The Story of The Bodybuilding Powerlifter

[MailmanMuscle]

I saw something about that. It's about as sincere a compliment as you can get, really.

That’s exactly how I took it.

And none better. Mailman, you have scaled the summit of weight training in 2024 and I’m laughing but not even a little joking.

Looking awesome! Congrats on getting accused of juicing.

Thank you! Even if I don’t win the show, I’ll take this as a major victory.

UPDATE

As of tomorrow, I have 6 weeks to go to the stage. For most of this past week, I have been exhausted. Since Monday, my weight has fluctuated from 177.8 up (that’s the wrong way) to 180.2 and back down to 179.0 this morning. I must have overeaten, but unfortunately, it hasn’t been enough to keep me from being almost perpetually hungry. I don’t mean hunger from my stomach. I’m talking about hunger on a cellular level, as if my body is screaming at me for more nutrients so it doesn’t have to burn more fat reserves. I’m doing okay with hunger pangs. Salads and fiber are my friends. Fortunately, my fat loss is trending at a pace that the diet app recommended I stick with the same macros this week. That gives me 180 grams of protein and 50 grams of fat, with carbs ranging from 120-165 depending on activity.

Checking my logbook, I have trained 5 times since my last training entry: Friday of last week, and then Monday, Tuesday, yesterday and today. I’m not going to try to type all of that in one post, so here are summaries.

Friday 3/21/24 - Lower #3, Gold’s Gym

Standing calf raise - 2 work sets, increasing weight
Adductor/Abductor machines - 1 work set each
Seated leg curl - 2 work sets, same weight
Seated calf raise (it was there)
Dumbbell SLDL - 1 set
Reverse leg press machine - 2 work sets, increasing weight

Monday 3/25/24 - Upper #1, Planet Fitness

Chin-ups- 41 total bodyweight reps over 5 sets (+1 total from last time)
Dips - 63 total bodyweight reps over 5 sets (+3 total from last time)
Standing dumbbell lateral raise - 1 drop set
Hanging knee raise - at dip station w/back pad, 4 sets of 12

Tuesday 3/26/24 - Lower #1, Planet Fitness

Smith machine squat - 2 work sets, same weight
Smith machine good morning - 1 work set; set the safeties to the bottom of my ROM to make sure I had the same ROM on every rep
Leg press - 1 work set
Calf press - 2 work sets, done on the leg press
Lying leg curl - 1 drop set

Thursday 3/28/24 - Upper #2, Planet Fitness

Smith machine Pendlay row - 2 work sets, same weight, less weight than last time
Smith machine shrugs - 1 work set
Arnold press: 2 work sets, same weight, -2 reps from last time I did these (they were first exercise last time)
Low incline dumbbell press: 1 drop set
Standing cable curl: 1 work set
Torso rotation machine: 1 work set, each direction
Hammer crunch machine: 1 rest-pause set

Friday 3/29/24 - Lower #2, Gold’s Gym

Standing calf raise - 1 work set
Good morning - 1 work set, done on reverse hack/squat machine
Seated leg curl - 2 work sets, same weight
Leg extension - 1 rest-pause set
Leg press - 2 work sets, same weight, different foot positions

[MailmanMuscle]

In most amateur bodybuilding competitions, the athletes can enter multiple divisions within the same category. Some organizations even allow you to crossover from one category to another within the same competition (ex. compete in both bodybuilding and classic physique at the same show). In my case, I’m eligible for 4 different divisions: open, masters 40+, novice (never won a class/overall), and debut (never competed before). However, I don’t want to be in a division of 1 and be on stage by myself.

A few weeks ago, I asked the promoter if he would let me know how many entrants were in each division so I would know how many I might want to enter. The early entry deadline passed yesterday, and when I reached out to him, he told me that there are 9 registered for the open and 5 for masters 40+, with registration still open at a higher price until a week before the show. That is a lot! Last year, this show had 5 men in the open, and 1 or 2 in the 50+ (neither registered for 40+). Bodybuilding is the most difficult men’s category, and at some of this organization’s (OCB) recent shows, there haven’t been any entrants for it. But this competition is apparently one of their biggest amateur shows every year, and bodybuilders have come out of the woodwork for it. I’m waiting to find out how many novice and debut entries there are as well. Hopefully there are more crossover guys like me.

Regardless, this open division could end up having a crowded stage, and potentially enough guys by show day for them to split it into 2 classes by height, with the class winners facing off for the overall title. There are also enough competitors registered in the open and masters 40+ for each of them to be pro qualifiers. Yes - it is possible to earn pro status in your first show in this organization. That’s not really my goal, but I like winning.

With that in mind, I woke up today at 176.6 lbs - the lightest I have been in years, let alone this prep - then trained and practiced posing later at Gold’s. I did this at the end of the daytime, but we were headed to my mother’s for dinner afterwards, so I wasn’t worried about running on fumes for too long.

