Oak's Rock'em, Sock'em, Master Blaster '09 Season Thread

[stayfit2008]

Originally Posted by Buzz_Lightyear

Am I unaware?

It was a joke to one of Oaks freinds,..you said Db,..(Dumb Bell) so I was refering to Tim,..aka(Jimmychitwood). He's a good guy,..we just like to poke fun at each other once in awhile,..

[AustrianOakJr]

Originally Posted by Buzz_Lightyear

Sean, pleasure meeting you yesterday and congratulations on everything.

Sorry you had to pose to that piss poor music, as well.

Thanks for letting me use your DBs to pump with, too. I appreciate it.

Great job again!

GOod meeting you also. You looked solid, man. Congrats. Hopefully, we meet again at another one!

[AustrianOakJr]

Originally Posted by aguy fish

Congrats very inspiring you looked amazing !

Originally Posted by Joe Go

Great news Oak! Congrats!

Thanks guys!

Originally Posted by J_Bo

Awesome job, OAK! Sounds like the show and the after party were a blast! Looks like choosing to do another show was a great choice!

Yep.....and the afterparty is still going. Just went and had a great rochester tradition.....the garbage plate:


/


.
For dinner im thinking pizza and then wash it all down with another pint of Ben and Jerrys. Tomorrow back to diet numbers plus 30g of carbs.....at least until I see where my weight goes.


I am very greatful my wife went along with my plan. Couldnt have done it without her!

Originally Posted by Whomper107

Awesome writeup and great job Oak, you looked good up there, definitely dialed it in nicely for this show. That sucks about your posing music, that is every bodybuilder's nightmare hahah... but it sounds to me like you handled it pretty well. Congrats on winning your class!

Thanks man. Honestly, I could care less about the night show. I really like the competitive part of the whole thing (comparison rounds). The show is just fluff. My family has seen my routine twice already so it was kind of funny to mix it up a little bit. As long as its not judged.....I could care less if I looked like a goober. Thats nothing new.

[AustrianOakJr]

On a scale of 1-10.....how messed up is it that I am so full from lunch that I am going to run to the grocery store so that I work up an appetite for a pizza dinner? And if thats not messed up enough, I am running to the grocery to get 2 pints of Ben and Jerry's for dessert! HA!!!

[JimmyChitwood]

Originally Posted by stayfit2008

^^^^Hey Oak,..I didn't know Tim (Jimmychitwood) was there???

Yep - Mr. Dumb Bell here. I was there alright - but only in spirit. I was actually held up in the hospital with my eight week old baby boy. He'd been having some major feeding issues and they finally figured out that it was acid reflux and got him on medication. It was pretty tough to go through - IV in his head, lots of tests, etc. Poor little guy. He liked the attention from the nurses though. I think he was just milking the whole thing so he could hear more people fawn over him. We were there for three nights - I stayed every minute - and I got about six hours of sleep in 78 hours. So... I'm tired.

Originally Posted by AustrianOakJr

On a scale of 1-10.....how messed up is it that I am so full from lunch that I am going to run to the grocery store so that I work up an appetite for a pizza dinner? And if thats not messed up enough, I am running to the grocery to get 2 pints of Ben and Jerry's for dessert! HA!!!

Not messed up at all. I'm doing the same thing. I'm on the post-hospital-stay binge, so I'm right there with you. I figure if you and I can do the carb loading together, we can also do the post show binge together. And the bulking too. I like that part. When do we get to that?

Hey - I read the book you wrote even though you told it to me over the phone earlier. Nice. This sounds like it was a cool show to take part in. Sounds like the promoter knows what he's about. That makes all the difference apparently. You sure you don't think the Olympus is awesome anymore?

Congrats to you on the placing - you kicked some butt this show, and this whole season. Very proud of you, my friend. You've been grinding away in the gym very steadily and have really put on some quality mass. Pictures of you on stage are awesome. You look absolutley huge with great proportions. The transformation on the legs continues to amaze me.

