Muscle Ups!!

Finally, I've found a great page on the blog  Beast Skills detailing explicitly how to do a muscle up on both rings and a bar, fast and slow.  I learned a lot of technique from this post.  Now I'm gonna go out and work on it!

Rusty Moore's "Shrink Wrap Effect"

I do not think it would be right for me to post a link for the download of Rusty's book Visual Impact, but I did find this pdf openly about his Shrink Wrap Effect strategy and think it is fine to repost HERE.

In it Rusty explains how to get that lean, cut, and very muscular look.  And it does not involve just cutting or bulking, but a careful combination of the two, in the exact opposite sequence as traditional bodybuilding routines tell you.

Give it a read.  I highly recommend it and this is what I am working on right now.

Leg Press PR!

Maxed that shit out.  900 lbs of plates on the thing: 10 45lb plates on each side.  There was no more room.  Went in there feeling saucy and went straight to the leg press machine.  I am working on Phase II of Visual Impact and this is a good way to start.  I want to work on muscle density all over my body, with my legs being the least of my concerns (obviously).  I only plan on doing one leg exercise on leg days (probably leg press because I like it so much).

Here's how it went down:

*Warm up calisthenics air squats x10, then a warm up leg press set with 2 45s on each side x10.  Worked slowly and deliberately.
*8 45s on each side 1 set of 5 reps
*9 45s on each side 2 sets of 5 reps
*10 45s on each side 1 set of 5 reps
*9 45s on each side 2 sets of 5 reps (actually tried for another 900lb set but couldn't lift the press)

YEAH.  Successful day.  Just goes to show you that not doing any leg work in the gym for a week can result in coming back stronger and fresher.  I should of taken a pic; I'll get one next time I go for it in a couple days.

My Fitness Goals

The only thing I enjoy more than setting goals is achieving them.  So, that being said, it's time to set some goals to work on over the next few months.

1.  Visual Impact.  This is my big one.  I have set out a doable schedule/timeline for success using a customized VI program to achieve my physique goals, and I am going to follow through.

2.  Rowing.  I was doing some rowing sprints today for my HIIT workout after lifting and I have to say, I am actually pretty good.  My body is built perfectly for it: tall, strong, and great endurance from years of elite triathlon racing.  Of course, with my personality, the first thing I did was look at American Records for indoor rowing.  I have NO interest in trying to do a 2000m sprint, but 500m is definitely possible.  According to this sheet, American Rowing Records, I can be in the top-10 recorded American times if I get under 1:27.  I can have the American Record if under 1:17.7.  May not be in the cards unless I actually dedicate to training, but hell I'm gonna go for it.  I did a 1:35 on my first ever try, which is respectable.  But after my (much improved) performance today, I am confident I can crack the top-10.

3.  Bar-Baron.  This is going to be HARD, but I want to eventually qualify as a Bar-Baron in the Bar-Barians.  The criteria are as follows...nothing to laugh at:
a. 40 Dips
b. 20 Pull-ups
c. 50 Push-ups
d. 5 Muscle-ups
All in under 6 minutes.  FUaarrk man, that's tough.  By the time I get that I am going to be STRONG.

Okay, I think I have my hands full for a while.  

Recipe: Berry Protein Smoothie

This is by FAR my favorite PWO shake and by FAR the healthiest shake I can think of.  The amount of anti-oxidants combined with the 50g fast-absorbing whey protein pack a potent punch on your starving muscles after a good hard lift.  All in all, it weighs (wheys) in at around 400-500 calories (depending on your amount of berries), with about 50g protein and 40 - 50g carbohydrates, no fat (not good for PWO absorption).

Here we have it:

2-3cups of frozen mixed berries (no sugar added)
2 scoops chocolate ON Whey protein
about a cup of water (add more or less depending on your preferred consistency)

And viola!! Blend it up in a blender and you have a THICK protein smoothie that tastes like chocolate and berries.  Nothing better.  I love this.  

Visual Impact: My Strategy

So I just finished reading Visual Impact and I have to say, I am excited to get started!  It is after 9pm and I am actually considering running over to the gym to get in my first lift of the program.  Alas, I have work to do yet before bed so I must wait until tomorrow afternoon to lift.  I will look forward to it immensely.

One of the things that Rusty explained in VI is HOW & WHY each phase of his program is structured the way it is: what type of muscle am I developing and how/why I am I going to do it?  This method goes hand-in-hand with the encouragement to tailor the program to your individual body type and placement in the aesthetic journey.  Obviously not everyone is a skinny little hardgainer needing to put on 20 lbs of muscle before doing an intense cut.  Therefore it is not appropriate for everyone to spend the same amount of time on each phase.

