John Smeton's first NPC contest preperation

[Budman7811]

stay with it.

I have never competed in a competition like this before, however I am competitive and always drive to do my best.

 

[John Smeton]

I have never competed in a competition like this before, however I am competitive and always drive to do my best.

In my opinion, that is all that matters is if you do your best , win or lose, because you are your own winner if you truly shot for the stars and did all you could to reach them stars.

I know I have a lot of work to do. That is all I can do present my best and let karma take place; kind of eager to see how karma takes place and the judges place me. Videos coming up this week, hope to take one Sunday at a beach I am going to

 

[Rosie Chee]

In my opinion, that is all that matters is if you do your best, win or lose, because you are your own winner if you truly shot for the stars and did all you could to reach them stars.

Definitely agree with this^^^

~Rosie~

 

[808shredded]

Keep pushing it john! Remember, when u are on that stage doing your night show u are already a winner, because u accomplish what u set out to do, standing on that stage. I am also in my pre contest prep, I know the UPS and downs of dieting, u are already dialing it in )

 

[John Smeton]

May 10 2012
310 P
150C
85 F

cardio 30 mins interval, biceps abs

from now on i am not writing down exercises or numbers I do. Intensity is high, but not too high I am pushing it but I hold back a rep or so to failure.
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May 11 2012
360 P
200C 45F

shoulders, 45 mins cardio( 3 super fast runs)

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May 12 2012
340 P
190C
50F

calves, abs 3 miles interval
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may 13 2012
335 P
110C
50F

rest day

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training is about 3-4 exercises per body part about 3 sets not pushing it these last two weeks

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may 14 2012
365 P
300C
45F

backwdith, later that day backthickness, traps

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*little fact did you know when carbs go up protein can be cut down or it can actually add to body fat* so yesterday i could have dropped my protein to 300 grams-I keep learning and learning. That said, on low carb days protein needs to be up there like 1.8 grams per pound of lean muscle mass

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may 15 2012
400 P
230 C
60F

40 mins interval cardio, chest, triceps , lower calves
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May 16 2012
345 P
100C
50F

biceps, abs cardio 3 miles little interval

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May 17 2012
400 P
100C
45 F

quads and hams

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may 18 2012
315P
190C
70F

35 mins hard interval cardio, shoulders, 30 mins hard interval cardio all seperated
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march 19 2012
350P
100C
70F

calves, abs and hard interval cardio 25 mins all at once
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May 20 2012
350 p
90 c
45 f

rest day

and here is a video I did today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYN1mKI6lsI

I took some pictures as well. My arms look much bigger in the pictures, in real life as well, could be the camera, idk.Add me on facebook John Smeton is the name

Things I am doing this last week into the show
-lets just see what I can do this last week I am ready to see where the Jdges place me , what they have to say , what i look like prejudging and the night show
-carbs are low like 100 grams a day
-If I go to germantown (2 hours away one way-yes I travel thyis to see him) to my ARt therapist to get body work done before the show on tuesday or Wednesday Ill do my carb up of one sushi meal, maybe a single meal lots of sushi(not too much), if I do not go later than Wednesday ill carb up Tuesday on clean foods and just take in like 300 carbs, I am not really doing a carb up because in my eyes and from what I know a carb up on someone who still has a pinch of body fat to loose makes them looks worse so I am just trying my own way of doing things and I am going with the flow, I believe going with the flow is crucial and being too rigid causes cortisol release which is horrible for muscle growth and fatloss and your overall look.
-I might do a session or two of cardio, nothing crazy
-I might do two sessions of weight training in a day
-basically this last week I am calming it down , still training up until Thursday, holding back shy of failure by maybe 2 reps
-atd everyday for the last week
-thinking ill cut water Friday, by drinking very little after meals or a sip in between meals, all day Friday and the same Saturday
-taking a herbal watre pill (muscletechs hydrazide)

 

[808shredded]

Hey john,

Sometimes the pinch of fat is just loose skin. By carbing up everything fills up. The skin gets tighter.

Just from my experience, cause that is what happened to me. )

 

[GreenMailer]

Hey john,

Sometimes the pinch of fat is just loose skin. By carbing up everything fills up. The skin gets tighter.

Just from my experience, cause that is what happened to me. )

^^^^^^ this!!!!!

this is why guys look F'n awesome right AFTER the show - they eat like a mother and fill out!

 

[JajaNe20]

^^^^^^ this!!!!!

this is why guys look F'n awesome right AFTER the show - they eat like a mother and fill out!

