New guy to the Boards, 6'2" 230 lbs, cutting season coming up

[Teddy]

Hey everyone,
I'm 21 and have been lifting weights for 7 years and bodybuilding for about 8 months. I'd like to enter a contest this upcoming summer if I can hit my diet right. I've been on the boards searching through for good dieting tips to refine my diet while I cut and thought I'd post some pics so you all would be able to match the face/body with the name.

- Teddy :waving:

- These pics are from mid December at 229 lbs. Btw..I am a lifetime natural.

[Teddy]

rear double bicep

[Teddy]

front lat spread

[Teddy]

front double bicep

[Teddy]

most muscular

[BigGreen]

Hey, and we didn't even have to pester for the wheels. Great quads by the way, no wonder you didn't have to be coaxed into showing them. Now get to work on those hamstrings. Great overall thickness without much bodyfat...and what you have is dispersed nicely. If you're looking for a critique, the size of your quads and trunk make your arms seem smaller than they are in those pics...strangely enough, it also looks like you hold BF the EXACT opposite of almost everyone else i've ever come across...for having abs poking through quite visibly, your arms seem to lack the cuts that are usually already there by the time you can see the ab cuts...do you hold fat on the extremities as opposed to the trunk? Also, your waist looks like no matter how low you get on bodyfat, it'll always be a bit blocky. Understand that these critiques are not meant to take anything away from your physique, which is impressive, just doing my best to make you aware of what my opinion is of what might need to be addressed for you to be as successful as possible.

But, hell, if you've only been actually making an honest attempt at BodyBUILDING and shaping for eight months, you're essentially starting out where many a gym-goer hopes to end up, so you're in an awesome position. Good luck.

[freakout]

Originally posted by truegrit2
you got arms like a little girl

you constipated btw?

curls some weight girly man

Oh shut up! You scum!

-----------------------------

Teddy, the pictures show the hard work you have given to yourself.

Keep it up and you might like to blast those shoulders/delts more..

Love those abs...

Impressive...

[RageControl]

Truegrit
Damn i wish i was a mod! Someone ban this looser .

Guy talks so much shit yet has no proof to back anything he says up.
My guess is hes a fat **** who got his asswooped at the all girls school he was sent too. :rolleyes:

Anyways great work teddy you look awesome bro .:lift:

[Pete235]

Originally posted by RageControl
Truegrit
Damn i wish i was a mod! Someone ban this looser .

Done!!

[tatty]

Was just trying to quote him before you erased that post!

Anyways, Teddy, looking good bro. You look like fletch on another board, but I could be wrong.

I'm with BigGreen though, I think your legs, well everything is overpowering your arms, or your arms are a little smaller in comparison. Blast away!

[RageControl]

You the man Pete! :D

[orbflux]

looking good fletch

[Teddy]

Originally posted by BigGreen
Hey, and we didn't even have to pester for the wheels. Great quads by the way, no wonder you didn't have to be coaxed into showing them. Now get to work on those hamstrings. Great overall thickness without much bodyfat...and what you have is dispersed nicely. If you're looking for a critique, the size of your quads and trunk make your arms seem smaller than they are in those pics...strangely enough, it also looks like you hold BF the EXACT opposite of almost everyone else i've ever come across...for having abs poking through quite visibly, your arms seem to lack the cuts that are usually already there by the time you can see the ab cuts...do you hold fat on the extremities as opposed to the trunk? Also, your waist looks like no matter how low you get on bodyfat, it'll always be a bit blocky. Understand that these critiques are not meant to take anything away from your physique, which is impressive, just doing my best to make you aware of what my opinion is of what might need to be addressed for you to be as successful as possible.

But, hell, if you've only been actually making an honest attempt at BodyBUILDING and shaping for eight months, you're essentially starting out where many a gym-goer hopes to end up, so you're in an awesome position. Good luck.

