Need Some EF advice on competition cycle

[nzrodney]

When is your competition? Your training regime looks sound & I expect that you are no novice as a BBer, to intensity & training to failure on working sets. If your goal is to bulk a bit longer I would suggest that you look at upping your carb intake to more like 50% & trying to get good fats down to 10% leaving 40% protein. However, you must do what your bodytype & intution dictates. How many calories do you consume ED? Dont be too concerned with arm size, best to work on the legs & chest if lagging, the arms will come up on their own as overall body weight increases. Back is the other main bodypart to work on for mass. Your core needs to be worked, abs lower back, & try to include things like cable crunches where weight is used to build this up. Back extensions using a dumbbell for added weight. You can pull down your BF closer to the comp with sups & higher reps.

 

[Tatyana]

Training at this time is like this:

Mon - Shoulders, presses, front raises, side laterals, shrugs, bent over laterals
(have you done any of these seated?)

Tues - Arms, tricep dips, tri extensions, push downs - preacher curls, 21's, hammer curls and abs

Wed - Hams, stiff leg deadlifts, leg curls on bench and seated, stndg calve raises, seated calve raises (Need some lunges in here IMHO)

Thurs - back, front pull downs, t-bar rows, front close grip pulls, seated rows and back extensions and abs (DEAD LIFTS!!!)

Fri - Chest, dumbell press, incline db press, db flat flies, cables

Sat - quads, leg presses, squats, leg extensions (You could also pre-exhaust your quads doing a set of leg extensions before you begin, I would then do squats, then leg press, then extensions)

after warm-up and or stretching all exercises are 3 sets 12, 10, 8's when all reps are done, the next time the weight goes up on starting set 10 lbs.

I think the lads have pointed out two issues that if you mix things up, with training and with your diet you will break a plateau and accelerate your gains and fat loss.

1. Changing the rep-ranges in your training every week to two weeks, your body will adapt quite quickly (Charles Poliquin says that an athlete adapts within 6 workouts............).

Week one - rep range in the 4-8 range

Week two - the rep range would be similar to what you are doing now

Week three-supersets with high reps, don't be worried about going into rep ranges from 15-30


You may also want to change your split a bit. I used to train my legs on two separate days, and I would start with the stronger of your legs on Monday, and do the weaker/part you need to bring up on Wednesday so you split would look more like:

Monday - Hamstrings

Tuesday- Chest

Wednesday-Quads

Thursday-Shoulders

Friday-Arms

Sat-Back

Alternate calves and abs every other workout

2. The danger with having certain 'rep ranges' and especially the same one all the time, is that people often stop when they hit a certain number, and failure is not achieved. The body does not know rep ranges, it know intensity.

3. You may need more recovery time, if this is the case, then I would suggest training arms in with other body parts. I find I like the split of chest with bis, and back with tris, cause when I hammer back, my bis are just to knackered to train them properly, my triceps are stronger so not an issue. This way as well, you hit your arms twice a week, and you could also throw in another chest workout.

You would have to be a bit creative with the split then.

 

[Tatyana]

My diet is based on the % of prot, carbs & fat as mentioned in the beginning of the thread. I eat 6 - 7 meals a day with lean meats for protein or protein shakes with carb bars in between meals. Meals are chicken, fish, lean ground meats, steak and eggs in AM. Carbs are from oatmeal, rice, potatoes.
Supplements: multi vitamin, amino pack or liquid aminos, flax seed, vit b12, vit e 1200/day, and vit c 3 g/day.

meals work out to 48 grams prot./ 42 g carbs/ 10 g fat

Could you post up a typical day and be a bit more specific with each meal and when you are training? Pre and post workout nutrition are really important.

Dieting is similar to training, the body adapts, so things like carb cycling, carb tapering or timed ketogenic diets really work..............

 

[Acela]

i think maybe you need to change it up a bit and you may need more than 3 working sets as you said your legs, chest and arms are laking in the size you require

good call xrsist....really "trick your legs out" (Omega says this)...supersets, highrep sets. you gotta shock them.

 

[nzrodney]

Tatyana, ^^^ great point raised in training split. Im bit lagging in legs as well & been splitting up mine into 2 days & lots supersets, dropsets, & to a lesser extent high reps. Tomorrow I was going to hit up the reps a bit so will really get them out to 20 or more . Have been picking up a good bit size since changed my split from one day legs.

 

[Leongear]

Thanks for all the feedback.

Typical day of diet:
6am 6 egg whites and 2 cups oatmeal - if running short on time sometimes do protein shake - 1 cup coffee
9AM protein shake 48g and outmeal bar 42g
12pm - lunch is fillet of fish or chicken 8 oz grilled and baked potato or sweet potato and glass of green tea and a veggie like steamed brocolli
3pm - prtn shake 48g and 3 special k bars 43g
work out about 5:30pm on average and home by 7 - 7:30
7-7:30 8 oz meat and baked potato or sweet potato and veggie
10pm just before bed protein shake and carb bar again

as for workout split,,,I like the suggestions. I have already seperated legs as listed I do hams usually on wed and quads on Sat. I found that when I did both on the same day whichever parts I did first, the other suffered.

