# COMPETITIVE BODYBUILDING - POWERLIFTING - ATHLETICS & SPORTS > COMPETITIVE BODYBUILDING Q & A >  pics of me 5weeks out for first comp

## Schmidty

pics of me 5 weeks out. 5'9 205lbs 7% bf. What do you think? Be 100% honest please. Im working as hard as i can on my lower abs and obliques to tighten them up. Im still eating a ton of salt and 3gallons of water a day so i know im bloated and holding water. do you think im on track? 
took these at the gym today

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## Schmidty

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 fixed???

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## Schmidty

how do i make the pics just show up without clicking on them???

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## Schmidty

bump...sum advice please...

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## FireGuy

I think you need to work on your photography skills! JK, your conditioning looks solid for 5 weeks out. It's really hard to assess any symmetry issues because the pictures are all so zoomed in on specific bodyparts. I would like to see full body shots of the mandatory's to give a better critique.

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## Schmidty

i will be having my gf take pics tomorrow or a friend whos helping me pose. either way i will have sum new and better pics up by sat nite i imagine

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## slfmade

> how do i make the pics just show up without clicking on them???


www.flickr.com

Sign up for a free account, Upload your pics, and copy and paste the "BB" code.

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## Schmidty

dont mind my batman undies lol

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## Schmidty

those are four weeks out today!

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## Gym_

Lats are fuking sick ...they look really good thats how i like my lats.. biceps are a little smaller then what id like mine to be ... thats just me thou ..

Doing good

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## Schmidty

im ok with the size of my bis i just wth i had more seperation between my bis and tris

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## stevey_6t9

Looking good man, hopefully that seperation will come out in the last couple of weeks.

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## hankdiesel

I'm sure you know that when your hands go over your head for the abs shot one leg should automatically go forward. Abdominal and thigh. Your chest and back are your best attributes imo. You may need to bring your legs up some. I'll be interested to hear what fireguy says.

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## FireGuy

I agree with HK, legs especially hams could use some work but that's something to be addressed after this show and before the next one. Biggest think you need to do is work on your posing. You only posted one mandatories so it's hard to critique but just looking at your posture and foot pla***ent in the shots you did I can tell you not where you should be at 4 weeks out posing wise. If you post a shot of all 8 mandatories I will help you the best I can as far as at least getting you set up correctly. Be a shame if someone less conditioned and with less size beats you because they had a better presentation.

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## baseline_9

Looking good...

Would love to see the diet and cardio schedule...

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## Schmidty

iv got my diet log saved on a few emails i can post here.

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## baseline_9

> iv got my diet log saved on a few emails i can post here.


Please do  :Smilie:

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## Schmidty

3-feb

7:20-2tuna, .5cup oatmeal

9:40-pwo gatoraid

10:45-6oz ground turkey, 1cup spinache, 1 flat bread

12:10-6oz chicken, 2rice cakes, 1 cup mix veggies, apple

3:00-6oz chicken, 2 rice cakes, 2cup veggies

5:00-tilapia 8oz, 6 oz sweet potatoe

6:30-2tuna, 2rice cakes

9:00-5oz chicken, 1cup veggies

12:00-2tuna, .5cup oatmeal



4-feb

6:30-2tuna, .5cup oatmeal

8:30-5oz chicken 3 rice cakes 1 cup veggies

11:00-1flat wheat bread, 30g whey

1:30-6oz chicken, 5oz sweet potatoes

3:40-6oz chicken, 6oz sweet potatoe

6:00-1tuna

7:00-8oz turkey, 3 rice cakes, 1 cup veggies

9:002tuna, 2cup veggies

10:30-6oz chicken, 1cup veggies

1:25-2tuna, 1apple, 1cup veggies



5-feb

8:00-2tuna, .5cup oatmeal

9:30-2tuna .5 cup oatmeal

12:15-pwo gatoraid

12:30-2tuna, 2cup veggies

1:30-4oz chicken, 2cup veggies

3:45-8oz turkey, 2 rice cakes, 2 cup veggies

5:00-8oz chicken, 1 flat wheat bread

8:15-2tuna, 8oz sweet potatoes

10:30-2tuna, 1 flat wheat bread



6feb

7:00-3tuna, .25cup oatmeal

9:30 12oz tilapia, 5oz sweet potatoe

12:30-10oz chicken breast, 5oz sweet potatoe, 2cup veggies

4:00-20g isopure

5:00-12oz tilapia, 5oz sweet potatoe

7:00-6oz turkey, 1 flat wheat bread, 2cup veggies

8:15- 8egg whites


17-feb

630- 3tuna

930-5oz chicken, 1 veg

1145-6oz chicken, 1veg

145-7oz chicken, 1 veg

430- 25g whey

545-6oz chicken, 2veg

730-6oz chicken, 2 veg



16-feb

600-3tuna .25 cup oatmeal

800-6oz steak, 1 veg

1200-8oz steak, 3.5oz sp, 1veg, 1 banana

220-10oz steak, 1 veg

330-1tuna

730-9oz chicken, 1veg, 1apple

1030-3tuna,2veg



15-feb

630-3tuna

900-6oz fish, 2 veg, 3.5oz sp, 1 banana

1100-6oz fish 1veg, 7oz sp, 1 veg, 1 banana

115-6oz fish, 2 veg, 1 banana

400-6oz fish, 2veg

530-4oz fish, 1veg




20feb

845-12oz tilapia, 2veg, 1/4oatmeal

100-12oz chicken, 1 veg, 

400-12oz chicken, 2veg, 3.5oz sp



19feb

800-3tuna, 2veg

1100-50g shake

1200-3tuna,3 veg

330-50g shake, 2veg

700-12oz tilapia, 2veg

1100-12oz chicken, 2veg



18feb

945-3tuna, 1/4oatmeal

100-12oz tilapia, 3.5oz sp, 1apple, 1veg

400-12ozground turkey, 2veg

730-12oz tilapia, 7oz sp, 3veg

1030-50g shake 3veg


830-50g whey

930-60z steak, 1 veg

1045-3tuna

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## Schmidty

dates are kind of messes up sorry

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## baseline_9

You like tuna then.... LOL YUK!

