Hey Stu,
I might have missed this, but do you take any Anaconda or other supplements during or after your interval sessions? thx
DAVID1991- Once I started adding in the morning sessions, they weer done every day. The bottom line for me was to keep them as something that wouldn’t really be considered ‘a workout’, or anything I would need to recover from. STeady State work is really just an attempt to burn of an extra 100 cals or so, you’re not really getting the added all day effect like you do from intervals, so don’t expect them to drastically alter your physique, merely help shift your caloric equation for the day a ‘tiny’ bit.
TOMKADE- On the days where I would only do interval work (and usually some abs), I would keep SOME carbs during the day (morning oatmeal and maybe 1 FINiBAR pre-session - never felt I needed 2 or 3), and use a few scoops of the Mag-10 instead of combining the 'Conda and Mag-10 for Peri. I figured that I really wouldn’t need the added benefit of the Beta Alanine etc that are included in the Anaconda for such a short, and pretty simple workout. I still kept the Alpha-GPC beforehand though, as I liked the little ‘kick’ and mental focus I felt from it (2 caps full 90 minutes pre).
S
Okay, so I figure that I’ll ease back into things, especially taking care of my lower back. SLDs will be out for a while, as will standing BB presses. I picked up a Scheik Lifting belt with the extra wide (6") back support, and this morning, doing legs, I used my old Inzer powerlifting belt for front squats, but the Scheik belt for the less press (felt some really good support with it). As this is the first week getting back into my groove, I’m basically taking every third day off, and not pushing too hard just yet. Obviously the food is being bumped a bit, but for the most part (aside from a nice meal here and there - and a month belated birthday dinner), I’m eating pretty clean. I figure by this coming Monday, I’ll be back pushing myself a bit more with the weights, and we’ll buckle down a little more, focusing on adding quality size over the next few months.
S
I don’t have any pics from the 5-29-10 Pro show, but my buddy (before he realized he had really bad lighting and a bad angle) snapped this when the pro competitors first came out onstage. If you can see, there are more behind the first lineup (behind the curtains,… I think there were like 12-15 total). I ordered a DVD of the entire show, so hopefully in the next week or so I’ll be able to grab some screenshots and give you guys an idea of the caliber of bodybuilder the guys who took the top spots were.
S
So here’s a little update…
Afer enjoying the end of my spring contest season for a full week, I’ve adjutsed back into slowly reintroducing cals, and higher levels of carbs into my system. Considering that last week my numbers were all over the place, this week I’m just trying to get my system steady, with most days at about 2500 cals, and 200g carbs (vs 2400 cals and 175-200g carbs 2 weeks out from my shows).
Next week the numbers will go up again, slowly bringing myself into more ‘offseason’ numbers, but not full out eat everything that isn’t nailed down bulking. The idea is to slowly add quality size, while keeping my eye on not having to drop so much weight in the Fall, hopefully allowing a slower cut, more muscle retention, and even better conditioning (The World’s is pretty comeptitive -lol).
I have also considered the progress I made last year when I was able to hit chest and legs both twice a week. My legs have caught up a bit more, but I still realize that my chest could be better, especially with the competition I’ll be facing. The problem I encountered when I was doing chest twice a week in addition to a lot of pressing on shoulder day, was some inflammation in my elbows (requiring a cortizone shot), and quite a bit of discomfort overall.
So this time, I’ve decided to make use of a 2nd chest session that will not entail any pressing work. As my dominant arms have always made chest work a bit more difficult, I’m thinking that a session focused solely on angled cable work and the pec deck may actually serve me well.
As to my condition now, I realize that the initial post contest weight gain is simply water, salt and glycogen, I knew it would be a few days before things settled a bit. While yesterday morning I was 187 lbs (shocking), this morning I weighed in at 183 lbs, which is much more in accordance with normal weight gain after doing three shows. My quads are still just as cut as they were on stage, and my serratus is also visible when flexed, although I’m obviously not as ‘tight’.
Of course I’m not going to obsess about maintaining this level of leanness throughout the next two months, but I’m certainly not going to push myself to get back to the 208 lbs I was at the start of my last prep!
S
Awesome stu! Some investigative reporting questions:
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What are your physique goals for next year?
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Since you are a Pro-Bodybuilder now, what next steps are you going to take to get the edge on your “NEW” competition?
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Are you going to be using the full Anaconda Protocol?
great thread stu. You’ve got some awesome information in your threads and great insight into the mind of a pro 
Keep kicking ass man.
.greg.
Hi Stu, apologies if already covered but where did you base your macro/calorie number on? Or was it just experience!
