I'm just coming off a NGA show in which I placed 3rd, the only comments the judges had was I could have been harder. Ok, now could some tell me how to go about doing that, I follow my beverly diet to the letter, supplements are always on time and I pose my behind off. please share your experience and advice, I would love for Roger to chime in on this one.


Thanks,

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Reggie,

It basically means your diet was either not restrictive enough(too many calories), which lead to having too high of a bodyfat% or the amount of time you dieted for was just not long enough!!
Of course the other thing is if the bodyfat was below 5%, at least or lower, then something was done wrong in the last week of show "Peak week"!

Cytrainer913,

Thanks for your imput, I'm thinking its the "Peak week" I'm not sure what my body fat was I never check it, but I'm pretty sure it was below 5%..I was lean and mean

Now we have to look at how each day before the show went from one week out otherwise known as "peak week"??

Your bodytype?

Just sometimes when you never get it checked, your bodyfat that is, you think your 5%, but your not!

BFC really doesn't mean much. You could have been off with the posing. If you don't show separation, you could look soft.

I found that posing helped my separation tremendously. I had the legs down pat. EXTREME Separation! I had problems learning to hold the pects.

Frank

Reggie - To some extent this description of "hardness" is subjective. What most judges mean is that the persons muscles looked a little less full or "softer" than they could have appeared. As Craig mentioned this perception of a lack of hardness can be caused by several different things. It can come from a higher body fat level, it can come from holding water subqutaneously (under the skin) or it can come from being "flat" which is a result of too little water and/or too few carbs.

So the answer lies in what might have been the cause in your case. That assumes, of course, that the judge knows what he/she was talking about and that their perception was accurate.

Do you have any pictures from the contest that you can post a link to? That might help us identify some potential things that you could do next time.

VA,

I wish the judges wouldn't use such a generic term, "soft".

From your descriptions of why a competitor would look soft, it isn't so much %, but as you say, FLAT. Just ask Shorty. He was at 6% but from the excessive cardio, he just took all the muscle down and maintained the flat look.

Good description, VA.
Frank

Thank you to everyone that took time to give input. You guys are GREAT!!
I will post a pic sure as I get them.