New diet an new workout routine

I am half way in my three months preparation for IBFA World Championships in bodybuilding 55-65 years in Rome 18th. October.

Progress is as planned and I am between 6-7% in body fat under the skin. My plan is to be ready between 4-5% by 1st. October.

I have been on new diet and new training routine for one week. I goes like this:

MONDAY

Diet:
1980 kcal (225gr proteine, 180gr carbohydrates, 40-60gr fat)

Training:
Cardio training with moderate intensity

TUESDAY

Diet:
1620-1800 kcal (270gr proteine, 54gr carbohydrates, 40-60gr fat)
No creatine.

Training:
Full body workout on all muscle groups.
Two sets with 20 reps
15 minutes rest with proteine drink
Full body workout on all muscle groups
Two sets with 20 reps

WEDNESDAY
As Tuesday

THURSDAY
Diet as Tuesday
No workout. Only cardio training with moderate intensity.

FRIDAY
Diet as Tuesday until training

Training
Time for emptying glycogen and preparing carbo uploading
Full body workout with two sets and 8-12 reps.
I include morning cardio as well.

(I was really really empty last friday after workout. What kept me going was the carbo uploading waiting for me)

FRIDAY AFTERNOON – SATURDAY EVENING
Diet (Carbo uploading):
6500 kcal (170gr proteine, 1200gr carbohydrates, 40 fat)
Just to mention. 1200gr carbohydrates equals 1.5kg dry raw rice: Try this for your self.
Creatine uploading and a spoon of creatine for every meal..

Training:
NO training. JUST EATING

SUNDAY
Diet:
2000 kcal (200gr proteine, 300gr carbohydrates, 45 fat)
A spoon of creatine for every meal.

Training:
HARD training. Full body 3-4 sets with 4-5 reps

One week before start of diet

Pictures are taken one week before I start the tough part (read: diet & cardio) and 14 weeks before I will be on stage in the 55-64 class of IBFA WC in bodybuilding in Rome.

Diskusjonstråd på treningsforum.no

Training in Menton

Two weeks training at Univers Gym in Menton.

On track after one week back injury

Monday previous week, quadriceps day, hack lift, without warming up, first set 20kg no problem, second set 20kg (still warming up), gluteus touching my heels (too low I know), lower back moving 5cm forward when starting upward movement, SHIT, My lower back goes to hell!!!

Ever experienced something like that?

Did some more workouts that day but ended the workout session thinking that this was the beginning of two weeks hell and no training.

That evening I got to bed with my lifting belt on. Lucky me because that saved me through the night. I don’t know if you have been on low carb diet but for me it has the effect that the water keeps flowing (read: have to piss every third hour) so the lifting belt helped med get out off bed during the night.

Made Thursday a training free day, kept my lifting belt on during the day and the following night.

Wednesday is normally a training free day but I got to the gym and did my Tuesday training. On Thursday I was back on track. This had not been possible for a normal person. I’m not normal.

This week I changed from 4-days a week to 5-days a week workouts.
I have the same 4-split but skip resting on Wednesdays. On Friday this week I redo my Monday workout and so on. Saturday is FOOD day and the weekend is for avoiding workout except for gardening.

I still do not do cardio (fat burning) training. The diet is low on calories and carbohydrates and that keeps me on the planned track to 7 % fat under the skin 1.st July.

My Coach tells me that I am on track and that I will be below 5 % on contest day.

On track towards BB World Championships in Rome

I have said it before and I say it again:
The main goal this year is to get ripped to the bone when I’m on stage in Rome for the World Championship title in BodyBuilding 55-64 years.

If I start the last heavy 3 months workout and diet 1.st July at 7 % bodyfat under the skin I will be below 5 % on stage. Stone hard and best in class. You can bet on that.

Today my weight is approximatly 93 kg and bodyfat under the skin is 7,4 %. Workout is done at 80 % intensity to avoid injuries. I feel I’m in really good shape and is comfortable with the low carb diet. I don’t do cardio training for the moment because it is not necessary. I save it for the tough months from July.

7.4 % bodyfat under the skin

During my almost three weeks eastern holiday in Menton I managed to rip more fat. Unbelievable. My goal was to keep the weight and the fat percent I had come down to before the holiday. My plan was to have good dinner and wine every night. We have an apartment with a good Kitchen and I love to make good of all the fresh vegetables and meat you find in southern Europe.