[quote]Sarev0k wrote:
Awesome stu! Some investigative reporting questions:
-
What are your physique goals for next year?
-
Since you are a Pro-Bodybuilder now, what next steps are you going to take to get the edge on your “NEW” competition?
-
Are you going to be using the full Anaconda Protocol?[/quote]
-As of now, I’m thinking of trying my hand in the INBF Worlds contest in Manhattan this November. Originally I had planned on competing in their Hercules contest (a couple of weeks from now), but when the opportunity to compete a few weeks back in a USBF PRO show presented itself, I figured I’d cement my Pro status there and skip the Hercules (which in hindsight, would have given me a longer break between shows, but hey, you live and learn).
Even though I was inspired (convinced?) to compete by Cordova and the Then-Editor of Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness Magazine (Steve Downs), the reason I didn’t do an INBF show right off the bat was because the nearest contest was in Buffalo, NY, which was a much much longer drive than just popping into nearby NJ.
Now, realizing how most of the Pros I know, and who have been so supportive of my endeavors, are in the INBF/WNBF fold, I feel like I should try my hand over there. The conditioning in these shows is always top notch, and the Worlds is without a doubt their top tier show for Amateurs (it’s a pro show, but they have an amateur division).
It’s very common for people to travel pretty far to do this show, so hopefully I can make the necessary adjustments this summer, and enter my prep fully rested, and raring to bring my best package to date.
-As far as getting an ‘edge’,… well, obviously you want to always try to be bigger, as well as more cut. I think this last year, I definitely came in larger than my '09 showing (with no loss of conditioning). The fact that I was such a large Middleweight worked out well, because that was the plan, no matter how much part of me wanted to go up a weight class, it’s always a matter of being as competitive as you can, and in these shows, it’s usually the lightweight and the middleweight classes that have the most conditioned athletes.
Hopefully by not trying to ‘bulk up’ this summer, but focus more on adding some quality muscle, I’ll be able to cut even slower (giving myself 12-15 weeks to drop only 20 lbs), which should not only allow me to retain even more size, but push for even deeper cuts on game day (everything I’ve heard, and seen, points to the fact that each successive prep, your body can push just a little bit further as far as its conditioning goes).
Of course, despite the best plans, and even the best results, you can only control how you yourself are going to look on game day. A saying you hear a lot around these shows is that “You can’t control who else shows up”, so even if I do look the best I ever had, it’s entirely possible that others will just be better. You can’t worry about that, or else you’ll never get onstage at all, and it really is an amazing experience knowing how much work you put into a prep.
-Without a doubt! I’ve really revised most approach to peri-workout nutrition this past year, and have no problem admiting as mcuh, despite the fact that in the past I was always a proponent of just using the ‘basics’. Obviously I still recommend keeping your basic bases covered, and were I working with a 16 year old kid, who had no money, I certainly wouldn’t be telling him to go rob a bank so he could afford Anaconda -lol.
I would however explain the differences it made in my own progress, even after training for 17 years, and certainly already having made a good deal of progress (no newbie gains for me anymore). As long as I can keep my daily numbers in check throughout the day (and limit my splurging/cheating), I’m counting on the peri-workout protocol, along with my constant sipping of Mag-10 throughout the day to really support my summer gains.
Sure, part of me wonders what would happen if I didn’t compete again until next Spring, essentially giving me 7 months of uninterupted gains, but all of the Pros I talk to, as well as the top natty guys seem to focus much more on quality gains instead of the scale numbers (Note to newbies: these guys have all already built a solid foundation before switching to this approach!)… we’ll see.
As long as you guys seem interested in following along (even when I screw up), I’ll keep logging my expereinces and thoughts!
S
[quote]plateau wrote:
Hi Stu, apologies if already covered but where did you base your macro/calorie number on? Or was it just experience![/quote]
Well, for my first contest. I found many different BMR calculators. Some just gave me a nice basic number as a result of one simple calculation, and some had me filling up several sheets of paper and worrying about the time of day, met coefficients of certain food items, and all sorts of esoteric stuff. The important thing, in my opinion, is to try to keep things simple, but always give yourself enough time to make adjustments. You won’t always nail your figures on the first attempt. Eventually, you get a good idea of your body, and if you either guessed a little too high, or a little too low. The average number I keep in the back of my mind for a 200 lbs well muscled male, is 3000 cals. Now this is a very rough estimate, as I believe my BMR when I calculated it last year was 3400 cals (and that was the low calculation), and I figured out that I had been ingesting easily over 4000 cals on average before I even thought about cutting (probably more on the days before I made myself write things down!)
