First Competiton help

[Italian_13]

Hey guys hows it going. I've posted here a few times and I said I would post up some pics. Well I got some from last week I would like to share with you all. If possible, I would like some critiques. Couple of things I would like to get an opinion on are: 1.)How am I doing? I'm 12 weeks out in these pics. 2.) Weak Points/ Strong Points? I think my back and legs are my strong points, the leg picture doesn't give them too much justice because of bad lighting. My weak points I think are my midsection and calves. 3.) Any thing else? I know my posing sucks, I was in a hurry because the person taking the pictures had to leave, so she didn't really correct me nor did I. Thanks.
Also, just some background as to what I'm doing to get ready. Right now (11 weeks out) I'm at 2600 calories with 42g fat, 267g carbs, and 248g protein. Since I got my bodyfat done this morning, I seemed to stay at about the low 10% mark and I feel its time to go down. So I was thinking, 2250 calories, 38g fat, 230g carbs, 250g protein. Sound good? I also do 5 cardio sessions a week, low intensity for 35 minutes a session. I want to stay at that for a while longer and try to tweek my diet a bit. This is the break down for a typical day food wise:
Meal 1: 1.3 cups of egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal (dry), 1 cup broccoli flowerets
Meal 2: PRE WORKOUT (1 hr before)- 1 cup brown rice (cooked), 1 scoop whey
Meal 3: IMM. POST WORKOUT- 50g carbs (carbo gain), 1 scoop whey, 5g of each - BCAA, LEUCINE, GLUTAMINE, CREATINE, and 2g of TAURINE
Meal 4: 1 hr later- 11oz red potatoes, 11 oz whiting, 1 cup broccoli, 1/2 cup mushrooms
Meal 5: 1 can of tuna, 1 TBS olive oil, 1 cup oatmeal (dry)
Meal 6: 1.5 before bed- 1 scoop whey, 2 TBS Peanut butter.
Any suggestions? Will get rid of peanut butter soon too. What would be a good thing to cut as I cut calories too?
Any ways, here are the pics. Sorry for the bad poses! Thanks!

[Italian_13]

Here some more:

[SleepLifter]

Well you're looking good, but for 11-12 weeks out you are behind. I don't know who measured your BF% or how, but it is not 10%. I would say around 13%. There is no abdominal definition and all of the major muscle groups are not completely separated. Now, there is no doubt you can get there, however if you rush to do it in 11 weeks, you will end up crashing and losing muscle..then come into the show looking like a twig/stringbean.

As for just "tweaking" the diet, I think it needs some major change. You didn't tell me your height, but I can tell those carbs are too high considering your body structure. You should try backing them off to 200g/day and possible throw in a refeed every 3-4 days or so, to keep you from going catabolic and stay full. At such a consistent high carb rate though, it's going to be tough to lose weight.

I know it's your first show and you're new at all this. Nobody expects you to know it all. Layne has written a really great article on prep that spells everything out to the letter. Have you checked it out?

[SleepLifter]

here it is:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne36.htm

Dan

[Cytrainer913]

Like dan said I would say more towards 13%! Speed it up a bit by maybe doing a keto week or 2! try a week of 275 protein/125 carbs/50 fat for a week and then do a refeed of 250/250/40, see if that stirs anything up!

The fats and protein look good, but i would also try and bigger drop in your carbs and maybe cycle them, drop down to about 150 for 5 days, and maybe on like wed and Sat do refeeds of 250 g's, I would leave your fats and protein wehre they are as they seem to be not too high that you cuold drop them on your refeed days!

[Italian_13]

Hey thanks for such quick replies. In a couple of pictures I didn't flex, just relaxed (first two?) But I DO have some separation. I'm 5'8" by the way, and I figured my carbs were too high. I have read Laynes articles too (ALL OF THEM) but they left me with some questions. First one is this, would a post workout shake (immediately after workout) be necessary, then an hour later eat another meal? Also, if dropping from 295 to 200g of carbs, will I drop weight too fast and risk losing muscle? And my last question (for know) is, wouldn't going down to like 1700 calories at 8-10 weeks out be too low, especially for me? Thanks again for the help

[Cytrainer913]

well in order to get to a condition that will be more to your liking, things will have to be sped up and you will need to drop those carbs and take that chance of losing some muscle and just think about ridding yourself of the extra bodyfat, NOW! Thats what needs to happen now that you have fallen behind schedule, so get to working it off and this maybe where one has to add in extra cardio as well, to speed the process up!