From breakfast until dinner at 19:00hrs I followed a strict diet on low carb.

In this way I feel I missed nothing of the good life. And still I managed to reduce weight and almost 1% of under the skin fat which means I have 7,4 % at the moment.

So what the h… do I do now?

• I continue with the same diet.
• I skip cardio training
  
• I train with more reps and only 70-80% of maximum.
• I eat good from Saturday evening until Sunday lunch.
  

In this way I will continue fat reduction, hopefully without loosing mass.

I don’t know at what point my body will resist ripping more fat. And my original plan was to start the three months contest preparation 1st of July wit 7 % fat under the skin.

Just now I don’t know what status will be at 1st of July. I have never been lower than 7 %. Last year it was hell to reach 7 %. This year it feels too easy.

Pictures are taken early morning on low carb:

If I get ripped enough I can win

I am training with Eric Orrao in Menton and Eric told med today that I I get ripped enough I can win the IFBA World Championship in bodybuilding October 18th. My class will be 55-64 years.

“Every time I you come to Menton you are bigger than before” he says. “Incredible”.

6 more months to go. I keep going with hard training and a strict diet. Slowly my under-the-skin fat is going away and by July 1st I will be slightly below 7%.

Will I be ready for WC in Rome in October?

Looks like I will be in very good shape and hopefully more ripped than my competitors in the IFBA World Championship in Bodybuilding in Rome, October 2009.
Todays measuring shows that I am in much better shape right now than I was one month later (april 11th) last year when I competed in IGP the last weekend of May.

April 11th 2008:
Weight: 90,1kg
Lean weight: 69,9kg
Bodyfat under the skin: 10,26%

February 27th 2009:
Weight: 93kg
Lean weight: 72kg
Bodyfat under the skin: 9,4%

Bottom line: 2,1kg more muscle mass and on schedule to be very ripped on stage in the IFBA World Championship in bodybuilding in Rome in October.

I have to slow down the the ripping process from what I do just now. It is simply going to fast. I do 5-6 cardio workouts a week, each burning 700kcal. And I have reduced the carbohydrates to 120gr a day.

My coach Rune has ordered me do increase the amount of carbohydrates to a level that gives me good and effective workouts and so that I do not loose any mass during diet. Rune also tells me from his own experience that if I diet too hard already now I will not be able to go through the last months from July.

So, in other words. I will slow down the ripping process, train hard, and plan for 7% under the skin bodyfat by July 1st.

My Wife Knows

During this two-week holiday in Menton I told my Wife that I intended to compete in the World Championships in Bodybuilding in Rome in October.

It was inevitable. I have trained four days a week and I have NOT tasted French Cheese. My diet has been as normal with cereals, tuna (two times a day), chicken breast, whey protein, omega-3, olive oil and very very little bread and cookies. I admit that some of the carbohydrates has come from wine. She has probably understood this since I started my cardio training in January.

But she did not argue it at all. This is my new way of living and I make very good dinner every day. I love cooking and I think this makes it up. My wife loves my cooking.

So now it is back to normal. Back in Norway there is no wine on workdays and I plan to reduce my weight with 3-4 kilos by Easter. Hopefully it will be fat reduction

In Menton I have trained heavy weights. I love to train harder and heavier than the younger competitors at Univers Gym. Eric is 48 so I will not meet him in the same class (45-55, 55-65, 65-+). But I will meet Patrick, I hope in The World Championships in Rome this Autumn. He is a newly retired Police officer. Smaller than me but in good shape and he will be ripped for sure. He plan to compete Mr. Universe in Sapri in July and has not decided for Rome yet.

I think; If I manage to get ripped enough. I can possibly be World Champion this year. That’s what KICKS ME OFF! I Know I can Do It because I am Crazy Enough.

My next Posing Routine

I have always dreamed of including backflip og frontflip in my posing routine. Either as a intro arriving on the scene or as a finish when leaving the scene. Either way have to train on this during the summer. Here it goes:
Backflip

Frontflip

To Bulk or not to Bulk

I know I should eat more and gain more weight in order to gain more muscle mass. My coach would like me to reach 100kg off-season. Everybody knows, and I have learned at The Norwegian School of Sports Science, that I need to eat a little bit more calories than I need if I want to maximize my mass growth.

