Critique/help/opinions/bla bla bla...

[smallguyjoe]

So, I just cut for about 6 weeks, and this past week I've been taking Size On everyday, and eating at about maintenance. I've gone from 151 lbs last Fri. to today (Fri.) 153.8 lbs... hahahahaha 3 fricken lbs in a week... I'm guessing it's water weight... I don't know. Anyway...

-What needs the most work - poses and body parts?

-What exercises/rep ranges/volume do you recommend for the body parts that need work?

-How do you think my physique looks?

-How long do you think I should train before I consider trying to do a competition?

-What do you think my body fat % is? (I know what it is; I'm curious to hear what you guys think it is.)

-What body type do you think I am? (Hahahahahahahahaha - I've wanted to ask this for a while!)

-Should I continue to cut or should I bulk? (LOL again... the infamous question on here!)


Alright, so there's my questions. Here's some background for those who don't know me or don't feel like checkin my bodyspace...

I'm 5'6" 25 yrs old (26 May 1st)... I never worked out (except for some push ups, crunches, and jogging here and there) until 2004-2005. I didn't start eating remotely right or training decent until last March 1, 2006 - I was 130 lbs then. I was 158 lbs on Feb. 19, 2007. I can just touch my finger and thumb around my wrist (for the body type ?). Ok. Thanks guys!

[smallguyjoe]

A few more to help yall see where I'm at...

[Crazyhouz195]

Hey man first off thanks for the feedback on my thread - reps there for ya brotha.

Your pics are lookin good man. Id say if you want to compete, overall thickness would have to be increased. Stick to excercises utilizing large parts of the body - chest press, squats, deadlifts, pullups, ect. Dont get me wrong, incorporate smaller muscle groups as well, but going hard and heavy on those big-movement excercises should bring up your mass.

As for the bulking or cutting, well, for summer sake Id say maintain/cut. If your serious about competing, lift heavy and eat bro!

[smallguyjoe]

Originally Posted by Crazyhouz195

Hey man first off thanks for the feedback on my thread - reps there for ya brotha.

Your pics are lookin good man. Id say if you want to compete, overall thickness would have to be increased. Stick to excercises utilizing large parts of the body - chest press, squats, deadlifts, pullups, ect. Dont get me wrong, incorporate smaller muscle groups as well, but going hard and heavy on those big-movement excercises should bring up your mass.

As for the bulking or cutting, well, for summer sake Id say maintain/cut. If your serious about competing, lift heavy and eat bro!

You're welcome! Thank you for the advice and encouragement! Take care.

[muscless]

Dude I really dont have much to say! Your abs have defintion, chest does too, If your looking to bulk up,your going the right direction! Keep up the work bro!

[smallguyjoe]

Originally Posted by muscless

Dude I really dont have much to say! Your abs have defintion, chest does too, If your looking to bulk up,your going the right direction! Keep up the work bro!

Thanks, man! Yeah, I'm thinking of clean bulking til June/July and then cutting for my beach vacation on Aug. 6th.

Thanks for the encouragement!

[smallguyjoe]

Anybody want to address the questions that haven't been answered?

[smallguyjoe]

Hey guys, 286 views and only two replies... come on guys, help a brother out... please.

Thanks.

[Mr13percent]

Originally Posted by smallguyjoe

-What needs the most work - poses and body parts?

Looking good man, just keep lifting and eating and you'll get the thickness. If anything, the abs could use a little more definition.

Originally Posted by smallguyjoe

-What exercises/rep ranges/volume do you recommend for the body parts that need work?

Keep the lifts heavy, so reps would be in the ~4-6 range. Which rep range you currently using? Work whatever muscles you think you may need extra help on 2x a week.

Originally Posted by smallguyjoe

-How do you think my physique looks?

Solid

Originally Posted by smallguyjoe

-How long do you think I should train before I consider trying to do a competition?

Add some more size and and if you haven't already, check out the contest forum for info/help on competing.

Originally Posted by smallguyjoe

-What do you think my body fat % is? (I know what it is; I'm curious to hear what you guys think it is.)

I'd say ~10-11%

Originally Posted by smallguyjoe

-What body type do you think I am? (Hahahahahahahahaha - I've wanted to ask this for a while!)

Most likely an ecto if you started out at 130lbs

Originally Posted by smallguyjoe

-Should I continue to cut or should I bulk? (LOL again... the infamous question on here!)

Keep on bulking!