Sunday 3/31/24 - 4,028 steps, 1.7 miles, 7 floors climbed (that’s barely more than half of what I wanted to do )

Upper # 3 & Calves, Gold’s Gym

Standing Calf Raise - wasn’t planned, it was there
120 lbs/15 reps

Pec Deck - This Hammer Strength version is the best pec deck/rear delt machine that I have ever used - smooth and balanced.
55 lbs/16 reps
100/6
130/9
115/12 - The final rep was probably a partial. I didn’t record any of this.

Rear Delt - same machine, facing the other way
85 lbs/20 reps
105/14 - The last 5-6 reps were definitely partials.

Bench Press - used the Rogue bar with the neutral grip handles; I’m assuming it’s 45 lbs
bar/12 reps
135/10
185/8

Seated Cable Row - neutral grip w/the medium width anchor handle (I learned that one brand of these handles is called MAG)
70 lbs/12 reps
115/10
145/17 - My wife watched and counted these. She said none were partials.

Standing Triceps Extension - hands at shoulder width, standing with back against pad to prevent cheating
50 lbs/15 reps
drop set: 75/8 + 60/8

Seated Calf Press - again, unplanned; passed it on the way to the pullover machine
90 lbs/20 reps - had to reset my feet after the first 5 reps

Pullover Machine - I think these work better for me with my elbows off of the pads, and my hands closer together.
50 lbs/5 reps
125/13

“Super Abs” Machine - crunching from top and bottom at different angles
105 lbs/20 reps each to the middle, left, and right

I’m still using decent weight on most exercises compared to when I started this prep, but they are down a little bit. All things considered, I’m okay with it.

When my wife and I were in the posing room, she was putting me through the quarter turns. Some random guy that I’ve never seen was walking by and yelled in “Looking great man!” I thanked him. That was cool. I wonder how much leaner I’m going to have to be in order to be competitive in this field. There’s only so much I can do in 5-6 more weeks, and I’d rather be ready in 5 weeks. If I’m still trying to cut in that final week, then I’m probably in trouble. I’d like to be able to up my calories a bit - especially carbs - in the days before the show. I’ll keep working at it.

[MarkKO]

I heard somewhere that a reasonable guide to how lean you need to be to look good on stage is to take whatever you *think* that weight is and take 20 pounds off.

I don't think that applies to you, though. Last I saw you didn't look too far off stage ready to my untrained eye. Remember there will be lighting and oil etc that brings everything out as well. I imagine you want to bring the best conditioning you can, but avoid looking stringy.

[MailmanMuscle]

I heard somewhere that a reasonable guide to how lean you need to be to look good on stage is to take whatever you *think* that weight is and take 20 pounds off.

I don't think that applies to you, though. Last I saw you didn't look too far off stage ready to my untrained eye. Remember there will be lighting and oil etc that brings everything out as well. I imagine you want to bring the best conditioning you can, but avoid looking stringy.

Thank you. I’ve heard the same thing, and it was fairly accurate from my starting point. I hoped that I would look the way I wanted at 185, but it seems like I need to be closer to 170. Funny enough, on the way home from the gym, my wife and I were talking about how much more weight loss was realistic or feasible in the next 5-6 weeks. We both agreed that I would be willing to sacrifice some leanness to avoid having that stringy look. Natural competitions - at least the men’s bodybuilding and women’s physique categories - often seem like they’re dieting contests. But I’m with Stan Efferding on this: the sport is called “body BUILDING, not body shrinking”.

To that end, I’m going to shift my macros a bit to give myself more carbs and less fat. The calories will be the same as it is for the macros prescribed by the diet app. Right now, protein makes up roughly 40-45% of daily calories, with fat taking up 25-30% and carbs 25-30%, depending on daily activity. I think I want to lower fat to 20-22% of daily calories, and switch those other fat calories to carbs. That should help to keep me from looking flat and depleted. Plus it should be more food, in terms of volume. Removing 11 grams of fat buys me 25 more grams of carbs. That’s not a lot in most cases, but I’m on a very tight caloric budget. I’ll take every gram I can get.

I heard from the promoter again, and there are at least 4 people in the debut and novice divisions for men’s bodybuilding too. So my plan is to compete in 4 divisions total: debut, novice, masters 40+ (pro qualifier), and open (pro qualifier). I also have a suspicion that I have seen some of the guys who will be in the open. I don’t know the names of anyone, but there were two guys who competed in a show with this organization (OCB) in Atlantic City recently, and they took 2nd and 3rd in the open. The promoter there said it was the best open class they’ve had in 5 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if either or both of those two take a a shot at their pro cards here. Also, I won’t be surprised if the runner up in the open at this show last year shows up. They’re all good. It should be fun.

Monday 4/1/24: 7,481 steps, 2.6 miles, 2 floors climbed

Lower #3, Planet Fitness

Hyperextensions
bodyweight/20 reps x 2 sets - hinge at the hips until my back is in line with my hamstrings, then flex at the knee for more ROM

Leg Extension
70 lbs/15 reps
115/12
140/13
rest-pause set: 140/15 (13 and 2 partials) + 10 (9 and 1 partial)

Adductor Machine
75 lbs/20 reps
100/25

Abduction Machine
100 lbs/20 reps
rest-pause set: 145/5 + 150/15 + 5 + 5 - I didn’t draw it up like that, but that’s how it happened.

