Category Archives: Daily Activity

New Ab Workout & Day’s Food Preparation

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A busy day ahead of me today, with filming at the beach, followed by interval training, both projects for one of our (myself and my business partner who I manage the studio with) clients in Spain. With morning cardio, and a new ab workout completed, followed swiftly by breakfast, it’s still not even 8 am, yet to make sure I’m able to stay on track with my strict eating regiment while out filming today, I have to weigh and cook up all my foods for the next 4 meals, including pre and post-workout. Check out how and what I cook to take with me below this mornings fat-burning session.

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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

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Workout Summary

Name: Morning Cardio & Abs

Start: 06:10 End: 07:35

Duration: 1 Hour 25 Minutes

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Lying Swiss Ball Leg Lift x 3

Sets Abdomen

1: 0 lbs x 30 Normal reps
2: 0 lbs x 30 Normal reps
3: 0 lbs x 30 Normal reps

Notes: Each set followed by a circuit of the other three exercises

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High Cable Single Arm Rope Twist x 3

Sets Abdomen

1: 20 lbs x 60 Normal reps
2: 30 lbs x 60 Normal reps
3: 35 lbs x 60 Normal reps

Notes: Performed 15 reps on one side before switching over to the other side for 15 then back again and so on

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Lying Windscreen Wipers x 3

Sets Abdomen

1: 4 lbs x 40 Normal reps
2: 4 lbs x 40 Normal reps
3: 4 lbs x 40 Normal reps

Notes: Held on to two dumbbells at arms length to remain stable when rotating legs left to right to floor with 4lb medicine ball between legs

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Double Crunch x 3

Sets Abdomen

1: 0 lbs x 50 Normal reps
2: 0 lbs x 50 Normal reps
3: 0 lbs x 50 Normal reps

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Notes

Abs felt tighter doing this circuit more than they did after yesterdays ab circuit

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 Sticking to a structured eating plan, with set meals consisting of precise amounts of different macronutrients, (lean protein sources, complex carbs, and essential fats, plus vitamin-rich leafy green veg), has always been the way I’ve set about controlling my body fat levels while maintaining as much lean muscle as I can. I know this does not, and cannot suit everyone’s lifestyle, but this is an account of my contest prep, so it’s merely intended as an insight into what I do, and what has worked for me for every competition and photo shoot.

I will point out that this is not how I eat all the time. For the simple reason that it is very time-consuming to make sure you are always eating certain amounts of foods at certain times. I will of course eat clean, healthy, wholesome and nutritious food when not in the stages of preparation for a competition or big photo shoot where I really want to peak my condition, but just in a less rigid manner. This will and still does deliver fantastic results, but with the level of competitors at this show, everything counts, and so I’ll be incorporating and doing everything I can to step on stage that day (August 27th) in my best condition ever.

You can see my full day’s eating plan, macronutrient breakdown, and supplements I use, on my nutrition page on my website here: http://robriches.ning.com/page/contest-prep-meal-plan

Meals 2, 3, and 4, all consist of the same macronutrient ratios, and total calories, so to keep preparation simple, and not have to cook 2 or 3 different types of meals, they are all the same: 150g chicken, 145g yams, 9g fat (two of them contain 20g of avocado, and the other two contain 2 teaspoons of flaxseed oil, allowing me to get a more of a spectrum of essential omega fats through my daily meals).

The chicken was cooked on a non-stick pan over a low-medium flame, seasoned with a little black pepper, dill weed, and italian seasoning. The Yams were diced, weighed (uncooked, a was the chicken), placed in a small tupawear dish with a tablespoon of water added, and microwaved on full power for 3 minutes (then the water was drained and the diced yam was added to the chicken). Next up, the veg: Kale, broccoli, and green beans, were all cut, and placed in a large covered dish with a few tablespoons of water, and microwaved for 6 minutes, drained, then proportioned out to each meal.

