Trent's Contest Prep Thread

Training
221

That’s a rough schedule.

My advice will focus on getting a quality night of sleep.

Any chance to sleep in a bit more and just move faster to get to work on time?

Are you studying right up until bed? That might be a bit more stimulating than plain old reading for enjoyment. I would recommend shifting to reading a book for enjoyment the last 15 to 20 minutes before you nod off for the night.

If your macro’s allow, give yourself some carbs before bed as it will help with sleep via serotonin release.

This may or may not be beneficial to you, but when I really need a good night sleep, I use “white noise” apps. There are many free ones available, may be worth experimenting. I personally like “oscillating fan” noises, but there are also certain wavelengths noises that are supposedly good for sleep.

Can’t recall, do you currently use any type of zinc/magnesium supplement? Those are worthwhile as well.

I am definitely not an expert, but IMO, you are already doing a ton of activity so I would not add a full neural charge. I actually think that would be further burning the candle at this point. Maybe consider a box jump or two once per day.

222

[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
It’s fun to be lean and vascular, you are not a tool. [/quote]

x2

Suddenly looking in the mirror and seeing an action figure or super hero staring back is pretty damn cool to any red blooded boy who grew up reading comics,or watching cartoons.

IMO you can never take too many pics when you’re actually in great condition :slight_smile:

(It’s a real love-fest in the BBing forum lately -lol “you look great man”, “naw, you look great bro”, “wish I was as ripped a you”, “wish I was as big as you”… I’m loving this)

S

223


7 week out update: First show is coming up! Brian made a few changes going forward. I hit a new prep low of 178.2 this morning, and Brian says I’m just about there in terms of stage readiness for physique, but we’re gonna keep pushing the envelope to get ready for the bodybuilding contest in June.

Diet changes: dropped 10 g carbs on low days for me, so low days are now 310 c, 65 f, 250 p. Also dropped 20 g carbs on refeeds, so refeeds twice weekly are now 510 c, 50 f, 230 p.
Cardio changes: Added 1 round to my HIIT sessions, so now two sessions a week of 8 :30/1:30 intervals. Also added one 20 min MISS session per week.

224

Back relaxed 7 weeks out

225

[quote]myself1992 wrote:
Check out a supplement called humanofort. Also, Rhodiola Rosea is an adaptogen and might help you handle all the stress/workload better. I’d get both at least until you compete and you can relax more. [/quote]

Thanks Myself, good call on the Rhodiola…I think I’ll add that in

226

[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
That’s a rough schedule.

My advice will focus on getting a quality night of sleep.

Any chance to sleep in a bit more and just move faster to get to work on time?

Are you studying right up until bed? That might be a bit more stimulating than plain old reading for enjoyment. I would recommend shifting to reading a book for enjoyment the last 15 to 20 minutes before you nod off for the night.

If your macro’s allow, give yourself some carbs before bed as it will help with sleep via serotonin release.

This may or may not be beneficial to you, but when I really need a good night sleep, I use “white noise” apps. There are many free ones available, may be worth experimenting. I personally like “oscillating fan” noises, but there are also certain wavelengths noises that are supposedly good for sleep.

Can’t recall, do you currently use any type of zinc/magnesium supplement? Those are worthwhile as well.

I am definitely not an expert, but IMO, you are already doing a ton of activity so I would not add a full neural charge. I actually think that would be further burning the candle at this point. Maybe consider a box jump or two once per day.[/quote]

Thanks for chiming in Tim. Unfortunately I can’t get wake up any later in the morning; I actually used to wake up at 4:30 but have pushed it back later recently haha. I had a pretty crummy situation where I got screwed over by my roommate and had to move out of my apartment a month or so ago, so am back at my parents house for the time being, it’s about a 40 minute drive to work/school.

And I do always have a good amount of carbs before bed, I keep a good sized meal to look foward to at night :). I like your suggestion about reading for relaxation before sleeping; I think I’ll start spending time in the Bible before bed…my faith is one area that has been pushed down the priority list during the last few months, which isn’t how it should be obviously

227

Your legs have really come in. Looking diced my man.

228

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
It’s fun to be lean and vascular, you are not a tool. [/quote]

x2

Suddenly looking in the mirror and seeing an action figure or super hero staring back is pretty damn cool to any red blooded boy who grew up reading comics,or watching cartoons.

IMO you can never take too many pics when you’re actually in great condition :slight_smile:

(It’s a real love-fest in the BBing forum lately -lol “you look great man”, “naw, you look great bro”, “wish I was as ripped a you”, “wish I was as big as you”… I’m loving this)

S[/quote]
Lol I hear you Stu! If I’m ever able to reach your level of development someday maybe I’ll be able to relate to looking in the mirror and seeing a super hero ;). The camaraderie on the forum has been a lot of fun lately, having you and other guys who have walked the walk and bring a lot of experience is a big help to me as well as Grizzly and Yodaddy (I think they’d agree) as we go through our preps

229

[quote]pwolves17 wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
It’s fun to be lean and vascular, you are not a tool. [/quote]

x2

Suddenly looking in the mirror and seeing an action figure or super hero staring back is pretty damn cool to any red blooded boy who grew up reading comics,or watching cartoons.