When I initially brought my weight down from 205 to 190 (part 1 of my “lets see if I can cut weight while retaining muscle” experiment), I was actually eating 3000 cals a day, so I’m sure because of the amount of muscle I was carrying, my actual caloric needs were higher than the 200 lbs male average figure that I tossed out above (yet another factor into your individual BMR). This year, realizing that I could get away with more calories, I was able to get down into the low 170’s onstage, and was eating upwards of 2700 cals for the majority of my prep (I always read about natural BBers dieting on 2200 cals!), as well as averaging over 200g of carbs/day right up to the last week of my prep. Give yourself time, and try to err on the side of guessing a little higher, rather than lower (better to have to adjust the next week than loss some LBM due to a mistake you could have prevented).
Hope that sheds some light
S
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]plateau wrote:
Hi Stu, apologies if already covered but where did you base your macro/calorie number on? Or was it just experience![/quote]
Well, for my first contest. I found many different BMR calculators. Some just gave me a nice basic number as a result of one simple calculation, and some had me filling up several sheets of paper and worrying about the time of day, met coefficients of certain food items, and all sorts of esoteric stuff. The important thing, in my opinion, is to try to keep things simple, but always give yourself enough time to make adjustments. You won’t always nail your figures on the first attempt. Eventually, you get a good idea of your body, and if you either guessed a little too high, or a little too low. The average number I keep in the back of my mind for a 200 lbs well muscled male, is 3000 cals. Now this is a very rough estimate, as I believe my BMR when I calculated it last year was 3400 cals (and that was the low calculation), and I figured out that I had been ingesting easily over 4000 cals on average before I even thought about cutting (probably more on the days before I made myself write things down!)
When I initially brought my weight down from 205 to 190 (part 1 of my “lets see if I can cut weight while retaining muscle” experiment), I was actually eating 3000 cals a day, so I’m sure because of the amount of muscle I was carrying, my actual caloric needs were higher than the 200 lbs male average figure that I tossed out above (yet another factor into your individual BMR). This year, realizing that I could get away with more calories, I was able to get down into the low 170’s onstage, and was eating upwards of 2700 cals for the majority of my prep (I always read about natural BBers dieting on 2200 cals!), as well as averaging over 200g of carbs/day right up to the last week of my prep. Give yourself time, and try to err on the side of guessing a little higher, rather than lower (better to have to adjust the next week than loss some LBM due to a mistake you could have prevented).
Hope that sheds some light
S
[/quote]
Thanks man
I think that the 2nd chest workout (focusing on angled cable and pec deck work) is going to be a nice addition. At first, I thought that I hadn’t done enough after the actual session. Sure I had a really good pump, but it just wasn’t the same as the days where I just pound away with heavy pressing movements.
The day after though, it was a different type of soreness than I’m use to, and also interesting to note, is the fact that it didn’t really last as long (disipated by the end of the day). Of course I’m not usually very sore at this point in my training career(17 years into it!), but admitedly, I kinda like it when things hurt the day after.
I’m trying to keep most of my foods clean, but have started to push the calories up a bit. When I’ve had to eat out, I stick to clean, high protein choices. Last night’s dinner was a chicken/steak combo with steamed veggies and brown rice,… obviously more calories at a single sitting than I would ingest when cutting, but all relatively decent choices. The rest of my day was comprised of smaller meals, more of the sort you would find in my cutting diet (can’t let myself get too soft this summer, not if I want to do well at the Worlds.)
Due to my recent lower back issue, I’ve been avoiding stiff leg deads, which I feel has been the greatest contributor to my hamstring development. What I may do though, is try to bring it back in, at the end of my sessions so I have to use much less weight, and even try to shorten the movement, hopefully to alleviate some of the lower back stress. Something else that I feel will also help, is a Back Support I purchased from Rehband. They make rehab and strongman type of supports.
My girlfriend’s brother competes in strongman contests, and he uses one of their back supports, UNDER a typical powerlifting belt during competitions. I duplicated this approach yesterday while doing bent over rows, and the support I felt was amazing. Hopefully this will allow me to push myself without fear of reinjury when squatting, doing standing presses (which I love), and possible SLDs (if is doesn’t impair my normal ROM too much).
S
I echo your 2nd chest workout. Im arm dominant as well and i’ve seen gains from incorporating fly movements as opposed to pressing movements. I’ve also noticed that this has helped my pressing lift strength.