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## Schmidty

fvck no i dont! i want to throw up every time i have to choke down a can. I also drink 3gallons of water a day or 2.5 at the least. i end up chugging about a half gallon of water every time im throwing back a can of tuna like a fist full of pills.

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## baseline_9

LOL

How much cardio have u been doing?

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## Armykid93

Looking way better than me haha good work

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## hankdiesel

Your diet seems to be very different from day to day. Are you doing that on purpose or it that just the way it works out? I ask because mine looks pretty much the same every day. Everybody is different though.

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## Schmidty

it was being adjusted. my trainer has been wanting me down to 6meals a day for a few weeks but i kept going hypo so i would have to eat. It was crazy i was going hypo every hour and a half i would get a cold sweat, eye sight would be fuzzy, could not think clear at all just like as if i was blasting insulin . now im at 6meals and its pretty comfortable. i have days of 0 carbs and med and high of i think 90g carb days.

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## Schmidty

> LOL
> 
> How much cardio have u been doing?


im jogging a bout every other day with my dogs in the morning for 15-20min before breakfast and im doing 20-30min6days of either stairs or treadmill a week post workout.

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## Schmidty

practiced posing for almost a hour tonite at my gfs house. im getting better with the positioning of my legs for each pose. and i think im going to use metalica S&M for whom the bell toles for my routine

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## Schmidty

> Your diet seems to be very different from day to day. Are you doing that on purpose or it that just the way it works out? I ask because mine looks pretty much the same every day. Everybody is different though.


but its mostly been my portions i changer. 60g of protein no fat and carbs very on the different days but the 12oz of tilapia is the same as chicken or 3cans of tuna give or take a few grams. should be mostly the same from here on out though

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## lovbyts

I hope you wear the Batman underoos onstage, those are funny.
I typically hate tats but I like the fact that yours are consistent from the back and side to side on the arms, they are not distracting.
BTW looking good/great. Good luck.

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## bigZthedestroyer

Looking good man. To add to what FireGuy mentioned about posing, spend as much time as possible on hitting the poses hard and transitioning between. I didn't spend as much time as I should have on my posing and it cost me a couple places. Everything seemed to move fast during the mandatories. As soon as I hit one pose, they were already calling another. Keep up the hard work. You look like your on track. Good luck

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## Schmidty

iv heard that before. That sumtimes it feels like your on stage forever and others go so fast you never hold a pose for even a second before the next is called out

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## oatmeal69

Awesome work, you look great! Can't offer any critique, cuz I'm no where near your level, but I aspire to be!
I don't know how you do that tuna man, but I'd like to, it's cheap protein. That's hardcore.

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## Schmidty

im so sick and tired of tuna its unreal. My trainer is adding sum cals back because he said im going to "peak" to soon so i am sticking with chicken and might be adding a meal back! i can function on 6meals a day now but i still feel like i need more food. No joke i was eating about 8-12x a day when i first started dieting for this show, smaller portions but still i was always eating. I really csnt wait to start bulking again after this. I feel like i know my body so much more now. i have fallin in love with the recipie section!

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## Schmidty

three weeks out

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## coldfear

looking good bro really squeeze the legs/ high reps when you train them I think there your weakest point by far. Upper body looks on point keep killing it

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## oatmeal69

Your skin is really tightening up, great vascularity!

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## Schmidty

trying to get a few more dollars together for a few amps of pgcl to finish me off the last week or two

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## Schmidty

im hitting legs really light 2times a week now to be able to feel and get a mind to muscle connection with them

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## coldfear

> im hitting legs really light 2times a week now to be able to feel and get a mind to muscle connection with them


 best way to do it imo. Im 5 weeks out now and its incredible how people store fat differently. At 5 weeks out your upper looked about a month ahead of mine but my legs had striations at 10 weeks haha. whats your cycle if you dont mind me asking

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## Schmidty

> best way to do it imo. Im 5 weeks out now and its incredible how people store fat differently. At 5 weeks out your upper looked about a month ahead of mine but my legs had striations at 10 weeks haha. whats your cycle if you dont mind me asking


100mg of 1-test cyp, 400mg of eq 100mg of mast every other day and 2mg of methyltrienolon a day and ghrp-2 with cjc. im dropping the ghrp and cjc a week out and hope i can add pgcl

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## Ca$tro

Man your looking in good shape... Good luck with the competition..

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## gearbox

keep up the good work. I always love these threads to hear what fireguy and others say about a pose. I do not know anything about it, but enjoying hearing how technical it all is...good luck man. And I feel you on the tuna

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## Schmidty

i deff over ate today. i have gone crazt with egg white shakes. i know they are just protein but its excess cals none the less. i have a sweet tooth like no other and it seems like egg white shakes mixed with sweetner sugar free vanilla mixed with ice is almost like ice cream. iv taken a few days off tuna and just been doing chicken and tilapia instead. Im getting back to my real diet as soon as i wake up.

