Bo Flecks' Training Lean and Power Density Experiment

[2nd_chance]

Some of the posing videos I've seen on youtube are pretty good. Like this one from JJ.

[ArchAngel'73]

Mkay, how can I help out here?
1 mandatory pose covered per post, and my PM box is always open.

Front Relaxed
-ALWAYS start from the bottom up

Dig heels in floor, bend knees, sit on glutes while keeping your knees bent and quads "flared" (not flexed as it hides the sweep)

Vytis is correct, the current bb'ers flex their abs which is not correct, the front double bi and relaxed should be done with a vacuume. Its is artful, and this matters up there.
Breath through your diaphragm, NOT your stomach!!

Chest, no need to flex it, let it hang.

Delts as wide as possible, width is Hyooge on stage. Practice this in the mirror as the position you feel best shows your delts could actually be different.

Your palms should face toward your body, thumbs in the hand (errant bodyparts lead to a visual distraction for the judges), and hands about 3 inches in front of your waist. Contract the arms.

Your back...this is big on your ability to spread your scapulae from the rear to make them pop from the front. This is also going to take practice in a 2 way mirror. The more you can spread your scapulae and "flare" (not contract) your lats the better this pose will look.

Forget about traps, they take away from the X frame look.
Those only come into play during a crab MM and rear double bicep shots.

and after you're done all that don't do what I did for show#1 and grimace/snarl in pain.
Stage presentation does count so when you're up there contraacting it all,
smile like a crazy s.o.b and pretend you love it!

Steve, practice the front relaxed the most.
If you have a big class you could very well be holding that bloody pose for up to 30 minutes (SRS)!!!!!!!!!!!
I see many guys that can't make 5 minutes (I was one of them show#1) and it looks SLOPPY!!!


That's the most important pose.
You tell me if and what you want covered next and I'll do it another day.

[2nd_chance]

^^^ awesome

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to ArchAngel'73 again.

[alex2363]

STEVO...looks like your getting there, almost go time!!

[wedjim]

Gettin frickin' serious in here!

Looking forward...

[Bo_Flecks]

Thursday 3/29/12- Shoulders/Traps/Legs "B Week" Rotation

Seated Overhead Barbell Press
10x200
10x200
10x200
10x200
10x200

Barbell Front Raises
10x55
10x55
10x55
10x55

DB Lateral Raises/Front Raise Combo
10x10x25
10x10x25
10x10x25
10x10x25

Bent Lateral Raises
10x45
10x45
10x45
10x45

Medium Grip Barbell Shrugs
10x315
10x315
10x315
10x315
10x315

Seated Dumbbell Shrugs
10x105
10x105
10x105
10x105
10x105

Narrow Stance Hack Squats
10x300
10x300
10x300
10x300
10x300

Lying Leg Curls
10x70
10x70
10x70

Calf Presses
25x410
25x410
25x410
25x410

Observations
I had a little bit of post de-load tricep DOMS, but that was only noticed during the OH Barbell Presses. This workout ended a very good training week.

Shoulder Workout
Seated Overhead Barbell Press:
The delts are continuing to feel strong on this opening lift.
Barbell Front Raises:
Very narrow grip on this one to isolate the front delts as much as possible. Raising the bar to just above shoulder level, and then controlling a slow negative for the burn.
DB Lateral Raises/ Front Raise Combo:
Ten lateral raises followed by ten front raises.
Bent Lateral Raises:
Chest supported at a 30 degree angle. Concentrating on pulling the dumbbells up with the elbows, forcing the work to be done by the rear delts.

Trap Workout
Medium Grip Barbell Shrugs:
Chest supported at a 45 degree angle forcing the traps to pull a little more to the rear. Holding and squeezing at the top.
Seated Dumbbell Shrugs:
Performed seated on my SuperBench at an 80 degree angle to focus on the height of the traps. Dumbbells pulled around to the back slightly to add more emphasis to the top of the traps.

