[Pain]

www.troyalves.com/road_victory


Well.. now that the shows are over and I can now relax, I want to share with everyone my weekly pics and journal while i was preparing for the GNC and Olympia this past fall.

I also want the members who signed up to know that I am very thankful for their support and motivaton they have given me and I also want them to know they are always first in my book!

Hope you guys enjoy the Team Troy site!

and it was great being a team troy member!!
Troy's Weekly Progress Photos
16 Weeks Out

11 Weeks Out

10 Weeks Out

9 Weeks Out

8 Weeks Out

7 Weeks Out

6 Weeks Out

5 Weeks Out

4 Weeks Out

3 Weeks Out

2 Weeks Out

1 Week Out

Troy's Online Training Journal
11 Weeks Out

10 Weeks Out

9 Weeks Out

8 Weeks Out

7 Weeks Out

6 Weeks Out

5 Weeks Out

4 Weeks Out

3 Weeks Out

2 Weeks Out

1 Week Out


here are some pics that u lot wernt able to see until now


11 Weeks out

11 WEEKS:
07.24.04
Dear Team Troy Members,

First of all, I want to thank you for your amazing support! It is truly because of you that I am here and able to do what I am doing in bodybuilding! Without the fans, I would have nothing!
I will be giving you a weekly update on my progress, what I’m doing differently week by week, the emotions I am going through and how I’m feeling about my diet and training for the big show!
The following is last week in review…starting with my trip to the USA…Enjoy!

I left for Vegas on Friday and right away went to a meeting where I got to see my fellow friends and competitors, Dexter, Jay, Gunther & Shawn. While I spend a lot of time talking to the different pros on the phone, it is always fun to hang out in a relaxed environment when we are not competing! I went from there to prejudging and got a great response from the media and my fellow competitors about where my physique is at this time and the condition I am already displaying! It was a great time! I finished off the night with Dexter buying me a steak and lobster dinner to pay off a bet he owed me saying that Marcus Haley would get his procard and Dugdale wouldn’t… boy does Dexter need to work on his bets! Ha/ha I also had a great lunch on Saturday with Dexter, Shawn, Garrett, Stan, Melvin (lots of laughs with crazy Melvin) and Derrick Fansworth.

The weekend ended with a great Muscle Camp put on by Shawn Ray Productions! Bob Chicerello, Garrett, Shawn, Melvin and myself hosted it and we had a great time and a great turn-out! Chris Cormier stopped by, as well as new pro Mark Dugdale!

I got home on Sunday hyped up from a great bodybuilding weekend and ready to start my contest prep!

First thing Monday morning at 6 am, I was on the step mill for an hour before going home for my first meal. I repeat this 5 days a week at this point.

I am currently eating every 2 hours, keeping carbs relatively high to maintain size and grow into the show. All my meals throughout the week consist of about 8 oz of protein and 50 grams of carbs.

My training was tough this week! Being that it was my first week of dieting and starting my supplements, I was struggling physically, but I still felt it was productive! I trained very hard, but a couple times, I had to ‘vomit’ during a work-out. But, the warrior in me kept me going back to finish the work-out! I just keep envisioning myself in that first call out at the GNC and I go that extra mile!!!
I gained 10 pounds and am currently at 245 lbs. My conditioning is great for this weight! I have never been this heavy at this conditioning. By keeping my body lean all year, the results have been dramatic. You will see by this weeks photos!

Overall, I am very happy with where I am starting out. I really can see the improvements I worked all year for and feel like I am going to be able to bring in a look that no one has seen on me before. For once, I feel like I actually will have the size to not be considered a ‘small guy!’ But most importantly, still with my symmetry, lines and shape that have got me to this point!

I hope you enjoy my first week update and photos! Please feel free to email me at info@troyalves.com with any comments on this new section!

I will leave you with something I try to say to myself and my wife daily….you can’t go wrong with this saying because even if it is the smallest of things we take for granted, there is always something great that happens to us every day. So go on with your week and everyday remember, ‘SOMETHING GREAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU TODAY!"
I will talk to you same time, same place, next week!
Again, Thank You!......

