It's going to be awesome to see what another week, especially w/the added cardio and dietary tweaks will yield.
Will you be manipulating water as well or is there no need to?
Your day to day pics look like you're holding minuscule amounts if any.
Have to agree with everyone else here - tons of great info in this thread. So many people don't understand how drastically the athletes diet needs to differ from a 'normal' American diet. Is it even possible to go out to a restaurant and get a comparable meal to what you're putting together? If it was, would the place even stay in business?
Thanks keeping up with all these great updates
I appreciate that insight bud

glad you are enjoying the thread
as for water manipulation - nope, no need to..that is the whole idea basically, behind my drive to be show-ready pretty much ~2 weeks out, so I can avoid all the nonsense/tweaky approaches that more often than not detract from everything you want on stage day: fullness and pump!
water and sodium will be manipulated very minutely and intelligently, and at no time will I ever totally "cut water" off from consumption..same with salt, altho added salt will be avoided on day before show only
all this depletion/carb-load nonsense is for the birds! if you know anything about the body, you understand the body and it's desire to maintain homeostasis is incredibly powerful; the body is comprised of about 70% water, and salt is responsible for the pump - to eliminate these things AT ALL, is simply a bad recipe..but, the problem is, most everyone is not ready far enough out, instead utilizes the final couple weeks for continued fat-loss hardcore, and ends up having to resort to silly measures in order to "swing" the illusion to further leanness
so you get guys wanting to cut water over a 3-day period..avoid salt for days before show..homeostasis will simply catch up too damn quickly when you do this, and you will end up looking flat and depleted..even if you do it in shorter timespan 1-2 days out, you still cannot stay ahead of the bodies ability to adapt and try to recover with opposing actions in the body -- that effectively make the effort totally anti-productive
and then: you got the real crazy stuff happening that some guys do, the potassium overload in combination with salt elimination, building potassium supplementation to insane levels while cutting water/eliminating salt/reduction and elimination of water over multiple-day period -- I mean, this is a damn recipe for a heart attack! I too have been guilty of this, in my first show, advised by my "guru"; and, I felt like straight up ass on stage! blood pressure was whack, electrolytes all messed up, buzzing going on in my head all day long - was not enjoyable, at all, and thankfully that was only time I ever tried that nonsense
so, it's all in the approach, and an understanding of the process..i am incorporating things this prep that I never have, with a totally different mindsest to utilizing the premises I have long considered to be correct, but just could not undertake because (like most everyone else) I was simply not lean enough at the end, and needed that extra "something"
smart, small maneuvering, is all that is needed
My thoughts exactly.
Snagz... How many years have you been doing this?
to what do you refer?

training? since I was 12
diet/nutrition? been doing constant self-study and realization since late 90s, and only continue to learn more
contests? this will only be my 4th actual NPC event; I did couple local/city non-organized events ~30y/o, before I jumped in to organized competition
in the last 5-6yrs as well, I have built upon a small business I run, online/prep nutrition guidance & counseling..this has given me further experience on a wide range of factors
notes for today: well the only really "negative" thing this whole prep has been a serious lack of sleep; I mean as a rule, I normally do not sleep much (5-6hrs/night usually), but more often than not I have been in 3-5hr range nightly this entire time - sometimes as little as 1.5hrs, and once I stayed up all night! I never sleep
and last night, was 4hrs..found myself up insanely early (430am), decided to do some fasted LISS upon rising even tho it was scheduled off-day for this..changes in physique are getting scary; I mean, veins at totally new level, muscle density/definition at all-time bests - and yes, blatant obvious improvement from yesterday
this prep is turning into something quite special; I am very, very pleased and excited
soon will be time for last training session of chest/back..ticking down the time gentlemen, we are nearing end of runway on approach..guiding things in very intuitively and intelligently - feelsgoodman :cool2: