# Adam Hayley Off-Season Journal



## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

OK guys,

I've had 2-3 people message me and ask why I haven't started an off-season journal, so clearly some people do folllow haha.. Well, here it is.

Quick background for those that haven't seen any of my previous threads; I did my first competition when I 20, placing 2nd in my class (Juniors).. I then competed in a bench press only competition and won that 2 years later.. Last year I competed in the Leeds Championships, was v v happy with how I looked but didn't place. I'm a personal trainer at Ultimate Performance City, so have an advantage working in a gym and alongside like minded colleages.

This year I did start a journal: http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/topic/240641-adam-hayley-ukbff-kent-in-august/?page=1

But, I ended up with a tear in my plantarfascia and then a few days later had managed to lock up 2 facet joints in my neck and could barely move. I spoke to my training partner Akash who highlighted that I hadn't had a week off the gym properly in probably 2-2.5 years and that this was probably my bodies way of saying 'F**k you'. So, reluctantly I decided not to compete last year.

I'm now starting my off-season and considering taking the whole of 2016 off to add size, before competing again in April 2017. But, we'll see. I may end up competing next year dependant on progress.

*Training:*

I'm following a modified advanced DC split currently and absolutely loving it. Currenly the rotation is essentially push/pull/legs but run over four days - so each bodypart *typically* gets worked twice every 5 days - roughly. This has a mixture of rest pauses, partials, loaded stretches, high rep sets etc and is pretty brutal.

Once I've finished this blast I'll be switching over to Dr Scott Stevensons Fortitude Training. If any of you are geeks and like to know the science behind hypertrophy, it's a pretty good read: http://drscottstevenson.com/forum/misc.php?page=FTEbook

Injury wise, I've had biceps tendonitis for the past 2-3 years. I'm now able to train biceps which is great, but have to use higher rep ranges RP - 25-30 usually. Having said that, I'm having one of my colleagues run an ART experiment on my arms over the next few weeks and hoping it brings along some growth as well as alleviating some of the tightess/pain. Due to the pins/plates in my knee's, my hips still aren't 100% so I still can't deadlift. Though I am now able to perform Bent Over Rows / T-Bar rows etc which I couldn't previously.

*Diet:*

Right now it's this:

M1-
4 Whole Eggs + 6 Egg Whites
2 Slices Vogel Toast

INTRA-
50g HBCD
200ml Red Grape Juice
20g EAA
20g Whey ISO

M2-
60g Whey
150g Rice Krispies
1 Banana

M3-
220g Chicken
200g White Potato

M4-
220g Chicken
200g White Potato

M5-
220g Steak
50g Almonds / Walnuts etc
Greens

M6-
500g Greek Yoghurt (full fat)

30g Peanut Butter
1tbsp Choc Sauce

On non-training days I drop the INTRA and switch the PWO meal for 60g Whey + 20g Almond Butter. Having said this, my weight has remained stable over the past few weeks so I'm looking to add carbs into my steak meal.

*Supplements:*
Whey / EAA / HBCD etc like usual
Health wise; 4g Fish Oils / Curcumin / Vit K2

On a separate note, I had bloods done this week. All was fine except my HDL cholesterol was a little low (0.7) so I'm going to be working on increasing this. If you look at my diet, there's a lot of saturated fats (not a bad thing) but very little PUFA's so hence the inclusion of fish oils, and maybe some oily fish a few times per week in place of the steak meal. Will consult with Scott and see what suggestions he has.

*Pictures:*
The top pic is my at my show back in '14 - I'm dead centre.
The second pic was me this time round at approx. 5 weeks out I think.
Bottom two pics were about 4 weeks ago.

View attachment IMG_3800.JPG

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View attachment IMG_6464.JPG


One big reason I do this is I love learning myself, I love helping others and I love healthy debate. Please feel free to comment in here or message me any time you have questions or would do anything differently. There's no one way to skin a cat - and the whole point of these journals is for all of us to keep learning, right? Fire away!

Adam


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Todays training:

*Seated Hamstring Curl* - Rest-Pause set of 25-30 reps.. I managed 31 in total at my given weight today, then finished with 25 partials.. Sore!

*Standing Single Leg Curl* - 2 x 12

*Leg Press - *1 heavy set + 1 high rep set... First set was a target of 8, but I hit 12.. Second set was 40 reps

*Pendulum Squat - *1 set of a heavy 8 and another of 20... But, both sets were 2sec pauses at the bottom of EVERY rep, to take the myotatic reflex out of the equation.

You'll see these workouts right now are low volume.. BUT.. pretty much every exercise is taken to failure at least once, and obviously hitting them twice per week takes it toll. I seem to be sleeping a lot lately in between clients!


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

Alright mate we don't want your whole life story lol

Not srs

IN


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

> Alright mate we don't want your whole life story lol
> 
> Not srs
> 
> IN


Can you tell I was bored and waiting for my friend to pick me up to go Nandos?!


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

ah24 said:


> Can you tell I was bored and waiting for my friend to pick me up to go Nandos?!


Lol no I couldn't tell


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## superdrol (Aug 9, 2012)

As you've mentioned nandos, I'll fire a question in, how do you account for that given the meal plan you have? Just watch what you eat and swap it in for stuff in your plan or is it classed as a cheat meal??

in by the way!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

> As you've mentioned nandos, I'll fire a question in, how do you account for that given the meal plan you have? Just watch what you eat and swap it in for stuff in your plan or is it classed as a cheat meal??
> 
> in by the way!


Exactly.. I'm pretty robotic and eat the exact same meals year round almost.. But, in cases like today where I got back from clients in London early and hadn't caught up with my friend for ages - when she asked I couldn't say no. Off-season is all about balance I guess.. 90% of the time I eat the same foods, but here and there I don't mind making swaps/tweaks for social occasions. (Obviously when I prep it's a different story).

In this case I switched:

60g Whey + 50g Oats for 3/4 of a chicken (removed skin from 2 of the bits) and had the spicy rice. Some extra carbs in the rice compared to the oats, but I trained legs hard earlier and in the grand scheme of things - that won't make a difference in the off-season.

Just now I got back and ate my usual steak + broccoli, and will have yoghurt etc before bed 

In terms of 'cheat meals'.... So with this meal as it was mid-week I try and macro match it. But every Saturday evening I take 'dinner' off the diet completely and usually end up at the girlfriends mums for dinner - could be sausage & mash, could be home made thai green curry, could be lamb chops etc. We tend to have dinner / dessert. Sunday I'm back on the diet for the most part, but if we go cinema then I'll have some popcorn etc.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

OK, todays session. Chest/Shoulders/Tri DC.

Flat Bench - Rest Pause for 15 total

- Loaded pec stretch.. 25kg DB for 60secs... Excrutiating! -

DB Shoulder Press - Rest Pause for 19 total (need to go heavier as the range is 11-15 on this)

Closed Grip Bench - Rest Paused 100 for 22 total.. Target 15-20, so again can go heavier

Dips - BW + 5kg for 30 reps total..... Shoulder clicks occasionally on this, so easing my way back in.

Here's a video from the first blast of the DC Flat Bench - 140 x 10 here. I then got 3 + 2 on the following sets... Ignore my colleagues commentary haha!






Woke up this morning 2.5lbs down :angry:

So, all normal meals today - except I'm going back to Nandos tonight and will likely have; double chicken in pitta + chips + cheesecake (raspberry and white choc of course!)


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## Galaxy (Aug 1, 2011)

Good to see this up mate, will follow along.

Love dc training!!


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## LeviathanBodyBuilding (Jan 9, 2012)

I did wonder what happened with your Kent klassic prep! Those injuries sound nasty!!

hope you have a better run at it during the offseason mate


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Had a good weekend, ate according to plan etc and went shopping in Bluewater with the missus yesterday which was cool..

Trained today and did:

Cable Pullovers - 3 x 15

Neutral Grip Pulldown - Rest-Pause set of 15-20 (I go slightly higher than the usual 11-15RP due to my elbows)

Bent Over Rows - 3 x 12 (3rd time doing this in the last few years.. Low back seems to be holding out touch wood!)

