Hi all,
Currently in prep for the UKBFF British finals in 6 weeks, I will look to start documenting this process if anyone is interested.
I won an early qualifier in April for my class, junior mens physique, so put in a short offseason over summer. I have been back in prep 7 weeks but taken this one much slower.
The plan moving ahead is to start stepping on the gas to prepare for October. I am taking a different approach this time around, looking to preserve more tissue and look more to create a good platform to begin a lean off-season on the back of the comp, less focused on placing as I am aware of the standard in my class the last few years and that being natural may put me at a disadvantage in this federation. This time around I am more interested in emjoying prep and bringing something better than April.
Apologies for the long introduction, rest day today so I will commence with my scale weight, training program and diet as of tomorrow if people are interested 👍.
Hi all,
Been all quiet on the log front, but going on 4 weeks post show I thought it might be worth sharing what I have done since, where I am at currently and what I plan to do moving on.
Following the comp, I started to slowly reverse diet out of prep. I opted for a reverse as opposed to a recovery diet because I just don't see myself having to mental willpower to be able to take food so high, and then pull back once the necessary fat is on; I would really struggle with that as opposed to smaller food increments.
So the first week following the show, I actually ended up dropping more weight, and a lot more than expected. I started with pulling cardio, then bumping carbs and protein, then carbs. One week post I was down from 77.2kg peak week average to 75.8kg. The first three weeks it genuinely felt like the more food I put in, the more weight flew off me. Energy levels lifted, gym performance was ok, hormones bounced back. My initial bumps were arond 20g carbs every couple of days.
So going on 4 weeks post, to compare. Pre show - 170g protein from complete sources, ~ 190-200g total, 225g CHO, 35g fat. 2x 30 mins LISS daily; 77.2kg. 4 weeks post show - 170g protein from complete sources, ~190-200g total, 320g CHO, 40g fat. 2x 10 minutes LISS daily (Just two slow dog walks if that can even be counted as LISS)....77.2kg average. Food focus is nearly gone, hormones are in full swing, mood and gym performance are good and oddly enough, my condition surpasses stage. It's a bit frustrating, but I am in a good position going on.
As far as life in general, I can count on one hand the amount of 'cheat' or 'free meals' I've had, alot of the time i've managed to account for these in my macros. It's nice to be able to order in, or eat out with friends once or twice a week. I also passed my gym instructor qualification, and got a new job which near doubles my salary, absolutely blown away by that.
Moving on, definitely natural bodybuilding. Next year? Perhaps not, I wont try and force it. I know what I need to do to improve, and I know what I need to improve. Training at the minute is PPL rest and repeat with two variations, taking queues from the likes of Joe Bennett and Jordan Peters. Sessions are going pretty smooth, progressing everything most sessions, matching reps on occasion, even set a few PBs yesterday. My plan is to gain no more than 0.5kg weekly for as long as I can whilst my body is in a prime state to put on quality tissue. Taking a lot of steps to look after my general health, joints, gut and digestion.
To summarise, it's all pretty positive at the minute. Food bump tomorrow to get that progression to where it should be. Looking forward to bringing in a really Hygge winter season with Laura. If anyone is interested to more regular updates, I'm very active on instagram currently; Jackburton95. Thanks for reading!
Hi all,
Sorry for the belated update, just few days; I will try run through them now.
Relaxed Friday in Leicester, loaded through the day which went well. Went to bed at 10 and it went down hill there. Couldn't sleep for the noise, dropped off around 2, woke up at 4 and that was it. As has happened before, that I've probably noted in here, bad sleep has always been a precursor for a bad stomach with me.
Weighed in at 77.2kg, looked the best I had that morning. Really happy with the look in truth. Started the show day food but after the sleep my stomach was roiling.
Come the show, turned out to be 33 of us. Not sure how I looked on stage but felt I brought better, aside from my unsettled stomach. What I wasn't happy with was the actual show. 33 competitors on stage at once is too many, it was far to cramped and my stage presence let me down. I definitely let myself get boxed in too much. I felt I was constantly under another lads arm or pushed behind him. It made transitions really difficult and I let myself down there. It's also the reason I've not picked up stage photos. It's half me half his arms.
Am I unhappy, not really. I put in a lot of work under unhelpful circumstances and came out better for it. Things could have gone better but there is no need to dwell on it.
