# James Llewellin's final 8 weeks leading into the Olympia 202 Showdown!!!



## supercell

The following thread will contain my final 8 weeks prep leading into the Mr Olympia, held in Las Vegas on the 16th/17th September 2011.

I started my prep 2.5 weeks ago at 11 weeks out. My current weight is around 201lbs as of this morning and although I'm getting leaner my bodyweight has remained unchanged now for the last 2 weeks, so all good.

I have been seeing Mike Gelsei once a week and some of you may have seen the training and interview links from the last 2 weeks in other threads within this section. Mike will now be posting the remaining interviews and traning sessions in this thread from now until I step on stage in just over 8 weeks time!

My off season was productive in so far as I relaxed totally for around 3 months since the British Grand prix. My protein intake was lowered and I ate pretty much what I wanted to over around 4-5 meals a day. I havent done any cardio since a week out from the BGP and will not do any until I feel I need to.

So far things have gone very well indeed and being and remaining relaxed has meant that I am now ready to step up to the mark and do what I have to in order to bring an improved physique to the Olympia stage.

Im still actually pinching myself and even now as the road to the Olympia seems a little like a dream to me but I know that this show is make or break, so I am getting my head down and cracking on.

My run into the BGP was very similar as I took around 2.5 months out from dieting, cardio and full on training and as a result I felt I brought a better package. Like most bodybuilders, I am all or nothing and am able to flick a switch when needed and that switch was flicked just over 2 weeks ago!

My diet has been fairly instinctive over the last 2.5 weeks but the framework I have been following is written below. I have had around 2-3 cheat meals a week so far and this has allowed my metabolism to turn up a notch, plus I have increased my protein and essential fat intake too. As I mentioned earlier I am not doing any form of cardio right now and am not using any fat burners or thermogenics at this stage either. The longer I can hold out whilst still making improvements, the better.

So my diet as of today is as follows.

Meal 1 80g oats, 3 scoops pro peptide, handful raisins, 1 yeo valley yogurt.

Train

Meal 2 2 heaped scoops of pro recover, 1 scoop pro peptide

Meal 3 250g ribeye steak, 2-300g baked potato

Meal 4 100g salmon and 3 whole eggs, 3 slices whole wheat toast

Meal 5 1 pro Mr with 1 pro flapjack

Meal 6 200g chicken, 50g basmati rice, 10g extra virgin olive oil

Meal 7 50g oats, 3 scoops pro peptide

Right now I am not using any other supplements but from 8 weeks out I will start to use the following:-

BCAAs

Glutamine

E2 creatine

HMB

Pro Vital

CLA

Fish Oils

Vitamin C

Super B Complex

I tend not to use any of the above until I feel I need to, I seem to get another good response by leaving them out until I am 3-4 weeks into my prep. I did the same for the BGP in March this year to very good effect.....And if it aint broke then dont fix it!!

I am also now have deep tissue work and manipulation once every week. I felt that the investment is definately worth it especially after hurting my rhomboid area last week. After two sessions I am already seeing and feeling a BIG difference whilst training.

Right now (touch wood) I am injury free and apart from hurting my back (which was corrected within 24 hours) I have been injury free all year so far.

My training is brief and intense and split over 6 days every week

Monday Heavy chest/ Light back

Tuesday Quads

Wednesday Delts

Thursday Heavy back/ Light chest

Friday Hamstrings and calves

Saturday Arms and abs

Because training is at max around 45-50 minutes, 6 days a week feels great and as there is no cardio right now I have plenty of energy to give my all in every workout.

After analysing my physique, Mike and I have prioritorised Chest/Back and Hamstrings and they are responsing well to the new stimulus.

Any questions please feel free to ask and thankyou for supporting and following me into the greatest and biggest bodybuilding show on earth!!!

J


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## Chelsea

Good luck with this one mate. Amazing work, i will be following this closely.


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## mattW

All the best James!


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## daniron

Good luck!


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## BigBarnBoy

Great post and good luck James!

Will be following this..very interesting thanks for posting and letting us all follow your progress mate


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## freddee

Glad I got into this one early, I am glad you told us you were leaning out without loosing weight, I thought there was something wrong with me lol, what is your target weight, or are you playing it by ear on that one


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## miggs

Good luck been waiting for this..


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## matt p

James, just out of intrest how do you and mike structure your Heavy chest/light back and vice versa? do you primarly stick to isolation movements or higher rwps etc for the lighter workout?

Good luck Buddy.....just think going back a few years ago you were writing journals on here for UKBFF qualifiers!


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## immy

Good luck with the prep and with the show


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## oaklad

Good luck. Been following the videos on empowerbodybuilding they are useful with the variety of exercises and a good idea


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## Suprakill4

Best of luck James, i will be following as always! Glad the move has gone well and you finally have internet access!!


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## EssexMalRider

Always an interesting read!

Best of luck with your prep and of course the big comp itself!


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## LOCUST

As usual mate I will be following. Congrats on achieving your dream mate. I bet you can't wait to get on that olympia stage.


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## standardflexer

Are there dramatic changes to come to your diet mate?

As in taking out the baked potato, bread, basmati rice etc?

Intruged to see how it looks in weeks to come


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## Nickthegreek

Hi James are the items listed in your diet cooked or raw weights ? Thanks.


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## SK-XO

Will defo be keeping an eye on this, good to see what a pro actually does in terms of training/diet.

Pretty interesting training regime looks good! if you can possibly post up what a rough workout would look like i.e. on heavy chest/light back etc? Also whats your calve routine? Cheers!


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## bigkiwi

All the best james

I'm liking that diet


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## OJay

Good luck James can't wait to see the package you bring to that stage


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## Redbeard85

Best of luck mate!!!...you must be feeling great right now!!


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## Nickthegreek

Just noticed you don't have fibrous green vegetables in your diet is there any reason for this at all?


