Mighty's Contest Updates & Q&A Thread

Training
81

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
When I do that with the wrists, even though it makes the forearm pop a bit more (an area I don’t think I especially lag in), it gives less of a horshoe display in the tricep. Sure, the arm may appear a bit larger, but this way enables me to display the full three heads of the muscle. This is why so many natural competitors adopt this approach (size is just one aspect of competing, especially ‘unassisted’). I usually twist more onstage, but admitedly am rusty and haven’t really practiced posing since last Spring. As my weight drops, it also becomes a lot more comfortable for me to angle my body in positions to better display my ‘wares’ -lol.[/quote]

I see what you mean. Definitely wanna show off the strengths there!

[quote]
Hunching forward is a common newbie mistake, one I was very guilty of in my first contest. In what I assume is an attempt to crunch the pecs more, you make yourself look smaller. Better to put a slight arch in the back, which when combined with a correct torso twist, and properly angled front arm, will convey a much better physique (a method I employ to give the effect of a much better chest than I actually have!) For the tricep shot, you must remember that it’s not just the triceps you’re displaying, but if done properly, a small waist, side leg, and especially your abs (something you can see well in contest pics).[/quote]

I definitely hear what you’re saying about newbies leaning too far forward on those poses. I personally try to push up my chest and twist it a bit more to streamline my waist even more. I’ve got a decently long torso but a bigger waist so my coaches and I have been trying to figure out the best way to hit my side poses.

[quote]Probably just tired after training :slight_smile:

S[/quote]

I knew it!

I wasn’t trying to sound critical of your posing, I was more curious as to what you, one of the best posers on this board, has in mind on those poses.

82

Just a quick update as I’m typing from my itouch (my computer completely melted down wednesday)…

Weighed in at 190.2 lbs this morning and definitely starting to look tight. Even though the weight loss is slower than in the past, the level of conditioning that’s looking back at me in the mirror tells me not to worry. I’ll still try to snap some pics if I can this week, although I have no idea how I’d get them online anyway.

Starting this morning, officially 11 weeks out, I upped my morning steady state to 25 mins. Aside from that, I haven’t really changed much other than seriously digging in on my ‘low’ days and seeing just how little I can get by with as far as food goes (relying on the Mag10 to keep my muscles safe).

I’ll try to answer any thoughts and questions on here along with the PMs I get when I can at work.

S

83

Stu, are you doing steady state cardio every day? I remember in your 2010 contest you said that you didn’t really like steady state, and preferred HIIT. What changed? Also, do you just fill up a Nalgene with MAG-10 and take swigs throughout the day, or is there more of a method to your madness in regards to how much MAG-10 you consume, and how often? FWIW, I’m rooting for you.

Just out of curiosity as well, if you have time…Why couldn’t one get contest ready with a pulse feast/IF? A lot of the more experienced guys say that you can’t, but I don’t understand why not…

84

I have, and still do think that HIIT is the superior choice of the two for better overall body composition changes. The smart competitor, however, will know how to use both to his/her advantage. The main metabolic-‘kick’ I rely on each week is a serious ass-kicking 25 mins of intervals done on a recumbant bike, 2x every 6 days.

This not only leads to a much higher EPOC (exercise post oxygen consumption), but many attribute a better degree of nurtient partitioning and as additional result (more LBM sparing!) The small bouts of steady state work serve as nothing more than some extra caloric ‘burn’, and aren’t even done at a very intense pace. My thinking is that ‘every little bit counts’, and as I’ve said in the past, I like eating and if a little 15 min ‘walk’ each day allows me to enjoy a few extra Tbsps of Peanut Butter, I’m all for it -lol.

As to the Mag-10: In addition to the peri-workout combo with the Anaconda powder, I usually throw 3-4 scoops of Mag-10 in a large water bottle (I stopped using the giant Nalgene bottle during working hours because I’m at a new school and really don’t need all the attention I used to get) and drink that throughout the day. I usually make sure I take a nice big ‘hit’ of it about 20-30 mins before I’m going to eat, usually with my Receptormax pills.

