[fmoncas]

Upper Body today!...Great workout….!!!!

I was feeling a little tired after work but once I got to the gym I told myself…only 3 weeks left and only 3 more upper body workouts left so lets make it worth it……don’t know where the energy came from but I was on fire…jejej ..after I finish my workout I still had a lot in the tank to keep going!! I whish everyday was like today….

1.HS High Row: (3 warm up sets ) then 3 working sets ; 5 plates side x 5 reps , 5 plates side x 5 reps, 5 plates side x 5 reps

2.Dumbbell Rows: 150’s x 15 reps ; 150’s x 15 reps ; 150’s x 19 reps (PR)

3.Dumbbell Incline Press: Chest felt great today….i was pain free so I pushed a little harder but I kept the usual weight just to be safe: 100’s x 10 reps ; 100’s x 10 reps ; 100’s x 12 reps.

4.Dips: Bodyweight x 10 , Bodyweight x 10

5.Dumbbell Delt Press: Arms were very fatigued but I manage to use the 100’s x 6 reps x 3 sets

6.Bis Barbell Curls : 135 x 10 reps , 145 x 6 reps

7.Close Grip Tris Bench Press : 225 x 10, 225x 10

Later ...going to eat and sleep

[fmoncas]

Leg Power...short but very intense workout..broke another PR...i was pretty happy about that

1.Hack Squats

1.180 x 10 – Warm up
2.270 x 10 – Warm up
3.360 x 5 – warm up
4.450 x3 – warm up
5.475 x 5 – Working set
6.485 x 5 – working set
7.500 x 5 (PR)

2.Dumbbell walking lunges

8.90’s x 8 – each leg
9.90’s x 8 – each leg

3.Dumbbell SLDL

10.135’s x 5
11.135’s x 5
12.135’s x 5

4.Standing Calf Raises

13.370 x 10
14.370 x 10
15.370 x 10

5.Seated Calf Raises

16.180 x 8
17.180 x 8
18.180 x 8

alright i am going to sleep ...later guys

[fmoncas]

Cardio Only today!!

Total time 30 min: HIIT

10 min Warm up (55-60%)
15 intervals (45 secs@55% - 15 Secs@100%)
5 min Cool Down

Cal Burned: 370

[cjax21]

dang francisco you look great man that post about the diet was motivating im currently in my 5 week of diet and it sucks so bad but its worth it all you have inspired me to keep pushing on good luck in the comp man cant wait to see how you do

[fmoncas]

Originally Posted by cjax21

dang francisco you look great man that post about the diet was motivating im currently in my 5 week of diet and it sucks so bad but its worth it all you have inspired me to keep pushing on good luck in the comp man cant wait to see how you do

thanks a lot my friend!! i am glad that my thread is helping you to push harder!!!! i owe you guys a lot.....your words of support help me to keep pushing specially in this sport that not everybody understands....

Please feel free to post your diet, pics or any concerns that you have….. i am always happy to help a fellow bodybuilder in anything that i can.....On the other hand keep up the good work bro!! Remember that sacrifice is the big difference between success and failure….keep the pace and hold it…be persistent and focus only on your goal!! Mind over matter

[fmoncas]

Chest-Back day

I haven’t had a rest day in more than 10 days and I was feeling pretty drained today (if I am not training I am doing HIIT)…its almost the end of the week and today was not my best day…on top of that my lower back it’s been very sore since yesterday….Anyways I gather myself and I hit the gym ……I did chin-ups (3 sets x 10 reps) then I hit the Barbell Row pretty hard…..after a couple of warm up sets I did 3 working sets ( 315 x 8 reps , 325 x 8 reps and 335 x 7 reps) after these heavy sets my lower back was killing me and after that i couldn’t keep pushing hard….i just went thru the motions to finish my workout.….Now I am with a bag of ice attached to my lower back just in case…I just need sleep a good 8 hours and I will be like new….

later

[fmoncas]

I haven’t posted in a few days…I have been busy and tired after work and my workouts…Also the intensity of my workouts suffered at the end of last week…I was drained but I did my best, I think that one of the reasons was that I haven’t taken a day off in more than a week…anyways despite the bad workouts on Friday and Saturday i hit the gym hard last night…I broke another PR (Dumbbell Rows 150’s x 20 reps) . Contest prep is getting closer..only 2 more weeks! I am a little exited because finally I will see if the hard work will pay off….it’s been 18 months since my last contest and Its time for a change and a new challenge. Let see what happens.

