Reid's Offseason Journey to become a Natural Pro

[Reid456]

only up 3 pounds after a binge in 4 weeks. WINNING

nice PR's man!

Correction: a post-contest 1-2 day binge (somewhat planned), then a semi-drunken binge, then an uncounted Thanksgiving day the next day, haha. Not to say these things were okay to do. My relationship with food has definitely improved a lot recently. Been so busy some days I just eat whatever I can scrounge together.

The PRs are far from what my 180lb fatty self could do, but if I can hit my old numbers at bw ~165 I will be a happy camper. Squat is honestly not far away from pre-contest numbers and deadlift is maybe 30-40lbs off, however bench and OHP are another story, lol.

[The Solution]

Correction: a post-contest 1-2 day binge (somewhat planned), then a semi-drunken binge, then an uncounted Thanksgiving day the next day, haha. Not to say these things were okay to do. My relationship with food has definitely improved a lot recently. Been so busy some days I just eat whatever I can scrounge together.

The PRs are far from what my 180lb fatty self could do, but if I can hit my old numbers at bw ~165 I will be a happy camper. Squat is honestly not far away from pre-contest numbers and deadlift is maybe 30-40lbs off, however bench and OHP are another story, lol.

Even with the food episodes you grow from your mistakes, you live and you learn. Remember what happened and keep it in the back of your head for the future! You are only going to experience and learn from what you have done and the future.

Can't compare yourself at 180 and 165, just keep doing your thing and working hard and let time play its part. Your killing it.

[Reid456]

Even with the food episodes you grow from your mistakes, you live and you learn. Remember what happened and keep it in the back of your head for the future! You are only going to experience and learn from what you have done and the future.

Can't compare yourself at 180 and 165, just keep doing your thing and working hard and let time play its part. Your killing it.

Well I'm hoping my numbers will be comparable to 180 at 165 on the way up. Would be awesome progress, for sure.

Anyway, today I started class at 8am then did school-related stuff all day until the last seminar that I got out of at 8:30pm. Then I hit the gym for a quick 300kcal in 18 mins before they closed. Also interesting to note is that I've developed this epic knot in the left side of my middle back recently and I think its related to OHP. I never really have done the movement consistently until 5/3/1 and I always seem to get this crazy knot in my middle back in the days that follow. I've been foam rolling the crap out of it and tonight I had my housemate give it the ole elbow treatment.

Motivation for everything in life has taken a turn for the better recently. Scored a 76 on my biochemistry test which may sound bad but the average was a 62 and the deviation was 5 so that puts me in the top 5%, I believe, which gives me confidence that I'm getting back to my old self. Might be too late in the semester to salvage a couple of my classes, but it still feels good to be back on track.

Barring any major ethical misconduct on my part, I have a spot guaranteed for doing paid research in the lab this summer in the same lab I'm working in now and might even get an opportunity to present my research in front of a bunch of top scientists including nobel prize winners at a conference this summer. I still can't believe how much of an awesome opportunity I have at my school. I'm doing research that most people don't do until they are in graduate school and I'm working with one of the best in NMR and one of the best enzymologists in the country with access to pretty much all the instrumentation I could want. I find myself wondering what makes me worthy of this opportunity. And it all started with a simple email expressing interest in doing research. So many opportunities are out there, you just need to take a little initiative and that will put you ahead of a lot of people.

And tomorrow is M2W1 Deadlift. 300 for 5+. Going for 9.

[The Solution]

School > the Gym. Congrats on your success in the classroom Reid.

[Rypt1]

School > the Gym. Congrats on your success in the classroom Reid.

Yeah, way to get back on track!

[Reid456]

5/3/1 M2W1 Deadlift

Deadlift
3x warmup sets
1x5x230
1x5x265
1x5omx300 - 9 PR at this bodyweight.
5x10x175

Wide grip pullups
bw x 10, 10, 10, 8

Feeling a bit sick today. My roommate is sick so I might have caught something from him.

[jpfaherty]

Barring any major ethical misconduct on my part, I have a spot guaranteed for doing paid research in the lab this summer in the same lab I'm working in now and might even get an opportunity to present my research in front of a bunch of top scientists including nobel prize winners at a conference this summer. I still can't believe how much of an awesome opportunity I have at my school. I'm doing research that most people don't do until they are in graduate school and I'm working with one of the best in NMR and one of the best enzymologists in the country with access to pretty much all the instrumentation I could want. I find myself wondering what makes me worthy of this opportunity. And it all started with a simple email expressing interest in doing research. So many opportunities are out there, you just need to take a little initiative and that will put you ahead of a lot of people.

