Any beginners need help, just ask

[grumpwurst]

training legs causes edema (water holding) thus blurring cuts

I never knew what the technical term for it was, but I observed that I could never really get a good flex out of my legs the day of training and it took several days to recover. I associated it with the workout. My biceps, for some reason behave the same way. I can get a good flex out of them DURING the workout, but later that day, forget it. The next day, not so good either.

I'm a perfectionist and very hard on myself. So, at this point, I'm really in a bad mood. If I fail, I want it to NOT be because I didn't give it my best

[flexingtonsteele]

FlexingtonSteele,

Thanks for the input. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who observed that. I thought I was just being overly critical of myself.

I'm at a loss. My protein consumption is actually higher than it was before (because I was bad about cheating on my diet). In fact, my weight has remained stable at 139lbs even though I keep looking leaner. So, if I'm burning muscle now, where is the weight coming from?

Bro if thats what you were thinking at first, then thats what i would go with. Your instincts are 99% always correct. Just dont let other people tell u what u want to hear.

You need to find someone who is NO BS and will tell u how it is, thats why i like alex azarian. HE doesnt just tell u what you want to hear, but he'll tell u whats true.

Thats one of the minuses of posting on a message board, you'll have a lot of people post things to tell u what u want to hear, not what u NEED to hear.

Well good luck bro, im sure it will be a great experience stepping on stage.

Flexington

P.S ........you're 139lbs.......how tall are you 4'11

[grumpwurst]

You need to find someone who is NO BS and will tell u how it is

Trust me, I don't want to be surrounded by "yes" men. I am a big boy (almost 37 years old), I can take criticism and if I look like crap let me know. That's what I like about the guy I'm training with now (a recent addition to my program). He was very quick to tell me that I was not on track for a May 3rd show date and why I wasn't on track.

P.S ........you're 139lbs.......how tall are you 4'11

[/quote]

I'm 5'3". Are you saying that I must be 4'11 because I look big for 139lbs or light? Sorry cannot tell if that was a compliment or a dig..LOL (I can take the short jokes, trust me)

Thanks again. I am using forums as one of many vehicles to get me to the finish line, not the only one and Alex has provided his 2 cents here and there and it's been taken with the value that it deserves (alot).

[flexingtonsteele]

Trust me, I don't want to be surrounded by "yes" men. I am a big boy (almost 37 years old), I can take criticism and if I look like crap let me know. That's what I like about the guy I'm training with now (a recent addition to my program). He was very quick to tell me that I was not on track for a May 3rd show date and why I wasn't on track.

I'm 5'3". Are you saying that I must be 4'11 because I look big for 139lbs or light? Sorry cannot tell if that was a compliment or a dig..LOL (I can take the short jokes, trust me)

Thanks again. I am using forums as one of many vehicles to get me to the finish line, not the only one and Alex has provided his 2 cents here and there and it's been taken with the value that it deserves (alot).[/quote]


haha just kidding with ya! but your a short SOB! Good luck out there!

But, personally thats the only problem I have with the MD board. Too many people on here just want to kiss each others asses and tell each other "how great they look" when they really dont. And what they really need is a reality check and someone to tell them, they are fat and need to get in shape. Because when they do whatever show they are going to do and the judges tell them they look like shit they shouldnt think......"well on MD they said I looked good".

Thats totally off topic but it was an opportunity to vent lol.

[grumpwurst]

Too many people on here just want to kiss each others asses and tell each other "how great they look" when they really dont. And what they really need is a reality check and someone to tell them, they are fat and need to get in shape.

Even my wife will tell me when she thinks I'm looking bad in a particular area. Talk about a stinging bit of criticism. But I take it from where it comes from. My wife wants me to succeed as much as I do.

[flexingtonsteele]

Even my wife will tell me when she thinks I'm looking bad in a particular area. Talk about a stinging bit of criticism. But I take it from where it comes from. My wife wants me to succeed as much as I do.

U know thats my biggest critic as well. My gf will always tell me how it is. No matter if i like it or not. So take her criticisms wisely.

[Alex A]

Hey dudes!

I just wanted to say that some of what Scoobysnacks is saying is right...Lighting and the way you hit your poses has an effect on how you look big time. so nailing down your posing is way improtant!

All the guys i help i really stress that with and work with them on that.

Flexingtonsteele says it how he sees it. And thats good to hear what an objective person has to say. I agree with what he is saying too and I emailed you Grumpwurst to let you know.

I try to say it how it is and i will say this. You guys, Scoobysnacks, Grumpworst and Flexingtonsteele are great guys! all passionate about the sport, that is great because I am too big time!

The sight here is great because we all love this sport and helping each other out is what its about.

Flexingtonsteele is a true natural competitor I admire him for that. I already have a plan for him as he hired me to help him do his first show, A natural show here in Los Angeles called the Pacific USA.