Seated Leg Curl
55 lbs/15 reps
115/14
115/16 (13 and 3 partials)

This was quick for 2 reasons. First reason: we went to the chiropractor earlier in the day (I’m off on Mondays, and my wife is off every other Monday). As soon as she touched my back, with very little pressure, I could tell that it was beat up. Then I turned on my side for a different adjustment and discovered that my right hip was very tight. So I decided that when I got to the gym, I wouldn’t put any load on my back or hips. If the gym hadn’t been so crowded, I would have done this workout in 25 minutes. It took 34 minutes.

Second reason: this is WrestleMania week, which is typically my favorite week of the year. I wanted to be home to see the last Monday Night Raw before WrestleMania 40. Yes, I’ve been a fan for more than 40 years. I was tempted to splurge on tickets and drive 90 miles up the road to Philadelphia this weekend to see it live, but I can’t justify the expense right now. I’ve been to a few already, so it’s not like I haven’t experienced it. Tonight’s show didnt’ disappoint me. And as an added bonus, I got to see my beloved Baltimore Orioles walk off the Kansas City Royals. There’s a whole lot of season ahead, but I’ll take a 3-1 start.

[MailmanMuscle]

Weight this morning: 177.2 lbs. The app says my recent average is 178.2 lbs, and I’m down 5.0 lbs overall in the past 24 days.

Tuesday 4/2/24: 14,512 steps, 6.6 miles, 9 floors climbed

Wednesday 4/3/24: 21,079 steps, 8.3 miles, 14 floors climbed

Yesterday was a planned off day from the gym. Today was not. I have worked 23 hours in the past 2 days, including today in which I completed my route (office filing and street delivery), plus delivering 2/3 of another route. I would estimate that 20K of today’s steps were done in the rain, and while wearing boots. I didn’t get home until 9:35 pm, and the logistics made a trip to the gym less practical than I would have liked. I’m used to training late and eating late, but I couldn’t do it today. Believe it or not, when I arrived back at the post office, they tried to send me out to help someone else until 10 pm. I respectfully declined. They can be mad tomorrow.

Overtime is the double edged sword of postal life, and I’m sure plenty of other professions. Sure, you can earn a lot more money from the extra hours at a bonus rate, but the time you sacrifice to make it means there are other things you won’t be able to do. The game plan is to get to the gym tomorrow no matter what, and abbreviate the workout if necessary. It’s an upper body session, and without looking in my logbook, I think it’s centered around chins and dips. That’s not going to take long anyway. Work only on Friday, then I’m taking off on Saturday for my final posing clinic before the show. I might take some of this overtime money and schedule a one on one session with the posing coach, a week or two before the show. I’m not sure yet. My oldest daughter has a prom to go to, and a graduation stage to walk. We’ll see. Besides, I might be doing better with posing now than I think I am. I’ll know on Saturday how well I’ve been practicing.

[MarkKO]

Overtime requires a balancing act. And don't even get me started on having to figure out at what point the higher tax on more money makes it no longer worthwhile.

[Clearwater47]

The toll OT can take on family and friend relationships, hobbies, and general peace of mind usually outweighs the monetary benefits in my eyes, but sometimes we just have to suck it up and put in the extra time. Being on Salary, I don't even get compensated for it, so that makes it worse. Been working Saturdays on and off for months now and I'm ready to be done with it, but it will for sure continue for a few more months. It is what it is and I just try to be engaged as I can with the people I care about when I'm with them, and prioritize everything else appropriately.

So competing in 4 divisions means you need to do posing separately for each of them?

Fellow wrastlin' fan here - been following on and off for decades, and still remember stuff from the AWA days. I kind of lost interest for a while but have been back into it recently and for sure am looking forward to seeing what happens in WrestleMania. It should be a great show. The buildup to it has been fantastic.

[Skid]

Looking awesome! Congrats on getting accused of juicing.

Yep, looking ripped!

[MailmanMuscle]

Yep, looking ripped!

Thank you!

Overtime requires a balancing act. And don't even get me started on having to figure out at what point the higher tax on more money makes it no longer worthwhile.

Right. It can get to a point where it seems that you’re paying for the privilege of working yourself into the ground.

The toll OT can take on family and friend relationships, hobbies, and general peace of mind usually outweighs the monetary benefits in my eyes, but sometimes we just have to suck it up and put in the extra time. Being on Salary, I don't even get compensated for it, so that makes it worse. Been working Saturdays on and off for months now and I'm ready to be done with it, but it will for sure continue for a few more months. It is what it is and I just try to be engaged as I can with the people I care about when I'm with them, and prioritize everything else appropriately.

