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TylerCrooks
02-23-11, 4:56 pm
Training for my first contest. As of today, I am 396 days out from the Mr. Wabash Valley/Mr. ISU. This coming year will challenge every limit I thought I had. At the bottom of the hill looking up, I know I will battle though the hell that awaits me. This comes with a certain sense of fear, but it is through this fear that I will accomplish what my genetics and what others have told me I will never be able to. The greatest fight of my life is about to begin and the bell for round one has just rung.

TylerCrooks
02-23-11, 5:10 pm
Warm up
-10 minutes on bike
-Quad extensions 4x20
-Ham curls 4x 20

-Squat 3x10,1x8,1x7,1x4
-Leg Press 4x10, + Triple Drop Set
-Hacks 4x8
-Iso quad extension 5x10 (Last 2 vascular restriction sets)
-Iso ham curls 5x10 (Ditto)
-Standing calf raises 5xF
-Toe raises w/plate 5xf

Walking's a bitch.

Wingman
02-23-11, 5:14 pm
Subeed in big guy. You got this one. Nice leg session as well, I am having the same troubles with transporting myself as you are.

Birdman
02-23-11, 11:02 pm
I see you got it figured out, nice! I'll be watching...

nck219
02-23-11, 11:07 pm
Definitely subbed in for this one...

TylerCrooks
02-24-11, 12:26 pm
Thanks for the support guys. Dont forget about Birdman's show this saturday, Let's show some support!

Sidenote: Legs are cramping like hell. Stretched out this morning over breakfast and pak. About to hit shoulders for the second time this week. I need some serious gains in that department.

TylerCrooks
02-24-11, 4:34 pm
Energy and focus was good today, thank God.

-Rotator cuff warm up
- Superset: DB Military 4x10

TylerCrooks
02-24-11, 4:43 pm
Energy and focus was good today, thank God.

-Rotator cuff warm up
- Superset: DB Military 4x10
BB Front press 4x10
-Bent over DB flyes 5x12
-Cable face pulls 4x 10
-Pec dec rear flyes 5x10 + 4 drop sets to absolute failure
-DB lateral raises 6x10
-Upright rows 5x12
-External cable rotation 3x20 to failure

Great pump today. Been off supps for almost a month now, kinda doing a detox before my next stack.
Planning on starting the second stack of all Universal/Animal products after I get back from Mexico in a couple of weeks. Still bummed I'm missing the Arnold. Wish I could be at the cage with you all!

TylerCrooks
02-24-11, 4:48 pm
I started a photobucket to track my progress. This is more for me to identify problem areas than anything but if you guys feel like checking it out and giving me any pointers/things I need to work on, I'd really appreciate it.

Keep up the training, bros!

http://s1093.photobucket.com/albums/i427/TylerCrooks/

Birdman
02-24-11, 8:30 pm
I started a photobucket to track my progress. This is more for me to identify problem areas than anything but if you guys feel like checking it out and giving me any pointers/things I need to work on, I'd really appreciate it.

Keep up the training, bros!

http://s1093.photobucket.com/albums/i427/TylerCrooks/
We need to work on your posing bro hahaha but these will serve as a good reference later on.

TylerCrooks
02-24-11, 9:57 pm
Haha, I know man. I've never done poses in my life, nor have I attempted to learn them. I figure I've got plenty of time for that. Just trying to devote my focus to the gym first and foremost.

Birdman
02-24-11, 11:06 pm
Haha I'm just bustin your balls bro, even though its never to early to start learning the God forsaken posing. They can never be good enough. But anyways, shit is about to get nuts after spring break...only one word for what we will be undertaking PAIN!

TylerCrooks
02-24-11, 11:31 pm
I know man, I need people to bust my balls and keep me humble. You down for some HRT training post spring break? Because I'm fuckin stoked for it. It's going to hurt like hell haha

Wingman
02-25-11, 10:11 am
Haha I'm just bustin your balls bro, even though its never to early to start learning the God forsaken posing. They can never be good enough. But anyways, shit is about to get nuts after spring break...only one word for what we will be undertaking PAIN!