Last night workout:

1.HS High Row: 4 plates/side x 10 reps , 5 plates/side x 5reps , 5 plates/side x 5 reps

2.Dumbbell Rows: 150’s x 15reps , 150’s x 15 reps, 150’s x 20 reps (PR) the last set really kicked my butt

3.Incline DB Chest Press: 100’s x 12 (3 sets) still nursing the chest…
sometimes hurts a little

4.Dips: BW x 12, (3sets)

5.Upright Rows: 135 x 5, 135 x 5 , 135 x 5

6.Bis Curls 135 x 8, 135 x 8

7.Tris Extensions : 3 sets x whole stack

[fmoncas]

Boss send me to de-load for 2 weeks… so since Tuesday I have been lifting at 50% capacity……the bad side is “no more PR” ;( but the good side is that I really needed a break (body and mind). I am really enjoying this phase because I am only going thru the motions and feels very refreshing after hitting the gym hard for almost 4 months. Next week will be my last one in this long bulking season…18 months! I am ready to diet and see the improvements. Also next week I will be traveling to Miami for a few days and then to Nicaragua to visit a few friends and my parents….i will be training over there and also I will be helping one of my best friends that is competing right now…he will be competing in his 4th contest this year when I arrive. (I am attaching a picture of him, he is the guy with red trunks on the left)

Later

[CrUsH]

Cool man, your workouts have been working great and your bulking has been awesome, cant wait and see the cutting results. Good luck and have fun on the trip!

[fmoncas]

Alright bros…the time has come!!! 2009 CONTEST PREP Starts NOW!! :1:………..after 18 long months its finally time to lose all the extra weight and see the results of 1.5 years of sacrifice…..It’s also time to test myself once again…Lets do this!!!

On a side note I just came back from a well deserved vacations….i really needed to forget about my diet, and training for a few days…well almost!!, during vacations I still ate a lot of food and hit the gym hard but just the fact that I was not counting calories and that I was just going thru the motions while training gave me a huge mental break….Also i think that I enjoyed my vacations to much I even drank one night too jejee…I was not supposed to but one party night once in a while won’t kill me!!.....Yesterday I worked on my new diet and I started today with my low carb day plan,…I have to admit that it feels good to eat less, I was tired of stuffing my face with carbs all the time. My starting weight is 225 lbs and I am estimating to lose between 1.5 – 2 lbs per week after the first week.,….on the other hand i don’t know what my final weight is going to be, I don’t want to think about it….i will go by the mirror because if I want to do well the main factor is to look nasty shredded. Finally the show that I am aiming is the Texas shredder Classic @ Austin….the contest date has not been released yet (as far as i know) but this year was held at the end of april. Anyway I am hoping to have enough time to get ready...i have around 20 weeks...

I will post my diet in the next few days…

Today is HIIT cardio.....LETS DO THIS

Later guys

[CrUsH]

Nice man, you looking big as hell at 225. I can't wait to see the results man! Good to know you got to take a break and let your body rest for a little bit, thats important.

[fmoncas]

Originally Posted by CrUsH

Nice man, you looking big as hell at 225. I can't wait to see the results man! Good to know you got to take a break and let your body rest for a little bit, thats important.

Thanks bro!

[cmart315]

Definitely pumped to follow this journey! Hit it hard man.

[fmoncas]

Originally Posted by cmart315

Definitely pumped to follow this journey! Hit it hard man.

thanks my friend!! glad to see you around here...!!