Eating question–
How much time do you allow between meals? Do you shoot for 6 smaller meals or 5 slightly larger? I have noticed ct say he prefers the latter.
ps
this thread is the bomb.com
Hello Stu,
probably you’re gonna take this as off topic but, do you plan to take some time off after contest season? I’m curious how natural competitors manage training and resting times.
[quote]theSapling wrote:
Eating question–
How much time do you allow between meals? Do you shoot for 6 smaller meals or 5 slightly larger? I have noticed ct say he prefers the latter.
[/quote]
Yes, CT has talked about the greater effects of ‘peaks and valleys’ as far as nutrient intake goes. Layne Norton, also has referenced studies where the spacing of meals is closer to 4 hours, as opposed to the traditional 2-3 hours apart.
While I do understand the effect on your system of a sudden influx of nutrients after a 4 hour stretch, I don’t think I’d be able to function very well going that long between feedings. My blood sugar tends to drop if I go too long without eating, I get sluggish, and I can’t tell you how many times my stomach has actualy growled in public andpeople have turned to look at me.
Obviously if I hadn’t achieved the gains i’ve made over the years from eating this way, I’d be suffering through 4 hour strethes between meals in hopes of gaining some muscle, but the ‘old school’ explanation of frequent hgih protein feedings has just always made sens to me, and I guess I’m just comfortable thinking that I need nutrients constantly on hand as my body is in a continual state of repair and rebuilding.
S
[quote]MEYMZ wrote:
Hello Stu,
probably you’re gonna take this as off topic but, do you plan to take some time off after contest season? I’m curious how natural competitors manage training and resting times. [/quote]
I don’t think it’s off topic,… I’m obviously taking ‘some’ time off in that I’m not dieting, and certainly backing off my intensity in the gym for a little while (slowing ramping it back up as my body shows me it’s fully recovered from the intense prep experience).
As I do have my eye on a particular show this Fall, obviously I can’t take 8-9 months to relax, so instead I’m taking a page from a lot of the top pro competitors’ books. I’m basically giving myself a short amount of time (2-2.5 months) to allow a sort of mini-bulk/recomp to occur. I’m not going to try to force feed muscle growth (because you can’t!), but I am going to take advantage of the natural rebound effect, and try to control the quality of the gains during the time. As many of the top guys I look up to stay withint 20-25 lbs of their contest weight, I’ve set the number for myself at 195 lbs. I figure if I can come down from 208 to 173 in 15 weeks, coming down from 195 will be easier, allowing for more muscle retention, and as I’ve done this before, better overall conditioning (everything I’ve encountered/read points to a compeittor’s conditioning getting better with each successive outting).
I actually got to work out with my middle brother today, the one who I used to train with back when we were both in college and thought we’d be the next coming of the Mentzer brothers when we’d both won the Mr. Universe contest -lol. Afterward, we took advantage of his pool (it’s 90 degrees in NY today!), grilled some burgers, and when I caught my reflection in his sliding glass door, finally felt like I was starting to look somewhat ‘big’ again (my hanging tricep was always one of my better features, and when I’;m dieted down, even my arms, normally a strong point, appear tiny to me!). My weight has been pretty steady in the mid 180’s. Some days I eat a bit more (mostly high protein, quality foods), other days I try to hold back a bit, not quite dieting, but more along the lines of ‘control’ days, just to keep things in check. Overall, despite the fact that I know I can’t stay contest shredded all year long, I feel good about how the muscle is coming back, and know that I do indeed have my work cut out for me this Fall (I have the magazine with the coverage from last year’s show, and the middleweight - my weight class - winner won the overall!)
S
Thanks for your insight, really cleared a lot of stuff up.
While my back has been feeling somewhat better the last few weeks, I can still tell that it’s not 100%, and that bothers me. Couple that with the slight inflammation I’ve been feeling in my left forearm, and I realize that aside from a single day, I haven’t had a true day off since I started my contest prep this past January 1st. After discussing this with my DPT brother, we’ve decided that I will take next week (when I’ll be in Vegas) completely off. Mentally, I know it’s going to make me crazy, but I figure the larger food intake (buffets anyone?!), more sleep each night, and hopefully a lot of time spent relaxing poolside will allow my body a little recuperation time. When I get back, we’ll have about 7 weeks before I have to go back to work (teaching), when I can go by his office early in the day and do Physical Therapy for my back (with some muscle stim for the arm), as much as I want, and hopefully start easing into my Prep for the INBF Worlds once August gets here.
I have no disillusions about how stacked this show will be, and despite the fact that ‘yes, I am a pro’ in the USBF, and this is an amateur contest (in a different federation), I have to bring my A-Game or I will be pushed to the wayside. Just looking at past winners, I know that I still need to step things up a few notches.
