NFL Picks for Week 4 and Fitness News

Week four of the NFL season is upon us! Let’s see what I have in store this week:

Already Played: Washington: 38; New York: 31- As you can see, I failed with this pick right here. Kirk Cousins had a rough outing, which at this point in his career, is a rarity. For Eli, it’s a rarity to see him rush for a touchdown.

Baltimore over Carolina: 24-17- Carolina struggled at home last week. It appears that their lack of talent on offense maybe catching up with them. This one may be even lower scoring here, with two very talented defenses taking the field.

NFL Rivalry of the Week: Chicago over Green Bay: 27-19- The Packers may very well be on their last chance at the division already, barring a complete meltdown by both Chicago and Detroit. If they lose here, then they sit at 0-2 in NFC North play. Not a good hole to be in.

Houston over Buffalo: 20-17- Houston has to take advantage of this situation. Buffalo is not as good as their record but Houston has the edge in talent, and the home crowd.

Indianapolis over Tennessee: 23-14- Just in, Charlie Whitehurst will get the gig in Tennessee. Like Houston, the Colts have to take advantage of this situation against the Titans. If they do that, they stand at 2-0 in the division. The problem? They’re already 0-2 against playoff teams.

Detroit over New York Jets: 21-16- The Lions Matt Stafford should have a field day here. Detroit’s offense hasn’t looked like what it should be, so look for a closer game. The Jets can score at any time but the offense is very inconsistent at times.

NFL Snoozer of the Week: Oakland over Miami: 13-9- Wow. Fans in London may see a touchdown scored in this one. Two teams with very laughable talent on the offensive side.

Pittsburgh over Tampa Bay: 31-10- The Steelers look to take their momentum in an upset win over Carolina over a struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. Shouldn’t be too hard.

Lock of the Week: San Diego over Jacksonville: 42-13- Blake Bortles era begins. Can he get a win this week? Not until he has more talent around him. He’s playing in real time now.

Atlanta over Minnesota: 20-19- Teddy Time begins in Minnesota. Can he hold it close? Recent history tells us that the Falcons might just be that very talented team to get upset this week, as their play on the road is meager.

Philadelphia over San Francisco: 34-21- The 49ers are struggling while the Eagles remain hot. Nick Foles and co. may not have much of a problem here.

NFC Game of the Week: Dallas over New Orleans: 34-28- The Cowboys and Saints have a little bit of animosity these days fueled by none other than Rob Ryan. In the end, the Cowboys put up just enough to upset the Saints.

AFC Game of the Week: New England over Kansas City: 21-13- The Patriots offense isn’t that hot this year but the defense is. That’s going to be big in this game.

Byes of the Week:

Seahawks- Still the number one team in the NFL according to most. I disagree (see below)

Bengals- The Bengals may be the only team in the NFL to have zero struggles on either side of the ball. Number one team.

Browns- Brian Hoyer has made it through three weeks as the starter. Don’t blame him for their 1-2 start.

Cardinals- My prediction in the pre-season was taking the NFC West. Through four weeks, they lead it.

Broncos- Still couldn’t beat the Seahawks. Maybe they just played a Super Bowl XLIX preview? Maybe one more shot.

Rams- The defense has to play up to their potential. If they do, they’re back in it.

Fitness news: Workouts

Cardio Sprint Workout:

Sprint workout coming up at six. I’ll call this upcoming workout The Go-To, since it’s becoming my recurring workout:

One Mile Run
10 Hill Sprints (jog back down the hill for rest)
10 20 yard Lunges
10 Ladder Sprints (going at least ten yards further with each set, jog back)
One Mile Run

Shoulder Centuries:

X amount of handstand push-ups (I’m on a wall, okay)
100 shoulder presses per arm
100 front plate raises
100 upright rows
100 shrugs per side (I rarely do these, but I’m in the mood)

Zero Cardio, 800 Reps, Fast As Possible:

100 Push-ups
100 Decline Push-ups
100 Two Point Rows per arm
100 Total Weighted Lunges (Weight on one side, this hits the obliques too)
100 Bicep Curls per arm
100 Suspended Dips
100 Upright Rows
100 Full Sit-ups plus about 20 straight minutes of ab work

By the way, use as little rest as possible, and get this done as fast as possible.

I sit two weeks out from the NPC Natural Pennsylvania. Time to take the carbs down just a little for these last two weeks, just a little. Still have a lot to do to get ready these days. Time to crush these final weeks.

My Next Event: Halloween Havoc! Nope, it’s not a show, it’s just Todd wanting to look good at Halloween. I’m dressing up as a Virant Knight, so I’ll def be posting some pics of that. Ordered yesterday, can’t wait to wear it.

Shoot Time: Hoping to get that last shoot of the year confirmed. If so, it’ll be around contest time too. Another event I can’t wait to get going with.

Hunt For October: In addition to the NFL and fitness, I love MLB. Prediction time, although my Rays (yes, the Rays) are missing out for the first time in a while:

Wildcard NL: Pittsburgh over San Francisco- Is anyone peaking at the right time more than the Pirates?

