"Mass"terpiece One Lego At A Time.

[juliacheh]

HEYYY.... yea im sure u look fine!

I look like Jamie Koeppe, completely serious, Muscles under a big layer of fat, curves, aka sexy. I am chilling since I am in Europe till Saturday anyway, but I need to lose 8-9 pounds IMO. I am 13 pounds over my "competition" weight. I kinda failed but not really a disaster since I am getting back on track and know now what my mistakes were. Hopfully when I compete next year I will be a real inspiration to you

Anyway, 20 extra pounds on you look awesome srs. Made aton of progress since 2007. Good that you started to lift young.

[TheNaturalOak]

Thanks for the kind words Julia! & Dont worry, you're alredy a true inspiration to me.

Looks like we'll have to battle for better condition next season :P sad on my part lol

Update: Just maxed out on bench after 3wks of smolov jr. 135x10
225x1
255x1
275x1!!
I lifted my butt on the 275 but it really wasnt bad. Goal is to get 300lbs by the end of 2011

Also morning weight 178lbs

[TheNaturalOak]

Leg work
Leg ext warm up, decided to go for the squats despite my back Just did 3x10 w/ 135 focusing on SLOW NEGs & ATG. Basically to jst help stretch everything out. Felt good, but lower back definitely isnt ready to handle heavy weight.

[red_cat]

Leg work
Leg ext warm up, decided to go for the squats despite my back Just did 3x10 w/ 135 focusing on SLOW NEGs & ATG. Basically to jst help stretch everything out. Felt good, but lower back definitely isnt ready to handle heavy weight.

Best to take it easy, but active in terms of recovery. I have the same kind of issue but *knocks on wood* haven't had a flare up for quite a while. Whenever it DOES flare up, I do a lot of ice/heat and go extremely light in the gym.

Congrats on the Smolov! You'll have 300 before you know it!

[Philip81193]

What was your max bench prior to smolov? Great job!

[TheNaturalOak]

Best to take it easy, but active in terms of recovery. I have the same kind of issue but *knocks on wood* haven't had a flare up for quite a while. Whenever it DOES flare up, I do a lot of ice/heat and go extremely light in the gym.

Congrats on the Smolov! You'll have 300 before you know it!

Yea, I figure aslong as I can get in & not aggrevate it then im doing good Thanks

What was your max bench prior to smolov? Great job!

Wellllll.... I est. my "max" @ 215lbs in the beginner. Im sure I could of gotten 215lbs for a triple though but I wanted to start lighter to make sure I can actually get through the 3wks. After the first week which was really light, I upped everything by 20lbs, and then the third & final week I upped everything by 15lbs except the last 10x3 bench whiched I upped by another 20lbs.
My all time PR is 275x2+1 (spotter) & that was done when I was 200lbs so im jst on the edge of same bench str but still 20lbs lighter

[juliacheh]

Thanks for the kind words Julia! & Dont worry, you're alredy a true inspiration to me.

Looks like we'll have to battle for better condition next season :P sad on my part lol

Update: Just maxed out on bench after 3wks of smolov jr. 135x10
225x1
255x1
275x1!!
I lifted my butt on the 275 but it really wasnt bad. Goal is to get 300lbs by the end of 2011

Also morning weight 178lbs

It's not that I need better conditioning per se (honestly have not seen novices with better conditioning than me, only seasoned competitors, enhanced and pros), but I definitely need better reversing strategy and learn to stop freaking out. Anyway, I am on the diet again LOL. Experience is pricess though.
Great job on the bench

[TheNaturalOak]

It's not that I need better conditioning per se (honestly have not seen novices with better conditioning than me, only seasoned competitors, enhanced and pros), but I definitely need better reversing strategy and learn to stop freaking out. Anyway, I am on the diet again LOL. Experience is pricess though. Great job on the bench

Ah I feel ya.

Yea as time goes on, the need for a mini cut seems like a must. I dont really care about how I look, but the fact that the scale is showing some high numbes, I dont want to stray too far my "contest weight" even though next year I plan on getting even leaner.

But the scale is B.S. ... I'll have an all time high weigh in at night (filled with food ofc) & then wake up 6lbs lighter This morning I woke up at 184lbs!! .... but I feel as if I could drop down to 170 in a matter of 1 week. I'm just goign to up my cardio for now because I'm not really doing any.

[TheNaturalOak]

Hey yall!

