Mighty's Contest Updates & Q&A Thread

Training
581

[quote]pumped340 wrote:
You’ve got some standout calves. The guy to the right of you in the picture has a lot of size. Actually most up there is pretty damn big[/quote]

Well, this is probably one of (if not the) biggest natty amateur show, so you get some sick competitors. Remember, these last few pics are from the Overall, so while each photo may not have been snapped at the exact moment every competitor ‘hit’ his pose, they’re all very impressive in person. Like I mentioned (somewhere) earlier, once I get the DVDs I’ll make sure to get some video clips online for everyone to view.

S

582

Some very tough competition in the overall, you certainly held your own from those photos, your front lat spread is one of your best poses.

583

*** Just a heads up ***

I answer a lot of questions via PMs and within threads each week, so I just wanted to let everyone know that I’ll be out of the country for the next week (Cruisin’ to Bermuda with my girl!). Promise to get back to everyone as soon as I’m back connected to the civilized world (ie. phones, internet, constant facebook status updates -lol).

S

584

2011 NGA Alabama Natural Open Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Model Championships - Super Pro Qualifier, Birmingham, AL, July 9th

Results

They came from Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Virginia, Florida and Alabama, all outstanding men and women athletes who vied for Neils Andersen Sculptured trophies and NGA Pro Cards at Saturday’s 2011 NGA Alabama Natural Open Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Model Championships - Super Pro Qualifier in Birmingham, Alabama.

The athletes were pleased with this year’s new venue, Homewood High School, with a it’s great stage, sound system and dramatic lighting, the pump up area, the back stage refreshments, their 2011 NGA Alabama sports bag with the official show t-shirt, water bottle, AAEFX supplements and a Snickers bar.

The contest started on time and ran smoothly. It was a “competitor’s show,” run by competitors who know what the athletes want and need. All of the competitors said they would like to come back next year for the fifth annual 2012 NGA Alabama Natural Open Championships on July 14, 2012. Many said they would encourage their competitor friends to join them on stage. It was a fun show.

Pro Card eligible classes needed five or more competitors entered for the Open Division and three or more competitors entered for the Masters Division. NGA Pro Cards were awarded to six athletes at this Super Pro Qualifier:

James “JW” Hughes of Knoxville, TN took the Middleweight title and won the Overall Championship. He is now an NGA Bodybuilding Pro. “JW” also won the Male Best Poser Trophy. Great work, NGA Pro “JW”. Kevin Whaley, also from Knoxville, TN won the Men’s Masters 40+ Class and the Masters Overall and is a new NGA Master Pro. Two other Masters bodybuilders, Rick Ryan of Kennesaw, GA, the 50+ Champion and Mel Johnson from Decatur, GA, the 60+ Winner, were awarded NGA Master Pro Cards. Matt Burttram of Springville, AL was the Open Lighweight Class winner and is a new NGA Open Bodybuilding Pro.

Teresa Steel of Smyrna, TN a “Tri-Fecta” winner (Masters Figure, Novice Figure and Fitness Model) at the 2010 NGA Alabama Championships, recently won the Figure Tall Class and Overall at the NGA 2nd Annual Ultimate Bodies Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Championships in Suwannee, GA. She won the Figure Tall Class at this show and was awarded an NGA Figure Pro Card. Nice work, Teresa.

Congratulations to our six new NGA Pros.

The Results:

Figure Novice
Mandy Sanders, Atlanta, GA -1st
Jacqueline Harris, Hoover, AL - 2nd

Masters Figure
Shelly Mandella, Columbia, TN - 1st

Open Figure Short
Mandy Sanders, Atlanta, GA -1st
Shelly Mandella, Columbia, TN - 2nd

Open Figure Tall
Teresa Steel, Smyrna, TN - 1st
Jacqueline Harris, Hoover, AL - 2nd

Open Figure Overall
Shelly Mandella, Columbia, TN

NGA Chairman Award
Teresa Steel, Smyrna, TN - NGA Figure Pro Card

Bikini Model
Tamra Barron, Chelsea, AL - 1st and Overall
Tangie Holland, Pinson, AL - 2nd
Ann Halle, Montgomery, AL - 3rd

Male Fitness Model Men
Mike Sanders, Atlanta, GA - 1st
Murray Legg, Chelsea, AL - 2nd

