Going the Distance...AGAIN!

[ThePinsir]

Coach ordered a re-feed tonight. I'm happy with this

Energy has been low as hell all week.

Yesterday i did deadlifts with Brandon, just cause. Got up to 405 for 4 reps, at a week and a half out. People were mirin.

Swag.

[ThePinsir]

I usually do re-feeds all day. yesterday I just carbed up at night. I'm usually up 6lbs after re-feeds. Today is only 5.

weigh-in is in a week! I've got 7 days to get to 176.25. This it's gonna be a hell of a week. Also, today is my last day eating at the school cafeteria. Tomorrow on, I'm eating at mom's.

I keep having contest dreams! It's pretty cool!

Also, coach days he'll increase my carbs a bit on Sunday. As long as I make weight, I'm happy.

[ThePinsir]

I now haz a BA in history
Yesterday's graduation party sucked when everyone but me was earring cake lol

Today was my first day back at the Y in a while. It was pretty cool...

So, coach put me on 300g carbs today,.and well stop them through the week depending on how I look. Dropped the protein a bit, and it will slowly increase through the week.

No training Thursday or Friday. I have a two-a-day tomorrow.

It's actually kind of cool cooking my own food nao.

Swag.

[TheNaturalOak]

get r done

[ThePinsir]

get r done

Freaking right!

Sunday - 300g carbs
Monday - 200g
Tuesday (today) - 100g, plus bringing my protein back up

Wednesday - 40g
Thursday - 10-20g
Friday - none, until after weigh-in. Then I smash some carbs every 2 hours or so.


The next few days are gonna suck lol

[ThePinsir]

Last year, before the show, I went on a shopping trip just for the post-contest binge. And bought a LOT. This time, I can't really afford that much. So, I'm thinking just a big bag of cocoa pebbles to eat on one sitting, and maybe some sausage dip.

Though, I'm expecting some major cravings to come in the next few days. I'm sure my list will grow lol

[Devils]

Hi there, At 175 I believe you will have a hard time with conditioning to complete well in the middleweights.
For your frame, 155-160 would be a better weight to come in shredded.

Good job not buying a whole lot of crap, not really necessary. Hopefully the cravings to win are stronger than petty food cravings

I've also gone through prep with a lower back injury, it's great that you can keep going and not let the injury get you down. You have to stay positive and I believe you can overcome it. I hope you make a full recovery and come back even better than before, it's possible.

[ThePinsir]

Hi there, At 175 I believe you will have a hard time with conditioning to complete well in the middleweights.
For your frame, 155-160 would be a better weight to come in shredded.

Good job not buying a whole lot of crap, not really necessary. Hopefully the cravings to win are stronger than petty food cravings

I've also gone through prep with a lower back injury, it's great that you can keep going and not let the injury get you down. You have to stay positive and I believe you can overcome it. I hope you make a full recovery and come back even better than before, it's possible.

Honestly, I'm kinda worried about it, too. Precisely why I'm quite happy with the novice class. But I've been dieting hard for 17 weeks. Haven't missed a workout, a cardio session, or a meal. I'll go in the best I can, and that's really all I can do. Maybe next time I'll diet for 20+ weeks.

The back has been pretty discouraging. I straight up wanted to quit the second time I hurt it. But I'm glad I saw this through. Whether I win the overall or get dead last, I'll know I pushed through a major set-back.

Thanks for the advices!

[ThePinsir]

Ok, I lied. I missed ONE cardio session. The day of graduation. I woke up at 5am and didn't stop till like 2am lol.

I'm a horrible bodybuilder
*rolls eyes*

[Devils]

Ok, I lied. I missed ONE cardio session. The day of graduation. I woke up at 5am and didn't stop till like 2am lol.

I'm a horrible bodybuilder
*rolls eyes*

Yeah you should be ashamed of yourself =)

[ThePinsir]

I did 2hrs of cardio today for the first time evar. It sucked, but whatever.

Tomorrow I'm dropping water quite a bit. Also gonna cut my hair and tan

Also gonna be on 10-15g carbs tomorrow. Thursday and Friday are gonna SUCK...

[ThePinsir]

I'm thirsty

[ThePinsir]

Yesterday I woke up at 177. Right now I'm at 172. I'm looking incredibly dry. But I feel by far the worst I've felt all prep.