Night show pictures - that first one - you can't say you haven't practiced that one before. How many times have we thrown up that pose and pranced criss cross over a dance floor at random night clubs? You've practiced it plenty, even if it was years ago. I hope you remembered to prance at least?? Sounds like the music would have been perfect for it. Can't wait to see the video. The music thing - totally what I would be petrified by, but you handled it very well it sounds. I'm sure it helped that this was your third show in a row. You must feel pretty comfortable on the stage by now. Which is why I'm a little confused why when you heard the foo foo music you didn't throw up the batman pose, or do a handstand or some high kicks. Or maybe the ultimate pose - back to the crowd and bend over and smile at them between your legs. Once you saw the judges take you out of the center during the overall judging, you should have pulled some of these out to get their attention again. Might have been enough to put you on top. Live and learn. Next time phone a friend, and ask me for advices.

[AustrianOakJr]

Originally Posted by JimmyChitwood

Hey - I read the book you wrote even though you told it to me over the phone earlier. Nice. This sounds like it was a cool show to take part in. Sounds like the promoter knows what he's about. That makes all the difference apparently. You sure you don't think the Olympus is awesome anymore?

Ah. Nope. Wont be doing another one of those. Bad attitudes combined with the good ol' politics game = suck.

Originally Posted by JimmyChitwood

Congrats to you on the placing - you kicked some butt this show, and this whole season. Very proud of you, my friend. You've been grinding away in the gym very steadily and have really put on some quality mass. Pictures of you on stage are awesome. You look absolutley huge with great proportions. The transformation on the legs continues to amaze me. .

Thanks man. Wish I could have scored the pro-card, but it wasnt meant to be. When you see the overall pics below, you'll notice I was beat pretty fair and square. So, next year ill be back up there with some more mass to take care of the heavy weights.

Originally Posted by JimmyChitwood

Night show pictures - that first one - you can't say you haven't practiced that one before. How many times have we thrown up that pose and pranced criss cross over a dance floor at random night clubs? You've practiced it plenty, even if it was years ago. I hope you remembered to prance at least?? Sounds like the music would have been perfect for it.

Thats probably why that pose was the first that popped into my head when the gay music came on. I just automatically associate that pose with dancing around like a fool.

In hindsight, I do wish I hammed it up a little more. I just had a little more "deer in the headlights" thing going there and couldnt think well enough on the fly. Would have been cool to break out some of the old country club moves from back in the day. That probably would have scored me ahead of the overall winner for sure.

[stayfit2008]

Hey Oak,.your music thing coulda been worse,..They could have played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" or "I'm a Good Ship Lollipop".

[AustrianOakJr]

Here are the pics of the overall. The head judge pretty much told me that most judges only look for the top guy.....I looked at the score sheets and some of them only had one number written down - the winner. So, I put myself in third place in this line up. Hard to say for sure without a real comprehensive look at all the poses, but I think my conditioning compares pretty evenly with the light weight and the welter weight, but my size and proportions are considerably better. The light heavy and heavy smoke me pretty well. Gotta admit the winner was chosen wisely. Honestly, I like Larry's proportions better (the light heavy weight), but I think it was close and he was edged on conditioning.





.

This is the overall posedown. The fun part!

,

[stayfit2008]

Which one was the Heavy?? The black guy?? Tough call between the heavy and Lt. Heavy!

You look fr**kin Amazing Sean! You doing another show next weekend???

[AustrianOakJr]

Originally Posted by stayfit2008

Which one was the Heavy?? The black guy?? Tough call between the heavy and Lt. Heavy!

You look fr**kin Amazing Sean! You doing another show next weekend???

The black guy was the heavy. He won. It was close, but I think the heavy weight had a little better conditioning. Tough to say.

Thanks for the props.

Yea, we were out at Red Lobster and I said to my wife (mostly joking)...."What do you think about the Worlds in NYC next weekend?" The look I got was priceless on that one.

[JimmyChitwood]

Originally Posted by stayfit2008

Which one was the Heavy?? The black guy?? Tough call between the heavy and Lt. Heavy!

