6/28 Back, Traps, Rear Delts
Underhand Pull Downs
160×12,200×12,240×12,270×7,250×8,220×12
Seated Cable Rows
250×12,270×10,300×6,220×20
superset w/
Hanging Leg raises
12,12,12
Wide Grip Pronated Pull-ups
8,7,6
HS Hi Row
8plx8,7,6 6plx16
HS Seated Shrugs
6plx20,8plx10,8plx10,6plx15
Rope Pull Downs
140×15,150×12,160×9,140×12
Stiff Arm Lat Pull
100×12,10,8
Cable Crunches
100×20,16
Precor Lat Pull Down
205×9,7,6
18 minute Posing session
Barbell Pause Squats 365 lbs x 8 reps at bodyweight of 208 lbs
This set was performed well over an hour into a 2+ hour leg workout(5th exercise of the workout)
6/27 Another kickass Leg Workout!!!
Unilateral H-Squat (one leg)
2platesx15,4plx12,6plx12,8plx10 (PR*), 8plx7
HS Horizontal Calf Raises
6plx15,8plx15,10plx10,10plx8,10plx7,10plx7,8plx12
Prone Leg Curl
160×12,205×6,190×7,175×8,160×10
Walking Lunges
3 sets: we used the safety squat bar, which is much heavier than a standard barbell, but I don’t know what it ways
BB Pause Squats
2 warm-ups sets, then 315×8,365×8,385×4,315×6
Standing Calf Raises on Bear
8plx12,10plx10,10plx8,10plx8,8plx10,8plx10
Leg Ext
250×21,12,10,10
Seated Calf Raises
3plx20,20,20
Hyperextension
20
Hack Squats
6plates x 20
Front yard Hill Sprints
I only did 8, because at this point my workout was already very long and I was 4 hrs past my preworkout meal…needed to get that post-workout shake in!!!
Felt incredible today!
6/26 Shoulders & Arms
My workouts at the end of last week must have been great, because I was still sore as sh*t this morning, especially triceps
Had a solid workout this morning
HS Shoulder Press
90×15,180×15,270×10,270×7,270×6,180×21
superset w/
Hanging Leg Raises w/ twists
12,12,12
Seated Lateral D-Bell Raises
30′sx25,25,25,25
superset w/
Incline sit-ups w/ twists
15,16,16
Seated Alt D-Bell Curls
50′sx10,60′sx6,7,5 (per arm)
superset w/
Knee Tucks
30,30,30
Smith Machine Upright Rows
100 lbs on bar x 10,10,10,10
superset w/
Cable Crunches
100×20,120×16,120×10,100×16
Precor Preacher Curl
130×8,8,8
superset w/
V-ups & Torso twists using 35 lb plate
2 sets of 12 each
Tricep Rope Pushdown
50×30,15,20
superset w/
Front D-Bell Raises (alternating)
35′s x12,12,12
Precor Shoulder Press
stack x 21
15 minutes Posing at end of workout
Felt good. Weight as of this morning was stabilized at 208 lbs…need to do my best to hold it there for awhile.
I feel pretty good about how I look until I stand next to Vaughan and then I feel like small, fat piece of sh*t!
Saturday 6/25
Yesterday (Saturday) was the first day I really took off completely in quite awhile. I finally allowed my body a chance to rest and allowed my mind a chance to relax…no physical activity…did plenty of yardwork wednesday, thursday and friday so that I could take Saturday off completely. I took my beautiful girlfriend, Jennifer Helms, up to Natural Bridge. We walked the trail, took pictures, toured the Wax museum and drove through the Safari where you can feed the animals. We had a great day and a much needed physical/mental break.
6/24 Lower Back + Upper Back, Hams, Glutes, Calves
Abductor & Adductor 4 sets each
SLDL 8 sets pyramid including the 2 warm-up sets
Calf Raises on Leg Press superset w/ Seated Calf Raises 4 sets
Glute/Ham Raises 5 sets
Hyperextension 3 sets
Close Grip Pull Downs 5 sets
Bear Squat 6 sets
Standing Calf Raises on bear 6 sets
HS DY Row superset w/ HS Horizontal Calf Raise 4 sets
10 Front Yard Hill Sprints when I got home…used captains of crush grippers while driving home
6/23 Chest & Arms
Incline barbell Press
135×10,185×10,225×13,228×8
drop: 235×6>185×6>135×10
D-Bell Flys on Ball
75′sx15, 95′sx5,95′sx4,75′sx12,60′sx21
Cable Curls
stack x20,10,10
Dips
w/ 80 lb vest x 11,10,8
bodyweight x 25
Alt D-Bell Curls
65′sx8,6 60′sx6 (per arm)
Incline Skull Crushers
110×17,12,10
superset w/ Reverse Skull Crusher using 40 lb bar
Pec Deck
stack x 10,8
Tricep Rope Pushdown
75×10,75×10,60×20,60×16
My right shoulder is finally completely healed. I can now do flys, presses, dips, etc without any pain. The injury occurred in February…took a long damn time to heal!
