What a Year

2013 certainly brought it's challenges, not only in training but in life in General, what it did do though was it re-ignited the competition flame in me that had been neatly tucked away and out of site for almost 22 years.
Once my mind was made up, the gains came quickly, however competition body building has changed some what since I last graced the stage in 1992! Those changes also applied to my 53 year old body too, recovery time became longer, joint and tendon pains were a clear indicator that I had to train smarter as well as harder. My digestive system had changed considerably too, I couldn't assimilate certain nutrients like I used to so my nutrient intake had to change drastically too, not only to gain muscle but to loose fat too, but hey that's why it's taken the whole of 2013 to get it right.

These modern day trainers and gurus haven't a clue when it comes to the older man, they're great with all the latest nutrient timing and macro mix but they haven't factored in ageing, although some have done a great job with the younger generation.
Any way it's all systems go for 2014, May 10th to be exact, my aim is to win and win emphatically, sounds cocky I know but I believe I'm bringing a package to the stage that hasn't been seen in an over  50's before, not just my physique but I aim to captivate judges and audience with a routine that'll justify the cost of their ticket, something special is all I can say right now.
Finally without the unconditional love and support of my wife Julie I would not be on stage in May, a special thanks must go to my training partners Sean Brown and Sean Mathews who have pushed and encouraged me all the way, thank you guys.
Speak to you all soon and remember, TRAIN WITH PURPOSE!

The way it is

Competition training if done properly is completely different to your normal run of the mill workout, for many reasons really, mine has just one focus, to be the best I can be on the day. More than that really, I want to be the best, that's it! The last thing I want on the day is a judge approaching me and saying "your competitor was better than you because". That's what makes it all different, nothing can be left to chance, every body part suddenly becomes a priority which means every workout is a priority. "Oh my legs are good so I don't need to hit them as hard cause they grow easy" heard that one before? I have and then it's panic stations 3 weeks out, too late! Similarly some guys work outstanding body parts even harder given their physiques an unbalanced look because they believe that their good parts will disguise their weak ones.
Winning comes from creating a muscular, ripped, balanced physique and then having the ability to present the months of training and dieting to 7 beleaguered judges waiting with baited breath to unburden their responsibilities for just a little respite. Judges go through hell "you wuz robbed" is a sound that all to commonly rings repeatedly through their ear canals eventually crushing all sense of reality, Brainwashed is the word I was looking for.
look give the judges and the partisan crowd a break and be a stand out winner from the moment you step on on stage. That's the way it is. TRAIN WITH PURPOSE!

And so it begins

There had to be some mistake, my alarm clock sounded almost cocky as it yanked me out of blissful sleep into an enigmatic reality but alas it was true, the 5.30am get up call was more painful than any set of leg presses I've recently done. My limp body slowly twitched and stretched, each sinew and tendon pleading for clemency then the image that's haunted me ever since I made the decision to compete again, smashed its way to the forefront of my mind, I had to win and I had to get up and get walking.
 Black coffee with coconut oil and I was ready and fuelled for for my first competition cardio workout, the cold air soon filled my lungs like elixir and soon my mind was filled with tensing my gluteus with each stride imaging the look I hope to have on May 10th.
45 mins later and it was all over, it felt good, next step food and supplements.
My nutrition was bang on throughout the day and the evening workout with the 2 Seans was as tough as ever but completely satisfying, home for food and day one was coming to its successful conclusion, strange really, got to do it all again tomorrow.
You've really got to want it to succeed, I mean it has to be more than just a desire with some planning and preparation, it has to be a burning need to win, nothing else counts, I don't understand people who say they're in it for the experience! Are you nuts? Go on holiday, that's an experience! Competitive bodybuilding has to be about the winning that's all there is to it! TRAIN WITH PURPOSE.
For those that regularly follow my blogs, you can get an extra 10 % discount on supplements with www.musclefinesse.com  just enter RENZO10 in the voucher code. Look out soon for "Train with purpose" clothing too.

Blast from the Past

We can all get caught up in the frantics and stresses of today's body building lifestyle and all the hype associated with it through our modern day media channels like Face Book and magazines but sometimes it's good to look back and reflect on the what I call the "the good old days".