You look fr**kin Amazing Sean! You doing another show next weekend???

Yeah, why don't you just keep this thing going?? I'm sure the wife and family will understand... and be all about it! Maybe I'll even come to one of them.

Geez... what a group of MONSTERS on stage!! The overall lineup is incredible - whoa. You were right - amazing. There's a ton of meat up there - incredible that it's all natural.

You look good up there, though. You may have been beat, but you don't look like you can't hang. You really held your own against some of the toughest competition you've seen yet. Nicely played, sir. You look freakin' huge, and totally shredded. Great game.

But the winner looks like he could eat you as his post-contest meal.

[stayfit2008]

Originally Posted by AustrianOakJr

The black guy was the heavy. He won. It was close, but I think the heavy weight had a little better conditioning. Tough to say.

Thanks for the props.

Yea, we were out at Red Lobster and I said to my wife (mostly joking)...."What do you think about the Worlds in NYC next weekend?" The look I got was priceless on that one.

You may have to do a Blaze number,..Tell her your just going to watch Blaze compete,..

[jked4life]

Absolutely outstanding Sean! It looks and sounds like it was a pretty awesome show. Glad you hung in there and hit that last one before beginning the offseason. You looked awesome up there and it sounds like you had a blast too. Sorry to hear about the music debacle, but the way you handled it was classic. I don't think I'd be that composed in that situation.

Now that you're officially in the offseason, you got to make it out to the west side to come train. Either that or I can come out there.

[AustrianOakJr]

Originally Posted by JimmyChitwood

Yeah, why don't you just keep this thing going?? I'm sure the wife and family will understand... and be all about it! Maybe I'll even come to one of them.

Geez... what a group of MONSTERS on stage!! The overall lineup is incredible - whoa. You were right - amazing. There's a ton of meat up there - incredible that it's all natural.

You look good up there, though. You may have been beat, but you don't look like you can't hang. You really held your own against some of the toughest competition you've seen yet. Nicely played, sir. You look freakin' huge, and totally shredded. Great game.

But the winner looks like he could eat you as his post-contest meal.

Yes, there were some REALLY big guys there. Its interesting to note, that the one guy that I had pegged for the overall wasnt even on stage. I cant remember his name, but when I saw him back stage, my jaw dropped. He was an older guy (over 40) and was packed full of mountains of sinewy muscle. Great proportion (slightly undersized wheels though) and UNBELIEVABLE conditioning. His glutes were as striated as my chest. No joke. Actually, they were MORE striated than my chest. Perfect deep individual lines running the whole length of his glute. Notto mention every other part of his body that was just defined like an anatomy chart. I believe he would have been a light heavy weight, but he was only competing in the masters division (in which he beat Larry, the LHW that is in the pics). I asked him why he wasnt crossing over and he told met that it was his first show and he just wanted to see how he would do. HA HA!!!! I almost fell over. If he had a good enough time to want to compete again, we will be seeing his name somewhere big. Guaranteed.

Originally Posted by stayfit2008

You may have to do a Blaze number,..Tell her your just going to watch Blaze compete,..

Great idea. She'd still kill me.

Originally Posted by jked4life

Absolutely outstanding Sean! It looks and sounds like it was a pretty awesome show. Glad you hung in there and hit that last one before beginning the offseason. You looked awesome up there and it sounds like you had a blast too. Sorry to hear about the music debacle, but the way you handled it was classic. I don't think I'd be that composed in that situation.

Now that you're officially in the offseason, you got to make it out to the west side to come train. Either that or I can come out there.

Thanks man. It was an awesome time. Id love to do some training. Im gonna start on a power/hyper split just as soon as I have some time to sit and come up with a plan. Tomorrow, im just doing some upper body pump work to burn some gylcogen and take advantage of the monster pump time. Ill be in full swing shortly though!