Wildcard AL: Kansas City over Oakland- The Royals? Yep, with the A’s faltering down the stretch, giving way to the Angels, it’s the Royals who get in.

ALCS: Los Angeles Angels over Baltimore Orioles- Hate to say it, but the O’s get eliminated here. LA is a big market but I’m a small market type. The Angels are just too good here. Hottest team in the AL.

NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers over St. Louis Cardinals- The City of Angels reps the entire MLB in 2014. 2014 belongs to Los Angeles.

World Series: Angels over Dodgers. The Angels are just way too hot to be stopped. If one team can keep it up for one more month, one team that wants it, it’s the Los Angeles Angels. For the first time since 2002, Los Angeles gets a World Series, and it’s the “other” Los Angeles team that takes it.

Week 3 NFL Picks and Nifty Workouts

Brought to you by the King of Shredz:

First things first, guys, I have to take care of business. Week Three in the NFL is upon us, being played by great players who have yet to be tried or convicted for child abuse, murder, bounties, domestic violence, substance abuse, or just merely violating personal conduct. Remember the movie ‘Playmakers?’ It was a television show televised by ESPN about a decade ago that basically went over all of the problems that went on in the NFL, in a fictional league of course. There’s a reason why the show was pulled after about one season, and I’ll leave it at that.

The good news is that there are some very classy and talented NFL players who actually appreciate their opportunities. So, without further ado, here are my picks for the week:

Already Played: Atlanta over Tampa Bay: 35-7. This game was a snoozer. It was actually 56-0, Atlanta’s favor before T.J. Yates entered the game. That pretty much tells you that Tampa’s defense is overrated and Josh McCown is a backup.

AFC Game of the Week: San Diego over Buffalo: 27-24- Two weeks ago I would never have guessed that the Buffalo Bills would be in the conversation for anything except due to the fact that they gave Cleveland their first round pick. Now, they are being given a shot at 3-0. I’m still not sold on them yet.

Cincinnati over Tennessee: 28-10- If Jake Locker can be the Jake Locker of Week One and not the one we saw last week, then the Titans may just have a chance here. Why will this not happen? Because the Bengals have one of the best defensive units in the NFL. They’re just too good.

Cleveland over Baltimore: 16-9- I honestly thought Brian Hoyer would be on the bench by now, but he’s done a good enough job to keep Cleveland In contention for the AFC North. As for the Ravens, they’re on the road. The Ravens don’t play well on the road.

Green Bay over Detroit: 31-28- Here’s a shootout…..potentially. The Lions have to score more than a touchdown to beat Green Bay. They just aren’t good enough……..they’re playing the same old Packers and they’re the same old Lions.

Indianapolis over Jacksonville: 20-15- The 0-2 Colts vs. the 0-2 Jaguars. It sounds like a snoozer, but the Colts played against two of the top three teams in the NFL, and lost by a combined total of ten points. Just a tough schedule. Now, it’s smooth sailing. Why isn’t this higher than 20 points? The Colts like to play to the level of their competition.

Lock of the Week: New England over Oakland: 38-6- The Patriots are one of the best in the league at virtually everything. The Raiders are one of the worst at virtually everything. Not a good combo.

New Orleans over Minnesota: 34-17- Maybe the Saints can finally win a game without blowing it. If they can’t beat Minnesota in the Super Dome, then they aren’t beating anyone. That being said, Rob Ryan has to go if this happens. He’s the worst defensive coordinator of all time.

Houston over New York Giants: 28-17- Houston is the luckiest team in the NFL. No offensive talent, or old talent, and they still put up a lot of points, and allow very few. Why? Look at what they’ve played so far. Now they play the Giants and a washed up Eli Manning.

NFC Game of the Week: Philadelphia over Washington: 44-38- Like offense? Here’s one for all of us. Two 2012 draft picks going head to head. Kirk Cousins……yes, Kirk Cousins, vs. Nick Foles. Two high powered offenses, one shootout. If the Redskins put thirty plus points up again, they may as well trade RG3 to the Rams……that’s ironic.

Snoozer of the Week: Dallas over St. Louis: 21-16- I’m not one to bash America’s Team but I also am a fair person and the Cowboys still aren’t on my watch yet as a contender. But, Tony Romo is still way better than Austin Davis. Heck, half of Dallas’s fanbase probably has never even heard of Austin Davis. Who is Austin Davis?

Upset of the Week: Arizona over San Francisco: 23-21- No matter who plays quarterback, the Cardinals are not only the second best team in the conference, they have the second best coach in the NFL in Bruce Arians. He can make something out of nothing.

Miami over Kansas City: 17-16- Close game, but the Chiefs are 2-8 since their 9-0 start last season. Different coach, different quarterback, same sorry-ass Chiefs. But, you have to mention the Dolphins in the same breath. End of the day, the Chiefs always, always, always wear down.