Bada$$. Good work Reid.

PS- Don't set numbers such as 9 in your head, go in there and bust your ass with no numbers in mind and who knows, maybe you'll get 10 or 11

[Shazriki]

Dude it's awesome to see you grasping that opportunity to get into research. I somewhat regret my decision to not get involved in some research but it was the final weeks of my prep and I was basically just looking for an excuse to not do anything at that point.

You are absolutely right about initiative, opportunities pass us by every day and it's only those who stick their hand out to catch them that benefit!

[Reid456]

Bada$$. Good work Reid.

PS- Don't set numbers such as 9 in your head, go in there and bust your ass with no numbers in mind and who knows, maybe you'll get 10 or 11

Well I just like to have a number to shoot for. I'm going to get whatever I get, but having a number to shoot for is a good motivation. Got 9, btw.

[bigryan03]

That is so ****ing badass brother! SO incredibly proud of you and what you've done at school. Please keep us posted on here with how it's going.

As JP said, just lift that ****! Going in with a set number can actually throw you off depending on how you feel that day. Some days I was adamant I was going to get 8 reps and although it was a bad day and I couldnt get it I would still try and usually form would go out the window and I hurt myself...on the other hand on good days that number was shattered. Moral of the story RPE that ****!

[Reid456]

5/3/1 M1W3 Bench

Bench
3x warmup sets
1x5x110
1x5x130
1x5omx145 - 11
5x10x90

Pendlay rows
125x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Really happy with how things went today. Just felt overall great in the gym. 145x11 at bw-155 might be the strongest pound for pound in bench I've ever been. Hopefully this trend continues. I'd like to hit a 1.5x bodyweight bench one day. I'm probably around a 1.3x right now.

Libido is coming back slowly as well. I am starting to care about girls again, haha. I also realized that during the last half of prep I never even wore deodorant and my armpits NEVER smelled, and now I'm starting sweat and need deodorant again. Kind of random fact, but I think it's a clue everything is starting to return to normal. You don't even realize how much of a toll prep takes on your body until you start feeling normal again.

[The Solution]

I am starting to care about girls again, haha. I also realized that during the last half of prep I never even wore deodorant and my armpits NEVER smelled, and now I'm starting sweat and need deodorant again. Kind of random fact, but I think it's a clue everything is starting to return to normal. You don't even realize how much of a toll prep takes on your body until you start feeling normal again.

Words soo true!

[Reid456]

Vegetables and chicken breast over yellow rice


Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA


Pumpkin pancakes w/ chocolate sludge


Ranger IPA

[Reid456]

250x10 squats today! Super pumped about that!

[NaturalPursuit]

250x10 squats today! Super pumped about that!

GRATZ bro! Thats some sick work!!!

[Rypt1]

GRATZ bro! Thats some sick work!!!

This^^ Way to kill it!

[chuckles_345]

So much food porn! I love it! I'm subbed and will be following....

[Reid456]

So much food porn! I love it! I'm subbed and will be following....

Thanks for subbing! The food has been lacking a little recently because it's the end of the semester. You know how it goes...

The works outs have been going great though. I'm honestly shooting for a reverse as successful as yours has been. It's not easy that's for sure! I think so far I've done an okay job, had a few slip-ups here and there but sometimes its not such a bad thing to get up a few pounds quickly before starting to creep upwards. The body just doesn't want to be lean for a long period of time.

[Reid456]

5/3/1 M2W1 Squat

Squat
3x warmup sets
1x5x190
1x5x220
1x5omx250 - 10
5x10x145

Smith Calf Raises
2pps + 10s x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Super good set today. Squats felt pretty light and the 5x145x10 felt really good after the 250x10 set. Added more weight to my calf raises.

Strawberry cobbler


Reese's Puffs and Pretzel junk bowl


Pork chop + sweet potato + carrot chips


Pork chop + vegetables


Strawberry/banana/almond/chocolate oats

[chuckles_345]

Thanks for subbing! The food has been lacking a little recently because it's the end of the semester. You know how it goes...

The works outs have been going great though. I'm honestly shooting for a reverse as successful as yours has been. It's not easy that's for sure! I think so far I've done an okay job, had a few slip-ups here and there but sometimes its not such a bad thing to get up a few pounds quickly before starting to creep upwards. The body just doesn't want to be lean for a long period of time.

