Every year, I like to do one big prep, where I adjust my diet and training in order to get in my best possible shape. I have done this every year since 2012. Last year was the first year I sat down and actually wrote out everything I did. In case you missed it, here are all 5 parts of the Strength By Sonny 2014 Physical Transformation series:
STRENGTH BY SONNY 2014 PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION GUIDE (PART I: OFFSEASON TRAINING)
STRENGTH BY SONNY 2014 PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION GUIDE (PART II: OFFSEASON DIET AND SUPPLEMENTS)
STRENGTH BY SONNY 2014 PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION GUIDE (PART III: PREP MODE TRAINING TRAINING)
STRENGTH BY SONNY 2014 PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION GUIDE (PART IV: PREP MODE DIET AND SUPPLEMENTS)
STRENGTH BY SONNY 2014 PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION GUIDE (PART V: GYM SUPERSTITIONS AND WEIRD PRACTICES)
How did the Strength By Sonny 2015 Transformation differ from other years?
The 2015 Transformation was a lot more difficult because I never really had any long term consistency during this prep. I only had real consistency toward the tail-end of the prep. Luckily, I’m at the point where this is all that matters. That’s when it really counts for me. I lacked consistency because I was bouncing around all over the country. I was training in Texas until I left in March. Then I briefly went back to New York to train for about a month. I moved to Las Vegas in May. I actually drove from New York to Las Vegas.
And once I got to Las Vegas, it took about a week for me to move in to my place. So for the last 2 weeks of April I was unable to lift weights and ate mostly fast food/gas station food. As a result, I didn’t get to start this year’s prep until May 3rd.
I’ve also done quite a bit of travelling visiting clients in order to help them achieve their goals. So I was constantly making adjustments in that regard as well. I also made many adjustments on the spot to my actual weight training. This was definitely the case once I started dieting, especially when you take the following in to consideration.
2015- The Year of the Lost Offseason
The offseason is usually the time when you are going to make your mark and make those gains. Most people are of the school of thought that if you waste your offseason, you’re fucked. For the most part, I’m a big believer in this. In fact, I can’t wait until I start my offseason prep for 2016 because I know I will be settled in and have the ability to be consistent with the training. In fact, I’m just starting to experiment with some new training techniques and things are already looking interesting:
Starting to fill out again. Getting an even more 3D look ever since summer diet ended and I’ve gone back to the oldschool heavy weights high rep superset routine 😎💪🍔 Pic was taken after supersetting shoulders and traps 🎥 #picoftheday #lasvegaslocals #lasvegaspoolparties #lvac #tgif #liftweights #naturalbodybuilding #strengthbysonny #gymselfie #shoulderday A photo posted by !🎥YOUTUBE.COM/STRENGTHBYSONNY (@strengthbysonny) on
A solid offseason was simply out of reach this year. However, I have enough experience and know myself enough to “grow in to it”. In other words, I have the ability to build muscle and get shredded at the same time… the goal being to look bigger, denser, and drier than when I was 15-20 lbs. heavier.
It was pretty tough to come to grips with but around the beginning of March I accepted the fact that this wasn’t a year where I was going to make impressive gains that would come to light once I started dieting.
The offseason was lost. If I wanted to make any improvements to my physique, they would have to be made on the fly once I started dieting.
My trademark fullness and density was something I would have to focus on once I was settled in to my new place. Last year, the Austin, Texas heat helped me out tremendously during my in-season training. I knew that this Las Vegas heat would help me out even more (and probably help me get in shape faster).
2015 Offseason Training Split
This offseason, I trained with a little bit more volume than last year. Last year, I used more straight sets whereas this year, I got back in to using more supersets (and even giant sets in some instances).
Of course, I stuck with split training.
I didn’t worry too much about form because this was another adjustment I was planning on making once I was dieting. In general, my form is usually very smooth with a little bit of momentum. I don’t recommend this for everyone. That’s happens to be perfect for me… which is what matters when it comes to improving my physique.
This isn’t necessarily the case for you. Remember, bodybuilding is about finding your sweet spot and doing what works for you.
As far as rep range is concerned, I stayed in the 15-20 rep range. I always had 15 in mind but usually dug deep to squeeze out a few extra reps.
Here’s the split:
Monday: Quads Hams
Tuesday: Abs Chest Calves
Wednesday: Back Traps
Thursday: Triceps Biceps Forearms
Friday: Abs Shoulders Calves
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off
These were my “Offseason Money Movements”
I’ve spoken about money movements before. Basically, these are the exercises that just get it done for you. The form feels great. They hammer the muscle. Everything is perfect. Although I trained at a bunch of gyms earlier this year, these are the exercises that did it for me:
Chest- Flat Dumbbell Press
Back- Barbell Rows
Quads- Front Squat
Hamstrings- Seated Leg Curls
Triceps- Dip Machine
Biceps- Close grip barbell curls
Forearms- Cable wrist curls
Shoulders- Standing front dumbbell laterals
Calves- Seated calf Raises
Abs- Hanging Leg Raises
Traps- Behind the back barbell shrugs
That’s it for now.
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2 Comments
Hey Sonny I had a question. This is kind of late, but I’m having lower back issues from deadlifting. What are some alternatives to deadlifting that will help me build muscle in the lower back?
Good mornings