Sam King
Forum Replies Created
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Ohhhh damn, it’s tightening up – grump grump Ryan coming up. Well, grumpier than usual eh?
Beef and almond butter for one of your meals? Mmmm, my favourite. I’m assuming the nut butter is off the spoon? Guessing with your last meal you mix the whey into a paste? Currently got chocolate honeycomb flavour – divine.
Can’t believe Big Hazza is 3 weeks out, it’s flown by! Noticed he shaved his ginger locks off too. Good move as being ginger has clearly impacted his placings previously.
So what are the answers to the following in your check in?
whats your veg intake?
are you using sauces/seasonings?
anything ‘sugar free’ at all?
anything like ‘cauli rice’ etc?Instagram: samking104
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How’s it going metal mouth? I’m joking, I’m joking – I never went through that phase, but can imagine it’s a strange experience. Aside from the eating side of things, how are you finding general mouth activity such as talking or pulling an expression i.e. grimacing coming out of the hole on hack squats?
Eggs, oats and yoghurt? Sounds good to me. Have you tried mixing the eggs and oats together? Sounds weird and I did question Kevin Stutz’ approach, but it makes for a rather delightful and creamy/indulgent bowl of oats.
I think technically chewing is classed as NEAT. Yet to see otherwise!! Be interesting to know how many calories are exerted from simply chewing, hmmmm.
Great news about the elbow sport. That first time you return to an exercise that aggravated it and it feels good. Had the same experience myself the other day and it is a sensational feeling… until it craps out again haha. Nah, being sensible with your progression, bio feedback and being aware of the feedback your body is giving you as well as optimising recovery are all key. Remember the old days of being 18-19 and waking up with a niggle that would heal up by the evening. Just an old fart now!
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Hi Sam.. Metal mouth here I’m generally find talking and facial activity very awkward, so will take some getting used to. Lots of attractive spitting and dribbling will no doubt be captured on film tomorrow whilst training legs.
Have I tried eggs and oats together!? Of course! It’s a volumising sensation in a diet phase.
Elbow is behaving at the moment and feels really good to be training movements again that had to be avoided for a while. Obviously it’s one of those overuse injuries that could flare up at any point, but working on strengthening exercises, shoulder stability and soft tissue work outside of the gym should continue to help, so I intend to continue with this.
How’s your final week of prep going? Excited or nervous? Not long before the small pants and bodypaint are on!
That’s fair enough – I’ve heard it is quite an uncomfortable sensation in general having braces. Do you find yourself consciously covering your mouth when talking or not opening your mouth fully at the moment? Look forward to seeing the braces on film – hope they were shined up nice and bright!
I swear I’m the only one who didn’t know about mixing eggs and oats, aside from baked goods.
Overuse is just that, so will always be around but nothing compared to the older days where people would only barbell bench with wear and tear accumulating much quicker due to the lack of variety. As long as you maintain consciousness and do as much as possible, when it does happen at least it will hopefully be less severe as you’ve put the preventative groundwork in.
Yeah going very well thanks. Corinne seems really happy so I’m happy too. Currently water loading so I’m sure you know how that feels haha. Really excited to be honest as the moment is nearly here and whatever the result, I am confident I applied myself, put my all in and left nothing in the tank. Hungry to improve though as being lean lets you identify little things here and there, but very happy with the package so far. Just need to keep doing what we’re doing. I’m sure I’ll feel a bit nervous being tanned up and obviously the day of the show, but I have a very strong support network with me. In addition, I’ve been in several bands so being in front of an audience doesn’t phase me. Primary difference being I’m in a piece of cloth, a lovely shade of mahogany, awkwardly shuffling into poses and hoping a slight breeze doesn’t knock me over due to weighing nothing haha.
50 rep leg presses yesterday looked delightful. Exactly the way I used to do them, love them! Was this on the Cybex leg press or Hammer Strength vertical? Another fave of mine was wide/narrow hacks – do 5 reps wide, 5 reps narrow and keep alternating until failure or death. Almost like a cluster set, but due to the constant shift of stance feels almost fresh. Usually aim for the 30-40 rep range meaning 3-5 sets in each stance.
