• Sign Up Sheet
  • Help

    • Forum
      • FAQ
      • Calendar
      • Forum Actions
        • Mark Forums Read
    • Something more specific?
    • Home
    • Sections
    • Training
    • Your "Journey"
    • Your Contest "Journey"
    • Stepping Up My Game -- 2010, Here I Come!

    1. If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
    Page 1 of 138 1231151101 ... Next LastLast
    Results 1 to 20 of 2752

    Thread: Stepping Up My Game -- 2010, Here I Come!

    • Thread Tools
      • Show Printable Version
      • Subscribe to this Thread…
    • Display
      • Switch to Hybrid Mode
      • Switch to Threaded Mode
    1. 10-22-09, 6:40 pm #1
      Firedrake
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      Firedrake ain't here.
      Bodybuilder Firedrake's Avatar
      Member Since
      02.07
      Location
      Berea, KY
      Age
      68
      Posts
      12,925

      Stepping Up My Game -- 2010, Here I Come!

      Okay, gang, here it is: after asking Rage if I should go ahead and start this, and some encouragement from Weedlewott, AND having said on another thread that I'm going for it, now begins the Journey to the stage!

      From one of my last posts in the "Honored" section:

      Well, I want to step on stage next July for the L.A. Bodybuilding Championships Masters Over 50 Class. To do that, I feel I need more mass in my legs and arms before I start cutting. At my height, it's hard to put on enough mass to show a big gain. I don't even know what my measurements are right now -- I just look at the pics and know my legs and arms don't measure up to my torso. My chest still needs work, but that's happening.

      I'm finally beginning to see some muscle in my quads, which is one of the reasons I've started to hit up the smith squats -- I have balance issues due to neuropathy in my feet from before the back surgery, so the smitty lets me use more weight and target the quads better. The slngle leg leg press is great on the glutes, and I'm really liking the standing leg curl AND the seated. Both quads have issues -- I tore the right one off at the knee cap in '04, and the left got partially torn, so they'll never look "quite right", but the muscle mass was so gone when I started (I couldn't walk without a cane before my back surgery, and needed to haul myself upstairs on the bannisters), it's taken a year for them to start showing anything at all. Given that my legs USED to be my best bodypart, this is frustrating. (I was squatting 350 for reps regularly up till about 2000, and I'd been leg pressing 1200 in high school!)

      My arms are just stubborn. The triceps are finally starting to come up, and the biceps SEEM to be, but it's hard for me to see on a daily basis. Being able to see the pics from the contest does help -- I -can- see progress; it just seems to freakin' little to me. The left bi has been torn off at the elbow, and will always look a little short, but hey, it gives a better peak! <grin> (Sgt. Rock said I should tell people it was a shark bite). I'd like at least 18" arms by the contest -- my calves are there already (no shape to them, but they are 18").

      I feel my shoulders are coming along, and my back is doing better than I thought it ever could, given that there's a foot-long titanium cage and three artificial discs back there. Actually getting some -width- these past 14 weeks has really helped my mood. The thickness is coming up, too, and if you'd told me I could rack dead 455 right after my surgery, I'd have laughed bitterly. I don't think I'll ever get floor deads right, due to flexibility issues with that titanium cage, but you never know. Lots more to come, but . . . it's happening.

      In terms of weights on the lifts? Bench Press for 315 for reps; squats (free) for 350 again (or more); curls for at least 110-125 for reps; I'd -like- to be pulling that 455 off the floor, but we'll see. Dips with two plates or better, military press for 225 maybe. Those are the ones that come to mind.
      Given that I've made such good progress with the program I've used for the Iron Contest, Rage said, "just keep doin' what you're doin'!" So, there will be no major changes right now. I'll probably switch up some exercises for a little variety every month or so, but until the cut starts, this is strictly a mass program. I gotta admit, there's kind of a funny feeling in my stomach about saying this officially and publicly, and a real sense of a sea-change in my head going on.

      This is for real.

