SP's on/off-season log

[snowpatrol123]

Nothing wrong with the things you said. This being you first show its a learning experience. So now you got to see first hand whats up so next time (if there is one) youll know what to do and learn from where you went wrong this time! First step is havin the nuts to get up on stage! Lol

Absolutely, at this point I would still like to add the 15lbs I need to do well in bodybuilding rather than physique but I wouldn't hesitate to enter physique again (with a dialed in posing routine) if I'm not quite heavy enough by then.

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 213

PM weight...holy shit that's quite the rebound! Felt pretty lethargic in the gym, squatted the world but my joints are dry as fckkkkkkk

Sun - legs - 12-15 reps
15min LISS - incline treadmill
seated quad extension - three pause sets
highbar ATG squat - three sets
seated calf raise - four pause sets
SLDL - three sets
prone hamstring curl - three dropsets

Flexed in the mirrors, showed off my spray tan then showered the outer layer off in the industrial/commercial quality showers...feelsgoodman.jpg

Thanksgiving dinner #1 down...two more to go (tomorrow afternoon, then tomorrow night)

 

[Onk]

Unsurprisingly (to me) I didn't make the top 5...they all looked like they had a private dance class with steve cook when they were making their quarter turns and I really think that part of the presentation was an oversight on my part

I knew I needed to practice posing more but felt so goofy doing it that I put it off..almost until the last minute. I was good enough not to make a fool of myself but not look smooth and polished despite having a sufficient physique (imo)

A few other random pics before I wash this tan off... oct 12 - Imgur

how funny, I had the exact opposite reaction when practicing my posing first competition! I felt such a buzz posing each night for 30-60 mins just with some music playing, it got my ready for stage as I was anxious everytime treating each night like the real thing.

That and it hardened my muscles up big time. Nothing like tensing quads/glutes and abs for 30 mins to help them feel fuller. Not to mention I realised I had more control over my left tricep over my right (prob too much masturbation growing up). From there tensing my lower back was hard so after a few days I could do it for 30 mins at a time, really helped to not cramp when doing rear double bi's.

This gentleman is obviously quite flamboyant in his posing, but at least he knows how to move his feet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw_LNr_RY7I

If anything, it's like that ballet scene at the start of Pumping Iron (1977), where the ballerina explains it not just about the pose, but how you transition because you're being watched the whole time. Once you get the feet and the shoulder leans, posing becomes a piece of cake!

Give me a PM if you ever want some feedback. My partner is a ballerina and she's schooled me so many times that I feel I should pass on the knowledge

edit: Congratulations none the less! Who cares if you place, competing alone shows dedication and discipline. Mad props bromigo

 

[snowpatrol123]

how funny, I had the exact opposite reaction when practicing my posing first competition! I felt such a buzz posing each night for 30-60 mins just with some music playing, it got my ready for stage as I was anxious everytime treating each night like the real thing.

That and it hardened my muscles up big time. Nothing like tensing quads/glutes and abs for 30 mins to help them feel fuller. Not to mention I realised I had more control over my left tricep over my right (prob too much masturbation growing up). From there tensing my lower back was hard so after a few days I could do it for 30 mins at a time, really helped to not cramp when doing rear double bi's.

This gentleman is obviously quite flamboyant in his posing, but at least he knows how to move his feet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw_LNr_RY7I

If anything, it's like that ballet scene at the start of Pumping Iron (1977), where the ballerina explains it not just about the pose, but how you transition because you're being watched the whole time. Once you get the feet and the shoulder leans, posing becomes a piece of cake!

Give me a PM if you ever want some feedback. My partner is a ballerina and she's schooled me so many times that I feel I should pass on the knowledge

edit: Congratulations none the less! Who cares if you place, competing alone shows dedication and discipline. Mad props bromigo

That's cool bro; I definitely understand the value of posing practice...I was just trying to explain what held me back

Now that I've seen in person my deficiencies, watched the other bros pull it off with ease...it won't happen again I'm just that kind of guy

So I will keep you in mind for feedback when the time comes! Thanks.

Interestingly, both of my sisters are classically trained dancers as well, and the posing practice class videos I've seen are very reminiscent of yoga which my girlfriend is an avid participant of.