Revenge of the Week: Denver over Seattle: 30-13- Call me crazy? Have you ever seen a vengeful Peyton Manning play in an NFL game? The results speak for themselves.

Carolina over Pittsburgh: 20-13- The Steelers are in danger of falling to 1-2. Remember when the Steelers were one of the NFL’s elite? Remember when the Panthers were a laughingstock? I only hope no Pittsburgh fan will wake up from a four year coma, because they’re in for a rude awakening……..literally.

Chicago over New York Jets: 31-24- Jay Cutler looked like an all-pro last week. Geno Smith is still in his second season and is still mistake prone. Not a good combo.

Nifty Workouts: So, I had a few good ones this week. Let me begin with my One Hundred Rep Nightmare:

100 reps of everything, as many sets as it takes. Rest time is how many reps you have remaining in seconds.

Decline Push-ups

Dumbbell Rows

Lunges

Crunches

Upright Rows

Suspended Dips

Plate Curls

Try it.

Also, before isolating any muscle group, try these before you workout:

Chest: 100 dumbbell fly

Back: 100 pull-ups

Triceps: 100 suspended dips

Biceps: 100 dumbbell curl

Legs: 100 lunges

Shoulders: 100 lateral raise

Abs: 100 full crunches

Before you workout the target muscle group, shock those muscles early.

Give me a weekly shoulder, ab, and cardio attack:

1,000 jump ropes for warm-up
10 minute non-stop ab work

4 sets of each and every movement, 8-12 reps unless specified.
Dumbbell Clean to Press
super-set: Inverted Barbell Presses

Dumbbell Lateral Raise
tri-set: Dumbbell Front Raise
tri-set: Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

Battling Ropes for 50 reps
tri-set: Rope Face Pull
tri-set: Machine Rear Delt Fly

I’m out! Todd ‘King of Shredz’ Matthews.

More Useful Information and Saturday Workouts

Today I’m going to go over the social networking aspect of my fledgling empire. I do put a lot of good, useful stuff on this blog, including advice on fitness, nutrition, lifestyle, motivation, and pictures. However, there is much, much more that I have to offer you all in your journey to the top of the fitness realm. I use facebook and instagram as key outlets in addition to my personal page here. Here are my pages:

Instagram: toddmatthewsfitness. Follow me here and gain some awesome access to even more pictures, motivational quotes, short clips, and even more progress pictures.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toddmatthewsphysique?ref=hl . Follow the link posted for full workouts, workout tips, nutrition tips, lifestyle practices, and look at some secret workouts that only few of us know. I’ll be using my facebook page to post videos of exercises that not too many individuals know how to do by merely looking at the name of the exercise. Also, I’ll have videos of my personal style of training too, as well as some really cool nutrition videos coming up soon. So far, I have posted my latest shoulder workout onto the site. Feel free to scan my page and take a look at it. 

As always, I like posting my workouts onto the page as well. But, I do copy many of my main workouts onto this page. Getting my grind on early this morning, I did a really fast cardio workout, ten solid minutes of abs, and then the remainder of my workout was a chest workout. Here is what I did

Chest Workout:

5 Minutes on stair stepper, as fast as possible, climbing as many steps as possible.

10 minute abs

3 giant sets/25 reps: Push-up, Wide Grip Push-up, Close Grip Push-up, Reverse Push-up, Wide Grip Incline Push-up
4 sets/8-12 reps: Cable Crossover/Incline Barbell Bench Presses
4 sets/ X reps: Suspended Push-ups on Dip Machine/Incline Fly
4 sets/15-20 reps: Weighted Wide Grip Suspended Dips/Decline Crossovers

This workout typically takes between an hour and an hour and fifteen minutes to complete. 

In a few hours time, I’ll get my cardio on. My right knee has been experiencing some issues over the last nine days but after two days of taking a really strong dose of glucosamine, the knee is ready for another test run. Here is what I plan to do:

One mile run for a warm-up

Circuit: 20 yard lunge, 40 yard sprint, jog down hill, sprint up hill. Repeat as many times as possible in a 20 minute time limit.

Circuit: 1/4 mile run as fast as possible, 50 mountain climbers, run another 1/4 mile except that this time the 1/4 mile is down the hill and back up the hill. Return to first exercise in this circuit.

10 minutes of abs in a giant set. 

Total time should not exceed one hour. 

These workouts are not for the weak hearted. Go ahead and modify them if need be, but the full workout requires a lot of clean calories, a decent warm-up, and your favorite music, which is usually a deciding factor that keeps people going. So go ahead, give it a whirl, and tell me what you think. 