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## supercell

Ok update as far as photos.....These are as of today...8.5 weeks out. I will answer any questions a little later after clients.

J


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## OJay

jeeeeeeeeeez that lat spread is killer!


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## Banditt

All I can say is wow, You look in amazing shape. All the best mate and thanks for this insight into the world of preping.


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## SK-XO

Christ, some size, absolute monster like!


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## supercell

freddee said:


> Glad I got into this one early, I am glad you told us you were leaning out without loosing weight, I thought there was something wrong with me lol, what is your target weight, or are you playing it by ear on that one


I dont really have a target weight as such but I competed between 189-190 at the BGP in March so this will be a good indicator. If I have put anything on, even if its a lb or two then I'll be happy. Personally I think I'll be a little heavier this time around.......I hope lol!

J


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## supercell

matt p said:


> James, just out of intrest how do you and mike structure your Heavy chest/light back and vice versa? do you primarly stick to isolation movements or higher rwps etc for the lighter workout?
> 
> Good luck Buddy.....just think going back a few years ago you were writing journals on here for UKBFF qualifiers!


Yes exactly, heavy basic movements for both chest and back on heavy days and isolation on days that are lighter....These lighter days really are just to move blood through and get a pump. We dont really do much in the way of damage in these workouts. If anything working this way is helping me recover more quickly!

Time does fly Matt!!

J


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## supercell

standardflexer said:


> Are there dramatic changes to come to your diet mate?
> 
> As in taking out the baked potato, bread, basmati rice etc?
> 
> Intruged to see how it looks in weeks to come


Well for my BGP prep the diet was exactly the same a week out as it was 10 weeks out!! So I'm hoping for the same this time around 

J


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## supercell

Nickthegreek said:


> Hi James are the items listed in your diet cooked or raw weights ? Thanks.


All raw, uncooked weights mate.

J


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## mark333

Good luck, look very full and thick in those pics and loving the odd socks lol....


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## supercell

SK-XO said:


> Will defo be keeping an eye on this, good to see what a pro actually does in terms of training/diet.
> 
> Pretty interesting training regime looks good! if you can possibly post up what a rough workout would look like i.e. on heavy chest/light back etc? Also whats your calve routine? Cheers!


I will be posting up my training day by day starting at 8 weeks out. As far as my calf routine, if you go to empower performances website Mike has posted up interviews and also my last two weeks hamstring and calf training. I'm sure Mike will be posting some stuff on here tomorrow after I see him at 9am tomorrow.

J


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## supercell

Nickthegreek said:


> Just noticed you don't have fibrous green vegetables in your diet is there any reason for this at all?


I just dont like em mate but I'll be putting them in around 4-6 weeks out :-(

J


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## supercell

mark333 said:


> Good luck, look very full and thick in those pics and loving the odd socks lol....


That comes from living alone mate. My washing machine eats clothes I'm sure of it!!

Either that or I lose em from washer to line!!

J


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## Joe1961

James good luck with the competition and thanks for sharing this thread with us all. I for one will be keen to see your daily updates and pics, awesome comes to mind.

All the best

Joe


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## Ts23

standardflexer said:


> Are there dramatic changes to come to your diet mate?
> 
> As in taking out the baked potato, bread, basmati rice etc?
> 
> Intruged to see how it looks in weeks to come


Were would he get his carbs from if he took out them ? i dont understad why people are so afraid of carbs if not in ketois.


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## dtlv

Must still feel slightly unreal to know you'll soon be on the same stage that legends like Arnie, Haney, Zane, Yates, Olivia, Columbo, Gaspari, Wheeler, Coleman, Levrone, Scott competed on... can't imagine how exciting that must feel.

Great thread so far too, very informative... will follow with interest :thumbup1:


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## Guest

best of luck james with everything. will be great to see you on stage with shawn tavernier and flex lewis 3 of our best!

noticed in your first post that you lowered protein intake for a few months - did you find you maintained size ok or did you replace those missing cals with fats/carbs? remember reading something from nasser el sonbaty saying he intentionally reduced protein intake during off seasons replacing cals with fats/carbs to give his body a break and somewhat improve insulin sensitivity and protein absorption for pre contest when he would go really high.

also looking awesome in the pics!


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## EssexMalRider

Was waiting for the pics. Looking awesome fella. Thanks for sharing.

What do the new neighbors think about the mad muscley chap showing his wares out in the street?


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## s&amp;ccoach

Good luck mate will be following this thread with interest.

I assume your sponsored by CNP, how do you find their products?

How will your diet change as you get further down the line?


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## clarkey

Bossman!! what I wana know is how come I dont have a cnp flapjack in the diet you gave me and im 9weeks out ffs!!  looking savage mate...hope your gonna pop n lock at the olympia I know u have those moves inside you :cool2:


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## 3752

All the best for the Prep James hopefully catch up at the Port Talbot show.


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## standardflexer

Ts23 said:


> Were would he get his carbs from if he took out them ? i dont understad why people are so afraid of carbs if not in ketois.


Im not afraid if carbs mate  i just would of thought baked potato and bread were not the optimal carbs to have as for me personally i feel as though i get a big insulin spike of them which from reading is not good for dieting


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## standardflexer

clarkey said:


> Bossman!! what I wana know is how come I dont have a cnp flapjack in the diet you gave me and im 9weeks out ffs!!  looking savage mate...hope your gonna pop n lock at the olympia I know u have those moves inside you :cool2:


lol i wanna see this diet now


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## Linny

Nice thread JimBob, you make keeping lean look so easy :thumbup1:

Linny x


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## borostu82

i havent been on for a long time but would like to wish you all the best mate


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## Mike Gelsei

See James posing plus an interview at 8 weeks out: http://www.empowerbodybuilding.com/blog


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## daniron

Looking great in the posing vid! awesome double bi


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## Young_Monster

All the best mate you look in brilliant shape true inspiration


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## Nickthegreek

Thanks for answering my questions. Looks like everything is under control and your are well on course to peak just in time for Mr Olympia. I guess that is why you are a pro!