But I can’t do it. I simply can’t. I believe it’s in my head but I am to afraid of gaining too much fat. I understand young bodybuilders who bulk during off season, but for me this is as much about staying fit for the rest of my life as it is about being the biggest and winning titles.

Competitions and Championships is only milestones and bonuses. Such goals kicks me off for training. Of course I go for titles, but my bottom line is gaining good health and staying as fit as possible.

My French friend Eric tells me not to do so much cardio training. “It destroys your legs”. Well, maybe he is right about that. Maybe all the cardio training is in conflict with building big quadriceps. But it keeps my heart going and that is also an important part of this project.

So what is my underlying goal this season?

I am still a beginner in this game and I have a long way to go to win international championships. I have used the previous competitions to get lower and lower on under-the-skin fat. Beeing ripped like a long time bodybuilder or like my friend Eric Orrao is not done in one or two years for beginners like me. Starting with all too much fat.

So this year have actually one goal. To come down to at least 5 % under-the-skin fat. I know from last year that going from 8 % to 7 % was very hard. Also for my wife to watch. So I know that going from 7 % to 5 % will be even harder. My metabolism will adapt to less calories and it will be harder and harder. Maybe it is impossible. I don’t know yet.

This is the reason I don’t bulk this year. And maybe I won’t gain as much muscle mass as I could. But as you understand from this I don’t think I can do both.

If I reach my 5 % goal this year I think I can be third in Rome. The reason is that the other athletes does not “rip to the bone”. But that will be a bonus.

If I reach my 5 % this year I know it is possible and I know I can do it again. Next time will be easier and during next off-season I can possibly gain more mass by a “mini” bulk.

Anyway. I love this sport

Is it possible for me to match theese Quadriceps?

My French friend Eric Orrao is a master in ripping fat. No wonder he has a lot of victories and more to come. My goal is to be ripped like this in Rome in October. Eric has not the worlds largest legs but they are ripped. That’s for sure. I train heavy this year and last monday I did 18 sets only for Quadriceps. So maybe ….

Cardio started this week

To be ready for diet from July 1.st I have to rip fat slowly from present 10% to 7-8% by July 1.st.  That is why I started cardio training this week. 40 minutes on my Crosstrainer at 130 puls burns 700kcal.  I start slowly with four times per week and without changing my diet.

January is High Volume

High volume is more sets which means more total reps and more total weight on each muscle group. Each set is only 80% intensity which means that I stop when I have two more reps to maximum.

More sets means 16 sets for Quadriceps, 16 sets for Hamstrings and so on. It pumps you up. That’s for sure.

My weight is 96kg and my under the skin fat is 10%. I am on track and enjoy training.

I also do some small adjustements to my program. I remove the high rowing which involves my Trapezius to much. Instead I will go back to wide pull down to upper Chest. The reason is to broaden the upper part of Latissimus without making my Trapezius bigger.

Focus on Rome

I got through exam in November and is now certified “Treningsveileder, NIH” (BB Coach as I like to call it). My next goal is to take exam as Personal Trainer by autumn 2009. Next autumn is also time for another bodybuilding world championships. In Rome. The date is Oct,11th and the class is Masters 55-65 years. A lot of big guys and I think I will be the oldest.

This Autumn I have focused very hard on gaining more mass on Quadriceps, Upper Chest, Latissimus and Erector Spinae. This focus will continue until Easter 2009. By now my weight is 96kg with a” under the skin fat percent of 8-9. By summer I will be 6kg from competition weight (that is my plan). The tough diet will start July 1st and by October 1st I will have burned 6kg fat and have 4% fat under the skin. Sounds easy? Well, it’s not. And I have not told my wife yet.

Here are some pictures from big contests in oct/nov 2008

NAC Universe masters Over 55 years (16 athletes in this class):

IBFA World Championships 2008 Over 55 years, Slovenia, 15 th Nov:

My Favourite Gluteus Workout

I did 160kg in Stifflegged deadlift on Tuesday this week. Even if it is in a Hammer machine and not a free movement it is hard enough. This workout is one of my favorites. It takes really hard on Gluteus, Hamstrings and Erector Spinae. The Erector Spinae is also one of the muscles where I want more volume because it makes my Back “deeper”. So this workout is actually also an important part of my Back workout program that continues on Fridays.

