Segansational's Motivation Log

[Smont]

Been seeing some people I went to school with who've competed recently, mostly girls. But makes me think I need to step up my game for real. I've been at this for a long time now and don't have much to show for it. Need to set a goal and just go for it this year. Debating picking up some RP Strength templates or hiring a coach.

Who can give me some advice here? Trying to figure out what category(ies) and weight classes I should target based on my current build/weight. Bodybuilding, classic, men's physique? I'll be masters and novice. Think I just prefer bodybuilding from the posing component, but may not have enough mass on my frame for it. @Smont @jtmass @Alchemist11 @ZOO @Iwilleattuna
Sure I've missed folks, feel free to give a tag.

Also, if anyone has used online coaches they like, post em up here or DM me.

What's your current height/weight/estimated bf

 

[Smont]

Hmmm. Well my input would be that I feel the different classes are best decided on your genetics. Like you know when someone has a “classic look” just be seeing them. Physique I feel like is beach body classic. Bodybuilding has different weight classes so that’s very flexible. I’ll be honest that I usually got lucky at my shows in terms of the turnout.

Yep, and a big mistake I see guys making is picking mens physique solely for the reason they think there not big enough for bodybuilding, but if you don't have a tiny waist and symmetrical abs you can forget men's physique. And some of those guys are just as big and bigger then some of the classic guys

 

[Segansational]

Haven't used any coaches from the US. But, I would vouch for Luke Miller. I couldn't hire him because I can't afford $300/month.

Wow.

Hmmm. Well my input would be that I feel the different classes are best decided on your genetics. Like you know when someone has a “classic look” just be seeing them. Physique I feel like is beach body classic. Bodybuilding has different weight classes so that’s very flexible. I’ll be honest that I usually got lucky at my shows in terms of the turnout.

Yeah, not sure I truly have the classic look, although I love the artistry from this division! Something perhaps to aspire to.

What's your current height/weight/estimated bf

5' 6", 159.4#, 14.5%

Yep, and a big mistake I see guys making is picking mens physique solely for the reason they think there not big enough for bodybuilding, but if you don't have a tiny waist and symmetrical abs you can forget men's physique. And some of those guys are just as big and bigger then some of the classic guys

Totally agree about how large the men's physique division has gotten. Not sure if my waist is tiny enough or not. Been feeling only so so these days on my shape...

 

[Segansational]

As promised, couple of shots from the lake!

 

[Smont]

Wow.Yeah, not sure I truly have the classic look, although I love the artistry from this division! Something perhaps to aspire to.5' 6", 159.4#, 14.5% Totally agree about how large the men's physique division has gotten. Not sure if my waist is tiny enough or not. Been feeling only so so these days on my shape...

This is my take on how I would tell someone to go about this.

Start dieting, get single digit bf lean, fukin ripped. If you wanna compete you need to go there first and see what you got left on you for muscle. You can probably do this in about 8 weeks if you diet hard. That will take till November

Now I would start a proper bulk. Adding as much size as you possibly can without loosing visibility of your abs. If you do this right you could probably make a decent 20 week offseason out of this, 20 weeks later were in March. Here's were you make a decision how far off from contest shape you are, picking a show far enough away to set up a proper contest prep. If you stay in control during your bulk you can probably get in shape for a show next summer.

The alternative is just start dieting now until your contest ready, pick a show, then go into a offseason

 

[Segansational]

This is my take on how I would tell someone to go about this.

Start dieting, get single digit bf lean, fukin ripped. If you wanna compete you need to go there first and see what you got left on you for muscle. You can probably do this in about 8 weeks if you diet hard. That will take till November

Now I would start a proper bulk. Adding as much size as you possibly can without loosing visibility of your abs. If you do this right you could probably make a decent 20 week offseason out of this, 20 weeks later were in March. Here's were you make a decision how far off from contest shape you are, picking a show far enough away to set up a proper contest prep. If you stay in control during your bulk you can probably get in shape for a show next summer.

The alternative is just start dieting now until your contest ready, pick a show, then go into a offseason

Appreciate the thought process. Timing would be about right in line with what I was thinking, show sometime in early summer of next year. But I was thinking about bulking into the fall/winter. You recommend going the other way? Grow into the show?

