Thanks for the detailed response. Definite bummer about the lack of good gym equipment, especially the hack squat. Looks like you found your way around it though. looking forward to that comp in june and some of the guys you will be competing against.
I’m definitely amped up (while also being a bit nervous) about the June show. My contest record has been pretty amazing so far, certainly better than I ever could have hoped for. At this point though, it’s sort of going from the big fish in the small pond into the actual ocean -lol.
I do have a bit of fear of being the guy who makes the big leagues and then ends up at the very bottom of every show he enters. There have been some truly amazing Pros who I’ve seen absolutely crush their way to the top, only to end up just one of the many comeptitors on stage, not even placing in the top 5.
Although there are still a number of weaknesses I need to bring up, there is also the matter of structure and genetics, which undoubtedly have an impact once you reach this degree of competition. What I’d like to accomplish though, and I hope this is realistic at this level, is simply to place top 5 in a WNBF Pro show. As always, I’m going to bust my ass to bring the best showing I can, no matter what ‘names’ enter the same contest.
S
As most bodybuilders say, you can only bring your best. I’m sure your fear is quite a common one!
Learning so much from your threads!
Glad you’re enjoying the trip! When I started my first contest thread a few years back, it was to get other people’s thoughts and also to hold myself accountable in some way. I had no idea how much it would explode, but here I am, about to enter my 4th year of competition, and it’s certainly been a heck of a ride 
As of now, my left elbow, which was a huge issue this time last year, is really becoming a problem. As I have much more time on my side before my next show than I did last year, I’m thinking about possibly taking a full week off from the gym. Every time I tried this in the past, I’d either still go in and do legs, or go in and avoid presses, or even just do a deload, getting light pumps with my usual exercises.
This time though, I have to intelligently assess just how much I’ve beaten on my body over the years, and be realistic about my age, and the age of my joints! Hopefully the longer, slower prep time will allow me to not have to push so hard (damn I hate typing that, sounds like a cop out already), but employ the old ‘smarter not harder’ approach.
Additionally, I was thinking about how each year of my competition history has seen me start a new thread on here. A this point, I’m not really charging into any epic battles for new titles or new pro cards (got plenty of those -lol), but merely going to try to do my best in the WNBF Pro League, while keeping age related injuries in check, and of course answering any questions people continue to throw my way.
As such, I think I’ll keep going with this particular thread. The Mods always seem to Sticky my contest threads anyway, so I figure let’s just keep this one on top Which actually leads to the issue of the thread title. I can’t keep it as my “2011” contest thread, so any good ideas, just lemme know.
And on that note, I’m trekking off to Brooklyn to train with Thoughts1053 and Anechoic, who is in from Canada for a couple of days!
If I don’t get back on in the next day or so (very busy looking at places to have a Wedding!), Happy New Year to all my iron Brethren.
S
Can’t wait to follow along your prep and watch you whip some major ass! I hope the elbow heals up nicely. Have you tried Cirumin before? I’ve heard nothing but good things and can’t remember if you take it or not. I don’t need it now, and I hope I don’t need it for a long time lol.
Have a good session, Stu! I’m expecting someone to take some video
So here we are, 2012, and I have 25 weeks until my next show. I figure with all the recent nagging injuries I’ve been dealing with the last couple of months (Elbow, Trap, Lower Back, even one of my knees which surprisingly never affects my training), that I’ll be smart and try to rest up this week before settling down into my contest-prep mindset.
I had last week off from work, but to be honest, was running around more than usual attending to wedding-stuff (Cat and I are getting married August 4, 2012!). While it was actually pretty enjoyable, just the two of us making our big plans, it did involve me spending the majority of my time out on Long Island (I live in Queens), which means sleeping on the floor at my parents’ house… not exactly comfortable, but at least I managed to get everything on our list done as well as hitting the gym with my usual regularity.
As much as I absolutely hate not training, I figure unlike most people who actually scale back their macros and supplements when taking time off, I’ll keep my food intake as well as my usual supplements where they usually are. Sure my mind will screw with me (“you’re getting fat!”), but I figure it’s better to provide my body a situation where everything it may need is in abundance when I’m banking on it to rest and recover before I truly beat it to hell shreddin’ up for the WNBF Pro American in June.
