Also realistically some days you are so depleted and wiped, you can barely keep yourself upright. Those are the days that you might want to do lighter weights for higher reps because the idea of lifting 8-10 seems like some days you’re just asking for an injury. Certainly nothing wrong with doing higher reps as long as the intensity is there and you approach failure as you would with lower reps, a well rounded program would include some higher reps in on or off season. But to start doing the majority of exercises in this rep range to “cut up” I think would be counter productive to size and strength in the long run, nutrition and cardio should be the primary fat burners in a contest prep. As you go through the cut every day can really feel different so being able to listen to the body and work around any problems is important.
As someone who bodybuilds i stick to 8 to 12 reps for nearly everything. I do 6 to 8 reps for barbell rows, and if I had not shitcanned regular deadlifts long ago, I’d do the same for them too. I don’t like having my lower back stressed with high TUT when handling heavy loads in a static position. I’m fine with stiff legged deadlifts for higher reps though.
Sometimes I’ll dip under 8 when I’ve increased weight on an exercise after reaching 12 reps in a prior week, usually with dumbbells because of the 5 lb differences with them. Sorry, I’m not doing the fractional magnetic plates on them, so I’ll dip down to 6 to 8 reps in them sometimes.
Funny, when I started contest prep I immediately stopped deadlifting..Anyone else? Obviously great mass builder overall and probably great for hormone release similar to squatting. But geesh they’re so taxing and finding a day in your “bro-split” to fit them in, is not the easiest.
Actually I dont consider conventional deadlifts to be a great mass builder. Done the usual way, They are mainly concentric and dont really offer a great TUT if you are into that. Romanian, SLDL, or even trap bar deads on the other hand can be great and allow for much more focus on the target muscles with less risk to the low back and bicep injuries.
I ditched them over a year and a half ago and have stuck to barbell or dumbbell stiff-leggeded deadlifts on leg day only. If I ever incorporate a deadlift variation for a back day in the future, it will only be racklockouts or high-handle trap bar deadlifts. Flat out: regular deadlifts make me feel like shit and I think after some time they did little for me.
I agree about doing them for injury prevention during dieting, it is what I did.
I know what you mean about deadlifts not doing much for you, when I was 22 I was deadlifting 545 for a single, but I did not in anyway look like I could.
That is a fair assessment. I always thought of them as a strength builder for your other pulls which = mass, but you’re correct, likely not worth the risk.
Yeah there could definitely be a secondary effect from the strength. Meaning if you can deadlifts 545 you can stiff leg much more for reps than the person who can dead lift 315
But the actual lift itself isn’t all that great for growth in my opinion
It made my Squat really good, I was doing 440 for sets of 5 at the time, but it was not really a quad movement as much as a lower back, because of the strength I then had there.
One thing I would like to know, and to the best of my knowledge this has never been tested properly (I am counting the WBF in that statement). About 25 years ago there was a study that came out saying a high fat diet increased natural testosterone levels, so my question would be if it would be good for a natural to go on a high-fat low-carb diet when getting ready for a show?
I’m fairly sure that different ratios of macros could be applied to an individual for leaning out or contest prep (given that the individual responds to that particular ratio split). However, that doesn’t mean it will get you the optimal results. Technically, if you’re in a caloric deficit, you should be losing weight…test and see or ask a coach… 
Myself, I usually only add extra fats into my diet when I’m trying to increase mass and/or strength. I grow the most and recover the quickest when I’m eating a good amount of peanut butter, eggs, bacon, steak, avocado, etc. Ergo, if that’s what makes me grow the most, I’m typically inclined to believe that they are what I should be limiting when I’m trying to get leaner.
I bet @The_Mighty_Stu may have actual experience with clients who might have dieted on a high fat diet?
You can, depending on your approach, but the hormonal effects of eating fat are negligible. Provided one is not literally starving from malnutrition, an EFA deficiency is near impossible. I’m down to 60 to 100 grams carbs on nearly all days now, 1950 kcal, 180 grams protein, remaining kcals all fat. But we didn’t start out like this at all. In the beginning there were almost 300 g carbs on high days if I recall correctly.
A measly three to six grams of EFAs is necessary to avoid EFA Deficiency.
I can’t think of one successful BBer who is carb phobic.
Dave Palumbo gives a Keto diet from the start of the prep with refeeds. It works for some but I think totally unnecessary and not good for naturals.
Indeed I have had clients use brief periods of full keto, as well as those who we were ran for a couple of months before slowly reintroducing carbs into the show. Some people respond well and other don’t. Just as some people I have to make changes every week to keep squeaking out continued movement and others I can make slight alterations and coast for a few weeks like clockwork.
Most people assume any low or no carb diet is keto, not realizing that your protein intake is considerably low as well in order to truly make the most of a ketogenic approach.
S
I personally seem to thrive on a keto style diet. Berardi’s “Get Shredded Diet” was the basis for my competition diet and its essentially beef, eggs, cheese, and avocado.
Having said that… You and Brick are packing 10-14 pounds more stage weight on your frames than I did, so take that for what it’s worth. It did get me lean as shit though.
You were or are growing because you’re in a caloric surplus. I guarantee if you were in a caloric surplus but lowered your fat intake, replaced with carbs, you’d still grow. But… if you simply like having a higher fat macro percentage, that’s fine too. I’m on 60 to a 100 g carb per day but with plenty of fat for someone taking in 1950 to 2100 kcals a day, from nut butters, almonds, egg yolks, avocado, and steaks.
I don’t disagree; obviously and logically, you can only grow from a surplus. I suppose I feel that that is so obvious that I just qualified it for the ratio that I respond better to (purely from a GI and mirror standpoint).
Good! 
Results are what matters.
One other question I had was from something I read years ago that Evan Centopani wrote long ago in a magazine article. He wrote that he liked to workout in the morning because that meant he could have more post-workout meals throughout the day. I have read about the articles saying that there is basically no difference between training earlier or later in the day, but those are not studies done on dedicated bodybuilders who eat properly for the sport.
I’ve thought about this concept too. I even tried it for a while…but I came to the conclusion that it doesn’t make any obvious difference (at least…to those that aren’t the upper echelon of the sport).
If we’re strictly talking about meals here, I’d say that you can think about it however you want. If you train later in the day, then the first half or so of the next day are all post-workout meals. You could also argue that training later in the day allows you to eat more times BEFORE training, which COULD make training heavier, more intense, and thus more beneficial.
If we’re talking about when you train making a difference and not taking nutrition into account, I think it’s another “you have to do what works best for you” argument. Some people (myself, for example) don’t function well in the mornings…but there are certainly other people who function best right when they wake up. Training when you’re body is functionally at its peak is probably the best choice in order to get the most out of a training session.
But that’s just one dude’s opinion…and not one that is backed by science and research and trials and stuff…
I like the thought processes behind the two ways of thinking; having more post workout meals and more pre workout meals… I’m sure science would probably support a pretty small (relative) window in terms of pre/post workout nutrition truly being beneficial at all though.
Still, in my own humble opinion, whatever allows you to have a more productive training session, just do that 
S