Damn - working overtime on a salaried arrangement seems like it sucks, unless it gets balanced by other periods in which you may work less than an average week, and still get the same pay. But your mental approach to it is pretty much how I’ve handled it over the years.

So competing in 4 divisions means you need to do posing separately for each of them?

Yes sir. Since my last post, I’ve been thinking about not doing either the debut or novice for that very reason. The division I care about the most is masters (age 40+). I’m sure the open will go last. With 9 open competitors already registered with weeks to go, there’s a legitimate chance that there will be enough guys for them to split the open bodybuilding into two classes. With a deep class, the judges will probably work us through a lot of poses to determine placings. So to save some energy, I might skip one, and if so, I’ll probably stick with debut and skip novice. I haven’t decided yet.

Fellow wrastlin' fan here - been following on and off for decades, and still remember stuff from the AWA days. I kind of lost interest for a while but have been back into it recently and for sure am looking forward to seeing what happens in WrestleMania. It should be a great show. The buildup to it has been fantastic.

#FinishTheStory

Side notes: I’m not surprised at his performance, but nevertheless, I’m still impressed and inspired by The Rock doing what he did tonight at age 52 (I think). That said, Cody better win this thing! I’m not entirely surprised that Gunther lost. I think he’s headlining the show in Germany this summer. Rhea and Becky delivered what I expected. And what’s not to love about R-Truth? Just about every fan I’ve talked to is happy for him. I’m looking forward to night 2.

Here’s a 3-day recap:

Thursday 4/4/24: 13,843 steps, 5.2 miles, 14 flights climbed

Upper #1, Planet Fitness

I alternated sets of the first 2 exercises from the first warmup to the last work set.

Pullups
-100 lbs assistance/10 reps (wide overhand)
-40 lbs/12 (6 medium neutral + 6 underhand)
drop set: bodyweight/11 + assisted/4 - wide overhand
drop set: bodyweight/10 + assisted/5 - neutral
drop set: bodyweight/10 + assisted/5 - underhand

Assistance on the work sets = -55 lbs

Dips
-100 lbs assistance/12 reps
-40 lbs/10 reps
drop set: bodyweight/15 + assisted/5
drop set: bodyweight/17 + assisted/3
drop set: bodyweight/14 + assisted/6

Assistance on the work sets = -55 lbs

Dumbbell Lateral Raise - weights listed are per hand
11 lbs/13 reps - standing
drop set: 22.5/10 + 17.5/7 + 12/9 - several partial reps in there

Hammer Abs Machine - sit upright, crunch from top and bottom
rest-pause set: 50 lbs/15 reps + 10 reps

My strength is starting to wane. I’m not shook. I’m glad it stayed with me so deep into this process.

Friday 4/5/24: 17,723 steps, 6.8 miles, 10 flights climbed

Saturday 4/6/24: 7,013 steps, 2.9 miles, 7 flights climbed

Wake up weight: 176.0 lbs

“You’re on track.”

That was the message I got from my unofficial posing coach today at the final clinic I will attend before the show, which is 5 weeks from today. Needless to say, that was highly encouraging. Another guy in there who is competing in classic physique said I look stage ready now. Maybe it’s because I was in my posing trunks. I don’t know. I don’t think I’m quite there yet, but to @MarkKO’s point from a few days ago, I don’t want to get stringy looking either. I do need more definition in my legs, but all I can do is drop weight and hope fat comes off from there. But I don’t want to diet so hard that I lose all my upper body size for the sake of leg definition. I don’t even know if I can. My target is to lose another 5 lbs or so. I have to hope that’s fat from my lower half. If not, then hopefully my upper half is so shredded that they don’t notice the lower too much.

On the way back to Baltimore from the clinic, we stopped and trained at the Gold’s I went to after my union training. It was supposed to be a lower body day for me. After the posing clinic, I was already feeling drained. Since they have a bunch of equipment I’ve never used (or seen in some cases), I decided to play around so to speak. I did what was essentially a full body workout. This wasn’t planned in advance, so I just picked things to do as we explored the place. I’ll go back to my upper/lower rotation on Monday with the planned lower session.

Full Body Freestyle, Gold’s Gym

Isolateral Seated Row Machine - Nautilus brand; this version is amazing
90 lbs/12 reps
180/12
270/14 - used Versa Gripps

Isolateral Incline Chest Press - Hammer Strength
empty/10 reps
90 lbs/12
180/1 + 140/6 - I overshot the weight, and recognized it after one rep.
150/13

Seated Lateral Raise Machine - seated with back against a pad, elbow/upper arms pressed into pads
25 lbs/15 reps
45/22 - rep 22 may have been a partial rep

Lying Leg Curl - I used this machine on my first visit. It has a very aggressive slope, so hamstrings get stretched better.
70 lbs/15 reps
100/17 - 15 + 2 partials

Leg Extension - Hammer Strength
100 lbs/13 reps
130/24 - last rep was a partial

[MailmanMuscle]

WrestleMania 40 was fantastic, and in the main event we saw a changing of the guard in World Wrestling Entertainment. Cody Rhodes, youngest son of Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, ended the 1,316 day title reign of Roman Reigns by defeating him and almost his entire family (including The Rock) to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. For the last 2 years, Cody has been spinning a narrative that winning the title was what he needed to do in order to “finish the story” - his story.