 

[Rocket3015]

5' 6", 159.4#, 14.5%

How big (or Small) is your waist ?

 

[Smont]

Appreciate the thought process. Timing would be about right in line with what I was thinking, show sometime in early summer of next year. But I was thinking about bulking into the fall/winter. You recommend going the other way? Grow into the show?

No that's not what I said. If you start bulking now @15% bodyfat your just gonna get fatter. The higher your bodyfat the faster you put on bodyfat. 15% is where most guys end there bulk.

You cut first and get lean, then you bulk, then you cut and get ready for the show.

The only ppl that are growing into a show are super lean and starting there first cycle, someone who's already been there before and took time off so there just getting it back and the select few with super freak genetics

 

[Smont]

12-15% is lean by our standards but it's fat by bodybuilding standards, don't take offense to that, I'm probably 15% myself right now

 

[Segansational]

12-15% is lean by our standards but it's fat by bodybuilding standards, don't take offense to that, I'm probably 15% myself right now

None taken. What % do you think I should cut down to if I were going to take this approach?

 

[Smont]

None taken. What % do you think I should cut down to if I were going to take this approach?

6-8%, the leaner the better. This does 2 things, it gives you a idea of what it's going to take to diet for a show (most guys are about 4-5% on stage) and it gives you that rebound phase that gets guys growing after a show. Insulin sensitivity will be sky high and you will be like a sponge.

I was recently dieting hard trying to make a weight class. After dropping from 208-185 I was finally in single digits but then we pulled the plug because my plans fell through. After that I bounced back to 195 in a month with a full set of abs looking as lean as when I was 10lbs smaller. You just grow better and leaner after a good diet phaze.

If I go back through all my notes and old photos I can see all the wasted bulks I did starting with my bf too high. The guys I know that coach all have their clients get single digits before a bulk and honestly you shouldn't go by % because no system is accurate. But I once your abs are gone you went too far on a bulk

 

[Smont]

@Mathb33
You know of any affordable BB coaches?

 

[Segansational]

How big (or Small) is your waist ?

Haven't measured in years! I wear a 33" waist pant, but the myotape measurement this AM was 35". A bit humbling.

So thanks guys, you've all made me realize how much of a fatty I am - and just how far away I am from my fitness goals. Now I'm depressed, LOL. But in all seriousness, guess I just needed to hear it. A little tough love. Let me see if I can get some things in order and lined up, if I'm going to do a proper cut... I'll post some pictures later this week to show where I'm currently sitting at.

Got up early this morning and did 30 mins of cardio on the bike, followed by abs. Wife starts school this week, I have some work travel over the next few days, and kids start at a new school the following week. So probably another two weeks before any concrete plan goes into motion.

 

[Rocket3015]

5'6" at 160 and 33" jeans you can't be to fat.

 

[Mathb33]

@Mathb33
You know of any affordable BB coaches?

Will_cab on Instagram is probably the only one that’s around 150$ a month but is as good as the top coaches or any good coaches that charge 250-350$ monthly which is the standard prize now a day for a good coach

 

[Segansational]

Appreciate all of the input so far, keep it coming!

Chest Day.

Rotator Cuff Ex, resistance bands 2x12

Bench Press, Rogue Power Bar:
95x10
135x8,8,8
Neutral grip push ups x10,8,8
Incline DB press 50x8,7,8
Resistance band flys 35x12,12,12

40:08, 141 cals

 

[Segansational]

Current photos. Will try to get a few other mandatories up when I can. You can see the lower ab flab, and I clearly need to work on my back double biceps pose. Also need to bring up my left bicep, plus overall back width.

 

[Smont]

That helps a lot, ok cool. Ya I would start cutting. I'd cut till you were sporting a solid set of abs and then work on slowly adding size while trying to stay fairly lean. Going by the pictures, from the front it looks like your chest needs to catch up to your shoulders and traps.

Just my constructive criticism

 

[Smont]

Don't wanna be a Debbie Downer but bf is closer to 18

 

[Mathb33]

Yeah you need to cut. Most people want to step that step because they’re really scared of their real weight when lean. Don’t be scared of it bro embrace it as a part of the journey and once you’re lean you’ll build muscle much more easily and stay leaner easily. Some people are 5 10 225 lbs and think they’re huge at 19% BF but in reality they would be like 175 lbs at single digit BF. And that’s perfectly fine! You seem to have a good fondation of muscle! Get that 3-4 months of hard cut and then you’ll forever see things differently.

