All my best John Meadows

[PHIL HERNON]

Well

Great advice .......thanks for imput Homonuc and Lats........my take on the lt hvy's was simple ........John is only 5'6 with a larger head , short arms and legs.......and not real wide .....I figured at national level competing at 210 -215 would have been a tall order ......to give up over 10 lbs of stage wt, to guys 2-3 inches taller .......would have been a tall order ......especially battling all the scars on his mid section . After looking at the USA 's light heavy's I thought he stood a very good chance.......I knew how hard he would work .......and thought being at the top of class in extremely good condition would do it ..........I guess I was wrong........John told me he felt like he looked his best ever and had never been that lean........he said backstage people were treating him as the winner.......honestly ,his placing doesn't sit well with me .......but whatever.........he is doing a state show in two weeks .......I am sure we will take your advice ........but I still think light heavies were the best chance for them .......hindsight , I would ve pushed some carbs carefully in the 27 hrs we had before hitting the stage after the weigh in...........but my take was he hit his best back in 99 fat loading and that I wanted his glutes and low back in ......I was alittle afraid of the carbs because we had to cut his food and carbs so low the last 2 wks I was afraid it might fuck him up..........If I could do it again ......I would have pushed him super hard earlier in the prep and got him do to his show wt way earlier .....in fact I would even tried to get him 2-3 lbs leaner to be insanely freaky .......that would 've given his body time to adjust and his body wouldn't have been so tired to squeezein the class.[ that's the only thing neg I can say ,is he looks a tad flat and tired] I don't like diuretics for health issues and I really didn't want to play that game too much........If I had him even leaner two weeks out and then rested him in .....he would have had a better look and adjusted to a load much easier ......but I totally see both of your points and you know that I respect them .........I really tried to give john some help as a friend ......because I am certainly not a prep guy nor do I want to be one ........I have been helping people hit their best since I was a kid .[always had a good eye and a knack for it] I was alittle off on the timing of the prep ,but then again I think he only really commited 5 weeks out and didn't look near ready at 218 when I first got pics..........I love John and am super proud of him and thought he beat his best .......he knows he isn't gifted ,but out works and out trains people ..........if he wants to be a ripped grainy 225lb freak .......we can do that inside of 18 months ........but is that smart or worth it ? He has the stomach issues,some politics against him, and some structure problems .......would that look get him the win I am hoping for .......I am just not so sure .......It is certainly up to him......he is way better at this and knows whats right for him .........I support him no matter what....to go from a hard 218 to 198.25 in 5 weeks is an incredible task ......combine that with a marrige ,twins infants , a high stress job, friends , a 2nd business, many clients , the guy won in my book........I am very sad and still think I let him down some .........but in my book John's a friend and a winner in my book!!!

I do not think you EVER let anyone down......you are there 100% with good intentions. No offense to anyone but in my opinion LHWs was the best choice.....I was impressed you thought of it and in time he will adjust to it and become leaner as a LHW...........he was just soft in th eglutes and not quite crisp enough in SOME areas..............but in time I see it and in time he can win that class.......PLEASE continue the process.......

 

[b-boy]

I do not think you EVER let anyone down......you are there 100% with good intentions. No offense to anyone but in my opinion LHWs was the best choice.....I was impressed you thought of it and in time he will adjust to it and become leaner as a LHW...........he was just soft in th eglutes and not quite crisp enough in SOME areas..............but in time I see it and in time he can win that class.......PLEASE continue the process.......

damnit! shut up phil I don't want that guy in MY CLASS!

 

[PHIL HERNON]

oH MAN

damnit! shut up phil I don't want that guy in MY CLASS!

I meant...........he can win it AFTER you win it.........

 

[Iabadman]

Thanks Phil.......I needed that.......I know you call it like you see it and pull no punches .............I am not a trainer ,just a friend , and John trusts me.......knowing that I might of steered him in the wrong direction really has been messing with me .........I don't fuck my friends.......I think he still can win the lt heavies in a national show if he wants to after this......but I am not sure if it makes sense to him and his family......he can go either way .[ be a 225 lb super freak in maybe less than 2 yrs , or stay smaller and really become an awesome lt heavy] My concerns are with the things against him that I stated in an earlier post ,that he will always be exposed to a taller prettier heavy ......and that his waist may get too large as he gets that big......he said this is the smallest his waist has been in a very long time.......I'd like to see him consult a top plastic surgen about his scars and skin in his abdominal wall to see what ,if anything can be done to clean that up some..........and then go from there .........like Phil has said .....you have to do the best with the cards you have been delt ......If John wants to be a light heavy wt winner of a national show I know he can be simply because he 's so smart and works so hard ........it's up to him......I am proud of him either way ......I'd be shocked if he doesn't win his state show in two weeks , and my take is that he still be a light heavy........although if he takes Lats and homonucs advice ,I 'd totally understand because those guys know their stuff ........

