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| Logan Jensen, Dec 05 |
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During that time he's also been a dedicated competitor and has amassed a number of regional and national titles, while also having the privilige to compete at the international level. But now he feels the time is right for him to retire - at least momentarily - while he catches his breath after winning 2 consecutive Nabba National Titles.
In this profile Logan gives us a detailed insight into his pre contest eating and training plans that led to his Nationals win.
Age: 38 Occupation: Major Account Manager - Ricoh New Zealand
Other sporting interests? The commitment required to be competitive at the level I desire to compete at doesn't really allow
for the participation in other sporting activities.
Family: Partner Nicky
Height: 172 Off season weight: up to 105kg Contest weight: 91 - 92kg
How many years have you been training? Started playing around with weights in the late 80's when playing rugby and training
with a view to bodybuilding in 92/93.
What weight were you when you started Bbing? Scary thought but was about 75kg @6% BF. I was doing a lot of running & cycling for Dualthalon/Trialthalon events and was very lean but grossly over trained. Tossed the bike & running shoes and started growing.
How many years have you been competing? Have been competing for the last 9 years.
Your achievements? I won the first show (NZFBB) I entered against some seasoned competitors so I only had one novice class win before competing in the open class. I went on to win numerous NABBA Open Physique regional & a national title over the years before being selected in 2002 to represent NZ at the NABBA Universe & WABBA World events, placing 5th & 6th respectively.
What's the highlight of your sporting career? Winning consecutive national titles was huge for me.
How did you feel winning last years Nationals International Class? After dedicating over a decade of my life to bodybuilding to
be the best that I could be, it was quite emotional to actually get the recognition of being selected as the best of the best against
guys I had considerable respect for as competitors. To do it again last year in my home province with my partner, family & friends
present was a great feeling. Had it always been your aim? No not initially when I first started training but as my physique progressed
I continually set new goals and by 2001 it had become the focus of my training to be selected for the NZ Universe team and to win
the Mr New Zealand title.
Do you have a training philosophy, and what is it? I have always favoured a low volume high intensity approach to
training, regardless of what sort of training split, sets & reps I am doing I always adhere to strict form taking all working
sets to failure for them to have the maximum hypertrophy effect.
How important is mental toughness in your pre contest plan?
Mental toughness plays a big part of my contest preparation.
During this phase my carb intake is reduced dramitically (in comparison to my off-season) with my aerobic workload increasing to shed the unwanted bodyfat. With energy out exceeding energy in and my condition becoming increasingly more extreme as the contest approaches my physical ability to work & train is compromised. Its during this time where I feel (for me anyway) my whole contest preparation becomes a very mental game as to how far I can push myself while in this state ie I'm physically & mentally exhausted but still have to focus on completing my training commitments if I desire to to be successful. Every year trying to take my physique/conditioning to a new level.
And how do you stay focused on your goal? During my training I think about the guys I'm going to be competing against. I'm thinking none of them are prepared to push themselves as hard as I am during my contest prep to attain
the level of conditioning I do. My whole being is focused on being the best that I can possibly be, anything less is personally not acceptable.
Are you going to compete again? I had actually made up my mind prior to starting my contest prep for last years nationals
that it would be my last show. I'm definitely still training and who knows may compete again in the next year or two.
Are you taking things easier in the gym now? Am not training as often or as heavy. The body actually needs a bit of time-out
to get over a few niggley injuries that have been restricting my training over the last year or two.
What's your current Weight Training split?
Currently;Mon - Chest/ Shoulders/ Bi's.Wed - Legs.Fri - Back/ Tri's
Typically two exercises per body part with two working sets to failure. A workout is usually only ever 8 to 12 sets in total. I still do three cardio sessions a week that can either be 40 mins on a treadmill or power walk on the road.
What was the main difference between your off season and pre contest eating when you were competing?
Carbohydrate intake and types of carbs consumed change considerably. Fat intake is pretty low year round although reduces also during this period.
How long is your dieting phase and generally what do you eat? I set aside 10-12 weeks from the date of the last qualifier (Wellington show) and come in at around 95%, giving myself the few weeks between Wellington & the Nats to dial in that last little bit.
As for what do I eat, refer below to sample pre-contest diet & training day.