With meals 2, 3, and 4 now taken care off, I set about preparing my two post-workout meals (immediately after training, and 30-40 minutes after – to not overload my body with food straight after an intense training when my body is in a state of shock and recovery, and also to keep that window of anabolism riding high, and maintain GH levels from dropping). For this, I have 60g of Waxy Maze Starch, and 30g of Hydrowhey (both from Optimum Nutrition), immediately after my weights session, and then 30 minutes later, I consume 120g of cod (cooked the same way as I did for the chicken), with 100g of yams for a second hit of carbs.

I should point out here that my pre-workout meal (in the case of today – meal 4), contains 100g of chicken instead of 150g, which I’ve lowered intentionally to allow for a 20g serving of Hydrowhey protein about 15 minutes prior to training, which helps maintain a positive nitrogen balance, and prime my muscles for the assault that I’m about to rain down on them.

The bag by the way was just a simple one that I picked up from a local store. If you’re looking for something that will carry all of your meals, shakes, water, supplements and more, then check out the six pack bag.

Right, with everything now set and ready, I’m off to start the day’s filming, ad will hopefully be able to get another video session in the gym today to film my latest contest prep video.

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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

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Workout Summary

Name: Quads

Start: 18:45 End: 19:30

Duration: 45 Minutes

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Stationary Cycling x 1

10 Minutes Warmup

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Leg Sled x 5

Sets Legs – Upper

1: 180 lbs x 30 Normal reps Warmup
2: 360 lbs x 15 Normal reps
3: 540 lbs x 10 Normal reps
4: 630 lbs x 8 Normal reps
5: 630 lbs x 8 Normal reps

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Hack Squat x 3

Sets Legs – Upper

1: 270 lbs x 12 Normal reps
2: 360 lbs x 10 Normal reps
3: 380 lbs x 10 Normal reps

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Smith Machine Lunge x 4

Sets Legs – Upper

1: 110 lbs x 16 Normal reps Alternating side
2: 160 lbs x 16 Normal reps
3: 180 lbs x 14 Normal reps
4: 200 lbs x 12 Normal reps

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Leg Extension x 6

Sets Legs – Upper

1: 160 lbs x 20 Normal reps
2: 190 lbs x 15 Normal reps
3: 205 lbs x 10 Normal reps
4: 220 lbs x 11 Normal reps
5: 190 lbs x 12 Normal reps
6: 160 lbs x 15 Normal reps

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Notes

Tonight was a late wokout due to waiting at the studio for a contractor to turn up. Also the jet lag was starting to effect me. Good pump though just lacking the focus and intensity from past sessions

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Eating right when traveling

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After traveling from London to LA, (via Düsseldorf, Germany), for pretty much the entire of yesterday, I had to ensure I had all my food with me, and that it could be kept fresh for the length of the trip. I posted yesterday my food preparation and what I took with me.

Today’s post is an overview of the 17 hour journey. I hope it might give you some ideas to better prepare yourself on long journeys to eat right and be able to stay on track.

I keep each meal in a separate tupaware container, and keep all of these wrapped in a bag with a non-waterbased icepack (look for small solid icepacks that do not require being filled with liquid). I then pack this bag with my carry on, and providing I have no fluids in my bag (over 100ml/3oz) I’ve never had a problem taking my food with me on to the flight.

To help keep the amount of food I have to pack and take to a minimum, I take a couple of amino acid tablets with each meal, along with a digestive enzyme and ALA capsule to help aid digestion and absorption of nutrients. (See http://robriches.ning.com/page/contest-prep-meal-plan for a breakdown of my meal and supplement times). I also purchase around 2-3 liters of water to consume throughout the flight as I do not want to rely on always having to ask for water from the flight attendants to keep hydrated. Yes it’s expensive, but it’s better than feeling thirsty at altitude, when my body is more likely to retain a greater amount of water.

