Training for 25 years...finally first competition..advice?

[FlexN]

New here, looking for some experienced help. A little info to help you help me:

I have been training for 25 years off and on. I have been "that guy" who is terribly inconsistent-ie works out for a year, takes 4 months off, and repeat, neglected training legs for most of those years, had no problem getting very strong and putting on decent size but could never see my abs because of a very poor diet. Always wanted to do a show but never committed enough.
Turned 38 and decided its now or never. Returned to the gym this past October with the goal to compete this coming July.

Stats in Oct:38 yo, 5'8", 227 lbs, 16.5%bf, 189 lbs lean mass, 37.5 lbs of fat
Stats in Dec: 233 lbs, 14.9%bf, 198 lbs lean mass, 34.7 lbs fat- lost 2.75 lbs of fat and gained 8.7 lbs of muscle
Stats in Feb: 225.5 lbs, 10.6%bf, 201.4 lbs lean mass, 24 lbs fat- lost 10 lbs of fat, gained 3 lbs of muscle
Stats today March 4: 229lbs, 11%bf, 203.7 lbs lean mass, 25 lbs fat- gained 1 lb fat, gained 2 lbs muscle

Working out 5 days per week. Each bodypart 1x per week. Calves and abs 2x ea per week.
Cardio only 2 times per week for 35 min.( Im sure this is one problem...triple this?

Diet
Meal 1 1 cup oatmeal, 7 eggs, 4 pcs turkey bacon
Meal 2 post workout shake
Meal 3 8 oz turkey
Meal 4 12 oz Tilapia, 1 cup broccoli
Meal 5 6 oz chicken, 1 cup green beans
Meal 6 8 oz turkey
Drinking 3/4 gallon of water a day.
* This past week there has been daily cheating after meal 6 due to late night carb cravings. Im sure this is the cause of the increase fat shown in latest bodyfat measurement.

Daily Supplements
DHEA, Vit C, Zinc, Glutamine, Arganine, Chromium Picolinate, Selenium

Cycle history
1st (2005) 8 week sust 500w, deca 300 w
2nd (2006) 8 week sust 500w, deca 400 w..8 week prop 350 w, tren 225w, winny175 w, anavar
3rd (2009) 8 week cyp 600w, tren 300 w
4th (2010) 8 week enathate 600w
5th (2011) 8 week sust 500w, 4 weeks anadrol,
6th (2012) 8 week enath 500w, deca 400w
Currently 20 days in Prop 350 w, Mast 350w both 100 mg eod

I am 20 weks out from the show. Proposed cycle is:
16 weeks out til 3 weeks out sust 250 E3D
3 weeks out til 5 days out Prop 100 EOD
Mast 100 EOD now til 5 days out
Winny 50 EOD 8 weeks out til 10 days out
Tren E 75 mg E3D 8 weeks out til 3 weeks out
Tren A 75 mg EOD til 5 days out then 75 mg ed

I know this is a long post but I wanted to give as much info as possible so that you all have it to give me the best advice possible. I didnt want to hide something that could be overlooked and the cause of my problem. I live in a small town with very little help when it comes to bodybuilding. How is my diet?Current cycle? Proposed cycle? ANything stand out as to why my progress isnt what it should be? Thanks in advance for your help and taking the time.

 

[Tom]

The absolute best advice i can give you is to hire one of the contest prep guys from this board!! You will NOT be disappointed with your results!

 

[FlexN]

Thanks for your reply Tom. I thought about that but thought that would be something more for national level bodybuilders. The cost of food and supps is already high for a small local show.
If this is not the place for getting other peoples advice on these type things, is there another place more suitable?

 

[Tom]

give it a little more time....you will get excellent advice here!

 

[cardealer]

protein 400,fat 60,net carbs 100.This will get you started.Each is grams.

 

[cardealer]

Also up water to at least 1 gallon daily.

 

[Dublin]

So you gained almost 9 lbs of muscle in 2 months. Impressive!

 

[Tom]

giving this a bump for more responses

 

[gtj220]

i would hire a prep guy from here on the board, 20 weeks out a basically only a cup of oatmeal a day for carbs.....what are you gonna cut later? your starving...thats why your cheating at night

 

[Shelby]

Carbs and fats are both way way too low, especially for 20 weeks out.

 

[Gunsmith]

hiring a coach is not cheap but its a huge investment , not just because of what they can do for your body but for the wealth of knowledge thay will teach your about your body and what foods work for you.
I've seen guys blow thousands and thousands of dollars on juice and HGH , ruin their health trying to drug them selves lean enough to compete and nearly every person i've know that tried it themsleves then hired a trainer ended up using alot less drugs , being more healthy and comming in WAY better condition when they hire a trainer.

