Aj's 2019 Off Season

Lovely leg session to begin the training week with Kuba, Jimmy & Meg yesterday - bottled my top set smith, but other than that, v good session!

Session

LF Seated Ham Curl - 1x 5-9 / 1x 11-15

Smith Squat - 1x 3-7 / 1x 8 -12

Pivot Leg Press - 1x 8-10

Single Leg Press - Watson - 1x 11-15

Leg Extension - 1x Rest Pause 2 fail points

45 Degree Hyper - 2x 8-10

Prime Leg Curl Seated - 1x Rest Pause 2 fail points

Adductor - 1x 8-10

Seated Calves - 3x 8-10

Hanging Leg Raise - 3x BW to fail

Great Push Session Today with Andreas from Vienna, trains super hard, very strong and a awesome training partner.

Atlantis Lateral Raise - 1x 5-9 1x 8-10 1x 15-20

High Incline DB Press - 1x 4-9 1x 10-15

Smith Incline Chest Press - 1x 4-9 1x 10-15

Machine Dip - 1x 4-9 2x 10-12

Prime Pec Deck - 1x 5-9 1x 8-10 1x 15-20

Single Arm Machine Lateral - 1x RP Set (only two fail points) 11 then 7 reps

Rope Extension Narrow Cable Stack - 2x 8-10 1x 12-15

Overhead Extension Machine - 2x 8-10

10/10 Session

Yesterdays Push Session at PNX Gym with Brad/Jack/Bobby, nice session, plenty of good sets on ok ish kit! Incline Plate Loaded Press - 1x5-9 / 1x12-15

Pin Loaded Shoulder Press - 1x5-9 / 1x12-15

Neutral Grip Plate Loaded Tricep Press - 1x5-9 / 1x12-15

D Handle Pec Deck - 3 x 12-15

Cuffed Lateral Raise - 2 x 12-15

Seated DB Lateral Raise - 2 x 12-15

Machine Dip - 3x 8-10

Tricep Pushdown - 3x 12-15 Legs today - last session before 4 days off and trip to NY for the Worlds!

Pull Today At PHX Gym Burgess Hill with being down south!

Superb session with Jack & Brad!

Watson Chest Supported Row - 1x5-9 / 1x12-15

Deadlift - 1x5-9 / 1x12-15

Single Arm Step Back Row - 1x5-9 / 1x12-15

Wide Grip Lat Pull Down - 3 x 12-15

Seated Shrug - 3x 12-15

Rear Delt Pulldown - 2x 8-10 1x 15-20

D Handle Curl - 3x 10-12

Single Arm Curl - 2x 12-15

Push tomorrow!!

Hey Aj, which it’s your current diet now? Thanks

CURRENT SPLIT / EXERCISE SELECTION - Leg Training

Legs A

Standing Single Leg Curl - 2x8-10 1x20-25

Barbell Back Squat 1x 6-9/1x10-15

Atlantis Single Leg Press 1x 6-9/1x10-15

Single Leg Seated Curl - 2x 20-25

Single Leg Extension - 3x 12-15

Donkey Calf Press - 4x 12-15

Adductor - 1x Rest Pause ( fail - 5 breath x3)

Abductor - 1x Rest Pause ( fail - 5 breath x3) } Legs B

Prime Lying Leg Curl - 1x 8-10 / 2x 12-15

Prime Leg Extension - 3 x 8-10 (adjusting load throughout)

Banded, Paused Pendulum Squat - 1x 5-9 / 1x 12-15

Banded Nytram Pivot Leg Press - 1x 5-9 / 1x 12-15

Barbell Hip Thrust - 1x 5-9 / 1x 12-15

Single Leg Seated Leg Curl - 2x 20-25

Adductor - 1 x Triple Drop

Abductor - 1x Triple Drop

Atlantis Seated Calves - 3 x 12-15

These sessions compliment each other in terms of a balance of uni lateral work, while also having one day focusing on getting v v strong at isolations before the compound and one day focusing almost purely on the compound work.

These sessions are LONG and hard and take a while to recover fully from, don't copy this split and expect to recover unless you're nailing everything! This is about the highest total volume I can recover from on my lower body :) Every set is taken pretty close to complete muscular fail.

Aj I know it might be too much to ask but I really enjoy when you log your sessions on here. Even if you just have an outline like what your exercise sequence is how many sets per exercise and what reps you are aiming for. If it's too much time I understand but love seeing the outline of your training especially now that it seems like you are training arms daily. I really feel like my arms and side delts recover very well was thinking of adding more volume at the end of my sessions. Thanks man hope all is well enjoying the level up series and how you breakdown workouts.

Todays Check In! - Shots taken - 11th October 2019

Bodyweight - 193.4 lbs - Up! And body composition still staying in a nice spot!

Thoughts on physique - overall pretty happy, think I've added some decent density and tissue by taking bodyweight up a little further! :)

Training - LEGS - PUSH - PULL - OFF - LEGS - PUSH - OFF (R1)

PULL - PUSH - LEGS - OFF - PULL - PUSH - OFF (R2) * No change *

Cardio - 35 mins on Rest Days (No change, besides, sometimes going for a walk instead to save recovery)

TD Food - 600c 70f 250p (No change on last week)

NTD Food - 400c 100f 250p (No change on last week)

Mood / Energy / Thoughts - Think I caught a small bug mid week, few headaches and general tension in the nasal passage, yeah the nasal. So I've been dosing up a little bit on general painkillers to get rid. Hopefully will be gone in a few days!

Here are this weeks pictures below - also Episode 6 of The Level Up will be posted up tomorrow!

TRAINING DAY MEALS - 7th October

No Weekly Check in this week as I was busy re-gaining lost weight from Scotland trip, but I'm back at it now! Few tweaks to diet purely to create some variety!!

M1 - 3 Whole Eggs, 100g Salmon, 2 English Muffins or 3 Bagel Thins, 250g Fruit

M2 - Pre - 100g Baby Rice, 200g Fruit, 50g Whey, 25g Dark Choc

INTRA - 50g HBCD, 30g Pepto Pro, 10g Creatine, 5g Electrolytes.