Really enjoyed Sunday with my family, ignoring yesterdays weigh in as an anomaly. Weighed in today and 78.6kg, the off season begins today, with the only change being 20 minutes less LISS. Thanks for everyone's interest and support. If it's wanted I'll start a second thread with fewer updates and document this off season.
77.3kg this morning. 0.1kg after yesterday's loading, looked quite sharp during this morning's check so I'll continue the moderate load today. Same macros as yesterday.
Plan today is drive to base camp Leicester at my Dad's, carb load, water load 11 litres, pre-register in Nottingham and enjoy the last day.
77.2kg this morning, what should be the lowest of prep. Not bad considering I 77kg was what I envisioned.
Current look is flat and depleted. Hollingshead put a great comment up earlier "You will look sh*t before you look great, remember that" so that is what i am bearing in mind!
Macros today follow the same plan as my refeed days but more conservative, loading again tomorrow. 170g protein, 25g fat, 400g CHO.
Busy day, will start loading after my last workout later.
77.8kg Again this morning, not too concerned; Ate late with Laura training and my digestion hasn't been great lately if you know what I mean. Not that pulling weight matters much now, 3 days out.
Final pull session done yesterday, training today but that is nothing strenuous. The idea is simply to deplete somewhat and stay active. No mechanical tension training, and nothing that will hinder recovery ahead of Saturday. The plan is:
Rack pulls*
Barbell row
Pull ups
Dumbbell press
Dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell lateral raises
Dumbbell curl
Triceps pushdown
*Undecided on the rack pulls, if they get included then it will be ridiculously light.
A similar session to follow tomorrow but I'll drop rack pulls and rows, and add a seated dumbbell shrug and face pulls. Again, nothing strenuous, on a deload I would pull loading back to allow joint recovery but this is more than a deload, I don't want to feel sore or strained in any way after this. The idea is a light weight for 10-20 reps, stopping if I feel that it is too much of a stress whatsoever.
Slept like a dog last night, so definitely cutting stims the rest of the week. I'm also happy to say that as of this morning, looking particularly flat; I am happy with how I look and feel ready. I know I said that Sunday but this mornings look re-affirmed that.
77.8kg this morning; Not surprised, had an awful sleep that struggled to come even with sleep aids. Between stress from that, generally being more inactive due to working from home and feeling lethargic it makes sense. I know the cause behind sleep though, too much caffeine training later in the day so I'll pull that from here on in.
Pull day today and the last proper training session of prep as a whole, tomorrow and Thursday will be the deload/ depletion sessions.
Bent over row x2
Close grip pulldown x2
Hammerstrength low row x2
Machine pull overs (Plate loaded)
Dumbbell shrug x2
Dumbbell prone reverse fly x2
EZ-Bar curl x2
Dumbbell hammer curl x2
Going to take today to plan The diet and timings for Thursday and Friday also.
Hi all,
Not to bad a push session at all today. Laura's progression lately has been crazy too which is super exciting.
We had a discussion about my intentions for Saturday. The plan has never been to place, I'm a natural in one of the popular classes of a non-drug tested federation (Arguably the primary federation in the county, for now) at the national level. That's not a lack of self-belief but just being realistic.
So what do I want? Depending on how many and who turn up; Top 15, top 10 would be incredible. I've got my future plans, aid if I qualified for BNBF or UKDFB next time compete then it would be a different story, but that is another chapter.
78kg today; Wasn't sure why until I started my LISS and realised my legs feel battered. Also looking very blurry so that's evidently some post legs intracellular water retention, wont stress over it.
Legs went down well yesterday, all time PB on SLDs, V-squat and hacks. Felt very determined but I am paying for it now though!
Push tonight, obviously going against my rule of never training more than twice in a row for recovery but not doing so would have be resting too much early in peak week. My plan for which is:
- Training; Push today, pull tomorrow, deload/ depletion Wednesday and Thursday, then off Friday-Sunday. The Wed/ Thurs training will be light circuit work incorporating everything, nothing high intensity to make sure I am not sore for Saturday. Just your typical pre-comp upper body circuits of 3x10-20.
