Contest Prep Forum Leader

[Scoobysnacks]

Hey everyone, my name is Jason Theobald, I'm the new Forum Leader in the Contest Prep section. I look forward to open and honest debate.

I suppose I should give a little bit about myself. Im 31 years young, wife, 1 child, corporate attorney. Been competing since 2002; only 1 time I didnt place, and I learned A LOT from that experience, it definitely made me a better bodybuilder. My best placings are open Bantam at the following shows: 2008 Northern Kentucky Bodybuilding Championships (Nat. Qual.), 2008 Indianapolis Bodybuilding Championships (Nat. Qual.) and 2003 Mr. Cincinnati. Currently Im training for the 2009 Jr Nationals and recovering from umbilical hernia surgery. I also do contest prep work, but I wont get into that to much, but Ive worked with all bodytypes and feel I can provide information from differing points of view. Contest preparation is certainly not a one size fits all.

Let the fun begin.

Ss

[MDur8]

Glad to hear it Scooby..I followed your last contest prep journal and you seem like a well qualified person.

[GirlyMuscle]

Scooby Dooby Do!

[SallyAnne]

Hello!

[joedanielsx]

here too

[lighthvy]

Glad to see you as the moderator man. You have a no BS approach and are pretty civil, even with jackasses... I wish you luck buddy!

[rockhard]

Scooby, Glad to see you over here and supporting the new site. A great choice for Contest Prep moderator.

[Scoobysnacks]

Scooby, Glad to see you over here and supporting the new site. A great choice for Contest Prep moderator.

M.D. glad you found this place, keep checking and posting. You have done well with your preps and could add some good insight here.

Ss

[TheJackHammer]

with the whole carb wars between the two site, i have been told that the more carbs you can get away with the better off you r. what is ur oppinion? does it just depend on how sensitive you r or what?

[militantmuscle]

There really is not going to be one definitive answer, it will be based on the individual. Ask Toney Freeman and Dexter Jackson, they will give you two different answers. Toney works with Dave, while Joe McNeal will tell you that Dexter doesn't really manipulate fats as the primary energy source during contest prep.

[Scoobysnacks]

with the whole carb wars between the two site, i have been told that the more carbs you can get away with the better off you r. what is ur oppinion? does it just depend on how sensitive you r or what?

There is no such thing as one diet being the BEST diet. I think some of this has got a little blown out of proportion to some extent.

Personally, I diet on carbs. I do well with them, I stay strong, can function and can still get in very good contest shape.

In working with others who dont tolerate carbs well, and you will know, they bloat, they get sluggish, they feel bad at times, I have used a keto approach with them, and once they are in it, they feel so much better and sharpen up.

I personally, like to look at someone's bodytype and devise a gameplan from that. Then adjust based on how someone looks.

Ss

[TheJackHammer]

thanks, i have another question, is it better to diet hard or take it down easy week by week and just see how things progress? what i mean is, is it better to just drop the carbs down to a really low count right off the bat or is it better to ease on down

[militantmuscle]

If you are used to eating a lot of carbs, then you would probably be best advised to gradually lower your carbs, so you don't suffer any kind negative feedback/shock from going cold turkey off a high carb diet.

[Mike Marcano]

I think the body does best with subtle changes to caloric intake. The dramatic drop in carbs with signal starving mechanisms and would then slow down metabolism as the body would think it would have to prepare for a famine.

[TheJackHammer]

hey Scoobysnacks what do u think about the way plan that layne norton has laid out on bodybuilding.com about how to prepare ur contest prep and how to go about doing it

[Scoobysnacks]

hey Scoobysnacks what do u think about the way plan that layne norton has laid out on bodybuilding.com about how to prepare ur contest prep and how to go about doing it

Its not bad at all. Its a pretty good article as Ive said before. He starts with creating a 500 calorie deficit. I think he does 20% from cardio and 80% from diet, I tend to do 50% from cardio and 50% from diet. So to get 1 lbs fat loss Id take 250 cals from diet and add cardio to burn 250 cals per day. And asssess from there.

I also agree with dieting for bodytype, high carbs for ectos and mesos much lower for endos. I have found this works well. I have used keto on more endomorphic clients. I dont believe there is a one diet type fits all. I think you have to find what works best for you based on numerous factors, age, bodytype, activity level, natural or non natural, etc. and so forth.

Then just gradual changes as you stall out.

Its not perfect, but nothing seldom is, but I think if the article is put to use, especially for someone just competing and doing their own diet, its a great place to start.