Whether it's physique again or bodybuilding I will be going in with a dialed posing routine next time. I know I can handle the training and diet, next step is to convert that into a placing (qualifier level!) and keep doing my thing

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 215

Looking like a beast, fuller than full, pretty "tanned" and still rocking the 8pack...strength is coming back despite having next to no hormones in my system and vascularity is unbelievable.

Mon - chest - 8-12 reps
10min cardio warmup
internal/external shoulder rotation warmup
incline DB press - four sets - had a spotter & set a PR (8x120 DBs)
superset hanging leg raise - four sets
flat BB press - three strip/dropsets
weighted chest dips - three sets
superset bodyweight dips - three sets
horizontal cable flyes - four sets
low cable flyes - three sets
flat bar tricep pushdown - three burnout sets
triangle tricep pushdown - four pause sets

 

[Southernfish]

Pretty cool how when we go from being depleted or even just a carb cycle to a bulk or simply just eating more how fast weight gets put on eh and the muscles fill out!

 

[snowpatrol123]

Pretty cool how when we go from being depleted or even just a carb cycle to a bulk or simply just eating more how fast weight gets put on eh and the muscles fill out!

For sure! I'm putting this turkey to work!

Growww my pretties....

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 215

Recovery is slowwwwwww when you aren't 'hormonized' jesus. Still sore from my first leg-day post-competition on Sunday. Anwyays...

Tue - back - 8-12 reps
yates row - four sets, end with dropset
superset standing calf raise - four sets, heavy w/ slow negatives
inverted BB row - three sets
barbell curl - two sets (still hurts the shit out of my forearms, won't be doing these again anytime soon)
plate-loaded hammer row machine - three sets
superset T-bar row - four sets, end with dropset
EZ bar curl - three sets, end with dropset
medium grip bodyweight pullup - four sets
superset decline weighted situp - three sets
one-arm DB row - two sets

Ate like a king all weekend...still looking decently tight though http://instagram.com/p/uI2KRKCAvw/

PM Cardio:
50min LISS - incline treadmill

Had to watch Gotham! Lol

 

[Mrrippedzilla]

Weight 215

Looking like a beast, fuller than full, pretty "tanned" and still rocking the 8pack...strength is coming back despite having next to no hormones in my system and vascularity is unbelievable.

Mon - chest - 8-12 reps
10min cardio warmup
internal/external shoulder rotation warmup
incline DB press - four sets - had a spotter & set a PR (8x120 DBs)
superset hanging leg raise - four sets
flat BB press - three strip/dropsets
weighted chest dips - three sets
superset bodyweight dips - three sets
horizontal cable flyes - four sets
low cable flyes - three sets
flat bar tricep pushdown - three burnout sets
triangle tricep pushdown - four pause sets

Do you feel you looked better this day than the day of the contest??

I ask because it might be something to consider in terms of timing your carb loads, electrolyte manipulation, etc.
I find alot of clients who aren't experienced with prep always end up looking their best about 2 days AFTER the important day - something to consider in future maybe.

 

[snowpatrol123]

Do you feel you looked better this day than the day of the contest??

I ask because it might be something to consider in terms of timing your carb loads, electrolyte manipulation, etc.
I find alot of clients who aren't experienced with prep always end up looking their best about 2 days AFTER the important day - something to consider in future maybe.

It's something I was already 'aware' of in the back of my mind, going in...I knew the common errors and how people will basically rebound to a better / fuller appearance afterwards

Even knowing that going in...yes I think on Sunday, with the tan still in full force when I hit the gym for legs I looked even better than I did on stage

The "biggest" thing was counting on a strong diuretic, manipulating water with that in mind then lacking it at the last minute...had I known I was going "natural" in that regard I would've cut water sooner, been less drastic overall and probably looked tighter.

 

[Mrrippedzilla]

It's something I was already 'aware' of in the back of my mind, going in...I knew the common errors and how people will basically rebound to a better / fuller appearance afterwards

Even knowing that going in...yes I think on Sunday, with the tan still in full force when I hit the gym for legs I looked even better than I did on stage

The "biggest" thing was counting on a strong diuretic, manipulating water with that in mind then lacking it at the last minute...had I known I was going "natural" in that regard I would've cut water sooner, been less drastic overall and probably looked tighter.

Its a common mistake.

Guys hear about carb loading, water manipulation, etc then end up doing too much & looking worse than they would've had they done nothing at all.
Might also be a good idea to move your carb load day a little closer to day of competition to keep some fullness, although this depends on your final week training schedule.

