Today was a good day, not only because it is my 21st birthday but also because I finally feel appreciated for what I do. I went to the gym this morning as usual to train my usual clients and i was showered with gifts. Every single one, back to back to back. A warm feeling took over my body today a feeling of being loved for what I do. I changed these peoples lives so much that it shows in everything they do, I am so proud of each one of them for what they accomplished! Today made my job all that much more rewarding just by knowing that I made a difference in these people's lives!
So I left the gym today with an even bigger positive high! I decided to turn that positive energy into an even bigger rush to boost my workout even further today!
Heres today's Workout
Squats ATG
275 x 10 (easy easy but felt alil pain in my knee so i stopped right there)
Cybex Leg Press
12 plates per side x 11 YEAAA bUUUDDYYYYY light weightt!!!!! (i had my knees wrapped on this set)
Leg Extensions
stack + 20 x 8 reps
Glut Ham Raises (my gym does not have a machine for this so i invented my own and it worked so well)
3 sets of bodyweight to failure (these are extremely hard, watch out clients you guys are next for this!!!)
Barbell Calve Raise
225 x 12 4 sets
One Legged Calve Machine Press
150 x 15 per leg
Notes: My lowerback is tight so i decided to skip good mornings this week and play it safe on my back...I guess the older you get the more things hurt :) But other then that my hamstrings were fried!!!
Take Home Message: Despite what kind of day you have, think about all the positive things around you and use those positive thoughts to fuel your body and your mind to new levels!!!
Recipe of the Day: "Anthony's 21st Bday Cake" (now you all can have a piece)
1.5 scoops Whey Protein
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
2 packets splenda
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, add just enough water to make a light pudding.....Place in microwave for 15seconds (or until you see the "cake" start to rise) take out and let sit for 2 minutes then add
1 tablespoon Walden Farms Marshmellow Dip
1 tablespoon Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup
and enjoy!!!!!!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Upper Body Growth Day 5/29
One day before my 21st Bday :)
Today was a very long day, one of those days where you don't stop moving. I did not let that stop me from getting one step closer to my goal. I managed to pull myself together to get my butt in the gym to lift hard and I am glad i did. Here's my workout
Bent Over Barbell Rows
185 x 15 reps
T-Bar Rows
4 plates x 12 reps
Behind the Neck Pullups (a forgotten exercise that works the back very well)
3 sets of Bodyweight to failure
Barbell Pullovers
115lbs x 15 reps (Felt alittle pull in my elbow with this so I will change the bar to the EZ-Barbell)
Incline Cable Flyes
5 x 8 reps (The 5 is the number on the cable machine)
Incline DB Press
85 x 10
Hammer Strength Press
225 x 11 (feeling stronger on these)
Barbell Military Press
135 x 12 (too easy)
Machine Shoulder Press
120 x 12 (too easy again)
Seated Barbell Curl
110 x 8 (I was suppose to go for 100 x 8 but i couldnt find the 100 and i just took the 110's :D )
Supersetted with
Reverse Grip Bench Press
155 x 8 reps (felt really easy, good squeeze on top)
Machine Preacher Curls
120 x 6
Supersetted with
DB Skull Crushers
45 x 6
Notes: I had the most unbelievable pump today. I manage to push past my long day, zone out and reach new levels today.....I was squeezing my biceps so hard today on Machine Preacher curls that I think finally my biceps are starting to respond. I see a difference in them already.....Today I also started doing flyes before Press for chest to try and pre-exhaust my chest muscles to grow. This seems to really help warm-up my chest and it seems to stop my shoulders from overpowering my chest....I hope my little experiment with chest works well for me, it might just be the missing link I need to getting a world class chest! But once again I will only be doing this "pre-exhaust" movement on my Growth days.
Take away message: You must be able to completely kind of zone out when it comes time to get the job done in the gym. It does not matter if you had the worst day in your life, you have to kind of bury things temporarily in order to be successful. At the end of the day when you know you pushed yourself beyond your normal limits you know you are that one step closer to achieving greatness!!!
Recipe of the Day:
This is a great little tip i use to flavor bland egg whites
add 1-2 packets of splenda and about 2 tablespoons of Cinnamon to your egg whites and make an egg white omelet.......Don't thank me until you tried it!!!
