Smashing it mate!
Are you at all worried about coming in too lean for physique?
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Not really. Looking at the past leaders the most conditioned guy is beating the biggest guy every time. I already know I won’t be the biggest so gotta go the conditioning route. Thanks for checking in man! Appreciate it
Coolio, heard it mentioned a few times on here and other places that people have lost out from being too lean for the category. I read @The_Mighty_Stu talking about it and was surprised it was a thing! And if I remember correctly @robstein had a client who experienced the same thing.
You are looking equal to if not better conditioned than the guy posted above and you still have 4 weeks to go!
Really enjoying your log and the informative posts buddy.
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Thanks 
My challenge is that from a lifetime of gymnastics I have a pretty thick blocky core. Been working my ass off trying to create the illusion of a small waist by building mass in the shoulders and lats.
Currently sitting at 51.5 inch shoulders, 44 inch chest, and 32 inch waist at the belly button un pumped. I think that with a pump I will hopefully add 1-1.5 inches to chest and shoulders and would like to come in with a 31 inch waist.
Some of these guys are coming in at a 2/1 ratio so like a 28 inch waist and almost 56 in the shoulders. It’s insane. But hey I’m almost 40 so I’ll give myself a little grace!
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Ha! Nah, I’m the most regular guy you’ve ever known. Think I’ve gone twice a day every day for the last 10 years lol. TMI… I know
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Yeah, that happened unfortunately, he was competing in physique, he would have scored better in bodybuilding. Physique is a little tough to pinpoint exactly what the judges are looking for, ultimately it seems like it’s the “beach body” or “magazine cover” look, which isn’t as lean as bodybuilding.
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Was it an NPC show? I’ve heard that some of the natural organizations have slightly different criteria. I’ve just been going off of photos of past winners.
At the amateur shows it’s crazy how big the spread can be. One show every competitor will look great and another one half of them look like they didn’t even Diet for the show. Guess I’ll have to wait for stage day. My show is the first NPC show of the season in Texas so I’m thinking it won’t be quite as big as some of the shows that are in April and May.
Currently doing research on what to do for peak week. There sure are a lot of different “magic recipe’s” for drying out floating around the interweb!
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No, INBF (amateur division of WNBF) show, strictly natural. I do work out with guys that compete in NPC physique, and the criteria seems pretty different, they get pretty diced.
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Thanks for the reply man! It’ll definately be an experience. Never done anything like this before, but hey… you only live once so might as well swing for the fences
This little nugget of awesomeness is a lifesaver when I want something tasty that fits with the plan!
3 cups Oatmeal
4tbsp PB2
1 Banana
1tbsp granulated stevia
3/4 cup sugar free chocolate chips
Cinnamon
Vanilla
Unsweetened vanilla Almond milk until it sticks together.
Refrigerate for 2 hrs and then form into balls. Makes approximately 24 balls
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That looks like the energy bites I used to make. I’m sure the macros were different because I used real peanut butter.
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I bet they were way better with real peanut butter. I know when I use it on shakes it makes the consistency soooo much better!
Hey Jack
Saw you posts on several logs for the past couple of month or so.
Didn’t see your log until now, been going through it.
Dang man, you’re persistent and focused. Awesome.
And looking smashing man, how the hell can you keep muscles being so lean… yeah yeah I saw your answer, lots of reps lots of protein. But still, great job.
I have absolutely no experience in BB or physique meets or training.
So not many tips from me. Maybe I’ll take away some of your training methods when I get bored going for 1RM’s.
But I’ll stick around you might need some encouragement for the last couple of weeks.
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Thanks brother! Appreciate it. One things for sure, these last four weeks are going to be long!
There’s always a target “look” for a category. With the open bodybuilding, it’s crazy because you want as much size AND as much conditioning and symmetry as humanly possible.
With the “classic” divisions, proportions become more of a factor instead of just size and cuts.
Now, with the physique classes, you can never say that conditioning will always win over size or vice versa because ideally they will both come into play in creating a certain final visual effect. It’s really an individual judges preferences that determine what is usually a split decision.
Of course some people’s structures and presentation are what ultimately decides this type of class if all else is equal. That’s what many people don’t expect because you don’t see the whole line up of competitors when you’re prepping in a vacuum.
When Rob (my very good friend!) helped that one individual prepare for his contest, he did his best to get him as conditioned as he could. Who wouldn’t? But when you saw the eventual line up,… with other competitors all similar in condition but presenting better structures, Fuller tapers, and more of a magazine cover model look,… well you really understand how that class is judged.