I would like to take you back, way back in fact haha, the year was 1986, the UKBFF was then known as the WFBB and was headed by then my mentor, the late great Paul Grant, in those days one had to qualify for the Mr Wales, this ensured that every finalist was of a high standard for the big one at the end of the year.
Anyway the previous years finals were smashed into shock with the emergence of the enormous Gary Taylor, over 18 stone with an eight pack, he swiftly moved through the ranks winning the British Intermediates by a mile, no weight classes for inters in those days so he emerged as champion via a huge class of entrants. The rules were that only once you had placed in a intermediate show were you able to migrate to the misters!
Again in Wales we didn't have weight classes, every mister went against every mister regardless of height or weight, at that time I lived in Haverfordwest which happened to be one of the qualifiers and I was expected to enter. Having gone through a divorce and unemployed training and dieting were far tougher than anything I have ever experienced since, my nutrition consisted mainly of eggs, tuna and rice, all cheap commodities at the time but they seemed to work well, there were no good supplements around either!
As the day approached I'd heard the monster Gary Taylor was using this show as a qualifier and so realistically I had resigned myself to placing below him naturally, however I stepped up my cardio and cut my carbs even further, perhaps too much as I resembled a zombie walking the streets of Haverfordwest, but boy did the fat come off, I carbed up the day before on potatoes and used brandy and raisins on the day, crazy stuff eh?
Pumping up was a scary prospect too watching those vascular 21 inch arms swelling before my very eyes, I just did my thing, my abs were deeper than ever and my face resembled that of prisoner of war from a concentration camp. Gary was the favourite though but I was fighting for 2nd, Gary and I were the first call out, which I thought was strange, they were comparing a 12 stone 7 pounds guy to an 18 stone plus monster. I noticed the judges were looking back and forth at Gary and I through out the judging which became a blurr in the end, I think exhaustion saw to that.
ladies and gentlemen in first place................Renzo Algieri, my jaw dropped, Gary sportingly shook my hand and embarrassingly took my trophy, I couldn't believe what had happened but many people said I deserved it, I'll never really know, only two people ever beat Gary Taylor, Dorian Yates was the other, then Gary went on to win the worlds strongest man.
The memory is etched deep in my mind and heart as one of my greatest wins, to this day I fear no one regardless of size, believe in yourself, do your best and TRAIN WITH PURPOSE,

Getting Stronger

Getting Stronger

The last 8 weeks have really been tough on me physically, I've never been so tired; but the start of this week finally showed massive changes in strength which wasn't surprising given the kind of workouts we have been having. Anyway this jump in strength is all well and good but I am a body builder not weight lifter, my focus must lean more toward toward sculpting, isolating and destroying each muscle group to create the balanced symmetrical physique I used to be known for. Testing times to come but this is one old dog that isn't going to take it lying down, the fire is burning ever stronger! TRAIN WITH PURPOSE.

Turning Tide

177 days to go! sounds a long long time to go doesn't it but I'll need every single day to bring that winning formula to the stage next May. Today I trained legs, nothing unusual in that but I did feel different today more so than I have felt the last few months, my muscles felt denser and thicker than they ever have and this gave me a new focus and enthusiasm for things to come. I know I'll get my down days, who doesn't? But staying on track with the end goal in sight will be my motivation to keep going. TRAIN WITH PURPOSE

Progress

This time last year I could barely bend my knees, patella tendon trouble saw to that. Couldn't train my legs for at least 6 months and when I began to train them my strategy had to be completely different, I had to listen to my 53 year old body!
Today my legs are getting better and better although my knees still hurt I'm able to manage the pain and train around the weakness in my tendons, the intensity never changes though it's just the way I do things.
Most over 50 competitors have smallish legs but I'm going to be the exception without forgetting the balance side of things for which I'm known for. Big thanks to Sean Matthews and Sean Brown for pushing me on and picking me up on occasion hahaha. TRAIN WITH PURPOSE!

Target Weight Hit!

Silly me, my scales were way out and unbeknown to me I had already hit and exceeded my target weight and I'm still fairly lean. I think the really heavy training we are doing is burning those extra calories of fat and the muscles are growing with the increase of food and in particular protein.
I still have a way to go before my diet starts so things are well ahead of schedule with regards muscle growth and strength.
Competition prep is always at the forefront of my mind and visualising how I'm going to look seems to spur me on each week, I visualise the line up, my presentation, picking up the winners trophy, the crowd chanting my name and so on, sounds arrogant I know but I'm not competing for the fun of it or the camaraderie, I'm in it to win it!

