[Sam King]

Hello Hello
Thought I’d drop by and catch up on the latest. Happy belated 30th, sounds like you were spoilt rotten and enjoyed your special day. Hitting 30 didn’t phase me in the slightest, how did you cope in the lead up?

Everything still sounds as though it’s going to plan, apart from diet brain is kicking in haha. My diet brain isn’t forgetful or anything, I just roam the supermarket aisles looking at food ‘ooo, that’ll be nice’ ‘tell you what, wouldn’t mind that’. This is usually in reference to things that I would never eat haha. I’m 7 weeks out so look forward to my, shall we say, extra NEAT activity soon haha.

Hope everything is well with you sport.

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[Sam King]

Agreed with the above points – you want the athlete’s personality, wisdom and intensity to shine through. For example, it’s one thing to read the book Pumping Iron and another to watch the film itself.

If you want just the workouts, then you can find that info by scrolling through the athlete logs as most put their daily sessions in there. If not, you can always ask them.

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[Sam King]

I think you’ll find I’m 13 weeks post show.. pay attention mate

@clare barks – haha just making sure you’re paying attention. Has it seriously been that long though!? Time is just flying by. Makes your current composition even more impressive. Now, let’s get you some more lats and delts champ.

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[Sam King]

Enjoy Swanage my mum goes 5/6 times a year with my little brother and loves it! proper nice place to walk around i think, havent been myself as i get every other sunday off and work saturdays so its all a bit too go go go and travel from birmingham for me and OH!

It is a lovely quaint little seaside town and the drive is always a pleasure. Should definitely check out Dorset @reece-saunders – so much to see and do. I’m based in the Poole area so a few miles from Bournemouth. Tons of beaches, coastal walks, lovely pubs and the New Forest as well. Really take it for granted sometimes.

5/6 times is more than I go haha. Where is your mum based?

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[Sam King]

During my younger and more naïve days of bodybuilding, I used to have 1-2 a day as a quick convenience snack. Being a uni student they seemed like a cheaper alternative and certainly easier to prepare (rip open packet). The market was certainly limited back then, usually went for the CNP flapjacks (Cherry bakewell or Orange), Maximuscle and the ol’ Nitrotech or Mesotech bars. Now everyone from a hardcore bodybuilder to the stay at mum enjoys a protein bar.

Nowadays the market is saturated with ‘protein’ bars with a lot of them being overly glorified chocolate bars. Even Snickers and Mars got in on the act! Depending on your goals, they can be part of your diet but personally I wouldn’t rely on them and have them as the occasional treat or emergency snack. In most scenarios, you can prepare food in advance so you’ll never be without. During prep I definitely wouldn’t elect to use them as a meal replacement as they won’t fill you up, could trigger cravings for sweet treats and generally their overall nutritional profile is generally not as good as whole food.

As Haider has mentioned, the protein source is generally an inferior source and due to their makeup, along with all of the artificial sweeteners and preservatives they can cause digestion distress in some individuals. Also, they can often cause a laxative effect if you have more than just the one.

Personally I’d elect for something else, but if they fit your macros and you digest them well then go for it.

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[Sam King]

7 weeks out today!!! Doesn’t feel like it at all.

Went into yesterday’s push session with no idea how it would pan out. Currently have the Mother in-law to be staying with us so routine is slightly off – love my morning/pre-gym ritual. Anywho, we can make excuses or we can adapt to our circumstances and adjust to our variables. Session as below.

Lying cuff raise: 2 x 12-15
Incline hammer press (delt focus): 1 x 7-9, 1 x 10-12
Low incline db press: 2 x 12-15
Narrow grip barbell press: 1 x 7-9, 1 x 10-12
Incline db flye: 1 x RP
Single arm rope pressdown: 1 x 12-15
Single arm db preacher: 2 x 8-10
Abs: 3 x sets

Shoulders felt a tad stiff this morning so lying cuff raises took a little while to get going. First set was a bit iffy so dropped the weight slightly after failure to make the reps up. One side of the stack was stiffer than the other. Second set felt much better.
Incline hammer press up next and managed 147.5kg for 7 reps – same weight as last time, but one more rep than last time. Second set was 136kg for 10 – 0.5kg increase, matched the reps. Reps felt smoother this week which is another good indication of progress.
Low incline db press – managed the 40kg dbs for 15, followed by another for 11. Good all round.
Narrow grip bench is still feeling great. 81kg for 10 reps – same weight as last time, but two extra reps. Second set was 73.5kg for 12 – 1kg more weight, same reps as last time.
Finished up with all the fluffy stuff with progression all round.

As I was wrapping up my session, @clare barks appeared (who I must say is looking fantastic considering the show was 6-8 weeks ago) and had a good chin wag. I like to think I inspired her to get 20 reps on the hex bar deadlift that day.