I’ve never really been a fan of any type of fasting, it just goes against everything I’ve come to think. Sure, I understand the concept of going really low in order to get a better ‘bang for your buck’ sort of thing (Layne Norton’s been discussing using less frequent meals thoughout the day recently as well), but the bottom line in any athlete’s plans, is how their own body has responded in the past. No one is going to try something so radically different, and against widely accepted dogma when preparing for something they consider important.

Pretty much every study going back to the bodybuilders of the 1950’s (I’m guessing a timeline here) supports the need for frequent feedings for better nutrient availability. Sure, we’ve since discovered Leucine as a central ‘trigger’ if you will, and a few bright thinkers are toying with newer concepts involving that, but again, no serious athlete is going to risk their showing at a contest just to try something that many still regard at novel. Realize though that I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, just that most competitors will not going to risk such a drastic alteration to approaches that are accepted to work.

S

85

Thanks for the reply. I know what you men about the giant Nalgene bottle too! People think I’m a freak when I’m sipping some purple juice out of a GIANT bottle!

86

One of the best posts I’ve seen in a while.

Intelligent, informative, real world applicable and full of common sense.

Nicely done Stu

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I have, and still do think that HIIT is the superior choice of the two for better overall body composition changes. The smart competitor, however, will know how to use both to his/her advantage. The main metabolic-‘kick’ I rely on each week is a serious ass-kicking 25 mins of intervals done on a recumbant bike, 2x every 6 days.

This not only leads to a much higher EPOC (exercise post oxygen consumption), but many attribute a better degree of nurtient partitioning and as additional result (more LBM sparing!) The small bouts of steady state work serve as nothing more than some extra caloric ‘burn’, and aren’t even done at a very intense pace. My thinking is that ‘every little bit counts’, and as I’ve said in the past, I like eating and if a little 15 min ‘walk’ each day allows me to enjoy a few extra Tbsps of Peanut Butter, I’m all for it -lol.

As to the MAG-10: In addition to the peri-workout combo with the Anaconda powder, I usually throw 3-4 scoops of MAG-10 in a large water bottle (I stopped using the giant Nalgene bottle during working hours because I’m at a new school and really don’t need all the attention I used to get) and drink that throughout the day. I usually make sure I take a nice big ‘hit’ of it about 20-30 mins before I’m going to eat, usually with my Receptormax pills.

I’ve never really been a fan of any type of fasting, it just goes against everything I’ve come to think. Sure, I understand the concept of going really low in order to get a better ‘bang for your buck’ sort of thing (Layne Norton’s been discussing using less frequent meals thoughout the day recently as well), but the bottom line in any athlete’s plans, is how their own body has responded in the past. No one is going to try something so radically different, and against widely accepted dogma when preparing for something they consider important.

Pretty much every study going back to the bodybuilders of the 1950’s (I’m guessing a timeline here) supports the need for frequent feedings for better nutrient availability. Sure, we’ve since discovered Leucine as a central ‘trigger’ if you will, and a few bright thinkers are toying with newer concepts involving that, but again, no serious athlete is going to risk their showing at a contest just to try something that many still regard at novel. Realize though that I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, just that most competitors will not going to risk such a drastic alteration to approaches that are accepted to work.

S[/quote]

87

[quote]synergy93 wrote:
One of the best posts I’ve seen in a while.

Intelligent, informative, real world applicable and full of common sense.

Nicely done Stu
[/quote]

Thanks man. I always try to throw out as much information in a simplified, understandable manner as I can. Actually, I’m working on a book with my brother, so we’ll see just how good of a scribe I truly am! :slight_smile:

Oh yeah,… down to 189.2 lbs this morning (always cools to see a weight drop following a high carb intake day). Also, I received notification that an online mag that profiles and pushes natural bodybuilding is interested in doing a video-shoot with me this week, so hopefully that will turn out well (It’s not a ‘competing’ supplement company, so I don’t think it would be disrespectful to the Biotest crew). Not sure if I’ll have any official progress pics this week, but with no computer at home, what would I do with 'em anyway.

S

89

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Actually, I’m working on a book with my brother, so we’ll see just how good of a scribe I truly am! :slight_smile:

[/quote]
Really? That’s great and I would buy a copy - depending on what you’re writing about of course :wink:

I agree with synergy; that was a hell of a post.

