First Contest Prep/Posing etc: Feedback Requested.

[cormudgen]

Quick Intro.

I've been lifting for almost 4 years now. I started out with the "get big" mentality and slowly turned towards understanding bodybuilding. I've been saying that I wanted to compete for around a year now but never seemed to set a date. I finally decided it was time, but was unable to find a show. I decided to go through the contest prep/diet anyway to see how my body would react. I started 5 weeks ago and set a "fake contest date/goal" of Nov 10th. This would put me at "3 weeks out". I don't think I’m a true 3 weeks out and now realize that 8 weeks is not long enough for my body to get into contest condition ( at least not form where I started).

Here are some recent pictures. Any feedback and constructive criticism is appreciated. This goes from body structure to posing ability. I know that I have lagging body parts, and won't be hurt if you mention them: just motivated! My body fat is still high as well ( a handheld puts me at around 9% right now). Thanks for any comments,

This has been a HELL OF A LEARNING EXPERIENCE and I feel it will help prepare me greatly once I do find the show I'm ready to do!

[cormudgen]

The rest of the mandatories.

[hulk7280]

you look about 10 weeks out ..maybe im being too harsh.. 8 weeks

[scoobysnacks]

Honestly, not enough muscle in the right places YET, to really compete. You can add it though, dont let anyone say you cant.

Your medial delts are non existant, thats why you look so NARROW in your front poses. You have to really hammer your medial heads.

Need more quad sweep to create the X look. Very narron from the side so need more chest thickness and back thickness.

Also you can see in the ab thigh you dont have the cobra look yet so you need more lat width too.

More inner upper leg too, do some adductor work.

Overall I guess Im just saying you need more mass, but if you want to compete you need to be able to look at yourself like I just did and then devise a plan to put that "clay" on the canvas.

I just touched on some glaring things, that wasnt comprehensive.

And dont take these the wrong way, Im just trying to help. id never tell someone not to compete as Im with the proper guidance you could get very lean, but you need a good 1-2 yrs of adding some lean mass.

I wonder if your lean gain diet was optimal. You still have a very beginner slash not very dense look to you.

Keep working though. I would also advise that you finish out your cut, get those abs popping, this will also prime your body for a growth spurt. Once you hit your leanness goal (and I really dont recommend you go to the 4-5% range as if you were doing a show, maybe shoot for 7%) then make sure you are switch gears and are getting around 200 grams protein, 300-400 grams carbs and 60 grams healthy fats with around 17-25 grams EFAS daily. Im just ballparking these numbers based on what I think you may weigh and your somatype as a straight up ectomorph.

Good Luck to you.

Ss

[cormudgen]

No offense taken.

Understanding I just don't have enough muscle maturity (pure density/mass) as you referenced is part of the reason I decided to not compete as well.

Concerning the medial/side delts: My shoulder workouts concentrate fully on these. I only do three sets of Shoulder Presses (usualy DB's) as I know my medial/rear have much catching up to do. The rest of shoulders concentrates on the medial/rear delts.

Chest thickness and lat width will simply come with time. I do have a problem fully flaring my lats currently however, and I know that I need to be able to bring them out more fully.

My diet has been pretty good over the last two years I'd say. I concentrate on getting between 275 -350 grams of protein. In the off season I'll admit I've never counted my carbs, never had an understanding of them until this diet. Know that it has never been as clean as nesecary either. After I see the potential leaness my body has from this diet I will be motivated to ensure my off season stays more clean while trying to build more mass.

Stats are: 6'0, 195lbs.

Current Diet is 425g Protein, 114 carbs, 121gs of fat (70% coming from almonds) for a total of 3370 calories a day.

Criticisim is being well taken as long as I know its constructive. I guess after I finish this diet and see my abs for the first time, I will just continue to attempt to build more all around mass. Maybe competing is realisticaly about a year more out....

[str8flexed]

why in the world are you eating 425g of protein per day?

I think you could compete if you wanted to... height vs. weight is overrated, though more muscle would obviously help, if you want to compete you should do it and see if you enjoy it

[scoobysnacks]

Diet is WAY off bro. 425 grams of protein, maybe if you were 260 lbs of lean body mass, thats not only expensive but not needed. If you dropped that to around 200-220 you could take in more carbs and be fuller, stronger, etc. Fats are too high IMHO too.

[cormudgen]

Diet is WAY off bro. 425 grams of protein, maybe if you were 260 lbs of lean body mass, thats not only expensive but not needed. If you dropped that to around 200-220 you could take in more carbs and be fuller, stronger, etc. Fats are too high IMHO too.

I'm on a diet that has been reccomended to me by a a fellow bodybuilder that has competed before. I am attaching the two variations of the diet that I have been on in the last 5 weeks. I just changed to the higer fats/lower carbs diet 2 weeks ago because we felt I wasn't losing body fat fast enough. We deccided to give the Palumbo style diet a shot.

Feedback is greatly appreciated on the diet as well.

[scoobysnacks]

I'm on a diet that has been reccomended to me by a a fellow bodybuilder that has competed before. I am attaching the two variations of the diet that I have been on in the last 5 weeks. I just changed to the higer fats/lower carbs diet 2 weeks ago because we felt I wasn't losing body fat fast enough. We deccided to give the Palumbo style diet a shot.

Feedback is greatly appreciated on the diet as well.

