I am currently six weeks out from my first BB show where I will be competing in the teen class. My prep has went well so far and today i had my BF tested to see where I was at. The trainer at my gym used a 7 site and got 6% This leaves me with about 10 pounds of fat that I am carrying. Im following a Bev style diet right now with a mon and thurs carb up. I train for 45 min to an hour with 45 min LISS following that. My training is pretty basic, I do 9-12 sets for major body parts and 6-9 sets for smaller body parts and my reps are in the 6-12 range on pretty much all sets except for calves which varies. From what I have seen and read 6% is lean at this point my problem is though I have been stuck here for about two weeks. My supps are

GS/ 2 scoops during and after training
Synergy/ 6 pre, 6 post, 4 before bed
Density/ 5 pre, 5 post
Lean Out/ 2 per meal
ZMA/ 3 before bed
Uplift/ 2 scoops pre
ultra 4
7 keto/ YCA cycle

I think that covers it.
any suggestions would be appreciated

Thanks

The most important factors in interpreting your body fat % is not the actual percentage, but the individual measures.

Here is how we explained it in our Pre Contest Seminar article NNN 11, #4. There are so many misconceptions about bodyfat percentages out there. We do not stress the percentage at all. We look at the current pounds of fat and the sub total of the following six skinfold sites: pec, tricep, subscapula, suprailiac, abdomen, and thigh. We know if a male client’s sub total is 30 mm or less by the time of the contest, they will be in very good competitive shape on stage. The goal for women should be 40mm.

We like the client to carry less than ten pounds of fat into the contest. Each pound of fat less than ten results in a marked degree of heightened conditioning. For females, we use 12-14 pounds of fat as the contest marker.

What is your current sum on those six measures, or better on each of those six? Each one has a particular significance to the most effective food plan.

Your supplement plan is sound and you certainly don't need to add anything there. Let's find what your individual site measures are and we'll go from there.

The trainer did not use the pec as a site on the test bu here are all the numbers for the 7 sites that were used.

tricep: 5
bicep: 4
subscapular: 7
abdomen: 5
suprailiac: 4
front thigh: 6
medial calf: 5

This comes out as a total of 36
some other numbers were

body density: 1.08
bf: 6 %
fat mass: 10 lbs
lean mass: 145

If you need any other info let me know.

Thanks alot Roger

Your numbers are good. You have nothing to worry about with 6 weeks to go. Every number is proportional so there is no need for any macro nutrient manipulation. My advice is stay on current program for 2 more weeks and see what happens. Excellent ending numbers just for the purpose of setting a goal are:
Tri 4
Sub scap 6
Ab 4-5
Suprailiac 4
Thigh 5
We do pec at mid axillary and given your other numbers yours is probably 3. Your current sub total of 6 is probably 30 so you only need to lose a point or two from the entire total every week to be in excellent condition.

You might consider posing more and less LISS if your numbers are an indication of your condition.

Datas4 - 2 more things.
1. Read Jon Abrams post to Stephanie re flexing.
2. Read Contest FAQ to make sure you have everything in line as far as entry form, membership card, times, etc for your contest.

Thanks again Roger

Im off work today so my plan was to send in my contest registration and membership card forms.

I was wondering if I should change anything in my diet though so I can continue to make progress:

My current diet is as follows:

meal 1: 2 scoops muscle provider, 1 tsp flax oil, 3 fishoils, 1 tbsp fiber, handful of mixed berries

meal 2: PWO/ 150g 96% lean ground beef, 1-2 cups spinach salad

meal 3: 2 scoops muscle provider, handful mixed berries, 1 tbsp fiber, 1 tbsp flax oil

meal 4: 150 g chicken breast, 2-3 oz mushrooms, 1-2 cups spinach salad, 3 fish oils

meal 5: 150g 99% lean ground turkey, 1`tbsp olive oil, 2-3 oz mushrooms, 3 oz fresh steamed green beans

meal 6: 2 whole omega 3 eggs, 240g whites, mushrooms, small sugar free fiber drink

along with monday thurs carb up. progress has halted...

any thoughts?

Many believe progress has halted when in actuality it hasn't. Body comp numbers are just one of numerous ways to measure progress. Body comp measures one point at each site, and does not necessarily indicate progress once you are already pretty lean.

