Off Season Support Thread: Post pics and your program to get feedback

[KevinCouch]

no sir. 176.6 this am. my scale is accurate i checked it.
i cant understand it. it defies logic. i could see if i was losing BF, but
i am not. i have no explanation.

You quadsweep is killer BC. Still got the vascularity too. Mine is almost gone at this weight. lol. Just eat and let yourself grow bro! It's working like a charm for ya.

[Steve56]

no sir. 176.6 this am. my scale is accurate i checked it.
i cant understand it. it defies logic. i could see if i was losing BF, but
i am not. i have no explanation.

well with me i'm having a similar scenario...i am nowhere near as lean or as freaky as you...but when i worked with jason the goal was to get down lean enough to where I was in a good place to lean bulk again...mission accomplished i got down to 194.5 with acceptable offseason condition..so now im adding in calories...with jason he took me as low as like 2200 calories..so i started adding cals 200-250 at a time...long story short 8 weeks later after i got down to 194.5...im now eating 3300 calories and my weight is still around 194.5-196 im eating monster cheat meals and putting on only 2-3 lbs and then shedding them within a day or so....just crazy how my metabolism has shifted i cant explain it to save my life

[BC123Jm]

well with me i'm having a similar scenario...i am nowhere near as lean or as freaky as you...but when i worked with jason the goal was to get down lean enough to where I was in a good place to lean bulk again...mission accomplished i got down to 194.5 with acceptable offseason condition..so now im adding in calories...with jason he took me as low as like 2200 calories..so i started adding cals 200-250 at a time...long story short 8 weeks later after i got down to 194.5...im now eating 3300 calories and my weight is still around 194.5-196 im eating monster cheat meals and putting on only 2-3 lbs and then shedding them within a day or so....just crazy how my metabolism has shifted i cant explain it to save my life

yes but thats what i used to be like. you lost BF and gained muscle so no need for scale to change.

i am less lean and smoother. why am i not at least up water weight.
i am very visibly bigger. smoother yes, but bigger. the scale should be moving.

[Hoss06]

operation mass monster is in full swing.
the abs are gone and i'm smoothing out fast.
but i'm getting big as fuck.

the legs are holding on to whatever vascularity they can.

Vascularity still looks freakish! Great quads man!

[KevinCouch]

yes but thats what i used to be like. you lost BF and gained muscle so no need for scale to change.

i am less lean and smoother. why am i not at least up water weight.
i am very visibly bigger. smoother yes, but bigger. the scale should be moving.

As everyone tells me, don't worry about the scale. Your best tool is the mirror. You're up in size visibly by the pics we can see that. Also, I don't think you're as smooth as you think from the looks of your legs. Your upper body pic a couple days ago still look very lean. Your increased in food maybe bloating your stomach a little but that will subside once you get adjusted to the calorie increase which is when the weightgain will come. That's my 2 cents.

[BC123Jm]

As everyone tells me, don't worry about the scale. Your best tool is the mirror. You're up in size visibly by the pics we can see that. Also, I don't think you're as smooth as you think from the looks of your legs. Your upper body pic a couple days ago still look very lean. Your increased in food maybe bloating your stomach a little but that will subside once you get adjusted to the calorie increase which is when the weightgain will come. That's my 2 cents.

thanks kevin. this bodybuilding stuff really plays tricks on your mind.
I'm just going to shut up and eat.

[KevinCouch]

thanks kevin. this bodybuilding stuff really plays tricks on your mind.
I'm just going to shut up and eat.

This BBing thing is very tricky and complex. It changes from day to day for me. I'll wake up one day looking sharp and the next look flat. It's not an exact science and it does defy logic many times. That's why many guys never hit their peak at shows because they aren't completely in tune with their body and what works for them and what doesn't. We all react differently to training, diet and supplements. That's why guys like Scooby is so important. He's constantly chaingng your guys diet's around to adjust to your unique metabolism. Once you find the right formula for you that works....BAM!

