John Hansens Training Diary Week of June 1st 2008

by: John Hansen - June 3rd, 2008

John Hansen’s Training Diary – Week of June 1st, 2008

Sunday, June 1st, 2008
My weight today was down from yesterday but the waist unfortunately stayed exactly the same. My weight was down to 204.5 pounds, which is the lightest I think I’ve been since I started dieting. My waist, however, is still stuck at 34”.

I went to the gym first thing in the morning to do some cardio. Instead of my normal 30 minutes of cardio that I typically do on my off day, I increased it to 40 minutes today. I did 15 minutes on the Stair Mill on Level 6 and then I went right over to the Treadmill and did 25 minutes at 3.3 mph and a 9.0 incline.

My diet today was low in carbs, which is normal for a non-training day. Here is exactly what I ate today:

Meal 1 – (Pre-Cardio) – 1 serving Vassive EA8
Meal 2 – (Post Cardio) – 1 serving Whey Gold, 1 serving creatine
Meal 3 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 3 T. salsa, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 4 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Egg Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 5 – 4.16 oz lean ground turkey, 114 grams sweet potato, 3.28 oz broccoli
Meal 6 – 1 egg, 7 egg whites, 3 T. salsa, 15 grams natural peanut butter
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein
Meal 8 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to 2646 calories with 305 grams of protein, 151 grams of carbohydrates and 83 grams of fats. Back to the gym tomorrow.

Monday, June 2nd, 2008
My weight today was up a little to 206.5 pounds and the waist is still at 34”. Matt and I were doing the Rep Range Program in our workouts this week. The Rep Range is a tough workout but it’s nice to take a break from the heavy training that we did last week.

DB Bench Press 75x15, 100x12, 115x7, 115x6
Incline Press 165x12, 195x10, 225x7
Incline Flyes 60x14, 65x10, 65x10
Close-Grip Bench 135x15, 185x10, 205x7
Lying Tricep Ext. 80x15, 110x12, 120x10
Bench Dips BWx20, 80x13, 80x12
Standing Calf Raises 360x15, 460x12, 520x8, 540x8
Seated Calf Raises 100x18, 150x13, 180x10

Cardio – 25 minutes on Treadmill – 3.3 mph @ 9.5 incline

When it came to my diet today, I had to figure out a new plan. I am getting tired of this incredibly slow fat loss. Although I am following the exact same diet that I did (with the exact same calories, protein, carbs and fats) that I did when I competed in 2004, it is not working for me now.

The first thing I decided to do is drop my creatine. I can see I have to lose some fat on the lower abs but some of it definitely looks like water retention in addition to fat. Maybe the creatine is holding a little bit of water. It’s worth the chance to just drop the creatine and see what happens.

I called a good friend of mine today, Joe Silzer, to get his advice. Joe is a very good natural bodybuilder from the Chicago area. He has competed in the Team Universe several times, placing as high as 2nd and 3rd. Joe also won the Natural Mr. North America title twice. Joe and I always talk about training and nutrition and how to improve the physique. He is one of the few true natural bodybuilders that I know (many say they are natural when they are not) and Joe has a very, very good physique.

Sometimes when you are stuck and cannot see a solution to your problem, it helps to talk to someone and get their feedback. It especially helps if that person has knowledge of the area you are seeking an answer in. I knew that by talking with Joe, he would give me some honest feedback and he was my best chance of finding a way to get this fat loss going. Joe is very passionate about bodybuilding and he gets really excited when he talking about training or nutrition for the natural bodybuilder.

When I told Joe how long it was taking me to get rid of the fat, he asked me how many carbs I was consuming each day as well as how many calories I was taking in. We both agreed that what I was doing was not bad. Joe then asked me to tell him exactly what I was eating every day.

The first thing he advised me to do is switch my protein drinks to strictly whey protein. The whey protein goes through the body much faster and his thought was that it wouldn’t hold water as much as protein powders made with casein (a milk protein) and egg proteins. I never really considered this but this seemed like a good idea.

Joe also said I should drop the creatine. Even if I lose some strength, who cares? He said to just train as heavy as I could but my main focus should be on getting ripped. I told him I already decided to drop the creatine.