Boulder Shoulder Workout and ETC

I have a challenge for all of you. See if you can survive me. See if you can keep up with me. See if you can beat me at my own game. All you have to do is the following: Two workouts a day, every day, eat zero cheat meals (I like to cycle my carbs and calories, it works, trust me), and repeat this for a consistent period of time. If you can remain consistent with my style, then it’s all good, because you just scored a new lifestyle. What? You say you don’t have time for a two-a-day. Then get up forty-five minutes earlier, it’s all you’ll probably need. Forty-five minutes is usually all I need to get in a killer workout. Then you may ask, “why don’t you just go an hour and a half to two hours in one session” My answer to that question is just that I don’t see two straight hours doing one workout feasible for anyone. Why would I wear myself down the first hour only to struggle through the second hour

All I need is forty-five minutes to an hour, and that’s it. My philosophy is to get in, get it in, and get out, get on with your day. Two hours in one workout is going to lead to a two and a half to three hour gym session. Why? Most people like to talk to their buddies when they workout. I usually workout with one workout partner, or alone. Lately, I’ve been going at it alone because it’s tough to mesh a schedule together.  And since 2014 has been my greatest year ever, only my main workout partner can workout with me. If I’m working out alone, I guess God becomes my workout partner, or perhaps my workout leader. But here’s the score, my workout buddy and I rarely talk during the workout, because we both have lives and we both have things to do. Want a list? Here:

Other things to do:

Keep house clean or get kicked out

School work (we’re both in school)

Work….don’t give me that we both work as trainers nonsense. Spend a day in my shoes and see how fun it is to train clients from 5:00am to 8:00pm with a few gaps during the day, but it’s no one way straight eight hour shift. You cater to your clients.

Pay numerous bills: school, phone, car, car insurance, rent (yeah, I get charged to live at home, thank God my dad’s tough on me)

Maintain my social networking, such as this wordpress, facebook, and instagram. I gain new followers everyday and I’m no longer a fledgling in this fitness community.

Practice my poses for both shows and shoots, I have both coming up in just over a month……Happy October.

Okay, so we both have lives way outside the fitness realm of things. So what if I don’t have a brat or two to spend my hard earned money on? I’m twenty-three and I’m fortunate to have never made THAT mistake in my life. Man, I hope I didn’t jinx myself!

Anyway, onto phase two of this lovely article. I like to work hard, work fast, and get it in. Currently, I’m experiencing some chronic knee issues, so my philosophy on cardio is getting reinforced through this too. “Lift weights really fast,” as one notable gym member puts it. That’s my philosophy, just go, fast, with each and every lift. From arm workouts to shoulder workouts to chest workouts. I like to literally fly through my workout, taking few breaks, under thirty seconds for the majority of the time, unless I need to take a water break, but I usually have some right beside me. 

Today I’m sharing my boulder shoulder workout from today. I went through roughly 36 sets of fast moving, fast paced shoulder exercises. This isn’t counting my cardio starter, which was a sledge hammer and tractor tire until I was completely winded, and a plank style ab workout, which rocked.

Four sets of every single movement shown here. For reps, just go heavy and go until you can’t get another rep, go to complete failure. What I mean by this is to go until you cannot move that weight another inch!

Tri-set: Arnold Press/Standing Barbell Press/Standing Dumbbell Clean into Press

Super-set: Lateral Raise/Front Barbell Raise

Super-set: Rope Face Pull/Seated Machine Rear Delt Fly

Super-set: Battle Ropes (50 reps as fast as possible)/Front Plate Steering Wheel Twist

 

Boulder Shoulder Workout and ETC

I have a challenge for all of you. See if you can survive me. See if you can keep up with me. See if you can beat me at my own game. All you have to do is the following: Two workouts a day, every day, eat zero cheat meals (I like to cycle my carbs and calories, it works, trust me), and repeat this for a consistent period of time. If you can remain consistent with my style, then it’s all good, because you just scored a new lifestyle. What? You say you don’t have time for a two-a-day. Then get up forty-five minutes earlier, it’s all you’ll probably need. Forty-five minutes is usually all I need to get in a killer workout. Then you may ask, “why don’t you just go an hour and a half to two hours in one session” My answer to that question is just that I don’t see two straight hours doing one workout feasible for anyone. Why would I wear myself down the first hour only to struggle through the second hour

All I need is forty-five minutes to an hour, and that’s it. My philosophy is to get in, get it in, and get out, get on with your day. Two hours in one workout is going to lead to a two and a half to three hour gym session. Why? Most people like to talk to their buddies when they workout. I usually workout with one workout partner, or alone. Lately, I’ve been going at it alone because it’s tough to mesh a schedule together.  And since 2014 has been my greatest year ever, only my main workout partner can workout with me. If I’m working out alone, I guess God becomes my workout partner, or perhaps my workout leader. But here’s the score, my workout buddy and I rarely talk during the workout, because we both have lives and we both have things to do. Want a list? Here:

Other things to do:

Keep house clean or get kicked out

School work (we’re both in school)

Work….don’t give me that we both work as trainers nonsense. Spend a day in my shoes and see how fun it is to train clients from 5:00am to 8:00pm with a few gaps during the day, but it’s no one way straight eight hour shift. You cater to your clients.

