Vlog #10 // Powered by Controlled Labs White Flood!

For those of you interested here is a link to my Supplement review log on Bodybuilding.com of Controlled Labs new Flavor of White Flood, Juicy grape!

Ehlisl brings the Juicy Grape White Flood!

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

*Warm-ups excluded

Narrow Cybex Leg Press- 4x8
Front Squats- 3x20@225
BB Walking lunges- 4x8
Leg Extension- 3x10 / 2x8
-Luke

Back under the bar!

2009 INBF Washington State Natural Heavyweight

Many of you don't know, but back in December I slightly injured my back warming up on squats.  Since then I had to stay away from them and place more of a emphasis on front squats and deadlifts, since they didn't seem to bother my back at all.  It has been a slow process working squats back into my routine, but it actually seems to have been beneficial in the long run.  I really feel that the switch is really is helping me bring up some lagging areas, add some thickness to my back and has really helped me focus more on my form.  This weekend things were really feeling great, so I decided to start upping my weight and overall I am really happy with how they felt.  Here's how it went.......

*Warm-ups excluded

Squats- 1x12@405 / 1x10@455 / 1x8@455
V-Squat- 4x8
Lunges- 4x10
Leg Extensions- 2x10 / 1x12

-Luke

Far from Doggin' it

One of the things I have had a ton of questions on is what types of foods do I typically eat during my contest prep and off season.  They actually are not that different, the major difference is in the amounts.  I tend to lean more towards what most would consider "clean foods" but I also try to fit certain foods into my daily nutrient ratios.  Healthy eating shouldn't be miserable.  This is one reason why so many people fail on "Diets," it should be a lifestyle change that includes wide variety of foods.  The key is to think outside the box and be sure to measure everything while dieting!    Here's what Tara and I had tonight.

Nothing is better for dinner on Memorial Day weekend than Hot Dogs......well Soy dogs!

Here's the breakdown from this meal.....
Fat- 7 g
CHO- 63 g
Protein- 50 g
-------------
Total- 515 Calories
Today my main focus was on speed work and form.  Here's how it went down.....

*Warm-ups excluded

Front Squats- 1x20@225 / 3x8@315
Narrow Leg press- 4x10
Smith machine Lunges- 3x10 (Each leg)
Leg extensions- 4x10

-Luke

Sunday Front Squats

Had a great weekend working around the yard with Tara.  We got a ton done and actually got pretty burnt.  Afterwards I tried to relax a little and get out of the sun, then it was into the gym to hit up some legs. I wasn't quite feeling "in the groove" during my first sets, but managed to hit 385 for 4....a little disappointed, but happy considering how my previous sets were feeling.  Overall it was a great workout and finished strong.  Here's how it went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

Front Squats- 2x10@315 / 1x4@385 / 1x8@315
V-Squat- 5x10
Single leg press- 4x10
Leg extensions- 4x12

-Luke

The Gym

Had a great time in Ellensburg this weekend visiting some family.  It was a quick trip, but its always great to just get away.  I was able to make some time and head into The Gym, one of the gyms I used to train at during college. It was a great leg session and I was dripping at the end.  This week I stuck to a little more volume with Front squats and really just focused on the speed and depth.  Here's how it went.....  

* Warm-ups excluded

Front Squats- 4x8@315 / 2x6@335
Leg press- 4x8
Smithmachine Lunges- 2x10
Leg extensions- 5x10

-Luke

Back to work

Today was my first day back to the gym since last Wednesday.  I have been running a high temperature and feeling slightly under the weather, so it was best to just get some much needed rest and recovery.  I was itching to get back to it today, so I decided to go in and do some leg work with a Quad emphasis.  I kept it a little lighter, fast paced and broke a great sweat!  Here's how it went....

Leg press- 4x10
Smith machine squats- 3x20@405
DB Lunges- 3x8
Leg extensions- 4x12

-Luke

Frontline

One approach I have to lifting is to imagine that each workout I am putting myself on the frontline.  You have to leave it all in the gym.  I'm not saying that I don't ever joke around or have fun with others.  I'm just saying you have to lean to flip the switch and put 100% focus on the set at hand.  That's one reason I usually take a long approach to each set.  I visualize, prepare and then finish the set.  Here's an example of my approach for Front Sqauats from this past weekend. 