M4 - Post - 1 Packet Micro Rice, 200g Beef, Stir Fry Veg, Bagel 30g Jam, 250g Fruit

M5 - 150g Oats, 50g Whey, 2 Packet Go Ahead Cereal Bars.

Todays Check In! - Shots taken - 26th September 2019

Bodyweight - 190.4 lbs - Held weight this week! This was the goal, so happy that it's been achieved.

Thoughts on physique - Happy again with body comp, Danni thought I looked a little leaner this week in the mid section, I've reduced the volume of my oats in the last meal (making just with water, no microwave.. sorry JACK) and this has helped my mid section/bloat massively, feel a lot tighter with a lower volume meal pre-bed, something I need to remind myself a lot of during prep, not to get carried away with more volume.

Training - LEGS - PUSH - PULL - OFF - LEGS - PUSH - OFF (R1)

PULL - PUSH - LEGS - OFF - PULL - PUSH - OFF (R2) * No change *

Cardio - 35 mins on Rest Days (No change)

TD Food - 600c 70f 250p (No change on last week)

NTD Food - 400c 100f 250p (No change on last week)

Mood / Energy / Thoughts - Energy has been weirdly good this week! BUT I know the de-load is needed and it will be a very difficult few sessions to train over the coming days as being so busy with peaking and show planning it gets a little out of hand in terms of session quality, so I'd rather de-load, and be back into it on Monday with all cylinders firing.

Here are this weeks pictures below - also Episode 5 of The Level Up will be a BNBF Finals Special Episode, to be posted at some point next week :)

Thanks for posting . Do you have a preference for consuming whey over whole foods or is it just convienent you to do so / easier for digestion ?

Hi Aj, if you get the time at some point could you list your current training and non training day meals . Kind regards

Todays Check In! - Shots taken - 19th September 2019

Bodyweight - 190.4 lbs - Up another few pounds but composition actually holding very well, so I'm not fussed again, seen some 188's, seen some 190's, this is fine, I don't mind gaining weight.

Thoughts on physique - Happier with this check in! Actually think I'm owning this weight fairly well and excited to see progression, when I'm pumped in the gym it looks a little less soft too of course, remember I take all my off season photos with zero filters and harsh lighting, because that's what I'll be using during prep!

Training - LEGS - PUSH - PULL - OFF - LEGS - PUSH - OFF (R1)

PULL - PUSH - LEGS - OFF - PULL - PUSH - OFF (R2)

Cardio - 35 mins on Rest Days (No change)

TD Food - 600c 70f 250p (No change on last week)

NTD Food - 400c 100f 250p (No change on last week)

Mood / Energy / Thoughts - Energy has dipped a little during the day and RHR is up too, I think this is down to how much progression I've seen recently, sleep quality is still bang on though so I'm relatively happy to keep pushing on, I think I'll de-load back end of next week, not 100% on that yet though, I'd rather nip it in the bud before I feel totally awful.

Here are this weeks pics - Episode 4 of the Level Up will be live tomorrow on YouTube & here, featuring todays LEG Session.

Todays Check In! - 14th September 2019

Bodyweight - 188.4 lbs - Jumped heavy on Wednesday, been salting my meals A LOT more recently, so not surprised or worried at all, we continue.

Thoughts on physique - Softer for sure, but performance is getting there now, so I know I'm close to a good spot to settle for a little bit and just rinse performance, for now we will see, I will keep you updated! Happy with how small the waist is (vacuums) and my belt is still very loose.

Training - LEGS - PUSH - PULL - OFF (Repeat) with two rotations, see back in log to view.

Cardio - 35 mins on Rest Days (No change)

TD Food - 600c 70f 250p (No change on last week)

NTD Food - 400c 100f 250p (No change on last week)

Mood / Energy / Thoughts - Got a little bit upset after taking my pics this week, just really starting to doubt myself heavily which is unlike me, but I just know how BADLY I want to do well next year and the goals are set very high, I know I work really hard, but sometimes I think I might need longer to grow. However, I know I've improved, I'm going to give every step of this process my ALL and it will show on stage. I promise you that.

Here are this weeks pics - Episode 3 of the Level Up will be live tomorrow :)

AJ can you speak about how to transfer from mini cut to suficit phase?

Aj, one question, how do you structure the rest pause in adductors? a fixed load per tot. reps (25/30 or more?) with breaks from how much time? Thank you

Todays Check In! - 6th September 2019

Bodyweight - 186.8 lbs - Been holding this weight all week since a jump on Monday, happy with the increase.

Training - LEGS - PUSH - PULL - OFF (Repeat) with two rotations, see back in log to view.

Cardio - 35 mins on Rest Days (No change)

TD Food - 600c 70f 250p (10f 50c increase on last week)

NTD Food - 400c 100f 250p (10f increase on last week)

Mood / Energy / Thoughts - Feeling good, I still look at my physique & think I've got so so much work to do, but I know I won't really see the improvements fully until I diet down, I want to diet down next year to see what's been done, I'm confident there is a lot of new tissue, as I've never held this weight so well, but we will see. For now, the bodyweight push continues as composition allows. I've just got to keep my head focused on this sessions that will produce a better physique & care less about the aesthetic side for now.

Here are this weeks pics - Episode 2 of the Level Up will be live tomorrow :)

Todays Check In!

Bodyweight - 184 lbs ( was 185.5 yesterday, dropped a bit too much after rest day, will adjust macros)

Training - LEGS - PUSH - PULL - OFF (Repeat) with two rotations, see back in log to view.

Cardio - 35 mins on Rest Days (10 mins dropped off, was too much for my legs)

TD Food - 550c 60f 250p

NTD Food - 400c 90f 250p (dropped some carbs for protein to fit meal frequency, will raise carbs again for next week)

Mood / Energy - little bit more fatigued this week from the busy week last weekend and the heat! but it's cooled down now and a chilled weekend this weekend to catch up on things, then literally a MONTH of having a show day every single weekend, which will be mad! But looking forward to it all of course, then from the end of the season until my prep starts, the focus is on being pretty damn selfish and setting up my prep extremely well.

First documentation episode is coming next week, any title suggestions? I'm thinking... 'The Level Up'?