Pay numerous bills: school, phone, car, car insurance, rent (yeah, I get charged to live at home, thank God my dad’s tough on me)

Maintain my social networking, such as this wordpress, facebook, and instagram. I gain new followers everyday and I’m no longer a fledgling in this fitness community.

Practice my poses for both shows and shoots, I have both coming up in just over a month……Happy October.

Okay, so we both have lives way outside the fitness realm of things. So what if I don’t have a brat or two to spend my hard earned money on? I’m twenty-three and I’m fortunate to have never made THAT mistake in my life. Man, I hope I didn’t jinx myself!

Anyway, onto phase two of this lovely article. I like to work hard, work fast, and get it in. Currently, I’m experiencing some chronic knee issues, so my philosophy on cardio is getting reinforced through this too. “Lift weights really fast,” as one notable gym member puts it. That’s my philosophy, just go, fast, with each and every lift. From arm workouts to shoulder workouts to chest workouts. I like to literally fly through my workout, taking few breaks, under thirty seconds for the majority of the time, unless I need to take a water break, but I usually have some right beside me. 

Today I’m sharing my boulder shoulder workout from today. I went through roughly 36 sets of fast moving, fast paced shoulder exercises. This isn’t counting my cardio starter, which was a sledge hammer and tractor tire until I was completely winded, and a plank style ab workout, which rocked.

Four sets of every single movement shown here. For reps, just go heavy and go until you can’t get another rep, go to complete failure. What I mean by this is to go until you cannot move that weight another inch!

Tri-set: Arnold Press/Standing Barbell Press/Standing Dumbbell Clean into Press

Super-set: Lateral Raise/Front Barbell Raise

Super-set: Rope Face Pull/Seated Machine Rear Delt Fly

Super-set: Battle Ropes (50 reps as fast as possible)/Front Plate Steering Wheel Twist

 

Weekly Workouts and Other Updates

Here’s some awesome weekly workouts that I posted to my fitness page on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toddmatthewsphysique?ref=hl. First, I urge all of you to follow this link and like the page for workouts, lifestyle tips, motivational tips, nutritional advice, and photos. There’s much more to come on the page as I am currently in contest prep for the NPC Natural Pennsylvania, taking place in Greensburg, PA on October 12th, 2014. I’ll be sure to post updates as soon as possible.

Contest News: Earlier in the month, I took 5th place at the NGA Steel Valley Classic in a class of 12 competitors. I did want more out of the show, but I’ll take the top five this time. Hopefully I can only build off of that success in October. 

Fitness Shoot Front: I am currently working to get at least one fitness shoot lined up in addition to my October 12th show. I’m hoping I can get the two in as close to one another as possible. I look for this shoot to be Pittsburgh based or Canton based. Hopefully big things coming. 

Lifestyle News: I’m currently back in school on an online basis working towards my Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management with a Wellness and Fitness background. I plan on doing big things with this degree, but with the track I’m currently on, big things are rightly on the way. 

Weekly Workouts: 

10 straight minutes ab work
Tabata workout: Push-ups, rest 10 seconds, super-set with Battle Ropes (cardio portion of workout)

4 sets/8-15 reps
Pec Deck Fly/Incline Dumbbell Press
Cable Iron Crosses/Close Grip Incline Press/Svend Press
Wide Grip Bodyweight Dips/Incline Dumbbell Fly
3 burnout sets of Incline Hammer Strength Press

 

45 set shoulder blast:
Start with 10 minute abs: 5 minute plank work and 5 minute crunch, twist, and raise work.

5 sets/10-15 reps; 30 for ropes
Lateral Raise
Face Rows
Battle Ropes

4 sets/10-15 reps
Alternate Shoulder Press
Rear Delt Fly on Pec Deck Machine
Kettle Bell Front Raise

4 sets/10-15 reps
Cuban Press
Landmine Twist
Cable Front Pullover (this works some lats too)

3 sets/X amount of reps
Dumbbell Lateral Raise to a Dumbbell Front Raise
TRX Rear Delt Fly to Rear Delt Vertical Fly

For Cardio Purposes:

2 minutes straight of jump ropes, 2 minutes straight treadmill for a fast run, 2 minutes straight of jacobs ladder, 2 minutes straight of stairmaster, 2 minutes straight of non-stop ab work, rest one minute

 

Photo Updates: Some cell phone selfies and contest photos since the last update:

 August, 2014, Steel Valley Classic

 

Now from the front at the same show.

 

Abs close-up

 

From my journey to Anytime Fitness Robinson

 

The Most Killer Home Gym Routine Yet

I hope you all have read and liked my recent writings on my dumbbell and kettlebell workouts, designed for the busiest of the busiest. Those with maybe thirty minutes a day to get into a gym (or their basement) to bust out an effective workout want to take a look at these posts, because they are designed especially for the busy population.

Some of us just never get a break. We wake up before the sun, not with it, and we’re at work as the sun is coming up. We may or may not have the greatest opportunities to eat solid meals on a consistent basis (look into meal replacement shakes or the Quest product line). And then the obligations at home take over once the work day is over.