[Pain]

10 weeks out

9 weeks out


:buttrock:

10 WEEKS:
07.31.04
Hey guys and gals!
I’m down to 10 weeks now and I feel my energy is already starting to change, but my state of mind is stronger than ever.

As you know, this week we started the forum and hopefully we will have some great discussions there. Thanks to everyone who is keeping updated here.

This week was a successful week for training because I had some great work-outs and did not feel as sick this week. I finished off my training week with a great back work out today. I did 5 plates on deadlifts, sets of 10, super-set with seated rows with a full stack, Pull-ups, super-set with behind the neck pull-downs, and finished with hyperextensions. My back was pumped like never before and I am starting to see things happening as far as conditioning that I’m really excited about. You can voice your opinion on the forum when you see the photos.

I stuck with the same diet for this week as last week. However, I had one cheat day of sushi and cut back my carbs to only 3 carb meals on Thursday and Friday to drop the extra water the sushi made me hold. I typically like to have one day where I have one meal to keep my body from burning too fast. If I don’t, my body will suck down to fast, even with the high carbs and I won’t be able to hold the muscle to the show. This has always been my strategy and it has seemed to work for me.

As far as my head.. well, I just can’t stop thinking of being on stage. I know it sounds crazy, but every work-out, every meal, every time I see myself in the mirror, I am seeing my body on stage and making a statement. I really believe in the power of the mind and I feel it, combined with my extreme efforts in the gym and with my diet are what is making me see and feel the changes.

This week, I was happy with the fact that I got a bit tighter without dropping any weight. With a body like mine, the main goal for now is to hold onto my muscle and get tighter my first weeks, then I’ll start trying to take down 2 lbs. per week based on my conditioning at that time. So it can change weekly, but I will keep all of you informed.

I hope everyone had a wonderful week of training, work and life. Please speak your mind on the forum. I'd like to know everyone's thoughts and opinions.

Click Here to get to the New Forum: http://troyalves.proboards26.com
Take care and I will see you here next Saturday!

09 WEEKS:
08.07.04
Week 9 and I’m feeling fine! Ha-ha

But really, were now down to 9 weeks and things are on track. I had a productive week of training! I had a mild strength increase, for example, I did sets of 10 on the isolation hammer concentration curls with 70 lb. Dumbbells.

My endurance was good considering I started my days a little earlier. But I must say, the 1 hour nap I get mid-day is making a huge difference. For cardio I am now up to 45 minutes on the stepmill and incline treadmill (alternating). I am not increasing my cardio at this point since I see my body making the necessary changes with my diet and this cardio plan alone and feel that if I had increased it to another evening session at this point, I would be too far ahead of my timeline.

My body is coming in at a perfect pace. My weight stayed the same, but I feel like my conditioning changed about 20% for the better. I would like your feedback from the pics this week on what you think. I am seeing more separation in my quads, additional striations on my tri’s and chest, as well as a much tighter glute/hammy tie in. (The best I’ve ever seen this far out from any show and that is a GREAT thing)

My mental state is good. We are in the process of building our new home and selling our current one—and that is actually the greatest stress I have felt. I’m really happy where everything is as far as the contest goes… that is the easy part!

In closing, the best is yet to come! I will see you same time, same place
next week!

Be sure to sign up on my forum to give me your feedback!: http://troyalves.proboards26.com
Take care and I will see you here next Saturday!

[Pain]

8 weeks out

7 weeks out


08 WEEKS:
08.14.04
8 weeks to go!!

After reviewing my last week photos with my nutritionist, Hany Rambod, we decided I was little too flat and needed to adjust my carbs to fill back up. I carbed up with 500 grams on Monday and Tuesday with 300 grams of protein. After filling back up, I cut my carbs back down to 225 and 350grams of protein. The goal is to hold my weight right now and keep the conditioning coming in tighter and tighter until we go into the heavy-duty fat burning phase.

