# LeeB’s u80k Assualt - ***NEW PHOTO PAGE 4 - Sept 06***



## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

After what I feel has been a very successful second year of competing (one didn't place, one first and a third&#8230; and a wedding lol), Im now ready to start planning my next years assault on the u80kgs.. I don't have any shows in mind as yet but I know I want to be coming in toward the top end of the under 80kg weight limit.

Ill put all my plans into this training journal - maybe even some of my PB lifts if I get any along the way. Ill not be updating it too regularly as I think it can get a little anal&#8230; but hopefully keeping a rough journal like this will help me think more about my training over the coming year and be more objective about when and where I make changes!! Wish me luck! J

Ive done a little work on my bulking diet but I haven't got it fully sorted yet (keep your eyes peeled over next couple of weeks). After my last shows I made a note of where I feel I need to improve physique wise and what bodyparts I need to bring up etc. these were:

1 - ab conditioning - especially lower abs, still a little watery. can be tighter!

2 - chunkier bigger abs!

3 - outer triceps are excellent.. rear triceps need bringing in line to balance out and fill out my arms!

4 - biceps still need to come up some more to balance out my to front delt size (i want GUNS not kermit frog arms!!)

5 - lower/side chest by nipple needs thickening/filling out

6 - back thickness (front to back)

7 - find a decent set of lower lats to complete the taper!

8 - higher traps/thicker traps - had an injury for last 2 month so been unable to train them at all!

9 - thicker fuller hamstrings - legs from front are just where i need them pretty much for upper body development at moment - but from behind my legs look skinny so (in my opinion) i think my hams obviously play a big part in this but also my inner thigh is very lacking compared to outer quad sweep which for me is what causes that overall skinny look from the rear! so this will be worked on for next year i promise that my rear leg shots will look like a different person!

10 - more calves to compliment next years legs mark II

11 - another 10kg of not muscle - but QUALITY!

Any further suggestions from the above are much appreciated from anyone who may have seen me!!

I hope to accomplish the above changes with the training routines and split below. This is a very basic layout and does not include sets and reps as I feel this is a very instinctive thing and I want to aim for good form, intensity and progression and not just numbers. Any suggestions from anyone on exercises to improve my above weaknesses are always appreciated. Also any questions on why I have chosen the specific exercises are always welcome too.

*Training Routine*

*Chest*

Flat Bench Dumbell Press

Flat Bench Dumbell Flyes

Incline Smith Press or Incline Free Barbell or Incline Machine Press

(above depends on which gym im training in that day)

*Back*

Seated Close Grip Pull down

(pulling all way through to hit middle lower lats)

Partial Deadlifts

(for mass and also hit lower lats hard)

Bent Over Dumbell Row

Wide Grip Pulldowns

(I like to do 4 exercises for back - even worse ill be training chest & back together.. ouch)

*Biceps*

Dumbell Preacher Curls

Seated Dumbell Curls

(The above 2 exercises may regularly be swapped for either EZ bar curls or standing dumbbell curls for variety and to hit the muscle slightly differently)

Cable Rope Curls (hammer grip)

Cable Bar Curls (two handed medium grip with straight bar)

(above 2 exercises are supersetted and done with reps of 12-25 for 2-3 sets.. basically until I feel they've worked hard enough!!)

*Triceps*

Cable Pushdowns

EZ Bar overhead presses

One arm reverse grip cable extensions

(ill occasionally add in close grip bench pressing too for power and mass, maybe once every 3 weeks or so!)

*Shoulders*

One arm bent over dumbbell side raises

Behind neck smiths press

Seated bent over dumbbell side raises

Seated dumbbell pressing

Standing dumbbell side raises

One arm cable side raises

One arm cable front raises

(the above two exercises will be supersetted)

*Traps*

Dumbell shrugs

Barbell shrugs (sometimes front sometimes rear)

*Quads*

Leg extensions (warm up)

Squats

Leg Press (toes outward foot position to hit inner thigh)

(will sometimes swap the above for a few weeks with either hack squats or will alter foot position to hit outer thigh)

*Hamstrings*

Seated Leg Curls

Lying Leg Curls

Dumbell stiff leg deadlift (light for reps and stretch)

*Calves*

Standing Calf Press

Seated Calf Press

Calf Press on Leg Press Machine

*Abdominals*

(will always vary but will be done weighted where possible in attempt to thicken up my abs - exercises I will do are: - only 2-3 exercises per session)

Leg Raises

Cable Crunches

Crunches

Bench Situps

Weighted Abdominal Crunch Machine

*Training Split*

My training split will be as follows. Unfortunately although I aim to train on set days it sometimes doesn't work out that way due to work and home commitments. The aim is to train as follows:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Biceps & Triceps

Wednesday: Chest & Back

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Quads

Saturday: Hamstrings, Calves & Abs

Sunday: Shoulders & Traps

I like to separate out quads from hamstrings and calves and train 5 days a week - for now my bicep & triceps session will be in the mornings before work (about 7am) and ill have a protein/carb shake about half an hour before this session and another immediately after training! Then my breakfast meal after this.

*Now all I need to do is eat well train hard, graft my nadgers off and get plenty of sleep!! Look out for me on stage next year!!*


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

10k of muscle by someone like yourself should be a piece of piss!!!

Ive done chest and back on the same day a few times and can find it to be a descent workout and not sure why more people dont do it!

Are you doing all those shoulder exercises in one day? Sounds a bit much!! Id include perhaps some upright rows then again im biased and love them lol...

Haney shrugs (behind) for getting your traps to grow higher perhaps or some trap bar shrugs (really wide grip) to get traps bigger.

For your calf imrpovement perhaps hit time 3 times a week? Tis what I do and I get good growth (I usually do smith machine calf raises but normal machine ones are good as well if not better).

A day just for quads sounds a bit funny I do know a few guys that do it but I personally thing quad/hams should be done in the same day as a lot of the exercises work each other anyway.


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## squatty (Jun 23, 2006)

HI mate. Sounds good. What's the ratrionale behind doing chest and back on the same day. Are you splitting them into a.m.and p.m. or both in the same session.


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

shoulders - yeah all on same day - have learned over time that my shoulders respond best to this kind of workout..this is actually scaled down from the amount i normally do! got injuries doing upright rows in past so i stay away - may even have to give the DB Presses a miss as have a slight injury - only trained traps this week for first time in last 2-3 months!! i got this injury after someone decided that rather than "pass me up" a 50kg dumbell for shoulder pressing... he would in fact drop it into my hand from about half a foot above it.....  it fukin hurt!! lol

i actually try and hit calves twice a week when bulking (although ive forgot to put it in) ill do one session of volume training (basically 8-10 sets with maximum 4 second rest between sets) - only takes about 10 minutes but man do they burn!! ill also alternate high rep/heavy low reps with this calf session!! - see this journal is making me think more about my training already!!!

quads - again ive learnd over time that my hams/calves respond better when given a session to themselves! in reality i finish quad training at about 7:30pm on friday nights.. then at 10:30am next morning am in gym doing hams & calves... so its just like having a long rest lol

squatty - no chest & back is in the same session - the rationale is that i have trained this way in the past and have had good results and found that i can hit chest hard yet still get psyched up and have no loss of back strength when hitting back - it also means i can incorporate an arms only session into my split meaning i have more of a focus on this 'weaker' area!

10kg muscle a piece of piss?? ask me next year.. i have a feeling its going to hurt!! lol


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

Yeah whatever works for you mate, tought luck with shoulder injuries.

Im gonna try that calf routine of yours I normally do about 3-6 sets with like 1-2 mins rest. Will try your calf routine but did you mean to type 40 seconds? 4 secs lol how can you manage to hit 10-12 reps over 8-10 sets with no rest.


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

haha yeah i menat to type 45!!!

i had read alot about how jay cutler uses volume training in his workouts and thought i would give it a try but didnt want to use it on larger muscle groups...

incidentally the 8-10 sets of calves are always on the same exercise in order to keep the intensity on one specific muscle area (with calves standing raises pretty much hit teh entire calf - so i use these to hit ALL the muscle). - and i use a rep range of 15-25! keeping as high to 25 as i can.. the weight doesnt need to be heavy.. just enough to feel a really good squeeze all the way through!

the way volume training works is that lots of high rep sets with little rest between them flushes lots of blood through one specific area of the muscle causing a pump which swells the muscle quickly and makes it grow - i didnt want to use this for larger muscle groups as i felt that to employ it fully and hit every angle could lead to over training!!

