Classic Kleen - The Road To Competition Fall 2024

[Dustin07]

A

Do the bottoms of your feet hurt? I have heard that happens when you drop sub 10 percent bf. I would never know but it’s what I’ve heard

Im' curious too now that you mention it. I've been thinking about this question all day. My feet never hurt during my bulking cycle and I never had foot issues until I was 10% or less. BUT my feet/ankles are a little more sore lately, and the other common denominator to the last time I was lean and now is the massive increase in cardio in my life. so I'm curious what Kleen says cause I'm nowhere near 10% again yet.

 

[PolishHamm3r77]

Im' curious too now that you mention it. I've been thinking about this question all day. My feet never hurt during my bulking cycle and I never had foot issues until I was 10% or less. BUT my feet/ankles are a little more sore lately, and the other common denominator to the last time I was lean and now is the massive increase in cardio in my life. so I'm curious what Kleen says cause I'm nowhere near 10% again yet.

Now, we wait!!!!

 

[MrKleen73]

For real, you are buring that candle at both ends real well. But the results have been fantastic man.

Thanks, I definitely feel like it. Really dragging my ass today. Just exhausted. I have been needing to take a nap at lunch recently just to get through the day. Thank Goodness for wellness rooms in corporate America!

A

Do the bottoms of your feet hurt? I have heard that happens when you drop sub 10 percent bf. I would never know but it’s what I’ve heard

No, I haven't really noticed anything different in that area specifically. Maybe I am not lean enough yet, or it just isn't bothering me but they seem pretty normal.

Im' curious too now that you mention it. I've been thinking about this question all day. My feet never hurt during my bulking cycle and I never had foot issues until I was 10% or less. BUT my feet/ankles are a little more sore lately, and the other common denominator to the last time I was lean and now is the massive increase in cardio in my life. so I'm curious what Kleen says cause I'm nowhere near 10% again yet.

Now this I could see being a part of it. The increase in cardio, often from a place where you may not have been doing any real cardio. I can see how that might add to the issue, but my coach has had me doing cardio 5 days a week since October so my feet have completely adjusted to the workload.

Now, we wait!!!!

At least it wasn't too long.

Did some more practicing on my routine, the song is nice and slow but doesn't really have great way to keep count, so finding the perfect timing is not easy. I find some times I finish with one measure of music left, and sometimes I still have a pose left when the music stops. So I have just given myself a couple extra poses to run through just in case I hit my last pose and there is more music. My legs were so caput yesterday from training the day before I was having a hell of a time flexing them. I was able to push decently Tuesday but didn't really have the recovery ability to recover quickly from it with the low calories. Going to have to meter the leg training so I can do the rest of everything I need to do now to the best of my ability. Cardio, and Posing are key right now.

Man, last night was a sweat fest, my bed was soaked, boxers soaked, I literally had sweat running down my body when I got up to go pee. Of course we just washed the sheets too.

8/15/24 - Fasted Weight 195.2 - Looking tight this morning.

 

[MrKleen73]

Okay, so cool story time, and I may have mentioned this previously but I was discussing the Loserville Concert in @SkRaw85's log and remembered this and couldn't remember if i shared it. Not going to look back to see so just gonna mention it.

So we go to the Limp Bizkit concert, Loserville, it was a bit of a music festival I guess. I had been wearing a tank top all night, and was so hot. So one of the times we walked down to get water I was telling Jo I was so hot but didn't really want to be that guy at the concert all crazy buffed ripping my shirt off for attention. Which is actually funny because historically if I was at a concert and lean enough to look good without a shirt it came off as soon as I got hot.

Well to my surprise my wife was like "Do what? are you crazy, you look amazing and should be showing yourself off. Look at everything you have done just to be able to show it off on stage. Baby you got robbed of your chance to show off all of your hard work on stage. This is your stage now, take your shirt off and be comfortable. F what anyone being negative has to say. You deserve the recognition for all of your hard work and you can get it here."

