suffering through diets isnt what it used to be

[Mike Hunt]

i rarely take on any competitors anymore. 1) no one really listens to you 100% anymore these days 2) there is too much info on the net which leads to them knowing more than their coach does and 3) everyone asks when is there cheat meal? i used to make fun of my elders when i was younger when they would say 'when i was younger...' but really guys...when i was younger, i would do cardio hard first thing in the am on empty stomach, eat tuna, hard boiled eggs, boiled chicken, brocolli or green beans and rice and oats. i wasnt adding mrs dash or waldens to make my food taste better. i was lifting heavy ass weights in full sweats, i didnt need to wear a tank top so i can flex in the mirror in between each set and take bathroom selfies after the workout and say '8 weeks out looking on point!' and i sure as hell wasnt looking in the mirror and telling my coach 'i feel flat, i need to add more carbs this week' or im dropping wgt too fast, i need to add more cals so how about a cheat meal. fucking christ, what does that tell you? why were guys coming in with shredded glutes back when i was competing in the late 90s and early 2000s and now guys are coming in looking like a fucking water balloon and thinking they got robbed when they didnt win...or shit even place top 5 looking like a soggy wet bag. half my clients now EXPECT a cheat meal. wtf is that about? youre 'supposed' to? who said? i know your mirror didnt tell you that..i know my calipers didnt tell you that. just bc someone on a message board posts a pic and says they are ahead of shcedule and its time to have a cheat meal you think you are owed one too? i have been a regional and national judge for the past 12 years. the conditioning gets worse and worse every year. i flat out tell ppl now at the end of the show when they ask what they can improve on, i say try dieting 120xs harder next time. its not even about muscularity anymore, they cant even get in shape to show off the muscularity. let this sink in to all those who are competing now and are just starting out. you think you are suffering now through youre prep, YOU ARE NOT! stop posting pics from the gym bathroom or your home bathroom after a full workout, look at yourself right when you get up on an empty stomach. now get to work you fat fucks dont you have a show to try and win?

 

[IronLion2]

Okay boomer

 

[kodiak65]

Lol you sound like my coach for my first bodybuilding show! He was an old school hardcore motherfucker. He was all about putting in the work and enjoying the suffering and hardwork amd process, 2 1 hour sessions of cardio a day and chicken and green beans every 2 hours, and he laughed when i asked him about seasonings. 20 weeks no cheat meal, no flavorings in the water nothing. Posing practice every day starting at 6 weeks out, I certainly had not a single concern or nerves about my routine and being onstage after all that practicing! All in all it was an awesome experience, the dicipline and work it took for a strict 20 week cut and prep was all the reward in itself.

If i needed a coach youre exactly the kind of guys id want to hire. Respect

 

[USMuscle9403]

Because dieting doesn't need to be just flavorless bullshit. We know more about how hormones work now, as well, so if you're depleting yourself of anything some type of refeed would probably be beneficial.

I won't argue you with you on the non-existent work ethic most people have, though, it really does amaze me how lazy people are, sometimes. And don't get me started on cell phone addicts in the gym...

 

[cm]

i rarely take on any competitors anymore. 1) no one really listens to you 100% anymore these days 2) there is too much info on the net which leads to them knowing more than their coach does and 3) everyone asks when is there cheat meal? i used to make fun of my elders when i was younger when they would say 'when i was younger...' but really guys...when i was younger, i would do cardio hard first thing in the am on empty stomach, eat tuna, hard boiled eggs, boiled chicken, brocolli or green beans and rice and oats. i wasnt adding mrs dash or waldens to make my food taste better. i was lifting heavy ass weights in full sweats, i didnt need to wear a tank top so i can flex in the mirror in between each set and take bathroom selfies after the workout and say '8 weeks out looking on point!' and i sure as hell wasnt looking in the mirror and telling my coach 'i feel flat, i need to add more carbs this week' or im dropping wgt too fast, i need to add more cals so how about a cheat meal. fucking christ, what does that tell you? why were guys coming in with shredded glutes back when i was competing in the late 90s and early 2000s and now guys are coming in looking like a fucking water balloon and thinking they got robbed when they didnt win...or shit even place top 5 looking like a soggy wet bag. half my clients now EXPECT a cheat meal. wtf is that about? youre 'supposed' to? who said? i know your mirror didnt tell you that..i know my calipers didnt tell you that. just bc someone on a message board posts a pic and says they are ahead of shcedule and its time to have a cheat meal you think you are owed one too? i have been a regional and national judge for the past 12 years. the conditioning gets worse and worse every year. i flat out tell ppl now at the end of the show when they ask what they can improve on, i say try dieting 120xs harder next time. its not even about muscularity anymore, they cant even get in shape to show off the muscularity. let this sink in to all those who are competing now and are just starting out. you think you are suffering now through youre prep, YOU ARE NOT! stop posting pics from the gym bathroom or your home bathroom after a full workout, look at yourself right when you get up on an empty stomach. now get to work you fat fucks dont you have a show to try and win?

not sure who you coach or what shows you go to? i understand exceptions, but your post is not the norm brother.

 

[Big A]

I agree with everything you say.