I showed a photo of you to a friend of mine yesterday and he was like "Jesus he is massive, one of his arms is as big as my whole body!" ROFL

I have tickets for the Mr Olympia Saturday night finals on the 17th of Sep and ill be going to the expo on Friday. Will also be hitting Golds Gym in Venice and Golds in Vegas. A week before Olympia I'm sure it will have an electric atmosphere!

If i see you about wile I'm out there i'll be sure to come and say hi.

Nice one!

Nickthegreek


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## supercell

ricky23 said:


> best of luck james with everything. will be great to see you on stage with shawn tavernier and flex lewis 3 of our best!
> 
> noticed in your first post that you lowered protein intake for a few months - did you find you maintained size ok or did you replace those missing cals with fats/carbs? remember reading something from nasser el sonbaty saying he intentionally reduced protein intake during off seasons replacing cals with fats/carbs to give his body a break and somewhat improve insulin sensitivity and protein absorption for pre contest when he would go really high.
> 
> also looking awesome in the pics!


Well I replaced the calories with a lot of bad food lol but yes I find when I raise my protein back up to around 350g my physique does take on a very different look. Yeah I managed to keep my size and conditioning ok to be honest...Yes I did lay down some fat too but all of that has already come off. I need to eat some rubbish even during my diet to maintain my size, I find it very hard to eat the required amount of clean food to do the same job.

J


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## supercell

s&ccoach said:


> Good luck mate will be following this thread with interest.
> 
> I assume your sponsored by CNP, how do you find their products?
> 
> How will your diet change as you get further down the line?


Yes I am and have been since Jan 2010. I have actually used their supplements for around 6 years even when I was sponsored by other companies. I love their products and find they are easy on my stomach and work, plus pro pep, pro desserts and pro MRs taste awesome!!

My diet actually probably wont change. I will just start cardio and introduce fat burners when I feel my conditioning is beginning to slow.

J


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## supercell

clarkey said:


> Bossman!! what I wana know is how come I dont have a cnp flapjack in the diet you gave me and im 9weeks out ffs!!  looking savage mate...hope your gonna pop n lock at the olympia I know u have those moves inside you :cool2:


Yeah but remember mate you ate too many pies in the off season ;-))

Pop and lock? me? Hahahahaha. I have two left feet mate, I'll leave that to you fella!!

Hope all is going well with your prep and see you soon!!

J


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## supercell

Pscarb said:


> All the best for the Prep James hopefully catch up at the Port Talbot show.


Thanks Paul, yes you will see me there....at deaths door probably lol! Hope you and your family are all well?

J


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## supercell

standardflexer said:


> Im not afraid if carbs mate  i just would of thought baked potato and bread were not the optimal carbs to have as for me personally i feel as though i get a big insulin spike of them which from reading is not good for dieting


The way that I look at it is that potato and wholewheat brwad are both great carb sources. Remember too that GI of carbs is only important when eaten alone. Add in fats and protein and even a high GI carb will become low. Its all about calories in and calories out really and people are just frightened to try other carbs that can satisfy more than just plain old rice!

J

J


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## supercell

Nickthegreek said:


> Thanks for answering my questions. Looks like everything is under control and your are well on course to peak just in time for Mr Olympia. I guess that is why you are a pro!
> 
> I showed a photo of you to a friend of mine yesterday and he was like "Jesus he is massive, one of his arms is as big as my whole body!" ROFL
> 
> I have tickets for the Mr Olympia Saturday night finals on the 17th of Sep and ill be going to the expo on Friday. Will also be hitting Golds Gym in Venice and Golds in Vegas. A week before Olympia I'm sure it will have an electric atmosphere!
> 
> If i see you about wile I'm out there i'll be sure to come and say hi.
> 
> Nice one!
> 
> Nickthegreek


Excellent come say hi buddy. Ill be at meet the Olympians and also be hanging around the expo on both days I am sure!

J


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## supercell

Update....

I am now coming to the end of my 4th week of dieting and my weight has dropped further to 196lbs now. I have had a cheat meal every day and my weight has still dropped around 4-5 lbs in the last 7 days. I still am not using any fat burnrs or doing any cardio. My conditioning has changed dramatically over the last week and even my training partner noticed changes today and he ses me most days. Yesterday I had steak chips and onion rings and sticky toffee pud with ice cream 

What I am mindfull of is dropping too much weight so I think I am going to have to increase my calories further to try to stop any more weight loss for the next week or so.

Training has been going very well over the last week and although my weight has dropped energy levels are still high and strength hasnt dropped, which is a good sign.

Im going to see Mike this week on sunday as I am spending all day tomorrow with my family in Pembrokeshire and then on saturday I have a family wedding, so I will have a whole cheat day on sat but I'll make sure I take a few servings of pro peptide to keep my protein up for the day.

Sunday Ill be back to normal eating and will have a cooked dinner at lunchtime, probably roast beef )))

So all is good this week so far

J


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## Nickthegreek

Nice one thanks for the update. It's good to know that even pre-comp the pro's have cheat meals and let there hair down now and again.


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## aaronrugby

just seen this! goodluck mate. sounds like you got it sorted!


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## Mike Gelsei

Good to hear your energy levels are still high James - you'll need them for Sunday haha! What bodyparts are you training?


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## Guest

> Yesterday I had steak chips and onion rings and sticky toffee pud with ice cream


brilliant !! i love it when top pros post stuff like that- while loosing weight as well


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## OJay

sounds like prep is going all good at the moment and couldn't be any better good work


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## Simon01

Good luck mate


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## supercell

Nickthegreek said:


> Nice one thanks for the update. It's good to know that even pre-comp the pro's have cheat meals and let there hair down now and again.


No problem....yeah letting my hair down has never been an issue lol

J


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## supercell

update.