It was like a light went off in my head when she said that. I was like you know what, you are right. Plus, when did I start caring what everyone else thought. So I took my shirt off, I have to be honest it was only the last 30 minutes we were there but no sooner than my shirt came off did everyone start coming up and commenting positively on how I looked, how impressive it was I did this at my age. Lots of "Holy ****" or Got Dayums, and What the Fugs. Lots of people just complimenting, some stopping me to ask questions. It was like I was some sort of fitness celebrity or something which was super cool. It was honestly exactly what I needed to fill the void of not being able to compete and get that recognition of the hard work i had done. So in that last 30 minutes at the concert my time was spent thanking people for compliments and feeling on top of the world. I may not have competed but I did put on a little show just by being in that good of shape. it is awesome to have a supportive wife who knows you so well they know what you need, even when you don't. She gave me back a big piece of what was missing from the weekend just by telling me I deserved to get some attention for my hard work, and telling me to be proud of it and show it off. Once I took my shirt off I was like, man I wish I had done that earlier, this would have been a lot more fun and fulfilling on that side of things.

 

[SkRaw85]

See, the BB show didn’t have Fred Durst and you won Loserville! Better flaunt what you worked for, seems the people loved it man, good on ya

 

[Hyde]

That’s a great story! The truth is we don’t get big and strong to be ignored!

 

[MrKleen73]

See, the BB show didn’t have Fred Durst and you won Loserville! Better flaunt what you worked for, seems the people loved it man, good on ya

Yes, the people have spoken and they loved it.

That’s a great story! The truth is we don’t get big and strong to be ignored!

Absolute Facts! It is funny that once I got to a crazy point of shape I felt the need to have humility but when not as ripped I wanted to show off a little. Jo showed me the error of my ways.

Great News, Fasted Weight 190.8 down 2.8 lbs from my check in weight last week. Looking much tighter! Lower back fat down a good bit, some veins in my mid-back, and the fat under my pecs is much less.


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[PolishHamm3r77]

Lookin gnarly man!!! Way to work

 

[MrKleen73]

Lookin gnarly man!!! Way to work

Thank you Sir, I am pretty proud of these shots.

 

[Hyde]

Thank you Sir, I am pretty proud of these shots.

You should be; the progress in the level of detail is obvious. Next weekend is going to be fun - no big deviations or anything riding on it, just the chance to get out there and practice on a real stage.

 

[PolishHamm3r77]

Thank you Sir, I am pretty proud of these shots.

YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE!!!

 

[Dustin07]

Great News, Fasted Weight 190.8 down 2.8 lbs from my check in weight last week. Looking much tighter! Lower back fat down a good bit, some veins in my mid-back, and the fat under my pecs is much less.

that's gotta just about be a new low on this cut??? have you broke 180s already? looking good!!

 

[Segansational]

Thank you Sir, I am pretty proud of these shots.

For starters, you do look phenomenal. Way to dedicate! Second, that's an awesome story about how your wife is supporting you AND people recognized your hard work. Gotta be great for the confidence. Now, putting on my "competitor" hat for a minute, do you feel like your legs have suffered any during this prep? Meaning more around size overall - obviously that will decrease as you diet down to where you're this lean - but seemingly this might be an area where if I were to ever do what you're doing, I'd need to really bulk my leg size which I currently see as a strength of mine, but probably nowhere near as large as your wheels started off at. So, to ask the question another way - do you think your quads disproportionately lost size vs rest of your body during prep, even perhaps due to the type or intensity of the cardio prescribed? And, if so, that gives me some thought on an area of focus to really build up before dieting down.

Hope that question makes sense and comes off the right way, just as someone fascinated by bodybuilding and the overall prep part of it.

 

[Hyde]

For starters, you do look phenomenal. Way to dedicate! Second, that's an awesome story about how your wife is supporting you AND people recognized your hard work. Gotta be great for the confidence. Now, putting on my "competitor" hat for a minute, do you feel like your legs have suffered any during this prep? Meaning more around size overall - obviously that will decrease as you diet down to where you're this lean - but seemingly this might be an area where if I were to ever do what you're doing, I'd need to really bulk my leg size which I currently see as a strength of mine, but probably nowhere near as large as your wheels started off at. So, to ask the question another way - do you think your quads disproportionately lost size vs rest of your body during prep, even perhaps due to the type or intensity of the cardio prescribed? And, if so, that gives me some thought on an area of focus to really build up before dieting down.