      Hitting chest and delts tomorrow morning and back on Saturday. Back to my normal schedule on Monday. Let's see how big a freak this old man can be!
      My "official" facebook competitor's page . . .
      New Journey for 2013 Confessions of a Determined Drake
      Stoking the Fire: Building a Bigger Firedrake
      My Journey to the 2010 L.A. BB Championships: Stepping Up My Game - 2010 Here I Come! 4th Place Over 50s, 5th Place Novice Heavyweights
      My First Journey: The Long and Winding Road
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    2. 10-22-09, 6:42 pm #2
      widdlewade44
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      widdlewade44 ain't here.
      ABC Coordinator: Maryland/Washington D.C./VA Area widdlewade44's Avatar
      Member Since
      01.07
      Age
      52
      Posts
      3,184

      Subbed...

      Go for it brother! It's going to be an awesome Journey, enjoy the ride.

      Kevin
      widdlewade44
      www.universalusa.com

      29 Years of Animal

      My facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003267383340

      My twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/widdlewade44

      "The bench press, parallel squat, deadlift, and standing press have been the staples of any strong man's repertoire. Those who ignore these lifts are generally the people who suck at them. If you get good at those, you'll get good at other stuff, as they have such a huge carryover." -Jim Wendler
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    3. 10-22-09, 6:46 pm #3
      weedlewott
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      weedlewott ain't here.
      ABC Coordinator: Camp Ali Al Salem weedlewott's Avatar
      Member Since
      03.09
      Location
      Columbus, MS
      Age
      33
      Posts
      3,695
      Uh Oh! Look who's in the Contest section!!!! Subbed buddy.
      I like weights. You know where you stand with them. Well, sometimes you're lying under them, trying not to let them crush you, but you see, you KNOW they'd crush you if they could. There's honesty.

      Excuses are for losers...

      When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.

      Just Do It
      Ali Al Salem | The Sip | Find Yours
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    4. 10-22-09, 6:46 pm #4
      RK
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      • Visit Homepage
      RK ain't here.
      Legionary
      Member Since
      06.08
      Age
      34
      Posts
      2,449
      subbed
      RK's Journey
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    5. 10-22-09, 7:09 pm #5
      Chase "BIG COUNTRY" Browning
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      Chase "BIG COUNTRY" Browning ain't here.
      Legionary
      Member Since
      07.08
      Location
      New Brunswick, NJ
      Age
      32
      Posts
      2,062
      Doin it big in 2010! I'm with you all the way FD.
      Random Training of The Day
      http://forum.animalpak.com/showthrea...raining-Events
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    6. 10-22-09, 8:55 pm #6
      AZN-BEEF
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      AZN-BEEF ain't here.
      Legionary
      Member Since
      05.08
      Location
      norwalk, ca
      Age
      32
      Posts
      1,850
      subbed as usual! what time you wanna hit koloseum? what do u wanna eat after?
      My Journey


      SoCal Animal and KOLOSEUM WARRIOR!
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    7. 10-22-09, 9:04 pm #7
      DJBrujah
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      DJBrujah ain't here.

      Member Since
      03.09
      Location
      Carbondale, IL
      Age
      40
      Posts
      332
      You know I'm subbed for this! Get it done big man!

      DJBrujah

      Through Hellfire and Brimstone; My Journey
      My Bodyspace
      My MySpace
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    8. 10-22-09, 9:32 pm #8
      DANO
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      DANO ain't here.
      Pilus
      Member Since
      01.07
      Location
      The Gym
      Age
      47
      Posts
      7,197
      better late then never! subbed.
      A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer. ~ Bruce Lee

      Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; lick it once and you'll suck forever. ~ Brian Wilson

      Book 'em DANO
      Team Taxation
      Three bros hunt down 450
      DANO vs. Grape of Wrath
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    9. 10-22-09, 9:35 pm #9
      mcbeast
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      mcbeast ain't here.
      Primus mcbeast's Avatar
      Member Since
      02.07
      Location
      Washington
      Posts
      10,156
      subbed!
      Never fear competition. Welcome it, embrace it, destroy it.