 

[xrsist]

drop the special k bars mate. go check needto meal of the week thread in the muscle food section i think it is and page 11 or 12 my home made protein bar reciepe is there, id rather eat something home made than processed in a factory.

 

[Tatyana]

Thanks for all the feedback.

Typical day of diet:
6am 6 egg whites and 2 cups oatmeal - if running short on time sometimes do protein shake - 1 cup coffee
9AM protein shake 48g and outmeal bar 42g (Is this a homemade oatmeal bar?) 12pm - lunch is fillet of fish or chicken 8 oz grilled and baked potato or sweet potato and glass of green tea and a veggie like steamed brocolli
3pm - prtn shake 48g and 3 special k bars 43g (agree with Xresist on this one, NO NO)

Pre-workout meal needed, this is a good place for a protein shake and some carbs
work out about 5:30pm on average and home by 7 - 7:30
Post workout nutrition, whey isolate shake MINIMUM
7-7:30 8 oz meat and baked potato or sweet potato and veggie
10pm just before bed protein shake and carb bar again (I would drop the carb bar and go for another proper meal with fibrous veggies)

as for workout split,,,I like the suggestions. I have already seperated legs as listed I do hams usually on wed and quads on Sat. I found that when I did both on the same day whichever parts I did first, the other suffered.

You are drinking too many of your meals.............

On a comp diet, one thing that really works is eating proper meals as much as possible, the protien shakes are just a supplement.

Cooking all the time in addition to all the training is tough but necessary.

You may do well on a higher carb diet, I know quite a few can, but you may want to try tapering the starchy carbs at night (except post workout), and eating fibrous carbs late at night.

A few of my fav late night meals are things like

Tuna steak with steamed asparagus and olive oil, freshly ground black pepper

Sirloin steak or filet mignon with steamed brocolli and tahini (sesame seed butter) or spinach (quick cook in a wok with toasted seasame seed oil added after with some sesame seeds)

Grilled chicken breast with a leafy green salad...........homemade omega oil salad dressing.





This is a good time to get all your healthy fats in.

 

[socket]

Drop the qty of training to get more recovery time. you'll be able to train harder, recover better, and grow more.

Also, as mentioned, calculate BMR, and then determine that your intake is above this sufficiently.

Finally, a heavy protein drink or meal late at night will help (as you secrete GH during sleep)

Finally, are you drinking enough water? 6 litres at least each day.

Good luck

 

[DannoMight]

basic stats: 41wm, 205#, 10%BF, 5'11" tall
I have been working out on and off for 20 plus years and very serious for the last 3 years. I did anabolic androgenic steroids in the past and went many years without. I was not lifting for nearly five years before I started back 3 years ago. I got set up with a trainer with 5 MR FL. titles and he set up a nutrition plan 40% Prot, 40% carbs and 20% fat as I started. we tweaked to 45% Prot, 40%carbs and 15%fat. I did a Dianabol - methandrostenolone - test cycle after 9 months back into the gym and diet and workout was in check. I had basically gotten back to where I was with weights before I hit plateau. The same trainer tweaked my workout at this point. Following this cycle, I did a Deca-Durabolin - nandrolone decanoate - Sustanon cycle. both followed by PCT - post cycle therapy - and some down time. beginning last year I did the following: week 1-8 - 500mg/wk test enan and 800mg/wk Equipoise - boldenone undecylenate - week 1-4 50mg proviron ED; weeks 9-16 350mg/wk trenbolone ace, 350 mg test testosterone cypionate(wanted testosterone propionate, but rec'd testosterone cypionate) and 350mg/wk masteron...followed with PCT - post cycle therapy - of nolv, aromasin, HCG - human chorionic gonadotropin - and b12. took several months and did a cycle of Winstrol - stanozolol 100mg ED and trenbolone 100mg EOD which i just finished. Now on PCT. Trainer is gone. Need some advice. I was working toward competing(a childhood goal) in April 08. Loooking to move in the best direction. With BF at 10%, I need to get that down, I am a little behind in the size I need in arms, chest and legs. The overall package is coming together nicely. Will be doing another BF check this week and again at the end of PCT so I get a better picture of how things will work out before a show. A recently suggested cycle is: week 1-8 test testosterone propionate 200mg eod, week 1-8 mast 100 mg EOD, week 1-8 5 iu ED human growth hormone - somatropin - and week 1-8 aromasin 10mg ED. I am a hard gainer in legs and hold most excess fat in torso. Can give any other info as requested. Any advice...suggestions would be helpful???

Personally I would cut the prop to 100mg eod, keep the mast the same and add some tren. either 100mg eod or 50-75mg ed. Also I would add either winny or var at 50mg ed or both @ the same dose. Go with needo's advise on pct cause i'm just a adex/hcg/poss clomid type guy. You may also want to look into a mild diuretic like dyazide for the final days before you step onstage. Also you may want to cut out all injects about 5-7 days before the show if your gear causes some noticeable knots.