Hope that question makes sense and comes off the right way, just as someone fascinated by bodybuilding and the overall prep part of it.

I think a lot of open pros put a LOT of oil and site enhancement into quad sweeps close to shows, FYI. Same for arms & medial delts typically.

 

[MrKleen73]

You should be; the progress in the level of detail is obvious. Next weekend is going to be fun - no big deviations or anything riding on it, just the chance to get out there and practice on a real stage.

Thanks, I am definitely looking more forward to next week. I know what to expect now so it will be much less stressful.

YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE!!!

Thank you Sir!

that's gotta just about be a new low on this cut??? have you broke 180s already? looking good!!

Thanks, yeah, this is a low by 2.8lbs which was my weigh in weight.

For starters, you do look phenomenal. Way to dedicate! Second, that's an awesome story about how your wife is supporting you AND people recognized your hard work. Gotta be great for the confidence. Now, putting on my "competitor" hat for a minute, do you feel like your legs have suffered any during this prep? Meaning more around size overall - obviously that will decrease as you diet down to where you're this lean - but seemingly this might be an area where if I were to ever do what you're doing, I'd need to really bulk my leg size which I currently see as a strength of mine, but probably nowhere near as large as your wheels started off at. So, to ask the question another way - do you think your quads disproportionately lost size vs rest of your body during prep, even perhaps due to the type or intensity of the cardio prescribed? And, if so, that gives me some thought on an area of focus to really build up before dieting down.

Hope that question makes sense and comes off the right way, just as someone fascinated by bodybuilding and the overall prep part of it.

Thanks for all the compliments! Honestly, I don't really think so. I will say that as they get depleted, they look much smaller, like right now. However, when we loaded me with carbs, it took a ton of food, and he kept expecting me to spill, but instead, my legs just kept getting bigger and tighter. We ate 3 more meals than expected, and my legs just kept growing and showing more separation and detail. So I think a lot of the size difference seen in the legs during a cut is due to a constant deficit and lower carbs, just not filling the muscle ever completely.

That being said, my legs are always lean, so I imagine they shrink a little less than someone who doesn't always have quad separation, even at 30% bodyfat.

I think a lot of open pros put a LOT of oil and site enhancement into quad sweeps close to shows, FYI. Same for arms & medial delts typically.

Yeah, I ain't doing that. I would be afraid to mess it up and look crazy or obvious.

 

[dapack]

Looking crazy. Going to crush the next show

 

[MrKleen73]

Looking crazy. Going to crush the next show

Thank you Sir!

Diet change yesterday has me waking up a little fuller. I told him I was pretty sure i was going hypo at night with how bad night sweats were getting so he moved some things around and added 4oz potato to my last meal. Man what a game changer on meal satisfaction levels. Steak cubes, egg whites salsa and potato, not a bad creation.

8/19/24 - 195.2Lbs - I was surprised to see this considering I looked pretty dialed in in the mirror. So must be a little bit of glycogen store filling last night even at such a small dose. Probably also due to extra sodium to flavor the potato.

Coach really put the wheel to the grind stone with the training changes for this week. We are really pushing to squeeze whatever fat loss we can out of the next 9 days before Nationals. I am looking at 75 minutes of cardio now per session or day except for Wednesday which is leg day so only 45 then. Some of that will be split up a little just to get the job done but this is really going to be a hard week. I start full on water loading Wednesday, and this time he wants me a little over 2 gallons the last day of the load to get that extra push of water out. As I am sure I mentioned previously, I will just be walking on stage mid water load for this show this weekend. We are peaking for nationals not this show. he said we will likely give me 8-10 rice cakes over the course of the our before I get on stage to just give me a little to fill out on temporarily and cause me to pee a little more at the same time. Weigh ins for this one won't be an issue which is awesome not having to worry about weight here. Of course the Classic Category for Nationals still has a weigh in I need to make but other than that we are good. I am going to register for the classic there at weigh ins so I know for sure I made the weight before I pay for the 350 entry fee. Feeling pretty confident about that, well until I saw 195.2 on the scale but honestly I think that is just a water anomaly.