Drag Curls - Rest-Pause set of 25-30

Prone 1 Arm Cable Curls - 1 x 15

Also had one of my colleagues, Nathan, perform a combo of ART and Graston technique on my biceps / brachialis. Was pretty damn painful but definitely has helped with my ROM. *Really* big difference actually. We're running a little experiment with it over the next few weeks to see if there's any immediate growth from breaking up the scar tissue / collagen etc.

Pic of him doing the Graston, and then also a pic of the aftermath lol

View attachment IMG_6562.JPG


View attachment IMG_6561.JPG


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Quick update..

Missus won an overnight cruise from her work, so am on that today. Nice to chill, ate good food, sat in a spa / hot tub overlooking the sea etc.

Now sat in a bar waiting for her to come down for dinner (me leaving prompts her to hurry the F up lol)


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

ah24 said:


> Quick update..
> 
> Missus won an overnight cruise from her work, so am on that today. Nice to chill, ate good food, sat in a spa / hot tub overlooking the sea etc.
> 
> Now sat in a bar waiting for her to come down for dinner (me leaving prompts her to hurry the F up lol)


Nice


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## mizer83 (Mar 18, 2012)

Followed a few of your journals now very informative and great content. Quick question on Dumbbell Shoulder Press RP do you have a training partner pass weights back up on 1st & 2nd RP reps?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

mizer83 said:


> Followed a few of your journals now very informative and great content. Quick question on Dumbbell Shoulder Press RP do you have a training partner pass weights back up on 1st & 2nd RP reps?


Yep, I get someone to pass DB's to top of any pressing movement from the very first rep.. Just too dangerous otherwise, as bio-mechanically you start in your weakest position.

Same on machines too.. You'll always start in your weakest position (bottom of a leg press, top of a pulldown, bottom of a chest press).. So I get people to pull the handles out on the first rep on chest press / shoulder press machines. It then mimics the start of say a bench press.

Hope that makes sense?!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Back home now, won a BSN goody bag from local supp shop owner so took 2 sachets and went and trained legs:

Prone DB Leg Curls 1 x RP set of 28 reps and then straight onto machine leg curls for 25 partials

DB RDL's 1 x 12 and then 1 x 20

Squat 1 x 6 and then a widowmaker of 20 reps

45 Degree Lef Press 2 x 30

Got back and as I'm at Jades instead of work where I usually have my PWO cereal etc, today I had 400g tin of low fat rice pudding, 1/2 a soreen and 60g whey.

Now off for a Nandos (chicken & mash) and then to see Spectre! Can't wait, such a film geek..


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Nice chest/shoulder/tri session just now.. Weights AND reps are increasing weekly which is great.. Joints feeling pretty good too, handy having Nathan (colleague) to keep up with my soft tissue work. Genuinely noticing a difference in how 'tight' my shoulders etc feel. Managing to train biceps too, without too much issue around my elbow tendons 

Session was:

*Low Incl. BB Press - *RP set of 18 in total (with a 10kg increase from last week)

*Decline BB Press - *2 x straight sets of 15

*Machine Shoulder Press* - Full stack x RP 17

*Closed Grip Bench* - RP of 110kg for 18

*Dips - *BW + 10kg for 26 reps

PWO was 100g Rice Krispies / 60g Whey Isolate / 2 Bananas

P.S If anyone is considering seeing the new Bond film, Spectre... DO IT!


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## TommyBananas (Nov 23, 2014)

ah24 said:


> P.S If anyone is considering seeing the new Bond film, Spectre... DO IT!


Really? EVERYONE on facebook posting about how sh1t it is. But then again, 99% of people on earth are morons.

I saw some clips of it, looks really good.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

> Really? EVERYONE on facebook posting about how sh1t it is. But then again, 99% of people on earth are morons.
> 
> I saw some clips of it, looks really good.


Yeah I thought it was really good! Mix of humour / car chase / fight scenes / explosions etc.. What more can you want?!

I'd say this one was slightly less serious and more humerous than other Bonds which maybe some people didn't like?

My girlfriend *hates* any film that's longer than 90mins as she has the attention span of a teaspoon... But even she was hooked lol


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## TommyBananas (Nov 23, 2014)

ah24 said:


> Yeah I thought it was really good! Mix of humour / car chase / fight scenes / explosions etc.. What more can you want?!
> 
> I'd say this one was slightly less serious and more humerous than other Bonds which maybe some people didn't like?
> 
> My girlfriend *hates* any film that's longer than 90mins as she has the attention span of a teaspoon... But even she was hooked lol


I have no doubts that it is good, and when I finally do see it I'll hate the people who said it sucked even more than I hate them now.

It reminds me of people who make blogs of like "10 Things wrong with last weeks episode of the walking dead" its like bitch stfu, its a TV show its entertaining now piss off.

Bond films are ALWAYS good.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

TommyBananas said:


> I have no doubts that it is good, and when I finally do see it I'll hate the people who said it sucked even more than I hate them now.
> 
> It reminds me of people who make blogs of like "10 Things wrong with last weeks episode of the walking dead" its like bitch stfu, its a TV show its entertaining now piss off.
> 
> Bond films are ALWAYS good.


Agree with this 100%!


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## toxyuk (Sep 8, 2015)

TommyBananas said:


> But then again, 99% of people on earth are morons.


hehehe i guess you dont have many friends then LOLS ))))))


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

OK, quick update..

Had a good weekend! Sunday morning did something called 'Go Ape' for my Dad's bday.. I fkin hate heights so it took some getting used to, but was good fun in the end. Would definitely recommend! Especially for team building type stuff 

Trained legs yesterday*:*

*Lying Leg Curl - *1 x RP set of 25-30 followed by 25 partials

*Pendulum Squat* - Set 1 = 12-15 reps.. Set 2 = 8-10 HEAVY reps.. Set 3 = a ball busting *50* reps. Horrible!

*45 Degree Leg Press - *2 x 20 reps, each rep with a 2sec PAUSE at the bottom, so no myotatic reflex.

Todays workout:

*DB Floor Press - *1 x RP-11-15

*Machine Shoulder Press - *1 x RP 11-15

*Deadstop Skullcrushers - *1 x RP 25-30

Notes: Really starting to feel run down now and had a bit of a lingering cold for past 6-7 days. Finishing this blast in about 10 days. Then will do a Scott Stevenson style 'intensive cruise' for 14 days.

Bodyweight hasn't shifted, so adding 300-500cals worth of low fat granola to my Greek yoghurt meal..

Last change is that I'm going to start Niacin from next week in an attempt to increase HDL.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

> Everyone is ill atm it seems. my gf has lost her voice, can't move, practically dead lol


Yeah couple guys at my gym are the same! Usually I'm the one person that doesn't get affected - but this is one of those colds that never really develops and just keeps dragging.. Pain in the ass trying to breathe on high rep sets lol :angry:


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

TommyBananas said:


> Everyone is ill atm it seems. my gf has lost her voice, can't move, practically dead lol


Wish my Mrs would lose hers


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Managed to miss my train stop as fell asleep again. This training is so draining! Definitely need the cruise next week.

On another note, missus is now dieting again.. First interval session was just now. She managed 7 and threw up in the gym :thumbup1:


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Definitely due a deload.. Joints are really starting to ache during training sessions now. Struggled to progress on the flat bench today too - I have one more pull and one more legs session to do before a 14 day deload.