Its now just under 7 weeks to go until the Olympia showdown and just under 6 weeks until the Welsh guest spot. Things continued to go well for me last week with both training and eating. Energy levels and strength are still high and as yet no cardio or fat burners have been added into the mix.

My cheat day this last week was on saturday as I had a family wedding down in Pembrokeshire.....I ate a lot of food and subsequently weighed a solid 6lbs heavier yeterday morning at exactly 202lbs or 14st 6lbs. My conditioning has imporved over the course of the week and from 6 weeks out I will be adding in some cardio 5 mornings a week which will consist of around 30 minutes on a treadmill. I have started practicing my posing now after most workouts and after training with Mike yesterday, the boss, Leica took me thru my quarter turns and mandatory poses. Being an international judge, Leica has a great eye and is a very important part of my prep for the Mr Olympia competition. Its no good having a decent physique if you are unable to show it off to its best.

I think Leica was happyish with what she saw as she didnt say otherwise so thats a good thing. I also took my trai9ning partner down to train with Mike too and he also posed infront of Leica. He told me afterwards he was sh1tting himself as he has never posed infront of anyone before, let alone an IFBB Judge!! But he did really well, and although his posing and presentation needs some work, he did himself proud. Jon's conditioning is coming in really well now under the guidance of Pacific Nutrition owner, Ali. I keep winding Jon up with my tales of cheat meals as he hasn't had one for the last 6 weeks but to be fair, as I said to him, there are plenty of ways to skin a cat and Ali knows his stuff, so I told him he is in excellent hands with him.

So today is the start of week 6 of the diet and this week I am cutting out my once a day cheat meal and reverting back to just a cheat meal at the weekend. I know this will have a profound effect on my conditioning this week so if I begin to lose too much weight I will add in some clean carbs. My plan is to contact Harold this coming week for him to oversee my prep in the final 6 weeks.

So all in all a very good week and hopefully some big changes to come in the next.

J


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## Mike Gelsei

Interview, training and posing at yesterday's session with James: http://www.empowerbodybuilding.com/blog


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## GoHeavy

Good luck James!


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## supercell

Thanks Mike I appreciate you putting that up on here for me and others to see. Its good to see week by week where you are at and these blogs help you and others to see the mindset as you get to the business end of the dieting phase.

And dont worry the gum wont be in evident on the Olympia stage! LOL

Oh and btw my chest is extremely sore from the band work we did on the incline bench yesterday and even my back is a little bit sore from our light session. I know that Jon is sore today too, so good work!!!

J


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## supercell

Perhaps if you have time Mike, you can explain what we did training wise for chest and back yesterday and the reasoning behind it...Many thanks

J


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## Mike Gelsei

supercell said:


> Thanks Mike I appreciate you putting that up on here for me and others to see. Its good to see week by week where you are at and these blogs help you and others to see the mindset as you get to the business end of the dieting phase.
> 
> And dont worry the gum wont be in evident on the Olympia stage! LOL
> 
> Oh and btw my chest is extremely sore from the band work we did on the incline bench yesterday and even my back is a little bit sore from our light session. I know that Jon is sore today too, so good work!!!
> 
> J


No problem James! It's great to see you improve from week to week and I can really see you mindset getting stronger and focused.


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## Mike Gelsei

supercell said:


> Perhaps if you have time Mike, you can explain what we did training wise for chest and back yesterday and the reasoning behind it...Many thanks
> 
> J


Will do James. I'll post it in the morning when the gym is quiet.


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## supercell

Mike Gelsei said:


> Will do James. I'll post it in the morning when the gym is quiet.


Thanks Mike much appreciated

J


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## DiggyV

Good luck James, or should that be hawddamor James! Blame my brother's girl if that is wrong, she is from North Wales mind you... 

Have sub'd this thread and will be following closely.

Cheers

D


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## 3752

James good luck with the rest of the prep mate, hope to catch up with you at the Welsh I will be there with Tom and another athlete I have competing.....


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## supercell

DiggyV said:


> Good luck James, or should that be hawddamor James! Blame my brother's girl if that is wrong, she is from North Wales mind you...
> 
> Have sub'd this thread and will be following closely.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> D


Diolch yn fawr am eich geiriau caredig, ac rwyn gobeithio y byddwch yn dod o hyd i hwn cyfnodolyn ac yn ddiddorol!


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## supercell

Pscarb said:


> James good luck with the rest of the prep mate, hope to catch up with you at the Welsh I will be there with Tom and another athlete I have competing.....


Many thanks Paul and good luck with Tom and your other athlete, I have two in the under 80s and a girl in the fitness class too 

I am a glutton for punishment lol

J


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## 3752

supercell said:


> Many thanks Paul and good luck with Tom and your other athlete, I have two in the under 80s and a girl in the fitness class too
> 
> I am a glutton for punishment lol
> 
> J


yes you are mate but then there nothing new there...lol my other guy is in the under 80kg class, this looks like it is going to be a great class.....we cannot be seen together to much though as i will be in FAT mode.....


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## Mike Gelsei

Sunday's workout (31st July).

This was a 'heavy' chest session followed by 'light' back. At the moment James is training chest and back twice per week - so the other session is 'heavy' back and 'light' chest.

This workout was started with incline press on the smith machine with added resistance bands, the type powerlifters use. These 'accomodate' the resistance by applying much more tension to the working muscles than when an exercise is performed 'normally'. Bodybuilding, afterall, is all about generating as much tension in the target muscles as posssible.

After a few warm up sets the first set was performed with bands added to the bottom of the smith machine and looped around the bar - adding around 150 - 200lbs of tension at the top. After reaching failure the bands were removed and the exercise continued in the mid range. Once failure was reached once more, weight was added to the bar and bands were added from the top of the rack to the bar - this has the effect of making the first few inches of the movement easier and allowing more reps to be performed. After failure - a well earned rest. 3 sets done already.