 

[Smont]

Yeah you need to cut. Most people want to step that step because they’re really scared of their real weight when lean. Don’t be scared of it bro embrace it as a part of the journey and once you’re lean you’ll build muscle much more easily and stay leaner easily. Some people are 5 10 225 lbs and think they’re huge at 19% BF but in reality they would be like 175 lbs at single digit BF. And that’s perfectly fine! You seem to have a good fondation of muscle! Get that 3-4 months of hard cut and then you’ll forever see things differently.

This happened to me, I bulked to 225 when I hit my first bench press comp or whatever you wanna call it, it was low budget.

But I remember thinking , if I drop 15lbs il be huge and shredded, then at 210 I remember thinking , 10 more lbs and il be ripped, nope.

185, it took me loosing 40lbs to get ripped. And honestly, if I wanted to compete at that time I probably would have had to drop another 10

 

[Hyde]

This happened to me, I bulked to 225 when I hit my first bench press comp or whatever you wanna call it, it was low budget.

But I remember thinking , if I drop 15lbs il be huge and shredded, then at 210 I remember thinking , 10 more lbs and il be ripped, nope.

185, it took me loosing 40lbs to get ripped. And honestly, if I wanted to compete at that time I probably would have had to drop another 10

People often don’t know what bf % actually looks like, and the rest of us can’t do math that well. If I am 27% at 265, that means I am 193lbs if I reached a hypothetical zero bodyfat and also retained all of my muscle somehow.

It’s never just a 15lb drop away

 

[Smont]

People often don’t know what bf % actually looks like, and the rest of us can’t do math that well. If I am 27% at 265, that means I am 193lbs if I reached a hypothetical zero bodyfat and also retained all of my muscle somehow.

It’s never just a 15lb drop away

Ya no1 knows for sure. The scales ppl buy are horribly off. All the time I see ppl saying there scale has them at 12 or 14% and there 20% or higher.

The way I guess is when my abs dissapear I'm now over 15% and it's time to diet.

When I'm only pinching skin at my waistline, ribs are showing and I'm starving I'm probably close to 10%

I don't usually go below 10.

Even in my avatar I had ppl asking me if I'm 8-10% and I'm like no dudes that's close to 15.

 

[Mathb33]

People often don’t know what bf % actually looks like, and the rest of us can’t do math that well. If I am 27% at 265, that means I am 193lbs if I reached a hypothetical zero bodyfat and also retained all of my muscle somehow.

It’s never just a 15lb drop away

Exactly! People are never as big as they believe they are unless they did cut down to 6-7% once then they might have an idea. But even then next time you Hulk up you never know exactly what’s what until you cut down. Before this prep I was 225 with visible abs. Not the type of visible abs people say but that’s actually 3 waves of fat that present as abs.. but like 15-16% BF top. I cut down to 184 lbs to be show ready. That’s 40 pounds and I was already somewhat lean lol.

 

[Smont]

Exactly! People are never as big as they believe they are unless they did cut down to 6-7% once then they might have an idea. But even then next time you Hulk up you never know exactly what’s what until you cut down. Before this prep I was 225 with visible abs. Not the type of visible abs people say but that’s actually 3 waves of fat that present as abs.. but like 15-16% BF top. I cut down to 184 lbs to be show ready. That’s 40 pounds and I was already somewhat lean lol.

My boy was 274 with very visible abs at the beginning of his last prep, and I'm talking about he looked like a bodybuilder at 274 and he was 218 at weigh in and 223 on stage. His coach was 100% confident that he was gonna be 235-240 on stage.

 

[Smont]

If anyone follows chase irons he was similar, like 265 with abs and was like 205 on stage

 

[Hyde]

So the moral is, don’t obsess about bodyweight - just focus on getting really lean, and you will look good even at a low weight, & be ready to grow better.

 

[Mathb33]

So the moral is, don’t obsess about bodyweight - just focus on getting really lean, and you will look good even at a low weight, & be ready to grow better.