All in all, life can be a roller coaster for many of us and as a trainer I’ve seen many individuals give up on their fitness goals because they claim life gets in the way. They may work twelve hour days, have a family at the house, or have many other obligations on top of all of that. The truth is that by giving thirty minutes of the day directly to a daily workout isn’t as complicated as it looks. Get the workout in first thing in the morning, directly after work, or before going to sleep at night, which is my favorite time to get my main workout in.

But, there are times when my schedule is ultra booked for the day, I got to be here, then there, then across the county for something, then maybe my workout time gets cut a little short because I’m waking up two hours before the sun the next morning. In these hectic situations, I keep my workout, even my main workout, short. Sometimes, I don’t even use the gym and I’ll do this very workout I’m about to write up in my basement.

Workout A:
4 circuits/25 reps each. 30 minute time limit if time is limited.

Push-up with Snap Jump
Plate Curls
Bench Dips
Jump Lunge (25/leg)
Touchdown Squats
Front Plate Raise
Squat Press
Diamond Push-ups
Up-Downs
Mountain Climbers (25/leg)

Workout B: 30 for beginners, 60 for intermediates, 100 for advanced in as many sets as it takes. Cannot do next movement until 100 reps are performed for the first movement. 30 minute time limit if time is limited.
Spiderman Push-up
Band or Dumbbell Curl
Suspended Bench Dips (use a flat bench, coffee table, bathtub, etc and place a chair a couple feet from the bench)
Jump Squats
Tactical Lunge (50/leg, use a dumbbell or kettle bell, do a reverse lunge with weight in one hand, switch to other hand under the legs, like a basketball player does)
Band or Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Leg Raise
Band or Dumbbell Rows
Lateral Mountain Climbers (100/leg)
Snap Jump

Workout of the Week

I had a great workout this past Sunday. Well, let’s make that two great workouts. It was one of those days where my intensity level was through the roof. This was great because I felt downright sick in the morning, so I actually had to wait a while to get a good one in. The first workout was done in my basement, and the second one was in the gym. Both workouts had literally put me down afterwards, though me being somewhat sick may have had something to do with that.

Workout A: So, my first workout was a total body, accelerated cardio routine. It took roughly forty five minutes to complete. Keep in mind that I was moving very fast and taking little to no rest in between. Here is what the workout looked like:

 

Three sets of everything, max amount of reps per movement, then one minute of cardio movements in between sets.

Walk-over push-up/Bodyweight Squats

Close-grip push-up/Jump rope

Lateral Raise with Plates/High knee

Hammer Curl with Plates/Run in place

*Ab routine for ten to fifteen minutes prior to this workout, hitting my main ab movements, crunch, heel touch, oblique crunch, leg raise, cocoon, plank, russian twist, and bicycle for three sets, nonstop.

 

Workout B: This workout was a leg workout. It was a fast one, but it was very, very intense:

Squats: 5 sets/5 reps, going heavier each time

Leg Extensions: 4 sets/20 reps, also going heavier

Leg Curl/Goblet Squats: 3 sets/10 reps, go slow

Giant set, 30 seconds each, no rest in between:

Box jump, high knee, jump rope, jump squat, touchdown squat

 

The Program Edition Three: Cut to Shreds!

The following are my progress pictures from 2012 to present day:

 

 

This picture is from my 2012 photoshoot. My nutrition plan at the time resembled a more conventional approach to nutrition, such as egg whites in the morning with oatmeal, two shakes per day, higher protein and lower carb throughout the day. While I do condone this meal plan for anyone who has the time to do so, it isn’t for everyone. I became employed as a personal trainer one month after this shoot had taken place. One thing I noticed is that many clients have hectic, if not chaotic lifestyles and may be either unable or unwilling to follow such an approach. Understandable. 

So, what did I have to do then? Well, basically, I had to relearn to eat and that meant that as a trainer I had to understand where clients are coming from. Enter intensive research! I remember a few years back I read an article in Ironman Magazine that America’s number one fitness model Greg Plitt is known for his unconventional approach to nutrition. His approach entailed that he only eats one solid meal a day and supplements with liquid shakes throughout the rest of the day. His shake of choice of course is protein.

Plitt’s diet plan is as followed: he calls it a caveman diet, because he tends to stay away from all processed foods, opting for only one meal a day of meat and vegetables. The meal has about 3,500 calories in it, and he tends to eat this meal in the middle of the day, sometime between 2 and 6 in order to ensure that everything is digested and burned off before going to bed. 

Fair and simple enough, but of course this is the Ohio Valley and not Los Angeles and again not many individuals will go out of their way to purchase unprocessed foods. You can get as close as possible to the real thing by shopping the perimeter of grocery stores, which is about as close as I get, unless my schedule forces me to eat take out, but that still gives no one the excuse to eat badly because they’re forced to eat take out, even if it’s every day.

