I didn’t see those threads. I’ll do a sreach. Thanks for the info.
T-Dogg, my main man! I’m glad to see that you’ve been getting plenty of feedback from everyone on the forum. Bro, I know you can do it. And I also know that you are not anywhere near being fat even if you are pushing 200lbs! Your idea of fat is everyone esle’s idea of being lean and mean brutha! So just keep up the good work, and I know you’ll be shredded and tearing it up come contest time. Now you’ve got the Dogg all pumped up and ready to get in ultra-fine shape in the next few months.
Renegade Training has been doing a good job of taking my conditioning to another level, but the weight training suffers at the same time. But don’t fret, don’t frown, because ol’ Nate Diggity Dogg will soon be focusing more on the weights. And I’m tuning in my diet so I can get nice and lean (not anywhere as lean as you bro). I’ll be happy sitting around 9-10 percent, so that’s my goal. I’ve found that I just can’t stop eating, so I’m not getting as lean as I want as quick as I want. So I’m cutting just a few calories and avoiding all that bad stuff like pasta, rice and too many potatoes. So the Dogg will keep you posted on his progress as well. Bow wow wow, yippie yo, yippie yea, the sound of the Dogg brings me to another day!
Trish…your Quality info just keeps flooding this thread. Thanks so much, babe, it’s awesome! What are your thoughts on pre/during/post-workout nutrition? I mentioned a revision that I think I’m going to make. That is, 1/2 cup oats with Meal 1 (before training), 25g of dextrose/maltodextrin during training and another 25g after training (with hydrolyzed whey), and 1/2 cup oats in my post-training meal. The rest of the day will be protein and fat meals with 150g of fibrous veggies at each meal. I shall continue to seek you out for guidance along the way. Pizza and pie, beautiful. As I mentioned, I’m planning on refeeds during the dieting but not sure of the frequency. I invited Joel over to take a look, so maybe he and TT can assist here. Trish, it is an NPC contest. Actually two weeks after there is an INBF contest that I might do also.
Kelly…I was looking up some stuff on Fartlek in my NSCA book, and it basically looks like a version of interval training. However, it seems that one should intersperse high-intensity (i.e. 85-90% VO2max) with lower intensity (i.e. 70% VO2max) like you mentioned, albeit a somewhat higher intensity. I’m thinking of going for 20 minutes and alternating speeds between 11mph and 8mph. I’ll probably make adjustments and I’m not sure on the “interval” time yet. Does a 1:1 ratio work okay for this?
Nate Diggity…This IS hella sweet, bro. I really appreciate your PMA, bro, it’s hella awesome. And if I’m influencing you, that’s all the better. Will get you to your goal, Nate, just like you’re getting me to mine. I know you know what you’ve got to do, but if you’ve got any questions, you know who you can come to.
Thanks, everyone, and I shall return! By the way, training was phenomenal today.
Timbo -
It’s great to see someone coming from the same place that I am. I read up on some of your old “SB” files and I am inspired by how far you’ve been able to come. While I know that the battle for mass is the battle of the fork, you also mentioned in this post that you trained balls-to-the-wall, but “intelligently.” Could you possibly elaborate on the style or styles of training that you used (along with increasing calories) to bring you from 160 to near 200? I would greatly appreciate it.
The only reason someone who come in flat after doing a deplete and carb load is that they dont know how to do it right. Thats the ONLY reason. It will work EVERY time if done properly. I work extensively with competitors and have not seen someone not come in full and dry yet. I think the key is a combo carb load AND fat load. The other thing is that too many people fear sodium and cut it WAY too early and therefore cannot fill out. THe other thing is that people dont eat enough carbs and dont drink enough water and/or cut it WAY too early.
Static…Thanks for the kind remarks and feedback. I’m not big on alternating my training styles or programs, per se. I may switch up some exercises, my training split, training frequency, and things like that. But I don’t stray much from the things that I was originally taught here. That is, stick to the basic exercises and always lift heavy. I thrive on work in the 6 to 8 rep range and rarely deviate. Now is not the time to do so either. As far as sets are concerned, basically 10-12 for the larger muscle groups and 6-8 for smaller muscle groups. I can elaborate more later, but I have to get going for now.
Thunder…I believe you, my friend. Will you be available for counself as the road winds down? I’ll also look up some of your old threads, as Trish alluded to earlier.
Timbo, absolutely. I’d be willing to give you some assistance.
What else can I say except: “Best of Luck”! IT’ll take an Iron Will but you’ll come out victorious(even if everything don’t go perfectly, you’ll learn plenty of stuff about yourself). I’ll wait for the before/after photos on the Photo forum.
Regards,
-LPdSB
Hey, Timbo. It looks like you’re great advice from Thunder and Patricia, which is what I was hoping for. Great thread, lots of good responses – I’ve been following it with interest and using it as an opportunity to increase my knowledge base. (grin)
I hope you’ll continue to post your messages in public versus going to email. I’d really enjoy learning about the subtleties of contest preparation.
You tear 'em up, T-bo-bro!!!
TT…Yep, you’re dead-on there. Some hella Quality responses. Thanks much to all. Trish has been grrrreat. And it’s great to see all the T-Vix’s and T-Bro’s helping out and being so supportive. This is exactly what I need. Methinks it’d be a good idea to keep things “public” as well. Good call, TT. It’s a very good experience for all. There are many similarities between contest prep for the competitor and dieting for the individual who desires to achieve peak conditioning. I’m looking forward to speaking with Trish, Thunder Cloud Subs, and others (experienced and not) along the way. This is going to be fun.
