My Journey To Reclaim What Was Lost

[Rex]

I used to be an IFBB Pro. Or at least I thought I was. I had qualified for an IFBB Pro Card in early 2013. So I put in my application for the 2014 season via the German IFBB federation. At this point everything seemed fine. That is, until Friday 13th.

The president of the German federation personally called me to apologize greatly because my Pro Card had been denied. Apparently the IFBB has recently changed the qualification standards for the 2014 contest season for all European athletes. Only Overall winners at international amateur shows, such as the Arnold Classic, Mr. Olympia, World Championships etc., may obtain an IFBB Pro Card. This means that my Top 3 placing at the Arnold '13 and my overall national German title aren't good enough anymore.

I'm not going to complain, cry, or be angry about that. I can't change any of this. What I can do though is get back into the gym and reclaim what was lost, what had almost been mine.

IFBB pro status.

My first attempt will take place at the Amateur Mr. Olympia in Prague, Czech Republic on June 06. - 08. 2014.

This thread will document my entire Journey. Training, nutrition, supplementation, progress pictures, you name it, it will be here.

25 weeks out. Here we go.

[Universal Rep]

Good luck in Prague brotha. In for the ride...

[Rex]

Ok guys! This Is what I´m looking like right now.
Around 255lb (116-117kg)



The goal at this point is to put on as much size as possible.



Even if this means that the conditioning has to suffer a little bit for that.



Depending on how things are going I will try gaining weight for 12-14 weeks. Followed by a 10-12 week cutting phase

[Rex]

TRAINING

30 min. starved cardio upon waking

AM workout: Chest, Abs
Pec Deck flys 5sets 12-20reps
Incline dumbbell press 10 6-12
Decline Hammer press 5 12
Dumbbell pullover 5 12
+Abs

PM workout: shoulders, triceps
Standing military press 5 5-12
Dumbbell side laterals 10 12
Machine side laterals 3 12 last set double strip
Upright rows 3 15

Rope pushdowns 3 15 last set double strip
Overhead dumbbell 5 6-12
Bodyweight dips 5 to failure
Machine extensions 3 12

NUTRITION

Meal 1:
125gr oats
15 eggwhites
100gr ricecakes

AM workout

Meal 2:
100gr buckwheat flour
15 eggwhites
100gr ricecakes

Meal 3:
330gr chicken
100gr ricecakes

Meal 4:
330gr steak
100gr ricecakes

PM workout

Meal 5:
Same as meal 2

Meal 6:
Same as meal 3

Meal 7:
Same as meal 3


SUPPLEMENTS

Animal PAK: 1 with breakfast, 1 with meal 5
Animal NITRO: 2 upon waking, 3 post workouts
Universal Glutamine: 10gr upon waking, 10gr post workouts
Animal OMEGA: 1 with breakfast, 1 with meal 6
Animal FLEX: 1 with meal 2, 1 with meal 7
Universal Chromium: 3 caps with post workout meals (2; 5)
Animal PUMP: 1 before AM workout (stim cap removed) with strong black coffee

[Rex]

TRAINING

Most of the time I take Tuesdays off. This week hasn´t been any different. This means no training, no scheduled eating, sleeping in etc. I take Advantage of the free time to run all kinds of errands. Today for example I had my annual check up at the dentist, went for grocery shopping, took care of a lot of emails that I had not yet respomded to and also got a much needed deep tissue massage Treatment for my legs and lower back. Bobby, the therapist is go to. is a long time friend and he knows all the problem areas of my body that need to be fixed. If it wasn´t for him I´d probably not even be able to stand up straight...
As far as sleeping in goes, I really catch up on my sleep on my offdays. Today I slept until 3.00 PM.


Although I took a day off from weights, I still put in 30 minutes of morning cardio before breakfast. I have a crosstrainer in my basement, which is convenient because I don´t have to drive to the gym only to do cardio.

No scheduled eating doesn´t mean that I stuff my face with junk food. I eat clean. Period. But I eat only when I want to and therefore my digestive system gets a break before the pounding begins anew over the next 6 days.


NUTRITION

Here´s what I ate today:

Meal 1
125gr oats
15 eggwhites

Meal 2
330gr chicken
100gr rice cakes

Meal 3
330gr turkey
100gr rice cakes

Meal 4
330gr chicken
100gr rice cakes

Meal 5
330gr turkey
100gr rice cakes

I had vegetables with every meal except breakfast. I never take those into account...


SUPPLEMENTS
Animal Pak: 1 breakfast, 1 meal 4
Animal Omega: 1 breakfast, 1 meal 5
Animal Flex: 1 meal 2, 1 meal 5
Animal Nitro: 2 upon waking
Universal Glutamine: 10gr upon waking
Animal PM: 1 20min. before meal 5

[Universal Rep]

I took a day off from weights

Is this sumthin thats hard for ya or sumthin ya actually look forward to?

[G Diesel]

The most intense dude I know. A beast in the gym and an extremely meticulous, dedicated athlete...

But underneath the hard exterior is a very bright, determined, nice guy with a good heart.

Welcome to Animal, my jacked friend. You belong here.