Another suggestion Joe had was to do my cardio first thing in the morning before breakfast. Joe said that when he competed in his last show, he felt like doing cardio after his training session was making him slightly overtrained. Better to do it in the morning on an empty stomach, eat breakfast afterwards and then do the weight training later in the day. I remember George Farah was saying the same thing on Ripped Academy.

I told Joe that I was thinking of dropping one of my protein drinks each day and replacing it with orange roughy and asparagus. The fish and asparagus are very low in fat and calories and the asparagus is a natural diuretic. Sometimes, my schedule will force me to have a protein drink in the middle of the day but when I can fit it in, I will substitute the orange roughy and asparagus in place of the protein drink.

When I finished talking with Joe, I felt much, much better about my game plan. I really didn’t think doing cardio every day or increasing the cardio each session would make that much of a difference. True, it would burn more calories but I’m not so sure what I would be primarily burning, muscle or fat.

By implementing all these changes into my diet today, my carbs were substantially lower for a training day. More importantly, I actually did feel like my body was getting rid of some unwanted water by the end of the day. My stomach started to feel flatter and I could almost feel the changes taking place with each meal. Here is what I ate today:

Meal 1 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 3 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 serving Threshold
Meal 4 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 5 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery
Meal 6 – 4.27 oz lean ground turkey, 105 grams sweet potato, 3.03 oz broccoli
Meal 7 – 3.77 oz round steak, 28 grams pasta sauce, ½ cup green peas
Meal 8 – 6.1 oz orange roughy, 97 grams asparagus
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to 2702 calories with 288.6 grams of protein, 188.5 grams of carbs and 75.5 grams of fats. The breakdown for today’s diet is 43% protein, 28% carbs and 25% fats.

The big change in today’s diet is cutting out the creatine in my pre and post workout drinks and then switching my protein powder to strictly whey protein. I also ate orange roughy and asparagus in place of one of my usual protein drinks. Hopefully, these few changes will make a big change in my physique.

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
OK, today was the first day after implementing some changes in my diet yesterday (well, not the full day but at least from the afternoon on). The results were pretty encouraging! My weight today was at 203.5 pounds, which is the lightest I have been this year and my waist is down (again!) to 33 ¾”.

I did feel different toward the end of the day yesterday. My stomach felt much flatter and I was going to the bathroom a lot so I suspected that I was losing water. I just have to hope that the improvements will be consistent this time and I will lose at least a quarter of an inch off the waist each and every week.

Matt and I trained abs and legs today using the Rep Range program again. The way the workout was set up was like this:
1st exercise – 7-9 reps for 2 sets, then 10-12 reps on the last set
2nd exercise – 10-12 reps for the first 2-3 sets then 13-15 reps on the last set
3rd exercise – 10-12 reps on the first set followed by 13-15 reps on the last set
4th exercise (if there is one) – 13-15 reps

We would use this rep pattern for each bodypart. So, for hamstrings, since we did two exercises (Leg Curls and DB Stiff-leg Deadlifts), we followed the protocol for the first two exercises. When we started quads, we started over again with the first exercise and went from there.

It was a little tricky figuring out what weights to choose to get the amount of reps that was required. On Leg Extensions, the weight I choose seemed a little light. I also think I could have went a little heavier on Leg Press. Front Squats and Walking Lunges, however, were absolutely brutal with the higher reps. Here is how it went:

Hanging Knee Raises BWx40, BWx30
Crunches – Bench BWx30, BWx25
Leg Curls 100x12, 130x10, 130x9, 130x8
DB Stiff-leg Deadlifts 100x12, 110x10, 110x10
Leg Extensions (Body Masters) 120x20, 160x15, 230x9, 230x9, 210x12
Leg Press 450x12, 720x12, 810x12, 770x15
Front Squats 135x10, 185x10, 175x13, 165x13
Walking Lunges (Barbell) 95x15, 95x15

My (new) diet today included all the changes that I started in my diet yesterday. As a result, the carbs and calories were much lower than a typical training day. Here is exactly what I ate today:

Meal 1 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 serving Whey Gold, 1 serving Threshold
Meal 3 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 4 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery
Meal 5 – 4.34 oz lean ground turkey, 101 grams sweet potato, 100 grams asparagus
Meal 6 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold
Meal 8 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil

I couldn’t have the orange roughy today because I was at work for too many hours so I had to have two protein drinks during that time instead. However, I did have the asparagus for lunch instead of the broccoli to benefit from the diuretic effect of the asparagus.

