Gyms like that are why I started collecting “the basics” at home.
So off the topic of my now defunct gym…
The new Nov 2011 issue of Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness hit newsstands the other day, and not only is my girlfriend Cat in it (2 pics accompanying various articles), but there’s a nice shot of me in the Hercules contest write up, as well as a little piece I wrote on shoulder training in the ‘WNBF Pro Tips’ column.
Damn Cool! 
Get me some more clients! -lol
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[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
So off the topic of my now defunct gym…
The new Nov 2011 issue of Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness hit newsstands the other day, and not only is my girlfriend Cat in it (2 pics accompanying various articles), but there’s a nice shot of me in the Hercules contest write up, as well as a little piece I wrote on shoulder training in the ‘WNBF Pro Tips’ column.
Damn Cool!
Get me some more clients! -lol
S[/quote]
Amazingly cool. Enjoying this thread Stu, I’d love to be a natural pro one day even if it’s many years from now and your the proof it can be done!
How easy would that magazine be to come by in the UK? I’m guessing not very. Muscle & Fitness and Flex are the only proper muscle mags I’ve seen sold here, perhaps I need to look deeper
Edit: digital issues look to be a bargain! Might have to go for it sometime soon 
The only ‘regular’ place I know that routinely carries the magazine (aside from the odd corner newsstand or bodega) is Barnes and Nobles. I don’t know if the chain is just a US based one, but the publisher did just start offering digital versions, which I’ve heard are much cheaper than actually paying for paper. It only comes out quarterly, but to be honest, when I first started competing the articles gave me hell of a lot more information than the usual bunch of muscle rags.
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Thanks Stu, $11 per year certainly seems affordable- I will give it a try next month. Looking forward to posts to come!
I wanted to add my contest update to the thread:
This from last Saturday…
I am thinking something went really wrong with the carb up friday or the 6 days to shredded method just does that work for me. Looked fairly crisp on thursday but after the water cut and the carb up, I woke up Saturday morning smooth and waterlogged. Have to figure out why. I placed 5th out of 5 competitors in my class (dead last). I should be doing another show on the 10 of September, a bit demotivated today…hopefully I can shake it off tomorrow.
Any ideas of what I can do in two weeks to tighten up significantly would be appreciated.
*I am in the black trunks
So after the last 6 years at the same gym for 99% of my training, and all of my contest preps, today I walked, reluctantly into the New York Sports Club down the street. Actually, it’s a nice 20/25 min walk, which isn’t too bad with the current weather, but I’m definitely going to pay attention to how the added 45 mins of walking will factor into my cal intake next prep.
While it’s not a horrible gym by non gym rat standards, a lot of the machines and equipment just felt off somehow. Not sure if I’m just used to the ‘old standby’ equipment I’ve gotten used to, or if some of the NYSC stuff is actually not great (Using a pulldown machine, I couldn’t even extend my arms all the way and get a full stretch without the stack touching down and losing all tension). Also, because I haven’t gone back to my usual work schedule yet, I was able to get in kinda early today, so I’m waiting to see just how crowded it gets around my usual 5pm lifting time (only 1 squat rack!) One thing that did get on my nerves was a young kid asking me to spot him constantly, as he grunted and sputtered and knocked out grinding rep after grinding rep. Then he’d follow me around giving me his theories on weight training. Seriously, I was so content just to mind my business and get my work done as the new guy (usual dirty looks from the regular gym crowd of course), I wonder what the hell look on my conveyed a “please come bother me” message.
Currently, I’m just focusing on a 4 day rotation, with days off as I feel I need them. Sometimes it’s 4 on 1 off, sometimes 8 on 1 off, sometimes 2 on 1 off etc, but keeping 4 days with weights: Chest/Calves, Back/Bis, Delts/Traps/Tris, Legs. Usually in my off seasons I’ll incorporate a 6 day rotation hitting legs and chest each twice every rotation, but at the moment, I figure that hitting a weak point every 3 days vs hitting a weak point every 4 days (like now) along with every other muscle group,… well, it’s probably not much of a difference. I guess we’ll see what sort of improvements I can sport come next season.
@MYOSIN: Sorry, but this isn’t really a 2011 contest results thread, it’s been my recounting of my 2011 contest season (I kept one in 2010, and one in 2009 as well). Looking at your pics, specifically your hams and glutes, I would say you were at least 5 lbs away from any water/carb voodoo really having any noticeable effect onstage. Of course I can only base this on the photos you put up, I have no clue what you did with your full contest prep. I’m sure the added time, as long as you didn’t completely blow up right after the first show, should help you out quite a bit. Even if you did binge a bit, I’ve done 2 shows for each of the last two Springs, and even with a 2 day binge following the first, I’d always come in tighter for the second one.