Oh ya!

 

[Rocket3015]

Getting lean is easier said than done. It's a lot of work!

 

[Smont]

Getting lean is easier said than done. It's a lot of work!

That's more reasons to cut before the bulk.

1. You will have like a mock contest prep, you get lean and see if you can handle it.

2. If you can't get sub 10% now your definitely not gonna get 5% for BB show on your first try.

It's not a fun time like bulking is but it will teach you a lot about yourself and what to expect. And it will make everything better when it's time to bulk and cut again.

 

[Smont]

Or, or, or, I'm just saying, or you can skip bodybuilding and start powerlifting instead, eat as much as you want and no1 at a PL meet will care if you get fat.

Deadlifts and doughnuts baby!

 

[Segansational]

That helps a lot, ok cool. Ya I would start cutting. I'd cut till you were sporting a solid set of abs and then work on slowly adding size while trying to stay fairly lean. Going by the pictures, from the front it looks like your chest needs to catch up to your shoulders and traps.

Just my constructive criticism

Yeah, I feel when I look at pictures it may actually be lower chest that needs most work. But what do you think? And btw, traps are mostly genetic. I rarely work them these days.

Don't wanna be a Debbie Downer but bf is closer to 18

:sad panda:

I use a bioimpedence scale, but know it's not accurate. I use it though to monitor my BF trend.

Yeah you need to cut. Most people want to step that step because they’re really scared of their real weight when lean. Don’t be scared of it bro embrace it as a part of the journey and once you’re lean you’ll build muscle much more easily and stay leaner easily. Some people are 5 10 225 lbs and think they’re huge at 19% BF but in reality they would be like 175 lbs at single digit BF. And that’s perfectly fine! You seem to have a good fondation of muscle! Get that 3-4 months of hard cut and then you’ll forever see things differently.

I'm gonna be like a buck 40 by the time this is all said and done. Scares me to be that light (I've bulked over 180# before).

 

[Segansational]

Or, or, or, I'm just saying, or you can skip bodybuilding and start powerlifting instead, eat as much as you want and no1 at a PL meet will care if you get fat.

Deadlifts and doughnuts baby!

Fat, strong and happy? Now that sounds like winning! (no disrespect to my actual PLers in here!)

 

[Smont]

Yeah, I feel when I look at pictures it may actually be lower chest that needs most work. But what do you think? And btw, traps are mostly genetic. I rarely work them these days.:sad panda:

I use a bioimpedence scale, but know it's not accurate. I use it though to monitor my BF trend. I'm gonna be like a buck 40 by the time this is all said and done. Scares me to be that light (I've bulked over 180# before).

I'm not even joking, if you plan to compete natural and you get into contest shape your probably gonna be in the 125-130 range. That's about where most real natural bodybuilders are that are 5'5/5'6
a elite natty at your height competes in the 150's and the less then 0.01% in the 160's

 

[Smont]

This is Kai Greene at 5'8 170's competing natural

this is the genetic elite. Add 10 lbs for every inch taller and subtract 10lbs for every inch shorter

 

[Segansational]

Work trip is done, came home ate a big meal, and crashed. Napped hard, but woke up groggy before an afternoon WO session.

Back Day.

Neutral grip pull ups x8,7,7 - switched up my order of exercises to give my body time to wake up.
BB rows, Power Bar: 135x6,6,6
Deadlifts, Power Bar:
135x10
185x3,3,3 - just wasn't feeling it this afternoon.
Close grip DB row 50x12,10,10 - just did some light work to keep blood flowing and things moving.

Finished off with some light foam rolling.

34:38, 149 cals

Had a bit of a headache working out, inhibited my WO a bit. Might not have been fully hydrated.

 

[Segansational]

LDW sales incoming!

Tempted to pick up the 11/7 stack from @delsolrob Iron Legion's 40% off sale

@sns8778 is releasing 3 new products, including AnabolicXT, and running 30% off. ThermoScorch could be a good jump start for my cut too!

Looks like @Mike Arnold is running some type of sale @Smont

And, DPS has an extra 5% off on top of their sales @GQdaLEGEND

If you have a Vitamin Shoppe near you, they're running $1 snack and energy drink deals!

 

[Segansational]

Shoulders.

