Contest Prep Questions asked and Answered: Narkissos

[Narkissos]

Copied this question over to this thread... Since i missed it when it was posted:

Whats up guys, doing a show in 6 weeks. I'm curious what muscles you guys pump up before going onstage, and which ones you never do. I've heard its not good to pump up your legs because itll make you lose your striations. Any advice?

It all depends on the individual honestly.

Which muscles you pump, how much you pump 'em etc. depends on a number of (individual) factors.

e.g.

If your pecs lag behind your delts... but your arms dwarf your delts, you'd pump pecs up til striations are lost.. and delts up until they're closer to your arms..and arms, you'd try not to pump at all (outside of the auxiliary pump they'd get as you pump chest and delts and back).

If your upperbody is totally balanced but slightly flat.. you'd pump up: delts; traps; pecs; lats; arms... leaving abs alone.

If the abs are 'flat'... (which is seldom the case), you can toss in a set or two of crunches.

I prefer to leave my abs alone personally.

If your legs are far behind your torso w/ regard to size... but striated to hell.. some guys pump them up... to balance the look between upper body and lower body.. Oftentimes leaving the upper unpumped for more balance.

My legs tend to dwarf my upperbody.. so i never pump them... not even calves.

Some pump calves.. but i find that causes the striations to go.

Circulation at the lower extremities is the lowest... so edema can occur...even in the water depleted state... So, I leave calves alone.

Some individuals never pump anything prior to stepping onstage.

These are usually the guys who are 'on'.. i.e. they've cruised into the competition and nailed their condition and fullness... So they get pumped easily from posing.

If you're not one of these guys.. I advise that you assess your physique beforehand what needs to be pumped..and how much.

Remember, a pump-up isn't a full-blown workout (although I HAVE seen guys pump up for hours before stepping onstage...I'll talk about that in a bit)...so don't treat it as such. Pump up too hard...and risk flattening out under the lights.


Now.. the guys that I've seen pump up forever.

I competed in the welterweight class at a regional level shows some years back..taking third.

The guy who took second was a Venezuelan guy.

At the weigh-in.. he didn't look like much.

At the pre-judging.. He was aite.

At the finals.. The guy started to pump up 2 hours before stage time.

He completed a HIGH VOLUME FULL BODY WORK-OUT BACSTAGE!

..Effectively bumping me out of the second spot...and into 3rd.

The man got so full.. so hard.. so veiny...and HELD EVERY SINGLE FRICKING OUNCE OF FULLNESS!

I still have NO IDEA how he did it without losing it... and without failing the drug-test right after.

But he did.

All of the Venezuelans did it.

It's something i wouldn't advise for the average joe.. Because i did try it at a nationals on a smaller scale...flattening out onstage in the process.

It was interesting to see and experience.

Anyway..that's just a by, the way story.

-CNS

[Narkissos]

And another:

Hey guys im 21 years old 6'1 and 185lbs. The date for the event im going to is August 30th however it is not a real show. I have always been a lean guy, gain weight pretty decently (considering I was 6'1 135 when I began working out) when I set myself to it and gaining has always been my ultimate goal. I am happy with my overall body size, I think I would someday like to max myself out at around 195. However I do carry a pretty decent amount of body fat rather primarily on my stomach. (cell phone pictures included)

My Aug 30th Goal: ~8% with great abdominal

I wanted to be sure I gave myself adequate time.

I have not been doing much cardio how strenuous should I start doing this?

You have approximately 18 weeks starting now.

You're carrying bodyfat as it stands...and this is probably your first attempt at trying to truly get in shape.

So start now.

Start cardio @ 4 sessions per week.. bumping it every 4rd week by one session..or by 15 minutes duration.

What should I concentrate on first?

There is no 'first'.

You start a contest prep by getting everything on board:

Strict Diet, bumped training intensity, adequate cardio... concurrently.

I will need help with this. Is it too early to worry about the Aug 30th event

No.

and should I still be trying to gain?

No.

If so, how much time ahead should I start to prepare for that date?

See above.

I know I have to get off of this diet, remove a lot of the carbs? What should my pro/carb/fat ratio be? What should my total cals be at daily?

This thread will tell you how many calories you need: click here

I've go with 12kcals per lb of bodyweight personally.

Your pro/carb/fat ratio could start around 40:40:20... for the first 6 weeks... and then 50:30:20 for the weeks to follow.

Help out however you guys can thanks!