Instagram: samking104
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@sam – sorry – I thought that striving for the Olympia was fairly interesting…but clearly I was wrong…
I think that the smaller cakes tend to be dry – I would rather 1 large one with better texture..filling is usually sparse too
the only mini version I like is mini marshmallows on a hot chocolate….but then again the big ones are great too – I really am struggling to find a better ‘mini’ to the original size…
Striving for the Olympia comes a close second for sure!
I’m not really a cakey (is that an adjective) person, but yeah I’d agree with that statement. Usually smaller fairy cakes and the like are fairly dry, whereas a Victoria Sponge is moist (yeah I said moist… deal with it haha). Going to check out Muffin Break on Monday as their cakes and muffins look amazing!
Mini marshmallows is a very good shout, didn’t even think of that! Do love a good indulgent hot chocolate. Mini mallows aren’t so good for roasting over an open fire as I found out one year, but it was better than nothing. Not long to go until hot chocolate weather… technically year round, but can’t deny it’s waaaayyy better on a cold rainy or snowy day/evening.
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3 friggin’ days out – just how!?
So, Tuesday night I slept a combined 2 hours of sleep so focus was on so focus was on ticking all of the necessary boxes (eating, training, posing, grooming, working, NEAT), then getting an early night. Sorry for my legion of readers who wondered where my daily update was. I do hate to disappoint… ahem… haha.
Anyway, yesterday’s morning check in – both very happy so pushed on. It was my last pull session yesterday and even in my sleep deprived state, it was an absolute belter. Went a lil something like this:
Hammer strength pulldown: 2 x 10-12
Incline supported barbell row: 2 x 12
Neutral lat pulldown: 1 x 12-15
Low row, hammer strength: 1 x7-9, 1 x 10-12
One arm db row: 1 x 20
Bent over lateral raise: 2 x 10-12
Seated calve raise: 3 x 15-20Hammer strength pulldown – mixture of love and hate with this movement. Whatever the emotion was this morning in my sleep deprived state, this mo fo was not getting the best of me today. First set I managed 100.5kg for 10 reps (0.5kg increase + 1 extra rep) and second set was 92.5kg for 13 (2.5kg increase, same reps). Extremely happy.
Incline barbell row – 85.5kg for 13 on the first set (0.5kg increase + 1 extra rep) and 77.5kg for 16 reps (1.5kg increase, same reps). Blimming love this movement.
Neutral lat pulldown – 13 plates and a 0.5kg plate for 13 reps. An extra 05kg and rep so very happy with that too.
Low row started off a bit iffy as fatigue was trying to rear its head, however mind over mutherfunkin’ matter – I’m not standing on that stage hitting my rear shots, looking back at these sets in any doubt. I’m aware that a workout a few days out from a show won’t make a difference in terms of the bigger, consistent year round training but still a good mental tool. Managed 150kg for 10 reps (same weight as last time, but 2 reps) and 142.5kg for 12 (2.5kg increase, same reps).
One arm db row – rolled out the 50kg db and hit 16 reps on each side. Not quite the 20 I aimed for, however managed 45kg for 22 last time and big dbs go up in 5kg increments. Previously I have attempted to ducttape micro plates to the dumbbell, but 1) faff 2) loads of inquisitive stares (doesn’t bother me) 3) tape usually doesn’t hold and off they go, especially annoying on OH presses. Still good sets though.
Finished off with the ol’ rear delts and connection is still bang on. Really looking forward to improving these bad boys now I know how to activate/engage them. Ditto with seated calve raises.
Stretches to finish and a quick round of posing, then hit the showers.Today’s plan of action – minimum NEAT activity, so that meant no walk on wake and I need to be a lazy git today. Annoying that the heavens were well and truly open yesterday, hmmmm typical. Fluid’s up to 7.5 litres today – 2 litres down already!
Today’s diet:
Meal 1: 2 eggs, 8 egg whites (veggies – green beans, asparagus)
Meal 2: 200g chicken, 40g rice (veggie mix added in – courgette, onion, peppers, green beans, kale, broccoli)
Meal 3: 200g 5% steak (veggie mix as per meal 2)
Meal 4: 200g chicken, 40g rice (veggie mix as per meal 2)
Meal 5: 200g chicken, 40 g rice (mixed salad – tomato, cucumber, celery, beetroot, bit of lettuce)
Meal 6: 7 egg whites, 25g whey isoWill update again later and may even post a pic or two. In any case, hope everyone has a good day 🙂
Instagram: samking104
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Hey Sam, glad you´re doing fine, you put in a lot of work and having someone besides you who supports you is a real gift!