For now, here is this weeks pics.

Todays Check In!

Bodyweight - 180.4 lbs

Training - LEGS - PUSH - PULL - OFF (Repeat) with two rotations, see back in log to view.

Cardio - 45 mins on Rest Days

TD Food - 550c 60f 250p

NTD Food - 450c 90f 210p

Mood / Energy - I feel good! Sometimes I get days where work is busy and I go into sessions a bit mentally drained, but I have to spend a good 15-20 mins warming up to the environment, then I tend to be ok from that point onwards. Finding I do a little better sometimes training a little earlier in the day, as mental fatigue is a little lower, feel a little more focused. Something I will play about with soon.

I have WIFI guys next week and I'll be starting something new, it will be a few documentation series of my Off Season up until prep, with a weekly episode, very much like BOSTON Bound. So you can expect that to be coming your way NEXT week.

For now, that's this weeks update, an epic weekend with people competing, I absolutely cannot wait!

AJ did you transfer from mini cut go gaming phase again ? Slowly with reverse diet or ?

LEGS ROTATION 1 and Update on Bodyweight/Physique

Legs was superb today, great connections and solid set up in terms of exercise selection! I'll see if I can recover from this volume soon, but I feel as if I'll just about get away with it for now, assessing this obviously by my readiness to train and some bio-feedback (RHR, HRV).

Settled at the new place now so expect content to resume, I have no WIFI as of yet, so uploads will be stocked up for a huge dump of content in a few weeks when I get the chance to upload it all.

For now, keep following the logs and ask any questions.

I'll post my full diet in my next post :)

Hi Aj, can I ask you one question? Why you put leg curl before leg extension on the legs1 and legs2? I know the fact of doing isolation exercise before compound movements for legs, I read it on your insta and I totally agree. I just wanted to understand the logic behind of doing leg curl first and not leg ext. or alternating maybe one day leg curl first other day leg ext. first. Thank you!

MY ULTRA-FLEX TRAINING SET UP

Frequency - Legs, Push, Pull - Rest - Repeat.

I could of gone crazy with exercise selection here, but I've really stuck to the basics, and I will rinse them.

Session Layout Listed Below! - Most sets will be 3 working.

PULL 1

Neutral Grip Chin

Deadlift - Conventional

Single Arm DB Row

Prime Grip Neutral Pulldown

Upper Back Cable Row

Back Stretch

Cable Rear Delt

Prime Preacher Curl

Single Arm Cable Curl

Bicep Stretch

PULL 2

Prime Extreme Row

Barbell Deficit RDL

Nick Gloff Style T-Bar Row

Wide Grip Pulldown

Upper Back Row

Back Stretch

Reverse Pec Deck

Hammer Strength Preacher Curl

Seated Hammer Curl (DB)

Bicep Stretch

PUSH 1

High Incline DB Press

Incline H/S Press

Neutral Grip DB Press

Cuffed Pec Flye

Cuffed Laterals

Tricep Crossbody Extension

Lying Cable Skullcrusher

Chest/Delt/Tricep Stretches Added

PUSH 2

Incline Barbell Press

Incline Atlantis Press

Barbell Seated OHP

Weighted Dip

Prime Pec Deck

Prime Machine Lateral

DB Lateral High Rep

Flat Bar Tricep Pushdown

Single Arm D Handle Tricep Extension

LEGS 1

Life Fitness Seated Leg Curl

Prime Plate Loaded Leg Extension

Atlantis Hack Squat

Leg Press Quad Focused

Barbell Reverse Lunge

Adductor RP

Abductor RP

Seated Calf Raise

Prime Preacher BFR

Tricep PushDown BFR

LEGS 2

Atlantis Standing Leg Curl

Prime Plate Loaded Leg Extension

Pendulum Squat

High & Wide Pivot Leg Press

Single Leg Atlantis Leg Press

Walking Lunge

Abductor

Adductor

Standing Calf Raise

BFR Triceps

BFR Biceps

11th August Update!

Hope all is well guys - manic week with my athletes stepping on stage. We had a super successful one though & I'm so proud.

Got a big few days coming up with moving house but once we are all settled I'll be sure to keep the new content coming your way, being at UltraFlex means filming regularly won't be an issue at all!

Bodyweight & physique update will most likely come next week too, Training has still been going very well though over the last few weeks, hitting some pretty decent numbers!

Hey Guys! - UPDATE.

Long time no speak since Gran Canaria and travelling all over the place with shows & seeing my family, my sister leaves for Sweden soon for around 8 months so I won't see her for ages, hence staying down South between the two southern shows, just kind of fell into place really!

I've been training out of Underground of course, enjoying it but can't wait to get fully settled into a routine in UltraFlex, things will just flow a lot better when we are there full time.

Today I have Legs with Jack & we'll try and get the full session filmed up for the Members Site, I have the video of Josh/George's Peak coming also, but waiting on a USB adaptor to actually plug in my Camera to get this uploaded, apologies on the wait guys.

Food has been relatively consistent, just eating out a little more frequently than I'd like to accommodate social events etc , which is all good.

Just checking in with you guys from Gran Canaria :) Me and Danni are having a fantastic time relaxing.

We hit up Legs today for my first proper session back since de-loading, felt VERY fresh mentally and physically so very excited to take that into my sessions when we are home!

Food wise we are being pretty sensible to be honest, one big breakfast around 10am, salad for lunch around 1-2pm, then a big evening meal with ice cream of course, we're moving a fair amount but doing a lot of relaxing by the pool too, I imagine I'm around maintaining bodyweight (visually, amidst the water retention haha)

I'll weigh when I get back after two consistent days of eating & moving, and then we'll have the all clear on caloric intake leading into my final push up before prep, this will be fairly lengthly, steady in BW progression and not afraid to hold if I need too, but the main goal being getting calories as high as possible prior to prep!

Hope you guys are all well and bearing the heat!

Evening guys, second day of rest for me today, following my typical OFF DAYS deload set up before holiday tomorrow, so that's two days off, I'll take tomorrow & Wednesday off, heading to the gym in Gran Canaria on Thursday, where I'll hit Push, Pull, Legs. All workouts probably being lower in volume as I'll aim to hit baseline and work up from there a little over the next meso, especially with changes to gym environments highly likely over the coming weeks!