His name is Glenn. And Glenn has a good eye himself and pays close attention to detail so his advise is solid as well. He has been racking my brain for a while now about his upcoming show and bodybuilding in general.

He is really into the sport in a positive way. Heck the guy is one of the true naturals out there! I give him respect for that. Im going to be sharing some of his journey with you guys.

Grumpwurst is down to the wire now,lets not lose any hope what so ever. He has worked hard and he has two weeks to go allot can be done! If i was helping him, i would have had him gaining through his prep instead of coming down.

Grumpworst is very lean and actually needs more size and fullness. More size will make his condition look better as more muscle pushing against the skin makes you look harder and tighter. This off season, we might get a plan together to put some size on, as I know this is a good guy who listens and wants to learn. And I believe in putting on size the right way. Not sacrificing all your condition in the off season but making some changes to your diet and training to grow smart, and a guy like this can grow big time! Anyways, keep in touch guys!

[grumpwurst]

Thanks for the great words Alex!

Yes, I'm very passionate about this sport. I thought i was in 10 years ago but when it came to put my money where my mouth was (prep time), I chickened out. Now, I'm going to prove to myself that I belong amongst you guys.

I personally think that all the time I spent with my old trainer during the bulking phase really wasn't as effective as it should've been. Now, that I'm conditioning down, we are finding that there wasn't that much thick muscle under all that fat....haha

If I had been a good boy and did my conditioning and diet like I was supposed to during the off-season, we probably would've caught it sooner.

I personally don't think I'm losing any muscle at this point, we are just now finding out that I have tiny pecs and legs because all that fluff has been chiseled away.

As I've mentioned before, I switched trainers two weeks ago because I got tired of not being listened to and getting injured because I wasn't feeling the whole "push the weight as dirty as it takes" mentality.

My new trainer is telling me that the change-ups we'll do after the the May 3rd show to get me ready for the Oklahoman on June 14th may be such that I'll be hard pressed to keep my bantam weight class.

But, ultimately, I've been told I need to get to a scale ASAP! If I'm still holding around 138lbs then I was told to not panic, it just means that I'm tiny in some key areas. If I've dropped dramatically, then we'll make IMMEDIATE adjustments. He's not wanting me to weigh in as close to 138 as possible if not more

[scoobysnacks]

Grumpworst is very lean and actually needs more size and fullness. More size will make his condition look better as more muscle pushing against the skin makes you look harder and tighter. This off season, we might get a plan together to put some size on, as I know this is a good guy who listens and wants to learn. And I believe in putting on size the right way. Not sacrificing all your condition in the off season but making some changes to your diet and training to grow smart, and a guy like this can grow big time! Anyways, keep in touch guys!

This is partly what I was talking about, to me he looked leaner, but he also looked flatter, a flat physque will look worse because the muscles arent full pushing against the skin, but if you compare the ab shots he lost some more fat. I still think with a proper peak week some of this can be filled back out, you obviously cant bring back muscle you lost, but you can certainly fill out and drop some sub q.

Good Luck Grump you have good people in your corner.

Ss

[flexingtonsteele]

Hey dudes!

I just wanted to say that some of what Scoobysnacks is saying is right...Lighting and the way you hit your poses has an effect on how you look big time. so nailing down your posing is way improtant!

All the guys i help i really stress that with and work with them on that.

Flexingtonsteele says it how he sees it. And thats good to hear what an objective person has to say. I agree with what he is saying too and I emailed you Grumpwurst to let you know.

I try to say it how it is and i will say this. You guys, Scoobysnacks, Grumpworst and Flexingtonsteele are great guys! all passionate about the sport, that is great because I am too big time!

The sight here is great because we all love this sport and helping each other out is what its about.

Flexingtonsteele is a true natural competitor I admire him for that. I already have a plan for him as he hired me to help him do his first show, A natural show here in Los Angeles called the Pacific USA.

His name is Glenn. And Glenn has a good eye himself and pays close attention to detail so his advise is solid as well. He has been racking my brain for a while now about his upcoming show and bodybuilding in general.

He is really into the sport in a positive way. Heck the guy is one of the true naturals out there! I give him respect for that. Im going to be sharing some of his journey with you guys.

Grumpwurst is down to the wire now,lets not lose any hope what so ever. He has worked hard and he has two weeks to go allot can be done! If i was helping him, i would have had him gaining through his prep instead of coming down.

Grumpworst is very lean and actually needs more size and fullness. More size will make his condition look better as more muscle pushing against the skin makes you look harder and tighter. This off season, we might get a plan together to put some size on, as I know this is a good guy who listens and wants to learn. And I believe in putting on size the right way. Not sacrificing all your condition in the off season but making some changes to your diet and training to grow smart, and a guy like this can grow big time! Anyways, keep in touch guys!

thanx for the kind words alex. Hopefully I can add something positive to this thread. And maybe through my journey I can give some people some insights on contest prep and the challenges or dieting.