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[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
@MYOSIN: Sorry, but this isn’t really a 2011 contest results thread, it’s been my recounting of my 2011 contest season (I kept one in 2010, and one in 2009 as well).[/quote]
X2
Random question about your prep vs off season. How diet pop and crystal light did you go through and how much to you drink in the off season?
Sucks about that Guy in the gym
[quote]
@MYOSIN: Sorry, but this isn’t really a 2011 contest results thread, it’s been my recounting of my 2011 contest season (I kept one in 2010, and one in 2009 as well). Looking at your pics, specifically your hams and glutes, I would say you were at least 5 lbs away from any water/carb voodoo really having any noticeable effect onstage. Of course I can only base this on the photos you put up, I have no clue what you did with your full contest prep. I’m sure the added time, as long as you didn’t completely blow up right after the first show, should help you out quite a bit. Even if you did binge a bit, I’ve done 2 shows for each of the last two Springs, and even with a 2 day binge following the first, I’d always come in tighter for the second one.
S[/quote]
ok…much thanks.
Stu…you called water/carb depleting/loading “voodoo”. Do you not subscribe to these ideas and if not do you do anything different the week of the show? Thanks!
Oh I completely do think that you can get an extra little hardness and polish with a few tweaks and tricks the last week, BUT I also believe that you have to already be at a certain level of conditioning in order for it to really help you out in a positive manner. Even then, keep in mind that it is always a temporary benefit, and that anytime you start pushing your body in one direction, it’s going to inevitably swing back in the other given time.
Also, realize that everyone reacts differently. What you tried and found not as effective as you would have hoped, may work perfectly well for someone else. That’s why every article you read on peak week approaches should only be viewed as a guide, never an exact plan.
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^Lol, wow, at first I was speechless thinking about suddenly having a tail, but then I realized that at least my quads are looking good!
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So I finally hopped on a scale last week. I hadn’t weighed myself since last June’s contest. All I was focusing on up until now, was body composition. My strength is where is usually is, I’ve filled out to more usual proportions (not my dieted down ones), and I’m still sporting more veins and definition than I was in last year’s off season. The actual scale #? 194.4 lbs. Which is pretty close to what I would have guessed.
I started my 2010 contest season weighing in at 208 lbs and won my USBF Pro card at 173 lbs. I started my 2011 contest season weighing 198 lbs, and won my WNBF Pro card at 175 lbs. My plans for 2012 are to start under 195 lbs (gonna try for 190, but the mirror trumps the scale, so we’ll see), and see how things pan out from there. I don’t actually have any set dates yet for Spring Pro shows, so I don’t want to have less time than I’d like to get into contest condition. As soon as I get some dates, I’ll post up and we’ll see how everything plays out
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Hey Stu…where can I find the schedule for the 2012 WNBF shows? Has it been released yet?
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
So I finally hopped on a scale last week. I hadn’t weighed myself since last June’s contest. All I was focusing on up until now, was body composition. My strength is where is usually is, I’ve filled out to more usual proportions (not my dieted down ones), and I’m still sporting more veins and definition than I was in last year’s off season. The actual scale #? 194.4 lbs. Which is pretty close to what I would have guessed.
I started my 2010 contest season weighing in at 208 lbs and won my USBF Pro card at 173 lbs. I started my 2011 contest season weighing 198 lbs, and won my WNBF Pro card at 175 lbs. My plans for 2012 are to start under 195 lbs (gonna try for 190, but the mirror trumps the scale, so we’ll see), and see how things pan out from there. I don’t actually have any set dates yet for Spring Pro shows, so I don’t want to have less time than I’d like to get into contest condition. As soon as I get some dates, I’ll post up and we’ll see how everything plays out
S[/quote]
I think it’s always cool/good to compare years like that and see the differences. How many weeks did each take? 35lb is a pretty large amount to lose, and you were pretty lean to begin with…makes you realize how far some people are from competing who think they’d only have to drop 10lb lol
Seems like you are trying to stay closer to “contest weight” this time around, huh?
In anticipation for competing this upcoming year I’m doing basically the same thing, trying to stay lean so I don’t have to diet for 6 months aggressively like last year. Strength is up, muscle is up, fat is down… What more could I ask for?
I always look forward to your threads Stu, keep it up man, you are inspiring others just like me every day I’ve no doubt.
[quote]jimmybango wrote:
Hey Stu…where can I find the schedule for the 2012 WNBF shows? Has it been released yet?[/quote]
While I know it’s always in the back of their NB&F magazines, you can also check their site WNBF . net for Pro shows, and INBF . net for Amateur ones. If you’re interested in tested shows of any federation, try naturalbodybuildingevents . com.
Planning to get onstage soon?
S