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Wow, quads are really coming through now. Looking forward to seeing how tight they get fully rested with proper tanning/lighting. You should be very pleased with the package youāve put together!
Tried the cold soaked oats post workout this morning (just in the fridge rather than freezer) and really enjoyed them this way. I ran out of my nut butters, but added some flax/chai seeds for a bit of additional fat/fibre. Thanks for the meal tips, Iāve tried most of your ideas. Also, Iām addicted to the mug cakes. I pretty much have one every night before bed. Feels like Iām cheatingā¦
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Rob looking absolutely sliced and diced! I love it! Just had my first of my three big salads for the day to get me through my final low carb day until peak week! What an absolute journey it has been! 9 days out of our final tag team event and I couldnāt be more pumped brother! AAAAAAROOOOOOOO
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Itās sad how accurate this is
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Thanks man! Yeah Iām happy to finally be seeing them tighten up with the rest of me.
Delicious! The flax/chai seeds Iām sure were awesome and thickened them up a bit. I canāt WAIT for the off season to make some sick proats with Metabolic Drive, some dark chocolate chips, fruit, granolaā¦awwww yeah.
Yeah the mug cakes are great too! As you know by reading the log, Iām all about making food tasty and not feeling deprived. This is so key in the off season, Iāve found it very easy to stay lean by making sure I really enjoy the foods I eat and keeping them lower cal. Katie and I were talking yesterday about how weāre gonna make buffalo ranch bacon chicken pizza the week after my show, using franks red hot, walden farms 0 cal ranch, grilled chicken, bacon and lots of fat free cheese. Halo Top and Enlightened brand makes some great high protein ice cream. Mug cakes! Things like that.
Thanks as always for following along bro!
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Thanks dude, canāt wait to rock the stage with you too brother! Yeah the big salads have been fantastic, I eat two a day.
9 DAYS OUT! 143lbs, weight was up today but looking tighter. As weāve been adding carbs lately, Iām not surprised the weight is up as a result of more water/glycogen. All about the mirror right now.
Knocked out my 3rd to last 60min fasted LISS this morning, actually felt a little better than usual, which Iām attributing to having 3 days of more carbs and cals than Iāve been used to.
Today is low day, 1700 cals, shoulders/abs/calves. As Iām feeling pretty good after a few days of carbs, and the training session wonāt be too brutal today, Iām going to keep cals the same, but lower carbs and trade for some fats just to get a little more fat burning going today. 3 days of more carbs and cals has helped my brain and metabolism a LOT, so I know Iāll be able to handle two FINAL DAYS of low carbs. I am keeping cals at 1700 as Iāve learned my body doesnāt like going below that, and still getting carbs pre-and post workout.
Not huge changes, just keeping all my carbs pre and post workout. Second meal of turkey salad and an apple with be turkey salad with bacon, and my last meal of the usual protein oats will be a protein mug cake, all protein fat. In my opinion this is what IIFYM should be about. Thereās no reason to eat the EXACT SAME MEALS every single day for months, but if you can use a calculator and sub out healthy foods thatāll help you meet your goals, it really helps keep you sane and the process more enjoyable. Donāt get me wrong, nothing with subbing out the occasional poo-tart, and I definitely enjoyed some Halo-Top during the prep and my once a week big chicken sandwich.
9 days out now, today and tomorrow are going to fly by, then Saturday and Sunday are medium days with 225g carby goodness, then PEAK WEEK! Coming quickly now, so pumped.
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Man, your legs are looking the best Iāve ever seen them. And the carbs have definitely gone to your legs. You legs (quads in particular, since your hams have always looked awesome) look more defined but also a lot fuller. The plan is definitely working.
9 days, man! PUSH PUSH PUSH! You got this shit!!!
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Thank you very much my man! Much appreciated!