Legs
Hack Squats:
I am really trying to emphasize the outer quad with this one.
Lying Leg Curls:
Just added this one to my secondary leg day. Yates cadence with a short hold at the top and a slow negative.
Calf Presses:
My third calf session of the week. Hi rep work with the feet together and toes straight forward to hit the belly of the calves.

Final Thoughts
Disclaimer: I took a series of progress pictures in compulsory poses wearing posing trunks and will be posting them over the next few weeks. The pics are cropped so that they would be appropriate for middle schoolers to see if they happened to access my journal. It is really a shame because the full pics showing the wheels are much better.

This next compulsory pose is the SIDE RELAXED, which is really anything but relaxed.



As with all of my contest prep, these first posing shots are a work in progress. At this point, my body fat level is no where near contest conditioning, but it is lean enough to get an idea of how things are shaping up. Comments and critiques are welcome. I am simply in the process of playing with my posing to get it correct for my strengths and weaknesses.

[bamazav]

I want to comment, to say something, but bout all I can say is "atta boy."

[Swann74]

^^^ awesome

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to ArchAngel'73 again.

Not nearly as many greenz as you would have given, but I hit him with some!

[Swann74]

Seated Overhead Barbell Press
10x200
10x200
10x200
10x200
10x200

Just too dang impressive!

Disclaimer: I know nothing about bb posing.
That said, this is definitely my favorite that you have posted thus far. Your arm looks great, and the narrowness of your waist is highlighted. Your chest also doesn't seem as "sunk in" as in the Front Relaxed. Incredible pic!

[Bo_Flecks]

Only advice I can give, Steve, is that I'd find someone who can still work with you on posing. There's a lot more to it than meets the eye, and I wouldn't want to put in all the contest prep work just to have something like that drag me down.

Maybe you can post a thread in the O35 or "Meet other Bodybuilders" or something and ask if anyone is willing to work on it with you. You can get a certain amount of info from guys like MHL who have been there on here, but there's nothing like seeing / evaluating in real life.

I hear you, Vox.

That is why when I was mentioning to Bill yesterday that I had cut ties with the prep coach, I added the caveat- for the most part. At this point in my training, I really found no use for him. Between some of the nutritional bro-science he suggested and the broken confidence, I really have not discussed training related issues with him for a few months.

He still might be a good option to go to for some posing evaluation next fall, though.

Some of the posing videos I've seen on youtube are pretty good. Like this one from JJ.

Thanks for the vid, David. I am trying to absorb as much information on the topic as I can early on, and this type of thing will be very helpful.

Mkay, how can I help out here?
1 mandatory pose covered per post, and my PM box is always open.

Front Relaxed
-ALWAYS start from the bottom up

Dig heels in floor, bend knees, sit on glutes while keeping your knees bent and quads "flared" (not flexed as it hides the sweep)

Vytis is correct, the current bb'ers flex their abs which is not correct, the front double bi and relaxed should be done with a vacuume. Its is artful, and this matters up there.
Breath through your diaphragm, NOT your stomach!!

Chest, no need to flex it, let it hang.

Delts as wide as possible, width is Hyooge on stage. Practice this in the mirror as the position you feel best shows your delts could actually be different.

Your palms should face toward your body, thumbs in the hand (errant bodyparts lead to a visual distraction for the judges), and hands about 3 inches in front of your waist. Contract the arms.

Your back...this is big on your ability to spread your scapulae from the rear to make them pop from the front. This is also going to take practice in a 2 way mirror. The more you can spread your scapulae and "flare" (not contract) your lats the better this pose will look.

Forget about traps, they take away from the X frame look.
Those only come into play during a crab MM and rear double bicep shots.

and after you're done all that don't do what I did for show#1 and grimace/snarl in pain.
Stage presentation does count so when you're up there contraacting it all,
smile like a crazy s.o.b and pretend you love it!

Steve, practice the front relaxed the most.
If you have a big class you could very well be holding that bloody pose for up to 30 minutes (SRS)!!!!!!!!!!!
I see many guys that can't make 5 minutes (I was one of them show#1) and it looks SLOPPY!!!

