Rantorcha's Road to...

[rantorcha]

...well, hopefully a Pro Card! I am currently 7+ weeks away from the NGA Night of Champions Pro Qualifier in North Carolina on June 6th. As I said in my "intro" thread, I am a life-long natural bodybuilder and for the first time, at a ripe age of 35 years old, I am going all-out for my Natural Pro Card.

I have the luxury of working with Ironman's own columnist, Eric Broser, as my coach (and most importantly, friend). Being that I am 7+ weeks away, I'll make it quick...

Here's my current split...
M-Chest/Delts/Abs
T-Hams/Quads/Glutes/Calves
W-Cardio only
Th-Back/Traps/Low Back/Mini-chest
F-Biceps/Triceps/Calves/Mini-delt

I will start tomorrow posting my workouts!!!

 

[Built]

Hey, best of luck to you!

Got any pix? We'd love to see how you look so close to The Big Dance!

 

[plums_jp]

I Agree !!!

 

[katt]

I third that one - good luck!

 

[rantorcha]

Hey, best of luck to you!

Got any pix? We'd love to see how you look so close to The Big Dance!

Well, I am hoping to get up some shots pretty soon...this weekend. That'll be my 7-weeks out pics. I still feel like I have a long way to go, but I trust my coach implicitly and know he will get me in the best shape of my life.

Actually, now that i think of it, since this is a new thread and I am new around here, I might as well throw up some pics from when I started. These were from when I was 14-weeks out.

 

[Built]

Well, I am hoping to get up some shots pretty soon...this weekend. That'll be my 7-weeks out pics. I still feel like I have a long way to go, but I trust my coach implicitly and know he will get me in the best shape of my life.

Actually, now that i think of it, since this is a new thread and I am new around here, I might as well throw up some pics from when I started. These were from when I was 14-weeks out.

You look thick as hell, but those are really tiny pix! I'd love to see something bigger.

 

[rantorcha]

You look thick as hell, but those are really tiny pix! I'd love to see something bigger.

Well, if you can help me figure out how to get 'em bigger, I'll do it. lol I am new at this posting-pictures stuff. I'll see about making them bigger next time.

 

[rantorcha]

I'll be honest, today my mind was in a distant land. I had some major shiz going on in my tiny little brain-dome. Don't ask why (I know I don't!), but my strength was through the ROOF this morning. I was pulling stuff I haven't done in MONTHS!!! Granted, I still hadn't had carbs since 9am on Tuesday, so I didn't quite break any PRs or anything, but I was shocked by some of the movements.

MINI-CHEST
-HAMMER INCLINE PRESS...3 X 4-6
3 plts each side/5
3 plts each side/4
2 plts + 25 each side/8..drop..1plt each/18 (hold top & bottom tempo)

LATS
-UNDERHAND GRIP SMITH ROW...3 X 4-6
245/12 (was going to stop at 6, but felt like I could do more and kept going!)
275/9
315/6..drop..225/8 - strange strength today
-CG SEATED CABLE ROW...3 X 4-6
240/6, 255/6, 255/6..drop..180/6
-SHOULDER WIDTH UNDERHAND GRIP PULLDOWN...2 X 4-6
205/8, 225/6
-ONE ARM DB ROW...2 X 4-6
115/8, 125/6

TRAPS
-BB SHRUG...3 X 6-8
100/12, 100/12, 100/12 - went lighter than I could have...wanted to really go slow and squeeze

LWBACK
-WEIGHTED HYPEREXTENSION...3 X 8-10
25/12, 25/12, 25/15

CARDIO - full 30 minutes on the Stairmill...yippeeee (I it sure felt like a full 30 minutes!

 

[rantorcha]

For how GREAT yesterday's training and strength was, today sucked buttock! Some of my old ailments started to creep back into my life like my right shoulder tightening up on me again and my left forearm/elbow tendons. I think Power week is something I might have to "shelf" for a bit. I even started feeling some pain in my actual elbow area during tris. UGH! But...did that stop me? You know better than that. With only 7 weeks to go, and really only 6 weeks of training, I threw all caution to the wind.

MINI-DELT
-SEATED HAMMER PRESS...1 X 4-6
195/6 (actually used Star Trac machine-face down)
-SEATED BENT LATERAL...1 X 5-7
25/7
-STANDING SIDE LATERAL...1 X 5-7
40/7..drop..25/15!!