Alright, made myself a tasty menu for a 1700 calorie day. While I DO enjoy having more carbs, after 3 days, my metabolism is fired up again and I want to take advantage of a little more fat burning. Gonna have carbs pre workout only today and tomorrow. Itās only two low carb days to knock out, Saturday and Sunday are BOTH medium days with 225g carbs, so that will be a good recharge before depletion. Hereās whatās on the menu:
MEAL 1 - 3 whole eggs, 1 italian chicken sausage, veggies (fresh chopped onions, asparagus, shredded broccoli, chopped garlic, wilted spinach)
MEAL 2 - 4oz Turkey salad with 3 pieces shoulder bacon, honey dijon 0 cal dressing (using 1 full bag butter lettuce)
MEAL 3 - Pre workout cake of cream of rice, Metabolic Drive and almond butter, 0 cal maple syrup
MEAL 4 - 5oz flank steak, sugar free BBQ sauce on the side, veggies (fresh chopped onions, asparagus, shredded broccoli, chopped garlic, wilted spinach)
MEAL 5 - 4oz Roast beef salad, 14 slices pepperoni, 0 cal thousand island dressing (using 1 full bag butter lettuce)
MEAL 6 - Protein cake - 1.5 scoops Metabolic Drive, 32g almond butter
Daily total: 1710 cals, 200p/46c/75f
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Looks delicious and filling for only 1700cals!
Also, I know for your peak week that you complete 3 depletion workouts and want to leave your legs alone to let them tighten up, but care to shed a little light on these workouts? Are they similar to your typical workouts, with higher reps/lower weight? Are you focused simply on TUT? Iām planning to run a little peak week for my āafterā pictures for this T-ransformation challenge and was interested to know what mindset to go into those depletion workouts with. I know it isnāt going to make any drastic changes for me as I wonāt be close to stage-ready lean, but if it can make me look a lb or two lighter then Iāll take it!
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@littlesleeper best of luck with the rest of your T-Ransformation, itās been really enjoyable following your log! You put a lot of time into it, looking forward to seeing the finished product.
Regarding the depletion workouts themselves, pretty minimal TUT, just pump style workouts to keep the blood moving, short rest periods. Not trying to build new muscle or do any damage at that point.
Just throwing out my .02, unless youāre already very lean, like 6% or under, a depletion and carb load wonāt make a noticeable difference in how you look. I think you might be better off just keeping a moderate carb approach all week leading up to your photos, and staying topped off/full, rather than throwing your body for a curve. Make sure to keep water and sodium high so the vascularity can come out!
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Another low day down, went pretty well. I felt better-than-usual, again attributing that to my higher cal and carb intake over the past few days. It wasnāt anything excessive by any means, but enough of a bump to get the metabolism fired up and keep my sanity. Today was a 1700 calorie day, 40g net carbs. 30g in my pre-workout cream of rice, and the rest from almond butter in the evening.
Dinner was my low carb go-to of 5oz medium-rare flank steak with sugar free BBQ sauce, veggies and a large side salad. Steak is ALWAYS delicious! The second meal of turkey salad with shoulder bacon was also great.
Tomorrow is my 2nd to last 60min fasted cardio session, and LAST LOW DAY OF THE PREP BOOYAH! Also no weight training tomorrow, as I would normally train legs, so in the afternoon Iām gonna take a slow walk, and then head to the gym to sit in the therapy pool for a while and get some good recovery time. Since I stopped HIIT Iāve been doing a 4 day cycle of chest/tris, back/bis, shoulders/abs/calves, legs, repeat. Havenāt had a day off in a while, so aside from the cardio in the morning, looking forward to letting my body rest a bit. Iāll need it for the long posing class on Saturday!
Since thereās no weight training tomorrow, Iām going to do another low carb day of just 30g carbs, still 1700 cals. Instead of my pre-workout cream of rice meal, for meal 3 Iām going to have a turkey and roast beef sandwich on ezekiel bread, with bacon, lettuce, sprouts, some sugar free BBQ sauce and honey dijon 0 cal dressing.
My mind feels better than it has in a while after the past few days increase in carbs and cals. Once youāre really calorie and carb depleted for a long time, ābrain fogā is kind of an understatement. Feeling disconnected, emotionally dulled/numb is the best way to describe it. Overall my legs still feel very heavy and beat up from the 60min daily morning cardio, so Iām looking forward to having them feel fresh for the show. I spend as much time as possible with my feet up, and not walking around. At this point, truly just walking anywhere, even slowly, sucks. From the car to the house is rough. Tonight was a beautiful night outside so the wife and I headed out for a slow walk, got about 10 min from the house and had to turn around. While Iām not in the danger zone of 1500 cals anymore, Iām still low carbs and low cals, and at this point every single calorie Iām taking is needed to keep me functioning.
