Our athlete Rory Golden is going to compete this year and we have decided to follow his journey. A diary from start to finish, 18 weeks out until stepping on stage.
Rory Golden - The Prep files
Blog – 14 weeks out.
So a few changes came through on Sunday night for the following week ahead.
A couple of food drops in certain meals, intra workout carbs added and a slight change in cardio. The food drop was 50g of carbs from a couple of meals however carb powder has been added during workouts which has added 25g back in.
Last year was the first time I used carb powder during my workouts and noticed such a difference. These are very fast reacting carbohydrate and are being used during the workout to replenish depleted glycogen stores. This will keep energy levels up, the muscle pump won't fade and my physique will keep a fuller look during training.
With certain poses from the rear, my main focus is to get my glutes/hamstrings to pop. So 30 minutes cardio on the stepper was added in a week ago, now the change this week was no holding on. Standing upright and stepping at a fast pace puts a lot more pressure on the glutes and hamstrings. Within minutes of doing this for the first time, my legs were on fire!
When doing cardio or any other type of training zoning out and focusing on the task in hand is so important. Putting your hood up, headphones in and blocking everything else around you out is vital in getting the work done and executing it to the best of your ability.
Overall this week has run very smoothly. Body is feeling good. I was focusing a lot more on stretching/foam rolling whenever I could. I noticed this made such a difference in how my body was feeling from day to day. Also for the first time, I did a Pilates class which was very beneficial in terms of stretching and breathing but also noticing how my core strength needs improving. These small changes can make a massive difference in the gym.
The more I keep doing bodybuilding, the more I'm noticing there is much more to this than just the typical "eating and training".