Tenny ,I 'd love your take on this too bro, as well as Dante , dusty ,Shelby , Magnum, Skip , and anyone else that has read my posts here ........I am not seeking to validate myself ......just learn other perspectives ,so I can evolve my thinking that much better ......trying to be a better friend so to speak.

 

[Ali]

I know how much he suffered to get down this lean and as many have already mentioned, you are inspiration to us all. Can't wait to see what you look like in a few weeks!

 

[emeric delczeg]

Thanks Phil.......I needed that.......I know you call it like you see it and pull no punches .............I am not a trainer ,just a friend , and John trusts me.......knowing that I might of steered him in the wrong direction really has been messing with me .........I don't fuck my friends.......I think he still can win the lt heavies in a national show if he wants to after this......but I am not sure if it makes sense to him and his family......he can go either way .[ be a 225 lb super freak in maybe less than 2 yrs , or stay smaller and really become an awesome lt heavy] My concerns are with the things against him that I stated in an earlier post ,that he will always be exposed to a taller prettier heavy ......and that his waist may get too large as he gets that big......he said this is the smallest his waist has been in a very long time.......I'd like to see him consult a top plastic surgen about his scars and skin in his abdominal wall to see what ,if anything can be done to clean that up some..........and then go from there .........like Phil has said .....you have to do the best with the cards you have been delt ......If John wants to be a light heavy wt winner of a national show I know he can be simply because he 's so smart and works so hard ........it's up to him......I am proud of him either way ......I'd be shocked if he doesn't win his state show in two weeks , and my take is that he still be a light heavy........although if he takes Lats and homonucs advice ,I 'd totally understand because those guys know their stuff ........

Tenny ,I 'd love your take on this too bro, as well as Dante , dusty ,Shelby , Magnum, Skip , and anyone else that has read my posts here ........I am not seeking to validate myself ......just learn other perspectives ,so I can evolve my thinking that much better ......trying to be a better friend so to speak.

FIRST OF ALL I CONGRATULATE BOTH OF YOU. THAT IS A FANTASTIC RESULT.

 

[Shelby]

What did you guys do after weigh-in? How many meals, what composition?

I know it's not much time... weigh-ins are like 6pm Thursday and you're onstage about 22-24 hours later.

As was mentioned, I think he could have been fuller. So more food (but be careful with the stomach) and perhaps use of a special supplement in very small amounts.

I think LHW is the right class though, at least on the national level.

 

[homonunculus]

Lots of great input here...

I tell ya what, Iabad - there's not way in HELL you let John down. You gave it 100% (as much as the guy on your end can) and that's a large 100%...

So, I would like to see pics leading up...

I'd love to hear about the loading process. Dieted down like I think John was, you might have filled him out a LOT during those 20+hr... HOWEVER, you've got to do what you've got to do to keep him in shape (no spilling).

Iabad, with this knowledge, and having him in shape already, you've now got a nice practice run (which you couldn't do before, I'm guessing b/c you didn't want to sacrifice those last few days of stripping fat for a large carb-up) and you can apply this for that State show...

Very interested to see what you two magicians come up with...

Again, nice job...and... IMO, what you're doing now - LEARNING, tinkering, figuring this out - is part of the art and science of Bodybuilding that makes it such a tremendously intriguing endeavor, at least for me. Kudos in doing what you guys are doing and thanks for posting. Great shit.

-S

 

[thebrick]

........I am very sad and still think I let him down some .........

I know we don't really know each other, but I absolutely know from your posts that you are the LAST person that should be thinking this. So please purge that thinking
He looks awesome! Its a subjective, tough sport.

 

[Iabadman]

Thanks guys ......shelby I hear ya .......thought about it [have a protical that I have used with that ] but I was scared because we only had about 5 weeks together.......and he had to work so hard to make wt .......his body was very tired and we had to go old school [very low on food towards the end ] and you know that slows the metabolic rate......so a load was risking going backwards imo .......and I did not want his stomach to bloat as he is prone to that ......especially now that he has no small instestine..........that makes loads very tricky imo ......he worked so hard I just figured the best bet was be grainy and hard .....and do all the little stuff right .[ hard to manage when 2000 miles apart.....don't know how you real prep guys do that ...lol] I want to see him get even leaner the next couple of weeks in the glutes and hams [the low back looked in to me ] and then rest a few days before [and fill up slowly and carefully after weigh in ] with his stomach dissability I think it 's just too much to do a hard core shit load or traditional carb load[ skip's method here is the shit for a guy like john and in this case I would normally have used it] .....but he worked so hard and because I wasn't sure he was going to make wt we didnt have time to do any trial runs to see how it went .....I may try a run with that next sat if he wants to give it a go .......When I first came on the boards guys like Skip and Zilla were pioneers of this technique .......and I have played with with probably 20 people since then ,and really liked the results and I am not a master like those two......Skip is coming out with a dvd soon outlining more of what he has learned since then .....I definately plan on getting it and so should all of you .....Skip is a no bs master of this game and has lot to teach us all....but because of how hard John worked I didn't want to chance anything........I really thought he'd be right there in the running from what I had seen of light heavies in earlier national level shows.......but I guess I was just wrong........I just wasn't going to be reckless with my friends hard work.......and honestly ,despite some cards against him .I really believe he has a national level winning lt heavy physique without a doubt......

