Front bicep
Still need to work on my posing. I’m shooting for INBF, Texas Shredder on October 25th for my first bodybuilding competition. I’m up to 182 lbs now, from a low of 166 from my Physique contest in April. Was trying to gain as much size as possible but I probably need to start the leaning phase soon…will start in the next 2 weeks.
I realize it’s a short time for any significant gains since my last show. I’ve been trying to get my calories and carbs up to start at a higher base for this prep. I’m at 3300 calories now, 92F, 372C, 248P…I cycle calories and carbs so these are my average daily macros.
Hopefully, I will also start leaner this time so I won’t require as much weight loss…They moved the show sooner so I’m only 12 weeks away at this point. I’m recovering from some knee pain and hamstring pull so will have to catch up on my legs asap. Any suggestions on weak points I need to work on?
Ive just read all this thread from start to finish. Its very inspiring seeing the progress you have made, well done You look great man. I was shocked to read that you are 36, i honestly thought you were in your mid twenties. Keep up the good work.
Just went through a few pages and you’re on the right path. Inspirational as hell, keep it up.
Thanks Big-Geordie and PauloC for reading my thread and chiming in. Means a lot.
[quote]yodaddy wrote:
Thanks Big-Geordie and PauloC for reading my thread and chiming in. Means a lot. [/quote]
Bah, the thanks are for you for sharing with us. This thread is a great read, and watching your progress on cutting for the physique show was fantastic. Looking forward to see how you do in October!
–Me
So I 've been on this diet for about 3 weeks, the weight loss is slower than the last prep in the Spring but maybe it’s a good thing. Now this diet is almost completely different than my first strategy…and I may have started a little late. My calories are higher, my fat way lower and carbs much higher…more of a traditional bodybuilding prep I would say.
These are my macros so far: I have low and high days in calories and carbs but I average everything with My Fitness Pal…it makes things simple for me. My current weight is 178 and averaging 2700 calories, 60 F(20%), 302 C(45%), 235 P(35%)…my Saturdays and Sundays are higher in calories and carbs but these are the averages. My last prep 9 weeks out weighed 174 and averaging 2500 calories, 90 F(34%), 186 C(31%), 204 P(34%). I will say my last prep, I was not consistent with my calories or macros…I was kind of all over the place. I did alot more HIIT training, fasted cardio, even did some intermittent fasting. It’s hard to measure the exact results, but I did get pretty lean, but wondering how much muscle I sacrificed. I am now also including alot more carbs in my peri-workout nutrition. So I am focusing alot more on maintaining muscle but wonder if I will get lean enough, with only 9 weeks out. I also currently do 3 HIIT session a week, 15 minutes each, 5 days of weight training.
I’ll weigh myself again this weekend and post pics for your critique. If it was up to me, I’d be doing HIIT every other day and fasted light cardio the other days. I know it’s not ideal…just feel like I’m not doing enough. I’ll probably drop the calories if the weight loss slowed down or stopped. I might even be too high on calories but I started at 3200 calories during the small ofseason this summer.
One thing to keep in mind as you prep again with such a short offseason between shows is that it your metabolism is likely not quite what it was last prep. It takes time to let your metabolism heal, hormones return to normal levels, and just get to “feeling good” again. You will be fine and able to get shredded again since you kept fairly lean during the summer, just be prepared that you may need to lower calories further than you did last prep. It’s a very common problem I’ve noticed in the sport, and seems to plague female competitors especially (as they naturally have to lower calories further than males).
A competitor will compete in the spring, gain a bunch of weight following the show, then decide to compete again in the fall. They haven’t given their metabolism time to get back to full capacity, and then have even more fat to diet off. It can be a vicious cycle if you don’t give yourself long enough offseasons and get sloppy in the weeks following a show
[quote]pwolves17 wrote:
One thing to keep in mind as you prep again with such a short offseason between shows is that it your metabolism is likely not quite what it was last prep. It takes time to let your metabolism heal, hormones return to normal levels, and just get to “feeling good” again. You will be fine and able to get shredded again since you kept fairly lean during the summer, just be prepared that you may need to lower calories further than you did last prep. It’s a very common problem I’ve noticed in the sport, and seems to plague female competitors especially (as they naturally have to lower calories further than males).
A competitor will compete in the spring, gain a bunch of weight following the show, then decide to compete again in the fall. They haven’t given their metabolism time to get back to full capacity, and then have even more fat to diet off. It can be a vicious cycle if you don’t give yourself long enough offseasons and get sloppy in the weeks following a show [/quote]
That makes sense. I knew my metabolism needed some time to heal but didn’t realize how long it could take. We’ll see how this prep goes and I’ll make sure to give myself alot more time for the next one. Thanks for the helpful info!
I feel like I’m behind schedule as far as how lean I will need to be, but I guess I’ve been losing about 1 lb per week, so that’s not too bad. And like I said before, I’m going much higher on carbs than my last prep. I do like this diet better since I eat more food…as carbs are much more filling than fat.I still have alot of room to add cardio or drop calories, so I’m just going to keep at it until the weight loss haults.
7 weeks out, 176.5 lbs, post-chest workout so I have a pretty good pump. Need to get a lot leaner, strength is steady, may drop calories a bit more soon.
Looking good.
Wow this is amazing, Good for you. I wanna step on stage one day to man.
Definitely Very lean by normal and gym standards. Still, and I say this because I know that you already know, gotta push for a little tighter to hit contest-lean. You’ve got plenty of time, and you’ve already shown you’ve got the drive and discipline. Gonna tear it up brother.
S
Look on track man keep pushing
Gonna want to take a longer time between. Work legs hard
Conditioning is right on track! I’d be happy to help you work some posing over Skype, let me know
Thanks for the feedback guys. I’ve been hesitant to drop calories too much but it may be time for another drop. I’ll weigh myself tomorrow morning and see what progress I made this week. I must say, I enjoy this dieting approach much better than the last prep. At the time I did lots of fasting and more of a low carb, higher fat approach. Now I’m keeping my carb% much higher in place of fat. I feel like I’m eating a whole lot more even though the calories are the same. My strength feels better and rarely feel I’m going hungry.