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## coldfear

Dude I know how you feel about the protein binging. Il cook like 10 pounds of chicken at a time and everytime I prepare my meals for the next day I end up taking bites here and there lol. just think after the show you can have all the egg white shakes that you want haha

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## oatmeal69

> i have gone crazt with egg white shakes. i know they are just protein but its excess cals none the less. i have a sweet tooth like no other and it seems like egg white shakes mixed with sweetner sugar free vanilla mixed with ice is almost like ice cream.


LOL, my "fix" is similar. Try this ice cream recipe. 


Ice Cream

1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese 
1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 cup fat-free 1/2 & 1/2
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
2 tbsp pure unsweetened cocoa
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
6-8 packets splenda (depending upon how sweet your protein powder is)


Blend, freeze for 2 hours or more. makes TWO servings

Per Serving:
CAL = 250 
PRO = 87
CARB = 35
FAT = 1

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## MIKE_XXL

Look solid BRo...good luck...XXL

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## Schmidty

> LOL, my "fix" is similar. Try this ice cream recipe. 
> 
> 
> Ice Cream
> 
> 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese 
> 1/2 cup egg whites
> 1/2 cup fat-free 1/2 & 1/2
> 2 scoops chocolate protein powder
> ...


im sur yours taste better but i cant have that many carbs right now

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## Schmidty

from you mike that makes me feel pretty good. im feeking like im 2.5 weeks out lol im drained all the time and sluggish. but looking better i feel like all the time

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## Gym_

This post is two weeks old .. have you got any updated pics mate ? ... dame that makes me sound like a fagg asking a guy for half naked pics... LMAO !!!..
Definitely not thou bro ( _not that there is anything wrong with that_ ) but interested in how your coming along none the less

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## hankdiesel

> This post is two weeks old .. have you got any updated pics mate ? ... dame that makes me sound like a fagg asking a guy for half naked pics... LMAO !!!..
> Definitely not thou bro ( _not that there is anything wrong with that_ ) but interested in how your coming along none the less


Obviously you're never competed. As far as all these "extra bites" and stuff go I would suggest that anyone struggling gets a scale. I weigh my meals, eat them when I am suppose to, and that's it. Hopefully my competition is taking extra bites and just eying up their meals.

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## jpowell

man bro u look great! only thing i wod do to help prep for posing is like #34 where u took pics at different stances. continue to do that, bus like arnold said in pumping iron, they are not gonna judge off the pose, but the symmetry, and your gonna have people watching your every move. between poses when muscles are relaxed. good luck.

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## Schmidty

yeah more recent pics are at the bottom of the first page, they are 3weeks out. no need to over explain man lol you need to relax


> This post is two weeks old .. have you got any updated pics mate ? ... dame that makes me sound like a fagg asking a guy for half naked pics... LMAO !!!..
> Definitely not thou bro ( _not that there is anything wrong with that_ ) but interested in how your coming along none the less

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## Schmidty

been weighing all of my food for a few weeks. the extra food i ate on sunday(i assume is what your talking about) was me having cravings really bad for ice cream so i ate egg whits ice cream instead but i ate like 4of them through the day and felt like a fat ass when i was finished.


> Obviously you're never competed. As far as all these "extra bites" and stuff go I would suggest that anyone struggling gets a scale. I weigh my meals, eat them when I am suppose to, and that's it. Hopefully my competition is taking extra bites and just eying up their meals.

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## Schmidty

going to add 20mg of exemastan and 25mg of provirion till after the show. i love MT, it blows tren out of the water hands down. i poke 1mg 2x a day of it right now and it works better for me then 100mg of tren ace a day. i imagine its murdering my liver though, so im going to be done with orals for quite sum time afet this. Ill have more pics taken this weekend. I feel like im still making a lot of progress! i cant wait for this to be over. its fun having a goal and a plan for my food and everythiung but i am so worn down all the time and feel drained. Coffee in the morning helps a bit and my pre workouts are a life saver for the gym but my job requires me to be on my feet and lift a lot of really heavy things. i want to bulk up so bad after this! im going to go back to 125mg of test a week and cruise for a while and see how well i can lean bulk for a few months. I without a doubt know my body now more then ever. for a few years i felt like i was stuck and couldnt get past 220-230lbs but im sure i can now.

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## FireGuy

> man bro u look great! only thing i wod do to help prep for posing is like #34 where u took pics at different stances. continue to do that, bus like arnold said in pumping iron, they are not gonna judge off the pose, but the symmetry, and your gonna have people watching your every move. between poses when muscles are relaxed. good luck.


Couple things here, first there is only 1 stance at prejudging posing and that's "repose". This is how you stand between the judges calling out your mandatories.You cant alter this as you suggest in his #34 pics. 2nd, they absolutely will judge the pose, there is a correct and an incorrect way of doing all poses. If your foot position is off or your mechanics are not correct you will be scored down for this. Plus symmetry is only one of several aspects of your physique they are judging. Last and not least your muscles are not relaxed between poses. They are never ever relaxed from the minute you walk on stage until you file off.

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## hankdiesel

> been weighing all of my food for a few weeks. the extra food i ate on sunday(i assume is what your talking about) was me having cravings really bad for ice cream so i ate egg whits ice cream instead but i ate like 4of them through the day and felt like a fat ass when i was finished.


