A few more from tonight…
S
Wow, Stu. I glad you’re detailing everything. It’s great to learn about and I’m sure it’s keeping you honest.
[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
You mean it freaks you out more than the fact that you’re standing on a stage, naked except for a speedo -most likely designed by mooshammer or some other paedophile/gay hybrid- in front of an audience comprised of mostly… Men who look at you with… Interest in their eyes…
Ugh.
[/quote]
Haha, well when you are one of the bigger dudes guys do this in the gym anyways so it doesn’t really bother me anymore.
Okay,… so the time thing hit me today, I believe I only have 9 weeks to go, and honestly, I’m not sure exactly how fast I should be dropping. INitially, things were going like clockwork, but this week I’m holding steady at 185 and change. I realized that in order to make the 175 upper limit on the middleweight class, I’ll have to come in a little less than 175, assuming that I may put on a couple of lbs during the carbup the day before. At what point do I panic a bit and start the everyday cardio? I read profiles in the Beverly Nutrition Newsletter where most Natty competitors do 20-30 min of easy cardio everyday. My training partner says wait unil April and then I can panic -lol
Thoughts?
S
Keep up the great work, Stu!
I told you to get a trainer, but you wouldn’t listen LOL.
I would lean towards being ready early, rather than rushing at the end. Add the slow state cardio in, see how you react in a week or two. Also, what was that about the pop tart in the diet??? LOL, I hope it’s all clean carbs now.
I am 8 weeks behind you–stepping on stage June 23rd. Enjoying the ride this far. BTW, if you talk to Brian, tell him The Russian DJ says hello.
Man looking chizzled. But dude, how come you always have this “I smell something gross” expression on your face.
Hello Stu. Have you measured your bodyfat percentage, how is it right now?
Great pics!
keep it up!
DJ- you’re just gonna rub my face in this when I screw up eh? -lol
I will admit that I’d probably be able to eat a little more if I did a nice easy 20 min of steady state a couple of times each week. A good friend of mine was kind enough several months ago to give me a very fancy treadmill that I have yet to use,… this might be a good time. The idea of being early certainly is a lot better than the alternative.
I’ve patterned a lot of my approach on Brian Whitacre, and I know that his cardio consists of 20 min of steady state each morning. Maybe I’ll see how that works for a couple of weeks like you suggest.
Where your show gonna be? DOubtful it’s in NY huh?
Oh, and yes, I do use a poptart with my Whey shake PWO. In the past I’ve occassionally made use of a cup of apple juice, or something similar, but the poptart makes me feel a little more full (my stomach that is), and mentally, I feel like it’s my treat for the day (which I know I’ll have to drop out eventually).
Invictica- I guess I haven’t mastered the facial expression to make it look enjoyable while squeezing every muscle you have, so I end up with the ‘I smell a wet fart in a dirty sock’ face. Give me some more time, hopefully I’ll get a better look (‘blue steel’?) by May 2nd.
MEYMY- I’m trying to not make use of any real methods of measuring other than the mirror, and my training partner (who can be a brutally honest ass when I need him to be).
It’s very obvious to folks who see me in normal clothing everyday that I’ve dropped a good amount of size (yes, some muscle as well, I know!), but it’s all coming down to the whole ‘bodybuiding is all an illusion’ argument. Still,… I can’t wait to put some size back on when this is all over!!! -lol
kinein- Thanks bro. This is turning out to be a hell of an experience so far, and I’m only 4 weeks in! (and damn I’m sooooooooo hungry!!)
S
Stu-
keep at it, dialing it in good bro!
Stu,
The new avatar looks really good. For me, the first show planned will be in Miami, then the next week I am shooting to do the Hercules. We shall see, the work might get in the way of my bodybuilding hobby LOL.
Regarding the treats: I remember when I had to give up my coffees with cream and sugar… thought I would never be able to make it. Low and behold, after several months of not having it, I never missed it and from then on I’m always drinking coffee black. So, I don’t think letting the pop tart go will be too bad after just a little while.
Keep pushing, can’t wait to see the final product!
looking good man. new avi is sick!
I would hold each pose for at least 3-4 seconds if your doing a slow song. With a slow song you can hold a pose for a long time and it still looks good. It may feel like forever, but it really doesn’t look that way…3-4 seconds on stage might seem like a long time but to your avg joe in the audience 3-4 secs is just that. lol
Just be sure that if your holding long poses for several seconds at a time have slow transitions…if you transition from pose to pose fast then it will look funny. I also try and hit a bried post in transition for some…say a back double bi, it can be hit and then if you went to a rear lat as you bring your hands to your side you can show off the xmas tree if you got it, etc…
Just be fluid and you’ll do fine…if you finish your routine early just hit a couple more strong shots at the end, or walk a few steps in either direction…that will buy you a good 10 seconds.
