[Sam King]

come on then Sam! Its Wednesday… finals or not?! haha

Haha stay tuned Reece

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

Yeah I like the rower tbf but just keeping it consistent with the stepper atm.
NEAT is still high, 10k & 8k

Are you liking the fuller look? Bet your feeling better for it though.

Yeah gotta cook your oats mate, I’ve always just microwaved them but recently I have cooked them in a pan, taste even bettter lol

That’s it – the less variables, the better. Even if it is in the mind sometimes, I’ve always been a creature of habit – I prefer certain bars, weight plates, pieces of equipment etc.

I am enjoying the extra food, but appetite is through the roof. To be fair though, I don’t mind dieting too much as I find you really savour your food and not feeling like a bloated carb mess is a bonus. Far from that at the mo. To be fair, I really didn’t feel that bad during prep – two weeks out I felt bad, but the rest was straight forward with the odd tired/hungry day.

I know, I know – can’t believe I ate them raw like a racehorse for so long. A good meal to have is oats on the hob, then mix in egg whites and whole eggs. Once cooked, add some nut butter and if you’re feeling extra indulgent, some dark chocolate and finish with some additional whey. Then you can add berries, honey and salt if you wish. Salt in oats is a must I’ve learnt!

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

Hi Borja

Personally I wouldn’t for a multitude of reasons – firstly whole milk is high in fat and thus will slow digestion, whereas whey is fast absorbing. Doesn’t make sense unless you can eat for a long old while after consuming. In addition, this will likely bloat you depending on how much milk you use and a lot of people can’t digest dairy properly anyway.

I’d elect for something a bit lighter, preferably a simple carb source along with your protein shake – Cereal mixed with whey and almond milk, bagels, sorbet, banana, dextrose etc. Something along those lines should do the trick.

Do you currently have an intra workout as if you do, I would leave the shake altogether if I’m going to eat 60-90 mins after?

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

Sam King wrote:

Hey Sam !
High carb day was awesome but I’m tired as hell right know going for a pull session in about one hour and hopefully my pre workout will help,it’s prepare from trainedbyjpnutrition so I guess there will be no problem to kill this session
I noticed that chest supported rows are way more heavier Than in off season but I will try them later maybe those extra carbs will help
The goal was to bring a denser package this year so I’m happy with my progress so far
So did you decide to compete or do you start your off season/improvement season ?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Great stuff Lara. Yar, you’re in good hands with that pre workout. Very lucky getting it on tap! I just make my own pre-workout from the raw powders as know exactly how much of each ingredient is in each serving then.

Love chest supported rows, especially on a slight decline with a barbell. How did they go yesterday? Noticed you trained pull yesterday and legs today – any particular reason or do you just enjoy destroying yourself haha?

Definitely achieved the goal of a denser package. Be soon time to re-evaluate and see where else needs to be improved next, obviously after the competitive season draws to a close.

Today is decision day on whether I will compete or not!!

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

Right then, leg session yesterday was going to be interesting as my legs were still aching from Friday’s session. After making all of the excuses in the world, I got stuck in 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 15
Glute bridge: 1 x 8-10
Adductor (frog leg press): 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

Seated ham curls started the assault and boy, were they hard today! Getting to a point with this movement where I’m adding weight, however the connection could be better. May look at slightly lowering the load and holding at the fully shortened range for a count of two. Different stimulus never hurt. Weight was up on both sets, reps the same as last time.
Leg press was horrid warming up as my quads were aching, but when I got to my working sets I just blocked it out. Managed a lovely 372.5kg for 13 reps (2.5kg increase and a rep) followed by 392.5kg for 8 (2.5kg increase). Great sets.
After my near disaster with the smith machine, I opted to just do sissy squats but with a barbell. Feels so much better and definitely switching to it. Can be awkward initially to set up (carrying the sissy squat apparatus across the gym, lining it up etc) but worth it. Managed to do a set with 100kg for 20 reps, which is a 5 rep increase over last time. Alright then.
Lying curl felt good. Starting off in a prone position on my forearms and when the movement becomes difficult, I shift to lying right down to eke out some more reps. 26.5kg for 23 reps (0.25kg increase + an extra rep).
Glute bridge went really well, but boy howdy is it getting hard now I’ve found my working weights. An additional 1.5kg today and matched my reps from last time.
Finished off with the boring stuff and was very happy by the end. Lower half doesn’t ache today which is nice, but always find after a week off my legs ache from the first session and it quickly tapers off once I’m in the swing of my routine.