The next sets were done without the bands first, then weight removed and bands added to the bottom, then weight added and bands added to the top. Another 3 sets completed.

The final 3 sets were done with bands from the top, then bands from the bottom and finally no bands. 9 sets in total.

I hope this was clear - I'll film it next time and you can see for yourselves.

Chest was finished off with cable presses. Sets of 10 until a weight was reached where 10 reps couldn't be performed and a double drop set was completed. In total 5-6 sets.

Chest done!

Back was started with cable pulldowns lying on a 45 degree bench. 2 handles attached to a small length of cable. The movement mimicking a rear double bicep shot but with the elbows coming down much lower towards the hips. This works the lats much better as one of their actions to to abduct the arms to the body. Sets of 10 until the heaviest weight was reached (the whole stack) and 2 sets were performed at this weight.

Back was finished with the superset that can be seen in the video. Stiff-arm pulldowns from a bent over position to get a stretch at the start with a pause at the thighs to contract the lower lats. Straight to cable rows concentrating on getting the shoulders back and down, again, to target the lower lats. 3 super stes in total.

Any questions please ask!


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## supercell

Awesome Mike, many many thanks. Explained far better than I ever could!! ))

J


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## Zara-Leoni

Hamster cheeks on their way out then James...?


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## Mike Gelsei

supercell said:


> Awesome Mike, many many thanks. Explained far better than I ever could!! ))
> 
> J


Haha! You just concentrate on that Vegas stage - leave the explaining to everyone else!


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## supercell

Zara-Leoni said:


> Hamster cheeks on their way out then James...?


Cheeky monkey!!

Yeah they are going.......slowly thanks to my Hamster wheel 

J


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## Zara-Leoni

supercell said:


> Cheeky monkey!!
> 
> Yeah they are going.......slowly thanks to my Hamster wheel
> 
> J


Least it's just the ones on ur face thats chubby  :lol:


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## supercell

Update....Pics from this evening at 6.5 weeks out weighing 91kgs or 198lbs

J


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## expletive

That back double bi is immense, looking forward to following your progress


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## clarkey

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice Bossman! you have def made improvements to your back from your last show, what ever you have been doing has been working...il see you Wed in sunny Wales :thumb:


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## Rotsocks

Back is looking thicker and arms are insane as per usual.

Really enjoy following your journals and have learnt so much from them.

Looking forward to the rest of this one now.

All the best with the rest of the prep.


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## IC

Good few comments on improvements to your back mate....must be cos you were getting pushed in that training session yesterday!!! :whistling:

Keep working hard mate.


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## supercell

clarkey said:


> Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice Bossman! you have def made improvements to your back from your last show, what ever you have been doing has been working...il see you Wed in sunny Wales :thumb:


Thanks buddy and I'm looking forward to seeing how you've come in during the last couple of weeks......its crunch time this week mate.....do you dont you?! I know what the answer will be!

J


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## supercell

Rotsocks said:


> Back is looking thicker and arms are insane as per usual.
> 
> Really enjoy following your journals and have learnt so much from them.
> 
> Looking forward to the rest of this one now.
> 
> All the best with the rest of the prep.


Thanjks buddy appreciate your comments. Mikes approach to my back training is paying off slowly but surely and I still feel I can make continued improvements whilst my calories are still high!

J


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## supercell

IC said:


> Good few comments on improvements to your back mate....must be cos you were getting pushed in that training session yesterday!!! :whistling:
> 
> Keep working hard mate.


Hi buddy, yeah was great training this week, my back is still sore today which is a good sign! Be good to have a chest session with you guys soon. Always good being pushed by people stronger than you, helps me keep my focus....Just got to get over feeling like a small child against you and Shane. You've put on some real quality muscle since your diet and Shanes back is just mental!!!

Thanks again bud

J


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## supercell

Update.

Today is saturday 6th August and I have had a fantastic week with my first week of fully clean eating since my diet started. I am still yet to commence cardio but from monmday I will be putting in a 20 minute walk before breakfast 5x a week. I have come in well during the past 7 days so today is my last full day of cheating. As of next week its just going to be one cheat meal a week but there may be a few higher carb days depending on energy levels, weight and conditioning.

The day started off well with 3 fried eggs, 4 rashers of back bacon, 3 slices of wholewheat toast and a chocolate muffin. I'll down a Pro Mr in around an hours time too. I have a wedding to attend today so its the perfect day to relax and enjoy the food and the day in general.

I'll check in tomorrow with my bodyweight which should be up a good few lbs after today!!! 

J


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## supercell

Update...

As of tomorrow I am starting my cardio. I will be doing 20 minutes monday to friday next week before breakfast. I will also be starting my supplements such as creatine, glutamine, bcaa's, vits/mins, hmb, vit c and B complex too.

This is now where the hard work begins. Up until now its been easy but the last 6 weeks will be tough especially the last couple as my body naturally depletes as my work load increases. Training will remain unchanged for now and I will continue to train chest and back twice a week until told otherwise by Mike.

I will be training with Mike tomorrow late afternoon so hopefully we will film some of it including a video update of posing and interview

J


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## cuggster

good luck bro! as a fellow welshman i shall be following your progress all they way to the olympia stage!


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## Mike Gelsei

Interview plus posing from James at 5 1/2 weeks out: http://www.empowerbodybuilding.com/blog

Will post training vids tomorrow.


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## supercell

Nice one Mike many thanks for posting that up here!! ))

J


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## OJay

Looking good for the time to go, I still can't believe you've only just started cardio, I have to do it offseason to keep half decent condition!


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## RocoElBurn

Good stuff and a good read (I've been following this on here and Muscletalk).

I see that you are starting with 20 mins am cardio before breakfast and was interested to know if that was steady state or higher intensity? Just wondered as although it was pre food, it's just 20 mins, plus I noted you mentioned the cross trainer which does lend itself more to slightly higher paced cv.