I know man, I need people to bust my balls and keep me humble. You down for some HRT training post spring break? Because I'm fuckin stoked for it. It's going to hurt like hell haha

God Dammit...Why can't you boys live in Brohio? HRT is fun...

Birdman
02-25-11, 6:43 pm
Fuck yea bro

TylerCrooks
03-01-11, 12:48 am
Still getting over tonsilitis/sinus infection, but can't stay away from the gym. I feel useless if I just sit around

-rotator cuff warm up
-DB incline 55's x 15, 70's x 12, 75's x 10, 80's x 10, 85's x 12
-DB Incline fly 30's x 10, 45's x 10, 50's x 10, 55's x 10
-BB bench 135 x 10, 155 x 10, 185 x 10, 215 x 9
-Pec dec fly 90 x 12, 110 x10, 120 x 10, 130 x 10, 145 x 10, 80 x 18
-Hammer Strength Incline 100 x 12, 110 x 10, 115 x 10, 115 x 10
-Low pulley cable crossover 35 x 15, 45 x 13, 55 x 10, 55 x 10, 35 x 12

-Standing DB curls 35 x 10, 40 x 10, 45 x 10, 50 x 8
-Hammer curls 30 x 10, 35 x 10, 40 x 10, 45 x 9
-Machine Concentration Curls 70 x 15, 85 x 10, 90 x 8, 70 x painful failure
-Spider curls 20's x F, 20's x F, 25's x 8

Goin for big back tomorrow. Thank God for antibiotics.

nck219
03-01-11, 8:34 am
Holy mother of volume. My chest cramped up just reading that work out... Keep killin it homie.

ToSo
03-01-11, 9:22 am
The some serious volume bro. Your putting in some serious work, can't wait to see the final results. Keep us updated.

TylerCrooks
03-01-11, 11:57 am
Hah, thanks. Yeah it was a bitch, but the energy and pumps were good, so I took advantage of it. I only planned to do about 3/4 of that workout but kept adding while I was doing it.

I've always been into high volume, but I think I need to go heavier and cut down on trying to hit it from every angle. I'm wanting to do a couple weeks where I just do nothing but olympic/compound exercises and try to go heavy at about 6-8 reps to switch things up.

Wingman
03-01-11, 2:38 pm
Great work and ideas man, keep up that intensity bro.

TylerCrooks
03-02-11, 1:02 am
Was feeling pretty puny today due to lack of sleep and food.

-rotator cuff warm up
-SLDL 4x10
-Rack Pulls 4 x 10
-Lat pulldowns 6 x 12
-Seated cable row 4 x 10
-One arm row 3 x 8
-Hammer strength low rows 4 x 10
- Close grip cable pulldowns 3 x 10 + Double drop set
-Deads 5 x 10 + dropdeath

Just havin one of those days where I wasn't feeling it. Going to make up for it tomorrow.

Wingman
03-02-11, 7:26 am
Damn man three different deads in the same workout, thats nuts! Keep it up.

TylerCrooks
03-02-11, 12:53 pm
Yeah, I was trying to keep what you said in mind.I'm really gonna start going hard on deads during my bulk. It sucks, but it needs to happen.

TylerCrooks
03-03-11, 11:21 pm
Had a pretty short window of time to lift today. Midterms are kicking my ass.

Went super heavy today.

rotator warm up
-BB front press 4 x 8
-bb neck press 5 x 10
-front raises 5 x 10
-lateral raises 3 x 10
-rear raises 3 x 10
-rear pec dec 4 x 10
-rear cables 5 x 15

IOMS, DOMS, I got it all right now. Definitely going to be feeling this tomorrow... fack

TylerCrooks
03-14-11, 11:15 pm
Just got back from Cabo. Much to my surprise there were NO gyms around my resort. Huge bummer. Lost some mass and a little dehydrated from the beer haha. Gettin back to the grind with a vengance. Hit shoulders with Birdman this afternoon and got the privilege of trying a scoop of rage. That plus shock therapy and stak are a deadly combo.