......mind you.. i could use it occassionally on SOME exercises only! which focus on specific areas i need to bring up - lower outer chest for instance... hmmmm....


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

Right I wanna look more into this! Sounds very interesting I always wondered how Jay would do like 25 sets a body part lol!

I actually emailed him about calves and he told me to stick doing 12 reps with the heavy weight as often I would really stack up the weight yet only do 6 reps however I was not getting that burn really just applying more pressure onto my back.


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

yeah so many people say their calves dont grow and they must just naturally have poor calves... then you realise they are trying to lift stupid weights (ive been there and done it)... when you do this the weight isnt actually travelling through your calf when your pressing - like you say its going down your spine, and onto your shins.. so calves actually are never being worked fully!


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

Lee the 8 set calf raise routine burned like fu**ing hell never had that feeling that hard before for that long.

Gonna keep doing the one providing i dont collapse lol.


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

its f*kin mint aint it!! lol

squatted for first time in weeks last night... ouch!! my trainer partner cramped up on his first set... haha... hes getting old tho... 58!!! lol

felt a slight twinge of an old knee injury... so kept things low and slow... hopefully its just my body adjusting!!


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

Damn right its a good one, know any other bodyparts where an extreme set count with little or no rest lol is good?

Bet the 58 year old can squat more then you ^^

Watch the knee!

Have g'night

Rob


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well on sunday i did my first dumbell pressing for shoulders in a few months... no pain - a little stiffness but to be expected i suppose!! got the 44kgs for 8 good easy reps. lets see how many weeks before i feel i can get the 50s without being in pain!! lol

bit of a funny week with work etc. so my eating will have to be a little all over the place so diet wont be too good..... i also like to munch while watching football.. and theres rather alot on the TV at the moment! lol

hopefully this should be my last week of using machines for chest pressing tonight.... ill see how my shoulder feels and if it feesl any better ill use dumbells next week!


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

I haven't had time to read all of this yet Lee, but i plan to, i'm really impressed with your extensive well worded posts and you make a great mod from what i've seen so far.

Nick


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

cheers nick mate!! much appreciated!

although i should be good at this moderator thing... i used to design/create online learning materials and courses... would you believe theres actually research done and books written on the topic of e-moderation etc... and i had to read some of it to blab my way through meetings!! lol

the people that write them are very scary! theres a reason they dont go into the real world!


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## newboy606 (May 25, 2005)

At work we have a learning centre with a book on "how to" absoloutley anything, unfortunatley this still hasn't helped my spelling much.

The detail you put into your posts is appreciated lee, and you still manage to take the pee a little bit which is good (and normally deserved where i am concerned)

Thats enough ar#se kissing for one day, back to ghana v brasil and my pack of tescos finest cookies


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

im looking forward to the stinky spanish kicking the sh*t out of the frogs later... or the other way around.. either is fine with me... as long as some of them get hurt!!! lol

seriously tho.. thanks for the words guys... im on here to learn just as everyone else is... its amazing how much you can learn from helping others! and i need help too..... as my wife keeps telling me!

and oh yeah... clomid is sh*t!!!!  i like to feel like i can crush cars with my bare hands and satisfy 100 women in one go... lol... at the moment id rather watch the care bears!! lol


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## squatty (Jun 23, 2006)

And what's wrong with the care bears. Do you know Tarantino wrote the scriptfor Resevoir Dogs and cast accordingly after watching unedited footage of the Care Bears. A true story


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

Im also known as Grumpy Bear (the blue one).

So these e-readings where are they.. ?

teehee


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

OK i read the whole thing, really interesting stuff !

I liked reading about your approach to calves, mine are truly awful and I'm going to adopt your volume method of training and try and get them up to scratch.

It does strike me that you do a very high volume, is this because you have found from experience that your body grows well with it? Or do you think most people are too scared to overtrain.

Do you train abdominals every session?

Keep this journal going, its great stuff.

Nick


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

thanks nick

ive found certain body parts respond much better to volume - shoulders and calves for one.. others such as biceps for me respond much better to what i personally consider lower volume work... but also respond mcuh better to frequent changes in routine... whereas shoulders and calves dont!

train abs once a week at the moment.. when dieting fro a show i like to train them every day - i feel this keeps them tighter and more defined!

trained arms this morning... decided to switch my workout around a bit and do some different exercises as my diet has been pants this week (practically lived on biscuits yesterday) so thought doing my normal session id prob struggle a little and be deflated.... did some close grip pressing with olympic bar for triceps... could feel my dodgy shoulder  no pain as such... just very stiff... so if i do decide to switch back to dumbells for chest i may just go light and use some pre-exhaustion or something to take teh edge off it!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well its not been a good week training wise... had a very busy week and had to swap my sessions around and actually had to miss 2 of them (legs & chest and back)!

motivation is not good at moment due to lots of outside influences including:

- buying a new house

- my sons birthday next week

- my kids' football training

- having to reorganise finances after getting married and changing louises name, at the same time as applying for mortgage etc! (totally stressful belive me)

- my stepson dans dad being a kn*b

- louise coming home from work with bagfulls of multipack kit kats and crisps for 25p each.... 

- my gran not being very well at all and being in and out of hospital (she lives about 2 hours drive away so its hard to keep up to date and make sure all is ok)

on top of that i think i have a bit of a bug... cos throughout the day im sticking to a rough clean diet same as i have the last few weeks.. but this last few days im literally starving half an hour after each meal! also cos of the heat and being busy ive not been getting good sleep... :x

so..... its about time i got my ass into gear and got my head into training proper and cranking my dedication up a notch!!!

its leg night tonight so seen as i missed last week im sure my training partners ed and paul will want to work me extra hard tonight.... hopefully ill be up to it.... did i mention i also have a sore knee???? lol ...ill follow my leg session up with a good sleep tonight!


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

Sorry to hear about your busy life...

keep on it though Lee, some perserverence needed, or failing that a kick up the arse !

Nick


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

lol.... well im going to go see my diet adviser Ian Morgan this week or next to get him to fully sort out my bulking diet ready for starting my next course.... hes very honest and very good at arse kicking!!

...mind you at 6'2 and over 20 stone in contest shape i think ill shy away from that and go for the perseverence option! lol


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## FAT BOY (Dec 19, 2005)

nice journal m8.

its unavoidable that life gets in the way at times 

you dont strike me as the sort of person who is down for long stick with it bro


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

Nice to see your updating mate!

And you have a life which is good to see in a bodybuilder.

Peace

Robbie


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

cheers splinter. had another bad weekend.. had to miss friday and saturdays sessions and due to "outside influences" my sunday session was a little useless as i found it hard to get stuck in and motivated!

and yesterday was my youngests 5th birthday so spent half the day eating pizzas and ice cream and birthday cake!

on the good side of things tho the last few days ive been getting more and more focused on my training and was desperate to get back into gym this morning and had a good session! even tho i found my shoulder was still very painful!

...no kit kats so far today either!!!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

Well its all gone t*ts up&#8230; lol

I was originally planning to have 2 weeks on holiday from this coming weekend&#8230; but my and my wife decided to put our money into buying a house and not to go away&#8230; well the house has just fallen through yesterday&#8230; fair enough&#8230; not a big deal really plenty more&#8230; but weve now decided that since were both off work for the next fortnight we now want a week away&#8230;

&#8230;.originally id planned to have a small 3 weeks cutting cycle diet before going away&#8230; but then my plans changed and I started my bulking cycle last week&#8230;&#8230;.. Cant see me keeping to too strict a diet whilst im away&#8230;. But as long as I take some protein with me I should still be able to get my protein in every 2-3 hours so technically I should just put on some extra lard!!!

..these things are meant to try us I suppose&#8230; remain focussed.. Don't deviate from my plan and graft hard is what I need to do!!!

On the bodybuilding front got 3 mates competing in the UKBFF north east on 10th sept in pudsey leeds. 2 of them have had a good look at and theyre looking in tip top shredded condition with 7 or so weeks to go&#8230; so should be bang on for the day! Which is great.. Ill be there to cheer them on as well as Terry Oneil wholl be competing in the under 70kgs.