[fmoncas]

Alright…finally I had time to seat in front of the computer to post my diet: I will be using and carb cycling approach (Recommended by the Boss – Layne jejej) …I will go low carbs for 5 days and I will carb load twice per week. The diet that I designed is pretty basic. Most of my carbs will be around my workout, most of my carbs will be low absorbing carbs except for my post workout meal which will be fast absorbing carbs to replenish my glucose stores fast before my body starts searching for glucose in my own body (not good jjje)…my fats will consist of fish oil, natural peanut butter, cashews and extra virgin olive oil…and finally proteins will come in the form of lean meats. I also will be eating a lot of veggies,,,because they are not only a good source of fiber but contains anti-estrogenic properties.

NORMAL DAYS(low carb): PRO 270/CARBS 250/ FAT 65

Meal 1: Breakfast

1.Oat Bran Cereal (Cheerios) 30g
2.Milk (2%) 6oz
3.Protein Powder 2 Servings
4.Natural Peanut Butter 1 Tbsp
5.Fish oil 4 g

Totals: Cals : 584 – Fat: 19 – Carbs: 40.2 – Pro: 60g

Meal 2: Lunch

1. Tilapia 8oz
2. Mixed Veggies 170g
3. Cashews 40g

Totals: Cals : 559 – Fat: 22.2 – Carbs: 38 – Pro: 55g

Meal 3: Pre-Workout

1. Protein Powder 2 servings
2. Oatmeal 1 cup

Totals: Cals : 540 – Fat: 8 – Carbs: 60 – Pro: 58

Meal 4: Post-Workout

1. Protein Powder 2 servings
2. Waxi Maize 1.75 servings

Totals: Cals : 520 – Fat: 2 – Carbs: 76 – Pro: 48

Meal 5: Dinner

1. Chicken Breast 6oz
2. Mixed Veggies 250g
3. Extra Virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
4. Fish oil 2 g

Totals: Cals : 589 – Fat: 23.4 – Carbs: 35.6 – Pro: 60

[fmoncas]

HIGH CARB DAYS: PRO 250/CARBS 400/ FAT 60

Meal 1: Breakfast

6.Oat Bran Cereal (Cheerios) 60g
7.Milk (2%) 6oz
8.Protein Powder 1.5 Servings
9.Natural Peanut Butter 1 Tbsp
10.Fish oil 4 g

Totals: Cals : 647 – Fat: 20 – Carbs: 61 – Pro: 52

Meal 2: Lunch

4.Tilapia 8oz
5.Mixed Veggies 170g
6.Cashews 40g
7.Potatos 120g

Totals: Cals : 664 – Fat: 25.8 – Carbs: 60.3 – Pro: 54g

Meal 3: Pre-Workout

3.Protein Powder 1.5 servings
4.Oatmeal 1.75 cup

Totals: Cals : 705 – Fat: 12 – Carbs: 99 – Pro: 53

Meal 4: Post-Workout

3.Protein Powder 2 servings
4.Waxi Maize 3 servings

Totals: Cals : 720 – Fat: 2 – Carbs: 126 – Pro: 48

Meal 5: Dinner

5.Chicken Breast 5oz
6.Mixed Veggies 250g
7.Fish oil 2 g
8.Potato 120g

Totals: Cals : 529 – Fat: 9.4 – Carbs: 59 – Pro: 53

Later

[fmoncas]

19 weeks out!

Last week was very hectic..i was coming back from my vacations I had to work on my diet fast and start doing it ASAP. Also I had to try to catch up with my workout schedule and my work at the office…Anyways it is over now I have everything under control now. I just need to keep pushing from now on!!

Alright 19 weeks out and weight is down to 221 lbs from 225!

Last nite I had a great workout I felt strong and refreshed but the highlight of my workout was the fact that my chest felt great, no pain at all so I tested myself a little. As I have been mentioning I have been suffering from chest tendonitis I haven’t had a good chest workout in months!! Well yesterday while doing incline DB presses I worked my way up to the 115’s dumbbells and they felt pretty easy…but I didn’t want to play with my luck so I stopped there.

