Road to the Stage: Weeks 2 & 3– Core Nutritionals

What a couple of weeks it has been! Lots of travel and lots of clients hitting the stage. Time for an update with what sort of progress I have made.

Body Weight and Current Condition

At the end of week 1 I actually saw an increase in body weight going from 196.1 to 196.9. This isn’t entirely uncommon as a lot of people see an increase in weight with their first cut. This doesn’t mean it is time to panic or that huge cuts should be made. Despite the increase in weight, I noticed that I was a little leaner. However, the fact that the weight didn’t drop means that I needed to make a cut to my calories. After cutting my calories, things really got moving. At the end of week 2 my weight had dropped from 196.9 to 195.7. A full 1.2 lbs drop which is perfect so I am not making changes for this week. I am not sitting solidly in my 3rd week of dieting and so far things are still moving along well. However I won’t know how this week ends up until my official weigh in day.

Nutrition + Cardio

As I mentioned above, I had to cut my food a bit more to get things moving. My new macros are now:

Protein- 285g
Carbs-375g
Fat- 70g

I also have a high calorie day once every 7th day with these macros:

Protein-250g
Carbs-640g
Fat-85g

For my food choices, I am still using a lot of what I have been using (listed in Week 1 Update). However, I had a few people ask me after Week 1 where I was getting most of my daily fats. I realized that I hadn’t really listed my fat sources in my food list since they are mostly oils. I already get a good amount of fat from beef and milk, but here is what I use to round out my fat sources on most days.

Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Pumpkin Seeds (very good when sprinkled on veggies)
Almond Butter (not as often though)
Fish Oil

I was also asked how often I eat Ice Cream since it was on my foods list. I don’t have set set schedule for my ice cream consumption. Haha! If I had to guess I would say that I have a bowl of ice cream every other day or so.

Timing of my meals has changes a little since I had to cut my numbers. Once again, this timing can change if I need it to fit my schedule.

Meal 1 (upon waking)- P- 55 C-45 F- 14
Meal 2 (pre-training meal)- P- 55 C- 100 F- 15
Meal 3 (post training shake)- P- 55 C- 45 F- 1
Meal 4 (post training meal)- P- 55 C- 85 F- 20
Meal 5 (before bed)- P- 65 C- 100 F- 20

Cardio

Still no cardio. Not coming for a while.

Training

I am still following my Power Block Perdiodization program and things are still moving along well even though I am losing weight. I completed my power day yesterday and I will breakdown the training session below.

Squats- 290x5 330x3 375x1 375x5
Decline Barbell Press- 195x5 195x5 225x3 225x3 245x3 245x3
Deadlift- 375x5 375x5 430x5 430x5 480x1 480x2
DB Flat Press- 85’s x7 for 4 sets
Standing DB Row- 80’s x7 90’s x7 100’sx7 105’sx6
Standing DB Curl- 45’s x7 50’s x7 55’s x5

As you can see, I didn’t hit my number of reps I wanted on my last set of deadlifts. I’m hoping to see that get better next week but overall I’m very happy with my lifts at my given body weight. For me this is the strongest I have ever been in the mid 190’s. So I’m hoping I can keep pushing the strength for as long as possible.

Supplementation

In my last post I forgot to include my full supplement list. Being sponsored by Core, I use a lot of supplements. But I don’t take anything that I don’t believe it. So here is my full list of current supplement intake.

Core ABC (Recovery and endurance / BCAAs)
Core ISO (Whey protein isolate)
Core PRO (Sustained release protein blend)
Vitamin D
Multivitamin
Core Commodities Beta Alanine
Core Commodities Taurine
Core Fury Extreme (Pre-workout performance amplifier)
Core Pump (Pre-workout vasodilator and performance enhancer / non-stim)
Core Commodities HMB
Fish Oil
Core Commodities Creatine Monohydrate
Core Commodities Glutamine
Core Alpha (Natural hormone optimizer)
Core Hard (Recomposition and hardening agent)

The weekend before last I traveled to Kansas City for the IFPA Pro International. It is one of the biggest natural pro shows in the country. I had a total of 8 clients competing around the country on that day so needless to say I got very little sleep and stress was a factor. When I travel I can always hit my macros pretty easy by using foods like:

Beef Jerky
Tuna
Fruit
Protein Powders and Bars
Granola Bars
Peanut Butter
Wendy’s Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwiches
And whatever I can find at a local steak house

This is never a problem with these food choices. However sometimes trying to eat healthy and get veggies on the road isn’t always easy. I will often just grab a cheap salad from a gas station and pound it down. It tastes terrible but at least I am getting it in. Sometimes on the road it isn’t pretty but you have to make it work.

That weekend I actually had the most successful weekend I have ever had as a coach. My clients accumulated 2 pro titles, 3 pro cards, and an overall regional title. It was pretty damn great to see. I have included some pictures of some of my clients from that weekend as well as a few random pictures from the weekend. I always tell my clients that success is never promised even when you work hard. However, when you do work hard you definitely shift the odds in your favor. For those willing to put in the work you’ll be surprised how often things will fall your way, and that is exactly what happened this weekend. It was pretty special to be a part of.

I got back from the Kansas City and settled in for a few days before I had to travel to Duluth, Minnesota. I was going to watch some of my clients compete in the DFAC Minnesota Mayhem and then I was to give a seminar on Sunday after the show.

The show was fantastic and the seminar the next day was a blast! The crowd was great for my talk, we had an all you can eat Chipotle buffet (which I had to enjoy in moderation and estimate my numbers on) and all you can drink Monster Energy Drinks, which if you have ever seen my Instragram you know I love.

After seeing two top level professional shows this weekend my final thoughts are just how tough natural bodybuilding is getting and just how fleeting success in this sport can be. At both shows I watched competitors with AMAZING physiques place near the bottom. Not because of bad judging but because the line ups were that stacked. If you are a natural competitor and you have never been to a top level natural pro show, I highly suggest you attend. I sometimes take for granted how lucky I am to constantly be around top level athletes. The motivation and vision that it can give you is something else. I highly recommend you find one and attend it.

Anyway, I am back home with no travel for a few weeks and ready for some stability. The travel took a toll on my body for sure. Training intensely is very hard after a lot of travel and when sleep is disturbed. I always grind it out though.

That is all for this week! Next prep update I will include some new progress pictures along with any new changes I make.