Welcome To Aktiv Bodz

Welcome to Aktivbodz!

Workout Programmes

Programme 1
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Programme 2
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Programme 3
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THE KEY TO WINNING IS PROGRESS Winning is progress, let me explain, everyone, especially bodybuilders get too wrapped up on winning, when the challenge is to beat yourself, as a competitive bodybuilder myself I have always set my sights on being better than I was the last time I competed, so every time I compete, I win, I might not take home the 1st place trophy every time, but in my eyes I've won, because I've beaten myself. I've managed to turn up at a competition either bigger, harder, more cut or brought up a lagging body part, so the key word here is progression. I've managed to progress and that's what its all about, now you might be reading this and thinking well I don't compete, but that doesn't matter because the key to my progression is not the standing on stage, but the journey there, the training, the dieting, the days, weeks, months and years spent lifting weights and constantly setting yourself challenges, that's what progression is about. You have to set yourself goals, long term and short term. A full years training is made up of lots of little goals, its no good just going to the gym to train, you have to go to the gym with a purpose, a goal!! Think hard about your goals the next time you visit the gym!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIPS TO GAINING A MENTAL EDGE & ACHIEVING YOUR GOAL 1. If you hit a training rut, either take a few days off or as I do train just twice a week, do just one exercise for major body parts and train at about 75% 2. Set yourself realistic goals, both short and long term. 3. If you are feeling overtired, don't train just because today is a set training day, train tomorrow or in a couple of days. 4. Try to not get distracted in the gym, if people say Hi, acknowledge them, but don't get into a full-blown conversation. 5. If you are hitting training ruts on a regular basis, during your few days off or reduced training week, analyze your training programme and change it. 6. Change could mean changing your exercises, changing your sets and reps, change of training frequency etc, whatever is slowing down your progress, isolate it and change it, don't be frightened of change, it could be for the better. 7. Once your committed to your workout, try and hit your preset goals. 8. Take time before your workout to assess your goals. 9. Develop habits that help you to mentally prepare for your workout, watching a training video, reading a magazine, taking your pre-workout formula at the correct time, even wearing certain clothing, anything you feel helps to prepare you for your workout. 10. And remember a strong will can overcome superior genetics. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Below are four examples of diets, these aren't made up diets, in fact the first one is mine (Gary), and the rest are from some of our customers (Thanks to you guys for your time)
Gary's Programme
6.00 am	Crawl out of bed!
6.15 am	Pre-workout 2 Dymetadrine (thermogenic formula) or something similar. 30g Whey protein (mixed in water) 1 peeled & sliced Kiwi fruit
7.15 am	Train
8.15 am	Post-workout (This is an extremely important time for nutrition) Choose one of the many post workout products out on the market; here are a couple of my favorites Reflex Nutrition's Nexgen 2 XL Rapid Recovery Or make up your own post- workout drink Example: 100g Maltodextrin 50g Whey Protein 5g Glutamine 3g Creatine
8.45 am	50g Whey Protein 50g Maltodextin
10.00 am	150g Organic Oats 1 Sachet of meal replacement (mix with water) 1 Multi vitamin-mineral 1 500mg vitamin C 1 Cod Liver Oil 1 Chromium Picolinate
12.30 pm	1 Met-Rx or similar meal replacement 1-Tablespoon Udo's Choice Oil Blend 1 slice fresh pineapple
3.00 pm	200g Chicken/ Turkey/ Steak Serving rice Serving mixed vegetables 10-15g whey protein (mixed in water)
5.00 pm	1 Met-Rx or similar meal replacement 1-Tablespoon Udo's Choice Oil Blend
7.30 pm	Large cheese & tomato omlette (6 eggs, omit one or two yolks) 10-15g whey protein (mixed in water) 1 Multi vitamin-mineral
10.00 pm	3 Shredded Wheat 25g whey (mixed with a small amount of water, poured over cereal)
11.30 pm	3mg Melatonin and or 5g G.A.B.B.A
	Drink 2-3 litres of water per day

On non training days my first meal would be something like 150g organic oats and mix in 40g whey protein, this would be my basic diet, it's hard sticking to exact times, but you just do the best you can to fit it in to your daily schedule. The meals can be changed around to suit, please refer to our Meals Ideas section!

Basic supplements that are always in my diet are as follows:

Whey Protein
Meal Replacements
Oil Blend (essential fatty acids)
Multi Vit-Mineral
Vit C
Chromium Picolinate

These supplements are taken every day and are just part of my daily diet, but there are lots more supplements you could use on top of your basic diet and supplementation programme and these could be anything from creatine to the pro-hormones, which I tend to use on a 4-6 weeks cycle, please refer to our Supplement Ideas section!

Here are some more diets and supplementation programmes from some of our customers.

