Well, its about time, eh?... (Randy's/homonunculus' pics)

[homonunculus]

This one is a little old (2001). Last contest photos (2002) were digital, but got lost (there was no contest photographer and scans of the printouts with any quality are gigantic - 1+MB).

FYI:
I think I was around 195 here, 2-3 weeks out. 5'9.5"
No cardio. None for the last 5-6 years now. I just lean up with diet, suffering and a few supp.'s (ECA and yohimbine).

Please help out with any weaknesses. Be ruthless. Rip me apart. This is the first pic I've posted on a board. I've been on the UG, renegade, etc. for ~4 years now and post this to get help from you guys and ladies. (What actually nudged me was reading how much damn cardio some people do to get ready for shows. I don't think I'm lucky I'd just rather starve than feel like a rat on a treadmill... 8^).)

I recognize:
More size overall: too tall to be a LHW (Next show I will prob. be around 205, but still waaaay too light.)
Bring up:
Calves
Pecs
Traps
Hams (can never be too big)
Arms (have brought up since then)

Also, I seem to hold a lot of fat in my face as you can see from the pics. I think it draws the judges attention away from my physique. At least I have a nice smile. LOL.

-Randy

 

[homonunculus]

Uno mas.

Porky returns!

 

[Steak Helmet]

Nice cuts...

Looks like you have been carved out of marble.

 

[xcelbeyond]

You look great bro!!

Your height is not too tall for LHW in my book.

The only thing I can critique is (and I don't think you can do anything about it) is that "pig-looking" head!! LOL

xcel

 

[Ivan]

You look great, could you give us an insider on how you dieted?

 

[Dave_19]

im also real curious about your diet, mainly because you stated no cardio.. do you remeber what you took pre contest for this show also? thanks a lot and you look awsome.

 

[homonunculus]

Ah, the diet

Frankly, I'm not sure which approach I used for this particular show, as I've done many variations and all pretty much equally effective. I seem to do well with low carb diets, so that is what I stick with, being sure to carb-up frequently.

General approach:
1st 2 weeks: come off bulking diet (5-6000kcal / day) and eat according to appetite (pro @ 1.5 g/lb)
Next 2 weeks: Slowly add ECA (25/200/325mg) and yohimbine (16mg), eat according to appetite. Alternate ECA w/ clen (work up to 120mcg over 1st week, then maintain at 120mcg) every 2 weeks, finishing with clen (120mcg) the week before the show.
I also plan to diet for 4 weeks, then take a week off, eating at maintenance, then diet again for 4 weeks. Much easier psychologically and more effective, as well.

Now the diet:
For this show, I *think* did the following:
3 day split, train 6x/ week

First 3 days (1-3): no carbs, protein at 1.5g/lb or higher, with kcal at about ~1500. Train with high volume, deplete glycogen, feel like shit

Next three days (4-6): eat low fat, mod carb, prot. as above, kcal at ~2500 train either 1.) 5setsx5reps maj. muscle groups (2-3 for smaller) or 2.) triple drop sets: 2 for major muscle groups, one for smaller. For days 4-6, I would alternate between workouts 1 and 2 (but same protocol for days 1-3). Feel much better. Add creatine and alpha-lipoic acid

Day 7, drop carbs completely, kcal around 2000

KCal would drop as necessary as the show nears. This is a nice way to train b/c you practically have a practice carb-up every week.

I've also gotten just as lean training just 3x / week, carbing up only on training days, essentially as on days 4-6 above, but on a M W F or T Th Sat schedule.

That's the basics. Nothing to spectacular, just lots of crabbiness. Basic ideas I stick to:
Keep protein high
Frequently replenish glycogen
Rotate supplements to keep things fresh
Have a periodic week off to restore thyroid and mindset

Thanks again for your compliments, fellas. Much appreciated! Please, though, hit me with criticism. I'm interested in being compared with top level freaky amateurs.

-Randy

 

[homonunculus]

Dave

im also real curious about your diet, mainly because you stated no cardio.. do you remeber what you took pre contest for this show also? thanks a lot and you look awsome.

Sorry forgot to repond to your last question.

I have a week long regimen for carbing up and depleting water that I have written out on a spreadsheet (b/c it has a lot of components and my brain is fried at that point). The manipulations mainly involve water intake. My secret weapon is to drink massive amounts of water during the week preceding, increasing each day to about 13 liters on Friday, stopping before 6PM Friday night and drinking about 1 liter on show day (This roughly matches my urinary output - yes, I've measured it... LOL). I have seriously thought of catherizing myself so that I wouldn't have to run to the bathroom every 15 minutes.