Teen
Ryan Leonard, Meridian, MS - 1st
Nick Estill, Hoover, AL - 2nd

Novice Men
Ryan Leonard, Meridian, MS - 1st
Murray Legg, Chelsea, AL - 2nd

Women’s Open and Masters Bodybuilding Champion
Francy Gillespie, Trinity, AL

Men’s Masters 40+
Kevin Whaley, Knoxville, TN - 1st - NGA Masters Bodybuilder Pro Card
Jim Chatom, Eight Mile, AL - 2nd
J C Lewis, Eatonton, GA - 3rd

Men’s Masters 50+
Rick Ryan, Kennesaw, GA - 1st - NGA Masters Bodybuilding Pro Card
Randall Pickering, Jasper, AL - 2nd
J. C. Lewis, Eastonton, GA - 3rd

Men’s Masters 60+
Mel Johnson, Decatur GA - 1st - NGA Masters Bodybuilding Pro Card
Buford Pigg, Cullman, AL - 2nd
Dr. Charles Allen, Woodbridge, FL - 3rd
Ray Rankin, Atlanta, GA - 4th

Men’s Masters Overall Bodybuilding Champion
Kevin Whaley, Knoxville, TN

Open Men’s Lightweight
Matt Burttram, Springville, AL - 1st - NGA Bodybuilding Pro Card
Dave Weinstock, Davie, FL - 2nd
J C Lewis, Eatonton, GA - 3rd
Jim Chatom, Eight Mile, AL - 4th
Kenya Proctor, Jackson, MS - 5th
Dr. Charles Allen, Woodbridge, VA - 6th

Open Men’s Middleweight
James “JW” Hughes - 1st - NGA Bodybuilding Pro Card
Alfred Davis, Auburn, AL - 2nd
Rick Ryan, Kennesaw, GA - 3rd
Murray Legg, Chelsea, AL - 4th
Jonathan Darling, Johnson City, TN - 5th

Open Men’s Light Heavyweight
Jason Rudolph, Eatonton, GA - 1st
Terrence Gills, North Port, AL - 2nd
Justin Clark, Knoxville, TN - 3rd
Nick Estill, Hoover, AL - 4th

Open Men’s Heavyweight
Ayatollah Muhammad, Decatur, GA - 1st
Kevin Whaley, Knoxville, TN - 2nd
Randall Pickering, Jasper, AL - 3rd
Jake Phillips, Murfresboro, TN - 4th

Men’s Open Overall Bodybuilding Champion
James “JW” Hughes, Knoxville, TN

Best Poser - Male
James “JW” Hughes, Knoxville, TN

Best Poser - Female
Francy Gillespie, Trinity, AL

Judges
Laura Tourtellot, Newmarket, NH - Head Judge
Alesia Brian, Jasper, AL
Ed Bowen, Atlanta, GA
Will Lantrip, Birmingham, AL
Dr. Brian Cressman, Jasper, AL
John “Turbo” Graves, Atlanta, GA

Master of Ceremonies
Scott “Old Navy” Hults

Official Show Photographer
David DeVore Photography

Official Show Videographer
N Vision Photography and Web Design

Thank You To Our Sponsors
Dr. Maureen Muecke, MD, Smartlipo, Birmingham, AL
Michael Jackson, Superior Printing, Fultondale, AL
Dr. and Francy Nick Gillespie, Complete Family Care, Moulton, AL
Cathi Larsen, Cathi Larson Agency, Birmingham, AL
All American EFX Supplements
Cherry Bombs Attitude Gear
Beverly International Supplements
Mountain High Outfitters
Nutrition
National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT)

Promoters NGA Alabama Natural Open
Scott “Old Navy” Hults, NGA Pro & NGA Chairman, Southeast U.S.
John Rossman, NGA Pro

2012 NGA Alabama Natural Open ProAm Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Model Championships, Birmingham, Alabama, Saturday, July 14, 2012

585

I love that kneeling back shot of yours in that Posedown pic above. Would like to incorporate a few kneeling poses in my own routine.

