2017 Men's Physique Prep

[alex_durocher]

I am currently 12 weeks out from my first mens physique competition of the season. Last year i competed once, placed 4th. This year i plan on at least 3 competitions. I turned 17 a few weeks ago.

These pictures are about 3.5 months old. I will update progress pics by the end of this week

[Benanything]

i plan on at least 3 competitions

Ain't into bodybuilding or whatever but isn't that a bit of an overkill? Any pictures from your previous show?

[alex_durocher]

the first two will be with in 3 weeks of each other, the third is 2 months following. I will be in the Marines next year, and want to make the most of out this year, because i might not be able to compete for a couple years

i am in the black shorts, second from left

[BrickHead]

Good! If you can swing it, do it!

I thought I would collapse just doing one show!

Some will say you should wait this stuff out, but I say compete while young, if possible.

[alex_durocher]

Glad to see your reply:) following your prep was a great time!

Do you think I was lean enough on stage last year? The judges didn't really tell me much other than "keep it up" "the sky is the limit"
I appreciate the feedback

[The_Mighty_Stu]

Good for you, getting up there at your age. That many shows is always gonna be tough, but you're young, and as long as you don't do anything stupid, I'm sure you'll be fine... you'll be tired and hungry (man will you be hungry! -lol), but you'll be fine.

Judging by the pics, you probably could have been tighter, gone darker with your tan, and yes, been bigger,.. but those are comments that every competitor always gets, and you improve with time... remember that!

S

[alex_durocher]

Wow am I ever blessed. Thank all of you for your replies.

As for the tan, I really messed up. I went to a salon and got the darkest level they had instead of the competition spray. The show was just weeks after my 16th birthday, so money was tight. This year I won't have that problem

By tighter do you mean less water retention?

[robstein]

Looking good man, good for you for competing so early! Awesome!

I agree with @The_Mighty_Stu on overall size, also calves calves calves, shoulders and arms. You look like you have a good v-taper, which you want to keep of course. This could be done over time by higher frequency (training shoulders/arms twice a week), and simply trying to get stronger in your upper body.

By tighter do you mean less water retention?

Tighter means leaner, water retention really isn't involved. Lots of times when people aren't lean enough they call it water retention, when in reality they have a few more pounds to lose. More muscle mass will also make you look much tighter!

As for the tan, I really messed up. I went to a salon and got the darkest level they had instead of the competition spray.

My tan melted off my first show! I also did the spray tan the first time. Second time I did the more standard approach of 3-4 base coats of pro-tan, with a top coat of dream tan #2, applied about an hour before pre-judging. That's definitely the way to go, and it's still cheaper than spray tan.

Best of luck, be sure to post any more questions and keep us updated!

[alex_durocher]

Thank you for the reply! This off season i really focused on the shoulders and arms. Ill do current update pictures tomorrow, my chest and back are my strong points. As far as V taper my shoulders are 51 and waist is 28, last year i almost had it down to 26.5

I put on about 8 pounds of muscle in this last bulk based off of body fat tests, so im hoping my conditioning will be improved this year. I will also be putting in alot more time on my posing, im hoping for that to be a strong point

[alex_durocher]

You said you used pro tan as well as dream tan, would you recommend those brands again? and should i go for the same number of coats you did? I will be competing in physique again. Still deciding between mens division or doing the teens again

[bussey_g]

honestly, as one teen competitor to another if I were you, i'd wait a few months to build and thicken that back. I'll be 12 weeks out from Saturday and I took almost 10 months off from competing to build what I needed to build.

[alex_durocher]

I took 9 months off from my last comp before this prep. That back picture is a few months old. Here's what it looks like as of November 9th

[robstein]

Yeah I would recommend those brands, worked very well, no melting and it seems like the standard protocol.
-Thursday night before show - 1 coat pro tan
-Friday - 3 coats pro tan spaced evenly throughout the day
-Saturday - 1 light layer of Dream Tan #2 60-90 minutes before stage. This stuff never completely dries and rubs off fairly easily, so once it's on you'll want to stay in your shorts. You'll need at least one person to help you. Be sure to google how to apply, it's a "rub it in then slap it on" technique. I stress a light layer because it's very thick, and too much will hide your definition. There'a Dream Tan #1 and #2, go for 2, apparently it's way better than 1 on stage (I've only tried 2 based on recommendations.) Also be sure your federation allows Dream Tan (some don't because it's messy.)

Make sure to google around for videos on how to apply both.

[alex_durocher]

Sounds good and will do!

[alex_durocher]

Here are this morning pictures, they were taken without a pump and before my first meal. I weighed 171.2 with a body fat percentage of 11.3

[The_Mighty_Stu]

What did you weigh in your previous show?

S

[alex_durocher]

I started my cut at 178 and 18% body fat, the week leading up i was weighing between 155-157. After pre judging i weighed myself and i was 152, it must have been from cutting water

[alex_durocher]

This year at my heaviest i was 181, but i was sitting around i 174-176 for most of my off season. Much leaner than last year

[alex_durocher]

Good evening everyone, Sunday being my rest day I was itching to do something fitness related, so I figured I would take this time to explain exactly how I'm prepping

My first 2 weeks (the last 2) I did nothing other than clean up my diet, and re structure my training program which is as follows

Monday-chest and triceps multi joint
Tuesday-legs and shoulders multi joint
Wednesday-back and biceps multi joint
Thursday-chest and triceps singe joint
Friday shoulders and legs single joint
Saturday-back and biceps single joint
Sunday-rest

Each week for the compound lift days the weight gets heavier, and the isolation days lighter. And I rotate through the rep ranges every 3 weeks

As of today I am 11 weeks and 6 days out, I will now begin to monitor calories, and if my weight gets stuck I will begin to count macros.
I weigh myself every morning, and take the weeks averages to find out when to adjust calories

[alex_durocher]

Ok I need some advice from expercienced dieters....next week I will be traveling on a 6 day road trip. As I will be 10 weeks out, I know hitting my macros is important, however I'm not sure what foods are going to be available, and if I pack my tupperwheres the will spoil. Any thoughts?