2.5 weeks out of first physique show

[MuhammadAliK]

Hey guys!
I'm 2.5 weeks out now, although I'm feeling great and feel like I look really different from what I did I still somewhat feel I should've been leaner at this stage. Should I increase my cardio and drop my cals further? Any changes to my diet that you would suggest? I'm currently running 180 protein, 100 carbs and 30 fats, around 1450 cals.
I weigh 124.3lbs and I'm 5'7.
Thank you

imgur.com/3pRCjDJ
imgur.com/wSEoGJW

[Sjallday]

Hey guys!
I'm 2.5 weeks out now, although I'm feeling great and feel like I look really different from what I did I still somewhat feel I should've been leaner at this stage. Should I increase my cardio and drop my cals further? Any changes to my diet that you would suggest? I'm currently running 180 protein, 100 carbs and 30 fats, around 1450 cals.
I weigh 124.3lbs and I'm 5'7.
Thank you

imgur.com/3pRCjDJ
imgur.com/wSEoGJW

Maybe up your cardio a bit man. Whenever I cut carbs, getting through the day becomes more than a chore. You look pretty darn lean alreafy though. Once you drop water I think you'll be in good shape.

[smokinal]

You're in the home stretch man; don't change too much now.
Do you have a peak week protocol chosen yet?
As SJ said, once you drop water in the last 2 days before show day, you'll look leaner.

[MuhammadAliK]

You're in the home stretch man; don't change too much now.
Do you have a peak week protocol chosen yet?
As SJ said, once you drop water in the last 2 days before show day, you'll look leaner.

I just dropped my cals by 100 cals more and dropped my carbs to around 90g carbs.
And as I don't have a coach for my first comp and I'm doing this all based on my knowledge, what I've thought to do is to carb deplete for 3 days, 5 days out of the show. Then carb up the last 2 days and also cut water the last day and increase sodium so my muscles can absorb the carbs better. Also introduce vegetables like asparagus to flush out the excess water. does that sound good to you? Any suggestions I would appreciate them.

[smokinal]

I have followed a few different protocols and the one I used last, I liked the best; by Rob Riches.
Very similar to what you described but I increase sodium 2 weeks out until Wed before the show, then drop sodium. Keeping water intake high as well untill Thursday before show day; then taper thurs and fri.
Start carb up on Wed slowly; then increase carbs thurs and fri.
Carb depleting workouts Sun, Tues and Thurs morning; then no workout Fri. No cardio during peak week at all.
And I don't take in any veggies at all during peak week as they tend to bloat me.

[MuhammadAliK]

I have followed a few different protocols and the one I used last, I liked the best; by Rob Riches.
Very similar to what you described but I increase sodium 2 weeks out until Wed before the show, then drop sodium. Keeping water intake high as well untill Thursday before show day; then taper thurs and fri.
Start carb up on Wed slowly; then increase carbs thurs and fri.
Carb depleting workouts Sun, Tues and Thurs morning; then no workout Fri. No cardio during peak week at all.
And I don't take in any veggies at all during peak week as they tend to bloat me.

Thanks for your input. That approach is pretty similar to what I plan on doing, could you explain to me what's the concept behind sodium loading for 2 weeks and dropping it the night before? And how would that differ from an approach like mine where I keep my sodium pretty constant leading up and bump it up a lot on the night before the show while bumping the carbs up along side with it, kind of like a dry carb load with minimal water. Also I plan of having no vegetables other than asparagus as I've heard it's an amazing dieuritic, would you suggest that or to avoid any vegetables at all? Also for someone like me who's carbs throughout the prep have been mostly around 150grams, a good carb up protocol would be around 400-500g carbs? Or less than that? And do I eat over maintenance on these high carb days or do I still stay in the deficit?

[smokinal]

The sodium will make you retain water. So when you cut it on Tues, then start carbing on wed, it acts like a cascading effect and helps pull more water from your system. Carbs use water to metabolize so the combination of the two seemed to work for me. I have also tried drinking salt water and Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin about 2 hrs before going on stage to help with vacularity and the ability to get a good pump.

This is all a little risky so I hate to give this advice and screw up your peak week! There are a lot of guys, like Layne Norton, who suggest leaving most everything the same. You look good and lean already so this approach may not be a bad idea.

As far as veggies, they bother me but may not bother you; so if you don't feel bloated with asparagus, I'd say it's ok. a lot of people say its a non-bloating food and can help pull water.

Yes, ~400 carbs should be fine. And I go to just above maint so I make sure I'm getting a good fill of glycogen during those last 2-3 days. I usually come in pretty lean already and my thought is that I will not gain much fat, if any, in 2 days of a very slight surplus.