Peace, G

[Rex]

Is this sumthin thats hard for ya or sumthin ya actually look forward to?

I force myself into doing it. My body needs the rest, I know that but I´m always so exited about training that it´s a very hard thing for me to back down even for only one day. The longest I ever went without a day off has been 14 weeks...

[Rex]

The most intense dude I know. A beast in the gym and an extremely meticulous, dedicated athlete...

But underneath the hard exterior is a very bright, determined, nice guy with a good heart.

Welcome to Animal, my jacked friend. You belong here.

Peace, G

Thanks, G! What a great compliment coming from you.

I´m more than proud to be affiliated with ANIMAL. Something I dreamed about ever since I lifted my first rusty weight in the basement of the boarding school I went to...
Payed my dues every day... now I´m here!

Cheers, my brother!

[Universal Rep]

Something I dreamed about ever since I lifted my first rusty weight in the basement of the boarding school I went to...

Sounds like theres a great story here...

[J-Dawg]

Great to see you on board now with Team Animal Roman!

[Rex]

I have to say, that one day off really did me good. I felt refreshed and ready to go as I woke up in the morning. As always I slammed down 1,5 liters of water to rehydrate my body, and washed down 2 Animal Nitro packs and 10gr of Universal Glutamine with that. After that I put in 30min. on the Crosstrainer, made breakfast and headed to the gym for workout no. 1. It´s back day!


TRAINING

AM workout: back, abs
Neutral grip pulldown 3x127lb; 20reps each rest/paused
Barbell rows 5x255lb; 11, 9, 8, 7, 7reps
Dumbbell rows 3x110lb; 8, 7, 7
T-bar 3x193lb; 12reps each rest/paused
Padded T-bar 3x72lb; 12reps each rest/paused, last set double strip of 12reps each
Dumbbell pullover 3x88lb; 12, 9+3r/p, 7+5r/p
Reverse grip pulldown 3x100lb; 15reps each cheated to complete 15reps
+2 execises of 3 sets abs

PM workout: back, traps, rear delts, biceps
Wide grip pulldown 3x132lb;
Dumbbell pullover 3x88lb;
Behind neck pulldown 3x110lb;
Db shrug 5x132lb;
Smith machine shrug 3x200lb; 12reps each r/p
Cable rear delts 3x45lb; 15reps each r/p, last set strip 15reps
Db lying rear delts 3x33lb; 15reps each, finish up with partials until 15reps
Machine curls 3x55lb; 12reps each r/p, last set r/p until 20reps
Barbell spider curl 5x77lb; 9, 7, 6, 6, 6reps
Single arm rope hammer 3x33lb; 12reps each, assist with other arm if necessary
+2 exercises forearms


NUTRITION

Meal 1:
125gr oats
15 eggwhites
100gr ricecakes

AM workout

Meal 2:
100gr buckwheat flour
15 eggwhites
100gr ricecakes

Meal 3:
330gr chicken
100gr ricecakes

Meal 4:
330gr chicken
100gr ricecakes

PM workout

Meal 5:
Same as meal 2

Meal 6:
Same as meal 3

Meal 7:
Same as meal 3

I add vegetables with meals 3, 6 and 7...
I drink at least 3 gallons of water per day


SUPPLEMENTS

Animal PAK: 1 with breakfast, 1 with meal 5
Animal NITRO: 2 upon waking, 3 post workouts
Universal Glutamine: 10gr upon waking, 10gr post workouts
Animal OMEGA: 1 with breakfast, 1 with meal 6
Animal FLEX: 1 with meal 2, 1 with meal 7
Universal Chromium: 3 caps with post workout meals (2; 5)
Animal PUMP: 1 before AM workout (stim cap removed) with strong black coffee

[shortstack]

Welcome to the forum an congrats on getting picked up by animal. Sucks they took it away but it's going to mean that much more when you get it back. Impressive physique brother, I'll be along for the ride.
Jeremy

[Theonidus]

Subbed for the journey of the most intense bodybuilder that I know of.

[knotahumanbeing]

Welcome brother. Good luck on your journey!

[Rex]

It´s legday. My favorite training day. Thank god I have at least two of the each week!
I split my lower body into two separate workouts. Calves and hamstrings are trained in the morning. At night I return to the gym for quads and some more hamstrings. I always make sure tohit my hamstrings just as hard, if not even harder, than my quads. Good frontal legs is something you see often. But a competitor with balanced and equally as well developed hamstrings and calves is rare sight these days.
Here is what I did today:


TRAINING

30min. starved cv on crosstrainer

AM workout
Calves, hamstrings:
Seated calf raises 3x254lb; 12, 8+4, 7+5 rest/paused, DC stretch after last set
Donkey calf raises 3x331lb; 8+4, 12, 9+3 r/p, DC stretch after last set
Standing calves 3x485lb; 12, 12, 9+3 r/p
Tibialis raises 3x20 r/p bodyweight
Lying hams 5x72lb; 20, 12+8, 12+8, 11+9, 11+9 r/p and cheated if necessary
Stiff leg deads 5x405; 6, 4, 4, 4, 4
Glute-ham raises 3x45lb; 12, 12, 9+3 dropped the plate to reach 12reps
Single leg curls 3x88lb; 12, 8+4, 8+4 cheated to reach 12reps