Cuff warm up
-DB Front press 3 x 10
-BB Front press 4 x 8
-Smith neck press 4 x 10
-Lateral Raises 4 x 12
-Front raises 3 x 10
-Upright rows 4 x 10
-Rear delt raises 3 x 12
-Rear pec dec flye 5 x 10
-Rear delt cables 3 x 12
-Lateral raise machine Burnouts 6 sets to failure.
-Hammer strength military press 4 x 10, 2 x 20
-DB shrugs 4 x 30
-BB rear shrugs 2 x 20

Volume hell. Good pump today. Eating clean for the first time in a week and it feels great!

TylerCrooks
03-24-11, 1:20 am
I don't need this
I don't need you.
I have no interest to please or appease you.

I'm done wasting my fucking life
On cowards wasting my fucking time.

Jay
03-24-11, 3:36 am
Nice workouts here.. what does the thread name stand for?

TylerCrooks
03-24-11, 10:48 pm
Nice workouts here.. what does the thread name stand for?

It's latin for "Everyone is the architect of their own success". It's in the vein of "Be your own maker" something that has stuck with me from day one on here. Thanks for the comment, brother!

TylerCrooks
03-28-11, 5:11 pm
Diet is getting cleaner by the day. Spent an absurd amount of money at Walmart yesterday. Small price to pay. I'm seeing steady size progress, especially in my sholders. I've been hitting them twice a week for the past month and it's made a huge difference. This is also my last heavy week before I switch back to a 10-12 rep scheme. We had a mini ABC saturday night before the Mr. ISU/ Mr. Wabash Valley contest. StateChamps10, Birdman, nck219 and gnorris09 made an appearance and had a great lift.Glad to see the southern dudes.

Got a big shoulder session here in about 2 hours. Ready to tear some shit up and make some gains!

TylerCrooks
03-28-11, 10:42 pm
I know I've been putting a lot of shoulder workouts up. I always space and forget to post my other workouts, but here it is:

Cuff warm up
Neck press; 75x12, 95x8, 115x6, 135x6, 75x10
Front press: 115x6, 125x6, 145x4, 95x10
DB Military: 55's x 8, 65's x 6, 70's x 6, 70's x 5
Side Laterals: 25's x 10, 30's x 6, 30's x 6, 15's x 15
Rear Pec Dec Flyes: 85x12, 95x10, 115x6, 115x6, 85x10, 55x12 (25 sec. RI's)
Rear cable flyes: 25x10, 30x10, 35x10, 30x10
Wide grip upright row: 95x8, 115x6, 135x6, 155x6
Hammer strength military: 180x8, 200x6,200x5, 100x10 (Burnout)
Shrugs: 360x10, 450x10, 540x10, 540x10

(superset)
Forearm curls: 110x20, 110x20, 110x18
Forearm raises: 40x12, 50x8, 50x6

*Strength's going up. Diet is clean. Been on a tilapia kick lately and trying to perfect my fish grilling technique. got some korean rice cakes from my buddy TS and its great complex carbs and really dense. Incorporating it into my PWO meals until it runs out. Feeling great! Tomorrow, I'm gonna wreck my chest.

TylerCrooks
03-29-11, 5:20 pm
Bent over BB rows 4 x 8 end on 235
Lawnmowers 3 x 8 end with 95's
Hammer strength iso rows 3 x 8 + DS end with 135 each side
Wide grip pull downs 4 x 6 end with 170 + double DS
Close grip pullups 3 x F
Hammer Strength high rows 4 x 8
Pull ups 2 x F
Deads 2 x 10, 1 x 8, 1 x 6, 1 x 4 end on 275 (running on fumes)

felt puke welling up in my throat several times but never got there. energy today sucked but I got through it.