I'd say you are right on with your plan.
I would stop all cardio during peak week
If you like sweet potatoes, those area good carb up food. I mash them with brown sugar and maple syrup; very good!
Do your carb depleting workouts at the start of the week; then a small, full upper body thursday morning, then nothing on friday to let your body get good and full. Practicing posing can help fill you out on carbs too on Friday. Practice 2-4 times during the day if you can.

And, of course, there are a lot of good articles out there, by more knowledgeable guys than me so be sure to read some and pick the route that fits you best.
Good luck man and keep us posted!

[WolfBeast]

You look great! You have enough time to drop that last little bit. Once peak week rolls around and you cut water you will look a lot sharper

[MuhammadAliK]

The sodium will make you retain water. So when you cut it on Tues, then start carbing on wed, it acts like a cascading effect and helps pull more water from your system. Carbs use water to metabolize so the combination of the two seemed to work for me. I have also tried drinking salt water and Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin about 2 hrs before going on stage to help with vacularity and the ability to get a good pump.

This is all a little risky so I hate to give this advice and screw up your peak week! There are a lot of guys, like Layne Norton, who suggest leaving most everything the same. You look good and lean already so this approach may not be a bad idea.

As far as veggies, they bother me but may not bother you; so if you don't feel bloated with asparagus, I'd say it's ok. a lot of people say its a non-bloating food and can help pull water.

Yes, ~400 carbs should be fine. And I go to just above maint so I make sure I'm getting a good fill of glycogen during those last 2-3 days. I usually come in pretty lean already and my thought is that I will not gain much fat, if any, in 2 days of a very slight surplus.

I'd say you are right on with your plan.
I would stop all cardio during peak week
If you like sweet potatoes, those area good carb up food. I mash them with brown sugar and maple syrup; very good!
Do your carb depleting workouts at the start of the week; then a small, full upper body thursday morning, then nothing on friday to let your body get good and full. Practicing posing can help fill you out on carbs too on Friday. Practice 2-4 times during the day if you can.

And, of course, there are a lot of good articles out there, by more knowledgeable guys than me so be sure to read some and pick the route that fits you best.
Good luck man and keep us posted!

Hi.
Just a quick update and question. Thanks for your response I read through it and tried my best to understand your approach as you have a lot of experience under your belt. Here's what I've decided with my current peek week protocol, although I'm unsure of a couple of things which I'll get to at the end. The start of peak week I'll drop my carbs to almost 0 for Monday, tuesday and Wednesday and do depletion workouts alongside bumping up the water to around 2-3 gallons, kind of a water load during these 3 days. Thursday, I'll introduce carbs back into my diet at 1g/ carb per pound of body weight and lower my water intake to around 1 gallon. On Friday I'll up my carbs to around 2g/ carb per pound of body weight and start to cut out water completely. The sodium I'm going to keep at around 2300mg which is the normal amount for me, all but leading up to Friday where I'll bump it up to around 5-6kmg, and on the day of have heavy salted meals.
Your outlook on my protocol would be highly appreciated and again I'm just confused with the sodium protocol. I don't want to do something too sarcastic like cutting it out and loading it. Do you think my sodium protocol will be good enough or? And also I plan on drink around 40ml of red wine 30
Mins before hitting the stage. Do you have any experience with that?
Also because it's going to be my first time ever cutting out carbs completely, do you have any meal suggestions other than eggs and chicken?
Thank you so much !

[deltpecx]

First off you look great.
Props to you for self prepping.
I do that also no coach except for posing.

Don't over think this it is your first show....have fun!

Just my 2 cents;
This is your first show so use this as a learning experience as to how your body reacts to your peak week protocol. Make a plan and stick with it. Don't go changing things if what's been working has been working keep to it.



I don't do any crazy Peak Week changes as in water cutting.
I often wonder if the cutting water drastically during peak week is a good idea, since it is needed to transport the carbs/glycogen..for muscle fullness... into the muscles. Also the body will move water to wherever it is needed regardless what we do. So I doubt you can spot cut water.


Now for the really important question;

How's your posing?

[smokinal]

Deltpecx hit on some good points; one being not to change too much. If you look good now, which you do, keep it simple.
Your carb approach sounds good; water does as well although I'd be careful dropping too much water. Just taper off during the day to end drinking by 5pm; then just sip as needed through the night and following show day. I've had good luck drinking salt water 2 hrs before stage time.

And as he hinted, how's you posing? This is where guys either shine or fall.
Remember, the judges don't get to see you in the gym all pumped, can't see you in the locker room taking selfies; they only get one first impression and 2 minutes to check you out. So keep abs tight the whole time you're on stage; practice posing so you look the best, then learn to hit the same pose without a mirror.