My first sentence here was aimed towards gym not you. Good job on weighing the food. I feel it's a must.

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## Gym_

> Obviously you're never competed. As far as all these "extra bites" and stuff go I would suggest that anyone struggling gets a scale. I weigh my meals, eat them when I am suppose to, and that's it. Hopefully my competition is taking extra bites and just eying up their meals.


WTF are you talking about.. why have you posted this at me ?

I asked to see more pics of his progress and you give me some shit about weighing food.. 

What are you going on about ?

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## hankdiesel

> WTF are you talking about.. why have you posted this at me ?
> 
> I asked to see more pics of his progress and you give me some shit about weighing food.. 
> 
> What are you going on about ?


No competitor would be worried about being called a fag for asking to see someones precontest pics. The food part was directed towards schmidy and coldfear not you. You can eat whatever you want.

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## Schmidty

> Couple things here, first there is only 1 stance at prejudging posing and that's "repose". This is how you stand between the judges calling out your mandatories.You cant alter this as you suggest in his #34 pics. 2nd, they absolutely will judge the pose, there is a correct and an incorrect way of doing all poses. If your foot position is off or your mechanics are not correct you will be scored down for this. Plus symmetry is only one of several aspects of your physique they are judging. Last and not least your muscles are not relaxed between poses. They are never ever relaxed from the minute you walk on stage until you file off.


i get that you never really relax. i more have trouble with the transition from one to next. i have become 100x better then i was a few weeks ago.

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## FireGuy

^^Biggest thing is dont lose control of your core. It's tough cause you are winded and breathing like you just did a high rep set of squats but keep your core tight as you transition. Nothing worse then seeing a guy go from a front pose to a side shot and giving a 2 second glimpse of a huge distended abdomen.

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## oatmeal69

> huge distended abdomen.


 Is this something that is just natural, and one simply has to get used to sucking it in all the time? - Even at contest levels of lean-ness? I feel like I'm getting pretty lean, but I catch myself in the mirror, and if I'm totally relaxed I still feel fat... Does it ever go away?

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## Schmidty

everybody has guts, its keeping the abs strong to hold it back while you pose and keeping them flat that matters.

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## Schmidty



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## Schmidty



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## Schmidty

for sum reason cant add the rest

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## Schmidty



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## jasc

lookin lean n tight.. keep up the good work man

I'm no prof. judge, but my only critique would be to really try to bring out those lower abs over the next few weeks

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## Schmidty

these damn lower abs! i hate them more then anything. I have been puttting all of my attention on my abs especially my lower and obiques then anything else and im not getting the seperation i want. Im hoping as long as i keep working on them that when i dehydrate they will pop,

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## baseline_9

> these damn lower abs! i hate them more then anything. I have been puttting all of my attention on my abs especially my lower and obiques then anything else and im not getting the seperation i want. Im hoping as long as i keep working on them that when i dehydrate they will pop,


U look sick bro.... As far as lower abs its mostly going to be genetics and the muscle you can build in the off season that will determine the 'look' you end up with.....

I wouldnt put too much focus into it TBH, your not going to magically build some nice thick lower abs at this point. Just keep getting leaner and your going to look mint

Personally i think your abs look great,I pray for a set of those myself in 16-20 weeks  :Smilie:

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## Schmidty

you can do it in 16 weeks for sure. Idk what you look like now but its insaine how much you can change your body in a few months with a strict diet. A guy in the same weight class as me doing the same show started dieting at around 250+lbs, i saw him at 8 weeks out and I didnt think he was going to stick to it because he didnt even have abs yet and now just under two weeks he looks really good. Hes doing atleast 2hrs of cardio a day and i imagine feels worse then i do but looks good none the less. whats TBH mean?

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## gearbox

He means tbh "to be honest"

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## Schmidty

ahh tbh that makes sence! learn sumthing new every day!

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## hankdiesel

You'll be a light heavy right? What is your current height and weight? Also, you look good man. You're going to do well.

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## Schmidty

im 5'9 201lbs today. Yeah light heavy once i dehydrate. Im still debating on using a diuretic, not sure yet though.

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## oatmeal69

Man I'm jealous, Same height 20 pounds lighter, and not near as lean as you are. You are doing GREAT!!

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## Schmidty

thanks man. its has not been easy but it will be well worth it even if i dont win i know i have tryed my hardest and my dream of getting on a stage will be complete, i will finally be able to call myself a real bodybuilder

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## Schmidty

meeting with my trainer in the morning to change my diet a little bit for the last week, i know hes adding 12g of omegas and going to reduce my protein down to cut the last of the excess cals out. Im already so drained all the time. My boss took me off the schedule till after my show because im a hazard to myself and people working around me. Im a mover and i cant walk straight and my endurance is completely gone at this point. But im taking advantage of being off work for the next week and a half and training 2x a day. Im having a really hard time sleeping anymore or staying asleep once i get to sleep.

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## hankdiesel

sleeping is tough the last couple weeks for sure. Can't walk straight? That doesn't sound good.

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## Schmidty

> sleeping is tough the last couple weeks for sure. Can't walk straight? That doesn't sound good.


i just lose my balance really easy especially if im moving sum heavy shit at work,

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## oatmeal69

> Im already so drained all the time. My boss took me off the schedule till after my show because im a hazard to myself and people working around me. Im a mover and i cant walk straight and my endurance is completely gone at this point. But im taking advantage of being off work for the next week and a half and training 2x a day.