I hear you on the end of the semester. I only have 1 class this semester and it should be my last required class which means I should be done with class so I'm really excited for this semester to be over. As far as the reverse diet goes, I've always told people that the last few wks of prep are physically the hardest part of prep; however, the first 8 weeks or so after a contest during a reverse are mentally the toughest part. Just keep at it the first 8 weeks or so and the rest of your offseason and your next prep will be so much easier.

[Reid456]

I hear you on the end of the semester. I only have 1 class this semester and it should be my last required class which means I should be done with class so I'm really excited for this semester to be over. As far as the reverse diet goes, I've always told people that the last few wks of prep are physically the hardest part of prep; however, the first 8 weeks or so after a contest during a reverse are mentally the toughest part. Just keep at it the first 8 weeks or so and the rest of your offseason and your next prep will be so much easier.

That's exactly how I feel! Just can't seem to stop thinking about food so much. I oddly love the days where I spend 6-8 hours at school where I'm not thinking about food. It's not like I'm really ever that hungry, just always thinking about the numbers.

[Reid456]

Cardio during the offseason, so fun! But seriously, just gotta go in and do it anyways. You feel better afterwards. Got an easy 300kcal to do later tonight.

[bigryan03]

Cardio during the offseason, so fun! But seriously, just gotta go in and do it anyways. You feel better afterwards. Got an easy 300kcal to do later tonight.

The difference between doing cardio when your macros are high vs when they are low is ridiculous!
Sweet squats bro! Those numbers are coming up nicely.

[ironpump22]

you need to stop posting food porn it's making me salivate gahhhhhh

[hogant]

Hey Reid, followed your entire contest prep, amazing work. Motivational!! Looking forward to seeing your offseason gains over the next 2 years, im currently running 531 bbb aswel.

Quick question, was wondering how you calculate calories burned when doing cardio?

[Reid456]

Hey Reid, followed your entire contest prep, amazing work. Motivational!! Looking forward to seeing your offseason gains over the next 2 years, im currently running 531 bbb aswel.

Quick question, was wondering how you calculate calories burned when doing cardio?

Hey thanks for following along. I just enter my weight into the machine and it tells me how many calories I've burned. I'm sure its not 100% accurate but its consistent. When I do cardio outside I use this site to give me a good estimate.

http://www.prohealth.com/weightloss/...culator1_2.cfm

you need to stop posting food porn it's making me salivate gahhhhhh

Sorry, it's just something you have to expect in here, haha.

Hitting up the gym for OHP right now and tonight I've got a ton of studying and work to be done. In one week I will be done with this semester. It's been a rough one, for sure. But I'm just facing one day at a time. Here's a cool quote from Will Smith, a huge inspiration of mine.

"You don't set out to build a wall... lay this brick as perfectly as it can be laid and soon you have a wall" - Will Smith

Heck, I'm just going to post this video here too. I resonate so well with this guy's thoughts. This video gets me fired up every time. Oh and JP, he mentions the alchemist in this video. I'm definitely going to have to give this a read if its been endorsed by Will Smith AND JP Faherty.

[jpfaherty]

"You don't set out to build a wall... lay this brick as perfectly as it can be laid and soon you have a wall" - Will Smith

Heck, I'm just going to post this video here too. I resonate so well with this guy's thoughts. This video gets me fired up every time. Oh and JP, he mentions the alchemist in this video. I'm definitely going to have to give this a read if its been endorsed by Will Smith AND JP Faherty.

I really like Will Smith. Seems like a good dude.

You should give it a read bro. It's very easy but inspiring. I'm already sending the book to David Kenny or I'd hook it up! I think I got it on amazon for like 4 bucks though, there's plenty out there!

[Reid456]

5/3/1 M2W2 OHP
3x warmup sets
1x3x85
1x3x100
1x3omx110 - 7 Felt pretty heavy today.
5x10x65

Dips
bw+25 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Sludge "smore"


Cod + broccoli + black beans + parmesan cheese


Baked pumpkin oats w/ berries


egg/broccoli/cheese/mustard/sriracha burrito



My new phone camera kind of sucks, especially if I have to use flash. Oh well.

[The Solution]

You have an iPhone?
Try using more background light and using no flash
Check the HDr option aka high res if you got the iphone

[Reid456]

You have an iPhone?
Try using more background light and using no flash
Check the HDr option aka high res if you got the iphone

Nope I've got the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. A bit crappier camera than the iphone. I also still have a decent 12MP dedicated camera that I used to use but its easier for me to upload with my phone. The best thing for me to do is to just use my stove overhead lighting with no flash, but its not convenient at the time its not a big deal. It's just posting food pictures to a bodybuilding website, haha.