Good Luck

[philipZ]

yo joe,

1. Id probably say you get some more mass in the traps, also id like to see more overall shoulder development

2. I'm not sure how you train usually, i personally like a HIT style approach, most of my trap development is attibutable to 1 set of heavy deadlifts per week (5-7 reps) and 1 set of heavy shrugs per week (10-12 reps), also for shoulders i just rely on my chest and back training and they continue to improve all the time and i throw in a set of military press and side raise on chest day.. But thats just my belief..

3. Your body looks very well developed and balanced, good size and definiton. Also your slim waist and wide lats give you an excellent V-shape.

4. Some of your poses look really strong (side chest for example, and rear doubble bicep), i'd say just keep adding overall mass for atleast a few more years, guys with your kind of frame realy dont need that much mass to look big, so id be safe in saying that with an extra 15-20lbs of lean muscle mass you would be very competitive in competition, which im guessing would take arround 2 years to acheive, with arround 8-10lbs of lean mass per year, so i'd say arround 2 more years to acheive the size you want for a contest.

5. I'd estimate somewhere in the range of 11-13 percent. But definetly no higher than 13.

6. Ecto-Meso

7. Bulk, your already looking pretty defined there mate, and because your thinking about competing, definetly bulk. cutting is a step backwards.

[smallguyjoe]

Originally Posted by Mr13percent

Looking good man, just keep lifting and eating and you'll get the thickness. If anything, the abs could use a little more definition.


Keep the lifts heavy, so reps would be in the ~4-6 range. Which rep range you currently using? Work whatever muscles you think you may need extra help on 2x a week.


Solid


Add some more size and and if you haven't already, check out the contest forum for info/help on competing.


I'd say ~10-11%


Most likely an ecto if you started out at 130lbs


Keep on bulking!


Good Luck

Thanks so much for reply, buddy! I really appreciate your constructive criticism!

I agree; I would like more defined abs... and everything else that's why I was cutting. I only stopped b/c I've got a small tour for the next month or so w/ my band.

I think everything needs work, but my triceps are especially, in my opinion, weak lookin. My legs suck too, but I don't want big legs - I just want cuts in em!

I've been working w/ reps of 8-12 over the past few weeks, b/c I wanted to try more reps out to see how my body responded.

I figured that more size was what I needed before a contest, and I plan on training hard for at least another whole year, probably two, before I attempt my first show. I'll have to check out the contest forum. Thanks!

Good estimate on the bf%. With calipers at 151 lbs I was said to be 8%, but my bf scale at home says between 9-10% bf. The way I ate this past weekend, it probably will be up to 11% soon... LOL!

Yeah, I think I'm meso/ecto, but I'm not sure. I started out at 130 lbs b/c I didn't eat well, and didn't train right. I also did a lot of cardio for a couple years before weight training. I started trying to eat less and exercise on my parents tredmill in 2001-2002 at like 150 lbs but out of shape. I went down to 135 lbs farely quick just from doing some walking/jogging a few times a week, and I stopped eating at diners everynight at 12am, and I cut out soda. I did some push ups and crunches 2-3 times a week too. I joined a gym in 2004-2005 and crapped around... I had no idea what to do! I learned a bit and March 2006 at 130 lbs I decided to lift heavy and eat better... it worked! I went from 130 lbs to 158 lbs in just under a year.

The only reason I think I'm part mesomorph is b/c I never weight trained, except for once or twice in high school in gym class... seriously... I'm so un-athletic! Anyway, I never had a flat chest... people always told me I had broad shoulders for my frame... I was never over weight, but never super skinny. I only started looking out of shape when I hit 21 yrs old and was eating whatever I wanted all the time and I didn't do any form of exercise. Also, when I took a month off from Sept. - Oct. 2006 I didn't lose any weight. My muscle mass appeared to be that same. I lost some strength, but gained it back in 2-3 weeks. I don't know. I'm not saying I'm some geneticly superior mesomorph who builds muscle with absolute ease, but I don't think I'm a full blown ecto b/c i think I'd be more ripped, and would have been way leaner as a kid. I was always skinny, but had meat on me... never chunky or flubby at all.

Anyway, yeah, I plan on bulking as clean as possible so that I look decent for the summer. And, I may do a short cutting phase before I go to the beach in Aug.

I appreciate the encouraging words, man! Thanks for taking the time to help me out!

[smallguyjoe]

Originally Posted by philipZ

yo joe,

1. Id probably say you get some more mass in the traps, also id like to see more overall shoulder development

2. I'm not sure how you train usually, i personally like a HIT style approach, most of my trap development is attibutable to 1 set of heavy deadlifts per week (5-7 reps) and 1 set of heavy shrugs per week (10-12 reps), also for shoulders i just rely on my chest and back training and they continue to improve all the time and i throw in a set of military press and side raise on chest day.. But thats just my belief..