Push session in a mo, will update when I have a chance.

Also, watch this space – today is the day I’m deciding whether to compete again this year. Exciting!!! Well to me at least.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

Sam King wrote:

Hey Sam!

How you´re doing? I saw you trained 3 days in a row, hopefully th e pull session was also successful let me know if you´re competing in october, or what´s your pros and cons

Heya Lara

Not too shabby thank you. I know, not ideal by any means but it was the choice between 3 days on or 2 back to back rest days. Definitely don’t make a habit of it, although I did do 3 on, 1 off a couple of years back. Brutal! Indeed it was successful, be looking to write up the session shortly.

In terms of competing, I have given myself until Wednesday to commit or go full off season. Condition is holding well, even with increased food and body is ticking over nicely.

Pro’s would be coming in on a high with momentum behind me, I’m in the judge’s minds, it is only around 8 weeks so no major diet upheaval/stress, get compared to some of the best in the country, great experience wherever I place, good way to round off the first year of competing, get outside of my comfort zone, enjoy the process again with a slightly different mindset as I know how the federation ticks (I had never been to a show before my first).

Cons – Nearly a full year of dieting, putting life on hold, further expenses, the OH’s 30th bday in early October, distance (4 hour drive), may be very little to gain and depending on result may have a negative effect on mentality.

As you can see, far more pros than cons but ultimately I want to ensure my OH is comfortable with me doing this as my relationship and her wellbeing come first. Not under the thumb or have to get her permission, quite the opposite – just a frank and adult discussion to ensure both parties are mentally and physically prepared for what may happen next.
____________________________

Comp history:

NPA South West 18th August 2019

– 1st: NPA South West 2019 Novice 1st Place

– NPA South West 2019 Best Male 1st Timers

– NPA South West 2019 Best Transformation Male

________________________________________________________________

Lifetime natural – first show 18th August 2019.

Journal – Road to First Comp

Hey Sam !

Good to hear you doing well after 3 days of training
Yes there are more pros than cons but as you said your relationship and the wellbeing of your loved ones should always come first ![/quote]

I know and straight after a show as well, pushed my luck but not something I’d make a habit of at all. Really good session though – posted it earlier yesterday.

Exactly! As much as it pains me to admit, there is a greater existence outside of bodybuilding however I am working on maintaining and strengthening my relationships to ensure as little disruption as possible to the ones I love. From my first prep, I’ve reflected on several things I can do that would not hinder progress but allow for more freedom. Happy mind = happy body. Always learning 🙂 and that’s why I love this sport.

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

Sam King wrote:

Tesco high end haha, the 4 packs aren’t very good but they do single ones which I had before that was pretty good, think it was salted caramel
Training is going well, just have the odd day where I struggle to beat my numbers but in general not bad, really looking forward to getting bigger and stronger after this competition though lol.

Cardio is still in, 20 mins in morning so nothing major

Tesco source the finest and unique ingredients for their basic muffins so definitely top end. Errrr, no just in comparison to Aldi haha. Salted Caramel? Not a bad shout at all. I mixed my muffin in with my oat meal and made it really cakey/indulgent, sooo good.

That’s good mate. You may notice the odd regression here and there, but ultimately it will happen as you are a lighter bodyweight. Don’t mind me asking but you’re assisted correct? Haha I was like that near the end of my prep. When you’re leaner, you can see all the improvements you want to make. Patience my friend.

