Robert's Training Journal - A Tale of Yeah's and Buddy's

[robert]

I've been super swamped lately! I drove 12 hours in my car the last two days...I'm up in Canada at the moment.

 

I took the last couple of days off from the gym to recover from that leg workout and I've been so stressed with work and traveling.

 

I'm super tired and headed to bed very soon.

 

Still eating though

[DV]

You travel a lot for someone who lives in one of the greatest cities in the US. I think we should put you on house arrest for a few weeks when you return.

[robert]

 

I trained arms this morning in Canada.

 

My last arm workout was last week in Seattle.

 

Time to go............

 

I'll be in Portland for 1 day in the next 10 days or so Of course I miss it but I'm still trying to eat, bulk and train while I travel.

[robert]

Wow! 10 days since I last trained! I got ill and was traveling from Canada to Portland, then up to Seattle and back and I finally returned to action today. I'm not "fully recovered" from my illness but I had fun today and trained pretty hard actually.

 

I trained arms and it was nice to hammer out tons of curls using 45lb dumbbells, and did some barbell curls as well, a bit of hammer strength too.

 

I also trained triceps using skull crushers and close-grip presses, dips and extensions.

 

Overall, I was there for about 1 hour 10 minutes and then spent 45 minutes in the steamroom, hot tub and sauna to try to get my muscles and body to relax and get my nasal pathways opened up and totally clear.

 

Tomorrow I'll probably hit up legs in the morning so I'll be done early and can just work the rest of the day.

 

It's nice to be back in action....I've been posting photos every week or two so I'm not hiding and not afraid to show my ups and downs and gains and struggles, and all that.

 

It's on now. Road to 200 baby...nearly there. Time to eat!

[robert]

I stayed up until 2:30AM or so watching bodybuilding videos...mostly Arnold

 

I got up early and hammered out legs so now I'm done for the day! Not to "get it out of the way" but now it won't keep me up so late since I usually leave the gym around 10PM and then eat, work on the computer, etc. and get to bed at 1AM.

 

Now I'm open for the evening.....maybe I'll go find a date!

 

Anyway, good leg workout. I hadn't missed a week of legs in about 3 months (where all my gains came from, including bodyweight) but then missed 2 weeks being ill and traveling! Today I got em back!

 

Now I'm eating a burrito and have to leave shortly.

 

yeah buddy!

[robert]

Another late night goofing around online watching bodybuilding videos and another early morning heading to the gym! Then I'll be gone all day out of town and tomorrow I leave for Seattle.

 

I hit up legs yesterday morning and today I'll do some chest and then hit up back on Friday before heading to Seattle.

 

Good times, I just need to make sure I'm resting too, especially as I recover from being ill.

 

I just got excited about watching tons of bodybuilding videos and I was having fun networking with people on facebook last night and was up quite late.

 

Well, time to train!

[robert]

I'm back to training but I feel like I'm "burning the candle at both ends" just being really busy, organizing a lot, training a lot, traveling, and not resting as much as I should.

 

I was away for 12 hours today for a day trip but did some good business so that was nice.

 

I'm off to Seattle in the morning so I better get to sleep soon.

 

Good times, but busy times. I look forward to catching up on rest next week.

[robert]

Just about to hit up the gym in Seattle with Ravi and then head over to the Emerald Cup for the day

 

Yay!

 

I'm burned out like crazy with everything....just struggling to get out of bed these days with my stressful and busy schedule, but today's workout will be the 4th in 5 days.

 

Better eat!

[DV]

I don't know how you have the energy to go today! I have a ticket for the pre-judging but couldn't even imagine driving up there this morning after all the travel I've done in the past month.

 

I've also missed a few workouts recently and decided a leg workout last night was a higher priority than getting up early today. I don't rebound as easily as I did 10 years ago.

 

I hope you have a great time with Ravi.

[robert]

Are you coming up tonight?

 

Call me if you are.

 

Ravi and I just hammered back. It was a tough one! Deadlifts, barbell rows, other rows, pull-ups until we fell to the ground, etc.

 

 

yeah buddy!