 

[Iabadman]

brick ....thank you .....alfresco sent me a nice pm as well.......guys like you two always make me feel so proud to be part of this family here ......in the real world we may not know eachother .......but here I feel as I know you well and your character shines right through the screen with your every post my cyber friend .[same with alfresco]

I totally have respect and admiration for homonuc and lats [ actually I am huge of fans of them both .......I have read each one of their posts and shared some pms in past yrs with the two of them ......both have huge knowledge and I definately hang on there every word] I wish they 'd both start posting here more about training and diet stuff because this place would blow up again fast if they did .......they are that cool and smart ......lol.....so when they say something it has affect on me ....

But when Mr USA Phil Hernon chimed in and said light heavy was the right call and our thinking was on the the same page ......his encouragement for john to keep going and that he could get a win as a lt heavy in national show .......made me smile.......because Phil doesn't play or pull punches ......he knows what it takes .......and doesn't throw words like that just out there .....it made me take a huge sigh of relief ......

this has been a neat thread and I look forward to learning from it.....john is on his way home .....I am sure he'll be on later to comment for himself

 

[PHIL HERNON]

Well J

brick ....thank you .....alfresco sent me a nice pm as well.......guys like you two always make me feel so proud to be part of this family here ......in the real world we may not know eachother .......but here I feel as I know you well and your character shines right through the screen with your every post my cyber friend .[same with alfresco]

I totally have respect and admiration for homonuc and lats [ actually I am huge of fans of them both .......I have read each one of their posts and shared some pms in past yrs with the two of them ......both have huge knowledge and I definately hang on there every word] I wish they 'd both start posting here more about training and diet stuff because this place would blow up again fast if they did .......they are that cool and smart ......lol.....so when they say something it has affect on me ....

But when Mr USA Phil Hernon chimed in and said light heavy was the right call and our thinking was on the the same page ......his encouragement for john to keep going and that he could get a win as a lt heavy in national show .......made me smile.......because Phil doesn't play or pull punches ......he knows what it takes .......and doesn't throw words like that just out there .....it made me take a huge sigh of relief ......

this has been a neat thread and I look forward to learning from it.....john is on his way home .....I am sure he'll be on later to comment for himself

The more I read your posts, Skips posts, Homonuns posts.........we can all figure THIS THING OUT.........its all a learning process and quite a " round table" of innovative thinking.....sometimes my laptop shuts off so I have to be blunt and to the point or I have to wait another 1/2 hour to post...hence the to the point feedback.......but I try to convey my kindness still, it just may not come across that way......but if anyone talked to me in person or on the phone its a real difference, from what they tell me.

 

[homonunculus]

brick ....thank you .....alfresco sent me a nice pm as well.......guys like you two always make me feel so proud to be part of this family here ......in the real world we may not know eachother .......but here I feel as I know you well and your character shines right through the screen with your every post my cyber friend .[same with alfresco]

I totally have respect and admiration for homonuc and lats [ actually I am huge of fans of them both .......I have read each one of their posts and shared some pms in past yrs with the two of them ......both have huge knowledge and I definately hang on there every word] I wish they 'd both start posting here more about training and diet stuff because this place would blow up again fast if they did .......they are that cool and smart ......lol.....so when they say something it has affect on me ....

But when Mr USA Phil Hernon chimed in and said light heavy was the right call and our thinking was on the the same page ......his encouragement for john to keep going and that he could get a win as a lt heavy in national show .......made me smile.......because Phil doesn't play or pull punches ......he knows what it takes .......and doesn't throw words like that just out there .....it made me take a huge sigh of relief ......

this has been a neat thread and I look forward to learning from it.....john is on his way home .....I am sure he'll be on later to comment for himself

Iabad,

Just to clarify - I certainly think that going LHW was a good decision. In fact, any decision that the two of you came up with is one I'd consider to be a good one. I wasn't there, I haven't seen pics of John or seen him in person, etc., etc. and only saw impressive roundness in his vid's that *seemed* lacking in the pics online...

