After a Lifetime of Lifting – My First Year of Competition

At a Glance: Eric Senter

Age: 39

Education: BA, Eastern Michigan University; MA, Marygrove College; Post Grad, Loyola Marymount University

Occupation: Teacher/Personal Trainer

Family: Married to Katie Senter

Current Residence: Linden, Michigan

Years Training: 23

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 195-200 (Off Season); 178-182 (Contest)

Favorite Bodybuilding or Fitness Meal: Eggs with beef sirloin and oatmeal with chocolate Beverly UMP (tastes like chocolate no-bake cookies).

Favorite Supplement: Muscle Provider vanilla. I look forward to taking a full scoop after my workouts. I take it dry with a little water and chew it up. People think I’m crazy but the Beverly protein tastes really good, it’s like a treat.

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before: Speaking from experience, I can tell you Beverly supplements are effective if used the right way in correlation with a quality diet. I think Beverly has found a way to enhance competitors’ physiques and it shows when they step on stage. Even if you don’t compete, Beverly products improve your quality of life.

Music: At heart, I’m a country guy; however, I enjoy listening to all types of music as long as I can understand the words.

Most Inspiring Book: Coach Wooden One-On-One. I love this book because I coached varsity basketball and baseball for a number of years. John Wooden talks about doing things with purpose and passion. I’ve done my best to apply these principles to my training and lifestyle. Every time I step into the gym, I remind myself to train with a purpose and to be excited about being there.

Hobby or interest outside of bodybuilding: Fantasy Football (it’s addicting).

Words to live by: “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” – Booker T. Washington

 

I grew up playing sports as a kid (football, basketball, and baseball). The desire to become bigger, faster, and stronger fueled me to be the best I could be in any athletic competition and led me to start weight training. I began to train consistently when I was a sophomore in high school and have stuck with it ever since. I have been training at the same gym, Fenton Powerhouse, for the past 17 years.

Last year, I competed for the first time at the NPC Great Lakes Ironman in the Men’s Physique division. I placed 1st Overall True Novice, 1st Overall Novice, 2nd in the Masters, and 3rd in the Open. Just recently I stepped on stage for only the 2nd time at the NPC Michigan State Championships and won the Masters while placing 2nd in the Open division.

I don’t take my initial success lightly. I continue to challenge myself with each workout because I’ve learned that my real competition is against myself. The only thing I can control is how hard I’m willing to work every time I step into the gym. I try to live by the principles of dedication, pride, commitment, and excellence each and every day. In the remainder of this article I am going to present my workout, my precontest nutrition plan, and the supplement program that helped me gain 10 pounds of muscle.

Training Schedule

I normally train each bodypart one time per week using 4-5 exercises per muscle group. I do each exercise 4-6 sets doing up to 20-25 reps on some and 8-10 reps on others. I’ll usually incorporate the time under tension (TUT) principle on one exercise per bodypart, and often superset two of the exercises. I try not to pick the same exercises two weeks in a row (ex: if I barbell bench press this week, I will use dumbbells the following week), and I never use the same order (ex: if I bench press first this week, I will do it last next week).
 

Of course my schedule can vary at any time, but for the most part this is what a typical week looks like:

Monday:
Back

Amount
Pull-ups5x10
Reverse Lat Pulldowns5x25
Bentover Barbell RowsTUT* 5x12
T-Bar Row6x8
Lat Pulldown5x10, superset with next exercise
Close Grip Chin Assisted Pull-ups5x10

*TUT: 2 seconds up, hold at top for 1 second, 4-5 seconds down

Tuesday:
Biceps/Triceps/Abs
Amount
Static Curls 5x10 (10 on each alternating holding opposite in a halfway curl position)
EZ Bar4x21's
Straight Barbell Curls:6x8 TUT
Spider Curls4x15
EZ Bar Overhead Extensions5x10
EZ Bar Skull Crushers4x21's
Single Cable KickbacksTUT 6x8
V-Bar Pushdowns 4x15
Ball Cruncheswith 10lb plate behind head 3x20
Oblique Cable Twists3x20
Hanging Leg Raises3x20
Lying Bicycle Crunches3x20
Wednesday:
Shoulders/Traps

Amount
Front Dumbbell Statics 5x10 (hold one dumbbell out while raising the other)
Lateral Raises4x20
Military PressTUT 6x8
Machine Rear Delt7x10 (30 second rest between sets)
Upright Row4x12
Barbell ShrugTUT 6x10
Smith Machine Reverse Barbell Shrug6x12
Thursday:
Lower Back/Calves/Abs