Target

With the increased load in training intensity and changes in diet I'm growing better than ever before, I set myself a target weight up to Christmas and happily I'm only 4lbs away from that. I've also begun to incorporate 3 x 40 minute gentle cardio sessions at 6am each week and will continue this until December to maintain a decent amount of definition, so I know my gains are quality muscle only. From December I'll be power walking up to an hour each morning for 6 days a week. A big thanks to my training partners Sean "the mountain" Matthews and Sean "Arms" Brown for their consistency and encouragement. TRAIN WITH PURPOSE!

Growing time

Training intensity is at an all time high despite May 2014 being months away, get the muscle packed on now then refine and define later that's what we're doing. Apart from struggling through the workouts I'm also struggling with eating more food, I've never been a big eater but I know it's a requirement for packing on those extra pounds of muscle. Training Partners Sean Matthews and Sean Brown are busting a gut too, it's hard work but great fun also, we all connect mentally and the camaraderie is clear to see, we (Well Sean Brown is) are very vocal too just so that other gym users can hear the pain we endure during our workouts!!! I have every intention of winning the Nabba Over 50's next May, TRAIN WITH PURPOSE.  

back to back

The last two days have been completely exhausting in terms of training, yesterday Sean Brown and I battled through a sickening leg workout leaving us both completely wiped out. Sean carries a lot of muscle on his frame but more importantly his drive to succeed is what spurs him on beyond his physical limits, our legs will have no choice but to GROW.
Similarly today I trained shoulders with future Mr Wales Dean Thomas, Dean is a perfectionist and leaves nothing to chance, I took Dean through a blistering delt session leaving us both having difficulty in driving back to our respective homes! TRAIN WITH PURPOSE.

Arnolds Madrid

Great week end at the Arnold Classic in Madrid, my boss and I went out to support sponsored athletes Georgia Simmons and Neale Cranwell. They were both in tip top shape with Georgia placing 4th in the bikini class, in Neal's class there must have been well over 40 competitors and the standard was incredible and although he didn't make the finals he made a great account of himself.
The pro show was very predictable too although Dennis Wolf was the in-shape guy of the night. The whole weekend was a great inspiration to train harder and diet harder toward my goal in May, so I'm glad I went.

The Past week

Stepping up and changing my training and nutrition over the last 10 days has had a phenomenal impact on my body, it's grown at a faster rate than I thought it would, to sustain this level of progress would be unbelievable or probably unrealistic, however I'm happy the way the things are going. Planning is everything when goal setting and although there are 211 days to the show next May, I want each training day to count and beyond the gym and nutrition I have already purchased 2 pairs of posing trunks and have a DJ mixing some music for for me, no stone unturned! TRAIN WITH PURPOSE

Legs!

Was a real toughy tonight but it had to be done! Sean Matthews and I have increased intensity yet again and added an extra exercise for the hamstrings too. Jelly legs along with that sickly feeling are always a sign that leg training has gone well, but we know there's a lot more to do to get our legs up to competition standard. Good atmosphere tonight with leg monster Christian Williams annihilating his hams near by too. Train With Purpose.

Back & Shoulders

Tough session tonight, back and shoulders are one hell of a combination to maintain 100% intensity but we managed it, as we approach the show the muscle group combos will change to accommodate increased sets, exercises and days. Really getting fired up for next May which really isn't that far away.

Legs

My training partner and I (Sean Matthews) decided to step up (excuse the pun) the leg training today, we added more sets and more weight. The consequences were two supposed adults, one in his 40's and one in his 50's resembling break dancers from Michael Jacksons Thriller when the zombies appear! Wobbling back to the van wasn't fun either!
In a masochistic way we both enjoyed the infliction of pain and lactic acid build up to our quads and hams; we know what needs doing for next year and are prepared to put the work in to achieve a win early next May, make no mistake we're in it to win it, nothing else will do.

Progress

I see them all the time, people in gyms that physically look the same year in year out, perhaps you're one of those? You believe you're training really hard, the sweat on your training top confirms that, you believe your diet is reasonably good and in the beginning many years ago you made good progress, not any more though, why?
Frustratingly you have remained the same but you persevere in the hope that the next new protein powder will do the trick, sound familiar?
My greatest gains and my clients greatest gains have always come from the time we have had a purpose, a goal so to speak. Having a purpose refocuses ones psych which in turn creates mental and physiological changes, your "purpose" literally bosses your body into adapting to its newly discovered demands, this adaptation forms the basis of your new look and attitude.
Write down what it is you would like to achieve or look like, then plan a road map toward your desire, put a realistic time scale on it and then and only then action your plan, you'll be surprised at the results, some of which will be remarkable.
TRAIN WITH PURPOSE

My Clients

My clients are all the motivation I need to keep training hard, to extend my knowledge in nutrition and training and to compete to win. I just love the way they apply themselves beyond what they originally thought possible and are achieving greater results than they ever expected. Foundational to all this is their attitude, my aim is to instill self belief first and foremost, they have to believe they can can achieve, secondly we goal set, aiming at something is the best way to progress and finally we get to work, action is the only way to apply your beliefs and achieve your goals. To be part of this ever growing Team / Family drop me line at info@therenzoeffect.com or take a look at www.therenzoeffect.com.