- Diet; Nothing to change until Wednesday, everything is already low enough that I am pretty depleted. I brought the carbs back up after last weeks disaster and pulled from fats instead. So I am sat pretty comfortably at 170g protein from complete sources (190g total), 225g CHO (Split 20/20/80 pre/intra/post), 30g fat. I'm not dying with them being this low surprisingly, feels sustainable for the time being.
- Loading; Could change depending on research but the plan is to go from Thursday. Will eat normal prior, maybe pull back on fats to accommodate for later, and greens to make sure there's little residue. Job interview at 1 so will train after that. Total Thursday loading will be 400g, will err on the side of caution. This is will come from low residue foods, mix of simple and complex carbs. Friday I am off down to Leicester, will gauge my look in the AM and load another 300-500g completely depending on look. If I've not filled enough, then more; If enough, then less. Saturday will be a couple of small chicken and rice meals periodically leading up to the show, with something carby, fatty and salty about 1 hour before.
- Other variables; Steps will be kept largely the same, they aren't killing my legs and whenever I have loaded it has been with the LISS. For those wondering I've been sat at 12000 steps on rest days and 15000 on training days. Water will be loaded as per my last comp, currently on 9ltrs, Thursday will be 10, Friday 11 cut out at 9pm. Water on show day will be used in conjuction with food. Vitamin C is high, dandelion root to go in Friday and overnight, I've tested that again on refeed days and liked the outcome. Sodium will be kept consistent at ~2500mg daily, with a big dose pre-stage.
Apologies for the massive post, I've tended to use this forum as a way to stay accountable and to air my thoughts so I know where I am at. Also Blade Runner 2049 was awesome!
77.7kg this morning; That won't be two massive drops but more the settling of variables from earlier in the week, I've probably hit this right on track.
Legs today, hamstring dominant and the final one!
SLD x2
V squat x2
Seated leg curl x2
Hack squats x2
Lying leg curl x2
Abductors x2
Standing calf press (Variant) x2
Seated calf press (Plate loaded) x2
Meal prep and the cinema Sunday for Blade Runner.
Hi all,
Long slow day today. Upper session went really well but it's dragged since! Peak week is planned so I'll document that Monday when I'm not on mobile.
Still seeing lift progression one week out which I never could have imagined! Condition looked pretty freaky early on training too.
On the walk now; Then it's home, eat, book and bed. Finished Cujo and moved right on to Sleeping Beaities by Stephen and Owen King. Pre-ordered it back in April and forgot so that has been a pleasant surprise.
78.3kg expected that, sort of a whoosh effect as all the variables fell into place. Upper today:
Flat hammerstrength press x2
High incline press x2
Weighted dips x2
Overhand hammerstrength pull x2
Close grip underhand pull down x2
Suppinated biceps curl x2
78.8kg again! Another annoying weigh in; So it's time to take an objective look at the variables compared to last weeks rampant loss.
Caloric intake - Lower this week, I should have left well enough alone there, instead of pushing prep for the sake of. Lesson learned but I am absolutely still in a caloric deficit.
Water - 1ltr more this week, high at 8ltrs ahead of loading next week.
Sodium - Consistently being tracked, likely higher that usual but not by much; Enough time for me to get used to this.
Training - Deadlifts yesterday, have been known to cause me to hold water in the past.
Stress - Through the roof really, last day on lates and on-call so I'll be feeling fine from tomorrow thankfully!
Meal timings - Late shifts cause my post-workout meals to be condensed. So where normally I might eat at 6, 8 and 10. It is closer to 9,10,11:30.
Visually yesterday I looked better, my biceps looked particularly crazy even though they were targetted last. Looking forward to seeing how I look tomorrow am during upper. Hopefully start seeing weight get pulled again. The weight stalls are likely an amalgamation of all the little variables rolled into one causing me to hold water.
I am of the mind that I am very, very close to where I want to be. Expecting to see myself being ready and where I want to be training Sunday morning.
Hi all,
Pull was a tough one today, considered it during the session and I am of the mind that the flattening, pump issues and general increased struggle is evidently from pulling such a large degree of carbs to push this last week. In hindsight this likely wasn't wholly necessary, all it has done is deplete me and leave me tired and flat in sessions.
Either way, rest day tomorrow. Then train through to Wednesday when I will deload, deload and begin carb loading Thursday. Pushing on, could very well bring these carbs back up, but might be pointless now, likely depleted too early.
