208lbs and ripped great job.
I am not sure I still qualify as ripped. I am right at 10% by my estimation and it is all on my stomach and under my chest. However i am very pleased with my results. Almost done with review just need to put up after shots and link em into the post and I am done. Interestingly enough, my legs, and arms are leaner than they were last time I was at the body fat. I still have some vascularity in my thighs. At this point I think I unintentionally stopped the bulk right as my extremeties began to show signs of fat gain. Up until about a week ago I had not lost any vascularity in my arms. I guess in an ideal world that is the way it should go so I am happy I stuck with the higher calories instead of shying away when my stomach began to smooth.208lbs and ripped great job.
Wholly fug I just figured out your lean body mass is 187, are you fuggin kiding me... your only 5'8" !! What did you compete at last year 165 ??!!I am not sure I still qualify as ripped. I am right at 10% by my estimation and it is all on my stomach and under my chest. However i am very pleased with my results. Almost done with review just need to put up after shots and link em into the post and I am done. Interestingly enough, my legs, and arms are leaner than they were last time I was at the body fat. I still have some vascularity in my thighs. At this point I think I unintentionally stopped the bulk right as my extremeties began to show signs of fat gain. Up until about a week ago I had not lost any vascularity in my arms. I guess in an ideal world that is the way it should go so I am happy I stuck with the higher calories instead of shying away when my stomach began to smooth.
Kleen is a big dude who's been making incredible gains. I could have sworn you were taller than 5'8" when we hung out though bro.Wholly fug I just figured out your lean body mass is 187, are you fuggin kiding me... your only 5'8" !! What did you compete at last year 165 ??!!
I am pretty amped about it. Hadn't done the math yet. I will be posting actual body fat on my next log since i will be begininning my slow decention in to cutsville. I will need to know so I know if I need to modify anything to maintain muscle mass.Wholly fug I just figured out your lean body mass is 187, are you fuggin kiding me... your only 5'8" !! What did you compete at last year 165 ??!!
Thanks G! I am 5'8" and a little change but no much. I think like 5' 8 1/4"Kleen is a big dude who's been making incredible gains. I could have sworn you were taller than 5'8" when we hung out though bro.
Yep, kind of makes you go well I have to be at 5% max to have the fat from under my chest and lower back. Our loose skin doesn't help us much when we are a little heavier too. Automatically adds the appearance of extra fat even if not there. UGH! Oh well like you said we just have to get leaner and come in tighter. By the time the deposits are cleaned up my abs and obliques are shredded, and my legs just stay that way. Odd that looking at the smootheness here I still have complete seperation and some striations in my quads, not to mention some veins. I bet i can't pinch more than 5-6 mm on my thigh right now.Man we have the almost the exact same problems with deposits... just means we have to get leaner!! Lots of time...
Yep you are so telling my story and I find it strangely reassuring as I look at what kind of shape you were at contest time.Yep, kind of makes you go well I have to be at 5% max to have the fat from under my chest and lower back. Our loose skin doesn't help us much when we are a little heavier too. Automatically adds the appearance of extra fat even if not there. UGH! Oh well like you said we just have to get leaner and come in tighter. By the time the deposits are cleaned up my abs and obliques are shredded, and my legs just stay that way. Odd that looking at the smootheness here I still have complete seperation and some striations in my quads, not to mention some veins. I bet i can't pinch more than 5-6 mm on my thigh right now.
I still get surprised when I see older pics I havent looked at in a while. I have also just started watching my old posing vids to get me amped up for the prep. It is cool to look at yourself and be inspired by that. Really a neat feeling. It isn't I wish I could look like that guy. It is like hey that is me, I can do this!!!! Heck I think I can do it even better this time.Yep you are so telling my story and I find it strangely reassuring as I look at what kind of shape you were at contest time.
Thanks Bro, I can't wait to see where I am at at the end of this next run. I will be cutting to maintain mass but 2 lbs of fat loss is going to go a VERY long way into gettin my abs popping again and i see that coming with in 2 weeks of starting my cut.Both you two inspire me to continue to train hard, not miss workout knowing that I can naturally reach my goals. Both of you guys are beasts and Kleen you may be a bit "softer" now but your lifts speak for what is under the sub-q water/fat. Start the shredding and join DW on the podium later this year.