586

[quote]Random Weights wrote:
I love that kneeling back shot of yours in that Posedown pic above. Would like to incorporate a few kneeling poses in my own routine. [/quote]

Thanks! When I first started competing, I not only watched a lot of videos of the current top pros in the sport, but a hell of a lot (probably more) of videos of ‘classic’ or ‘old school’ BBers. My approach was to find not only guys I admired, but those who I felt had physiques similar to my own. Obviously my 5’8, blocky structure wouldn’t work well with poses preferred by Arnold or Zane, but I was able to ‘borrow’ some poses, or even subtle tricks (I hate to call them that, but why not) from guys like Mentzer, Colombu, Waller, even Labrada (who I think was just one of the all time best ever), and of course Yates. The way the ‘golden era’ BBers approached pose downs, was almost like a game, where you have to ‘counter’ your opponents poses with your own.

If you’re prepared, you’ll be able to always pull a pose that shows your strengths over theirs. As I always view myself as one of the shorter competitors, and I know I have pretty thick arms and back, anything that can make me look thicker in the limbs, while hiding my waist (ie. twisting shots) will be a plus for me onstage. You have to be brutally honest with yourself though.

Without sounding like a complete narcissist, I spend a hell of a lot of time in front of a full length mirror when prepping for a contest. The judges can only judge what you put in front of them, so with optimal posing, you can appear even better than someone whose physique is actually better than yours (believe me, my last win was damn close and I know it!)

S

587

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So in addition to coming home from being away for a week and actually having my WNBF Pro CARD waiting for me in my mailbox, the next day (today), I received a lovely gift via UPS, courtesy of my younger brother :smiley:

Damn cool! -lol

S

588

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
So in addition to coming home from being away for a week and actually having my WNBF Pro CARD waiting for me in my mailbox, the next day (today), I received a lovely gift via UPS, courtesy of my younger brother :smiley:

Damn cool! -lol

S[/quote]

You need to bring that with you to CO, :slight_smile:

589

You kidding?! I’m wearing this thing just to walk my dog! -lmao

S

590

THATS AWESOME STU! It’s gotta feel so great having your close friends and family be so supportive… BBing can be a lonely road for many of us, with many people not “getting” why we pursue it with such dedication, its cool that your brother “gets it” and helps to build you up.

591

So I just used my brand new belt for the first time, and I felt like a kid with a new toy! I don’t think I’ve ever worn a lifting belt to do biceps curls before -lmao (lookatme! Lookatme!!!)

S

592

That is a coolass belt Stu, floss it all you want. Glory to those that triumph!

593

Awesome belt! A trophy in its own right. :slight_smile:

Stu I know you researched a bunch of natural competitors’ contest prep methods, but I was wondering what your thoughts are on Layne Norton’s Peak Week video series? He basically keeps things as consistent as possible and eschews any last minutes tricks or manipulations like the ones (e.g. CT’s Six Weeks to Shredded) other people recommend.

For example with water intake, he suggests that if you’ve been drinking 2 gallons before the show, keep drinking the same amount in the last week and just take sips on contest day to quench your thirst.

For sodium he recommends consuming the same amount right up to the day of the contest and then have a high sodium meal (eg subway sandwich) 2 hours before the contest.

The only thing he manipulates is protein and carbs in the last week - but nothing too drastic.

What’s your thoughts?

594

RANDOM WEIGHTS: First let me stress that there are MANY different approaches to contest prep, just as there are for building muscle, cutting weight, pretty much everything. Once you start looking into different coaches’ thinking on peak week concepts, you will find that all of them are able to get their clients results, yet by utilizing different methods.

Some people can respond well to one approach much better than they might to another. Obviously Layne has been very happy with the results he has achieved for himself, as well as his clients. Does that mean people that decide to play around a bit more dramatically with their water are wrong? Are they doomed to always come in last in their shows? Of course not.

A good example is Shaun Clarida, in my opinion one of the top natural bodybuilders in the world. I see Shaun all over the place, and we’ve always been friendly and open with each other. Shaun has always in the past approached his own preps in a manner very very similar to what I do, especially in terms of peak week variables. However, last year, he hired a pretty well known (and well respected) prep coach, who had him approach the final weeks of his prep in a contradictory manner. As usual, Shaun looked great, and won his class (I think,… it was a while ago, and he competes fairly often -lol). The point is, while Shaun may truly believe that the ‘new’ approach brought amazing differences to his physique onstage, to me (and probably to most people in the audience), he looked as good as he usually does, albeit with one more year of training and muscle maturity under his belt. IMO his ‘conditioning’ looked just like it always does.