TylerCrooks
04-05-11, 5:32 pm
Every day's a fight. Fear, loathing, paralyzing self-doubt. These are thoughts I rarely like to admit I have.

Day in and day out, I bust my ass. I have found something that I truly love doing, but it doesn't change the fact that physically and mentally I am exhausted. Life is complicated. Life is tough. No matter how hard you think you are, it will inevitably put you on your knees and keep you there until you figure a way out. This sport and this community that I have found gives me an indescribable amount of strength both in and out of the gym. I can't thank all of you enough who have given me support thus far, namely Birdman, StateChamps10, gnorris09 and Wingman. My decision to compete for the first time this upcoming spring was a scary one, but its definitely lit a fire under my ass. Having a group of brothers who know what it's like to go through what I, along with everyone else do to support you is an incredible feeling. This is a shout out to everyone on the FORVM who commit their blood, sweat and tears every day. Fuck those who say I'm not good enough. Fuck those who say I don't have the genetics for it. Go ahead, look down your nose all you want. Let's see what you have to say come next spring. When I get on that stage I will do so knowing that I exerted every ounce of my being to get there. Whether that gets me first or dead last, I won't care. This is the beginning of my journey and it's not going to end anytime soon.

TylerCrooks
04-06-11, 10:14 pm
Had a rager of a chest day today. Was in the gym for 2 and a half hours with an ungodly energy in me. Took pretty decent rests between the first couple of heavy sets. Strength gains went up a shitload. Great pump, already sore as shit.

Cuff warm up
-DB incline 60's x 12, 75's x 8, 85's x 6, 85's x 7, 95's x 4
-Incline Hammer Strength 180 x 10, 200 x 8, 220 x 6, 230 x 6, 130 x 10
-Incline Flyes 40's x 8, 50's x 8, 60's x 6, 65's x 6, 35 x 15
-Supine Chest Press (last half of the movement) 180 x 6, 190 x 5, 190 x 5
-Pec Dec 110 x 10, 125 x 10, 165 x 8, 125 x 8, 110 x 6 (20 second RI's)
-Decline Cable flyes 65 x 10, 65 x 10, 75 x 12

-DB Hammer curls 35's x 8, 40's x 8, 45's x 7
-One arm preachers 35 x 10, 35 x 10, 30 x 8 (inner head emphasis)
-One arm preachers 25 x 10, 30 x 8, 35 x 6 (outer head emphasis)
-Standing Iso Curls 30's x 8, 30's x 8, 25's x 10
-Hammer Curl Burnout 30's x 15, 30's x 12, 25's x 10, 25's x 7, 25's x 7 (~ 30 second RI's)

-Forearm curls and extensions 'til I wanted to die

Yeah, yeah, yeah.. It's a lot of volume. Argue that it doesn't work, but I respond really well to high-v training and if I had the energy, why not use it? Ate big tonight. Got a free meal out of my old man. Mealed some cajun food, a real gains shake and pak. About to take my mstak and ZMA and go to bed because my body isn't pleased with me right now.

TylerCrooks
04-07-11, 5:57 pm
Quads/calves are wrecked. Shitting, walking and sitting down are a daunting task

Wingman
04-08-11, 11:51 am
Every day's a fight. Fear, loathing, paralyzing self-doubt. These are thoughts I rarely like to admit I have.

Day in and day out, I bust my ass. I have found something that I truly love doing, but it doesn't change the fact that physically and mentally I am exhausted. Life is complicated. Life is tough. No matter how hard you think you are, it will inevitably put you on your knees and keep you there until you figure a way out. This sport and this community that I have found gives me an indescribable amount of strength both in and out of the gym. I can't thank all of you enough who have given me support thus far, namely Birdman, StateChamps10, gnorris09 and Wingman. My decision to compete for the first time this upcoming spring was a scary one, but its definitely lit a fire under my ass. Having a group of brothers who know what it's like to go through what I, along with everyone else do to support you is an incredible feeling. This is a shout out to everyone on the FORVM who commit their blood, sweat and tears every day. Fuck those who say I'm not good enough. Fuck those who say I don't have the genetics for it. Go ahead, look down your nose all you want. Let's see what you have to say come next spring. When I get on that stage I will do so knowing that I exerted every ounce of my being to get there. Whether that gets me first or dead last, I won't care. This is the beginning of my journey and it's not going to end anytime soon.