BIS
-STANDING ALTERNATING HAMMER CURL...2 X 4-6
45/6, 45/6 (these aggravated my left forearm again..damn Power week!)
-STANDING EZ BAR CURL...2 X 4-6
100/10, 100/8 -- used fixed bar and lighter weight for better contraction
-SINGLE ARM DB PREACHER CURL...2 X 4-6
35/6, 35/8

TRIS
-LYING EZ BAR EXT...3 X 4-6
90/6, 90/7, 90/7
-SEATED TWO ARMS OVERHEAD DB EXT...2 X 4-6
90/5, 90/5
-SINGLE ARM ROPE PUSHDOWN...2 X 5-7
20/7, 25/6..ss/two arms-rope-25/15

CALVES
-STANDING CALF...2 X 6-8
210/12, 225/10
-SINGLE LEG CALF PRESS...2 X 6-8
140/15 - grossly underestimated weight
230/12

 

[chiquita6683]

Lookin good! Best of luck to you!

 

[rantorcha]

Lookin good! Best of luck to you!

Why thank you very much...I will do my best.

 

[rantorcha]

So, as of this morning, I am still 7 weeks out and decently progressing, I guess. Sometimes the mind works against you, but that's why I have a trusted coach and friend helping me through this.

I tried to get a couple of shots up, but the thingy is telling me my files are too big. I'll try to work on that.

Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance

 

[Built]

Hotlink them from photobucket.

 

[rantorcha]

Hotlink them from photobucket.

Yeah, you know I am going to have to breakdown and learn-myself how to use photbucket already. I think I might be the lone holdout that doesn't use photobucket. lol

 

[rantorcha]

Today I have the great pleasure of a couple of things....

- I didn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn as I normally do to do cardio (my normal schedule on Sunday!)

- I get to train in the afternoon with none other than The Behemoth, aka bodyfx, aka Eric Broser.

With 7 weeks to go, there is no room for error and we're not only be training chest, delts, and abs, but also taking care of some posing issues. I am not the worst poser in the world, but I am no where near the best. So, we're going to have to take care of that now!!

 

[Built]

Posing is a workout unto itself.

A friend of mine suggested practicing posing when you're tired, hungry and dehydrated. Better prep for the stage.

 

[rantorcha]

Posing is a workout unto itself.

A friend of mine suggested practicing posing when you're tired, hungry and dehydrated. Better prep for the stage.

That is a GREAT idea! I actually have some posing practice planned for tomorrow.

 

[rantorcha]

OK! Well, there is a ton to get to, so let me get to it???.

Sunday, I was lucky enough to train with our own Eric Broser. It is so fun to train with him!! Every time I train with him I get rejuvenated to train even harder than before and even learn something new.

CHEST
Hammer Incl Press
3plts each side/7, 2plts + 25/10
Flat Smith Press to neck
185/12, 185/11
Pec Dec
100/15, 100/15
Bodyweight Dips
20

DELTS
Mach Side Laterals
90/9, 90/9
Single-handle Upright Row
120/12, 120/14
Seated DB Front Raises
20/15, 20/15+2

ABS
Supported Knee/Hip Raises
18, 15
Decl Crunch
15, 15+3

CARDIO ??? 30 minutes on Stairmill

So, after training so hard on Sunday, I had 3 meals left to eat, so I ended up having to eat every 2 hours. Somewhere along the way, I ate something that didn???t agree???well first, I was feeling very full when I had my last meal and went to bed. In the middle of the night, I could swear that my last meal was at the top of my throat. I ended up having some poopey issues in the middle of the night and was feeling even worse when the alarm woke me up at 5am. Since I trained Sunday, it was going to be my long-cardio day.

CARDIO (Monday) - 55 minutes
30 minutes on Stairmill
25 minutes on Treadmill

I somehow managed to get there and do my cardio (I don???t know how I finished!!!), but when I got home I practically collapsed back in bed and was out of commission until about 1pm!

I spent the rest of my day resting and trying to get in as many meals as my stomach could handle. Then, the night came and I was overwhelmed by a massive headache! UGH!! I went to bed early and still woke up with a nice size headache so I broke down and took some Advil before hitting Legs this morning.
Tuesday ??? there are times in every contest-prep that test your intestinal fortitude and your desire to complete. Yesterday and today were my big moments so far!!! Training this morning, and doing legs of all things, was truly a test to see how badly I wanted to compete this June and how bad I want to do well. I had no business being out of bed this morning, so I decided to use easier weight than normal. I figured it would hurt me too badly since legs aren???t exactly a weak body part for me. But, watching the PRRS DVD over the weekend, reminded me about tempos, so I really watched my tempos and made myself ???feel??? the weight hardcore again.