Today was a very long day, one of those days where you don't stop moving. I did not let that stop me from getting one step closer to my goal. I managed to pull myself together to get my butt in the gym to lift hard and I am glad i did. Here's my workout
Bent Over Barbell Rows
185 x 15 reps
T-Bar Rows
4 plates x 12 reps
Behind the Neck Pullups (a forgotten exercise that works the back very well)
3 sets of Bodyweight to failure
Barbell Pullovers
115lbs x 15 reps (Felt alittle pull in my elbow with this so I will change the bar to the EZ-Barbell)
Incline Cable Flyes
5 x 8 reps (The 5 is the number on the cable machine)
Incline DB Press
85 x 10
Hammer Strength Press
225 x 11 (feeling stronger on these)
Barbell Military Press
135 x 12 (too easy)
Machine Shoulder Press
120 x 12 (too easy again)
Seated Barbell Curl
110 x 8 (I was suppose to go for 100 x 8 but i couldnt find the 100 and i just took the 110's :D )
Supersetted with
Reverse Grip Bench Press
155 x 8 reps (felt really easy, good squeeze on top)
Machine Preacher Curls
120 x 6
Supersetted with
DB Skull Crushers
45 x 6
Notes: I had the most unbelievable pump today. I manage to push past my long day, zone out and reach new levels today.....I was squeezing my biceps so hard today on Machine Preacher curls that I think finally my biceps are starting to respond. I see a difference in them already.....Today I also started doing flyes before Press for chest to try and pre-exhaust my chest muscles to grow. This seems to really help warm-up my chest and it seems to stop my shoulders from overpowering my chest....I hope my little experiment with chest works well for me, it might just be the missing link I need to getting a world class chest! But once again I will only be doing this "pre-exhaust" movement on my Growth days.
Take away message: You must be able to completely kind of zone out when it comes time to get the job done in the gym. It does not matter if you had the worst day in your life, you have to kind of bury things temporarily in order to be successful. At the end of the day when you know you pushed yourself beyond your normal limits you know you are that one step closer to achieving greatness!!!
Recipe of the Day:
This is a great little tip i use to flavor bland egg whites
add 1-2 packets of splenda and about 2 tablespoons of Cinnamon to your egg whites and make an egg white omelet.......Don't thank me until you tried it!!!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
A Recap of this week's training thus Far
Before I start posting up my workout's I want to give you guys a rundown on the type of training I am currently using. I have tried many different types of workout routine's with no luck. I couldn't seem to find something that works for me until now.
My training is a mix of powerlifting and bodybuilding (some may call it power-building). Without getting to much into detail on how and why this routine works it basically helps me to continuously get stronger while getting bigger. We all know that the more weight a muscle can lift the more muscle we are going to build. Right now I am currently training 4x's a week with weights and I am currently doing 4 cardio sessions per week, 2 Low Intensity Cardio and 2 HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training Cardio). I perform my Low Intensity Cardio postworkout on my leg days and my 2 HIIT Cardio sessions I perform them on my offdays. My training Split is as follows:
Day 1: Upper Body Power Day (focusing on more compound movements and trying to move as much weight as possible, longer rest periods)
Day 2: Lower Body Power Day
Day 3: Off Day/ HIIT Cardio
Day 4: Upper Body Growth Day (focusing on filling the muscles with blood and getting that "pump" look)
Day 5: Lower Body Growth Day
Day 6: Off Day
Day 7: Off Day/HIIT Cardio
Some Notes before you start reading through my workouts
-I usually do like 3-5 sets before the set listed....i count the other sets as warm-ups (they are fair from light but i stop before failure), i preform them with a 3/0/1 tempo and I take the last set to absolute failure....i only track the last set (makes my life easy)
-I track every workout I do, as well as Weekly measurements and Bodyfat (This is the best way to know if something is working well for you or not)
- When I write "PR" that means Previous Record, so when I say that, it means I have beaten my Previous Record and have set a new standard for myself
Without Further adieu here are my workouts for this week so far
5/26 Upper Body Power
Bent Over Barbell Row:
275 x 5 PR (Last year around this time my PR on Bent Over Rows was 225 x 5)
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
14 x 10
Weighted Hangs
4 plates x 30sec
Incline DB Press
130 x 5 no spot this time so i was happy with this
Machine Flyes
135 x 8 2 sets
Barbell Military Press
185 x 7 PR
Incline DB Curl
50 x 6
Close-grip Bench
185 x 10
Notes on Today's Workout: Feeling Strong but also feeling flat (maybe lack of sleep last night)everyone is telling me I am looking leaner so that's good.....I feel good and I am definately stronger, so that means only one thing I am gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time!!!!
