Shows done and dusted..well at least for this year

This has been one hectic year for Athletes on the stage!!
Just came back from the Cape, placing in the top 10 for my first year at SA's all the way from being a Novice the beginning of this year! What a journey it has been.
Now time to let my body rest for a week or 2. Eat what I want and get it out of my system, and then it is time to GROW and get BIG! Weighed in 15 kg under my weight restriction/limit for the class. So Lots of muscle to pick up and play with, CANT WAIT! :woohoo:

Congrats man!

Looking shredded to the bone!

How did the tats go down with the judges? I have heard some judges are not too keen on them...

What are your goals until next season?

I have spoken to a few judges, and they say the way I pose it does not distract them from any other muscles on my body. And I guess I got to SA's with them on. Considered covering them up. But thats another R400 on top of the R 400 Tan just to cover it up. Have considered getting it removed slowly but surely, but everyone says no. You don't see it very often on stage, and might be a unique X factor for me.. who knows...

Aiming to weigh 95-100kg Off season, with about 11-13% bf id say. Weighed in at 73 kg this show, and my limit is for the class and my height is 86 kg. So should be nice and fuller if I diet down from +-95kg rather than from 83-85kg

Congrats bud, looked good

Thanks so much guys!

Truly extraordinary Flex! Wow. Well done. +1

Thanks Nate! can't wait to get my off season prep going! Been eating what i want for the past week, but still trying to get more than enough Macros in! Just not on any planned diet or meal plan. So still 6 meals a day. But with whatever I feel like eating... And this is the results... Not sure what sorcery this is O_o

Well done man! Looking good!!! +1

You did great bud. Enjoy the time off

Congrats. You did good.

Well done Flex

Great job bud !!
how tall are you ?
any thing you learned you wish to share ?

Well done on staying committed to your goal and enjoy the offseason guilt free eating bro. +1

Thanks guys and lady

yeah sure, i really did learn SOOOO much!

Prepping for a show and dieting 110% to a plan, with not a single bit of room to spare for small deviations in the plan here and there is NOT EASY! It takes a toll on you physically, mentally and believe it or not but emotionally as well!
If and when you decide to stand on stage, make sure that you are ready. Make sure that the people around you are ready, as it effects them as well. Being a newly wed, and our 1 year anniversary being this coming Sunday 21st of September, this year with all the shows and the constant prep really tested our relationship to an extreme level. We survived this year together, so we will be able to survive anything facing us now.

Now enough with all the emotional chit chat. Lets get down to what I have learned regarding Training, Diet and yes "Sups" and Sups

Lets start with the thing we all hate the most, but it is part of the lifestyle and MUST be done and done properly. CARDIO CADIO CARDIO. I have tried quite a few different methods of cardio and I found that the best for me is HIIT, twice a day. The morning cardio being fasted. I combined Walking briskly incline and rowing with very high intensity. So you have to try all kinds of combinations and methods and find what WORKS FOR YOU!

As for weight training. Intensity and form comes first, ALWAYS. Forget about the other people in the gym, 99% of them will never be able to do and achieve what you are doing. So NEVER sacrifice form and intensity for the weight. Focus on one muscle a day, alternating between calves and abs after each workout. To keep your middle section tight and small, do abs with minimum to no weights at all!

Now comes the part where most people fail when it comes to a Show prep. Diet...
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail! A strict diet, with exact grams and exact timing requires planning ahead. Staying up late at night just to pack your lunch boxes for the next day. What helped me was having a wife We would cook all my protein for the following 3 days, and then prepare my veggies rice and so on the night before. 6 Meals a day spread out by 2-3 hours. No better breakfast than Oats! And limited your carbs after 3/4pm.
A diet can be very tedious, and can get you demotivated very quickly by eating the same meals day in and out. SO, make it interesting for yourself, a diet does not have to be torture! Boil, steam, fry, bake, grill, slice, chop and mix. For example, one day I would boil all of my eggs for the day, the next I might scramble them. Same with my oats. One day i will make Oats and egg white omelettes, and the next I will throw my egg whites into my oats with water and pop it into the microwave for a Fluffy oats! And get pink himalayan salt. it is loaded with minerals and vitamins that normal salt does not contain.

As for gear, unfortunately is is part of the game. Pinning 3 to 5 times a week for 12 is not fun. Always make sure you have enough injectable s, needles, alcohol wipes and orals. You never want to run out of something in the middle of a cycle for a prep. Avoid spotting in muscles where striations show easily. I started off with shoulders and glutes. But my shoulder got so swolen that they looked like boulders. So had to stick to glutes for quite some time... Not fun. ALWAYS make sure that you know what you are using and WHY!!! Don't just inject and swallow things because someone said so. I bought myself the Anabolic Steroids Encyclopaedia and read up on everything before I use it.
Keep your organs protected, as oral steroids is harsh on your body. So get some essentials and a good quality multi Vit.

Supplements on a show prep is kept to a minimum, well it depends on who you speak to I guess. But I believe that everything that you can do without to keep your calorie intake low must be kept out of the prep.
This includes things like pre workout, and the closer you get to the show your whey.
The only 2 constants throughout the whole prep was BCAA an L Glutamin. Just to help with recovery.

There are lots of tricks and tips for the last few days leading up to the show, and once again everyone has their own way of doing it. My coach taught me to keep it simple. If its not broken why fix it?
Decrease water intake a few days out, while cutting out all spices and salt. And carb up a day or 2 before the show.

The last and probably most underrated and underestimated part of a show prep is the Posing.
Imagine the most intense and painful workout session you have ever had, now times that by 10!
Posing takes practice and practising your posing is really tough. You can have the best physique on earth, if you can't display it properly you will never win. Another benefit from posing is that closer to the show, you slowly starts to squeeze out some of the water in between you muscle fibres and just below your skin. Making striations deeper and more visible.

Awesome insightful article Flex. Thanks for sharing. +1

Great read. Thanks Flex for sharing that. It is appreciated bud

Thanks Nate! Can go on and on!! That is just a shortened quick version

Nice work Bud. Are you going to be trying for a baby anytime soon? I remember you mentioning it a while back.

Good memory Rhino! Jup Jup that is the plan. Currently trying! So keeping fingers crossed!

Oh Sorry Kuifie, I am 1.78 if I remember correctly

Great job dude and you still have another dessert eagle in the bag that you haven't even taken out yet! I lol'd at your pink indonesian salt thing because there are many others who believe the same. I think the guys are being taken for a ride. I am no fan of the "if it's not broken, why fix it?" phrase and also the "it's been working for 20 years, why change it?" phrase, because they are the enemy of progress and optimisation. +1

Thanks Pyro! That is also very true yes! Newer technology and better research has certainly evolved and advanced this sport in so many ways. I think I have a mixed way if thinking about bodybuilding, keeping some things old school, and throw in some of the newer techniques in between.
But ultimately I think the most important is to find what works for you! Bodybuilding is one of those sports where every second guy is going to tell you a different story on why something does or doesn't work. That is what I am going to use this off season for, gain size and experiment with new training techniques, diets and sups to see how my body reacts and get an indication of what might happen when it's time to prep again!

You keep researching and trying new things and I promise you you will find not what works for you but what's the best for you! I like your attitude dude.

Looking great and good luck with the baby making bro!

The makings the fun part. After that the work begins :lol: