Aprehensive.

[andyboi]

Hi guys,

I'm probably going to get utterly flamed for this post but seeing everyone's awesome results and discipline have sure inspired me.

Here's my story (not supposed to be all touchy and that).

I was always a fat kid all the way up until university. In 2007 I decided to change that so I started cardio and cut down my food intake. As a result the weight just dropped. I started at 220lb, not sure of bf% but it was close to 23%.

Since then I had just been doing cardio, then in 2008 I stopped cardio and started with weights (albeit, hapazardly) and ate chicken all day everyday and got fat.

So I went back to cardio and the weight came off again. I got skinny, but had no abdominals and wasn't huge. Pretty much just skinny with some lean mass.

About 7 months ago, I started training with Mr Australia Natural (Aaron Curtis) every 3 weeks and he wrote out a brief diet etc and I see him still.

I have gone from 84kg to 93.5kg during that time. Definitely a lot more muscle mass.
I have got a DEXA scan done and in 3 months I put on 5.94lb of body fat and 8.45lb lean mass (I have results to prove it all). So that represents a 1.7% increase in body fat to 17.8%.

I want to do a show in May 2012, continue to bulk til 30 November 2011 and then start the diet 1 Dec 2011 all the way up until the show. I have never been SHREDDED to the point where I could see my abs so I think in way over my head.

I'll post some photos when I get home for thoughts, but I do realise I have a lot of size to put on til then to be able to compete. My current diet now is pretty spot on with ZERO cheat meals etc.

this is a typical day on average, also I might throw in extra pieces of fruit and nuts and change from Tuna to 6 egg whites (2 yolks); see attached spreadsheet.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

[andyboi]

sorry about the poor quality of the photos, guys. But i took them while at work in the bathroom and had to rush just incase someone came in!

So yeah, let me know what I should do. Keep bulking as I need to put on more mass, or cut?

[listen2chris]

I think you should compete in 2012 like you wanted. You'll definitely be ready. Just bulk hardcore, and then 16 weeks before your contest start on a kito diet. you'll lean out slowly, but surely losing minimal muscle mass. Burn the fat, 6 weeks out take some thermogenics. Then the rest is history.

Seeing the pictures, which as you said were unplanned and in a hurry, I think you're definitely ready enough for a show. You're 6 foot which works at your disadvantage, but with the right posing practice you can create the illusion that you're better than shorter guys. With your potential size, by 2012, and seeing where you are now, I think you should give it a go.

Worst comes to worst, you'll have a competition under your belt, officially be able to call yourself a bodybuilder, and have a deeper understanding of the whole system. Experience is experience.

[andyboi]

thanks for the comments, mate. Appreciate it. Do you think it'd take me 16 weeks by dropping my carbs from mid 300s to 0? :S

[SheWulf]

thanks for the comments, mate. Appreciate it. Do you think it'd take me 16 weeks by dropping my carbs from mid 300s to 0? :S

That depends on where you're at, your diet, etc. If you start your prep very lean, you can get away with a shorter prep. If you get very chubby, it could be closer to 20 weeks. 16 weeks is around average, as it gives you enough time to lean out slowly and preserve muscle mass.

[andyboi]

That depends on where you're at, your diet, etc. If you start your prep very lean, you can get away with a shorter prep. If you get very chubby, it could be closer to 20 weeks. 16 weeks is around average, as it gives you enough time to lean out slowly and preserve muscle mass.

Hmmm well, knowing my body, I drop fat VERY quickly. As soon as I cut carbs water retention drops quite soon. Then throw in a bit of cardio and it comes off pretty quickly from my arms, legs, chest. However my abs/lower back remain my problem and will have to diet pretty hard to achieve stage condition. So I am thinking 20-24 weeks will probably cut it.

[bwelch1985]

thanks for the comments, mate. Appreciate it. Do you think it'd take me 16 weeks by dropping my carbs from mid 300s to 0? :S

dude. read up a little. do some research on contest prep methods. cutting your carbs from 300 to 0 is just retarded.

this would be a good place for you to start:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne36.htm

[andyboi]

dude. read up a little. do some research on contest prep methods. cutting your carbs from 300 to 0 is just retarded.

this would be a good place for you to start:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne36.htm

Thanks mate. I have been a long term lurker of this site for ages!
Definitely learnt a lot from people's contest logs and my trainer. I have read that article by Layne and will DEFINITELY use it. Also, I learnt not to drop carbs that dramatically in the past so I won't be doing that.

[wrkoutfrq]

dude. read up a little. do some research on contest prep methods. cutting your carbs from 300 to 0 is just retarded.

this would be a good place for you to start:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne36.htm

this for sure... if you are eating 300g carbs now, and lose fat easy, then goin keto cold turkey is the last thing i would recommend you do

i'm not a fan of keto anyway, it works for some, but me it just made me flat as a pancake, lose some water weight, and then go nowhere...