Saturday is the last morning LISS session, but itās a medium day (BAGEL WITH BREAKFAST!) and the posing workshop, and 1 week out of the show. Thatāll be an enjoyable day. So, tomorrow is really the last day to push through and dig, Been a HELL of a ride.
Iām very back and forth, sometimes I look at my pics and in the mirror and think Iām so ready, and others I think I still have a long way to go. Itās impossible to be objective, and I donāt think any competitor every feels truly ready, like theyāve arrived at the peak and thereās no further room for progress. But, I DO know Iāve worked as hard as I possibly could have every day for the past two years of competition, both in the on and off season, and this prep Iāve really pushed myself to the limits. Iāve never ever cheated on my diet, or short-changed workouts. Stu and I have meticulously gone over every aspect of nutrition and cardio and made what we felt were the best decisions along the road. So, gonna keep pushing, bring my best to the stage and enjoy the hell out of the day.
I try not to get too wrapped up in the competitive aspect of the activity. Obviously anyone who decides to take this āhobbyā and take it to the competition level has a competitive streak. Not gonna lie, I really want that WNBF pro card, especially after earning the ANBF card last month, Iām more hungry than ever for this one. On the other hand, this sport is completely offense only, I have no idea who is going to show up. Iāve been exercising for about 7 years, started lifting 5 years ago. Last year the guy that won the overall at this show was also a light weight, and it was his 7th show. He had already won his class at 3 other shows and narrowly missed the overall, and had been competing about as long as Iāve been training. So, if someone like that shows up, or someone like Stu or Brad who has been in the gym for 10-12 years packing on muscle and decides to get on stage, nothing I can do about that. But, I truly feel like Iāve suffered hard and worked myself to the bone, which is what matters. Getting on stage, knowing Iāve given every ounce of myself to this endeavor, itās the only way to really enjoy the day and have it be worth it. All during the prep I think to myself, if I lose by a point, one point, I need to be OK with that, knowing thereās nothing I could have done more or better, and not leaving the show with thoughts of āwhat-ifā or āI wish I did or didnātā¦ā. Iāve given it everything, and will continue to do so until the day is done.
Then, Iām gonna put everything I have into eating my post-show meal with as much dedication and intensity as everything else Iāve done!
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Good point, thanks for the tips. Maybe Iāll just run the course and remain on a moderate carb approach. Iāll be sure to up the water intake for that week. I think Iāll be in the ~12%BF area so no point in making things more complicated than they need to be. Thanks!
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LAST LOW DAY done and in the books! 1700 cals today with 30g carbs, in the form of this delicious sandwich. Ezekiel bread, turkey, roast beef, pepperoni, lettuce, sprouts, with sugar free BBQ sauce and 0 cal thousand island dressing.
60min cardio this morning, and did an hour walk this afternoon. Finalized my keto plan for next week, gonna be tasty. Always fun to do keto (for a few days only!) Food choices include eggs, bacon, salami, cashews, walnuts and salmon. During peak week Iāll also be cutting out the diet sodas, 0 cal dressings and maple syrup, and sugar free BBQ sauce, because of the thickeners in them. I havenāt noticed any bloating or issues at all, but during peak week I leave nothing to chance. Still keeping the hot sauce throughout.
Tomorrow is the LAST cardio session, then the posing workshop in the afternoon which Iām really excited for. Itās a medium day, which would typically be 2100 cals, Iām adding a little extra carbs/cals to the day since I have a two hour posing class, in addition to the morning cardio and afternoon weight training. Gotta make sure Iām fueled and donāt tank myself on a day thatās supposed to be a caloric bump. Busy day tomorrow, 60min AM cardio, eat, posing workshop, eat, afternoon weights. Gonna have a nice epsom salt bath when I get home.
I get two meals in me before the posing session to hopefully fill out a bit, first meal will be egg whites with proats, topped with granola. Meal 2 will be my usual cream of rice pre-workout meal, plus extra granola and some cereal on top. Making sure I get some good fats from the granola and a little almond butter to keep the fuel going throughout the workshop.
