Skip La Cour s Daily Training Journal 2000 Table of Contents PART I Week One August 20 through August 26, 2000 Setting Weekly Goals (Sunday 8-20).................................. 5 Setting Training Goals (Monday 8-21) explained in more detail all week.......6 The Value of a Good Training Partner (Tuesday 8-22)....................10 The Importance of Surrounding Yourself with Good People (Tuesday 8-22)...11 There Is No Difference Between Off-Season and Pre-Contest Training (Thursday 8-24)................................................. 19 Post-Workout Supplementation (Friday 8-25)...........................24 Weekly Review (8-26).............................................24 Week Two August 27 through September 2, 2000 There Are No Days Off When Preparing For A Contest (Sunday 8-27).......35 Setting Weekly Goals (Sunday 8-27)................................. 37 Your Level of Success Is Determined By How High You Set Your Standards (Monday 8-28)...................................................38 My "Working Hard" Exercise (Tuesday 8-29)........................... 42 My Contest Preparation Standards for the Next 12 Weeks (Wednesday 8-30). 47 A Solid Foundation Has Been Set! (Thursday 8-31)..................... 53 Contest Dieting Strategy and Current Diet (Thursday 8-31)................54 The Organizing Principles for a Sound Nutritional Program (Friday 9-1)...... 58 Weekly Review (Saturday 9-2)......................................61 Weekly Evaluation (Saturday 9-2)................................... 62
Week Three September 3 through September 9, 2000 This Week's Diet (Sunday 9-3)......................................69 Weekly Goals (Sunday 9-3)........................................ 71 How to Enter a Bodybuilding Contest Huge and Ripped Without Using Drugs: There Are No Real "Secrets" Just A Lot of Hard Work! (Monday 9-4)........72 Lat Pullovers Emphasizing the Upper Chest (Monday)................... 74 "Anything That Doesn't Break You Will Only Make You Stronger!" (Tuesday 9-5)................................................... 76 Knee Wraps, Weight Belts, and Wrist Straps (Wednesday 9-6).............78 The Benefits of Adding "Good Fat" to Your Contest Preparation Diet (Thursday 9-7).................................................. 82 Water and Sodium (Thursday 9-7)................................... 82 "It's the Little Things in Life That Make the BIG Difference!" (Friday 9-8)......86 Weekly Review (Saturday 9-9)......................................88 Weekly Evaluation (Saturday 9-9)................................... 88 Week Four September 10 through September 16, 2000 This Week's Diet (Sunday 9-10).....................................93 Weekly Goals (Sunday 9-10)....................................... 94 How I Evaluate My Workouts (Monday 9-11)...........................95 Pre-workout Nutrition and Supplementation (Tuesday 9-12)............... 98 Reverse Hack Squats: An Effective Exercise for Hamstrings (Wednesday 9-13).............................................. 100 Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Training Routines (Thursday 9-14)...104 Am I Courageous Or Just Crazy? (Friday 9-15......................... 107 Weekly Review (Saturday 9-16)....................................109
Weekly Evaluation (Saturday 9-16)................................. 110 Week Five September 17 through September 23, 2000 This Week's Diet (Sunday 9-17)....................................115 Weekly Goals (Sunday 9-17)...................................... 117 My "101 Daily Bodybuilding Disciplines" (Monday 9-18)................. 118 Supplementation (Tuesday 9-19)................................... 122 My Complete Supplementation Program (Tuesday 9-19).................126 "Muscle IS Protein! Protein IS Muscle!" (Wednesday 9-20)...............132 More Strength, Less Body Fat, More Productivity with Dymetadrine Xtreme (Thursday 9-21)................................................ 136 Creating and Prioritizing Your Own Supplementation Program (Friday 9-22)...................................................140 Questions and Answers About the Supplements I Don't Take (Friday 9-22)...................................................143 Weekly Review (Saturday 9-23)....................................145 Weekly Evaluation (Saturday 9-23)................................. 145 Week Six September 24 through September 30, 2000 This Week's Diet (Sunday 9-24)....................................151 Weekly Goals (Sunday 9-24)...................................... 152 How I Dieted Down for This Past Year's NPC Team Universe (Monday 9-25)..................................................153 "It ALL Matters!" (Tuesday 9-26)....................................160 The Power of Momentum (Wednesday 9-27)..........................164 If You Really Want to Progress, You Must Be Honest With Yourself (Thursday 9-28).................................................168