Several months ago, as I was mentally committing to stop making excuses and finally go down this road of bodybuilding competition, I was watching wrestling and that phrase struck a chord. It occurred to me that I’m trying to finish a story of my own that I should have completed a long time ago. And it seemed as though time wasn’t - and still isn’t - on my side, which is why I have an unshakeable sense of urgency to finally get this done now. Anyway, I’m saying this to say that I was pulling for the guy on Sunday, and hoping WWE would make the right call by putting the title on him. I must have been pulling for him more than I know, because when I went to post a clip from today’s workout on Instagram (shared below), his theme song was the first music recommendation it gave me.

On to the latest stats and box scores…

Sunday’s wake up weight: 175.0
Monday’s wake up weight: 176.2

My waist is down to 31”, and hips are down to 38”. My neck is holding at 15.5”. I hadn’t measured my arms (flexed ) this whole time, but I did yesterday just for kicks and they were 16”. None of these numbers matter. It’s all about how it looks on stage. I’m just using them as proxies for progress and points of relativity.

Sunday 4/7/24: 4,105 steps, 1.7 miles, 6 floors climbed

Monday 4/8/24: 3,517 steps, 1.4 miles, 9 floors climbed

Lower #1, Gold’s Gym

Standing Calf Raise
100 lbs/10 reps
140/12
160/10
160/12 “pump reps” - 2nd set eccentrics were still controlled, but done at a much faster pace than normal

Lying Leg Curl
50 lbs/15 reps
90/11
120/20 - This was “lighter” than I expected, so I went up a bit on the 2nd work set.
130/17 - 15 full ROM + 2 partials

Leg Extension
75 lbs/20 total reps on Flex brand machine; kept getting stuck; switched to old school Nautilus machine
100/12
130/10
170/18 - 16 full ROM + 2 partials

Leg Press (wide platform)
180 lbs + sled/7 reps
360+/5
450+/10

As you can hear in the clip below, my wife was adamant that I stop the set here. There’s a good chance I would have gone for another rep, or done something to make it more intense. But as we mapped out this final chapter, we agreed that injury and illness prevention are my top priority. If I don’t actually make it to the stage, then what was all of this for? But sometimes it’s hard for me to reign myself in. She knows this. I’m glad she spoke up, and I’m glad that I listened to her.

Double-Move Hyperextension - hinge at the hips, followed by a flex at the knee in the top position
BW/10 reps
+25/10

”Super Abs” Machine
125 lbs/20 reps, right side
125/10 + 10 left
125/10 + 10 middle

The left side and middle sets had to be split in half so I could to catch about 15-20 second breather.

10 minutes of posing practice in the posing room at the end. I might share some of that on Instsagram tomorrow. I feel a lot more comfortable and confident doing these poses, even though I still have plenty of things to fix. I’m at a point where I think posing practice is more important than training. I’m not going to gain any muscle right now. Training over the next month is to minimize the loss of muscle. But if I can’t show whatever is there, then it was all a waste of time.

[DCR]

Training over the next month is to minimize the loss of muscle.

I’d say that you’re succeeding, because both generally and particularly given your current bodyweight, your arms look enormous.

Reading all the muscle mags back in the day, even though I’ve always been natural, I never was interested in natural bodybuilding because the dudes looked small. It just didn’t seem exciting. You do not look small.

[Clearwater47]

WrestleMania was epic. Every year they say it will be or was the best WrestleMania ever, and I roll my eyes. This year I think they're right. The Money in the Bank twist was awesome. It goes without saying that the main event was awesome - maybe the best WrestleMania match ever? The story telling overall in WWE right now is fantastic.

I love your tie in when it comes to finishing your story. It always have to a purpose driving what we do. I know it will feel good to finish your story by getting on stage.

[MailmanMuscle]

Training over the next month is to minimize the loss of muscle.

I’d say that you’re succeeding, because both generally and particularly given your current bodyweight, your arms look enormous.

Reading all the muscle mags back in the day, even though I’ve always been natural, I never was interested in natural bodybuilding because the dudes looked small. It just didn’t seem exciting. You do not look small.

Thank you sir. Frankly, your take on natural bodybuilding mirrors how I have generally viewed it as a spectator. I think it was Mike Rashid who I saw in an interview, saying that if he’s going to pay to go to a bodybuilding show, he wants to see the freaks. He’s not flying somewhere to see guys smaller than himself. That has also been a reason/excuse for me taking so long to travel this road. I have been worried that if I stayed natural, then I would be doomed to look small. And since I didn’t want to get on gear, then I was left with quite the dilemma. I definitely feel small in clothes, but I’m dealing with it okay.