Also, know a few lads competing in UKBFF Leicester show on 3rd sept&#8230; Ian Morgan (IFBB Pro and my diet guru! lol) will be taking a dirty dozen (think its down to only about 10 now) of lads down to compete and hopefully sweep the board - im hoping to get down to this show show too!!! Theres always lots of noise and atmosphere when the morgans powerhouse lads are in the audience and a good time is had by all.

Also&#8230; im getting my moneys worth today&#8230; Ian Morgan Himself will be competing in the IFBB Spanish GP (in spain believe it or not) on sept 23rd&#8230; depending on flights and hotels and work etc. I may also mak ethe trip to support him over there too&#8230; its only his second time competing in a pro event and wil lbe the first pro show ive ever attended so im really looking forward to this if I can make it!!

Trained arms this morning and got the shakes about 20 mins into my workout&#8230; so guessing I need more food in me before this training session&#8230; so will alter this for next week&#8230;. I just drank half my post workout shake as soon as this happened today as I knew my body needed those carbs!

Bulking going well&#8230; about 6lb up from last week which will mainly be water but everything is working as expected. And im looking fuller and tshirts are noticeablty tighter&#8230; hopefully meaning the chicks will be looking at my arms more!! Lol only had the 1 planned cheat meal/night last Friday!


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

Sounds good Lee, shame about the house!

Whats your 'bulking' actually consist of? Are you on any supplements/ AAS/ whatever? Whats your bulk diet?

Current stats?


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

at the moment im 13st 02lb... at 5'7 ...not sure about bodyfat but i have "some" abs lol

diet is:

7:30 oats, wholemeal tust with almond butter, 2 scoops whey

10:30 150g chicken, 6 rice cakes, almonds

13:00 150g chicken, rice, veg

16:00 150g chicken, 6 rice cakes, almonds

18:00 2 scoops whey, maltodextrin (pre-train)

19:30 2 scoops whey, maltodextrin (post train) - i drink half immediately after training and then the rest half hour later!

22:00 150g chicken, spinach & riccotta ravioli, veg, sometimes white wine.

thats it... have a cheat night friday evenings where i get all my protein in but whatever else i want on top of that... carb portions are 35g each meal (7 meals a day) apart from breakfast and post tarin which are roughly double! only thing i drink is water and robinsons special r (no added sugar) and the odd glass of wine.

no other supplements really apart from vitamins and minerals.

current cycle is 600mg sust a week, 400mg decca a week, 1mg arimidex each day. and on monday i started 100mg oxy each day.. this will only run to end of next week at longest. - nothing amazing.. no secret recipes or high dosages! diet is key!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well ive just booked up yesterday to fly out to lanzrote in 3 days time... so i cant wait for that now... im going to be a sad bugger and find a gym when im there as i dont want a full week off my training at this point!


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

Yeah I understand especially in your case with a cycle n all!

Im sure you can find a gym somewhere!

best of luck mate and enjoy your holiday!

splint


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well am back from my hols... didnt train whilst there... decided it was pointless as my nutrition the days after training wouldnt be very good so no point wasting my time and might as well just rest up...

back to full throttle as of today... feel like ive had 7 bells of hell kicked out of me after training legs last night!... lol.. although i did follow it up with a chicken korma and a couple of bottles of wine!

i tend to spend most of my time around other people who train/bodybuild... so apart from at work im around big lads most of the time... its amazing how many odd looks you get when out and about in new places... i dont really consider myself that big... but found myself putting my t-shirt on when walking around (even tho heat was very intense) cause of all the stares!!!


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## newboy606 (May 25, 2005)

yeah all that attention must have been awfull mate, would that be the small t-shirt that you boil washed 3 times before going on holiday?


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

haha... yeah i also cut the arms off to show my guns better!! lol


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## squatty (Jun 23, 2006)

Lee. Just saw your contest pictures in The Beef. IMO you wuz robbed mate (Bert, 65 from Humberside agrees)


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

Can you scan it and post it up?


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

i should have the pics from the show on my PC.. it was a very close top 3 in my opinion... although i wasnt at my 100% best i have to admit. it could have gone either way on the day.. the guy that won was absolutely shredded with a not too good shape... but when your shredded like that yoru hard to beat... and wayne robinson who came second had some big full muscle and a good shape... i think i had the best all round combination.. and a better smile 

i was happy on the day... and the two guys that beat me were good and deserving!!

theres a great moment on the DVD though... just as were all walking off stage... one of my mates shouts at the top of his voice... its totally clear on the DVD too.. "Unlucky lee mate you should have been second" lol...

there was also a lad from paul georges gym competing.. cant remember his name but he had some great bodyparts.. especially legs and chest.. and was just lacking a little extra conditioning.. had he had that it might have been a different story!

thanks for the kind words tho squatty mate... and tell bert ill call....


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well i did dumbell flat benching last night for the first time in i dont know how many months... felt very odd and a little sore around my shoulder area.. but was more of a stiffness than anything else... so im putting it down to simply being over-careful with my form on that side.. no pain this morning either which is good! 

on a bad note... i must have some kind of stomach bug... feel nauseous every time i eat (not good when you eat 7 times a day)... for the last 2 days ive managed to get all my meals into me apart from my last meal of the day... as i felt too sick... bu this morning i couldnt face my oats for breakfast!!! still got my protein in and some wholemeal toast... will see how it goes next few days!

had a good look at a mate of mine last night whos competing at the UKBFF north east show in leeds on 10th sept... and hes looking very very good and will do some serious damage as long as he does not lose his head over next four weeks! hell be in the light heavyweight class (under 90kg) which is usually a tough one as theyre all good... ill post some pics of him after the show for everyone to see...

the most impressive past is hes dieted without the use of HGH which alot of competitors at that level regularly use (i dont/havent)... and they dont get anywhere near his condition!! hes done it the hard way and kept things simple and not messed about and worked hard and his condition has come down slowly each week! let this be a lesson to all those (i.e. joe16) who think theres an easy way in bodybuilding!!!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well my stomach bug seems to have gone... although it did make me eat alot of junk food - im not one to stick to a clean diet when not feeling well!

im just happy i can eat again now and get stuck into some good muscle building grub!

everyone in the gym keeps telling me im looking big.... so something must be working! lol...

personally i know alot of the size ive put on is fat and water as i know what to expect from my body.. but heres a couple of stats:

28th may - 11stone 00lb (on stage)

20th aug - 13stone 12lb (err.. NOT on stage lol)

juding from what ive seen over the last 3 months id guess about 5-7lbs of that will be solid muscle... which is what id hoped for... ive just put on a little extra fat i think (although not too much).. so im on course for having my extra 21lbs of muscle on stage around this time next year! but theres plenty of hard graft ahead.

everyone seems to be posting photos on here at moment so ill try and take some this week sometime and post some up!

quite a few people have also remarked that from the recent pictures published in the beef they thought i was hard done by at my last show.. (as squatty did).. as ive said i thought it could have gone any way.... BUT i know personally that i was off my diet for a day the week before the show so in all honesty the only person i can blame for any decision is my self... im not the kind of person that feels i should be rewarded when i know i could have worked harder so its really tuff titties to me in that respect and im grateful i got 3rd! roll on next year!!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

okay... well as promised here are some pics.. taken last night at a weight of just under 14 stone.

as you can see im a littel fat.. lol.. but thats fine is i was expecting something like this anyways...

originally i was hoping my legs would have filled out a little more by now but due to my knee pain they are a few weeks behind i think!

my triceps and lower chest are filling out in the areas i had planned... although its hard to tell from the photo.. and when theres fat covering them too.










this shows off my chubby belly the most! - again lower chest filling out and lats where they need to be for now.. want them a little lower but thats going to take a loooong time!










okay so ive forgot how to pose! lol... hmm.. look a bit awkward here! not much more to be said.. hams are coming on.. and you can see a little more of tricep here... "little" being the word! lol










lower back starting to look thicker! stop looking at me bum!!!! :shock:










i always twist when i do this pose.. hmmm..










last but not least.. should give a good indication of overall shape..










all in all considering ive only been back from my hols a couple of weeks and had a stomach bug last week im fairly happy.. my condition isnt where id planned for it to be.. but im not going to beat myself up about that... itll all come off when i start dieting.. just means ill need to start earlier thats all!

any thoughts/opinions/comments both good and bad are always welcome... as you can see from the photos im not hiding anything.. im quite happy for people on here to see my telly-tubby look! lol


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

Right then...

First off, great to finally see a good set of pics, complete with the cheeky grins I expected...