That's the most important pose.
You tell me if and what you want covered next and I'll do it another day.

Wow, Brian! Thanks. All of that is going into my training folder I have in my gym.

Bodybuilding posing is a lot harder work that many people give it credit for. I watched a lot of those guys at the Gateway Naturals stand up there with sweat pouring off of them. You could just look at some of them, and see that they were really struggling with it. That is why I want to start working all of this into my training now, and be conditioned for it as well.

Last week when I took the pics I am currently posting, I ended up taking 42 pictures which took a little over half an hour. I was sore the next day.

Since I have been receiving the feedback on the pics I have been posting, I have been spending time each day practicing, and trying to find/make the improvements. I am hoping the next set of pics I post up will show those improvements.

STEVO...looks like your getting there, almost go time!!

Thanks, Alex. This whole contest preparation thing adds a whole new dynamic to the iron game. I am really finding it to be an interesting thing.

Gettin frickin' serious in here!

Looking forward...

And just think, there is the final contest prep, tanning considerations, and a whole posing routine with music that still has to be worked out. This thing is just getting started.

I want to comment, to say something, but bout all I can say is "atta boy."

Thanks, David. Says a lot, my friend!

Just too dang impressive!

Disclaimer: I know nothing about bb posing.
That said, this is definitely my favorite that you have posted thus far. Your arm looks great, and the narrowness of your waist is highlighted. Your chest also doesn't seem as "sunk in" as in the Front Relaxed. Incredible pic!

I appreciate it, John. You do not have to know anything about it to have an opinion on it. If you see something you think might help me out, by all means let me know.

[alex2363]

As with all of my contest prep, these first posing shots are a work in progress. At this point, my body fat level is no where near contest conditioning, but it is lean enough to get an idea of how things are shaping up. Comments and critiques are welcome. I am simply in the process of playing with my posing to get it correct for my strengths and weaknesses.

Stevo, its almost there, a little more upper chest/pecs thats all. maybe micro increase in weights?

[Vytis]

Side relaxed looks great. Maybe just an extra twist in the waist to emphasize the v-taper. Open up the shoulders, to the point where we can see your left front delt....just a thought...

[cmoore]

This thread is full of awesome. Looking great Steve.

[baker]

Agree with all the other comments. I like how all this is coming together.

[Payton1221]

I want to comment, to say something, but bout all I can say is "atta boy."

^^ This. Keep up the good work, Steve!

[Bo_Flecks]

Saturday 3/31/12- Chest/Biceps "A Week" Rotation

Incline Barbell Bench Press
10x225
10x225
10x225
10x225
10x225

Decline Bench Press
9x225
9x215
10x205
10x205
10x205

Decline Dumbbell Flyes
10x60
10x60
10x60
10x60
10x60

Incline DB Curls
10x45
10x45
10x45
10x45
10x45

Tricep Bar Spider Curls
10x145
10x145
10x145
10x145
10x145

EZ Bar Reverse Curls
10x90
10x90
10x90
10x90
10x90

Wrist Curls
10x100
10x100
10x100
10x100
10x100

Observations
Today I made a calorie adjustment and increased my carbs slightly. I had continued to slowly drop weight for the last three weeks after the end of the cut, so it was time to make an adjustment. Nothing major, but hopefully enough to stop the slide and see exactly where my current maintenance is.

Chest Workout
Incline Barbell Bench Press:
This workout started with a bang and with high anticipation. My pecs really felt the workload and got a very good pump.
Decline Bench Press
I am not sure exactly what happened here today. I got buried hard on rep 10 of set number one. I decided to decrease the weight for set 2, and got buried again on the last rep. I made a third adjustment, and hit it right. I am not too concerned about it. I made the necessary adjustment and moved on. Dropping the bar just below my sternum.
Decline Dumbbell Flyes:
A new movement added today to replace decline dumbbell pullovers. After looking at my pecs in some of the progress pics I have taken recently, and evaluating the feel of the pullovers, I made the decision to change it out. This movement felt like it hit the pecs much better than the pullovers, so I believe it is a good change. Performed on my SuperBench at a 30 degree decline angle to achieve a good stretch.