Still doing 35 min CV on these off days to keep moving and stay sane!

Hope you are all well :)

Shot from Upper Body yesterday, got a very good pump by re-introducing a higher carb pre workout meal, happier to see the fat loss that has been attained in this phase, after close to 400gs carbs yesterday my weight dropped & I was ravenous pre bed haha, so I'll bump things up today and try to maintain leading into holiday.

Hope everyone has had a fantastic week!

Legs today at Temple with my client Archie, really looking forward to it, then, it's complete rest up until Holiday, I'll take 3 days in a row off at MINIMUM, then I will be getting some sessions in whilst away, but they won't be anything massively impressive, but there is a pretty good gym down the road in Gran Canaria ;-) 450 55 225 today for food, 10,000 steps, No CV.

I’m not AJ nor am I an expert like him but just thought I’d give my 2 cents... 1. Depends on your starting point and what your current condition is like....? 2. What is your end goal conditioning...? 3. How much time / what is your end date...?

Absolutely unreal leg session at Temple Gym today with Ally & James, James is my client, who is doing fantastic in his current gaining phase after finishing up a mini cut, Ally is competing in 3.5 weeks at the UKDFBA Southern in Bikini, she'll do fantastic, she's an absolute work horse.

Full session will be live on the site very soon, filmed up by Hannah :) New low of 178 lbs this AM, dropping very fast at the moment.

Rest day tomorrow, cardio and doing some adult stuff getting ready for the house move & also holiday! Need to grab some actual sunny weather clothing & swimming shorts haha

LEGS

Standing Leg Curl - 1x 8-10 then 2x 12-15, after second high rep set, drop with partials.

Atlantis Pendulum - 1x 5-9 then a back off in loading for 1x 12-15

Cybex Leg Press - 1x 15 Paused in the hole, then 1x 30 Paused in the hole ( this fucked me up big time )

Flex Leg Extension Pin Loaded - 2x 12, holding contractions and paused in lengthened range too, then 1x 15, followed by a double drop (was even more fucked up by this point)

Nautilus Glute Thrust - 1x 12 with 6pps (beat PE-AD by a few reps lol) then a 1x15 with 4pps.

Adductor - 2 sets of 12-15 moderate intensity

Cybex Sled Calf Press - 2 sets of 8-15 paused in the lengthened range

12/10 Session, just so good, so much fun, 3 hours of epic training, had my playlist on in the gym too, amazing.

When did you implement fasted cardio on training days? Thought you did it PWO?

Decent drop on the scales this morning, down to 178.6 lbs, new low in this mini diet, and bringing with it some new detail for sure, just feel tighter all over!

Push today was great at Temple Gym - however I am starting to feel the combination of both training & diet fatigue kicking up, this morning from cardio all the way through to my pre workout meal I was dragging my ass around, I got everything done don't get me wrong, but I was dragging, and I know the holiday and bringing up calories will be the immediate fix for this - both removing current diet & training fatigue.

To be honest my plan for the holiday is to do a few sessions, probably an upper and lower, still hard sessions, but very low frequency, so this will act as a deload for both me and Danni for when we return, to get straight back into the swing of things again!

Bodyweight wise I'll want to basically keep it where it's at, so I'll keep expenditure fairly high, but aim on being an adult with food options & hit protein as a bare minimum (I'll take powder/a box of bars) - I simply cannot undo a six week diet by being an idiot on holiday haha :)

Hope all is well with you guys, let me know if there's anything you want to see!

LEGS with Jack coming very soon, and I'm training legs tomorrow at Temple with Hannah behind the camera!

Evening guys, Great rest day yesterday & an awesome podcast recorded with Georgeyyy boy! Check it out if you haven't already, few insightful bits :) Went up to Flex N Tone today for Pull with two of my friends who are over from Vienna, was a fantastic session, felt fairly strong considering all variables (hit 45 min fasted CV this AM and only had one meal prior, sleep was not amazing last night either) but no excuses needed.

Last little 'dig' with this mini cut this week so cardio is now daily 45 mins on the stairs at 140bpm +, ready to attack this as I am loving the CV work.

Little bit behind on meals today but no complaints as it allows me to get in a few later, so my mince and veggies meal now, then 600g fruit and whey pre bed, as I've found the oats is still not sitting with me amazingly, they taste epic, but I just wake up a little bloated from them, the fruit, even despite the volume of it, I wake up feeling absolutely fine and bowel movements are better too.

Will be at Temple Gym Tomorrow for Push, pumped for it!

Looking good mate! 5:30am!?!? I could never do that... good for you though as I wish I was a morning person!!

Evening Guys! Full Physique shots posted on IG, following suit with some here.

Been fasting till my pre workout meal most days, that ends up being around 10am, today it was 11am, I did this a lot in prep too and found it very beneficial mentally and physically. I'm waking around 5:30 am recently too, and loving this also, kickstarts my day fantastically.

Upper today with Danni was very good, performance holding nicely on most compound moves and the new temple gym is a great place for us to train until we leave Brum, never been a huge fan of Ultimate if I'm honest, Temple is fantastic in so many ways.

Got Legs tomorrow, special treat for you guys, training with Thorburn at MJ's Gym and yes, it will be on the site very soon.

Great Push Session with Josh yesterday at Flex n Tone - tried out all the Nautilus Kit, managed to get 4pps on the flat and about 3.5 pps on the incline which I think is ok! Will try and ramp those numbers up next time I'm there for sure!

Today is legs and I'll be off to Temple for the session, usual curl / extension to begin, then Atlantis Pendulum, Cybex Leg Press and a lunge variation or single leg press to finish! Very excited.

Hit 30 mins light walk this AM, which is what I usually do when in a deficit to save my legs for the session, formal cardio performed every rest, push & upper day.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Afternoon guys! - Had a great weekend, watched Spiderman in 3d, epic film, and went out for a steak (fillet of course) with Danni on Sunday.