Also yes I know I haven't really been updating training. I am just struggling to make it through and pushing myself hard, trying to maintain volume and intensity as well as I can. Sessions are exhausting and brutal on me. Half the time spent seated with my eyes closed, or laying on the floor near whatever station I am on if it is near the soft training floor. LOL

 

[PolishHamm3r77]

The diet change seems quite palatable.
What is the weight for Classic at Nationals?
2 gallons a day of water… is that w the sodium added still or not where it is to flush? You’ll def be getting steps in going to pee all the time.

 

[akboom87]

Nice work! That’s a lot of cardio, but it’s for the cause. Excited for this weekend to hear how it goes! Any time I need motivation I come catch up in your log and it gets me fired up!

 

[MrKleen73]

The diet change seems quite palatable.
What is the weight for Classic at Nationals?
2 gallons a day of water… is that w the sodium added still or not where it is to flush? You’ll def be getting steps in going to pee all the time.

Classic cut off for my height is 187. I have been sitting in the 190-192 range
We never adjusted salt intake last time just kept it consistent. So just water loading then a water cut.

 

[MrKleen73]

Nice work! That’s a lot of cardio, but it’s for the cause. Excited for this weekend to hear how it goes! Any time I need motivation I come catch up in your log and it gets me fired up!

Thanks, this weekend is more of a test run the show I am excited for is Nationals mid next week. I won't be paying for any pictures at the one this weekend since we won't be peaking for it. Don't get me wrong going to have the wife take pictures but not worrying about paying for them for it.

 

[Dustin07]

I am just struggling to make it through and pushing myself hard, trying to maintain volume and intensity as well as I can. Sessions are exhausting and brutal on me. Half the time spent seated with my eyes closed, or laying on the floor near whatever station I am on if it is near the soft training floor. LOL

I think the average person misses this part. They see the gorilla pushing insane weights in the gym, the vascularity, music, tans and great posing on stage and aren't fully aware of the massive determination it takes when you are running on fumes approaching the finish line. You're killing it man, stoked for you!!

 

[MrKleen73]

I think the average person misses this part. They see the gorilla pushing insane weights in the gym, the vascularity, music, tans and great posing on stage and aren't fully aware of the massive determination it takes when you are running on fumes approaching the finish line. You're killing it man, stoked for you!!

Yeah for sure, they just don't get it. Falling asleep on a scoop and a half of preworkout powder because you are so exhausted. it gets pretty intense. Most don't have a clue how deep the suck gets during a contest prep.

 

[Hyde]

Yeah for sure, they just don't get it. Falling asleep on a scoop and a half of preworkout powder because you are so exhausted. it gets pretty intense. Most don't have a clue how deep the suck gets during a contest prep.

When the fuel is chronically lacking, no amount of stimulants can overcome that - they just help you stay awake!

 

[MrKleen73]

When the fuel is chronically lacking, no amount of stimulants can overcome that - they just help you stay awake!

Complete fact! Honestly i feel like being on 1450 calories is harder than fasting because my hormones never totally settle into fasting, and I take myself out of ketosis 1-2 times a day which makes for a tougher ride.

The recent increase in cardio is really kicking my ass. I hit the wall this morning and almost couldn't get out of bed. I had to force myself because I have some vendors coming in I need to deal with this morning. So calling in wasn't an option. Once I got in I emailed my boss and asked if I could go home once the other guys got here and then take the rest of the week off. Thank goodness he agreed. So I will be leaving here soon and heading home. Hopping back in bed for a nap then going to do some training. Get another nap and practice posing after that. Should make for a better more rested version of me at the contest too, which I definitely won't complain about. We are down to the wire here and pulling out all the stops to get this last bit of back and lower pec fat off.

 

[Dustin07]

and added 4oz potato to my last meal

8/19/24 - 195.2Lbs - I was surprised to see this considering I looked pretty dialed in in the mirror. So must be a little bit of glycogen store filling last night even at such a small dose.