WrestleMania was epic. Every year they say it will be or was the best WrestleMania ever, and I roll my eyes. This year I think they're right. The Money in the Bank twist was awesome. It goes without saying that the main event was awesome - maybe the best WrestleMania match ever? The story telling overall in WWE right now is fantastic.

I love your tie in when it comes to finishing your story. It always have to a purpose driving what we do. I know it will feel good to finish your story by getting on stage.

I don’t know if it was the best main event or not, but it’s definitely a contender for both best and greatest (in terms of scope, significance, implications). It’s high on the list for both, if not on top. Priest was unexpected, and it was perfect for advancing the McIntyre vs Punk feud. Jey makes sense as a first challenger to Priest. Pro wrestling itself is illogical, but within the rules of the universe they’ve created, WWE is crushing it with logical and intriguing storylines.

It will feel good to finish this story by getting on that stage. It will feel even better writing the epilogue while eating pizza and ice cream.

Tuesday 4/9/24: 16,504 steps, 6.4 miles, 11 floors climbed

Posing Practice, Home: 17 minutes

There’s a concept in sports that I learned of from powerlifting, known as specificity. Essentially, practice like you intend to play in order to improve performance in competition. The unique thing about bodybuilding is that none of the training or dieting is a part of the competition. The competition is a posing competition, in which you present the product of your training, dieting, etc. But even as I’ve been practicing posing in posing rooms, in front of mirrors at home, or even in the clinics with the coach - it occurred to me that I haven’t done exactly what I’ll be doing in competition.

So tonight, I started what is going to be a major part of my posing practice for the next month. I’ll be doing “pose-alongs” to actual previous OCB competitions on YouTube. I’ll also be doing them without looking in a mirror. She wasn’t available tonight, but when she is, I’ll have my wife watch and point out what I need to keep and what I need to fix. In tonight’s session, I went with 3 rounds, all from the last 2 years of the competition I’ll be doing. I followed the 2023 debut class, the 2022 masters 40+, and the 2023 open, totaling about 17 minutes. Next week, I’ll add one more class, and possibly switch it up to some other competitions from the same organization.

The main takeaway tonight is that I’m not quick getting into some of the poses. I don’t need to rush, but I need to pick up the pace just a tad. I was fairly impressed with my conditioning. I didn’t take a break between the rounds, and I didn’t run all the way out of gas. I’m sure that adrenaline will be a factor at the show that I can’t replicate at home (sort of like a 3rd attempt deadlift). But I want to be ready in case the judging this year is tighter or more stringent.

[MarkKO]

That's a super smart idea. I always imagined that posing is the hardest aspect to get right, because it isn't like dieting which requires a tolerance for suffering. That's hard, but there's no judging on how well you suffer.

[Bolder]

How's your current strength like on this cut?

[MailmanMuscle]

That's a super smart idea. I always imagined that posing is the hardest aspect to get right, because it isn't like dieting which requires a tolerance for suffering. That's hard, but there's no judging on how well you suffer.

Posing is the hardest part of this IMO for a few reasons. But perhaps the main reason is fitting it into a daily regiment. Training? Check. Hitting macros? Check. Hitting step goal? Check. Work? Check. Don’t be isolated from wife and children? Check. Practicing posing has to fit in there somewhere. On top of that, it feels unnatural to me. And the single most difficult part has to be maintaining the flex in my legs once I start posing my upper body. In photos, it just doesn’t seem like my legs (particularly quads) are flexed at all. . I’ll keep trying though.

How's your current strength like on this cut?

It has declined a bit on some lifts, but not by too much. For example, in Jan/Feb I was doing Arnold presses with 65 lbs dumbbells. Now I’m topping out with 60’s or 55’s for similar reps. On leg press, I was doing 540 + sled for the same rep range that I’m using 450 + sled for now. Bench/chest press strength seems to have dropped the most, which isn’t surprising. That’s been true for my whole powerlifting life. Back movements, especially pulldowns and pullovers, seem to be retaining strength the most. Overall, I think I’ve held up well in terms of strength. It’s making me excited for potential gains once this is over.

I’ve been so tired at nights lately, that I didn’t even realized that I’d missed log entries. So here I’m going to catch up my last 2 workouts as succinctly as possible. I think it’s safe to say that with 4 weeks to go, I have entered the home stretch of this contest prep. I have entered 2 categories in the competition (open and masters 40+ bodybuilding), and will be entering 1-2 more (novice and/or debut). I have my trunks. My tan is scheduled for 11:45 am the day before the show. It’s all coming together.

I woke up this morning at 174.8 lbs. My waist was just under 31”, almost 30.75”. My hips were right at 38”, or just a hint under. One bodyfat calculator I’ve been using (Navy method) has me at 11% bodyfat. The other (Covert-Bailey) has me at 7.9%. I find it hard to imagine that I’m not in single digits yet. 9% or less seems about right.