Where do you compete exactly and are there any other shows are planned?Exactly that! My mentality, enthusiasm and work ethic has skyrocketed since knowing I have the full support of others in what is one of the most selfish and time consuming passions there is. Thank you for your kind words.
I’m competing at the NPA show on Sunday in lovely Taunton. Category wise – it’ll be bodybuilding as got the legs and worked damn hard for them haha. Plus, that is what I define myself as. Can almost refer to myself as a ‘competitive’ bodybuilder soon haha. No future shows in stone, as all depends on how we do this time and see what the judges have to say. I’ve already identified several key areas that I want to greatly improve, as being lean helps to identify areas for improvement easier. Currently living meal to meal until show day and then have a few days to chill, while thinking through the next steps.
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Finally, some interesting content – fooooodddd 😉 haha
To me mini means I can sample a few different things and enjoy rather than just a big chunk of something. Example – boxes of Quality Street, Celebrations etc. at Christmas allows to sample multiple chocolates… and likely eat the whole box. Nah never done that myself, aside from ate 18 Cadbury Crème Eggs in one sitting when I was a youngster.
Mini muffins or cupcakes are delightful as well and it feels like you’re getting more, even if you eat the same in macros as its singular, big brother counterpart. Say 3-4 muffins = 1 normal muffin.
The world went through an obsessive phase with everything being small at one point, one example being animals – mini dogs, micro pigs… pet ants (maybe). Then again, there’s the opposite end of the spectrum – big dogs, big cars, big houses and of course giant chocolate buttons or giant purple ones (from Quality Street) amongst loads of others.
The only trouble with minis for most people is they probably consume waaayyy more than they think. As they’re so small, it doesn’t make a dent and it’s easy to overconsume whereas you can tell if you’ve eaten a big Toblerone hopefully.
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How’s it going metal mouth? I’m joking, I’m joking – I never went through that phase, but can imagine it’s a strange experience. Aside from the eating side of things, how are you finding general mouth activity such as talking or pulling an expression i.e. grimacing coming out of the hole on hack squats?
Eggs, oats and yoghurt? Sounds good to me. Have you tried mixing the eggs and oats together? Sounds weird and I did question Kevin Stutz’ approach, but it makes for a rather delightful and creamy/indulgent bowl of oats.
I think technically chewing is classed as NEAT. Yet to see otherwise!! Be interesting to know how many calories are exerted from simply chewing, hmmmm.
Great news about the elbow sport. That first time you return to an exercise that aggravated it and it feels good. Had the same experience myself the other day and it is a sensational feeling… until it craps out again haha. Nah, being sensible with your progression, bio feedback and being aware of the feedback your body is giving you as well as optimising recovery are all key. Remember the old days of being 18-19 and waking up with a niggle that would heal up by the evening. Just an old fart now!
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Haha yeah intensity is high. But I’ve trained like that for years, so slot in well. No tears as of yet.
Agreed, you can’t become so focussed on one body part and neglect others – even if they are seen as strengths. I’m looking forward to just getting quality size now – and don’t worry I’ll always ensure I’m one of if not the most conditioned on stage no matter how big I get
Glad you’re along for the journey with me bud
Give it a few months and you’ll be crying more than you did watching Lion King the 2nd time round… you have seen the new one, right?
Good to hear you’ll bring the shredz. Could you be even leaner I wonder!? There’s that magical word ‘quality’, anyone can bring size and slap it on haphazardly to make a scale weight and ‘improve’ said bodypart.
Definitely mate, but now you’ve got the added pressure of adhering to your journey with me watching it haha. Been an interesting journey so far seeing you transition from AD to being with the TrainedbyJP team.
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5 days out!!!!
BW on wake was 72.05kg and everything is tightening up very nicely – body is playing ball for now. Feedback is positive from the boss so we proceed with the original plan.
Shout out – The OH has been absolutely amazing so far this week as she has been getting up obscenely early (4:30am) and doing my check in pics, watching my posing, giving feedback, pampering me and ensuring stress is kept to a minimum. Literally could not do this without her, looking forward to spending some quality time with the future wife next week. Have been busy planning Monday together and yes, yes it does involve food but I’m not a binger at all. Will outline what I go for on the day – watch this space!!!