I bet your body is a massive sponge right now for absolutely anything you can give it. I have often wondered what things would be like if I were able to go back about 8-10 years to my leanest and back then pick up things like gear cream while in a slight surplus simply because of the way I respond so well now, despite not having 2-3hr daily sessions like I did back then lol.

I am looking at 75 minutes of cardio now per session or day

are you mixing it up at all or just throwing down a straight 75 minute walk on incline? breaking it up has helped me a ton with the monatony and muscular indurance since I feel like bike hits quads more, elipitical is more calves for me, and treadmill is sorta an easier auto-pilot when I'm smoked.

Honestly i feel like being on 1450 calories is harder than fasting

no doubt, zero argument here! especially since you're training and peaking!

 

[MrKleen73]

I went home and rested for several hours, and I slept about 4. I just took half a serving of Pump Addict and am going to practice posing for about 30 minutes in a little bit.

 

[MrKleen73]

I bet your body is a massive sponge right now for absolutely anything you can give it. I have often wondered what things would be like if I were able to go back about 8-10 years to my leanest and back then pick up things like gear cream while in a slight surplus simply because of the way I respond so well now, despite not having 2-3hr daily sessions like I did back then lol.



are you mixing it up at all or just throwing down a straight 75 minute walk on incline? breaking it up has helped me a ton with the monatony and muscular indurance since I feel like bike hits quads more, elipitical is more calves for me, and treadmill is sorta an easier auto-pilot when I'm smoked.



no doubt, zero argument here! especially since you're training and peaking!

Yeah, it will be when I load it up!

I split it up, and do elliptical until I can't then move to treadmill or recumbent bike depending on why I got off the elliptical. I will also do part of it in a different session if needed.

 

[Dustin07]

you're close man, so close hang in there!!

 

[MrKleen73]

you're close man, so close hang in there!!

Yeah, so close. I got in about 5 hours of additional sleep yesterday then went to bed at midnight and got a full 9.5 hours last night not including all the times I got up to pee. So feeling a little better but still just exhausted.

Here are a few shots from this morning to show the new lines, and veins in abdominal area. This is totally flat 60g carbs a day too.


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I only posted things that showed somewhat obvious progress. If you look in the classic twisted back pose you can see some veins in my midback starting to show. If you zoom in on my abs in the double biceps shot all of that grainy wild look on my obliques and through a decent part of my abs is all new veins showing more and more. Serratus in the last classic pose are stupid defined. Abs. serratus, and obliques all far more obvious in the side shots. Overall, I am getting a grainy look everywhere but my back so far, and it has made a lot of fat loss progress the last 2 weeks. Pretty happy so far considering a lot of what is on my back is water according to my coach and my soft tissue worker.

I have been constipated the last couple of days so have pushed some fiber and stool softeners, finally getting more movement. Once cleared out I won't be surprised to see a 2lb drop from here going off of how full my gut feels.

Great news, coach gave me a refeed today so I will be going to get myself a double meat and fries at 5 Guys today. This is awesome news, I could really use it right about now.

 

[Segansational]

Quads and calves looking stellar man!

 

[MrKleen73]

Wow look at what coach sent me. This is from height of my bulk down to now.

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[Dustin07]

You're looking absolutely unreal man!! I know you're running on fumes but its gonna pay off.

 

[MrKleen73]

You're looking absolutely unreal man!! I know you're running on fumes but its gonna pay off.

Thanks Man! I am excited as I can possibly be at my current level of energy.

Well things change fast in prep, after these pics coach decided not to do the refeed today. He wants to hold off since I am looking so tight,and actually refeed me a bit more for the show being a little aggressive tomorrow, lighter on Friday and just a little carbs Saturday morning to get me looking right. I will still be mid water load but coach thinks I have the show won in my current condition unless someone else shows up in pretty crazy condition at this regional show. Still focusing on peaking for nationals though, and just getting the best look we can for this weekend while in mid water load.

 

[MrKleen73]

He also lowered the intensity on my cardio and said we may pull it back even farther, we are pretty much in condition and he doesn't want me to push it too hard to the point it is detrimental.