[BaFtub]

Originally Posted by AustrianOakJr

Yes, there were some REALLY big guys there. Its interesting to note, that the one guy that I had pegged for the overall wasnt even on stage. I cant remember his name, but when I saw him back stage, my jaw dropped. He was an older guy (over 40) and was packed full of mountains of sinewy muscle. Great proportion (slightly undersized wheels though) and UNBELIEVABLE conditioning. His glutes were as striated as my chest. No joke. Actually, they were MORE striated than my chest. Perfect deep individual lines running the whole length of his glute. Notto mention every other part of his body that was just defined like an anatomy chart. I believe he would have been a light heavy weight, but he was only competing in the masters division (in which he beat Larry, the LHW that is in the pics). I asked him why he wasnt crossing over and he told met that it was his first show and he just wanted to see how he would do. HA HA!!!! I almost fell over. If he had a good enough time to want to compete again, we will be seeing his name somewhere big. Guaranteed.

I might have a pic of two of him with his wife. He was incredibly nice and I honestly think that might've been a warm up show for him.. Because he was WOW conditioned. Great job again Sean! PS, vids of your winning in the light heavies will be up tomorrow!

[Quelly]

and way to win your class with some steep comp! definitely best you've looked man, congrats!

[AustrianOakJr]

Originally Posted by BaFtub

I might have a pic of two of him with his wife. He was incredibly nice and I honestly think that might've been a warm up show for him.. Because he was WOW conditioned. Great job again Sean! PS, vids of your winning in the light heavies will be up tomorrow!

Yea, maybe he went on elsewhere. If he doesnt......he SHOULD. I havent been to a natural show that he wouldnt take free and clear.

Please post up the vid.....although, if you've got one of me winning the light heavies, LMK and ill send it to the promotor and get my trophy for that one too. I was a middle..... He he!

Originally Posted by Quelly

and way to win your class with some steep comp! definitely best you've looked man, congrats!

Thanks man. I appreciate it. |Definately the biggest guys I have ever been up against.

Does anyone know off hand what the OCB's stance on pro-hormones is? The only thing the asked about in the poly was "illegal" steroids.

[jked4life]

Originally Posted by AustrianOakJr

Thanks man. It was an awesome time. Id love to do some training. Im gonna start on a power/hyper split just as soon as I have some time to sit and come up with a plan. Tomorrow, im just doing some upper body pump work to burn some gylcogen and take advantage of the monster pump time. Ill be in full swing shortly though!

I like the power/hyper a lot. I've always been a frequency type guy anyways. My plan is basically 5 times a week

Upper Power
Lower Power
HIIT Cardio
Weakpoint training- Glutes, Shoulders, Chest
Off
Upper Hyper
Lower Hyper


You could set it up any way you want, but this works pretty well for me. If you really like the bodypart type split, you could roll with the conventional setup.

[stayfit2008]

Originally Posted by BaFtub

PS, vids of your winning in the light heavies will be up tomorrow!

If ya Got a Vid of Sean doing his routine to "Somewhere Over The rainbow",..I'd pay to see that!!!

Originally Posted by AustrianOakJr

Does anyone know off hand what the OCB's stance on pro-hormones is? The only thing the asked about in the poly was "illegal" steroids.

Sea,..I'm pretty dure the OCB and NGA share the same rules.

[AustrianOakJr]

Originally Posted by jked4life

I like the power/hyper a lot. I've always been a frequency type guy anyways. My plan is basically 5 times a week

Upper Power
Lower Power
HIIT Cardio
Weakpoint training- Glutes, Shoulders, Chest
Off
Upper Hyper
Lower Hyper


You could set it up any way you want, but this works pretty well for me. If you really like the bodypart type split, you could roll with the conventional setup.

Im gonna set it up similar, but going to break up my hypertrophy days into 3. What 3, I dont know yet.....gotta think a bit.

Originally Posted by stayfit2008

If ya Got a Vid of Sean doing his routine to "Somewhere Over The rainbow",..I'd pay to see that!!!


Sea,..I'm pretty dure the OCB and NGA share the same rules.

Ill be posting the vid. Dont worry. Its awesome.

