Gotta say this thread is one of the very few reasons I still come to this site
Thank you for that very thorough explanation, and really, thank you for sharing all the great information you have over the years.
[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:
Then you have ppl like me that will do anythign to be able to eat more 
and enjoy the walking and more training. For school it focuses me and gets me off my ass so studying isnāt so awful. Scheudle will most likely change with clinicals though :)[/quote]
THatās a really good point too. Some people will not only be able to handle, but actually prefer to focus more on the expenditure side of their caloric equation, and thatās just fine. Another chalk mark in the individuality column.
S
[quote]TeamMac wrote:
Stu,
Great Thread! When you were competing, did you track macroās both in the off-season as well as when you were in contest prep? Would you mind sharing some examples? Thx![/quote]
Hey, sorry I didnāt get to this sooner. I get sidetracked sometimes
I definitely wasnāt as crazy about tracking every little thing in my off seasons. When it was prep time, I was always no nonsense, but the last thing I ever wanted to do was not enjoy the rest of what life has to offer because I had to be so crazy about every gram going into my mouth. There has to be a healthy balance IMO, and thatās always going to be different for every person.
My approach was to always keep some type of eating cadence. Yes, weāve all argued to death how many times a day you truly need to eat, but Iām just always hungry, and I do notice if my blood sugar levels drop. So I would eat frequently, always trying to get some protein source, and after that, just pay attention to my performance in the gym and how I was looking.
If I was lagging, Iād bump up my carbs. If I was appearing too smooth too quickly, Iād scale back. Also, as I always did notice a difference from targeting carbs and certain supplements around my training, Iād always keep up with that, prep mode or offseason.
If youāve never gone out of your way to track #s, I suggest you give it a go. Itās one thing to eyeball, or guess, but itās another thing to get a serious handle on what 100g of oats really looks like, or how large a chicken breast is that gives you 40g of protein.
After a few weeks of being so analytic I guarantee youāll be much better at eyeballing and guesstimating.
Of course during a prep, I always say that if you want 80% results, then do 80% of the work. I rationalized that if I had lesser genetics than some of the monsters who step onstage, then Iād just have to be willing to always do the extra work that others may not. If that means absolutely killing myself in the gym 7x a week, consider it done. If it means absolutely klling myself in terms of meal prep and eating, then Iāll suck it up just as well.
S
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]TeamMac wrote:
Stu,
Great Thread! When you were competing, did you track macroās both in the off-season as well as when you were in contest prep? Would you mind sharing some examples? Thx![/quote]
Hey, sorry I didnāt get to this sooner. I get sidetracked sometimes
I definitely wasnāt as crazy about tracking every little thing in my off seasons. When it was prep time, I was always no nonsense, but the last thing I ever wanted to do was not enjoy the rest of what life has to offer because I had to be so crazy about every gram going into my mouth. There has to be a healthy balance IMO, and thatās always going to be different for every person.
My approach was to always keep some type of eating cadence. Yes, weāve all argued to death how many times a day you truly need to eat, but Iām just always hungry, and I do notice if my blood sugar levels drop. So I would eat frequently, always trying to get some protein source, and after that, just pay attention to my performance in the gym and how I was looking.
If I was lagging, Iād bump up my carbs. If I was appearing too smooth too quickly, Iād scale back. Also, as I always did notice a difference from targeting carbs and certain supplements around my training, Iād always keep up with that, prep mode or offseason.
If youāve never gone out of your way to track #s, I suggest you give it a go. Itās one thing to eyeball, or guess, but itās another thing to get a serious handle on what 100g of oats really looks like, or how large a chicken breast is that gives you 40g of protein.
After a few weeks of being so analytic I guarantee youāll be much better at eyeballing and guesstimating.
Of course during a prep, I always say that if you want 80% results, then do 80% of the work. I rationalized that if I had lesser genetics than some of the monsters who step onstage, then Iād just have to be willing to always do the extra work that others may not. If that means absolutely killing myself in the gym 7x a week, consider it done. If it means absolutely klling myself in terms of meal prep and eating, then Iāll suck it up just as well.
S [/quote]
Thanks Stu!
