Trained chest and triceps with Randy Howard at Strength Beyond in Kalamazoo. I'm weighing about 285lbs in clothes at the gym and I'm still gaining a lb or two each week since I started "prepping" to do a show again.
I'm actually at a bit of a crossroad as far as starting my contest prep. The plan all along was to do the Master's Nationals. At first I was concerned I wouldn't have enough time to get back to the size I needed to be...but now my concern is that I'm gaining so fast that I'm going to be holding myself back from dem gainz if I start dieting in a few weeks. I'm weighing as much as I've ever weighed and I'm at least as lean as I've ever been at this weight.
At the rate I've been growing, I would be in the 290s in another month or so, which would be the biggest I've ever been. The problem with holding off and doing a show later in the year is I'd have to do a qualifier. If I do the Master's Nationals, I only have to "qualify" by being over 35 on the day of the show. It's not that doing two shows is much harder, but I'd prefer to prep for one show only....and I've always felt kind of shitty about the idea of doing a state show only to get qualified. I remember how much work I put in to doing my first national qualifier--and how great it felt to win the overall...and I can imagine it would suck if another guy who was only doing the show as a requirement came in and won instead.
The plan right now is to start prepping for the Master's Nationals in about 2.5 weeks...but I'm really feeling good about my progress the past month and am not sure I'm ready to stop the growing and start dieting.
Chest:
Pec Deck (warm up):
4x20
Incline barbell presses (using a ROM recommended by Steve Kuclo--who has recently brought his chest up a ton):
1x15 135lb
1x10 225lb
1x10 315lb
1x12 275lb
1x12 275lb
Flat Dumbell Presses:
2x12 120s
Incline Hammer Strength:
4x15 315lbs
Flat Dumbell Flyes:
3x15 60s
Dips:
3x12 bodyweight
Wide grip (w/ elbows in) pushdowns:
4x15
My ROM on the incline barbell was the "middle portion" of the rep. I stopped a few inches short of my chest and stopped again a few inches short of lockout. I was feeling really good on that movement and kind of wished I would have stayed there for a couple more sets because I wasn't feeling my chest working on the other movements (my delts blew up faster than my chest).
Diet:
7am: 4 eggs w/ cheese, bowl of oatmeal with craisins
9:30am: 6oz beef with large sweet potato
11:00am: 6oz beef, large potato, 2 bananas, 2 spoons peanut butter
12pm: 4 tacos, double vodka tonic, bunch of fruit (had a St. Paddy's day party for work)
3:30pm: 6oz beef, large potato 5pm: two grilled reubens (wife made them...delicious)
6pm: 90g EAAs, 180g HBCDs
9pm: 6oz chicken, potato
11pm: 6oz chicken, banana, 2 spoons peanut butter, milk
For some reason my appetite has been through the roof the last week or so. My meals today were supposed to be all 6oz beef with a large potato (50-60g of carbs), but I was still f'n starving after finishing my meals...so that's the reason for the banana and peanut butter in a couple of meals. The 4 tacos wasn't planned either...but it was a work party and the food was free. The reuben wasn't planned either but I had to train at 6, didn't have meal prepped (always plan ahead...) and my wife was making reubens for her and the kids. 1
If you start mid-may that gives you 16 weeks to prep.
Would love to see you getting up to your heaviest ever, Justin. Your body seems to have a good time (extra appetite) and I really think you should continue pounding away.