PM workout
Hamstrings, quads:
Lying hams 5x72lb; 12 reps each
Leg extensions 5x77lb; 20, 16+4, 14+6, 13+7, 12+8 r/p
Squats 225lbx15, 315x8, 365x6, 405x4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 315x6
Sissy squats 5xbodyweight; 12, 12, 9+3, 8+4, 8+4 forced reps
Adductor/Abductor machine superset 3x12
+thorough stretching


Nutrition
Meal 1:
125gr oats
15 eggwhites
100gr ricecakes

AM workout

Meal 2:
100gr buckwheat flour
15 eggwhites
100gr ricecakes

Meal 3:
330gr chicken
100gr ricecakes

Meal 4:
330gr steak
100gr ricecakes

PM workout

Meal 5:
Same as meal 2

Meal 6:
Same as meal 3

Meal 7:
Same as meal 3

I add vegetables with meals 3, 6 and 7...
I drink at least 3 gallons of water per day



SUPPLEMENTS

Animal PAK: 1 with breakfast, 1 with meal 5
Animal NITRO: 2 upon waking, 3 post workouts
Universal Glutamine: 10gr upon waking, 10gr post workouts
Animal OMEGA: 1 with breakfast, 1 with meal 6
Animal FLEX: 1 with meal 2, 1 with meal 7
Universal Chromium: 3 caps with post workout meals (2; 5)
Animal PUMP: 1 before AM workout (stim cap removed) with strong black coffee

[Rex]

As I woke up in the morning I really felt the soreness of yesterday´s leg training sessions. I stepped on the scale and it showed 258.5lb, which means my bodyweight is slowly crawling up. Considering that I am taking in a minimum of 550gr of protein and 800gr of carbs per day, it´s still not fast enough for me. I´ll just add more food. I´m lucky to have a good metabolism and therefore it´s really hard for me to put on a lot of bodyfat. When I get out of shape it´s mainly due to water retention from all the carbs I´m eating. Once I start dieting this comes off in only a few days…

TRAINING
30min. starved cv on crosstrainer

AM workout: chest, abs
Incline barbell 5x275lb; 7+1, 6+1, 4+1, 4+1, 4+1 forced reps
Incline db flys 45lbx 8, 55lbx 10, 8, 7, 6, 7
Dips bodyweight x5; 10, 12, 8, 7, 6
Cable crossover 5x 70lb; 12, 12, 9+3, 9+4, 8+4 r/p; last set strip 12reps
Db pullover 5x83lb; 12 reps each r/p
+1 exercise abs

PM workout: shoulders, triceps
Military presses 5x182lb; 12, 8, 7, 6, 6  strip to 138lb 20reps r/p
Db side laterals 10x40lb; 12 reps r/p and cheated if necessary
single side lateral machine 3x105lb, 12 reps r/p
upright rows 3x100lb; 12 reps r/p and cheated
Rope pushdown 3x143lb; 15, 13+3, 10+5 r/p; last set finished with 15 partials
Single lying db extension 3x40lb; 12, 9+3, 7+5 forced reps
Dips bodyweightx5; 10, 8, 7, 7, 6, 6
Overhead extension machine 3x77lb; 12, 9+3, 7+5 r/p; DC stretch after final set


NUTRITION

Meal 1:
125gr oats
15 eggwhites
100gr ricecakes

AM workout

Meal 2:
100gr buckwheat flour
15 eggwhites
100gr ricecakes

Meal 3:
330gr chicken
100gr ricecakes

Meal 4:
330gr chicken
100gr ricecakes

PM workout

Meal 5:
Same as meal 2

Meal 6:
Same as meal 3

Meal 7:
Same as meal 3

I add vegetables with meals 3, 6 and 7...
I drink at least 3 gallons of water per day



SUPPLEMENTS

Animal PAK: 1 with breakfast, 1 with meal 5
Animal NITRO: 2 upon waking, 3 post workouts
Universal Glutamine: 10gr upon waking, 10gr post workouts
Animal OMEGA: 1 with breakfast, 1 with meal 6
Animal FLEX: 1 with meal 2, 1 with meal 7
Universal Chromium: 3 caps with post workout meals (2; 5)
Animal PUMP: 1 before AM workout (stim cap removed) with strong black coffee

[deanna7272]

When I read your first post, my first thoughts were "you're kidding???" That's just crazy... I'm sure that card is not far away...

Subbed for the ride...

[Rex]

When I read your first post, my first thoughts were "you're kidding???" That's just crazy... I'm sure that card is not far away...

Subbed for the ride...

Thanks for signing up, deanna! You won´t regret it...

By tomorrow it will be 24 weeks away. I plan on nothing but winning that damn show in Prague.

[Rex]

Great to see you on board now with Team Animal Roman!

I can´t tell you how great I feel! Thanks for welcoming me, J-Dawg.
Looking forward to meeting you...