Rest day today and it seems the final day of summer may be here. It was absolutely freezing this morning during my walk, but shorts are out and going to explore a local seaside town called Swanage with the OH and mother in-law. Haven’t been at all this year so looking forward to it. No ice cream or fudge for me though. Looking at it is just as good anyway and it doesn’t contain calories – win win, maybe….

To anyone reading, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

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[Sam King]

???????????????????? – nuff said! Look forward to the post show debrief

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[Sam King]

Hope you’re enjoying the final lead up mate and just relax, all of the hard work is now done. Feet up, relax, carb up and get a good night’s sleep (as good as you possibly can).

Looking forward to hearing all about it when all’s said and done. Enjoy the show, soak it all in, talk to people and it will be one of the best days of your life – trust me.

Now, go smash it! Burgers and cheesecake are just around the corner.

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[Sam King]

Another working week done and it’s the now getting to the big bodybuilding competitions over the next few weeks. I know several people competing over this weekend and they are going to be absolutely fantastic – @Oscar young and Harry Harris being two notable names. Having known Harry for several years and seeing him develop both physically and mentally (not meant to sound creepy), seeing him go for his pro card and a legit shot at his pro card with his best package is exciting! Oscar’s bodybuilding debut, now he has finally grown his legs 😉 , will also be fantastic. Two complete and utter workhorses – won’t be losing due to being outworked that’s for sure! Next weekend is the Big O and it sounds as though the top six are decided in most people’s minds. Don’t really follow the current bodybuilding rosta as closely as I did growing up, but always tune in for the Olympia.

Yesterday’s leg session was a cracker. Now the first hints of Autumn are trickling through and mornings are darker, it can be easy just to slow down a bit. Not a chance – 7 weeks to go! Session as follows:

Seated ham curl: 2 x 10-12
Leg press: 1 x 10-12, 1 x 6-8
Sissy squat, barbell: 1 x 20
Lying leg curl: 1 x 20
Glute Bridge: 1 x 8-12
Adductor: 1 x 12-15
Abductor: 1 x 12-15
Hanging leg raise: 2 x max reps
Dual cable curl: 2 x 8-10
Standing calve raise: 3 x 10-12

Decided to lighten the load on ham curls ever so slightly and hold the contraction for a beat, as I noticed form was slipping a bit. Two brilliant sets and felt much better. Connection re-established, so time to continue the progression.
Leg press felt great today and felt a wee bit cocky so upped the weight a bit more, which paid off. First set was 375kg for 15 reps – 2.5kg increase and 2 extra reps than last time. Second set 400kg for 9 reps – 7.5kg increase and an extra rep. Very very happy, extra food is paying off!
Next up was the sissy squat with a barbell. Again, got greedy and upped the weight by a big chunk in the view of progressing towards the 20 target. Last time was 100kg for 20, this time 115kg for 15 so should be able to get to 20 before show time.
All of the other movements were spot on as well and progressed.

Push session today, but will update tomorrow.

Hope everyone is having a crackin’ weekend so far.

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[Sam King]

Nothing else to say, but go and bloody smash it mate. Been an absolute pleasure to share the journey with you and all of the brutally hard work is sure to be reflected on that stage.

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[Sam King]

Happy Friday!!!

Right then, updates – check-in was yesterday and bw is holding, well 0.05kg up from last time but I’ll take it. Currently sitting at 75.5kg and Corinne is happy so no changes to anything this week. Not to say she would make changes if she’s in a bad mood, but she’s happy with where we are which is 7.5 weeks out.

Pull session the other day was a good un’. Don’t have time to outline the entire session this morning, but progressed everything which included Yates deadlifts and Pullups as below:

Yates deadlift: 1 x 6-8 (180kg for 8 reps – 180 for 5 last time), 1 x 10-12 (162.5kg for 12 – 160kg for 12 last time)
Pullup: 1 x 10-12 (30kg for 10 reps, 25kg for 10 last time) 1 x 12-15 (21.25kg for 14 reps, 20kg for 14 last time)

Performance overall is great and movements are progressing with my ‘chunkier’ frame’ Enjoying it while it lasts.

Leg session on the cards today, followed by an extremely busy day at work – can’t wait!

