I've been lurking on here for quite some time, but as I'm counting down to the northern it's time for me to ask for some help.

I've been following the standard "A" diet from the beverly training manual, doing a 4 day on 1 day off routine, and doing about 3 days of HIIT cardio a week.

I'm 5'8, 166 lbs. Currently 9% BF using the 9 point method. I've been in pretty good shape for years but decided to compete this year and see how it goes. I've been training and dieting for about 5 weeks now, first couple of weeks I lost a little bodyfat but maintained current weight which I expected.

Last 3 weeks my bodyfat measurements haven't changed at all. I've made the mistake of using 5 oz of ground buffalo for breakfast, then realized a week ago that the fat content and calories in ground buffalo are a lot higher than normal buffalo. Switched back to chicken only. This week still no change.

I'm eating 2400 calories, 301g protein, 76g fat, 97g of carbs. 6 meals a day. Basically the same diet as in the beverly training manual, phase 1 A plan, adjusted a little for my weight.

24oz chicken
6 egg whites
4 scoop UMP
2 scoop MP
1/2 grapefruit
2 cups of salad
2 cups of green beans
4 tbs of oil/vinegar dressing
2/3 cup brown rice
3 tbs of cream

I plan to switch to the Phase2 "c" diet in two weeks.

Caliper measurements are:
Pectoral 4mm
Tricep 2mm
Bicep 2mm
Superailiac 4mm
Lower Back 12mm
Subscapular 9mm
abdomen 9mm
calf 4mm
upper thigh 8mm


Any insight would be appreciated. I'm probably just being impatient I reckon.

Also, I should add my supplements.

I'm using the following supplements:
Uplift
Glutamine
Creatine Select
Quadracarn
Ultra 40
Lean out

Eric,
You will be tempted to make changes to the plan or implement new programs to try to speed the loss of excess bodyfat but remember it a slow process. Stay the course and continue to use the plan in the book. Plan A is for a male around 180 lbs, you are pretty close to this range and moving to plan B may be the only adjustment you need to begin to see results. I would recommend sticking with it for 4 weeks before moving on to C.
Adding Density to your supplement arsenal will help build muscle, burn fat while retaining muscle, and allow your body to recover at a faster pace.
CR

Eric - Congratulations on prepping for your first contest. You will learn a lot about contest prep and how your body responds to various changes in your nutritional plan and in your training.

I also agree that it just takes time to see results. The first six or even eight weeks of a contest prep period is setting the stage for more noticable and significant results in the last six to eight weeks of a prep. Everyone is different, and you have no base line from previous contests to compare to, but the above explanation will apply to most people.

When you do make a change to your prep, expect there to be a two or even three week period before you see any "new" results. The body will not change immediately. Consistency and persistance are the keys to getting the results that you want.

You seem to be using a methodical and well documented approach. This will be very helpful to you when you do decide to make adjustments. If you make progress like most people, the big visual results will come in the final four weeks of your prep period. Along the way you will see smaller visual feedback combined with measurment changes but normally the "stage look" most of us desire to obtain does not occur until the end of your prep. Stay the course and continue to keep good notes. Best of luck in meeting your goals! Enjoy the experiment.

Thanks a lot for the feedback guys. I'll stay the course and add density. I guess I'm just a bit paranoid I'd run out of time and wasn't noticing a change. Looking at the change in the next phase diet I think it will speed things up a bit along with increased cardio.

Ok, I've made a bit of progress in the last week. Looks like I dropped .5% BF for this weeks measurements. Hopefully that trend will continue. I also added density to my diet.

One more question.

How will I know when or if I start getting behind? I'm sure that those who have done this process before have experience to go back on, but is there any general rule that at X week you should be X percent BF, or measurements should be X, or something?

My guess is that the last 6 weeks is when the majority of the bodyfat left will start to disappear but I don't want to be in the situation that at 6 weeks out I'm behind and have to kill myself and to be ready.

My rule of thumb has always been to be contest ready at 2-3 weeks out so you can cruise right into the show. Personally, I don't do any cardio, but if you do, I would suggest decreasing cardio as the show nears, especially if you are 99% dialed in at the 2-3 week marker. As for bodyfat levels and measurements, they are completely irrelevant. Bodybuilding is generally a sport of illusion. Go by the mirror. The judges are not concerned about your bicep measurements, waist measurements, etc., or how much you can lift.

Well I'm 9 weeks out, and the mirror says I've got a bit of "love handle" I need to get rid of, and I still have a very thin layer of bodyfat around my thighs that is hiding some definition. Striations in my shoulders are beginning to show, abs are showing a decent 8 pack, but not super defined due to 8mm measurement of bf.

I guess i'm just looking for clues to when I need to either step up cardio or drop calories. To be honest I hate doing a bunch of cardio so I'd rather drop a few calories ahead of time then to try and catch up with cardio in the last 4 weeks.