I'll comment on the photos really anally, so don't get insulted !  I'm nowhere near your standard, you look tiptop.

So, the most muscular photo: Ignoring fat, I think the inner quads and perhaps chest need some work. Traps look great, symmetry is brilliant all over actually (are you fully hairless?)

Front lat spread: lats definitely popping out, again nicely symmetrical, perhaps really need to get behind it in the pose and really really flare those lats?

Side pose: I think calves, triceps and perhaps rear delts need work (?). Hams looking nice

Rear double biceps: Looks like quite a hard pose to hit, i think the definition will come between rear delts and bicep when you lose the fat, so thats not an issue, i think from behind you're not as impressive as in front, just trying to put my finger on why... perhaps its just a case of bringing everything out properly when you cut down. But good thickness and symmetry is also pretty decent.

Rear lats: Funny pose style you got there lee, hehe. I think the V taper is excellent, perhaps more size is needed to the hamstrings, and lats in time. Maybe bring the hands further back to really start flying/flaring out the lats?

overall shape pic: Like the first, shows good symmetry and overall mass, i'm sure you are aware of a few weaknesses, but really looking excellent.

Does your vascularity come up when your BF is lower?

Well done on the pics posted,

Nick


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

yeah vascularity is always bad when bulking.. i tend to hold alot of water when not eating 100% clean all the time and in general my veins tend to be beneath my fat from what i can tell.. so takes a few weeks of diet for them to be coming through!

youve picked out all the points im working on.. inner thigh, rear tricep, lower chest (inner is actually fine just water/fat hides it), my back is actually one of my better body parts.. it just needs to be thicker lower down, and yes it leans up quite quickly compared to the rest of me!

calves im working on but not pushing too hard at the moment.

rear delts.. they are overpowered by front delts.. so my training is working on this... shouldnt be too hard to fix as my shoulders respond quite qucikly.

hams... great from the side (photos dont do tehm justice actually - after training them they are my fave bodypart lol).. from the rear they need work.. mainly on the inner area.. which im working hard on!

my arms are always watery especially on the outside... when dieting they are the last part of me to separate and harden so i know that once my arms are ready im ready everywhere else too!

and yeah i know all my weaknesses.. and i like to have them pointed out.. i like to be very hard on myself to force myself to work as hard as possible!

and no i dont have much bodyhair.. what i do i shave off apart from the legs!


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## squatty (Jun 23, 2006)

Wow mate - what can I say. It's hard to give you feedback because you're so f**king self aware.

Lat spread is awesome (the pictures in the magazine didn't really show your back off). Agree about your calves and delts but you've got the matter firmly in hand.

Inspirational pics Lee (pants less inspirational though)


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## EXTREME (Aug 5, 2005)

Who ate all the pies, who ate all the pies, who ate all the who ate all the, who ate all the pies,?


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

awww... dougie.. you said you wouldnt tell if i gave you half!!!!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

after last weeks stomach bug i started eating clean (apart from treats with last meal) on saturday... after 3 days of this i found i was starving 30 minutes after each meal.. so obviously something was amiss...

so i ate larger servings and the hunger has gone!

as a guess id say my original diet was worked out on my muscle mass immediatley post competition... now after a few weeks of bulking i think i need more overall calories... so initially im upping my food intake by increasing chicken portions from 150g to 180g and taking in a few more carbs in the mornings and a few more carbs at lunch too.

at the moment im having 6 plain rice cakes for my mid-morning and mid-afternoon meals (with chicken of course)... these are very dry so hard to eat quickly for me.. with the increased portion sizes of chicken i think itll be hard for me to eat my food quick enough... i technically only get a 15 minute break... so im thinking i may switch carb sources for these two meals to mashed sweet potato.. ill give it a try for a few days and see how it fits in!

it should also provide me with more nutrients than the rice cakes were (as they are basically just rice).

on the home front. both my kids are away with their other parents (my son with his mam and my stepson with his dad) for the week... so me and louise are at a loss as to what to do with ourselves.. (yeah right.. haha)... its nice to have a little space but i miss my boys when they are not around!

and how has louise decided to spend tonight? porno nurses outfit? NO.. were going up to see her mate whos on holiday in a caravan about 10 mins up the road from us!! a flippin caravan!!


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## scr33ch (Jul 27, 2006)

like the pics mate. Youve put a decent amount on mate since i saw u last.

Keep it going bud.

Glad im not the only one who gets 'moon face' when bulking !!! lol

:lol:


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

im more moon everywhere at the minute chris!! lol


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## squatty (Jun 23, 2006)

Just out of interest Lee - how do you concentrate on the inner area of your rear quads. What exactly do you do when you're training them


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

rear quads?? do you mean hamstrings??

basically when doing any hamstring movement you have 3 muscles your actually working... in any movement all 3 are worked to some degree.

a regular foot position would be to have your toes parell pointing forward... this hits the middle of the hamstring and the group of 3 overall..

if however you point your toes together whilst doing the movent (so heels are pointing outward).. this will shift the focus to your inner hamstring.

and if you do the opposite and put your heels together so that your toes are pointing out then this will shift the focus to the outer muscle.

obviously no matetr what your foot position the whole group of muscles is worked to some degree!

try it and see what you think! ive found its quite an easy muscle group to get the mind-muscle connection with too!


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## squatty (Jun 23, 2006)

I've varied the position when doing leg extensions (that's probably why I said quads!!) but I had never thought about doing it for hams as well. Will give it a try


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

ive come to the conclusion im posing my legs wrongly when turned to the back... cos they look very poor in the photos and in reality they are not as bad as that!

it all looks wrong to me - as it did when i watched my shows back..

think my legs are too far apart i.e. front leg too far forward and back leg too far back...

..hopefully ill have this sorted next time i take some pics.. (probably at end of cycle) so my legs should look more like they actually do! ...im not saying they still wont be sh*te tho!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

after watching milos sarcev's new DVD ive decided to give some of his nutritional advice a try...

in the DVD he gives a 2 hour lecture on nutrition.. its mainly the regular stuff.. but hes a big advocate of nutrition based on bodytype (i.e. ectomorph, endomorph, mesomorph)

basically i class myself as an endomorph.. and his recomemndation for endomorphs is to take in very few carbs unless they are needed.. keeping carb meals mainly to morning, before and after training.

at the moment my nutrition is basically my daily macronutrients basically divided by 7 meals (obviously with more and different types after training and first thing in the morning.)

so ill still be eating 7 meals a day, but most meals will only have 10g carbs in them. my breakfast, and aftre training will be high in carbs and my last meal before training will be moderate.

ill be taking in veg with every low carb meal too.. the fibrous carbs in veg can not really be used by your body... in actuality your body uses up alot of energy processing them.

ive been on this diet change for a coupel of days now and all seems okay!

ill give it 2-4 weeks and see what i think!

im not really one to make such a change when im midway through any type of programme.. but milos nutrition advice made sense to me so im prepared to give it a go as ive not tried this approach before... lets see how my body responds!!


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

Im low on time but after looking at the pics! Must say I am impressed with the pics! Are you 80kg yet? You look it!!!

Rob


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

oh im well over 80kg... i wouldnt be on stage though!!! so still a loooooooooooooong way to go!


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

When you reckon you starting your cut?


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

around about april/may next year to compete around about spetember time!


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

maaan thats along bulk!!! your gonna be hitting 90kg by march times!

good luck


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

lol... as long as i come back down to under 12st 07lb for next sept i aint bothered what my weight is! lol


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

got bored with my old avatar!!


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

god dammit...

ripped motherfu*ker !


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

wait till you see me next year!! lol....


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

can't wait


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## squatty (Jun 23, 2006)

Thats a fantastic shot mate


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well.. ive been on my updated diet (lower carbs through day as im pretty much sitting on me bum all day) about a week now.. and all seems well...

lots of energy for training sessions.. actually feel less lethargic throughout the day.

i think the combination of this and changing my carb source to sweet potato has made a difference..

weight has gone up ever so slightly..

on the negative side im a little windy from eating all the veg.. ahem!

looking forward to the trip down to leicester on sunday to watch the UKBFF East of England show.. 5 lads from Ian Morgans Powerhouse gym are competing. at last count there were about 25 of us making the 4 hour trip down there.... shows the kind of support the gym gives its competitors... its quite a small venue too... so well be making LOTS of noise!! ill take my camera along and hopefully post up a few photos!