Leg Training

Leg day today - went well but a long way to go yet, Sean Matthews and I started on unfamiliar ground with Front Squats 3 sets of 15 reps which I found particularly difficult, I think this will take some get used to but we must persevere. We followed this with leg extensions 3 sets of 20 reps, followed leg press 3 sets of 20 reps, followed leg curls 3sets of 20 reps and finally hamstring dead lifts 2 sets of 15 reps. Nice hello for the legs, things can only get better, I think that was Tony Blair's strap line once!

7lbs by Christmas

Those of you that are following my daily blog will be aware that I'm competing next May, in the meantime I have set myself a tough ask by attempting to gain a further 7lbs of muscle before I begin dieting in January. This will mean changes in my diet and training, my protein intake will increase with the addition of amino acids and creatine and my training will take on an even greater intensity than I already do.

Training update.

With 235 days to go my training and nutrition are slowly creeping up in intensity, I'm experimenting with different foods and supplements and checking how my body reacts to these changes just so that I get it right from January. I'm also incorporating cardio 3 mornings a weeks for around 30 minutes just to keep fat levels in check. Training tonight was Calves, Shoulders and Back (in that order) which was completed in under an hour, pretty intense stuff.

What's the Skinney on Fat

Saturated fat has over the years been labelled as the big baddy in nutritional terms and its effects on increased cholesterol and heart disease and of course the giants of business have cashed in on this with a multitude of low fat foods and spreads which are loaded with sugars and chemicals.
But is saturated fat the real culprit here? There is in fact very little evidence of Saturated Fat being the cause of weight gain and heart disease and studies show that fatty acids are very important in maintaining cell membrane integrity, the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K and for the production of many hormones.

Further evidence shows that Fat isn't really the baddy in relation to heart disease and (LDL) Cholesterol the culprit was found to be high glycemic carbohydrates. The study covered 2 groups, one which consumed High Fat /Low carb diet and the other a High Carb / Low fat diet, the results where quite startling. The group that consumed the high Carbohydrate / low fat diet displayed an increased risk of heart disease of 33%!!

Further evidence taken from 41 European countries showed that France which had the highest Saturated fat intake (16% of their diet) had the lowest incidence of heart disease which in stark contrast compared to Bosnia who's saturated fat intake is only 4% had in fact the highest incidence of heart disease.

I often advocate high fat, high protein, low carbohydrates to many of my clients who choose to shed pounds of unwanted fat and of course I practice what I preach, my diet for next years Mr Wales will consist of a high ratio of Fats and proteins with minimal carbohydrates.

Ref; Jakobsen, M. U., Dethlefsen, C., Joensen, A. M., et al. (2010). Intake of carbohydrates compared with intake of saturated fatty acids and risk of myocardial infarction: importance of the glycemic index. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 91, 1764-8.

European cardiovascular disease statistics (2008 edition). British Heart Foundation Health Promotion Research Group Department of Public Health, University of Oxford and Health Economics Research Centre, Department of Public Health, University of Oxford.

Change your Body

What will cause the fastest measurable change to your body....1/ training?....2/ Nutrition?....3/ Supplements?.....4/ Or all 3?
I'm often questioned about supplements and why I always advocate their use in my client nutritional programmes, well the answer is in the first sentence of this blog.
Please don't misunderstand me, exercise and nutrition are key to achieving great results but supplements can cause changes in minutes, for example Caffeine's effects can be felt very quickly and many pre-workout formulas are designed for this very reason. Creatine is another example of a supplement that may only take a few days for your body composition to change and finally supplements are an insurance policy to ensure you get the the nutrients your body deserves because the nutrients in food alone cannot be guaranteed.

236 Days.......

With 236 days to go before I step on stage for the first time in 22 years, everything is going to plan. Follow my daily and weekly updates on my journey to the NABBA Mr Wales 2014.