Hello BigGreen!
Thanks for the honest critique. When I first started bodybuilding I was at 190 lbs at around 8% bodyfat. To be honest, my stomach area was still blocky, however I could see more cuts everywhere than I do now. I've done the best I could at preventing putting on noticeable gains in bodyfat, however pictures do not lie and I am a lil more "plump" than I was before.
I do tend to hold more bodyfat in my glutes and arms from the pics. I will be purchasing some Lipoderm-Y to see what I can do with the trouble spots as I diet down. I've heard and seen great results with the product.
My build is more wide than thick, but hopefully that will come down the road with years of training.
Currently the arms are 16.75" and they were just under 16" when I started. I'm hoping that the cuts and the separations come out better as I diet down. Hopefully showing some nice results from my first 8 months of hard work bulking up. Thanks again for a very thorough and honest critique.

- Teddy

btw....I am also "Fletch" from the bb.com forum. I came over to this board because of how many great posts I've seen in the nutrition section lately. Thought I'd put in my $.02 on occasion.:)

[Teddy]

just wanted to post a couple update pics as I'm cutting up for my first contest in June. I'll throw some more up as the weeks go by.

- Teddy

[Teddy]

These pics were taken on the 26th of March and I weigh 210. I hope to come in at 199-200 for showtime.

- Teddy

[Teddy]

might as well show the back. I have been working on my posing as I noticed that by clenching the buttocks it helps flex your lower back enough to give a better V-tapor. Unfortunately, in this pic I haven't done this.

- Teddy

[RailZ]

Great pic's ted..:)..your going to be shredded by the time contest time..o yeah im doing mr.lakeland we gotta set up a diet for me..:)...o yeah who's that guy with the blocked out face..:afro:

[Cock Diesel155]

Great work Ted, keep it up.. I can tell you are very dedicated..

[Teddy]

Originally posted by Cock Diesel155
Great work Ted, keep it up.. I can tell you are very dedicated..

Thanks Cock D....i appreciate that.

Keep lifting :lift:

- Teddy

[abstrack]

Looking good bro!! all the way around:D

If you dont mind me saying, the traps are lagging in the back double bi shot but other than that you look great man!! Good luck in the contest comming up.

[big N]

teddy ,bacl look great ,the abbs are showing delt are solid ,the only thing i see laggin abit bro are the guns and tris bring them up abit and ull be golden ,very good ,specially for being natty ,i mean u have a beetr physique then some of the guys here the juice .

[Teddy]

Originally posted by big N
teddy ,bacl look great ,the abbs are showing delt are solid ,the only thing i see laggin abit bro are the guns and tris bring them up abit and ull be golden ,very good ,specially for being natty ,i mean u have a beetr physique then some of the guys here the juice .

thanks big N! My refeed days have been on arm days. I have made a ton of progress on them in the last 6-8 months and am hoping that the cuts show up by showtime. I hold most of my bodyfat in my extremities rather than the base. Thanks for the props for being a natty. I'm still an NCAA tested athlete so I won't be touching the stuff for awhile....if ever if I can attain my goals in fitness.

- Teddy

[BowFlex-er]

HEY Teddy AKA Fletch welcome to AR! your the guy who worked out with Railz in that picture, right? looking good man. Take care.

[Teddy]

Originally posted by BowFlex-er
HEY Teddy AKA Fletch welcome to AR! your the guy who worked out with Railz in that picture, right? looking good man. Take care.

lol....thanks BowFlex-er. I've been here quite awhile though. I read alot in the nutrition section. :glasses

- Teddy

[BowFlex-er]

Originally posted by Teddy


lol....thanks BowFlex-er. I've been here quite awhile though. I read alot in the nutrition section. :glasses

- Teddy

HAHAHA yeah your right, I guess I should of looked at what number you where. You where here before me :lol:, but like I already said here and at bodybuilding.com your LOOKING AWESOME man!!!. Keep up the kick butt work.:lift: :thumbsup:

[big swoll]

congrats on looking great man....im 21 yrs too....what kind of diet did you have when you were bulking, you've put on alot of size naturally....great work

[Teddy]

Originally posted by big swoll
congrats on looking great man....im 21 yrs too....what kind of diet did you have when you were bulking, you've put on alot of size naturally....great work

thanks big swoll. My dietary philosophies were pretty simple and easy to follow. I ate a protein and carb source every 2 hours of the day and finished with a scoop of peanut butter and a tall glass of milk before bed.