My training was very solid this week. I am incorporating a lot more isolation movements for my glutes/hamstrings because I feel this is what will take me to the top, to overcome that one obstacle I seem to have. I am seeing the added thickness in my hammy's even more as I am stripping the fat down each week and they are definitely showing a hang and improvement from my side chest shots which is something I was trying to work-on.

I changed my cardio up a little this week by adding stadiums and sprints, instead of being on the step-mill on 3 of my days. This is helping, again, with the glute/hammy tie-in.

I feel great about my upper body, front to back.. and very happy with my quads at this stage. My lower back half is way ahead of the game for my normal preparation and that excites me, but know that we will see a lot more detail around the 4th to 5th week mark.

Emotionally I am good. I tend to get a little more focused on details that would not normally affect me during my dieting, but overall, I am maintaining a positive mental state day to day. I am hearing a lot of people who are not expecting me to make it as high as I see myself placing and that is really pushing me! I am totally focused in my head and just so excited for the weeks to pass by to get to the stage and shock some people!

Thank you all for the week to week support! Please give me your feedback and let me know anything you would want to hear about my prep that maybe I have not included. Be sure to do so on my forum: http://troyalves.proboards26.com

Take care and have a wonderful week!

07 WEEKS:
08.22.04
The 7 week mark is here and I can tell I'm getting close due to the increased emotional ups and downs. Even though it is minor, little things are starting to agitate me more. In fact, I had to cut my clients out earlier than I had planned to really keep my energy high and give myself that mental break from work for the next 7 weeks. The good thing is that now I will only have to focus on training, cardio, eating and sleeping until the show.

I am really excited about my look this week. I am getting harder and put on 11/2 pounds this week. My weight needs to stay up right now as my body is in that mode where it just wants to burn everything. If it weren‚t for my glutes, I would only diet about 7-8weeks because the rest of my body comes in so fast as you will see from the photos.

My training was good. I picked up my intensity and started throwing in some more super sets and descending sets to bring out the detail and keep the volume in the muscles.

I kept my diet the same as last week with 350grams of protein, 300 grams of carbs and moderate fats. I will probably have to continue this program for the next week or two before I starting bringing it all in and getting my body to that graining, really conditioned look that I get at show time.

My cardio had to be changed a bit because my body wants to drop so quickly and I can't get ready this fast without losing muscle. Therefore, I am only doing 1 session a day, with 2 days of stadiums/sprints and yes, that was at Phoenix College I was running in those pics that were posted online.

My goal right now is to just bring it down very slowly and keep this size maintained. Things are on track and I am really pleased.

Emotionally, as I said before, I am a bit more drained and mentally tired, but it won‚t stop me, it just means I have to do things socially a little different. As you guys know, this is the die-hard stage, these last weeks are everything and hopefully you are feeling that from my journals and seeing what we go through day to day.

Feel free to talk about my progress on other sites (just no posting of photos), all it will do is help me with the momentum going into this GNC and Olympia. Your support every week means everything to me and keeps me motivated everyday to work that much harder!

I hope you all had a wonderful week and I'll see you here next week!!! Have a Great Week!

[Pain]

6 weeks out

5 weeks out


06 WEEKS:
08.29.04
6 Weeks to and I am ready for battle!

Well another week has passed and with each week, I'm feeling more and more anxious! It is tough because I am too far out to start the heavy duty cutting up phase and I am having to eat like there is no tomorrow to maintain the mass.

Additionally, I am just getting so anxious to get on the stage. I talk to a lot of the other pros and it just gets you so pumped up to be out there battling! Soon enough though!

I have not changed too much this week, and that is fine because my conditioning is so good right now that I really am trying to just maintain the weight at this stage. I am still doing the same on carbs and protein, keeping the good fats in my diet, i.e. avocado, almonds, etc.

I'm feeling really full and my skin is really thin, as a friend in the gym just said after feeling my legs.. "It's like toilet paper thin," I'll take that!