Same rules, then that means pro-h are allowed, right?

[stayfit2008]

Originally Posted by AustrianOakJr

Same rules, then that means pro-h are allowed, right?

No,..well for one,..you can't get PH anymore,..only thing similar to PH are the OTC designer gear,..and most if not 90% of that is a no no. Even watching what supp's metabolize into can disqualify someone or make the banned list. Even something as simple as DHEA is not allowed,..since Jan. 1st 2009. There is a super long in depth list and dates of when things got banned online somewhere,..I downloaded it about a year ago. If I find it I'll PM it to ya.

[Blazed]

Thats wack imo. If they do allow Pro-H

[stayfit2008]

Originally Posted by Blazed

Thats wack imo. If they do allow Pro-H

Since PH have been banned for some time now, meaning no longer in production,..they are now called by the population,..Designer Gear.

here is the OCB list of banned substances and dates:

http://www.theocbwebsite.com/forms/D...Guidelines.pdf

[AustrianOakJr]

They only ask about illegal steroids on the poly though, didnt they Blazed? Not that it matters.....if people are following the rules, then that cool.

[Blazed]

They asked my name.
Then they asked if I plan on answering truthfully.
Then they asked If I ever took AAS
Then they asked if I ever took AAS, just one pill or shot in my lifetime.
Then they asked if I used the stimulant Clenbuteral.
Then they asked if I ever stole anything of value when I was a kid

And I think that was it.

I don't think they can ask everything on that list of substances lol!

[Blazed]

I was taking a leak after prejudging and Mike was in the bathroom talking to one of the judges. Apparently they did have 2 no shows and 1 failure on the poly.

[stayfit2008]

Hey Sean,..if all goes well,..I may do another show to coorespond with my Bulk/Cut regiment in September 2009. I liked to try to get one more show in before my NGA card expires.

[AustrianOakJr]

Originally Posted by stayfit2008

Hey Sean,..if all goes well,..I may do another show to coorespond with my Bulk/Cut regiment in September 2009. I liked to try to get one more show in before my NGA card expires.

Well, September '09 already passed, so let me know when you get your time machine working, id like to try that out.

I assume youre talking about the fall 2010 NGA shows? Thats cool. But why would you want to cut to contest BF levels if youre trying to pack on muscle for the pro world? I can see doing mini bulks and cuts, but I would hang at 12% BF or so to remain anabolic to build some quality muscle.

Either way, you wont catch me at another NGA show run by Jerry Marsala. I found out about wayyyy to much shady crap that goes on at those things and dont want to be part of it anymore. Couple that with the way he treats competitors and people in the audience, and the fact that the judges dont have any credentials...... I just wont do it anymore. Id love to see you up on stage with me at an INBF or OCB event though!

[stayfit2008]

Originally Posted by AustrianOakJr

Well, September '09 already passed, so let me know when you get your time machine working, id like to try that out.

I assume youre talking about the fall 2010 NGA shows? Thats cool. But why would you want to cut to contest BF levels if youre trying to pack on muscle for the pro world? I can see doing mini bulks and cuts, but I would hang at 12% BF or so to remain anabolic to build some quality muscle.

Either way, you wont catch me at another NGA show run by Jerry Marsala. I found out about wayyyy to much shady crap that goes on at those things and dont want to be part of it anymore. Couple that with the way he treats competitors and people in the audience, and the fact that the judges dont have any credentials...... I just wont do it anymore. Id love to see you up on stage with me at an INBF or OCB event though!

I'm just thinking things through,..I know a mini bulk/mini cut are pretty decent in the gain catagory,..maybe a cut all the way to contest shape may not be in my best interest if Iplan to put on some more size,..

that would be cool,..Chris and Oak meet again!!,..So I figure you'll have to hold off on winning your pro card until we meet up again! Can ya wait 2 years???

[scoobysnacks]

Originally Posted by AustrianOakJr

What a day!

Ready for a book. Wow....this is long.

