As you may / may not be aware I have just competed in the recent, prestigious NPA Pro-Am event alongside 9 other athletes (report and pics to follow) and after not competing on a bodybuilding stage for some 4 years I have to say that I have gained substantial progress within this time frame. It is also apparent that my physique represents dense, usable muscle mass, and this has been evidenced by the feedback from respected athletes, judges and peers who have witnessed my contest physique. I honestly believe that this is due to my training and nutrition, and certainly not a genetic quality. The following are some of my opinions on training leading up to a bodybuilding contest:

Stay Heavy
Heavy weight is a core stimulus for muscle growth,..FACT! In order to build strength, and gain muscular hypertrophy the muscle fibres must be stressed through heavy basic exercises, and this should form the corner stone of every workout! It is a common misconception that during pre-contest training an athlete should reduce the weight, thus resulting in muscle atrophy, flatness and decreased metabolic rate. It is imperative to continually stress each muscle fibre, if by training lighter the muscle fibres recruited in heavy lifts seize to have use and becomes obsolete. It is worth highlighting at this point however, that a bodybuilder shouldn’t expect to replicate ‘off-season’ lifts, due to lower glycogen levels in the muscle cells, a realistic figure should be around 85-90% of the off-season poundage’s leading up to the last week of the diet. It is only in the last week when there should be an increase in exercise repetitions and sets whilst incorporating less rest periods, mainly to burn excess muscle glycogen (resulting in a metabolism shift burning more body fat),and increase calorie usage.

Diet and Supplementation
I have been very fortunate this year in having careful nutritional guidance from the Musclefactory Gym owner, Chris Wormley. In many instances I have concentrated entirely on working out and left the diet to him. For my recent show I maintained an 18 week diet ranging from around 4000cals p/day to 1900cals p/day progressively. The rate at which is altered by reviewing my bodies appearance on a regular basis. Chris introduced me to using ‘good’ fats as an energy source during the diet,..something which I lacked previously, this came in the form of fish oils, peanut butter and nuts. My staple protein sources were from white meats and fish, and carbs were almost entirely of a low glycemic nature. I did incorporate Protein Powders into my diet (exclusively AST ‘VP2 Isolate’,..only the best!!), glutamine and amino’s in order try and maintain positive nitrogen balance as much as possible. AST’s ‘Anabolic Rush’ creatine formula was also a tremendous asset which enabled me to continue workouts with extreme intensity and strength right up to the show, this certainly something I would advocate to any competitive athlete.

In summary, by combining Heavy and intense Basic weight training exercises, controlled and varied Cardio sessions with strict attention to a clean and monitored diet an individual can reach their potential and often exceed the realms of what might have been perceived as unrealistic.

‘Till next time,

Train……….Harder!!

Jay

….And I’m not ready for resting yet!!
Earlier last year I set my goals to be mainly strength orientated, and tailored my training to meet these targets. Gradually as my lift poundage’s increased (220kg unassisted bench, 300kg unassisted squat – gym lifts) it started to take a small effect on my joints.. . so I figure its time to go back to the roots and basics of natural bodybuilding!
I am now exclusively training at the Musclefactory Gym (William St, Swinton, South Yorkshire) under close scrutiny of the gym owner and successful bodybuilder / martial artist, Chris Wormley. Chris’ knowledge base in nutrition and training is second to none and it is his influence and advice that may aid me in making the physical improvements that I need and want so much.
Changes have already been made to my diet and training with much more emphasis on muscle contraction / stimulation using correct form on exercise rather than merely throwing around large poundage’s, and already I have been crippled with muscle pumps and soreness. However, please don’t presume that I’m now fannying about with little weights trying to ‘feel the burn’! – My training now, although doing less worksets, are more intense and demanding on the body….still hardcore!! On the diet front, an increase in my daily calorific intake coming from wholesome foods has been the main change, here again I feel I previously fell into the all too common trap of overtraining and under eating.
It is important to continually review your training to avoid your body adapting to exercises and becoming stale, keeping detailed logs of training and diet are a great way of achieving this and after listening to Chris, it is an exercise I plan on maintaining and advocate to any serious gym rat!
Keep training ….Hard!!
Jay

I would just like to add a few words of thanks to the people who have supported me or assisted me in one way or another to help me achieve my recent success. As any athlete will tell you, it is essential for an individual who strives for success to surround themselves with a good team,.. so here is a word of thanks to the team surrounding myself!!!
- Friends and family: The backbone of my training and life; ‘nuf said!!
-The gyms:
Muscle-factory, Swinton, S.Yorkshire: The guys at this gym have offered huge support wherever possible and are constantly aiming towards improving their facility to suit gym members.

Temple gym, Wombwell, S.Yorkshire: I have many friends here who also offer much support. Additionally, I find a huge amount of motivation from the ‘doubters’ in this gym!!

-Kev Winkle(Pro-health sports therapy): Generally keeps me relatively injury free with up to date therapy strategies and a huge depth of knowledge relating to sports injury and training.

And finally,
-Astss / Bodyshapersfitness: I have recieved constant support in what I believe to be the finest quality supplements on the market. The new and eagerly anticipated nutrition supplements to come will definately be one to grab!!!

Thanks to all!!!

On the 11th and 12th of October,I competed in two disciplines of the Drug Free Single Lift World Championships 2008, held in Antwerp, Belgium. I competed in my usual two events, the push and pull (the Bench Press and the Deadlift).
The first day was the Bench Press, Here I broke my own World record and went on to win my category and overall best Junior, this lift was also heavier than the Senior Category which I will be competing in next year! My last lift of the three however was claimed a ‘no lift’ as the spotter caught the bar on the positive part of the rep,-this again, had it been given would have broken my record further!

On the 12th came the Deadlift, and here again my later lifts were given ‘no lift’ as my body was shaking during the rep, therefore it was my opening lift that gave me first place Junior and 1st place overall for bodyweight of all categories.

A good result overall, ..I achieved what I intended, and proved what I set out to…..that you don’t have to be overweight and out of shape to be strong and to compete with specialist powerlifters!!

(I would however, liked to have lifted more,-or at least those that I have been nailing in training!!)