Oh...wuddup Edgar Allen Bro.

We got you man, and no doubt, you will do a fantastic job, just give it your all man, thats the only thing you have, so make it work. Great workouts as well lots of volume, keep it going.

TylerCrooks
04-08-11, 5:29 pm
Andrew, your ability to insert "bro" into any word in the english language never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for the support though!

Sick arm day today. Don't have enough time to write the workout in on here, but I measured my arms about half an hour after I got done and I'm sittin' at 19 1/4". I'm going to measure them cold later on this week to see what kind of a pump I got. Progress is sweet!

Wingman
04-08-11, 6:26 pm
I believe what you are trying to bromunicate to me, is this, I brossess the brotential to use brocabulary at my own free will, and when I do, I make it rain like Broseidon, king of the brocean.

That about right?

TylerCrooks
04-09-11, 9:07 pm
Had an off day today, decided to take some progress photos. They are in the link on my sig. Check em out! Constructive criticism is appreciated. I know my posing sucks ass. I need to work on it really bad. Sittin at 201lbs. right now

TylerCrooks
04-13-11, 1:14 pm
This week has been breaking my balls with school work. I started working out with my friend TS this week. He won Mr. ISU last month and knows way more about training than I do. We hit chest on Monday and back yesterday. I've made more gains in the past two sessions with him than I have in the past month on my own. It helps a lot having a lifting partner. I've been pushing a lot more weight, still going heavy for sets of 4-10 reps. He's also coaching me on my posing which I've never worked on. Holy SHIT, it is so much harder than I ever imagined. Never thought posing for half an hour was considered cardio. Planning on practicing for atleast half an hour a day to perfect the basic poses and started watching videos of the posing greats, ie. Zane, Arnold, Haney, Oliva, Columbo and Kai and taking notes.

Looking forward to things on the horizon. Eating my weight in chicken and rice. Staying hungry in the gym.

TylerCrooks
04-28-11, 1:51 pm
Hey, I know it's been a really long time since I've posted on here. I've been super busy with school and finals right around the corner. I haven't missed a day in the gym and i'm still busting my balls. I'm taking a really specific and targeted approach to my training. I'm feeling confident about my hams, tris, traps and lats, but I need a lot of work in other areas, namely my chest, quads and shoulders. I need to bring the areas up to par before I continue. By no means am I neglecting any area of my body, but I need to work on my symmetry and proportions. Working on my posing a lot more as well. I've put a few new pictures on photobucket (the link's in my sig). I took these pictures cold right before a shoulder day yesterday. Feel free to leave any constructive criticism, I really do appreciate it. I can't wait for summer to get here so I can JUST focus on work and training. Haven't been on supplements for almost a month now and I can really tell the difference. I'm just too broke to afford any of it. I'm steadily gaining weight too. I put on 4.5 lbs in the past 2 weeks and my body fat has went down. I promise when I get some time, I'll put my workouts on here! Hope everyone's doing well!

TylerCrooks
05-11-11, 7:33 pm
Carbed up last night after a hellish back workout and ate like a monster all day today. It payed off in the gym because my energy was through the roof. Did a shitload of pressing exercises last week and tried to change it up by doing heavy flyes today. Did a couple different kinds of hammer strength incline presses in the beginning, then migrated to incline flyes, pec dec flyes, decline bench, decline cables then dips. After that, did a little bi/forearms. Sore as hell right now. Appetite is still insane and I'm trying to take advantage by gorging myself on clean food. Shoulders tomorrow!