Should I do a contest?
- Thread starter bula
- Start date
nice, i'm about 20 mins from u
DirkMoneyshot
Well-known member
You could drop water and step on stage right now. i don't think you will need 14 weeks. You could be ready in 6 weeks.
ManOfMuscle
Death Dealer
RJH8541 said:I agree. I'd keep cals up for the next 4 weeks and then use the last 5 or 6 to shred and get peeled for the show.
either way you do it. You look great. I wish I had the discipline to get that lean.
Big cosign on both parts.
bula
Mr TampaBay 2007
RJH8541 said:I agree. I'd keep cals up for the next 4 weeks and then use the last 5 or 6 to shred and get peeled for the show.
Actually thats exactly what i'm doing. I started 21 weeks out to allow me the opportunity to learn my body reaction to precontest prep in case I decided to do a contest. I noticed I was losing bodyfat fairly quickly - if not too quickly but I was getting weaker as well and got really concrned about muscle loss. As a result, for the last 3 weeks i've been keeping cardio up but also raised my cals back to maintenence including going higher carbs. I also do a cheat meal (all you can eat sushi) once a week now. I have never done a show and I am considering whether I should try one in April just for the experience. My target show is in June. I'd hate to work so darn hard and end up screwing up something simple that could have been avoided.
If only my quads could dice up faster. I'm starting to show decent cuts in the quads and hams, but I still am not where I want to be. I could get on stage and they'll look alright, but until I get that 36 years of thigh thickness off, I can't say i'm truly ready - at least according to my high expectations.
Thanks for the comments. I'm hopeful that I can do well but as a natural i'm also trying to be realistic.
btw, if anyone knows a serious and experienced trainer in the Tampa area (or central FL) who can consult with me and help my posing and contest prep, i'm open to recommendations.
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DirkMoneyshot
Well-known member
depends on if you want to spend the money----You have joe mcneal or someone else is Sean maloney
bula
Mr TampaBay 2007
Should I do a contest? (update, 8 weeks to go)
Quads coming in but slowly. I wish I had more quad density and muscle, but can't fix that now. Cutting is ALL that matters at this point.
Cardio and diet are getting tough here but the closer I get to contest, the more motivated I get. Its nice to see hard work pay off. Sounds funny, but cutting and seeing my physique really come together has been probably more satisfying than any of the 15 years prior sweat i've put into this in the gym. This is really what its all about I suppose.
8.5 weeks to go. Sorry about the low quality of this photo. Hopefully it shows up ok. Better photos to follow.
Quads coming in but slowly. I wish I had more quad density and muscle, but can't fix that now. Cutting is ALL that matters at this point.
Cardio and diet are getting tough here but the closer I get to contest, the more motivated I get. Its nice to see hard work pay off. Sounds funny, but cutting and seeing my physique really come together has been probably more satisfying than any of the 15 years prior sweat i've put into this in the gym. This is really what its all about I suppose.
8.5 weeks to go. Sorry about the low quality of this photo. Hopefully it shows up ok. Better photos to follow.
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ManOfMuscle
Death Dealer
Abs are absolutely perfect. What's your routine look like? Don't worry about the quads, with 8.5 weeks you have plenty of time to get them ripped. Imo your focus at this point should be to HOLD THAT MUSCLE on and try and chip away at the last bits of fat very very slowly as you seem to be doing a great job of.
bula
Mr TampaBay 2007
Ok a few more photos to track the progress. 8 weeks out. Just came back from the beach and thought my wife could help take photos since i'm getting tired of posing in the mirror and taking the photos. Thats a bitch.
