It's A Family Affair
By Steve Slater
Bodybuilding World
Winter 1997
It's A Family Affair
By Steve Slater Bodybuilding World Winter 1997 |
Wow! What a contest season. Lots of early mornings training, lots of lugging around coolers full of food, supplements and water bottles and lots of running my blender until it about catches fire. I have to also mention making time to pose, fix food, manage a gym , help manage our Hardware store and be a family.
One of the hardest things about bodybuilding is the challenge of tying all of what the sport requires for you to do to be your best and still work on not sacrificing good family relations. Lets face it bodybuilding can be a 25 hour a day job 8 days a week even if you didn't have a family. That's why I have to realize that I'm the one that decided to do this not my family and I'm going to try my hardest to make this an enjoyable process for them. There is no sense in making them suffer when they shouldn't have to. Other than not being able to eat all the goodies my son wants me to its a pretty enjoyable process.
When I decided to get in the Natural Ohio I was mostly concerned about my son Landon I wanted to make my contest prep enjoyable for him. The tension of contest prep can be intense in the house and its just not fair for kids to have to go through that. So I asked myself how I can make this enjoyable for my son and family. Well if you have children then you've watched Barney and he always tells you to use your imagination so that's exactly what I did.
 Bodybuidling Champion Steve Slater |
Here are some tips that might help you sail a little smoother during prep if you have children.
My contest preparation normally includes:
Well, if the above doesn't pertain to you and you just want to know how I got in the best shape of my life Here's the program 12 weeks out:
From 12 weeks out until 6 weeks out I did straight sets. I followed Roger's Mass and Power Training System which varied all reps and poundages depending on the particular week of the 6 week training cycle. The reps never went above 10 and during my heaviest weeks they pyramided down to 2 on the heaviest set. Sets varied from 3 to 6 per exercise. Mondays and Tuesdays were my heavy days and Thursdays and Fridays were lighter by about 5-10%.TRAINING
MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS: CHEST, LEGS & TRICEPS Bench Press Incline Press Squat Leg Press Close Grip Bench Tricep Pushdowns Standing Calf Raise Legendary Ab Workout Level A or 1 TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS: BACK, SHOULDERS & BICEPS Deadlifts ( Yes both days!) Seated Rows Pulldowns Front Overhead Barbell Press Upright Rows Barbell Curls Seated Dumbbell Curls Standing Calf Raise. I tried to do these on Mon, Wed & Fri. Legendary Abs Level A or 1
MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS: CHEST ,LEGS & TRICEPS
Super Set / Bench Press & Squat
Super Set / Incline Press & Leg Press
Super Set Or Straight Sets /Close Grip Bench And Tricep Pushdowns
Standing Calf Raise
Legendary Ab Workout Level 1 or A
Sometimes I would do a giant set with all these for 3-5 sets again
Wednesdays and weekends were for harder ab workouts and some more posing.
cycling the reps from 10 the first week to 2 reps on the last set of my heaviest week.
TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS: BACK, SHOULDERS & BICEPS
Tri Set /Deadlifts, Seated Rows & Pulldowns
Super Set / Front Overhead Barbell Press & Upright Rows
Super Set or Straight Sets / Barbell Curls & Seated Dumbbell Curls
Standing Calf Raise. I would try to do these on Mon, Wed & Fri.
Legendary Abs Level A or 1
My goal with this workout was to maintain strength so I would keep my muscle density and size while at the same time decrease fat stores. I absolutely HATE the word maintain but in this case, being drug free, if you do maintain your lean muscle mass and lose fat at the same time you're on track.
At 2 weeks out Roger instructed me to start 15 minutes worth of alternating sprinting and jogging three times per week for cardio. This really worked well for my quads and hamstring cuts and lines. My legs were better than ever!
This is about it for training. But I will tell you I thank God for my training partner Dan Crawford. He knows how to train intense and how to crack the whip when needed!
Diet 12 weeks out 6:00 upon rising 6 Mass aminos 6:45 Train 8:00 Ultra Whey - 2 scoops 8:30 6 egg whites 2 yolks 8 oz lean ground sirloin 1 oz oatmeal w/ equal 1 apple or grapefruit 1 tsp. Salt 11:00 and 3:30 Muscle Provider 2.5 scoops 100% Egg instant 1 scoop 1 oz heavy whipping cream g 1/2 banana cut 8 oz frozen strawberries ½ bag 12 oz water and 1 tray of ice cubes 1 tsp. Salt 1:00 12 oz chicken breast or sirloin steak 8 oz 12 oz baked potato or yam 8 oz 1 apple 1 tsp. salt 3:30 shake 6:30 12 oz lean Sirloin 2 cups green beans 1 cup apple sauce or 1 apple 1 tsp. salt Supplements Mass 4 per meal Ultra 40 6 per meal Super Pak w/ breakfast Creatine Monohydrate 5-10 g w/each shake Muscle Provider post workout At 2 weeks out: 4 lean out 45 minutes before workout, meal 2 and 4.The Final Week starting Sunday-Tuesday Super Pak, Mass, Ultra 40 and all protein foods stayed the same I cut out the oats and cut all other carbs in half. Cut out Ultra Whey Sodium stayed the same Water, as always, 2 gallons per day tap water. I don't change water. Distilled water makes me flat.
Wednesday: last day of workouts and sprints - did a light full body
I cut out sodium and cut back on water and should not have. I cramped in my quads which made it tough to get through prejudging and it dropped me down to the lightheavys with Todd and Dick who Roger and Sandy also helped.
workout
Same amount of carbs as before depletion (Sunday - Tuesday) except I
added 1 cup (2 oz.) oats instead of ½ cup (1 oz.)
Protein still the same
Started to load creatine 1 tsp. before each meal up till pre-judging
Sodium still the same
Added 1 potassium per hour - 99 mg.
Cut out EPH stack
Same water
Thursday: Same meals as Wednesday
Cut sodium in half
2 potassium per hour
1 B6 per meal
Same water
Friday: looking better than ever
Every 2 hours I ate 4 oz chicken or sirloin and 6 oz potato
No vegetables
Cut sodium in half again
3 potassium per hour
2 B6 per meal
Same water
Saturday: foods the same as Friday.
I weighed in at 197 at under 5% in my best condition yet. This brought me home a third place trophy (behind Todd Buchanan and Dick Zahneis). (Sixteen guys in my class and I have to get in the same class with two others that Roger and Sandy work with.) My goal was to get in my best condition ever which I feel I did achieve. My dream was to win the Natural Ohio which remains to be achieved. You can bet every gasp of air taken in the gym this year will be taken with that dream in mind. I want to give thanks to Roger , Sandy, my family and to God for giving me the drive and health to continue with my Quest!
