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1/28/2021 – Calves/Hamstrings/Glutes
woke up today feeling terrible – I knew I just had to make it into the gym and start going before I felt good and that’s exactly what happened. On days like that I like to start with something like abs or calves to get my brain and body turned on. So that’s what we did today.
We supersetted 2 calf machines for 5 sets total reps in the 15ish range
1) Seated Leg Curls – Went hard on these again. Did 4 warm up sets and then 2 work sets. First work was rest pause going to failure 3 times. 2nd work set did a back off to failure with forced reps and then 10 partial reps.
1st work set – 150 x 13,6,4
2nd work set – 130 x 20 +10
2) Lying DB Leg Curls – We are keeping these in the rotation as these just rip your hamstrings to shreds. Even the adductors get trashed here. And it doesnt take much weight to get the job done if you’re fighting the eccentric and emphasizing the contraction.
3 x 8-10 w/ 40 lb DB
3) RDL’s on Aresenal Machine – 2 warm up sets and then 2 work sets here
1st work set – 3 pps x 10
2nd work set – 3 pps x 8
4) Inverse Leg Curl – Holy shit these suck but damn I love them. If you don’t have this specific machine you can replicate this by doing a partner assisted nordic ham curl or in a Glute ham raise machine (you need to know how to use these though). We just went straight into 2 work sets here taking both to failure around 9-10 reps.
5) Hip Thrust – Finished with some glutes .. 2 work sets
1st work set – 2 pps x 18
2nd work set – 3 pps x 13
1/27/2021
Back Day! I was feeling really good going into the workout and for whatever reason I was really struggling after the 1 arm barbell rows. My work capacity still isn’t back to 100% I suppose. I made it through though!
1)Rogers Lat Pulldown – We did these 1 arm at a time to make this a lat emphasis. This machine is nice because the handle swivel so you can use a neutral, overhand and underhand grip. We kept it neutral with the elbow tucking hard to the side to prioritize lats. 2 work sets here with the last set being a backoff set.
1st work set – 2 plates + 25 lb x 8+2 forced reps
2nd work set – 2 plates x 11 x 3 forced reps
2) 1 Arm Barbell Row – These are what got me – going all out on both arms in a bent over position really got me. We just did 2 work sets to failure here.
1st work set – 4 25 lb plates x 14
2nd work set – same x 12
3) Arsenal Chest Supported Row – This is one of our favorites for overall back development. This machine is HEAVY. You can also swivel the handles on this for grip preference. We went overhand 2 work sets with forced reps.
1st work set – 2 25’s each side 10 + 2
2nd work set – same
4) Rack Deads – We pulled from right below the knee right at the tibial tuberosity if you know what that is. This is the first time i’ve done this exercise in years. I got away from them just out of fear of getting injured but I am working on shedding that mindset. My lower back was lit up from warm ups and already from the 1 arm rows so I only did 1 work set here.
work set – 315 x 14
5) Cable Rows – We did these overhand and pulled to the bottom of the chest for upper back/lower trap emphasis
3 x 12-15 @ 170-180 lbs
1/25/2021 – Chest/Triceps
Had to train in the evening today so I was by myself – I start every chest day “flossing” my pec/pec tendon on a lacrosse ball. This just serves the same myo fascial release that foam rolling your lower body does. I find when I don’t do this prior to chest training the workout is never as good (pump is weak and pec tendons bother me).
1) Cable Pec Fly-Press – I always start with this half fly, half press cable movement (a full on fly bothers my pec tendon and this also recruits some triceps so those get warm for pressing). No work sets to failure here, just 4 sets of 10-15 with good, hard contractions each rep.
2) Prime Fitness Incline Press – These are the machines you can select what portion of the movement you want loaded the most (lengthened, shortened, etc.). I just put all of the load in the middle as I am not comfortable overloading the stretched position. 2 work sets done here with rest pause on the 2nd.
1st work set – 3 PPS x 12
2nd work set – 3 PPS x 13,6,4
3) Floor Press in Smith Machine – Again, I’m not comfortable loading my pec tendon in a fully stretched position so my “flat work” is all done in positions where I can load the safest and floor press is one I really like. 2 work sets here with 2nd set being a rest pause set.
1st set – 225 x 13
2nd set – 225 x 13,5,3
4) Arsenal Pec Deck – Nothing fancy here just 4 x 10-12 with hard contractions every rep.
5) SA Tricep Push Down – 2 work sets w/ 1st work set 4 sec eccentrics and 2 second holds. 2nd work set dropped weight 10 lbs and just pumped them out.