 

By the time I landed in LA, it was the equivalent to being 1 am UK time, and by then I had consumed my usual day’s worth of calories and meals, but I knew I was still going to be awake for the next 6 hours or so as I wanted to remain awake to try and get back into a regular time pattern by sleeping when the rest of LA does (which is ironic as from what I’ve seen, LA never sleeps!). I continued to eat small meals every three hours but without carbs. Throughout the rest of the day, I consumed a whey protein shake, a chicken and egg omelette, a casein shake before bed, which I ate, by blending two scoops of Optimum Nutrition chocolate casein in a blender with 3-4 ice cubes and a little cold water, to produce something in which I can only describe as being like Angel Delight.

After a good nights sleep, and waking at 6.20 am, I set about completing my first of many morning cardio and a sessions, which I’ll be repeating about 5-6 days a week. Check out the full morning session below,

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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

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Workout Summary

Name: Morning Cardio & Abs

Start: 06:35 End: 07:55

Duration: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

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Stationary Cycling x 1

1 Hour Empty Stomach AM Cardio

Notes: Performed on spin bike at my studio – no HR monitor (yet) but performed at a moderate intensity – enough to make me sweat after 20 minutes

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Hanging Knee Lifts x 3

Sets Abdomen

1: 0 lbs x 30 Normal reps Body Weight
2: 0 lbs x 15 Normal reps – 15 Normal reps Rest-Pause
3: 0 lbs x 20 Normal reps – 10 Normal reps Rest-Pause

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Kettlebell V-Twist x 3

Sets Abdomen

1: 20 lbs x 50 Normal reps
2: 20 lbs x 50 Normal reps
3: 20 lbs x 50 Normal reps

Notes: Performed with dumbbell and feet positioned under two dumbbells to give me greater leverage to lean back and engage more abs and obliques

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High Cable Pulldown x 3

Sets Abdomen

1: 50 lbs x 30 Normal reps
2: 30 lbs x 30 Normal reps
3: 30 lbs x 29 Normal reps

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Seated Bar Twist x 3

Sets Abdomen

1: 0 lbs x 50 Normal reps
2: 0 lbs x 50 Normal reps
3: 0 lbs x 50 Normal reps

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Notes

All sets performed as an abs circuit with no rest between exercises

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After finishing my morning cardio and abs session, I set about making breakfast, which consisted of the usual 2-scoop Hydrowhey shake, and oats and banana. As there was no flaxseed oil in the studio’s kitchen, I substituted this for a teaspoon of flax seeds and mixed seeds, plus a rather large heaped teaspoon of cinnamon.

Now on with the daunting task of un-packing and re-packing everything back within the studio, and set about todays errands. Stop back later tonight (remember, I’m now back on PST Time), to see my latest training and nutrition updates.

 

 

Evening weights workout

Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Workout Summary
Name: Back & Calves
Start: 15:50 End: 16:55
Duration: 1 Hour 5 Minutes
Lat Pulldown x 2
Sets Back
1: 75 lbs x 20 Normal reps Warmup
2: 110 lbs x 20 Normal reps Warmup
V-Bar Row x 4
Sets Back
1: 135 lbs x 15 Normal reps Warmup
2: 190 lbs x 10 Normal reps
3: 225 lbs x 10 Normal reps
4: 235 lbs x 7 Normal reps – 3 Normal reps Drop-Set

Notes: Final drop set performed with 225lbs
Barbell Rows x 3
Sets Back
1: 235 lbs x 10 Normal reps
2: 275 lbs x 10 Normal reps
3: 185 lbs x 12 Normal reps

Notes: I decided to drop the weight to get a better muscle contraction and feel the muscle contracting more
Close Grip Underhand Lat Pulldown x 3
Sets Back
1: 165 lbs x 12 Normal reps
2: 150 lbs x 12 Normal reps
3: 165 lbs x 12 Normal reps