My current Diet has been:

Meal 1:
8 eggs 1 cup oatmeal

Meal 2:
2 chicken breast, brown rice

Meal 3: (pre workout shake)
1 cup oatmeal, 4 eggs, 20g whey

Meal 4: (post)
1 cup oatmea, 4 eggs, 20g whey

Meal 5:
always different, ex. large tuna sandwich

Meal 6:
2 chicken breast, brown rice

Protein: 382
Carbs: 361
Fats: 93

~3800 calories

See the preceding part of this post.

-CNS

[binder]

What do you do for meals on the road?

my next competition will be far enough away that i'll be overnight friday night at a hotel. What do you do for your meals? do you cook all your chicken and stuff and bring it all with you for friday/saturday? i usually do lean filet's for my load with baked potato and that's a little hard to do when i'm in a hotel with no grill and no microwave.

thanks

[getbig32]

good job nark. to anyone that doesnt know him. nark knows his stuff and i would advise that you take his suggestions and advice to heart.

[Narkissos]

good job nark. to anyone that doesnt know him. nark knows his stuff and i would advise that you take his suggestions and advice to heart.

Thanks buddy

[Narkissos]

What do you do for meals on the road?

my next competition will be far enough away that i'll be overnight friday night at a hotel. What do you do for your meals? do you cook all your chicken and stuff and bring it all with you for friday/saturday? i usually do lean filet's for my load with baked potato and that's a little hard to do when i'm in a hotel with no grill and no microwave.

thanks

If i'm travelling i just take my george foreman grill, a pot, and a counter-top burner.

Anything else i need i can get from the local supermarket.

The last regionals I did, as soon as i arrived at the hotel, I went down to the local supermarket and lugged back 10 lbs of potatoes, 2 lbs of broccoli, and some fresh-water fish.

Protein needs are low in the last couple days.. So you don't need to purchase a shitload...and you don't have to worry about seasoning and taste.

Rinse, toss on the grill... put the potatoes on to boil... lay down, get up.. eat.

Rinse.. repeat.

-C

[RuhlFreak55]

3 weeks out on saturday.......and somehow i've gotten quite a bit behind.......i guess i'm going to add another half hour of cardio and then another 2 weeks out if it's not coming off fast enough

also have some clen laying around that i've decided to run until it runs out here or 2 weeks instead of my fat burner.........

what else can i possibly do??? carbs are at 100g /day and then a refeed of 200g a day every 4th day.......just started this....before i was doing 100g for 6 days and then a 450g day.

[Narkissos]

Post pictures immediately.

Mandatory poses... and two of your favorite poses.

Full body shots only.

-CNS

[RuhlFreak55]

i have a rule about posting pics on AR.........no problem showing you i was gonna PM you the link but you don't accept PMs??? at the moment i honestly think that what my buddy gave me and claimed was winny was actually anadrol or dbol ........i started that sunday and if my weight goes up anymore by tomorrow morning i'm not touching it again.

[bmg]

Post pictures immediately.

Mandatory poses... and two of your favorite poses.

Full body shots only.

-CNS

i luv a man who knows how to take charge

[RuhlFreak55]

definitely something ****ed up with what i'm on......my 4th gallon of water is almost empty for the day and i'm still thirsty.....i ain't touching those pills again

[Narkissos]

i have a rule about posting pics on AR.........no problem showing you i was gonna PM you the link but you don't accept PMs???

Email 'em.

[eljugo16]

great thread bro

[Narkissos]

Thanks for the bump buddy

-C

[eljugo16]

Thanks for the bump buddy

-C

no prob bro, this thread should be kept up top... a lot of good info on here

[sam_sneed]

Some great stuff in here its now in my favorites, good job Nark.

[Narkissos]

Some great stuff in here its now in my favorites, good job Nark.

Thanks bud.. Imma bump this one.

-CNS

[Jakt]

i'm 6 weeks out!! i notice a lot of people are using isopure.. anyreason for that? can i stick with ON protein? caesin ok?
right now i am eating eggs, chicken, steak, tuna, pistachios, almonds, olive oil, salads, sugar free bbq sauce and diet drinks...pb, some other stuff..

how anal must one b with cutting certain foods out?

and i have also been using lean body shakes....

any opinions on this?

[Narkissos]

I didn't see this thread bumped so i missed your questions.