During the final six weeks the best thing we have found is to focus on an already lean area of the body - often it's lower abs, intercostals, upper thigh separation, or any other area that is already pretty lean. Each morning at the same time, with the same lighting, check it out in the mirror. Is there more separation, veins in lower abs, deeper cuts, etc. You are looking for subtle improvement and if its there day to day you are progressing.

That's why I advise 2 more weeks on your current plan. With perhaps reduced cardio. Make sure the carb meal replaces your final meal of the day and it contains the recommended ingredients - oatmeal, sweet potato, banana, vegetables. Have patience! Your current numbers are such that even if nothing changes you can easily get ripped the final 4 weeks. Everyone goes through this and as you gain experience you'll see that you don't have to adjust every week, and in fact it can be counterproductive.

How much do you suggesting reducing cardio. I have felt the same way recently. It just feels like I can hardly make it through the day at times. Is this a sign that my metabolism may be really burnt out?

I don't think it's really a sign that your metabolism is burnt out but experience tells me that you don't need to be doing that much cardio at your age and bf%. If you are cycling 7-Keto, don't cycle, take it daily. There is nothing better for keeping your metabolism at peak levels.

Reduce cardio by 33%. If you are not already following a posing schedule, be sure that you incorporate that. Here's an article from the archives that includes an excellent posing drill: http://www.bodybuildingworld.c..._3/contest_tips.html

I went ahead and reduced my cardio to 30 min today instead of 45 so thats 33% I have been tryin to go through all my poses atleast once a day. I have been focusing on holding them good and hard for atleast 30 seconds. I will stop cycling the Keto but would it be safe to add my Yohimbine HCL and Asprin with it or is that just too much?

datas4 I have been following this thread and I want to compliment you on your methodical and science based approach to your first competition. You are way ahead of the approach that most first time competitors take, and this is especially impressive since you are a teen competitor.

I don't know what sort of personal satisfaction you are receiving from this experience, but for me the science and "human experiment" part of the equation is very interesting and reinforcing. I like to see the differences in my physical appearance and be able to tie them back to the science behind the training and the nutrition.

Best of luck to you as you continue towards your show. Do you have someone who knows what they are doing helping you with your posing? On show day, how you pose is one of the few things under your control and the biggest area where you can have an impact on what the judges see. Posing practice is great, posing pointers from a BBer who has been around the block and has proven them selves to be a good poser takes it to the next level. I am regularly surprised by the number of people who step on stage and miss the mark with their posing. Small things in presentation make a big difference.

I agree completely. Alot of people ask me why I do this sport esp at my age. I usually tell them that I think it is interesting how all of it works. What certain foods so to the body or what role a certain supplement plays or even more technical things such how we as bodybuilders must choose which aspects of or diet and training to munipulate in order to make progress day in and day out. There is so much to learn but I try to suck up every bit of info that I can. As far as posing goes I have been hitting all the poses atleast once a day and I also usually pose the bodypart that I trained that day a little extra after my training. I do have someone who has competed before that is going to help me out starting next week. But up to this point I have just been watching videos, tutorials and whatever else may help me better understand the poses. Anyhow I appreciate your last post MadDog. I dont know how you intended it to sound but I took it as a compliment. I really appreciate anyone who sees my hard work. But most of us on this board work hard too and thats why Im on here day after day.

It was intended to be a compliment. If you are this dedicated and this methodical and science based about the sport as a teen you are going to have a lot of success in competition. You will learn that even with research, there are aspects of the sport that are trial and error. Each of us responds a little differently to various techniques and approaches. To make that even more complicated, others factors in our lives can impact the way a certain approach works for us at any given time, i.e. what worked or did not work last time might have a different effect this time. There is definitely value to jumping in and actually competing, going through the process. Every time that you do that you will learn more about the sport and more about yourself.

The last six weeks are usually the most interesting as that is when you see the most visual changes in your appearance. As you get leaner various factors such as training, nutrition, sleep, sodium, stress, etc have a more noticeable impact on your appearance from day to day. Sometimes that can drive you a little nuts as over the course of a day you will look better or worse due to these factors. The trend is what counts, not a momentary view. (although the momentary view on stage IS pretty important - lol!)

What part of the country are you in? What show are you aiming for? Are you planning on doing a warm-up show a week or two prior to your main show? I don't always do two shows, but a lot of the time I will since going through the prep is a pretty big deal and having done that competing in two shows seems to give the process a little more value. Personally I will only go through a contest prep once a year. Others may do that two or three times a year, but that would be a little too disruptive for me. As you know contest prep becomes a pretty high priority in your life if you want to be your best. It can become a bit all-consuming.