Bicep Workout
Incline DB Curls
The bench angle is at 60 degrees. I started the dumbbells at the bottom in the hammer position and put a quarter twist on them as I raised them to their apex.
Tricep Bar Spider Curls:
Chest supported at a 45 degree angle. Using a total hang at the bottom to stretch the bis, and then pulling the bar to the apex.
EZ Bar Reverse Curls
Slow negative to burn the forearms and bis as much as possible.

Forearm Workout
Wrist Curls:
Performed with a barbell with my wrists facing up.

Final Thoughts
After evaluating this photo, I decided not to crop it. I cannot imagine how a picture from the side wearing posing trunks could be considered inappropriate so I made the decision to post it up.

This next compulsory pose is the SIDE CHEST. I posted a side chest pose last month and got some feedback from MHL that gave me an opportunity to make some corrections before this pic was taken. In comparing the two poses, this one is by far superior to the other. My intent is to make sure that the feedback I get does not go unheeded. My goal is to get my posing correct.



Comments and critiques are welcome.

[Brackneyc]

[b]



Comments and critiques are welcome.

Mr. Steve, many of your other photos were darn good. This one^^ is stellar. Really illustrates the level of effort and work all of your words have described.

One pic....1000 words.

Excellent.

[BergMuscle]

Good sound adjustments on the chest work. Gotta do what gets the results.

I love your choices for biceps - maybe because they're a lot like mine. Good doing the spiders with a full hang. I find that really ups the ante on the biceps.

[ljimd]

Well done on the side chest. I don't see any weak spots. You even got the front leg calf cuts out there. Nice touch. That's a keeper buddy.

[rpaul11]

Nice work Steve. I relly think this shot looks good. (in my unexperienced opinion) I've never really felt pullovers in the chest much myself. you see some do them as back work and some do em as chest. I guess it depends where you focus your pull from?

[Vytis]

Side chest does look great. Yor arms are huge. One thing I could mention though is to keep your right elbow tight to your body. I think that might even make your arm all the more impressive. And remember the judges sit below you, so they're ooking up. So you almost have to point your poses in their direction.

[mharrislove]

Side chest does look great. Yor arms are huge. One thing I could mention though is to keep your right elbow tight to your body. I think that might even make your arm all the more impressive. And remember the judges sit below you, so they're ooking up. So you almost have to point your poses in their direction.

Yeah, overall, I agree with Vytis. You have long limbs (I'm kinda' in that boat, too), so having huge arms is essential and positioning them in a way to minimize their length is critcal to maintaining the appearance of ideal proportions. This phenomena will dictate some of the fine points of your posing and it's why standard posing tips do not apply to everyone across the board.

When you have long arms, then you'll find that you'll be holding on to your lower to mid-forearm and not your wrists (which is the classic position); the same general idea of "shortening arm length" applies to many poses - especially the most muscular pose and FDB. As Vytis suggested, that space between your elbow and your torso needs to be filled with lat and serratus meat, not air. Slightly pulling in the arm, slightly extending your elbow, and altering your grip of the contralateral hand over the ipsilateral arm will accomplish this.

Finally, your lumbar arch is the best that I've seen you hit it in that recent side chest shot - nice job.

[mharrislove]

This next compulsory pose is the BACK RELAXED, which is really anything but relaxed.



As with all of my contest prep, these first posing shots are a work in progress. At this point, my body fat level is no where near contest conditioning, but it is lean enough to get an idea of how things are shaping up. Comments and critiques are welcome. I am simply in the process of playing with my posing to get it correct for my strengths and weaknesses.

EDIT: Can anyone see the twist in my lower spine due to the damage done to the L5? This is why I have to be careful about overloading my backbone from certain unsupported angles.

Hey, man. Can you tell that I'm catching up around here after being buried by work and illness? Anyway...