 How the hell do you do that if you can't even stand? What are you doing, mostly cardio?


> Im having a really hard time sleeping anymore or staying asleep once i get to sleep.


I would think you would sleep a lot with such low energy!

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## Schmidty

It feels like i dont wake up completely all day and when its time for bed i cant fall asleep or stay aleep. I was only doing 20or 30min of cardio a day because i was on my feet moving stuff all day but now that im off work till after my show ill be training 2times a day and walking my dogs(at this point walking feels like exercise)

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## oatmeal69

Oh yeah - do you have a thread somewhere with your training history, etc.? Very interested in how long you've been at it, routines, AAS, diet, etc. I aspire to be sorta close to where you are someday, LOL

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## Schmidty

i dont really log my training or cycles. I should though. Iv done quite a fw cycles for a 24 yr old to be honest. Im on self admin TRT now, but when i was younger i had blood work done saying i had low test and thyroid before i ever even did a pro hormone. But i was being accused of being on shit all the time because im naturally just bigger i guess. I do have a log of everything iv eaten since 7-jan-2012 till now and i think im going to keep track of it even after my cutting is over. Its crazy how much you actually eat when you look at everything you actually eat. Right now my training is pathetic, my endurance is dog shit right now and the last week or two my strength has dropped a lot. I was maxing on flat bench around new years at 415lbs and i can maybe do 315lbs right now but i have been playing with dumbells for the most part. thinking imight try nd find a diuretic to use but i dont think it will be lasix. I have done every hard drug you can think of but im clean now and really dont feel like of all things to kill me it be lasix at my comp lol.

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## Schmidty

i was 197lbs tonite!!! i havent been this light in years

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## Schmidty

my dick is completely useless at this point. next time im holding off on dropping my test for as long as i can. I havent had a sex drive in weeks but it was ffine because i could still get it up when my gf wanted it but now even with me taking cialis i cant get it up for the life of me.

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## hankdiesel

> my dick is completely useless at this point. next time im holding off on dropping my test for as long as i can. I havent had a sex drive in weeks but it was ffine because i could still get it up when my gf wanted it but now even with me taking cialis i cant get it up for the life of me.


This is the first thing I thought of when I read your previous post about your strength going to shit. My first contest I dropped my test at 4 weeks out because my prep coach told me too. HUGE MISTAKE. Just finish out this prep and give it your best. Each prep we learn something. Now I leave my test in the whole way through. The last couple weeks will be prop. I would try to get dyazide and take that instead of the lassix. The lassix is very strong and pulls from from both the muscle and sub q. Again, I did that too for my first show and won't do it again. I don't want to screw with your head though man. Just do what your coach tells you to do and see how things go. Next time if you need to make any adjustments you'll know what to do based on experience.

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## oatmeal69

Thanks for the info, that is some severe dedication! I have a LONG way to go, LOL!
Will you do some kind of re-feed where you eat carbs or something just prior to the show to pump yourself up again?

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## Schmidty

yeah ifound out a little bit more about it tonite actually. I will cut water back and switch to distilled on wed i think, maybe it was thursday ill ask again but at the same time ill be allowed to have STEAK!!!! oatmeal, sweet potatoes, asparagus, white rice, sum grapes and honey. i think thats right. He was pretty drunk when he was here so ill check again in the afternoon tomorrow lol. im really having a hard time sleeping anymore. i think the methyltrienolon is getting to my head. example- today i blew up on my gf when she was doing a favor for me, felt like a asshole but im just so worn out and cant think straight.

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## baseline_9

> yeah ifound out a little bit more about it tonite actually.* I will cut water back and switch to distilled on wed i think*, maybe it was thursday ill ask again but at the same time ill be allowed to have STEAK!!!! oatmeal, sweet potatoes, asparagus, white rice, sum grapes and honey. i think thats right. He was pretty drunk when he was here so ill check again in the afternoon tomorrow lol. im really having a hard time sleeping anymore. i think the methyltrienolon is getting to my head. example- today i blew up on my gf when she was doing a favor for me, felt like a asshole but im just so worn out and cant think straight.


I would be careful messing about with water intake too early....

Im not a competitor so my views are only based on what I have read....

Search for 'Layne norton peak week'... It is an excellent video series where he highlights the main mistakes that people make in the final week...


He states that you should not cut water back at all except on the day of the show and that cutting water early will cause you to loose water but that water will be in equal ratios between Sub Q and Muscle...

Layne Norton really knows his shit and that series is definitely worth watching

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## FONZY007

Would like to see the final results..

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## baseline_9

> I would be careful messing about with water intake too early....
> 
> Im not a competitor so my views are only based on what I have read....
> 
> Search for 'Layne norton peak week'... It is an excellent video series where he highlights the main mistakes that people make in the final week...
> 
> 
> He states that you should not cut water back at all except on the day of the show and that cutting water early will cause you to loose water but that water will be in equal ratios between Sub Q and Muscle...
> 
> Layne Norton really knows his shit and that series is definitely worth watching



*The Science Behind Salt Intake* _Layne Norton_

The body stores water inside and outside of body's cells. The stuff inside is great; it makes your muscles look full. "Extracellular" water is what people are attempting to eliminate by cutting water and taking diuretics.

The body maintains a 70/30 ratio of intracellular-to-extracellular water, a ratio tightly controlled by internal systems. Your body's water balance is so crucial to cell function, ion balance, blood volume, and blood pressure that it's regulated by the minute! There's no way to pull water from one compartment only without affecting the other.