Have changed meals v slightly in terms of food order:

*Meal 1:*

4 Whole Eggs + 2 Slices Vogel Toast

*INTRA:*

2 Scoops INTRA-MD + 10g EAA + 250ml Red Grape Juice + 20g Whey ISO

*PWO:*

60g Whey ISO + 150g Coco Pops + Banana

*Meal 2:*

250g 0% Yogurt + 25g Whey + 100g Granola

*Meal 3:*

200g Chicken + 200g Sweet Potato

*Meal 4:*

60g Whey + 50g Oats

*Meal 5:*

200g Steak + 30g Nuts + 20g Nut Butter


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Trained pull today:

*Cable Duel-Pulley Pull-Overs - *3 x 15 + 1 dropset

*Neutral Grip Pulldowns - *1 x RP set - 200lbs for 19 reps total

*Bent Over Rows - *3 x 8 / 8 / 12

*EZ Bar Drag Curls - *1 x RP set of 24 reps

As mentioned in previous post, joints are playing up a bit so had my colleague Nathan perform some Graston technique on my quads and pecs. Not particularly comfortable at the time, but feel 10x better now.

Planning 4-5 ART / Graston / Deep Tissue treatments during my 2 week deload.

Also, finally got New York all booked up with the missus for December :thumbup1:


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Today's a good day


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Bit of an off topic post, but thought I'd share two of my later non-competitor client photos 

These two have done awesome.. 10 weeks for the guy, 18 weeks for the female:


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

ah24 said:


> Bit of an off topic post, but thought I'd share two of my later non-competitor client photos
> 
> These two have done awesome.. 10 weeks for the guy, 18 weeks for the female:


Great work there


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## Galaxy (Aug 1, 2011)

ah24 said:


> Bit of an off topic post, but thought I'd share two of my later non-competitor client photos
> 
> These two have done awesome.. 10 weeks for the guy, 18 weeks for the female:
> 
> ...


Great work as per mate... but tell your guy there to at least crack a smile lol


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Galaxy said:


> Great work as per mate... but tell your guy there to at least crack a smile lol


Thanks! And yes, haha, you wouldn't think he'd just added a load of LBM whilst getting abs for the first time in his life lol


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Short update..

Haven't trained since my sh1tty session last Friday due to niggles. In the middle of my deload now. Will do a straight set style chest/back session tomorrow - but will likely take the full 2 weeks off of legs. Getting treatment on my left quad and right plantaris. Starting to loosen up which feels great.

On a personal note, finally picked engagement ring for the girlfriend (planning to be cliche and propose in NY in 3 weeks)... Was looking for 6 weeks, so feel relieved I've finally bit the bullet and settled on one!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Latest bit of reading - all about cholesterol!

Had bloods done a few weeks back as mentioned, and the only real 'red flag' was that my HDL was too low.

So, in an effort to push that back up I'm now supplementing with:

- Niacin

- Curcumin

- Citrus Bergamot

- Fish Oils

Fingers crossed when I re-test in 8-12 weeks it's back where it should be.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Yesterday was first workout of deload..

Nice & simple, nothing to failure:

*Paused Bench Press - *4 x 10

*Seated Cable Rows* 4 x 10

*Incl. DB Press - *4 x 12

*Mag Grip Underhand Pulldown - *4 x 12

*Cable Crunches - *3 x 12


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## Mikel123 (Feb 14, 2015)

In !


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

10 days of cruising now..

Tried first workout back on DC, elbow playing up again.. Bloody annoying.

Just messaged Scott (Stevenson) about starting Fortitude Training early (was planning for new year), as think it *should* be slightly easier on the joints!

Food today:

M1: 4 Whole Eggs + 100g Salmon + 2 Slices Toast

M2: 60g HBCD + 250ml Orange Juice + 20g EAA + 20g Whey ISO

M3: 150g Coco Pops + 60g Whey + 1 Banana

M4: 250g 0% Yogurt + 30g Whey + 100g Granola

M5: 200g Chicken + 200g Sweet Potato

M6: 200g Steak + 50g Cream of Rice

M7: 2 Scoops Whey + 30g Nuts + 20g PB


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Hmm fav meal of the day!


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## Mikel123 (Feb 14, 2015)

itd be my dream to work with scott

how long you working with him for ,bet your leaning a ton!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Mikel123 said:


> itd be my dream to work with scott
> 
> how long you working with him for ,bet your leaning a ton!


Initiallly we've just gone for 4 months to see how we work together, with a view of doing a full years off-season and then prep.

So far I'm really impressed. I've listened to podcasts with him, done a lot of reading and also tend to think along the same lines.. So right now through the online coaching it's more running ideas by Scott and then he's making tweaks and giving his view. One thing I like is he isn't dictating anything - he works *with* you to piece the plans together

It's come contest time that it'll be interesting to see 

Having said that I did do a Skype consult with him prior to hiring him - and THAT blew me away. Damn he's intelligent, and v v passionate too!

Would highly recommend if you're considering it, though I'd suggest you need at least a base level of knowledge/experience first.


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## Mikel123 (Feb 14, 2015)

yeah iv actually spoke to Scott quite a bit over email,pretty much read and listened to everything by him,

im considering him for my next prep and off season


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Just a quick update ahead of this eve:

Did a light full body session on Tues and tonight will be final session of deload.. Opting for a full body Muscle Round session to get the hang of it. Never done it before so trying it at moderate weights tonight before going into FT on Monday. Plans are:

Bent Over Row - MR 6 x 4

Overhand Pulldown - MR 6 x 4

Dips - MR 6 x 4

Triceps Pushdowns - 2 x 20

Smith Squats - MR 6 x 4

Abdominals - 3 x 20

Looking forward to it!


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## TELBOR (Feb 20, 2012)

In mate


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Just finished first FT workout (Basic - Tier 1)

*Rack Chins - *1 x 12

*T-Bar Rows - *1 x 10

** Hanging lat stretch - 60sec **

*Decline Bench* - 1 x 8

** DB Pec Flye Stretch **

*Seated DB Shoulder Press - *1 x 10

*Bulgarian Split Squat - *1 x 15 each leg (these were fkin tough!)

*Prone Hamstring Curls - *1 x 15

*Leg Ext. - *1 x 15

Was pretty tough!

Plan is to do this Tier 1 for 2 weeks and then bump up to Tier 2 for remaining part of blast.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

OK, so yesterdays session was Lower Load/Upper Pump:

*Squats* - 1 x 10

*Prone Leg Curl - *1 x 12

*Leg Ext - *1 x 12

*Cable Flyes - *1 x 25 .. INTO .. *Underhand Mag-Grip Pulldowns - *1 x 20

*DB Lateral Raises - *1 x 25 .. INTO .. *V-Crunches - *1 x 25

*DB Curls - *1 x 18 .. INTO .. *Bench Dips - *1 x 25

So, I have two days of MR's (Muscle Rounds) tomorrow & Friday which I'm looking forward to and then onto next week. From next week I'm going to go up to Tier 2.

The first two days will be done at UP where I work, and the MR's will be done in New York on Thurs & Fri.

One small change diet wise:

I've been eating eggs ever day for breakfast since March, so getting a little tedious.

From tomorrow I'm switching the; 4 Whole Eggs + 2 Slices Toast to:

100g Smoked Salmon + 50g Cream Cheese + Bagel


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

First proper Muscle Round session today.. DAMN! They are TOUGH when done properly! Was pouring with sweat and heart rate was through the roof throughout. Great pump too..

*Bent Over Rows - *6 x 4 (10sec rest) .. Hit failure on 5th set, reduced weight

*Neutral Grip Pulldowns - *6 x 4 (10sec rest) .. Managed all 6 sets so will increase weight next time

*Bench Press - *6 x 4/4/4/3/2 .. Massively over-shot on weight here, so will reduce next time

*DB Laterals - *6 x 4

*Closed Grip Push Ups - *6 x 4 (3sec eccentric + pause at bottom)

*Hanging Leg Raises - *6 x 4 (last 2 sets were knee raises as opposed to leg raises)

Tweaked diet slightly and on around:

Pro - 350g Carbs - 450g Fats - 90-100g


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## Mikel123 (Feb 14, 2015)

Love muscle round days


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## Panda909 (Mar 29, 2012)

Following this mate, I'm doing FT for the 3rd time now. Every time I read the ebook again I pick something up that ive left out by mistake, add it in and enjoy it even more.