You werent losing bodyfat because you are overeating protein. You dont need more than 200-220 or so, maybe tops 240. Carbs could be around 200 and fats down to 45 or so. I bet you would harden right up. The protein is TOO HIGH. So are the fats. And you arent doing keto with 114 carbs. So you are stuck in the middle with macros all out of whack.

[gator20jcl]

I agree with Scooby and Layne on this one, there is no reason to eat that much protein at your size. If you drop the protein to where scooby said bring fats to about 15% of your caloric intake you could fill the rest in with carbs. I think looking at your pictures you look flat from going lower carb and at your height and weight the fuller you look the better. You then could slowly cut out some carbs as progress stalls. Plus your training will be alot stronger as well.

[cormudgen]

You werent losing bodyfat because you are overeating protein. You dont need more than 200-220 or so, maybe tops 240. Carbs could be around 200 and fats down to 45 or so. I bet you would harden right up. The protein is TOO HIGH. So are the fats. And you arent doing keto with 114 carbs. So you are stuck in the middle with macros all out of whack.

I see, did you have a chance to review the diets I posted in word document format?

I have always heard that you should take in 2 grams of protein for every lean pound of bodyweigh you have. At 195 assunming i'm 9% body fat that would put me at 350ish. I've also never worried about consuming TOO much protein. Maybe I need to revise my thinking...

I did not realize my carbs were not low enough to go Keto. I just read the Palumbo diet again and it says about 40g carbs for a 200lb person. I am nearly three times that so that does make sense.

What are your thoughts on how I should manipulate my macros for the rest of this three week "contest diet". What are your thoughts for macros in the off season?

Thanks again for the help, I'm here to learn so that I can develop myself!

[jacshelb]

I think you've got good back thickness if not width, good biceps and a good amount of thigh muscle. Everyone else has already pointed out weaknesses. But, I think you've got three things working against you in these pics:

1) you are in that stage between having size (for you) and being cut. Your body is going to look flat and yet not defined in this state. Once you get fully cut (ss has great advice on the macros- I might do something like 300 pro, 0-20 carbs with a cheat day, and 65 fats.. but that's just me) you'll look like something instead of being in no-man's land as you are now.

2) you are pale so we can't even see if you are a little lean yet.

3) totally flat lighting. I'm terrible about using overhead lighting that creates a lot of shadows in my pics. you don't need to go that far. But this light and being white really washes you out.

I guess what I'm saying is don't get down about where you are because it's a place we all have to go through to refine and then build. You are in a good place, on your way to real solid results! 6' 195 lbs is not bad at your bf level. You've got some muscle, bring it out with diet and then build it up again! Good luck!

[NYC BIG MIKE]

Diet is WAY off bro. 425 grams of protein, maybe if you were 260 lbs of lean body mass, thats not only expensive but not needed. If you dropped that to around 200-220 you could take in more carbs and be fuller, stronger, etc. Fats are too high IMHO too.

Bingo.


NYC BIG MIKE

[scoobysnacks]

I see, did you have a chance to review the diets I posted in word document format?

I have always heard that you should take in 2 grams of protein for every lean pound of bodyweigh you have. At 195 assunming i'm 9% body fat that would put me at 350ish. I've also never worried about consuming TOO much protein. Maybe I need to revise my thinking...

I did not realize my carbs were not low enough to go Keto. I just read the Palumbo diet again and it says about 40g carbs for a 200lb person. I am nearly three times that so that does make sense.

What are your thoughts on how I should manipulate my macros for the rest of this three week "contest diet". What are your thoughts for macros in the off season?

Thanks again for the help, I'm here to learn so that I can develop myself!

No you dont need that much protein, 1.5 X LEAN BODY MASS tops for protein. The 2 x figure may be some peoples lean gain offseason numbers, but I never go that high, I do 1.5 in either season and adjust my energy sources (ie carbs and fats). I also gave a rec for carb and fats. As someone that looks extremely ecto you are doing yourself a huge injustice by eating that diet.

Also, protein is not free excess can convert to glycogen and can store as fat. Drop the protein up the carbs by taking in actual carbohydrates to reset your metabolism.

If you are truly doing this to learn your body then you need to make this change simply to try it out. why not?

[str8flexed]

I see, did you have a chance to review the diets I posted in word document format?

I have always heard that you should take in 2 grams of protein for every lean pound of bodyweigh you have. At 195 assunming i'm 9% body fat that would put me at 350ish. I've also never worried about consuming TOO much protein. Maybe I need to revise my thinking...

I did not realize my carbs were not low enough to go Keto. I just read the Palumbo diet again and it says about 40g carbs for a 200lb person. I am nearly three times that so that does make sense.

What are your thoughts on how I should manipulate my macros for the rest of this three week "contest diet". What are your thoughts for macros in the off season?

Thanks again for the help, I'm here to learn so that I can develop myself!

so because this guy competed that makes him an authority? Many people achieve results in spite of what they do, not because what they do is optimal. I'm doing my PhD on protein metabolism in skeletal muscle... i'm telling you that's ridiculously too much protein. There are so many contest prep 'gurus' who just think more is better. This is so dumb, actually getting protein too high can actually REDUCE protein synthesis. Additionally it's going to make it much more difficult to digest things in a timely manner as the body will slow digestion in order to accomodate the urea cycle disposal of the excess nitrogen from that diet.

I would really recommend watching my webcast or reading some of my articles... or reading my sticky in the nattie section, I cover this stuff quite a bit