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## supercell

RocoElBurn said:


> Good stuff and a good read (I've been following this on here and Muscletalk).
> 
> I see that you are starting with 20 mins am cardio before breakfast and was interested to know if that was steady state or higher intensity? Just wondered as although it was pre food, it's just 20 mins, plus I noted you mentioned the cross trainer which does lend itself more to slightly higher paced cv.


Thankyou.

Yes I like to do my cardio at a fairly high intensity, even though it is steady state. I keep my heart rate at around 70-75% of my HRM so around 125-130bpm. I have been doing the cross trainer up until now and the weight is coming off fairly quickly.

J


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## supercell

Update August 16th

Last weekend I flew up to Newcastle for a seminar at Grants Gym just south of Newcastle. It was a great seminar and was very well attended with around 70-80 people. I found the NE guys and girls very welcoming and friendly and I think that many took something away with them regarding training and nutrition wise. I was away fri and saturday night and didn't return until around 11pm on the sunday night. I managed well with my diet and had a big cheat on saturday night. Sunday I had another cheat and also last night it was a friends bday so we all went out for a meal and I had another cheat (but no pudding).

I lost around 3-4lbs last week and even after all the food I only gained around 2lbs from the last 3 days. My weight this morning was around 198lbs and I expect it to be around 196lbs by thursday. I need to lose around 1-1.5lbs a week now to be where I need to be so I am monitoring daily and upping calories according to weight and how I am feeling. Cardio will remain unchanged until I feel it fit to increase it. I will probably get up to around 30-40 mins in the morning and then if I need any additional cardio I will either do it PWO or before my last meal before bed.

I trained with Mike today at Empower performance and he said I was on track....so all good!!

I am hopefully going to be seeing Mike later in the week when we will do a 4 week out update with an interview and hopefully some posing as well.

Right now I am very happy with how things are going.

J


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## Robw

sounds like things are going well J and you are bang on track mate looking forward to seeing the end result in vegas :thumb:


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## Mike Gelsei

Update from James at 4 weeks out: http://www.empowerbodybuilding.com/blog

Will get some training and posing videos up later when I've found out what's wrong with the SD card!!


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## supercell

Thanks for posting the update Mike.

Also just to let people know my weight is now down already to its 'pre refeed' weight (after just one day and I ate around an extra 3500-4000kcals on sunday) so the food that was taken out is now back in!!!! It just goes to show I am now at that point where my metabolism is flying and very small changes nutritionally are having big impacts on my weight and conditioning. Im in a really good place right now for the final 3.5 weeks

J


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## Readyandwaiting

Haven't said much on this particular thread but IMO based on your last showing at the grand prix you have made definite visual improvement with an all round thicker/mature look with definitely more muscle being gained.

Hope my comment is near to the mark


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## OJay

im very envious of the metabolism but just goes to show the hard work and knowledge you have put in good luck James.

Ollie


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## watson100

great thread enjoying the read, best of luck in the comp !


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## RocoElBurn

Good to hear all's well and on track, James ;0)

Looking forward to some more if those Vids too, Mike. Cheers!


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## supercell

Update Tuesday 30th August.

My preparations have been going well and I have made some fairly bold changes over the last 3-4 days which have resulted in excellent results.

Saturday was my cheat meal in the evening so I had my breakfast carbs and then went zero carbs until my cheat. Im guessing I had around 3,000 kcals for my cheat this week.

My weight the morning after my cheat was exactly the same as my weight the morning before!! Which was 13st 13lbs. I have now decided to stick on around 100g of carbs per day and up my fats in the meals void of carbs. My calories are remaining around the same. My weight has now dropped to 13st 10.5lbs this morning which has showed itself in a much drier tighter physique. However what I have done today is not done any cardio and may well stop cardio all together now and just manipulate my food.

I am going day by day now and will manipulate food and cardio accordingly. I will be seeing Mike an Leica again at the end of the week to train and they will tell me how much more is to come off. I am thinking just a few more lbs now.

I will try to get some posing footage up at the end of the week. We shot some last week but had BIG problems as it wouldnt download off the memory card!!

Just sorting out the last few things for Vegas now and also looking to book my spray tan once over there.

I'm hugely excited about going and also excited about doing my guest spot at the Welsh in just under 2 weeks time

J


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## watson100

Good luck mate do the united kingdom proud


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## liam0810

Good luck mate! By the pictures in this thread i think you'll do well


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## supercell

Update.....1st September

The show is now only 2 weeks away this saturday so it truly is the business end.

My diet has followed very low carbs for the last 5 days now, around 100g daily but my fats have increased a little. Conditioning has been coming in nicely and my weight is down to 13st 10lbs first thing now and Im looking tight and dry.

I have another couple of lbs to lose and then its just a case of cruising in.

I have not done any cardio since sunday but today I resumed with 30 mins PWO. Tomorrow I will add in 30 mins pre meal 1, 30 mins PWO and another 20-30 mins before my last meal....This extra cardio has a massive impact on my physique. This time next week I will have ceased my cardio exactly one week out from standing on stage and Ill be ready.

Energy levels and strength have been really good this week although today I had my first hypo (sweating and shaking) but I rode it out!!

I am busy prepping my guys and girls for the Welsh, Birmingham, Leeds and the British, so this is keeping my mind active and in the right place.

My sleeping has been terrible but then it always is this close. Night sweats, trips to the bathroom and general broken sleep. BUT I still find I manage the days well and only really start to feel tired mid afternoon and a power nap soon sorts that out.

This saturday will see my last cheat (and it will be HUGE) then back to depletion for the final week on low carbs whilst monitoring my bodyweight for extra carbs or backing off cardio.

J


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## watson100

what kind of cycle do you run whilst preping mate ?


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## big_jim_87

james- back has come on massively buddy!


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## big_jim_87

watson100 said:


> what kind of cycle do you run whilst preping mate ?


LOL! FFS!


