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 Dr Buff
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| Guest Blogger #2 |
| 02.25.2010 09:25:56 | |
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Ooooohhhhhh BAAABY! That’s all I gotta say, America! My legs are so sore…I’m hurtin’ bad, America, but it’s a good hurt. You remember me telling you that I changed up my foods a bit to see what that would do? Well, I’ve been having some serious hip, low back, and knee problems on my left side – the surgeries side – and decided that if I was gonna make it to the shows I’d have to modify what I was doing. Time to change. Now you all know that to build big muscles, you’ve gotta push big weight. Well…that’s just not working for me anymore. My joints simply can’t handle the load like they used to. Call it age, call it wear & tear, call it what you want, the bottom line is I can’t do it anymore. I was thinking of what I could do for legs and remembered Lee Haney years ago saying that once he had built his base, he seldom went over 315 on squats and usually hung around 225 for higher reps and quick sets. So I totally changed things up yesterday. Instead of leveraging heavy weights, thereby placing quite a bit of stress on my joints, tendons, and ligaments, as well as my muscles, I backed down on weights to where there was little stress on my joints, tendons, and ligaments. Once I had the right weight I focused on squeezing and contracting the working muscles through their entire range-of-motion, neither pausing at the bottom or locking out at the top. In essence, instead of ‘lifting weights’, I ‘worked muscles’. I know…I know…we all work our muscles, right? Well, yes and no. Many times we get to pushing such heavy weight that the muscles sometimes ‘lock out’ and the majority of the stress is imposed upon the joints, tendons, and ligaments. Eventually they’ll give or wear out – that’s what’s happening to me.
Since I’m genetically an ectomorph – skeletal and small-boned by nature – my potential for pushing big weight has just about passed me by. So now, to train harder, I’ve gotta train smarter. Yesterday was 42 sets. We started with 12 sets of leg curls, followed by 10 sets of leg extensions. Following what I’d mapped out, I stayed within my ‘weak link’ and kept the reps at 12 or above. Working at a one-up-one-down pace, we banged those out quickly. On to leg press for 10 sets. This is where I’ve really been having problems due to the hip replacement and knee surgery. Don’t quite know what’s going on, but my hip ‘clunks’ 2-4 times during every rep of every set. It’s not really painful, but it sorta freaks me out to keep hearing and feeling this ‘clunking’ sound every time I lower and push the weight. So I found a weight and groove that minimized that sound and feeling and really focused on deep leg presses with no lockout at the top. By the end of the 6th set I could definitely feel the weakness in the left hip flexor. My right leg wanted to do most of the work, but I kept the emphasis on the left leg. As far as I was concerned, as long as my hip didn’t pop out of socket and I’d have to have Steve carry me and my leg to the emergency room, I was good to go. During each heavy set, the more my muscles fatigued out, the slower I went on each rep.
After leg press it was on to Smith Squats for 10 sets. Again, I’ve done far, far heavier weights than I did yesterday, but this time I locked into deeper squats with continuous tension and movement during each set. As in the leg presses, the more fatigued I became, the slower I descended and ascended. I was pretty much trashed by the last set – all I wanted was 12 good reps. But with this bad back, on the 4th rep my low back said, “Dude, I think we’re done for the day.” Since I’m a bodybuilder (which by definition sometimes means being stupid even when you know better…) I decided to gut it out. On my next rep my back gave out and screamed, “I SAID WE’RE DONE, DUDE!” I listened this time. So I ended at 9 ½ sets instead of 10, but I DIDN’T end up in the ER.
I can’t explain why my quads, glutes, and hams are so sore (…well…actually I can, but ya’ll don’t need me to go into that dissertation…). Let’s just say that with the quickened pace and true focus on working the muscles both in the concentric and eccentric phase, I’m doing the potty drop for a couple of days.
Hey…I’ve got another guest blogger for you guys today. Mike is a young man whom I had the pleasure of meeting almost 2 weeks ago. We’ve had several phone conversations since then. I appreciate the kind words he spoke on me, but I need everyone to understand that the magic is not in Dave Patterson or what he says, but rather the magic is in what you CHOOSE to do with what I say. Whether it’s me or any other qualified coach, if you follow the plan, you’ll get the results! Mike is following the plan. Enjoy his blog, America, and I’ll holla at’cha soon…peace!