Supplements per day

19 nor 250 x 2
4 doil 250 x 2
Cort bloc x 2
Regenerate x 1
Rapid Recovery x 1 after workouts
Protein Flapjacks

Programme 2

7.30am

50g oats, Protein shake, 6 eggs
19 Nor 250 x 1
4 Doil 250 x 1
Cort Bloc x 2

11.00 am

Regenerate x 1 serving

1.00 pm

1 Tin tuna, 1 Chicken breast, 1 Medium baked potato

3.00pm

Protein flapjack, Protein shake

5.30pm

150g Lean steak, Stir-fry vegetables

6.15pm

19 Nor 250 x 1 (pre workout)
4 Diol 250 x 1

7.00pm

Train

8.30pm

Rapid Recovery (post workout)

9.00pm

Fish or chicken, potato or rice, vegetables

10.30pm

Protein & carbohydrate shake

Programme 3
6.30 am	5g Creatine, 5g Glutamine, 20g Glucose
7.00 am	8oz Porridge Oats with 1 sachet Regenerate mixed in (mix with cold water) 1 Glass Grapefruit juice & strong cup coffee 1 Multivit 1 Dymetadrine 2 Glucosamine 2 M.S.M
10.30 am	6oz Museli mixed with 8oz yoghurt 45g whey protein mixed in
1.00 pm	6oz Rice, 8-10oz Potatoe 8-10oz Chicken 8oz Vegetables 1 Tbsp Flax oil
3.30 pm	8oz Porridge oats with 1 sachet Nytro-pro 40 (meal replacement) Mix with cold water
6.00 pm	8oz Spaghetti, 8oz Kidney beans 8oz Tuna 1 Tbsp Flax oil 1 Strong coffee 1 Multivit
7.45 pm	Training
9.00 pm	20g Glucose, 80g Maltodextrin, 10g Creatine, 5g Glutamine 6g BCAA's, 20g Liquid Aminos, 500g Vitamin C Mixed in water
10.00 pm	60-70g Whey protein (mixed in water
On non training days the 2100pm & 22.00pm meals are replaced by the following…
8.30 pm	6oz Porridge oats with 1 sachet Nytro-Pro (meal replacement) Mix with cold water
10.30 pm	5g GABA


Programme 4
7.45 am	1 Serving Joint Formula
8.00 am	Protein Drink (65g maltodextrin, 35g protein, 5 egg whites) 1 Multi Vit-Mineral 2000g Vit C 800iu Vit E 1 B Complex
10.30 am	250g Potato 200g Turkey 1 Serving Sweetcorn & Broccoli 5g Cod Liver Oil
12.30 pm	90g Wholemeal Rice 200g Tuna 1 Serving Sweetcorn & Broccoli 5g Cod Liver Oil
3.00 pm	As 12.30 pm meal, but change Tuna to Turkey (Some days rice & cod liver oil substituted for wholemeal bread & peanut butter)
5.00 pm	Repeat 8.00 am meal
6.20 pm	Pre-Workout 5 BCAA's 1g H.M.B. 5g Creatine 5g Glutamine
6.30 pm	Train
7.30 pm	Post Workout 10 BCAA's 1g H.M.B. 5g Creatine 5g Glutamine
7.45 pm	Repeat 8.00 am meal (+ extra 10g maltodextrin, + extra 5g whey)
8.45 pm	Repeat 3.00 pm meal 1 Multi Vit-Mineral 2000g Vit C 800iu Vit E 1 B Complex 1 Glucosamine Sulphate
Repeat 8.00 am meal (+ extra broccoli) This meal is eaten before bed or during the night

Meals Ideas

A bodybuilders diet should be high in protein to build muscle; obviously you have to train hard enough to stimulate the muscle to grow in the first place. Now it seems that most people struggle on the diet, and what foods to eat, so below is a list of meals that can be eaten anytime of the day.

1. 4 Whole eggs (scrambled) mix in cheese & tomatoes
2 slices whole meal toast
15g whey mixed in water

Bowl of cereal (oats, museli, etc)
30-40g whey mixed in milk, pour over cereal.

4-6 egg omlette (3 whites 3whole) mix in mushrooms, onions
Bacon bits, cheese etc 1 piece of fruit
15g whey mixed in water

Large baked potato
½ Tin tuna, ½ pot cottage cheese (mixed together)
15g whey mixed in water

2-4 Slices whole meal bread
1 Tin tuna, a few slices low fat cheese (sandwich)
15g whey mixed in water

2-4 slices whole meal bread
½ Tin tuna, ½ pot cottage cheese (mixed together)
15g whey mixed in water

Chicken breast (chopped up)
Serving of pasta (mix ¼ pot of packet soup)
Pour over chicken & pasta
15g whey mixed in water

Chicken breast
Large baked potato
1 serving baby food (heat up & pour on baked potato)
15g whey mixed in water