1st set – 90 x 8
2nd set 80 x 16
6) Arsenal Dip Machine – 2 work sets w/ 2nd set being rest pause
1st set – 4 plates x 10
2nd set – 4 plates x 9, 4,2
I’m trying to get my biceps back and they finally feel pretty good and I’m to get a good connection with them finally so I threw in some Cybex Machine Preacher curls. That is my favorite bicep machine of all time. I built 23 inch arms on that thing! I just did like 6 sets here of all sorts of reps, iso holds, partials. Just really pumped them.
Ok let’s try this again! lol .. My apologies for introducing myself and not logging anything!
This is my first entry for my 2021 USA Prep. I am now living in Stuart, FL and training at Revive Gym with Nick Walker. He is currently 16 weeks out from the NY Pro and I am so excited for a big year for us both!!
Our current split below:
Sunday: Quads
Monday: Chest/Triceps
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: Back
Thursday: Hamstrings, Biceps
Friday: Chest/Shoulders
Saturday: off
Nick has been trying to bring his chest up and mine is also not a strong body part so we are training it twice per week. The first session we do 3-4 movements and the 2nd session 2 movements.
Quads: 1/24/2021
This was my first quad session back as I was out sick for 2 full weeks. My goal was to take a couple sets to failure and finish the whole workout.
1) Rogers Hip Press – this is a seated leg press (horizontal) and we both love this type of leg press the most. It’s comfortable on the lower back, hips and knees. We did all straight sets, increasing weight each set and did 2 work sets. Both work sets were to failure
1st work set – 9 PPS x 13
2nd work set – 9 PPS x 10
2) Cybex Squat Press – this is a regular leg press but instead of the footplate being on a sled, it hinges. We used a pretty low stance to really maximize knee flexion and torch the quads. Nick did 2 work sets here, I did 1 work set here to failure.
1st work set – 9 PPS x 11
3) Cybex Hack Squat – I like putting my squat variations 3rd or 4th in my exercise selection. I do this simply because by the time I get to these my quads are already pumped out of my mind and all squatting feels really good, and I also don’t have to use as much weight so i feel I’m being safe. I did 1 work set here to failure, Nick did 2.
1st Work Set – 4 PPS x 10
4) Prime Fitness Leg Extension – Nicks quads tendon has been a little tender and these were bothering him so we did them last instead of first and we also tweaked the movement. I had him put his hands behind his back and allowed his hips to be higher than his knees. I had him initiate the movement from the top of the quads down. This helps bias the rectus femoris and vastus lateralis (outer quad) instead of the VMO by the knee. It also decreases the amount of tension on the quad tendon. We just did 3 sets x 20 each back to back with no rest
Overall I’m happy with how today’s session went. I took more sets to failure than I planned on and felt great, looking forward to chest/tris tomorrow!
Hey what’s up everybody?? My name is Matt Burzacott and I’ll be coaching at Camp Jansen now! For those of you that aren’t familiar with me, please allow me to start this off by sharing my bodybuilding story thus far and please forgive me as it’s quite long haha
I started competing in 2004 at 18 years old. I won the Teenage and Novice divisions at the Missouri State Championships. I then went onto the Teenage Nationals and placed 4th in the light heavies. I came back the following the year in 2005 and lost by 1 point to Steve Kuclo in the heavyweight class. Little did I know at the time, this would be an ongoing theme for my career.
I was pretty freaky for a teenager and Ed Connors found me after teenage nationals … if you don’t know who that is, he was owner along with 2 other guys of the Gold’s Gym Corporation. Ed has financially supported MANY of the top pros from the 90’s and 2000’s before they made it. With his support I was going to prepare for the Excalibur Championships in December 2006 under the guidance of Hany Rambod … however, my whole world was turned upside down in July of that year. I remember it was a couple days after my birthday and I was in California visiting. I went to the local 24 hour fitness and it was chest day. I was 20 years old and still in that mode of training as heavy as you possibly can, every single session no matter how you felt. Of course I started with flat barbell bench press and I was a pretty good bench presser back then. I started off with 1 plate, then 2 plates x 15, then 3 plates x 12, then 3 and quarter x 10, 4 plates x 8 and then my last set was 455. I got 4 reps and thought I could get 1 more … I dropped the weight down not controlling the eccentric and the second that bar hit my chest it was like a shotgun blasted me in my right pec. The left side went up, the weights slid off the right side and then the bar went flying over to my left. I just sat up on the end of the bench leaning over terrified, because I knew exactly what happened. Tearing a muscle/tendon is a feeling and a sound you will never ever forget.
I fully ruptured my pec tendon from the muscle belly and I had it repaired right away. I remember the surgeon telling me at my post op follow up that reattaching the tendon was like sewing into raw hamburger meat, so it was a really difficult repair. Unfortunately when the tendon ripped from the muscle belly, it took a good chunk of muscle with it and that is why my right pec looks so bad. He told me I’d never bench press heavy again and at 20 years old when you don’t have a full comprehension of bodybuilding or training, that was difficult to hear. However, it wasn’t long before I started thinking about how I would approach my training once I was able to get back to it and it honestly never even crossed my mind to quit competing.