We hit Pull today at Temple Gym, it's not the old school Temple we all know, but it's a decent new one! Some of the old kit still remains, with some new pieces added! We really liked it & had a 10/10 session!

Off to Flex n Tone tomorrow for Push with Josh Mchale, which will be filmed for the site!

Just ate PWO meal - 100g kallo rice puffs, 200g blueberries, 50g whey, cinnamon.

Rest of the day I will box off steps and get a sun-bed (holiday prep)

Hope you guys are all well!

”Hey AJ! Brendan smith here” lol! back shot looking “VERY TIDY”!!!

MINI CUT UPDATE

Bodyweight this week - 182 lbs down to 179 lbs - Content with this!

Nutrition - NTD - 200c 50f 250p (increased protein for satiety) still TD - 250c 50f 250p (swapped 50g pro for 50g carb)

Cardio - 12 - 15k Steps daily - 30 mins CV off days (L11 No hands stair master)

Feeling a little tighter this week but the amount of flatness has robbed me of actually seeing the new detail in my opinion, but nevertheless, happy with the progression & excited to get this phase done and get back to doing what I need to do (improving) for next year, I definitely ENJOY longer diets much more than shorter more aggressive ones, prep to me is fun, a mini cut is boring and annoying, hence why I've only done 2 in 2 years.

Training has been good this week, no complaints, I had a sports massage yesterday as I was feeling beaten up and couldn't open up on my rear lat spread, *touch wood* all feels very good now.

Pull today with Dan Crumpton my Junior client, cannot wait, then Legs tomorrow with my Bikini Client Frankie, good couple of days ahead!!

Photos to follow.

In

Great Pull Session today, after last weeks attempt at 210kgs on RDL I decided to not be an absolute melon, and load 200kgs, getting a solid 5 reps, backed off with 160kgs x 14 which absolutely fried me up haha.

Post Workout Meal currently -

1 Packet Jasmine Rice

1 Bag Salad (Bistro Salad from Sainos, the best)

150g Raw Weight Chicken

200g Blueberries

After eating this I will have my Supportmax or 600mg Ashwaghanda, and prior to the meal, 100mg L-Theanine and 200mg Magnesium Glycinate.

Next and final meal of the day

125g Oats

180g Egg Whites (mixed in)

20g Whey

Hope you are all well!

Afternoon guys - bit of an update on the mini cut!

Hit new lows in the 181's this week, but felt super watery the past few days with the heat bringing hay fever into play haha, cardio done this morning at 30 Mins Stairs L11, certainly feeling a lot fitter with having some Medium Intensity CV in. Today is rest, yesterday was a great leg session with Danni, always good to train with her :)

We should be fully moved in up in Sheffield by the end of this month, which is super exciting!

Rest Days I try and split up my check ins with a few walks and I like to get a decent amount of my steps/expenditure done in the morning so I can try and 'REST' for as long as possible throughout the day.

Macros today - 200c 60f 225p - Increased protein a little on this day now, to help curb satiety a little more!

M1 was 250g Greek Yoghurt, 300g Blueberries, 150g Pear, 15g Nutridyn Fruits & Greens and 25g Dark Chocolate!

Evening guys, hope all is well :) - Travelled up to Sheffield last night from Brum, spending the rest of the week here, I love being here but also cannot wait to be full time up here because funnily enough I feel like I have not had a 'home' for about 12 months... nothing feels like home at all, anyone else experienced this when living in a flat or moving around a lot?

Me and Danni have found a house up here, pretty sure I've mentioned that before, so I just can't wait to get that sorted and move in.

Outside of that, had a great leg session today even despite my left side of my low back being pretty mashed up from flying/sitting over the weekend and a stupid RDL set at 210kgs which capped it off haha, I've been applying tiger balm and it's easing up with plenty of stretching too, when I get a niggle I'm all over it like a rash until it's gone.

So tomorrow is rest, 60 mins CV (30 stairs, 30 treadmill) at Pure Gym, and me and Danni will record a Podcast :)

Mini cut running smooth. 181.4 lbs this morning, almost 10lbs off. People on IG saying my face is already leaner, haha, win.

Evening guys - had a great push session today with Adrian & James, managing to retain pretty much all of my pressing numbers at the moment which I'm really pumped about, makes me excited to get back into gaining & pushing the numbers back up again, if I can hold for the rest of this phase, that would be fantastic.

The weekend was so good at the Scottish UKDFBA, I really enjoy that trip & the show, great to also spend plenty of time with Lee & Amy (who run the UKDFBA) too, they are such kind people and they treat me like family (genuinely feel like I'm their Son when I go away with them) haha!

So bodyweight is down to 182.4 lbs this morn, kept on track the whole weekend, even with a five guys burger on the Sunday night, which I allowed enough 'room' for! Not optimal, but it's called having a life and trying to balance what is a 'relaxed' cut, in the sense that it's a mini cut, not a contest prep, in a contest prep, you would not find me eating out, AT ALL.

I'm going to get a informative video up this week on handling client data, this should help a lot of you coaches out there, and if you want more of this content, you can let me know!

Push will be uploaded with a voice-over too, I filmed it, so sorry for the slight down-grade in quality ;-)

Hej AJ, did you notice difference in sleep quality using just ashawaganda KSM 66 with sleep stack or Max Neuro and sleep stack ?

I dispise anyone who can BB press pain free... IMO they are the best mass builders but sadly I can’t do them right now due to sports injuries in the past...hopefully one day I can get back on that BB incline as that is one of my FAVORITE movements ever

Epic Session today - Upper, few changes in the set up of this session!

Incline BB Press x3

BB Seated OHP x3

Single Arm DB Row x3

Wide Grip Pull Up

Super set with Single Arm Machine Laterals (Both x4)

Reverse Pec Deck

Super set with Cybex Chest Flye

(Both x3)

Standing D Handle Cable Curl

Super set with Tricep Extension

(Both x4)

Smashed now as that's a lot of volume for me.