What do your warm ups look like? I don't think I'm warming up adequately tbh.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Stevie909 said:


> Following this mate, I'm doing FT for the 3rd time now. Every time I read the ebook again I pick something up that ive left out by mistake, add it in and enjoy it even more.
> 
> What do your warm ups look like? I don't think I'm warming up adequately tbh.


 I actually think most people warm up sub-optimally..

They either; 1) Don't warm up at all, 2) Get over ambitious during the warm up sets, and end up hindering their working set loads or 3) Do a warm up but just go through the motions with no intention..

Remember the goal is to 'warm up the joint' (i.e. release synovial fluid) BUT also to prepare the CNS and 'switch on' motor units.

Say I'm working up to a 140kg bench.. I would do something like:

Set 1) Empty Bar - 15 reps

Set 2) 60kg - 10 reps

Set 3) 90kg - 6 reps

Set 4) 100-110kg - 2 reps

As the weight goes up, I decrease reps.

BUT, what is crucial is even on the earlier lighter sets, I'm acting as though it's a working set.

There are two ways to recruit as many motor units as possible: *Load* (weight used) and *Speed.*

Therefore, when I'm benching with low load (e.g. the 60kg set) I'm exploding up to the point I want to hear the plates on the bar rattle. On my 100kg x 2 rep warm up set, I'm applying the same mentality - I want that bar to FLY up.

Think back to a time where you've done 3-4 straight sets, and occasionally on set 2 or 3 you're actually *stronger. *It's due to the above. If you warm up using this principle, set one should be as strong as possible!


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## Panda909 (Mar 29, 2012)

Sorry I asked! Lol nah I'm kidding.

very accurate tbh mate, I admit myself I fall under 3). I'll defo give a few of the things above a try, and see how it's reflected in my training, thank you for taking the time to answer!

will defo follow this tho, must be incredible to work with Scott directly


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Stevie909 said:


> Sorry I asked! Lol nah I'm kidding.
> 
> very accurate tbh mate, I admit myself I fall under 3). I'll defo give a few of the things above a try, and see how it's reflected in my training, thank you for taking the time to answer!
> 
> will defo follow this tho, must be incredible to work with Scott directly


 Haha - no need to apologise! I enjoy questions in my thread and always like to give a full explanation to explain the *whys*.

Yep, it's cool working with Scott so far. Nice guy


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

OK, time to give an update..

Was away in New York last week (still trained and kept calories at a decent level). Also proposed to Jade, so now engaged... Was an absolute cluster f**k and about as unromantic as possible, but she's happy none-the-less.

View attachment IMG_6060.JPG


Progress wise at the height of DC blast my morning weight was 202lbs. Dropped to 200lbs during cruise, held that weight whilst away (I typically drop 3lbs overnight if I miss *one* meal).

Been absolutely nailing the diet since back as well as progressing in training every session - weight has suddenly jumped to 205lbs last couple days, arms are up by 1cm and umbilicus skinfold is the same.. V v happy with this.

Current diet is:

*Meal 1: *Bagel + 100g Smoked Salmon + 60g Cream Cheese + 30g Whey

*Meal 2 (INTRA): *60g HBCD + 250ml Pineapple Juice + 20g EAA + 20g Whey ISO

*Meal 3 (PWO): *60g Whey + 150g Coco Pops + Banana + 2 mini Soreens (on my heavy days)

*Meal 4: *250g 0% Yoghurt + 30g Whey + 100g Low Fat Granola

*Meal 5: *200g Chicken Breast + 300g White Potato

*Meal 6: *200g Steak + 300g White Potato + 30g Nuts

*Meal 7: *60g Whey + 50g Nut Butter


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Upper MR's today!

*Bent Over Rows *- 6 x 4 (was blowing out of my ass after this!)

*Mag-Grip Pulldown* - 6 x 4

*Seated DB Shrugs - *6 x 4 (hit all 24 reps, so continued the final set to make 30.. Great pump in traps!)

*Chest Supported Lateral Raises - *6 x 4 (had to reduce weight to finish)

*Paused Decline Bench - *6 x 4 (had to reduce weight on the 5th set, and on the final set just repped out again)

*Closed Grip Bench - *6 x 4 (bad shoulder so didn't go all out)

*Decline DB Flyes - *Due to shoulder, I just did a huge pump set... Did 20 reps straight up, then went lighter used a pronated grip and did just the bottom 1/3 of the movement. Loads of blood in the pecs without aggravating shoulder


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

First update of the new year!

Managed a pretty good 'Festive period', chilled out and ended up taking about 8 days off of clients and traveling to London. In that time I managed to convert my fiance into a COD expert.

Training wise, all was good - missed two sessions due to gym closures. Food wise I stayed at Jade's parents so really just ate their food, but would add a scoop of whey / spoon of PB here and there to increase protein/fats in meals. As meals were dropping from 7 to 3-4 I knew I had to at least try and keep them high.

Well - it worked! Got on the scales this morning and was 207lbs (2lb increase over Xmas).. I was really thinking I'd drop weight - so I'm happy with this!

Plans for 2017 - post on here more often!

Also, just sat down writing Will's (Bad Alan from here a while back) prep plans - for those of you that know him, he's looking v good! Starting in an awesome position, and quads have even more of a sweep on them if possible!

Whilst this will be my 'bulking' log, I may update on Will's prep from time-to-time if; a) He doesn't mind b ) People here would find it interesting


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## mizer83 (Mar 18, 2012)

ah24 said:


> First update of the new year!
> 
> Managed a pretty good 'Festive period', chilled out and ended up taking about 8 days off of clients and traveling to London. In that time I managed to convert my fiance into a COD expert.
> 
> ...


Shame Bad Alan left his journals were some of the best, would be great to keep up with his prep and maybe some pics if he's cool with it ??


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

ah24 said:


> First update of the new year!
> 
> Managed a pretty good 'Festive period', chilled out and ended up taking about 8 days off of clients and traveling to London. In that time I managed to convert my fiance into a COD expert.
> 
> ...


 Nice to hear that fella. Do you two work together then regularly?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

A1243R said:


> Nice to hear that fella. Do you two work together then regularly?


 We've both ran ideas past each other for the last couple years throughout off-season and preps, but this will be the first one where I'll be over-seeing the whole thing


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

ah24 said:


> We've both ran ideas past each other for the last couple years throughout off-season and preps, but this will be the first one where I'll be over-seeing the whole thing


 Sounds good. I'm currently working with him. It's going great


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

A1243R said:


> Sounds good. I'm currently working with him. It's going great


 Yeah, he's a really good guy.

Last year during my prep I was crazy busy with work (out house 16-18hours per day) and had some personal stuff going on, the guy cooked my food for me *every* week of prep. Seriously helped me out as said I wouldn't be able to compete, but he insisted on cooking so that all I had to do was train clients, eat and train myself. I'd do my food shop on a Sat night, drop to him and pick up and then just portion on a Sunday morning. Absolute legend.

Bloody good in the kitchen too lol :thumb:


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Damn.. Tough workout earlier, think I burst blood vessels in my head/behind my eyes like I did a few years back.

Was a lower body Muscle Round workout which is easy on paper, but today really went for it which floored me..

Atlantis Pendulum Squat - 6 x 4/4/4/4/4/6

Prone Curl - 6 x 4/4/4/4/4/4

45 Degree Press - 6 x 4/4/4/4/4/2

EZ Bar Curls - 6 4/4/4/4/4/4

DB OH Decline Crunches - 6 x 4/4/4/4/4/4

It was that final set of the leg press where I hit failure at rep 2 that triggered the head pains.

Food wise, pushing carbs up again by 50-60g. Nice and easy adustment, just an additional 250ml Pineapple Juice in my INTRA drink plus 2 Soreen Snack Loaf's to go alongside my current PWO meal.


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

ah24 said:


> Damn.. Tough workout earlier, think I burst blood vessels in my head/behind my eyes like I did a few years back.
> 
> Was a lower body Muscle Round workout which is easy on paper, but today really went for it which floored me..
> 
> ...


 Are you working with scott now mate?