S
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
While my back has been feeling somewhat better the last few weeks, I can still tell that it’s not 100%, and that bothers me. Couple that with the slight inflammation I’ve been feeling in my left forearm, and I realize that aside from a single day, I haven’t had a true day off since I started my contest prep this past January 1st. After discussing this with my DPT brother, we’ve decided that I will take next week (when I’ll be in Vegas) completely off. Mentally, I know it’s going to make me crazy, but I figure the larger food intake (buffets anyone?!), more sleep each night, and hopefully a lot of time spent relaxing poolside will allow my body a little recuperation time. When I get back, we’ll have about 7 weeks before I have to go back to work (teaching), when I can go by his office early in the day and do Physical Therapy for my back (with some muscle stim for the arm), as much as I want, and hopefully start easing into my Prep for the INBF Worlds once August gets here.
I have no disillusions about how stacked this show will be, and despite the fact that ‘yes, I am a pro’ in the USBF, and this is an amateur contest (in a different federation), I have to bring my A-Game or I will be pushed to the wayside. Just looking at past winners, I know that I still need to step things up a few notches.
S[/quote]
Have fun in vagas man, the week off will likely do you good (as long as your not drinking too much which I doubt).
There are times when you need to push through and others (like now) when you know you are in need of a well deserved true rest.
Looking forward to you continuing to post when you start training again, will be interesting to see how your lifts improve on the rebound and wheather you can get back to near peak strength before you start your next prep.
So I attened the INBF Hercules this past weekend, and it was really a very cool experience. 160 total comeptitors, which called for a very VERY long prejudging as well as evening show. Cordova, who came over to chat a bit, lameneted a bit about how late he’d be getting home (he was one of the judges). I certainly didn’t envy him, as with the large number of divisions the female comeptitors could enter into (figure, fitness, bikini, bodybuilding, “fitbody”), you had a lot of crossover entries, which meant some long, drawn out classes.
As with any amaetur show, you had a varied amount of ‘talent’. Some guys looks ready to turn pro right then and there, and others made you scratch your head and wonder if they had looked in the mirror recently.
The guest poser was Shaun Clarida, who I’ve known for a few years, and is, in my opinion, the epitome of the professional bodybuilder. Even ‘offseason’, shaun is more shredded than most of the guys competing. For a lightweight, no one (NO ONE) would guess that he weighs anything less than 2 bills onstage. All I can say about him is ‘quality’! Shaun’s long time training partner, Dolo, was the guy who beat me (and won the overall) at my first show last May. Anyway, I hadn’t seen him since, but he recognized me and we joked and BSed throughout the day (which was damn cool, as apparently we both saw each other as serious threats last year, and now it was juts a very different atmoshpere).
Judging a physique competition is something that will always be open to subjectivism, but while some classes were very easy to place, there were others where I comletely disagreed with the judge’s final analysis (and this was in regard to people I didn’t even know, audiences at BBing shows are very vocal! -lol). I know that the INBF has recently revamped their judging procedure into distinct rounds each with differing criteria. I know things have always supposed to have been run this way, but apparently this was some sort of big deal, as a Facebok Memo went out about a month ago about it (Yes, I’m facebook friends with the Head of the INBF).
Being backstage (Coach’s pass!) and not being covered in dreamtan, worrying about pumping up, and scarfing down sugar was an odd feeling. With a group of competitors in the show that I had assisted with their preps, I was constantly running from the audience to backstage all day, probably more stressed than if I were actually competing. The cool thing was that a lot of people recognized me, calling my name and inquiring about my recent procard win (I made sure I had a few business cards in my back pocket!)
I did feel a bit split throughout the day though,… part of me thinking that I should be out there onstage mixing it up, and the other part thinking that I should take more of an offseason and really trying to crush a spring show instead of pushing for the November one (which will be an even longer one than this one was, Cordova made sure I was aware of that!). I’m trying not to really obsess about the future contests at the moment. I have until August to decided if I want to prep for the Worlds in November. Later today, I’ll be catching a flight to vegas for the week, where I will NOT TRAIN AT ALL (let my elbow problems and lower back rest a bit), and will eat pretty indiscriminately (I WILL try to eat frequently, with high protein intake - I packed all my met drive and mag10 this morning!)
Oh well, I’ll think about it when I get back. To those of you guys who are regularly PMing me, I doubt I’ll have internet access all week (not bringing a laptop), so I’ll get to the questions when I get home!
S