3 Slices whole meal toast
Slices of low fat cheese (place on toast & grill)
25-30g whey mixed with water

Fish (season with lemon juice & herbs)
Serving of small boiled potatoes
Large serving vegetables
15g whey mixed in water

Steak Large baked potato
Serving of mixed beans (tinned)
15g whey mixed in water

Tin of tuna Serving of rice
Small serving of low fat coleslaw or mayonnaise (mix all ingredients together)
15g whey mixed in water

Turkey Serving of rice
1 jar of baby food Mix ingredients together
15g whey mixed with water

3 Slices of whole meal toast
1 Tin mackerel fillets (place on toast & grill)
25g whey mixed in water

3 Poached eggs
3 Toasted muffins
15g whey mixed with water

Chicken (chopped & sliced)
Serving of rice
½ Packet of Chinese or Indian sauce
Cook in large non-stick pan or wok
15g whey mixed in water

Turkey Serving of pasta
Chopped tomatoes, sweetcorn & peas
15g whey mixed in water

Cottage cheese
Chop up 2-3 different fruits (mix together)
15g whey mixed in water

Lean steak or turkey burger
1 Large whole meal teacake
Garnish with salad
15g whey mixed with water

Tin of tuna, 1 egg, oats
Mix ingredients together until mixture is stiff enough to make into burgers.
Cook in non-stick pan.
15g whey mixed in water

These meals give you a general idea of the types of meals you need to eat, you need to be consistent with your eating as well as your training. Eating 6 meals a day can be very hard to do, especially with jobs, family etc, so some of your meals can be substituted with meal replacements.

The meal replacements are an excellent way of getting a full meal in without all the hassle of cooking and eating, you simply open a packet of powder pour into the blender and mix with water or milk, then drink your meal! What could be easier!!!!!!

The good thing about meal replacements is that you don't have to worry about how much protein, carbohydrate, vitamins & minerals etc is in your meal because it's all done for you.

So a daily food menu might look like this:

Meal 1:	No. 2 on list
Meal 2:	Meal replacement
Meal 3:	No. 12 on list
Meal 4:	Meal replacement
Meal 5:	No. 10 on list
Meal 6:	No. 9 on list

So eating like this, a bit of patience and of course hard training and you can do nothing else but grow!

If you need any more advice then don't hesitate to contact us on 01274 309600 or E-mail info@aktivbodz.com

Supplement Ideas

Once your basic diet and supplementation programme is right or as good as, then you can start introducing some of the more specialized supplements. I recommend using these supplements in 4-6 week cycles and on there own to start with to see what works and what doesn't. It's okay using 4-5 supplements together and gaining X amount of pounds, but what if the gains come from only two of the supplements, then you've wasted your money on the others! It's also no good taking 4-5 supplements one month and then take nothing the next month because you can't afford it!!!

What I'm trying to get across here is, bodybuilding is an expensive sport, hobby or what ever you want to call it, the magazines tell you how fantastic this supplement is, take this, take that, take the whole bloody lot, but how many of us can afford all that!! So my angle on taking supplements is to take supplements in small doses and more consistent throughout the year, so after getting your basic diet and supplementation programme right a 6 months specialized supplement programme might look like this:

1st Month

Creatine

2nd Month

Pro-Hormones (19 nor-androstendione)

3rd Month

H.M.B

4th Month

Glutamine

5th Month

Pro-Hormones (4 androstendiol)

6th Month

Nitro-Max (isoflavones, fenustrols etc)

7th Month

Repeat Cycle!

These are just ideas, you can substitute different supplements from the one's I've suggested, but it gives you a general idea of what I'm trying to get across. Once you've found out which supplements work best for you, you can then try 1-2 supplements together on the basis of what you can afford!
But you must remember before using any specialized supplements YOU MUST get your basic diet right, I can't stress in words how important this part of bodybuilding is, it's just as important if not more important than the training itself, which leads nicely to the next bit, the training!!!!!
Training
Lots of articles have been written about training, how many sets, reps, exercises etc. Well my philosophy on training is train to stimulate and not annihilate, and by that I mean, do just enough sets and reps to stimulate muscle growth. If you can stimulate a muscle to grow by only doing 6 sets, then why do 15 sets, the sets after the 6th set don't stimulate the muscle any more because the jobs done, all these sets do is tap into your recovery resources making it harder for you to recover, which in turn slows down your progress, you see a muscle has to recover before it can grow!!
The next problem is how many sets are enough, good question! I came about my present workout by experimenting with different sets and rep ranges. I began by reducing the number of sets I did for each body part and found that each time I did this I became stronger and felt better, I didn't feel as over trained and my muscles looked and felt a lot fuller. So I kept reducing the sets until I came to what I think is now about right as regards number of set per body part, and I'll have to admit on paper it doesn't look like a lot, but what it lacks in volume it make up for in intensity and that's the key word intensity, and that's what training is all about, intensity and stimulation. I feel it only take a few very intense sets to stimulate the growth mechanism.
So here's my present schedule:
Monday - Chest/Shoulders/Triceps/Calves
Chest
INCLINE PRESS	2 WARM UP SETS USING 50-60% OF MAXIMUM WEIGHT 1 X 6-8 REPS TO FAILURE (MAX WEIGHT)
DECLINE D/BELL PRESS	1 WARM UP 50-60% (WARM UP SETS ARE AROUND 8-12 REPS) 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
FLAT FLYES	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
FLAT BENCH PRESS	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
Shoulders
SEATED D/BELL PRESS	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
SEATED LATERAL RAISE	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
UPRIGHT ROWS	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
Triceps
LYING EXTENSION	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
PUSHDOWNS (ROPE)	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
Calves
CALVE RAISES	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 8-10 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)