The majority of America WILL go this route because who knows what’s in store for them at home or if they have a few kids and even have healthy food at home. Again, having a lot of kids who eat a bunch of junk still doesn’t give anyone the excuse to eat poorly. The parent should be in control of what goes on the table anyway; no wonder kids are such the spoiled brats that they are these days. Supplement in video games and then there’s little to no ambition for the future of America. So parents, feed the kids what you would feed yourself!

Okay, so if you cook well, then great. If you already eat the way I eat (hint: Plitt’s blueprint) then stop reading this edition right now and wait for the fourth edition to come your way. But, if you want to learn a new way to eat, then keep following. First, I’m going to lay out my own meal plan, which resembles Plitt’s plan nearly to a T.

Pre-workout: .25 grams simple carbs per pound of bodyweight (I recommend using simple table sugar), .25 grams protein per pound of bodyweight (I recommend a whey isolate or hydrosylate). I do this before both workouts. For my bodyweight, it’s about 35 to 40 grams of each.

Post-workout: The same exact mix as my pre-workout meal. I do this four times per day, before and after both workouts. 

Now, if I am only doing one workout for that day, then I’ll skip the sugar and I’l add in a slow digesting shake, such as a casein shake, before bed or if I’m only doing one workout later on, I’ll have the casein shake in the morning.

Bridge: I like to use a slow digesting shake in between my main meal and my post workout shake. Sometimes I’ll even take in a blend that consists of whey, casein, and egg protein. I’ll do this before bed too so I don’t feel like I’m starving in the morning. 

Main Meal: Just like Plitt’s, but I tend to keep it with either chicken, 93/7 lean ground turkey, and mainly romaine lettuce. Sometimes I’ll do green beans or broccoli. I eat as much as I feel I need, and no more. I’ll even throw in a Quest Bar as well for additional calories. If I do use dressing, I only use just enough to get a small taste of it and no more. Lately, I have been only dipping my fork inside any kind of dressing I would use. Keep it to a minimum!

Cheat Meal: One day per week, I will have a cheat meal, usually in place of the main meal. It’s anything I want, though I do tend to keep my main meal intact most of the time and I will only cheat after I had my main meal. Usually it’s a lot of desserts but sometimes I’ll make a full meal out of it. Maybe one to two times per month.

Now, you can still do a liquid based diet, but you can use more whole foods than I do. I just prefer to keep my diet higher in protein and insert carbs pre workout and post workout. Also, for pre and post workout, you can use different types of fruit juices, gatorade, or sports supplement that is high in carbs in place of the table sugar before and after workouts. Just simply have the drink and either mix in the shake or drink it directly afterwards. 

As for bridge shakes (meal between post workout and main meal for me) you can blend protein powder (if desired) with fruits, greens, and flax to make your own unique shake. If you do not wish to use protein powder, then Greek yogurt is a great substitute for that. Use the plain yogurt for the bridge shake. Fruit based Greek can be used before and after workouts, blended with any other kind of fruit or green. For some extra complex carbs, oatmeal is also great to mix in these shakes too. In these cases, your bridge meal is practically a solid blended into a liquid.

So, you may asking me why I go the liquid route? Liquids tend to absorb faster in the body and they will in turn distribute nutrients to your muscles faster than solid food would. This is the case because liquids tend to break down much quicker, since they are already broken down in a sense. They also digest faster, which saves your body much needed energy for your workouts and the extra energy will allow the body to “clean itself” of other toxins that are built up in the body. Yes, you will feel better and have more energy on a predominately liquid based diet. 

Tips for a liquid diet:

*Keep the majority of the calories liquid for faster digestion and absorption. 

*Drink your pre and post workout shakes twenty to thirty minutes before and after workouts.

*When you feel you may be craving food, throw down a bridge shake between the post workout and main meal.

*Feel like you just need to chew some solid food? It’s time for the sole solid meal of the day. Eat as much as you need to.

*Eat one cheat meal per week. Also, have a cheat day about once every other month. I like to have mine after something momentous happens, or around major holidays like Christmas. 

*To further ensure all solids are digested, I recommend eating the solid meal in the middle of the day. 

*If you don’t happen to be working out on a particular day, you can still do liquids. I recommend a whey shake in the morning, but without the carbs. Maybe a casein or bridge shake a few hours after that, then the main meal. Then do one more casein shake to call it a day. You could also add in an additional scoop of protein powder too in order to feel fuller or a Quest Bar for added fiber. 

Onto the supplements. These days, I only take two as I don’t account for protein powder being a true supplement, since it contains properties of real foods. I like to consider something a supplement if my body needs it for a specific purpose. The two I take are pre-workout powder and amino acid powder. I like to take my pre-workout powder with my pre-workout meal, usually five to ten minutes after I have my shake. I typically only use one scoop or, if I’m taking an ready to drink (RTD) I’ll drink half of it. I only need a little bit of caffeine for an immediate boost! For the amino acids, I typically take one that contains essential amino acids that my body cannot produce on its own. This ensures I get in a good intake of essential amino acids. 

