Game Face



My "skinny" game face at the 2010 NANBF California Natural Muscle Mayhem.

Everything has been progressing well and the scale is steadily moving in the right direction.  This week I weighed in at 223.8 and I am still feeling great in and out of the gym.  I was even able to pull another PR in the Snatch Grip Deadlift this past Wednesday, so there is no complaints with that.  Here's a clip from one of my working sets.

Now its time to get my game face on because I am soon coming to the point where my body likes to fight back.  I am going to be making a few trips out of town.  So the cooler is packed and I am ready to train in a little different atmosphere, possibly with a few friends which always helps with the motivation.  This sport is all about balance and its up to you to find what works best.  Many people think you need to have tunnel vision through your entire prep and they end up pushing friends and family away.  The truth is they are a support system that you can use to your advantage.  They can help push your physique and training to new levels as long as you let them.

*Warm-ups excluded

WG Pulldowns- 3x10 / 1x8
Meadows Row- 3x10 / 2x8
Lifefitness Cable Pulldown- 4x8
Hammerstrength Pullover- 4x8

-Luke

Evolve

Its crazy to think that a whole year of my offseason has flown by and I am starting to get that contest prep itch again. This entire year has been a great learning experience for me in many ways and I have really enjoyed the whole process.  One thing I have discovered is that no one should place a limit on their progress.  What I mean is you should always be open to changes and try to think outside of the box.  So many people are close minded, especially when it comes to diet and fitness that they have already limited their progress without knowing any better. You are always right in your own mind, so it is up to you to keep it a learning process and evolve mentally as well as physically.

Had a great one and here's how it went.......

*Warm-ups excluded

Pullups- 2x10 / 3x8(+40lbs) / 1x10
TBar Rows- 2x8 / 1x6*8*10
High Row Machine- 4x10
Hammerstrength Pullovers- 2x10 / 2x8
NG Pulldowns- 3x10

-Luke

Consistency

Things have been going great lately and right now and my lifting focus has been on a rotation of Squats and SLDL.  I really enjoy this layout because I am able to place more of an emphasis on some of my other favorite lifts and it doesn't hinder my progress.  My split is still pretty much the same with 1-2 off days per week that float around depending on how I am feeling at the time.  This split also really helps with consistency by keeping each workout slightly different so things don't get stale and I start each day looking forward to my next workout.  If your consistent and having fun with it the progress will come over time.

Had a great one and here's how it went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

WG Pulldowns- 1x10 / 2x8
T-Bar Row- 2x8 / 1x10*10
Neutral Grip Cable Row- 3x8
Rope Pulldowns- 3x8
Hammerstrength Pullovers- 3x8

-Luke

T-Bar row variation



2010 NANBF Washington State Natural Overall Back Lat spread


One of my favorite exercises for my back are T-Bar rows and I do them three different ways.  Regular grip, narrow grip and reverse grip.  Each are slightly different and throw in some great variation into your routine.

Had a great one and here's how it went...

*Warm-ups excluded

WG Pulldowns- 3x10 / 1x8*8
NG T-Bar rows- 2x10 / 1x10*RG*1x8
MOTO Rows- 3x8 / 1x6
Hammerstrength Pullovers- 4x10
-Luke

Wok'n T-Bar's!

So many choices.....

Since this is my off season, I try to plan some meals that are not measured so Tara and I can enjoy something a little different.  We try to keep it as healthy as possible and one of our favorite places to go to in Wenatchee is the Wok About Grill.  It's our local Mongolian barbecue and I have to say its perfect after a solid workout and if you haven't tried one before, you should!  You get to choose from tons of meats and veggies then its all cooked on a iron grill at up to 300 degrees.

My training has really been on point lately and I have been having some great workouts.  No huge PR's or anything, just solid all around and I really feel progress is being made.  Yesterday I left it all in they gym and I really feel it was probably one of my best back workouts ever!  Here's how it went......

*Warm-ups excluded

Pullups- 1x18 / 3x10
T-Bar row- 1x8@8p's / 1x10@7p's / 1x8*8*8
"Flexolate" NG Pulldowns- 4x10
Stiffarm Pulldowns- 4x10

-Luke

Trove 26

Lately I have had quite a few people asking about the origin of the name Trove 26.  It actually comes from a combination of things that all bodybuilders have in common, a mass of iron.  Trove literally comes from the word mass and the number 26 is the atomic number of iron.  It is one thing that will always be  a constant to everyone in this sport and a reminder for me to always stick to the basics.  There is no magic trick or solution that outweighs the work you put forth.

Today's line up was Back and a GREAT one it was!  Hit it up with Tara and here's how it went down.....

*Warm ups excluded

Hammer Strength Lat pulldown- 3x8 (170lbs per side)
Reverse grip BB rows- 1x10@315 / 2x8@315
Natalus compound row- 4x8
Narrow grip stiff arm pulldowns- 3x10

-Luke

Big Papa Pump!

Spike TV’s TNA Impact is in town and I had a great opportunity of meeting Scott "Big Papa Pump" Steiner at Golds Gym of Wenatchee.  Noting gets you amped up to kill some Iron like seeing Scott toss the weight around.  All I have to say is the man has some GUNS!!!  He is a real down to earth guy and It was great to actually meet him in person.  I actually felt bad for bugging him for a picture during his workout, but I couldn't pass up this chance!  On the training front things are rolling and my deload week is almost over.  I am itching to hit it hard again, so I must be doing it right.  Here's how it went tonight.....

*Warm-ups excluded

Wide grip pulldowns- 4x8

Reverse grip BB rows- 3x15

Narrow grip pulldowns- 4x10

Stiff arm pulldowns- 4x10

-Luke

Ehlis Row

I started preforming rows this way a few years ago when I was having some wrist issues, which were aggravated by Barbell rows.  I absolutely love the movement, so I had to find a way to work around using a straight bar.  The name came about last year from a good friend of mine.  A natural competitor, 3DMJ and All American EFX sponsored athlete Jason Bosak.  A few pointers are to keep your knees slightly bent, chest up and your elbows in.  Here is a back relax shot of mine from the 2010 California Natural Muscle Mayhem in Sacramento, CA.

Now onto today's damage.......

*Warm-ups excluded

BB Incline bench- 1x10@275 / 1x8@295 / 1x6@295
Flat DB press- 2x10@100's (3-1-3-1 Tempo) / 2x8@100's (3-1-3-1 Tempo)
Cable Flyes- 4x10

Hanging leg raise- 4x10
Cable crunch- 3x12
Machine Crunch- 3x10

- Luke

Back with it

This week's layout is a little different than usual.  During my current rotation I typically skip one workout per week, changing my six day lifting rotation into five with two days for recovery.  This week it just so happens to be my Leg/Quad focus day off, which would have landed on Saturday.  Instead, I am moving my Deadlift/Hamstring day to then, for a little more attention.  Plus the thought of an empty gym on weekend sealed the deal.  With this change I was able to meet up with my good friend Ty, whom I have been training with for the past 4 years.  We still manage to meet up at least two days a week for legs and deadlifts, which really helps with the motivation.  Today was a great one!  All really controlled reps, walked in, killed it and walked out.  Here's how it went...

*Warm-ups excluded
Pulldowns- 2x10 / 2x8
Non supported DB Rows- 2x12@150's / 1x10@150's / 1x8@80's (TUT)
Hammer strength High row- 2x10 / 2x8
Stiff arm pulldowns- 3x10

-Luke