@ASHY- I’ve been using Curcumin, Flameout, and Mineral Support religiously for a while now. I doubt I’d still be stepping onstage, let alone throwing around the weights I usually do without them as the backbone of my supplement program.
and while I wasn’t able to get any videos of training with THOUGHTS and ANECHOIC, I promise I’ll try and get some good stuff during this coming prep. I never really got into the habit of filming myself all the time like some people do. After all the questions I got last year, it made sense to show a sample session for each of my bodypart splits, but I’m not ‘that guy’ who has to film every workout and throw it up on facebook hoping people comment on it
S
Oh, and I just wanted to share this lovely shirt that THOUGHTS1053 and his awesome girlfriend had printed up for me. Somehow everyone seems to have gotten the idea that I like to tear the sleeves off of my gym shirts… not too sure where that came from -lol.
(They also had one printed up for Cat, but hers says “Mrs. Yellin” on it!)
S
That shirt is awesome man, what a great and thoughtful gift.
Cant wait to see what Stu Yellin brings in 2012, have a good one big man
Just spent the morning going back thru your log. Awesome stuff!! Thanks for taking the time to post all this.
So not working out this week is a lot more difficult than I though -lol. I just keep telling myself how hard I’m gonna hit it next week, and that I have plenty of time to enjoy the ride this time. I figure at this point, a WNBF and USBF Pro bodybuilder, even if I never win another show, I’m damn proud of how far I’ve come with my little ‘hobby’.
That said, I’ve been sitting here tonight, laptop in hand (well, in lap), and planning on several diet plans for clients who are competing this season, answering a few emails, and going over a little outline for this Saturday when I’ll be part of an “expert panel” at a coaches seminar courtesy of GAGLIONE STRENGTH (one of the better T-Nation authors in my opinion) on Long Island!
While I’m rambling about what I’m doing on a non-training evening, let me just say that a lot of people, even those who hire me, don’t realize just how much work I do put into planning their programs. I got a new client this week, and as I just received his weekly food and training log, I now get to spend a good hour just putting his current (crappy) diet into a spreadsheet and calculating #s just so I can see exactly what the hell he’s been doing to himself. The of course I’ll email him, explaining just how awful he’s been eating, try to find any redeeming aspects of his food choices, and do my best to actually include his preferred foods into a diet strategy that won’t be such a horrible 180 degree turn for the poor guy. Little steps, little steps… they all add up in the end
S
I hear that, I was training a few friends for awhile (for free, as a way to start a business with some testimonials) and I sure spent a lot of time trying to do just what you mentioned; both come up with a system that is better for them, yet still incorporates food they like and isn’t torture. I enjoyed the challenge, but it wasn’t easy.
Keep it up!
Out of curiousity, how many people do you work with at any one time?
Well, this weekend was certainly fun. I got to present a little lecture on Nutrition and Supplementation for Recovery at a Coaches Seminar for Gaglione Strength (and was very well received!), got some more "wedding Stuff’ done, and buckled down my plans for my Spring 2012 run at the WNBF Pro-American this coming June.
Tomorrow officially starts my diet, which kinda stinks as I’ll not only be dieting through my Birthday this year (which I’m getting used to by now), but also through my own Engagement party, and several friends’ weddings as well. That’s the real difficult thing about leading a ‘normal’ life while doing this. My options will be either waking up at some ungodly hour in the morning to train before the weddings, or I’ll find myself alone at the gym on a Saturday night as the cleaning crew is going about there business… fun fun -lol
As of 1/9/12 I will have 21 weeks to show at my all time best. Usually I’ll give myself 16 weeks leading up to a show, but in seeing how well I’ve done in the past when doing 2 shows, and the 2nd always being closer to the 18-20 week mark, I want to really take my time, hopefully preserve even more size this year, and hopefully dig my hammies out a bit better a la’ Whitacre if I can.