Steps done, 300c 50f 200p eaten, now the goal is simple for the evening, relax and get ready for a good night of sleep! I'll have 30 mins pre bed Dr Dean Sleep Stack. I'm off to Scotland tomorrow for the UKDFBA Scottish, so looking forward to that :)

Hope you all have an epic weekend! Enjoy whatever you get up too :)

Great Pull Session y'day hitting the 205kgs RDL for 5. Very chuffed with that, must admit I do feel a bit beaten up from it today, cardio was a drag this morning, but I got it done, just adjusting to the lower calories and I feel pretty tired upon wake, which is unusual for me!

Push planned out for today

Incline H/Strength x3

Moderate Incline DB Press x3

BW Dips x3

Cuffed Laterals x4

Cuffed Flye x3

Single Arm Lateral Raise (Life Fitness) x1 RP Set

Crossbody Tricep Extension x4

Single Arm Tricep Extension x3

Rest day today! - Bit of a different day food wise but will run you through it as it will help some of you guys realise you can stay on track!

Totals - 250c - 60f - 200p

M1 - Berries, Pears, Whey iso and Greens Powder - 25g dark choc

M2 - Tonnes of veg, 500g potato, 150g chicken, 200g blueberries

M3 - Mixed Berries, Whey Iso / Greens Powder - Dark Choc (see a pattern here?)

M4 - Grenade Carb Killa

M5 - Zizzi Meal Out ( Danni's family are eating out for a b'day, it would be stupid for me to say no, as I'm only mini cutting) - I'm having Sea Bass , 477 kcal on the online menu, so I've saved a few extra calories if it seems a little off.

Pull tomorrow & I'll be hitting it with Danni which will be fun!

Lol how Bodybuilders buy houses 101 “find your favorite gym, then find a house close to it”. But seriously congratulations! Making those life gains!!

Evening guys - good couple of days of training in the books!

Down around 5 lbs so far since starting the mini diet! - Feeling a lot better for it already ESPECIALLY in terms of appetite, very happy with this, fitness seems to be massively on the rise too, so everything I'm trying to get from this phase, is happening already.

Me & Danni looked round a house today that we will most likely move into in the next month or so! So this is super exciting!!! Very close to UltraFlex and in a nice area, our first house together (renting of course!) But this is so cool!

I'm training legs with my client Simon tomorrow, feeling a little under-recovered from the past few days of training, but ready to give it my all regardless! Hope you guys are having a great week! Will speak to you all soon :)

is the CDB something that you just recently added in for this mini cut? And why no multi vit? Were you taking one before or no?

Morning guys - so a few of you have requested my food set up!

Here is a training day - I'll layout my NTD in my next post.

M1 (Around 9am) - 200g Blueberries - 160g Pears - 45g Whey Iso - 1 Scoop Nutridyn Greens

M2 (Around 11am) - 100g Rice Flakes - 45g Whey Iso - 200g Blueberries - 15g Almond Butter

Intra - 50g HBCD, 32g Pepto Pro, 5g Electrolytes, 2g Taurine, 5g Creatine.

M3 (Post) - 250g Jasmine Rice (Packet) - 180g Chicken Breast - 1 Packet Salad - 1 Courgette

M4 (Around 8pm) - 100g Salmon - Salad / Leafy Greens

5-6 litres of fluid.

Ashwaghanda at 600mg daily

CBD - 750mg pre bed

Rhodilia Rosea / Holy Basil in AM / M2.

Magnesium Glycinate - 200mg pwo and pre bed

Vit d3 - 5000iu

No multi vit

Any questions just ask!

it would be interesting to know the choice of food and the timing. Thank you Aj

Don’t hoses 12,000 steps count as part of CV or is it 12,000 steps plus 30 and 60 min CV sessions?

with the cardio side been so aggressive off the bat to start with, would you think this will have to increase after time or will calories just be adjusted from here if weight stalls?

Evening guys, just about to head off to bed after a fantastic weekend at the Muscle Mentors Seminar. A two day practical event, with a huge amount of take-homes.

Diet starts tomorrow :) Excited to re-enter a deficit and pull back some layers.

INITIAL SET UP

Goal - Aggressive deficit to lose 12-15 lbs in 6 weeks - re-set position to begin another phase of pushing up food, also regain a level of cardiovascular / aerobic health.

Length - June 10th until July 22nd.

Training Day Nutrition - 300c - 50f - 200p - *Will outline food selection in next post if you guys wish*

Training Day Expenditure - 12,000 Fit-Bit Steps / 30 Mins Fasted CV on Push Days only.

Non Training Day Nutrition - 250c - 60f - 200p

Non Training Day Expenditure - 12,000 Fit Bit Steps / 60 Mins Fasted CV.

Any questions please feel free to throw them at me, in regards to rationale behind this set up, or anything else - I covered WHY I'm doing this phase in my previous post.

Let's do this!

Evening guys! Hope you are all well.

So a bit of an update on proceedings with myself - currently around 190 lbs, I had to re-gain a decent amount of the lost weight from being sick (& under-eating) which saw me drop around 10 pounds haha! So I was pretty happy to retain numbers throughout this period of time when I was lighter.

The plan after BodyPower was actually to start a mini cut, but for obvious reasons that didn't happen. So now that I've gained back most of the weight (& momentum in the gym with that) it's time to run my first mini cut since last August. As I've pretty much spent the last 11 months in a surplus or maintaining.

The goal with this phase is to facilitate more gaining time prior to my 2020 prep. I started my last mini cut at 181, starting this one at pretty much 190! That's pretty cool if you ask me. So you can probably imagine the thought process I have right now...

Diet down to around 175.

Then aim to make 195 good on the next push up. I won't be able to get to 195 now without absolutely force feeding, which I'm not prepared to do.

I'll out-line my starting nutrition, cardio & expenditure in my next update, as I begin on Monday.

Aj did you find that you could not recover from push pull legs off upper lower off? Just curious as to why you have changed splits thanks

Great couple of days recently with training! Me & Danni travelled back to Brum on Wednesday, I hit Pull with Kuba on Tuesday, which was a great session, rested Wed (did 60 mins CV, 30 stairs, 30 treadmill) and then hit Legs with my client Alex Yesterday at Foundry Stafford.

