8 weeks out

[BigRig]

I'm still carrying much more fat than I would like at the 8 week point. We'll see if I can get it together in time.

Weight in these pics is about 200 pounds (5'9").

[BigRig]

Back double bicep.

[BigRig]

side Chest

[BigRig]

Other side chest

[BigRig]

side tricep

[BigRig]

Most muscular

[BigRig]

Front double bicep

[BigRig]

Competition relaxed stance

[j_neatherlin]

lookin pretty good from what I can see bro. I don't know much about contest prep, so I don't know if 8 weeks is enough time to dial it in...but goodluck. only advice i have is to try and bring your chest up, as it lags behind the rest of your physique.

[BigRig]

Yeah, chest has always been my weak point. No matter what I do, it just does not grow like the rest of me. I also carry more fat on my chest, so that makes it look even worse.

I don't know if 8 weeks is enough either, but I remember some words of wisdom from another member on this board who said, "Do the best you can so that no matter where you place, it wasn't due to laziness." (Thanks Fletch). So I have been living by these words, doing my best, and letting the chips fall where they may!

[dpman]

If you can lean out and lose that layer of fat you will look great.
It's probably going to be strict dieting for you no cheat days

[BigRig]

No cheat days indeed dpman. I cut those out seven weeks ago. I have been dieting now for a total of 6.5 months (started Jan 16 this year). Started out at almost 250 at 25% bodyfat and am now 200 at 10.5% (approximately). If I don't make it, it certainly won't be for lack of trying!

[antman49]

Nice...... but you need to work on that relaxed stance/pose. Seems your stressed.

[BigRig]

Yeah it is a little off. I always have a problem holding one shoulder higher than the other. I will be working on that more and more as the competition nears. I haven't competed in 8 years, so this stuff is almost new to me again!

[tweeter37]

You might be surprised how fast that fat can come off. Last year I started dieting at 190lbs 11%bf, and 8 weeks later I was 170, with about 4%bf! I was blown away how quick it came off! So don't stress about it and keep training and dieting, and by the time you step on stage, you'll look great! Just stay focused and have fun with it. Good luck!!!

[BigRig]

Thanks for the encouragement Tweeter. I have seen your photos and know that you can get to some hideously low bodyfat. Right now I am at about 1800 calories per day and about 1 hour of cardio (low intensity) daily. My metabolism has definitely slowed down from dieting for so long. I will continue to work myself 100% to be onstage in 8 weeks.

By the way, what was your diet and aerobics like during your 8 week run to 170?

[RonaldAsad]

hey BigRig, keep on the diet, and its going to be awesome on stage. i just finished my first show, and i liked it a lot. Go out there and take care of business.

[BigRig]

Thanks Ron. You look awesome by the way. Congrats for making it to showtime. There is no other feeling that compares to getting onstage, knowing you gave it your all and sacrificed what so many others cannot (food and sanity!).

[Abdominator]

Hey BigRig! I see you're a fellow Floridian!

I'll PM you a link on contest prep. Hopefully it will help.

Your legs (particularly your calf development) is excellent!

Keep training hard, and I would definitely increase the cardio to 30-45 minutes at minimum 3-4 times per week to start burning off bodyfat. What is your cutting diet looking like right now?

If you get a chance, pick up the book "SLICED" by Bill Reynolds & Negrita Jayde. It has a lot of helpful information about contest preparation and designing your cutting diet.

Which contest are you in? Maybe the group of us can come down to watch you compete? The "Sunshine State Crew" is in full E-F-F-E-C-T!

Take care, and if you need some more info, just PM or e-mail me.

- Skip

[BigRig]

Thanks Skip. I appreciate the compliment. I live in Tampa and work in Clearwater. I am hoping to do the Typhoon Bay, a tested NPC show which is held in Tampa at Sickles High School on September 20.

I happen to own the book Sliced to which you refer and agree that it is an excellent resource. Some of the info, especially regarding supplementation, is outdated, but the majority of the book's content is sound.

I could not get the link that you sent to work. However, if it is to Layne's article, I have read it many times!

