@ Serge
I value the input of anyone who’s stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.
True about department stores, may have to hit one during the prep!
Before I shaved it down to lamb chops, I went with the afro-beard.
Then I finished shaving it off, boy, my head looked completely different.
My 7 year old kept taunting, “Daddy has a tiny head, Daddy has a tiny head”
I felt like a hairless cat, truly ridiculous. I know in a few days I will look normal again, but it is always such an adjustment getting used to my clean shaven face after having a beard.
Still practicing mandatories. When I feel I’ve made improvement, I will either take photos or video again.
I was working out with my two boys, age 7 and 11, helping them get strong for their sports; gymnastics and soccer respectively, and I hit a PR on chinups.
I like to challenge them to see if the two of them can combine their reps to beat mine. Well today, after 15 chinups I was still going smooth. By 19 I was slowing down but I wasn’t going to stop at 19. 20 was pretty slow, but still a clean full rep…and a new PR.
Part of it may be cutting weight, but even last January 2011 when I was in the low 170’s I couldn’t do 20 chinups. So I can conclude that my back is stronger now.
Hit CT’s Prowler Leg Protocol (along with some additional Upperbody work on the sled) each of the last 3 nights.
And my performance in the gym on my squats and deadlifts is excellent! It feels great. Just the right amount of volume and intensity.
FOLLOW UP ON SICKNESS PROTOL:
Seemed to work wonders, I am very happy. All the factors were there for me to succumb to the cold:
I was spending time outdoors doing physical activity in the cold and rain/snow, I was in a caloric deficit, and it’s the time of year when many others are sick and passing around colds.
But the Vitamin C megadose and Hydrogen Peroxide saved the day. I will definitely be employing it again when I think I am getting a cold.
QUESTION ABOUT OILING UP AFTER SPRAY TAN:
I am going to go with the spray tan, do you oil up afterwards? I know with dream tan you don’t have to because the oil is in the product, but I was assuming with the spray tan I may have to oil up.
INTERMITTENT FASTING - DAY AFTER EFFECTS?
So I typically I use my weekends to make adjustments to my diet based on how my bodyweight was that week. If I am weighing heavier than expected/feeling soft, I will eat lighter on the weekends, if I am weighing lighter than expected, than I will eat as I was eating during the weekdays to keep weight up (serves as a little surplus because activity is lower on the weekends).
It has been working well. This weekend I choose to eat less than normal because my bodyweight was on the high side all week and I wanted to stay on target. Sunday in particular was fasted until dinner. I had a good size dinner and even some leftovers, but for me, the calories/carbs were still quite a bit lower than a normal day.
I was at 185 Sunday morning (right where I wanted after a lighter eating Saturday) and 185 on Monday morning. Monday was back up in terms of calories/carbs but Tuesday morning I weighed in at a super light 183.
“Crap!” was my first reaction. The thing is, I am finally getting in tune with my body and I remember looking in the mirror on Monday afternoon and thinking for the first time on this cut, that I looked flat. Well, no wonder, I was in the process of shedding two pounds that day (and with no change in liquid, drank my normal water intake).
I guess that either the Sunday fast was powerful and continued to have effects on my body the day after Or another way to look at it, would be even though Monday’s calories were normal, it was almost like a refeed in comparison to Sunday. So the unintentional “refeed” really got my metabolism revving.
I believe I have read that if you weigh in light AFTER a refeed, that it means you may have been too restricted going into it. I will definitely be paying close attention to the diet and scale this week (not that I haven’t been) because I don’t want to lose LBM.
Good thing is, I feel on track, if not ahead of schedule. (Recent pictures don’t do it justice IMHO, but my upperbody is almost stage ready - meaning striations even in the lower back and lats coming in nicely) This allows me the opportunity to push calories back up if I need to and slow things down.
Heck, it would be awesome to be stage ready 4 weeks early and gradually introduce some carbs since the post cut period seems to allow one to get even leaner for a period of time while filling out. Of course, that is mentally a bit scarey thinking of increasing carbs going into the show (not counting the carb load - I have no problem with that).
I am going to do an ACTUAL refeed today and I am looking forward to it! Tons of brown rice and raisins!
I would love to hear your thoughts on my recent fast and psuedo-refeed phenomenon.
The sickness protocol worked for me as well man, thanks for that. Knocked my cold out like no other. Have fun with the refeed. I had one yesterday, and looked at the scale this morning in disbelief at how heavy I was. In the past, I had actually lost weight, so to hear you say that about the refeeds is refreshing.
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
QUESTION ABOUT OILING UP AFTER SPRAY TAN:
I am going to go with the spray tan, do you oil up afterwards? I know with dream tan you don’t have to because the oil is in the product, but I was assuming with the spray tan I may have to oil up.
[/quote]
Hmnn I would think that it depends on when you get sprayed, and the brand of tanner they use. I know that THOUGHTS1053 gets sprayed before a show, so hopefully he’ll chime in here (used ‘Liquid Sun Rays’ if I’m not mistaken).
My girl got sprayed entirely the day before her 2011 show, and I don’t think she even used any type of oil or sheen the day of. Not sure of the product used by the sprayer.
Guess I really didn’t shed much light on your question did I? -lol
S
Great to hear about dodging that cold, seems like you’re right on track to come in with some insane conditioning.
@ JW
No problem, just trying to help, when I read good info, I try to share it.
I am having fun eating my lunch, enjoying the massive quantity.
I think if you are heavy after a refeed, than that either means 1) you weren’t underfeeding to the point of being catabolic or even 2) you may have not been in enough of a deficit
If you are light after a refeed, I think it means 1) you may have been undereating (if you are even or only a little light) or even 2) you were definitely undereating (lighter by a few pounds).