Rotator cuff ex, resistance bands x10,12
Seated BB press, Power Bar:
45x10
95x7,5,5
Upright rows +50x10,10,10
DB laterals x DB front raises 10x10/10, 10/10, 10/10
Bent over DB laterals 20x10,10,10

Foam rolling to finish.

43:44, 171 cals

One last summer hurrah, headed down to the beach with some friends for some boating. Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Since my chest seems to be lagging, what do people think about working chest 2x / week? Thinking maybe a barbell day, and a DB/resistance bands day. Or, I could do a heavy day and a high rep day?

 

[Hyde]

Both of those methods are options and could be combined even for your 2x a week chest frequency.

Just remember that even if you have a heavy day, it should be no heavier than like a 5x5. Volume is necessary to optimize growth, so don’t waste your time with triples or any true top end strength work. But something like 6x6 with a bit wider grip on bench could be a good “heavy” day option, as an example.

I have also had some good success when I did 2 AMRAPS with 50-55% of my 1RM on bench with an extra wide grip, and when you can do 2x25, go up 5lbs. So if your max bench is 200lbs, move your grip out one or two fingers and try for 2x25 with 105. If you get it, next week go to 110, then 115 maybe you get 23 & 18. You would stay there and try to get more reps the next week. This can work well for some time. Just make sure the reps aren’t sloppy and keep your shoulder blades retracted to protect the joints.

Dips can be good, DB pressing is always good, incline work, lots of ideas.

 

[Hyde]

And push-ups can be a great tool for adding pec volume if you take the right hand position!

 

[Segansational]

Hey fellas, well it's been a heck of a week. Son was in the hospital due to some difficulty breathing. All is well and he's home now, but the past 3 days or so were a bit of a spin. Makes you think about things a bit different when something like that happens.

So no workouts this past week, but on lighter news, we had a great time boating over the holiday weekend before all of this nonsense happened.

First gym session in a while, arm day just for a bit of a pump up.

Pre: 1 cap Jacked Factory ThermoXT, 1 scoop Daft Pump
Intra: 1 scoop Breach, 1/2 scoop Cluster Bomb, 3g micro creatine

I had a sample bottle of the JF and 1 cap in the morning has been nice for a bit of appetite control/energy. My plan is to run this at 2 caps through next week or so, just to get back into the groove of working out, then switch to Radiate caps for 4 weeks. Follow that up with some of the new CEL/SNS goodies I got over LDW - either Lipo Elite + Forskolin XT or TTA-500.

 

[sns8778]

Hey fellas, well it's been a heck of a week. Son was in the hospital due to some difficulty breathing. All is well and he's home now, but the past 3 days or so were a bit of a spin. Makes you think about things a bit different when something like that happens.

So no workouts this past week, but on lighter news, we had a great time boating over the holiday weekend before all of this nonsense happened.

First gym session in a while, arm day just for a bit of a pump up.

Pre: 1 cap Jacked Factory ThermoXT, 1 scoop Daft Pump
Intra: 1 scoop Breach, 1/2 scoop Cluster Bomb, 3g micro creatine

I had a sample bottle of the JF and 1 cap in the morning has been nice for a bit of appetite control/energy. My plan is to run this at 2 caps through next week or so, just to get back into the groove of working out, then switch to Radiate caps for 4 weeks. Follow that up with some of the new CEL/SNS goodies I got over LDW - either Lipo Elite + Forskolin XT or TTA-500.

I hope that you'll enjoy the SNS/CEL products when you run them; but most importantly I'm glad that your son is alright.

 

[Hyde]

Really glad to hear little man is alright now! Mine was sent to the PICU not too long back for a rhinovirus that had his respiration rate nearly tripled and oxygen down to 90%. Pretty scary when they can barely breathe!

 

[Segansational]

I hope that you'll enjoy the SNS/CEL products when you run them; but most importantly I'm glad that your son is alright.

Really glad to hear little man is alright now! Mine was sent to the PICU not too long back for a rhinovirus that had his respiration rate nearly tripled and oxygen down to 90%. Pretty scary when they can barely breathe!

Thanks fellas. Yeah, it was definitely a hard couple of nights, but you'd barely be able to tell anything's wrong now aside from a good cough he's got.