Make sure you relax and be confident. Everybody tells me to pose as if you have already won and you know it…all your doing is going through the motions. If you try to hard you don’t look good.
In the end the routine is for you and nothing else 
so have fun with it…your really not judged at it at all…lol
DG
So I had to take a few pics that one may be chosen to appear with a little piece I wrote for a magazine (I’ll let you guys know in the future if it actually sees print -lol), but apparently the shots my Buddy and I have been taking are too blurry for the publisher’s taste.
So… we snapped these yesterday in what we decided was the most well lit area of our gym. Considering my natural paleness/pastiness, combined with the intensely bright flourescent bulbs just overhead… I don’t think I’m shaping up too badly! -lol
A concern of mine though, is my naturally un-narrow waist. Hopefully it will be the last thing to tighten up (my upper quads are coming in slowly, so maybe after them?) It is kinda cool seeing the boxes of my abs when I’m not flexing them (I’m sucking in air in attempt to make my rib cage appear larger, when I flex 'em, my torso pulls in!).
On a dietary note, I’m thinking os shuffling the cals a bit. I was reading an article on macro rotation by Dr. Klemszewski (or however you spell it), he does a LOT of dietary planning for most of the top natty competitors… anyway, he says the occassional high day will prevent metabolic slowdown, but to keep in mind you’re trying to lose, so it must be tempered with a lower day or two…
Which takes me back to what Derrick CHarlebois initially said… cycling, or steady cal intake… it will all balance out at the end of the week. So Maybe Monday I’ll up my carbs about 50g, and up the Cals a few hundred, then drop in two lower days later on… Try to get a little jump start in there before I start worrying about adding in a bunch of cardio.
S
Stu, your side tri/chest post is your best so far! Especially with that mean people’s eyebrow… In my opinion, at least… lol.
Seriously though, this is one of the best threads we’ve had on here recently.
Thanks and good luck!
[quote]rrjc5488 wrote:
Stu, your side tri/chest post is your best so far! Especially with that mean people’s eyebrow… In my opinion, at least… lol.
Seriously though, this is one of the best threads we’ve had on here recently.
Thanks and good luck![/quote]
I agree. Tri’s look awesome.
Looking pretty damn ripped already too.
prob give DG a run for his money in ur av shot compared with his, when r u goin to test a tan out??? Wasnt meant as an insult gerdy just love comparing
Wow,… you know I hadn’t even thought about ‘testing’ out a tanner. I just figured I’d start applying coats a day or two before the show. There was some video online that shows a guy applying a coat, then using a hairdryer to ‘set’ it in, waiting a couple of hours, then repeating… etc.
I think there are some other ones that just set in themselves though. I know in Thibs’ “6 days” article, he mentions light showering a couple of times between coatings… I wonder if this is something that I can start doing, and still go about my everyday life, maybe… coat in the morning, let it set, go to work, come home, apply coat, let set, workout, come home, shower, apply coat… -lol, or if I’ll just be staying home from work the friday before the show (a sat), and sitting around being painted all day while I start carbing up.
On a training note, I turned yesterday, typcally an ‘off’ day for me, into abs and interval cardio. I’m going to, either this week or next week, switch into a different split. Should look something like this:
1- Chest/Back
2- Legs
3- Shoulders and arms
4- Abs and HIIT
Everything will be antagonistic supersets with little rest between sets. If need be, I will do a small amount (15-20 min?) of steady state cardio after days 1 - 3. Hopefully the intensity of the supersets will allow me to keep my calories at there present level a bit longer, as I’m already hungry all the time, and am not looking foward to dropping them again. I got a good look at the calendar yesterday, and with only about 9 weeks left, I want to see my obliques tightening a bit more. Other parts seem to be getting tight fairly easily, but as I know I must have mentioned, I’ve never had a small waist…
S
Hahaha going to be funny to see the reaction of people at work when ya start tanning Good to see everythings planned nicely, 9 weeks will come fast aye, all the best. Looking forward to seeing the end result.
Dude that side tri/chest pose is beautiful,no homo.
Really though you’re 9 weeks out and you’re that lean? How much leaner are you planning on getting. How much do you weigh now and what are you planning on coming in at? Sorry if you mentioned it earlier but I haven’t read the first ocuple of pages in 2 days lol.