S
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Finally headed back I’m the right direction. Down 0.2 today to 167.8. It’s a small victory, but I’ll take it.
Had a super early 5:00am start this morning for day two of my trampoline teams competition. My athletes did well yesterday. One young man in particularly came back from a 15 week concussion hiatus to win his events. Super proud of him.
His victory, and my mental struggles the past few days with my progress slowing or me to thinking a lot about motivation, discipline, and how that applies to ones chances at failing or succeeding.
Why do some people always seem to fall short of their goals or fail, while others crush their goals and move onto bigger ones only to achieve them as well. Are some people more fortunate, lucky, or have they found a solid way to achieve what they want?
Of course some of us have more resources, free time, and finances to work towards our goals, but I would argue that this isn’t the biggest advantage.
The one thing that all success stories have in common is persistence and self belief!
The reason so many fail at their goals and dreams is that they allow self doubt, worry, and negativity creep up on them. In order to achieve our goals we have to live them everyday. Whether your goal is to loose that last pesky 5 lbs, to shed 100lbs, to pay off your house, to get a better job, to be a better parent, or simply to be happier you need to surround your self with people, inspirations, and tools that push you closer to your goal.
YOU ARE GOONG TO FAIL AT SOME POINT ALONG YOUR PATH…
it’s the very next decision that you make that is essential to success. Do you stay defeated, depressed, and deflated or do you pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, refocus and take a few more steps? I challenge each of you to take the next step towards your goals.
I’m sure some of you have brushed your goals for 2019 to the side because… well it’s more comfortable and easier.
WELL TO HELL WITH THAT!
This is your life and take control of it. Life is a series of decisions and consequences. Make choices everyday that will have a long term impact for the positive.
Here are a few things that I do to help me maintain my focus and keep me moving forward. Try to implement a few in your day to day.
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Read something motivational each morning. My wife and I try to read a few chapters in the Bible each morning and make it a goal to apply this to our daily life. We’ve been reading the gospels, and one reoccurring theme that I’ve embraced is to be real. Don’t act holier than thou. Admit your faults, try to uplift others, and give the glory where it’s due… to God. We’ve been in a rut this past week and haven’t done this as much as we should and WILL get back on it.
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Find a photo that resembles your goal. It could be anything, some stock image of a happy family enjoying time together, a physique you are shooting for, a house your saving for, a number your shooting for, etc. Save it on your phone or print it and stick it somewhere to remind you of what your working towards. I have a card on my bathroom counter reminding me to pray for. and invest in a specific family that I care a great deal for. A photo on my phone of the winner of a men’s physique competition from last year that I’m hoping to get somewhere close to, and a playlist on Spotify to help me mentally get focused for the day ahead. I’m deliberate about it and I promise it helps.
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Get into a routine. Have a plan… know when your supposed to eat, exercise and rest. Stick to a routine for 3 weeks or so and if will become a habit.
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Be thankful. To me this is one of the most important ones. When we are thankful for what we have, it puts in a great state of mind for growth. Be content where you are, but hungry for more. Sounds paradoxical but it’s not. Strive to improve but enjoy each day as you live it.
Well there you have it… the most random list possible. Lol. Now get after it.
In the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take
Sorry that was so long. Gonna get through one more day of competition, getcmy food and water in, and. Make it home in time to train legs this afternoon/evening. Happy Sunday everyone
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Hey, what do you know, with that little post I just hit the goal of reading something motivational! Good stuff, man.
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Great post Jack. Thanks for sharing that, I could definitely benefit from following some of those suggestions!
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This is a pretty cool one. Being thankful is so important. I know this sounds kind of woo woo, but 10 minutes of medication (edit: meditation; kind thanks to @flappinit for pointing out this issue; I’m sure medication would help too 
) helps me calm down and focus on all the good stuff rather than the hard or stressful stuff in my life. It helps me become content and happy with the present moment, which (in my opinion) is a big part of reducing depression and anxiety. I don’t know if you already do it, but it might be a cool thing to try if you haven’t done it before.
How you do it: sit or lie in any comfortable position. It helps me to close my eyes. After that, just try to breathe deeply. Don’t think about anything in particular except your deep breathing (remember that it’s completely ok to have thoughts; just recognize them and let them pass by).
Alright, I just read over that and it sounded so fucking hipster. Interestingly enough, I’m typing this out on a typewriter keyboard while eating an avocado and sipping sparking water.
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Might wanna edit this, it’s not that woo woo to continually pop Xanax for ten minutes.
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