20 mins is pretty good, just dialling you in. Is it formal cardio or just a power walk?
____________________________

Comp history:

NPA South West 18th August 2019

– 1st: NPA South West 2019 Novice 1st Place

– NPA South West 2019 Best Male 1st Timers

– NPA South West 2019 Best Transformation Male

________________________________________________________________

Lifetime natural – first show 18th August 2019.

Journal – Road to First Comp

[/quote]

Awesome idea mixing the muffin and oats!

Yes mate I’m assisted and 20 mins cardio on the stepper.

How’s the food going? Must be nice to keep getting those carbs in you
I’m missing my rice flakes pre workout and coco pops post lol[/quote]

It’s a great combo and very indulgent – literally feel like you’ve blown your diet after, however wake up the next morning and visibly tighter + fuller.

Ah, so the stepper’s your weapon of cardio choice? Wen I was doing cardio, would either be the elliptical and rower or stepmill and rower. Rowing is very much underrated. Guessing NEAT output is relatively high still?

Soooo many carbs at the mo, but my body is literally like a sponge and appetite is through the roof. Condition is holding pretty well and only a few kilos heavier than I was – mainly just glycogen and water replenishment so very happy. See what Corinne has got to say – probably 2 hour cardio sessions coming up haha.

Never tried rice flakes. Normally opt for oats or ground rice. Tell you what – used to just add some water and basically eat oats or ground essentially raw. My god, thought I was saving time but the texture is quite hard to get down. Only during prep have I started to cook them and makes the world of difference. Must’ve been havoc for my body digesting essentially raw oats. I’ve had cereal added back in for now – 50g Rice Krispies, 50g Coco Pops so a treat but balanced out nicely.

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

Right then, Pull session on Sunday – was very naughty as it was 3 days on, but as stated in the post preceding it this was necessary due to my schedule. Definitely not making a habit of it. So, my legs were killing me from Friday and deadlifts were on the cards. Read on to find out what happened. Session as follows:

Underhand pulldown – 2 x 10-12
Yates style deadlift: 1 x 6-8, 1 x 10-12
Pullup: 1 x12-15
Overhand hammer strength row: 1 x 7-9, 1 x 10-12
Low row machine, one arm: 1 x 20 (each side)
Rear delt cables: 2 x 10-12
Seated calf raise: 3 x 15-20

Right the, kicking it off was underhand pulldowns. My gawd, they felt heavy today but managed to slightly progress each set in terms of weight and reps so happy happy so far.
Deadlifts – been a fair old while, around 6-8 weeks and my quads/hams/glutes were aching from Friday’s sessions. However, I find once warmed up deads aren’t too bad. Warm ups felt good and body was giving me the green light so went for 180kg on my first set – 5 hard reps. I’m sure I’ll get 2-3 more next time as deads quickly progress for me. 2nd set with 160kg and managed a lovely 12 – by lovely, I mean gut wrenching. In either case, lots of scope for progressing deads and at a far lighter bodyweight.
Pullups felt pretty good, but feel as though I need an additional set while calories are slightly higher. Will have a think, but this set was grand.
Overhand hammer was tough as lats were getting pretty fried y the point. Had to really dial it in and focus on the movement, as it would be easy to just shorten the range or let momentum take over. Progressed both sets from last time so good stuff.
Finished on the low row hammer row with a 20 repper each side. Really like this movement one side at a time and the burn is crazy. An additional rep and poundage from each set so a great way to finish off back.
The fluffy stuff followed, but applied as much focus to the finishing touches as the rest of the workout. Just not exciting to write about.

Overall, a fab session and loved having deads back in. As stated previously, I find when I re-introduce them they progress quickly so may be pulling 200kg for reps again in the next month.

Spent the rest of the Sunday at a bbq and took all my meats + bagels to grill on the bbq. See, I can still join in the fun haha.

Hope everyone enjoyed their bank holiday. Will post up later regarding today’s leg session.