 

[Hyde]

It’s beautiful man; it looks like you are really there. You could get on stage now flat and have a great score just from the conditioning and detail.

I think holding off til tomorrow makes a lot of sense with the weekend comp looming and your gut still backed up. Get more utility from the same calorie & sodium spike and your body will probably be more ready to digest the beef better.

 

[Dustin07]

Wow look at what coach sent me. This is from height of my bulk down to now.

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Dude these pics made me laugh. I thought you looked hella yoked back then but the comparrison is unworldly. just crazy improvement. "from dad bod to who's your daddy" cbum would be proud

coach thinks I have the show won in my current condition unless someone else shows up in pretty crazy condition at this regional show. Still focusing on peaking for nationals though, and just getting the best look we can for this weekend while in mid water load.

incredible what you've built, especially while holding down the job and family!

 

[MrKleen73]

It’s beautiful man; it looks like you are really there. You could get on stage now flat and have a great score just from the conditioning and detail.

I think holding off til tomorrow makes a lot of sense with the weekend comp looming and your gut still backed up. Get more utility from the same calorie & sodium spike and your body will probably be more ready to digest the beef better.

Thanks, this is definitely a great look on me. I am excited. I know when we did the water cut, a lot of water came off my back, and it tightened up a lot. It has tightened up a lot since then. So it should look pretty good by after this water cut and refeed. The thickness and detail of my back will really pop then. Plus a ton of carbs and fats to fill my legs out, and things are going to look nasty.

The fact that he's confident we can do a real load now instead of an early refeed and a few rice cakes the morning of comp is awesome. I feel it increases my chances of a win this weekend, too!

 

[Dustin07]

I know you have (and should probably have) tunnel vision right now towards current stage plans, but have you given much thought to 2025, how low you plan to maintain etc? You mentioned if you go pro, you might feel obligated to keep pushing. I'm curious whether you push on for pro shows or not, if where you think you'll land in terms of BF% for maintenance or if you would run the same bulk/cut cycle you did this year again in the future.

 

[Dustin07]

Here are some shots of the reversal point after a total gain of 26.8 lbs @221.2 lbs!!! Not too bad after a down week from injury.

If I understand things right, the cut basically starteda bout April 14th at 221lbs? if you think about it, what you've built in 4 months is crazy. Look at your pics on the very first page of this thread.... incredible progress.

 

[MrKleen73]

I know you have (and should probably have) tunnel vision right now towards current stage plans, but have you given much thought to 2025, how low you plan to maintain etc? You mentioned if you go pro, you might feel obligated to keep pushing. I'm curious whether you push on for pro shows or not, if where you think you'll land in terms of BF% for maintenance or if you would run the same bulk/cut cycle you did this year again in the future.

Well, if I win my pro card, I will very likely do a show next year. It is also likely that if I do and have a choice, it will be in the classic division. That way, I can focus on perfecting my physique without pushing so hard to add a lot of new size.

I am still of the opinion this prep would have been much easier if we stopped 5% bodyfat lower. I believe we could have hit this level of leanness at around 1800 calories similar to my natural show which I had at least 15 lbs less lbm at the time. In the end I want to keep an aesthetic look all year. I intend to start posting more on Instagram and seeing if I can't leverage this into some coaching clients. Right now, you don't need a certification to do remote coaching. So there is no need to renew my certs unless I really want to.

If I understand things right, the cut basically starteda bout April 14th at 221lbs? if you think about it, what you've built in 4 months is crazy. Look at your pics on the very first page of this thread.... incredible progress.

Yeah, and we didn't lower calories until 4/27/24.

Drinking my pre-workout, spending a little time with my wife to say hello, and love on her a bit. Then head to the gym for legs and cardio with some poses tossed in between sets.

 

[PolishHamm3r77]

I am still of the opinion this prep would have been much easier if we stopped 5% bodyfat lower

Referring to the bulking process I assume.

 

[gphagan1]

Yeah, so close. I got in about 5 hours of additional sleep yesterday then went to bed at midnight and got a full 9.5 hours last night not including all the times I got up to pee. So feeling a little better but still just exhausted.