I was watching the other day a state show from 1993 that I have on VHS. All top 5 middle weights would be good enough to get their pro card now. In those days, they couldn't even win the overall state show.
They all had skeleton faces and their bodies were shredded, dry and with crazy muscle detail.

 

[cm]

Because dieting doesn't need to be just flavorless bullshit. We know more about how hormones work now, as well, so if you're depleting yourself of anything some type of refeed would probably be beneficial.

correct . just like other sports and other athletes. its evolved, and gotten better. bodybuilders are not the exception. sure there are some amazing athletes from the past, but lets not get carried away.
Wilt Chamberlin was amazing, utterly amazing, could play today, prob be a champ, but the competition was not on par back then, like it is today. every sport evolves and improves. Golf tees are farther, 3 point percentages arent even comparable, passing yards are up, receivers are better, coaches are better, science has evolved, shot puts go farther, sprinters are breaking records.
bodybuilding isnt different
Someone will take this as disrespectful to past eras, but lets get real, Some of the legends of the past, wouldnt even win a local show with the conditioning. That also doesnt mean they wouldnt adjust with the times, but they didnt have to, and they didnt. Plain and simple, they didnt. Rich Gaspari was always drier then everyone else, yet was a bridesmaid all to often
this argument will also go directly towards the mens open division, and site the "weakness" or whatever else it will be called, but the sport is bigger then just open. no one here can look at the other divisions and say the guys arent in shape. guys like Breon have paper thin skin, Raymont, totally peeled. no water balloons
If we are only talking about college dbags with an ego, and an IG account, then fine, they arent very solid

 

[Big A]

correct . just like other sports and other athletes. its evolved, and gotten better. bodybuilders are not the exception. sure there are some amazing athletes from the past, but lets not get carried away.
Wilt Chamberlin was amazing, utterly amazing, could play today, prob be a champ, but the competition was not on par back then, like it is today. every sport evolves and improves. Golf tees are farther, 3 point percentages arent even comparable, passing yards are up, receivers are better, coaches are better, science has evolved, shot puts go farther, sprinters are breaking records.
bodybuilding isnt different
Someone will take this as disrespectful to past eras, but lets get real, Some of the legends of the past, wouldnt even win a local show with the conditioning. That also doesnt mean they wouldnt adjust with the times, but they didnt have to, and they didnt. Plain and simple, they didnt. Rich Gaspari was always drier then everyone else, yet was a bridesmaid all to often
this argument will also go directly towards the mens open division, and site the "weakness" or whatever else it will be called, but the sport is bigger then just open. no one here can look at the other divisions and say the guys arent in shape. guys like Breon have paper thin skin, Raymont, totally peeled. no water balloons
If we are only talking about college dbags with an ego, and an IG account, then fine, they arent very solid

Talking about open here as in the past that's all there was.
Yes, physique and SOME classic get the conditioning of the past. But in the open, it's almost non existant now.

 

[Gunsmith]

The absolute leanest I ever got was when I used Alex Azarian (RIP) for a prep.
It was exactly what you described 16 weeks of bland ass food , hrs and hrs and hrs of cardio a week , totally tanked sex drive for the last 3/4 of it , two cheat/refeed meals the whole prep which made me sickas hell for the next 24hrs , absofuckingluty worst blood panels I've ever had after.
I was in great condition but not being a national level competitor , knowing then what I know now I absolutely would not have done it.
I think that most guys that know they could never get to a national show are not willing to suffer through a hard prep and some just don't have the mental or intestinal fortitude to push through the suffering.
If you want to get on stage with everyone else that is fighting for a pro card you gotta be willing to be hungrier , do more cardio and pose way way more than the next guy.

 

[cm]

which made me sickas hell for the next 24hrs
described perfectly. ruins multiple days every time for me. i feel better feeling like shit, and just being hungry, then indulging, having heart burn, being lethargic, indigestion, Gi distress.
better off with my lettuce ))))

 

[Big A]

Cheat meals always mentally wrecked my diets. I could stick to a diet as long as it was all hard. But if I had a cheat meal, it would screw up the whole thing and it was very hard for me to mentally get back in it.

 

[Mike Hunt]

The absolute leanest I ever got was when I used Alex Azarian (RIP) for a prep.
It was exactly what you described 16 weeks of bland ass food , hrs and hrs and hrs of cardio a week , totally tanked sex drive for the last 3/4 of it , two cheat/refeed meals the whole prep which made me sickas hell for the next 24hrs , absofuckingluty worst blood panels I've ever had after.
I was in great condition but not being a national level competitor , knowing then what I know now I absolutely would not have done it.
I think that most guys that know they could never get to a national show are not willing to suffer through a hard prep and some just don't have the mental or intestinal fortitude to push through the suffering.
If you want to get on stage with everyone else that is fighting for a pro card you gotta be willing to be hungrier , do more cardio and pose way way more than the next guy.

Alex died?? Wtf

 

[Mike Hunt]

Put up a pic of Yates in his prime next to a curry or rhoden... not even close conditioning on every level of body building local natl and pros has gone down hill. Our bodies haven't changed as far as how we lose fat or how easy we lose fat competitors just aren't as dedicated anymore.