My usual prep split is a 6 day rotation of 2 days of weights, and a day of interval work (4 different weight training days per rotation). I have a benefit dinner this Friday night, which will absolutely kill any chance I had of training after work if I am going to get there on time. So I figured my best course of action would be to rotate all of the weight sessions Mon - Thurs, and then follow my ‘Low’ day diet on Friday. That way even though I won’t be able to get any interval work done, I’ll still have the dip in macros that I always rely on to coax my metabolism along. Should be fun
TIMM- The # of people I work with is always changing. Sometimes I may just have a handful of online coaching clients (like through the summer months), other times I may have a lot of competitors gearing up for the Spring or Winter shows (like now, I calculated 7 diets and training plans for 7 different people this weekend!) The cool thing is that the longer I do this, the more widespread my reputation seems to be. Admittedly I could Network and PR better than I do (something I mean to work on when I have time to breath), but with clients from several foreign Countries this last year, just winning shows and being helpful on here has been a pretty good thing!
(plus, sending Client’s free T-shirts seems to really go over well too -lol)
S
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
My options will be either waking up at some ungodly hour in the morning to train before the weddings, or I’ll find myself alone at the gym on a Saturday night as the cleaning crew is going about there business… fun fun -lol
[/quote]
This reminds me of a clip from a Jay Cutler dvd where he’s doing cardio at like 2 in the morning and there’s nobody there but him and the cleaning guy haha. Good Luck on your prep this year Stu. You are a true inspiration!
[quote]johnman18 wrote:
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
My options will be either waking up at some ungodly hour in the morning to train before the weddings, or I’ll find myself alone at the gym on a Saturday night as the cleaning crew is going about there business… fun fun -lol
[/quote]
This reminds me of a clip from a Jay Cutler dvd where he’s doing cardio at like 2 in the morning and there’s nobody there but him and the cleaning guy haha. Good Luck on your prep this year Stu. You are a true inspiration![/quote]
Lol, I’ve seen that clip! That’s the hardest part about prepping for a show (correctly), living the rest of your life and still fitting in all the extra work.
My approach has always been to not bother telling every single person I see what I’m doing, because for the most part, no one really cares. I’ve encountered trainers/competitors who have to talk 24/7 about how difficult it is getting ready for a show, and to be honest, I certainly wouldn’t want to hear someone else patting themselves on the back whenever I spoke to them either.
So in keeping ‘this part’ of my life seperate, it sometimes involves missing out on a little extra sleep so I can fit in training, or even just so I can get in an extra meal. Never embark on something like a contest prep for any reason other than because it’s something YOU want to do. Don’t expect everyone to be impressed, because you will be disappointed.
Last week was the first time I’ve ever taken such a stretch off from the gym in what is probably a few years’ time. As much as I knew that I wasn’t really going to lose any muscle in just a week’s time, I did note that my muscles looked a bit different than usual. Even in my usual off-season condition, with a certain degree of bodyfat, my physique still maintains an element of hardness due to my regular training.
Well, this past Sunday morning, looking in the bathroom mirror, I was shocked as my reflection looked quite ‘off’ from what I expect to see staring back at me each morning. I’m certain things will be back to normal by next week, but I’ll admit to wearing full sleeve t-shirts while training this week. Don’t want my head screwing with me so early on.
Also, while I’ve echoed the opinion of many coaches on here about soreness not being an indicator of muscle growth, I will say that after taking a full week off from the gym,… damn am I sore now! -lol It actually feel pretty good, as I guess my body has built up a certain degree of tolerance to the stresses of the weights over the years.
Tonight I plan on hitting delts and tris, and as my left elbow was the real problem areas that prompted me to take a break in the first place, I’m going to really hold back a bit, work through an extended, and relaxed warmup, and hopefully ease back into the intensity I would like to employ for the majority of my Spring Prep.
S
Okay, so last night, at a Fundraiser for a local Cancer Foundation, I was faced with how to adhere to my ‘low’ day #s. Having not be able to go to the gym (not even my usual quick interval work), I was especially concerned about not screwing up my day. I couldn’t really bring a cooler with me (everyone was wearing suits, and making speeches etc). At one point, during the cocktail hour, Cat, my awesome, awesome fiance’ actually put up a hell of a fight in removing some carved cucumbers from the decoration adorning the servers’ trays in hopes that I’d be able to eat them and quell my growling stomach. Didn’t work out so well (they were warm, almost dehydrated, and tasted like styrofoam!)