It usually came out to around 4000-4200 calories and I did cardio once a week for baseball. (sprints)

A typical meal would be a 6 oz can of tuna, 10 ritz crackers, cup of cheerios. In a pinch a meal replacement would count as one meal.

Also I had a "in-workout" shake with protein and dextrose during every workout to keep the cortisol from attacking.

- Teddy

[nynsb]

Originally posted by Teddy
just wanted to post a couple update pics as I'm cutting up for my first contest in June. I'll throw some more up as the weeks go by.

- Teddy
Teddy, looking great but the arms could use some work.
Might want to find someone who is in a little better shape to pose with.
This guy has got way to much BF in the stomach area.

[pumpseeker]

Originally posted by Teddy
A typical meal would be a 6 oz can of tuna, 10 ritz crackers, cup of cheerios. In a pinch a meal replacement would count as one meal.
- Teddy

Dude, the tuna's great but what's with the ritz crackers and cheerios? :lol:

You're looking solid especially never using AS before. Very impressive.

[Teddy]

Originally posted by pumpseeker


Dude, the tuna's great but what's with the ritz crackers and cheerios? :lol:

You're looking solid especially never using AS before. Very impressive.

the crackers help the tuna go down easier and are a good carb source with the multigrain ones. Cheerios is my favorite cereal. :afro:

thanks for the props!

- Teddy

[Teddy]

62 days and counting til showtime.

Here are the update pics for those still subscribed to the thread.

- Teddy

[Teddy]

and another one of the back double bicep for good measure.

- Teddy

[BigGreen]

I'm tellin' ya, I'm still amazed at the way you lose fat from the core out. However, that seems to be a good thing, as it seems as though your chest seems to give up some of its size as you diet down and very evident compensations are made as your chest becomes more defined...keeping the "illusion". The first updated pics (where you're posing witha friend) it looks like your chest will be all but melted away by showtime. But, in true bodybuilder fashion, by the latest updates the noticeable loss of bodyfat in the area has it looking well on its way to full AND defined. Nice work in that department.

To be honest, I'm really looking forward to seeing just how your arms "shape" up when the fat starts to peel off of them. Judging from the back-double bi, your going to be left with a lot more in appearance than your measurements would dictate. Just work on getting those pinkies turned towards the ears on that pose to get the peaks to pop a bit.

[Teddy]

Thanks BigGreen!

Your critiques are always excellent. I am rather nervous how the arms and lower back are going to shape up in the next few weeks. I've been told that I'll tighten up quite a bit in the last couple weeks when I adjust my sodium intake. I know that I still have more fat to lose but I think I'm pretty much on track with where I want to be at 8 weeks out.

Here's a pic of the side chest pose that was taken today. I know what you mean by your reference that it appears my chest melted away. Maybe that type of most muscular isn't a good pose for me then? What do you think?

- Teddy:unsure:

[BigGreen]

Originally posted by Teddy



Here's a pic of the side chest pose that was taken today. I know what you mean by your reference that it appears my chest melted away. Maybe that type of most muscular isn't a good pose for me then? What do you think?

- Teddy:unsure:

I'm of the opinion that your chest (as evidenced by the progression) isn't going to be your area of concern. What has flown the coop in terms of size will, in my opinion, be more than compensated for in the definition that will create the illusion of a full chest in your case. Plus, a tan will do wonders for the chest striations.