Life Fitness Leg Curl - 2 sets

Cybex Hack Squat - 2 sets

Atlantis Pivot Leg Press - 2 sets

Single Leg Extension - 1 10-15 set, then a triple drop

Abductor - 1x Rest Pause (3 fail points)

Adductor - 1x Rest Pause (3 fail points)

Toe Press Calves - 3 x 12-15

10/10 Session, loading and execution was bang on, very happy with it!

Loving my new split so far, facilitating more rest, which I just need right now to be able to progress further.

Push, Pull, Rest, Legs, Rest, Repeat - the rest around Leg Sessions is just fantastic for me.

Down to Brighton for this weekend with Danni, so excited for that :)

Fantastic day on Sunday at the first UKDFBA Qualifier of the season, such an awesome time spent with epic people, cannot wait for the Scottish show next!

I then hit Push with Kuba today, session was filmed by Hannah for the site, it was a good session & I felt it was the perfect amount of volume for us both, I took PB's on most compound moves, which considering my bodyweight is still down, is a pretty epic sign that some of the bodyweight I had was perhaps not needed!

Push Session

All 2 Set Work - 1x 5-9 / 1x 12-15

Incline Atlantis Press - 2 Sets

Dumbbell High Incline Press - 2 Sets

Dip - 2 Sets

Pec Deck - 2 Sets

Seated Lateral - 2 Sets

Cuffed Lateral - 2 Sets

Front Raise (DB) - Rest Pause (3 Fail Points)

Seated Crossbody Tricep Extension - 2 Sets

Wide Grip Pushdown - Rest Pause (2 Fail Points)

Stretches for Chest, Delts & Triceps.

Fantastic Pull Session today at UltraFlex!

All 2 set work was 1x5-9 / 1x12-15

Prime Wide Pulldown (Semi supinated Grip) - 2 sets

Prime Row - 2 Sets

DB RDL - 2 sets

Single Arm D Handle Pulldown - 2 Sets

Upper Back Row - 2 Sets

Reverse Pec Deck - 3 sets - 20-25 reps (rear delts I find respond fantastic to high rep work)

Prime Arm Curl - 3 sets 8-10

High Cable Curl - 3 sets 8-10

Hope all you guys are having a fantastic weekend.

Two new supplements in my regime now, to control stress further.

500 mg 1x a day - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jarrow-Rhodiola-Rosea-500mg-60-Pieces/dp/B0013OULQ0/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=rhodiola+jarrow&qid=1558463252&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

1g (2x capsules twice a day) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Association-Antioxidant-Simply-Pure-Guarantee/dp/B01DAJCIUC/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=holy+basil&qid=1558463286&s=drugstore&sr=1-3

Herbs are fantastic. Dr Dean educated me on the use of these for calming the nervous system in times of high stress.

Ben & Holly - Thanks guys! Means a lot!

I was back yesterday, feeling closer to my normal self, but I think it's going to take a little bit of time just to edge myself back into routine, when you don't train for the best part of a week, you kind of feel lost!

Session yesterday was actually really good with Mike :) (Biceps & Banter)

All 2 set work was 1x5-9 / 1x12-15

Life Fitness Leg Curl - 2 Sets

Atlantis Hack Squat - 2 Sets

Nytram Pivot Leg Press - 2 Sets (1x20 on second)

Prime Leg Extension - 1 10-12 1 Triple Drop

Abductor - 2x25

Adductor - 1x rest pause, 3 fail points

Calves - 2 sets seated 2 sets donkey

Abs - 3 sets.

In for Pull today, then Push Monday with Kuba after the UKDFBA Show tomorrow :)

Thinking of you mate your handling it well . Health is so So important o often we sacrifice that to go to the gym when longer term and short time recovering will benefit longer term gains and progress . So easy to say hard to follow . Be a good question to cover in your podcast how you keep a positive Mindset when your not able to get in the gym , whether it be health , schedule etc . Keep the content real cheers aj

Hey AJ,

This must be a very difficult and frustrating time for you - when what you need contradicts what you want and love to do it can be very tough. Just know we are all here to support you through it! Just think that the comeback is always greater than the setback.

So I've rested all weekend - still feeling not myself and pretty sure it's a mixture of things. I will most likely be resting until I feel 100% because I can't afford to just prolong this illness and take away from more time making progress.

It's very frustrating for me and I've got pretty emotional at points because training is what I rely on for a lot of my mood, stress control etc, it helps me in so many ways, so I know I just need to accept I'm not 100%, but I will be soon :)

Hope you guys are all good!

hey AJ, have you ever gone above your usual 30c/50c intra carbs? Just curious how’s you settled in at those numbers?

Evening guys, Upper Body Today At UltraFlex, felt decent, still feeling a little off, but expecting to be back to norm by next week :) A lot of it is in my head I'm sure of it, because I'm aware of what happened last week, it's just messing with me a little bit still, so I'll keep my head on :) Legs tomorrow - will ramp it up again :)

Will you be sticking to this volume for the foreseeable future AJ? Or will you slowly ramp up to your previous volume and intensities?

First proper session back in yesterday at UltraFlex. Was actually very good.

Leg Extension / Leg Curl (precursor warm ups to see how I was feeling) - x3 sets back to back, 12-15 reps, 2-3 shy of fail.

Atlantis Hack - 7pps x 8 / 6pps x 10 - both away from fail.

DB RDL - 80kgs x 11 / 60kgs x 10 - Again both felt comfy!

Single Leg Press (Atlantis) - 2 sets of 12-15

Calves - 4 sets 12-15

Preacher Curl - 2 sets 12-15

Tricep Extension - 2 sets 15-20

Adductor - 1 rest pause set.

Felt fine after, legs feel good today, so I know this volume was a SMART move. I can hit similar volume on Saturday too.

Rest day today, so doing 35 mins on the stairs, to improve my fitness, as this is something I need to improve for now for sure.

Upper tomorrow & will be back to normal numbers on that session.

Hope you guys are all good!!

Hey Aj, maybe you could make a video discussing HR variability and recovery etc and how they go together?

Hope all is well my man!! Can’t wait Ron see some more NARLEY videos of you crushing squats and RDLS!!! Get better and hope for the best! 🙏

Post BodyPower Update!