Today’s diet came out to 2785 calories with 319 grams of protein, 199 grams of carbs and 74 grams of fats. The breakdown for today’s calories comes out to 46% protein, 29% carbohydrates and 24% fat.

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
My bodyweight this morning was at 204 pounds and the waist is holding steady at 33 ¾”. Today was my day off from training but I wanted to get my cardio in this morning. I had a client at 5:30 am and then another client at 7:00 am so I was able to squeeze in 30 minutes of cardio (on the treadmill) in between the two clients.

Here is how my diet went today:

Meal 1 – 1 serving Vassive EA8
Meal 2 – (After Cardio) – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops of Whey Gold
Meal 3 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 4 – 4.27 oz lean ground turkey, 127 grams sweet potato, 3.03 oz broccoli
Meal 5 – 7.09 oz orange roughy, 53 grams salsa, 138 grams asparagus
Meal 6 – 1 egg, 7 egg whites, 3 T. salsa, 16 grams peanut butter
Meal 7 – 3.49 oz round steak, 29 grams pasta sauce, ½ cup green peas
Meal 8 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil

I missed a tablespoon of flaxseed oil in my morning protein shake because I forgot that I was only having two protein drinks today instead of three (have to get used to these new changes in the diet). My calories today were only 2337 and the protein was at 267 grams with 143 grams of carbs and 69 grams of fat. Should be interesting to see where the weight is at tomorrow after such a low calorie day today.

Thursday, June 5th, 2008
My weight today was 205 pounds and the waist is still holding steady at 33 ¾”. The changes in the diet definitely worked and I feel and look significantly tighter.

Matt and I were training shoulders and calves today. We used the Rep Range technique again. We did 7-9 reps on the first exercise, 10-12 reps on the second exercise, 13-5 reps on the third exercise and 16-20 reps on the last exercise. When we did traps, we went up on the reps each set, doing 7-9 reps for the first set, 10-12 reps on the second set and 13-15 reps on the last set. Here is how it went:

Seated DB Press 45x15, 70x12, 90x9, 90x8, 95x7
Seated Side Laterals 40x12, 45x10, 45x10
Upright Rows 95x15, 115x14, 115x13
Lying Side Laterals 25x20, 25x18, 25x16
DB Shrugs 100x12, 130x9, 120x11, 110x13
Donkey Calf Raises 190 plus 45 lbs x 25, 190 plus 135 lbs x 25x 2 sets
Face Down Calf Raises 260x12, 280x10, 280x10

With my diet today, I stayed with the changes that I started this week and I kept the carbs under 200 grams and the protein was close to 300 grams. Here is exactly what I ate today:

Meal 1 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 serving Whey Gold, 1 serving Threshold
Meal 3 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 4 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery
Meal 5 – 4.13 oz lean ground turkey, 105 grams sweet potato, 3.28 oz broccoli
Meal 6 – 5.75 oz orange roughy, 114 grams asparagus
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 8 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to 2745 calories with 298 grams of protein, 198 grams of carbs and 75 grams of fats. The breakdown for today’s diet is 43% protein, 29% carbs and 25% fats.

Friday, June 6th, 2008
My weight and waist today were exactly what they were yesterday. My bodyweight in the morning on an empty stomach was 205 pounds and my waist was 33 ¾”. Hopefully, I can start losing a quarter of an inch off the waist every week now with the changes I made to my diet.

I had a busy morning today. I had a client at 5:30 am and then another client at 7:00 am. I wanted to do 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill in between clients. My next client was at 12:30 pm so I had to quickly go home after my 7:00 am client, eat breakfast and then go to the gym at around 10:00 am in order to finish up, go home, fix lunch and then go back to the training studio by 12:30 pm.