BUT

Since Shelby is to modest.
Check these out (at bottom) , you can get all the books for $50 (fuggin amazing price for the nowledge) it will teach yu alot about what foods do what , when and why to eat them and so on , again this is a great investment for a beginner then spend some time looking through the board and reading , their is alot of great info here and lots of great guys willing to help

Link to books
**broken link removed**

 

[cromespider]

eat a double Cheese burger and salty fries between morning and night shows and very very little water

 

[Johnny Smiles]

HAVE FUN!

get a posing coach, get a contest prep/trainer and put ur faith in thier diet and training and let go of the control and enjoy the ride.

might be impossible to do (i did it and was the best thing i ever did) but thats how it should be done first time. imo.

enjoy it. any show could be your last.
its a beautiful thing to be up there.... to have your moment....to show the world what you created......with what you were given.....
ENJOY IT.
-JS

 

[FlexN]

Thanks a lot for the advice. I see two points of consensus.
1) Hire a coach- I will definitly look into this now. I never realized real coaches were available for this level of competitor and I didn't really think the price was worth the reward at this level. However, Ive waited many years to do this and I want to give it my best shot so Ill give it a try.

2) Carbs and fats too low. On paper I 100% agree and would never suggest someone cut carbs to the degree I have at this time. However when I had my bf checked a few days ago I found my bf went up just slightly. I have never had a problem putting on size. At 5'7, maybe 5'8 on a good day in shoes I have weighed as much as 243lbs, normally 230ish. Everyone who has seen me for years keeps telling me I have plenty of size to win a show, but I always feel too small, esp bi's and legs. They warn that my problem is too much fat. I havent seen my abs since 2007. My millimeters for abdominals is at 17, kidney 22 so I am carrying a great deal of fat around my midsection. I was told( and this is why I am here) that I needed to cut carbs 100% until my bf got on track. I am carb sensitive no doubt so I gave it a try. I figured it wasnt what Ive always heard, but I am willing to listen because my fats not coming off like I think it should. This more than anything else is probably why I am on this board looking for clarity. I look at the pics of guys 10-16 weeks out and I look nothing like that as far as hard and lean. It makes me wonder if I am on track.

thanks again...let me see how i find a coach on here...

 

[gtj220]

your body fat went up cause your burning muscle from starving my friend

 

[FlexN]

your body fat went up cause your burning muscle from starving my friend

I dont understand fully. I have gained muscle every time my millimeters have been checked. My bf has gone down each time except the last time. I consider my diet to be quiet a bit of food for me, although very low in carbs compared to what Im used to. I get that you're saying I need to eat more. I need to find what I need to eat more of while at the same time taking the bf way down. I've added 50 more carbs a day since the advice I received on here two days ago. I feel better, no more cravings, but I also feel fat and bloated. Should 50 carbs make that much difference especially when everyone agrees I need more of them????

 

[FlexN]

OK guys added 50g of carbs a day this past week and the result is I have a lot more abdominal fat! The most experienced bb at my gym says I need to eliminate all carbs and up cardio to two 30 min sessions 7 days a week until on track and then reintroduce carbs.

Any thoughts please?

BTW looked into hiring a prep coach but not gonna happen now that Illinois just took $7900 for unpaid/forgotten student loan...ouch that hurt

 

[Utah]

20 weeks out is a lot of time, especially at 11%. You dont want to be 3% now.

You dont want to triple cardio overnight, just like you wouldnt triple your doses. That is a huge shock to the body. You want to increase or decrease food, cardio, etc slowly so the body doesnt even notice. Add 1 x 30min or hiit cardio session per week.

Yes, you will feel bloated when adding any amount of carbs, def for few days or a week but you will level off.

1. lose the turkey bacon-thats offseason protein
2. cut egg yolks down slowly-7 is too many
3. add some other healthy fats with your protein meals(olive oil, cocunut oil, almonds, and measure them out religously). Cut back on them slowly every week or so as the show gets closer.
4. QUIT CHEATING! chew on your hand when youre hungry
5. Add another protein and fat meal in middle of night. Just set phone alarm 3 hrs after your last meal. This will get metabolism running even higher and rip u up.
6. Dont overlook the small details like having your color dark enough and proper oil applied, not too wet and not too dry. Have seen many rookies lose placings because they just dont understand what these do for you under stage lighting.

We r here to help bro!!

 

[FlexN]

20 weeks out is a lot of time, especially at 11%. You dont want to be 3% now.

You dont want to triple cardio overnight, just like you wouldnt triple your doses. That is a huge shock to the body. You want to increase or decrease food, cardio, etc slowly so the body doesnt even notice. Add 1 x 30min or hiit cardio session per week.

Yes, you will feel bloated when adding any amount of carbs, def for few days or a week but you will level off.

1. lose the turkey bacon-thats offseason protein
2. cut egg yolks down slowly-7 is too many
3. add some other healthy fats with your protein meals(olive oil, cocunut oil, almonds, and measure them out religously). Cut back on them slowly every week or so as the show gets closer.
4. QUIT CHEATING! chew on your hand when youre hungry
5. Add another protein and fat meal in middle of night. Just set phone alarm 3 hrs after your last meal. This will get metabolism running even higher and rip u up.
6. Dont overlook the small details like having your color dark enough and proper oil applied, not too wet and not too dry. Have seen many rookies lose placings because they just dont understand what these do for you under stage lighting.

We r here to help bro!!

WOW thanks for the great information! I am going to immediately put all of this into action. I have read so much and talked to so many ppl over the years that I feel like its all jumbled in my head. Im much better at helping others than I am at figuring out my own plan. Your post just gave me a lot of clarity. The confusion was frustrating. Having clarity has provided new motivation. Thanks again!:lightbulb: