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 – 15 weeks out.
A few changes heading into this week, morning cardio got put back in along with intervals for post workout cardio. I was very excited for this week, as I knew I had a long and busy week ahead. With my job and the hours I do, I knew I would have to do my cardio around 4.30am. Which honestly I don’t mind and enjoy sweating out on a stepper when most are still asleep…it feels like I get a jump on the day. However, I did forget the toll it takes later on during that day and throughout the week. Monday’s session however, I seriously suffered, nothing felt right in the gym. Mondays are always a big day for me to start the week off right and to continue/better in the upcoming challenges the week throws at me. What was meant to be a kick arse start with the cardio and push session in the afternoon became a ‘tick box’ session. This is where I completed everything I had set out to complete but it just felt horrible. For example, I was so tight in my upper body; this stopped the blood flow, restricted range of motion and made the workout suffer.
Tuesday was a much better day though! I had an awesome hamstring and glute session however I did notice some issues with my body. Joints were hurting and muscles seemed to be fatiguing and tightening effecting certain movements. So I knew I had to take some time off and change around my routine. I decided to take the weekend off the weights but still do my cardio. With the weekend being free I had a deep tissue massage on Friday loosening certain tight points. It was very clear to see I need to pay more attention to foam rolling and stretching. So over the course of the week,end I flushed out my system and rolled my life away on a foam roller. By Sunday evening I felt so much more refreshed and flexible. Having just an extra day off from weights (Saturday, as Sunday is just a cardio day) has made such a difference and I’m buzzing to get back into the gym on Monday.
Food has still remained the same but with the added cardio dropped into more of a deficit seeing my weight lower steadily to 83kg. This coming week more cardio will be added and some carb changes possibly. Looking to add more carbs pre/intra to keep the workouts strong and fuelled. (I’ll await changes from the boss and check in pictures). Another personal target this week will be posing every day, this is something which is massively over looked but is one of the most important aspects of bodybuilding. The work load is increasing so this is where it gets fun and interesting.
It was also nice to meet up with Pharmafitness Saturday night. I've recently been asked a few questions regarding bodybuilding and competing so we managed to video a Q&A.
My current protein/supplement stack:
- Whey protein (chocolate flavour)
- Nitric oxide
- Pre workout
- Fat burners
- Multivitamins