Hello all! My name is Mike Miller. I live in Vancouver, WA. I am 35 yrs old. I was a former Teenage Texas 15 yrs ago at the Texas State Bodybuilding Championships. I have fallen off track in my bodybuilding. However I was checking around the web and I started following "DR. BUFF'S' Blog. I called him up and I basically said, “I am literally laying down all of my prior knowledge at your feet. Please feed me the info that I need!!!!” Boy did I get what I was asking for. I got in my truck and I drove 3 hours to see Dave. I had the time of my life. Everything that I had once found comfort in as a bodybuilder was all wrong. I didn't really understand the true meaning of INTENSITY. Let’s just say Dave beat up on this young man. He kicked my tail on a chest workout. He has it down to the science folks. When I shop for a pair of shoes I don't buy the cheap pair that just fit. I like to buy Quality. Let’s just say Dave Patterson is the Nike of Personal Trainers. He is a legend in the Pacific Northwest. I am only a week out since my meeting with him. I’ve already lost some belly fat and am starting to really lean up. I am shooting for the Oregon Iron Man and the Oregon Bodybuilding Championships. So I am twelve weeks out as of this weekend. With Dave’s help I have an awesome diet, and my workout plan is dialed in for success. Every day I am looking leaner in the mirror. However, because of what I am eating I am not losing my hard earned muscle. But what I am losing is body fat!!!! I have always worked hard in the gym on the weights. Now, combined with my new nutritional and cardio plan, my workouts are now tailored with an intensity that helps activate more muscle fibers. Dave can tell you and show you how to achieve the look that you want, and you will actually see a difference in 1 week! I did!
Ok, so I am 5’ 7” and 200lbs and I have a very thick core. I can lift some heavy weights. I can bench 315 plus for reps. However, I want all of you to know that I am sucking in my pride when I say that by the end of my chest workout with Dave it was a struggle to get the bar and 25's off my chest. This is the Intensity that I was lacking. I learned how to read my muscles. The pump that I experienced when working out by myself was a different kind of pump than training with Dave and his kind of intensity. You have all heard the term Muscular Failure. Let’s just say we went there and beyond!!! Dave knows how to read you, your lifting style, and will set you up with great technique and has the science on how the muscles respond to the types of movement that they need to grow. This is what you need to hear if you are serious about wanting to train for a contest.
When it comes to food I was literally in a deficit of 1500 calories or more. I was way off on my foods which probably led to me gaining bodyfat and not building maximum muscle. I am now eating more food that ever before and I am still hungry. I am eating clean now and yes, I bought a Digital Scale. You HAVE to have a food scale to really find out how much food you need to eat. He not only helped me find the meal plan that works for me, but he helped me to understand what "Good Food” is. I mean the clean foods that help our body work at its maximum potential without losing that ability to burn our stored energy (bodyfat). By weighing and measuring my foods, not only do I know exactly what is going in my mouth, but I will be better set on making those slight changes that will help give me the leading edge on my competitors.
I had written down a list of questions that I wanted to get answered. What to eat? What to lift? Pre-workout foods? Post-workout foods? How do I know when I am done working a muscle group? When would I be overtraining? Not only did he answer all of these questions and more, he actually COOKED for me and showed me how he prepares his meals. Man, it tasted great! I learned that just a little change in the way we prepare our food that we eat daily makes a world of difference in taste and how you feel about what you’re eating. My time with Dave was priceless - I mean American Express priceless! I could have spent thousands of dollars on videos and books and supplements and stuff. He saved me from doing that and gave me what I needed. I am grateful for that. Now we all like magic, right? Let’s just say that Dave is a Magician who can show you how to turn your water bloated, fat-filled, wrong food eating, low intensity training body into a beautiful piece of art crafted with great food, excellent lifting skills, and proper intensity and length of cardio. That’s Magic! He's not afraid to share his tricks!! Folks, all I have to say is when I hit that stage in June my goal is to beat my personal best. Dave has instilled that in me. He has also instilled in me a renewed sense of self-work. I will have to work harder than I have ever worked if I am to reach my goal. He is not going to fill you with a bunch of Bull. Dave and his body is a time-tested machine of knowledge and experience. He has stood the test of time and has been awarded heavily for it. When you are in the presence of Dave Patterson it is very important to know that you are working with a Legend. Ask your questions, listen, learn, and take note. He is the Best in the Business.
THANKS DR. BUFF!!!! FORMER TEENAGE TEXAS MICHAEL MILLER
Personal Training Systems “There Are No Shortcuts!” www.personaltrainingsystems.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Mobile: 253.576.4859
Wishing DOESN'T make it come true!
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