So if you take a diuretic or cut water, you'll lose extracellular water, but to maintain homeostasis, you'll also intracellular water. The ratio will remain unchanged; all you will have done is flatten out your physique.

This is a big reason why you always hear people at shows talk about never having been able to fill out or get a pump.

Competitors who couldn't fill out the day of the show, no matter their carb consumption, often experience a weird epiphany after their post-contest cheat meal: They look 10 times better an hour after pigging out!

The carbs didn't fill out their muscles; the water and sodium did! In contrast, carbs consumed while cutting water will never fill you out properly.

Another aspect of a typical peak week that goes hand in hand with cutting water is cutting sodium, the results of which can be just as disastrous. The sodium balance in your body directly affects fluid dynamics and blood volume.

In turn, these affect blood pressure. No wonder the kidneys regulate blood sodium levels so tightly, around 140mEq/L. For example, if you eat more sodium than normal, the kidneys will see to it that you urine contains more.

If sodium from the diet is reduced, the kidneys will conserve sodium by reabsorbing more sodium back into circulation and peeing out less.

The following 1990 Harvard study by Rogacz, et al, illustrates this point perfectly (1). The researchers reduced dietary sodium to practically nothing for six days and examined the results on serum (blood) and urinary sodium, as well as aldosterone.



*Restricted sodium diet results*

Initial Levels 1 Day 2 Days 6 Days
Urinary Sodium 217 (mmol/day) 105 59 9.9
Aldosterone 10.4 (ng/100ml) 11.7 22.5 37
Serum Sodium 139 (mEq/L) 139 139 138


Even when sodium was cut almost completely from the diet, concentrations in the blood remained unchanged.

In fact, by Day 6, the kidneys had almost stopped excreting sodium all together! All that sodium depleting that the "gurus" recommend during the final week doesn't change blood sodium levels.

What sodium depletion does is increase levels of aldosterone, a hormone whose job it is to cause the re-absorption and retention of water and sodium.

After two days of sodium depletion (standard in most peak week protocols) aldosterone levels have doubled! Cut out sodium even earlier, and by Day 6 levels have more than tripled!

Elevations in aldosterone will cause increased water retention as the kidney reabsorbs both sodium and water back into circulation. Deficiencies in dietary sodium also lead to a drop in blood pressure, pushing plasma water out of the vascular system.

That means less water in blood vessels, making you appear full and vascular; and more in the surrounding space, making you appear soft. What's more, you're now reabsorbing more water back into circulation due to elevated aldosterone.

Only, without sufficient pressure in the blood vessels, that reabsorbed water will also be heading into the subcutaneous layer exactly, where you don't want it. Instead of tricking your body, you've tricked yourself, and it'll show onstage.

With the conventional approach, the problems don't there. The gurus also recommend loading potassium while depleting sodium, to keep electrolytes elevated. The idea is that sodium is bad, potassium is good, and having none of one and a bunch of the other will benefit your physique.

Guess what? Your body is smarter than you are. If the ratio of potassium to sodium gets too high, aldosterone levels can rise too! (3) On top of the already large increase in aldosterone from cutting sodium! That means more water taking shelter under the skin, making you look soft.

Finally, cutting sodium can interfere with a proper carb load. The conventional wisdom has been that sodium depleting will make you tighter, while carb loading will fill you out.

The problem is, sodium depleting reduces the activity of a protein, SLGT-1, responsible for glucose absorption, limiting your ability to absorb glucose and achieve your desired fullness (4)! Now all that undigested glucose is going to remain in the small intestine and pull water into that area, causing bloating in the gut-another place you don't want excess water.

Now you understand why competitors say they look so much better after they went out after the show and had a cheat meal. Most people think this means that they didn't carb up enough, but that simply isn't true; after all, they loaded carbs for 2 or 3 days!

The cheat meal likely contained lots of sodium, and they drank a lot of water with it. That combination finally allowed them to fill out properly. That's why they looked so much better!

My recommendations: Keep water and sodium intake the same. If you're used to drinking 2 gallons of water a day, continue drinking that amount up till an hour or two before the show-and that's just so you don't feel like you have to pee standing onstage! Similarly, if you're accustomed to eating 3 grams of sodium a day, continue doing so during peak week.

In fact, I've found that eating a meal relatively high in sodium, carbs, and fat 2 hours before stepping onstage can drastically increase vascularity and fullness.

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## Schmidty

so dont cut water tilll a few hrs before the show????

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## hankdiesel

> so dont cut water tilll a few hrs before the show????


Just listen to your coach man. Don't let Lance Norton views mess with your head. There is a lot of ways to do things. I don't taper myself with the water. I pound it down till 4pm on Friday and then just an ounce or two with each meal after that to flush the carb into the muscle. I definitely want some sodium a few hours before prejudging after cutting it to the bare minimum starting Thursday morning. My skin does get super tight from this process and I get hard as hell. Don't 2nd guess yourself. Just do what you were told to do or you'll drive yourself nuts.

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## baseline_9

Logically thinking, while glycogen loading the worst thing you could do would be to cut water back.

You may as well post what your coach has you planned for you to do.... Dont let me influence your decisions but when I read that you wanted to cut water back on the Wed that prompted my reply

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## Schmidty

idk if when to cut water back yet. hes been hard to get ahold of lately and hes helping me for free so i really cant complain much. Hes old as hell and is without a doubt the biggest sex addict iv met in my life, and does deca only cycles and eq only and wierd shit like that.