Yesteryday was a wild ride! When I signed up, I didnt know what to expect out of this show. Never been to an OCB show in the area and hadnt heard anything about it. When I arrived at check in the promotor, Mike Halsey was there to greet me and seemed like a really cool guy. He informed me that the show was HUUUGE. There were 13-15 competitors in the mid-weight open!! So....they had to break things up and make a welter weight class just so things were more manageable. So, I was feeling a bit intimidated going in just on sheer size of the show (my biggest yet). When I got there I saw some of the toughest competition I have ever seen as a natural bb'er. It was really unbelievable. At the NGA shows I have been to I am used to seeing conditioned.......but at this show, there was lots of BIG AND conditioned guys all around. Im used to being one of the most muscular guys at these things, but at this one, I felt a bit small. Just some real mass monsters. I did run into "Blazed" and "Baftub" back stage, along with a couple other guys from BB.com. Lots of people came up to me and asked if I was "Oak".....people who read the forum but dont post so much. Its kinda weird that people know me as "Oak" though.
Anyways, Blazed was suuuuper cool guy and he was SHRRRRRRRREDDDED! The man looked good. Real good. He was about to make the same newb mistake that I did and walk out there white as a ghost, but we got him set up with some dream tan. He looked good and I have several shots of him where they moved him in next to me on stage. Really good to meet you man. Also ran into "BBLinebacker" who is now an USBF and WNBF pro.....congrats on that. Good to see you!

So, as for my conditioning and peaking, I think I looked pretty dang good. I was feeling like I hit it pretty good, but there were two problems. It was a bit hard getting a pump and I was very crampy. Normally when I am full of carbs and electrolyte are balanced, I pump right up like a baloon after a couple sets of push ups and curls. Well, I was pretty full, but I had to work at the pump. Then, standing in line to go out for pre-j, I started to cramp in my feet. The first thing that stood out to me that I did differently was that I tapered my water. I started cutting water back that morning and would normally been at about 3/4-1 gallon at that point of the day, I was at less than a 1/2 gallon. So, I started downing some water as I stood there in line. I got on stage and had a REALLY rough time up there. As soon as I locked my legs in on the first front relaxed, I started to cramp. Now, images of the chinese food restaurant incident are running through my head and im starting to freak a little. Trying not to panic im going through the mandatories, but every pose is a struggle to keep from completely cramping. I wasnt flexing everything as hard as I could. I got off the stage and felt pretty bad about the job I did. As I got off the stage, the promotor of the show came right up to me and told me how I looked awesome. He mentioned my hamstrings really popping.....and im thinking to myself "well, maybe its GOOD to have your hams all knotted up like balls on stage".

So, after pre-j I started DOWNING water like a madman. It helped but still not entirely. I gave the water some time and still felt crampy. So, I decided to take a risk and start salting everything very heavily.....I just salted the crap out of all my choco-pb rice cakes. Tasted like crap! But, within an hour of salting, I had my muscle control back. So......I THINK the combo of tapering water and sodium is not appreciated by my body. The good news is that when I got back after pre-j and viewed the pics all I could do was smile. I definately brought my best package to the stage. The first thing that stood out was that I nailed my color. The second thing that stood out was that I WAS a bit drier looking. So, the water sodium trick worked. But, I dont know if it was worth it. Thats something I will have to reflect on. I cant wait to post the pics b/c I am really happy with the way they came out. Unfortunately, I am at my in-laws house and I am pretty sure that this compuper is like Apple IIE vintage because it doesnt have a card slot. Ill be sure to post when I get home this afternoon.