Weigh in is in 6 hrs!

I'm painted brown!

Can't wait to win this bitch!!

[ThePinsir]

I weighed in at 171.4

I'm carbing up as I type this.

I'm still dehydrated.

I can't WAIT to win this bish!

[TheNaturalOak]

lets do this m8!

Goodluck and in for pics

I weighed in my lowest this prep at 163lbs
and was able to get put into the short class which is good news (last year I was tall)

[ThePinsir]

lets do this m8!

Goodluck and in for pics

I weighed in my lowest this prep at 163lbs
and was able to get put into the short class which is good news (last year I was tall)

I guess shorter classes are better? Grats on that.

It's about 3am three day before. I gutta get up in 2 hrs...BUT CAN'T SLEEP!!

Still, I'm looking juicy as FAWK. I'm thirstier than I think I've ever been. But I get to smash some pancakes when I wake up...if I actually fall back asleep...

[TheNaturalOak]

I guess shorter classes are better? Grats on that.

It's about 3am three day before. I gutta get up in 2 hrs...BUT CAN'T SLEEP!!

Still, I'm looking juicy as FAWK. I'm thirstier than I think I've ever been. But I get to smash some pancakes when I wake up...if I actually fall back asleep...

Being 5'9" I rather b the tallest short guy than the shortest tall guy lol. ..esp since I compete so light would b hard to beat a filled out 6ft competitor.

I'm keeping water constant...enjoy n gl

[ThePinsir]

Second place! I'll get pics up as soon as I get to a computer!

Pre-judging:
There were like 8 or 9 guys in my class. Right away, they put me in the middle, so I thought I had it won. Quarter turns were over very quickly, and I had a lot if fun with the mandatory poses. I suck my tongue out and made angry faces and stuff, but mostly smiled. I did calf raises when the had judge said to turn around. I did fun oblique shots during the ab-thigh pose. When he said to leave the stage and everyone was walking off, I turned around and did another most muscular by myself I was quite confident I had the.best physique, even though the guy who won was slightly
bigger. I still think my conditioning was a bit better, but whatever

Finals:
I went last in my division. My music was Darth Vader saying "you don't know the power of the Dark Side!" followed by the Imperial March. The crowd LOVED that ****! The guy who won was a hell of a poser, but so was I. People told me my showmanship was fantastic. Actually, I forgot one of my poses lol. Still, I owned the stage.

I have a trophy, and can now say I'm an award-winning bodybuilder

Throughout this entire prep, it hurt my lower-back every time I did a rear lat spread. Yesterday, not at all. I guess it's dat dere adrenaline rush lol

2nd isn't quite what I wanted, but I'm still hella proud of myself. I busted my ass, overcame an injury, and placed well. I can't wait to compete again.

But for now, it's time for a long, slow off-season.

[TheNaturalOak]

How bout some pics and updates mang!?!

[sculpt07]

How bout some pics and updates mang!?!

This!

[ThePinsir]

Sorry it took me so long! I actually don't have internet at my place :/

I guess there's not much to update. This will be my only show this year. I'm in full off-season mode. To HELL with "reverse dieting". Though, I will go a bit more slowly with this off-season. My weight is about 181, and I'm gonna try to gain </= 1lb per week; 3-4lbs per month. I'd like to get to about 185-190, stage lean.


Here's some pics from the evening show!

[ThePinsir]

The guy in the middle got third, the guy on the right won.







Sorry for the bad quality...these are cell phone screen caps. But whatever

[ThePinsir]

Last off-season, I deemed shoulders to be my "weak-point" and focused on them more than anything for a couple months. I think they caught up really well (chest too, really). This time, I think I want to bring my arms up to match my legs and back. And win next time

[Devils]

Sorry it took me so long! I actually don't have internet at my place :/

I guess there's not much to update. This will be my only show this year. I'm in full off-season mode. To HELL with "reverse dieting". Though, I will go a bit more slowly with this off-season. My weight is about 181, and I'm gonna try to gain </= 1lb per week; 3-4lbs per month. I'd like to get to about 185-190, stage lean.

Oh it's an NPC show, Good job on the placing.

So you are 10 lbs up after the first week? Can you explain how you will slow that down to 1 lb per week? What methods will you use to accomplish this?