Wednesday 4/8/24: 15,925 steps, 5.9 miles, 13 floors climbed

Upper #2 + Calves, Gold’s Gym

Standing Calf Raise
80 lbs/12 reps
120/10
160/10

Arnold Press - weights listed are per hand
15 lbs/13 reps
30/9
45/6
60/10
60/7

Last time I did these, they were the 3rd upper exercise I did, and I got 8, 7 reps with 60’s. Pleasantly surprised here.

Pulldown - using anchor style (MAG) handles
70 lbs/10 reps neutral wide + 6 reps neutral medium grip
130/10 wide
175/12 wide
175/9 close, underhand

Pec Deck
85 lbs/5 reps
150/12 - 10 full ROM w/2 partials
120/9 - 8 full ROM w/1 partial

Dumbbell Shrug - weight is per hand
100 lbs/12 reps

Pullover Machine
125 lbs/12 reps

Thursday 4/11/24: 15,429 steps, 6.6 miles, 11 floors climbed

Friday 4/12/24: 15,816 steps, 7.1 miles, 24 floors climbed (!?!)

Lower #2 + Delts, Gold’s Gym

Standing Calf Raise
100 lbs/15 reps
140/12

Abduction Machine
65 lbs/15 reps
110/20
145/25

Adduction Machine
65 lbs/15 reps
90/20

Abductor/Adductors were done as alternating sets on the same machine. I never got up until all 5 sets were done.

Good Morning - done on reverse hack squat machine
90 lbs/10 reps
180/10
230/12 - This is 2 more reps than the last time I did these with the same weight. More than pleasantly surprised.

Leg Extension - old school Nautilus
100 lbs/15 reps
150/10
210/1 (too heavy!) + 200/15 - maybe partials for reps 14 & 15

Lying Leg Curl
100 lbs/15 reps
150/11 - 9 full ROM w/2 partials

Extensions/Curls were done as alternating sets. The machines are right next to each other.

Leg Press -wide platform, feet low and fairly narrow (maybe shoulder width)
360 lbs/11 reps - Not quite a superset, but I did these right after the work set of leg extension.

Standing Lateral Raise Machine
add-set: 40 lbs/7 reps + 60/6 + 70/5

Saturday 4/13/24: 12,591 steps, 5.3 miles, 11 floors climbed

The plan for today is to get some steps in, come home to eat and watch a movie with my youngest daughter, then train upper body and pose a little later.

[DCR]

Yo @MailmanMuscle, how did this past week go?

[MailmanMuscle]

Yo MailmanMuscle, how did this past week go?

My friend, this week has been a blur. Work hasn’t been too bad, but a little overtime on top of our children’s activities have me feeling like I am all over the place. That’s not a complaint though. Our firstborn is in full prom and graduation mode now, right after she choreographed and coached her class to their second consecutive victory in her school’s annual Field Day. It’s a competition that combines dance and athletic performance, and I can’t explain it succinctly beyond that. Our youngest daughter was front and center on stage in her spring dance recital on Friday. Our son was the Opening Day starting pitcher for his recreational baseball team on Saturday.

SIDEBAR: In 2 innings, he struck out 8 batters, and recorded the only out in the field on an infield pop up. You might be reading this and thinking “How? There are only 6 outs in 2 innings of baseball.” That’s absolutely right. But when a catcher drops a 3rd strike, the batter can take off for first base and the catcher has to throw him out. Their defense is so bad that 7 of the 8 strikeouts he threw reached first because the “catchers” and/or first baseman couldn’t catch. Then other batters reached because they couldn’t handle infield ground balls or outfield pop ups. He walked one guy and gave up 2 legitimate base hits. I can only imagine what the stat line looks like. The rule in their league is a 3 inning limit for pitchers, and I told the coach he wasn’t going back out for the 3rd inning because he produced what should have been 9 outs already. I’m not letting them wreck his arm, especially not in the first game, all because their defense can’t get off the field.

Believe it or not, this is the third time I have sat down to update this log over the past week. I’m hoping that I will successfully finish this time.

Rather than try to write the details of my last 4 workouts since my last log entry, I’ll share the main takeaways:

* If I’m lethargic, I can still train hard if I get a cup of coffee and about 30-40 grams of carbs at least a half hour before training.

* Strength is holding up better than I expected on almost every machine lift. Upper body free weight/Smith machine lifts are down slightly (Arnolds, bench at any angle, rows). I think it has more to do with my slimmer body having less favorable leverages for them, rather than muscle loss. But I don’t know how I would confirm that either way.

* My average daily step counts over the last 7 days were 11,483 steps, 4.9 miles, and 11 floors climbed.

So, after all of that, here’s what I see on the horizon:

I woke up at 172.6 pounds today, the lowest point of this prep. According to the diet app, my “recent average” weight (I think it’s the last 7 weigh-ins?) is 175 lbs. I’m balancing on that line @MarkKO mentioned a few weeks ago: the difference between shredded and stringy. I think I’m still on the right side of that line, and I think I’m just about where I want to be for the show. If I lose any more weight on purpose, it shouldn’t be more than 2 pounds.