[andyboi]

Thanks for the advice guys/gals. I have some updated photos from last night, I know I'm a pale ass b****.

Any further comments would be greatly appreciated. Mind you, I have only been lifting for ~8 months.

[andyboi]

more :)

[zmcdole]

You can do a show for sure. Your upper body is pretty decent IMO. Your legs need a lot of work. Obviously keep working on building mass in all areas, but especially your legs. Squats, hack squats, front squats, and leg press should be a part of your routine for building your quads. Lying Leg curls, seated leg curls, standing leg curls, glute ham raises, and stiff legged deadlifts should be a part of your routine for building your hams. Here's a great link for training your calves: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/training-the-calves.html

Keep bulking, but don't get too fat. I've said that I don't believe in staying lean in the offseason, but I don't mean get as fat as you want either. A lot of people make the mistake of forcing their bodies to stay well below their set point and miss out on a lot of muscle gains. Use the mirror to assess your progress and or decide if you're putting on too much fat. Based on your pictures, if you were to start dieting right now I'd say give yourself no less than 20 weeks assuming that you've got someone to guide you. If you're doing it all by yourself than you'll want even more time to make up for all the trial and error that you'll be encountering.

[andyboi]

You can do a show for sure. Your upper body is pretty decent IMO. Your legs need a lot of work. Obviously keep working on building mass in all areas, but especially your legs. Squats, hack squats, front squats, and leg press should be a part of your routine for building your quads. Lying Leg curls, seated leg curls, standing leg curls, glute ham raises, and stiff legged deadlifts should be a part of your routine for building your hams. Here's a great link for training your calves: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/training-the-calves.html

Keep bulking, but don't get too fat. I've said that I don't believe in staying lean in the offseason, but I don't mean get as fat as you want either. A lot of people make the mistake of forcing their bodies to stay well below their set point and miss out on a lot of muscle gains. Use the mirror to assess your progress and or decide if you're putting on too much fat. Based on your pictures, if you were to start dieting right now I'd say give yourself no less than 20 weeks assuming that you've got someone to guide you. If you're doing it all by yourself than you'll want even more time to make up for all the trial and error that you'll be encountering.


Thanks for the advice mate!

I've been training legs for around 8 months now solidly.

I am doing back squats, leg press, walking lunges, leg extensions, reverse leg curls and SLDL.

My trainer has me doing around 10+ reps for squats, leg presses etc. and I pretty much go as low as I possibly can go, much further down than parallel. So the weight that I do isn't as much as a lot of people out there. I hate seeing at the gym people lifting so much weight with a bit shorter ROM than me. However, my legs have vastly improved.

[zmcdole]

Thanks for the advice mate!

I've been training legs for around 8 months now solidly.

I am doing back squats, leg press, walking lunges, leg extensions, reverse leg curls and SLDL.

My trainer has me doing around 10+ reps for squats, leg presses etc. and I pretty much go as low as I possibly can go, much further down than parallel. So the weight that I do isn't as much as a lot of people out there. I hate seeing at the gym people lifting so much weight with a bit shorter ROM than me. However, my legs have vastly improved.

Some people respond better to higher reps when they train legs vs. lower reps. You just need to find what works best for you in regards to making your legs bigger. Either way progressive overload is what's gonna build your muscle. I wouldn't worry too much about going ATG (ass to grass) on your squats. Going too low is going to recruit your hams, hips, and glutes. You're already using those muscles when you squat, but you don't need to overemphasize those muscles when you squat. You can hit hams and glutes with other movements. Your focus needs to be on your quads. Getting to parallel should be all you need to make sure you're hitting your quads. I will say that burying your hack squats is a good idea.

[andyboi]

Some people respond better to higher reps when they train legs vs. lower reps. You just need to find what works best for you in regards to making your legs bigger. Either way progressive overload is what's gonna build your muscle. I wouldn't worry too much about going ATG (ass to grass) on your squats. Going too low is going to recruit your hams, hips, and glutes. You're already using those muscles when you squat, but you don't need to overemphasize those muscles when you squat. You can hit hams and glutes with other movements. Your focus needs to be on your quads. Getting to parallel should be all you need to make sure you're hitting your quads. I will say that burying your hack squats is a good idea.

Yeh I used to LOVE hack squats. They hit my quads perfectly. You're right, I do go ATG on squats and even on leg press, my knees pretty much touch my ears. Again, I think I would be overworking my hams, glutes and hips. They're pretty much the really sore muscles the next day after a legs session. Thanks for the tip, I'll remember that for my next legs session. Perhaps I can incorpoate it into my upper body lifts as well.