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[Sam King]

All of the above and make sure you have some foundation of muscle mass + train intensively enough to maintain it. Every little helps to keep the metabolism humming along and to look your best when cut.

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

First off thank you so much for the help, greatly appreciated.

I was going for an incline bench press and then a smith machine press because I saw in one of JPs videos he was doing this and it gave me a massive pump but might be excessive and I might need to focus on my form more in the first movement. Also I only am doing about 2 sets a movement so I wanted more volume but I can probably get more using a flat variation. Same thing with the shoulder OHP day as well but I can switch that up to another shoulder movement.

When I said cable pulls I meant a row on a cable machine.

I will add more to my leg days and stay true to the upper/lower split/off

I do feel beat up a good amount. I try to only take 1-2 days off every couple of weeks. However I am probably messing up by not tracking it.

Also your right I just want to get bigger everywhere I would like bigger arms thus I do have that third upper day set up like an arm day.

My long term goals is just to see how much muscle I can build naturally in the next couple of years. No plans of competition. I just want to look great and it’s a huge stress reliever for me to be in the gym and I just love to train.

No worries mate.

These were just personal observations – doesn’t really make sense for example to do incline barbell press, incline db press and incline hammer press in one session. Having two in one workout isn’t the end of the world and during a specialisation period, however for all round development it is preferable to perform a slightly different movement and get strong across a variety of movements/angles.

With the third upper rotation, I would definitely still just focus primarily on the bigger muscles. Even though there are lat, pec and delt movements they come after the arm work so in a fatigued state. Increase your bw and press, pull, move heavier loads and your entire physique will thicken. Again, it’s a personal preference but I wouldn’t major in the minors.

Cool, sounds like a good plan. Definitely milk the natural gains for as long as you can bud.

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

Hey Sam!
How you´re doing? I saw you trained 3 days in a row, hopefully th e pull session was also successful let me know if you´re competing in october, or what´s your pros and cons

Heya Lara

Not too shabby thank you. I know, not ideal by any means but it was the choice between 3 days on or 2 back to back rest days. Definitely don’t make a habit of it, although I did do 3 on, 1 off a couple of years back. Brutal! Indeed it was successful, be looking to write up the session shortly.

In terms of competing, I have given myself until Wednesday to commit or go full off season. Condition is holding well, even with increased food and body is ticking over nicely.

Pro’s would be coming in on a high with momentum behind me, I’m in the judge’s minds, it is only around 8 weeks so no major diet upheaval/stress, get compared to some of the best in the country, great experience wherever I place, good way to round off the first year of competing, get outside of my comfort zone, enjoy the process again with a slightly different mindset as I know how the federation ticks (I had never been to a show before my first).

Cons – Nearly a full year of dieting, putting life on hold, further expenses, the OH’s 30th bday in early October, distance (4 hour drive), may be very little to gain and depending on result may have a negative effect on mentality.

As you can see, far more pros than cons but ultimately I want to ensure my OH is comfortable with me doing this as my relationship and her wellbeing come first. Not under the thumb or have to get her permission, quite the opposite – just a frank and adult discussion to ensure both parties are mentally and physically prepared for what may happen next.

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

[/quote]
Tesco high end haha, the 4 packs aren’t very good but they do single ones which I had before that was pretty good, think it was salted caramel

Training is going well, just have the odd day where I struggle to beat my numbers but in general not bad, really looking forward to getting bigger and stronger after this competition though lol.
Cardio is still in, 20 mins in morning so nothing major[/quote]

Tesco source the finest and unique ingredients for their basic muffins so definitely top end. Errrr, no just in comparison to Aldi haha. Salted Caramel? Not a bad shout at all. I mixed my muffin in with my oat meal and made it really cakey/indulgent, sooo good.

That’s good mate. You may notice the odd regression here and there, but ultimately it will happen as you are a lighter bodyweight. Don’t mind me asking but you’re assisted correct? Haha I was like that near the end of my prep. When you’re leaner, you can see all the improvements you want to make. Patience my friend.