After some self-reflection, I realize that I personally do not want to gain any more muscle.  I am perfectly happy with my size and I think my body is too.  I seem to be returning to a certain size after a few days no matter how much or little I end up lifting.  No, I could use some good density training and dieting to get to where I want to be.

Basically when I go to the gym I get that great pump from the high reps but I do not maintain it.  My muscles always end up back around the size they've been for the last two months of lifting: they are not growing.  I think this probably has a lot to do with several things:

1.  My body is at a set point and is comfortable here.  And I am fine with that.  Muscularly, I like the size of my muscles.  I can fill out a fitted, stylish (size M) shirt quite well.  Even though in my current progress pic I may look a tad skinny even, I can assure you I am not.  At 6'4" I actually tower over the guys in the gym and when lifting and pumped, my arms are just as big as, if not bigger than, some of the stockier, bigger looking gym rats.  This just goes with the territory of being a big guy.

2.  I do not routinely eat above maintenance.  On occasion I have been known to eat very large quantities of food, but not normally.  And when I do eat these binges I just get bloated and put on BF, which is then back to normal within 5 days of regular eating.  Otherwise, I feel my best (which I think is super important) when not counting calories but eating right around maintenance.

3.  I mentally and physically feel the best on a low-carb diet.  I understand that carbs are anabolic when timed correctly, and I think my overall lack of consistent carbs is one of the reasons I don't put on a ton of mass.  And when I do eat carbs I just feel gross and bloated... negative feedback.  It makes me want to eat less carbs.  I really enjoy eating high fat, high protein Paleo nutrition mixed with IFing.  This diet is not anabolic but it keeps my mental focus sharp and I have a ton of energy.


If anything, my muscles are kind of puffy and rounded.  I'd like to work on getting them denser and more angular.  For this reason, I am going to customize the VI program and begin with 21 days of Phase II, which puts the focus on Power/Strength development, keeping the reps in the 4-5 range with heavier weight in order to cultivate muscle density.  There will also be some Accumulated Fatigue training so I may see a little muscle growth, but honestly probably not.  However, I think my muscles will look bigger as they increase in density and my BF levels drop with the low carb eating.  The only carbs I will focus on eating will be directly PWO, with my favorite berry/protein smoothies.  I will post the recipe soon.  I have the three day split up on the "Training Program" tab.  There will be two ON days and one OFF day.  I will repeat this for three weeks.

I am doing this for a shortened time because honestly, I am chomping at the bit to cut and I don't want to go through the whole program and end it in 6 months in February, when I am wearing sweaters and coats and never taking my shirt off. And like I said earlier, I have the amount of muscle I want. But, mentally I am not ready to diet and I think three weeks of strength and power focus at maintenance calories will be perfect for building my confidence to do the diet in Phase III.   I am being realistic with myself.  And I CAN'T WAIT for the sarcoplasmic gaining phase after the Phase III cut!  This will be when I really focus on gaining muscle and I will see the big gains.  At the beginning of that phase, I will be very low BF% and a tad small actually, so the body will respond very well to the creatine and muscle growth training.

So, overall, I am very excited, and want to say a thank you to Rusty for writing this book about getting that toned, Hollywood look.  I DON'T want to look like a meat-head.  There are some great tips in the book.  And I will most likely sub in my favorite body weight exercises for some of the weight lifts (for ex. I feel handstand pushups will be WAY more effective than certain shoulder presses).

Anyways, overall this customized VI program should take me 3 + 8 + 4 = 15 weeks (3.5 months) to complete.  And that point I will be cut as a mofo and jacked (in the aesthetic way).  Let's see...this puts me at around Halloween as being in the best shape of my life.  Actually I will probably be in the best shape of my life well before this but it will only get better until Halloween!

Let's do it! Tomorrow, Visual Impact begins with Legs, Back, Biceps, & forearms!

Visual Impact Program: Intro

I've just bought Rusty's Visual Impact Muscle Building program and am going to start on it tomorrow.  I am still reading through it but it is exactly what I am looking for: a program focused not on "getting big" but on getting cut up with dense, angular muscles for that movie star look.