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## irosscoj (Jan 6, 2016)

hi mate, cool log - i'll be following. Congrats on the engagement, thats awesome.

when you say travel to london work wise - what areas do you cover? i am around central and have tons of guest passes at Gymbox if you need somewhere to train


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

A1243R said:


> Are you working with scott now mate?


 I am indeed! Been around 4 months now. V cool guys and easy going, it's not some dictatorship where he tells me what to do. It's more a case of I lay my plans out and he replies with his views 'you could perhaps move this to here... that to there' etc

Check-in every 2-3 weeks to make sure he's happy I'm not getting out of shape. I like it!



irosscoj said:


> hi mate, cool log - i'll be following. Congrats on the engagement, thats awesome.
> 
> when you say travel to london work wise - what areas do you cover? i am around central and have tons of guest passes at Gymbox if you need somewhere to train


 Thanks! Looking at wedding plans etc now (Lake Garda in Italy, probably) and f**k me it's a ballache.

I'm mainly based around Old Street/Liverpool Street area - but would deff check some Gymbox sites out! Always good to train in fresh gyms with different equipment 

Adam


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## irosscoj (Jan 6, 2016)

ah24 said:


> I am indeed! Been around 4 months now. V cool guys and easy going, it's not some dictatorship where he tells me what to do. It's more a case of I lay my plans out and he replies with his views 'you could perhaps move this to here... that to there' etc
> 
> Check-in every 2-3 weeks to make sure he's happy I'm not getting out of shape. I like it!
> 
> ...


 drop me a message on here mate and can sort out those guest passes - the gyms are pretty good to be fair.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Checked with Will, and he's cool with some updates in here..

He'll be 16 weeks out tomorrow and weighing 111kg (244lbs).

*Food is starting at:*

Protein - 300g

Carbohydrate - 480g

Fats - 100g

*Cardio is starting at:*

3 x 20min HIIT sessions straight off the bat from day 1

Training wise he's using Scott Stevensons Fortitude Training currently (4x per week).. We'll likely increase his training to 5 days per week at around 10-12 weeks out 

@mizer83 @A1243R


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## Galaxy (Aug 1, 2011)

ah24 said:


> Checked with Will, and he's cool with some updates in here..
> 
> He'll be 16 weeks out tomorrow and weighing 111kg (244lbs).
> 
> ...


Posting any pics mate??


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Galaxy said:


> Posting any pics mate??


 Not right now, he'd prefer to have them posted at around 12 weeks out when he's starting to look show ready.

Atm he's looking pretty good though! Great starting point


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

V small change but thought I'd mention it:

I always like my breakfast to be high fat/mod carb & protein.

Throughout prep it was; 4 Whole Eggs + 50g Oats

Immediately post prep it was 4 Whole Eggs + 2 slices Vogel Toast

Got quite bored of that so for the past 8-10 weeks have been having; 100g Smoked Salmon + 50g Cream Cheese + Bagel

Well, now that Xmas is over the price of smoked salmon has climbed, so thought I'd change breakfast again:

100g 10% Fat Beef Mince + 1 Avocado + Bagel

Just had it now and it's v good! If you're lacking fats in the diet would deff recommend mixing avocado into beef mince.. Goes perfectly and so easy to get down as not dry


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Had a productive upper load session.. Damn bodyweight dropped again, so more food.. Again..

V v busy with clients at mo which is fun, and also going to sit the ISSN advanced nutrition cert. Start reading the Bioenergetics chapter yesterday - slightly out my depth currently!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Right shoulder is playing up again (joint, not muscular) and completely failed and fell out of it this yesterday lol.. Time for a deload!

View attachment IMG_7247.JPG


Macro wise, I've suggested to Scott that we push calories higher on non-training days during deload as I'm v prone to losing weight.

Current diet is:

Meal 1:
1 Scoop Whey
100g 10% Fat Beef Mince
1 Avocado
1 Bagel

INTRA:
60g HBCD
500ml Pineapple Juice
20g EAA
20g Whey ISO

Meal 2 PWO:
150g Cereal
50-60g Whey
1 Banana
2 Soreen Malt Loafs

Meal 3:
250g 0% Fat Yoghurt
1 Scoop Whey
100g Low Fat Granola

Meal 4:
200g Chicken Breast (raw weight)
Noodles (give me 45g carbs)

Meal 5:
250g 10% Beef Mince (or oily fish)
250g Sweet Potato
30g Nuts

Meal 6:
2 Scoops Whey
40g Nut Butter

This gives me approx:
Pro - 350g
Carbs - 530g
Fats - 100g

On non-training days I drop the INTRA and PWO meals (which come to around 300g carbs)... So my carb intake would be 230g. Instead I have 2 scoops whey + 30g PB)


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

@ah24 what's up with your shoulder buddy? Mines always playing up and it's fu**ing annoying! What do you when it plays up? Time off doesn't seem to make mine any better!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

A1243R said:


> @ah24 what's up with your shoulder buddy? Mines always playing up and it's fu**ing annoying! What do you when it plays up? Time off doesn't seem to make mine any better!


 With the shoulder it's always hard to tell exactly where the issue is. You can do muscle testing techniques but it's tough to pinpoint.

My colleague has been doing ART on it and thinks it's where the long head of my biceps is impinged somewhere up in the bicipittal groove. I'm not so sure..

This happens from time to time with my shoulder, but then buggers off again if I rest it. Hoping this deload helps it (although I won't hold my breath as this time it's been niggling for about 6-8 weeks)

Have you had any treatment on yours? Which movements trigger it?


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

ah24 said:


> With the shoulder it's always hard to tell exactly where the issue is. You can do muscle testing techniques but it's tough to pinpoint.
> 
> My colleague has been doing ART on it and thinks it's where the long head of my biceps is impinged somewhere up in the bicipittal groove. I'm not so sure..
> 
> ...


 I have a regular sports massage and ask him to look at the area but tbh i dont get them to look at it enough.

I also had a Physio look at it a while back... say 6/9 months ago but i was literally in agony with it for two weeks after.


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## TELBOR (Feb 20, 2012)

ah24 said:


> Right shoulder is playing up again (joint, not muscular) and completely failed and fell out of it this yesterday lol.. Time for a deload!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


2 soree malt loafs ?!? Is that 2 slices or 2 whole loafs lol. It's about 1400 cals a loaf isn't it?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

TELBOR said:


> 2 soree malt loafs ?!? Is that 2 slices or 2 whole loafs lol. It's about 1400 cals a loaf isn't it?


 Haha should have been more specific! 2 Soreen SNACK loafs. They do these mini 'lunchbox' ones that are 20g carbs and <1g fat each - so ideal for bumping up PWO carbs in increments!

Although in my off-season log last year I was actually eating 100g biltong + 1 whole malt loaf 3-4x per day as I just couldn't get the calories in at one point!


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## TELBOR (Feb 20, 2012)

ah24 said:


> TELBOR said:
> 
> 
> > 2 soree malt loafs ?!? Is that 2 slices or 2 whole loafs lol. It's about 1400 cals a loaf isn't it?
> ...


Haha yeah I know the ones, about £1 aren't they. Love the stuff, haven't had it in about 2 years though as I get carried away. Used to have a full load pre workout.

The banana one is nice!!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

TELBOR said:


> Haha yeah I know the ones, about £1 aren't they. Love the stuff, haven't had it in about 2 years though *as I get carried away.* Used to have a full load pre workout.
> 
> The banana one is nice!!


 This is exactly why I use the snack loafs! V v easy to over-do the full size ones.. And yep banana is usually the flavour I go for!

Easyyyyy way of increasing carb intake


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## TELBOR (Feb 20, 2012)

ah24 said:


> TELBOR said:
> 
> 
> > Haha yeah I know the ones, about £1 aren't they. Love the stuff, haven't had it in about 2 years though *as I get carried away.* Used to have a full load pre workout.
> ...


Mmm, craving some now..... Wonder if I can squeeze it into my diet lol

A loaf isn't all that bad is it


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## Closey91 (Aug 3, 2014)

Can I ask mate how come such low reps or is how this fortitude training is set up. How much of a calorie surplus are you in?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Closey91 said:


> Can I ask mate how come such low reps or is how this fortitude training is set up. How much of a calorie surplus are you in?