Notes: The last set was performed as a wide grip overhand pulldown
Seated Row x 3
Sets Back
1: 180 lbs x 12 Normal reps
2: 195 lbs x 12 Normal reps
3: 195 lbs x 12 Normal reps
Seated Calf Raise x 7
Sets Legs – Lower
1: 45 lbs x 30 Normal reps Warmup
2: 45 lbs x 30 Normal reps Warmup
3: 90 lbs x 20 Normal reps
4: 115 lbs x 20 Normal reps
5: 115 lbs x 20 Normal reps
6: 125 lbs x 15 Normal reps
7: 100 lbs x 15 Normal reps
Leg Sled x 5
Sets Legs – Lower
1: 270 lbs x 25 Normal reps
2: 360 lbs x 20 Normal reps
3: 360 lbs x 20 Normal reps
4: 270 lbs x 20 Normal reps
5: 270 lbs x 20 Normal reps
Notes

Doing Whatever It Takes To Get It Done

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My alarm went off today at 5.45am, just like every other day, except today I rolled over and turned it off, finally getting out of bed just before 10 am. It wasn’t because I was being lazy, it was more to do with the fact that for the past three days of waking early and getting my workout in first thing before starting filming at the studio, I was left feeling so tired by the end of the day (we wouldn’t often finish filming until long after the sun had gone down), that I wasn’t feeling rested enough by the time my next early morning workout came around. After just three days my tiredness had got the better of me, and it was time take a much-needed rest day.

Giving myself an extra 4 hours in bed, and not depleting my energy levels early on in the day, left me feeling refreshed and full of energy, which was useful as we had a full days filming schedule today.

For those who haven’t yet followed me on my Facebook page, and Twitter, where I post my daily activities, I now manage a video production company in the heart of LA with my business partner and a second videographer/editor and produce several workout and cooking shows for a number of different companies and fitness channels.

Today we filmed several exercise demonstration videos, detailing such things as technique, form,  and progressions. These videos will be soon be edited and shown on my Powertec page on my website here, where you’ll also find my full workout routine and recipe for one of my favorite treats, Vanilla quinoa Protein Bars.

While I was filming workout videos, my editor was upstairs busy putting the final touches to one of the beach workouts that we filmed at Venice beach last week.

This is part of a series for one of our European clients called Prozis.com – an online supplement company based in Portugal. The videos are for a competition that will end in July, and where you could win a trip to Las Vegas. You can find out more about how to enter and what to do here.

This afternoon we started filming in the kitchen, and had 10 supplements to review. These are all individual supplements, showing what they do, how they work, natural sources, and of course benefits and side effects. We filmed 10 last week, and although the videos have yet to be edited, I’ve posted all 20 reviews on my website, showing the information that I’ve found on each one. These include Whey, BCAA’s, Glutamine, ZMA, 5HTP, and many more. Check them all out here.

Finally, after a long day in front of the camera, I had a craving for some ice cream, and not wanting to break my newly started diet in preparation for my next fitness competition, I decided to make my own that would be much better for me than one high in fat and sugar.  Now, not having ever made ice cream before, I had no idea how this would turn out, but was surprised that it tasted pretty good, and didn’t end up like some frozen protein shake.

Here’s how I made it:

16oz of almond milk | 1 large cup of cottage cheese | 2 scoops of vanilla protein | 1/4 teaspoon of matcha green tea powder |a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon | a sprinkle of stevia.

I blended everything in a mixer and poured it into a zip-lock bag and placed it in the freezer. A couple of hours later I had ice cream. Well, sort off, but it hit the spot and satisfied my sweet tooth craving.

Even though it was a long day, filming several different shows, and barely leaving the studio even though it was a sunny, hot day, we did what it took to get the work done. Even if it meant missing a workout and sleeping in longer to have the energy to finish the filming.

Sometimes, you just have to do whatever it takes to get the job done!

Now it’s time for some shut-eye as I’m back on my regular schedule with training tomorrow.

A Busy Schedule?!

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It’s been a busy past few days at the studio with a heavy filming schedule, shooting various shows in the kitchen, workouts shows in the gym area, exercise demonstrations in against a backdrop, and several shows on-location at Venice beach, oh and did I mention that I’m starting back my competition training for the WBFF Worlds in August!!