I would think your concern would be the presentation of your arms. I've hung around quite a few serious competitors of late (a few guys prepping for some NPC shows in september) and with your height and arm dimensions (specifically, the manner in which they tend to look quite full in some poses, and elongated and flat in others) the way you "hold" your arms will make or break you. I would suggest working with someone who KNOWS their posing...it's amazing what they can do. They can teach you how to hold your arms at certain angles throughout your routine that keep your particular dimensions working for you. With regards to your arms, it looks like you have "peek-a-boo" muscles...ie, they look to be decidedly behind the rest of your physique until you flex them...again, something a posing "expert" can teach you to compensate for. Given your torso looks tight and solid, I wouldn't recommend straying away from the most muscular, just insuring that it's YOUR most muscular and not just A most muscular...if you get what I'm saying.

[Teddy]

Originally posted by BigGreen


I'm of the opinion that your chest (as evidenced by the progression) isn't going to be your area of concern. What has flown the coop in terms of size will, in my opinion, be more than compensated for in the definition that will create the illusion of a full chest in your case. Plus, a tan will do wonders for the chest striations.

I would think your concern would be the presentation of your arms. I've hung around quite a few serious competitors of late (a few guys prepping for some NPC shows in september) and with your height and arm dimensions (specifically, the manner in which they tend to look quite full in some poses, and elongated and flat in others) the way you "hold" your arms will make or break you. I would suggest working with someone who KNOWS their posing...it's amazing what they can do. They can teach you how to hold your arms at certain angles throughout your routine that keep your particular dimensions working for you. With regards to your arms, it looks like you have "peek-a-boo" muscles...ie, they look to be decidedly behind the rest of your physique until you flex them...again, something a posing "expert" can teach you to compensate for. Given your torso looks tight and solid, I wouldn't recommend straying away from the most muscular, just insuring that it's YOUR most muscular and not just A most muscular...if you get what I'm saying.

I get what you're saying. I have a couple great posing coaches so hopefully with them putting both their minds together it will help me decide which type of pose will help me hide the lacking areas. Then during the next bulk I will focus on bringing up my arms more than anything else. :)

Thanks for the tips!

- Teddy

[Billon]

Someone spanked your back? :)

[GetNBig]

are u doing a comp? if so better get that posing up to par. .. and a tan is need also. How tall are u?

[Kcck]

look'n pumped

[Teddy]

Blasted the legs hard yesterday. Here's a few update pics so people can see how I'm progressing. Showtime is the SNBF show June 14th in Pensacola, FL

- Teddy

[Teddy]

Squatting deep with 335. ROM is everything, :)

- Teddy

[Teddy]

Blastin those shoulders with arnold presses at the college weightroom.

- Teddy

[Teddy]

hitting the most muscular pose post-workout. :)

- Teddy

[fsufanatik]

Hey Fletch... Bro you are looking better every time I see your pics. Did the dieting effect you much during baseball season? Anyways good luck on your comp, I know Str8, Skip, Railz and the crew will make sure you look top notch come "Judgement Day".... You should consider walking around in speedos to get some color on those legs bro...lol:afro:

[Teddy]

Originally posted by fsufanatik
Hey Fletch... Bro you are looking better every time I see your pics. Did the dieting effect you much during baseball season? Anyways good luck on your comp, I know Str8, Skip, Railz and the crew will make sure you look top notch come "Judgement Day".... You should consider walking around in speedos to get some color on those legs bro...lol:afro:

Since I have dropped my carbs very gradually and have been bringing meals with me to the field, (I can have carbs during practice) my performance was not effected. However, recently as I have been dropping the carbs a lil more I have felt a lil lethargic compare to the last couple weeks. (hasn't effected the lifting though)

During practice I have a shake of 30g dextrose and 30g protein since I do some pretty intense conditioning.

I just ordered my posing trunks so I may head over to the beach when the season ends to get some sun on my legs.

- Teddy "Mommy Mommy.....that guy is wearing a speedo and looks scary" :cool:

[dizzle]

looking great, keep it up

[Teddy]

Originally posted by dizzle
looking great, keep it up

thanks dizzle!