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[Sam King]

Day off work yesterday as it was a US Bank holiday, good ol’ Labour Day. I service US clientele so makes sense I tie in with their holiday set up. Even treated myself to a lie in and got up at 5:45, lazy boy indeed! Trained push around 8am and went a little something like this:

Seated cuff crucifix raise: 2 x 12-15
High incline barbell press, dead stop: 1 x 7-9, 1 x 10-12
Incline barbell press: 1 x 12-15
Weighted Dip: 1 x 7-9, 1 x 10-12
Seated cable flye: 1 x 15
One arm d handle pushdown: 1 x 12-15
One arm seated db curl: 2 x 8-10
Abs: 3 sets

Okey doke, seated cuff raises to kick off proceedings and decided to keep the weight the same this time as noticing it is getting harder and harder to progress. Paid off as increased by a rep on the first set and two reps on the second.
As noted last time, smith machine is awful and very hit & miss while the dumbbells go up in 5kg increments from 40kg onwards. I decided to trial the high incline press with a barbell. I used to place the bar on the floor and then from a seated position, clean it up to the starting position. Obviously when you get heavier, not so good. As the power rack has a metal bar along the back, it is hard to fit an adjustable bench in properly so trying to line it up with the pegs (where you place the barbell at start and end of set). I settled on setting up the safeties and doing the motion dead stop from the bottom for each rep. Veerrryy hard, but felt really good. Started off overly keen and attempted 80kg, but only got 3. Knocked it down to 70kg and got 9, followed by 60kg for 15. On the final set, I noticed how to better engage the start of the movement. Initially I went loose at the bottom, whereas later I consciously kept my chest high and almost envisioned it being a shelf. Looking forward to next time!
Incline barbell next and managed a lovely 81.5kg for 11 reps – 0.5kg increase and an extra rep, followed by 71.5kg for 14. Think I’m keeping two working sets in for now as feels so much better.
Weighted dips next. Took 52.5kg for 6 reps and 38.75kg for 12 – weight up by 0.75kg on both sets, reps the same.
Rest of the session went well and happy with how everything is progressing.

Rest day today with a big pull session on the cards tomorrow. Second round of deadlifts, very excited.

To anyone reading, have a good day.

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[Sam King]

Not unheard of, but could be due to the brand you are using. Some of the more wallet friendly and economical options can play havoc with some people, so the more up market brands may be the way forward.

When you say whey, is that both concentrate and isolate? A lot of people find that switching from concentrate to isolate is much kinder on the digestive tract. Also, do you include dairy in your diet and does that cause any problems if so

End of the day, your body can become intolerant to anything you throw at it over the years. At least you’ve been proactive and aren’t burying your head in the sand.

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[Sam King]

Big leg day yesterday and my showdown with the Hack Squat – who made who their bitch, read on to find out…

Lying ham curl: 1 x 7-9, 1 x10-12
Hack Squat: 2 x 10-12
Paused leg press: 1 x 20
Glute Bridge: 1 x 8-12
Seated leg curl, unilateral: 1 x 12-15 (each side)
Adductor (frog stance leg press): 1 x 12-15
Abductor: 1 x 12-15
Vertical leg raise: 2 x max BW
Dual machine curl: 2 x 10-12
Seated Calf raise: 3 x 10-12

Righty then, decided to change a couple of things for the lying leg curl. Firstly, I am propping myself up on my forearms as feel that the temptation to cheat is reduced and also the strength curve feels so much better on this particular leg curl. You see some individuals doing what resembles a lying stiff legged deadlift, ending up with a ‘compound’ posterior chain movement an lower back pump. Really concentrating on fully shortening the movement and squeezing the hams for a count. Two great sets – 30kg for 12 and then 11.
Hack squat time, hmmm. The stage was set for the showdown – warm up sets were giving nothing away so fack it, let’s put some weight on. First set was 110kg for 13 reps (last time was 105kg for 15) so very happy with that. Second set managed 100kg for 15 (last time was 95kg for 20) so still happy, but the first set absolutely destroyed me. Always find with hacks that after my first set, my loading drops off quite a bit and the movement becomes a lot harder to execute as well.
Paused leg press and I felt as though I had some spare energy. Decided to do 50 reps total and drop weight where necessary to meet this target. The first set would be my standard aiming for 20 reps. Set as follows – 325kg for 18, 275kg for 12, 225kg for 13 and 175kg for 19 so a total of 59 reps, whew! First set managed an additional rep with the same weight as last time so happy.
Glute bridge with 130kg and got a lovely 13 reps – 2.5kg increase and lost a rep, but good stuff.
Seated ham curl and like the lying hammie, really focused on shortening the hams and holding for a beat. I decided against propping on my elbows for this one haha. 20kg for 25 reps each side. Hmmm, think a slight weight increase for next time.
Frog leg press and abductor to follow. Both felt good. Threw in a set of the adductor as just want a smidge more glute, but will regulate and drop if unnecessary.
All the finishing movements felt good so very happy with that.

Push on the cards today. Let’s see what happens!!

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[Sam King]

DAMMM – your food looks insanely nice haha!

Haha cheers @ReeceSaunders. Going to enjoy it while it lasts, but to be fair I enjoy all of my food. Herbs and spices are lifesavers my friend.

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