No pics this week...my wife stole my camera ejjej...i will have it back by next week

My workout:

1.HS High Row ( 5 plates + 2-1/2 x 5 reps ) 3 sets
2.Dumbell Rows@50% : 150’s x 10 (3 sets)
3.DB Incline Press: 115’s x 5 (3 sets)
4.Dips: BW x 12 x 3 sets
5.DB Delt Press@ 80% : 90’s x 5 x 3 sets
6.Barbel Curls: 135 x 8 x 2 sets
7.Tris Cable Ext: Whole stack x 15 x 2 sets

Later guys

[fmoncas]

Yesterday was a hectic day…I went to pick up my wife to the airport after work and the damn plane was delayed…I think I waited for almost 2 hours…I was hungry but I couldn’t eat anything until I get home. The plane finally arrived at 8 pm and I was hungry and pissed…..Anyway once we get home I split my post workout meal in ½ and I ate one portion to have enough energy to hit the gym. I decided to do HIIT instead of legs because it was very late….so that’s what I did.

HITT:

10 min Warm up
15 intervals
5 min cool down

Cals burned : 360

Again.. I went to bed very late (12:00pm) and I am feeling very tired today…but I will find a way to hit legs hard. I need to push harder each week “Sacrifice is the barrier between Success and failure”

Later guys

[fmoncas]

Yesterday….Legs Power! Even though I was in my second low carb day I was able to break a PR on hack squats…I was pretty happy about that….i will try to keep getting stronger as long as I can keep it safe

Hack Squats: 3 warm up sets + 500lbs x 5 ; 500lbs x 5 ; 510lbs x 5 (PR)
Walking lunges: 100 x 20 steps , 100 x 20 steps, 100 x 20 steps
DB Stiff Deads: 2 warm up sets + 140’s x 5 ; 140’s x 5, 140’s x 5
Standing Calf Raises: 3 Sets
Seated Calf Raises: 3 sets

[fmoncas]

Last Night: Back-Chest

It’s the end of the week and I was pretty drained last night…I hit the gym hard but I couldn’t break any previous PR. My lower back, legs were very sore and I think that that was one of the reasons why I my strength level was not there specially while doing barbell rows. Anyways I just need to keep pushing thru until my body can adjust to this new intensity. Today is legs and I am still sore from hack-squatting 510 lbs Wednesday….anyways here is the summary of last night workout

1. Pull ups : 4 sets x 8-10 reps
2. Barbell Rows: 2 Warm up sets + 315lbs x 10 , 315 x 8 , 315x 8
3. Lat Pull Downs 3 sets x 15 reps
4. Close grip Cable Rows : 3 sets x 15 reps
5. DB Pull Overs 2 x 12 reps
6. Incline DB Press 100’s x 10 x 3 sets
7. Flat DB Press 100’s x 12 x 3 sets
8. Dips : 3 sets x 12-15 reps
9. Cable flyes: 1 set x 15 reps

Cardio:

20 minutes on the treadmill…to finish off my workout !

Spend the rest of the night cooking and eating….but I went to bed at 12 again….so I am very sleepy today. I will try to re-schedule my meals so I can go to bed earlier.

[fmoncas]

Yesterday I had a great leg workout….my legs were still very sore from my previous leg workout but I decided to push thru the pain and let my body tells me when to stop….i warmed up for 5 minutes on the treadmill then I started with hack squats@50% and after 3 working sets my legs felt much better..i move to the leg press and I work my way up to 1080lbs and I hit 15 reps breaking my previous record. Then I loaded the machine with 1105 lbs and I hit 8 good reps…another PR!! I was pretty happy about it…but after leg press I was done and I was dragging myself from machine to machine until a finish my workout.

Summary

Hack Squats:@50: 270lbs x 10 x 3 sets
Leg Press: 4 Warm up sets + 990lbs x 15; 1080lbs x 15 (PR) ; 1105lbs x 8 (PR)
Leg Extensions: 3 sets x 15 reps
Stiff Leg Deads@50% 225 x 10 x 3 sets
Lying leg Curls: 3 sets x 15 reps
Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets x 10-12
Seated Calf Raises : I had to skip this exercise because I couldn’t take the pad weight on top of my legs…it hurt so much!

Cardio:

Then I finish off my workout with 20 minutes on the treadmill !