The only way we can give more accurate assessment is for you to post pics, and your current diet/ training routine.

hase 1 diet I did is posted in first post. This last weekend I switched to the following for my second phase.

Meal 1
2 egg white, 1 whole egg
6 oz 96% beef
1 whole grapefruit
1 tbs heavy cream (in my coffee)

Meal 2
2 scoop MP, 1 scoop UMP

Meal 3,
8 oz chicken, 2 cups green beans

meal 4,
2 scoop UMP, 1 scoop MP

Meal 5,
10 oz Chicken, 2 cups green beans.

Carb rotation on sunday, wednedsay
1.5 cup (uncooked) oatmeal
1 banana
1 tbs almond butter
1 10 oz sweet potato

I do 3 days of cardio HIIT, 20-30 min

There is a phase 3 diet I will switch to at 6 weeks out, lowers the calories a little more but is similar.

Training routine is 4 days on, 1 day off.

Day1:
1. Squat* - Pyramid 5 sets x 12/10/8/6/4-6 reps
2. Leg Press** 4 x 10-16 reps
3. Leg Extension** 3 x 12-15 reps
Superset #4 and #5
4. Leg Curls** 3 sets x 10-12 reps
5. Lung or Straight Leg Dead Lift** 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Superset #6 and #7
6. Seated Calf Raise** 5 x 10-12 reps
7. Free Standing (no weight) calf raises** 5 x 25-50 reps

Day2:
1. Bench Press (pyramid)* 12/10/8/6/6-4
2. Incline DB Press (double progressive)** 3 x 6 – 8 reps constant weight.
3. DB Flyes** 3 x 8-12 reps.
4. DB Pullovers** 3 x 8-12 reps (overhead)
5. Close Grip Bench Press (pyramid)* 4 x 12/10/8/5-7
6. 6&7 Superset. Triceps Pushdown** and Dips** 3 x 6-12 reps each
7. Dips superset from above
8. Heavy Calf Raises** 4 x 8-12
9. Light Calf Raises** 4 x 15-20 reps.

Day3:
1. Military Press* - Pyramid 4 sets x 12 / 10 / 8/ 6-8
2. DB or Machine Laterals** 3 x 8-12
3. DB or Cable Bent Laterals** 3 x 8 – 12
4. Barbell Curl* 4 x 12 / 10 / 8 / 6 – 8
5. Incline DB Curl** 3 x 8 – 10
6. Machine Curl or Preacher Curl** 2 x 8 – 12

Day4:
1. Chins** - 4 sets up to 12 reps per set.
2. Dead Lifts – 3 sets 10 reps
3. Bent Rows* or T-Bar Row* - 4 sets pyramid 12/ 10/ 8/ 6-8
4. Reverse Grip Front Pulldowns** 3 x 8 - 12
5. Straight Arm Pullovers**3 x 10 – 12
6. 10 minutes of abs


My routine I plan to change in another week and a half and will go to more of a "fat loss" routine with quite a few more supersets, 3 days on 1 day off.

It's all straight from this site or the workshop manual.

I'll see about posting a pic tonight.

I certainly appreciate the input.

Here are some quick pics. Excuse the cell phone quality, and I'm still working on posing. Hard to tell from the ****** pics, but I carry most of my bodyfat around my lower back, lower abdomen and sides.

I should also mention that I stay in pretty good shape all of the time. At my worst I'm probably around 3% more BF that currently, and I haven't seen a lot of change over the last 8 weeks besides a bit more muscularity from the more focused routine. That's primarily my concern, that I'm not changing fast enough to be contest ready in time.

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

I think it's normal to be apprehensive about the condition you are in before a show, but judging by your pics you've got no worries. Looking great! One thing you might consider at the 5 week point is to drop the heavy cream and the UMP, and go exclusively with Muscle provider for your protein drink. Another option at the 5 week point is to keep the 2x per week carb load meal as is, but drop an ounce from your lean meat sources at each meal, every week. If you do this, I would add in some Muscle Mass bcaa's or Muscularity, 3-5 tabs between meals. And start spending more time with posing practice. This alone, will help you get diced.

On your rear double bi, make sure to bring your elbows slightly forward and spread your lats and scapula out. Do this on the front double bi, as well, otherwise you will look too narrow.

It looks like you are going to be ripped to shreds for your show!

Thanks Aram. I really appreciate the input and tips. I'll keep at it. Also, I have added more supplements to my daily intake. I started the EFA, Muscularity, and Density about a couple weeks ago. Below is my current supplement program.

1 Scoop Creatine Select
2 Scoop Glutamine
2 Scoop Uplift
6 EFA Gold
9 Muscularity
9 Density
9 Lean out
12 Ultra 40
12 Mass Amino's
1 superpack

Yes, those are all fine. Remember though, that the Ultra 40 and Mass Amino's count towards your caloric and protein intake. Mass is 1 gram protein per tab, and the Ultra 40 is 2 grams protein per tab.