No. Carbing up isn't a time to be "un-disciplined" unless you want to ruin your hard work. Spill over does happen, even if it is a slight spill over from copious amounts of food it happens. a carb up should be methodically well planned and shouldn't be anything too drastic from your current diet (plus some carbs). This is the big misconception people have, shoving everything into their mouth and they ruin theirselves. "SOME" guys look better after the show simply because they drink water while they eat food. Cut all water out and you are flat. Can't just point the finger at one variable it's more than eating a "mother load" of food. It's usually because they are drinking water. -nuff said-

 

[GreenMailer]

No. Carbing up isn't a time to be "un-disciplined" unless you want to ruin your hard work. Spill over does happen, even if it is a slight spill over from copious amounts of food it happens. a carb up should be methodically well planned and shouldn't be anything too drastic from your current diet (plus some carbs). This is the big misconception people have, shoving everything into their mouth and they ruin theirselves. "SOME" guys look better after the show simply because they drink water while they eat food. Cut all water out and you are flat. Can't just point the finger at one variable it's more than eating a "mother load" of food. It's usually because they are drinking water. -nuff said-

I wasn't neccesarily suggesting it. John knows his body well and will do what he knows will work for him.

 

[John Smeton]

No. Carbing up isn't a time to be "un-disciplined" unless you want to ruin your hard work. Spill over does happen, even if it is a slight spill over from copious amounts of food it happens. a carb up should be methodically well planned and shouldn't be anything too drastic from your current diet (plus some carbs). This is the big misconception people have, shoving everything into their mouth and they ruin theirselves. "SOME" guys look better after the show simply because they drink water while they eat food. Cut all water out and you are flat. Can't just point the finger at one variable it's more than eating a "mother load" of food. It's usually because they are drinking water. -nuff said-

different stuff works for people. As long as you find what works best for you that is what matters. You know what works for you. Its always good to keep an open mind and try new things, if you can afford to.

I wasn't neccesarily suggesting it. John knows his body well and will do what he knows will work for him.

Thanks. I have quite a bit of learning to do. I learned a lot this preparation and after a break I want to put what i learned to work!

Ive been on low carb and did a light carb up yesterday (tuesday) and going by how I look in the mirror today and everyday until the show. I I look flat I allow more carbs, too full for my liking, less carbs.

In my opinion, its better to come in a bit more flat than a bit more full.

 

[John Smeton]

My strength is stronger than ever right now. hitting PR's pre contest and I am holding back. I usually am stronger pre contest than off-season, at least it has been like this in the past

May 21 2012
375 P
110C
55F

back-widthfirst thing upon awaking, back thickness and traps 6 hours later (strained left back area =( )

then did some light cardio maybe 20 mins or so with dogs before bed
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May 22 2012 carb up day
260 P
370C
45F

went to my ARt therapist (two hours one way drive) and chiropractor and got lat work done that helped my lat spread big-time and some work on my elbow, shoulders and body adjustments. This will help me on stage come Saturday. Its important to find a great chiropractor that does deep tissue, ARt therapy and related methods. esp when your training heavy, I go every 6 weeks as default and more if needed.

abs earlier, then chest and triceps
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[GreenMailer]

good luck bro! keep us posted.

 

[JajaNe20]

disagree 100% the physiology and science disagrees, but whatever you think or believe in go with it.

 

[John Smeton]

disagree 100% the physiology and science disagrees, but whatever you think or believe in go with it.

Thank you and agreed I still have a lot to learn.

Something I am doing and that works for me is glutamine esp the last 5 days or so taking in more like 20-50 grams. Seems to help me feel better and make muscle fuller. I could be wrong just something that seems to work for me.

After the carb up meal untill the show or if doing a photoshoot untill photos are done
something else I do is look into the mirror and decide what my next meal will be like. If I look too full no carbs or little, if I look too flat Ill up the carbs a bit. I do this until the day or the show and between prejudging and the night show.

 

[808shredded]

Good idea about assessing before eating. I might try that method too )

 

[John Smeton]

couple more things to note

-cut water down on Friday
-cut sodium on friday esp after 5-6 o clock took in light meals, lower protein like 30 grams, like very low sodium tuna and anything with low sodium
-went by how I looked if I thought I was too flat ate some carbs like a sweet potato, these work well or grits in morning
-high doses l glutamine thoughout the nights and during days (seemed to help stomach and immune system and feeling well)
-took a natural diuretic,with stuff like dandelion root in it a couple days before the show
- its important to make friends at the show with competitors and socialize and just talk about your interests, learn from one another
- By the night show at 10:00-11:00 when I posed , yes I was almost last in open heavyweights, I felt the crappiest and probably look my best

NPC Judge told me my condition was pretty good and I need a good bit more size. He said size needs to be my main priority. I can only add size following my personal values I can only go at my own rate. That said, I think I can do it.

after the show fellow competitor Greg and I went out to TGi fridays ate a bunch of food, celebrated. The next day did a photoshoot for a modeling agency, kept water lower and I filled out

Pictures are on facebook and will be this week of shoot. Took some fun pictures with camera

here are show pictures I am toward the last

http://trstewartphotography.zenfolio.com/p80277038/e10e69089#h10e69089

This log is a guide for me if I need to look back during my next show so I can remember what to do, and correct mistakes.

