Your a big 208 Stu!
Hell yeah stu, hell thats not even too far away!
You look big man, whats the highest you can weigh for your class?
Oh and what league is this? INBF?
The first shows are USBF, and the June one is an INBF, so (I forgot who asked), I won’t be able to use HOT-ROX. The usual cut off between Middleweights and Light Heavyweights is 176 lbs. Again, if I can HONESTLY bring good conditioning as a Light Heavy, I will, but if it’s looking damn close between being smaller at the heavier weight class I may just push for being at the very cut off of Middleweights (I came in a few lbs under the limit last time because I wasn’t sure how much the carb/water manipulation would affect my weight on game day).
CELTICS- Yes I am, but in case you don’t realize it, asking someone who makes his real name known on a public forum if he uses illegal substances is just a damn stupid thing to do.
S
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
… and back squated 550 (Both just gave me a big ass and thick obliques).
[/quote]
Man, Stu, you really know how to hurt a guy… 
Good luck with the prep and the comps. This thread promises to be one of those rare instances where the sequel is better than the original!
You mentioned back squats gave you a huge ass.
I have found the same.
I am currently doing front squats heels raised, close hacks on toes, leg press and short step lunges again on toes to try and remedy this glute dominance.
I was wondering what exercises you have used to bring up your quads?
CLOWN FACE_- Front squats have become the real cornerstone of my quad training. I also like hacks, with feet close together as well as placed LOW on the platform. I see a lot of guys put their feet up by the top portion, which to me seems to allow more of your posterior chain muscles to help (hams, glutes). This is not normally a bad thing, unless you are specifically trying to focus on the quads, in which case you want as much stress on them as possible without other muscles assisting.
From time to time, I will bring extensions into my selection, always first in my order though. As someone who always felt his physical development lagged behind his strength levels, I like to employ pre-exhaustive approaches where I can (I like to to laterals before shoulder presses as well).
S
best of luck stu. will be following this one closely.
Lookin’ good Stu, best of luck to you bro!
Wow,… today was my first ‘low’ day, and boy was I feeling it -lol. Tonight was also an abs/Intervals session, which I believe I haven’t done since last April, and damn did my legs feel heavy walking home from the gym. Didn’t push too hard, did 20 mins on a recumbent bike alternating 30 sec sprints with 2 min coasts. Luckily I had my Ipod with me and had loaded up a few videos I borrowed from youtube (Levrone, Yates) for distraction. Felt really good afterward though, just knowing that ‘here we go again!’ feeling is creeping back in.
S
Good Luck Stu, looking thick.
Good Luck Stu.
You put some pictures up in the beginning of your 1st contest thread. I believe you were 190 in those before you officially started your diet. Do you feel just as lean in these 208lb pics? If so that’s an awesome gain over course of the year. Very impressive.
Also now that your using the “Anaconda Protocol”, have you ditched your post workout pop-tarts?
Good luck Stu. You’re quite an inspiration. Count me among the many following this thread and cheering you on.
Good luck Stu. I remember your thread from last year being a good one to follow, I’m sure this one will be as well.
How many of your carbs are you going to keep peri-workout? Are you going to keep 3 finibars right up to the show or are you going to spread it out over the day more?
Am I as lean at 208 as I was at 190? You know, I’m not sure I can give a definitive yes/no answer. While I think my legs have improved a bit (They were lacking quite a bit last time due to a back injury a year previous), I can actually see some cuts in them now, at this weight. I didn’t see ANY real definition in them at 190 (I just hoped that as I tightened up they would look better).
I can also see mid chest striations when I hit a MM shot now, not sure I had it to this degree at 190, also still sporting some good delt cuts now as well. Of course some days I feel like my mid section has softened considerably, while others I feel pretty good (and I admit to having my share of impromptu posing sessions in the mens room at work).
Overall, I can’t complain being this weight and still seeing the definition that I do (especially with the increased overall size gains). When I was in AC a few weekends ago, my brother who works with professional athletes every day saw me with my shirt off when I was changing and said that I was ‘too lean for an offseason bodybuilder’.
As long as I can repeat my past level of conditioning, I’ll feel good about the gains I’ve made. Thibs pointed out back in October that I obviously wouldn’t have to diet down as far if I went up a weight class, but again, it all comes down to how I look in the mirror.