Monday and Tuesday workouts 6/20 & 6/21
Monday Legs
Unilateral Leg Press
5 sets
Prone Leg Curl
5 sets
Leg Ext
5 sets
Calf Raises on Precor Leg press Machine
6 sets
Barbell Pause Squats
7 sets, including warm-ups
Hack Squats
6 sets
HS Calf Raise superset w/ Seated Calf Raises
3 sets
Front Yard Hill Sprints
tuesday 6/21 Back
One Arm Lat Pull Down
5 sets
One Arm Seated Cable Row
4 sets
Underhand Pull-ups
4 sets
HS Hi Row
4 sets
Precor Rear Delt
5 sets
Precor Lat Pull Down
4 sets
T-Bar Row
4 sets
Cable Crunches
3 sets
6/20 Leg Workout
Unilateral Leg Press
5 sets
Prone Leg Curl
5 sets
Leg Ext
5 sets
Calf Raises on Precor Leg Press Machine
6 sets
Barbell Pause Squats
2 warm-ups + 5 sets
Hack Squats
6 sets
HS Calf Raises
superset w/ Seated Calf Raises
3 sets each
Hill Sprints
Sunday 6/19 Shoulders & Arms Workout
Over head D-Bell Press
superset w/ Incline sit-ups
Precor Lateral Raise
EZ bar Curls
Cable Upright Rows
superset w/ Hanging leg Raises
Alt D-Bell Curls
Tricep Pushdown using circular attachment
superset w/ Front Raises (cable)
Smith Machine Mil. Press (1 giant drop set)
V-ups/ torso twists w/ 35 lb plate
Rope Pushdown
double drop sets on everything
May 2011 Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness Magazine
This was the article I wrote that was featured in the May 2011 NB&F magazine in my Animal Instincts column
Passion
People often ask me, “So when do you start training for your next show?” I’m sure a look of extreme aggravation quickly appears on my face, before even beginning to formulate a response. I honestly find this question insulting. Do these people think that there are times of the year that I just stop being a bodybuilder, stop working out and resort to sitting on my ass while eating pizza and doughnuts??? This is a job! It’s not a part time job! It’s not something I do during certain months of the year for fun! It’s my life!
Competitively, it began when I was 21, but the journey towards building my physique started well before that as a youngster and has been a continual process throughout my life with no end point. At no point during my 14 year career have I ever stepped away from this. I have remained focused on the task at hand even during years in which I did not compete. My reasons to take a year off have been for progression, not a break. Each year I have devoted more time, energy, effort and focus towards improvement. Every day I wake it’s about what must happen in that twenty-four hour period to become better. It is how I challenge myself each day to provide purpose in my life.
I will only step away from competing if get to a point where I either feel I cannot make further progress or I just simply do not enjoy it anymore. I will never stop training, though and I will never discontinue a regimented lifestyle dedicated to health and fitness. At this stage in my life, working out and eating in a strategic manner is about more than just bodybuilding and competing. As a personal trainer and nutritional consultant IT IS MY JOB to practice what I preach, regardless of whether I’m getting onstage or not. Performing year round cardio, eating clean year round, working my butt off in the gym every day and taking care of my body are all part of my belief system. Some people go to church…I go to the gym!
In order to be able to respect others you must first be able to respect yourself. You can’t respect yourself if you do not take care of yourself. The gym is my place of worship as it has taught me many things over the years. It has enabled me to gain strength and self confidence. It has shown me humility. It has taught me about consistency, persistence and determination. It has provided a means to measure myself against an unwavering and unchanging opposing force. In that regard, it has taught me how to honestly assess myself. It has taught me what I’m capable of. It has taught me how to believe in myself, when I had nothing else to believe in. If you choose to believe in something and it defines your character, then you believe in it EVERY DAY and your actions reflect it ALL THE TIME!!! This is called passion!
One of my favorite excerpts from the Book Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshun reads,
Peace is a lie. There is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory my chains are broken.
For me training to step onstage clearly defines my fitness related goals and gives me purpose on a daily basis. Without purpose and the goals that are defined by such, you might as well be dead, because there is nothing to guide your spirit and you will become lost in the sea of mediocrity! Beyond this, your passion is the driving force behind your purpose. You can choose to challenge yourself with anything (it doesn’t have to be bodybuilding), but if you don’t truly believe in what you are doing, then you cannot be passionately invested in your purpose and you will fail to reach your goals. If you find nothing else in your life, find your purpose and find your passion and your life will be one worth living.