[TheNaturalOak]

Oh it's an NPC show, Good job on the placing.

So you are 10 lbs up after the first week? Can you explain how you will slow that down to 1 lb per week? What methods will you use to accomplish this?

I believe he was keto-ish on the diet (<100g CHO and some days even less iirc) so the 171lb weigh in is pretty skewed.
edit

confirmed ^ ... he spent a lot of time in 40-60g CHO /Day

OP - pics look good, definitely better than last stage package imo. Disappointed about no reverse, a solid reverse could set you up to get that needed conditioning for next years prep, especially since your true contest weight is probably closer to 160's.

Choice is yours, goodluck and have fun!

[ThePinsir]

Oh it's an NPC show, Good job on the placing.

So you are 10 lbs up after the first week? Can you explain how you will slow that down to 1 lb per week? What methods will you use to accomplish this?

I was depleted and damn-near dehydrated on the day of the show. I gained about 10 lbs of water and glycogen. I'm gonna slow it by eating and training right. How else?

[ThePinsir]

I believe he was keto-ish on the diet (<100g CHO and some days even less iirc) so the 171lb weigh in is pretty skewed.
edit

confirmed ^ ... he spent a lot of time in 40-60g CHO /Day

OP - pics look good, definitely better than last stage package imo. Disappointed about no reverse, a solid reverse could set you up to get that needed conditioning for next years prep, especially since your true contest weight is probably closer to 160's.

Choice is yours, goodluck and have fun!

I'm gonna stay pretty lean. I'm gonna get straight to decent off-season macros. Screw the "add X carbs per week till I'm at those macros".

Honestly, I just don't feel like it. I'm ready to get strength back up and get bigger. You're right about my real contest wight being in the 160s. I want it to be in the 180s. So I gotta start growing.

[TheNaturalOak]

I'm gonna stay pretty lean. I'm gonna get straight to decent off-season macros. Screw the "add X carbs per week till I'm at those macros".

Honestly, I just don't feel like it. I'm ready to get strength back up and get bigger. You're right about my real contest wight being in the 160s. I want it to be in the 180s. So I gotta start growing.

I dont want this to sound like I'm trying to change your mind but more general discussion.

Top nattys stage weight is like ~180lbs ... that is going to take multiple years of work, not something you do in just a single offseason imo.
That beings said, you were on low macros and with that comes metabolic adaptations. You go straight into offseason macros you'll be in a much higher calorie surplus than originally started and with that comes excessive weight gain (primarily fat). Not to mention you were doing hours of cardio.... I would imagine you're going to cut that too right? Therefor you are just priming yourself to store more fat. Not saying you have to reverse but I think a more moderate reproach to your offseason would be more desirable.

[ThePinsir]

I dont want this to sound like I'm trying to change your mind but more general discussion.

Top nattys stage weight is like ~180lbs ... that is going to take multiple years of work, not something you do in just a single offseason imo.
That beings said, you were on low macros and with that comes metabolic adaptations. You go straight into offseason macros you'll be in a much higher calorie surplus than originally started and with that comes excessive weight gain (primarily fat). Not to mention you were doing hours of cardio.... I would imagine you're going to cut that too right? Therefor you are just priming yourself to store more fat. Not saying you have to reverse but I think a more moderate reproach to your offseason would be more desirable.

I know 180 won't come in a single off-season. I'm talking LONG-TERM goals.

As far as metabolism goes, I've given it some thought. And I have no idea what "maintenance" is after this prep, so calories aren't THAT high. So I'm just going by what the scale says. If it's too high in weeks to come, I'll drop calories a bit. Maybe that IS reverse dieting lol. But as far as meticulously counting macros in the off-season: **** that

[TheNaturalOak]

I know 180 won't come in a single off-season. I'm talking LONG-TERM goals.

As far as metabolism goes, I've given it some thought. And I have no idea what "maintenance" is after this prep, so calories aren't THAT high. So I'm just going by what the scale says. If it's too high in weeks to come, I'll drop calories a bit. Maybe that IS reverse dieting lol. But as far as meticulously counting macros in the off-season: **** that

Exactly
Seems like a more conservative approach

I know Jeff Alberts used macro ranges after his 2011? prep