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 215

Wed - delts - 10-12 reps
15min cardio warmup
external / internal shoulder rotation - three sets
superset hanging leg raise - four sets
OHP - four sets
superset smith machine shrug - four or five sets, heavy as shit
standing behind-the-neck press - three sets, end with dropset
rear delt cable pullapart - two dropsets
lying leg raise - four sets
lateral DB raise - three sets, end with dropset
front DB raise - two sets
front BB raise - two dropsets

That was a good workout; un-hormonized doms are too fucking real though god damn

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 216

Thu - legs pt.1 - 12-15 reps
10min cardio warmup
seated leg extension - four pause sets
highbar ATG squat - three sets, end with strip/dropset
seated calf raise - four sets, heavy...calves cramping
SLDL - two sets - BACK cramping...

Had to bail for another commitment, hoping to make it back later tonight to finish hams/calves; if not it'll be half legs half arms tomorrow

PM Cardio:
40min LISS - incline treadmill

 

[Southernfish]

How long are you going to spend 'off cycle' Snow? Whats the plan? PCT ot what man?

 

[snowpatrol123]

I normally come off completely for a few months, including PCT and bloodwork...

Nothing was going to change until my girlfriend said "why are you coming off? Can't you just 'cruise'?"

She didn't use that word, I forget her exact sentence but that's essentially what she was asking...saying if you're going back on shortly why are you coming off lol

Which makes sense, but my feeling / fear has always been that if I don't come off between cycles I'll just stay on indefinitely...again not the end of the world but it's nice to know you have a functional but dormant HTPA to fall back on

Anyways, EQ is ridiculous to come off of...last pin was well over two months ago but according to my spreadsheet blood levels will only be low enough next week for PCT to be effective.

So for this week it's nolva anyways, and HCG...then tentatively start a proper PCT next week however I haven't ruled out a low low cruise (~100mg/wk) based on my girlfriend's recent comments, even when I explained the possible annoyance if we wanted to go overseas for 10 days for example as long as I plan ahead I now know people in most countries I'd want to travel to, and a TRT script isn't out of the question from the wellness clinic in sherwood park for example.

I still want bloodwork before hitting the gas, either way...going to wait until November 1st at the earliest to get that done.

 

[bigben66]

Just be mindful that your g/f may be a bit naive as to how the male HPTA system works - and the difficulties involved in restarting again after a lengthy lay-off...

Just because she has thrown this suggestion in the mix doesn't mean that the decision at the end of the day isn't still quite simple...

Are you (at your young age) prepared to live the rest of your (hopefully) long life - at the mercy of the TRT needle...?

You have to consider the worst case scenario here - and, even if you do happen to get your own system up and running, will it be back to the levels you were originally (highly unlikely) at, if not, will you be happy just getting by with low T...?

Don't let other people, no matter how close they are to you, cloud your judgement and decisions...

You are an intelligent bloke, you know the risks, YOU make that call!

 

[snowpatrol123]

Today is back on track day; 7-8pack abs won't stick around if I don't feed them properly

Wake up, start coffee
-5iu GH (supposed to be subQ but I mainlined it by accident...luckily still alive for now at least)
-10iu humulin-R + 250iu HCG

Usual breakfast:
-1c oats + blueberries
-6 whole eggs plus 1/2 carton eggwhites (8 approx), shredded cheese and 2oz lean ground turkey for taste...no-sugar ketchup

Wash down HG nolva and (questionable) RC clomid with some reduced sugar grapefruit juice...heading to the gym and will need to decide between arms or chest very shortly

 

[Southernfish]

Just be mindful that your g/f may be a bit naive as to how the male HPTA system works - and the difficulties involved in restarting again after a lengthy lay-off...

Just because she has thrown this suggestion in the mix doesn't mean that the decision at the end of the day isn't still quite simple...

Are you (at your young age) prepared to live the rest of your (hopefully) long life - at the mercy of the TRT needle...?

You have to consider the worst case scenario here - and, even if you do happen to get your own system up and running, will it be back to the levels you were originally (highly unlikely) at, if not, will you be happy just getting by with low T...?

Don't let other people, no matter how close they are to you, cloud your judgement and decisions...

You are an intelligent bloke, you know the risks, YOU make that call!

