Wannabe contestant

[arnie]

This is an excellent forum, especially for those of us who still feel a bit daunted to post on the other forums. Thanks for the opportunity.

I'm an older guy with years of working out, many of which did not bear enough fruit because of lack of knowledge about diet, overtraining, etc, but that's another story.

Now that I've made gains with vascularity and symmetry, I want to compete - soon. I have used the search feature, but still have some questions I hope can be answered for me. I am still a bit smooth, but for me it's just getting the experience so that I can learn from my mistakes and hopefully do better the next time. The aim is to look worthy of being on the stage, despite warts and all, which I hope to minimise by diet and preparation.

1 When would you recommend stopping
a) cardio
b) weights
c) abs
before a contest?

2 When should you stop using the sunbed, ie, how many days before you start applying the oil?

3 I have been following Big A's diet plan and wonder whether it would be best to start carbing up on, say, Weds night (the contest being Saturday), given that I certainly won't be totally shredded on the day, anyway. Also not too sure about what to eat on the day of the contest. Would also like to make up a glycerol cocktail with red wine, etc, but am not sure what else should go in it.

Thanks.

 

[xcelbeyond]

FOCUS on your conditioning, not how big (or small) or tan you're gonna be.

I saw a guy get 2nd in his class and he didn't know how to pose (was a TERIBBLE poser) and was very pale. BUT - his conditioning was SUBPERB and could not be overlooked.

You're asking a LOT of questions at one time here.

Look at Randy's pic in the banner (extremely shredded). He doesn't do cardio for pre-contest! Where you're currently at and how long you have to get ready has a lot to do with how much cardio you need.

You need to spend at least the last 2 months, 1/2 - 1 hour a day posing.

I had a very successful local bb'er tell me that if you have your BF where it needs to be and are eating properly, it doesn't matter what type of workout you do (HIT, volume, etc), you'll do fine - just "do it" is what he said.

 

[arnie]

Thanks for the reply, xcel. Sorry to ask so many questions. I was just in panic mode as the contest I plan (planned?) to enter is on Saturday.
Anyway I'll just flounder along, using info from Big A's thread and the search button as well as advice from friends. It will be a learning curve for me.

I have a friend who has competed a few times who is trying to convince that to carb up I drop all protein at that time but that goes against evreything I understand. So if anyone can answer that question in the next few hours, I would be so grateful.

 

[xcelbeyond]

Unless you're in really good shape, you may want to put it off onto experience and do a contest later.

In order to effectively drop water or carb up (or manipulate sodium intake), you need to be extremely lean. Several wise competitors have told me it's generally not about dropping water, it's about getting lean enough.

 

[arnie]

Thanks again for your input.

I had hoped to get back before anyone replied. Ok, my last question was dumb. All my research points against what my friend said. I've done the donkey work and lots of research over the years, but the point of the matter is that I (my own worst critic who never blows his own trumpet) am amazed at my development. I can't believe how cut I've become and that I can even see my abs now. My body fat is low. I have symmetry. If I don't do it now, I might never do it, and I would regret that.

The body is ready. What happens before I get up on the stage will now be related completely to what goes into my body. Years of preparation will be dependent on what happens in the next 2-3 days. I know that noone in the audience will be able to say that I haven't served my apprenticeship to get up on an amateur stage. But I want to go even beyond that. I want to look great up there.

So I've started carbing up and still drinking a lot and having moderate protein. Friday, cut back on the water - mainly sipping. Probably have steak and eggs for breakfast on Sat morning and maybe some dark chocolate or red wine, dependent on how I look.

I'm still apprehensive, but am also getting a buzz out of it.

 

[Big A]

What ever you are going to do, write it down and do it, without abating from it.
You sound like you are panicking, which means that you will change things in the last minute and do something stupid. That's what I do, that's why I need a minder before comps. I go really wacko.

 

[arnie]

I'm now no longer a wannabe. On Saturday I pranced half naked across a stage and so has begun my bodybuilding competing, albeit a bit too late in life. I'm gearing up to do another in two weeks time.

I started carbing up on the Weds, but possibly did not have enough carbs over the next few days. On the Saturday everything came into place for the evening show and I looked so much better than in the morning. All I can put it down to was the simple sugars which I had during the morning, but should have probably introduced the night before. It's getting the balance of not having so much that you get queasy, but enough to bring out the vascularity. I thought the red wine would help me out, but I think it was the dark chocolate that did it.

Good thing I did have a minder too, as I was getting ready to change things right up until the last minute. I would not have got got up on stage without my friend, who went beyond the call of duty in assisting me, right down to applying the tan and giving me encouragement from the wings.