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## razg (Nov 23, 2004)

Looking good Lee, you'll be 300lbs in no time.


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

haha.. yeah... 300lbs of lard.. look out ronnie.. fat boy approaching!!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well i spent sunday at leicester watching 5 of the lads from ian morgans powerhouse gym http://www.morganspowerhousegym.co.uk/compete.

there were about 20 of us went down to watch and we all had a good time!

we got 2 first places, 1 second place and 2 third places. - of the two third places one of them should have been first and the other should have been second.... but thats what happens with judging sometimes!!!

ive been happy the last few weeks knowing i was not competing but afetr watching the show i was dying to get back up there!! cant wait for next year now...

...roll on the UKBFF north east in leeds this sunday.... i have 4 mates competing... one under 90, one inter under 80, one inter over 80 and one over 40...

ill put my neck on the line here and say the under 90 is really going to shock a few people... im having a look over him tonight and he text me this morning to say hes looking his best ever... considering he was looking phenomenal about 3 days ago i cant wait to see him again tonight!!

even further into my "carbs only when needed" diet change... and the main thing i have noticed is that i feel less tired on an afternoon whilst sitting at work... which is great especially considering ive only had a total of about 8 hours sleep for the last 2 days!

dont seem to have lost any size or fullness and louise thinks ive lost some of the bloat around my chin... not weighed myself since last week so i may do that tonight!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well spent yesterday on an eventful trip to leeds to watch 3 of my mates compete...

Paul "Flash" Green won the u90kg class with what can only be described in my eyes as phenomenal conditioning... his legs were sick!!!!! he was also nice enough to forget to take his towel backstage with him so guess who ended up covered in dream tan.... hmmmm... unfortunately paul will not be doing the british finals as he feels from this show hes seen where he needs to improve and wants to concentrate on that now... for the record paul was only 84kg on the day.. giving him another 6kg of muscle to add to get to the top of his class!

my other two mates were in the same class (intermediate under 80kg) and got 1st and second with john robson just pipping andy wilson to the win... obviously im over the moon for one and gutted for the other! but someone had to win... hopefully now john can tighten up fully for the finals and get himself a good placing.. something hes easily capable of doing!

other notable physique of the night was dave titterton in the heavyweight (over 90kg) class... dave is a friend of one of the lads who came down to teh show with me (Chris Mcvay who often comes onto musclechat) and ive been hearing for weeks that he was looking excellent.. and he did not disappoint!

from my own point of view im absolutely buggered.. i left the house at 8:30am yesterday morning and didnt get back till 1pm.... what with tanning and shouting duties i didnt manage to get my food in properly yesterday.. also didnt sleep too well last night... ive stuck to my clean diet so far today.. and my next meal will be clean too (about 4pm) after that ill be eating what i want and having a very early night........

....my abs are creeping back out... maybe not after tonight tho!! haha


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well im happy as i had a look at myself in the gym last night in the mirror i used to do most of my posing practice and i was pleasantly surprised.. nice and full obviously... some striations in chest.. most of my abs out... hams separated... deep grooves in thighs! so not too shabby and everything going to plan!

leg night tonight.. hopefully the new hack squat we have been waiting on will have been delivered!

funny story here...

my wife louise usually goes to the local sports centre gym with her friend to train.. ive been telling her to go down to my mates gym as its closer and cheaper for months now but her friend is overweight and didnt want to feel out of place or owt (why does she think poeple go to gyms???).... anyways louise got a marketing call teh other day for my mate pauls gym offering a special offer of £12.99 a month membership.... so managed to convince her friend to go down and have a look seen as the prices were so cheap..... so i watched my two boys and her two girls while they went down.... they came back an hour later saying its great and they have both signed up.... but not on the monthly option as there was a better one... theyve both paid for a full 3 year membership..... so louise has spent £500!!!! cos she lent her mate the money too and shell pay her back next month!!!!!! lol.... im not being funny here... but if i had left the house telling her i was going to spend £12 and come back an hour later £500 worse off there would be nowt the matter!!! lol....


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

nice thread Lee i will keep my comment to myself concerning your pics until you have posted some recent ones


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

paul - might try and post some more over next couple of weeks actually! are you going down to the ukbff finals mate? would be nice to finally catch up!

well another bad weekend for me...

had a bad tum again since thursday now.. same as i had a few weeks back... every time i eat i bloat to hell... feel sick etc. etc.

SAT - got up.. louise goes to gym... coems back.. i go to gym... get home.. eat.. take my little lad out to buy him a birthday pressie for his mates party.. take him to his mates party... then do the 1 hour drive to darlington to take him to hs mams... realising half way there i left my food in the house  ....get home for about 8:30 and watch jeepers creepers with some wine... and a pizza! (had given up eating clean on drive home!) so day totally gone nowhere

SUN - take my other little lad (my step son dan) to his grans (his dad who he usually geos to is away) while louise goes to work.. i drive the 40 mins to Ian Morgans Powerhouse gym.. have a half decent training session as feel sick as hell half way through with bad tum... watch the DVD from the leicester show teh other week... Ian is partly arranging a seminar in gateshead with lee priest (im not 100% sure this will go ahead yet) for teh back end of october, and also a training session with lee and ian at the powerhouse... so that should be excellent.. if it happens! get stuck in traffic on tyne bridge and get home 1 and a half hours later than had planned...  so instead of my normal meal grab a protein bar and a shake as i was due to eat an hour ealrier so thought it best to eat something asap rather than spend 20 mins cooking.... then 2 hours later sit down for my next meal... get a call from my ex... little lad had cracked his head open... (been hit over head by accident with a brush while his friend was using that and a football to play golf lol)............. so i jumps into car to drive to darlington hospital... leaving my food.... so by time i get back into house and food prepared for today i sat down at 11pm... having not eaten since about 4pm... with a big pizza and some ice cream!! lol little lad is fine and happy he gets a day off school today bless him!

back on diet today and so far tum a little better! fingers crossed!

looking forward to training tommorow night!


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

Apologies for not commenting much on your log lee, will be reading up and will comment better soon.


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## 3752 (Jan 7, 2005)

Lee yes mate will be at the finals all day yes it would be good to catch up mate just shout oi shorty and you will get my attention


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## squatty (Jun 23, 2006)

The thing I like most about your journal mate is that you document the full story of a bodybuilder's life - not just the bits in the gym. You've clearly got a very full on home life and I admire your dedication to it as well as your dedication to your training. I think you've found a bloody good balance - it's an inspiration


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

Squatty said:


> The thing I like most about your journal mate is that you document the full story of a bodybuilder's life - not just the bits in the gym. You've clearly got a very full on home life and I admire your dedication to it as well as your dedication to your training. I think you've found a bloody good balance - it's an inspiration


one entry today......

FRIGGIN WOMEN!!!! :evil:


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

havent added anything to journal last coupel of days... so thought id best comment....

not much to comment on though.. all is going well...

my condition seems to have come down just as i had expected with the chnage to teh diet... still feeling full and pumping up nicely in teh gym... so its all good...

bodyweight is pretty much stable at a touch under 14st...... louise took a photo of me last night for comparison to the ones i took a few weeks ago.. ill post it up this weekend hopefully!

leg session tonight............


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## squatty (Jun 23, 2006)

Has your training programme changed since you last posted it up mate


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

not really... have been training thursday evenings rather than mornings... as its been convenient...

ive been rotating exercises a little... using a few different intensity techniques.. but its pretty much the same as i had mapped out... ill list a few changes:

- SHOULDERS - not doing heavy dumbell or smith presses for front delts very often.... they respond too quick!! wish my biceps would lol

- CHEST - still getting some shoulder pain whilst pressing dumbells so just this week have decided to shift back to using machine! got great pump!

- BACK - rotating exercises all the time and being very intense... all good!

- ARMS... nowt changes... guns are coming.. look out! lol

- CALVES - now ready to hit them twice a week so will be doing so from next week...

- LEGS - my major problem area.. 2 weeks ago all was fine... but now knee pain is back... so after having eddie check my form on squatting ill be making a few adjustments... my second last set form is good and weight is light... last set im adjusting too much to compemnsate for pain (which i know i shouldnt as its just pain and knees WONT give way)..... so ill alter my form a little next week and keep reps high and weights a littel lower until its right!

had a mate check me over today... hes seen me since i dieted before i first competed so thought id ask his opinion... he felt i was right where i should be and commeneted arms really coming on and back very wide...