 Sure,

Theres three different types of sets along with their own rep ranges.

Load sets - 6-12

Pump sets - 15-30

Muscle Rounds - 24 (6x4)

I guess you've seen my MR examples 6 x 4/4/4/4/4 etc.... It's a weight you could perform 15 reps with, but you do 4 reps, 10sec rest and repeat 6x. So although it looks like 'low reps' it's just a discontinuous set.

As for what my caloric surplus is.. I haven't worked it out. I never use online calculators etc as I'm awake longer than the average person and on my feet all day - so I find they undershoot for me.

ATM including a cheat meal etc probably on around 5000cals per day, 97kg at 5'6 if that helps?!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Quick update:

A few days into my deload so far and joints already feel better. Will probably do 3x muscle round sessions next week, and then from next Monday jump back on FT properly!

Signed up for the ISSN Nutritional Conference in April incase anyone reads this and is also going?

Lastly, first official check-in from Will - 1.8kg down in the first week. Only change is I've dropped his HIIT sessions and replaced them with 20min SSCV


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## ConP (Aug 18, 2013)

Nice journal Adam!

I also love FT, hell I am going to Scott's FT day camp next Saturday 

9 hour drive each way will be a pain but it should be worth it.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

ConP said:


> Nice journal Adam!
> 
> I also love FT, hell I am going to Scott's FT day camp next Saturday
> 
> 9 hour drive each way will be a pain but it should be worth it.


 Nice! Bet that'll be worth the drive 100%... The guy is just full of knowledge.

Funnily enough we've been talking and he's hopefully going to be hiring the gym I'm at, to hold a couple of FT camps back here in the UK!

Read a post of yours earlier re; how your gym & training business is going currently.. Great to see!


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## ConP (Aug 18, 2013)

ah24 said:


> Nice! Bet that'll be worth the drive 100%... The guy is just full of knowledge.
> 
> Funnily enough we've been talking and he's hopefully going to be hiring the gym I'm at, to hold a couple of FT camps back here in the UK!
> 
> Read a post of yours earlier re; how your gym & training business is going currently.. Great to see!


 Do you think people will pay the fee to do a day camp in the UK? Over here he charges $400 per person. Which is reasonable for an event like this IMO (I charge a fair bit whenever I hold a training day so i get that) but in the UK people seem to be more reluctant to pay a larger amount?


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

@ah24 any updates buddy? How you getting on this week? Are you back on FT?

How is Will doing?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

ConP said:


> Do you think people will pay the fee to do a day camp in the UK? Over here he charges $400 per person. Which is reasonable for an event like this IMO (I charge a fair bit whenever I hold a training day so i get that) but in the UK people seem to be more reluctant to pay a larger amount?


 I was thinking this. People over here are so tight with their money when it comes to education. I really hope for Scott's sake that it takes off for him. I know he has a following over here - but everyone wants seminars on their doorstep, not many are happy to travel for these things.

A plus side is, if he can do it from my gym at least it's in Central London (Mayfair) so v v easily accessible.



A1243R said:


> @ah24 any updates buddy? How you getting on this week? Are you back on FT?
> 
> How is Will doing?


 Sorry for being slow on here mate.. Managed to come down with a bloody cold last couple days (after telling a client on Monday that I'm 'never' ill - ironic).

I did my first session back yesterday, chose upper MR's so that I could work hard without lifting too heavy from day 1 (15RM for the MR's).. Was on my back after as couldn't breathe! Mixture of them f**king me over in general and the cold thing.

Will is doing v good. 1.8kg in the first official week (although he started tightening things a couple weeks back). We switched HIIT for SSCV during this week and I want to see what effect that has, if we have another good week we'll drop CV completely for 7 days and hopefully not make any dietary changes either 

Just taken on a new client today that is natty but has those awesome black genetics - guy is stacked! Never competed before and wants to compete in 'muscle model' - I'm trying to persuade him to just jump straight into BB'ing!

Also in the middle of setting up some nutrition seminars on behalf of Ultimate Performance if anyone is interested. First one is a short talk about nutrition for hypertrophy (setting pro/fat/carbs, peri workout nutrition etc) which is in Mayfair on 21st Feb... Second one is at UP Manchester and will be on general fat loss. Later to come are female specific, vegan/vegetarian etc..


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

ah24 said:


> I was thinking this. People over here are so tight with their money when it comes to education. I really hope for Scott's sake that it takes off for him. I know he has a following over here - but everyone wants seminars on their doorstep, not many are happy to travel for these things.
> 
> A plus side is, if he can do it from my gym at least it's in Central London (Mayfair) so v v easily accessible.
> 
> ...


 Let me know about the Manchester one buddy. I'm local to Manchester!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

A1243R said:


> Let me know about the Manchester one buddy. I'm local to Manchester!


 I can't seem to find an address for our Manchester gym?!

Will let you know for sure though when I get all the info through for the Manchester seminar 

(The first Manchester one might be a tad boring as it'll be general fat loss - but we'll be back to do an advanced one, too)

The hypertrophy day in London will be fun too, I think it's a full day with two lectures plus two training sessions. My colleague will be covering anatomy of the muscles trained and I'll be doing nutrition specific to muscle gain.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Short update:

Ended up coming down with a cold that got to chest on deload.. So, only trained twice during my two week deload. Not ideal but gave my joints longer to heal I guess 

BW dropped slightly which is annoying, but hoping getting back on track should pull things around!

Will dropped another 4-5lbs this week. So, cardio completely dropped for him. Only change is we've dropped the pineapple out of one of his meals. So far that's the only dietary change we've made. (No stims / fat burners at this point either, btw).


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

ah24 said:


> Will dropped another 4-5lbs this week. So, cardio completely dropped for him. Only change is we've dropped the pineapple out of one of his meals. So far that's the only dietary change we've made. (No stims / fat burners at this point either, btw).


 Good going that then. Bet hes thrilled to drop the cardio aha. I've just agreed to continue with him for the next few months at least and set out the plan for this year so looking forward to it.

Hopefully he can get me stage ready by the end of 2017


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

A1243R said:


> Good going that then. Bet hes thrilled to drop the cardio aha. I've just agreed to continue with him for the next few months at least and set out the plan for this year so looking forward to it.
> 
> Hopefully he can get me stage ready by the end of 2017


 Yeah think he's happy about that.. Can tell he didn't like HIIT at first  But he got it done as always! Considering he's still on 100g fat and 450g carbs we've got so much room for next 14 weeks.

I'm sure he'll get you in bloody good shape!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

PWO going down. I have 2 full cups of the Coco Pops + whey but took photo 1/2 way through.

150g Coco Pops

60g Whey

1 Banana

2 x Soreen


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Great week back on track for me, and already 2lbs heavier than I've ever been (in the morning and with current BF%) - so quite happy with this. Shoulder is still buggered but hey-ho.

Check-in from Will, all good so far.. Waiting for pics tomorrow morn before I start with his changes. I put up his macros a while back.. But thought I'd share his diet starting point (it's changed a little since this and cardio got switched to SSCV and then complete rest):


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Training over past couple days has gone well and strength up again 

2 days off of working in London which is nice! Today was unexpected, Jade had period pains etc so I gave her some tramadol to knock her out - ended badly with a reaction to it lol (whoops)

Tomorrow is just a day off of in-person clients, so will do some studying for my ISSN exam, train and do some online clients..

@A1243R the seminars are now up btw if interested dude.. Manchester will be Saturday 27th Feb. Hopefully should be held at the Malmaison Hotel, if not then at the UP gym! http://upfitness.com/nutrition-seminars


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

*Update for me:*

Due to Jade being ill, I missed my 'load' leg session.. So yesterday decided to combine a load AND MR session.. Damn, won't be doing that again. Not much volume at all but legs are trashed!