Okay, while I never really mention (or brag) about people I work with, thereās a young kid who I just had do his very first contest, and I canāt even tell you how proud I am of this guy. Seeing a 23 year old kid, who just loves the gym, so fired up, so disciplined, and just so in awe of the whole process of getting ready for a show,ā¦ well, it not only made me feel good, but even a little sad and nostalgic in the process.
When he told me he wanted to compete in the Inbf Hercules, which is always a seriously stacked show, I made sure he knew what he was getting into. In this particular show, they wonāt let you cross over from novice to open in the same class. Meaning, while women can do figure and physique, guys canāt do novice bodybuilding and open bodybuilding.
So thinking heād fare better in the Novice, thatās what we signed him up for. Day of the show, I get a nervous text from him that he was put into the Open Bantamweight class. I didnāt want to freak him out, but I instantly recalled how many times the Bantamweight winner went on to take the overall show.
I told him not to worry, that despite still needing some size (we had actually put some noticeable gains on his legs during the prep, but you could tell it was all new to his physique), we had done our homework and his conditioning would raise eyebrows.
Well, it certainly did -lol. The moment he walked onstage, you could tell he was the crispest competitor up there. Yes, he was outsized, especially by the guy who would take 1st and 3rd, but the quality was noticeable. Heck, the eventual winner kept looking to his left (at my boy) a little worried
So first show ever, 2nd place open menās bodybuilding at the always tough Hercules, and then, to really top things off, ran into Kai Green at a diner, and not only got to chat, but grabbed some pics and even ended up on Kaiās instagram/twitter feed.
We chatted on the phone last night, and you could hear the fire in his voice about getting better before his next outing (which heās already selected). I tell ya, I loved being a competitor; the discipline, the suffering, the constant hunger inside. As a coach though, itās a different kind of fire, but itās there, and I love it when I have moments like this.
Heās not on any forums, so while a couple of my FB buddies might already have seen these, I wanted to share
S
Backstage checking his tan.
S
Excellent work to both him and you Stu. I bet he was thrilled at his placing and meeting Kai!
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
Excellent work to both him and you Stu. I bet he was thrilled at his placing and meeting Kai![/quote]
Thanks Tim. There was a serious lot of credentials among the judging panel that night (2x Mr Universe/Teen Mr America/every title in between, Ms Universe/World Figure Champ, Current Defending Worlds Female BBing champā¦), so when the head judge heard me announced during the night show as his Coach, he came up behind where I was seated and said āThatās your guy Stu? Excellent work.ā Of course I made sure I relayed this quote to Josh
S
Good work for both of you man, I kinda wish I got REALLY serious about it when I was that young instead of always āwaiting until I was big enough.ā Competition really brings that laser focus
Stu, I noticed that over the last couple years the focus of the thread has shifted from being about your training to being more of a Q&A and posts about your knowledge and thoughts on trainingā¦
So I thought Iād bring it back around and ask how your training is going these days. I know you have a number of injuries and things you have to work around, might be interesting to hear about those. How do you feel your musculature is after your surgery, back up to par? Do you have any desire to compete again in the future? Anything else interesting going on with Stu, the man?
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
So I thought Iād bring it back around and ask how your training is going these days. I know you have a number of injuries and things you have to work around, might be interesting to hear about those. How do you feel your musculature is after your surgery, back up to par? Do you have any desire to compete again in the future? Anything else interesting going on with Stu, the man?[/quote]
Good question. Iād like to hear your answer too.
āMe
So Iām starting to really wrap my head around what you and the other guys mean by there being a huge difference between lean and ācontest leanā. Iāve been doing something of a 5 week mini-cut before vacation. Iām 4 weeks in, down by about 4.5 lbs with no strength loss, and Iām realizing how Iām at least another 3-5 lbs from really even being āphysique competitorā lean. And this was starting from an already lean state where I could see my abs fairly well.
Pretty enlightening.
I also have a really good idea of my actual maintenance calories now. When I get back from vacation, does it make sense to just stick with something like 200-300 cals over maintenance, or do you find people benefit with being a bit more aggressive than that?