[SleepLifter]

First one is this, would a post workout shake (immediately after workout) be necessary, then an hour later eat another meal? YES THE PWO SHAKE WILL HINDER CATABOLISM AS YOU ARE ALREADY IN A CALORIC DEFECIT. THE POST WORKOUT WINDOW IS CRITICAL. Also, if dropping from 295 to 200g of carbs, will I drop weight too fast and risk losing muscle? THE FIRST NOTICIBLE DIFFERENCEYOU WILL MOST LIKELY SEE IS A SIGNIFICANT LOSS IN WATER WEIGHT. YES, CARBS ARE "PROTEIN SPARING" AND PREVENT MUSCLE LOSS. BUT IF YOU DIET RIGHT AND NOT TOO EXTREME YOU WILL MINIMIZE ANY MUSCLE LOSS. And my last question (for know) is, wouldn't going down to like 1700 calories at 8-10 weeks out be too low, especially for me? LIKE CRAIG SAID, KEEP PROTIEN AND FATS WHERE THEY ARE, JUST DROP THE CARBS. Thanks again for the help

comments in caps!

after this first show, you will see the many benefits of starting early (even as much as 24 weeks out!)

[Italian_13]

Sounds great guys, I appreciate this help. I will take this advice and I'll let you all know how it goes. I guess I was just worried to lose all my muscle mass I gained that I didn't set up my diet right. Its just a shame to go from 164 to 195 (with no bodyfat gains :-) ), then watch it all leave. I will do better next show I guess!

[bodybuilder25]

Like the others said I would drop your carbs immediately. Your in pretty good condition but your gotta try and forget about your weight until your where you need to be. I know from experience that's hard to do but weighing yourself all the time is only gonna mess with your head and prevent your from fully commiting to your goal and that should be to get in contest condition. Maybe weight your self first thing in the morning as soon as you wake up, once a week. I would say almost everyone who does there first show ends up weighing a lot less then they intended. When I was 12 wks out from my first show I thought I was gonna weigh in around 170's but ended up being 160. On stage it don't matter what your weight is, it's how you look, ie. good seperation and being as ripped as possible. For your carbs you could try one or two things, a) cycle them, go three-four low (50g-100g) and then one or two high (250g-300g) or b)cut them down to about 150g for a few weeks and then reevaluate where your are, by pics or someone with knowledge in contest prep, and make adjustments a necessary. If your not already taking BCAA's and Glutamine I would start that too, to prevent your from being too catabolic and wasting a lot of muscle. Taking them before your cardio on empty stomach is a must and I would also take about 5g-10g two-three times a day, (when waking, before bed and before cardio). Good Luck keep us posted and I am sure with everyone's advice you'll get the job done but your gonna have to suffer to get where you have to be.

[Ih8tuna]

For what its worth, here is my opinion. I have similar weight and height measurements as you do. I am about 14 wks out right now. I will probably weigh in at about 170lb on stage. First of all, i would drop the peanut butter, especially before bed. Also, i would kick up the cardio to about 45 mins in the morning before breakfast. THis has done wonders for me in the past. Maybe put a scoop of whey in your coffee before cardio. And obviously you need to cut carbs. I would say at least to around 120-150g/day. Everyone is different with their carbs and how their body responds but for me, I really have to pay attention to them b/c i tend to be a little more carb sensitive than most, if you believe in that line of thinking. For me there seems to be a threshold of carb intake. If i eat less than 12-150 a day, i lose fat at a reasonable pace. If i go over that, nothing happens even with the am cardio sessions. I agree with the other guys, you seem to be a little behind schedule. I would definately cut out all junk even on cheat days. Your cheat days should only consist of one cheat meal maybe two cheat meals per week where you only double your carb intake with complex carbs. And stop weighing yourself except maybe once a week. Dont worry about losing muscle as long as your protein is above 200g/day. Dont worry about coming into the show as heavy in your weight class as you can. This line of thinking will screw with your head. You are behind the ball right now and you need to be consistent and you need to up the cardio and cut the carbs and some fat. If you are natural, cardio and diet are your biggest tools for getting your bodyfat back on target.

[nash1ad]

Hey man its Nash, Give me a call when you get this, doesnt matter what time im normally up or should be anyway. I would like to see where you are at with ur physique, and see you do some posing and give you some tips if you need um. Im doin it to man and i know how hard it is so call me and we will see what i can do. You have my number and if u dont haha im not posting it on bodybuilding.com.