IMO you can never take too many pics when you’re actually in great condition :slight_smile:

(It’s a real love-fest in the BBing forum lately -lol “you look great man”, “naw, you look great bro”, “wish I was as ripped a you”, “wish I was as big as you”… I’m loving this)

S[/quote]
Lol I hear you Stu! If I’m ever able to reach your level of development someday maybe I’ll be able to relate to looking in the mirror and seeing a super hero ;). The camaraderie on the forum has been a lot of fun lately, having you and other guys who have walked the walk and bring a lot of experience is a big help to me as well as Grizzly and Yodaddy (I think they’d agree) as we go through our preps[/quote]

Completely agree. Always really cool to have the seasoned vets (and guys I joined the forum because of) comment on my progress. Also awesome to have three of us going through prep at the same time. Helps keep the motivation high.

230

[quote]Bauber wrote:
Your legs have really come in. Looking diced my man.[/quote]

Thanks Bauber, packing some size on them will be a major focus after this prep, but just gotta get em as shredded as I can for now!

231

Keep dieting, get as lean as possible!

  • Even if you end up “too lean” for physique, will that really break your heart? I dont know about you, but I’d rather look back and know that I took it to the limit and got as far as I could go rather than have a piece of plastic for hitting some arbitrary bodyfat level on a specific day.

  • I’ve seen guys who compete in physique and BBing on the same day basically “tense up” or “flex” for body building, then just stay relaxed for physique. This was a few years ago in the very beginnings of physique when it wasn’t so clear what was “too big” or “too lean”, so I’m not sure if you could get away with this today, but try it out. Take a few photos flexed/relaxed and in between to see how things go.

Thats just one mans opinion though (that happens to be right :wink:

232

[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Keep dieting, get as lean as possible!

  • Even if you end up “too lean” for physique, will that really break your heart? I dont know about you, but I’d rather look back and know that I took it to the limit and got as far as I could go rather than have a piece of plastic for hitting some arbitrary bodyfat level on a specific day.

  • I’ve seen guys who compete in physique and BBing on the same day basically “tense up” or “flex” for body building, then just stay relaxed for physique. This was a few years ago in the very beginnings of physique when it wasn’t so clear what was “too big” or “too lean”, so I’m not sure if you could get away with this today, but try it out. Take a few photos flexed/relaxed and in between to see how things go.

Thats just one mans opinion though (that happens to be right ;-)[/quote]

I agree with you on being “too lean” for physique Lonnie! I’ve told Brian that if I look my best but am marked down because my conditioning is too good, I will not hold it against him. However, I really do want to place as well as I can in this first show, it’s a pro qualifier and judging by some of the physique guys I’ve seen earn pro cards in the natural federations, I think I’ll be competitive. I’ll have another 5 weeks after the first show to dial it in for bodybuilding

233

Thats right, forgot you were doing the second show. In that case it makes sense to try and do well in both categories.

234

I’m pumped for today guys! I’m on spring break this week and have the day off from baseball, and was able to plan a day of meathead activities. I just finished up training a few clients and now get to go back to bed for a couple hours (much needed), then I’m making the drive up to Omaha to practice posing with WBFF pro Michael Gonzales. After posing, I’m meeting another of Brian Ahlstrom’s clients, NGA pro Brian Mauer to train legs together. Gonna be a fun day! I’ll probably have some pictures to post later. Have a great day guys!

235

Sounds like a fun day you have planned, enjoy yourself.

Regarding the last few pictures…dem adductors poppin’

You will never regret putting in more time with the Bible. Especially before bed, it clears the head.

236

[quote]pwolves17 wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
It’s fun to be lean and vascular, you are not a tool. [/quote]

x2

Suddenly looking in the mirror and seeing an action figure or super hero staring back is pretty damn cool to any red blooded boy who grew up reading comics,or watching cartoons.

IMO you can never take too many pics when you’re actually in great condition :slight_smile:

(It’s a real love-fest in the BBing forum lately -lol “you look great man”, “naw, you look great bro”, “wish I was as ripped a you”, “wish I was as big as you”… I’m loving this)

S[/quote]
Lol I hear you Stu! If I’m ever able to reach your level of development someday maybe I’ll be able to relate to looking in the mirror and seeing a super hero ;). The camaraderie on the forum has been a lot of fun lately, having you and other guys who have walked the walk and bring a lot of experience is a big help to me as well as Grizzly and Yodaddy (I think they’d agree) as we go through our preps[/quote]

I completely agree. Believe it or not, I’ve been training for 15 yrs or so, even worked as a personal trainer in the past, I have learned more preparing for this contest and with the input from you guys than I ever have. It’s really humbling to hear from the guys that share their own experiences in training and have had success at it. It takes alot of the guesswork out and extemely motivating.

237

Looking lean man. Isn’t awesome seeing new cuts every week?

238

[quote]yodaddy wrote:
Looking lean man. Isn’t awesome seeing new cuts every week?[/quote]
Thanks yodaddy, I’m still waiting on my midsection to tighten up more in the next few weeks, but you’re right about the fun of seeing new cuts/striations!

239

[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
Sounds like a fun day you have planned, enjoy yourself.

Regarding the last few pictures…dem adductors poppin’

You will never regret putting in more time with the Bible. Especially before bed, it clears the head.
[/quote]
Thanks Tim, I’m pretty happy with the separation in my quads. Size will be a major focus in my next offseason, I’m excited to see what they’ll look like with the same separation and detail but bigger when I lean up again in a few years. And you’re definitely right about reading Scripture before bed

240


Hey guys, this Saturday I’ll be 6 weeks out from my first show. Got my weekly update from Brian today, and the moment we’ve all been dreading has arrived…carbs have officially dropped below 300 on low days :/. Low days are now 295 c, 65 f, and 250 p, with 2 refeeds per week at 490, 50, and 230. He also added 1 interval to my two HIIT sessions per week, so now 9 intervals per session. My weekly MISS session was also increased to 30 min. Feeling good, just plugging away!