To second what stu said, my weight was usually higher after the low carb days and my weight would usually drop after my high carb days. Somewhat of a mindfuck at first seeing your weight go up or stay the same after those grueling low carb days, but once you realise whats going on it’s no big deal.
@ Maiden3.16
I am soon going to try my luck with a “carb up day” to see how my body reacts. I am to the point where on low carb days I’m not feeling as hungry between meals which would lead me to believe that my metabolism is slowing down.
Update:
Just finished a chest workout and while prepping tomorrows meals I figured I would drop a few lines. I felt strong during my workout and am starting to see a lot more definition in my chest. I am finding that my mid section is behind the rest of my body in leaning out. I have not been able to get in as much cardio as I would have liked so far this week as the temperature outside is close to minus 30 degrees Celsius and will be getting colder the next few days. I have been doing jumping jacks and circuit style training for abs to try and get the heart rate up at the end of my workouts but I need to get some good cardio sessions in soon to feel like I’m making the most of my time.
Update:
Drove to the city last night for my leg workout. It was the first time in almost two years that I have used a leg press so I was pumped. I consumed a moderate amount of carbs throughout the day to try and make the most of it and killed it. Even using a cable version of the leg extension machine to, and excuse me if I am using the wrong terminology here, pre-exaust my quads before hitting the press got a burn that I have not been used to for a while. Here is a view of what I did:
Leg extensions: 4 sets of increment weight, with the last set being a burn out utilizing partial reps at the top. 60lbs X 15 reps to get the blood flowing followed by 90lbs X 12, 110 X 12, and 140 to failure (about 6 full reps followed by 6 partials but couldnt get a full lock out at the top for most of them.
Leg Press: 4 plates X 15, 6 plates X 15, 6 plates and some change X 13. I tried to really focus on the movement and contraction rather then blast out a ton of weight, plus not having done it for quite some time I didnt want to cause an injury this far in the game.
Squats (on smith machine): something I have not used for a while either. 4 sets on this bad boy starting with a plate a side for 10 reps, followed by 2 plates X 8 reps, followed by 3 plates X 6 reps and stuck with the 3 plates for 5 reps my last set.
Sissy squats: I usually just use my bodyweight for these and focus on keeping my hips foreword to feel the stretch more less as a finisher.
Leg Press Calves: Did 5 plates a side to failure for four sets, generally 20-30 reps depending on the tempo
Seated calve raise: Now I have to say something about this particular machine… I had to actually balance on the seat as well to prevent it from toppling over, so needledd to say I didnt load it up so much. One plate a side X 15 reps X 4 sets.
Standing calve raise: Did this with just my bodyweight one leg at a time for 3 sets per leg X 20 reps. I tend to put more of an emphasis on calves when I hit hams later in the week.
I also just got back from stocking up on groceries and hit the supplement store as well. I picked up a fat burner, an intra workout BCAA mix, some pre workout (all on sale). I am excited to not have to drink coffee anymore for a pre workout. I am not a fan at all, in fact I dont like drinking hot things so I would let it go cold then just chug it 15-20 min before hitting the weights.
My grocery list was pretty standard, a big bag of broccoli, a couple packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts, a plank of salmon, some shaved turkey meat, frozen bag of mixed vegetables to switch it up a bit, some brussel sprouts, peppers, eggs + a couple of cartons of whites, some veggie greens powder mix (on sale), not that I am not getting enough in my diet, and some protein. I am building up a reserve of carb rich foods for re feed days because I haven’t been eating much.
Quick question on re feed days for those with experience. Is it best to start with fruit to restore glycogen levels first before packing in carbs? I read this as part of the “Shredded in 6 days” article on here, which I plan on utilizing for the end of my contest prep, but was wondering if it mattered this far out. I am also reading mixed info on time periods of the re feed. Any and all insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Update: I am still making progress with my weight and have am consistently weighing in under 180 in the mornings. Today was my first go at fasted cardio, I went X country skiing for about an hour with one of the pups. I feel that I still have a way to go as far as fat loss goes and hope to maintain as much LBM as I possibly can as I start in heavier on the cardio. This being my first time prepping it is hard to know where I am at with my conditioning so I have just been sticking to the game plan and hope things come together a couple weeks from the show.
On an exciting note I have picked out my posing routine music and have started in on developing a routine. My standard posing seems to be getting better and I am getting used to hiding my imbalances with the help of my wife. The leaner I get the harder it is becoming to hide things and I have had a lot of injuries complements of combat sports and heavy lifting in my “younger years.”
Logged in, best of luck!