Iām trying to strike a balance between tracking but not being retentive about it. At the very least, I now feel a lot more in control of my eating compared to before. Before, I pretty much just knew I was in a surplus, but not much precision beyond that.
Awesome work Stu and to your client!
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
So I thought Iād bring it back around and ask how your training is going these days. I know you have a number of injuries and things you have to work around, might be interesting to hear about those. How do you feel your musculature is after your surgery, back up to par? Do you have any desire to compete again in the future? [/quote]
Hey Lonnie, thanks for caring to ask -lol.
While Iām certainly not turning heads like I used to, I do still get the āyouāre still a pretty big dudeā comments from people. Itās not enough to ever make me content with my shoulder issue, but Iām never going to be the type to just roll over and give up.
What I have had to do though, is make sure I donāt do too much in too short of a time frame. I had been able to hit 4 days in a row with my usual split (chest/calves, back/bis, delts/tris, legs), until pretty recently when the sheer volume on the joint made it painfully obvious of the missing cartilage in the joint. So now I make sure I either take every 3rd take off from upper body work, or insert a day focused on core work, forearms, and even some intervals to keep up the good fight against my 40+ year old metabolism.
The one bodypart where I still feel able to push damn hard is back. I am mindful of my form as Iāve never been before (which is saying a lot), as well as really milking the eccentrics in an effort to still get the most muscular stress out of the least repetitious grinding of bones. This, combined with doing my usual best in terms of meeting dietary needs, sticking to smart supplements for any extra edge, and just keeping the big picture in focus, is keeping me feeling well enough considering the severity of my injury.
I know Iāve mentioned one of my brothers having to have had the same surgery on both of his shoulders, but just the last few months, my other brother has come to the same issue. Again, verifying what every doctor and surgeon has told me. My injury was a predisposition that just seems to run in my family. As neither of my brothers subjected themselves to the 20+ years of gym beatings that I did, I like to think that it was my attention to being careful that allowed me to go as long as I did at such a pace uninterupted.
As to competing,ā¦ well, for the time being, Iām enjoying playing the coach, and the contest judge quite a bit. Having my athletes placing top 5 in multiple shows certainly doesnāt hurt. Sure thereās the part of me that will alway harbor thoughts of getting back up there āsome dayā if everything aligns just right,ā¦ but for the time being, Iāll just leave the last chapter unwritten. Having been on the pro stage with some of the Wnbfās finest is a level of achievement that most competitors will never know, and itās a hell of a lot more than I ever thought I would see when I enetered that first show.
[quote]
Anything else interesting going on with Stu, the man?[/quote]
With Cat and I expecting our first son this October, most of our real life focus is on baby-related stuff. This has actually put a bit of pressure on me that I probably needed.
Itās always been a joke that I get as many coaching clients as I do without really advertising. Iāve worked with people all over the U.S., England, Australia, and even just recently in Singapore. More and more though, the people approaching me arenāt just bodybuilders or athletes, but more everyday people. As such, I wrote up a couple of short articles which found their way to the front desk of the gym, as well as the local performance center where Iāve been a guest speaker.
In the last 2 weeks, the stacks of articles have been depleted 3 times! Seeing how quickly this happened, and fielding questions and comments from people coming up to me with thankful praise and further questions, made me realize that I probably should have actively pursued this avenue much sooner.
So while I will be spending next month finishing 2 E-Books Iāve had fully outlined for a while now, Iām going to put the 2 short articles togther with 2 other ones Iāve written and either throw it up online as one of those 99 cent (or even free) downloads on Amazon. Obviously itās not meant as a money maker, but as PR for the forthcoming ārealā books that will go more in depth with specific topics, Iām banking on it to be a smart move.
Hopefully Iāll be reporting back on here next month about positive praise from everyday folks who just canāt get the real answers they need from the countless books by all the fitness experts in publication
S
Great info Stu, thanks for being so informative.