So, the last 7 days in general have been probably some of the maddest in a long time, in a good and a bad way, the hospital trip shook me up pretty heavily and led into BodyPower which was AMAZING but knackered me even further.

So - I've been simply trying to bring my body back to baseline in terms of nervous system responses.

I've been doing so by measuring RHR every morning and also pre-bed. I need to manage this before I can expect to recover from full blown sessions (hence why I did 30 mins CV today)

So the take home from this guys is

- Do not neglect your stress management tools.

- Do not neglect some Cardiovascular work in the off season.

- Do not neglect the importance of backing off when you need too.

I hate to post things like this sometimes because it annoys me to say that I'm backing off when I don't WANT to back off, but it's better to be real than fake.

I feel great today and RHR was down by an entire 10 bpm from yesterday, so if this continues I'll be more than ready for sessions by the end of the week.

My usual RHR is around 50-70 bpm - it was as high as 80-85 when I was feeling rough. (No wonder..)

Speak soon guys!

Morning guys so it's BodyPower weekend! The last few days have been crazy for me, simply having to prioritise clients due to a massive lack of time, but also having a little bit of a health scare ( all is FINE now ) but I had to go into hospital for some precautionary checks on Wednesday and was advised not to train that day (so I listened) that's why you haven't seen any training clips since Tuesday.

Tuesdays Pull session was very good though haha, got 190kgs x 9 RDL!!

So I'm just very grateful for being alive and well right now, going to enjoy BodyPower and will be back into training either over the weekend or on Monday, my body just needs to catch up a little as Hospitals etc scare the living daylights out of me haha :) See you guys this weekend if you are there!

Morning :) - Good push session yesterday, nothing ground-breaking but taking a rep here and there or things feeling easier for the same reps as previous rotations so I'm happy :) I have Pull today, which means RDL. One of those days where the last session in rotation went very well, so the pressure is certainly ON, and I like that.

We have....

Cybex Row - 3 sets

Barbell RDL - 1 top set 2 back off

Wide Mag Pulldown - 3 sets

Single Arm Row - 1x rest pause set (3 fail points)

Upper Back Row - 1x12-15 1xTriple Drop

Reverse Pec Deck - 4 sets clustered with short rest high reps

Atlantis Curl - 3 sets

High Cable Curl - 3 sets

Excited to get in there!!

Rest day yesterday - spent mostly at the Laptop!

Today is Push, I'll be rejigging my week a bit based on BODYPOWER, but wanting to get all my sessions in effectively, so I've just played around with a few days to make that work.

Push Session today will be as follows :)

Incline Ham Strength - 3 sets

High Incline DB Press - 3 sets

Dip - 3 sets

Cuffed Flye - 2 sets + Drop

Cuffed Lateral - 2 sets + Drop

Narrow Grip DB Press - 3 sets

Crossbody Extension - 1x Triple Drop

Overhead Tricep Extension - 1x Rest Pause DONE.

Hi AJ, do you always programme a pre-activation exercise before your main compound on leg day? I’ve always placed compounds first. Thanks!

That leg session was 10/10 - absolutely battered me through this evening though. The Squat is so neurologically/systemically taxing that I seem to be able to focus on pretty much fuck all after a good session, so I just did some light work / check ins this evening and will always tend to save programming for time periods when I can be mentally alert as I cannot afford to make mistakes or programme poorly!

Rest day tomorrow and a busy day of check ins which I always look forward too.

Danni is at PCA Hull tomorrow with her Client Amy Garside who looks fantastic!!

Today is leg day and here is the plan! Back Squat rotation.

Physique Update Posted Y'day at 192.3 lbs - Weight keeps coming, not chasing it, it's just coming my way and still holding up well.

Here are my quarter turns :)

So a bit of an update!! Bruges & Brussels was amazing - very short yet sweet trip, with a lot of travel, but I loved it, so did Danni :)

Hit Legs y'day with Brad Johnson, you guys will see this on the site very soon, it was a great return to training.

I will work my way towards getting some further epic content for you in the coming weeks, you all loved the Thorburn stuff :) Push today, nothing AMAZING, but it was OK, matched numbers on the strongest I've been, so this is a good sign :) Ready to start inching my way forwards again now. Hope you're all having a great week :)

Enjoy your well deserved trip away AJ and taste all the chocolate!

Rest today, started check ins at 06:30 and just got through most of them, by 18:00, this is the REALITY of online coaching, hours and hours stood at the laptop, if you're not willing to do this, simply do not bother becoming a coach because you will not be able to scale your business. Loved absolutely every minute of it - will have plenty to catch up on after this weekend, but will try and keep as up to date as I can whilst away, I don't like leaving work behind.

Leave tomorrow around 11am - really excited for a break away :) Feeling epic at the moment across the board.

Fantastic Push Session yesterday with George & Alex, got some PB's which I posted on IG.

No huge compound PBs in todays Pull Session, but plenty of isolations moving forwards and overall an epic session to finish this meso :) I will now rest until Monday, where I will begin with Legs. Off to Belgium with Danni for my Birthday weekend on Friday :)

AJ, you said you’re starting your Deload after today’s pull Session, how do you choose macros during the deload period?

Hey AJ

where do you get your magnesium glycinate from And what brand? Im from Australia and can’t get it anywhere!

God damn! I wish we had these types of gym up here in the great white north!! 🇨🇦

So, Legs today at FlexNTone, what an amazing Gym, if you're ever in Manchester, GO!

Session - Filmed up :)

Nautilus Prone Leg Curl - 1x5-9 / 1x12-15

Cybex Hack Squat (New Style) - 1x5-9 / 1x12-15 - 92.5kgs x 7+1 / 85kgs x 12+1

Hammer Strength Pendulum Leg Press - 1x5-9 / 1x12-15

Cybex Eagle Range Leg Extension - 1x12-15, 1x12-15 into triple drop

Nautilus Adductor - 1x Rest Pause set, 10-12, 5 deep breath, fail, 5 deep breath, fail.

Nautilus Abductor - 1x Rest Pause set, 10-12, 5 deep breath, fail, 5 deep breath, fail.

Calves - 3x12-15

10/10 Session, what a gym!