What a class act right here

And I agree 100%

Staying on is a decision that only you can make and don't let anyone else make that decision for you, because you don't want to, one day, be married to a needle never having wanted to be. Now if you decide to stay on for your own goals then that's a whole different story. I don't come off anymore, does it bother me? No its the best fucking decision Ive ever made. I would suggest trying to restore natural production as best you can before going down that road. If you get to a point were you cant restart then turn down that road.
But at the end of the day I know you got your head screwed on straight, so you know whats up, Im just shooting you some friendly advice bro.

 

[snowpatrol123]

What a class act right here

And I agree 100%

Staying on is a decision that only you can make and don't let anyone else make that decision for you, because you don't want to, one day, be married to a needle never having wanted to be. Now if you decide to stay on for your own goals then that's a whole different story. I don't come off anymore, does it bother me? No its the best fucking decision Ive ever made. I would suggest trying to restore natural production as best you can before going down that road. If you get to a point were you cant restart then turn down that road.
But at the end of the day I know you got your head screwed on straight, so you know whats up, Im just shooting you some friendly advice bro.

I agree with everything except the married to the needle part, to be honest. While it may sound like rationalizing, and I suppose it is...consider how minor an inconvenience a literally 1x/wk trt pin might be, in comparison to our current lifestyle or even a completely sedentary, carefree lifestyle. I'm too old to backpack carefree across Europe...I don't see myself "getting away" for weeks on end, so let me think about an average day then week:

Average day:
Wakeup, pin GH & slin (pinning wouldn't happen if I wasn't bodybuilding)
Careful breakfast incl. measured oats, etc... (could skip or do whatever if I wasn't bodybuilding)
Gym, pin GH & slin (could skip if I wasn't bodybuilding)
Head to work (would probably still be doing this without bodybuilding lol)
Careful meal timing to avoid hypo...still before 11am (could still skip if I wasn't bodybuilding)
Lunch (measured, wouldn't care if I wasn't bodybuilding)
Pin hormones (wouldn't be doing that if I wasn't bodybuilding)
Afternoon nap and food (who am I kidding I would still nap if I wasn't bodybuilding, but could skip the food)
Dinner (measured or IIFYM...would be nice to just be surprised and could do that if I wasn't bodybuilding)
Fuck around, play video games (would do more of this if I wasn't bodybuilding)
Evening cardio (obviously wouldn't do if I wasn't bodybuilding)
Bedtime snack (would be icecream if I wasn't bodybuilding)
Bedtime ancillaries (prami, aromasin etc...obviously wouldn't take that shit if I didn't have to)
Bedroom cardio (might have more energy for this if I wasn't bodybuilding who knows)
Sleep poorly (happens to me regardless of what I'm doing)

So...a non-bodybuilding day would entail
Wakeup
Work
Eat at random times
Nap and play video games
Sleep poorly

Then, worst case scenario; once a week...pin 125mg test decanoate

What I'm getting at is, I don't like the idea that I'd be required to pin that test D or test U...however, in the grand scheme of things it wouldn't be the end of the world when I consider how many people have to take mountains of pills per day, diabetics who REQUIRE slin multiple times per day, etc etc.

And again, all that being said...no one makes my decisions for me, I don't want to give the impression my girlfriend would be the reason for me to stay on...it was just surprising that the one person I 100% expected would expect me to cycle off had a completely different opinion on the matter.

 

[Southernfish]

I use the term 'married' loosely. It is no way on inconvenience to have to shoot test once or twice a week for the rest of you life. I have to for the rest of mine. Let me tell you, its is far more of an inconvenience to live with sub par test levels then it is to have to shoot test, lol. Its a no brainer bro. I

And I think the fact that your girl doesn't think it a horrible idea is cool, I didn't take what you said the wrong way, in the fact that I thought you might do things based on what she wanted, I didn't think that at all I took it exactly how you meant it. My girl is ok with me having to do what I have to do as well, and although it may not be exactly what she wants me to do, she understands why I do it and supports me so what else can a guy ask for really, right? Sounds like you girl is just looking out for whats best for you and there nothing wrong with that.

There are so many people that hide their gear use from their girl or whatever and that is so fucking stupid, I mean when a guys gains 30 lbs in a few month what do people really think is going on I mean cmon. the best thing to do is educate you significant other on the way things really are and inform them on whats up that way they can be on board with it or hit the road if its that big an issue for them ya know?!