I did:

Pendulum - 1 x FAILURE at 9 reps

Prone Hamstring Curl - FAILURE at 11 reps

Decline Garhammer Raises - 15 reps

Leg Press - 6 x 4/4/4/4/4/4

Seated Hamstring Curl - 6 x 4/4/2/4/4/4

Hanging Leg Raises - 6 x 4/4/4/4//4/3

EZ Drag Curls - 6 4/4/4/4/4/6

Was wiped at the end of it! Bodyweight up another lb which is great. Umbilicus skinfold is up by about 1mm, so keeping an eye on it - but at this stage I just want to see weight climbing slightly.. Maintain it there for a a few weeks and then do a mini 'clean up''. Feeling good, growing, getting stronger, and lowest amount of supps I've used.

*Will's update:*

Weight and umbilicus curcumference has been dropping nicely with Will each week, but we've both agreed visually he needs to be a bit tighter at this stage.

So, have dropped his fats by 5g and switched them from saturated (butter) to olive oil (MUFA) - looking at his diet, ALL the fats are saturates. I've no hard proof but I do think this causes 'thicker' BF. I really think there's something in using liquid fats that are either poly/mono unsaturated and making bodyfat more pliable. As said, I can't back this up - it's just a hunch.

On top of that I've dropped 3 of his potato based meals from 300g down to 200g each.. But, if he notices hunger have said we'll bump those to 250g each and drop his PWO banana.

2 x SSCV sessions upto 30min from 25min

Yohimbine HCL added in this week at 12.5mg alongside 200mg caffeine.


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

ah24 said:


> *Update for me:*
> 
> Due to Jade being ill, I missed my 'load' leg session.. So yesterday decided to combine a load AND MR session.. Damn, won't be doing that again. Not much volume at all but legs are trashed!
> 
> ...


 Any pictures of him mate?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

A1243R said:


> Any pictures of him mate?


 Maybe in another week or two once we've pulled things around and got Will to where I want him


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## Panda909 (Mar 29, 2012)

I miss seeing will on here, was always v knowledgeable. Good to hear he's getting okay. How come he doesn't post anymore?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Stevie909 said:


> I miss seeing will on here, was always v knowledgeable. Good to hear he's getting okay. How come he doesn't post anymore?


 To be honest, whenever we catch up I've never actually asked why he doesn't post here anymore! I think some of the guys on here were being derogatory comments etc toward Claire a while back - pretty sure that was the main reason that neither of them post anymore.

Shame!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Good week so far in terms of food etc.. Bodyweight holding nicely again..

What seems to be happening is I put around 5-6lbs on each training blast, then drop 3-4lbs.. So each time I'm left with a net gain of around 2lbs.

I'd really like to hit a morning weight of 220lbs (100kg) at 5'6 and then do a mini cut. Body fat is pretty good atm but the umbilicus is creeping up by 0.5-1mm every 4-5 weeks or so. No problem right now, but I'm mindful of it.

Have spent *a lot* of time on these nutrition presentations I'm doing. Have actually over achieved and going to have to condense it as I managed to compile 90-120 slides.. Got a bit carried away! Should be fun though


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Bodyweight up another lb and comments at work from people saying I'm looking bigger.. Always good to hear!

Strength up too each session. Had some treatment on shoulder Monday evening - fely bruised yesterday but seeming to ease off today.. Fingers crossed that's done it!

Looking to up food further this week, currently on around:

Pro - 315g

Carb - 530g

Fat - 120g

Training days are less carbs, so looking to increase food there most likely.

Also in the middle of booking Dubai for May time, may do a mini diet 4-8 weeks prior and experiment with some mild fasting.. Other than that, just plugging away!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Pushed calories up slightly on both training & non-training days... The last 4 bumps have all been from carbs, so time to even out slightly now by increasing protein & fats slightly:

1 Scoop of Whey added to my 6am shake

1tbsp Carlsons Liquid Fish Oil added too

Around a 240cal increase.

Who knows.. May even take some update pics and put them in here next week


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

ah24 said:


> Pushed calories up slightly on both training & non-training days... The last 4 bumps have all been from carbs, so time to even out slightly now by increasing protein & fats slightly:
> 
> 1 Scoop of Whey added to my 6am shake
> 
> ...


 Sounds like progress is being made mate! Be good to see some progress photos.

Any pictures of will yet  ?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

A1243R said:


> Sounds like progress is being made mate! Be good to see some progress photos.
> 
> Any pictures of will yet  ?


 Yeah, things are going v nicely for me! BF% isn't too crazy for off-season either.. Last time I checked, my umbilicus skinfold was still <10mm.

With Will, things are pulling along nicely, but I really want to only put pics of him up when I think he is slightly ahead. There's still work to do over the next couple weeks until we're both 'happy'. We've got a little more aggressive with things this past 7 days - so things should start happening quickly


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Will has tightened up further over the last week. We may do a photo soon 

My training has gone well, stil stronger each week again - but - for the first time this offseason, my digestion has started to slow.

I always get to this stage and it's so frustrating.. Literally waking up at 2am and repeating beef mince / acid reflex. Pretty grim!

I've another 10-11 days on this training blast, and then can reduce food slightly to give the digestive system a rest..


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## 1manarmy (Apr 22, 2012)

what show is will aiming for man? i should sling him a text really


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## Dieseldave (Jul 8, 2013)

I've been having the same digestive issues lately as well due to the high Cal intake.

Have you ever developed a tolerance to any particular type of food? I'm suspecting this might be my issue.

Do you ever cycle certain foods in and out of your diet?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

1manarmy said:


> what show is will aiming for man? i should sling him a text really


 NABBA SE on 30th April 



Dieseldave said:


> I've been having the same digestive issues lately as well due to the high Cal intake.
> 
> Have you ever developed a tolerance to any particular type of food? I'm suspecting this might be my issue.
> 
> Do you ever cycle certain foods in and out of your diet?


 I don't typically cycle foods as for me I think usually it just comes down to volume of food. After a while, somethings gotta give.

That said, I've worked out that beef mince doesn't seem to agree with me. I'm forever repeating it - since switching to buffalo mince, it's all good 

Digestive enzymes help massively too!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Finished training blast now.. Appetite/digestion ended up pretty shot as mentioned..

Going into a two week deload now and just going to push calories up 3 days per week, and have 4 days at a lowered caloric intake. Hoping this helps improves things as it's pretty miserable eating atm!

My back is probably my weakest body part, so took a pic of this after some general upper body MR's a couple days back. Happy with how thickness has improved.. Having to buy all new shirts too, so something is happening! Looking forward to when I next diet properly and see what's under the bodyfat 

View attachment IMG_7556.JPG


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

In the middle of my intensive cruise atm.. Things are OK but appetite still not 100%. Thinking it may be the beef causing issues.

In an ideal world right now I'd switch all of my animal protein meals for white or oily fish. But, I prep *all* my food on a Sunday for the whole week (3 days in fridge + 4 days in freezer). For some reason fish seems to taste/smell more 'fishy' when it's sat there for a few days. It would be great if I could cook daily - but time just doesn't allow it right now.

In more positive news, my competitors are doing really well. Will is pretty much back on track. Xav, a heavy weight client has come to me at the last minute but has awesome shape.. I'm prepping a couple of physique / muscle model guys who are looking as they should and also some females. Keeping me busy on top of all my 'normal' clients but enjoying it


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Back onto my training blast..

Had a busy couple weeks, delivered my second seminar of Fat Loss: 101 to about 40 trainers in Mayfair last Sunday - which was great.. But v tiring.

For the last 3 weeks I've had a twitchy eyelid which is getting annoying. Usually it f**ks off after a few days, but this one is lingering. Quite busy with in-person clients, online clients and also prepping for a 'Female Fat Loss' presentation I need to do in April.

On a happier note, I've booked Dubai for May which will give me chance to chill out and catch up on sleep 

Bday next Thursday, and have ordered an early bday present to myself: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guyton-Hall-Textbook-Medical-Physiology/dp/1455770051/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458290218&sr=8-1&keywords=guytons+physiology

(Yes v v sad, but this excites me lol)

Appetite is STILL in the gutter. Have resorted to making rice pudding as my carb source (using coconut milk & Stevia) as well as blending my chicken to get it down. Grim.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Should have mentioned this above.. But forgot..