My situation is a little different than most when it comes to setting up a diet. I started off about 6.5 months ago weighing almost 250 at 25% bodyfat. I have spent the last 6 months developing solid bodybuilding nutrition habits and dropping close to 50 pounds of fat. I have attached a picture of me taken shortly after I started dieting 6 months ago.

The problem is, after dieting for 6 months, my metabolism has slowed down considerably. Up until now, I have been able to keep my calorie intake high and cardio moderate, and lose weight slowly. But now, with only 8 weeks to go, and a considerably slower metabolism, I am only taking in about 1800 calories per day. I am also doing 1 hour of low intensity cardio every day. I seem to be dropping about 2.5-3 pounds per weeks using this plan.

My meals are structured as follows:

Meal 1: 1 cup shredded wheat, 1.5 scoops whey protein
Meal 2 (pre-workout): 0.5 scoops whey, 10g simple carbs
Meal 3 (post workout): 2 scoops whey, 50g simple carbs
Meal 4: 3.5 ounces chicken breast, 1 can green beans
Meal 5: 3.5 ounces chicken breast
Meal 6: 3.5 ounces chicken breast, large salad

Cardio is one hour of brisk walking each afternoon (soon I will be increasing this I think).

I am determined that when the time comes, I will know that I have done everything possible to get in shape. I competed 8 years ago, and have not been able to muster the discipline to get back in shape ever since. Now is the time to do it. And I will continue to work hard to make it happen.

By the way, I would love for anyone who is interested to come to the show. Assuming my body responds to all this torture, it will feel incredible to be onstage again (my favorite part of the whole thing). I'll keep you guys posted regarding my progress.

[BigRig]

Sorry guys, here is a smaller version of the before pic. I don't care if my face shows as I doubt that pic will end up on some perv board! I can't picture anyone being excited about that!

[dpman]

Dude you made an amazing recovery on your transformation but what possessed you to let yourself get so fat and out of shape.
If you competed in the past what did your peers think????
All that is left now is stripping the final coating and you will be ready to go.

[BigRig]

Originally posted by dpman
Dude you made an amazing recovery on your transformation but what possessed you to let yourself get so fat and out of shape.
If you competed in the past what did your peers think????
All that is left now is stripping the final coating and you will be ready to go.

I developed a severe case of binge eating disorder during my earlier competitive days. This led to massive weight gain and low motivation to pound the weights. But I have kicked that habit, and am looking forward to seeing what kind of shape I can get into.

Eating disorders are very widespread in the bodybuilding and fitness worlds. Especially with our "all or none" mentalities and relentless pursuit of perfection, it is easier than you would think to find yourself fat and out of shape.

[dpman]

Good for you to recognize your problem and attack it.
Hopefully you had some understanding friends who didn't rib you too much about the excess.
To lose that last layer you are going to have to up the cardio big time.
Good Luck and once again great work.

[BigRig]

I didn't get hassled too much. In all honesty, I was my own worst critic during this period of time. I hated the way I had let myself go, and this only fed the eating disorder I had given in to. Sometimes, you have to take a step back before you can look at the situation objectively and determine how to get back on track. And I owe a debt of gratitude to some members on this board, especially those who participated in the Eating Disorder thread, for helping me see how to overcome this obstacle. Thanks guys!

[Ice Man]

Dude you made one heck of a change. I know it must have suck letting yourself get that high in bf but did you at least make decent stregnth gains when you were higher in bf?

[BigRig]

Originally posted by Ice Man
Dude you made one heck of a change. I know it must have suck letting yourself get that high in bf but did you at least make decent stregnth gains when you were higher in bf?

Not really. I wasn't training with any real consistency. I am almost the same strength now as when I started dieting, so there really was no positive element to being that fat. Except for learning to appreciate how good it feels to be proud of your body.

[Liquid]

hey man, good luck in your last 8 weeks of cutting


Its amazing how that red shorts grow and shrink to accomodate your size

[BigRig]

Originally posted by Liquid
hey man, good luck in your last 8 weeks of cutting


Its amazing how that red shorts grow and shrink to accomodate your size

hahahaha!!!!

Yeah, I've had those for a long time. They are starting to get a little too baggy though. Gotta bust out the trunks for the next set of pics!

[Animal-Pak]

pics r great man! chest needs work