I do miss my poptarts terribly, and will probably grab the occassional one on a higher carb day, but the difference is less I think the exact source of carbs, but the timing. Implementing CT’s periworkout nutrition protocol has made a huge difference. I first started with the mid-workout BCAAs last year prepping for the contest, and then stayed with it afterwards. It worked great, obviously not as good as when I started using the Casein Hydrolysate, but still made a noticeable difference. The cool thing about using the Anaconda protocol, is that after I train, I don’t race home to down a shake and carb source. I hang around a bit and chat, answer questions for some of the younger guys, hit the bank, or supermarket before going home, and an hour after my session, usually grab some red meat and green veggies.
S
[quote]greggio wrote:
Good luck Stu. I remember your thread from last year being a good one to follow, I’m sure this one will be as well.
How many of your carbs are you going to keep peri-workout? Are you going to keep 3 FINiBARs right up to the show or are you going to spread it out over the day more?[/quote]
The only days I won’t be using 3 FINiBARs are the Low carb/interval days where my total intake will be 100g. Obviously 3 bars will put me over that (not counting the few incidental carbs from cashews, or cottage cheese that I can’t avoid).
I do plan on keeping the full 3 bar protocol until I’m really just a few weeks out when I MAY have to drop to 2 bars (I’ll have to see what the rest of my day adds up to). Obviously I think the pre/peri workout window is the last place to drop carbs from until absolutely necessary (ie. peak week when you cave to deplete carbs in order to load right before the show). Also, like most Natty competitors I know, I think that you want to have as many carbs in your daily intake as YOU can handle while still maintaining a caloric deficit and making progress (losing fat). In my opinion, they keep your muscle fuller, and will actually allow you to spare much more LBM.
S
Reading through the entirity of your last thread made me sign up to this site. Really looking forward to following this one. Good luck!
LtL
I figured that if anyone’s wondering a typical day’s food looks like at this point, I’d give you some idea. Keep in mind that unlike last prep, by making use of the Anaconda Protocol pre/peri workout, I am getting a pretty decent chunk of cals right around that time, so I definitely had to refigure how many cals, carbs and prot I could have throughout the rest of the day in order to hit my numbers.
6am- Cup egg whites with Diced raw broccoli, cauliflower, and turkey pepperoni, 1/2 cup (precooked) oats
9am- Low carb protein bar
11am- Canned Salmon or Chicken Breast, 2 slices of Ezekial whole wheat (dab of sugar free jam), lettuce
2pm- 2 scoops of low carb Metabolic Drive
4pm- 3 FINiBARs (usually take about 10 mins to get 'em down)
4:20- Start Anaconda/MAG-10 combo (3 scoops 'Conda, 2 Mag-10), finish during workout
7:30/8- Bison patty, steamed broccoli, lettuce
10pm- Scoop low carb Metabolic Drive
(Pulse MAG-10 during day)
This has been the average baseline day the past week, bout 225g carbs, a bit over 300g prot, and around 2700 - 2800 cals. Obviously if someone weren’t getting the 1100 or so cals just around 4/4:20 each day you could have more numbers to play with, but considering the gains I’ve made with a peri-approach, I’m not going to shift things up just because I’m cutting now.
S
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I figured that if anyone’s wondering a typical day’s food looks like at this point, I’d give you some idea. Keep in mind that unlike last prep, by making use of the Anaconda Protocol pre/peri workout, I am getting a pretty decent chunk of cals right around that time, so I definitely had to refigure how many cals, carbs and prot I could have throughout the rest of the day in order to hit my numbers.
6am- Cup egg whites with Diced raw broccoli, cauliflower, and turkey pepperoni, 1/2 cup (precooked) oats
9am- Low carb protein bar
11am- Canned Salmon or Chicken Breast, 2 slices of Ezekial whole wheat (dab of sugar free jam), lettuce
2pm- 2 scoops of low carb Metabolic Drive
4pm- 3 FINiBARs (usually take about 10 mins to get 'em down)
4:20- Start Anaconda/MAG-10 combo (3 scoops 'Conda, 2 MAG-10), finish during workout
7:30/8- Bison patty, steamed broccoli, lettuce
10pm- Scoop low carb Metabolic Drive
(Pulse MAG-10 during day)
This has been the average baseline day the past week, bout 225g carbs, a bit over 300g prot, and around 2700 - 2800 cals. Obviously if someone weren’t getting the 1100 or so cals just around 4/4:20 each day you could have more numbers to play with, but considering the gains I’ve made with a peri-approach, I’m not going to shift things up just because I’m cutting now.