Wednesday - Back/Rear Delts or Traps/Biceps/Calves
Back
CHINS	2 WARM UPS DONE ON A PULLDOWN MACHINE 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT ADD WEIGHT TO BODY IF NEEDED)
SEATED ROWS	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
REVERSE GRIP PULLDOWN	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
* * DEADLIFTS	2 WARM UPS 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
* * REAR DELT MACHINE	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
Biceps
BARBELL CURLS	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
SEATED D/BELL CURLS	1 WARM UP 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT)
Calves
CALVE RAISES	1 WARM UP 1 X 50 REPS (CHOOSE A WEIGHT THAT YOU CAN DO 15-20 REPS ON YOUR 1ST ATTEMPT, THEN TAKE A 10 SECOND BREAK AND GO AGAIN, KEEP GOING LIKE THIS UNTIL 50 REPS ARE COMPLETED)
* * THESE EXERCISES ARE DONE FORTNIGHTLY, DEADLIFTS ARE EXCHANGED FOR BENT OVER ROWS (REVERSE GRIP) AND REAR DELT MACHINE IS EXCHANGED FOR SHRUGS (MACHINE OR D/BELLS)

Friday - Legs
Legs
CYCLE/STEPPER	10 MINUTES WARM UP
LEG PRESS	3 X 15 @ 50-60% 3 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT) WORK UP IN REPS, PUT WEIGHT UP WHEN I CAN DO 3 X 12, THEN BACK TO 6-8 REPS WITH NEW WEIGHT AND REPEAT PROCEDURE
SQUATS	1 X 15 @ 50-60% 3 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT) AS ABOVE
LYING LEG CURLS	1 X 15 @ 50-60% 3 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT) AS ABOVE
STIFF LEG DEADLIFT	1 X 15 @ 50-60% 1 X 6-8 REPS (MAX WEIGHT) AS ABOVE

GROWTH WEEKS
These weeks are incorporated into my workouts as and when I feel I need them, so it could be in 3,6,8 weeks time, basically what growth weeks are is a week of easing up on the training and giving your body a chance to recuperate and fully recover from the constant bombardment of high intensity training. You can't train 100%, 100% of the time, so when I start to feel slightly over trained I take a growth week, and growth weeks are as follows, I only train twice in a growth week and train around 75% my maximum, I don't train to fail either, so here's my growth week workout!

Tuesday - Chest/Shoulders/Back
Chest
INCLINE BENCH PRESS	4-6 SETS OF 8-10 REPS WORKING UP TO 75%
Shoulders
FRONT PRESS	4-6 SETS OF 8-10 REPS WORKING UP TO 75%
Back
PULLDOWNS	4-6 SETS OF 8-10 REPS WORKING UP TO 75%

That's it for that week, train nice and steady, don't push any of the sets to failure, eat well and feel yourself grow that week, when you go back to your normal routine on the Monday you should be feeling good and feel stronger, go back to training 100% until you feel the need to take another growth week, try them you'll be surprised!!!
So this is my basic layout of my workout, but I always change exercises around, it's very rare that I do the exact workout more than twice in a row! I will also include supersets, drop sets etc from time to time to add variety, but I still keep my overall sets for each body part low!!! Now because I change my exercises frequently I think it's a good idea to keep a training journal because say for instance, on Chest days I might not do Flat Bench Press for several weeks, so when I come to do that exercise I need to know exactly what weight I used the last time I did it, because I'm only doing 1 set I can't waste that set by choosing a weight that's too heavy or too light, also by using a training journal you can see in black and white what effect different supplements have on your training.
Now nothing is carved in stone about training so don't be frightened of trying different routines, sets, reps etc, if something is not working then change it, above everything else don't stagnate and be consistent and don't give in!!!!!!
Remember if you need any help with your training, diet or maybe it's your 1st competition then don't hesitate to contact me!!!!!!