 

Now time to get over to pre-judging...we're a few hours late, but wanted to work out.

 

I only slept 5 hours or so and have been recovering from a number of things lately.

 

Trained 4 of the last 5 days, working hard to make it happen.

 

Good times....gotta go!

[Wobbly Lifter]

Why no listing of weights used Robert? Training in secret so you can surprise us perhaps?

[Zack]

Why no listing of weights used Robert? Training in secret so you can surprise us perhaps?

 

I actually convinced him to do that before, now I'm sure it's just a matter of it being time consuming.

[robert]

Why no listing of weights used Robert? Training in secret so you can surprise us perhaps?

 

Good question. I've actually had the time of my life training. I had a rough year last year with stress, personal stuff, etc. and got down to about 171 because I quit lifting for months. It took a while to bounce back and then I got in the mid-190's. I've been on tour for 7 or 8 weeks, in a different city every week (in Seattle as I type this) and I can barely keep up with anything.

 

But my training is better than ever. I have a whole new approach that took me from 178-195 in 8 weeks or so and I bet I would have gained more had I been home and around familiar places to eat, sleep, etc. I've been sleeping on floors, couches, hotels, eating strange foods, not having my supplements, etc.

 

Not really excuses, just the way things have been going. As for business, it has been better than ever with Vega sales, DVD sales (I have to order another 1000 DVDs because we've moved about 2000 so far and I have less than 100 left).

 

All is well and training is great! I just drilled Ravi at the gym with my training style so he can share if he gets time.

 

Basically, every rep is about 4 seconds up and 4 seconds down, often with a pause of 2 seconds, so the muscle is under constant contraction the entire time. xveganjoshx trained part of a leg workout with me this way.

 

I love this style of training. Everything is very slow, precise, detailed, concentrated and it is making me bigger and stronger. I moved up a couple hundred pounds in leg press and soon I'll be leg pressing 24 plates, somewhere over 1100 pounds I think. I am even deadlifting again and squatting a bit. I am being careful because of my injuries but that is one of the reasons I got into this training program.....so everything is slow and under control and so I won't get hurt....it also happens to be one of the best ways to grow, but most people (including myself) don't have the patience to do 10 second reps. I'm learning to adapt and learning to love it.

 

I'll try to post weight sometime. I'd love to keep more detailed blogs because they help me and help others and can be called upon down the road for comparrisons and reflections, but I haven't chosen to make it a priority because I have an insanely busy schedule, something that would give most people a massive headache, and has given me one, but at the same time, I'm more productive than ever and having an outstanding time.

 

Time to eat!

 

Just hung out with Dennis Wolf again tonight.....amazing photos coming later, it's already after midnight and Ravi and I are supposed to train in the morning and then get some food.

 

Yeah buddy!

[robert]

Ravi and I hammered chest and shoulders this morning and then hung out, got good vegan food, worked hours on the computer and hung out more, had dinner, and now it's time for me to sleep and then go home in the morning.

 

Great workout today with good presses to failure, lots of spotting going on, slow reps to exhaustion and solid overall.

 

Another late night and early morning.

 

I trained 5 of the past 6 days so I'll take a day or two off and then hammer legs

[robert]

Busted those legs today!

 

I was wimpering and grunting and making all kinds of faces as I plowed through it.

 

Today:

 

Jumping around to warm up (jumping jacks and the like)

 

Leg press for about 6 working sets, up to 8 plates on each side. I did my slow reps for the first 4 sets and then put more weight on and busted it out.

 

Then I did some one leg squats and then two leg squats with weight, some calf raises and called it good. It was actually quite tough. I had a high energy output and high intensity and it wore me out!

 

Good times though and then I went to Papa G's Vegan Organics and got my eat on!

[robert]

DV and I trained back today........I ate a lot but I'm still not good at getting rest! It is nearly 1:30AM now!

 

I don't have the energy to list the weights, but it was a solid workout:

 

Cable rows for 4 sets up to 160lbs

 

Reverse Grip lat pull downs up to 160lbs for 4 sets

 

Standing rows up to 100 lbs or so 4 sets

 

Deadlifts only 110 lbs (easing back into it) 4 sets

 

Narrow-grip pull-ups for 4 sets

 

Good times!

