Training with James Fife – SNS NPC Athlete

After training consistently for several years I have learned many things and grown both in stature and in knowledge. I hold two associate degrees which have little value, and am finishing up my undergraduate degree in Sports Conditioning and Training. I plan on continuing my education in graduate school in the field of Physical Therapy.

I have tried many different programs both for dieting and for building muscle and have found that some work better then others and have also found that tailoring my diet and workout program to my goals and how my body responds was how I was able to maximize my success.  I hope to share my findings in creating a better body with the SNS community.

Currently I am an NPC competitor. I have competed in various organizations and challenges, and bodybuilding competitions.

Right now I am preparing for my next NPC competition which is right around the corner.

I want to share with you what I do for training and for diet but please remember that this is what works for me, which doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be optimal for others. You have to find what works for you and adapt training and dieting styles and techniques that best fit your goals.  You can get in touch with me on the SNS forums for training or diet advice.  http://www.seriousnutritionsolutions.com/forums/showthread.php?74-Training-Q-amp-A-with-James-Fife-SNS-Athlete&p=631#post631

Day 1

Chest

Exercises will vary from week to week including how heavy I go. I have heavy days and lighter days. This is the same for all days and body parts.

Some examples of exercises I do are as follows (not all on the same day obviously):

• All forms of barbell and dumbbell bench press. More incline then decline.
• Flyes/crossovers, usually with cables and in varying positions
• Some leverage presses
• Pec dec

Day 2

Back

Exercises often incorporated:

• Pull-ups, BW, weighted, and assisted
• Lat pulldown with various grips and widths, sometimes even using straps to go very heavy or seated on the floor instead of at the bench.
• T-Bar rows
• Cable rows
• Bent over BB rows
• Pendlay rows
• Rack Pulls

Day 3

Legs

Exercises often incorporated:

• Deadlifts
• Squats (I like box squats and sumo squats)
• Box jumps
• Leg press
• Hamstring curls (seated, prone, and/or standing one legged)

Day 4

Delts and Calves and/or abs

Exercises often incorporated:

• Side lateral DB raises
• DB shoulder press
• Leverage or hammer strength overhead press
• Upright rows
• Cable rear delt work
• Cable lateral extensions
• Standing calf raises
• Donkey calf raises
• Dorsal flexion raises
• One-legged calf press

Day 5

Arms

This is one that is supersetted, but different. It is often done in three parts. It is a bi/tri/bi superset for 5 or 6 sets, followed by a tri/bi/tri superset for 5 or 6 sets (or reverse order, doesn’t really matter). Then sometimes it’s just bi/tri traditional supersets.

Exercises often incorporated:

Biceps

-Seated arm curls (always one arm at a time, never alternating, both hands holding the same weight throughout the movement). This one involves the arm extending down by your side and then flexing at the elbow until about parallel. This is a great movement to focus on just the bicep and help limit the involvement of the anterior delt.

• Drag curls (usually BB but sometimes smith or even cable as well)
• Seated cable preacher curls
• HS preacher curls

Triceps

• Tricep cable pushdowns with rope attachment
• Tricep cable kickbacks
• Bent over, overhead tricep cable extensions
• Overhead extensions
• Dips (bw, weighted, or bench versions)

Day 6

Either rest or repeat with day 1

Cardio

Depending on my goals at the time but I try to do it a few times a week in the off season to stay in relatively good shape. In contest prep I will do this 6 days a week for an hour.

There are many more exercises that I will sometimes incorporate, but these are some good ones that I am using now. It’s not always in this order and it’s not always the same exercises but it’s always effective.

Diet. This probably the most important part of contest prep and in maximizing the results of the hard work I put in at the gym. It can also be very controversial with all the conflicting information out there. For me personally, I have found two different programs that I have seen good success with. One of these is carb cycling. It’s exactly as it sounds, you have high/low/ and no carb days. These are planned out in a specific fashion which can be found online. Another program that I like is called Lean Gains created by Martin Berkhan. It creates a whole new way to eat. You can find more about it at www.leangains.com. For me, dieting is a way of eating to achieve a goal, whether it is gaining lean body mass, or losing body fat.

For an extra boost in achieving my goals, I will use SNS supplements for health and performance. Again, this will change depending on my goals at the time but here’s a list of what I am currently taking for my contest prep.

• Fish Oil
• SNS TTA-500
• SNS RK Xtreme 500
• SNS Green Tea

These previous three make an excellent synergistic fat burning stack.

• SNS Magnesium Creatine Chelate
• SNS Reduce XT,  I do one AM/PM and the third is when I do semi-fasted (BCAA only) training in the afternoon when cortisol is more likely to be increased.
• SNS ALCAR

My pre workout drink consists of this:

• 1 scoop SNS Focus XT
• 10 g BCAA (with 5g being from Leucine)
• 2 g Beta Alanine

If I need an extra stim boost with the bonus appetite suppressant, then I’ll take either Yohimbine or Synephrine. This makes a potent and very effective pre workout. I get all the stims I need for a good session and the combo keeps me from having any sudden crash, I get the cognitive/mental boost from the Focus XT, the endurance and maximizing carnosine levels with the beta alanine, and the anti-catabolic and muscle protein synthesis enhancing effects from the BCAA’s.

My protein comes mainly from whole food sources, however I do take shakes as well because it’s an easy and effective way to stay on track for my diet, keep my macros where I want them, and keep my protein intake high.

Through all of this, and with the help of quality supplements from respected and dependable companies like Serious Nutrition Solutions, I am able to meet my goals and accomplish all that I set out to do.