I think i lost some muscle this time dieting and that may be an area to work on next day. Until then, Thank you

 

[GreenMailer]

Congrats man! Nice job!

 

[808shredded]

Congrats! You did it man!

 

[Budman7811]

Great back width! Saw your pictures on FB, well done. AI definitely chose good in sponsoring you. How many sponsored athlete do they have?

 

[John Smeton]

Great back width! Saw your pictures on FB, well done. AI definitely chose good in sponsoring you. How many sponsored athlete do they have?

two right now. if I get time ill photobucket them and put them on here

prejudging youll see pictures when I post them

-I did not get to pump up much because I did not know I was the first category out
-I restricted sodium and took in a cup of eggwhites with two hard boiled eggs that morning, still not much sodium and that could have kept me retaining water. If I went back and had to try it I am going to say a banana and no sodium whey protein
-one one small snickers bar before pumping up, (and not much of a pump up)

prejudging pictures

night show (looked much better)
-got spray tanned again in between shows
- followed my low sodium diet and ate light up until the show
-before the night routine I ended up needing three small stickers for energy and had a great pump going,breathing hard
-dramatic difference between prejudging and night pictures

I talked to the Master NPC Judge afterwards and he told me what I need to do for next show.

 

[John Smeton]

few things to note

-since I am done this contest my goal is to stay 12% or lower , im thinking 10-12,on the inbody520 machine at my gym year round
- I have added 7 lbs since (today is 5-7-2012) and hope to keep adding lean muscle
-Nutrition right now is around 2800, 300-350 p, 200-300 carbs, lower fat Im following Chris Acteos "Losing fat while on a baseline diet" out of his book "championship Bodybuilding"
-since my trenavar and protomax stack is over I am doing 11-oxo as a bridge into pct(yes I am a big believer in giving the body a rest)
During this time I am taking daa, hcg(prescription) and divanex I had lying around. Ive been on daa since September 2011
-Next month pct starts and ill be adding in creatine, beta alanine and overall more natural anabolics to hold onto muscle best I can
-replacing ephedrine with african mango and raspberry ketones stack
-Training is basically like it was pre contest, right now stronger than ever
-I stopped writing down my workouts in my log, its been over eight years since I did that and I feel it is useful , I feel I dont need it anymore and its time to move on. I still write down nutrition everyday

I can say I am at my happiest lean and strong, I like it. Ill do another pre contest log when its time for to a contest. No more logging every single workout though, takes up too much time for me. I dont think ill ever be a monster bodybuilding like a 300lb bodybuilder and I do think I can still accomplish some amazing things. I have work to do until the next show =)

Thank you for following. This is for a reference for me to look back on , if I need to.

 

[808shredded]

Thanks for the motivation

 

[aceroni]

bro you look good, good quality mass on upperbody, but i think you could come in leaner for your next show, and i think you should prioritize bringing your legs up
(not talking ****, just saying)

 

[John Smeton]

bro you look good, good quality mass on upperbody, but i think you could come in leaner for your next show, and i think you should prioritize bringing your legs up
(not talking ****, just saying)

Thanks for your opinion. The Master Judge told me that I need to focus on size. When I asked about condition he answered condition is fine; you need to focus on size to move in in higher placings in the NPC .

As for getting bigger, I hope to put on some quality mass next year when I compete and come in with more condition. The more muscle a person has the easier it is to stay and keep lean, that is why the NPC wants more muscle on me, so it all takes care of itself. Thanks for your comments

what part of my legs need work, in your opinion? did yu see the night show pictures. my whole body looks much better (about a 12 hour difference-actually like 13 -14 hours in between)

 

[Budman7811]

Move muscle mass in to take over the fat..... Good idea.

 

[aceroni]

Yes I do see both pictures, if you're talking about your one post up above with both prejudging and night show pics. You definitely dried out a little more. I was just saying more conditioning cause i like to see quad striations and hammies poppin out
Like i said man i was never trying to bash you- i'm natty competitor and i know how hard it is...

but as far as your legs? I'd say you should probably just work on bringing THE WHOLE leg up.. Quads, HAMS, Calves. Trust me, legs are my weak point... What has been working for me has been heavy heavy barbell squats (cambered bar, safety bar, straight bar) all kinds of bars.. Hax squat, heavy heavy leg presses, ham curls, SLDLs of course... in your off season dont worry about leg extensions as much as hax squats and leg presses will add much more mass (you cannot replace heavy squats, absolutely cannot)...
but yeah man just keep hitting your legs really hard and eating big afterwards and they will grow.. like i said dont forget the hamstrings most guys really forget that, and it makes their legs look really weak when viewed from the side, ie side chest / side tri shots.. You want that HANGING hamstring nice and round, with a thick, deeply lined quad on top of it.. And again to put the icing on the cake make sure you're hitting your calves, with the majority of the work being standing calves or leg press calves, and also dont forget your seated calf raises too and even reverse calf raises to work your tibialis and make them look bigger from the front..