-Randy

 

[Big A]

Criticism? In the second pic, the thing that jumps up is the arms, but yu knew that too. Apart from that, it's hard to tell, because the poses don't allow for your structure to be seen properly.

Now, those hammies - I have NEVER seen CROSS-STRIATIONS on a hamstring before!!!

 

[Ivan]

Criticism? In the second pic, the thing that jumps up is the arms, but yu knew that too. Apart from that, it's hard to tell, because the poses don't allow for your structure to be seen properly.

Now, those hammies - I have NEVER seen CROSS-STRIATIONS on a hamstring before!!!

Ditto to what Big A said...you have remarkable cuts. Those hamstrings are truly awesome man!

Is your diet a bit like bodyopus?

 

[homonunculus]

Thanks Big A.

Criticism? In the second pic, the thing that jumps up is the arms, but yu knew that too. Apart from that, it's hard to tell, because the poses don't allow for your structure to be seen properly.

Now, those hammies - I have NEVER seen CROSS-STRIATIONS on a hamstring before!!!

I'll see if I can find some more pics. I've been pretty pitiful about documenting my progress picture-wise, mainly b/c I'm focused on getting better, not thinking about what I've improved.

The thing about that first one that kind of freaked me was that my adductor magnus (upper inner thigh) was striated. I knew from all the damn rashes that I has some muscle there, but I didn't know it looked like that.

Ivan:
As far as diet, check my prev. post. Yes, I do a no-carb / ketogenic diet, but not according to BO format per se. I mix up my carb-up schedule, and sometimes even do a "targeted ketogenic diet," where I take in carb's for only 1 meal post-workout.

More pics when I find 'em (and touch up my facial features...)

Thanks again guys

-Randy

 

[Dave_19]

Re: Dave

Thanks a lot for all the details on diet.. I think im going to try something similir this up comming cut.. im not preparing for a show so it doesnt need to be quite as intense as yours, I got best results personally when I tried the no carbs for 6days and one large carb up day at the end of the week, but i noticed by day 3 I was so irratable and depressed. So carbing up more frequent is what im going to try this time. and as far as the comment about running to the bathroom every 15 minuts.. that has been such a problem for me in the past that If I know im going to be somewhere like on the comp for a few hours I will grab a milk jug and set it under the desk

 

[homonunculus]

Dave

Dave,

Sounds like a plan. I like ketogenic diets partly b/c instead of feeling hungry, I feel nauseated and sick. This way I feel nasty, which is unavoidable to a certain degree, but I don't have the urge to eat. I sometimes have to force feed myself at the end of the day.

Yep, more frequenly carb-ups is a good choice. The standard CKD 5keto/2carb-up or 6keto/1carb-up mean you might be training a muscle group that has previously been glycogen depleted, which makes for a shitty workout, plus that's a long time to be in ketosis. Keto diets are kinda weird b/c they play tricks on your mind when you're on strict carb-up schedule. If you did 10 days of keto, with a 2 day carb-up, you prob. wouldn't feel so damn nasty on day 6, b/c you'd realize you're just past the halfway mark to the next carb-up. More frequent carb-ups are nice b/c you've always got a "cheat" meal around the corner.

If you do it right, you'll really spend a good deal of time dieting and hardly know it, b/c you carb up so often, if only briefly. If I do a 5 / 2 day schedule, I can't cut kcal as low w/o losing muscle as if I do a schedule where I carb-up 3 times in a week, giving me 4 total days of keto dieting. Plus, you take advantage of the most anabolic period of the carb-up, which is the first 8-12 hours. This means I lose just as much fat, but retain more muscle (my experience).

Another good strategy (can you tell I've fu•ked around with this a lot?... ) is to carb-up only for a portion of the day on days you workout (modification of a tarketed keto diet). Works best if you train at night. Say you train 4x/week at 6PM. You would have 2 carb-meals on those nights only. Plus this a good way to get some good sleep when dieting - the carb's will wipe you out (serotonin thing in the brain).

-Randy

 

[homonunculus]

Another

These next 2 aren't a close in - this was done with a timer on my cheap-ass dig. camera.

-R

 

[homonunculus]

Last one - poor quality

Sorry about this. The sun bleached out the photo, so I had to adjust brightness and contrast, which left it a little scratchy.