I was able to meet up with my good friend Eric for today's workout.  We kept it fast pace and pretty much flowed from exercise to exercise.  Here's how things went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

EZ bar curls (Bar=25lbs) -  1x12@115 / 1x10@135 / 1x8@155 / 1x12@115
RG Cable Pressdowns- 4x10 (Stack + 20lbs)
Machine Incline curls- 3x10
Dips(BW)- 1x10(3-1-3-1 Tempo) / 2x25
Rope Hammer curls- 3x10
Single arm cable OH Extension- 3x10

Standing Calf press- 4x8
Seated Calf press- 4x12

-Luke

Patience

Patience is a virtue in the sport of Bodybuilding.  Many times people fail in their routine because they are not satisfied by their short term gains and do not have the patience to see the long term goal. Patience means that, you are able to wait for whatever happens and be consistent in your training no matter the period of time. 

 

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

*Warm-ups excluded

Front Squats- 2x8@315 / 1x5@365 / / 1x8@315
Single Leg press- 4x8
Hack Squats- 4x10
Leg extension- 3x10 / 2x8

-Luke

Variation

Variation can be used in many different forms and incorporated into your current training program  It can help with consistent improvements over time and also minimizes plateaus and prevents boredom or staleness.  In addition, you can avoid overtraining by varying your program. It also gives you breaks from the stress of high intensity, high volume training.  You can implement variation in many ways such as the number of reps, sets, exercises, order, rest periods, weights, rep speed and even the type of grip you use.

Today I decided to do SLDL as a variation for deadlifts.  I am currently going to switch from week to week with Sumo's to help with my progression.  Here's how today went.....

*Warm-ups excluded

SLDL- 1x12@405 / 3x8@455
Leg curls- 1x12 / 1x10 / 2x6
Aductor- 3x15
Abductor- 3x15
Glute Kickback- 2x10 / 1x8

-Luke

Deadlift PR!

I have had an amazing couple of workouts the last few days!  Monday was chest and abs and I was able to meet up with Ty.  I took a few video's of my working sets and an example of how I like to do Machine Flyes, just a little variation with my grip and hand placement.  Yesterday was just some cardio on the recumbent bike and then I focused on stretching and foam rolling, which is making a huge difference with my recovery, injury prevention and flexibility.  This is one area that most people overlook.  I am in this sport for the long run, so I am taking all the preventative measures I can.  Today's focus was Deadlifts, hamstrings and glutes.  It is by far my favorite lifting day and I woke up ready to go!  So far I am really happy with my progress on deadlifts and I actually hit another Personal Best today!  Here's how it went....

*Warm-ups excluded

Hybrid Sumo Deadlifts- 1x12@405 / 1x10@475 / 1x6@565 / 1x8@495
Leg curls- 3x8 / 1x10
Reverse Hypers- 4x10
Abductor- 3x15
Aductor- 3x15
Glute Kickback- 3x10
-Luke

Leg placement



Leg placement can make a huge difference in the gym and on the stage

 Legs are the one body part that can separate you from other competitors.  They are probably the most under trained muscle group in the gym.  One reason why is because they take a totally different mentality to train.  No one ever asks "let me see your quads" or "how much do you squat" when your walking around.  So one thing I try to do to keep things interesting when training legs is vary my foot and leg placement.  I do this through different exercise variation, such as wide stance and narrow stance squats.  Doing so can place more of an emphasis between your quads, hamstrings and glutes aswel as help push your physique to the next level.
   
Today, Tara and I took up the squat racks.  We kept a fast pace with a focus on depth and rep speed.  Overall really happy with how this one rolled and here's how it went....

*Warm-ups excluded

Front Squats- 2x8@315 / 1x8@315*1x35@135
V-Squat- 3x8 / 1x10
DB Walking lunges- 3x8 (Per leg)
Leg extensions- 4x8

-Luke

The Gym

This weekend we made a short trip over to Ellensburg, Washington where some of my family live.  It was a quick trip, but sometimes you just have to get out of town.  The weekend pretty much consisted of work on  Spool No.72, but I was able sneak out and hit they weights for and epic leg session at "The Gym."  Always great to go back to one of the gyms I used to train at during college and see how things have progressed.  Gotta say, I was pretty happy with how it went.......




*Warm-ups

Front Squats- 1x12@275 / 1x10@315 / 1x6@355 / 1x12@225 (Pauses at bottom)
Narrow Leg press- 4x8
Smith machine Lunges- 3x10@225
Leg extensions- 4x10

-Luke