Now, the REAL exciting part was the night show. There were a lot of really interesting things that go on at these OCB shows and ill spare you all the details for now, but the MOST interesting thing happened to me. Lucky me. So, im all set to go up and do my hardcore twisting back shots (taught to me by Arnold himself) and I had my CD turned in. It was a really cool cut and splice of some of the transformers movie sound track. Very epic sounding. Well, I got up there and the DJ puts the disk in and I see it come up on his screen "NO DISK". Oh crap. So, the MC is stalling and stalling. I run to get another disk. Same thing. "NO DISK". So the promotor comes over (MC still stalling) and asks if ill just go out and hit some shots to house music. Sure. So I get out there and im expecting something like "Welcome to the Jungle" or some Rage Against the Machine.....whatever. Something tough. Well, I think the DJ must have been pissed off and went right into his "queer" music file and played the number one hit. I dont even know what it was but it was IMPOSSIBLE to pose to. Especially for someone like myself who's routine is based on ALL power shots. It was some bubble gum, nancy pants, girls night out music. I wanted to just sit down on stage and start laughing. But.....I hit some power shots to the queer ball music. Laughed a bit.....and I think I skipped around the stage a bit. Yep, I skipped. I had to make light of it. Soooooo........I roll with it. Im sure people thought the routine a bit odd.

Ok.....so now the night show is FINALLY over.......it took forever and I actually left and came back b/c I was really tiring of it all. They brought us up for awards and I got FIRST!!!!! WOW. That was an awesome. It was especially awesome considering the competition in my class......and you'll see once i post pics. It was a big, tough class. Probably the toughest competition I have been in yet.

So, I run off and immediately need to keep pumped for the overall starting in like 5 min. Im standing there looking at these guys and just saying "oh crap". The heavy and light heavy are just like something from another planet. Just BIG. Not only big, but shredded. The Light heavy, Larry, and the welter weight were super cool guys, wishing everyone luck and shaking hands. Its good to be around gracious guys like that. So, I knew going up there that was not a shoe-in for the card. But, I pumped up well with the sodium and water back in me and I posed my heart out. I hit every shot with max intensity until the end. THey moved me out of the center within the first few poses so I knew the gig was up, but I just kept hitting em. In the pose down, I went right up front and tried to get some MM shots in next to the (eventual) winner. I just had a blast. This was probably the most interesting and most rewarding shows I have ever been to. Not to mention all the GOODIES I took home with me. Let me tell you......Mike Halsey takes care of his competitors. We walked away with a GROCERY bag of supplements and thats no exaggeration. FULL 2 lb tubs of protein, RTD's, samples, a FULL loaf of protein bread, two t-shirts, magazines, etc. He also had food out for competitors....rice crispy treats, bananas and water back stage. It was really awesome.

OK.....almost done. Afterward, we went to Red Lobster for the the all-you-can-eat shrimp deal. OH MAN. We talked to the waiter and explained to him that I have been dieting for 21 weeks and I am basically starving to death so get ready to roll out the shrimp because we are big eater AND big tippers. So, he did. And did. And did. That waiter was the MAN. He just kept bringing shrimp plate after plate. And we had even stopped eating because everyone was stuffed and he still brought out like (no joke) 8 more plates of shrimp. We took home 5 carry-home containers full of shrimp. Fried shrimp, shrimp scampi, glazed, grilled, etc. GOOOOD stuff. Then, my wife and I stopped at Wegmans on the way home to get me some Ben and Jerry's. I downed the whole thing. All 1200 calories. Went to bed, fat, bloated and on cloud nine.

Ill get some pics up later!

I saw your pics and you can tell the difference in your quads and abs, you have a much crisper look than you did at the other show pics you posted.

A few thoughts why you cramped.

1) Usually friday night I reintroduce sodium with an outback meal, filet mignon, potato, cheesecake and wine. High sodium high fat. this is after one is dry. The next morning I use pancakes which are also high sodium.
2) based on someones look Ill add up to 1/2 gallon of water back prior to pumping up, we did this with chris
3) you may want to look into Solaray multi minerals, they keep the quality minerals in the body that may flush or dilute with a water taper. I had one gal not use them even though I told her too, and she was cramping, after troubleshooting this was the conclusion we drew....

Just some thoughts, I dont know exactly what your peak week was, but the fact that after you loaded sodium you werent cramping I think 1 & 2 would have done the trick.

Congrats on the win. Best Ive seen you.

Ss