      Road To 1900 Raw
      Facebook
      YouTube
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    10. 10-22-09, 9:36 pm #10
      Q
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      Q ain't here.
      Plebeian
      Member Since
      01.07
      Location
      Lake Forest Park, WA
      Age
      37
      Posts
      508
      I'm in...
      Getting to the Next Screen: Contest Prep Journey
      Iron Contest Journey: Iron Contest Before and Afters
      Iron Contest I: Team Red
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    11. 10-22-09, 10:08 pm #11
      Steve101
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      Steve101 ain't here.

      Member Since
      04.09
      Location
      Boston Ma
      Age
      60
      Posts
      285
      it's going to be a SWEET ride!
      http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=27928
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    12. 10-22-09, 10:32 pm #12
      shortstack
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      shortstack ain't here.
      ABC Coordinator: Iowa shortstack's Avatar
      Member Since
      08.07
      Location
      Cedar Rapids, Iowa
      Posts
      3,724
      Get after your dream brother. I'm in for this one.

      Shortstack
      The Next Journey / Iowa Animals

      Best Meet Totals @ 181
      Squat 424.39
      Dead 473.99
      Bench 319.67

      "I want to think deeply and be enraged and laugh uncontrollably and cry sincerely and love fully. I lust to feel life with all of my being, not to merely survive it, escaping out the other end unscathed only to find death waiting for me like a chauffeured black sedan, the reaper holding my name card. Fuck that. I want to be moved." G Diesel, DOAM #215
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    13. 10-22-09, 11:56 pm #13
      BryanSmash!
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      BryanSmash! ain't here.
      Primus
      Member Since
      12.07
      Location
      Wisconsin
      Age
      47
      Posts
      10,036
      I'm in Jim!
      "What is steel compared to the hand that wields it?" ~Thulsa Doom

      ISSA Strength and Conditioning Coach

      Legend of a Banished Man

      Wisconsin ABC Chapter
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    14. 10-23-09, 2:38 am #14
      Themostocles
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      Themostocles ain't here.
      Primus
      Member Since
      12.07
      Location
      Club 7 Fitness
      Age
      41
      Posts
      10,781
      In!
      "In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer." - Albert Camus

      Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.

      Sic Transit Gloria

      Defeat will not be in my Creed

      Themostocles on Facebook
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    15. 10-23-09, 6:36 am #15
      firsthorseman97
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      firsthorseman97 ain't here.
      Gladius
      Member Since
      01.07
      Location
      Tiffin YMCA, OH
      Age
      43
      Posts
      4,702
      Definitely in for this!
      I wasn't born like this... I became this.

      Lift like you have something to prove

      My Journey
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    16. 10-23-09, 9:20 am #16
      Hoomgar
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      Hoomgar ain't here.
      Primus
      Member Since
      11.07
      Location
      South Central PA
      Posts
      10,490

      In!

      Is this the Yellow submarine?

      Hg
      "He climbs highest who helps another up" -
      .......
      Progress is like climbing stairs... My Journey
      .......
      PA (Harrisburg) ABC
      .......
      Doubting the doubts... -in my mind's eye-
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    17. 10-23-09, 9:28 am #17
      Birdman
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      Birdman ain't here.
      ABC Coordinator: Central Indiana Birdman's Avatar
      Member Since
      10.09
      Location
      Terre Haute, IN
      Posts
      1,404
      Consider me subbed FD
      "I do now what others won't - so I can have later what others can't."
      My first contest journey, check it out Birdman Leaves the Nest: Its Fly or Fall.
      Join the movement-Central Indiana ABC
      Rage Log- Liquid Rage! Birdman's Rage Log
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    18. 10-23-09, 9:38 am #18
      ghost
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      • Visit Homepage
      ghost ain't here.
      ABC Coordinator: Detroit ghost's Avatar
      Member Since
      01.07
      Location
      michigan
      Age
      41
      Posts
      14,626
      fuck yes, so happy that you are getting on stage Jim! Subbed!!!!
      Strength and Honor.

      Fraternal order of the Animal --President
      The Crew™
      Saraigh
      "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
      "dont ever let anything get in your way... destroy every obstacle, move every mountain, and crush those fucking weights." - Me.

      every time i hear you say " i can't", im gonna punch you in the balls.-1stSgt Fidler.