Amount
Deadlift6x8
Hyperextension5x20
Standing Calf Raise(2 toes forward, 2 toes out, 2 toes in) 6x20
Seated Calf Raise6x8
Decline Sit-upsTUT 3x20
Stick Twists3x100
Machine Crunches3x20
Dumbbell Oblique Raises3x20 each side
Friday:
Legs

Amount
Hack Squat5x20 (10 wide/10 close stance)
Leg CurlTUT 5x6 (1/3, 1/2, Full)=18 reps
Squat5x8, superset with next exercise
Lunges5x10 on each leg
Leg Press7x10 (30 sec rest between sets)
Saturday:
Chest/Abs

Amount
**Superset each chest exercise with pushups
Incline Barbell PressTUT 4x12 / 25 Push-ups
Barbell Bench Press8x8 / 20 push-ups
Wide Chest Machine Flye4x15 / 15 push-ups
Low Cross Cable Raise4x10 / push-ups to failure
Ab Roller3x25
Alternate Heel Touches3x20
Planks3x25
Hanging Oblique Rockers3x40
Sunday:
Calves

Amount
Seated Calf Extension6x20 (vary foot placement)
Standing Machine Calf RaisesTUT 6x8

Cardio Schedule

One of the reasons that I stay near contest weight year round is that I really don’t like cardio. When a contest is approaching I do include 20 minutes, 2 or 3 days a week on the Stair Stepper or walking at a high incline on the Treadmill.

My Diet Plan

I run a high/low diet (when I run high fats I go low carbs and vice versa). There is really not that big of a difference between my offseason and precontest diets. I prefer to stay fairly lean year round and rarely go more than 15 pounds above my contest weight. In the off season, I include more fats (especially peanut butter) and carb up more frequently (once every 3 days). I also have a cheat meal once a week when I’m not prepping for a show. I start my show diet 8 weeks out from the contest.
 

Low Carb Days (Days 1-4)

Meal 1: (6:00am) 4oz beef sirloin (93%), 1 whole egg, 6 egg whites

Meal 2: (9:00am) 8oz chicken breast, 12 almonds, 3 c baby spinach, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Meal 3: (12:00pm) 8oz chicken breast, 12 almonds, 3 c baby spinach, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Meal 4: (3:00pm) 8oz chicken breast, 12 almonds, 3 c baby spinach, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Meal 5: (6:00pm) 8oz salmon, 1 c asparagus

Meal 6: (9:00pm) 1 whole egg, 6 egg whites

High Carb Day (Day 5)

Meal 1: (6:00am) 5oz extra lean turkey (99%), 6 egg whites, 1 c oatmeal

Meal 2: (9:00am) 6oz chicken breast, 1/3 c brown rice, 1 c broccoli

Meal 3: (12:00pm) 6oz chicken breast, 1/3 c brown rice, 1 c broccoli

Meal 4: (3:00pm) 6oz chicken breast, 1/3 c brown rice, 1 c broccoli

Meal 5: (6:00pm) 8oz cod, 1 c broccoli, 8oz sweet potato

Meal 6: (9:00pm) 5oz extra lean turkey (99%), 6 egg whites, 1 c oatmeal

Supplements

I firmly believe that Beverly International products have helped with my success. I have always had a really fast metabolism and a hard time adding muscular size. My friend, Steve Robinson, an all-natural bodybuilder who has been competing for a long time, suggested I try adding Beverly International supplements into my nutrition program. He uses them himself and suggested a specific protocol to add muscle. I went “all in” taking Mass Aminos, Ultra 40, Creatine Select, Muscle Mass, Muscle Provider and UMP. The results were spectacular, in a year’s time I’ve added ten pounds of muscle to my competition weight. At 8 weeks out I add Density, Muscularity, Glutamine Select, Quadracarn, Lean Out and 7-Keto MuscLean in order to hold all of this hard earned muscle while I diet down for competition.
 

Off Season (Gaining) Supplement Protocol

Precontest Supplement Protocol (8 weeks out from a contest)

Mass Amino Acids and Ultra 40 with every meal

Muscle Mass with meal 1 and meal 4

Muscle Provider anytime that I don’t have a meal scheduled within 20-30 minutes following my workout

UMP sometimes between meals, in addition to a meal, or as a meal replacement

I continue with my “gaining” supplement protocol but also add the following:

Density throughout the day, 3 tablets halfway between each meal

Lean Out with every meal

Muscularity with every meal

Quadracarn with every meal

7-Keto MuscLean 30 minutes prior to meals 1 and 4

Glutamine Select with meal 1 and immediately after my workout

Creatine Select with meal 4 and immediately after my workout

Posted in 2017 Collection, Men's Bodybuilding / Classic Physique / Physique.