Thinking about competing. Definitely WANT to get into contest shape. Need the help

[dannyisgonnacut]

I have a great base which I think I can compete in if I dial it in at 6% in the teen division, Im 18.
Pics are found at the link below and the attachment.
I've lost 8 inches so far, and gone from 225 to 208 on a ckd following the training guidelines from my website and c-k-d.com. No muscle loss. But, I really need to get into contest shape in the next 10 weeks max. That is, with your help
Ill do it by any natural means.

Train three times a day? Fine. Train at midnight then.
I want to get into competition shape, and I want to do it in 8-10 weeks.
Do you guys think it's possible?
I'm an extremely motivated trainer and work very hard.
I just need to clean up the mess from my bulk.

What do you suggest on the cardio then? Lower it to 60mins 170bpm (I like this I feel I train good at this rate and it works my cardiovascular system too yet I can maintain it forever (running))
5x a week instead of 6x?

I also incorporate 2 x a week 60 mins of swimming (of the total 6x of cardio).

This is my split, to make it clear

5x a week training (weights)
6x a week cardio 60mins (2x of these swimming)
CKD Diet all throughout plenty of protein (1g per pound, 1g fat per pound, 20g or less of carbs plenty veggies, multis etc.)

All can be found here
http://dansliftingpage.tripod.com/

Complete Week 13 Pics, page 2 of this thread
http://www.c-k-d.com/forums/viewtop...65&start=30

Thanks for your support. I want to dial in 6% thats my goal guys help me out!! I've lost 8 inches so far so its working, and lost no muscle. Ive just heard however the leaner you get the more muscle you lose and i have plenty of it and i dont wanna lose it.

So
1) Is it realistic (6%)
2) What can I do about the cardio?
3) What can I do to maximize bodyfat without ECAs or any herbal stimulant garbage? I do not take anything like that other than necessary (i got paranoia and jitters).
4) Motivation?

Thanks!!

[dannyisgonnacut]

Another pic

[dannyisgonnacut]

Front flexed

[dannyisgonnacut]

lats

[dannyisgonnacut]

Again, if not possible (10 weeks or 8) then tell me a good time span. I need and am going to get there, its just a matter of how fast.

Help out a bro in need!
Thanks!!
Daniel

[Aitaronz]

I haven't competed yet (hoping to do my first comp in 13 weeks! ) but here's my opinion, for what it's worth...

If you're 10 weeks out from a comp, and only just thinking about doing it now, I'd suggest you possibly aren't ready quite yet.

To be brutally honest, I would say that at this stage, you're not yet lean enough if you've only got 10 weeks to go.

My advice? See what you can do in 10 weeks to get yourself competition-ready - this will help you know how long to allow next time around. Go and see the comp you were thinking of competing in, and take note of the contestants' conditioning, how they pose, what type of music they use, etc. If you can, get yourself backstage to see what goes on there too.

Sorry - I know how disappointing that kind of advice is, but it's my honest opinion.

[EME]

Daniel,

Let me first say that I want to encourage anyone who is training, and especially those who want to compete.

Bodybuilding training for competition is tough, but I believe anyone can eventually do it if they have the desire and dedication.

Looking at your pictures, I just don't think there is anyway possible for you to get into the kind of shape that you would want to be in, in order to compete, in 10 weeks.

What weight class do you want to compete in?

I'm sure that if you are dedicated enough, you'll eventually be able to get on stage in competition condition, but you won't look the way you want to look in 8-10 weeks.

In order to get a good idea of how long it will take you to get contest ready, you'll first need to get your bodyfat down to the mid-teens and see what you are weighing.

Every competitor is different, and there are exceptions to every rule, but most competitive bodybuilders try to stay between 10-15% bodyfat max in the offseason then take anywhere from 12-16 weeks to get from 10-15% down to 4-5% for their competition.

Based on your back picture, your bodyfat is considerably higher than 15% now. - Trust me bro - I'm not discouraging you, just trying to be totally honest so you can make a plan that will eventually get you to where you need to be.

If you truly want to compete, I'd come up with a two stage plan:

Stage 1: Train to get down to 12-15% bodyfat. At this bodyfat %, see what your weight is and try to make a realistic determination what weight you would need to be to compete.

Stage 2: Pre-Contest training to get from 12-15% down to 4-6% in order to get on stage.

Honestly, each of these phases will probably take about 12-16 weeks. You might make faster progress, but you don't want to lose weight so quickly that you lose a lot of muscle.