- Fletch

[Teddy]

A few more update posing pics to share as I am now exactly 6 weeks out.

- Teddy

[Teddy]

front double bicep

- Teddy

[Teddy]

front lat spread

- Teddy

[Teddy]

side chest

- Teddy

[Teddy]

most muscular

- Teddy

[Teddy]

last pic........a closer shot of the back.

I'll keep posting pics as the contest approaches and then the shots taken from the show. :)

- Teddy

[nynsb]

Originally posted by Teddy
just wanted to post a couple update pics as I'm cutting up for my first contest in June. I'll throw some more up as the weeks go by.

- Teddy
Who's the little guy with the flabby gut??

You are making great progress but where's the 6 pack????

[Teddy]

Originally posted by nynsb

Who's the little guy with the flabby gut??

You are making great progress but where's the 6 pack????

I don't see anyone with a "flabby gut" in any of the pics. Perhaps you are referring to my buddy Mitch who posed with me and is hunched over more than he should for his most muscular pose. Well, here's a better pic of Mitch and he by no means is flabby.

- Fletch "Where's your pics?" :mad:

[dam225]

Originally posted by nynsb

Who's the little guy with the flabby gut??

You are making great progress but where's the 6 pack????


What pics are you looking at bro????

Lookin good Teddy....

D

[nynsb]

Originally posted by Teddy


I don't see anyone with a "flabby gut" in any of the pics. Perhaps you are referring to my buddy Mitch who posed with me and is hunched over more than he should for his most muscular pose. Well, here's a better pic of Mitch and he by no means is flabby.

- Fletch "Where's your pics?" :mad:

Is that Railz????
He seems to have lots of different looks
You got to admit he does look a little flabby in the first shot but this second shot shows me to be off base.
My apologies.
I plan to post my pics once I get my lovehandles under control.

[Teddy]

Originally posted by nynsb


Is that Railz????
He seems to have lots of different looks
You got to admit he does look a little flabby in the first shot but this second shot shows me to be off base.
My apologies.
I plan to post my pics once I get my lovehandles under control.

Yeah that's Mitch aka RailZ. (The 16 yr old phenom) He's currently 13 days out from his show and looks absolutely incredible. I took some pics of him today and will be posting them over at bb.com tomorrow after work. He will do very well in his show. His only weak link is his lower abs, however he makes up for it with his unreal density and the full development of most of his muscle bellies.

- Teddy "Go Mitch!!!"

[Teddy]

update shots of me.....lil less than 6 weeks out

- Teddy

[Teddy]

side chest

- Teddy "It's gettin to be crunch time!"

[Teddy]

front double bicep

- Teddy

[Teddy]

ab & quad

- Teddy

[Teddy]

and a most muscular from the side....

- Teddy

[Black_Curtain]

Great dedication bro really, I cant belive how good you look now!
You will do very well in the contest!

[AbsolutelyLethal]

Looking good Teddy....So does your buddy Mitch, the only thing missing on him is his calves seem to be lackin but thats being picky and its wrong because calves are genetic.

Quick question, any advantage to going deep on squats? I always keep my parallel as Im afraid I will blow something out, e.g my knees, if i go deep.

[Teddy]

Originally posted by Black_Curtain
Great dedication bro really, I cant belive how good you look now!
You will do very well in the contest!

Thanks Black_Curtain, I can't help but be rather nervous about the show and how I look on stage. I've been told that it's typical to feel that way for the first show though.

- Teddy

[Teddy]

Originally posted by AbsolutelyLethal
Looking good Teddy....So does your buddy Mitch, the only thing missing on him is his calves seem to be lackin but thats being picky and its wrong because calves are genetic.

Quick question, any advantage to going deep on squats? I always keep my parallel as Im afraid I will blow something out, e.g my knees, if i go deep.