I’ve had clients who I advise to really play with the ‘pendulum’ and push for that last minute shrink-wrap effect. I’ve also had clients who I’ve held back a bit, and had them just coast into their show without altering much in the way of ‘voodoo’ or tricks. All any good coach can do is to try to figure out how an individual’s body will respond to sudden changes, what condition they are in by the last couple of weeks out, and then make the best GUESS that they can, hoping they’re right. This goes for all the IFBB Guru’s and advisers as well as the natty guys.

S

595

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
RANDOM WEIGHTS: First let me stress that there are MANY different approaches to contest prep, just as there are for building muscle, cutting weight, pretty much everything. Once you start looking into different coaches’ thinking on peak week concepts, you will find that all of them are able to get their clients results, yet by utilizing different methods.

Some people can respond well to one approach much better than they might to another. Obviously Layne has been very happy with the results he has achieved for himself, as well as his clients. Does that mean people that decide to play around a bit more dramatically with their water are wrong? Are they doomed to always come in last in their shows? Of course not.

A good example is Shaun Clarida, in my opinion one of the top natural bodybuilders in the world. I see Shaun all over the place, and we’ve always been friendly and open with each other. Shaun has always in the past approached his own preps in a manner very very similar to what I do, especially in terms of peak week variables. However, last year, he hired a pretty well known (and well respected) prep coach, who had him approach the final weeks of his prep in a contradictory manner. As usual, Shaun looked great, and won his class (I think,… it was a while ago, and he competes fairly often -lol). The point is, while Shaun may truly believe that the ‘new’ approach brought amazing differences to his physique onstage, to me (and probably to most people in the audience), he looked as good as he usually does, albeit with one more year of training and muscle maturity under his belt. IMO his ‘conditioning’ looked just like it always does.

I’ve had clients who I advise to really play with the ‘pendulum’ and push for that last minute shrink-wrap effect. I’ve also had clients who I’ve held back a bit, and had them just coast into their show without altering much in the way of ‘voodoo’ or tricks. All any good coach can do is to try to figure out how an individual’s body will respond to sudden changes, what condition they are in by the last couple of weeks out, and then make the best GUESS that they can, hoping they’re right. This goes for all the IFBB Guru’s and advisers as well as the natty guys.

S[/quote]

It must be cool for some guys who get to bring in the same client show after show, so they can really push the envelope and see how the person responds to different approaches and then dial in the best one.

I know Ken “Skip” Hill (who does his own prep) likes to push the boundaries and see just how crazy lean he can get, and has tried all sorts of different approaches in the last several preps he has done.

The key is HARD WORK, particularly in the 16-20 weeks leading up to the show… There really isn’t a ton you can do in the last week if you haven’t put the time in leading up to it for it to make a bit of difference.

596

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
S[/quote]

Stu what exercises you are doing for the lateral head of your tricep? My lateral head just doesn’t have the fullness of yours in the above picture, by contrast my long head and medial are pretty well developed which is a problem because they tend to dominate the main triceps exercises such as skull crushers, close grip bench and dips.

Cheers

597

[quote]NIguy wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
S[/quote]

Stu what exercises you are doing for the lateral head of your tricep? My lateral head just doesn’t have the fullness of yours in the above picture, by contrast my long head and medial are pretty well developed which is a problem because they tend to dominate the main triceps exercises such as skull crushers, close grip bench and dips.

Cheers[/quote]

Well, I can’t see the pic you tried to embed, so I’ll just give you a run down of my thinking on why I do what I do for my tris.

I’ve always believed that anyone who does a lot of heavy pressing will have some degree of tricep development, and my own experiences certainly prove it to be true. From the start of my training I was always able to press a lot of weight, and my triceps certainly displayed some meat as a result. Still, a little bit of ‘meat’ doesn’t make for impressive arms. I realized over the years, that taking an approach of doing isolation work before compound work really allowed me to zero in on particular muscle groups.