I knew you had a āsecret lifeā outside of T-Nation and perhaps we can get a peak behind the curtain a bit more when those books come out.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
Iām trying to strike a balance between tracking but not being retentive about it. At the very least, I now feel a lot more in control of my eating compared to before. Before, I pretty much just knew I was in a surplus, but not much precision beyond that.[/quote]
This is why itās very beneficial, even if you never plan to track your #s again, to seriously make the decision to pay careful attention for at least a brief period.
Carefully calculating everything little thing during a prep, made it very very easy to eyeball my food with a pretty fair amount of accuracy once I was in off season mode.
And yeah, once you finally cross the line from everyday lean, gym lean, and ultimately contest lean,ā¦ well, it puts things in a much much clearer perspective.
S
A good buddy of mine had the other day off, and as Iām only working part time hours during the summer months, we took advantage of being āLonG Island guysā and drove out to Bevās gym for a little chance of scenery. Actually, we were joking about doing some sight seeing, as you never know what competitors, delusional wannabes, or who knows what you may run into. Of course the fact that the place is amazingly outfitted with every possible piece of equipment you could imagine (plus those you couldnāt!) is always a plus.
As we went around 1pm-ish, the very large facility was definitely on the lighter side in terms of bustling bodies, but the large lighting set ups immediately clued us in to something going on. At first, we noticed a pretty large dude (whom my friend informed me was NPC competitor Nick Trigili) getting some lifts, hitting some poses for the camera, and just going about his business completely unaware that he was in a public place,ā¦ but that was the very cool thing. No one else was distracted from their own training. This was just part of the everyday routine.
Of course making this even more cool, was the fact that Kai Greene was there with him, getting into the shots and just having a fun time. Say what you want about Kai and his Olympia aspirations and chances of knocking out Phil, if youāve never seen the man in person, it will completely change your perception of what big really is. Nick was big, real big. Big enough that heads undoubtedly turn when he walks in a room. Next to Kai though, he looked like a total amateur. And let me say that there were a good number of guys of comparable size of Nick just going about their business.
As a guy who loves being around other competitors, and absolutely loves the atmosphere of my current gym (lots of BBers and PLers), I just had a big grin on the whole time.
We also saw a few Menās Physique competitors. Some had very decent builds, while others were more examples of why I can understand some people hating on these guys calling themselves āIFBB Prosā.
Friendly guy that I am, I ended up chatting with a new competitor who had just done his first show a couple of weeks ago (The Atlantic States). We compared notes, experiences, and just went on about the ease, or difficulties of fitting in the lifestyle of a competitor with your real life. It was very refreshing to hear, as so many people I see discussing the state of bodybuilding in online forums overlook the fact that rent always needs to be paid, amateurs donāt make money from shows, pro contest winnings donāt really cover much, thereās no pension or health insurance from the NPC or IFBB for its paying members, and the rest of your family will have their own commitments for you (This guy has 3 kids and was telling me about going to their sports games, school plays etc).
So while I really wanted to talk about how a change of scenery can really do wonders for reigniting that fire, I also want to say that what you read, or think you may know about the life of a competitor, until youāve done it, and balanced everything yourself, you never really know just how many plates are being kept spinning behind the scenes.
S
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
when those books come out.[/quote]
Well, I know Lonnie already found out (comment on my FB page -lol), but I finally took several articles I had written for various gyms, performance centers etc, and put them together online.
I had made another thread in the off-topic forum because I wasnāt thrilled with how my neatly formatted and illustration-accompanied pieces were shifted around for E-book accessibility, but since I know this thread is my go-to area for rants, sharing info, and Q&A, I figured Iād throw the link up here as well.
Obviously Iām not planning on making money from this little endeavor (hence the 99 cent tag, of which Amazon takes most), but as I seem to have gotten quite a bit more clients outside the usual bodybuilding realm the last year or so, Iām hoping to get a little PR with new audiences if I can.
Please note, this isnāt aimed for hardcore gym rats, or most of the usually well informed folks on this site. Feel free to ālook insideā to see the list of topics addressed if youāre curious though. Iāve already got about 4 actually in-depth outlines that Iām planning on fleshing out into much more detailed readings.
S
Are you going to be releasing it elsewhere as a PDF? I dont have a kindle, and Iād rather you get the majority of that dollar dollar bills yall than Amazon