-R

 

[chris250]

WOW!!!! Bro, all I can say, is you look down right freaky!!!

Super conditioning... I guess you win the prize on best conditioning on this site...

What kind of conditioning do you stay in the offseason....Are you lean person by genetics? Or did you have to diet your ass off to get that shredded...

chris

 

[homonunculus]

THanks, Chris

WOW!!!! Bro, all I can say, is you look down right freaky!!!

Super conditioning... I guess you win the prize on best conditioning on this site...

What kind of conditioning do you stay in the offseason....Are you lean person by genetics? Or did you have to diet your ass off to get that shredded...

chris

Hey Chris,

Nope, not naturally lean, although I find that as I get bigger its easier to lose fat and I tend to look leaner, which would be the case even if my total amount of body fat were unchanged - the muscle makes you look leaner.

So, I have to diet my ass off. Usually, the last 4-6 weeks, I don't sleep much as night (not normally an insomniac) and basically just feel like absolute shit. I've tried getting as big as possible in the offseason (standard dinner at 1 point was 2 double quarter pounders, 20 pc McNugget and a large milkshake), but find that by the time I've dieted down, I haven't gained muscle at a faster rate than if I ate cleaner and stayed closer to contest condition. So, nowadays, I prob. stay around 9-10%, which is nice b/c I spend less time suffering and have more time during the rest of the year to bulk.

Another interesting thing: I noticed when I used yohimbine that my legs got lean as hell. Now, even when I've been off yoh for many months, I find that my legs stay lean. Some off that coincided with other "supplements" that tend to promote deposition of abdominal vs. lower body fat, so that may partly explain.

Thanks for the compliments, guys, but do try to help with flaws if you see them. Compare me to top level amateurs and bodybuilders who are much better than me (for now ).

-Randy

 

[BIGKIWI]

Looking hard as rock big Randy awesome stuff bro

 

[Dave_19]

I think one of the problems with giving you a critique is that your conditioning is amazing its hard to put your self in a position to try to give you advice when you ahead of most here, but I will give you my honest opinion on what I think would help you place a little higher. first I think if you could gain another 2" or so on the peak of your calves it would really compliment your Legs, I actually have the same problem with my legs now and im resorting to SEO soon. besides calves I dont see one area really lagging, as whole your very symeterical, so filling in overall would probably be the answer. gaining another quality 20-30lbs of LBM you will bet set.

 

[homonunculus]

Thanks, BK and Dave

Kiwi,

Thanks, Bro. Means a lot. Would you suggest more delt mass?... LOL. BTW, how's the leg clearing up?...

I think one of the problems with giving you a critique is that your conditioning is amazing its hard to put your self in a position to try to give you advice when you ahead of most here, but I will give you my honest opinion on what I think would help you place a little higher. first I think if you could gain another 2" or so on the peak of your calves it would really compliment your Legs, I actually have the same problem with my legs now and im resorting to SEO soon. besides calves I dont see one area really lagging, as whole your very symeterical, so filling in overall would probably be the answer. gaining another quality 20-30lbs of LBM you will bet set.

Dave, thanks for the input. Calves have come up a bit since then, but I need more in that area... (Can they ever really be too big, as long as you at least train thighs?... LOL). I see what you're saying r.e. level and giving advice, but there are some awesome BB'ers here, and even those who are starting out have a natural eye for these things. This is how we pick a favorite pro. I'm not in the same ballpark, neigborhood or even the right state to be compared to an IFBB pro, bit I've got ideal proportions in mind. Perhaps it is a bit strange to "criticize" someone who is more advanced than yourself, but I would have no problem giving critique to any pro, if he / she asked for it. Everbody has flaws.

You bring up the thing about BBing that's kinda strange (and then I'll shut up... ). The longer a BB'er has been training / better he / she gets, given a reasonably sound mind (no muscle dysmorphia), the less he personalize his body like most people. We stand up on stage in our underwear, yank up the backs of our trunks to show our ass (hopefully glutes are striated in this case) and we don't think it strange as heterosexuals to have someone rub oil on us, sometimes strangers, and then step back, staring at our body and saying we look great. I practive posing, after nearly every workout these days in the aerobics room of a gym where I'm the only competitive bodybuilder...

Maybe b/c being a BB'er gives you a great body, you don't have the insecurities that many do r.e. showing it. I see my body almost as something apart from me when I view it as a BB'er. Of course, I could just be in extreme denial of a deep-rooted narcissism...

Thanks again, guys.

-Randy