John Hansens Training Diary Week of March 16th 2008

by: John Hansen - March 18th, 2008
59Monday, March 17th, 2008
Today is my first full week back in the gym since getting sick on March 4th. The last time I did the workout that I did today was Monday, February 25th, which was three weeks ago. I was understandably a little weaker today but my strength will come back in the next couple of weeks.

My weight today was down a little to 211.5 pounds and the waist dropped down to 35 ¼”. I have seven full weeks until my guest posing so I should be able to get down to a 33 ½” waist which will be very close to contest shape.

I did chest, triceps and calves in the gym today. My strength was a little down but I was not coughing like I was last week in the gym so my health is back 100% now. My left ear feels like it is congested still but my glands are no longer swollen and the coughing is gone so I’m ready to roll.
Here is what I did in the gym today:

Bench Press 225x10, 255x6, 255x5
Incline DB Press 100x8, 110x6, 110x5
Flyes 75x8, 75x7, 80x6
Pushdowns 100x10, 120x7, 120x6
Decline Extensions 100x10, 120x7, 120x7
Dips BWx10, BWx7, BWx6
Seated Calf Raises 100x15, 150x12, 150x10
Standing Calf Raises 340x12, 440x9, 440x9

My diet was on target today. I kept the carbs down to 220 grams and my protein was over 300 grams. Here is exactly what I ate today:


Meal 1 – 1 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – (Pre-workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 serving Vassive CE
Meal 3 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive-NO
Meal 4 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery, 1 serving Vassive CE
Meal 5 – 3.87 oz lean ground turkey, 122 grams sweet potato
Meal 6 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 7 – 3.77 oz sirloin steak, ½ cup green peas
Meal 8 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops of Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to 2808 calories with 310 grams of protein, 221 grams of carbohydrates and 65 grams of fats. Tomorrow, it’s LEG DAY!

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
It was leg day today in the gym and I knew this workout would be tough because the last time I did legs was the week of the Arnold Classic, which was three weeks ago. I wanted to do the squat workout today and I haven’t done squats in about six weeks so I knew I was in for some pain today!

My weight today was at 211 pounds and the waist is still at 35 ¼”. I’m hoping the waist gets down to 35” this weekend. I have six weeks from this weekend until my guest posing.

The workout today went pretty good. My lower back was feeling pretty good and it didn’t hurt when I was squatting. Of course, I went lighter today on everything because I knew I was going to be sore no matter what and I didn’t want to kill myself. Here is how the workout went:

Hanging Knee Raises BWx30, BWx20
Kneeling Cable Crunches 150x20, 150x20
Leg Extensions (Flex Machine) 150x20, 180x12, 210x10
Pause Squats (Bench) 135x10, 225x10, 275x7, 275x6
Hack Squats – 1 ½ reps 180x8, 230x6, 230x6
DB Leg Curls 55x10, 65x7, 65x6
Stiff-leg Deadlifts 185x10, 225x8

I did my squats today with a two second pause at the bottom. I put an exercise bench in the squat rack and went down until I touched the bench and stayed there for a two second pause to make sure I went low enough. I only went up to 275 pounds since I haven’t squatted in so long.

For the rest of the workout, I did 1 ½ reps on the Hack Squat. I didn’t go really light on this exercise but the reps were pretty low. I did DB Leg Curls on a slight decline bench for the hamstrings and then finished off hams with Stiff-leg Deadlifts using a barbell.

My diet today was a little off because I missed a protein drink so my protein intake was only about 266 grams and the carb intake was up to 246 grams because I had the Mini-Bag of popcorn at night. Here is what I ate today:

Meal 1 – 1 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – (Pre-workout) – 1 scoop Whey Gold, 1 serving Vassive CE
Meal 3 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive-NO
Meal 4 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery, 1 serving Vassive CE
Meal 5 – 4 oz lean ground turkey, 131 grams sweet potato, 3 oz broccoli
Meal 6 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 7 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans, Mini-Bag Popcorn
Meal 8 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to 2713 calories with 266 grams of protein, 246 grams of carbs and 65 grams of fats. This breaks down to 39% protein, 36% carbs and 22% fats.

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Today was my day off from the gym and I needed a day off after the last two days of training. My weight this morning was at 210.5 pounds and my waist was still at 35 ¼”.

I kept the carbs real low today and the protein was high (I didn’t miss any protein drinks today). Here is exactly 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 Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 3 – 4 oz lean ground turkey, 132 grams sweet potato, 2.61 oz broccoli
Meal 4 – 8 egg whites, 3 T. salsa
Meal 5 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein
Meal 6 – 4.09 oz sirloin steak, ½ cup green peas, 2 T. salsa
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to only 2443 calories with 289 grams of protein, 135.5 grams of carbohydrates and 69 grams of fats. This breaks down to 47% protein, 22% carbs and 25% fats. Back to the gym tomorrow!

Thursday, March 20th, 2008
My weight this morning was up to 212 pounds but the waist was still at 35 ¼”. My lower back was feeling a little strained so I did my lower back exercises before I started my workout today.

I trained delts and calves today and I went lighter than the last time I did this workout. I was stronger than I thought I would be though so it was a pretty good workout. Here is how it went:

Seated Military Press 95x12, 135x10, 165x10, 175x8
Side Lateral Raises 40x12. 45x10, 50x8, 50x7
Bent-Over Lateral Raises 35x12, 40x10, 40x10
Seated Barbell Shrugs 225x12, 315x10, 365x8, 365x8
Donkey Calf Raises 190 plus 45 lbs x 25, 190 plus 90 lbs x 20, 190 plus 135 lbs x 20
Leg Press Calf Raises 450x12, 450x12

My diet was on target today also. I was pretty busy today getting things ready for my contest promotion this weekend. The last few days are pretty stressful making sure I have everything I need for the show. I’m sure my diet will be a little off this weekend, especially on Saturday. Here is what I ate today:

Meal 1 – 1 egg, 9 egg whites, 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup blueberries
Meal 2 – (Pre-workout) – 1serving Whey Gold, 1 serving Vassive CE
Meal 3 – (During Workout) – 1 serving Vassive EA8, 1 serving Vassive-ON
Meal 4 – (Post Workout) – 2 scoops 2:1:1 Recovery, 1 serving Vassive CE
Meal 5 – 3.92 oz lean ground turkey, 141 grams sweet potato, 3.35 oz broccoli
Meal 6 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil
Meal 7 – Protein Drink consisting of 1 scoop Pro Complex, 1 scoop Casein Protein
Meal 8 – 6 oz marinated salmon, 1 cup green beans, Mini-Bag Popcorn
Meal 9 – Protein Drink consisting of 2 scoops Casein Protein, 1 T. flaxseed oil

Today’s diet came out to 2954 calories with 316 grams of protein, 254 grams of carbs and 67 grams of fats. This breaks down to 43% protein, 34% carbs and 20% fats.



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Nico137
Nico137 writes...
03/21/08
Hello John....
Looking at your diet, and seeing the it's very similer to mine, I have a question on how much protein does a bodybuilder need....Don't you suppose to calculate 1.5 or 2.0 to your lean body weight, not your over all weight??? Have a great weekend....and a Happy Easter Holiday...
Nick
John Hansen
John Hansen writes...
03/26/08
Nick, I don't usually calculate protein intake to lean bodyweight unless the person I am working with is very, very high in bodyfat (obese). When I'm trying to lose fat, I recommend 1.5 grams of protein for each pound of bodyweight. 2 grams or more for each pound of bodyweight is a little too high and probably more than your body can digest and assimilate.