200kg in Deadlift today

6 reps of 200kg on the 4.th set. Not bad But what’s even better: I believe I could do 220kg today and that kicks me of for a new goal. 240kg before Christmas. I know I can do it.

This has been a different month. Lot of work in my ordinary business and two long weekends at the Norwegian School of Sports Science. For the moment I am writing two training programs that has to be delivered by midnight (on the web) on thursday night. 12 pages, not more, not less, is my exam for NIH Certified Treningsveileder.

My left arm is good, at last. And now I have 120 % focus on World Championships in Rome, November 2009. My next international competition where I go for silver or bronze medal in Masters class 55-65 years. I have seen pictures from this years WC and althoug the winner was good, the rest was to fat. Big but not very ripped. I will be ripped. That’s for sure.

I listened to my Body and gave it a Rest

Last Monday, at 14:00hrs, preparing for this weeks first workout (heavy leg training) I felt my legs where a long way from ready for a new workout. My knees was “on the edge” so to speak. So, instead of going to the gym, I decided to do what my body told me. I decided to give a weeks rest.

Biceps Brachii and Brachioradialis hurts

I have for some time had some pain in the lower parts of Biceps Brachii and Brachioradialis and I think I know the reason and the consequenses. The reason, I think, is due to my biceps workouts this Spring. Heavy workouts as Barbell Curl with 70kg for 6-8 reps, heavy Dumbbell Curls, Dumbbell Concentration urls and Chins with levering down with one arm stressing the middle point where Brachioradialis is the main flexing muscle.

After IGP 31.th May I have been going on training with next year WC in focus and not enough rest. I have tried to take it slowly at 70% intensity but the problem is that biceps is involved in almost every exersice.

So, now it is time for a break.

I have to save my left bicep for the next two weeks before the really heavy workouts starts in August. This means that my leg workouts will proceed as normal. Chest workouts involving Triceps will be done carefully. Back workouts involving biceps will be avoided. But workouts like “good morning” will be ok.

The Hard Work has started, Again!

I’m back from two weeks Holiday in Menton. Two weeks where I enjoyed both food and good wine together with my wife and friends. It is now one month since I won the Nordic Champion title in Bodybuildning for Veterans over 60 years. Although I was on holiday I managed to do some training at Eric Orrao’s Univers Gym. The last holiday week I tested my new 4-split workout routine which I will use the next six months.

So, Monday 30th June I was back on Track, so to speak.

Started with 40 minutes cardio on my elliptic cross trainer at 7:00 hrs. My plan is to do four cardio workouts per week as a steady routine. Followed up with my good old diet adjusted slightly with more carb one hour before workout. Some of the fat I have gained the last month is going to be ripped away during summer. I have in fact a small wish of staying on 8% during autumn and only do necessary adjustmensts to give full power in the heavy workouts that begins sometime in August. For those who are interested I have started a three weeks ripping periode with “Animal Cuts”. A very effective nutrition supplement for fat reduction. Makes me pee a little bit too often but the result is worth it.

The new workout routine will have 70% intensity during July focusing on strict execution and small adjustments to make each routine “hit” the muscle at the right angle.

My new 4-Split Workout Routine
The routine focuses on my weakest muscle groups and what has to be done to win a WC title.
1. Broader and lower Latissimus dorsi
2. More depth on lower part of Erector spinae
3. More volume on upper part of Pectoralis major
4. More volume on lower part of Rectus abdominis
5. More volume and definitions of Serratus anterior
6. More volume on Quadriceps and Hamstrings
7. More volume on Gluteus

Day 1 (Monday) – Legs front: Quadriceps

Day 2 (Tuesday) – Legs back and arms: Hamstrings, Gluteus, Calves, Biceps, Triceps

Day 3 (Tursday) – Chest, Shoulder, Abdominal

Day 4 (Friday) – Back

Without going into detail of the workout routine I do arms and shoulder workouts with two workouts per muscle and only one set to failure per workout. This is because these muscles are well sized and my back has to be deeper and wider.

Although I do these workout at 70% intensity I did 4 reps of 200kg in the last deadlift set (from knee height) today.  Deadlift is the last workout on Fridays.