[TheJackHammer]

Its not bad at all. Its a pretty good article as Ive said before. He starts with creating a 500 calorie deficit. I think he does 20% from cardio and 80% from diet, I tend to do 50% from cardio and 50% from diet. So to get 1 lbs fat loss Id take 250 cals from diet and add cardio to burn 250 cals per day. And asssess from there.

I also agree with dieting for bodytype, high carbs for ectos and mesos much lower for endos. I have found this works well. I have used keto on more endomorphic clients. I dont believe there is a one diet type fits all. I think you have to find what works best for you based on numerous factors, age, bodytype, activity level, natural or non natural, etc. and so forth.

Then just gradual changes as you stall out.

Its not perfect, but nothing seldom is, but I think if the article is put to use, especially for someone just competing and doing their own diet, its a great place to start.

ok thanks alot. thats what i need to know cause im going to do my own diet and a few buddies and i was thinking that this would be a great starting point

[Scoobysnacks]

JackHammer, do me a small favor if you have any other Qs post them in your own thread in down in the Contest section rather than this sticky. That way everyone will be more likely to see them, make sense?

Good Luck, and one last piece of advice, use fitday.com to create your diet that way you know its right according to the macro breakdown you need.

[buster12]

congrats scoob!

[TheJackHammer]

JackHammer, do me a small favor if you have any other Qs post them in your own thread in down in the Contest section rather than this sticky. That way everyone will be more likely to see them, make sense?

Good Luck, and one last piece of advice, use fitday.com to create your diet that way you know its right according to the macro breakdown you need.

ya no problem, i was actually going to start my own journal leading up to my comp. about 16 weeks out.

[stavios]

Its not bad at all. Its a pretty good article as Ive said before. He starts with creating a 500 calorie deficit. I think he does 20% from cardio and 80% from diet, I tend to do 50% from cardio and 50% from diet. So to get 1 lbs fat loss Id take 250 cals from diet and add cardio to burn 250 cals per day. And asssess from there.

I also agree with dieting for bodytype, high carbs for ectos and mesos much lower for endos. I have found this works well. I have used keto on more endomorphic clients. I dont believe there is a one diet type fits all. I think you have to find what works best for you based on numerous factors, age, bodytype, activity level, natural or non natural, etc. and so forth.

Then just gradual changes as you stall out.

Its not perfect, but nothing seldom is, but I think if the article is put to use, especially for someone just competing and doing their own diet, its a great place to start.


good post man !
personnally, I like both ways of dieting but I feel much better mentaly with a keto diet.

maybe I am a little more flat that way, but I also feel I can get a bit more shredded in the back area with this diet.

last year I dieted with pretty high carbs and I still got lean but I feel I could have been at least 5 lbs sharper

maybe it's because I don't have enough muscle but I don't know... I'd like a thighter look this year

http://www.fcpaq.com/competitions/2008/provincial/athletes/1520-6.jpg

[AVBG]

good post man !
personnally, I like both ways of dieting but I feel much better mentaly with a keto diet.

maybe I am a little more flat that way, but I also feel I can get a bit more shredded in the back area with this diet.

last year I dieted with pretty high carbs and I still got lean but I feel I could have been at least 5 lbs sharper

maybe it's because I don't have enough muscle but I don't know... I'd like a thighter look this year

http://www.fcpaq.com/competitions/2008/provincial/athletes/1520-6.jpg

How's the prep going Stavios?

[stavios]

How's the prep going Stavios?

very well !
I got sick 2 weeks ago so I had to stop the diet and just try to eat things that would not make me want to puke ! :D

but I am already down to 220 lbs !
the middleweight class here in quebec now goes up to 185 lbs so I might try that if I am not too skinny at that weight

I was 192 if I remember well in the picture above so I think 185 lbs would be good

[Mike Marcano]

Just had to say Stavios you looked great last year....must of been great working with a guy like Alex Azarian! Sometimes it does take sometime for someone to really get an understanding of someones body. I've seen too many people go from Chad, to Hany, to Charles Glass.....when they barely had a set time to learn the persons body, Ya Digg? Any way I don't know what your plans are, but talk to Alex about you wanting to come in tighter.

[stavios]

Just had to say Stavios you looked great last year....must of been great working with a guy like Alex Azarian! Sometimes it does take sometime for someone to really get an understanding of someones body. I've seen too many people go from Chad, to Hany, to Charles Glass.....when they barely had a set time to learn the persons body, Ya Digg? Any way I don't know what your plans are, but talk to Alex about you wanting to come in tighter.

Well I am not even sure I am doing a show this year, I am just dieting down as far as I can so I don't want to bother Alex with that as I may drop out at anytime !

the show is may 30th so if I am in shape by that time I'll do it, if I am not I'll just go as a spectator :)

I like the keto diet this far out, I'll try to adjust the diet/cardio/supps myself and I'll see how it goes !