[BigJD69]

This BBing thing is very tricky and complex. It changes from day to day for me. I'll wake up one day looking sharp and the next look flat. It's not an exact science and it does defy logic many times. That's why many guys never hit their peak at shows because they aren't completely in tune with their body and what works for them and what doesn't. We all react differently to training, diet and supplements. That's why guys like Scooby is so important. He's constantly chaingng your guys diet's around to adjust to your unique metabolism. Once you find the right formula for you that works....BAM!

I know it may be frustrating that you guys are eating all those calories and not gaining weight but trust me it's a good problem to have. I look at a guy like BC and even Juan Morel who can eat ice cream and have several cheat meals a week to put weight on but I feel that you can go about your life without missing a beat. You can go out to dinner with friends eat whatever you want and still be a human being. A guy like me who looks at food and gains weight doesn't have that luxury. I have to basically take myself out of those situations because my metabolism is so slow!

[RawLifter]

I know it may be frustrating that you guys are eating all those calories and not gaining weight but trust me it's a good problem to have. I look at a guy like BC and even Juan Morel who can eat ice cream and have several cheat meals a week to put weight on but I feel that you can go about your life without missing a beat. You can go out to dinner with friends eat whatever you want and still be a human being. A guy like me who looks at food and gains weight doesn't have that luxury. I have to basically take myself out of those situations because my metabolism is so slow!

I do feel for you but what's weird about my body is that if i stick to the diet of let's say 4200 calories daily...i won't gain anything but as soon as a throw even a small cheat meal in there i gain 3-4 pounds.

Like today i used one of my meals to go out for breakfast. I had 2 poached eggs, ham, english muffin, swiss cheese, bagel, all natural yogurt with strawberries, muslix, peanut butter and jam...tomorrow I'll be up 3-4 pounds even though what I ate really isn't far off from what I would normally take in with maybe a little more fats. If i stick to what my body i use to then no worries..as soon as it strays from that it balloons.

[RawLifter]

Here's my first pic contribution to the thread. A beautiful quality iPhone pic in a dark tanning booth.

[BC123Jm]

Here's my first pic contribution to the thread. A beautiful quality iPhone pic in a dark tanning booth.

about time man. very solid looking physique from what i can see
in the pic. looks like you have really good shape and good muscle bellies.

[KevinCouch]

kevin u great what i call a pyhsique to kill for, im a taller guy 6'1 so filling out has always been my main priority, but right now ive been going with the "screw what the scale says" mentality. Its pointless for me to reach a goal of 260 if when i get there i look like a slob, ya know. So i take each day by the mirror. i dont wanna make my prep any harder than it already has to be

Sorry I missed this post earlier. Thanks for your kind words. I agree with you 100% about pushing so hard to get to a certain weight. You being that tall it is an uphill climb for you to fill it all out. You're young so you've got plenty of time. It is a journey not a destination so you might as well look lean and good on the way up to 260. There's a thread in central about a 19 year old who's my height and is weighin around 240 now and way overweight. He probably has built a nice physique for him being so young but it's hidden under 40 pounds of fat.

Quality not quantity is the key and you're on the right track.....

[RawLifter]

about time man. very solid looking physique from what i can see
in the pic. looks like you have really good shape and good muscle bellies.

Thanks man. At the moment i'm aiming for 200lbs @ 5'8''. I'm at 192 but thinking of doing a small cut for about 2-3 weeks by drastically cutting cals just to get the fluff off then start over. I figure i'd like to lose about 5lbs. Like Kevin said above, it's a marathon not a race.

I carry most of my fat in my lower back and abs...first place to go post contest even on a strict reverse diet is my abs. Right now i can still see abs when relaxed but my lower back is starting to accumulate that fat again even though the scale is moving ridiculously slow. My best bodypart is my legs which is why i didn't bother taking a pic.

[Maryland Muscle]

Hey guys great thread here. Its been 4 weeks from Collegiate Nationals. I'm trying to stay lean this off-season and put on quality muscle to become a heavyweight in 2013. This off-season my focus is on my hamstrings, arms, shoulders, outer sweep, and back width.IMG_2701.jpg

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[Steve56]

looking freaky here maryland muscle..still very lean..what are you weighing?