Becoming a machine; first contest prep

[thehazzle]

What's your diet been like?

 

[DaHurt]

Looking dry as hell and already have great separation in the arms! Good luck man, you're looking way ahead!

 

[makeitcount]

Thanks hurt!

And it's been about 2400 cals before this week (2600 the last week). Macros are around 50/25/25 on training days, 50 pro/35 fats/15 carbs on off days. About half my carbs on training days come from veggies...on off days, only veggies and fruits. I've been varying my protein sources a bunch, but been tryi g to get a lot of grass fed fatty beef, omega 3 eggs, and salmon in. Fats are grass fed butter, coconut oil, some nuts, whole eggs, fatty fish, some bacon, sausage and chevre.

Cardio has been pretty heavy though. 5-7 days a week...no less than 35 minutes, usually 45-1 hour, always fasted.

 

[makeitcount]

Welp, total calories for the day: 8700-9k. Was planning to hit 10k, but didn't want to gorge myself. Feel awesome and think this is actually going to help quite a bit. Will drop cals a bit lower next week (2300 more than likely)...prolly drop some pre-workout carbs and replace with fats/proteins as well. With my carbs so low the rest of the time, pre w/o carbs seem to make me lethargic. Plus it seems like the sateity I get from fats trump carbs by a longshot, and I know that'll be the name of the game for the rest of prep.


Regardless, I'm 110% ready for the next 7 weeks! Time to take it to the next level.

 

[Bigmanjws]

Looking solid man, if all goes well I will be at the KY Muscle competing for the very first time..........Im sitting around 227-230, hoping by the grace of god to get to light heavy! Im really more less aiming for the WV / Mid-Atlantic show on the 17th. Hope to see you there in KY :headbang:

 

[todkbear]

Looking good.
Seven weeks...that's where the fun starts!

 

[makeitcount]

Shew, 227?! There's a possibility that I'll be a light heavy...not gonna limit myself to a weight class, but more than likely I will be a middleweight. Shit, hope I can make it to middleweight if I'm gonna be competing with someone at your weight trying to make light heavy...gonna be a BIG dude! Regardless, make sure you say hey!

todk-I think that refeed had a big effect on my hunger levels, because I am STARVING so far this week...whereas before I was absolutely fine on about the same amount of cals. Im thinking if I hit a new low by friday or saturday, I might go ahead and do larger cheats every week until 7 weeks out. Not 9k calories again--I felt like SHIT the day after, lol--but 5-6k with high carbs.

 

[Bigmanjws]

I'll look you up either way, I know what you mean about just trying to be at the best weight. I'm just a tad shy of 6'1 so 227 right now, came from 250 when I started dieting about 6 weeks ago. Just going with the flow, tune up here and be spot on the best I can be 2 wks later for the 2nd one. I figured I could do the ky for practice and figure out what's going on, plus if I'm cutting down and they are 2 wks away why not.

 

[DaHurt]

Yeah that is my issue...5'10" in the mid 220's and I wanted to make light heavies, but I don't think that is a reality...it's looking like I'm growing into the contest...and I'm already pretty lean

That was a hell of a re-feed haha...good luck with the rest of the diet, glad the appetite came back!

 

[makeitcount]

Welp, another 9k Sunday this week...albeit cleaner this time. I'm down a pound from baseline today. I might even have to cut back cardio a bit...I ideally only have 5 more pounds to lose.

 

[DaHurt]

Welp, another 9k Sunday this week...albeit cleaner this time. I'm down a pound from baseline today. I might even have to cut back cardio a bit...I ideally only have 5 more pounds to lose.

Yeah I'd say you're ahead, haha. What are you doing for supplements right now, if you don't mind me asking. You can PM if you want.

 

[troythetoyboy]

You look great man and you still have so much time to dial in. The show you are doing was my first show (back in 2006). Good people. You look like you will dominate. Keep it up!