Additionally, it is important to recognize that one’s relentless pursuit of excellence, which is driven by his/her passion is about something greater than themself. This is big picture thinking and can only happen for the right reasons. I never got involved with bodybuilding for any materialistic reasons (we all know that even as a pro you spend far more than you’ll ever make). I was never interested in seeking attention (if anything I do my best to avoid mentioning that I’m a bodybuilder and I don’t like attention). I never trained to improve my physique with the idea that it would make me more attractive to females (I would have given up long ago if that were the case). I have been passionately invested in health and fitness for a long time and am simply programmed to push myself as a result. There is nothing motivating me beyond my own personal pursuit of excellence and fear of mediocrity. I do this for me! At the end of each day I can look in the mirror and be happy with the person looking back at me. I may not have a lot of money, I may not have a lot of friends, and I may not have many possessions, but I’ll always have inner peace, which is the result of knowing that if I died tomorrow, I did something with my life.
Nice Work Cortney!
Congrats to Cortney Martin for another great triathlon performance! Hard work, planning, preparation and consistency pay off!
6/17 Friday Lower + Upper Back, Glutes, Calves
Abductor + Adductor 3 sets each
Trap Bar Deads
6 warm-up sets, 4 working sets
Standing Calf Raise
5 sets
superset w/
neutral grip pull-ups 4 sets
Cable Kickbacks (glutes) 3 sets per side
superset w/ WG pronated lat pull down
4 sets
Seated Calf Raises
4 sets
Hyperextension w/ barbell across back
3 sets
Hill sprints pulling sled w/ 45 lbs
front yard (very steep) twice + driveway (longer but not as steep) 4 times
6/16 Chest, Triceps, Biceps Workout
Incline D-Bell Press
4 warm-up sets, then 115′sx10,115′sx6,100′sx12
slow descents: 100′s x 5,5
Incline Cable Flys
80×15,100×12,120×6,100×10
superset w/ hanging leg raises 12,12,15
Cable Skull Crushers
stack x10,10,8…3/4 stack x 12
Cable Curls
stack x 17,12,10
HS Decline
2pesx10,3pesx12,10 (shoulder is getting better…couldn’t do this exercise at all for awhile)
Atl D-Bell Curls
70′sx6 (per arm),70′sx5,65′sx6,60′sx6
Dips
35,17,16
Rope Pushdown
3 sets
Cable Crunches
120×12,12
note: I only list abdominal/often exercises performed during my workout, but I generally do abs/core after my cardio in the morning
6/14 Back, Traps, Rear Delts Workout
HS Front Lat Pull Down
270×10,320×5,270×10,270×8
WG Pronated Seated Cable Row
240×12,270×10,300×7,250×12
Precor Rear Delt
160×12,190×8,205×6,160×12
Precor Lat Pull Down Machine
220×6,220×6,205×6,160×12
Alt High Cable Rows
120×12,160×10,200×4,160×10
Stiff Arm Lat Pull
100×12,8,8,8
Isolated T-Bar Row (w/ chest pad)
3 plates x9,8,8,8
Barbell Shrugs (paused reps)
315×15,405×10,405×10,315×15
Underhand Pull-ups
9,7
Yard Work
Been very busy with some extremely physical labor in the yard. Here are some pictures of my latest creation, which involved moving some very large rocks, digging up and grading a lot of ground, shoveling gravel, etc. One of the pictures show my beautiful girlfriend Jennifer Helms, who helps me with my outdoor projects
6/13 Workout
took a break from logging my workouts. I generally prefer not to write things down, so that I don’t interrupt the flow of my workouts and I don’t think too much about the numbers.
Had a great leg workout today
Unilateral H-Squat (went up to 8 plates for 8 reps)
HS Horizontal Calf Raises
Precor Prone Leg Curl
Cybex Leg Extension
Barbell Pause Squats ( 5 working sets…hitting 385 lbs for 6 reps…good pauses at the bottom, felt great!)
Hack Squats (slow descents + normal reps)
superset w/ Calf Raises on leg press + Seated Calf Raises
finished w/ 10 Hill Sprints on my front yard
in case you haven’t seen my front yard, this is a video from a few years ago
i’ve been doing sprints on this hill 2-3 times week
Kurt is a fat, small, weak pathetic excuse for a bodybuilder!!! Maybe he should try something else like fishing
5/31 Workout Back, Traps, Rear Delts
Underhand Pull-Downs
160×12,200×12,240×12,270×9,300×5,250×8,220×12
Stiff Arm Lat Pull
100×12,120×6,120×6,100×10
One Arm D-Bell Row
170 x 10,12,12
Barbell Shrugs
315×20,405×15,405×12,315×20
Neutral Grip Pull-ups
10,8,8
HS Hi Row
6plx10,8plx8,8plx7,6plx15
Bent Over Cable Rows
stack x 20,20,15
Rope Pull Down
140×12,150×8,140×10