5/27 Lower Body Power
Bench Squats
500lb x 4 reps PR BABY!!!!!!
Leg Extension
Stack + 15 x 10 PR!
Good Morning
155 x 8 PR
Standing Barbell Raise
225 x 10,12
Seated Calve Raise
3 plates x 10 (i stopped because i think the machine is starting to break)
Notes: I was so psyched for Squats today, i was amped all day for legs today. I warmed up nicely for squats starting with 1 plate and moving a plate higher every warmup set until i got to 5 plates with a 2.5 on each side.....I wrapped my knees (which I only do on my heaviest lifts) unhooked the bar and felt the weight crushing my shoulders, i said F**** this weight and banged out 4 real easy.....I thought about going for a 5th but I didnt want to push it and have to cheat and struggle that last one up with so much weight.....I stopped with 4 smooth solid reps....next week im going for 500 for a good smooth 6 reps
Then following my workout I did 30 min LI cardio. I have a ifbb pro bodybuilder in my gym who I was doing cardio with...I asked him how much cardio he does and he told me 3 hours per day!!!! Hes 10 weeks out!!!!!!! I usually complainin about LI cardio because its so boring after hearing that i was very happy doing only a half hour!
Wedneday 5/28
Cardio/ Rest Day
15 HIIT Sprints went very well today, my legs are so fatigued from yesterday's PR on Squats that it made it difficult to do but I pushed myself beyond the normal to get them done!!! I am one step closer to that 1st place trophy!
My training is a mix of powerlifting and bodybuilding (some may call it power-building). Without getting to much into detail on how and why this routine works it basically helps me to continuously get stronger while getting bigger. We all know that the more weight a muscle can lift the more muscle we are going to build. Right now I am currently training 4x's a week with weights and I am currently doing 4 cardio sessions per week, 2 Low Intensity Cardio and 2 HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training Cardio). I perform my Low Intensity Cardio postworkout on my leg days and my 2 HIIT Cardio sessions I perform them on my offdays. My training Split is as follows:
Day 1: Upper Body Power Day (focusing on more compound movements and trying to move as much weight as possible, longer rest periods)
Day 2: Lower Body Power Day
Day 3: Off Day/ HIIT Cardio
Day 4: Upper Body Growth Day (focusing on filling the muscles with blood and getting that "pump" look)
Day 5: Lower Body Growth Day
Day 6: Off Day
Day 7: Off Day/HIIT Cardio
Some Notes before you start reading through my workouts
-I usually do like 3-5 sets before the set listed....i count the other sets as warm-ups (they are fair from light but i stop before failure), i preform them with a 3/0/1 tempo and I take the last set to absolute failure....i only track the last set (makes my life easy)
-I track every workout I do, as well as Weekly measurements and Bodyfat (This is the best way to know if something is working well for you or not)
- When I write "PR" that means Previous Record, so when I say that, it means I have beaten my Previous Record and have set a new standard for myself
Without Further adieu here are my workouts for this week so far
5/26 Upper Body Power
Bent Over Barbell Row:
275 x 5 PR (Last year around this time my PR on Bent Over Rows was 225 x 5)
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
14 x 10
Weighted Hangs
4 plates x 30sec
Incline DB Press
130 x 5 no spot this time so i was happy with this
Machine Flyes
135 x 8 2 sets
Barbell Military Press
185 x 7 PR
Incline DB Curl
50 x 6
Close-grip Bench
185 x 10
Notes on Today's Workout: Feeling Strong but also feeling flat (maybe lack of sleep last night)everyone is telling me I am looking leaner so that's good.....I feel good and I am definately stronger, so that means only one thing I am gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time!!!!
5/27 Lower Body Power
Bench Squats
500lb x 4 reps PR BABY!!!!!!
Leg Extension
Stack + 15 x 10 PR!