On another sour note, i've been fighting a left shoulder injury for years and the pain which at times can be excruciating when I lift heavy. Even caused me to stop my chest workout early yesterday, which I never do. So I went to the doctor today and got xrays. Turns out I have a grade 3 full AC separation in my left shouder. I saw the xray and nearly puked. The ligament holding the two bones is 90%% torn away and the bones are completely separated probably 3/4 of an inch. I just figured it was tendonitus or something else and I was just taking the pain like a man. heck its been bad for years and only kills me when I lift and sleep -- otherwise I dont feel it as much anymore during the day. Inotherwords, this sucks. Doc knows i'm doing a contest in 8 weeks but basically said he can't stop me from lifting but I shouldn't go heavy and I have to be extremely careful. Not much to say but I got to Emmitt Smith this puppy til the contest and take the pain and limit my lifts to specific range of motion and load movements.
On that fun note, here are the pics. Weight down to 183 lbs. Constructive comments welcome. I can't pose worth a darn yet and I really need a coach to help me do them right. Im searching right now for one.
On another sour note, i've been fighting a left shoulder injury for years and the pain which at times can be excruciating when I lift heavy. Even caused me to stop my chest workout early yesterday, which I never do. So I went to the doctor today and got xrays. Turns out I have a grade 3 full AC separation in my left shouder. I saw the xray and nearly puked. The ligament holding the two bones is 90%% torn away and the bones are completely separated probably 3/4 of an inch. I just figured it was tendonitus or something else and I was just taking the pain like a man. heck its been bad for years and only kills me when I lift and sleep -- otherwise I dont feel it as much anymore during the day. Inotherwords, this sucks. Doc knows i'm doing a contest in 8 weeks but basically said he can't stop me from lifting but I shouldn't go heavy and I have to be extremely careful. Not much to say but I got to Emmitt Smith this puppy til the contest and take the pain and limit my lifts to specific range of motion and load movements.
On that fun note, here are the pics. Weight down to 183 lbs. Constructive comments welcome. I can't pose worth a darn yet and I really need a coach to help me do them right. Im searching right now for one.
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parrish
New member
Damn those guys are some lucky!Fuck with 2 good shoulders I can't imagine looking any better!!!
You can really tell on the rear delt and your front delts on your chest pose and causes one arm to be bigger than the other.I hope it does not make any difference cause you should be applauded for looking so sharp
I have the same problem so I tend to do 2 light,2 heavy and the 4th heavy for 2-3 reps then repping out with a super.Do you do the same?
What did the DOC tell you to do after the competition???
You can really tell on the rear delt and your front delts on your chest pose and causes one arm to be bigger than the other.I hope it does not make any difference cause you should be applauded for looking so sharp
I have the same problem so I tend to do 2 light,2 heavy and the 4th heavy for 2-3 reps then repping out with a super.Do you do the same?
What did the DOC tell you to do after the competition???
bula
Mr TampaBay 2007
parrish said:You can really tell on the rear delt and your front delts on your chest pose and causes one arm to be bigger than the other.I hope it does not make any difference cause you should be applauded for looking so sharp
Interesting comment. I never noticed that. I think one arm may be tilted back more that the other, but if what you say is actually the case, i'll adjust the pose accordingly. One other note I just saw, if you look at my lat spread pose and focus on the left shoulder, you can see the injury. It looks like a knot sticking up out of the top of the shoulder.
parrish said:
Heavy drop sets and hard 3 second contractions on almost all lifts. Thats my key.
parrish said:
Shoulder needs MRI and possibly be scoped. I have a feeling the injury is so old, lots of scar tissue has really built up and is temporarily (and improperly) supporting the joint.
bula
Mr TampaBay 2007
Golgo13 said:
Hell no dude. I love to eat too much. I ate clean all the time though .. even before this contest idea. I used to take in about 3000 cals/day, but mostly clean whole foods eaten over about 7 meals. I also occasionally substituted meals with 1-2 protein shakes a day. My office looks like a vitamin store too .. bottles of supplements everywhere (vitamins, fish oil, CLA, etc).
1700-2000 is current cal intake, but actually I have kept that on the high end since i've been dropping bodyfat so quickly.
gotscreens
Yooooo
Mad Props, I haven't read the comments, but if you aren't competing yet you need to start... Excellent striation!
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