[deltpecx]

Deltpecx hit on some good points; one being not to change too much. If you look good now, which you do, keep it simple.
Your carb approach sounds good; water does as well although I'd be careful dropping too much water. Just taper off during the day to end drinking by 5pm; then just sip as needed through the night and following show day. I've had good luck drinking salt water 2 hrs before stage time.

And as he hinted, how's you posing? This is where guys either shine or fall.
Remember, the judges don't get to see you in the gym all pumped, can't see you in the locker room taking selfies; they only get one first impression and 2 minutes to check you out. So keep abs tight the whole time you're on stage; practice posing so you look the best, then learn to hit the same pose without a mirror.

Thanks!

BTW: I didn't hint about posing I asked flat out.

IMO; one of the mistakes MP competitors make is thinking the posing is easy and wait to long to start posing practice.

One of the biggest stage mistakes I see is having the leg nearest the judges the forward leg. It makes the competitor look narrow..

A higher placing can be had with good proper posing.

Can you post a video of your posing?

[MuhammadAliK]

Thanks!

BTW: I didn't hint about posing I asked flat out.

IMO; one of the mistakes MP competitors make is thinking the posing is easy and wait to long to start posing practice.

One of the biggest stage mistakes I see is having the leg nearest the judges the forward leg. It makes the competitor look narrow..

A higher placing can be had with good proper posing.

Can you post a video of your posing?

Again guys, thanks for your input. It helps a ton specially as it's my first comp and I'm trying my best without a coach.
I'm currently 122.8lbs and here is a posing video I filmed for you guys.
Any comments / critiques would be appreciated. Please let me know.

youtu.be/AFN7f1kpnok

[deltpecx]

Again guys, thanks for your input. It helps a ton specially as it's my first comp and I'm trying my best without a coach.
I'm currently 122.8lbs and here is a posing video I filmed for you guys.
Any comments / critiques would be appreciated. Please let me know.

youtu.be/AFN7f1kpnok

Can't access it.

How tall are you at 122.8?

[MuhammadAliK]

Can't access it.

How tall are you at 122.8?

youtu.be/AFN7f1kpnok

Can you access it now? I made it public.
And I'm 170cm

[deltpecx]

youtu.be/AFN7f1kpnok

Can you access it now? I made it public.
And I'm 170cm

put AFN7f1kpnok between [ ] [ ]put youtube in the first bracket and /youtube in the second.

[MuhammadAliK]

put AFN7f1kpnok between [ ] [ ]put youtube in the first bracket and /youtube in the second.

[deltpecx]

For Men's Physique you have a front pose and back pose. For your front pose don't face full on to the judges. It makes you look off due to you hips @:04.
If you make it like @:09. So when you come on stage hit the front pose like that.@:09 it makes you waist look narrower and it looks more aesthetic.
Also @ :09 twist your shoulders toward the judges it will make you look wider up top. These two will give your physique a nice flow.

When you come back around from the back pose you're not keeping yourself BIG. Chest high lats wide, abs flexed. You also let your abs relax before transitioning to the rear pose.


Keep you chest big inhaling a deep breath will help with that. Keep you lats wide at all times and only relax you abs when facing away from the judges.

Hope that helps.


More tomorrow.

[deltpecx]

BTW: your posing is pretty good.

[MuhammadAliK]

For Men's Physique you have a front pose and back pose. For your front pose don't face full on to the judges. It makes you look off due to you hips @:04.
If you make it like @:09. So when you come on stage hit the front pose like that.@:09 it makes you waist look narrower and it looks more aesthetic.
Also @ :09 twist your shoulders toward the judges it will make you look wider up top. These two will give your physique a nice flow.

When you come back around from the back pose you're not keeping yourself BIG. Chest high lats wide, abs flexed. You also let your abs relax before transitioning to the rear pose.


Keep you chest big inhaling a deep breath will help with that. Keep you lats wide at all times and only relax you abs when facing away from the judges.

Hope that helps.


More tomorrow.

Thank you so much for your advise! And don't we have to do quarter turns in men's physique? Hence why I was hitting the side shots. And yes I'll make sure to keep my abs tight at all times, also I'm confused whether for the front pose, do I hit it straight on or tilt my body a little sideways. Some people have recommended me to hit it straight on as I've a small waist around 26.5 inches and they said I should captilize on that since not everyone has such a small waist ! And thank you again

[deltpecx]

Thank you so much for your advise! And don't we have to do quarter turns in men's physique? Hence why I was hitting the side shots. And yes I'll make sure to keep my abs tight at all times, also I'm confused whether for the front pose, do I hit it straight on or tilt my body a little sideways. Some people have recommended me to hit it straight on as I've a small waist around 26.5 inches and they said I should captilize on that since not everyone has such a small waist ! And thank you again

I compete in the NPC and that organization got rid of quarter turns. If the federation you're competing in has them then your quarter then in the video is good. If you are required to do quarter turns then set your front pose as I describe below.