Also it turns out 1g of salt is not 1g sodium! You learn something new every day. I've likely only been on 1.5-2.5g sodium at best.
78.8kg this morning, not sure on the cause for the rise; Few variables which might explain feeling a little watery in the morning. Stress from work, which will be resolved come Saturday, general feeling of being spilled post session yesterday, potentially the change in sodium.
Not going to stress on it, will look to pull more tomorrow. Going to use the next couple of days to gauge the effect of sodium on my body, definitely don't want to go manipulating it pre-comp as that could be a recipe for disaster but I do think it is important I am aware of what I am on consistently and what kind of intake I should have. Typically I'm used to salting my meals, nothing generous. My plan today is to put 500mg on meals 1 and 2, 1000mg pre-workout to see how to impacts retaining a pump, then 500g post and post post. So 3000mg in total across the day. I can see this being more than normal but it is important data to get 1 week out.
Pull today and the final deadlift day;
Deadlift x1
Chest supported row x2
Lat pull down x2
Underhand hammerstrength pull down x2
Weighted pull up x2
Barbell shrug x2
Facepulls x2
Dumbbell curl x2
Cable hammer curl x2
@ Krissi
These are the worst weeks, praying for Friday!
Push was Ok, not the best but alright given the circumstances.
Here's an interesting topic but does anyone else find that their first 20 minutes training they look great, and then their pump starts to deflate/ they go watery?
I am going to start seeming how I look on more sodium pre, Laura said I looked better posing on Sunday but I'm not sure if that is due to water intake (3 litres max Sunday am, 6.5 litres max evening training) or the natural lighting in the am. Either way I generally feel I look worse as the session goes on!?
really tough circumstances mate! Wish you the best to make it through
78.7kg this morning, stressful evening; Called out to office at 10pm. Can't wait to reach Friday in truth, on-call is an absolute nightmare this close to the comp.
Due to train push today, but have a horrible inkling I might be lumped with something out of hours with work and being the on-call resource:
Flat dumbbell bench press x2
OHP x2
Incline barbell bench press x2
Nautilus lateral raises x2
Close grip press x2
Machine fly x1
Cable lateral raise x1
Cable triceps pushdown x2
78.9kg again this morning, had a late night due to the shift and a rough sleep so i'm not going to stress over that. Will look to see what is pulled tomorrow.
Final push now; Don't feel too bad at all so I am happy for it to get tough now. Upper went really well yesterday, peak week has mostly been planned too.
Rest day today, I took a different approach to the last one and I intend on keeping it in. I'm going to do away with the higher fat lower carb days and instead run them as reduced carb days.
Current training macros:
170g protein from complete sources
200g CHO (This is as low as I will ever go, I find I can operate and recover fine this low)
40g fat
I don't see these changing at all for the last two weeks, unless I decide to bring it down in peak week but that's still getting ironed out.
Rest day macros:
170g protein
100g CHO
40g fat
So the difference here is no rising of the fats, and carbs being half my training days. Actually puts me in a larger deficit but I feel more satiated.
78.9kg this morning. What can I take away from the refeed?
550g CHO went in, I didn't spill much at all. 0.3kg weight up on the day before. Need to do some research on peaking protocols and how much to expect to put on but I don't see myself going more than 550g loading.
In regards to my last peak, I had done that prep with a local PT as a coach and quite frankly it wasn't great. The peaking if I remember rightly involved two big carb meals after the final training day on the Thursday, a day of carbs on the Friday, then no carbs Saturday and the show Sunday. What I have in mind this time is two carb days pre-show, so Thursday and Friday. But I need to learn more and figure out how much I will load on specifically and how this should be split over the days. Any advice feel free to comment.
Upper today with the second rotation:
Upright hammerstrength chest press x2
Dumbbell shoulder press x2
Overhead rope extension x2
Single arm dumbbell row x2
Weighted close grip underhand pull-up x2
Cable curl x2
Evening all,
Legs went down a treat; 160kg x5 looks to be how I am going to wrap prep up with that lift. All time on is 165kg x7 so I'm really pleased with that.
Refeed wrapped up; 550g CHO, 170g protein and 25g fat. Water up to 8ltr s from here on in, and vitamin C at 5000mg.
Expecting to go up 0.5-1kg tomorrow. Will gauge my look in the morning.
Big congrats to AJ at the BNBF finals today, inspirational mate.