For dinner, I was faced with either Salmon, Chicken Cordon Bleu, or Prime Rib. I figured the salmon was going to be too caloric (high levels of fats will have that effect on food), the Chicken Cordon Bleu was breaded and filled with cheese, and the prime rib, while calorically dense as most beef is,… well,… okay, I went with the Prime rib. I figured it was the best choice available. I then ate all of my veggies, all of Cat’s veggies, and when some official looking fellow from the venue asked if we needed anything, I was able to get a huge bowl of broccoli (with a little oil and garlic) all to myself. Not the worst turn out, and luckily as I’m still 20 weeks out, I don’t think missing my usual unwavering adherence to my plan will result in any real setbacks.
S
Stu, Lets face it man… For those of us who don’t make a living off of BBing, you have to live life like a “normal” person some times. If this is the worst meal you have for the next 20 weeks, I think you’ll do just fine brother.
Its the actions we do every single day, over and over again, that lead to success. One small pebble in the road like this wont amount to anything come the end of your prep.
Oh I have no doubt Lonnie, I just figured it’s always interesting trying to blend ‘this’ part of my life with the rest…with the ‘normal’ part -lol.
It’s funny, but I was walking my pup with my neighbor the day after (we take our pooches out together when we can), and she wondered why I didn’t just ‘not diet’ that night. My explanation was simple… when I’m dieting, the switch is thrown, and there’s no bending the rules. When I’m not, I don’t obsess about eating ‘not-clean’ food choices. I figure it’s the people who bend the rules when dieting who place out of the top 5 at contests. If I were to do that, it’s what I would be thinking about when I placed badly at a contest.
As an update… today was my first day since last Prep (June 2011) that I’ve trained my abs and done intervals, All I can say is OW! I don’t usually train my abs except when dieting, so let’s just say that not only did they started burning pretty quickly, but the sets didn’t really last very long either.
Also, I had forgotten about how much my quads actually burn during interval work. I managed to stick it out for my usual 20 minutes, but in no way was my intensity what it was mid way through my last prep. Still, with 20 weeks to go, and at a very good starting weight (195.5lb this morning!), I can ease into things, and work my way up. Which is good actually. It’s fairly common for people to try and jump right back into what they were doing at the END of their last prep at the beginning of their new one. Always gotta have options in store for the inevitable weight loss stalls.
S
Stu,
I always love to see your true dedication in action, the fact that you are so strict and focused is why you’ve been able to have so much success.
I remember you telling me about the time when you were eating hardboiled eggs I think that you brought to the movie theater. To most (me included) thats insanity but you are so locked on leading up to a contest it was no problem.
Best of luck and I will continue following along.
I like the idea of a switch being thrown. I’m definitely with Lonnie though, pretty good for a “bad” meal. : )
Yesterday was delts for me, and to be honest, I was feeling that my left elbow was going to be an issue. Screwing around a bit earlier in the day, I realized that if I maintained a neutral grip, or even reverse grip during an upright pressing movement, I didn’t experience the pain I normally would during traditional, palms forward DB presses. As such, my shoulder routine went as follows:
Seated DB laterals
Standing, leaning away DB laterals
Standing Reverse Grip BB Presses (no seated press station)
Standing Traditional Grip BB Presses (avoiding lockouts)
Rear Laterals on inc bench
I figure by employing the pre-exhaust for the anterior head with the reverse grip, I was able to handle the regular movement by means of being weaker, and having a good amount of blood in the joints involved.
Also, even though my traps have been an issue for me (keep straining my left lower trap, I have no idea how the hell this even happened), I was able to do plain old standing DB shrugs (something I never even do), with a fairly light weight, high reps, and trying to stray in the middle ROM with the movement (peak contractions seem to irritate the injury).
All in all, this was the day of my split that I was most worried about, but luckily, everything held together, I feel that I got a good training session in, and this morning, I woke up feeling nice and achy
S