edit:: just reread my post and i didnt want to sound like i was bashing your legs, cause they're already big, they just need more sweep and more hamstring / quad bulk.. Like i said they're already pretty big its just that they need to be bigger to match your LARGE upper body!

edit: i also agree that you should just lay off the supps for a while, DAA since last september? thats a long ****in time dude!! once your pct is over you should just go cold turkey for a while as far as hormonals

 

[John Smeton]

Yes I do see both pictures, if you're talking about your one post up above with both prejudging and night show pics. You definitely dried out a little more. I was just saying more conditioning cause i like to see quad striations and hammies poppin out
Like i said man i was never trying to bash you- i'm natty competitor and i know how hard it is...

but as far as your legs? I'd say you should probably just work on bringing THE WHOLE leg up.. Quads, HAMS, Calves. Trust me, legs are my weak point... What has been working for me has been heavy heavy barbell squats (cambered bar, safety bar, straight bar) all kinds of bars.. Hax squat, heavy heavy leg presses, ham curls, SLDLs of course... in your off season dont worry about leg extensions as much as hax squats and leg presses will add much more mass (you cannot replace heavy squats, absolutely cannot)...
but yeah man just keep hitting your legs really hard and eating big afterwards and they will grow.. like i said dont forget the hamstrings most guys really forget that, and it makes their legs look really weak when viewed from the side, ie side chest / side tri shots.. You want that HANGING hamstring nice and round, with a thick, deeply lined quad on top of it.. And again to put the icing on the cake make sure you're hitting your calves, with the majority of the work being standing calves or leg press calves, and also dont forget your seated calf raises too and even reverse calf raises to work your tibialis and make them look bigger from the front..


edit:: just reread my post and i didnt want to sound like i was bashing your legs, cause they're already big, they just need more sweep and more hamstring / quad bulk.. Like i said they're already pretty big its just that they need to be bigger to match your LARGE upper body!

edit: i also agree that you should just lay off the supps for a while, DAA since last september? thats a long ****in time dude!! once your pct is over you should just go cold turkey for a while as far as hormonals

Nice insight into bringing legs up. I think its the angle of the pictures because I did a photo shoot that next day and can show you wheer my upper body looks smaller.

Right now I am just focused on nutrition and staying lean while on a baseline diet. I have to stay lean because I am a member of a modeling agency.

Daa is natural and I am using it is a testosterone booster, kind of like natural trt. Im a big beleiver in only doing 1-2 cycles a year. Yeah I havent done any cycles at all in 2011 and this cycle was my first in a while and being it over the counter only I could have technically competed in the NGa since they allow otc only. that said, I value my health and got prescription hcg from my doc and used that and it is banned in the nga, so i just went NPC, that and NGa shows are so far away. I am laying off hormonal s untill at least November and doing a mild cycle, hopefully, in the meantime its a lot of natural anabolics like creatine, beta alanine, and AI sports nutritions line. right now I am doing a 11-oxo bridge then transiting into pct and doing Pa's & spray for cortisol control. Strength and Prs are high and still quite lean for me.i

I agree with you I needed more definition , i did my best though and that is what matters, I learned a ton and next year its on to put my learnings into use!

 

[aceroni]

Like i said brother you looked excellent, never was I trying to belittle you or make it sound like you looked bad, cause you looked great. I would kill for a front / back lat spread like that :beerchug:

and yeah i just re looked at the pictures and your legs are bigger than i thought, but like i said still keep bringing them up cause you can't ever have too big of legs on a BB stage.. And as they get larger, so will that outer sweep, which will give you that nice x shape we all want

 

[3clipseGT]

You looked great man and im in no way bashing you, it takes a lot to get on stage. But you were nowhere near contest condition. Now im not sure what your goal was and if you were trying to be contest condition or whatnot but just a thought.

Keep pluggin away though man.

 

[Budman7811]

You looked great man and im in no way bashing you, it takes a lot to get on stage. But you were nowhere near contest condition. Now im not sure what your goal was and if you were trying to be contest condition or whatnot but just a thought.

Keep pluggin away though man.

I myself would probably get stage fright. (as I misspelled stage it corrected it and put rage, that's funny!)

 

[3clipseGT]

I myself would probably get stage fright. (as I misspelled stage it corrected it and put rage, that's funny!)

Yea i mean hopping on stage is such an accomplishment anyway, i give major props to anyone who does it.