After looking over the scheduled order of events the promoter sent out, I have decided to cut my entries to 3 divisions: debut, masters 40+, and open. I’m going to skip novice, mostly because it is scheduled to happen directly after debut, and directly before masters 40+. I expect there to be some crossover competition with debut and novice anyway. Masters is the category I care about the most, and I would rather give myself a breather before going back out to take on my fellow oldheads. There are a few categories scheduled between 40+ and open (50+, 60+, teen, armed forces), but I’m not sure how many of them will actually happen. As long as one of them happens, then I’ll get another breather before the open class, which might be split into two. It seems like there are a lot more bodybuilding entries this year. I bet I know who some of them are too (not personally, but seen on YouTube). They’ll be tough.

I’m experimenting with carbs at night and in the morning to see how it affects muscle fullness. This is so I can plan what I eat and when on the night before, and the morning of the show. The schedule says that the men’s session will be first, starting at 8:30 am. It also says that bodybuilding will be up first out of the three men’s categories, which means I won’t have a big window to eat that morning. I almost never eat that early anyway. But regardless, I don’t want to wake up on May 11 guessing about what I should eat.

I sent my posing coach some photos from today. She said I’m going to “crush the stage”. I guess that’s good. I hope I can schedule a virtual session with her next Monday (4/29) to tighten things up over the final 11 days.

Here’s my latest Instagram post. It should give you an idea of how I’m looking, without showing too much.

[DCR]

I’m balancing on that line @MarkKO mentioned a few weeks ago: the difference between shredded and stringy. I think I’m still on the right side of that line

Confirmed: you sure are.

Also, holy shit does your son need a new team, or at the least a new battery mate.

[MailmanMuscle]

Also, holy shit does your son need a new team, or at the least a new battery mate.

He also plays third base for his middle school team. They’re not too good either. They had a terrible start to the season last year, but pulled it together at the end to get a few wins. All of last year’s 8th graders are in high school now, and several of the best 7th graders from last year switched to lacrosse. He said that he talked to the school coach about pitching today. We’ll see what happens. This is only his second year playing.

Let me see if I can get back to regular updates here. I truly enjoy the interaction on this forum.

Monday 4/22/24: 7,783 steps, 3.1 miles, 6 floors climbed

My game plan for the next two weeks is to reduce workload to one max effort working set per exercise. If I do any partials, it’s because I think I can get a rep, and find out I’m wrong. I think it’s highly unlikely that I’ll grow any new muscle (or regrow any lost muscle) between now and the show. But I’m sure this is enough to maintain what I have. It’s also laying the base for a training experiment I want to run coming out of the show. I’m still putting it together, so more on that later.

Upper #2, Planet Fitness

Seated Cable Row- done with what I call the “inverted handlebars” - neutral grip barely outside of torso, cambered handle
70 lbs/15 reps
add-set warmup: 70/4 + 100/4 + 140/4 + 180/2
180/14 - used Versa Gripps for this; ROM may have been short on last rep or two

An “add-set” is what I call something I saw in a John Meadows video, which is basically the opposite of a drop-set, and none of the rounds in the set are done to failure.

Cable Pullover - rope handle
add-set warmup: 25 lbs/6 reps + 35/6 + 50/3
57.5/10

I didn’t plan on doing pullovers, but my wife was doing them on the other side of the station where I was doing the rows. I hadn’t tried these with a rope, so I figured I’d give it a shot. Turns out she was onto something. These are a keeper.

Pec Deck
add-set warmup: 60 lbs/5 reps + 85/5 + 115/5 + 145/2
125/13

I intended to do Arnold presses at this point, but in a first, there were no adjustable benches available near the dumbbells. I decided to keep moving and revisit an overhead press option later.

Rear Delt Machine - facing opposite way on pec deck
85 lbs/15 reps
115/14

Hammer Crunch Machine - move from top and bottom simultaneously
drop set: 6 reps each at 60, 50, 40, 30, and 20 lbs - none of these were to failure

Arnold Press - finally got an empty bench; weights listed are per hand
40 lbs/6 reps
60/9

I’m exceedingly happy about this. This exercise is one I started doing during this prep. I usually do Arnolds first in a workout, and I don’t think I’ve done them later then third. Last time I did them, I got 10 reps on the first of 2 sets with the 60’s doing them second. So to get 9 reps with the same weight this late in the workout, and almost 2 weeks deeper into the prep is encouraging.

Smith Machine Shrug - I was ready to skip these. But I saw an empty smith machine on my way to the locker room.
90 lbs + bar/12 reps
230+/19 - used Versa Gripps

I had to reset myself on the bar twice: once after rep 1, and again after rep 10. I felt imbalanced, like my right side was doing all the work.

It might seem like a lot, but I got all of that done in less than an hour. Nothing hurts. Overall, I feel pretty good. Surprisingly, I have felt a lot less stressed about this show over the weekend. I’m not sure why, but I’m not complaining.