As for training and cardio.. I'm still doing the same as week 7, rather than sprinting up the stadiums though, I'm really lunging up and squeezing. Things are nice and hard everywhere and I can really feel the improved hamstring development/tie-in as I am working the stadiums or stepmill.

I have added some cable work in to etch in the fine details as we all know, that is critical on stage.. those tiny details will set you apart! I am still training very hard, very high intensity and focus. I am getting fatigued more though which is to be expected during this time of the diet and with the cardio, you just get worn down so much easier!

I am mentally good. A little stressed this week due to selling our house. But overall, mentally very positive. I feel really good when I look at my poses everyday. I have been analyzing myself very critically and really feel excited about the new "hang" on the hammies from the side chest pose. I worked so hard on that all year and it is showing nicely right now. I don't think you can see too much from the photos as my LARGE ha/ha upper body cast a shadow on my legs, but you will see on stage!

Anyhow, things are great and again, I thank you so much for you support! It means the world. I also want to say Happy Birthday to my wife Tara. She is my foundation for getting ready for these shows!
Your Friend,

05 WEEKS:
09.05.04
Hi guys!

Well this week was a struggle.. I won't lie! I'm glad you are all getting to see this because it shows you that preparing for a contest is not always easy and your body changes from week to week, day to day, up and down, and it isn't always perfect! This week is a good example of that.

It started off with my glands getting swollen and I went to the doctor and he gave me some antibiotics. Apparantly they didn't mix well with my body chemistry right now and caused me to retain some water. This is not a problem at all, especially at this stage, but it makes it very difficult when I am taking photos for you, the fans and the pictures aren't that great!

Don't worry at all though, it is just a film and will go away once the medication gets out of my system. But these are the sorts of things we all deal with and even though we know our bodies change everyday, it is hard mentally at times.

One of the other things this week that effected me and really took some wind out of me for a few days was the drastic changes in the GNC!!! It is hard to prepare all year for so many of us, and then have to hear something like this. I thought of pulling out, but because of all of you and my goals to make a statement for the Olympia, I felt it best for me to stay in it! It will still be a great opportunity for me to do really well!

I still trained hard this week despite all of the craziness. I didn't change anything this week for training, I just stayed with the same program.

My diet didn't change either. Although, I was a bit less hungry because I didn't feel 100% and I wasn't able to take in as many calories as normal, but overall, I still feel like I got enough in to maintain the size and conditioning.

I think what you will notice from next weeks photos is going to be dramatically different from this weeks. Stay patient with this because next week will put me right back on track visually and I'm sure you will be pleased.

Remember, you are getting to see the inside of what happens during our preparation, it is a long and hard, and sometimes up and down road before we actually step on stage shredded!

Thank you again for coming back week after week and thank you for the support as always!
Your Friend,

[Pain]

4 weeks out

3 weeks out


04 WEEKS:
09.12.04
What a week!

Well we are now 4 weeks away and I'm thrilled with my progress. I realize you haven't all seen people week by week in this manner and it is probably hard to visualize how we look now vs. how we will look on stage, but with all my years of competing, trust me, for me to look like this at 4 weeks out is better than I could have imagined. I know exactly what my body needs in the coming weeks and being here at this stage allows me to know exactly what to do to really cut up and dial it in the final weeks.

I have increased my cardio this week a little to shed the water weight in my lower back/glutes.. I'm really happy with the extreme hardness of that area, but now it's time to really dry them out and start bringing the weight down a few pounds in the next week.

I'm still doing the step mill and the treadmill on an incline and this is really working for me.
My training is still incorporating a lot of cables and machines to bring out the detail. I am still doing my heavy compound movements, but now I'm also incorporating more isolating movements as mentioned above with the cables. It's time to bring in the fine detail and maintain the mass going into the show.

Oddly, I have not had to alter my carbs yet.. my body is really doing what it needs to do right now and I fear if I were to drop them now, I could lose some of my fullness. Therefore, I am continuing to keep the carbs the same, the protein the same and still, keeping almonds, small bit of olive oil and my omega 3's daily.