HAMS
SEATED LEG CURL...3 X 7-9
255/9, 255/9, 240/9 + 4XReps
STIFF LEG DEADLIFT...3 X 10-12
185/12, 195/12, 195/12
SINGLE LEG LYING LEG CURL...2 X 13-15
**did 1st as two-legged-90/15; single-leg-40/13

QUADS
LEG EXTENSION...3 X 7-9
160/9, 180/9, 180/9
LEG PRESS...3 X 10-12
4plts each/12, 4 plts/12, 4 plts/12
SMITH LUNGE...2 X 13-15 PER LEG
115/15, 115/15

BUTT
BUTT BLASTER...2 X 16-20 PER LEG
62.5/18, 62.5/18

CALVES ??? calves were still sore from posing on Sunday
STANDING CALF...1 X 10-12, 1 X 7-9
180/12, 210/11+1
SEATED CALF...1 X 16-20, 1 X 13-15
90/20, 115/14

CARDIO ??? 10 minutes on Stairmill & 20 minutes on Treadmill

 

[Built]

How far out are you from your comp - you seem to be putting out a LOT of volume there. Why such high reps?

 

[rantorcha]

How far out are you from your comp - you seem to be putting out a LOT of volume there. Why such high reps?

I am just less than 6 weeks out from my show. As for the volume, i am a disciple of Eric Broser's - Power, Rep Range, Shock training system. And the week you are looking at is Rep Range week. As a matter of fact, there is a DVD all about it! LOL Check it out... Eric Broser's Power Rep Range Shock Max Mass Training System DVD

 

[rantorcha]

Well, I have been a little M.I.A. the last couple of days ??? sorry about that ??? but that doesn???t mean the necessary work isn???t getting done. On the contrary! I have been on FIRE! I had to move this past weekend (not fun), but among all of the crap I had to do, I still managed to wake up ungodly early to get my cardio in and made sure all of my meals and supps were taken on time. I had to use a shake or two more than I normally would at this time, but it got done and that???s all that matters!

I am officially less than 6 weeks out from my show and I am feeling pretty good. I go a couple of days not seeing to much in the way of changes; then on that 3rd or 4th day, BAM???new lines come sprouting out. lol Eric sent me my changes for this week and no surprises, really. A few less carbs, less overall protein, and a few more minutes of cardio on training days. I was shocked! Yeah, right.

So, yesterday I woke up, did my cardio 1st thing in the morning at home, took the kids to school and went to work. I trained in the afternoon at my new gym ??? 24-Hour Fitness ??? and got in a pretty hard workout for Chest and Delts. It is SHOCK WEEK, if you???re following at home. I think I am just now starting to feel some of the effects of lower carbs. lol

This morning was back to normal ??? I woke up to hit the gym early for a good thrashing of my legs (and abs since I didn???t have time yesterday). Here???s the run down

HAMS
DROPSET: LYING LEG CURL...2 X 8-10, DROP, 4-6
140/10..110/6; 140/8..110/4..80/4 (did last as triple-drop)

SUPERSET:
DB STIFF LEG DEADLIFT...2 X 10-12 - 115/9, 115/10
ABDUCTION MACHINE...2 X 16-20 - 85/30, 100/28

QUADS
FEET HIGH ON PLATFORM LEG PRESS 1 AND 1/2 REPS...2 X 8-10
5 plts each side/10; 5 plts each side/10 (holy crap..the weight wasn???t very impressive, but tell that to my quads!!)
DROPSET: NARROW HACK SQUAT...2 X 8-10, DROP, 4-6
4 plts each/10..drop..3 plts each/8
4 plts each/10..drop..3 plts each/7
** yet another quad thrasher!

SUPERSET:
WALKING LUNGE...1 X 8-10 PER LEG ??? 90/28 steps!
LEG EXT...1 X 8-10 ??? 115/12

CALVES
CALF PRESS WITH X-REPS...3 X 8-10 + MAX X-REPS
5 plts each side/12 + 28 XReps
6 plts each side/12 + 15 XReps
6 plts each side/12 + 11 XReps

ABS
SUPERSET:
SUPPORTED STRAIGHT LEG RAISE ??? 13; 10+2
CABLE CRUNCH...2 X 12-15 EACH ??? 120/15; 140/13

CARDIO ??? 30 minutes on Stairmill

Cardio is becoming grueling. I???m not sure why, but 30 minutes is starting to feel like 3 hours!

 

[rantorcha]

Who?

Yeah, THAT guy.

 

[Built]

The high rep stuff - is this during low carb phases of your diet?

 

[rantorcha]

The high rep stuff - is this during low carb phases of your diet?

It's during every phase. That's one of the great things of the PRRS system. You can use it during a bulking phase or a cutting phase. After trying Max-OT for a while before this, my results were nothing really to speak of. And I train HARD, so that wasn't the issue.

However, since discovering Eric's PRRS system, over the last 4 years I have put on a significant amount of natty-muscle. You should give it a look and see about incorporating it in your workouts.