I have read studies that our conditioning coach gave me that say that there is more pressure put on the knees by stopping at parallel than going slightly below parallel and using the glutes and hip flexors to push through the floor in a smooth motion. Getting the flexibility to go below parallel takes a lil practice with lighter weight, but now if I were to stop at parallel and change the direction of the movement I would feel like I'm cheating.

Also, I have been fortunate enough to not have any knee or back problems. As you can tell from the pics I do not use a belt, wraps, or chalk.*knock on wood* I use gloves when my hands get really raw and/or blistered.

- Teddy

[Pete235]

Originally posted by nynsb
Who's the little guy with the flabby gut??

That must be you! Stop looking in the mirror.

[Archangel230]

That's damn fantasic bro. With those deadlifts no wonder you look great. Keep it up and good luck with your contest.

[OVG]

Looking great bro. Best of luck with your upcoming show.

[Teddy]

Thanks guys!

- Teddy

[Teddy]

5 weeks out update for the show on June 21st.

- Fletch

[Teddy]

rear lat spread

[Teddy]

rear double bicep

[Teddy]

front double bicep

[Teddy]

most muscular

[Teddy]

front lat spread

- Fletch

[BigGreen]

oh christmas tree, oh christmas tree...i forget the rest of the lyrics....but you've got one, so you finish the song. :lol:

Anyway, nice STEADY progress, it appears you've maintained your LBM quite nicely (a BIG sore spot for me, so my congrats on "besting" this difficult phase). Being as white as me (I'm English, Irish, German, Polish and Swedish), I can tell you that you're going to look about three times more ripped and ten pounds worth of muscle heavier once you darken up for the comp...be sure to post that set.

[Teddy]

Of course! The next set of pictures will probably be before I sodium/carb deplete/potassium load. In the next few weeks I will drive back up to gainesville and have pics taken in the posing room that is at the beginning of this thread. Some real before/after pics. :) Maybe I'll send em to Muscletech and tell em it only took me 8 weeks.

- Fletch :lol:

[SilverSiR]

Hey man you look good, I think your back is the best feature, your chest is kinda lagging.

[Teddy]

Originally posted by SilverSiR
Hey man you look good, I think your back is the best feature, your chest is kinda lagging.

I'll get it up to par on next bulk. My growth phase will focus most on chest and arms. :)

- Fletch

[Teddy]

Here's my updated pics from today. (3 weeks out!)

- Fletch "Crunch Time!!"

[Teddy]

front double bicep

- Fletch

[Teddy]

side chest

- Fletch

[Teddy]

rear double bicep

- Fletch

[Teddy]

archer

- Fletch

[Teddy]

side tricep

- Fletch

[Teddy]

ab & quad.......next pics will be 2 weeks out!

- Fletch

[speese]

looking great man. i'd start working on the base tan for the competition. you'd be surprised how much more cut a few shades darker can make you look. but other than that keep up the good work and let us know how you do.

[Teddy]

Originally posted by speese
looking great man. i'd start working on the base tan for the competition. you'd be surprised how much more cut a few shades darker can make you look. but other than that keep up the good work and let us know how you do.

I'll begin applying protan in a week or so to set in as a base before the competition. I have Dream Tan II for the stage which will make me darker than most on the stage.:afro: I'll make sure to post update pics as the final weeks go by as well as competition photos.

- Teddy

[Teddy]

thought I'd post a couple more pics from this weekend. These are taken at the original location of where the pics on the first page were taken.

- Teddy

[Teddy]

ab & quad

- Teddy

[Teddy]

back double bicep......that's all for this week.

:)

- Teddy

[Teddy]

Here are the updated pics from this weekend before I began depleting. Wish me luck this upcoming weekend!!

- Teddy

[Teddy]

rear double bicep

- Teddy

[Teddy]

ab & quad

- Teddy

[Teddy]

side chest

- Teddy

[Teddy]

last one......side abdominals. Now time to lose all this water i'm holding. :)

- Teddy

[Assassinator]

Wow ... da abz ..