I am eating a lot of salads and fibrous veggies right now along with this diet. Only drinking 2-3 protein shakes a day.

Next week will be very telling and very exciting as you see me start bringing the weight down from this point.

Mentally I'm great! Very, very pleased with my body and the way I feel so it makes things so much smoother on the mind! I feel good energy wise as I get closer, even though I am working so hard, I feel excited and that just gives you the adrenaline push you need to keep going!

This is it.. we are getting down to the wire! I hope you are all gaining some knowledge from this journal and I hope it is helping you to get a better picture of what we go through week by week.

Thank you very muc and take care! We'll see you here next week!

03 WEEKS:
09.21.04
Well it's really down to the wire now! I leave for Atlanta 2 weeks from tomorrow and can't wait!

The photos this week are not my best as I had to take them at dusk with bad sunlight and after a full day of eating and water, but I still think you can see the changes from week 4.

Hany, my nutritionist was here this weekend and was really excited with the progress. We feel good about where I am now and really see the potential to actually dial my glutes in all the way. Put it this way, they will be great for the GNC and Awesome by the Olympia!

My hamstrings are coming in nicely in the morning and the goal now is to dial them in tighter every day so that by the time I go to bed everyday, they still look as they do when I wake up dry to the bone!

My weight dropped down a few pounds and from here on out, the goal is to drop 2 lbs. by the weekend and 2 more by next.. then it's into the depletion, loading phase for the final week.

I'm now doing deep tissue massage on my glutes/hammy's to help bring them in even deeper by show time. I also am doing a lot of stretching to help with the same.

My cardio is at 2 sessions right now.. just to make sure to bring that conditioning in even better than ever. I also adjusted my training to be at a little faster pace and increased reps 15-20, but still as heavy as possible. This is to help etch in all my lines!

My diet had to be altered a bit as well, adding in one more carb meal a few days this week to keep my fullness. Still sticking with steak, turkey, chicken, brown rice and potatoes. Now this coming week, we will tweak things a bit to start dialing in my conditioning and really seeing those deep separations come in.

Mentally I'm really good and very energetic this week. I'm feeling very, very anxious and just want to be on stage. I think I really have a shot at winning this and am just focusing on that thought entirely throughout my training sessions. I keep envisioning the first name called out with supreme conditioning and fullness on stage.. I just know this is my time to shine and can't wait.

Thank you for being patient this week. Again, my sincerest sympathy to Dominic and his family for the tragic situation.. and my sincerest gratitude to him and to all of you for your support! Emjoy the rest of the week!
Your Friend,

[Pain]

2 weeks out

1 WEEK OUT!!!


02 WEEKS:
09.26.04
Officially 2 weeks left to the GNC!!!

I'm very anxious, but today is my Birthday and I am giving myself the gift of relaxation and a nice movie! Trying to keep my mind off the show and on fun things!

The excitement is in the air everyday. I feel very confident at the changes my body is making and the conditioning I am bringing in. I am going to just be crazy shredded on stage and can't wait!
The photos will not show the normal grainy detail as I took them in different sunlight, but this time, 1st thing in the morning without any food in my body and completely flat!

What you will notice from the photos is the deep separation starting to appear. In person, the conditioning is so good, you can see the cross striations coming in everywhere and the ultra grainy look even on my hamstrings. You are seeing a back-shot of my glutes for the 1st time and while they are not striated all the way up, the fact they are this hard even now is remarkable and you will be amazed at what happens to them by show time!!! It's very exciting!

My training is still heavy and high reps. I'm doing a lot of added glute work and hamstrings. My goal is to keep training heavy all the way through to hold on to the size and muscle. My weight came down a few pounds and now I am holding it here until next weekend.. by that time, I will start depleting and come down another 2-3 lbs. before I start loading up a few days prior to showtime.

My diet has changed a bit this past week. For 2 days I went low carbs and dropped a good amount, then added my carbs back in to keep full until next weekend. I'm currently eating 2 red meat meals a day and still keeping my good fats in my diet! Also added in yohimbe as a supplement for helping to excrete any fat left on my body at this point.

