MY FIRST CONTEST PREP VS. SECOND CONTEST PREP
My first contest example exercise and meal prep.
Do Cardio for 3 days walking 3.5 mph on a 15% grade incline for 30 mins
MONDAY
BACK
Seated rows 4 sets for 10 reps
DB rows 4 sets for 10
Front Lat Pulldowns 3 sets for 12 reps
Underhand pulldowns 3 sets for 12 reps
Close grip pulldowns 3 sets for 12 reps
Rope Stiff Arm pulldowns 3 sets for12 reps
DB pullovers 3 sets for 10 reps
Rear lat raises 3 sets for 12 reps (shoulders)
TUESDAY
CHEST/TRICEPS
Lower cable pulls 3 sets for 15 reps
Cable crossovers 4 sets 10 reps
Incline flyes 4 sets for 10-12 reps
incline bench press 4 sets for 10 reps
Close grip bench press
Tricep cable pushdowns
reverse pushdowns
all 4 sets for 8-10 reps
Hanging Abs 4 sets for 15-20 reps
Twist with Medicine ball 3 sets for 75 total reps
THURSDAY
SHOULDERS/LEGS
Reverse pec dec 3 sets for 15 reps
Side laterals set 1 12 reps, set 2, 10 reps , set 3 8 reps, set 4 6 reps, set 5 6 reps, set 6 12 reps
Barbell shoulder press set 1 at 8 reps, set 2 at 6 reps, set 3 at 6 reps, set 4 at 8 reps
upright rows 3 sets at 12 reps
Front db raise 3 sets at 12 reps
leg press calf raise 3 at 50 reps
standing calf raises 3 at 15 reps
FRIDAY
BICEPS/LEGS/ABS
Cambered standing curls 3 set at 15 reps
Hammer curls 3 at 15 reps
Spider curls 2 sets at 12-15 reps
Leg Ext 5 sets at 20 reps
Lying leg curls 5 sets at 20 reps
Bulgarian lunges 4 sets at 10 reps
Rope pull downs (on knees) 3 sets at 25 reps
Floor Sweepers with barbell 3 sets at 25 reps
SATURDAY
REST
SUNDAY
REST
Meal Plan
Meal #1
8 egg whites
1cup white rice
Meal #2
6oz salmon
1cup green beans
Meal #3
8oz tilapia
2cups green beans
Meal #4
1 scoop whey protein
1oz raisins
Meal #5
5oz salmon
asparagus (10-15)
4oz white potato
Meal #6
6 egg whites
Meal #7
1 scoop whey protein
MACRO-NUTRIENT BREAK DOWN
FATS-47g 22% OF DIET
CARBS-140g 28% OF DIET
PROTIEN-275g 50% OF DIET
TOTAL CALORIES- 2080
My second contest example exercise and meal prep.
MONDAY
CHEST and BICEPS
Bench Press – 4 sets of 3 to 5 reps
Incline Bench Press 2-3 sets of 6 reps
Dumbbell Bench Press 2-3sets of 6 to 12 reps
Dumbbell Flys – 2 sets of 40 reps
Pinwheel Curls – 2 sets of 5 reps
Standing Barbell Curl 2-3 sets of 6 to 12 reps
Cable Preacher Curl 1-2 40 reps
TUESDAY
LEGS
Squat – 4 sets of 3 to 5 reps
Leg Press- 2-3 sets of 6 to 12 reps
Front Squat – 2-3 sets of 6 to 12 reps
Leg Press – 2 sets of 40 reps
Romanian Deadlift – 2-4 sets of 3 to 5 reps
Romanian Deadlift or Leg Curl 2-3 sets of 6 to 12 reps
Leg Curl – 1 set of 40 reps
Abs circuit
Rest in between circuits for 30 Seconds
Do one set per circuit. So a total of 2-3 circuits should result.