 

[makeitcount]

Thanks so much guys. I'm just glad the work is paying off...don't wanna embarrass myself on stage! Actually gonna keep cardio in today and do my load tomorrow. Woke up to cold hands/feet this morning...strength was off hitting delts yesterday. I'll load everytime I lose >.7 lb from baseline.

troy: seemed like an ideal first show as it's fairly diverse so should be a good turnout...I have a buddy doing powerlifting, as a matter of fact.

hurt: 5lbs is IDEAL (it'll put me right at the top of middleweights), but I don't know how conditioned ill be losing only 5 lbs. It might have to be more...just gonna play it by ear. Also don't know how the carb up will affect my weight, so I'm gonna have to do a trial run eventually.

 

[makeitcount]

TWO-DAY. Not my favorite lighting to show my conditioning, but I liked my shape in this one...I think if I can keep this same shape, bring my chest, lower back+ triceps up, and add about 40-50 lbs of stage weight, I'll look decent!

 

[kodiak6]

Quads are looking sick bro!

 

[makeitcount]

Thanks man!

Decided to put off my load until tomorrow, as I didnt hit the weight I wanted this morning. (funny thing is, about 30 minutes after I had weighed myself I did work on the toilet...of course this was after 64 ounces of water and coffee. Thirty minutes before and I'd be typing this eating cereal and bagels right now, LOL!)

Took a video today....can see feathering in my lower lats wanting to come and play! Think I should be safe with loading for every pound lost. Might aim for another 10 pounds total to shed....just depends on if I can recomp at all, or if its just gonna be straight weight loss. Will also have to see what happens when I change compounds up, if ya get me

 

[makeitcount]

Today will be my refeed. Could only sleep 4 hours last night...starting to get good at reading biofeedback and being able to tell when cortisol is high and when I need to relax my cns/replenish glycogen and serotonin.

Just hoped on the scale.. -.8 of a pound from my baseline from last week that I take at 11 a.m. By that time today (it's 7:30 a.m. now), I should be at least -1.2 to -1.5 under. Thats good news, considering yesterday was on off day. After off days, my weight is usually up about a pound from the morning after training days. My baseline weight from last weeek was after two consecutive training days.

Sucks having to abstain from water/food until 11 a.m. to get my final weight (ah, the joys of not being able to sleep!), but I want to make 100% sure of where I'm at. After I weigh in, I'm gonna hit some coffee/bcaa's and train chest/rear delts to push that last bit of glycogen out...then let the fun BEGIN!

 

[makeitcount]

shew. Just weighed in again, 45 minutes after my initial weigh in. I'm now 1.3 pounds under baseline!

I might be looking at 2 to 2.5 pounds by 11 a.m. If I hit 2lbs total loss, my load will be BIG again. I planned on keeping it mainly carb based this time and taking the cals down a fair amount, but I really don't think I need to lose 2 pounds/week at this point. That said, if I hit -2lbs, load will be high fat/high carb, 9k or so cals, and I will more than likely cut down on cardio a bit next week.

Feels good to be able to pull back the throttle a bit. I'm really glad I decided to prep for as long as I have...I can't imagine the suffering that would be needed if I had tried to do everything in 12 weeks or so. Not only that, but I'm guessing the binge eating post-contest and possible deterimental health effects would be heightened ten fold. At this point, while the load is a nice break, I have no problems putting it off if need be (as per yesterday)...cravings really aren't that bad.

 

[makeitcount]

So, by 10 a.m. I pulled the plug. I was already -2.4 under baseline. Guessing around 11 i'd be at -2.7 or so. Said screw training fasted...had some oatmeal+cereal, hit chest and rear delts and then started my load. Aiming for at least 2k grams of carbs today.

It blows my mind that this shitloading/skiploading actually works...I've always had the notion that calories in=calories out. Loving this style of dieting. On that note, I'm off to whole foods to check out what their bakery holds in store for me! :headbang:

 

[makeitcount]

9-9.5k calories yesterday. Woke up -.2 from my initial baseline (two weeks ago)...not too smooth yet. I actually feel good today! Last week I felt like hell the day afterwards...I'm pretty sure it was from the doughnuts I ate (fried in soybean oil--ewww, vegetable oil), because this week I had to keep it kind of dirty as well. It started off clean, but I couldn't fit the cals in I needed to 100% clean, so I decided to waver a bit of food quality in favor of calories. Wasn't too bad though...only "dirty" components were pizza with light cheese, froyo, and bakery cookies--snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin, etc...ones I thought would be lowest fat.