Overall mentally I am just anxious and excited. I hear all the talk and all the predictions, but nothing means anything until you get on stage and that is where I plan to take care of business! With all of your support, I'm gonna do this and make the statement I've worked all year for!

Thank you again for being part of TEAM TROY and thank you for being the best fans in the world!
Have a great week!
Your Friend,

01 WEEK:
10.03.04
IT'S FINALLY HERE!

FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND BELIEF DURING THIS PREPARATION. I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITH OUT ALL OF YOU!

I AM EXCITED TO SAY THE LEAST! AS YOU SEE BY THE PHOTOS, I'M READY!

I HAD A GREAT WEEK OF TRAINING! FOR SOME REASON I FELT REALLY STRONG SO I TRIED SOME THINGS I HAVEN'T DONE IN A WHILE AND ENDED UP BENCHING 405 FOR 10 REPS ON THE FLAT BENCH, AND I DID 405 ON BENT OVER ROWS FOR SETS OF 6. FOR ME THESE ARE LIFTS I WOULD DO IN OFFSEASON, BUT FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO THESE 1 WEEK OUT TELLS YOU WHAT CHANGES MY BODY HAS REALLY MADE. I WILL DO MY LAST WORK-OUT ON TUESDAY AND IT WILL BE SHOULDERS AND ARMS, MODERATELY HEAVY WEIGHT. AT THIS POINT, THE GOAL IS TO HOLD ON TO AS MUCH SIZE AS POSSIBLE GOING INTO THE LAST WEEK.

MY BODY IS RESPONDING SO WELL WITH HIGH CARBS, I HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP THEM AT ABOUT 350 GRAMS A DAY RIGHT NOW. I AM ALSO STILL EATING SODIUM BECAUSE IT IS KEEPING MY MUSCLES FULL, BUT WILL BE CUTTING BOTH DOWN STARTING ON WED. I WILL ALSO BE CUTTING MY WATER DOWN STARTING ON THURSDAY. ON WED, I HAVE TO DRINK A TON BECAUSE I WILL BY FLYING ALL DAY AND DON'T WANT TO HOLD WATER, SO ON THURSDAY, I WILL CUT MY WATER DOWN TO ABOUT 1/2 OF MY NORMAL INTAKE AND A LITTLE LESS THAN THAT ON FRIDAY.

MENTALLY I'M VERY READY TO BE ON STAGE. I HAVE TRAINED SO HARD AND PUT SO MUCH ENERGY INTO THIS ALL YEAR AND I FEEL LIKE MY IMPROVEMENTS HAVE TO BE REWARDED. I TRULY FEEL AT EASE GOING INTO THE SHOW JUST KNOWING I'VE DONE ALL I CAN DO AND HAVE COVERED EVERY BASE IN MY PREPARATION, NOTHING WAS DONE HALF WAY THIS YEAR!

ALTHOUGH I AM STARTING TO GET EXTREMELY FATIGUED AT THIS POINT! I AM GRATEFUL FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE COME HERE EVERY WEEK TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT. AGAIN I COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT ALL OF YOU! I THANK MY WIFE FOR PUTTING HER HEART AND SOUL INTO THIS AND OF COURSE DOMINIC FOR YOUR AMAZING HELP WITH EVERYTHING, IF I EVER WIN THE LOTTERY, YOU WILL BE ONE OF THE FIRST GETTING A CHECK!

THANKS AGAIN GUYS AND PLEASE KEEP ME IN YOUR PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS ON SATURDAY MORNING!
Your Friend,

[Pain]

1 Week out from the Olympia..Special Thanks to Raymond & Wolfgang from www.Muscletime.com for the shots and support!

[Pain]

continued

[davidsmith]

Was always a question of conditioniong with this guy, he nailed it an the ironman, and showed what he is capable.

[Sam Arias]

Like how you ignore the "do not post" at the bottom of all the pics

Incredible series of pics btw