Bodybuilding.com - Contest Prep Week 19!

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Did you know?
Dino's trainer, Maris Lee, wrote an article about the NPC here.

Check out the latest week of contest prep and the Nutrition topic of the week!

This Is Week #19. Click here for Week #1.

Greetings, welcome to week #19 of my weekly goals and objectives page/journal. I have begun to calculate the exact number of weeks that we have left until the 2003 Team Universe. We are currently 25 weeks out, that is it, and it will be here before we know it! I expect this year to be the biggest turnout ever. This year an IFBB Pro Card will be awarded to the overall winner. This will undoubtedly draw in the top natural bodybuilders; all of which are trying to cross the ranks into IFBB professionalism.

WEEK #19

Topic of the Week: Dieting Strategy: The First of Several Crucial Diet Changes

Well gang, here we go... the off-season is officially over it is time to begin stripping away at the over all kilocalorie consumption. At a mere 16 weeks out I am reducing my kilocalorie intake from 2200 kilocalories to 2100 kilocalories. I have been weighing 142# for the past three weeks so I know that I need to drop some kilocalories to "tighten up" a little bit more. Notice that I only dropped 100 kilocalories! I am pretty lean right now and I want to ease into the contest physique that I will ultimately present at the 2003 NPC Team Universe (25 weeks away). I plan to drop my kilocalorie intake by 100 kilocalories every 2 weeks until I feel that I am taking in the sufficient amount to maintain the look that I want to bring to the posing dais this season.

Current Diet

Calories: 2100 Kilocalories
262 grams of protein - 50% of total kilocalories
210 grams of carbohydrates (CHO) - 40% total kilocalories
23 grams of fat - 10% total kilocalories
8 meals a day= 4 anabolic + 4 Glycemically stable
4-Anabolic meals (50% of kilocalories consumed around my training)
131gms Protein/ 4 intakes @ 32-33gms/meal
105gms CHO/ 4 intakes @ 25-27gms/meal
11gms Fat/ 4 intakes @ 2-3gms/meal
Pre-training meal: 4am
Post training meal #1- 6:30am
Post training meal #2- 7:00am
Post training meal #3- 8:00-8:30am

The remainder of the day I eat a strategically spaced-out 4-glycemically stable meals. I have been using ZMA and choosing not to consume my evening meal. The ZMA is utilized best on an empty stomach and instead of waking up to consume my nighttime meal I have been swallowing 4, Z-force ZMA tablets. I feel that if I am going to go without food there better be a reason for it. My reasoning here is: #1 I am dieting and it is easier to reduce kilocalories during sleep than it is during the day, #2 The ZMA works best on an empty stomach. If I awake during the evening I will consume 1/8th of a protein bar, which will give me an insignificant amount of nutrients as far as throwing off the diet. This will basically allow me to sleep a little better as the hunger pain will be somewhat diminished.

Note: The same macronutrients as listed above are consumed for the remainder of the day using lower glycemic index (GI)/glycemic load (GL) food choices i.e. fibrous vegetables.

A brief overview of my ultimate nutrition strategy:

Drop 100K from the total diet (not one particular macronutrient) every 2 weeks till I feel necessary to stop the reduction via assessment of the mirror (how I look).
At 10 weeks out cut all dairy products, which at this point the only one that I am using is, skim milk.
Never let my protein intake drop below 250grams. When the drop in total kilocalories reaches this point I will manipulate the other macronutrients to fit the 250gms of protein allotment.

Note: I am currently taking in 262 grams per day.

Training

I am training 5 days a week now. I train each body part one time during the week. The ideal routine is broken down as follows:

Day #1 Quads, Hamstrings, & Glutes
Day #2 Chest & Shoulders
Day #3 Back & Traps
Day #4 Calves
Day #5 Arms

I will do hamstrings and quadriceps together from now on. I really like staying in the squat rack and when I break up the muscle group I stay sore too long to fully recover before it is time to train the remaining portion of the legs. Therefore I am choosing to bomb them out together as I said before I stay in the squat rack for quite a while. I basically go into the gym and punish the hell out of the muscle group being trained. I use moderate to light weight and really concentrate on squeezing the blood into the muscle. My workouts have been productive and interesting. I love this method of training and plan on using it at least until the 2003 season is over. I just go into the gym with a predetermined number of sets in mind and reap havoc on the muscle group. My theory as always has been is that if you are getting sore and you eat to build you will grow. Although I am "dieting" I am still fueling my body with plenty of protein for maintenance and rebuilding. It is a true science this sport of bodybuilding and only few can do it.