I made a comeback to the stage in August of 2007 and won the heavyweight class at Dallas Europa show. It was important to me to come back and win a show as quickly as possible and it was good for me mentally. However, after that I spent a few years tinkering around at the National level getting a rude awakening. Basically got my ass KICKED from 2008-2011.
2012 was my first real good showing at a national show where I placed 2nd in the heavyweight class behind the overall winner Anthony Pasquale. I knew that I still needed more size to do well so I took the rest of the year off and did the 2013 USA’s … I’ll give you one guess what place I got lol .. Yep 2nd! I got 2nd but honestly I was on top of the world! For years I wasn’t sure if I would be good enough to have a chance at a pro card because of my pec. Now I KNEW that I belonged! I went onto the Nationals at the end of the year and placed 3rd. So I missed my pro card by 1 spot again!
2014 I went into the USA’s as one of the favorites to win. Without too many details, I had a horrible offseason and prep as I got into a new relationship that made bodybuilding very difficult. I ended up getting 6th and 2015 and 2016 I disappeared from the world basically, stuck in this toxic relationship.
2017 I finally had enough and decided to come back to the stage. I was still in this awful relationship and she was pregnant with twin girls! So I told myself this was my last chance at finishing my dream. I strung together a few good months of an off season and then had an awesome prep, blocking out any and all distractions. I went into the USAs looking my best ever as a super heavyweight. I really felt like I was going to win this show and I never felt that before. After pre judging I had tons of people telling me I finally got it, I won and to get ready to battle Derek Lunsford for the overall. Looking at the pictures I knew it was obviously between Patrick Moore and myself but I felt like I was more complete then he was at the time. Finals come around and they get to announcing 2nd place. Bob Chic says “this was a 1 point decision” and announces my name in 2nd place. Man I’ll never forget that feeling. I wanted to break down on stage because I knew that was my last shot at achieving my goal. I held it together though and shook Patricks hand congratulating him. I made it back to my hotel room, jumped in the shower and broke down in tears. I couldn’t believe this was how my bodybuilding career would end. Literally falling just short. Getting as close as one could possibly get to winning and turning pro and then it’s over …… or was it?
November 2017 the twin girls were born and I found out 10 days later that they weren’t mine. As Maury Povich or Jerry Springer used to say – “I was not the father!” lol .. I’m not going to try and act tough and act like I was happy about that and just moved on with my life. That is not the case. I was pretty messed up from going through that but I thought that I could use bodybuilding to pull it together. I prepped for the 2018 USA and just couldn’t get my mind in it 100%. I ended up getting 3rd in the Super Heavies. This is when I decided to get with Matt Jansen and let him take over everything. I remember meeting him for breakfast the next morning and instantly we clicked and I remember telling him “I think we should do Nationals but suck down to heavyweight” because I didn’t think I could beat Hunter Labrada. Matt said “OR we could have the rebound of your life and come in and beat him.” I remember thinking holy shit this guy has the right mindset and the mindset that I needed.
We had an awesome rebound – I was a really lean 260 and never looked like that in my life. I was 10 weeks out of Nationals and at the gym when their overhead garage door was stuck open. Myself and couple other people went over to help lower it. They had a ladder propped under it holding it up as they cut the supports that was holding it up. When they pulled the ladder out we manually lowered it down and my left bicep tendon popped. Fully ruptured the left bicep!!! Out of Nationals! To say I was pretty upset is understatement but nothing I could do about it. I got the surgery and then rehabbed and got back in the gym ASAP. This was in September 2018 and by April or May of 2019 I had most of my size back. By August it was all back and I was bigger than i had ever been. September comes around, I’m 10 weeks out again and trying to move a couch into my house. It gets stuck in the front door and im bending over with my right (good) arm extended trying to yank the couch through. I gave it a few yanks and then another one and then POP goes the right bicep!!! Fully ruptured the right one now! lol … I was screaming I was so mad. I couldn’t believe it!! Why does this keep happening to me? I got my surgery right away and this time after all these years and things that kept happening, I was really thinking I was done competing.
Enter 2020 – Long story short, my now ex wife suddenly filed for divorce in March (that story isn’t even worth telling as she is not worth my breath) so I started training again during the quarantine. Luckily I had access to a gym. It’s now August and I’m back to a good size and I have the hunger and drive back to finally finish what I started. It feels like when I first started again and I’m all in on bodybuilding in all aspects. As a competitor, as a coach and as a fan of the sport. I’ve got all the right people in my corner finally and NO distractions! So with ALL of that being said it’s time to get to work and I’m going to log my training/prep for the 2021 USA’s and beyond here for anyone that cares. Thank you for anyone that read all of that and thank you to anyone that is coming along for the journey!