 

[Mike Hunt]

I agree with everything you say.

I was watching the other day a state show from 1993 that I have on VHS. All top 5 middle weights would be good enough to get their pro card now. In those days, they couldn't even win the overall state show.
They all had skeleton faces and their bodies were shredded, dry and with crazy muscle detail.

What's that video like back in early 90s it was a natl show w guys like Titus levrone ray Wheeler... like anyone in the top 5 could have easily been 1st everyone was huge sliced dry and aesthetic

 

[TheOtherOne55]

I think there's a mix of both world's here.

Did the hardcore badasses like Mike Francios diet on bland ass food, no cheat meals and get diced? Hell yeah.
Can you still get diced and not live life like a robot? Hell yeah.
Suffering for suffering's sake gets you no where and doesnt guarantee you a damn thing, so remember that.

Also, because i'm very tired of listening to people say how great yesteryear was—let me remind you that open bodybuilding was choice #101 in 1991 and is now choice #1001. Half the guys people talk about as being crisp and hard and dry cheated on their diets all the time and were the genetic freaks at that time. Stop using those 1% black guys as THE LOOK. They ate McDonalds and still killed the competition. Secondly, those freaks at that time did open bodybuidling because that was the only option. If you happen to have 1% genetics and want to get into fitness in 2020, you dont choose open bodybuilding. You choose mens physique, classic all that shit. Men's open BBing RIGHT NOW is filled with dudes with OK genetics pushing the drugs and food as hard as possible HOPING they look 1/2 as good as Flex Wheeler.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Tomgrass]

You may be onto something there are a lot of very aesthetic physiques in those divisions who are doing great not going into open.

 

[DrBeefcake777]

i rarely take on any competitors anymore. 1) no one really listens to you 100% anymore these days 2) there is too much info on the net which leads to them knowing more than their coach does and 3) everyone asks when is there cheat meal? i used to make fun of my elders when i was younger when they would say 'when i was younger...' but really guys...when i was younger, i would do cardio hard first thing in the am on empty stomach, eat tuna, hard boiled eggs, boiled chicken, brocolli or green beans and rice and oats. i wasnt adding mrs dash or waldens to make my food taste better. i was lifting heavy ass weights in full sweats, i didnt need to wear a tank top so i can flex in the mirror in between each set and take bathroom selfies after the workout and say '8 weeks out looking on point!' and i sure as hell wasnt looking in the mirror and telling my coach 'i feel flat, i need to add more carbs this week' or im dropping wgt too fast, i need to add more cals so how about a cheat meal. fucking christ, what does that tell you? why were guys coming in with shredded glutes back when i was competing in the late 90s and early 2000s and now guys are coming in looking like a fucking water balloon and thinking they got robbed when they didnt win...or shit even place top 5 looking like a soggy wet bag. half my clients now EXPECT a cheat meal. wtf is that about? youre 'supposed' to? who said? i know your mirror didnt tell you that..i know my calipers didnt tell you that. just bc someone on a message board posts a pic and says they are ahead of shcedule and its time to have a cheat meal you think you are owed one too? i have been a regional and national judge for the past 12 years. the conditioning gets worse and worse every year. i flat out tell ppl now at the end of the show when they ask what they can improve on, i say try dieting 120xs harder next time. its not even about muscularity anymore, they cant even get in shape to show off the muscularity. let this sink in to all those who are competing now and are just starting out. you think you are suffering now through youre prep, YOU ARE NOT! stop posting pics from the gym bathroom or your home bathroom after a full workout, look at yourself right when you get up on an empty stomach. now get to work you fat fucks dont you have a show to try and win?

Dont forget the Molly McButter! That fake butter and/or cheese sprinkled on your food will def suit you when craving some fatty foods!

 

[Beti ona]

guys like Breon have paper thin skin, Raymont, totally peeled. no water balloons
If we are only talking about college dbags with an ego, and an IG account, then fine, they arent very solid

I think it is a problem more at an amateur level than at a pro level. Although the condition does not approach the 90s, Olympia, Arnold still have some competitors that are in shape. But if you look at the USA or the Nationals, these guys are far below the condition in the 90s.

 

[Mike Hunt]

Cheat meals always mentally wrecked my diets. I could stick to a diet as long as it was all hard. But if I had a cheat meal, it would screw up the whole thing and it was very hard for me to mentally get back in it.

what i find happens is ill say one cheat meal, then next week its a cheat meal plus a cookie, then the next meal is one bigger cheat meal,so it gradually gets worse and worse. rather than a cheat meal, ill just add more carbs one day. and its carbs they are used to eating anywys. i once found my client in front of the slushy machine at the gas station slamming the orange and cherry mix like it was his job...smh....

 

[Mike Hunt]

I think it is a problem more at an amateur level than at a pro level. Although the condition does not approach the 90s, Olympia, Arnold still have some competitors that are in shape. But if you look at the USA or the Nationals, these guys are far below the condition in the 90s.

only one, that really stood out to me this year was hadi chopan, thats it...literally one that made me say damn, hes in fucking shape.