3. Your body looks very well developed and balanced, good size and definiton. Also your slim waist and wide lats give you an excellent V-shape.

4. Some of your poses look really strong (side chest for example, and rear doubble bicep), i'd say just keep adding overall mass for atleast a few more years, guys with your kind of frame realy dont need that much mass to look big, so id be safe in saying that with an extra 15-20lbs of lean muscle mass you would be very competitive in competition, which im guessing would take arround 2 years to acheive, with arround 8-10lbs of lean mass per year, so i'd say arround 2 more years to acheive the size you want for a contest.

5. I'd estimate somewhere in the range of 11-13 percent. But definetly no higher than 13.

6. Ecto-Meso

7. Bulk, your already looking pretty defined there mate, and because your thinking about competing, definetly bulk. cutting is a step backwards.

Thanks Phillip! Very helpful comments, buddy!

yes, my traps and my tri's are super weak lookin! They have improved over the past year though. My traps are strong, but just won't grow fast or something. I can do 12-15 reps w/ 105 lb dumbbells, and shrug 245-270 lbs for 10-12 reps. I do deadlifts every week. Last week was the 1st week since Oct. that I didn't do deadlifts. I do stiff leg and regular.

I do similar for my shoulders. They grew pretty fast, so I stopped focussing on em really, but last week I gave them a whole day to themselves. I'm trying to build them up better now.

Thanks for the compliment on my physique, buddy!

I agree. Another two years and i'll consider prepping for a show. I think 15-20 lbs of lean muscle is all that I'd want on my small frame. I don't wanna be huge. I guess I should have stated that I only wanna compete in natural shows, but i think it's pretty obvious since i'm so small...LOL!

Aww, man! 11-13%? What a BUST! I was 11-13% when I started my cut 6 weeks ago! That's cool though. I was tested w/ calipers after 6 weeks of cutting, and was said to be 8% bf. My bf scale at home will fluctuate between 9-10% bf. I'm just saying that I'm 9-10% right now. You may be right though... who knows?

Ecto-meso is what I thought.

yeah, you're right about the cutting/bulking. It's tough though... I wanna look decent for the summer!

Thanks for the encouragement about competing! I appreciate you taking time out to give me some help and constructive criticism!

[smallguyjoe]

I just repped yalls, for your help! Much appreciated, brothers! Thanks!

Anybody else feel free!

Thanks!!!

[AboveBeyond]

Looking good dude. Im about your size as well cept I'm a little bit on a heavy side as I"m currently trying to cut down to ~155lb.


I would also agree to add some more mass (10lb) while maintaining the low bodyfat. Good luck!

[smallguyjoe]

Originally Posted by AboveBeyond

Looking good dude. Im about your size as well cept I'm a little bit on a heavy side as I"m currently trying to cut down to ~155lb.


I would also agree to add some more mass (10lb) while maintaining the low bodyfat. Good luck!

Thank you, sir! I'll be tryin to add mass with as little fat as possible... I hate trying to cut! i just did my first cut and it's not fun! Good luck with your cutting, and thanks again for the reply!

[philipZ]

Originally Posted by smallguyjoe

Aww, man! 11-13%? What a BUST! I was 11-13% when I started my cut 6 weeks ago! That's cool though. I was tested w/ calipers after 6 weeks of cutting, and was said to be 8% bf. My bf scale at home will fluctuate between 9-10% bf. I'm just saying that I'm 9-10% right now. You may be right though... who knows?
!

yo man, usually with calipers you have to add 2-3% onto the reading, because theyre not deadly accurate, and electronic scales are a load of BS, i've seen skinny guys register 40%+ percent on those things..

It took me a while to guess, although your upper body has seperation arround the shoulders and chest, and some arm vascularity the reason why i thought you were a bit over 10% was because usually in the 8-10% bracket some light quad definition is apparent, anyhoo at the end of the day the stats mean nothing, it's how your body looks, and from the looks if it your doing awesome.

[bigfrog]

Physique looks solid.
Bodyfat is always hard to judge online.
Depends at what weight you want to compete at.
Ecto most likely.

[smallguyjoe]

Originally Posted by philipZ

yo man, usually with calipers you have to add 2-3% onto the reading, because theyre not deadly accurate, and electronic scales are a load of BS, i've seen skinny guys register 40%+ percent on those things..