[stavios]

plus, I have to say I am a super dick on a regulard moderate carbs diet :D

I don't know why but that weekly cheat meal keeps me happy.
if I really really want to eat something I know I will be able to eat it very soon.

last year dieting 16 weeks without a cheat was very hard sometimes (hard for my girlfriend too because I was such an ass !)

[debbiebramwell]

Well hello there! did someone call? I saw where you asked me to drop by so here I am! This year I am trying dave palumbos prep for the NY Pro show(Im 12 weeks out now) I feel amazing!(the first week I was dizzy!!)I am not hungry , do not crave and am stronger then ever! I will keep ya posted!! Happy training/dieting everyone!:D

[Scoobysnacks]

Well hello there! did someone call? I saw where you asked me to drop by so here I am! This year I am trying dave palumbos prep for the NY Pro show(Im 12 weeks out now) I feel amazing!(the first week I was dizzy!!)I am not hungry , do not crave and am stronger then ever! I will keep ya posted!! Happy training/dieting everyone!:D

Yes I did, and thanks for showing up :). I knew you were working with Dave and since I dont diet keto, I thought we should have a representative here. I know you are just getting going with it, but if you could (when you have the time of course) help us field the keto questions. I know the basisc, but its great to have a pro on board.

Ss

[trendog]

today is my 6th day on dp's keto diet and if i like the way i end up looking towards the end i might do a local show,i hope i don't get too flat.

[meatheadio]

Its not bad at all. Its a pretty good article as Ive said before. He starts with creating a 500 calorie deficit. I think he does 20% from cardio and 80% from diet, I tend to do 50% from cardio and 50% from diet. So to get 1 lbs fat loss Id take 250 cals from diet and add cardio to burn 250 cals per day. And asssess from there.

I also agree with dieting for bodytype, high carbs for ectos and mesos much lower for endos. I have found this works well. I have used keto on more endomorphic clients. I dont believe there is a one diet type fits all. I think you have to find what works best for you based on numerous factors, age, bodytype, activity level, natural or non natural, etc. and so forth.

Then just gradual changes as you stall out.

Its not perfect, but nothing seldom is, but I think if the article is put to use, especially for someone just competing and doing their own diet, its a great place to start.

I would have to agree with you and Layne on dieting for bodytypes. Dieting for someone else's body type is an uphill battle. Although not an easy task sometimes you need to find what works for YOU at the time. Keep in mind that what worked well for you last year may not produce the same grate results this year. Keeping these principles in mind has helped both myself and my clients drastically.
For me I love the keto approach. I am endomorphic and do not handle carbs that well, even in the off season, but are now thriving after a few weeks using the keto approach.
I dieted with carbs in the past, but results were slower and energy levels fluctuated greatly, resulting in mood swings and low energy levels, especially as the day went on.

[fitcorps]

Scoobs, great to see you here bro! This is a great position for you - CONGRATS!

[Scoobysnacks]

Scoobs, great to see you here bro! This is a great position for you - CONGRATS!

thanks dont be a stranger to these parts.

[fitcorps]

Alright. I'm going ot try to be around a bit more here.

[Jaredmus]

Hey Scooby, just 2 quick question, what is a better tan, pro tan or jana tan, i think we talked about this once before i jsut dont remember, and what is the ideal food to eat before a contest? SPeaking the day of

[kell]

my Q is i wanna hide my stretch marks at contest day how do i do that? i don't wanna use dream tan and what do you think about tatto covering cream do you think it will cover stretch marks? thanks.

[flydawg9]

Anyone have any suggestions on a last week diet plan for a 5 ft 9 179 pd male with 7.5 % bf to tighten up? I am in the same contest as Cody Kelly.

[TheJackHammer]

question: i have been dieting for alittle over 4 weeks and i have lost 25lb in that time. but i have leveled off the last week. i havent seen any improvements and my weight is the same. i have been eating 300gr of protein and 200gr of carbs and 30gr of fat a day. also i have been doing 2 hours a day of cardio, morning/night. sometimes slow cardio other times intervals to help with my heart rate. what else can i do?

[anabolic fyre]

hey im currently on a keto diet eating 2300 calories a day, 1100 from protein and 1100 from fats, the other 100 are from indirect carb sources maybe 25g a day sometimes less, my question is, on a keto diet do you have to take in more fat then protein calorie wise or vice versa, or is doin an even amount straight down the middle fine?
also, due to work scedule i only have time to wake up eat, do my liftin then do my first cardio session 45 min, the only other time for my 2nd cardio session would be after work pre last meal of the day, is it ok to just walk in to the gym for some low intensity cardio or is this just eating away at muscle? thank you.

