2011 IFBB "FLEX" Pro show - 1st show of the 2011 bodybuilding season

[tkD]

January 10, 2011

"A" GAME

6 weeks to go?let the fun begin!

I look forward to the last 6 weeks before a contest for so many reasons. The mental focus, the regiment, pushing my body and mind to new limits, and starting to really see the hard work I?ve put in showing through. The time has come for me to pull up my socks and put the ?A? game on the table. With the list of competitors announced for this show, there is no pulling punches now. It?s time to put in every last ounce of energy and determination to bring my absolute best possible package to that stage.
There is no doubt now that I have made some tremendous gains, now I just need to attain a whole new level of condition. Then I can not only be able to stand there with some of the best in the world, but beat them.

My cardio regiment is kicking into gear and the calories have come down. The adjustment period to dieting in a new country is behind me and I feel at home in Venice beach! The week back after my trip home has been amazing! I did a good ole ?Pak-style? quad workout and some killer upper body workout with Charles and Paul.
We have really been focusing on bringing in my upper chest and lower lats. Things I?ve never before attempted in the gym are working like a charm! Just when you think you?ve seen all Charles can throw at you, he tosses in some new angles and a few new exercises. I LOVE IT! This week we tried an extra steep incline for chest and a very upright position for lower lats (with a few ?Glass twists? on the exercises).

My energy is still great and my body feels amazing! A few regular weekly massages would be helpful, but I haven?t been as consistent with that therapy as I typically am. I gotta keep these tissues healthy!
Seeing Dexter in the gym every day, plus the slight extra pressure of the watchful eye of the Gold?s Venice patrons, has me realizing a slightly elevated level of pressure to get in shape! There are so many fans in there cheering for me to kill it at the FLEX PRO ? I can?t let them down. They know what I?m capable of and now it?s time to walk the walk!

BETTER THAN EVER!

 

[mvsf1]

^^ How many bucks makes Charles Glass each month?

 

[tkD]

Dan Hill updates @ 5.5 weeks out

Rob Belisle @ 6 weeks out

other non official additions to Flex's Pro lineup are Vladimir Sizov and Constantinos Demetriou.


more info here, http://kulturistika.ronnie.cz/c-8435-daniel-hill-a-rob-belisle-pred-flex-pro-2011.html

 

[Natzo]

lol the fillers updates.

 

[pakiman]

Dexter was hurting real bad... lets hope he does bring more muscle separation than before

 

[tkD]

January 14, 2011

The Showstopper is Here!

Happy New Year to everyone. As I look back at 2010, it was a pretty year. I won my first pro show in Tampa, placed third at the Europa Battle of Champions, qualified for the Olympia (twice!), and competed in the World?s Strongest Bodybuilder competition at the Olympia. These things were all great, but I?m not stopping there?

My focus now is preparing for the FLEX Pro on February 19. The show is just over 5 weeks away and I am a hungry for a win. I had also hoped to compete in the Arnold Classic this year, but I forgot to send in my letter of consideration. If things go as I plan at the FLEX Pro, I will get the attention of the Arnold committee and they will consider inviting me.

My prep is going smoothly so far and right now my weight goes between 255 and 260. I?m using all of the methods that led to my success last year and just trying to refine them and learn more about my body. I?m working with Dave Palumbo as my diet coach and using a keto diet that works well for me. I?m also training heavy and sticking to my powerlifting roots.

This year I?ve been on top of getting my cardio done and it?s going to show in my condition. Besides getting ripped, the only good thing about cardio is what I get to see on TV. My new favorite commercials are for Planet Fitness. I was watching it today as I did my cardio and I started thinking about how much my body changes while I diet and work my ass off to get ready for a show. It made me think, what would happen if we had gym members look in the mirror at themselves like bodybuilders do and ask the question, ?have I changed?? If the answer is NO, then Planet Fitness is for you. As a trainer I?ve helped a lot of people lose weight and get healthy. I know if any of them walked into a Planet Fitness instead of hiring me they would all still be out of shape. I want people to realize that anyone can change their bodies if they are willing to put in some work. It?s not easy and it?s not free.

I?d like to thank FLEX Magazine for giving me this opportunity to connect with all the great bodybuilding fans out there. I will be updating my blog each week on my journey to the FLEX Pro and hopefully the Arnold Classic.

BEN WHITE
IFBB PRO

 

[tkD]

Re: 2011 IFBB "FLEX" Pro show - 1st show of the 2011 bodybuilding season

January 14, 2011

FINALLY DIETING

Well I guess I'm finally dieting. I know that sounds stupid considering I actually started dieting almost eleven weeks ago, but for the first time it really feels like I'm dieting. I had a few flashes of it in the first eleven weeks, but for the most part it?s been pretty easy and I haven't really struggled at all. Staying lean this year in the offseason has allowed me to coast into this show...until now. It was weird; it?s like one day I was fine, workouts were fine, mood was fine, everything just seemed easy, then all of a sudden?diet mode!