Here are a few shots from this morning to show the new lines, and veins in abdominal area. This is totally flat 60g carbs a day too.


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I only posted things that showed somewhat obvious progress. If you look in the classic twisted back pose you can see some veins in my midback starting to show. If you zoom in on my abs in the double biceps shot all of that grainy wild look on my obliques and through a decent part of my abs is all new veins showing more and more. Serratus in the last classic pose are stupid defined. Abs. serratus, and obliques all far more obvious in the side shots. Overall, I am getting a grainy look everywhere but my back so far, and it has made a lot of fat loss progress the last 2 weeks. Pretty happy so far considering a lot of what is on my back is water according to my coach and my soft tissue worker.

I have been constipated the last couple of days so have pushed some fiber and stool softeners, finally getting more movement. Once cleared out I won't be surprised to see a 2lb drop from here going off of how full my gut feels.

Great news, coach gave me a refeed today so I will be going to get myself a double meat and fries at 5 Guys today. This is awesome news, I could really use it right about now.

Dude you are absolutely shredded….I’m sure you’re in that 5%-6% range, and really have kept most of that fullness and size looking at your comparison shots from your bulk. And the sweat and blood equity you’ve put in is truly paying off. I feel for you man, and could only imagine how drained you have to be. And really the only thing that helps, when you can’t get the fuel in, is rest. But I think you are getting ready to start seeing the fruits of your labor, winning some hardware this weekend and then the Nationals later. Your physique is already getting that pro look, and really you accomplished that quickly. Glad Mrs Kleen is all in on it too, just makes it that much better.

 

[jimbuick]

If I understand things right, the cut basically starteda bout April 14th at 221lbs? if you think about it, what you've built in 4 months is crazy. Look at your pics on the very first page of this thread.... incredible progress.

Need to put on another 30ish pounds and then pretend I’m gonna do a bodybuilding show just to see if I can look like Kleen.

 

[MrKleen73]

Referring to the bulking process I assume.

Yes Sir, not only because this deep of calorie cut would less likely be needed, but the fact I do still have a little more fat to lose to achieve my best look possible. I know how lean I can get, and if I was there with all this new muscle, I would be pretty confident I was going pro. However, we can probably replicate the look of that conditioning from here with the water cut, refeed until spilling over then dropping in the diazyde for nationals. Plus I may just lose that 1-2 lbs over the course of the week since we aren't going to go crazy loading me for this show. Just a moderate and safe load not to mess up my depletion for nationals. I don't even think we will be doing much carbing up for the night show if at all. Everything is really judged in the morning at prejudging so that is where I need to look my best.

Dude you are absolutely shredded….I’m sure you’re in that 5%-6% range, and really have kept most of that fullness and size looking at your comparison shots from your bulk. And the sweat and blood equity you’ve put in is truly paying off. I feel for you man, and could only imagine how drained you have to be. And really the only thing that helps, when you can’t get the fuel in, is rest. But I think you are getting ready to start seeing the fruits of your labor, winning some hardware this weekend and then the Nationals later. Your physique is already getting that pro look, and really you accomplished that quickly. Glad Mrs Kleen is all in on it too, just makes it that much better.

Thank you Sir! I would put me around 7ish% front, legs, arms looking 5ish%, and back looking about 9% to me, but it is watery. With one more week, the water cut and everything I think I have a really good shot at going pro. Top 3 in Masters Overall gets the pro card at this show it is a big one.

This guy won the 50-59 last year at the Johnnie O Jackson for this weekend. I know for sure I could beat this guy the way he looks. Get a little glycogen in me from here and he would be toast. Not trying to sound cocky, just what I believe. Honestly, just me as I woke up this morning IMHO.
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Need to put on another 30ish pounds and then pretend I’m gonna do a bodybuilding show just to see if I can look like Kleen.

Do it!!!!