It will also be good for me because I am a very impatient person and want everything yesterday, especially when it comes to results from training or a diet.  Ironically, this trait causes me, more times than not, to prematurely ditch the program I am on before I actually see any results. In doing VI, I am going to consciously work on being more patient with the process, which is over the course of several months.  If I stick with it and do it correctly, I will see the results, and it won't take until the very end to see them.  I am sure they will be evident soon and only increase in magnitude the further I get into the program.  By the end of the 4-6 months I am looking to cut up and maintain the low BF so that my skin has a chance to adjust to the new tightness so it will "shrink wrap" around my muscles and be more likely to stay, establishing a new set point for my body.  I also have not found any really good reviews of this program so if I get through it and chronicle my way through, I will have a very valuable site for Rusty's potential clients.

Let's get started!

Hell ...

... the more I think about it, the more I don't even want to be on a schedule at all.  I want to do dynamic, how-you-feel-today training.  And I will.  I'll shoot for an hour a day or more.  If I feel like Parkour training, then I will do it.  If I feel like lifting weights, I will do it.  None of this schedule bullshit.  Bodyweight instinct training could be just what I need.  It will help me maintain an infinite freedom in the midst of a ton of strict training.  I train hard when I train so the intensity will remain high.  I want to learn this new skill of Parkour and I want to master my bodyweight, be able to run fast and jump high, vault myself over obstacles and jump off of shit and survive, and climb up impossibly high things.  THIS is cool and THIS is what I am going to focus on while I get ripped.

Instinct training will let me cultivate my creativity and let me run free within the confines.

4x7 training module.  This will be the extent of my scheduling.  No rest days, just easier days and days where I go balls-to-the-wall:

• Workout 1: No Intensity
• Workout 2: Low Intensity
• Workout 3: Medium Intensity
• Workout 4: High Intensity

Hannibal & Barilla

I'm gonna start doing a ton more of this stuff.  Want to get jacked on a budget and functionally strong.  These guys got it on lock.

Re-examining my training

After several weeks doing traditional BB training, I am beginning to question its validity and effectiveness for achieving the physique I am looking for.  I've come to realize that my current routine is only giving me a "pump" where I looked jacked during and directly after my workout in the gym then look average again later, especially after several days not lifting.

Basically, I am looking for a routine that will increase the density of my muscles and help me drop my BF down to around 5%.  At this point, I'd like to do the minimal work and dieting to maintain this physique year-round so I am never too far off of looking sharp and cut any time of the year.  This will take a lifestyle mentality.

I am convinced that IF is the way to go in terms of lifestyle & diet interaction.  I just think that lifting 6 days/week is too much and right now I am not going to have the time to do this every during the next 6 weeks, possibly the busiest I will ever be in my life.

Right now I am reading Rusty Moore's report from FitnessBlackBook.com entitled The Vacation Body Blueprint http://www.fitnessblackbook.com/Vacation-Body-Blueprint.pdf.

In it, Rusty points out the best way to achieve my goals while maintaining a lifestyle.  It reminds me of Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint Fitness, and I am intrigued and am going to try it.  Both experts advocate manipulating diet more than overtraining the body.  Maintaining muscle mass and cutting off that last 5-10lbs of BF will make the body look a lot more ripped and subsequently bigger, even though you are lighter and smaller.

Here is what Rusty says, in terms of training every week.  He does a 2 day split.



"Day #1: Back, Chest, and Abs
Day #2: Shoulders, Triceps, and Biceps
*I pick 2-3 exercises per body part
*3-5 sets of 3-5 reps per exercise
*I never train to failure
*I follow this with 15-20 minutes of intense HIIT"

And he also advocates the Crazy Eight workout.

"1. 60 Jumping Jacks: Done as fast as possible, but make sure
you do full jumping jacks.
2. 15-20 Spiderman Pushups: I'm just doing normal pushups
until they become too easy. Typically it is a breeze for me to do
40+ pushups, but it is much tougher when you do these with zero
rest in between jumping jacks.
3. Walking Lunges: I take 20 steps total. This is the easiest part
of the workout in my opinion.
4. Spiderman Climb: I do a total of 20 of these (10 per side) I
really feel these in my abs and obliques.
5. Wall Squat: Do for 45-60 seconds. This hurts! Don't rest your
hands upon your legs, since it makes it easier.
6. Planks: Do for 60 seconds. Tough after doing all these other
exercises without rest.
7. Burpees: Make sure and do a full pushup at the bottom and
explode as high as possible at the top into a jump. I'm still kind of
uncoordinated with these…probably because I'm "smoked" at
this point!
8. High Knees: Done as fast as possible. Do 50 total. I just count
when my right leg hits the ground for 25. It is hard to count both
legs for 50 since you are going fast. You will be dying about 1/2
way through."

