Good luck Stu!
Okay, I’m typing this from a hotel in point pleasant, NJ. I just checked in on mike and John, and both have dropped about 2-3 lbs since the last show two weeks ago and are definitely tighter. John has been watching tons of videos of posing routines. as his posing was definitely a weakness. All in all, I think we’ve all brought something a little better this time out. I guess we’ll see how the call outs go in the morning.
s
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Okay, I’m typing this from a hotel in point pleasant, NJ. I just checked in on mike and John, and both have dropped about 2-3 lbs since the last show two weeks ago and are definitely tighter. John has been watching tons of videos of posing routines. as his posing was definitely a weakness. All in all, I think we’ve all brought something a little better this time out. I guess we’ll see how the call outs go in the morning.
s[/quote]
Have fun!
All the Best Stu. Kick some ass buddy
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
Sorry if this has been discussed Stu, I haven’t been able to read everything, but any plans on getting bigger, obviously taking a nice off season with a focus on bulking?[/quote]
I don’t think I’m going to zoom back up over two bills this time (even if my body really really wants to), in fact, I do have my eye on a couple of other shows from a different federation that are actually in NY this coming Fall.
I figure I can make the most of the post contest rebound (think I used last year’s very intelligently) and put on some quality muscle, yet still stay within reasonable shape,… especially now that I know how well my body responds with the added benefit of the Finibars, Anaconda, etc.
I still have areas I would like to bring up,… and figure that if I take June and July to allow my weight to creep up a bit,… no more than 190, that would leave me Aug, Sept and Oct to prep for the show at the beginning of November that I’m eyeballing (an INBF show).
Now that I view myself as more of a competitive bodybuilder, I look at things a bit differently. At my height (5’8), to normal folks I was kinda big when I first cracked 180 lbs (I have a pretty small frame, small wrists etc), at 190, I looked ‘big’,… and then once I got up around 205/210, there was no doubt about it, I was ‘hyooge’ -lol, but to someone who had competed, it was contest level ‘fat’.
For guys my frame, and height, who compete in tested shows, you’re looking at a very different range of ‘respectable’ weights. Here’s the contest weights of a couple of top natty guys I know:
-Jim Cordova, 5’7, competes between 154 - 162
-Brian Whitacre, 5’9, competes around 160-165
-Shawn Clarida, 5’3, competes around 135
Now if you were to look at pics of any of these guys, you’d think they were all easily 190+ shredded lbs. After my show last year, I had gone to Florida with my girl, and by that time, my weight was already back up to 190 or so.
While obviously not still in contest shape, I LOOKED bigger than I actually was when I was 210 (got some crazy comments from kids at Universal Studios who thought I was part of the Super Hero show).
Yes, you have the normal gym rat crowd, to whom anything below 200 lbs of bodyweight isn’t worth a second glance (and in most instances, I understand their thinking), but very few people, even those who I respect a lot, and have a very well versed knowledge base concerning training, truly understand how impressive it is to be in contest shape, and the relevant weights that constitute what ‘impressive’ is at that level.
Kurt Weidner, a natural pro in the WNBF COMPETES at 200 lbs,… now that’s a hell of a lot of muscle on a natural guy who is in contest shape, but to be honest, you have guys like I mentioned above who absolutely smoke him on stage. This is a perfect example of how weight for weight’s sake, even if it is all 100% shredded muscle isn’t the be all end all of ‘appearing’ big.
If you compare my contest pics from May '09 with those of April '10, there is only a 3 lb gain,… BUT you can obviously see huge differences, that surely attest to much more than a 3 lb gain,… or maybe not more than 3 lbs,… but a SMARTER 3 lbs (okay,… let’s let that comment be the take home message from the ramble -lol)
S[/quote]
No doubt man and good luck.
Good luck!
GO STU!
quick summary from my phone… we all look a lot tighter, although mike was a lb over the weight cutoff and had to don a trash bag and do some sprints to drop a little water. one of the entrants to my weight class dropped out after obviously placing last in one of the novices (needed to lose about 15 lbs).
I’m definitely top two in my class. I walkes out on the end, but after thw four relaxed poses, I was placed dead center for one set of mandatories and then we wwee done… one of the judges told me I looked huge,that my calves were real standouts, and that he had me in first… we’ll see tonight.
S
Badass!
got pulled aside after my routine to get piss tested… a good sign maybe?
S
Stu,
by reading your last post about natural bbers in contest shape you are changing my whole outlook on my training situation and diet. I think a big cut is in order this summer, even if it means going down to a much lower weight and looking smaller. Oh well definately going to still be bulking for the next 8 weeks 
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
got pulled aside after my routine to get piss tested… a good sign maybe?
S[/quote]
haha, hell yeah Stu! kick some ass buddy!
real quick, cuz I gotta eat-lol
won the open middleweights and the overall (against some beastly competition)! I really fought for this one!!!
S
Nice, dude.
CONGRATS! coughROIDZcough 
Lol awesome stu
I thought this was appropriate. Congrats Stu.
Awesome stuff man, good job!
congrats Stu, awesome job…very inspiring.
Congrats man!
You brought it and it paid off…simple, but not easy
GJ
You are the Freakin Man Stu!
Congrats, job well done sir.