[CrUsH]

Originally Posted by fmoncas

Yesterday I had a great leg workout….my legs were still very sore from my previous leg workout but I decided to push thru the pain and let my body tells me when to stop….i warmed up for 5 minutes on the treadmill then I started with hack squats@50% and after 3 working sets my legs felt much better..i move to the leg press and I work my way up to 1080lbs and I hit 15 reps breaking my previous record. Then I loaded the machine with 1105 lbs and I hit 8 good reps…another PR!! I was pretty happy about it…but after leg press I was done and I was dragging myself from machine to machine until a finish my workout.

Summary

Hack Squats:@50: 270lbs x 10 x 3 sets
Leg Press: 4 Warm up sets + 990lbs x 15; 1080lbs x 15 (PR) ; 1105lbs x 8 (PR)
Leg Extensions: 3 sets x 15 reps
Stiff Leg Deads@50% 225 x 10 x 3 sets
Lying leg Curls: 3 sets x 15 reps
Standing Calf Raises: 3 sets x 10-12
Seated Calf Raises : I had to skip this exercise because I couldn’t take the pad weight on top of my legs…it hurt so much!

Cardio:

Then I finish off my workout with 20 minutes on the treadmill !

Awesome workout man! I hear ya on the seated calf raises hurting, I cant do those after my quads are pumped also. I just have shoulders and calfs on their own day now

[fmoncas]

Originally Posted by CrUsH

Awesome workout man! I hear ya on the seated calf raises hurting, I cant do those after my quads are pumped also. I just have shoulders and calfs on their own day now

yeah crush!! it really hurt...usually i can tolerate the pain but last nite my legs were trashed!! thanks for stoping by

[fmoncas]

Today Delts-Arms

When I wake up today I felt that I have been hit by a truck!! I felt sleepy all day and didn’t move much during the day jeje I think that I only step out of my bed to go to the kitchen to eat and back…I wasn’t feeling like working out and in order to improve recovery I took a bath with Epson Salt…but made me more sleepy so I took a nap in an attempt to be ready for my workout….i wake up an hour later and I felt like a zombie I count focus so I forced myself to get dressed and finally made it to the gym….& i am glad I did!!! …….. …it took me like 15-20 minutes to get my concentration and focus where I wanted but once I was in the zone I was ready! …What a workout!! Weights felt great ….

Summary

Overhead DB Press: 3 warm up sets + 105’s x 5 reps ; 110’s x 5 reps; 120’s x 5 reps (PR)

DB Side Laterals: 50’s x 20 reps ; 60’s x 15 reps ; 60’s x 12 reps

Cable Laterals: 3 sets x 15 reps

Rear Delt Cable: 3 sets x 15 reps

Barbell Bis Curls: I wanted to change my usual workout and make it more interesting because I have been doing the same bis workout for the last 3 months…so I decide to hit barbell curls hard…I did 10 sets x 6 reps with the bar and a 45 plate per side. Felt great and pumped …I have used that weight before but not for 10 sets straight! (PR)

Overhead barbell Tris Press: 135 x 10 reps x 5 sets

Tris Cable Extensions: Whole Stack x 15-20 reps x 2 sets

Now I am feeling trashed again!!!! Anyway I need to finish the week strong and tomorrow is my last day….Only HIIT Tomorrow ( I will do my best to do sprints on sand…. i havent done it before and sounds like fun

[fmoncas]

Cardio Today

I finish my week strong with “HIIT Cardio” ….i went to the beach to do sprints on sand!! Tough stuff jeje but I love it…My lungs were on fire and running on the damn sand is very hard!...right now I am sore in some weird areas …..but It felt great just to change the scenario and do my cardio outdoors …..I started with 10 minutes warm up as usual running at 50% capacity then the real tough stuff began!! I did 17 sprints!! At first after sprinting I got back to the original point running at 50% capacity but after the 6th sprint I could only go back walking…my lungs hurt Ouch! Anyway i finally did 17 and finish off with 5 more minutes running at 50% again to cool down….