I would rethink your approach to this shot. While you are bringing the detail in your lower lats, the technique is exacting too high of a cost in regards to your width. In this pose, you should be thinking "V-shape, V-shape, V-shape..."

Retracting the shoulder blades to bring out the mid traps also kills width. If you are in shape, just tensing the traps with the shoulder blades protracted will be enough to make them stand out. The same with the low back; combining a strong lumbar arch while also tensing "your heels into the floor" (you have to do this to bring out hams, anyway) and slightly tilting the pelvis forward will bring out low back detail when body fat is minimal. You can show a ripped lower back more directly when you transition to your back shots and the in the free posing round - but don't focus on this on the rear relaxed shot.

Stand firm - flex the calves, hams, and glutes; tense the lumbar spine and slightly adjust the pelvis as stated above; allow the shoulder blades to open up and protract as if about to hit a lat spread, and then lock it into place. You lock it in place by then tensing your lats, and then internally rotating your arms and flexing your forearms, triceps, delts, and shoulder stabilizers hard - and then, BAM! - the back shot comes to life, detail everywhere, a thing of beauty emerges.

Uhm...well, you get the idea.

[cmoore]

I'm no authority but I had an interesting conversation today with a gal who competed [well] for years. She was complaining about posing trunks and how easy guys had it (I guess you need to tape the girls suits down to keep them in place or something).

Anyway she mentioned "trunks should always be black...you don't want your trunks to distract from your physique...black is also good as it won't show tanning product stains like other colors..."

I remembered your blue trunks and just thought I'd pass it on in case it helped.

[Bo_Flecks]

Sunday 4/1/12- Legs "A Week" Rotation

Leg Extensions
10x165
10x165
10x165
10x165
10x165

Leg press-Wide Foot Position PWO
10x415
10x415
10x415
10x415
10x415

Hack Squats Wide Foot Position PWO
10x305
10x305
10x305
10x305
10x305

Lying Leg Curls
10x70
10x70
10x70
10x70
10x70

Glute-Ham Raise
10xBW+5
10xBW+5
10xBW+5
10xBW+5
10xBW+5

Leg Press Calf Raises w/Toes turned out PWO
10x510
10x510
10x510
10x510
15x510

Leg Press Calf Presses w/Toes in PWO
10x510
10x510
10x510
10x510
14x510

Observations
Good leg workout. I will start ramping up the weights again next week.

Leg Extensions:
Leaning back to put more of the stress higher on the quads rather than down around the knee. Slight hold at the top as per Yates protocol.

Leg Press-Wide Foot Position:
Slow, controlled descent, with the negative paced much slower than the positive. My heels are about 15 inches apart with the quads coming outside of my chest at the bottom of the movement.
Hack Squats:
Dropping deep with the feet positioned to put as much emphasis on the outer sweep of the quad as possible.

Lying Leg Curls:
Yates cadence with a short hold at the top and a slow negative.
Glute-Ham Raise:
Wide knee position which brings a little more of the upper hamstring into play.

Leg Press Calf Presses- Toes turned out:
Gastrocnemius focused. Forcing the weight onto the belly of the muscle and getting a full stretch.
Leg Press Calf Presses- Toes in:
Tibialis focused. I really have to watch my heel position on this one now to make sure I do not ding my left hip.

Final Thoughts
No pics today. I will post up either a front double bicep, or a rear double bicep on Tuesday so that leg position can be critiqued as well.

[induced_drag]

Been following along. Looking incredibly lean! Hard to believe you have further to go.

I have not been able to add anything constructive to the posing discussion....but just wanted to shout out my support! Great job!

[BergMuscle]

Same comments from me re. posing ^^ 'cause I really don't know squat about it (pun intended )

Sunday must be "Leg Day"; mine should be talking to me tomorrow on the stairs at school.

[Bo_Flecks]

Stevo, its almost there, a little more upper chest/pecs thats all. maybe micro increase in weights?

Yep. I have been working on that hollow spot on my chest for over a year now. It is getting better, but still has a long way to go. One of the things I did this week was swap out dumbbell pullovers for decline flyes to try and place a little more emphasis on chest thickness.