Additionally, as I used to read pretty much anything on training theories that I could find, I read through a book that discussed the ‘Positions of Flexion’ approach. The premise was that each muscle group can be hit by exercises that can be grouped into 3 different categories: Stretched, Midrange, and Contracted. I’m certainly not one to fall prey to gimmick approaches, but these seemed to make some amount of sense to me and I began employing it. My choices of exercise are currently:

-Rope Pressdowns (for the ‘contracted’ position)
-Lying, Incline DB Skull Crushers (for the ‘Stretch’ position)
-Bench Dips (for the ‘Midrange’ position)

Now whether or not the actual science in the P.O.F. book is sound or not, I do believe that the combination of exercises I’ve been employing certainly gives enough of a trouncing to all 3 heads of the muscle, as well as including a bit of pre-exhaust (isolation before compound) which is something I’ve always been a fan of.

Hope that helps!

S

598

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]NIguy wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
S[/quote]

Stu what exercises you are doing for the lateral head of your tricep? My lateral head just doesn’t have the fullness of yours in the above picture, by contrast my long head and medial are pretty well developed which is a problem because they tend to dominate the main triceps exercises such as skull crushers, close grip bench and dips.

Cheers[/quote]

Well, I can’t see the pic you tried to embed, so I’ll just give you a run down of my thinking on why I do what I do for my tris.

I’ve always believed that anyone who does a lot of heavy pressing will have some degree of tricep development, and my own experiences certainly prove it to be true. From the start of my training I was always able to press a lot of weight, and my triceps certainly displayed some meat as a result. Still, a little bit of ‘meat’ doesn’t make for impressive arms. I realized over the years, that taking an approach of doing isolation work before compound work really allowed me to zero in on particular muscle groups.

Additionally, as I used to read pretty much anything on training theories that I could find, I read through a book that discussed the ‘Positions of Flexion’ approach. The premise was that each muscle group can be hit by exercises that can be grouped into 3 different categories: Stretched, Midrange, and Contracted. I’m certainly not one to fall prey to gimmick approaches, but these seemed to make some amount of sense to me and I began employing it. My choices of exercise are currently:

-Rope Pressdowns (for the ‘contracted’ position)
-Lying, Incline DB Skull Crushers (for the ‘Stretch’ position)
-Bench Dips (for the ‘Midrange’ position)

Now whether or not the actual science in the P.O.F. book is sound or not, I do believe that the combination of exercises I’ve been employing certainly gives enough of a trouncing to all 3 heads of the muscle, as well as including a bit of pre-exhaust (isolation before compound) which is something I’ve always been a fan of.

Hope that helps!

S
[/quote]

Stu, like you said I have a decent amount of mass on my triceps from heavy pressing but no real shape, certainly they aren’t impressive. I’ll give the three positions a go, I know I don’t do a lot of contracted position exercises, in fact none so I’ll hit them doubly hard.

Thanks.

599

Since I’ve only been back in NY for a week (and heading out again for another little trip tomorrow), I’ve been running around a hell of a lot the last few days. Today, I’ll be training at Strong N’ Shapely gym in NJ with a bunch of fellow T-Nation gym rats, and then early tomorrow morning, I’ll be flying out of Laguardia Airport to spend several lovely days at Biotest HQ as Christian Thibs enjoys himself by putting a ‘crack-team’ of Indigo commandos through all sorts of tortuous training hell.

I’m going to try to update this thread a lot more when I get back. I know some people are curious what my training has looked like (as well as my eating!) since the Hercules last month, what sort of ‘damage’ I did on my 7 day Bermuda Cruise (not much actually, despite eating way too much, way too often, of of stuff that was waaaay bad for me -lol), and especially following along as I try to bring up some weaker areas before prepping for my first WNBF pro show in 2012.

Mod J-Rod has informed me that I’ll have Wi-Fi in my hotel room in Colorado this coming week, so if possible (if I can raise to fingers to type, let alone walk) I’ll pop in here to answer any questions, PMs, you know, the usual barrage of stuff I always try to address. If I just don’t seem to be able to, I promise, as always, to address everything when I’m back into some semblance of normalcy :slight_smile:

S

600

Hey Stu

I would have loved to join you guys in CO. But no chance taking a single day off work at the moment. I belive there will be a next time, though.

Don’t you plan to compete in the INBF/WNBF world champonships in November? So your next contest will be 2012?

Cheers, PA