Sorry for lack of updates, jst been busy with work & life in general.

I have my 2nd year of community college starting next week. Taking Sports nutrition as a class, stoked to get into some arguments :P

Will be turning 19yrs old next tuesday woop woop

Still fighting the lower back pain... Was able to work up to couple sets of 225lbx5 on squats but decided not to push it any further.

Tomrw I will be trying to deadlift, nothing heavy, but jst get back into that motion/lift.

my last bench session

95x10
135x5
185x5
225x5
225x5
235x5

So definitely keeping progress going there.

Diet
Basically I dont have a set diet. I came to realize that im constantly surrounded by food, so there are no reason for me to have to pack food everywhere I go, I jst use the "eat or pass" method. Maybe not optimal in terms of health but it seems to let me have my treats & I have been steadily hovering around 184lbs

Havnt binged in forever, dont feel the need to with how relaxed I have my diet. Hitting around 2500cals now. I think I have my macros 70/250/200 or somehwere aroudn there.

Mini cut
I will be doing a mini cut for the month of september. I feel that If I cant focus on squats/deadlifts. I might as well keep my weight in check, atleast while my back recovers.

I think I am going to try the I.F. method. I have been reading a lot on it & pretty excited tbh.

cheers

[domingochavez]

Why mini cut this close post contest? Do you think your metabolism is fully recovered yet?

[xKyle10]

Not sure if I stopped in your logs but I read them a while ago, nice job on your first shows, you have a lot of potential. Nice job on the max on bench too, have you tried any other bench or chest specialization type workouts? I might run Smolov Jr in the future, got great results from a similar program called blast your bench.

Hope the back heals up and you can dead/squat soon

[TheNaturalOak]

Why mini cut this close post contest? Do you think your metabolism is fully recovered yet?

It will be the 2month mark

I really have know clue. Before preping I would of said I had a crazy metabolism. But I didnt know the first thing about nutrition or how many calories I was actually eating.

Like I said. im 184lbs which is 24lbs over contest weight & I only made it to like ~8% (not contest lean) a little weight is from creatine but I just feel like a sloppy mess. I dont want to a bulk already this heavy. I also cant put 100% into my training because of my back so theres no point to be eating like a champ. This is also an experiment using IF ... If I like it then I ll start my bulk using the same principes. Which hopfully will yield a better "reverse"

Not sure if I stopped in your logs but I read them a while ago, nice job on your first shows, you have a lot of potential. Nice job on the max on bench too, have you tried any other bench or chest specialization type workouts? I might run Smolov Jr in the future, got great results from a similar program called blast your bench.
Hope the back heals up and you can dead/squat soon

regardless I've seen your posts before

Thanks man, I really plan on being a force in the years to come. Its only just begun in my eyes.

Nope I never ran a bench programm before. I just used a pyramiding technique like 10/8/6 with increasing weights each sts.

Currently running a 5x5 style.

Trying to do light deads 2day, but we'll see.

[TheNaturalOak]

BIRTHDAYS TODAY - NOMNOMNOMNOM

19 years old

[xKyle10]

happy bday mang, although nothing really happens at 19 lol

[juliacheh]

Happy birthday, dude

[red_cat]

Hope you had a good birthday with many noms.

[NattyFLEX]

Happy Birthday bro!

Make sure to post pics of some of the birthday eats

[OoFaP]

Happy birthday brah. Glad to see you are enjoying life post contest.

[juliacheh]

Dude, what have u been up to?

[TheNaturalOak]

Dude, what have u been up to?

Heyy Juju

Just livin life.
In the gym working on strength, getting fat lol.

Im not too bad, about 190lbs atm. I'll probly drop down to 175-180 before the year ends. but for now I still want to get strength up.

Little workout update

Bench
5x5 with 225 (No spotter)

Squats
135x20
185x5
225x5
265x5
285x5
315x2

All ATG

Deadlift
225x5
245x5
265x5
285x5
315x5
(Just did this this week, backs feeling better)

Well thats it for now

[TheNaturalOak]

Just so everyone knows im still alive

Update: Trainings been doing good for the most part, lower back is okay for squats but still easing into deads.
sprained my ankle about two weeks ago playing competitive flag football, didnt keep me outa the gym very long.
(
Sitting at ~190-193lbs for a while now, having trouble with appetite (pathetic I know)
still able to get strength up despite my weight. jst hit 280x3 on flat bench, pulled 375x3 on deads and squating around 315x5 (was b4 ankle sprain)

Next show: Me and my sister are thinking about doing an NANBF Pro Q at the end of May. Nothing is set in stone, but I will most likely start dieting slowly in January.