Ch..Chh..Chhh...Check it out....
PRRSTraining.com - Power - Rep Range - Shock

 

[Built]

It's during every phase. That's one of the great things of the PRRS system. You can use it during a bulking phase or a cutting phase

That wasn't what I asked.

I asked if you used the higher rep stuff during low carb phases of your diet. This could be during a bulk or a cut.

 

[rantorcha]

Well, another day, another stamp to put on the day! Although today is my supposed off day, you never really have off when you are contest dieting. I did my Wed cardio and my posing practice. And I must confess that I sweat more for my posing than I did for my cardio - go figure. lol

And today is a ZERO CARB day - YEAAAHHHH!!

 

[Built]

Really unsatisfying to pose flat, isn't it?

 

[gopro]

Well, another day, another stamp to put on the day! Although today is my supposed off day, you never really have off when you are contest dieting. I did my Wed cardio and my posing practice. And I must confess that I sweat more for my posing than I did for my cardio - go figure. lol

And today is a ZERO CARB day - YEAAAHHHH!!

Hang in there bro! We both know you have a stubborn body, but that never stopped us before!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[rantorcha]

Hang in there bro! We both know you have a stubborn body, but that never stopped us before!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I certainly don't plan on letting it sto pme this time either! You know I am going all out for this one. I am as mentally focused as I have ever been for anything. And these next 5+ weeks will be even better than the previous 11, if that's possible.

 

[rantorcha]

So, I have a little catching up to do. Yesterday, I had my girls from the previous night, so I did my cardio first thing in the morning on my home elliptical (30 minutes) and then trained in the afternoon. So, here is yesterday???s fun.

LATS
SUPERSET: STIFF ARM PULLDOWN/UNDERHAND GRIP BB BENT ROW...2 X 8-10 EACH
140/10 ss/ 215/10;
140/11 ss/ 215/10 .. drop.. 145/8
SUPERSET: WG SEATED CABLE ROW TO UPPER ABS/CG PULLDOWN TO LOWER CHEST...2 X 8-10 EACH
165/10 ss/ 165/9
165/10 ss/ 150/9 .. drop.. 105/7
DROPSET: ONE ARM DB ROW...1 X 8-10, DROP, 4-6
95/12.. drop..65/10 (kept going)

TRAPS
SUPERSET: SMITH BEHIND BACK SHRUG/CG CABLE UPRIGHT ROW...2 X 8-10 EACH
185/10 ss/ 120/16
235/16 ss/ 140/14

LWBACK
DROPSET: WEIGHTED HYPEREXTENSION...2 X 10-12, DROP WEIGHT, MAX REPS BODYWEIGHT
35/12..-/12
35/11..-/10

ABS
SUPERSET: INCLINE BENT KNEE RAISE/ALTERNATING TWISTING CRUNCH...2 X 16-20/16-20 PER SIDE
18 ss/ 20
17 ss/ 20+


Today was a different story. I hit the gym ready to go, but I had a difficult time with my left forearm/elbow area again due to the thrashing I gave my back yesterday. I have finally come to realize that I have to put my mental issue about using lighter weight to bed and just do it. I was getting no benefit from my pride, so I am and have been using lighter weight and really ???feeling it??? a lot more. It has made a world of difference. Today was no exception.

BIS
STANDING BB CURL WITH 5/1/X TEMPO...2 X 6-8
85/8, 85/7
SUPERSET: 90 DEGREE BB PREACHER CURL/ALTERNATING DB HAMMER CURL...2 X 8-10 EACH
75/8 ss/ 30/8
75/8 ss/ 30/10+ (lost count) lol

TRIS
DROPSET: V BAR PUSHDOWN...2 X 8-10, DROP, 4-6
160/10 ..drop.. 130/7
170/8 .. drop .. 140/5
SUPERSET: LYING EZ BAR EXT/BENCH DIPS...2 X 8-10/MAX REPS BODYWEIGHT
85/8+neg ss/ 7 + almost an 8th
85/8+neg ss/ 7 ..then fell over

CALVES
CALF PRESS WITH 1/4/X TEMPO...2 X 6-8
450/8, 450/8 + 12 XReps
DROPSET: SEATED CALF...1 X 12-15, DROP, 6-8
125/14..drop..90/11
(more reps than prescribed, but really felt them!)

CARDIO ??? 30 minutes on Stairmill

Now, it???s all about nutrition for today and both nutrition and cardio over the weekend! I will hopefully be taking some progress shots this weekend, so we???ll see how that goes. AND, I have the luxury of training on Sunday with the Yoda of PRRS, Eric BrOser (not Browser, like Flex likes to call him) lol