Transformation Update: Week 9, Day 61 |

Transformation Update: Week 9, Day 61

By Brandon Cook

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Thought of the Day:

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”
- Mark Twain

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Day 61 of My Transformation Journey:

Alright my man… today is Rack Pull Dead Lift day. I decided to start with Dead Lifts from the rack because I’ve hurt my back in the past when pulling from the floor. Probably because I lacked the core strength and flexibility in my hips and ankles. As I’ve stated before “back pain sucks” so by starting from an elevated position on the rack I can build the necessary core strength to pull from the floor.

This will also allow me to perfect my form and work on increasing flexibility in my hips and ankles. I have longer legs as well which makes clearing my knees with the bar a little difficult. I may opt to buy a special deadlift bar that Nick Nilsson recommended. More on that later.

My Morning Ritual:
Woke up at 6:15am <== started waking up 15 mins. earlier to be on time for work.
Drank 30 ounces of water
10 Minutes of Tai Chi/Qi Gong Exercises
15 Minutes of seated Meditation

Meal #1 Breakfast (7:00-8:00 am)
1 Banana

3 Whole Eggs (Organic/Cage Free)
Frozen Spinach
Onions, Green and Red Peppers
Pico De Galo
Garlic
Porta Bella Mushrooms
1/4 Cup Organic Dark Red Kidney Beans
Add a little Salsa and seasoning

16 ounces of water

GNC Multivitamin
GNC 1000mg Vitamin C
GNC 400 IU Vitamin E
Carlson 2,000 IU Vitamin D
Biotest Flameout Fish Oil
2 GNC Super Digestive Enzymes

Warrior Walk #1:
Just took my dogs for a regular walk today.

Headin to work!

Meal #2: Brunch (10:00-11:00am)
30 grams Raw Almonds
Protein Cake (see Transformation Update: Day 1 for recipe)
1 Apple
16 ounces of water

Meal #3: Lunch (1:00-2:00pm)
The Company decided to order lunch for us again today. I work for a great place, very generous people!
Ordered from Long Horn:
I got the skewered grilled shrimp in a butter sauce
Rice Palaf
Seasonal Vegetables (brocoli, cauliflower, carrots)
1/2 Cup of Carrots
1 piece of 85% Dark Chocolate (FYI: the higher the % the less sugar and more antioxidants)
16 ounces of water
2 GNC Super Digestive Enzymes

Meal #4: Afternoon Snack (4:00-5:00pm)
30 grams Raw Almonds

Big Bowl of Mixed Field Greens
Several pieces of Brocolli
One handful of shredded Carrots
3 ounces of Tuna
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar

1 Biotest Flameout Fish Oil Softgel
1 Carlson 2000 IU Vitamin D
16 ounces of water.

Left work about 5:45pm and just in time as the snow started coming down.

Meal # 5: Peri-Workout Nutrition (6:00-8:00pm)
Peri-workout nutrition is simply what you eat before, during, and after your training sessions. If you get this right you are on your way to mass. Now, a lot of coaches will just tell you to go get a good supplement. Honestly, that’s better than not doing anything. So, if my strategy is too complex (time consuming) for you I recommend getting Biotest’s Surge Recovery.

I believe whole foods are better than supplements 99% of the time, so instead of paying for tubs of sugar I use fruit. There’s no way you can convince me that processed sugar/dextrose is better than living fruit. So, here’s my strategy:

10-15 Minutes Before Workout:
8-16 Ounces of Orange Juice (Freshly squeezed would be best, but I use store brand for now)
4 tablespoons (22 grams of protein) Optimum Nutrition Liquid Aminos

During Workout:
To make this drink you’ll need a juicer. I prefer to make fresh juice from actual fruit. This way I’m getting all of the beneficial vitamins, nutrients, and living enzymes that are often destroyed in the pastuerization process when you buy juice from the store.

3 ice cubes
1/4 cup orange juice (from store)
4 tablespoons (22 grams of protein) Optimum Nutrition Liquid Aminos
6 grams Ultimate Nurition BCAA
5 grams Optimum Nutrition Creatine
5 grams Optimum Nutrition Glutamine
1/4 Pineapple (freshly juiced)
1 apple or 1 cup grapes (freshly juiced)
1 cup cranberries (freshly juiced)
Top off container with orange juice

Warrior Training:

Warm Up:
10 Minutes Foam Roller
10 Minutes Dynamic Mobility Exercises

Hypertrophy Phase: Rack Pull Dead Lift Day

This third workout in the week focuses on Rack Pull Dead Lifts as the main exercise. I will perform 4 warm-up sets escalating the weight upwards into my 4 work sets. My last work set is considered my “money” set and that is where I’ll be using the heaviest weight for the most reps I can do with perfect form. The rep range is 5-8 reps.