S
[/quote]
Hi Stu
This is an almost exact copy of my current diet on a moderate carb day. Only that I might eat slighly bigger portions. Like me, you eat every few hours, which might reduce the pulses effect (if the last protein meal doesn’t lie back far enough). Esspecially if the last meal contained micellar caseine like in MD.
I started with two pulses a day (besides the protocol). 1st thing in the morning with my regular breakfast 30 minutes later and then as the last meal of the day at around 10pm followed by another Finibar or some fruit (on high carb days. Just the pulse on the others) 20 minutes later.
Cheers,
Para
I’m very excited about following your contest prep. I just switched from the old protocol (SWF, SR) to the Anaconda protocol and plan to do my next contest prep “on” it.
As for the MAG-10 pulses: how/when do you do them.
yeah how bout do you do that pulsing thing?
Yes, I do prefer to eat often, mostly because I have a very difficult time going very long without food (I totally crash), and secondly, probably because it’s just been drilled into my head so much since I began training seriously.
You are most likely correct in that I may not be getting the optimal effects of an actual ‘pulse’ because of my meal spacing, but I keep comparing how I can use the Mag10 to how I made use of the BCAAs last time. A year ago, I would carry a gallon of water around all day, with some crystal light powder mixed in, and about 20g BCAAs + 10g Leucine. On the low days, I figured the steady stream would work as a sort of muscle insurance policy, especially as I got closer to the show and the numbers dropped further. On the higher intake days though, while I was obviously getting a decent amount of protein at each meal, I rationalized that using the BCAA water, even as a beverage, would add to the overall protein content of the meal, especially as they would absorb so quickly.
Skip Lacour had written a long while back how he would take a scoop of Whey protein powder just before each solid meal, and how he felt he really helped him make big improvements in overall LBM from one year to the next. So I figure that even if I’m not getting the optimal effect of going for a longer period without food, then creating an actual pulse, and soon after eating a solid meal, I’m still benefiting from the addition.
I will note though that I have read Christian’s thinking on creating peaks and valleys in protein intake, and while I do believe it has merit, the simple day in day out problems of just feeling like you’re crashing from not eating for so long would really just mess me up at work. It’s not like so many bodybuilders going back to the 1960’s who have been concerned with frequent high protein feedings suffered from the approach. Besides, the way I have been making use of the Mag10 (similar to Skip’s idea) is that I mix up a few scoops in the Nalgene bottle each morning, and while I’m teaching, approx. 20-30 min before I know I’ll be able to sit down and eat something, try to pound down 500ml of the stuff. I’ve been utilizing this method for the past couple of months, and in addition to the prescribed full protocol peri-workout, I can’t complain with the results I’ve gotten. I will usually get two of these ‘pulses’ each day, one before my lunch (around 11am), and a second one, usually before I head home in the afternoon (where I walk my pooch, then immediately mix up the 'conda and start on the FInibars).
Let me just stress again, that I feel CT’s exact approach to pulsing sound like it’s full of merit, there’s just no way I can implement it and continue to function in the capacity that is expected of me from day to day. Truly this is the acid test if you’re trying to make some sort of bodybuilding progress and continue leading your life. If you make all the gains in the world, but alienate your friends, perform badly at work, and really just make people avoid you, what sort of life are you leading? -lol.
Also, curious to see how you compare the ‘new’ protocol to the older SWF/FInibar based one. To be honest, after I came back from Colorado in October, I was making use of the SWF, Finibars, and 2 scoops of Anaconda during training, and I felt great. The differences though since switching to Christian’s latest recommendations (Alpha GPC, 3 Bars, 3 Conda + 2 Mag10) has been quite noticeable, and as strong and good as I felt on the older approach, I don’t think my weight would have gotten this high without implementing the latest directions. Hopefully it will allow me to retain some serious size gains this year!
S