      Detroit ABC
      my thoughts...
      my journey
      Twitter
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    19. 10-23-09, 10:09 am #19
      weedlewott
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      weedlewott ain't here.
      ABC Coordinator: Camp Ali Al Salem weedlewott's Avatar
      Member Since
      03.09
      Location
      Columbus, MS
      Age
      33
      Posts
      3,695
      Quote Originally Posted by Hoomgar Check Out Post
      Is this the Yellow submarine?

      Hg
      Best reply to date in here... Lol.
      I like weights. You know where you stand with them. Well, sometimes you're lying under them, trying not to let them crush you, but you see, you KNOW they'd crush you if they could. There's honesty.

      Excuses are for losers...

      When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.

      Just Do It
      Ali Al Salem | The Sip | Find Yours
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    20. 10-23-09, 11:30 am #20
      Mr. Dead
      • Check Out Profile
      • View Forum Posts
      Mr. Dead ain't here.
      Imperator
      Member Since
      11.07
      Location
      Rainier, WA
      Age
      54
      Posts
      25,254
      Ready for the ride!!!
      Lead Hellcentrics Apprentice

      Seattle ABC

      The Deadman's Rave To The Grave

      "You are stronger than you think you are..." - Vinny G

      Tales From My Crypt

      "...and the Deadman shall rise up, becoming an unstoppable force, with slow deliberate steps, overcoming all in his path...." - DANO
      Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

    Page 1 of 138 1231151101 ... Next LastLast
    Quick Navigation Your Contest "Journey" Top
    • Forvm Features
    • My Settings
    • PMs
    • Subscriptions
    • Who's In Da House
    • Lookin' For Something?
    • the F O R V M home
    • the F O R V M
    • Training
      1. Your "Journey"
        1. Your Contest "Journey"
      2. Training 101
      3. "Hell Raiser Training" (HRT)
      4. Powerlifting
        1. Powerlifting Videos
    • Diet
      1. Recipes, Meals & More
      2. Diet 101
    • Livin'
      1. The Animal Barbell Club
        1. The Basics
          1. ABC Flyers
        2. The Gallery
        3. The Updates
      2. The Thoughts
      3. The Olympia 2008-2011
        1. The Olympia '11
        2. The Olympia '10
        3. The Olympia '09
    • Packs
      1. Animal Products 101
      2. Reviews & Alpha Testing
        1. Alpha Testing Program: Agent O, Round 1
          1. What is Agent O? Discussions.
        2. Alpha Testing Program: Agent O, Round 2
        3. Alpha Testing Program: New Animal Rage Prototypes
        4. Animal Cuts: Alpha Testing Program (ATP)
        5. The House's "Mass Stack": The Complete Reviews & Logs
        6. Animal PM: Alpha Testing Program (ATP)
        7. Animal Test: Alpha Testing Program (ATP)
        8. Alpha Testing "Project Stak"
        9. Animal Rage XL Logs
        10. Alpha Testing Program (ATP): Project A
      3. Supplements 101
    • "Ask The Animals"
      1. The "U" In Universal
      2. Boss of Bosses III
    • The CAGE 2017
      1. The CAGE 2007-2016
        1. The Cage 2007-2015
          1. The Cage '15
          2. The Cage '14
            1. The CAGE Events 2014
            2. The CAGE Gear 2014
            3. The CAGE Promos 2014
          3. The Cage '13
            1. The Cage Events 2013
            2. The Cage Gear 2013
          4. The Cage '12
          5. The Cage '10
            1. 2010 The Cage News & Promos
          6. The Cage '11
          7. The Cage '09
          8. The Cage '08
          9. The Cage '07
    « Thread Before | Thread After »

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •  
    • BB code is On
    • Emoticons are On
    • [IMG] code is On
    • [VIDEO] code is On
    • HTML code is Off

    Forum Rules

    • Get In Touch
    • Animalpak.com
    • Archive
    • Top
    The wall clock reads 8:46 pm... Time's a wastin'.
    Copyright 2003-2012
    Universal Nutrition