I tell ya, I've done a few shows (national and otherwise) now that have had pics posted online and it seems that nearly all of the photo's fail to show how good many competitors are in real life, as well as the finer details that you only see up close.

(E.g., I've seen multiple mentions about Abbas' leg detail, which looks GREAT in pics and how superior it was to Keith Williams' leg separation. In pics, you can see the difference for sure, but it seems like there's MUCH more to it in real person. I saw this with Tamer El G. at the 2009 USA - in person, his conditioning was MIND-BOGGLING, and the pics show an extremely conditioned guy, but the ones I've seen don't capture what I saw live. The point is, this could be the same with John in terms of his fullness and overall look... Speaking of, his quad detail was SICK, SICK, SICK - even in pics... LOL)

-S

 

[mountaindog1]

Thank you

Thank you all for each and every message on this thread...I'll share a little bit about my experience.

First of J didn't let me down - he helped me with his heart and soul, and that's all you can ask. He sent me lots of encouragement...and it will never be forgotten.

To make weight I had to do 45 minutes of cardio every morning, and every night for 5 weeks straight. I never do cardio on leg day or the day, as I feel it makes your legs look worse - so 5 days a week. In the past, I have done only morning walks for 8 weeks, and been able to get peeled...

My job was very demanding and has been for a while (I am a VP at a Bank), and my kids were keeping me on my toes too...the least amount of sleep I have ever had over a stretch..lol

I don't have my food schedule with me, but I did something like 14 days of 30 grams of carbs..2 at 70, 4 at 0, 1 at 150, 2 at 70, 4 at 0.....something insane like. that...plus the last week of the show, I had no carbs all week. Despite this, I actually did keep my fullness...I'll post some pics to show you...I was fat free and very grainy and hard. i think this diet was actually exactly right for me..as I got very lean very quick...

I kept me strength all the way through to the end....last week still squatted 460 for 8 or so, incline 315 for 6, etc. That was a good sign to me.

I had many comments on my condition....from people I trust that was at the show.

What went wrong - my stomach looks better, but still the bottom 2 abs, look funny. As I got down to low bodyweight, I noticed the skin got looser on my stomach. I didn't like that, but that is just a fact of life for me now. I am not going to get any more surgeries, as I have already had 6 and am tired of getting cut on. I am going to live with what I have and so be it. It does look better when I have alot of water in me I'll post some camera phone pics so you can see what I mean...

In terms of water - I don't have a large intestine. That organ absorbs water and salt from your stool, and keeps you hydrated. Managing water is very tricky without a large intestine. Believe me, I had it mastered (for me), before I lost that organ.

In terms of health - I feel superhealthy..and despite the fact that I suffered to make weight, all things considered my health is really good now, so I don't plan on doing anything to risk that. When you are in emergency surgery minutes from dying, giving them thank yous, I love you messages to your friends, it has a tendency to have that effect on you.

So what would I have done different? I don't know - still thinking - my heart tells me that we did everything right for that time and where I was at. Maybe a little more water in me. I have no fat on me now...so next week maybe a trial run...to keep water up sky high to ensure fullness, and so that you can see my striations better. Again, don't know..still thinking..

If you go to flexonline look at the pics of my back double bi and rear lat spread, you can see that I was fat free...just hard to manage the water thing with no large intestine.

I want to say again, thank you to all of you that posted on this thread..the constructive criticism included...as it is delievered in a very positive tone. I wish you guys could have seen me backstage to see my condition, but that's neither here nor there...

You guys are the best, and are why I love this board so much....I'll put some pics up from my camera phone so you can see what it was like the last few days..

Finally - Jason - you are the best, and know that i have the same level of love for you...and I APPRECIATE all the encouragement you gave me along the way..when I was walking with my feet covered in blisters, when I was sitting at my desk eating desicated beef liver tablets, when I was so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open....I am soooooooo lucky to have an understanding wife.....one more thing, when I came off stage and back out into the audience..my twins yelled DADDY, and ran up and hugged me...that was the end of my bitterness about the show right there...it was, and is all good!

JM

 

[mountaindog1]

night before

this is with a couple of gallons of water in me....no food - right after making weight...

 

[mountaindog1]

night before

just a tad bit of water in me...probably still would have lost it, if I kept drinking a ton...hard to say..lol...

 

[mountaindog1]

morning of show

this is when I woke up friday - was real happy with how I was drying out... lower back was tight..hams were cross striated...glutes were in

 

[Shelby]

Flexonline.com pics:
**broken link removed**

 

[mountaindog1]

pics

Sorry I dont know how to resize these things..damn

 

[Shelby]

pic 1