Staying On Track While Traveling Takes Commitment, Organization, and Advanced Planning (Friday 9-29)...................................172 Reading, Pennsylvania Seminar and Guest Posing (Saturday 9-30)........ 174 Weekly Review (Saturday 9-30)....................................176 Weekly Evaluation (Saturday 9-30)................................. 176 Week Seven October 1 through October 7, 2000 This Week's Diet (Sunday 10-1)....................................181 Weekly Goals (Sunday 10-1)...................................... 182 My Best 10 Strategies To Bolster Your Power, Strength, and Performance in the Gym 1 through 5 (Monday 10-2)...................................183 My Best 10 Strategies To Bolster Your Power, Strength, and Performance in the Gym 6 through 10 (Tuesday 10-3)................................. 185 Make Becoming Stronger and More Powerful a Top Priority (Wednesday 10-4).............................................. 189 Train Only One Body Part During Each Workout For At Least Three Weeks (Thursday 10-5)................................................ 193 Plan Your Entire Workout In Advance and Set Ambitious Goals (Friday 10-6)...................................................197 Bodybuilding Seminar at the Max Muscle Store in Fremont, California (Saturday 10-7).................................................201 Weekly Review (Saturday 10-7)....................................202 Weekly Evaluation (Saturday 10-7)................................. 202
PART II Week Eight October 8 through October 14, 2000 This Week's Diet (Sunday 10-8)....................................209 Weekly Goals (Sunday 10-8)...................................... 210 After You Have Sufficiently Warmed Up Don't Waste Your Strength On Lighter Weight (Monday 10-9)........................................... 211 Before Every Set, Demand Yourself to "Redefine" the Meaning of Absolute Failure (Tuesday 10-10).......................................... 216 Get Yourself Mentally Ready To Lift Heavy Weight Before Every Set (Wednesday 10-11)............................................. 221 Don't Get Overly Concerned With Extremely Strict Form (Thursday 10-12)............................................... 225 Get Yourself A Good Training Partner (Friday 10-13)................... 229 Weekend Guest Posing Appearance and Seminars in the Cleveland, Ohio Area: A Tremendous Learning Experience! (Saturday 10-14)................. 234 Weekly Review (Saturday 10-14)...................................236 Weekly Evaluation (Saturday 10-14)................................ 237 Week Nine October 15 through October 21, 2000 This Week's Diet (Sunday 10-15)...................................243 Weekly Goals (Sunday 10-15)..................................... 244 Control Your Lower Back: A Detailed Explanation of My Best 10 Strategies To Bolster Your Power, Strength, and Performance in the Gym (Monday 10-16)..................................................................246 "Less" Training Will Bolster Your Power, Strength, and Performance: A Detailed Explanation of My Best 10 Strategies To Bolster Your Power, Strength, and Performance in the Gym (Tuesday 10-17)............................ 249 "Less" Training Will Bolster Your Power, Strength, and Performance - Continued: A Detailed Explanation of My Best 10 Strategies To Bolster Your Power, Strength, and Performance in the Gym (Wednesday 10-18).............. 255