Here's a pic of the stash I picked up this LDW! Took @Rocket3015 suggestion and had @sns8778 combine my order to help them save on shipping out two packages, and they threw in a t-shirt and pill box.

 

[Rocket3015]

Nice Order ! You should post this picture in the "In The Mail" thread !

In the Mail .... - AnabolicMinds.com

I have to say Thank You to @Mike Arnold he worked extra hard to get this order to me. I can't wait to try this (I didn't wait I started right after I took the pic). I also got my wife a bottle, she has Acid Reflux and I hope it will help her out also ! Thanks for posting! Honestly, Veda-Gest...

anabolicminds.com

 

[jtmass]

Did docs find out the reason behind the breathing problem?

I can understand what you would have gone through. My son had a small heart issue since birth and he had to go through a small surgery. Thinking about your child going through any health issue is really difficult as a parent.

 

[Rocket3015]

Did docs find out the reason behind the breathing problem?

I can understand what you would have gone through. My son had a small heart issue since birth and he had to go through a small surgery. Thinking about your child going through any health issue is really difficult as a parent.

One of the toughest things to face in life. I'm glad to hear things are getting better!

 

[Segansational]

Did docs find out the reason behind the breathing problem?

I can understand what you would have gone through. My son had a small heart issue since birth and he had to go through a small surgery. Thinking about your child going through any health issue is really difficult as a parent.

Well, he ended up with bronchiolitis, but that can be caused by any number of things. So since they ruled out a lot of the concerning causes they just think it was a viral infection that triggered it.

One of the toughest things to face in life. I'm glad to hear things are getting better!

For sure. Thank you.

Off day yesterday. Back in this morning for legs.

BB squats, Power bar:
95x12
135x10
185x8,8,8

SLDLs 100x10,10,10
Calf raises 3x15

36:51, 177 cals

Sweat like crazy, legs felt sore as hell, but the pump/lighting made my quads pop.

Pre: 1 cup coffee, 1 cap ThermoXT, 1 scoop Daft Pump
Intra: 1 scoop Breach, 1/2 scoop Cluster Bomb, 3g micro creatine, 1 packet liquid IV. Note, lemon-lime and Tigers Blood are not a great flavor combo!
Soundtrack: Spotify playlist, Geriatric Millenials

 

[Segansational]

OK fellas, time to get to work. Taking advice here and going into cut mode, will keep going until I'm satisfied, but at minimum looking at a ~10 week progression which should take me to Thanksgiving - then I'll take a mini break and reassess.

Stats:
Starting Weight: 163.6#
Short term goal: 150# - this will be a little over a 1# weight loss per week.

Workouts:
Workout regimen will likely be a bro split, with 2 chest days per week. So this week as example:

Sun - Legs
M - Bench Day
T - Back
W - Cardio/Abs
Th - Shoulders
F - 2nd chest day (DBs, accessory work)
Sat - Cardio/Abs
Sun - Off
M - Arms

Diet:
Tracking again with myfitnesspal. Yesterday was 1991 cals, with a 48/30/22 c/f/p split. Want to try to get that closer to 40/30/30.
Readjusting in the app, it looks like I'll be dropping to 1740 cals as the goal.
Will allow myself 1 cheat day to start, likely on Sunday so I can have a beer during football season. But if I find it hinders my progress too much, I will eliminate as needed.

Supplements:
Weeks 1-2: ThermoXT 2 caps/day
Weeks 3-6: Radiate, ForskolinXT
Weeks 7-10: LipoElite, TTA-500. May throw in Recomp20 if I feel like my strength/fullness is suffering.

Not gonna lie, I'm pretty jazzed about this even though I hate cutting.

 

[Segansational]

Back Day:

Deadlifts, Power Bar
135x10
185x5,7,6 - hook grip

Neutral grip pull ups x 3 sets to failure
Close grip V bar rows +45x10,10,10
Underhand grip BB rows 100x10,8,8

49:46, 208 cals

Pre: 1 cup of coffee, 1 cap ThermoXT, 1 scoop Daft Pump
Intra: 1 scoop Breach, 1/2 scoop Cluster Bomb, 3g micro creatine, 1 packet Liquid IV
Soundtrack: Black Crowes