most effective if the partner pushes your arms inward from the wrists rather than the elbows.

-        Incline Bench Side Lying DB lateral Raise

• 3 sets x Til Failure!
  • On an incline, lay flat on one side comfortably while holding a dumbbell (for instructional purposes, we will say you’re lying on your left side). With your right hand, hold a moderately light dumbbell with its starting position right on your hip. Contract the lateral delt and elevate your arm just like you would if you were doing a standing lateral. CONTROL that negative! Perform as many reps as you can with a perfect tempo and then get rid of the dumbbell. NOW, similar to the last exercise, perform 10 partner assisted forced negatives.

-        Standing Pronate DB lateral Raises Superset Standing Supinate DB Lateral Raises

• 3 sets x 20 reps each
  • With moderately heavy weight, perform a pronated lateral raise with about half the range of motion you would normally execute if you had a neutral grip. Make sure your hands are in the pronate position the whole time (google pronate and supinate if you’re not sure what each means…remember, educate yourself!). After finishing 20 reps, immediately drop those and grab a pair of rather light dumbbells. Now perform fully supinate lateral raises. These will BURN by now so fight through it! Tempo and proper form is KEY with these so do NOT sacrifice either

-        Seated Barbell Shoulder Press (with partner assisted strip set)

• 2 sets x 50 – 100 reps (each is a strip set)
  • Let’s say you can shoulder press a good 185 lbs for 12 reps fresh, which comes out to a plate and a quarter on each side. What you will want to do is stack 5 – 6 10 lb plates on each side of the barbell. You will need 2 partners to do this properly. Start to perform the movement and a good 1 count on the eccentric and concentric phase until you almost reach failure. Now here’s the killer part: hold the bar at the top and allow your buddies to strip 1 10 lb plate from each side. IMMEDIATELY go back into the movement. Repeat this until it’s just the bar. If you can make it to a 50 reps great….keep going.
    • ***DO NOT RACK THE WEIGHT EVERYTIME TO STRIP. This is key in order to keep that constant tension on the delts! Remember to hold the bar at the top while they are stripping the dimes off one at a time!

So there it is folks! All in all, this should take you about 90 minutes to complete so make sure you have all your meals in. I hope ya’ll enjoy and please contact me via email if you have any questions about these exercises. Now go get some bigger shoulders!

Let’s set the stage for the first ever NPC Phil Heath Classic promoted by NPC Texas

Chairman Lee Thompson.. Coming off record numbers in 2012 for the Texas NPC there has been a lot of movement in this year’s schedule. One of the most interesting additions was that of the NPC Phil Heath Classic as the first show AND first National Qualifying event of our season here. It doesn’t get better than this! Reigning Mr. Olympia in the house, first show of the year, first chance for competitors to get qualified, incredible venue, live DJ, THIS is what Texas Bodybuilding is all about!  The numbers for this show’s first year proved that the athletes of the NPC Texas agree with me here. Nearly 400 competitors in it’s first year is incredible. Metroflex Plano was happy to have a great group both on stage and in attendance!

Let’s start with the YOUNG GUN Alex Gay. Alex has been of stage for almost exactly one year and officially put on 22 pounds of quality stage weight. Alex was in the second callout of a stacked teen class, but nonetheless his physique was absolutely incredible for any age ESPECIALLY considering he’s only 15! I’ll let his pictures do the rest of the talking!

Josh Bulseco was representing Metroflex Plano in the men’s physique division. Josh made an incredible transformation to get to the stage in Houston, and not only did he achieve a great life goal he impressed the judges as well, placing 3^rd in Masters Physique!

Angela Grace was on stage in Houston via Germany! Joe Fantauzzi has been training her online and she looked absolutely awesome on stage in her first appearance!

Josh Thomas, open heavyweight bodybuilding, and big bundle of muscle and potential! This guy has always impressed me and this weekend was no different. Josh has some of the cleanest lines I’ve seen on stage in Texas and a big frame that he’s working hard to fill out. He made tremendous improvement to the quality of his physique in just a year’s time.

Hugh Biddick ROCKED the stage and the Houston crowd, crunching most musculars like he owned the stage! Hugh won the Master’s Bodybuilding Over 60 division and showed off some huge improvements from last year.

Ashley Renea started the season out HOT with an awesome 4^th place finish, officially making her Nationally Qualified! This was a tough line up and Ashley was very competitive with everyone in the class.

Christina Kiely looked incredible for her first time on an NPC stage! Christina has worked so hard and made a CRAZY amount of progress to her physique in a short amount of time.

Lexi Clark also made her NPC Bikini debut and looked GOOD doing it!

What a great group of competitors to get this season started! And in true MFP fashion the supporting cast rolled into Houston DEEP! Here are a few pics from the weekend!