[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]-LL- wrote:
Stu - I’m sure you posted this somewhere, but how did you bang up your lower back/sacrum?
[/quote]
(more of an answer than you wanted? -lol)
S[/quote]
Definitely more than I expected, but I appreciate the detail. It’s amazing how much you can learn from injuries, and how they affect your training.
As to your training, Great Work!! Best of luck in your prep.
[quote]MAF14 wrote:
btw i cant believe you found DIET cream soda i swear i’ve been looking for years!![/quote]
Holy shit that exists!? I love cream soda, just made a cream soda float the other day…amazing. Diet root beer and dr. pepper has been nice throughout this cut though.
Stu I’m guessing you don’t bother counting the calories from the jello? I think each pack is like 1g of protein and 5 calories so probably not worth it, sometimes my mind plays tricks on me though and I get worried that 5 calories per piece of gum + 5 calories per jello pack could add up 
lol
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Stu I’m guessing you don’t bother counting the calories from the jello? I think each pack is like 1g of protein and 5 calories so probably not worth it, sometimes my mind plays tricks on me though and I get worried that 5 calories per piece of gum + 5 calories per jello pack could add up lol[/quote]
Lol, I’m not one of those people who adds up how many pieces of gum he chews each day. Believe me though, it’s a hell of a lot. I compare myself to a chain-smoker. When dieting, I just need to constantly be chewing, so we’re talking at least 2 packs a day here, in addition to the over abundance of condiments, sugar free soda, coffee, and veggies I’m putting down!
It always cracks me up when you hear people argue about how artificial sweeteners, or sugar alcohols can make you fat. The bottom line will always be about how many cals and nutrients you’re putting in your body (that it can actually use), vs how many it actually needs. If you control your diet, then sugar free soda won’t have any effect aside from some bloating due to the carbination. However, if you drink the diet soda and then think you’re being ‘good’ enough to warrant an extra slice of pizza, you’ll remain a fat-ass -lol.
On a bit of an update, I’m running my glycogen stores down this week so I can carb up for Saturday, and the term I keep hearing at the gym is ‘muscle maturity’. Now I don’t know if that’s applicable yet, but damn does my skin look different than it ever has. While I’m not comparing myself to him in overall terms, there have been a few times in different lighted areas where my muscles did have that Yates-esque graininess thing going on. It may be somewhat exaggerated as I’m insanely pale at the moment (and under florescent lights), but I’m certainly feeling good when viewing my reflection.
I also re-watched the video from the 2011 Mr. America show, and it reinforced in my head what a solid physique I had brought. Doubting that I have lost any muscle since then, and definitely improving my condition in that time as well, makes me feel pretty good going into this next contest. Come what may as far as the level of competitors (and it will be a doozy at this one), I know I’m showing up in shape!
S
Stu actually got me hooked on gum during my current diet, I figure that each piece takes about 30-40 minutes to chew and you should burn at least that many calories just chewing it so it evens out to nill by the end. Actually, I just looked it up and it says you burn ~10 cals an hour chewing at 100 chews/min … So there you go. Used intelligently (1 piece an hour) you could actually create a 20-30 calorie deficit over the course of the day I suppose. Not much but it adds up over a 4-5 month prep.
The Jello cups were a little more concerning at 10 calories a piece… I know its not much but how many of us here could easily put down 4 of those without even thinking about it 
?? I try and limit myself to 2 a day and kill the rest of the hunger pangs with veggies
Anyway, just thought I would throw that info out there.
I cant wait to see your condition in a few days Stu. I’ve set my own deadline for this friday to end my diet (currently following the Shredded in Six to see if I’m lean enough for that to matter). I didnt get quite as shredded as I wanted to (do we ever?) but just wanted to give you a shout out for motivating me to take it this far and for all the info you have put out here.
I basically added in hundreds of grams of carbs into my diet because of your info and it really helped to keep my metabolism revving right up until the end here, and create a much more enjoyable dieting experience. Where can I send the check?
hm didn’t think about the chewing lol, I’d probably buy a lot more gum/jello if I wasn’t so cheap and on a budget, 2 packs a day is definitely akin to a chain-chewer lol. had my first jello pack this cut last night…they’re so small!
Good luck on Saturday Stu
Couple of quick shots from tonight. Just depleting a bit, getting a lil pump,… not looking too bad considering low carbing it the last couple of days, but despite being a little flat and small looking, I’m definitely looking to be tight as hell come Saturday (if I don’t screw it up! -lol)
S
Gotta say Stu, even without any of the spray tan or other contest stuff your legs look much tighter in these shots then last time around. Thanks for sharing your wealth of information as always.
that is flat/small looking?!!?
[quote]otar wrote:
Gotta say Stu, even without any of the spray tan or other contest stuff your legs look much tighter in these shots then last time around. Thanks for sharing your wealth of information as always.[/quote]
x2, gotta agree with the grainy look. Honestly I rarely see much of a difference between a lot of progress shots people post from one contest to the next but some veins and striations I haven’t seen on you before are apparent, got that line through the outer quad showing a bit which is cool. Not sure if there’s a specific name for it but the first time I really noticed it was on Shelby Starnes, its very noticeable here: http://powerbuilding.pl/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/shelby.02.jpg
holy crap looking massive in those pics! good job
even your muscles have muscles.
