You looked great man, really impressive considering you did this all on your own basically, with just some helpful tips along the way.
I don’t know if I missed it, but what kind of routine did you use? Did you change it during the cut at all?
My bulking progress so far. 35 days after competing in Physique, I’ve gained 10 lbs back, due to added calories of course, but also my body just trying to get back to normal. I plan to compete again sometime in the fall or end summer, this time in bodybuilding. So I’d like to be somewhat bigger. Just to update my past prep, I started at 182 lbs and went down to about 166.
I am currently at 176 today and thinking to get to about 185-190 before starting a leaning phase. But I hope to start leaner than last time if possible, so the weight really doesn’t matter. I haven’t been counting calories or macros this last month just to give myself a break from all that. I’m thinking I may keep trying to gain for another month or two, but I really don’t know yet.
Feel free to critique and give any feedback on what muscles I should focus on. Pardon the terrible posing, I have absolutely no experience in posing for bodybuilding…yet.
Another thing, should I keep this thread, or start a new one for my next prep?
Keep this thread for now, everyone knows this one.
You looked great man, BBing is obviously where you belong. I think you found out what many find out… They dont want to jump in with the “big boys” in BBing but find Mens Physique doesnt really know what it is yet, what constitutes a winning physique… And often find they are too-this or too-that for Physique and should have just done BBing from the get go.
You’re gonna just get better form here, you have a great future.
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Keep this thread for now, everyone knows this one.
You looked great man, BBing is obviously where you belong. I think you found out what many find out… They dont want to jump in with the “big boys” in BBing but find Mens Physique doesnt really know what it is yet, what constitutes a winning physique… And often find they are too-this or too-that for Physique and should have just done BBing from the get go.
You’re gonna just get better form here, you have a great future.[/quote]
Thanks Lonnie. Those were my thoughts exactly when deciding to compete. Then at the competition I kept comparing myself to guys in bodybuilding and thinking I had a real shot. I appreciate the support. I’m 36 now so I don’t know how long I will go at it, but want to at least give it a shot in bodybuilding.
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
Legs are super vascular. Looks like you are progressing well.[/quote]
Thanks Tim. I’m trying to gain some lean mass and strength before cutting again.
[quote]Koing wrote:
Really vascular legs!
Koing[/quote]
Thanks Koing!
[quote]yodaddy wrote:
Then at the competition I kept comparing myself to guys in bodybuilding and thinking I had a real shot. I appreciate the support. I’m 36 now so I don’t know how long I will go at it, but want to at least give it a shot in bodybuilding. [/quote]
Chances are you would have done very well had you just jumped into BBing. Of course you’ll never know if you don’t just go for it, so age be damned! I didn’t get onstage until my mid 30’s, and my rationalization was that even though it seemed a little ‘late’ (relative to some guys of course), if I didn’t take that step, I’d forever be wondering how I would have done.
Of course the real advantage of you’re being so… ‘seasoned’ (lol) is that I’m willing to bet that you’re quite a bit more disciplined than you may have been in your 20’s. This is something that I readily admit about my own situation as well.
Now stop ruminating and just do it! Look at the experienced folks on here who’ve totally got your back 
S
Props on staying tight after competing, you’ve definitely put yourself in a great spot to hit a late fall show in bb’ing if you so desire :). Great physique
[quote]lemony2j wrote:
[quote]yodaddy wrote:
tricep[/quote]
FREAKY triceps man! (In a good way of course ;)[/quote]
Yeah man. There are a couple veins that sort of underline them, like “Look at these things! LOOK AT THEM!” ha
You’re doing awesome man
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I didn’t get onstage until my LATE 30’s
S[/quote]
Fixed that for you, Stu 
Thanks for the support guys. I’ve added 10 lbs back so far and just ordered my Creatine. I plan to bulk a little until about mid July and compete November 1st, possibly add another show a month earlier if I feel ready. I want to start at a higher base in calories this time when I start cutting, so trying to raise them as much as I can get away with during the next month, without adding too much fat, I’ll play it by ear.
Just a quick update: I’m almost up to my normal weight at 180. I competed in Physique at 166 in April. I am aiming to compete again on November 1st for INBF, but this time in bodybuilding(will be my first time). I would like to gain a little more size for this category so would like to top off at 185, but I need to start my prep pretty soon here…I’m aiming in the next 2 to 3 weeks. I’ve been at about 3000 calories the last month and just raised to 3200. This time I would like to start with a higher base to keep more size and muscle. I’ll post a pic soon.
I do have a question for anyone that would like to chime in. I upped my weight training to 5 days a week since I’m now consuming more calories. Does anyone recommend upping it to 6 days now…that I’m at the higher end of weight and calories or should I add another day as I start dropping my calories…so that the carbs consumed will be used more for recovery?
I’ve seen some preps where they add another day of training as they get deeper into the prep, while consuming less calories and carbs. I’ve even seen two a days get added towards the end of the prep. I’m not sure if there is enough recovery though, as they are consuming less calories. However, I can see where adding another day of weight training can be more beneficial than adding cardio.
Or the opposite would be maximizing my weight training right now(total hours training), when I’m consuming more calories and tapering down as my calories and carbs decrease.
Any thoughts on this?
Some people like to scale back their training volume and frequency, feeling that too much will affect their recovery during a caloric deficit. Others prefer to include more training, usually allowing for a greater nutrient intake,… just so long as you’re volume each session isn’t so crazy that you;re running yourself down.
I personally always liked training a lot, with lesser volume days for smaller bodyparts or just cardio sessions. Always something though, I just felt good that way, and usually kept a fairly good amount of food overall compared to some other competitors I chat with.
S
Thanks Stu. This helps. I think I may add more training later but keep the volume in check. I’d rather weight train than cut down more calories or add cardio.
Rear bicep