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
Logged in, best of luck![/quote]
Thanks!
Update:
I have decided that today will be a re-feed day which is new to me. I am not sure how my body will respond and with the date of the show drawing closer I do not have much room for trial and error. My first two meals thus far have consisted of egg whites and oatmeal with a side of veggies (approx 35g protein, 50g of carbs, 3 grams of fat).
My biggest worry is going overboard with the carb intake, I am going to aim to consume around 250-300g for the day just to gauge how my body responds (maybe this is way too low defeats the purpose?) and if warranted I will up my intake on future re-feeds. It is also my first day back of my work rotation so I have 12 hours here before hitting legs tonight. My carb intake has been under 50g per day with the exception of a few extra carbs on big lifting days before my workout (not counting greens). My calorie intake has been close to 2000/day and I have been consuming more fats in the absence of carbs to make my numbers.
My physique has been all over the place, at least in my eyes, and I am fighting the urge to change things around according to how I may look one particular day. My evening weight has been consistently 3-4 lbs heavier than my morning weight for the last week. My weight this morning was 179.2 which is not my lowest so far.
I have 9 weeks left with my last week being Thib’s & Chris’s “Shredded in 6 days.” This only leaves me 8 weeks to work with.
If you guys have any insight or advice feel free to chime in!
Follow Up (re-feed):
At the end of the day I had successfully consumed over 300g of carbs. My workout was great and my quads are becoming vascular, which is super exciting! My mid section is still lagging behind the rest of my body in leaning out.
I woke up during the night drenched in sweat and had trouble cooling off enough to get back to sleep. I am not sure I should attribute the weight loss this morning to fluid loss or the actual re-feed. I will be able to better gauge it tomorrow morning when I weigh myself.
Tonight I am going to be working back so depending on how I am looking afterwards there may be pictures to follow.
Working on some poses for my routine.
you’re doing quite well–you are in a good position to come in shredded for the show.
How much cardio are you doing now? i
Thank you, my cardio has been sporadic between shifts and weather conditions. I honestly have not been getting in very long sessions other then skiing when conditions permit. When I work on smaller muscle groups I tend to do some jumping jacks and things between sets/at the end of the workout. I guess at this point it will act as my trump card as time draws closer to the show. I am going to try and focus on diet to get me as far as possible before I put in too many grueling sessions in attempt to preserve LBM. I tend to lean towards higher volume days and circuit style training to keep my heart rate up while training.
Definitely looking good in those recent shots. Have fun with the routine. When I planned my first one, I really scoured old school photos for some poses that I was hoping every other competitor in the contest wouldn’t use -lol.
Also, some people don’t think it makes a difference, but I always tried to get my poses to actually flow smoothly from one into the next. I just think it makes for a better presentation than simply hit a shot, hit a shot… transitions can really add a lot.
S
[quote]Builder wrote:
Thank you, my cardio has been sporadic between shifts and weather conditions. I honestly have not been getting in very long sessions other then skiing when conditions permit. When I work on smaller muscle groups I tend to do some jumping jacks and things between sets/at the end of the workout. I guess at this point it will act as my trump card as time draws closer to the show. I am going to try and focus on diet to get me as far as possible before I put in too many grueling sessions in attempt to preserve LBM. I tend to lean towards higher volume days and circuit style training to keep my heart rate up while training. [/quote]
sounds good, you definitely dont want to over do the cardio–but i think if you just added some morning fasted cardio at this point it would definitely help your progress—usually people will start with doing it every other day and then gradually progress to every day. after increasing to every day- start increasing duration. If you’re only down to 50 grams of carbs a day i dont think you much other choice than to start adding some cardio in. However you might as well wait till you stop losing until you add it. good luck, listen to your body!
Thanks Stu I can use all the extra points I can get! I am a big fan of old school poses as well, I just hope I can pull them off with my physique. I also have some prominent imbalances that I need to hide while posing, unfortunately I will not be able to escape them in 2 of the seven compulsory poses (Lower back).
@ GrindOverMatter
Some great advice, I agree I have not left myself much leeway with adjusting my diet other then re feeds and cheat meals. My weight has slowed as well in terms of going down so I will be adjusting based on where I am at come this week. Tomorrow morning I finish the last of four in my work rotation so my four days off I will be able to maintain some kind of a schedule for morning cardio. I also have the benefit of this snow storm that is hitting us overnight (40 cm) so skiing is definitely in the cards this week!
As you can see in the shots I still have some of that stubborn fat sitting on my lower stomach. I’m sure it will be that last to go.
Looking good my dude. Following.