Weekly Cardio Program

I do 15 minutes a day. I usually break the session up into three "5 minute" sprints for a total of 15 minutes. I use elliptical machine on max incline and a resistance level of 1. I keep my revolutions per minute at 180 or above. I go 5 min pedaling forward for glutes and hamstrings, 5 minutes back pedaling for quadriceps. I have also recently been experiencing the "Strider." I keep the RPMs in 135-145 ranges when using this machine. I also use the Stair Master at level 7 for 5 minute sprints (great for calves and glutes).

Sometimes, like on a non-training day I do 15 hard-core straight minutes at 180 RPM or above on the elliptical, 135-145 on the Strider, and level 7 on the Stair Master. This is torture, but I am getting into really good cardiovascular shape and improving.

Weekly Goals & Objectives

I love setting short-term daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Goal setting is a great habit. Once you set and accomplish your smaller daily goals your larger scale goals have moved that much closer to being accomplished. Great days compiled over a consistent time period equal results in the end. To improve my performance every day of the week, I outline my goals and objectives. These are things that I must accomplish during the week in order for it to be considered a successful one. Each week I will review how well I did in attempting to accomplish them.

My goals for the week were:

Maintain my consistent protein intake throughout the week and follow my nutritional plan 100%.
I managed to do this 100%!
I must follow my supplementation plans 100% every day of the week.
I met these requirements 100%!
I must use an intelligent weight selection when training. I need to concentrate on working and building the muscle utilizing great execution during training. I must get inside the muscle mentally to understand what I am doing during each exercise. I must attempt to go as heavy as possible while maintaining perfect form and execution during the movements.
I remain to do really well here, but I still find myself improving, which is good!
I must complete my cardio sessions, which are scheduled every morning. They will be done according to the prescribed intensity or with an increased level of intensity.
I managed to complete this task at about 100% I was on track with the RMPs. I will continue to keep working hard - what ever it takes!
I must constantly remember what my goal for the 2003 competitive year is (NPC Team Universe)! I must present myself as a National level bodybuilder. I need to be assertive, proud, maintain eye contact, realize who I am becoming and live it out. I need to do this to be where I want to be next year and to represent my sponsors (Bodybuilding.com) with honor.
I am continuing to work hard in this area, reviewing my vision every morning has helped by reminding me that I have goals, plans, and a mission to be met. I am not just wandering into success it is a well drawn out plan!

My goals for the week are: (SAME AS BEFORE)

Maintain my consistent protein & nutritional plan throughout the week.
I must continue to follow my supplementation plans 100% every day of the week.
I must use an intelligent weight selection when training. I need to concentrate on working and building the muscle utilizing great execution during training. I must get inside the muscle mentally to understand what I am doing during each exercise. I must attempt to go as heavy as possible while maintaining perfect form and execution during the movements.
I must complete my cardio sessions, which are scheduled every morning. They will be done according to the prescribed intensity or with an increased level of intensity.
I must constantly remember what my goal for the 2003 competitive year is (NPC Team Universe)! I must present myself as a National level bodybuilder. I need to be assertive, proud, maintain eye contact, realize who I am becoming and live it out. I need to do this to be where I want to be next year and to represent my sponsors (Bodybuilding.com) with honor.

Current Supplementation Plan

I bumped up my L-glutamine and creatine intake. I take 5 grams of each about an hour prior to training, immediately following training, and one hour following training. This is a total of 15 grams a day and revolves around spikes and surges of insulin that I am getting through my tactical nutrition program. Nutritional/Supplemental Science at its best!

Daily Supplement Regimen:

I am taking a 10-12 week break (until late March) from prohormone use to let my receptors open wide up again. I will also be taking 12 weeks free of ephedra products. I have now added HMB and ZMA.

HMB 3000mg
Z-force (ZMA)
3000 mg Vitamin C
Multivitamin
Vitamin E
Vitamin A
15 grams L-Glutamine (Pre/post and post cardio-workout consumption)
15 grams of Creatine Monohydrate (Pre/post & post cardio-workout)
Glucosamine
Flaxseed Oil
Calcium

Nutrition

See this week's main topic above for nutrition info.

Coming Up!

6-7-03: The Southern Classic, Jackson Mississippi - 16 weeks away!
6-14-03: The Mr. New Orleans - 17 weeks away!
7-20-03 (tentative date): The Mr. Louisiana - 20 weeks away!
7-8/9-03: National Debut-New York, New York - The NPC Team Universe - 25 weeks away.

Till next week... be strong, believe in yourself, and continue to follow your destiny-your dream!

Dino Paul Pierce, CFT (III)
B.S. Dietetics
Natural Bodybuilder

littlekahuna69@hotmail.com