I don't cheat on my diet and I never miss workouts, therapy or cardio so what does this all mean? It?s the little mental and physical differences that someone who has never competed before wouldn't really understand. Anyone of you who has done a show, level 1 or pro, when you diet hard the same feelings applies. A couple days ago I was doing chest and all of a sudden I just didn't have the same power I had the day before. The day before I had trained legs and had the same amount of strength I always have. In that instant I lost a whole plate off my bench; it?s almost like the strength was still there but only for a few reps. I know it?s because my body is really getting low in body fat and glycogen (so it?s explainable), but it still wreaks havoc on my mental game. It?s really a test in mental toughness to see your lifts drop week after week and keep a positive outlook on the task at hand. The only thing I have going for me is I have been doing this so long I have learned to cope by using other intensity techniques to make sure the muscle is really being taxed while I'm at the gym.

Along with the strength loss I have noticed a few other things. It?s almost like when I get this close to a show and I'm actually in the dieting mode I turn inward for the last few weeks. I just like chillin at home, watching movies, reading, even writing this blog...lol. Some people are different, when they get into crazy diet mode they get out and do more things to keep themselves occupied, I'd rather be relaxing alone. My mood is definitely changed as well, when I get to the gym lately I am more focused and not as likely to joke and laugh with my training partners. Luckily for me they have competed and also understand me, so I get a pass for being an ass or not having a sense of humor.

Last but not least, cravings have finally set in. Most bodybuilders like to portray this perfect image of a person who is on top of it all, never has cravings, is powerful all the way through and dieting is a breeze. Well, I'm not here to blow smoke up your ass....I want some pizza. Actually I like my McD's so that sounds pretty good right now, but then again I could also go for a Blizzard...wait a minute I think I'm off track...lol. The point I'm trying to make is even though I'm eating about 5000 calories a day, it?s all completely clean and since I am totally strict on my diet the sweet tooth and grease cravings are kicking in. At the end of the day that?s all it is though - just a craving. I would never jeopardize my conditioning but it?s fun to think about.

I just want to talk about one more thing before I go. One of the biggest clich?s for bodybuilders when going into a show is this: ?I am only competing against myself, I don't care who shows up, I just want to be my best." I can tell you that in my past and I'm pretty sure in a lot of other bodybuilder's pasts, this thought is bull****. In my past I always tried to find out who was competing, what they looked like, what they weighed?it almost consumed me. When I did the Houston Pro in 2008 I knew the top ten guys who were competing and I thought about them daily when I was dieting and how I could beat them. A couple years ago when I did the Tampa Bay Pro I knew Dennis James was doing it and I thought about how I could beat him every time I trained.

This past year that I have had off I have done a lot of mental study and learning about the psychology of sports and competition. It has been a long year and along with trying to balance out my body I have been trying to balance out my mental approach to bodybuilding. One of the things that I have learned is that the old clich? I mentioned above is true. It took me eleven years of competing to believe it or understand it but finally I do. People tell me all the time, "Aren?t you worried that Dexter's doing the show?" I tell people I don't care who does the show and for the first time in my life I really mean it. I wouldn't care if anyone in the IFBB was competing and that?s not because I think I am the best and I can beat them all; it?s because I realized that being your best will eventually get you to the top. If you are successful at something and you are consistently trying to beat your last performance, eventually you are going to reach YOUR best. Most likely reaching your actual best will coincide with reaching the pinnacle of anything you are doing in our life. I think I am much better than the last time I hit the stage and I am on track to be in much better condition. If those two things are true than what more could I ask for? After I prepare in every way I know how, there is nothing more for me to do but enjoy the ride. In this sport you bring your best and let the judges sort'em out.

Sacrifice Without Regret,
Fouad 'Hoss' Abiad
www.fouadhossabiad.com

 

[mvsf1]

Fouad, I don't know why, but you weren't part of my fav. Now, I've been reading your blog for weeks and you seem a really nice guy. Hope everything goes fine, man.

 

[Natzo]

I must say. ben looks damn good.

 

[nigster]

Ben really does look good. Dave does a really good job with his diet. I really hope that Fouad and Ben will nail their condition 100%.

 

[tkD]

Re: 2011 IFBB "FLEX" Pro show - 1st show of the 2011 bodybuilding season

Fouad Abiad Trains Chest and Triceps 5 Weeks out!

 

[dilatedmuscle]

i cant wait for this show i hope dexter wins

 

[mvsf1]

Fouad trains really well, heavy and with good form.

 

[tkD]

Re: 2011 IFBB "FLEX" Pro show - 1st show of the 2011 bodybuilding season

Dexter Jackson Trains ARMS 6 Weeks out

 

[tkD]

Re: 2011 IFBB "FLEX" Pro show - 1st show of the 2011 bodybuilding season

January 18, 2011

The Anticipation!

As the weeks countdown I am more and more focused on the up coming FLEX Pro. I don't even realize what time of day it is or day of the wee!. My mind is just fixed on what needs to be done in the gym. I just realized that Dexter and Wolf are competing. It made me realize how much progress I've made with my goals in this sport. To be on stage competing with the Blade and the big bad Wolf, as well as other IFBB PROS, is an honor. This reminds me of 2005 at my first national show. I met Dexter, shook his hand, and with a smirk on his face he autographed a pic that said, "I'll see you on stage some day." Here it is 6 years later and I will be on stage with him. The anticipation!