[DV]

I can NOT believe you stayed up late again after the motherly talk I gave you (even though you could barely hear me with all that construction noise on Jefferson).

 

No excuses on Saturday!

[robert]

No excuses, I'll be ready this weekend!

 

I feel like a nap....

[robert]

I nearly forgot about my appointment with Ceasar (my trainer) for a chest/shoulder workout today!

 

Gotta get going

 

Yeah, buddy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Actually that is what he sent me in a text message a moment ago (yeah buddy)

 

Ain't nothing to it..................

[Zack]

Why do you have a trainer?

[robert]

Man, getting a trainer was one of the best things I ever did.

 

I met with Ceasar today and killed the chest and shoulders. I exhausted everything I had and it was awesome!

 

I've met with Ceasar for 8 sessions and have learned something new every single time and he works to help me overcome injuries and has me train in a style that is the best for my bodytype to put on mass and it's working!

 

I started at around 178 and peaked at 195 in about 2 months and set a bunch of lifting records.

 

I benefit greatly from having a trainer. It may not be for everyone but I love learning all these new things...not just new exercises, but totally new training styles to get the most out of each workout. It has a lot to do with pace, range of motion, contractions, etc.

 

It's pretty awesome and I'm going to keep working hard to I can afford to keep doing it. The benefits have been incredible. I couldn't go anywhere in L.A. without people commenting on my physique (when I was at my peak before getting sick) and that is just one benefit. I got offered free photo shoots, free food and all kinds of other things.

 

Anyway, good solid chest and shoulder workout today.....mostly presses and some other exercises I've never done before for both shoulders and chest, but it was intense and I was carbed up ahead of time per his request so I had more power and endurance.

 

I look forward to training arms with DV this weekend!

 

Yeah Buddy!

[Zack]

I have spent a lot of time training with various people as well. I like to learn new tips. Lately I've been doing my own thing. I don't feel like i've progressed since working with others.

[robert]

I think everyone is different but I think a lot trainers have a lot to offer. Some are way better than others, and I feel like I have a pretty good one.

 

I've trained for nearly 10 years and have used 3 trainers, friends, workout partners and most commonly, just trained on my own.

 

Sometimes I prefer to train alone but the most fun I ever had was training with Jordan, the guy who got me into bodybuilding. We've been friends since age 5 and are nearly best friends more than 20 years later. He went to the Arnold with me back in 2001 when we both met Arnold.

 

He got me into the whole thing and we both went from skinny kids to combined over 400 lbs! I got up to 193 back in 2003 and he got up to 217. Man, those were the days.

 

I'm searching for someone who's into it as much as me. Training with xveganjoshx is fantastic! Training with DV has been great too!

 

I loved having a passionate training partner every workout; it was just so much fun! Watching all those old videos of Franco, Arnold and others makes me wish I had a whole group of 5-10 guys who were all hungry lifters and all friends.

 

I imagine that is what it was like for Daywalker when he lived with the VF strongmen. I'd love to experience that friendship, community and common goals with others.

 

For me, my trainer has helped me a lot....with positioning my body to avoid injuries, with bringing up my weak areas to help prevent injuries, with getting stronger, bigger and and with new ideas.

 

I just ate sooooooooo much food, I'm farting like crazy and need to get in bed before DV yells at me after reading this and knows I'm up past midnight again...but only 12:07 and I'm heading to bed in 10 minutes!

[DV]

You better not pull this tomorrow! Go to bed early tonight.

 

I'm with both of you on this one. I've learned a lot from my current trainer but it's been more about different exercises and techniques. I made my best gains however, when I put together my own system of lifting, diet and supplements. Overall, I find that most trainers cannot or will not push a woman to lift heavy. High reps, sure, but not heavy.

[Wobbly Lifter]

Trainers/Coaches are great. I honestly think everyone should start lifting with a good coach, and wish it hadn't taken me 6 years to find one. It's good to hear the trainer is helping Robert.

DV - sucks you can't find a coach that will push women. They are out there though, mine does!