It took me a while to guess, although your upper body has seperation arround the shoulders and chest, and some arm vascularity the reason why i thought you were a bit over 10% was because usually in the 8-10% bracket some light quad definition is apparent, anyhoo at the end of the day the stats mean nothing, it's how your body looks, and from the looks if it your doing awesome.

Yeah, I've found that most of the time the caliper test tells me I'm lower than I think I am. When I was told I was 8% I figured I was really 9-10%. The scale I've got is pretty good actually. It's been consistantly telling me I'm mid 9% to 10.2% bf over the past week and a half. When I was 151 lbs it was sayin I was 9.0% bf. When I was 1.5 weeks into the cut I got the scale and it said I was 11.4% bf. I think it's pretty accurate. It definitely lets me track my bf%.

Yeah, i don't know what's goin on w/ my quads! The pic I have is bad too; I think they have a little definition, but not much. They suck. I think my body holds fat there and my lower back.

Anyway, I appreciate the compliment there, buddy!

[FitManJack]

I have to echo the idea that you should really focus on heavy compound movements, especially squats. Go hard and heavy on squats and deads; your overall size will improve pretty quickly.

I can't help you with posing as I'm not a bodybuilder. As far as BF%, I'd speculate 10%.

Reps to you (on recharge), my good man, and godspeed!

FMJ

[smallguyjoe]

Originally Posted by bigfrog

Physique looks solid.
Bodyfat is always hard to judge online.
Depends at what weight you want to compete at.
Ecto most likely.

Thanks for the compliment, mate!

Yeah, I agree that bf% is hard to judge.

I would compete at a light weight, since I'm short, don't wanna be huge, and would be competing 100% natural.

Ecto? Ya think? I thought that an ecto was really skinny and lean... kinda scrawny in their childhood and adolescent period. I've never been scrawny... short, but never skin and bone. I agree with the other two people that said I was meso-ecto, only b/c I've never been incredibly lean... I'm pretty sure a true ecto has more definition b/c they are just naturally low body fat.



*All below is addressed to everyone; not to the quoted poster.


Guys, correct me if I'm wrong about the body types. I'm not claiming to be an expert on the characteristics of the different body types.

I'm under the impression that an ecto would be the person who has trouble putting on weight; was/is naturally very low in body fat; as an adolescent was very skinny, unless they weight trained.

As for a meso, they are the ones who as an adolescent were never over weight and never skinny/scrawny - so they would have a very healthy body fat %, but not naturally low... it would be lower if they were athletic, but naturally it's very good as far as health goes. Also, the physical appearance could be somewhat athletic lookin even if they don't play sports or weight train. If they do weight traain they put on weight/muscle relatively easy - by easy i mean they don't need to rest as much as an ecto and they don't need to eat as much to gain muscle.

And, the endo, which I don't think I am, would be some one who if they did average activity eqivalent to an ecto and meso they would still be over weight, well they wouldn't be as lean or as aesthetic lookin as the ecto and meso. This body type puts on fat easier than they put on lean mass. In their adolescent period they had a higher body fat %. Unless very active and very diet conscious they will carry more fat on them than an ecto and meso.

Ok. It doesn't even matter what body type I am, so don't think that I'm stressin out about it. I only asked the ? just to see what people thought, and to see if the majority of people that answered this ? agreed w/ me.

[smallguyjoe]

Originally Posted by FitManJack

I have to echo the idea that you should really focus on heavy compound movements, especially squats. Go hard and heavy on squats and deads; your overall size will improve pretty quickly.

I can't help you with posing as I'm not a bodybuilder. As far as BF%, I'd speculate 10%.

Reps to you (on recharge), my good man, and godspeed!

FMJ

Thanks for the reply, FMJ!

Thanks for the tip! yeah, I will definitely be stickin w/ the compounds; they have helped me gain mass over the past year.

That's cool about the posing... I'm pretty sure you're right about my bf%... thanks for the guess. I appreciate your help and encouragmnet; take care.

By the way, lookin Fit, buddy! Keep it up, brother.

[ChickenTuna]

hi Joe,

I don't know about any of the Q's, but you look AMAZING!

[smallguyjoe]

Originally Posted by ChickenTuna

hi Joe,

I don't know about any of the Q's, but you look AMAZING!

Oh CT, come on now! You're the one that looks AMAZING!!!!! I'll take that awesome compliment from you, but I definitely have a hard time believing YOU think I look amazing!

Thanks for makin my day though either way!!!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!