Ben White
IFBB PRO

 

[saamies]

Re: 2011 IFBB "FLEX" Pro show - 1st show of the 2011 bodybuilding season

Bad news

...Here comes the news... I confirmed today with two individuals that are definitely in-the-know, Dennis Wolf is NOT doing the Flex Pro Show. You can scratch him off the competitor list. There is no doubt; this is news, not gossip.

 

[tkD]

^^ yea I've seen that, I think he is behind his prep for the Flex Pro.


(ps. what happened with mecca for like 2 days?)

 

[tkD]

Re: 2011 IFBB "FLEX" Pro show - 1st show of the 2011 bodybuilding season

January 19, 2011
Training Smarter & Harder!

Well there comes a time in every great diet where the two-a-day becomes a part of everyday life. Luckily for me about five years ago I was able to get a gym quality Stairmaster from a gym that was closing. That means I don't have to go to the gym three times a day. I try to break up all my gym work: Morning cardio (50min now) on the Stepmill at the gym; second round at the gym midday for training and posing; and lastly the third session at home on the Stairmaster for 25min before I eat my last meal.

At this stage in the game I am looking at shredding that last 5-8lbs and this is the only way it?s going to get done. Hany has devised a pretty good game plan for this prep and everything we have set out to do has pretty much gone according to plan and we are right where we need to be for four and a half weeks out. Most of you probably think it?s a pain doing all this cardio and work, but to be honest I kind of welcome it at this point. I have lost my attention span; I can't concentrate on anything for more than 20min. I put in a movie the other day and I watched it in like six different segments because every 20min I would get up to go do something. So seeing as I can't focus on anything, I just sit and think about the show. I think about things I have to do and eventually it stresses me out. Luckily, the cardio and training keeps me busy. Besides cardio and training, there is cooking, eating and all the other errands that go along with competition so my day is completely filled. When the day is filled it goes faster, when it goes faster I don't have to worry about hunger or cravings and when the days go faster the show comes up faster!

I have to say, the training is getting tougher at this point as far as strength goes. I realize that not every day is going to be a record breaking day at the gym since I am so depleted right now, so I have to come up with new ways to push the intensity. This was my leg workout yesterday to try and salvage a bad day. Most weeks I am standard with the squat, hack and leg press but yesterday since I felt a little weaker I decided to throw a curve ball into my training and man did it F&% me up! Here it is:

1. Seated Leg Curl - 6 Sets / 20 - 8 Reps **
2. Lying Leg Curl - 4 Sets / 20 -10 Reps **
3. Leg Press - 5 Sets / 25 Reps
4. Hack Squat & Machine Squat Leg Press Superset - 4 Sets / 15-20 Reps on Hacks, then to
failure on Machine Squat **
5. Smith Squat & Walking Lunge Superset - 4 Sets / 12-8 Reps on Smith Squats and about 15
yard Lunges
6. Leg Extensions - 3 Sets / 30 Reps
7. Adductor Machine - 3 Sets / 15 Reps
(** exercises are pyramid sets raising the weight and lowering the reps as we go)

It doesn't look pretty and it?s not hardcore, but my legs were and are a mess. Some guys get in the gym and are stubborn about their bodies and how they go about their training; they think every day is a strongman event. We all know from the beginner to the pro that you have days where the muscle just isn't cooperating and those are the days you need to use all that time in the gym to create something your body can use! These are the days where you think back to some of the craziest **** you have seen or learned and think, ?ok, if today isn't going to be a record breaking day and I'm not feeling a 500lb squat then how can I beat my legs to death in other ways?'. Think outside the box and I guarantee as long as you hit it hard your muscle will respond!

 

[dilatedmuscle]

So no expo for this show?

 

[tkD]

Re: 2011 IFBB "FLEX" Pro show - 1st show of the 2011 bodybuilding season

Bad news

Aaron Singerman = fail lol


Wolf is "IN"
Dennis Wolf denies internet rumor

Dennis Wolf denies internet rumor

January 21, 2011

FLEXONLINE.COM

We're not exactly sure how something we reported three weeks ago is news again, but apparently it is today: Dennis Wolf will compete in the FLEX Pro on February 19th at the Santa Monica Civic Center. Despite an internet rumor to the contrary, we caught up with Wolf this morning for confirmation.

"I'm very excited to be in this contest," Wolf said. "I don't know how these things start because I've just been training and focusing on getting ready. I think there's a little extra motivation because it's the first time for this show and it's also the first one of the year."

Wolf will look to continue his success from the 2010 Olympia, where he re-established himself as an elite competitor by placing fifth.

"I'd like to call it irresponsible journalism, but that would imply that the people running this story as news understand what the word journalism means," FLEX Editor In Chief Allan Donnelly said. "Unfortunately some people take internet rumors as truth, and we did receive several calls this morning asking whether or not Dennis was still competing in the FLEX Pro. We then did what any responsible news outlet would when trying to confirm a rumor - we went straight to the source for confirmation.

"Needless to say, we are excited to see Dennis on stage competing in the FLEX Pro on February 19."