Side relaxed looks great. Maybe just an extra twist in the waist to emphasize the v-taper. Open up the shoulders, to the point where we can see your left front delt....just a thought...

Between your feedback and the feedback MHL gave me on this pose, I should be able to hit it right. As I am getting advice from you, MHL and Brian, I am practicing the changes to put the corrections in place.

This thread is full of awesome. Looking great Steve.

Thanks, and welcome!

Agree with all the other comments. I like how all this is coming together.

At this point I am in the neighborhood of 7 months out. They still have not set the exact weekend for the Gateway Naturals, but they do have it on the calendar for October. I am satisfied with where I am at this point, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

^^ This. Keep up the good work, Steve!

Thanks, Mark!

Mr. Steve, many of your other photos were darn good. This one^^ is stellar. Really illustrates the level of effort and work all of your words have described.

One pic....1000 words.

Excellent.

Thanks, Craig! Hopefully the next time I post up that pose with the changes in place, it will even look better. There is a lot of stuff to learn and think about.

Good sound adjustments on the chest work. Gotta do what gets the results.

I love your choices for biceps - maybe because they're a lot like mine. Good doing the spiders with a full hang. I find that really ups the ante on the biceps.

Those spiders are the money sets as far as I am concerned. I remember reading in the bicep secrets thread Fitnessman had a couple of years back, that he felt for guys with short bicep insertions the spiders were the best possible movement. Based upon feel, I would agree with that.

Well done on the side chest. I don't see any weak spots. You even got the front leg calf cuts out there. Nice touch. That's a keeper buddy.

Thanks Larry. As I am practicing my poses more, I am finding it easier to remember to flex the calves. My guess is that the more I do it, the more normal it will feel and then it will just start to come naturally.

Nice work Steve. I relly think this shot looks good. (in my unexperienced opinion) I've never really felt pullovers in the chest much myself. you see some do them as back work and some do em as chest. I guess it depends where you focus your pull from?

When I was doing the pullovers, I was focusing my MMC on my chest and getting a very good burn from them. But at the same time, I could also get tricep and lat DOMS from them. After an evaluation of doing them for a few months, I decided it was time to change them out to a movement that would put much more focus on the pecs.

Side chest does look great. Yor arms are huge. One thing I could mention though is to keep your right elbow tight to your body. I think that might even make your arm all the more impressive. And remember the judges sit below you, so they're ooking up. So you almost have to point your poses in their direction.

After watching the video that David posted, I saw exactly what you are talking about in keeping the elbow close to the body. The coach in the video explained why that is necessary and it is all making sense to me now. He said it was all about presenting thickness.

Yeah, overall, I agree with Vytis. You have long limbs (I'm kinda' in that boat, too), so having huge arms is essential and positioning them in a way to minimize their length is critcal to maintaining the appearance of ideal proportions. This phenomena will dictate some of the fine points of your posing and it's why standard posing tips do not apply to everyone across the board.

When you have long arms, then you'll find that you'll be holding on to your lower to mid-forearm and not your wrists (which is the classic position); the same general idea of "shortening arm length" applies to many poses - especially the most muscular pose and FDB. As Vytis suggested, that space between your elbow and your torso needs to be filled with lat and serratus meat, not air. Slightly pulling in the arm, slightly extending your elbow, and altering your grip of the contralateral hand over the ipsilateral arm will accomplish this.

Finally, your lumbar arch is the best that I've seen you hit it in that recent side chest shot - nice job.

Thanks, MHL. I am putting a folder together of all of the feedback you guys are giving me and hi-lighting certain sections. The part I bolded above is an example of something you told me a few weeks ago that I forgot to do in the side chest. I will not miss that again.

Like I said to Rob, I am putting these changes into practice now so that I am ingraining them as I get the feedback. I do not want to keep practicing my posing incorrectly. I am a pretty quick study, and I am determined to get it right, but I cannot do that without the excellent feedback you guys are giving me.

