I want to compete for the first time but need HELP!

[bballbrett5]

Hello there. I appreciate this forum and anyone willing to give some wisdom. I'm 19, 5'10", 190, 12-14%bf currently with a decent muscular frame to work with. I want to do my first competition, which is a little over 9 months from now, but I need serious help! Look at the thousands of posts, articles, etc on this site alone and you should see how overwhelmed I am. I know that I would probably need to bulk the next 3-4 months then cut for 5-6 months before the contest to have a shot, but I have no clue on really how to go about doing this. I don't know the ideal training schedule for this bulk (work muscles once or twice per week, lower or higher reps? etc), nutrition (when and how many carbs to have, proper supplementation, etc), and I'm just way in over my head. I've seen a lot of Layne's articles and plan to mostly use his knowledge as at least a springboard but am having trouble putting it all together to make this thing a reality. I'm confident in my work ethic and know I will work harder than anyone, I just need help formulating somethig to actually work with! Thanks a bunch for any advice!

[mormonpickett]

im doing my first competition in october I think. i'm only 17. i'm 5'8" and 170lb. I'm in my bulking stage right now. I'm taking Cell-Tech Hardcore my Muscletech(its creatine) and I work every part twice a week. But I keep my reps low. Now more than 5, with super heavy weight. I'm only going to trim down for 1 month, and Thats when i'll do cardio twice a day and use lighter weight with 15-20 reps. I'm excited to compete man. I don't think you can expect to win when you do your first competition, so I'm just doing it for fun and to see how it is. I drink a lot of weight gainer too. That's got like 800 calories, 45g Protien, and 160 carbs. Make sure you got abs though, because I know judges really expect those. Just be wise-eat foods high in protien and carbs but low in fat. Fast food's a no-no, same with soda and candy. Good luck man!

[CommandoSC]

welcome bro, you can read layne?s articles it?s pretty fine.
I will give you a inicial idea, then you modify according to your plans

I was 5' 10'' 180lb 17% BF ectomorph

my macros were 250g protein/ 220g carbs / 60g fat 2500kcal 5 - 6 meals

week 1 -10 2500kcal
week 10 - 20 2200kcal
week 20 - 25 1800kcal

I was able to maintain around 1lb weight loss a week, with little strenght gains and no cardio, if you do cardio increase your calories

tips:
if the scale don?t change after 1 week drop 100 - 300kcal ,
if the scale change more than 1 lb increase 100 - 300kcal
if you lose strenght add 25 - 50g carbs
don?t lose meal time

training :

4 exercises - big muscles 12 - 16 sets 8 - 15 reps
3 exercises - small 9 - 12 sets 8 - 15 reps

DAY 1 - BACK
DAY 2 - CHEST
DAY 3 - LEGS
DAY 4 - ARMS
DAY 5 - DELTS

DAY 6 - REST
DAY 7 - REST

[Nick Helm]

I just competed for the first time less than a month ago. Most shows have a novice class, so you get to compete with other first-timers. I'm 27, and have been bodybuilding for fun for 12 years, so I did have an advantage, but if you really want to, then GO FOR IT! It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but also very rewarding. I learned a lot about myself and the amount of determination that I was capable of. Educate yourself as much as possible! Yes, you should be bulking right now, but don't overdo it and get fat. As for your cutting phase, I started at 18.3% BF, cut for 12 weeks, and stepped onstage at less than 5% BF. I tend to lose fat quickly, but I wouldn't advise you to cut for 5-6 mo., as you will just get skinny. You'll be ripped....and small. As for your abs, you already have them. They really don't need much exercise directly as long as you lift heavy weights. If you work them too much, they'll grow, and make your waist larger than it could have been. I worked my abs 4 times during the 12 weeks of cutting, and that's really only because I felt like it those days. It wasn't a part of my routine. Good luck to you, you'll have a blast!