Looking better than ever Stu!
Stu, if i were 20 years younger, I’d be on you like flies on shit.
Just kidding, but you look amazing. I always thought of you as a big dude, but a few weeks ago I was looking through the pics on your hub, and saw a pic towards the end where you were wearing a white tank and flexing or something, and holy shit your arms must’ve been 19-20 inches. You really kick ass dude, and are inspirational to all of us.
Thanks for the positive comments guys. I do see some serious improvements, but it is very difficult to be completely objective, especially when I’m feeling so bloated this week from excessive water and vegetable (and sugar free jello!) consumption.
This morning I weighed in at 174.6 lbs. In Comparison, the Thursday before the America (5 weeks ago), I weighed in at 178.4 lbs. Obviously the scale weights don’t truly reflect bf% levels, as there’s so much fluctuation due to glycogen, water and sodium intake, but just seeing that I’m already under my last contest weight, and realizing that I haven’t even dropped my water or carbed up yet (which surprisingly can actually tighten you up), makes me hopeful that this will be my best showing so far, regardless of the outcome.
It’s funny, but I think back to the beginning of this prep, when I was addressing a few injuries that I felt might make it better for me to take the year off. I’m truly grateful that my body has cooperated as well as it has. There were a couple of times I thought my lower back was going to put its foot down and cause me to bail out, but some thoughtful switching of exercises, rotating rep schemes and a hell of a lot of stretching, foam rolling, and quality supplements and nutrition managed to hold it all together.
As the ‘real work’ is done at this point, I’m just trying to take it easy, play the last few lines of my game-plan, and hopefully enjoy the experience (remember to smile onstage, remember to smile onstage! -lol). My mind has already started switching gears about two weeks ago into planning how I’m going to improve my legs for a show this coming Fall.
I do see that I made big improvements from '09 to '10, and then again from '10 to’11. For this show, I’m finally starting to see details in my quads that were never pronounced before (not even 5 weeks ago). If reaching this level means that it will be easier to achieve for future preps, and even to easily surpass next time, then maybe I finally have reached the point where I can admit to myself that I’m “pretty good” at this game 
S
Sounds awesome Stu, cant wait to see you at your best condition yet. I’m finishing up my “Shredded in Six” today with the carb up (just had a bowl of fruit with some greek yogurt) and will take some “after” pics (or before depending on how you look at it) tomorrow for record keeping and comparison to future lean outs.
I ended up dropping from 237 (thought I was jacked…) down to 164 this morning over the last 7 months, so its been a pretty long road. I thought I would be JACKED!! at 200 pounds, well, I am now a humble man but I think I have a little better idea of what Natty BBing is all about, have new found motivation to stay cleaner in the off season, and am looking forward to the future more than ever.
Thanks for all the info you have put out here, its been fun as hell following along and learning from you.
Wow! Telling from the pictures, this is the best you have ever looked! I would even take it a bit further and say that you made a quantum leap in terms of muscle and skin quality!
[quote]ParagonA wrote:
Wow! Telling from the pictures, this is the best you have ever looked! I would even take it a bit further and say that you made a quantum leap in terms of muscle and skin quality!
[/quote]
Yeah, Most impressive picture set thus far. And he hasnt even done the peak work yet…
Usually, the Friday before a contest, my girlfriend takes off from work and helps me with my base-tan (usually 3 coats of Pro-tan). This year however, with work, and her own preparations for the show (she’s got to get her hair done, get spray tanned etc), she wasn’t able to, so my younger brother came by last night to help me with a few coats, and then we’re going to apply another one in a little bit before he leaves for work.
So right now, I just finished my first meal of the day (boy carbs are wonderful!), and I’m kicking back watching old sitcom reruns on cable. While we both agree that I look a hell of a lot tighter than before (even bloated as hell from the 4+ gallons of water I downed yesterday), the weight is always something of a mystery. Out of sheer curiosity, I weighed myself before bed last night. Here’s a few figures that make me laugh:
Weight Yesterday Morning: 174.6 (Thursday before America: 178.4)
Weight before bed last night: 180.0 (lotta water! -lol)
Weight this morning: 173.0 (Fri before America: 176.6)
I still feel that my legs need work size wise. Progress aside, I know that if I were a judge that’s the area I’d be critical of. Still, the level of definition and conditoning I’m bringing certainly raises the overall package. I do feel very good about this, especially after viewing a couple of pics my brother snapped last night. The night before my last show (5/21), I was complaining to my girlfriend that my legs weren’t where they need to be, but in pics of the contest, they look pretty sizable. In light of that, I’m hoping that after my carb up, and with the tan, and lights onstage, everything will come together perfectly.
Cross your fingers. I’ll try to check in as best as I can today and this weekend.
S