If anyone is a trainer themselves reading this, I'll be holding a 'How To Train a Female' seminar at our Mayfair site on Sun 24th April.. Covering differences between males & females, menstrual cycle, psychology, refeeds, reverse dieting, case studies etc..

Drop me a PM if interested


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

OK.. So,

Last push for 6 weeks on food front until I can back off food/diet in Dubai for a week. This is *not* ideal.. And not what I'd recommend doing.. But digestion / appetite is so poor I'm now switching over to a mainly liquid diet to get stuff down.

Calories - 5200

Protein - 400g

Carbs - 600g

Fats - 110g ish

*Meal 1:*
500ml Egg White
1tbsp Fish Oil

*Meal 2:*
1 Bagel
50g Whey
30g Nut Butter

*Meal 3 / INTRA:*
60g HBCD
500ml Pineapple Juice
20g EAA
20g Whey

*Meal 4 / PWO:*
150g Coco Pops
60g Whey
1 Banana
2 Mini Soreens

*Meal 5:*
250g Greek Yoghurt
25g Whey
100g Granola

*Meal 6:*
250g Chicken
Salad
80g Rice

*Meal 7:*
50g Whey
100g Oats
30g Nut Butter

*Meal 8:*
50g Whey
2tbsp Olive Oil

As said - not ideal.. And ths is actually only 2-3 days a week where I'm out the house 16 hours.. The other 4 nights Meal 7 will be replaced with a home cooked steak / salmon and sweet potato.

On a positive note, I can put a couple photo's of Will up  @A1243R (I know you were interested)

Diet wise we're now on roughly:

4 days per week - around 280g carbs

1 day per week (arms) - 50% carbs

2 days per week - zero carb

(He's 6 weeks out - had a 600g carb refeed on Saturday.. Before the rear photo was taken)

View attachment image2(1).JPG


View attachment image1(2).JPG


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## BoomTime (Feb 19, 2009)

ah24 said:


> OK.. So,
> 
> Last push for 6 weeks on food front until I can back off food/diet in Dubai for a week. This is *not* ideal.. And not what I'd recommend doing.. But digestion / appetite is so poor I'm now switching over to a mainly liquid diet to get stuff down.
> 
> ...


 Looks good.

Needs a lot of work on his calves and hamstrings though.

Upper body looks spot on.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

BoomTime said:


> Looks good.
> 
> Needs a lot of work on his calves and hamstrings though.
> 
> Upper body looks spot on.


 Agreed, hamstrings need more thickness. Re; calves - 90% of people that get on stage nowadays need more calves.

From what I know, it's not really a part of the judging criteria anymore - which is annoying for me as calves are probably one of my better body parts!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Since following my new diet that is heavily liquid based - bodyweight has actually started climbing again!

As said previously, sure it may not be 'optimal'.. But at this point before I start dieting its allowing me to keep calories above 5000.

Had posing practice with Will & Xav on Sunday. Will is 4 weeks out and Xav 9-10 weeks.

Will has made some BIG progress recently!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Couple of quick comparisons of Will from weekend just gone. 3 weeks out.


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Glutes are sharpening further.. 17 days to go:























Refeed tomorrow, see how bodyweight reacts and then decide on how we play the final 2 weeks


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## TITO (Nov 11, 2008)

ah24 said:


> Couple of quick comparisons of Will from weekend just gone. 3 weeks out.
> 
> View attachment 124238
> View attachment 124239


 He's looking excellent mate. What's his weight difference in this pic?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

TITO said:


> He's looking excellent mate. What's his weight difference in this pic?


 Weight difference for those, was 110kg to about 93ish..

He's even leaner now! 2 weeks til show time


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## TITO (Nov 11, 2008)

ah24 said:


> Weight difference for those, was 110kg to about 93ish..
> 
> He's even leaner now! 2 weeks til show time


 Awesome work! How long did it take?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

TITO said:


> Awesome work! How long did it take?


 About 12-13 weeks at that stage. The whole prep will be 16 weeks in total.

He's actually ready early now and we're trying to prevent him from dropping much more weight at this stage.. 300g rib-eye and chips was on the menu last night!


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## TITO (Nov 11, 2008)

ah24 said:


> About 12-13 weeks at that stage. The whole prep will be 16 weeks in total.
> 
> He's actually ready early now and we're trying to prevent him from dropping much more weight at this stage.. 300g rib-eye and chips was on the menu last night!


 Haha brilliant!!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Edging closer.. He's one week out tomorrow:


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## TITO (Nov 11, 2008)

ah24 said:


> Edging closer.. He's one week out tomorrow:
> 
> View attachment 124823


 Insane!!!!


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## TITO (Nov 11, 2008)

How'd he get on mate?


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

@TITO

He f**king nailed it in terms of conditioning and dryness/fullness. We were both v v happy with what we managed. But, out of 12 people he placed 5th. I'm not one to b1tch and moan but I do think he deserved a slightly higher placing. He was definitely the most conditioned out of the 12, biggest quads too. But, I think they were rewarding upper body size. The top 4 were all huge, but not as lean.

I guess the judges were playing it from a 'these guys have 'x' amount of weeks to correct their conditioning before the Britain'.

Naturally I'm going to be biased, and I'm definitely not saying he was 'screwed over' or any of the BS you usually hear. But, I do think a higher placing should have been awarded with how he looked on the day.

He's got a v good mindset though and as soon as he was off stage just said 'I need another 10-15lbs' - which he's right long term.

A couple photo's:













View attachment IMG_7898.PNG







View attachment IMG_7895.PNG


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## TITO (Nov 11, 2008)

ah24 said:


> @TITO
> 
> He f**king nailed it in terms of conditioning and dryness/fullness. We were both v v happy with what we managed. But, out of 12 people he placed 5th. I'm not one to b1tch and moan but I do think he deserved a slightly higher placing. He was definitely the most conditioned out of the 12, biggest quads too. But, I think they were rewarding upper body size. The top 4 were all huge, but not as lean.
> 
> ...


 Well done mate, you two did an amazing job together. Looks amazing! What was his stage weight? Look so fcuking peeled lol!!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

TITO said:


> Well done mate, you two did an amazing job together. Looks amazing! What was his stage weight? Look so fcuking peeled lol!!


 Thanks!

So prior to water manipulation his bodyweight was pretty steady at 88-89kg. Weight morning of show was 86.2kg.. So it was around a 5lb drop


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

He's with Chelsea on stage there isn't he.... He looks peeled as f**k


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

A1243R said:


> He's with Chelsea on stage there isn't he.... He looks peeled as f**k


 Yep with Chelsea in the quarter turn pic - who is a fkin unit by the way!

Will certainly nailed it condition wise. What's nice is we didn't have to resort to anything crazy during the prep; which is always a good thing!


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## Growing Lad (Feb 14, 2009)

Dam great to see before afters. Well done you two


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

Growing Lad said:


> Dam great to see before afters. Well done you two


 Thanks!


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## A1243R (Nov 2, 2014)

ah24 said:


> Yep with Chelsea in the quarter turn pic - who is a fkin unit by the way!
> 
> Will certainly nailed it condition wise. What's nice is we didn't have to resort to anything crazy during the prep; which is always a good thing!


 Why was he in the class? Not being funny but he doesn't look big enough for it?

Without doubt has has the best conditioninf but the top 3 dwarfed him if we're bein honest!


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## ah24 (Jun 25, 2006)

A1243R said:


> Why was he in the class? Not being funny but he doesn't look big enough for it?
> 
> Without doubt has has the best conditioninf but the top 3 dwarfed him if we're bein honest!


 It was a novice class - so no height/weight restrictions..

(Originally he was in one of the Mr classes - but found out on the morning there was only one other person in the class - so wanted to compete in the busier class that he was eligible to still compete in)


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