Make sure you are really focusing on the contraction and squeeze of your abdominals and oblique.
| Workout | sets | reps |
| Incline leg raise | 2-3 | 15-20 |
| Decline medicine ball raise | 2-3 | 15-20 |
| Hanging leg raise | 2-3 | 15-25 |
| Hanging leg raise (twist) | 2-3 | 30 total |
| plank | 2-3 | 1-2 minutes |
WEDNESDAY
REST
THRUSDAY
SHOULDERS
Seated Barbell Press – 4 sets of 3 to 5 reps
Seated Arnold Press -2-3 sets of 6 to 12 reps
Barbell Front Raise – 2-3 sets of 6 to 12 reps
Dumbbell Lateral Raise – 2 sets of 40 reps
Closegrip Bench Press -2 sets of 3 to 5 reps
Seated French Press – 2 sets of 6 to 12 reps
EZ Bar Skullcrusher – 2 of 6 to 12 reps
Cable Tricep Extension – 1 set of 40 reps
FRIDAY
BACK AND CALVES
Dead lift – Power 2-4 sets 3 to 5 reps
Barbell Rows – Muscle 2-3 sets of 6 to 12 reps
Lat Pull Down – Muscle 2-3 sets of 6 to 12 reps
Seated Cable Row – 2 sets of 40 reps
Seated Calf Raise – 2-3 sets of 10 to 15 reps
45 Degree Calf Raise – 2 sets of 40 reps
Abs circuit
Rest in between circuits for 30 Seconds
Do one set per circuit. So a total of 2-3 circuits should result.
Make sure you are really focusing on the contraction and squeeze of your abdominals and oblique.
| Workout | sets | reps |
| Incline leg raise | 2-3 | 15-20 |
| Decline medicine ball raise | 2-3 | 15-20 |
| Hanging leg raise | 2-3 | 15-25 |
| Hanging leg raise (twist) | 2-3 | 30 total |
| plank | 2-3 | 1-2 minutes |
SATURDAY
REST
SUNDAY
CARDIO
30 minutes HIIT intervals
Meal Plan
meal #1
one egg and cup of egg whites, 300g white rice, 1 tsp mango salsa, 1tsp hummus, and 1 tsp natural peanutbutter
meal #2
4oz chicken breast, 300g of white rice, 1 cup of collard greens
meal #3
4oz chicken breast, 200g white rice, with 2 cups of salad
meal#4
almond milk, 2 scoops of whey, 80 g oats, 2 tsp natural peanut butter,
meal #5
1 cup of egg whites
MARCO NUTRIENT BREAK DOWN
FATS-41g 17% OF DIET
CARBS- 317g 53% OF DIET
PROTIEN- 182 g 30% of DIET
TOTAL CALORIES- 2421
What did I do differently and what were my REASONS why I felt better?
- CONFIDENCE- I was definitely more confident the second time around. The major contribution was that I was aware what to expect. This was also my second time competing at same venue. I believe confidence is one the most important assets you can have. I also believe that this asset has a synergistic effect from experience.
- PRACTICE- PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE I’M TALKING ABOUT PRACTICE! In my first show I didn’t do enough of this! Practice is one of the key fundamentals to success. I had practiced my posting at least 1 month out for 10-20 minutes at at 2X a day.
- DIET-I keep my carb intake VERY HIGH up until peak week. There are multiple reasons why I did this. I felt fuller, stronger and sane. Most in the sport would disagree with the approach I took. However, I disagree because ikept my carb intake roughly around 300-350g every day until peak week. This approach my not work for everyone, especially endomorphs. Naturally, I am an ectomorph so it’s extremely easy for me to lose weight but extremely difficult for me to gain weight. I believe this approach was beneficial because it allowed me to keep most of my strength during my prep. Typically, when someone lowers their carb intake, they additionally lose some strength. This is because the bodies primary source of fuel is glucose. (The Means the body predominately relies on carbohydrates for energy!)
- CARDIO- This time I actually did 2x less cardio! I did HIIT Cardio instead of Lower intensity steady state (Check out my article on its benefits here)>>> www.gravfitt.com/#!blank/chs5
5.CLEAR MIND– When competing, a lot can relate to this topic. Over weeks of hard dieting we start to mentally develop a routine. When we break our routine we tend to get stressed. This time through my routine, I didn’t get fixated or worked up on irrelevant barriers. I prioritized on the essentials and adjusted my time accordingly so that I was on the right path to achieving my goal . I didn’t let the little things like eating 2 cups of white rice instead of eating 2 cups of brown rice get to my head. I didn’t stress out on when/what to exactly eat. Ultimately, I ate when I felt hungry and I focused on my macro nutrient consumption (carb,proteins, fats) and caloric expenditure.
Unfortunately, after all these adjustments I still didn’t place in the top 5. Although, I was very proud of my overall performance and dedication because I took a lot sacrifices to reach my peak for this show. For the interim up until the next show (summer 2015), I will train my absolute best to come back better mentally, physically, and spiritually.