Typical pre-contest day, diet & training (4 weeks out from show)
6.00am. 50-60 mins on a treadmill
7.30am. 100g oatmeal, small amount dried sultanas, WPI shake/water
10.15am. 60g oatmeal or 3 Weetbix, WPI shake/water
12.45pm. 300g skinless chicken breast, x1 Super Low Fat cheese slice, large amount of steamed vege all on x3 Vogels toast will peanut butter
4.00pm. repeat 10.15 meal
5.30pm. Resistance training session
6.45pm. 30-40 mins on treadmill
7.15pm. 70g oatmeal or 4 Weetbix, WPI shake/water
9.15pm. 350g skinless chicken breast or lean steak, x1 Super Low Fat cheese slice, large amount of steamed vege (fiberous carbs only with evening meal).
Pre-contest training week (actual program 2 weeks before the 05 Nats).
Mon
6.00am. 60 mins on treadmill
5.30pm. 60 mins on treadmill, stretching, ab's & posing
Tues
6.00am. 60 mins on treadmill
5.30pm. Chest/Shoulders/Back/Triceps
6.45pm. 60 mins on treadmill
Wed
6.00am. 60 mins on treadmill
5.30pm. Quads/Hamstrings/Calves/Biceps
6.45pm. 50 mins on treadmill
Thurs (repeat Mon)
6.00am. 60 mins on treadmill
5.30pm. 60 mins on treadmill, stretching, ab's & posing
Fri (repeat Tues)
6.00am. 60 mins on treadmill
5.30pm. Chest/Shoulders/Back/Triceps
6.45pm. 60 mins on treadmill
Sat
10.30am. Quads/Hamstrings/Calves/Biceps
5.00pm. 60 mins on treadmill
Sun - 7 days to show (Day 1 of a 3 day carb deplete)
12.30pm. Light 20 min walk on treadmill, ab's & posing.
Due to the frequency at which body parts were now being trained I had considerably more opportunity to stimulate growth in comparison to previous training splits I had utilsed where body parts were hit every 5 or 6 days. The opportunity for over training is a very real possibilty with this sort of 'HIT' routine, hence your rest days become very important in that they are just that - REST, RECOVER & GROW.
As for cardio you can see how much & when I was doing it in my sample training week. These sessions are performed upon waking due to essentially having fasted over night muscle glycogen levels are low making this an opportune time for fat burning (additionally certain hormone levels within the body at this time also help to maximise the effect of this fat burning session).
The second fat burning session for the day is performed post workout for the reason that the preceding resistance training session has depleted muscle glycogen stores making this another opportune time to rip into those fat stores.
From this point on all cardio ceases, my focus for the last week is on my carb depletion and loading phase.
You're probably thinking what the f**k is the above training split all about. Due to work commitments a couple of years ago I had to change/cut back on my training days. I decided to go down the path of training the entire body over two days taking a rest day & repeating the cycle followed by two rest days. I cut back the number of exercises per bodypart to 2 each workout (these were different at each of the two sessions completed each week for each bodypart) and performed a maximum of 2 working sets of each exercise.
Supplements you live by during pre contest? A Whey Protein Isolate (product comes from Fonterra in 20kg sacks)
and a good multi-vitamin & mineral. ECA stack - cycled about every 2 weeks pre-contest.
What do you think are some of the mistakes people make when they prepare for a contest? Don't give themselves enough time
and are unrealistic in truly assessing the quality & condition of their own physique.
Have you had a role model who's inspired you? No one specifically, but I am inspired by anyone who has achieved success at
the highest level in their chosen discipline as I can appreciate the commitment & sacrifices they have made to achieve their success.
Hamish Carter & Sarah Ulmer come to mind. As far as bodybuilders are concerned I have always liked Porter Cottrell's look
and think Dexters looks sensational.
What was your favourite part about competing? Would probably be the routine, I used to shit myself early on in my
body building career, but have come to look forward to it over the last few years, a 2 ½ minute guest posing spot at last years
North Harbour show was a blast. Least favourite part? Scrubbing off Dream Tan after the show.
What advice/tips would you give to some of the young men starting out on their bodybuilding journey?
Get advice/instruction from guys that have been there, done it, and that you trust. Read, research and educate yourself
on proper exercise technique, different training principles, diet & nutrition etc as it relates to bodybuilding.
Be consistent with your training & nutrition, set realistic goals and push yourself to your limit to be the best that you can be.
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