My Progress Evaluated by an NPC National Judge (Thursday 10-19).......261 The 2000 Mr. Olympia Weekend and Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada - Day One (Friday 10-20).............................................. 264 Paul Delia Evaluates My Contest Preparation and Conditioning (Saturday 10-21)................................................267 Connecting With Fellow Bodybuilders and Friends (Saturday 10-21)....... 268 Weekly Review (Saturday 10-21)...................................270 Weekly Evaluation (Saturday 10-21)................................ 271 Week Ten October 22 through October 28, 2000 Early Morning Photo Shoot (Sunday 10-22)...........................275 Mr. Olympia All Star Seminar (Sunday 10-22)......................... 275 This Week's Diet (Sunday 10-22)...................................277 Weekly Goals (Sunday 10-22)..................................... 279 We're Heading Down the Home Stretch! (Monday 10-23)................ 280 Dieting Strategies for the Last Four Weeks (Tuesday 10-24)..............283 Vitamins B-6 and C Help Condition My Body To Release Water (Wednesday 10-25)............................................. 287 Eliminate Creatine Before A Contest? No Way! Here's My Final Week Creatine LOADING Strategy! (Thursday 10-26)...............................290 The Two Most Common "Stories" Competitive Bodybuilders Tell Themselves When They Don't Do Well in Contests (Friday 10-27)................... 293 Weekly Review (Saturday 10-28)...................................296 Weekly Evaluation (Saturday 10-28)................................ 297 Week Eleven October 29 through November 4, 2000 This Week's Diet (Sunday 10-29)...................................303 Weekly Goals (Sunday 10-29)..................................... 304
What Must Happen In Order for You to Feel Happy About Your Bodybuilding Efforts? (Monday 10-30)..........................................305 What Has to Happen Over the Next Three Weeks to Make the IFBB World Amateur Championships an Awesome Experience (Tuesday 10-31)....... 313 Don't Get Too Concerned With the "Numbers": Let the Mirror Be Your Guide! (Wednesday 11-1).............................................. 319 The Role Cardiovascular Plays Training in the Fat Loss-Contest Preparation Process (Thursday 11-2)......................................... 323 Recap of What I've Been Doing Over the Past 11 Weeks to Prepare for the IFBB World Amateur Championships (Friday 11-3)..........................328 Weekly Review (Saturday 11-4)....................................333 Weekly Evaluation (Saturday 11-4)................................. 333 Week Twelve November 5 through November 11, 2000 This Week's Diet (Sunday 11-5)................................... 339 Weekly Goals (Sunday 11-5)...................................... 340 The Critical Final Week of Contest Preparation (Monday 11-6)............341 The Different Processes of the Final Week of Contest Preparation: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (Tuesday 11-7)............................345 The Different Processes of the Final Week of Contest Preparation: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and After the Show (Wednesday 11-8)................ 350 Bodybuilding Magazine Photo Shoots (Thursday 11-9).................. 356 What a Learning Experience These Past 12 Weeks Have Been! (Friday 11-10)..................................................362 Killing Time and Waiting for the Big Day (Friday 11-11)..................367 Weekly Review (Saturday 11-11)...................................368 Weekly Evaluation (Saturday 11-11)................................ 368
Week Thirteen November 12 through November 18, 2000 Early Morning Photos on Venice Beach (Sunday 11-12)................. 375 This Week s Diet (Sunday 11-12)...................................367 Weekly Goals (Sunday 11-12)..................................... 380 Physique Assessment (Monday 11-13).............................. 381 Photo Shoots in Los Angeles (Monday 11-13).........................382 Physique Assessment (Tuesday 11-14)..............................382 Leaving for Malaysia Today! (Tuesday 11-14)......................... 384 The Long, Grueling Trip to Malaysia (Wednesday 11-15)................ 386 Weigh-Ins: The Time When Many Contests Are Won and Lost in the Minds of the Competing Bodybuilders (Thursday 11-16)........................... 389 Simply Outmatched at the Prejudging (Friday 11-17)....................392 What s GREAT About this Situation? (Saturday 11-18).................. 396 Conclusion There's No Such Thing As Failure As Long As You Learn Something......400 Actually, There's No Such Thing As Failure As Long As You Learn Something and Are Persistent Enough to Used What You've Learned!...............402 The Most Valuable Lessons I've Learned from This 13-Week Journey.......402 Future Plans....................................................404 About Skip La Cour.............................................. 407