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## watson100

what


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## big_jim_87

supercell said:


> Update.....1st September
> 
> The show is now only 2 weeks away this saturday so it truly is the business end.
> 
> My diet has followed very low carbs for the last 5 days now, around 100g daily but my fats have increased a little. Conditioning has been coming in nicely and my weight is down to 13st 10lbs first thing now and Im looking tight and dry.
> 
> I have another couple of lbs to lose and then its just a case of cruising in.
> 
> I have not done any cardio since sunday but today I resumed with 30 mins PWO. Tomorrow I will add in 30 mins pre meal 1, 30 mins PWO and another 20-30 mins before my last meal....This extra cardio has a massive impact on my physique. This time next week I will have ceased my cardio exactly one week out from standing on stage and Ill be ready.
> 
> Energy levels and strength have been really good this week although today I had my first hypo (sweating and shaking) but I rode it out!!
> 
> I am busy prepping my guys and girls for the Welsh, Birmingham, Leeds and the British, so this is keeping my mind active and in the right place.
> 
> My sleeping has been terrible but then it always is this close. Night sweats, trips to the bathroom and general broken sleep. BUT I still find I manage the days well and only really start to feel tired mid afternoon and a power nap soon sorts that out.
> 
> This saturday will see my last cheat (and it will be HUGE) then back to depletion for the final week on low carbs whilst monitoring my bodyweight for extra carbs or backing off cardio.
> 
> J


you have a fat carb cheat, or a high carb cheat?


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## big_jim_87

watson100 said:


> what


your asking a pro bber who is about to step on the OLYMPIA stage what cycle he is on pre OLYMPIA on an open forum? lol

James will be a natty guy as are all the other Olympia competitors!


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## watson100

sorry pal forgot asking a question was against the rules


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## big_jim_87

watson100 said:


> sorry pal forgot asking a question was against the rules


its not but stupid ones should be lol

do you actually think you will get a reply?


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## Big ape

Looool


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## LOCUST

watson100 said:


> what kind of cycle do you run whilst preping mate ?


I'm sure James hates the cycle he prefers the x trainer.

Good to see your all on track mate.


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## Mike Gelsei

James - 2 weeks out from Mr. Olympia: http://www.empowerbodybuilding.com/blog


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## big_jim_87

man! james looks awesome!


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## James s

Mike Gelsei said:


> James - 2 weeks out from Mr. Olympia: http://www.empowerbodybuilding.com/blog


Thanks for the link, the interviews and training videos are very informative.


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## supercell

big_jim_87 said:


> james- back has come on massively buddy!


Its a bodypart we have been working on, particularly focusing on the lower lat thickness...Thankyou.

J


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## supercell

big_jim_87 said:


> you have a fat carb cheat, or a high carb cheat?


I tend to have a high fat, complex carb and simple sugar cheat to be honest.....Food and lots of it.

J


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## supercell

LOCUST said:


> I'm sure James hates the cycle he prefers the x trainer.
> 
> Good to see your all on track mate.


yeah the bike is rubbish!! LOL Much prefer the incline tread or the cross trainer!!! ))

J


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## supercell

James s said:


> Thanks for the link, the interviews and training videos are very informative.


Yes thanks Mike, we will probably do one more update before the Welsh guest spot where people will have a chance to see my lifeless, depleted body before I carb up LOL

J


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## supercell

UPDATE....

Today is saturday the 3rd of September and its exactly 2 weeks until I realise my dream and stand on the Olympia stage. I have had the toughest week yet of my prep which was bound to happen as so far its been fairly straight forward.

I've held my physique for a few weeks now but last weekend, 3 weeks out, I decided that I had held my weight and conditioning long enough to up the ante and take my prep to a new level. My physique as you know, works well on a high carb approach, so this week it was time to drop two thirds of those carbs out and do a week of around 100g of carbs daily. My first three meals contained carbs (before and post workout) and the rest were made up of protein and fat.

Although harder, I have been suprisingly fairly energetic and have felt good although now (a week on) I am very flat and finding it harder to achieve a really good pump.

My weight has dropped down this morning to a tight 13st 8.5lbs and its time today for a refeed to boost the metabolism again for the final weeks hard graft.

After ceasing cardio for 3 days I have now reintroduced it at 30 mins before breakfast and another 20 mins PWO. This next week will see this rise to an hour daily and my diet as of tuesday will be predominantly be white fish and rice with two oats meals a day. carbs will be increased a little but fats (of which I have been on around 130g daily this week) will be taken out to provide another stimulus and shift the last little bits I have remaining.

My cheat will commence at around 7pm and continue until I fall asleep. I will be seeing Mike and Leica tomorrow morning at 8am to see the result of my little experiment. I work well on 'sh1t loading' so tomorrow will see if its something to consider for the Olympia seeing as pre judging is early in the day (10.30am)

I will update tomorrow with my findings.

J


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## OJay

sounds like a good plan James its great the changes you make and seeing them on the body knowing exactly what you've done to achieve it


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## Mike Gelsei

Not only are you going to Vegas - you are going to be on the Olympia stage!! Excited for you!


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## immy

Looking Good James and Mike i notice it's not just me who places their head on a bench whilst doing rear delts.


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## big_jim_87

supercell said:


> Its a bodypart we have been working on, particularly focusing on the lower lat thickness...Thankyou.
> 
> J


it has worked wonders mate! the lats look real thick!

the only thing that could do with any bringing up is the chest..... once this is on par with your back your pretty much complete!

awesome going buddy!


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## big_jim_87

supercell said:


> I tend to have a high fat, complex carb and simple sugar cheat to be honest.....Food and lots of it.
> 
> J


lol so any thing that takes your fancy lol

how are you finding the move to Wales?