Some guys look good with the straight on front pose. In the video your hips look wider than your abs in the straight forward pose.

I don't I have a narrow waist so I have to make my waist look narrower

Here's how I enter the stage and would set my front pose:

When I get to where I will be standing I position my navel at 45 degrees off facing the judges straight on. I then twist my shoulders/chest towards the judges. This shows my whole front but gives me the illusion of a narrow waist.

So basically from your quarter turn you would twist your hips slightly towards the judges. This will bring your abs around into better view.

With posing you want to hide your weak points and highlight your strong points.


Now regarding foot placement.
When you set your pose make sure you put the leg that is on the judges side of your body back behind you. Put the leg that is on the curtain side of your body out in front off you.
This will open your physique up and you will appear wider and have a better flow or aesthetic look.



What federation is putting on the show?

[smokinal]

You will also want to find out which side of the stage you will be entering from. They usually tell you this weeks before the show so you can practice your T walk from a certain side.

[deltpecx]

You will also want to find out which side of the stage you will be entering from. They usually tell you this weeks before the show so you can practice your T walk from a certain side.

Good point!

[deltpecx]

Practice posing barefooted.
This way you can practice pivoting on one foot for the transition to the rear pose.

[MuhammadAliK]

I compete in the NPC and that organization got rid of quarter turns. If the federation you're competing in has them then your quarter then in the video is good. If you are required to do quarter turns then set your front pose as I describe below.

Some guys look good with the straight on front pose. In the video your hips look wider than your abs in the straight forward pose.

I don't I have a narrow waist so I have to make my waist look narrower

Here's how I enter the stage and would set my front pose:

When I get to where I will be standing I position my navel at 45 degrees off facing the judges straight on. I then twist my shoulders/chest towards the judges. This shows my whole front but gives me the illusion of a narrow waist.

So basically from your quarter turn you would twist your hips slightly towards the judges. This will bring your abs around into better view.

With posing you want to hide your weak points and highlight your strong points.


Now regarding foot placement.
When you set your pose make sure you put the leg that is on the judges side of your body back behind you. Put the leg that is on the curtain side of your body out in front off you.
This will open your physique up and you will appear wider and have a better flow or aesthetic look.



What federation is putting on the show?

I'll keep all those points in mind! Thank you
It's the MABBA, under CBBF.

[MuhammadAliK]

Also, I'm one week out now. All throughout this prep I've had a little amount of dairy in my diet but I plan on cutting it all out from today as it's my peak week. I was wondering if I could have almond milk instead of regular milk? Or should I avoid milk whether it's almond or not?
Any input would be appreciated

[LoganBrown]

Thanks!

BTW: I didn't hint about posing I asked flat out.

IMO; one of the mistakes MP competitors make is thinking the posing is easy and wait to long to start posing practice.

One of the biggest stage mistakes I see is having the leg nearest the judges the forward leg. It makes the competitor look narrow..

A higher placing can be had with good proper posing.

Can you post a video of your posing?

This is a great point, I thought posing would be easy for my first show so I only practiced 1 week beforehand. I got on stage and was starting to shake from keeping my abs flexed the whole time. The caused me to start sweating and look uncomfortable which took away from my stage presence. Posing, posing, posing man. Nail it

[deltpecx]

Also, I'm one week out now. All throughout this prep I've had a little amount of dairy in my diet but I plan on cutting it all out from today as it's my peak week. I was wondering if I could have almond milk instead of regular milk? Or should I avoid milk whether it's almond or not?
Any input would be appreciated

I don't drink milk anymore. I only use a bit of half and half in my coffee.

[deltpecx]

This is a great point, I thought posing would be easy for my first show so I only practiced 1 week beforehand. I got on stage and was starting to shake from keeping my abs flexed the whole time. The caused me to start sweating and look uncomfortable which took away from my stage presence. Posing, posing, posing man. Nail it

Thanks!

I thought the same thing. I had competed in Masters Bodybuilding before I stated with MP.
I thought "This looks easy. How difficult can it be just turn around?" Man ,was I wrong.

Yeah I look at posing as part of the whole package.
If I spend hours training and on my diet. Posing should be given as much attention also.
One of training partners plans to compete in about 10 months.
We had his first posing practice today. Nothing huge just a run through. We got work to do.

[MuhammadAliK]

Hey guys!
Quick question. I'm 5 days out and I started my carb depletion and water loading today. My question is, is it normal to feel bloated when water loading? Because I've been feeling really bloated and it's making me nervous.