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## Schmidty

just took sum pics at the gym today at 5 DAYS OUT! i cant wait to fvcking eat!!! wtf it wont let me add images! i hate this stupid thing and computers in general. i just want to punch my computer right now!

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## Schmidty



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## Schmidty

fvck this its messed up ill add them when its not making me want to explode

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## Schmidty

did nothing different at all wtf

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## Schmidty



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## FONZY007

Damn bro.. You doing it.. How much you weigh now?

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## Schmidty

finally talk to my trainer about carb/fat loading cutting water/sodium. I have been drinking 2-3 gallons a day so im pulling it to 2 gallons today, and wed, thurs 1/4 gallon, fri sip and sat i can only suck a few ice cubes. He says i shoukd use lasix but i dont think i am, i have a feeling in my gut that says not to and i think i am stickin to it. I am cutting salt out today and i am carb depleting all day today and loading before bed with apples oatmeal bananas and then more apples! i have missed apples so much! i dont think im taking in any fat till friday nite and im eating a steak. I wax 194 lbs in those pics i took yesterday. Im curious to see what my ending weight will be

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## coldfear

great job man your hard as nails im sure youll place very well

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## baseline_9

> idk if when to cut water back yet. hes been hard to get ahold of lately and hes helping me for free so i really cant complain much. Hes old as hell and is without a doubt the biggest sex addict iv met in my life, and does deca only cycles and eq only and wierd shit like that.


Gd luck with him then LOL

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## hankdiesel

Good idea not to take the lassix. Did he tell you to carb deplete for less than a day? That's it? Whatever the story is do what u do this week and learn from it. By the looks of your physique you'll definitely be competing again. You got the bug for sure. Kick ass on Sat!

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## Schmidty

thanks man. i have without a doubt learned more about myself in the past few months of diet and training then i ever thought i could. Im getting nervous but im ready i think. And im so fvcking excited to carb load tonite!!! i have missed my apples and bananas very very much. i didnt think id mind not having salt but plane jane grilled chicken fvcking blows! i have to go buy sum mrs dash soduim free!

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## Schmidty

wtf why is sodium in everything?!?!?!

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## Sicko

Good luck in your comp, lookin solid.

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## hankdiesel

> wtf why is sodium in everything?!?!?!


Don't worry about it. It is impossible to eliminate it completely. I just eat natures basket chicken and yams during the no sodium days. As close to zero as you're going to get.

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## JohnnyVegas

You look amazing. Good luck!

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## Schmidty

My mind is so lost! I have no clue wtf i did with my bottle of cialis! i switched to distilled water yesterday and pulling back sodium still. Im so ready for this to be over with. I feel like my house has become my jail cell, im to exausted to go out and do anything but im sick and tired of being by myself and whenever anybodys around im snapping on them like a asshole.

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## baseline_9

> My mind is so lost! I have no clue wtf i did with my bottle of cialis! i switched to distilled water yesterday and pulling back sodium still. Im so ready for this to be over with. I feel like my house has become my jail cell, im to exausted to go out and do anything but im sick and tired of being by myself and whenever anybodys around im snapping on them like a asshole.


Sounds like your almost ready  :Smilie:

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## FireGuy

Been purposely avoiding commentary until after your show. Dont want to fill your head up with any info other than what your coach is telling you. That said, you are WAY overcomplicating things. Go kick back and relax. As HD stated you are going to learn a ton after this show.

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## Schmidty

i sure hope i do. i feel like i have learned a lot already both about diet and myself in general. im ready to get back to work, reality and growing. its been nice taking the last and this week off but holy shit this is just to much. and im just about out of cash after i buy my npc card and spray tan on friday.

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## hankdiesel

> i sure hope i do. i feel like i have learned a lot already both about diet and myself in general. im ready to get back to work, reality and growing. its been nice taking the last and this week off but holy shit this is just to much. and im just about out of cash after i buy my npc card and spray tan on friday.


Relax man. I'm about to do my 5th show in two weeks and I can tell you without a doubt that my first one was BY FAR the hardest both physically and mentally. It definitely gets easier......at least it did for me.

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## oatmeal69

I'm blown away by your dedication. Hang in there, it's almost over!!

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## Schmidty

my mouth is so fvcking dry and i cant shit at all!!! My gf and i have been shaving me and scrubbing my skin for the spray tan im getting at 3 oclock today. I Feel so much better about posing after last nites practice i feel like it went pretty well, gona pose for another 45min or so before we leave. Idk if i said before but Kai Green is the big guest poser for my show, im really excited to be able to see him in person and hope i get to take a pic next to him or atleast meet him.

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## Schmidty

lol whos coming over for sum stl style pizza and cheese burgers tomorrow nite?

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## jasc

make that NY style pizza n I'm there

best of luck at the competition bro

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## Schmidty

thanks man! I love st.louis style pizza! the flat crust covered from edge to edge of warm cheese heavenly goodness. Just a few more hours! my mouths so fvcking dry! i cant choke down a whole chicken breast at a time so iv slowly munching on them all day with sum dry ass rice cakes. I am having a steak and a sweet potatoe tonite and hopefully ill be full enough i can sleep through a whole nite but i doubt it. Just got back home from getting my spray tan done and i cant beleive how dark i am, i wasted so much time and money in tanning beds!

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## Schmidty

ill have pics up today. took 5th in the heavy weight!