Right on man, I will send it to you soon too. I am trying to gather more people to use it to have more results with different body types and what not so I know what may need to be tweaked for different people. I just need to get the rest down on paper but time is constraining me. I know it will be done by Saturday because it is the workout I intend to use once I start my prep.You have a plan man, stick to it and I am sure you will be shredded in no time. So I saw in another log you have a new workout scheme that GoHard is using, I might want to hear some more about that after your excellent HST recommendation. I would like something new and effective for my Natadrol run that will be followed by PCT and some Prime!
Of that I have no doubt whatsoever... ditto for me!!I still get surprised when I see older pics I havent looked at in a while. I have also just started watching my old posing vids to get me amped up for the prep. It is cool to look at yourself and be inspired by that. Really a neat feeling. It isn't I wish I could look like that guy. It is like hey that is me, I can do this!!!! Heck I think I can do it even better this time.
Thanks fin I'm down with that!!Both you two inspire me to continue to train hard, not miss workout knowing that I can naturally reach my goals. Both of you guys are beasts and Kleen you may be a bit "softer" now but your lifts speak for what is under the sub-q water/fat. Start the shredding and join DW on the podium later this year.
Welcome home!! I am very happy for you and your family!!Sweet Kleen!!! When I last read you were still inder 200. 208!!!! and the pics look great. You can see how the mass has increased over the course of the year. Great work bro!!!. Oh, and I am back now. Iraq is now a thing of the past. I got to the airport and met the wife and 7 kids about 2 hours ago. Had some "Alone time" with the wife, ate some chicken breasts, and sat here for an hour and got cought up. Again, thanks for the support while I was gone. Looking forward to tagging along with the guys here daily again.
I remember those pics and I never thought 14 I thought around 12 was more the consensus. Anyhow you could be leaner even depending in the rest of the picture. You don't have the pockets of fat that I am Kleen do and your skin seems to be a bit tighter which will make you look leaner. Also your pics aren't relaxed like Kleens are. Another thing about Kleen is you see that he does not have much fat on this arms so his is more localized to one area...You're looking uber massive here bro. And your strength gains have simply been off the charts.
But do you consider your bodyfat level to be only 10% in those photos? I'm definitely not doubting you, it's just that in my pics below (which I hope you don't mind me posting here) everyone was telling me that I was at least 14% bodyfat in them. Now looking back, I don't really think so.
What is your opinion?
Considering how tight that at least I thought my stomach looked here, I can't wait to get down to around 8% this year. Especially if I was 12 to 14% here. 8% will looked ripped to the bone on me!!!I remember those pics and I never thought 14 I thought around 12 was more the consensus. Anyhow you could be leaner even depending in the rest of the picture. You don't have the pockets of fat that I am Kleen do and your skin seems to be a bit tighter which will make you look leaner. Also your pics aren't relaxed like Kleens are. Another thing about Kleen is you see that he does not have much fat on this arms so his is more localized to one area...
Yah I think you'll look better at 8 than I will, I'm like Kleen I don't start really looking great till around 6... pocket fat and loose skin are a biatch, we all have our crosses to bare...Considering how tight that at least I thought my stomach looked here, I can't wait to get down to around 8% this year. Especially if I was 12 to 14% here. 8% will looked ripped to the bone on me!!!
I thought I looked sorta lean in this shot.
Gracias Sir!Damn bro! Lookin fuggin huge!! Nice work man!
:djparty:
Thanks, Congrats Bro, I was waiting for your triumphant return. Tell your family I said thank you for sacrificing so you could serve. So happy your back Bro!Sweet Kleen!!! When I last read you were still inder 200. 208!!!! and the pics look great. You can see how the mass has increased over the course of the year. Great work bro!!!. Oh, and I am back now. Iraq is now a thing of the past. I got to the airport and met the wife and 7 kids about 2 hours ago. Had some "Alone time" with the wife, ate some chicken breasts, and sat here for an hour and got cought up. Again, thanks for the support while I was gone. Looking forward to tagging along with the guys here daily again.
