[bryan9879]

hey im training for my first competion so the quoistion is should im about 28 weeks out when training i usel go heavy so should i drop poundage and increase reps or is it too soon im 16 stone have been training for about 4 years so any help from people who have competed before will be most welcome current body stats are as follows
chest 47 inch
arms 17 inch
waist 28 inch I TRAIN 4 TO 5 DAYS PER WEEK
so i think im farly well developed any help please post or pm me

[HawaiianPride.]

Your 7 months out bro, your still in the bulking phase it's way too early still.

[Thomas_Rivera]

Why would you drop pounds and increase reps? It's not going to help you get anymore ripped any faster, at all.

[stalion]

train as heavy as possible threw out the prep to hold on to as much muscle as possible.

[101bodybuilder]

Bryan when your cutting weight you never wanna drop weight your pushing you have to push the same weight or your basically going to lose muscle. When you get under 6% BF you obviously are going to lose strength but push as heavy as possible 6-12 reps

[Cork]

Originally Posted by stalion

train as heavy as possible threw out the prep to hold on to as much muscle as possible.

Originally Posted by 101bodybuilder

Bryan when your cutting weight you never wanna drop weight your pushing you have to push the same weight or your basically going to lose muscle. When you get under 6% BF you obviously are going to lose strength but push as heavy as possible 6-12 reps

Exactly. You will lose strength so you just always want to push as much as you can. The only thing that should change drastically for your contest prep is cardio and nutrition. Otherwise just keep doing what you would normally do when it comes to lifting.

[bryan9879]

thanks lads that is wat i was thinking just whant to make sure i will keep my routine and hopefully be a few milimeters bigger all round its great to get advice as im doing so much at the moment thanks again

[ZiR RED]

Your goal is to maintain muscle mass and belly development while decreasing body fat. Increasing reps beyond 12-15, focusing heavily (or wrose, exclusively) on isolation movements, thinking you can "add cuts" with a burn - all these things will work against your and you'll loose mass.

You may need to decrease volume as your cardio increases and calories are reduced. This is fine. The amount of volume needed to maintain is about 1/4 of what is needed to increase. But make sure you maintain intensity (by intensity, I mean the poundages used).

Periodize your reps: use 10-14 for 3 weeks, 7-10 for 3 weeks, 4-6 for 3 weeks, deload and repeat.

Br

[moorey]

Originally Posted by bryan9879

hey im training for my first competion so the quoistion is should im about 28 weeks out when training i usel go heavy so should i drop poundage and increase reps or is it too soon im 16 stone have been training for about 4 years so any help from people who have competed before will be most welcome current body stats are as follows
chest 47 inch
arms 17 inch
waist 28 inch I TRAIN 4 TO 5 DAYS PER WEEK
so i think im farly well developed any help please post or pm me

OK, this is your first comp, from this you will learn a great deal of how your body reacts to different stresses such as reducing carbs, cardo( HIIT) Loading days etc.
I advise you not to go into a competition diet straight away, I believe the sudden change triggers muscle loss.
What I would reccommend is cleaning the diet up first and eliminating any crap, Have two days of High carbs to begin with
The first few weeks we will expect a weight loss over 1.5-2lb , but after this any more than this amount we need to increase carbs slightly.
Dont weigh yourself every day , once a week is fine.
I would start you diet off 20 weeks out and aim to get in condition 2-3 weeks out as this is your first comp, the reason being that you will not feel additional pressure if you are in condition early.
Keep poundages heavy as poss but with good form( we dont want injuries) and dont change your rep range, we are introducing new stimulus in the form of HIIT cardo and normal cardio that will be enough additional stress for the body to recover from.
You will also need a third eye, so try to get someone who is both knowledgeable and objective who will give you a no bulll**** feedback , dont use a gym buddy, anyone can look good in a gym! Tell them to look around your lower back this in most cases is the last place guys hold fat.
Last week of show dependent on your condition we need to look at carb loading as this is your first comp, I suggest you start if the comp is on sunday, on wed, thursday and friday, which gives you sat to lower carbs back if you slightly go over.
start of the week start water loading as this is your first comp start with 9 litres for 3 days, lower to 6, on thursday, 4 friday, 2 sat, and sip day of show.
Prepare everything you need days befvrpe the show, make sure you shave a few days away from the show as the body retains water when freshly shaven.
Make sure you have equipment and foods for the pump up
Posing: practise madatories ,holding each pose for upto 1 min
Practise routine and listen to your music as you train
Make sure you get to venue , find when your on and go back in plenty of time and dont over pump , leave some energy to go for it and lastly show confidence and enjoy it, good luck

[ZiR RED]

Moorey gave you some great advice, the only part I will comment on is the water tapering. In my personal experience, my knowledge of physiology, and my working wth clients I feel water should be kept high until about 24hr out to the day of the show (depending on individual). The more you drink, the more your body flushes out.

Personally, I was pounding water back stage and drier then my competition.

Br

[moorey]

Zir Red is a very knowledgeable guy who I have learnt a lot off, you can try either methods and see how they work for you personally. One thing I will add is stick to a plan and dont get advice from loads of people , it will mess your mind up in the end, so stick with your plan and learn for it.
You can use it and modify it in other comps dependent on how it worked for you.
What you will find is there are many ways to skin a cat so to speak, good luck

[projecthatch92]

great posts guys, reps given!