[GirlyMuscle]

Excuse me....

RX Muscle Forums - View Single Post - Brazilian Wax

Didn't your wife sell something for the treatment of ingrown hairs?

[Scoobysnacks]

Excuse me....

RX Muscle Forums - View Single Post - Brazilian Wax (http://forums.rxmuscle.com/showpost.php?p=439571&postcount=43)

Didn't your wife sell something for the treatment of ingrown hairs?

No wrong person, you MAY be thinking of Dezyr which is a product we sell for female libido. www.moredezyr.com (http://www.moredezyr.com). Otherwise, nope not us.

[xXx]

Hi Guys, i'm relatively new to bodybuilding but am very keen to learn as much as i possibly can, i have only competed in 1 contest and have another in 7 weeks, i dieted on high protein, low carbs, low fat last time and as so many people seem to relate to i turned into such an arsehole for the entire prep, this time i have decided to try the palumbo way, and although i'm only 1 week into it i feel great and am happy with the results so far. my question is regarding the last week of prep, when and how would you guys reccomend i carb up and such like?

Also how do i achieve that dryness and paper thin skin look? people at the gym i go to seem to reccommend drinking alcohol the night before as well as adding around 10g Vit C for 3-4 day prior, is this the best/only way to achieve the look i'm after.
Any advice would be greatfully recieved..

[Scoobysnacks]

Hi Guys, i'm relatively new to bodybuilding but am very keen to learn as much as i possibly can, i have only competed in 1 contest and have another in 7 weeks, i dieted on high protein, low carbs, low fat last time and as so many people seem to relate to i turned into such an arsehole for the entire prep, this time i have decided to try the palumbo way, and although i'm only 1 week into it i feel great and am happy with the results so far. my question is regarding the last week of prep, when and how would you guys reccomend i carb up and such like?

Also how do i achieve that dryness and paper thin skin look? people at the gym i go to seem to reccommend drinking alcohol the night before as well as adding around 10g Vit C for 3-4 day prior, is this the best/only way to achieve the look i'm after.
Any advice would be greatfully recieved..

There is really no way I can tell you when to carb up. I can speak in generals, some people start Tues, some Weds, and hell others Thurs or Fri. I have a client now who looks phenomenal after his refeed day, immediately after, so we'll just refeed on Friday. Everything else that week is going to pretty much be status quo since this has worked all along. I personally start my carb up on Weds and taper into the show. I do this with some. It really depends on how your diet is set up, what you have tried during prep, how lean you are etc.

My advice if you are ahead of schedule do a dry run, where you carb up. Then see what day you look your best, is it 5 hrs into (which would mean then just carb up Sat morning of show 5 hrs before stage) is it the next day, so a load on Friday for a show, or is it two days later so load Thurs. See what Im saying here?

The dry look, just get as lean as you possibly can, then think about the above. Drying out is a process of carbing up, as carbs pull water from out under the skin assuming water is controlled etc.

Good Luck
Ss

[xXx]

Thanx very much for your advice Scooby, i've been reading through the forum and find most info very helpfull.

the past show i started loading slowely on the thu an tapered down towards the show, it worked fairly well, but i think i looked better the day after once i'd eaten lots after the show.

I'm Very lean now, around 7% bf so i'l prob be ready early an just play around and see what works like you said.

Thanks again for your help.

[Scoobysnacks]

Thanx very much for your advice Scooby, i've been reading through the forum and find most info very helpfull.

the past show i started loading slowely on the thu an tapered down towards the show, it worked fairly well, but i think i looked better the day after once i'd eaten lots after the show.

I'm Very lean now, around 7% bf so i'l prob be ready early an just play around and see what works like you said.

Thanks again for your help.

If you carb loaded for your last show, then that wasnt the problem. So process of elimination tells me (and the fact you reported looking good after shit load) that you either cut sodium to low or water, or both. Once you added sodium and water, wala, you filled out. Use that knowledge too.

Good Luck

Ss

[xXx]

If you carb loaded for your last show, then that wasnt the problem. So process of elimination tells me (and the fact you reported looking good after shit load) that you either cut sodium to low or water, or both. Once you added sodium and water, wala, you filled out. Use that knowledge too.

Good Luck

Ss

Lol that sounds about rite actually, for a sunday show i was advised to cut water at 10am on the saturday morning and cut sodium on the Friday night....

Thanx for the advice:yep:

[Scoobysnacks]

Lol that sounds about rite actually, for a sunday show i was advised to cut water at 10am on the saturday morning and cut sodium on the Friday night....