Good Morning
155 x 8 PR
Standing Barbell Raise
225 x 10,12
Seated Calve Raise
3 plates x 10 (i stopped because i think the machine is starting to break)
Notes: I was so psyched for Squats today, i was amped all day for legs today. I warmed up nicely for squats starting with 1 plate and moving a plate higher every warmup set until i got to 5 plates with a 2.5 on each side.....I wrapped my knees (which I only do on my heaviest lifts) unhooked the bar and felt the weight crushing my shoulders, i said F**** this weight and banged out 4 real easy.....I thought about going for a 5th but I didnt want to push it and have to cheat and struggle that last one up with so much weight.....I stopped with 4 smooth solid reps....next week im going for 500 for a good smooth 6 reps
Then following my workout I did 30 min LI cardio. I have a ifbb pro bodybuilder in my gym who I was doing cardio with...I asked him how much cardio he does and he told me 3 hours per day!!!! Hes 10 weeks out!!!!!!! I usually complainin about LI cardio because its so boring after hearing that i was very happy doing only a half hour!
Wedneday 5/28
Cardio/ Rest Day
15 HIIT Sprints went very well today, my legs are so fatigued from yesterday's PR on Squats that it made it difficult to do but I pushed myself beyond the normal to get them done!!! I am one step closer to that 1st place trophy!
Welcome to my Blog!!
Hello Everyone,
I want to welcome every to my blog. My blog is going to cover my journey to become a Pro Natural Bodybuilder. I decided to start this blog so that all of you can follow along. I want to show the world how an average guy can change his physique so dramatically that he could be considered one of the best Natural Bodybuilding has to offer. I want you all to be able to apply what I do in my normal everyday life and training to your own so that you too can get to your goals!
I will start by giving you a little bit of backround infomation on myself. My name is Anthony Bevilacqua, I am a Personal Trainer living out of New York. I absolutely love my job, I love helping people achieve their fitness goals. It's a great feeling to know that everyday you are helping someone feel better about themselves, physically and mentally as well. I was recently awarded Trainer of The Month on Bodybuilding.com. Here is the link so you can view it http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/personaltrainer_6.htm
I am currently 20 years old, I will turn 21 in two days!!! I am also currently 16 weeks out from my fourth natural bodybuilding show (Which is on September 6th 2008). I competed in three shows last year and placed high in all three but I want more. I want to be able to transform my regular physique into a masterpiece! For my last three shows I entered the novice division but my next show I will be entering both the Novice and the Open Middle Weight Class. My goal is to ultimately become one of the best Pro Natural Bodybuilders!
I want all of you to be able to learn from my training and dieting so that you can apply it yourself and hopefully change your physiques as well!
Hold on Folks, it's going to be one wild ride!!!!!! Don't forget to check out my website at www.ABFitnessTrainer.com
I want to welcome every to my blog. My blog is going to cover my journey to become a Pro Natural Bodybuilder. I decided to start this blog so that all of you can follow along. I want to show the world how an average guy can change his physique so dramatically that he could be considered one of the best Natural Bodybuilding has to offer. I want you all to be able to apply what I do in my normal everyday life and training to your own so that you too can get to your goals!
I will start by giving you a little bit of backround infomation on myself. My name is Anthony Bevilacqua, I am a Personal Trainer living out of New York. I absolutely love my job, I love helping people achieve their fitness goals. It's a great feeling to know that everyday you are helping someone feel better about themselves, physically and mentally as well. I was recently awarded Trainer of The Month on Bodybuilding.com. Here is the link so you can view it http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/personaltrainer_6.htm
I am currently 20 years old, I will turn 21 in two days!!! I am also currently 16 weeks out from my fourth natural bodybuilding show (Which is on September 6th 2008). I competed in three shows last year and placed high in all three but I want more. I want to be able to transform my regular physique into a masterpiece! For my last three shows I entered the novice division but my next show I will be entering both the Novice and the Open Middle Weight Class. My goal is to ultimately become one of the best Pro Natural Bodybuilders!
I want all of you to be able to learn from my training and dieting so that you can apply it yourself and hopefully change your physiques as well!
Hold on Folks, it's going to be one wild ride!!!!!! Don't forget to check out my website at www.ABFitnessTrainer.com
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