Couple of nudes
11/22/11



12/24/11



also Merry Christmas everyone

[red_cat]

Quads look massive, bud!! Are you thinking about the NANBF show in Des Moines? I hear it's a pretty good one. If it wasn't so early in the season I'd definitely consider it.

Have a merry whatever you celebrate!

[TheNaturalOak]

Quads look massive, bud!! Are you thinking about the NANBF show in Des Moines? I hear it's a pretty good one. If it wasn't so early in the season I'd definitely consider it.

Have a merry whatever you celebrate!

Thanks brother, Des moines Iowa... nahh

IFPA Pro Galaxy Elite & NANBF Amateur Capital Classic, IFPA Pro Qualifier in Alabama

Hows ur training going? plan on competing it 2012?

[red_cat]

Going well! Feel like I'm gaining some thickness all over and some much-needed width in my delts and upper back. Sitting around 220 with abs still lightly visible and a decent amount of definition in my legs. This is the first full week I've taken off in a looooooooong time so I'm enjoying the extra rest.

Didn't figure it was the Iowa show. Saw a poster for it at my gym and remembered it was at the same time. I'm about 75% sure that I'm doing the NANBF Pro Qualifier up in Kansas City around mid-September (tough show, so we'll see where I am in late April). That gives me a solid 10-11 months of off-season. If I don't do that one, I'll still diet down during the summer months and aim for a show in 2013.

[TheNaturalOak]

hey errbody little update

I am 8wks out

I am planning on doing the OCB SE natural pro Q in Orlando Fl

I have been trimming up my diet for the past month r two and im down to ~180lbs in the morning
this is a little heavier than I expected but I feel kind of looking good through the mirror.
But I do plan on turning it up a notch, 2lbs a wk = 16lbs = 164lbs
I competed last time at 160lbs so hopefully I have gained a couple lbs of muscle and the fact I am on creatine.

I am not going hardcore with this show, it came out of no where but I want to get it in because I wanted to get leaner earlier in the year.
the best news is I have been able to maintain pretty much all my strength so far

previous weeks lifts

275x3 bench
335x5 squat atg
405x3 dl touch n go

again all these at ~180-182lbs

[TheNaturalOak]

This morning I weighed in @ 178lbs
I wanted to put a 2lb limit on myself because after going through my last prep logs, some weeks I was losing up to 5lbs/week

I had a tunnel vision then and even though I knew better I guess I just wasnt aware what I was doing to myself.
we'll see how the rest of the week goes, and if I continue to lose weight, I wont be hesitant to bump up my calories.

also I dont think I noted yet, I have been doing an IF approach for the past month. 16hrs fasted / 8hr eating window.
its not that much different from what my normal eating schedule wld be, it helps me stay on track in the late nights

Heavy Leg Day

Squats
135x15
225x10
275x8
315x5
335x3 (wasnt feeling all that explosive, and didnt feel the need to keep going)
315x5

I'd also like to note that my lower back is still not 100% .... its actual like a constant sting throughout the day but I am partaking in stretching hoping it will help

I also would like to get some pictures up this sat. @ the 7wk out mark

[LoganCL]

PICS LOOK GREAT MAN! Looking solid. FDB is impressive.

[TheNaturalOak]

PICS LOOK GREAT MAN! Looking solid. FDB is impressive.

Thanks man... Ima try and take some today/tomrw

[TheNaturalOak]

Yikes!

alright woke up @ 177.5lbs (avg of 3 weighs)
this is about 2lb loss from last week, I'll be keeping calories the same but doing a refeed tomrw

Strength loss isnt bad at the moment, my lower back is in a wack again but
overall I feel good.

not much cardio is being done, my quads are fairly lean as is, but it will be a fight for glutes.
was door hanging for my gym last month which consisted of 4hrs of walking a day.
now its 2-3days of hiit/miss

Bazzinga.. sorry for poor quality/window light



lmmk m8 ... not as lean as I would like, but pretty sure I look better than last comps

[areya2005]

not as lean as I would like, but pretty sure I look better than last comps

It's all about improving yourself from show to show. If you've done that, you're doing it right!

What do current macros look like?