I shall continue to keep everyone “in the loop,” but I think I’d like to start a new thread to do so. I’m still hoping my man Joel will stop on by. Thanks again, TT, for your support. You can bet your house that I SHALL tear it up, T-Dawg style!
Louis-Philippe de Seve-Bergeron…Whoa! Thanks, my friend, for your encouraging words. That’s hella cool!
Just to add don’t let up on the weights when you are dieting. Still train heavy.
Timbonator/Timbo the Magnificent:
Glad to have been able to help! And when I had initially read Thunder's post, I was nodding in agreement all the way. So true. It's like this: you hear the stories of competitors who look better the day after a contest. Happens all the time. It's because they eat. They eat pizza or burgers (foods generally high in sodium) and then *boom* fill out. Wild. A good friend (and someone who trained me for the Team Universe), had competed in Nationals. The night before the contest, he had a large pizza and drank minimal water. This made him fill out and look excellent during precontest. He placed w/in the Top Ten (heavyweights).
Now, I'm not saying everyone should do this - but what I do is make it so that I'm sooooo near to stage ready by two/three weeks out that I can begin to eat more as the contest nears. It's rather funny, too. Since backstage the other competitors talk about their treats of a half of a M&M and there I am chomping on a steak (and NOT hungry). And since Ko is a chef, well....I'm usually hated by the other competitors.
There is another reason why I have to maintain my calories, too. So I have the energy to maintain them hard and heavy training sessions. Which is imperative to maintain that LBM up until the day of the contest. Also, if you are planning on competing again soon after this first contest, just keep in mind that it is rather difficult to maintain that peak state. Sometimes you hit it at the second contest, others hit it for the first and come in a wee bit softer for the second. It takes practice. I hit my peak for one contest and the following week, came in a bit softer (won the first contest, placed second the following week). I know it's due to the fact that I wasn't eating enough calories between contests - this is important. One more thing: get to really know your body. Use the mirror. As the contest nears, any subtle changes/additions to your diet/routine will be noticeable if you take the time to "notice". Looking forward to maintaining this dialogue Timbo!
The “looking better the day after” phenomenon is something that I think every competitor will experience at one time or another. There is a lesson to be learned from this. One, sodium does NOT make you hold water (it is only changes in sodium that do this. Your body will always maintain a very, very delicate balance between sodium and potassium to maintain cell integrity. More sodium in equals more sodium out and since water and sodium carry opposite charge sodium out equals water out – TO A POINT. Secondly, a pure carb load will never, at least in my opinion, work as well as a properly added fat load. The combination of simple sugars and long chain fats can do wonders for your physique. Intramuscular triglycerides draw much more water into the muscle than carbs do. While I dont generally use pizza, it, for some people, can really have a profound effect, if it is timed right. Looking forward to contributing to this thread.
I notice by friend when he was preparing for the Musclemaina, as he was sodium loading he was drinking a ton of water. about two gallons a day. all the way up to the show date. then he cut it down to one gallon. But, still drank water. Not what I am use to. I use to just sipping through out the day. But he came in shredded. He even had shredded glutes. My question is are we depleting water too much by taking out on show date? Sorry, that I hijacked this thread.
You guys are great! I’ve got nothing but love for you all…and a little extra for the Ladies in the House (i.e. Trish and TT) (grin)
One of Fitness…you didn’t hijack the thread, my friend, you’re actually doing more good than anything. These are the types of questions that I’ll need/want answered anyhow. As far as weights go, Fit…Fear Little, my friend, I do not know what it means to have a set with a weight less than my 8RM. I’ll continue to GAIN on my lifts. This is little of a doubt. I know it sounds crazy, but it will NOT happen (i.e. losing strength). I basically do a version of Ripped, Rugged and Dense…all the time.
Trish…you know, you’re just Beautiful. I read your posts and get inspired. Hell, I wanna break out some posing right now. Actually, this morning after lifting I had the Aerobics room (and all the mirrors) to myself for my posing session…awesome! I’ve got a quick question. What are your thoughts on refeeds during the pre-contest dieting? Or should I just bury my head and steamroll my way past any BS, as this isn’t a normal diet? And, Trish, I echo your feelings on being ready a few weeks to go, so that maintenance eating can take over. This will lead to much less psychological stress, I’m sure. And the proximity of the two contests does leave some room for concern, but right now I’m just focused on one of your main points: learning about my body and how it responds. I’m all about having some fun and taking my mind and body to a whole new level. And I know with your’s and the other’s help, that this will be a success. I really got a kick outta the M&M joke, but I believe it. And, if I have a pizza the night or the week beforehand, I’ll know who to blame if I look like a Chicago-style (grin). Thanks, Trish, you’re great!
Thunder…Boom, baby! I’m looking forward to tapping your knowledge basin, brutha, and having you drop some knowledge bombs on the T-Rock. The whole fat-loading and carb-loading theory seems to be rather interesting, and I have a background of it, seeing that I am schooled by a bunch of profs and fellow classmates who are all cyclists, runners and triathletes. Imagine a bodybuilder in that crowd. Definitely the odd ball out…not that I wasn’t a goofy mofo to begin with.
One last thing, kids. I got an underwater weighing assessment today–fortunately I work at the fitness testing center at my University, so I’ve got access to it at any time, and we also have a DEXA but are not licensed to use it by the state as of yet. Anyway, measurements were right about where I thought. I weighed in at 196 and measured out at 7.4%. I think I was holding in a little air, but that’s alright, I’d rather over than underestimate. Regardless, I plan on competing middleweight, so I’ll be shooting for a dry weight of 180 to 185.
Thanks again, T-Peeps!