20 mins is pretty good, just dialling you in. Is it formal cardio or just a power walk?

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

13 days out…energy at an all time low…walking is an effort, so much that a 15 minute walk took me 35 minutes this morning. Lol
But this is a good indicator that we are in the right spot at the right time .
A lot of contest prep I feel is determined during this latter stages, when the tank is on empty, fatigue is high and the mind is playing games.
Question is do you ease your feet of the pedal & convince yourself you can get away with doing less do you put your foot down full throttle stick to the plan & carry on walking the designated path.. that answer for me is easy.
@samking104 we are taking everyday st a time and since I check in daily we asses all variables ahead buddy .

Getting it done, you know the drill. The body will do everything in its power to slow you down and conserve any energy. So easy to think ‘ahhh I’ll just rest today, body needs it’. Often it is just a defence mechanism. Fine line between calling your body’s bluff and overreaching too far. If training’s still progressing and you’re recovering, man the f*ck up haha.

It is definitely the later stages of prep that really test you and you can easily slip from 1st to 5th (I not worse) in the last few weeks if you’re not careful. Less is more definitely and the stricter you are in your offseason makes prep that little bit easier.

Not long to go, but the mind is set so the body will follow – no doubt. Looking forward to this final stage and seeing the final result!

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

Sam King wrote:

Hey Sam ! Today was a really great pull session and these two days where though (low calories, too much time ) but def worth it !

The wardrobe is SO COOL a big mirror in our home office could not ask for more during prep

You will def have a great leg session tomorrow, which exercises are planned ?
Btw I also train legs tomorrow

Hi Lara

Low calories are no excuse – if you want it, you will get it! You know the TrainedbyJP mantra by now.

I trained legs yesterday as that was my first day back. Full breakdown in the log of course but a really good session – hacks and leg press were the main compounds. I have a Watson hack squat at my gym, terrible machine haha. How did your leg session go today?

So this new wardrobe sounds like an absolute game changer! Might want to keep it to yourself, lest your rival competitors catch on.

____________________________

Comp history:

NPA South West 18th August 2019

– 1st: NPA South West 2019 Novice 1st Place

– NPA South West 2019 Best Male 1st Timers

– NPA South West 2019 Best Transformation Male

________________________________________________________________

Lifetime natural – first show 18th August 2019.

Journal – Road to First Comp

[/quote]
Hey Sam !
No excuses just informations
Leg session was really great, felt good and smashed some pr‘s (hacksquat and rdls)
I do not know the Watson hacksquat ! Not good ?[/quote]

Good – just making sure haha.

Great that you’re still smashing pbs. Any movements starting to stall and/or any that you are thinking of pulling out of the rotation i.e. risk vs reward, stalled movements etc?

I wish I didn’t know the Watson hack squat either – it is horrendous. I can’t explain it, you just have to have a go yourself to judge. The weird thing is it feels way better with a reverse stance as can really overload it. With the standard facing out version, you find if the movement is slightly off then the carriage catches. If you’re nearing the end of your set, down you go. I’ve had it before where I repped out 15 first set, then second set I was stuck in the hole after 2. Reset the carriage and managed a further 10 after. Really annoying haha.

Looking fabulous Lara. Disappointed these weren’t taken using your new wardrobe mirrors haha. You can see everything is there and coming through nicely. Someone’s definitely been focusing on their density/thickness movements.

High carb day, whoop whoop! Always find I’m hungrier and that I can eat every 1.5-2 hours on a high day. Body’s like a sponge!

Instagram: samking104

[Sam King]

That front double bi – how seductive haha. Opting for natural lighting as well eh? Have fun with that come winter.

Shit’s getting serious when you have glute bridges in the mix! How are your energy levels now as when I spoke to you and from some of your posts, it seems to be down? Always find some diet adjustments hit the body hard but then after a few days it isn’t so bad.

Still keeping up with cyro treatment as well?

Instagram: samking104