I totally agree with DW here, your back looks great and lean, skin around core is tight and you look to have a very even distrbution of fat which is great. Much easier to gauge what you need to lose. I am a complete Apple, very insulin reactive / carb intolerant. When eating carbs I go hypoglycemic if I am not careful unless I have trained my body to run on lower carbs. My insulin spikes over anything which is why when I use nutrient partioners I still only stick with to complex carbs if trying stay lean. This bulk was the most carbs I have allowed myself to have all year. I do my best with nothing over 25% carb intake to be honest. I stay lean and still gain LBM so that is my deal from now on. This was fun but I don't want to bulk again. I got spoiled to the leaner look and I am going to stay there. If I gain 3-5 lbs a year from here on out it is fine with me. I am to the point now I am only worried with fine tuning. I would just be slowly growing as a side effect of good training and nutrition but not overall mass gain as a goal.I remember those pics and I never thought 14 I thought around 12 was more the consensus. Anyhow you could be leaner even depending in the rest of the picture. You don't have the pockets of fat that I am Kleen do and your skin seems to be a bit tighter which will make you look leaner. Also your pics aren't relaxed like Kleens are. Another thing about Kleen is you see that he does not have much fat on this arms so his is more localized to one area...
You do look lean in all the shots. like I said the legs could be the difference there between 10% and 12% with as lean as your back is if your legs are uncharacteristically lean then around 10, if even like everywhere else or no seperation in them then around 12%.Considering how tight that at least I thought my stomach looked here, I can't wait to get down to around 8% this year. Especially if I was 12 to 14% here. 8% will looked ripped to the bone on me!!!
I thought I looked sorta lean in this shot.
Yeah the extra skin is frustrating, it hangs looser over the abs not clinging to the bricks until you are really lean. The pocket of fat under my chest is there until I hit 6% then you can begin to see the seperation under my pec but even at my leanest I didn't have the shredded look under the outside of my pecs. Was just enough there to smooth that line out, really took away from my Side chest shot making my lower pec look less developed. So I am gonna have to hit 3.5% if I want it all gone. Not too sure I am that worried about it. May have enough muscle to stretch that fat out some more this time around.Yah I think you'll look better at 8 than I will, I'm like Kleen I don't start really looking great till around 6... pocket fat and loose skin are a biatch, we all have our crosses to bare...
Thanks, I do too. However aesthetically I need to be around 6-7 to look as good as I want to stay looking. Looser skin and what not doesn't tighten up until then for some reason. Even at 6-7% I look like I am about 8-9% on your average person with tight skin and all.very detailed log and final review. Bro you tore it up. I consider 10% bf to be very good damn I wonder what the % of people in this contry have that BF I am sure I would not have to go past my fingers to get that number.
Do you notice a large increase in muscle after dieting down for a show?(meaning after you get done with the show and resume normal food intake)Thanks, I do too. However aesthetically I need to be around 6-7 to look as good as I want to stay looking. Looser skin and what not doesn't tighten up until then for some reason. Even at 6-7% I look like I am about 8-9% on your average person with tight skin and all.
Not complaining too much, I love the way I look when I am lean, which is why I am choosing form over size from now on after this show. I pretty much have enough size now, and can gain muscle here and there without ever really going over 7 with all the good natty supps out right now. My goals after the show will be to put on a pound or soof muscle during each stack while not gain any fat. Lofty eh?
Yes definitely, your muscles super compensate for all the time they have spent in the red. Unfortunately I was not able to maintain it last year due to stopping lifting because of the case of tendonitis I had leading up to the show. However I think some of it would have come down a bit anyway just because the body wants to go back to a homeostasis and can not hold on to the extra glycogen and what not permanently. You gain size and strength very quickly then you return to "almost" normal. However the new muscle you actually built from being stronger sticks around just not the extra volume. The super compensation fills your muscle so full that they get a lot more nutrition and the muscle starts repairing so you get a growth spurt to take advantage of and that new muscle sticks around after the supercompensation of glycogen begins to go back to normal levels. IE there is a very anabolic period right afterward that can be used for new growth, but you will probably not keep all of the weight you put back on after show.Do you notice a large increase in muscle after dieting down for a show?(meaning after you get done with the show and resume normal food intake)
Yah I would never have considered an off season of under 12% but modern supplementation has changed all the rules now I am thinking 8 is feasble off season.Thanks, I do too. However aesthetically I need to be around 6-7 to look as good as I want to stay looking. Looser skin and what not doesn't tighten up until then for some reason. Even at 6-7% I look like I am about 8-9% on your average person with tight skin and all.