Thanx for the advice:yep:

Its easy to spot a mile away just listening to what people say.

And thats HORRIBLE advice. Cutting water on Sat at 10 am for a show 24 hr later.

And no sodium at all? Terrible again.

No wonder you looked a mile better after eating and drinking.

Lets just say you sort of missed your peak....

Ss

[xXx]

Its easy to spot a mile away just listening to what people say.

And thats HORRIBLE advice. Cutting water on Sat at 10 am for a show 24 hr later.

And no sodium at all? Terrible again.

No wonder you looked a mile better after eating and drinking.

Lets just say you sort of missed your peak....

Ss

yeah that sounds about right again.

Although i still managed t finish 4th, the McDonalds i had between perjudging an the evening show def helped.

Is their any advice you could give me??

Cheers

[AnimaLiZtik]

Ss, you are everywhere:D

[norway power]

Scooby, when dieting do you use crystal light at all? It is helping me right now, it feels like cheating it tastes so good. I just want to know if I should continue to use it or not.

[Scoobysnacks]

Scooby, when dieting do you use crystal light at all? It is helping me right now, it feels like cheating it tastes so good. I just want to know if I should continue to use it or not.

I dont prefer cyrstal light, but its fine. It does have malto in it I believe, so if running keto, diet soda is a better option.

Ss

[q_nizzle]

I dont prefer crystal light, but its fine. It does have malto in it I believe, so if running keto, diet soda is a better option.

Ss

Diet Mt. Dew to be precise! Yea J...I finally made my way over here! :)

[ayezer]

scooby keep up great work on rx muscle forum I e-mailed you on bb.com 1 time.

I may have a question for you soon. Too tired to think right now.

[Scoobysnacks]

scooby keep up great work on rx muscle forum I e-mailed you on bb.com 1 time.

I may have a question for you soon. Too tired to think right now.

Thanks! and thanks for stopping by.

[ayezer]

your welcome did bb show last year qualified but now doing more hisrt bench press powerlifting so see waht looks like in a couple of months.

[one arm bandit]

scooby--
heres my diet plan for the last week leading up to the show on sept 10th. feel free to give your thoughtsm suggestions. Remember although I got 2nd they said to come in fuller. I dont know if theres somthing on here i can change to help that or not. I plan on following tghis with a few tweaks leading up to oct 29th show. this is exactly how it was written up for me.

Sunday:
This is a very important day in your pre contest prep. You begin your sodium depletion that will result in weight loss but not muscle loss, increase hardness and improve vascularity.
A. Drink sodium free water, and use only sodium free water in cooking and brushing teeth. B. Eliminate foods that contain sodium suchj as eg whityes, carb drinks, etc. No crystal light or any sweetners, chicken or fish should be your primary source of protein, no beef until friday. C. water levels should 1.5 - 2 gal per day. D. No starchy carbs, you may increase your intake of veggies such as green beans. take 2 grams of vit c daily. No tanning or workouts after wednesday continue cardio through wednesday. keep cardio @ 70 min per day till wed. no leg wrk out till after show.

Monday:
Keep legs elevated, last leg wrk out. start 1/2 diuretic today. sit in sauna for 15 min.
Tuesday:
continue to pose and take epsom salt bath before bed.
Wednesday:
Last day of tanning wrk out and cardio and other supps except multi vit and diuretic and vit c. begin your carbing up process by going back to the carb level you were at before depletion on sunday. reduce water to 1 gal. sit in sauna. include 1/2 cup brown rice w meal 5.
Thursday:
continue carbing up at noon by adding 1/2 (4 oz) of brwn rice or sweet pot to lunch.
begin water depletion today. restrict water intake to no more than 32oz starting at lunch.
Friday:
Same as thurs for nutrition except you have 4-6oz of starchy carbs w every meal. drink only when thirsty, sipping, max of 16oz for the day! Dinner meal have a steak and dry baked potato. after weigh in have a 8-10oz steak with a dry potato or sweet potato.
Saturday:
Continue to carb load, eating your carbs firsdt and then proteins such as chkn. Have 2-3 pancakes w a tbsp of syrup or jam for breakfast.

On sat i continued w that diet, i didnt have no pizza or burgers or mc donalds after pre judging. I also didnt have honey or peanut butter with rice cakes as the others did. I think for my first show my cond was bpretty good I just feel like i lost size! Heres pics of finished product.
So let me know what you think bro and any advice would be appreciated.

[one arm bandit]

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[bodybuilding0841]

hey everybody did you know that the scheduled of 2012 competition has been released.:yep:

[bodybuilding0841]

glad to see you scooby...