I’ll be supersetting some rehab exercises for my shoulders and back into the warm-up sets for my pulls. This allows me to save some time, make use of the rest periods, as well as, increase the thouroughness of the warm up sets.

Shoulder/Back Rehab:
1. Cable Rows (1st set 50lbs then raised the weight to 70lbs) = 17 reps, 12 reps
2. Band Pull Downs behind the neck (purple band) = 15 reps, 15 reps
3. Cuban Press (15lbs dumbbells) = 12 reps, 12 reps
*Note: These are supersetted with my dead lift warm-ups to save time

Rack Pull Dead Lifts:
1. Warm-up set = 5 reps X 120lbs
2. Warm-up set = 5 reps X 140lbs
3. Warm-up set = 5 reps X 160lbs
4. Warm-up set = 5 reps X 180lbs
5. Work set = 5 reps X 190lbs
6. Work set = 5 reps X 200lbs…. put on my weight belt for the last 3 work sets
7. Work set = 5 reps X 210lbs
8. Money set = 8 reps X 220lbs… Got em all! *
*Note: Great job… hit a new PB (personal best) of 220lbs. Raise the weight by 10!

After dead lifts I hung from a chin-up bar to help decompress my spine. I also laid on a stabilty ball and did a stretch that way.

Next, for my biceps and triceps, I superset the following exercises to work these antagonistic muscle groups. This time I’ll only do 3 warm-up sets increasing the weight into two working sets.

Note: For chin-ups and specifically for dips I’m using a higher rep range of 8-12 reps. I’m doing this mainly because doing heavy dips can be hard on your shoulders. I’ve also shortened the range of motion (ROM) slightly on the dips. I only go until my arms are parralel and no further.

Neutral Grip Chin-ups:
1. Warm-up set = 8 reps X Purple band assist (most assistance)
2. Warm-up set = 8 reps X Blue band assist (middle assistance)
3. Warm-up set = 8 reps X Red band assist (least assistance)
4. Work set = 6 reps X Bodyweight (161 lbs)
5. Money set = 5 reps X Bodyweight (161lbs)
*Note: Didn’t get my reps. Will stick with this and go for more reps next week.

Parallel Bar Dips:
1. Warm-up set = 8 reps X Purple band assist (most assistance)
2. Warm-up set = 8 reps X Blue band assist (middle assistance)
3. Warm-up set = 8 reps X Red band assist (least assistance)
4. Work set = 8 reps X Bodyweight (161 lbs)
5. Money set = 10 reps X Bodyweight (161lbs) + Weighted Vest (8lbs) = 169lbs
*Note: Did good with the dips. Will stick with this however, and go for more reps.

Finished with some stretching.

Great workout. Feel like a Mac Daddy!!!

Post-Workout Drink: Smoothie
8-16 ounces Orange Juice
1 Banana
1/2 cup frozen Strawberries
1/4 cup frozen Raspberries
1/4 cup frozen Blueberries
2-3 tablespoons Plain Yogurt
1 scoop Optimum Nutrition Natural Whey Protein (Vanilla)
6 grams Ultimate Nutrition BCAA
5 grams Optimum Nutrition Creatine
5 grams Optimum Nutrition Glutamine
1 serving Nutrijoint Formula

Meal #6: Dinner Time (8:30-9:30pm)
6 ounces of Salmon
1/2 Cup of Peas
1/2 Cup of Mixed Veggies
16 ounces of water

1 mg Melatonin
Made it to bed around 11:00pm.

Brandon

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About the Author:

Brandon Cook is author of The Awakened Warrior Blog, and co-creator of HardgainerMuscleBuilding.com, a website specifically designed to teach hardgainers how to build muscle fast using the laws and scientific principles of body transformation.

HargainerMuscleBuilding.com features a free email class covering the basic principles of training naturally, eating a nutritious, muscle-building diet, and understanding the truth about supplements. The website is filled with free articles, videos, and the programs you need to create your ideal body.
Please visit us at http://hardgainermusclebuilding.com

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