I canāt believe tomorrow is 1 week out! Time seemed to slow to a crawl between 6 to 2 weeks out, this week flew by, and now Iām a week away. Iāve been looking very flat the past couple days from the low carbs, so Iām hoping that Monday morning, after two medium days, Iāll have a chance to get a glimpse of what I look like a little more filled out and tight before depleting for the week. Comparing my current pics that I take first thing in the morning, depleted and pasty white, I feel I am significantly tighter than I was for the first show 6 weeks ago. So, Iām hoping with the finishing touches in place itāll really come together.
At this point, the work is done with the exception of the cardio and training tomorrow. Peak week, physically, is the most relaxing week of the prep. No cardio, short workouts, got my feet up and lots of extra hours in the day. The main task is to mentally try not to get in my head about the competition, stay calm and follow the process. This will be my fourth show, so having done three already, Iām able to stay much more cool and collected going into the show, knowing what to expect. Especially for the show next weekend, it was my first show last year, I know the venue, the show hosts, and itās very close to my house. Everything is set for me to bring my best, going to stay focused and soak it all in as much as possible.
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Got the potential to be a nice little full-circle story. Do your first show, proud of yourself, hold your own, but still realizing how much more of a journey lies ahead. So you take an entire year. Approaching each day with laser like focus on a plan carefully constructed to address anything and everything you and your coach feels needs attention.
365 days later you return to the site of that first time you walked out under the hot lights,ā¦, bigger, leaner, knowing what to expect and every possible little nuance to present your very best on a relaxed yet insanely calculated manner. Just waiting for the judgesā faces to register that the athlete in front of them is indeed the same newb competitor from one year ago,ā¦ he just brought a very very different physique this time.
S
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1 WEEK OUT! 141.8lbs.
Woke up flat as a pancake after two 30g carb days, but pretty tight and ready to rock the day. Little by little I see my quads tightening up.
Finished my LAST cardio session of the prep! 7 months of cardio, DONE!
As I have been pretty cal and carb depleted the past two days, and I have a 2 hour posing workshop coming up in a couple hours, I wanted to front load a lot of my cals and carbs for the day. SO, I came home and just polished off a massively amazing 600cal breakfast of egg whites and ketchup, topped with protein oats with cinnamon, chocolate cashew butter granola and chocolate sprouted rice puffs. I was going to have my usual pre-workout cake before the workshop, but that would cause me to eat in like an hour, and Iām stuffed, so Iām switching it out for a Finibar on the way to the workshop. I havenāt had one in a LONG time, looking forward to that.
After the workshop today, home to eat, then to the gym for an upper body circuit.
1 WEEK TO GO!
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Just wanted to say good luck Rob and itās really inspiring to read everything youāve done. Iām not particularly interested in bodybuilding as a whole and have only been following since a couple weeks before your last show but funnily enough this has become one of my favourite logs. I plan on reading the whole thing from the start when I get time and just thought Iād show my support.
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@caesium32 thank you very much for your post, I really appreciate it! It means quite a lot to hear that, thank you for following along and taking the time to read, glad to have you on board 
The support from you and others on the thread really means a lot and itās extremely motivating heading into the show. Thanks again!
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WOW that posing class was awesome. Extremely motivating to learn from a pro, who is also a judge. Got there a little early and had time to talk with the show host, Anthony Monetti, once the posing workshop got underway it was pretty much me and him in the corner of the studio working on bodybuilding stuff. There were 7-8 of us, all female bikini/figure, and me for bodybuilding. It was really helpful to get some tips and tweaks, and very motivating as well. Anthony said he was really impressed with my physique and thought I was very hard and dry, have great structure and shape, and at the end of the workshop he told me I pose like a pro. That made my day right there. Good fuel for the fire!
I am extreeeeeemely sore after that, we were posing hard for pretty much the entire two hours. Got home a little bit ago, ate my pre workout meal, gonna head to the gym soon for an upper body circuit, not gonna kill myself in there just want to get a good pump. Definitely gonna have an epsom soak tonight!
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