2013, one year into my current nutrition and supplement regimen.

 

2014 Shoot! Slightly different pose but you can clearly see the striations all over that weren’t there in 2013. This is also taken when I did a self tanner. The 2013 shoot was with a professional tan. 

 

August, 2012

 

 June, 2013

 

May, 2014

2014: Year of Record Breaking

First off, I hope that you all liked the first edition of my five part series on my fitness life entitled “The Program.” If you haven’t already viewed it yet, here is a link to the article:

https://matthews42791.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/the-program-edition-one/ .

The first edition covers the entire overview of my fitness program and lifestyle, as well as a preview on what’s coming up in the later editions.

Today, as the second edition of ‘The Program’ is in the works, I want to discuss my record breaking year and what is in store for me later on in 2014. Never in life have I been present for two shows and two photo shoots and have done a great job in both avenues. Looking back to 2012, I can honestly tell just how far I have come in the past two years, and what lays ahead for me in the future. There is definitely a lot to look forward to as the second half of this wild year approaches.

Before I begin talking about this past week and the latter half of 2014, let me summarize the events that have led up to this post. It was contest prep since the first of the year for me, as the NPC Natural Ohio was coming up fast. I did the show and took a respectable eighth place, so it was middle of the pack in late March. I”ll take that score for a first show of the year, especially a large show like the Ohio in an organization like the NPC, which every fitness competitor wants to be, and usually are, a part of.

Then came a five week intermission between the Natural Ohio and the ever prestigious NPC Pittsburgh. This is a show that draws many competitors to the stage and many to the seats to not only see or do the show, but to see the endless list of pro competitors who tend to make the trip to the Steel City. Guys like Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, among others will guest pose at this event, which is also accompanied by a pro show called the IFBB Pittsburgh Pro, featuring some of the best physique, bikini, and figure athletes in the IFBB today.

So, I did the NPC Pittsburgh, and again landed a top ten, but not a top five spot like I wanted to see. This time I was in a class of twenty three competitors, so I was up against a stacked class. Still, I expected more, much more out of myself at the Pittsburgh and I landed short of my goal of finishing in the top five. However, I did prove to myself that I could hang with the best at the largest of regional shows that the Natural Ohio and NPC Pittsburgh are. That’s a testament within itself, given that I’m only twenty three years old and have never taken a PED or anything as much as a prescription diuretic ever in my life.

But the coolest thing was that I was able to do a fitness and fashion shoot two days before the NPC Pittsburgh. I do like to compete and I do want to do very, very well in the shows, but sometimes fitness isn’t always about making the top five in any show. Sometimes, one thinks outside the box, and this is why I decided to shoot two days before the NPC Pittsburgh took place. I know what competition can do, but I also know what marketability can do, and that’s where the photo shoots come in. The more marketable one can look, the better a chance they have at succeeding not only in fitness, but in anything for that matter!

Head shot from my shoot back on May 1st, 2014

 

A week and a half ago I receive a text from the same photographer and I’m invited to come down to do yet another shoot. Of course I’m going to say yes in that regard, so this past Tuesday I loaded up a few different wardrobe sets in my car and headed off to Morgantown, West Virginia, where it was all happening, bringing a friend with me in the process.

This was a special shoot, because I was truly able to realize how far I had come since first competing in the NPC all the way back in 2011, when I didn’t even know how to properly tan myself in the days prior to the show. So, we took pictures near the overlook at Cooper’s Rock, drove about ten minutes to a lake, shot there, and then drove an additional fifteen minutes to a bridge and shot under it, near a stream.

After each set of pictures, I was able to go through them all on the camera, and I couldn’t believe it was me in the picture! That’s always a great thing to feel, because right then, I knew that 2014 is my breakout year. It’s my breakout year because I have already done so much already work wise, show wise, and photo wise. 2014 is that year that I have been waiting for literally since my sophomore year of high school all the way back in 2007. And not just that, this year isn’t even halfway over yet! There is still a lot of things I have yet to accomplish, to go out and get, and to bring it to the table.

Here is an overview of my plans for the not so distant future:

*Attend more than a few casting calls and send these fitness pictures out everywhere

*Compete again in August, this time in the NGA, at the NGA Steel Valley Classic

*Compete in the NPC Natural Northern USA’s in October

*Qualify for the 2015 NPC Team Universe (I’ll need a top five at the Northern’s)

All in all, the talk is over, and the walk has just begun. The doing has just begun, and I don’t need to talk anymore except show a brief outline of my plans in the very near future. This is what it’s all about, ultimately. It’s all about doing it, not just talking about it. One can only talk for so long but when they actually do what they want to do, that’s what makes all the difference in the eyes of everyone.

 

Shooting with bbpics.com in 2012 at age 21

 

From June, 2013. Age 22, also with bbpics.com

 

 

2014 fitness shoot

 

For more fitness and scenery pictures, ways to get in contact, as well as weekly workout blogs please visit my site at: http://toddmatthewsfit.net/