Matt had to work all day so I trained back and biceps by myself today. For the Rep Range program today, I did 7-9 reps on the first exercise and then I stuck with 10-12 reps on both my second and third exercises (Barbell Rows and Seated Cable Rows). For my last back exercise, Deadlifts, I did 13-15 reps, which worked out good because my lower back can no longer handle heavy weights on this exercise. For biceps, I repeated the pattern, doing 7-9 reps on the first exercise, 10-12 reps on the second exercise and 13-15 reps on the last exercise. Here is how it went:

Close-Grip Pulldowns 130x15, 180x9, 200x7
Barbell Rows (Smith Machine) 185x12, 225x10, 245x10, 255x9
Seated Cable Rows 230x12, 240x9, 240x8
Deadlifts 225x15, 245x13, 245x13
Incline Curls 45x9, 50x8, 50x8
Barbell Curls 85x10, 85x10
Hammer Curls 40x13, 45x10

My diet was slightly higher in calories and carbs today but it was still lower than normal. The extra calories came from my first meal in the morning before I went to work. I wanted to drink a small protein drink before I did cardio a couple hours later so I had one scoop of Vassive EA8 and 1 scoop of Whey Gold. I also had two protein drinks today along with my meal of orange roughy and asparagus. Here is what I ate today:

Meal 1 – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Whey Gold
Meal 2 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 3 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 4 – (Pre-Workout) – 1 serving Whey Gold, 1 serving Threshold
Meal 5 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive NO
Meal 6 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery
Meal 7 – 4.27 oz lean ground turkey, 148 grams sweet potato, 3.49 oz broccoli
Meal 8 – 6.04 oz orange roughy, 148 grams asparagus
Meal 9 – 3.88 oz round steak, 35 grams pasta sauce, ½ cup green peas
Meal 10 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to 2823 calories with 313 grams of protein, 205 grams of carbs and 76 grams of fats. This breaks down to 44% protein, 29% carbohydrates and 24% fats.

Saturday, June 7th, 2008
My weight today was down to 203.5 pounds and the waist is still holding at 33 ¾”. Today was my day off from training but I did my cardio in the morning (25 minutes on the treadmill) and then I went back to the gym in the afternoon to train abs and do my light leg workout. Here is what I did in the gym today:

Cardio – Morning
30 minutes on the treadmill – 3.3 mph @ 9.0 incline

Late Afternoon
Incline Sit-ups BWx50, BWx35 supersetted with
Incline Knee Raises BWx30x BWx25

Alternate Crunches BWx30, BWx25 supersetted with
Seated Knee Raises 15x15 drop set BWx10 x 2 sets

Leg Extensions (Cybex) 110x25, 150x15, 190x12
Leg Press 360x12, 450x12, 450x12 supersetted with
Sissy Squats BWx10, BWx10, BWx10

My diet today was my typical rest day diet but I did add a small protein drink before I went to do my cardio. I also added 1 scoop of my recovery drink with 1 scoop of Whey Gold right after my afternoon workout. Here is what I ate today:

Meal 1 – (Before Cardio) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 scoop Vassive EA8
Meal 2 – 2 eggs, 8 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 3 – 1 egg, 7 egg whites, 3 T. salsa, 20 grams natural peanut butter
Meal 4 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Threshold
Meal 5 – (After Workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 scoop 2:1:1 Recovery
Meal 6 – 4.34 oz lean ground turkey, 123 grams sweet potato, 3.03 oz broccoli
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 8 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 119 grams asparagus
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Whey Gold, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to 2645 calories with 301 grams of protein, 151 grams of carbohydrates and 84 grams of fats. Today’s diet breaks down to 46% protein, 23% carbs and 29% fats.

It was interesting when I added up my calories and carbs for the whole week and got the average, my calorie average was about the same but my carb average was lower. Here is what my average was for the week:

BW – 203.5
Waist – 33 ¾”
Calorie Average – 2669
Carbohydrate Average – 175 grams

The information contained in this article is not intended to be used for, or replace, the advice, medical diagnosis, or treatment of your doctor. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other licensed healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, diet, or exercise routine or when you have questions regarding any medical condition. Use of this article indicates that you expressly acknowledge and agree that Optimum Nutrition, Inc., its suppliers, licensees, and sub-licensees are not responsible for the results of your decision resulting from the use of this information including, but not limited to, your choosing to seek or not seek professional medical care based on the information contained in this article.