Summary:

10 minutes@50% to warm up
17 sprints
5 minutes cool down

After i finished we (my wife and me) went to eat!! Well she ate…..jeje sorry we both ate…not the same thing but….you’ll see what I mean from the pictures

Tomorrow a new week….let keeps this ball rolling strong

[cmart315]

120’s x 5 reps (PR)

The shirt is a true statement. BEAST!

[fmoncas]

Originally Posted by cmart315

120’s x 5 reps (PR)

The shirt is a true statement. BEAST!

Thanks bro...i will be fighting hard to keep my strenght levels up during this diet..Thanks for stoping by

[fmoncas]

Mondays workout: Upper Body

I had a good workout overall…not the best one because my left bis was very sore!! so I had to take it easier while doing my back, bis etc. No personal Records either on Monday but the highlight of the entire workout was the fact that my chest was feeling a lot better…hopefully my tendonitis is going to be something in the past. I slowly worked my way up to 120’s and I felt great….its been so long since I have worked my chest with heavy loads that I don’t remember jejej…I will try to slowly keep increasing the weights!

Tuesday: Lower Body

Maybe one of the worst leg workouts I have had! After sprinting last Sunday I felt that my lower legs (front side) hurt a lot….and by Tuesday I could barely walk! I have never had this before..somebody at the gym told me that this is called shin splints? Or something like that…..have anyone has experienced this before?? Anyway my workout was terrible…I was determined to hit another PR but I could only work my way up to 5 plates on the hack squats…. the pain was so harsh that I just stopped there..i was not happy but I finished my workout limping around and going thru the motions….terrible!

Wednesday: HIIT

Determined to make it worth it I hit abs for 20 minutes and calves for another 20-25 minutes (Front lower legs still hurt)….then I hit the elliptical pretty hard for 17 intervals…..

Warm up 10 min
17 intervals
3 min cool down

Total Cals 380

[fmoncas]

Yesterday’s Workout: Back-Chest

Great workout…..no PR but the intensity was there 100%....i kill my back but my chest was hurting a little so I had to go easier again.

HS High Row:

3 Warm up Sets
3 Working sets - 4 plates/side x 15 reps

Bent over Barbell Rows: I kill this exercise!

3 Warm up sets
315 x 12 reps
335 x 10 reps
350 x 8 reps
Burn out: 275 x 20 reps ..drop to 225 x 15 reps!!!

Incline torso pull downs

3 sets x 15 reps

Chin ups – Lat pull down superset

10 Chins + 10 more reps (lat machine)
8 Chins + 10 more reps (lat machine)
8 Chins + 10 more reps (Lat machine)

Straight arm cable pull downs:

2 sets x 15 reps

Incline DB press: (chest was bothering me a little again…this sucks!)

100’s x 10 reps x 3 sets

HS Press Machine:

3 sets x 10-12 reps

Dips – Cable cross over superset

3 set x 10 reps then 10 more on the machine

Cardio: Then I finished my workout with 20 minutes on the treadmill……

[fmoncas]

17 weeks out

I haven’t updated my log in a few days because I have been very busy…but I am getting the job done. Despite the fact that I started last week with 2 bad workouts due to a very sore bis and shin splints from my sprinting I managed to finish the week strong. Weight is down 1 lb from last week (217.5 lbs)

Last night workout:

HS high Row : 3 warm up sets + 3 working sets (5 plates side + 5 lbs) x 3 sets (PR)

DB Rows: 150’s x 15 reps (3 sets )

Incline DB Bench Press: 3 warm up sets + 3 working sets (115’s x 5 ; 120’s x 5 ; 125’s x 5) again I didn’t have any pain at all in my chest.

Dips: Bodyweight + 45 lb plate x 10 reps (3 sets)

DB Delt Press: 100’s x 5 x 3 sets

Hammer DB curls: 2 warm up sets + 3 working sets (75’s x 10 ; 80’s x 8 ; 85’s x 6) left bis still a little sore…I am icing it everyday…hopefully the pain will go away soon.

BB Close grip Overhead tris press: 160’s x 12 x 3 sets

One PR broken already this week…great! Hopefully I can keep this pace as the week progresses….

Happy Holydays everyone!