.....i didnt tell him id had a "normal" days eatimng the day before - 3 square meals and an indians at bedtime.... lol.... so i was not even at my best... so am happy... ill post the photo i took last week!!!

also, last week i ran out of protein.. so bought a tub of met-rx to keep me going..... ive been bloated to hell since... stopped it yesterday (hence normal days eatin) and all back to normal!!

back to using extreme nutrition next week (thank god)!!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

image taken 1 month ago on left.. image taken last week on right...

















theres not too much difference... but im happy... i know the differences are there... and considering ive totally altered how im taking in my carbs im more than happy! as.. as you can see im slightly fuller everywhere.. on less carbs!  

so paul mate.. time for thos comments... and you know i want to hear the no holds barred version!!!


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

Can see a definite increase in the defition of the delts and traps, all round looking thick, i think the triceps need bringing up, upper chest definition along the neck line looks excellent.

oh, and nice cheeky grin

lol

Nick


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

triceps are part of the plan... but for now im focussing on the rear head rather than the sides in order to thicken my arms out from top to bottom (help my double bicep pose).... in the past my side tris have been really good but rears sh*te.. so i know how to bring my sides back very quickly... they are just not getting the stimulation they would normally get at the moment... hence why not much fullness in this pose! but belive me triceps are being hit hard... just they are also being hit specifically at the moment!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well.. this morning im knackered.... stayed up a little later than i normally would to watch teh last two episodes of this seasons LOST... im still totally addicted!

also, last night had a really good chest & back session which has left me very sore... so think this coupled with about half an hour or so less sleep has left me feeling very lethargic!

bodyweight is still the same at just under 14 stone... i know my condition has improved some so the muscle is going on... theres still a couple of areas of my diet that are not 100% as id like yet.. so ill sort these out over this next week and see how my body responds... if it doesnt respond as i would expect (moving me just over the 14st mark) then the next step is to increase my protein intake a little and maybe up carbs a touch!

currently my week looks like this:

Monday - Day off (cath up on jobs after work... cook lots of food for week ahead)

Tuesday - Train after work

Wednesday - take my eldest son to football

Thursday - finish work at 2pm.. get kids from school... cook more food for rest of week.. after louise has finished work/gym (7pm) i train

Friday - train after work

Saturday - train just before lunch.. spend rest of day doing jobs.. taking kids out.. etc.

Sunday - Train just before lunch.. in afternoon catch up on jobs etc... maybe a snooze..

as you can see my week is pretty full up...well now my youngest son is going to start football on a tuesday night 6pm-7pm... meaning i cant train straight from work and ill have an hour and a quarter in gym tops... so its yet more of a struggle finding time to fit things in.. ideally i could move this session to monday but would rather not as that would mean training 5 days in a row... so ill see how things go training later on tuesdays... the main problem i can forsee is getting my eating re-arranged to fit in with a different schedule!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

all was well last week.. apart from my legs... so last night my plan was to lower the weight... do more reps and give my knees a little rest..... i stayed off my last set of squats... simply because my set previous had been superb for what id planned and had hit the area of my thigh i was hoping for... so this was excellent.. and very little knee pain... plan perfected! 

then i got in the house.... half hour later i had worse case of diahorrea ive ever had!! 

great!

then, about 4am this morning i was woken up with severe cramping in my calf... it fukin killed.... must have lasted about 10 mins and left it very sore this morning.... ouch!

so i had a 2 hour drive to darlington and back this morning... followed by calves, hams and abs in gym... well calves were out and with my dodgy knees stiff from 2 hours in car gym was last place i wanted to be!! but i stuck headphones on and was in and out quick!

im not very happy at the moment... but tommorows another day with some more hard graft! bring it on! if i get time tonight i might see if i can get the olympia webcast!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well.. after watching the olympia yesterday im totally up for my training.. so ill be absolutely smashing my chest and back tommorow night!!! 

for the last few weeks i have been humming and haaa-ing (never tried writing that before) about one of the gyms i train at... ive been training there for well over 5 years now and obviously know everyone well.... BUT... the lads that compete there arent getting much support from the owner at the moment.. other than to tell us to stop practicing posing before a show cos theres a couple of lasses in that might not like it..... altho he says nowt to the fat fcukers shouting on about t*ts and [email protected] etc!... nor does he make a point of making same fat fcukers put their weights back on the rack....

like i say ive trained there a long time and hes been very good to me in the past... including renting me a really nice flat for next to nothing when i split up with my ex a few years back!

also its a good gym with all the equipment i need and lost of friends in too. - altho soemtimes it can take half an hour for me to start my training as people like to come talk to me!

however its also about 15 mins drive from home.

so ive made the decision that in order to fulfill my ambitions i need to drop any sympathy/bonds to any gym and train in an environment which is condusive to me winning shows....

so as of next week the main gym ill be training at will be my good friend and NABBA class 1 rookie Paul Morgans FitZone Gym.. which is 5 mins from home... ive been training my legs there with paul and my friend Eddie Ibbotson (NABBA over 50's... and pretty much won the lot in the past) for over a year now..... Paul wants to push the gym forward and nmake it more and more succesful and get more people in there interested in competing... so im looking forward to a new training environment!

ill still train at the gym im leaving every few weeks or so to catch up with people.

and ill still be making my weekly trip to Ian Morgans Powerhouse gym in gateshead for his nutrition and diet advice!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

had an excellent chest & back session last night... have been doing machine presses for chest rather than dumbells as my shoulder was still a little stiff... last night i was the strongest ive ever been on them!

ive sorted out the little issues that still werent right on my diet.. but bodyweight has not moved up to 14st as i would have expected... AND i upped the weight of my chicken servings too.... so im a little bemused.....

one xplanation could be... louise... (whos on a little bit of a diet) was complaining about our bathroom scales the other week saying they were giving her totally different readings all the time... i told her they were working fine for me as they were showing me what looked like correct weights every week... so she must just have water rention... well yesterday i weighed myself in the mornning... i was 13st 9 1/2 lbs..... in just my undies after my morning poo.. lol... well i weighed myself after getting in from gym... about 8:00pm... and i was only 1 1/2lb heavier with my clothes on... now considering id had nearly a full days eating and drinking plus id just drank about 500ml of post workout shake in water i was a little unsure as to how accurate that was... so ill be weighing myslef on the gym scales straight after training on thurs night...... so i may be lighter/same/heavier than i have been thinking i have...

now.. ideally wieght shouldnt bother me.... as its better to go by the mirror... BUT... my bulking diet has been worked out from my lean bodyweight... and if theres a big difference it could mean i have my numbers wrong.. i suppose they should not be too far out either way!


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## Guest (Oct 4, 2006)

I've found that when my battery was going on my scales (assuming that you have battery operated scales) the weight changed everytime i stepped on them so you might want to change your batterys???


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

yeah they are the battery operated (bodyfat %) scales.... ill try the battery!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

just switched to short acting gear... will be starting PCT in 3 weeks time..

after sundays trip to the nottingham finals im a little knackered to say the least.... i think i may have a touch of a cold.. both my kids had one last week... so i usually end up with their germs.

looking forward to my chest and back session tonight... after seeing what im up against in the u80kg classes next year im very motivated to kick my ass week in and week out to get to where i need to be!

time is still getting the better of me at the moment.. what with work, kids, wife, training, cookaing and eating i have very little time for anything else... but im soldiering on!

am a little angry at myself for not doing another qualifier for the british finals... as after watchin my class on sunday i thought in all honesty my qualifyer was actually a tougher class than the finals.... the winner of the class had a fantastic physique... but had torn BOTH pecs (luckily tore both to keep him balanced lol) .. also the guy who got 2nd had virtually no cuts in his legs and very little size or shape... he did have some very good big full biceps.. which matched nicely with his big full b*tch titties!!  so in all honesty i think i could have done myself proud! you live and learn i suppose!!!  it just makes me more hungry for next year!

saw a clip of flex wheeler the other week.. in it he said... "i dont knock on doors... i knock doors down" .. i like that one so it will be going on my fridge!!... i wont be knocking on the under 80kg door next year... ill be knocking it down!!!!


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## splinter1466867924 (Aug 5, 2005)

Better luck at the next time you enter eh!!!!

