[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Few more shots…
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I love your pose and your back in the fourth shot on this sheet!
nice dorian yates pose! I like it!
When you started lifting did you have the intention of competing? I guess what i am asking is how long have you had the ambition and the determination to compete?
Thanks guys. I think I still need another good off-season to really bring my pecs up more, but the upper part looks thicker,… need to focus on that lower edge a bit if I can. Also trying a few new poses for my individual routine. I heard a lot last year how I should have hit more back shots because it is definitely one of my stronger parts, so I’m trying a few out, seeing how they look (the foot placement was a bit difficult to figure out,… too far back and I couldn’t flex my hamstring, too far forward and I was turning away from the judges too much!) Definitely appreciate the feedback and thoughts.
BONERJAMS98- Just got the little push of encouragement to even consider competing towards the end of 2008 (Thanks Jim). It really changed the way I was looking at my training, having a specific goal in mind, as well as worrying more about aesthetics than just getting bigger for a little bit. Of course if I hadn’t built a decent size base, I wouldn’t be at this point now.
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You are looking crazy tight buddy. I agree with the others: the V taper is definitely stronger this year and is making your waist look tighter. Keep it up!
LtL
Thanks, I really think the specific focus on my back work targeting my lower lats and my leg work targeting the VL as much as I was able to made a difference. No matter how much you know about training, you can’t make your hip bones narrower -lol, so you go for making the surrounding areas wider. Still work to do, but being able to compare photos taken this year vs. last year has been invaluable in gauging progress.
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4 Weeks out,… 180 lbs. Tonight is interval work, so I’ll be getting pics tomorrow evening. Feeling tight!
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Looking sharp Stu!
So whereabouts do you add more cardio in? Is that more toward the end of the road?
Just found the thread and joined the site yesterday and this is by far the BEST THREAD I HAVE SEEN ON ANY SITE! Stu, you look great. I am also a fellow educator, 8th grade World G and lifter. I haven’t done any competitions but your thread gets me really excited about it. I actually started my cut 3 days ago. I started at 201.
Are you using any type of weight cutting supplement? I just started Animal Cuts. What are your thoughts on that?
Congrats on your progress. You look awesome!!
SAREV0K- Well, As of now, I’m thinking I may not need to add more in. I’ve got my interval sessions (25 mins max) every third day (low carb/low cal days), and a small bit of steady state, EASY treadmill walking every morning before breakfast. IF I feel I need a bit more tightening (and I don’t want to push things too hard, as I’ve got a few shwos lined up and would hate to lose more muscle than I absolutely need to), I could throw in 15 mins of easy bike work AFTER weight sessions.
I’d rather not have no, as I think small dietary manipulations are better than continually wearing your body down with extra physical activity. I do plan on dropping myc arbs for the LAST time this week. I haven’t dipped under 200g a day yet (except for low days), so I may just drop to 175g (which was what I dieted on last year at the START of my prep!) from here on out for my medium days. Obviously I have to make small changes and see what the effects are, and make decisions accordingly.
NATE1224HOOPS- Sent you a PM 
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Stu, lookin’ friggin’ awesome, man!
Love the fourth shot in the 2nd pic, it really shows off the detail in your back and shoulders. Nice, really nice!
Keep up the good work, man!
Pics from tonight, 180 lbs, 4 weeks out. Certain areas are coming in, others, still lagging more than I’d like, but I’ll be satisfied as the increased thickness is evident in a few shots.
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Stu your upper body is tightening up nicely. Legs are starting to pop too. Your getting separation between your hams and quads. Delts are separating nicely, and your serratus anterior is looking sick.
One critique, you may have already tried it… in your front abdominal pose, try crunching forward a little bit. It should keep your pecs from disappearing, and make your abs pop a little more. hard to explain, but it would basically look like your second most muscular pose but with your hands behind your head.
Can’t wait to see what this looks like on stage - by far my favorite shot! Keep up the good work Stu
Stu, you’ve got the cut down pat now. You look just as thick at 180 as you did at 208. Are you noticing any strength declines? You still pushing the same weight?
It’s been very interesting following along with this! You are a ‘Pro’ in my book!
This seems to be going much more smoothly for you this time around Stu, congrats. Are you feeling pretty good throughout the day at this point or has the workload/low calories gotten to you?
[quote]legacyfighter wrote:
Stu your upper body is tightening up nicely. Legs are starting to pop too. Your getting separation between your hams and quads. Delts are separating nicely, and your serratus anterior is looking sick.
One critique, you may have already tried it… in your front abdominal pose, try crunching forward a little bit. It should keep your pecs from disappearing, and make your abs pop a little more. hard to explain, but it would basically look like your second most muscular pose but with your hands behind your head.[/quote]
Thanks for the thoughts,… my thinking has been to draw attention away from any perception of a thick waist. I find (at least this far out) that when I crunch too far forward (on this, or the MM shot), my obliques look thicker, so I’ve been trying for more of an ‘X’ illusion (wider foot stance etc…). I’m sure things will look real different 1 week out (things changed so quickly last year those last few weeks). Please continue with any thoughts or suggestions, I need to hear everything!
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[quote]Nate1224hoops wrote:
Stu, you’ve got the cut down pat now. You look just as thick at 180 as you did at 208. Are you noticing any strength declines? You still pushing the same weight?[/quote]
Thanks Nate, and no, my strength hasn’t changed at all. I still rotate exercises a bit, just so I don’t lose my mind, but still stick to the basics as much as I can (and what I feel has worked well for me so far). My strength didn’t lag last year either, but this time, I just seem more ‘on’ if that actually conveys anything to you.
Maybe it’s the carbs (FINiBARs) beforehand (never really focused on PRE workout supplements/nutrition before), maybe it’s the Anaconda (I don’t feel depleted even when totally thrahing myself), maybe it’s just that I know what to expect this time around… I’m sure it’s a combination of all of these factors.
All I know is that I’m pretty surprised myself when I look at the pics and see how much thickness I’m still sporting. As long as the conditioning comes in like I’d like it to, I’ll be a happy camper.
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