Not complaining too much, I love the way I look when I am lean, which is why I am choosing form over size from now on after this show. I pretty much have enough size now, and can gain muscle here and there without ever really going over 7 with all the good natty supps out right now. My goals after the show will be to put on a pound or soof muscle during each stack while not gain any fat. Lofty eh?
The drop has begun!!! Now that the holiday festivities are over and out of the way, it's back to tuna and chicken. Yum-yum, I'm gonna get me some.TG those pics look great man. When are you going to start dropping to single digits??
Slower is beter, especially if there is no deadline... That is the nicest protocol to follow to maintain a semi-normal lifestyle.The drop has begun!!! Now that the holiday festivities are over and out of the way, it's back to tuna and chicken. Yum-yum, I'm gonna get me some.
I will drop the weight and the bodyfat very slowly. I think this is safer and also easier to maintain.
So it's back to my beloved carb-cycling again. 5 days of very low carbs, and then carb-up slightly on the weekends. It works for me.:laugh:
But I have NO aspirations to compete or anything like that. This is just a hobby of mine for the last 27 of my 46 years.
Like TG, I too don't compete and that diet schematic allows me to keep a balance. Results come slower that way but the challenge (and fun) is in the journey so I don't fret too much about it. And like you said DW, with the modern and novel supps we have now it is much easier to maintain with less than perfect dieting.Slower is beter, especially if there is no deadline... That is the nicest protocol to follow to maintain a semi-normal lifestyle.
Yah.. I've been getting away with ****e I never could have years ago. A lot of my supplementation is more for the convenience of not having to live a restricted lifestyle.Like TG, I too don't compete and that diet schematic allows me to keep a balance. Results come slower that way but the challenge (and fun) is in the journey so I don't fret too much about it. And like you said DW, with the modern and novel supps we have now it is much easier to maintain with less than perfect dieting.
When I did that protocol I started about 5PM Firday night and it would end at around 9pm Saturday. Sunday was back to business...Yeah TG, slow and easy wins the race. On your weekend refeeds, I have noticed if i go over 36 hours of carb loading I hit the bloat zone. Many people I have helped with their diets seem to notice this as well. Do you limit the amount or what meals you carb up on? Are you as lean now as in these pics or are you starting from
No by accident, I like to cheat on Friday and Saturday nights... lifestyle. I tried to hold it so a mnimum and use wiser choices.Nice so about 29 hours is your window. Did you come to that window size via trial and error or someones suggestion?
No you are absolutely right. That is what I do when my shoulder is messing up. I stick with dumbels, cables and some machines. It is right in the cup up my shoulder you know when you put your arm out to the side how the heads of the delts and the end of the trap make a cup, it is right there on the tip of the medial delt. No soreness, no pain except when it tweaks. That is the best way I can describe it, it is instant sharp and gone, and only in one range of motion. I am going to concentrate on hitting them from some different angles with dumbbells, and some machines, but yeah the barbell is out of the equation for shoulders right now.Kleen, my only suggestion to your shoulder injury is to perhaps stay away from barbells for a while and just use dumbbells as it allows for more free range of motion. When i injured my shoulder in october that was what allowed me to continue to train heavy without pain. But please note that i am not a doctor and i'm only suggesting something that worked for me.
what kind of rep range have you been using?Hey guys, I didn't mention my full body weight session in here yesterday. My shoulder is still tweaked, well I should say I tweaked it a little yesterday. I was going to do incline bb press and the angle was exactly the one that causes an issue. As I lowered the bar and got close to clavical I hit a spot that just tweaked it. If my elbows are in closer i don't have this problem so my workout will be shaped around this for the next month to allow for some weight to be moved just not in that specific range of motion. Let it heal up. That is where experience comes in, knowing how to work around this stuff. The workout was less taxing than the first one already conditioning started improving.
Yah I have had to do this a lot since my injury 19 months now and my shoulder is still only 90% ...Kleen, my only suggestion to your shoulder injury is to perhaps stay away from barbells for a while and just use dumbbells as it allows for more free range of motion. When i injured my shoulder in october that was what allowed me to continue to train heavy without pain. But please note that i am not a doctor and i'm only suggesting something that worked for me.