I also wanted to mention a little posing practice tip. Hit the pose at first with your eyes closed while you practice. Concentrate on the feel and visualizing the pose in your mind, then open your eyes and look in the mirror to see if you have it just right. Since there will be no mirrors on stage to see yourself in, this is one of the best ways to know that you have got it right. The goal is to be able to hit each pose just right 99% of the time through practice so that it will be natural when you are on stage. Use the mirror to refine the pose, but once you have it right try to do it by feel and memory thinking about position and the little extra things that can make a particular pose look it's best for you. This is where having someone proficient in posing watch you practice pose in person can be very helpful. Once you get each pose just right in your mind you can practice on your own to get closer and closer to that 99% level. Make sense?

I live in the central region of Ohio about an hour north of Columbus. The show I plan on doing is in the Youngstown Ohio area. I dont plan on doing a warm up show. My show would probly be a warm up show to most lol its called The Mr. and Mrs. Steel Valley Classic and its put on by the NGA. I recently met two more guys at my gym that have contest experience and have offered to help me with posing, presentation etc. I def plan to take advantage of that as often as I can. Like you were saying this prep is time consuming. I fit stuff in whenever I can. I do things like meal prep and posing at the oddest times. Im pretty consistent with my training though. I have been noticing the factors that you mentioned and how they cause day to day changes. My weight is up about two pounds in the last week or so. Not sure why but my bf was good when I had it read on monday so I am just riding it out trying not to stress. Alot of this is new to me and if it werent for people like you and the others here on this board I would be lost in this whole process

You are not that far away from the folks at BI HQ. They used to offer posing seminars, maybe Roger will chime in on anything they might be able to offer you or he could point you to some of the locally based natural pro's who might be willing to help you out as a courtesy. I will always help out another competitor if they are open to a little coaching.

Daily weight changes of 2 or 3 lbs are normal and primarily have to do with water retention. Food intake, sodium, training, sleep, stress all impact water retention at some level. A persons weight will fluctuate over the course of a day. This is why it is recommended to establish a pattern for when you weigh yourself. For example, jumping on the scale after your workout assuming that you work out on the same days at about the same time and that your meal schedule stays about the same - would give you a more accurate weight trend to monitor. Of course weight is only one factor to follow, how you appear visually and your bf levels are more important to your level of conditioning. Weight tracking is only a general guide to see if you are getting more conditioned. Weight tracking alone does not tell the whole story. Temporary water weight retention will not impact your underlying level of bf, but it can have a temporary visual impact on your physique. You have the right attitude, don't let these minor daily fluctuations bother you, just stay the course and stick with the protocols that have been successful for you and that have allowed you to continue to make progress toward your goal. Keep up the good work. I will be interested in hearing about your continued progress.

Thanks for everything. I will def keep everyone up to date. Pesonally I like following others contest type threads and seeing the progress they make throughout. Actually I often use those types of threads as tools to evaluate my own progress from time to time.

Im 4 weeks out now and I need some diet help. My bf numbers moved a just a little bit over the past two weeks.

tri: 4
bi: 2
subscaular: 6
ab: 5
suprailiac: 4
front thigh: 6
cedial calf: 4

This subtotal is down 5 mm from the total I posted above for six weeks out. It came out to one pound of fat lost and one pound of muscle lost over the past two weeks. My BF now sits at just under 6%

my plan is virtually the same as the above plan i had at weeks besides the addition of energy reserve (1 at each meal and 1 pre and pwo) and more density (added two to each meal).

Im lost as what to do to continue to make efficient progress?? any suggestions?

datas4 that is very good progress in my opinion.

Did you switch to taking 7-Keto daily? If not you should do so per Rogers suggestion.

If your budget allows for it I would try taking density with or between every meal (3) tabs. You might also try adding quadracarn to help you retain your LBM while you continue to drop additional body fat. It might take you 10-14 days after starting quadracarn to see an impact but I think that you will like the effects.

Keep up the good work. Additional body fat loses at this point will come slowly but the visual impact will be very noticeable. You are already leaner than most teen competitors who step on stage so hold your head high and keep on keep'in on.

I dont have the budget for the quadracarn but I added ER and I have been doing 7 Keto daily. I added 2 density with each meal. I may up it to three though just to be safe. I dont know that there is much I can really do with my diet or training at this point besides be patient.