Maintenance. That has been quite a scary word since my finale last December. Everyone warned me about it, but I would always think to myself that it would be a whiz. Piece of cake! Truth be told, the daily struggles of maintenance are something that I believe I will deal with for the rest of my life.

Like I’ve stated before, I went back to lifting weights soon after my finale. I hit the weights hard and put myself on a muscle building program with the help of ProteinBlitz’s 60g of protein per serving. I figured I would need all the calories I could get while building, so my eating got a little out of control. Now, it is nearly physiologically impossible to pack on a bunch of muscle without adding on a little fat as well. So for three months I bulked and bulked and bulked. I was working out a lot so I felt as though I needed those calories to add muscle, but I took in more than I could handle, so my weight jumped up more than I expected. It was kind of like a slap in the face when I stepped on the scale.

I needed to change things up. For the last two months I have been in the cut phase of my program. I had to trim a little more than expected, but I knew it had to be done. I increased my cardio and actually added more protein shakes with the Protein Blitz while dropping my overall caloric intake. I’m proud to say I’ve actually dropped more than 15 pounds, but more importantly, I’ve packed on even more muscle than before. I’m two notches in on my belt, my pants are a lot looser, and I’m actually starting to see abs again! Who knew they would come back.

I feel unbelievable right now. There are two weeks left until the next Biggest Loser finale and I will be the on stage correspondent for DietsInReview.com. I was almost dreading doing it in the shape I was in a couple months ago, but look forward to doing it in the shape that I am in now. I can’t wait to wow everyone with my new muscular frame. I pick things up and put them down!

Note: Mark Pinhasovich received free product in exchange for his blog.

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Lots of reps

I changed my leg workout around to 15 to 25 reps. I still get the blood rush and the pump but as I get OLDER the joints and cracking of the bones are feeling the heavy workouts.

I still do a total of 5 exercise and now train quads and hamstrings in the same day. I like the over all feel of a full leg workout instead of half done workout. Meaning I want the pump and rush along with the soreness in one complete workout instead of waiting 3 days after my quad workout. My goal with the workout is to get deep cuts. If I lose a little size…oh well. I like my jeans to fit in the waist instead of the old days when you had to go 2 sizes up in the waist to fit your legs.

I have to look at longevity instead of just today. Otherwise all this heavy training will catch up to me.

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Confused??

I believe that the body remembers and when you get in a routine week after week, month after month the changes you are looking for slowly go flat.

So I changed the workout for the day I trained chest in 30 minutes, three exercises, 3 sets but drop set all the way to third set didn’t count reps on 2nd and 3rd set just burned out only on the first set always 10 to 15 reps then 2nd set cut weight by 50lbs burn out and third set cut weight again by 50lbs.

Bench Press:

1. 225lbs for 10 to 15 reps
2. 175lbs till burn out
3. 135lbs till burn out

Incline DB Flys:

1. 50lbs for 10 to 15 reps
2. 40 lbs burn out
3. 30 lbs burn out

Cable Flys

1-40lbs to burn out

Remember there is no rest period after set 1, the blood was flowing and the pump was amazing so was the post workout BLITZ (chocolate with banana)

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This week was tough as I was extremely busy with work duties which makes it very difficult to prepare the proper foods for the diet. I did lose another 3 lbs this week to drop down to 334. I can feel my clothes fitting better and I do feel really good about the progress I have made. I have been using a lot more Blitz RTD drinks when I am on the go to meet my protein needs. It gives me a quick burst of protein when I don’t have time to make a shake. The whey isolate in Blitz RTD and Blitz Powder is also perfect for after workout to replenish my muscles and provide them the building blocks they need to re-build and of course GROW!

My current workout schedule is as follows:

Monday: Chest 1 hr cardio

Tuesday: Back 45 min Cardio

Wednesday: OFF

Thursday: Shoulders 1 hr Cardio

Friday: Arms 45 min Cardio

Saturday: OFF WEIGHTS 1 hour of Cardio

Sunday: Legs, calves and abs 30 min of Cardio.

If I am not losing the weight I want I will increase all my cardio to 1 hour, but never over 1 hour as I don’t want to switch into burning muscle. I may also increase my cardio to two sessions of 45 minutes to really burn the fat. Remember to drink your Whey before and after your cardio so your muscles have protein and your body won’t dip into your protein storages (your muscles) that is called catabolism and will shrink your muscles quickly. Do not eat carbs before cardio because your body will use the carbs you just ate for energy instead of dipping into its energy storages (fat cells) which after all is the goal!

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My training is going great this last week. I did a split of two days on two days off. My training style was heavy…no more than 8 reps and on the last set of each exercise I cut weight in half for a burn out. I didn’t count carbs this week, just ate tons of oatmeal, rice and lots of steamed greens. I was full and my energy was amazing but sleep was an issue. My body temp was up, burning off the extra carbs going from no more than 100 carbs a day to not counting put my body in shock. So one more week of shock. Now the great news…my weight is at 220!!!!  I feel like the old me so I’m going back to moving at 110mph.

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I did some crazy loading starting Saturday and ended Monday (thank God).  I decided to go back to the old days when I depleted for a while (my normal intake of carbs is no more than 100 per day).

I went on a overload and ate any food Iwanted but still consumed my 3 shakes a day. My theory was to send my body into shock. Well I did. I also took those days off from the gym and ate pizza, a gallon of ice cream and way to many hamburgers and fries. By the end I felt fried and my body temp was thru the roof.  And to be honest I felt shtty and didn’t sleep well.

I made it back to the gym Tuesday and I was pumped. The veins were out but I was drenched in sweat.  It will be a very long time before I load again, so this week ZERO CARBS.

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So I finally finished one full week of limited weight & cardio training. My body is so sore but it feels so good. Being active and eating right makes a world of a difference than just lounging around. Everyday I woke up this week I couldn’t wait to get in the gym. Not to mention all the eye candy as an extra push for motivation.

Because I’m still recovering from my last surgery I’m not able to work out my chest, shoulders & lats. On Monday I did biceps, triceps, abs, calves & 30 mins of cardio. Tuesday I did legs, traps & 30 min cardio. Wednesday I did only 60 mins cardio. Thursday I did the same routine as Monday & Friday the same routine as Tuesday. Keep in mind I’m lifting light weight with high reps so two days is plenty of time to recover before repeating the same workout.

My diet has been pretty simple. My goal for now is to lose body fat because lying around for 4 months really made me soft. For example, for breakfast I will have Proteinblitz Powder mixed with one-cup oatmeal & about two cups fruit. Wait about 1.5 hours & go workout. Immediately after I will have flavored designer whey RTD. (the best tasting RTD I’ve ever tried) & a banana. Then about an hour later a 40g portion of protein from a meat source & a 70g portion of complex carbs like brown rice & vegetables. Then 2-3 hours later make a blended shake consisting of one scoop vanilla Proteinblitz Powder, 8oz liquid egg whites, raw oatmeal, 3/4 oz raw almonds, 6oz yogurt, blueberries & strawberries. Then right before bed 1 cup oatmeal cooked, 12oz liquid egg whites cooked & 3/4 oz of raw almonds or half an avocado. One important thing to remember is we need to consume healthy fats to lose fat.

I should be following this routine or something very similar to this for the next month or so. That’s when I see my doctor next. Like I said I’m feeling great already & can’t wait to make progress. I’m really excited that I was introduced to PROTEINBLITZ. The RTD’s are addicting & the powders taste great. I can feel the difference from using this product. By far the best protein yet!

-Richard Lujan

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