BBB[/quote]

Thanks, I always appreciate compliments from people I actually respect. The text outline we’ve come up with will cover various aspects of training (designing the ‘right’ program for individuals, how to properly - biomachanically - perform exercises for maximum effect, training around injuries, training myths, incorrect practices by personal trainers…) as well as nutritional aspects (why people can’t lose fat, bottoming out your metabolism, making quality gains, dietary misconceptions and myths…), and probably a small section on those who actually want to train to compete simply because I seem to get a lot of those questions in emails and when I train at various gyms.

I figure with my brothers creds, and my own experiences, this should be a tomb of info (at least I’m hoping it will be!) There are just too many silly e-books out there by every personal trainer with his/her own web site. We’re hoping we can sort of bridge the gap between real medical science and gym science (for lack of a better term). Obviously this isn’t going to come to light anytime soon, but I’ll keep you guys posted of course :slight_smile:

S

90

Stu, I’m just gonna ask: Will you adopt me?

91

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Actually, I’m working on a book with my brother, so we’ll see just how good of a scribe I truly am! :slight_smile:

[/quote]
Really? That’s great and I would buy a copy - depending on what you’re writing about of course :wink:

I agree with synergy; that was a hell of a post.

BBB[/quote]

I would buy a copy totally independent of what’s it going to be about :wink:

92

Okay, so even though I’m basically computer-less at home (trying to do my best at work, and with my cel-phone - forgive my even more than usual typos please), I got a bunch of new pics yesterday of both myself (now 10 weeks out) and my brother (7 weeks out, and actually looking pretty big,… well, except for his lack of calves that is). As I don’t have the option of assembling my usual compilation of weekly pics in photoshop, I’ll just throw a few up here in the meantime.

Weighing in at 187.8 lbs, which is about a 10-11 lb drop in 6 weeks. Nice and slow, and seemingly untouching of LBM as far as I can assess from pics and strength levels.

My little video-shoot last week went very well, and I’ve heard from the guys in charge who watched the raw footage, that it should come out nicely (I certainly hope so! -lol). I made sure to wear my old Yellow writing on Black Testosterone T-Shirt, always trying to give props to Tim and the Boys for even getting me rolling in all of ‘this’, and I’m sure many people will ask about the Giant (Anaconda) Nalgene bottle upon viewing :slight_smile:

As always, I’ll keep everyone posted.

S

93

3240×4320 2.23 MB

S

94

3240×4320 2.2 MB

S

95

3240×4320 2.17 MB

S

96

Can i already see striations in your vastus lateralis in the first photo?
And not that u need any critique from me but those photos make ur legs look a little smaller. Working to bring them up?
oh and that back ‘arnold’ shot looks awesome:)

97

Yeah,… I noticed a bit of ‘feathering’ myself in a few of the pics, extremely unusual for me this far out from a contest (not that it’s a bad thing mind you -lol).

Something about taking pics when you’re holding the camera by your face just always seems to distort the lower half of your subject’s body. This is the fourth camera I’ve made use of during my contest logs, and I’ve just accepted that my legs will always look shorter and smaller in the photos. Last Spring, my weekly gym-pics looks similarly skewed, but then the professional photographer’s pics from the show revealed something altogether different (more in proportion, and much larger than I actually though).
At this point, I just accept it for what it is, a distortion, and look at the conditioning.

S

98

Looking good, Stu.

99

Stu - in your experience of drying out do you find it good to cycle off of creatine before a contest or do you stay on it all the way through? I can see both sides to it, it pulls water towards your muscles but I can see too much water retention also being an issue with it. Thoughts? Also you’re lookin amazing!

100

Hi Stu

It’s cool to see that you made some very nice improvements since your last prep. Your back is still awesome and, there you have done a great job, you did bring up your legs! They look better from the front and most notably from the side, i.e. much thiker when you do the side chest pose.
In the front double biceps pose they look a bit smaller, but that’s just a consequence of the camere held too high by the photographer.

From experience, I can highly recommend to have somebody take some pictures from you posing on a table. That’s about the angle the judges will look at you. Legs can easily look too DOMINANT from that angle. I believe you will do fine and shouldn’t have to worry about leg size too much.

Keep up the great work, PA