Keep soldiering and get ready to own u80kg!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

thanks splinter!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well i still dont feel 100%... tired all the time... but still grafting away...

i weighed myself on the scales at the gym the other night and my sclaes at home are not far off.... i was just over 14st... so im about 4lbs lighter than when i started my show diet back in jan... but in at LEAST 10lb better condition... so i work that out as at least 6 solid pounds of muscle.. so im happy with that.. for now.

my legs are still giving me bother.. was speaking to louise about it last night... and she says my legs still have their shape and sweep... just that my upper body has come on more than my legs... which is expected... but im not happy with that! so ill be swapping what ive been doing lately... usually ive been doing a few light leg extensions for warm ups then squatting... then back to intense leg extensions to finish off... after thinking about it... as im not squatting heavy as such im going to look to employ more volume.. so will add in 3 sets of leg presses 15-25 reps after squatting... and then make sure i have very little rest with my leg extensions.... if i cant stimulate my legs with heavy weights ill stimulate them with intensity and pumps!

biceps & triceps tonight... so bring on the big guns! grrrrr lol


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

fancied an avatar change!!


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

wicked !


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well for leg day on friday night i stuck to just leg pressing and leg extensions... eddie had me throwing my hips forward at the bottom of the movement to keep intensity on the muscle.. it works lol.... stil no substitue for heavy kick ass training though!! 

ive been beating myself up the last few weeks about my legs/knee pain.. ive been training with this pain for around 12 months now - all the way through this years show diet!  - and they are no better nor any worse!! originally my plan was to get my diet out the way... see how they were... then hopefully once i was back on the gear they should heal quicker.... it has not happened.... so its off to the physio for me in the next few weeks...

ive really been beating myself up as legs have always been a good point for me... they arent getting bad... BUT i like to have a set of wheels!! i do know that im lucky enough to have put plenty of hard graft into them over the years so i know a couple of months once better and theyll be at 150% again!! so its going to be put into a physios hands now!! so ill keep updating on the progress!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

was reminded last night ive been invited out to a meal with lee priest next week... id forgotten all about it... lee is over in the UK to do the PDI UK night of champions show... then a UK seminar tour and a training session with my mate ian morgan at his gym.

so hopefully ill get along to see him train and also get to the seminar!

IF lee priest actually turns up in this country... and then stays long enough for all of this!! it will be good!

had another great chest & back session last night...


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## squatty (Jun 23, 2006)

You shameless namedropper you. Do you think there's a big doubt that he won't turn up then?


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

lol... am saying nowt!!

there are about a million lines to read between on this one..... and about a hundred perspectives... i hope he does as id like to meet him as always admired his physique and his attitude.... and id like to find out what hes really like!

from what ive heard the photoshoot wont be going ahead... so well see what else unfolds over the next week or so!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well am absolutely loaded with cold as of yesterday morning....

so my plan is... eat all my normal food.. with as many calories on top of that as i want... LOADS of ehinacea (label says 1 a day... am having about 20)... about 8g vitamin c a day... bucketloads of water.. and wrap up warm.. am sitting at work sweating! feeling sh*t...

id originally had a half day off work today to look after kids as they are off school... but now they are at ther grans instead... but might take the half day anyway and get some sleep!

enjoyed watching the nabba uk show on sunday even tho my mate got shafted in teh novice class.. but i was expecting this... they always seem to go for a big lump in this class instead of a super shredded physique!

our resident members bodyworks and bettyboo.. aka shane copley and racheal grice were both there handing out trophies and looking huuuuge!!! great stuff.. didnt get chance to say hello to them tho!! 

i seem to have a knack of causing controversy the last few months... i tend to speak my mind on a few bodybuilding boards and always express my honest opinion... but try my best to never directly criticise individuals as i have respect for all in our sport.... but the amount of people who email me after ive made comments is quite funny at times... i see this as a positive thing as others get to see the type of person i am and see that im actually really level headed and just have the best interests of our sport in my head!

....Lee Priest seminar tonight... lets see if i can upset him then!! lol... ive heard hes a cool bloke... so lets see how honest he is! if anyone has any questions theyd like me to ask him.. let me know and ill try my best!

apparntly his training session with my friend Ian Morgan is definitely going ahead thursday afternoon... so ill look forward to going along if i can make it... then theres a meal with lee thursday night.. which i think i may skip depending on how the seminar goes.... therell be alot of people there whos bullsh*t i really dont think i want to listen to for a few hours.... so may choose to sit at home and watch a DVD instead!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well my cold is pretty much gone now! so am happy at that... diet been crap tho... i have consumed ALOT of calories.... lol

went to the lee priest seminar the other night... seems like a really nice down to earth guy and really enjoyed meeting him... has a very matter of fact approach to life which i like and doesnt seem at all cocky or arrogant as i thought me night have been!

he was asked about gear use and basically takes VERY VERY VERY VERY little and is just an absolute genetic freak... i have my own opinions on this... i know if i was in his position i would not jeopardise my career and lievlihood by lifting the lid at all... so thats not a dig at him at all... lots of respect for the guy!

his arms really are phenomenal!! at the seminar i had ukbff ladies physique champ sharon maddison sitting just in front of me.. between lees arms and her calves i felt like a 7 year old child!! lol

also went accross to my friend ian morgans powerhouse gym to watch lee train and have a seminar there the next day.. i missed the seminar as got stuck in traffic... but got to see lee again and get my little lad his photo taken with him! ill post it up later! 

decided to give the meal a miss as heard lee might not turn up to it anyways! so me and louise had a massive indian between us! (that could be contrued in a few different ways! lol)

legs tonight!! still not had chance to sort out a physio appointment! 

due to come off cycle next week.... hopefully ill be 100% rid of my cold by then... otherwise ill stay on an extra week as dont want to come off when not well!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

lee priest with my 5 year old son Nathan! - hes nearly as tall as him! lol


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## nick500 (Dec 12, 2005)

awww 

i'm gutted i missed the hackney empire show, i was nearby as well, just didn't cross my mind on the night that it was then 

Nick


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

nathan: "who we going to see again dad"

me: "his name is lee priest.. hes a famous bodybuilder"

nathan: "is he really strong?"

me: "probably yeah"

nathan: "could he pick up a bus?"

me: "oh yeah!!!"


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

to see some photos of lees appearance at Ian Morgans Powerhouse Gym have a look at the website below:

http://www.morganspowerhousegym.co.uk/


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well i finally seem to have found my groove with my leg training...

4-5 sets of leg extensions to warm up

leg presses (start with a moderate weight and keep adding plates until im happy)

back to leg extensions.. another 4-5 sets.. using a fairly heavy weight but throwing my hips forward at the bottom of the movement to keep stress on the quads and tightly contracting the muscle at the top of the movement

finish off with 3 sets of the adductor machine (or [email protected] stretcher is its known locally)

during this my knees are nowhere near as bad as they have been and also much less sore the next day.. and i actually feel like ive trained legs the next day too which is nice!

seem to be pretty much rid of my cold now... so have stopped my gear and will start clomid tommorow.. oh joy!

got my next cycle all planned out. going to try a new approach compared to what im used to.. in the past i have used long test based cycles... with this cycle.. although there will still be a test base it will run for a shorter period and compounds will be changed mid cycle so as my body doesnt get used to it!

thanks to extreme for his help and advice with this! the guy really knows his stuff and im very lucky to be able to ask advice from someone so knowledgeable who doesnt fill peoples heads full of bullsh*t!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well am now into my PCT... which is a little odd.. as for some reason im horny as hell?? usually although sex drop does not disappear i find that it does subside some... not at the moment... maybe this is down to running short acting gear at end of my course.... who knows... still nearly 3 weeks of PCT to go so anything could happen...

have decided to run nolva only as PCT..... seen as pscarb seems to reccomend this as opposed to clomid i thought i would give it a go.... also i knew this week would be a stressful week.... so decided the risk of moodyness from the clomid could be a bad thing!