Hey, man. Can you tell that I'm catching up around here after being buried by work and illness? Anyway...

I would rethink your approach to this shot. While you are bringing the detail in your lower lats, the technique is exacting too high of a cost in regards to your width. In this pose, you should be thinking "V-shape, V-shape, V-shape..."

Retracting the shoulder blades to bring out the mid traps also kills width. If you are in shape, just tensing the traps with the shoulder blades protracted will be enough to make them stand out. The same with the low back; combining a strong lumbar arch while also tensing "your heels into the floor" (you have to do this to bring out hams, anyway) and slightly tilting the pelvis forward will bring out low back detail when body fat is minimal. You can show a ripped lower back more directly when you transition to your back shots and the in the free posing round - but don't focus on this on the rear relaxed shot.

Stand firm - flex the calves, hams, and glutes; tense the lumbar spine and slightly adjust the pelvis as stated above; allow the shoulder blades to open up and protract as if about to hit a lat spread, and then lock it into place. You lock it in place by then tensing your lats, and then internally rotating your arms and flexing your forearms, triceps, delts, and shoulder stabilizers hard - and then, BAM! - the back shot comes to life, detail everywhere, a thing of beauty emerges.

Uhm...well, you get the idea.

Yep. Everything you pointed to that was incorrect about the way I was executing that pose is exactly what I was TRYING to accomplish with it. It just shows how when you do not really know what you are doing, you can try to emulate a bodybuilding pose and really screw it up.

I am going to go ahead a bite the bullet on posting up the full pics in the posing trunks. I really need for you guys to give me feedback on my leg position.

Next time I post up the BACK RELAXED, it will be a completely different looking pic .

I'm no authority but I had an interesting conversation today with a gal who competed [well] for years. She was complaining about posing trunks and how easy guys had it (I guess you need to tape the girls suits down to keep them in place or something).

Anyway she mentioned "trunks should always be black...you don't want your trunks to distract from your physique...black is also good as it won't show tanning product stains like other colors..."

I remembered your blue trunks and just thought I'd pass it on in case it helped.

I went to a local sporting goods place and picked up those trunks for progress pics and tanning purposes. They are a really cheap pair of classic cut which was the only style they had. My wife picked out the color. She thinks I look good in blue . I really did not care based upon what they were going to be used for. They are probably a little small, too. I think the next pair I get will be the next size up and see if I like that better.

I will get my trunks well in advance to make sure they fit the way I want. The style I want is a little higher cut that the classics. I noticed that a lot of the guys at the last competition I attended saved the colored trunks for the evening show.

Been following along. Looking incredibly lean! Hard to believe you have further to go.

I have not been able to add anything constructive to the posing discussion....but just wanted to shout out my support! Great job!

I am pretty lean right now, but I still have about 5mm of fat in my quads and glutes, and about 4mm of fat on my abs. It is between 1.9mm and 3.8mm everywhere else. I am going to keep it at these levels for the next 5 months while I am making this last ditched effort to shape and add some final size. Between the positive calories, the melatonin, GABA, and DAA, I have plenty of support working on my hormone levels right now, so I feel like I am in a really good place to make this run.

After that, I will give myself 10 weeks to totally shred it up. I think I will only need 8.

Same comments from me re. posing ^^ 'cause I really don't know squat about it (pun intended )

Sunday must be "Leg Day"; mine should be talking to me tomorrow on the stairs at school.

I have always liked doing a 4 day split, and Sunday has always been my leg day. It really seems to fit well there for me. Now that I am doing a secondary leg workout on Thursday, it allows me the most rest between sessions.

[HoustonTXMuscle]

Steve, Not a lot to add....even if I did it would be redundant...practice, practice, practice. Brian, MHL and Vytis are giving you excellent tips. Also agree with you regard the spiders; feel they're making a great improvement in my bi's.

[wedjim]

Work outs look strong, as has become expected. The posing help looks to be something far more involved then I would have imagined. It's amazing how much there is to know once you realize you DON"T know it.

Looking forward to those pics and seeing this posing work progress along to contest time.