 

[gphagan1]

Yes Sir, not only because this deep of calorie cut would less likely be needed, but the fact I do still have a little more fat to lose to achieve my best look possible. I know how lean I can get, and if I was there with all this new muscle, I would be pretty confident I was going pro. However, we can probably replicate the look of that conditioning from here with the water cut, refeed until spilling over then dropping in the diazyde for nationals. Plus I may just lose that 1-2 lbs over the course of the week since we aren't going to go crazy loading me for this show. Just a moderate and safe load not to mess up my depletion for nationals. I don't even think we will be doing much carbing up for the night show if at all. Everything is really judged in the morning at prejudging so that is where I need to look my best.
Thank you Sir! I would put me around 7ish% front, legs, arms looking 5ish%, and back looking about 9% to me, but it is watery. With one more week, the water cut and everything I think I have a really good shot at going pro. Top 3 in Masters Overall gets the pro card at this show it is a big one.

This guy won the 50-59 last year at the Johnnie O Jackson for this weekend. I know for sure I could beat this guy the way he looks. Get a little glycogen in me from here and he would be toast. Not trying to sound cocky, just what I believe. Honestly, just me as I woke up this morning IMHO.
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Do it!!!!

No doubt you would beat him now….you have more muscle, and your legs and arms are way bigger.

 

[MrKleen73]

If anyone is interested, this is the gentlemen who one my class last year at the nationals at the NPC New link below. I would say we are pretty close to the same condition, but I think filled out I might have him. He is still very impressive, better arms than me or triceps a little meatier looking from the front anyway. I think I have his legs beat by a good margin, and if he was locked in on all his poses when the shots were taken then I think I would have him on most of my poses. However that is hard to know unless you are paying someone specifically to only take pictures of you so they time it right.

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[MrKleen73]

This is the overall winner for the classic over 50, and I think I have him too. Maybe I am over confident right now but feeling pretty good about my chances and honestly going pro in both would be cool but classic will fit better into my goals for next year unless we can come up with a new plan to keep me leaner this year while still pushing for open. It is really all about not having to push the bulk so hard and so far more than anything else. Well that and limiting gear use. I wish I had the money to drop on HGH because I could run gear lower and get better results. Plus joint issues and what not would feel so much better. Maybe once I start doing a little coaching I can toss 4-6IU a day into the mix during my bulk, and prep but keep androgens lower.

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[jimbuick]

Yes Sir, not only because this deep of calorie cut would less likely be needed, but the fact I do still have a little more fat to lose to achieve my best look possible. I know how lean I can get, and if I was there with all this new muscle, I would be pretty confident I was going pro. However, we can probably replicate the look of that conditioning from here with the water cut, refeed until spilling over then dropping in the diazyde for nationals. Plus I may just lose that 1-2 lbs over the course of the week since we aren't going to go crazy loading me for this show. Just a moderate and safe load not to mess up my depletion for nationals. I don't even think we will be doing much carbing up for the night show if at all. Everything is really judged in the morning at prejudging so that is where I need to look my best.
Thank you Sir! I would put me around 7ish% front, legs, arms looking 5ish%, and back looking about 9% to me, but it is watery. With one more week, the water cut and everything I think I have a really good shot at going pro. Top 3 in Masters Overall gets the pro card at this show it is a big one.

This guy won the 50-59 last year at the Johnnie O Jackson for this weekend. I know for sure I could beat this guy the way he looks. Get a little glycogen in me from here and he would be toast. Not trying to sound cocky, just what I believe. Honestly, just me as I woke up this morning IMHO.
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Do it!!!!

Except then Pat would actually expect me to get on stage, and I just don’t see that in my future.

 

[jimbuick]

This is the overall winner for the classic over 50, and I think I have him too. Maybe I am over confident right now but feeling pretty good about my chances and honestly going pro in both would be cool but classic will fit better into my goals for next year unless we can come up with a new plan to keep me leaner this year while still pushing for open. It is really all about not having to push the bulk so hard and so far more than anything else. Well that and limiting gear use. I wish I had the money to drop on HGH because I could run gear lower and get better results. Plus joint issues and what not would feel so much better. Maybe once I start doing a little coaching I can toss 4-6IU a day into the mix during my bulk, and prep but keep androgens lower.

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Patrick was looking for an assistant coach a few weeks back, did you ask him about that? Seems like something you’d slot in well for given your experience.