So, I work out at home and only stick to the basic lifts following 5/3/1. I just wanted a bodybuilder’s perspective on what needs to be improved. From my own critique, I am aware that calves need work (whose doesn’t)and I need to lose some bodyfat. I plan to start a cut March next year. It would be good to get some constructive feedback.
My current lifts are:
Barbell Bench: 140kg
Barbell Squat: 165kg
Deadlift: 240kg
Seated Overhead Press: 95kg
Thanks.
Need to work on getting a tan 
good base, i would diet off 25-35 lbs to see what you really have down there. Looks like youve bulked for a while now, time to switch gears.
A tan’s even harder to get than decent calves haha. Thanks for the feedback.
I’m going to implement some conditioning work (hill sprints) on my off days and tighten up my diet. In the past I’ve dieted away muscle and either cut my carbs too low, too soon and/or overdone the cardio. I think as well that it is a psychological thing when you diet i.e. starting to feel smaller . It’s worth it in the end.
Have to say Grind that you’re conditioning is spot on. How long did you diet for and how much do you weigh in your photo?
[quote]samking104 wrote:
A tan’s even harder to get than decent calves haha. Thanks for the feedback.
I’m going to implement some conditioning work (hill sprints) on my off days and tighten up my diet. In the past I’ve dieted away muscle and either cut my carbs too low, too soon and/or overdone the cardio. I think as well that it is a psychological thing when you diet i.e. starting to feel smaller . It’s worth it in the end.
Have to say Grind that you’re conditioning is spot on. How long did you diet for and how much do you weigh in your photo?[/quote]
about 16 weeks of dieting–started at 192 and was shredded at 171.6 or something, then filled back out to maybe 174-175 on stage. Im committing to a longer prep next time i compete though- probably 22 weeks or over, always looking for less invasive ways of getting in contest shape.
[quote]samking104 wrote:
A tan’s even harder to get than decent calves haha. Thanks for the feedback.
I’m going to implement some conditioning work (hill sprints) on my off days and tighten up my diet. In the past I’ve dieted away muscle and either cut my carbs too low, too soon and/or overdone the cardio. I think as well that it is a psychological thing when you diet i.e. starting to feel smaller . It’s worth it in the end.
Have to say Grind that you’re conditioning is spot on. How long did you diet for and how much do you weigh in your photo?[/quote]
to address your first point, what youre describing is common, but really man you have to suck it up and push through that, as long as you didnt start at retard low calories youre not going to lose muscle, losing muscle is a lot harder then people think, (for natties at least)
Is it really that hard to lose muscle? I want to lean out a bit but I’m terrified of losing muscle )
. Terrified. D:
[quote]MissHarber wrote:
Is it really that hard to lose muscle? I want to lean out a bit but I’m terrified of losing muscle )
. Terrified. D:[/quote]
It took me getting up to 90 mins of cardio, having a lower back injury that prevented back squats , and eating a zero carb and and trace fats only diet to see any loss of muscle in my legs. And the rest of my body didnt really seem to atrophy much if any…and then my legs just grew back bigger then before lol. So yeah I’m my opinion it’s really hard to lose muscle…even if your lifts go down , it’s probably due to changing leverages as long as you are training hard and not doing a retarded diet and cardio regime.
Cheers for the input. I guess the muscle publications make it sound like you lose muscle in an instant to peddle their supplements. I’ve always found it hard to gain muscle and don’t want to lose any to a cut. Think I’m going to do a slow and steady cut, taking my time. Be interesting to see what’s lurking under the bodyfat.
How did you find the experience of competing?
[quote]samking104 wrote:
Cheers for the input. I guess the muscle publications make it sound like you lose muscle in an instant to peddle their supplements. I’ve always found it hard to gain muscle and don’t want to lose any to a cut. Think I’m going to do a slow and steady cut, taking my time. Be interesting to see what’s lurking under the bodyfat.
How did you find the experience of competing?[/quote]
Definitely enjoy it man! I feel great for most of the diet, it’s just when you get super shredded it begins to fuck you up. The actual act of getting on stage is awesome , as long as you are in shape and have your posing down. There are some draw backs though, like for example the look you get when you get in contest shape isn’t really maintainable and for the rest of the year or until your next season you’ll just have to accept that. Some deal with it better than others, females tend to stuggle with this a lot.
In a bizarre way, I’m enjoying my hill sprints cardio at the moment. Bit harder doing after squats and dragging what feels like two slabs of lead, but mind over matter. I’m slowly introducing hill sprints and upping them by 2 sets a week. I’m tightening my diet up, but other than that I’m not implementing many changes. If you tweak too much around at once, you’ll never know what works for you and deprive yourself more than necessary.