I have no science to back that up, just my views
@ Stu
You’ve been more than helpful thus far in this thread, so don’t sweat one post, ha, ha.
Hopefully thoughts will chime in.
But you still can help, how did your girl look with the spray?
@ Colin
Just trying to apply the knowledge I’ve gained from people smarter than me. It’s working so far. Stay tuned.
Cat looked amazing, and like me, she naturally has a very pale complexion. In the past, I used JUST 5-6 coats of Pro-Tan and woudl then use a posing oil over that, but in hindsight, I was still much much too light.
S
@ BBB
Thanks for the input. Glad to hear you had a good experience with the spray tan. I hope I get someone as professional as you had.
@ Stu
Awesome, I am pale, so good to know that the spray should do the trick. I may try to do some bed tanning as well before hand because my Father-in-law has one and it’s free. Well, not entirely free, he lives the next town over and gas isn’t cheap, but, oh well.
Regarding feedback on my previous posing video in relation to my new one:
From BBB
I didn’t understand the forward lean when you first mentioned it, now I do, I think it looks much better and I tried to use it on the side relaxed.
I tried to keep my lats wider in the front/back lat/relaxed. In the back double bicep, the contraction was intentional, I spread them out first, then contracted, then spread them out again. I want to show my conditioning in the lats and will likely do that in the show as recommended by the Skip Hill video.
Still working on the hamstring mash, I am getting better, not sure if it shows in the video.
From Thoughts1053
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Trying to look wide, I think I am getting better
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Working on the slight bend and staying tight at the same time, it’s tough.
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I’m pretty happy with my side relaxed now.
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Again, trying to mash the hamstring.
Regarding my conditioning, the video doesn’t quiet do it justice, but at least you can see that the christmas tree is coming in on the rear lat shots, and on the side chest and tricep you can see the external oblique coming along nicely IMO.
Legs are still lagging behind, I hope to get them as shredded as up top.
I feel I have made improvements since last video, but I want to continue to improve so I’d love feedback. Thanks.
Well, enough talk, here it is - New Posing Practice:
You’re flaring your lats better in the relaxed, so that’s good.
Side chest looks good.
Side triceps is better than the last video.
Looking good man!
Thanks Rocky
@ BBB
Funny, I felt more upright.
Here’s what I am trying to do in the side chest:
Mash arm against side
Pull the scapula back on the arm facing the judges to open up chest more
Flex pec farthest from judges
Twist chest/shoulders toward judges while keeping waist perpendicular to create illusion of smaller waist/bigger shoulders
While keeping ribs high, flex obliques without crunching down on them
And of course, mash legs together
It is one of my favorites, I think it tends to highlight my strong points and minimize my weak points.
REFEED
Definitely needed the refeed yesterday, after being 185 on Sunday and 183 on Monday, refeed only took me up to 184. That tells me I was a bit depleted (hence the flat look on Monday).
Took today off because my son was home sick and I played with him on my lunch break (when I normally work out). I am stubborn and probably would have worked out if he was at school. However, I think the day off will be good for me given how hard I was pushing training/diet.
Macros leading up to refeed:
2979 cal, 110 fat, 280 carbs, 217 protein
Refeed day:
4763, 133, 632, 261
Way to avoid the sickness. I would like to hear the dirty details on the refeed though, down to the sauce. I do not have one coming for awhile (13 days) so I would like to live vicariously through you. Posing is looking good as well as your conditioning, you are really gonna come into show looking great. The lat spread has really improved.
@ BBB
Thanks for taking the time to rewatch. I really appreciate that. You’ve been helpful.
I only wish I could be as helpful for you. But I read your thread and I don’t understand half of it. Sorry.
@ Seouldier
Thanks for checking in and for your kind words on my posing/conditioning.
Definitely try out the sickness protocol next time you feel one coming on.
I’m afraid the refeed wasn’t too exciting. Just massive amounts of “rice pudding”, i.e. 2 cups brown rice, mixed with 1.5 cups whole milk, and 3/8 cup raisins (that was on top of my normal intake for the day which is also boring).
After taking yesterday off, I weighed in at 182 this morning.
I still had a great training session today, but I must get this bodyweight under control.
I don’t fear that I have lost any muscle mass yet. I am assuming most of it is water weight, I really don’t think I lost 3 pounds of fat or muscle in a day or two. My concern is if I REMAIN this low and I am depleted then I will be catabolic and losing LBM. So I am refeeding again in an attempt to get weight back up to 184-5 ish where I expect it to be for now. With glycogen stores refilled, than I can safely resume previous diet. At least, that is my thinking, if anyone else has input I’d love to hear it.
TONS OF POSING PRACTICE
Something else to consider. On my refeed on Tuesday, I did 14 poses (10 mandatory and 4 relaxed) for 10 sets of 8 to 10 second contractions. Even taking 8 seconds, that is 1120 second of hard muscle contraction. Goal was to drive the refeed into my muscles (recall the Daryl Gee project on pre-contest carb load). But I wonder how your body reacts to that intense stimulus the following day when you go back to reduced carb/calorie eating?
I lost 2 pounds the following day. Was my metabolism still revving from the 1000 plus seconds of intense contractions?
1000 seconds of contracting hard is a lot. A normal workout of 5x5 on bench and squats comes to about 200 seconds (50 reps at a 2,1,1 tempo roughly) plus assistance work, so maybe 350 total. Was my body recovering from the equivalent of 2 to 3 workouts?