Hey guys,
Beware, this is a long read:
I’m going to compete in my first comp, all 3 lifts, at the Ozark comp in MO March 13. I started Shelby Starnes’ Carb Cycling guide, from his Macronutrient Guidebook last week. I started at around 193, and right now am sitting around 188. I split my training into:
Monday- MP (5/3/1), BBB, mini-circuit of 3 exercises 3-4x through
Tuesday- 20 progressing to 40 minutes of treadmill at 3.5 mph/12.0 grade incline
Wednesday- Squat (5/3/1), BBB, several sets of DB lunges and Hamstring work with short rest periods.
Thursday- Same as Tuesday.
Friday- Bench (5/3/1), BBB, mini circuit like Monday.
Saturday- Deadlift (5/3/1), BBB, extra ab work.
Sunday- off.
My schedule is real damn hectic, I go to Physical Therapy grad school from 8-6 on Mondays and Wednesdays, until 4 on Tuesdays, and only until 12:30 on Thursday. I have clinicals 1/2 hour away at an ICU on Fridays, so it’s 7:30-1 that I’m unavailable.
This is a major problem as in school I get 10 minute breaks to walk between classes, no food allowed in class, NO tolerance for food in my 4 hour labs (2x a week), and a single 30 minute break on Mondays and Wednesdays for lunch.
Diet wise I’m doing moderate carbs on my lifting days (120g: 50g in the morning, 50g PW shake, 20g of berries’ worth to snack on in-between classes), and low carbs the rest of the days (60g of carbs, all in the morning). Protein is consistent, and fats are as well.
I have a PW shake of 24g whey, 46g dextrose, and I add 5g leucine. I drink 3-5 cups of coffee throughout the day, and recently started adding Chocamine to it. I also take 3 green tea 250mg EGCG caps to aid in the weight loss. And Z-12 helps knock me the fuck out at night.
I’ve been good with pre-packaging every meal on Sunday, but the stress of school combined with my ketosis is killing me. I’m getting 1-3 reps above the prescribed weights for 5/3/1, but my deadlifts sucked BALLS today. I had zero motivation what-so-ever to grind out the final weight. It was real discouraging. Only off day I’ve had this week.
I was originally going to try and get to 165, since
A) I pulled 545 raw at 190 a few weeks ago
B) I almost squatted 495 but lost it halfway out the hole
C) I only bench, full pause, 250 (due to shot rotator cuffs from sprinting in swimming through high school)
D) total of 1300 at 165 is well-within reach, but my body won’t let me.
E) I train with Mike Lane. If you went to the Raw Unity Meet or attended the Strongman Nationals comp, you would know the guy is fucking nuts (competes raw and this year pulled 677 at 179, drug free). He dieted down from 206 to 181 for that meet, in 5 or 6 weeks.
F) I also train with Justin Thacker on the weekends, at his gym. He’s an Olympic Lifter that is looking to join Derrick Johnson (another nearby lifter) at the 2012 Olympics.
I just feel like 165 is too much to get to at this point, and the fact that I couldn’t rip 470 off the floor today has made me extremely discouraged. I will settle for 181, but part of me is debating whether dieting down for my first full meet is even a smart decision. Maybe after I’ve done a couple or so it would be best, but I’m just not sure.
Can anyone lend me some advice??