You should be about 1 week out now right?

i'm 6 weeks out!! i notice a lot of people are using isopure.. anyreason for that? can i stick with ON protein? caesin ok?
right now i am eating eggs, chicken, steak, tuna, pistachios, almonds, olive oil, salads, sugar free bbq sauce and diet drinks...pb, some other stuff..

If you're getting in shape on time, there is no reason to cut anything.

People are always tweaking here and there... and over-complication stuff.

-CNS

[Narkissos]

bump!

-CNS

[CMPD213]

Hey Nark.. 2 weeks out from my first show, i'm coming along great in my eyes. It's hards because i'm competing against some people from my gym (actually the owner and his son). They are always posing and asking me to pose, but since 12 weeks out i always wear pants and a sweatshirt at the gym because i don't want them seeing my weaknesses. Anyways, i've always held a lot of water and extra fat on my inner thigh, lower stomach, and back. When i first wake up in the morning my lower stomach is flat and veins are poppin out of it but after my first meal i get a little pouch...

Since i hold a lot of water the wednesday before my show i was going to drink 1 gallon, thursday 1 litre, friday .5 litre, saturday just a couple sips to swallow food/pills. My prejudging is saturday morning and the night show is saturday night.

Do you have any comments or suggestions regarding my water depletion or the pouch effect from eating?

Also, i'm taking mitotropin by gaspari and there are pills that say if you feel you need them take them the week before the show so i'm guessing they're diuretics.

[Narkissos]

Hey Nark.. 2 weeks out from my first show, i'm coming along great in my eyes. It's hards because i'm competing against some people from my gym (actually the owner and his son). They are always posing and asking me to pose, but since 12 weeks out i always wear pants and a sweatshirt at the gym because i don't want them seeing my weaknesses. Anyways, i've always held a lot of water and extra fat on my inner thigh, lower stomach, and back. When i first wake up in the morning my lower stomach is flat and veins are poppin out of it but after my first meal i get a little pouch...

Since i hold a lot of water the wednesday before my show i was going to drink 1 gallon, thursday 1 litre, friday .5 litre, saturday just a couple sips to swallow food/pills. My prejudging is saturday morning and the night show is saturday night.

Do you have any comments or suggestions regarding my water depletion or the pouch effect from eating?

Also, i'm taking mitotropin by gaspari and there are pills that say if you feel you need them take them the week before the show so i'm guessing they're diuretics.

I'd think that if you're getting a 'little pouch' after your first meal, that you're not as lean as you think you are.

This is a mistake many people make... which they further compound by implementing drastic water/electrolyte manipulation

Do you have any pics of your current condition?

[CMPD213]

I have pics from 4 weeks out, but that's all.. My sister took her digital camera on vacation with her so i don't have a camera

[RuhlFreak55]

What is your stance on test into and through a show Nark? Prop of course.....with Letro enough to counteract any water held from the prop.....and independent of that i would think that if you do your diuretic right there would be no way to hold water anyway??

[Narkissos]

I have pics from 4 weeks out, but that's all.. My sister took her digital camera on vacation with her so i don't have a camera

Without pics (and/or knowing you personally), I can only suggest that you try to get leaner at this point.

Your water/electrolyte manipulation strategy isn't of importance at this point.

That's a concern for the last 7-4 days.

Right now I'd suggest you bump your cardio and training intensity.

Don't confuse 'flat' w/ 'lean'.

-CNS

p.s. try to find a buddy with a cam... It'd go a LONG way.

[Narkissos]

What is your stance on test into and through a show Nark? Prop of course.....with Letro enough to counteract any water held from the prop.....and independent of that i would think that if you do your diuretic right there would be no way to hold water anyway??

I'm not a fan of testosterone period.

That being said, letro isn't enough to counteract water retained from test during prep... namely because water retained isn't solely related to estrogen produced via aromatization.

Nah... testosterone increases extracellular fluid.[1] Would a diuretic help? Yes. Loop diuretics in particular, prevent sodium re-absorption to a significant degree. Still, what's the sense of adding even more drugs to counteract issues which manifest from the use of a primary compound?

Personally I suggest dropping the test completely, as it serves no practical purpose onstage. Bump your DHT derivative and you're set.

-CNS




References:

1. Newman. Testosterone increases extracellular fluid in hypopituitary men. Nature Clinical Practice Endocrinology & Metabolism (2005) 1, 6-7
doi:10.1038

[Reed]

I'm a worthless spammer, please kill me.

Please PM me your info and I know people that can handle this for you

[Narkissos]

^^