....which brings me on to.... family... lol.. in particular ex's... and kids... i have a boy who lives with us from my ex... and louise has a boy with an ex who also lives with us!

well this week i have managed to fall out with my ex over contact arrangements... i knew this would happen as new contact arrangements mean she has to spend an extra £7 a week on train fares... god forbid!! but apparantly the end of the world is nigh et al........

also... me and louise have been attending mediation with her ex and his partner in order to attain a better more settled environment for our other young lad whos 8 next week... (he wants a PSP.. hehe... i cant wait!!!)... his dad is basically a c0ck who only ever does things for himself in my honest opinion and would have had his heed knocked off a few times if he wasnt my step-sons dad... but anyways been to a few mediation appointments now and i have listened to what he has to say and been polite..... in all honesty both me and louise have agreed it will be totally pointless attending any more as he really just wants to spout off about how good a dad he is... when the reality is he is full of lies and only ever has his son when tehre is someone else with him to look after him! so today... i get to be "NO s**t TELL IT LIKE IT IS" lee..... which i shall enjoy!!

on top of all this, louise who works at the local asda... has had all her shifts changed by her managers... and most of them are useless as the only reason she stacks bloody shelves at asda in the first place is because it fits in with being able to take the kids to school and back etc... and her new shifts dont allow her to do this... so she may have to pack her job in there.. obviously not good when we have 2 kids to feed... (not to mention a bodybuilder to feed.. and feed... and feed...) lol


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## Guest (Nov 2, 2006)

Nice thread mate, tell it how it is. By the way PSP i have one hardly used boxed with a few extras and 5 quality games, i don't need it mate as it just sits there, make us an offer.


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

nah.. hes an 8 year old.. they aint interested in cheapies.... they want the real thing from the shop!!


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## Guest (Nov 2, 2006)

Cheapeis mate, there £140 in the shops with one game, this comes with alloy case, cd holder, large memory card and 5 quality games and as new in the box. The games are £30 each, id have taken less than £100 mate. No bother, can't even give the thing away, lol, id give it my little girl but she's got a Nintendo. So im stuck with it, i know im now off down the local charity shop, what the hell id rather it do some good than just sit there, i hate selling stuff, still got the Mrs old Jimny 4 X 4 in the drive, just can't be arsed with selling stuff.

I think Woolworths do the best new deal on them mate.


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

do they.. ill have a look in there at the weekend!

cheers mate!

and stick it on ebay!! you will get a good price on there!


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## newboy606 (May 25, 2005)

its and endless battle with the ex's mate im going through an ok stage at the moment but its all going to blow up again soon.


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

yep.. we have just accepted that we have about 10-15 years of crap!! lol


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well i have had a nice week or so of living like a normal person... back on diet this week... back training hard... and am happy...

knees still in pain... but who the fcuk cares!!!

if it dont kill me.. it can only make me stronger!!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

after fridays leg session i came away quite happy...

at teh end of the session... Eddie and Paul (my leg training partners) decided to check each others legs out for improvements... both are coming along nicely....

anyways even tho i knew my legs are struggling at the moment... im not one to shy away... so i dropped my gym pants too.... and was met with "and theyre meant to be lagging behind???" lol...

i was pleased all the size and shape is still there... especially considering im off the gear now too. with my hamstrings coming along just as i had planned!!!  they are still lacking on the inner thigh... but with my injury ive not been able to focus on this enough to bring it up though! however after a brainstorming session with eddie and his 30 odd years of training experience we have come up with a secret weapon............. so fingers crossed i may be able to bring them up yet!

am booked in to see the physio tommorow lunch time! so lets see what they say!

yesterday i awoke to the smell of bacon sandwiches.. i also had zero motivation to train or do anything other than lie on the sofa all day... surprisingly tho i trained hard and had my best day of clean diet for about a week... topped off nicely with a chicken tikka massala and naan bread for supper!! mmm

today i seem to be right up for this bodybuilding malarky again.... so all things going to plan... i finish my pct next week... so hopefully before then ill get a photo took for comparison purposes!! bodyweight is about 2-3lbs down at the very most!


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well been to see the physio today... he thinks i have something called "jumpers knee" and is fairly confident i can be fixed quite quickly..

i have a regime of stretching to do.. as well as some massage to loosen up my quads... hes also told me its best to leave off quad training for the next 4 weeks.....  so im going to take his advice in that its important to initially reduce the swelling to the tendons!!

so means i get 1 day off training for the next 4 weeks!! 

im a little bothered by it in that we bodybuidlers HATE not training our legs.... but in reality they will not disappear within 4 weeks.. and that rest might even spur on some more growth!!

fingers crossed eh!!


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

i`m sure the trigger point therapy i use on my back would really help your knees dude-

trouble is i only know the trigger points for back pain-

it is worth looking into tho.

last time i took a month off i lost nothing except some strength.

admittedly i`m not even close to your level tho. :lol:


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

found this post at UK-M by hackskii.

I have been suffering with squats and knee problems lately.

I went to Palm Springs for a few days to rest and went to a gym out there.

I have been feeling stiff lately so Id thought id stretch out some.

A trainer came over and we chatted for a bit and I explained that my knees hurt.

He checked my form out and said it was a knee alignment problem and tracking specifically.

He asked me if I sit alot and I answered yes.

He said it might be my I.T. Band that needs stretching.

So, he took this round hard foam and I layed on it with my outter quad. That hurt like hell and he said I was far too tight.

Seems that sitting all day made that shorter and tossed off the tracking on my knee.

I kept trying to pulverise that area and it got less tender and almost immediatly my knee felt better, lower back too.

He told me that if I used that IT band roller within 3 weeks I would have almost no knee pain.

He said I would get more range in squats too.

heres the thread if youre interested-

its a similar technique as trigger point. :idea: :wink:

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/advanced-bodybuilding/17236-i-learned-something-today.html


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

thats what i originally thought i had.. a tracking problem.... but apparantly he says hes definite that my tracking is okay... the problem is that the tendon directly on top of the knee cap is acting as a weak point..... i.e. taking all the stress.. so it needs to be strengthened!

also he does think my quads are too tight and my lack of mobility (stretchability) is hindering the tendon even more!

so not training legs should help reduce the inflammation already present... and allow them to heal better... and the stretching / ultrasound should help the healing process...

and the massage he has booked me in for next week should help loosen the pull on the muscle tissue!

im happy to leave everything in his hands... hopefully he knows what he is doing... mind if he says rest longer than 4 weeks.. he can fcuk off!! lol


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well.. not update my journal for last couple of weeks... not had tiem and really nothing happening... have been in a very "family mode" with training just ticking over nicely.. not really pushing myself with training or diet...

knee is slowly getting better... i can walk up stairs now without getting sharp stabbing pains in the knee...  and after a full days xmas shopping yesterday i have not woke up in agony!!

am due to start my next course in a week or so... so diet is getting cranked up now... i weighed myself last week and im only 4lbs down from my heaviest when i was on my last cycle... which is good considering my deit has been cack!! lol


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

well... started back training my legs last week.. just some light leg pressing... physio says that i can do anything but to keep off leg extensions for a while as these put alot of stress through the knee joint!

no pain!  and only lost a slight sweep to my thigh from the 4 weeks of not training! so am happy!

back on gear as of last week.. within 1 week am already up to (at least) the weight i was at end of last course... so hopefully itll all be good gains from here!

working hard to eat good over xmas!


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## bushidodad (Nov 1, 2006)

#5 - lower/side chest by nipple needs thickening/filling out

I read all 12 pages and I hope I am not repeating anyone, but my brain hurts from taking in all that information

For me to work this area I do decline bench dumbbell flys and presses

It is a little easier for me to do decline so I use just a little more weight than I would use for flat bench presses.

Oh yeah the most important thing, I don't know if it helps, but when I go up all the way (end of positive part of rep) I squeeze hard for 2 seconds. It makes me feel like I have work my lower chest just a little more.

Good luck in the new year and with your upcoming competitions.


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

cheers mate!

your right with what needs improving, and im working on it.. altho its a little tricky to isolate fully!


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## bushidodad (Nov 1, 2006)

How is everything else coming along?


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

all is coming on nicely mate.. upper body front to back thickness looking much better.. as are rear delts... tris much heavier and biceps seem fuller.... hams are much improved too seem to have a really nice shape coming on them... quad have been a problem due to injuries.. BUT just this last week ive been able to train heavy AND lower the weight a good way down on leg press (still cant squat) net result is legs thickening out again and shape/sweep nearly back to 100%


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## bushidodad (Nov 1, 2006)

I also am just getting over a small back injury. I pulled the middle of my ilio-costalis lumborum on the right side at the 9th rib playing basketball. It cost me 1 week off and 2 weeks of anything I could do in the gym that didn't hurt too bad.

Glad to here your back at your best and improving. I wish you the best in your upcoming competitions.


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## LeeB (Oct 5, 2011)

thanks mate!


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