Help with first Comp

**amazinspiderman** · 04-29-2011, 02:26 AM

Hi.
A while ago i posted some pics and asked for advice on my diet.
I was doing fine up ultil someone invited me to a amateur competition at my gym, my first one.
Here's the link to the thread http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...que&highlight= and the pics.

After that i dropped the oxy i was taking but kept on Test Cyp and Equi and i noticed i lost a few pounds and volume but nothing i wasn't expecting. Problem is now i'm always thinking about the comp and started changing s**t. Reduced my carbs by 50% wich resulted in a drastic loss of strengh and some muscle.
I'm now around 6% BF and 9 weeks out but i think i looked better before. I will try and take some pics tomorrow.

Is it normal to have such a big loss of strenght? should i go back to bulking? continue with the reduced carbs? am i worrying too much?
I would really like your input because i really think i can win this.

Thank you

**Blade15** · 04-29-2011, 06:53 PM

You look great bro.. Good luck to you

**amazinspiderman** · 04-30-2011, 02:19 AM

That's the problem, i LOOKED like that :\ until i started changing sh**. i will try and upload some photos today i really need a critical eye. it's probably just the stress but who knows....

**amazinspiderman** · 04-30-2011, 12:44 PM

Ok.
So here are some photos taken today tell me what you think compared tot he ones above. Never mind the posing.

Should i go back to 3 or 4 more weeks of bulking? Am i cutting too soon?

***FireGuy*** · 04-30-2011, 02:56 PM

Need leg pics.

**amazinspiderman** · 04-30-2011, 03:19 PM

sorry didn't take them because haven't shaved them yet

but to be honest they are lacking but will upload them here tomorrow.
Thankx for looking!

***FireGuy*** · 04-30-2011, 03:46 PM

Neglecting to post leg pics is always the first sign they are underdeveloped. Quads and hamstrings are a really good indicator of how lean you are. I see many guys with lean arms and chests but no separation or striations in the quads. Back to your question, at 9 weeks out there is no such thing as bulking. You do look a bit flatter now than you did before but that is to be expected. You cant stay full and cut bodyfat to contest conditioning levels at the same time. Now might be a good time for you to start carb cycling.

***FireGuy*** · 04-30-2011, 03:49 PM

Also, looks like you are paying quite a bit of attention to the chest and arms and not enough to the back. Too late to fix that for this show coming up but something you should think about afterwards.

**amazinspiderman** · 05-01-2011, 05:13 AM

Thank you for the advice. It's really what i'm looking for!
About the comp it's for gym members only and i'm on it just to see how my body responds to prep and conditioning before entering a real one but i really want to see this through and look my best.
What do you think it's the best way to carb cycle?
Leg and glutes pics. Couldn't take more because cell phone died. Sorry.

***FireGuy*** · 05-01-2011, 07:00 AM

The quads arent as bad as you made them out to be, they still need work but far from skinny. On the flip side your legs mirror your upper body in that you look like a different person from the front than you do the back. Also, just FYI, you are not anywhere close to being 6% bodyfat. My current avi is probably around 5 1/2 just for reference. At 6% your hamstrings are split, your quads are feathered and striated and very vascular. You are probably more in the 9% range which still is pretty damn lean.

Tell me what your current carb and fat intake are right now and I will tell you how I would carb cycle if it were me. Also, how much cardio are you doing and at what intensity?

**amazinspiderman** · 05-01-2011, 09:46 AM

I can't tell how much i appreciate your taking time do help me out man, i really do! Thank you!
Based on figures on my current weight my maintenance cals are around 2800. i'm doing 45%pro 40%carbs 15%fat so 315g prot 280g carbs 47g fat, don't know if this is right because i feel i lost a bit of muscle and especially strenght. I am doing 45min cardio every 4 days @ 70%-75%. I started cardio about 3 weeks ago.
About the BF% i know you can't tell by the photos but my right quad given the right ligth is actually starting to show striations on the vastus lateralis and my calves have a good seperation as well. But i trust you when you say i'm not @ 6%.

Thank you again

**amazinspiderman** · 05-01-2011, 09:47 AM

Also about the back what do you thing i should do and what areas\exercises should i do to bring them up?

**amazinspiderman** · 05-05-2011, 01:25 PM

hey fireguy you forgot about me?

I just would like to know the best way to keep my muscle or if possible gaining some.
I am already carb cycling no carbs medium carbs high carbs but even on high carbs days i keep the total calories 300 below maintenance level. I was wondering to keep or gain a little on high carb days going 200 or 300 above what do you think?

***FireGuy*** · 05-05-2011, 03:46 PM

How much weight are you dropping per week?

**amazinspiderman** · 05-06-2011, 01:45 AM

I will tell you that exactly tomorrow. i measure myself every saturday morning on the same scale. I can tell you exactly how much overall weight, fat and muscle mass. I don't have access to it today.

**amazinspiderman** · 05-07-2011, 02:18 AM

I just went to the scale in 5 days lost about 200g .1% muscle .2% bodyfat. Bmi remais the same. According to you these values are not 100% correct but i don't have access to a better scale than this. I think i dropped more BF but since two days ago i've been using 4iu slin morning and 4iu post workout and it bloated me a bit. body composition changed a bit before\after slin use, feel bulked

**layeazy** · 05-07-2011, 08:27 PM

i would say your doing ok upper body good legs ok and looks like you could bring up your calves but for your first comp seems you have alot to learn but thats a great and base to build upon..

**amazinspiderman** · 05-08-2011, 02:26 AM

i know i have a lot to learn but gotta start somewhere right? What better place than here?

Any advices you want to give me? I think i just got a scare of how much volume i lost once i started cutting cals and carbs. Didn't know if it was normal because i didn't knew what to expect.
Thank you