Make a plan for the long haul that will eventually get you where you want to be, and you'll be happy with the results.

Let me know if I can be of further help.

- EME

[dannyisgonnacut]

Hey guys thanks a lot really apreciate your words.
I got my bodyfat tested with mulitple site caliper measurment at the gym (profesionally). I know its not as good as underwater, but it's good enough. Im 19.1%.

Ill take your advice serious EME. Im already on stage 1, will get to stage 2 sooner than 12 weeks surely.
I have until June 10th. If not competition shape, I want to dial in 6%. Then, over vacation, I would perfect my competion shape and polish the physique into an acceptable and winning one for stage.

But 6% in 12 weeks. Im 208lbs, 19%bf.
I have 168.48 lbs LBM. 6% would put me at 178lbs.


Id need to lose 3lbs a week. Is this possible?
Ill do cardio twice a day if needed. Please advice.

[sweetbecky]

You said that you don't want to lose muscle, or at least minimize muscle loss as much as possible. That is why competitors take so long to prepare for contests... to lose the fat slowly to retain as much muscle as possible. I haven't competed yet either, but I will be taking about 20 weeks to prepare for my first contest.

My suggestion would be to go to the pictures forum and view the pics posted of competitors 12-10 weeks out, then 8 and 6. You may need to do search. Of course, everyone is different, and it could take you longer or less time, but I would hate to see you sacrifice muscle.

[dannyisgonnacut]

I have a natural ability to retain it for a reason I don't understand. See, I can go on a cereal diet (ive done it) and not lose muscle, while still losing weight. Special K challenge. This is when I had never even picked up a weight. It was basically replace two meals with a special k bowl, and the other meal eat protein. I didnt lose muscle, although i felt like absolute **** and pulled it off for 2 weeks.
I feel great on ckd and havent lost in fact ive gained (in strength not size). I rarely lose muscle...or at least i havent seen my body do it. In 13 weeks of dieting, I haven't lost an ounce. Ive dieted before, and I never lost either. That was on a 403030, but then again i started much leaner.

Is 3 lbs a week feasible??

[dannyisgonnacut]

got more pics, if it would help to assess some things
http://www.c-k-d.com/forums/files/mvc-093f.jpg
http://www.c-k-d.com/forums/files/mvc-094f.jpg
http://www.c-k-d.com/forums/files/mvc-099f.jpg
http://www.c-k-d.com/forums/files/mvc-100f.jpg

Sorry for the wart remover, but if you notice in the last pic, it's my brother's bedroom (toy's in the background). Poor guy has an infection, that's all. Anyway, back to the question, is it possible??

[EME]

Daniel,

3 pounds per week is feasible, but when you have to lose that much weight to meet your goal, you WILL lose muscle.

You can design your diet and training plan to minimize muscle loss, but the reality is you are going to lose some muscle whenever you put your body in a catabolic state for that long.

So, what that means is that you probably won't actually reach 6% at 178 lbs. In reality you will probably have to be somewhere in the 160's to reach 6%.

Under the best conditions, you can probably expect 80%-90% of your weight loss to be fat. Under less than ideal conditions, it could be closer to 60%. It's much easier to keep your weight loss to fat only when your plan is designed for you to lose the weight very slowly. ~ 1 pound per week.

When you have to lose more than about 1 pound per week, you can do it, but you will sacrifice some muscle in the process.

The only way to determine how much muscle you lose during a competition diet is to have accurate bodyfat measurements before you begin dieting and then accurately measure again when you reach your target weight. By comaparing the amount of actual bodyfat you lost to your total weight loss, you will get an idea of how much muscle you also lost.

- EME

Originally posted by dannyisgonnacut
I have a natural ability to retain it for a reason I don't understand. See, I can go on a cereal diet (ive done it) and not lose muscle, while still losing weight. Special K challenge. This is when I had never even picked up a weight. It was basically replace two meals with a special k bowl, and the other meal eat protein. I didnt lose muscle, although i felt like absolute **** and pulled it off for 2 weeks.
I feel great on ckd and havent lost in fact ive gained (in strength not size). I rarely lose muscle...or at least i havent seen my body do it. In 13 weeks of dieting, I haven't lost an ounce. Ive dieted before, and I never lost either. That was on a 403030, but then again i started much leaner.

Is 3 lbs a week feasible??

[dannyisgonnacut]

Not too pleased to hear that, but oh well, id rather keep the muscle!!