Seems like a great "quick-fix" workout for me when I'm crunched for time.

However, Rusty also points to the necessity for a 3-5 week period of intense dieting and training, where you train for around an hour every day and keep a caloric deficit, in order to go from 9-10% BF (where I am now) down to contest ready fitness (4-5%).  I am going to devote the next three weeks to this.  It will bring me to where I want to be, then I will maintain.

Calorie-wise, I need to shoot for a daily intake of 190 (my weight) x 8-10 = 1700-1900 calories per day.  Over the next 3-5 weeks I will realistically lose 5-10 lbs of BF.

At this point, I feel it is best to do low-carb, but not super-strict keto.  I will eat carbs but they will consist of my berry protein smoothies and carbs I get from salads.

I want to structure my weeks somewhat like this:

M - Back, Chest, and Abs + 15-20 minutes HIIT
T - AM Sprints + PM Shoulders, Triceps, Biceps 
W - Parkour skill training (1 hour) + Crazy Eight Workout
TH - Back, Chest, and Abs + 15-20 minutes HIIT
F - Shoulders, Tris, Bi's, HEAVY Leg Press + Walking for 15 minutes PWO
S: Parkour skill training (1 hour) + Crazy Eight Workout
SU: Walking 1 hour

My brother gave me a Parkour training book for my birthday and I've always wanted to get into it.  These guys have the type of physique I am looking for and a mad awesome skill set.  For my resistance training days, I'd like to wean myself off of the weights (except for very heavy stuff) and go toward being awesome at body weight exercise (pullups especially) like the Bar-barians.  I really think I can believe a cut physique doing this stuff.

Nutrition-wise my plan will be this:  I will eat within my 1700-1900 cal window daily, the vast majority of which is going to be high in protein and fat.  Carbohydrate will come from berries and salad/vegetables.  Protein sources will include steak, chicken, fish, whey powder.  Fat sources will include almond power butter (my concoction), pork rinds, bacon, eggs, chicken skin, cheese.

The daily plan will consist of fasting as long as possible then working out fasted.  I'll wait between 30-60 minutes before either having a meal or my PWO shake, depending on the day.  It looks like two days/per week I will have to do my workout in the AM before Physics lab, so I will stop eating a lot earlier the night before in order to get a good fast in and workout first thing in the morning, followed by a shake an hour later.  Those days will be two shakes then dinner (like Rusty does when cutting).  The dinner will probably be my fav Cobb Salad from Chopped Greens or something similar.

The other days will be a morning fast, workout around 1pm, shake, then dinner, spread over a couple hours.  

Day 13

Went on a 4 hr hike today at Old Rag Mountain in VA today with my brother and father.  It was an awesome workout and awesome way to spend quality time with my family.  Ate lots more carbs today because of the strenuous hiking (it was very strenuous).

Here was today:
10: 2 apples + pork rinds
2: (@summit) trail mix and tuna steak
4: Kind bar
6: 15 Wegman's Sesame Asian wings + container of powdered PB + 4 oz Colby cheese + small apple

Tomorrow, I go back to low carb eating and get back into Keto over the coming days.  Interestingly, with the higher carbs today, my stomach is upset right now (@ the end of the day) and I am looking forward to go back to keto soon.  I actually do not miss carbs at all.

Day 12 - Rest Day

So today was a rest day and dessert day.  I spent the day in DC getting lunch with a friend in the Senate.  First time in the Senate bldg and I have to say, I felt pretty important strutting around in there.  Made a couple useful contacts for down the road; looks like the DoD may be interested in using us in some advisory capacity somewhere down the line.  After my meeting, I went over to my senator's office to say hi, but he was out.  Met his aide though and we talked for a while.  All in all, it was worth the trip...the 104 degree heat, the ridiculous traffic, and the 4 hour metro/car ride home, 35 miles.  Haha.  I had a good time though, seriously.

When I woke up I had intended on doing a full body lifting workout with the compound lifts but was too exhausted, which is a good sign that a rest day is in order.  Plus with my long day in DC I can say that I made the right decision.  My dessert consisted of cheese and berries and a 90% dark chocolate Lindt bar; so freaking good.  First time trying 90% and that is definitely the line that no one should cross.  It is awesome, but I wouldn't go a % further.  Tomorrow morning we are heading to Old Rag Mtn for a 7.5 mile rock scramble.  Should be a great time and some awesome exercise!