It’s not been easy to try to fit everything in and prioritize our work schedule, not to mention my specified meal times, and set training routine, but I can’t imagine my situation is different to any other athlete stepping on to that stage, and so I just have to accept that some days will be better than others by way of being able to fit everything in. Sure I may be exercising all day for our video work, but think of this like a sprinter having to run a marathon to get to his race. My plan needs to be specified, and scheduled as far ahead as possible so that I can make necessary adjustments in my training and diet plans accordingly.

As I write this I am preparing for another day of video work and as much as I’d like to get a morning workout in and get it out-of-the-way, I know it wouldn’t leave me with the energy to shoot the two workout videos that is set for today. Hopefully I’ll have enough energy post-filming to get in a good workout. We’ll see..

One of the things that I can be on top of most of the time is the foods I eat. This is where preparation can really help save the day for you and keep you on track, especially when you’re always on the run like I have been recently.

Here’s a simple and great tasting breakfast meal that can be prepared ahead of time and also pre-cooked to be ready for a nutritious snack when you’re on the go.

 Banana & Raisins Pancakes (makes 2 servings)

  •  8 egg whites | 1 cup of steel cut oats | 1/2 tspn cinnamon | 1/4 tspn stevia |
  •  1 banana | 40g organic raisins.
  • Mix the egg whites, oats, cinnamon and stevia in a blender until you get a smooth   
  • paste. Pour half the mixture into a pan that’s been greased with olive oil (even better would be to use coconut butter), and cook on a low heat. Add half a sliced banana and half of the raisins until the middle on the pancake starts to harden. Then using a spatula, flip the pancake and allow to cook for a further 20 seconds.

 

I usually cook one for breakfast, and the second one I cook to keep in the fridge to snack on between filming. You may even want to mix up several batches of pancake batter and keep them contained in the fridge so that it will only take a few minutes to cook up.

Now I know some of you may be thinking that this doesn’t contain any protein except from the eggs, but besides from any whey protein added to the mixture being made less effective by the heat, the pancakes taste that much better by not adding any other ingredients. Even whey protein! Instead, I’ll just have a scoop of whey mixed with water to drink during breakfast, or one thing you could try is add a scoop of whey to a serving of greek yogurt, and spreading it over one of the pancakes to make a great tasting, healthy breakfast treat.

Ok, gotta run now and get ready for filming. I’ll be back on later this evening to give you the low down of what we’ve been filming all month. As usual, you can keep up to date with my daily thoughts and meals by following me on my Twitter page.

Ok, so I had about 30 minutes break for lunch, and with nothing but the usual meat and veg in the fridge I decided to put together one of my favorite meals – Turkey Burgers. I was hoping to film it for you but by the time I’d have set up the camera it would have taken longer than to cook the meal itself. Well, almost. The point was I was hungry so instead just snapped this pic below of the main ingredients. (I’ll shoot a video shortly about this, plus a few of my other favorite health snacks when I have a free day).

This is what you need to make about 12 medium-sized turkey burgers, that are not only packed with high quality protein, healthy fats, and a few complex carbs (which are optional), but tastes great – even to all you fast-food junkies out there!!

Here’s what you need:

2 packs of ground turkey meat (about 2.5lbs). You can grind your own, and I’ve had some success using a blender before, but best to buy pre-ground | 2 eggs (1 whole egg, 1 white) | half an avocado | half a small onion | a cup of oats (optional, although without you won’t have that ‘burger-like’ consistency) | a selection of herbs and seasonings (I used Dill Weed, Italian Seasoning, Pink Sea Salt, Oregano, black pepper, and a little cayenne pepper).

Simply mix everything in a large mixing bowl, adding a couple of tablespoons of virgin olive oil (to help bind all the ingredients),and in the palm of your hand, create 12 golf-ball sized servings.

Add a little olive oil to a pan on low heat and pat the balls into discs before placing them in the pan. Wait until they begin to turn golden brown before turning, checking the middle with a knife to ensure they are fully cooked before taking them off the heat.

I served these with a simple baked yam and steamed broccoli, drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar oil!!

Give them a try, and let me know your thoughts by posting on my Facebook page. (If you have a picture to add I’d love to see how you’re turn out).