Anyway, back to business – rest day so expect BW to be slightly up tomorrow. Always find my bw drops after a training day, but slightly increases after a rest. Probably down to glycogen being replenished, however whatever the reason still not a problem. Be interested to see if it’s the same during the offseason. Fluid is at 6.5 litres today which hasn’t been a problem and steps at 10,000 with a 20 min power walk on wake. Posing and vacuums in the morning, then working on the routine in the evening as well as touching up the mandatories. Nothing that will cause additional stress to the body, but enough to go through the motions.
Final pull session tomorrow so really looking forward to that. Last power walk on wake as well. From Thursday, output gets interesting but we’ll see how my body responds for tomorrow’s check in.
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Posts are getting shorter and shorter, definitely nearing comp date haha!
Was having a glance over your starting point vss. now and it is insane the progress you have. Then had a look at the last 12-18 months and you are literally a different bodybuilder altogether. I love watching how a bodybuilder not only develops physically, but the mental aspect that matures and how the mindset grows along with everything else.
Is the stairmaster getting any easier now you don’t have a fat ass to lug around haha?
Still doing PRS I see. If you’re recovering and progressing, then more power to you bud. Recovery seems really on point and reading back, this is actually at the forefront of your mind and a priority. Very underrated as a lot of people feel they have to smash themselves into the ground. Some may cite ‘ah, it’s only a few more weeks – I’ll just go extra hard’. More sets, reps, intensity techniques, cardio sessions etc. However, the accumulated stress transitions to that stage and their physique looks tired, stringy, beaten up. In a strange sort of way, you should almost be fully recovered by stage day and looking your absolute best as that is where it counts.
Wonder if you’ll still be doing PRS and RP sets one week out haha?
Good to see everything is going well Oscar 🙂 *knock on wood* your injuries seem to have healed up and/or eased up enough to allow you to train how you need to.
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Hey buddy
Three weeks on and reverse diet appears to be going well, along with training. Regular sessions with the bosses – that’s some first class motivation right there I bet!
Now you’ve had a bit of time to reflect on this past year, what are you most happy about so far and on the flip reverse areas for improvement?
How is the other half getting on? Has it hit home she is a professional bodybuilder yet?
____________________________Lifetime natural – first show 18th August 2019.
Journal – Road to First Comp
Hey bud thanks for the message mate. The reverse out has been awesome so far and i deffo have the best two training partners! Haha
Ok so obviously most happy with winning the overall in Watford. The feeling of winning a show is unreal then taking the overall is something special. I cannot wait until I do it at a pro qualifier. Performance wise I was very happy with my posing and presentation – I spent a hell of a lot of time getting that shiz on lock down and then was nice to get such good feedback on it.
Improvement wise – deffo arms. Bit more back. Tbh just bigger everywhere. More time needed in off season this time. I put on 5kg of stage weight from an 8 month off season so this time round we’re looking at (I think) a minimum of 18 months to make the necessary changes.
Let me know if you wanna know anything else buddy
Indeed – I’m hoping my reverse diet goes just as smoothly when the time comes. Really hungry to make improvements already! There is no holding back training with those two – one thing seeing it on film, completely different experiencing that raw intensity first-hand. You must go home and cry after every session!
Good choices regarding the year so far. When people say, ‘oh just a little bit of arms’ and they focus their efforts on it. Doesn’t make 100% sense as generally arms increase in line with overall mass, so just focus on being a slightly bigger and better you. Get that overall density and holding or supporting heavy loads will strengthen the arms as a whole. Unless you’re Dexter Jackson or limited to a weight category and need to fine tune, most of us need to just smash the basics. Then again, be self critical and don’t just put mass on for the sake of – don’t want to lose your pleasing shape.
18 months is a great improvement period! Going to be quality mass accumulated across that frame. Hard to picture an additional 5kg to your stage weight with the same crispness, looking forward to the journey!
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Haha sounded like a good way to kick off prep, shame you didn’t utilise this during the peak of a bulking phase. Going into the diet phase with the munchies.
Leg days after big days of walking are horrendous as the body does not want to know, even though you want to push it. Perhaps with a camera shoved in your face and the prospect of hundreds, maybe thousands seeing your session should spur you on 😉
Can’t believe your prep is finally starting – looking forward to seeing and hearing about the process, both the highs and lows.