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## oatmeal69

That's AWESOME, congrats!
Enjoy the pizza n' burgers!!

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## jasc

Congrats man that's awesome for a first show

what'd you weigh in at?

waitin on those pics

enjoy the feastin today!

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## FireGuy

You were 194 a day or so ago, how did you end up as a Heavyweight? (Congrats BTW!)

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## hankdiesel

> You were 194 a day or so ago, how did you end up as a Heavyweight? (Congrats BTW!)


Ya. Something isn't right there. Congrats on your placing. How many were in your class? Enjoy the food today buddy. You earned it.

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## hankdiesel

I just saw your pics on rxmuscle.com. Looks like 5th out of 9 in your class. Not bad at all for your first show. Just like in the pics from a few weeks out your chest and back dominate. Your legs seemed to actually smooth out and your lost the cuts that you had. I still have no idea how you made heavyweight but I'm happy for you. You got one under the belt now. Bring those legs up, work on your posing, and if you're anything like me last night was the beginning of a long journey.

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## FireGuy

Saw the pics as well and Hank D is spot on with his assessment. This off season I would seriously target Hams, Glutes and Quads (and POSING!!!). Reading your final week's protocol I had a bad feeling about things and I agree with Hank as well, your condition softened up considerably come contest time. Dont take this personal or feel bad about it, I have messed up my carb/water manipulation more than once. This is why I always try and schedule shows on back to back weekends or even hit 3 in a month. When you are this lean it really gives you a chance to see what works and what doesnt work on your physique. Probably a bit late with this advice but be careful about going fat, sugar and carb crazy over the next few days. You will feel like crap and body is looking to store bodyfat really bad right now. I have seen many guys balloon up after a show and are miserable for a long long time. Ease back into things, keep some cardio in and try to resist the temptation to eat everything in sight.

Nice job once again!!

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## Schmidty

ill post sum that my gf took for me. I had been in the low-mid 190s all week. i ended up weighing 201lbs the nite we weighed in. I can only think that its because i had ate carbs and fat the nite before. I feel like my legs washed out as well. I have ate like a pig all day but starting tomorrow ill be back on a clean diet and training again.

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## Schmidty



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## Schmidty

i without a dooubt need to bring up my lower abs and my legs more then anything. Not making a excuse but im a mover for a living so its hard to be able to have a good leg workout after iv worked all day. I am going to compete again, and i would like to be a bit heavier and just as conditioned if not more. I am very happy with placing 5th on my first show, the guy who won 2nd actually won at a show i went and saw a few years ago. Seeing Kai Green in person was awsome, its nuts how wide the guy is in person and how down to earth he is.

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## hankdiesel

> i without a dooubt need to bring up my lower abs and my legs more then anything. Not making a excuse but im a mover for a living so its hard to be able to have a good leg workout after iv worked all day. I am going to compete again, and i would like to be a bit heavier and just as conditioned if not more. I am very happy with placing 5th on my first show, the guy who won 2nd actually won at a show i went and saw a few years ago. Seeing Kai Green in person was awsome, its nuts how wide the guy is in person and how down to earth he is.


Hit legs on your day off from work. I used to do them all the time on Sundays and really like it.

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## Lift to live

Great job bro I have been watching your thread closely since I am now 6 weeks out . It's cool to have someone else to watch go through the daily grind of getting ready for a show. Thanks you have helped me out for my prep if not for anything else than psychologys sake.

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## Schmidty

lol im glad i could help. Good luck on the show. I still manage to do legs 2x a week usually and atleast once i just need to start going heavy again i guess or add way more volume

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## hankdiesel

once a week and heavy as hell

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## Schmidty

i think im going to switch to a more HIT style training and 4 day split because work is about to get crazy for the summer and i think going heavy again is just what i need to get growing again. I have not squated more then 315lbs in about a yr and a half, gona go max today and see if i can still get 5 plates.

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## hankdiesel

> i think im going to switch to a more HIT style training and 4 day split because work is about to get crazy for the summer and i think going heavy again is just what i need to get growing again. I have not squated more then 315lbs in about a yr and a half, gona go max today and see if i can still get 5 plates.


For over a year and a half I've been doing HIT style training. Just like Yates did I only do 1 set to failure per exercise. For legs I do more volume but upper body is done this way every workout. The results speak for themselves. I've made the best gains of my life.

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## coldfear

just dropping by to say great job at the show! you looked great and as long as you improve year to year from this showing you are winning. Kill it this offseason! my first shows in 6 days haha im nervous as shit

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## hankdiesel

> just dropping by to say great job at the show! you looked great and as long as you improve year to year from this showing you are winning. Kill it this offseason! my first shows in 6 days haha im nervous as shit


I'm competing in 6 days too. You over on the east coast?

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## coldfear

naw montreal but good luck regardless bro! gotta get more competitors on here

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## ajordana

just came in and read your whole thread.. you have amazing dedication man, congrats on 5th on your first show, great job! as was already said you stated too, you looked best in your last pics before the contest, you did look a little bloated on stage, but hey, no big deal, one show down, im sure plenty more to go! you gave it 100% and did a damn good job.. i would really like to compete in the next year or 2..have been into lifting/fitness for a few years but just got HEAVY into bodybuilding last de***ber.. cutting right now to shed the fat i gained over the winter, and plan on a giant bulk soon after, and depending where i stand after that, i may feel ready to try a contest prep.. i hope the guys on here will help me like they did you! great job man.. truly inspirational dedication

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