I might even post some pics

Take care guys

Glen

[grumpwurst]

Just got back from the gym and made sure I weighed myself. I'm still holding strong at 139lbs. I've been at this weight for about 3 weeks now and I got leaner during that time.

I just assume that means that I am still doing some mass development while I continued to lose fat.

I'm very appreciative of all the feedback. Three Saturday's from today, we'll find out how my first contest pans out.

I was working with my trainer today on some posing stuff and was shown how lighting could make one look better or worse. It was amazing to watch as I held a pose and the light sources were changed (fluorescent, incandescent, natural) and each time I looked different.

I chose to not do cardio yesterday and go back to my every other day cardio routine to hope to stave off the aggressive way my body seems to be burning up stuff. This puts me back to how I was doing cardio 3 weeks ago when I picked it up because I was being told that I was weighing too much (old trainer was saying this).

Now, I believe that I'm at the weight I should be (or higher) and just trying to get the aesthetics right

[grumpwurst]

Update: My trainer is agreeing with Flexington, Alex and Scoobysnacks (I think). I have been put on very restrictive cardio until after showtime.

I was told to not do anything more intense than a brisk walk/stroll. They are estimating my bodyfat to be around 4-5% and as you all said, "I have nothing left to burn, safely, but muscle".

So, the most strenuous thing I've done (other than my weight training) is push-mowing the lawn yesterday. Other than that, just getting on the elliptical and trying to not let my heart rate get above 100

[Alex A]

Update: My trainer is agreeing with Flexington, Alex and Scoobysnacks (I think). I have been put on very restrictive cardio until after showtime.

I was told to not do anything more intense than a brisk walk/stroll. They are estimating my bodyfat to be around 4-5% and as you all said, "I have nothing left to burn, safely, but muscle".

So, the most strenuous thing I've done (other than my weight training) is push-mowing the lawn yesterday. Other than that, just getting on the elliptical and trying to not let my heart rate get above 100

sounds like a good plan. Im not against cardio but in your case, less is best

[grumpwurst]

sounds like a good plan. Im not against cardio but in your case, less is best

To me it couldn't come at a better time. I was doing 20 minutes in the AM and 30 minutes in the PM. All time trying to maintain a 120 bpm heart rate. I had gotten to the point where I was just dying to try and keep my heart rate up to 120 bpm (or the Polar heartrate strap is not reading me correctly)

I was stating to dread getting on that damn elliptical....

My trainers had to admit they never in their wildest dreams would've thought I would drop that much fat in 2-3 weeks doing just 30-50 minutes of low intensity cardio.

A very emphatic STOP was given to me and I'm not bitching too much

[toneesee]

Trying to go from flab to fab

Hello Alex,

I think the advice you give is great and I'd like to see if perhaps you can help me out.

First of all, I am a 7 week post op. lapband patient. I dropped from 288 lbs. down to 238 lbs. so far. I am 5' 11" in height and am in need of advice. My goal is not just to lose weight, I actually want to build muscle and perhaps one day have a body builder's physique. I have read the types of diets that alot of these guys are on and due to my lapband, I cannot consume even 1/4th of that stuff. I usually get in about 700 to 800 calories total on an average day. My meal plan is as follows:.

Meal 1:
1 egg white omelete with non-fat cheese, white onions, and 1.5 oz of diced chicken breast.
I take a liquid multi-vitamin and a fish oil vitamin.

Meal 2 (after gym):
32 grams of protein

Meal 3:
3 to 5 oz. diced chicken breast or Salmon (no red meat).
1 to 2 servings of assorted veggies (green beans, red/green peppers, onions, broccolli, corn, tomatoes, carrots).
Low fat yogurt or health choice desert cakes (90 cals).
16 oz. water with Crystal Lite drink mix

Meal 4:
Same as lunch minus the yogurt or desert cake

Meal 5:
32 grams of protein

Gym routine w/ personal trainer is as follows:

Work out on M, Tu, W, F, Sat.
On M, W, F Weight training and cardio, on the off days it's streight cardio.

Cardio:
30-35 mins. on the eliptical machine staying in target h/r of 130-145
10-15 mins. interval training on treadmill (5 min run, 5 min walk, 3 min run, 2 min walk).

Weight training:
Monday is chest, back, and core.
Wednesday is legs.
Friday is arms and shoulders.

Saturday I do a 90 minute spin class.

I want to know what to do in order to continue losing weight, lose body fat, and to gain lots of lean muscle mass? Also how long can I expect that it will take to see the results of the weight training?

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.


Tony