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## big_jim_87

supercell said:


> UPDATE....
> 
> Today is saturday the 3rd of September and its exactly 2 weeks until I realise my dream and stand on the Olympia stage. I have had the toughest week yet of my prep which was bound to happen as so far its been fairly straight forward.
> 
> I've held my physique for a few weeks now but last weekend, 3 weeks out, I decided that I had held my weight and conditioning long enough to up the ante and take my prep to a new level. My physique as you know, works well on a high carb approach, so this week it was time to drop two thirds of those carbs out and do a week of around 100g of carbs daily. My first three meals contained carbs (before and post workout) and the rest were made up of protein and fat.
> 
> Although harder, I have been suprisingly fairly energetic and have felt good although now (a week on) I am very flat and finding it harder to achieve a really good pump.
> 
> My weight has dropped down this morning to a tight 13st 8.5lbs and its time today for a refeed to boost the metabolism again for the final weeks hard graft.
> 
> After ceasing cardio for 3 days I have now reintroduced it at 30 mins before breakfast and another 20 mins PWO. This next week will see this rise to an hour daily and my diet as of tuesday will be predominantly be white fish and rice with two oats meals a day. carbs will be increased a little but fats (of which I have been on around 130g daily this week) will be taken out to provide another stimulus and shift the last little bits I have remaining.
> 
> My cheat will commence at around 7pm and continue until I fall asleep. I will be seeing Mike and Leica tomorrow morning at 8am to see the result of my little experiment. I work well on 'sh1t loading' so tomorrow will see if its something to consider for the Olympia seeing as pre judging is early in the day (10.30am)
> 
> I will update tomorrow with my findings.
> 
> J


OOOOWWWWW! must be getting exited now!

was all this changing of ratios a plan from the start or do you just go by eye and see how your looking week by week and change as to what you think needs changing?


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## supercell

big_jim_87 said:


> it has worked wonders mate! the lats look real thick!
> 
> the only thing that could do with any bringing up is the chest..... once this is on par with your back your pretty much complete!
> 
> awesome going buddy!


I agree. Its my nemisis. IF I can bring my chest up it would really complete my physique. As I deplete (like most guys and girls) my weaker bodyparts take the brunt of it, thats why its hugely important for me to be full on the day and not too flat dehydrated and depleted!!

J


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## supercell

big_jim_87 said:


> OOOOWWWWW! must be getting exited now!
> 
> was all this changing of ratios a plan from the start or do you just go by eye and see how your looking week by week and change as to what you think needs changing?


In the last 2 weeks I have worked purely by the scales and the mirror. I have currently put around 250g of carbs back in yesterday and today and tomorrow I am dipping back down to around 80-100g for thursday and friday before a high clean carb day on sat before low carb high fat day sunday for the guest spot.

This kind of carb cycling works well with me in the last few weeks although I am not a massive fan of it for any longer that 4-6 weeks as I think its effectiveness can wane like any nutritional plan.

Then mon, tues and wed it will be low carbs high fat and once landed in vegas it will be a slow reintro of complex carbs up to show day.

J


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## Suprakill4

Wow, looking great. Cant wait to see you on the day. Never seen rear delts like that on cable, going to try this!


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## Suprakill4

Suprakill4 said:


> Wow, looking great. Cant wait to see you on the day. Never seen rear delts like that on cable, going to try this!


Hi James, tried doing the rear delts today like you did in the video, AWESOME, absolutely loved it so look forward to the next videos


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## Nickthegreek

Yes James I landed in LA this afternoon. Only 1 week to go till Olympia buzzing . Will be giving you my support on the Sat night. Best of luck!


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## DiggyV

James,

if you dont mind me asking, what was your route to the Olympia, in terms of qualifier? Couldn't see mention here, unless I missed it.

you are looking very good BTW, nice thickness and separation.

Cheers

Diggy


----------



## big_jim_87

DiggyV said:


> James,
> 
> if you dont mind me asking, what was your route to the Olympia, in terms of qualifier? Couldn't see mention here, unless I missed it.
> 
> you are looking very good BTW, nice thickness and separation.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Diggy


was it the British Grand Prix show earlier this yr? he cane 3rd..... was that a qualifieng place?


----------



## big_jim_87

supercell said:


> In the last 2 weeks I have worked purely by the scales and the mirror. I have currently put around 250g of carbs back in yesterday and today and tomorrow I am dipping back down to around 80-100g for thursday and friday before a high clean carb day on sat before low carb high fat day sunday for the guest spot.
> 
> This kind of carb cycling works well with me in the last few weeks although I am not a massive fan of it for any longer that 4-6 weeks as I think its effectiveness can wane like any nutritional plan.
> 
> Then mon, tues and wed it will be low carbs high fat and once landed in vegas it will be a slow reintro of complex carbs up to show day.
> 
> J


cant wate to see the finished article!


----------



## supercell

UPDATE

This will be my final update now before I fly out to Vegas.

My weight thisd morning is a very lean dry and depleted 13st 4lbs, thats around 3-4lb lighter than the GP. My carbs have been low for the past few weeks now but I have interspersed with higher carb meals or cheat meals.

My guest spot went well at the Welsh Championships and after eating 6 meals and drinking arounbd 5 litres of water on the day I looked fuller than I felt!!!

So today I travel to see Mike one last time early this morning then Im off back to my parents with my good friend John who is travelling out with me to Vegas tomorrow morning on a direct flight with Virgin.

I will try to update whilst I am away.

I am very happy with where I am right now and with just another day of lowish carbs I'll be able to start putting some back in again

Thanks to everyone for their support with special thanks to Kerry and the CNP team as well as Mike and Leica Gelsei from Empower performance...Plus a big thanks to my training partner, John, for being there for me and pushing me hard in the gym....Its been a great team effort!!

J


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## DiggyV

Good luck James. I'll be following the show online.

Lookin good, lookin good.

Cheers

D

Sent from my HTC Vision using Tapatalk


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## liam0810

Good luck James, I'll be rooting for you!


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## hilly

saw erics pics james and you looked great.

all the best for the big O


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## OJay

Good luck J


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## big_jim_87

no updates?


----------