So EME< what do you suggest, in the way of cardio, to MAXIMIZE fat loss while on a ckd? High protein high fat neglible carbs, carbup 24 hours high gi first 12 hours and later 12 hours of low gi.

What do you think is optimal, the MOST I can do - at least safely, to prevent muscle loss.
In your opinion of course.

Alright, thanks!!

[jcebedo1]

last year i was at about the same condition as you are. around 19 % bodyfat. different body type though. I am 5'3 and weighed 170. I tried to cut, it is very hard to do it quickly. The beginning weeks were quite easy but those final weeks, the body seems to plataeu. I am now at 154 pounds around 13 percent bodyfat and that is almost 1 year. I think it will still take me a year or two of training to get to contest shape at 135. What I noticed when you are leaner, you will see all of your weaknesses, for me, i can now see that my back isn't wide enough.

[dannyisgonnacut]

And how was your diet and training split including cardio like?
Also, can anyone answer the question please, eager to know! ?

1 year to 13%...sounds a bit slow...

[jcebedo1]

during my cutting phase, I trained 3 times per week. I always try to train hardcore while in the gym though. I never did cardio up until a few months ago. most of the fat loss was due to the diet. It was low carbs until i felt that my metabolism was slowing down then i increase, then go down again and repeat. meal frequency was about 3 to 4 hours.

about the 13% body fat, it probably is a bit lower. my body is crazy that it holds too much water compared to other people, that I think it is more water than fat.


I am 5 foot 3, and weight 154.

my max bench is 255 x 2
max squat is 315 x 4, 345 x 1
max deadlift 315 x 7, 365 x 1

[dannyisgonnacut]

Hey cool lifts for your weight!
Anyway I've been incorporating some HIIT lately, and feel that I get a good workout. However, I feel I could do more.
Can I keep it up for 30 minutes(instead of recommended 20) or is it catabolic? Will it lead to more results??

What do you think?

[stevecc]

dannyisgonnacut,

I admire your passion. Only a few bodybuilders have the guts to diet down to low body fat levels, much more a competition. Here are my pieces of advice:

1. If this is your first time to do a competition-style preparation, it will be very difficult. You will be experimenting a lot of factors and most will be variable.

2. Doing it hastily is one of the worst things one can do. As a natural bodybuilder, it will be very difficult to preserve all your muscle mass while stripping off body fat. So, the best thing you can do is lay out your plan, weigh/measure your food/supplements, fix your training routine, and take note of your progress weekly and carefully. The longer your preparation and the slower the weightloss, the more you'll retain muscle and you'll almost ascertain that all of the weight loss is fat.

3. It is realistic to go down to 4-6% body fat. Don't believe people bull****ting that some people are genetically cursed to be lean. Everyone can do it. The only thing different is that, some people can do it faster, and some people are just naturally leaner. Are you an endomorph? Trust me, it can be done.

4. Some people swear by fatburners. For me, it's the diet and cardio, and of course, time. Be patient. Losing fat is a great goal and great things don't come fast.

5. Motivation? You plan to join a competition, right? That will be your motivation - that you will go there ripped. Try to put quotations, sayings, pictures of bodybuilders around your house. I personally put one on the wall in front of my cardio machine. It will boost your confidence. Gradually, dedication will come and sooner or later, you'll find yourself not looking for motivation anymore because you are dedicated.

6. HIIT - I do HIIT and MAX-OT cardio. I do MAX-OT for 16 minutes, and it is more than sufficient. MAX-OT and HIIT are very intense and for me, don't overdo it (by making it 30 mins). Try doing 5 HIIT sessions a week, but sometimes, I need a mental break from them, by doing longer, yet less intense cardio.

7. Nutrient Timing. Read articles on this. Check out Derek Charlebois' workout log. This is a very crucial step to maintaing (and even building) muscle while cutting.

8. Good luck.

[liftingchic]

Hey. i think you should spend the next 10 weeks busting your ass. you never know if you can do it unless you try!!


I personally love doing things people say i can't do.. So get your butt in the gym and give it your best shot.



LC

[dannyisgonnacut]

Ehhey blondie glad to hear that..great advice!!
Definitely will strive for it! I have written my goals in my room too.

BTW guys, what do you think of HIIT on a leg day, but say 6 hours post workout??

[liftingchic]

how it going? you still hitting it strong?

[dannyisgonnacut]

sure thing blondie!
Just changed my diet plan and will be performing 5am cardio tomorrow. CONSISTENCY BABY!

[liftingchic]

good job.. i am in the gym at 6 am for cardio so i feel your pain