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Must’ve been quite the experience matey, but you’ve lived to tell the tale. Nearly had the smith machine tip backwards yesterday when I did sissy squats – scared the living daylights out of me and everyone around so know how you feel. Everyone’s been pinned squatting or benching, but you just got your cahoonies back and get back under there. Just start slow and build your confidence back up. As everyone has mentioned, this is an exception rather than the norm especially when you consider how many times you may have done the movement. If the confidence doesn’t return, there are always plenty of other movements you can do in its place.
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Firstly, go to a non-crappy gym… ok, clearly not an option but definitely keep an eye out for something better.
Firstly, don’t know anything about your training history. If you’re a beginner, may be an ideal gym for a while or if you’re just a weekend warrior who pumps a little leg pump. As you’re subscribed to this site, I’m guessing you want gnarly legs. On to your question, you’ve listed plenty of tools that make a great workout. Squats (back/front, high reps, different stances, barbell hack etc) and leg presses (various feet positions, unilateral) along with various intensity factors such as RP, cluster sets, drop sets, tempos.. probably not in one set.
Cable leg press? Can’t even picture that! In terms of isolation, do you have the ol’ leg extension and leg curl? Calves can be worked in many different ways as well, one legged calf raises being a lost art but a great exercise.
End of the day – you can make a leg workout in any facility, to a degree. Just get creative and embrace what you have. Plenty of great physiques have been built with the bare minimum – it’s how you utilise it and apply yourself. Shut yourself off from the nonsense around you and just get stuck in until a better alternative becomes available.
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Lifetime natural – first show 18th August 2019.
Journal – Road to First Comp
hahaha, that will be an option within the next year, ive been training for around 2 years, yes it does have leg curl and leg ex forgot to mention that, what 3 quad movements and 3 hams movements would you say to be optimal from what i have to choose from?
thank you for the help mate.
No worries bud – yeah plenty to do there. Just rotate your movements around so depending on your split, you could have 2-3 rotations – I would potentially perform a squat as my primary quad movement in two and leg press in another. Just get crazy strong with those and maybe a set of extensions if required. Hammies can be hit via stiff legged deadlift, Romanian deadlifts, leg curls and back extensions (if you have one). Depending on your back setup, careful with lower back loading. You can substitute dumbbells for barbell on stiff legs. Personally find it hits my hammies more and less strain on lower. If you’re feeling really hardcore, deficit deadlifts can really work the posterior chain but again take into account your split setup and recovery demands. Glute bridges will work, surprisingly your glutes, but will also tie in the hammies nicely.
Over the next year, get damn strong and focus on your lifts. Rotate movements in and out, be self aware and critical. You don’t have to do every exercise under the sun, neither is that optimal. Just focus on a handful of movements, train intensely, rest/recover and you can’t go wrong. It’s simplicity at its best, but it will be hard work.
As above, you can do two hours of squats as a once in a blue moon f*ck you up. However, this will cripple you physically and mentally so keep it as a trump card. 10 sets of 20 may do the trick there, 1 min rest – GVT, but much much worse. Clear your calendar for the days after!
All the best matey
Instagram: samking104
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Firstly, go to a non-crappy gym… ok, clearly not an option but definitely keep an eye out for something better.
Firstly, don’t know anything about your training history. If you’re a beginner, may be an ideal gym for a while or if you’re just a weekend warrior who pumps a little leg pump. As you’re subscribed to this site, I’m guessing you want gnarly legs. On to your question, you’ve listed plenty of tools that make a great workout. Squats (back/front, high reps, different stances, barbell hack etc) and leg presses (various feet positions, unilateral) along with various intensity factors such as RP, cluster sets, drop sets, tempos.. probably not in one set.
Cable leg press? Can’t even picture that! In terms of isolation, do you have the ol’ leg extension and leg curl? Calves can be worked in many different ways as well, one legged calf raises being a lost art but a great exercise.
End of the day – you can make a leg workout in any facility, to a degree. Just get creative and embrace what you have. Plenty of great physiques have been built with the bare minimum – it’s how you utilise it and apply yourself. Shut yourself off from the nonsense around you and just get stuck in until a better alternative becomes available.
Instagram: samking104