Behind at 5 Weeks Out - Need Advice

[chelseyn09]

Currently very behind in terms of physique at 5 weeks out. I'm 5'11, 181 lbs. Started this prep at 203 lbs. Was planning to get down to 175 lbs, but I don't think that will be enough. I only have 5 weeks left of prep and want to do anything I can to get as lean as I can on stage. Completely self-coached throughout this entire process.

Currently eating 1800 cal - 180 p, 30-40 f, rest carbs.

Cardio is 40 min incline walk at 3.1 speed and 13% incline. Steps are variable between 5k-10k per day.

Planning to drop down to 1600-1700 cals for the rest of prep and increase cardio to about 1 hr per day and increase steps to 10k a day.

Without seeing progress pics, does anyone have advice for the best way to get as shredded as possible before I step on stage? Or am I just doomed and going to burn myself out trying to get there?

 

[trinitas1198]

@chelseyn09 I don’t mean to freak you out, but you got about 15-20+ lbs to lose (if you’re trying to win). You can get a lot leaner in 5 weeks but you won’t be stage ready.

 

[johnvladimir]

@trinitas1198 Do people really go from 200 down to 160? Thats gotta be drastic as fuck, id be way too afraid of losing gains dropping 40lbs in that weight range

 

[trinitas1198]

@johnvladimir Most people bulk and add 40 lbs to their frame, but only 5-10 lbs of that is actual contractile tissue (if they trained hard enough).

Getting stage ready is humbling the first time you do it. First time I ever got shredded (8% bf), I was 6’1 155.

But once you learn what your stage weight is, you got a blue print and you know 100% how much muscle you add and how far to bulk to.

 

[josieyy]

@trinitas1198 You are correct. I thought i was 20lb from shredded at 210 (6ft tall). Currently mid-high 160s and a true 13%. Gonna have to get under 160 to get around/under 10%. Gonna grind it out for a few more weeks, maintain for about a month, and slow bulk for 1-2 years. went wayyyy too fast getting up to 210. Was a total dreamer bulk. Paying the price now lol

 

[trinitas1198]

@josieyy It happens to the best of us brother lol

 

[dawn16]

@josieyy The pain of being natural. I don’t compete, but when I seriously leaned out, it was humbling just how daggum light I had to get, and I had 20+ years of powerlifting and bodybuilding under my belt.

 

[josieyy]

@dawn16 Yeah it’s wild. r/weightroom really fucked me up honestly. With “arms get hit by compounds” and “if you’re 5’7” or taller you should be 200+lb”. Good sub for strength, absolutely terrible for BB. To look decent over 200 you need like 160lb of lean mass minimum. Which no beginners have lol

 

[toughtimesdontlast]

@trinitas1198 This is my experience so far in terms of my journey of getting fucking diced lmao I was sooooo much fatter than anticipated

 

[johnvladimir]

@trinitas1198 Wow 8% is pretty incredible though, how long does it take you to bulk back up after that? Bulking is so hard, im currently on one now and im so tired of cooking and eating... dont even know what to eat anymore its all so blah

 

[trinitas1198]

@johnvladimir If I’m being honest, my appetite is always so high I could gain 60 lbs if I wanted to (I’ve done it multiple times on purpose lol).

The only thing you can do is to sneak in those calories somewhere. I think natural peanut butter is probably the easiest way to sneak those cals in. You could make a couple of pb & j sandwiches with bananas in it + a protein shake. Another thing you can do is adding a good healthy oil to your rice like avocado or olive oil. Just be careful because you can gain quite fast doing this.

I used to go heavy on my bulks but my body does not like big swings in weight fast. Some people are more blessed than others in putting on mass. I would say I’m fairly average in how much muscle I can synthesize per month, so I go slow now to avoid long drawn out cutting periods. My 8% bf weight now is around 175, if I was to get on stage I’d easily be 167-169 after manipulating water and such.

When I bulk, I typically cap myself to 200-205 lbs because I don’t see any benefit in going above that at the rate I bulk gaining 1-1.5 lbs per month.

 

[dawn16]

@johnvladimir I wish I had a problem bulking. LOL. I have to starve just to stay bear mode.

 

[commando95]

@johnvladimir Check my posts. 205-220 in the offseason all the way to 158-162 to compete.

 

[chelseyn09]

@trinitas1198 So you’re saying there’s probably no realistic way to get dialed in enough to at least place top 3?

 

[trinitas1198]

@chelseyn09 Correct. I would recommend looking at some other shows and aiming for a different date at competing if I was coaching you.

When I prep people, I start them at your current body composition. Realistically, you’d be ready in 12-16 weeks from where you are now.

 

[chelseyn09]

After hearing the feedback on here, I’m gonna push my show out to July 27th which puts me at about 11 weeks out. Would really appreciate any advice people have to make the right changes to be ready by then. Thank you for the honest feedback

 

[amysz1217]

@chelseyn09 11 weeks out is about what I’d say you look like so good call.

I would also bring calories and cardio up to a sustainable level. 1600 cal with 40 min incline cardio as a near 6 ft guy is by all definitions an unsustainable crash diet. Unless you are noticeably ahead of schedule, you can only bring calories down, but never back up. Preps are slow and steady so as to preserve muscle. 0.5-1% loss per week, preferably the middle to lower end of that range.

 

[chelseyn09]

@amysz1217 Yeah I’m thinking of bringing cals up to 2100-2300 and keeping cardio around 35 min for 5 days a week, at least this far out. Would you say that sounds reasonable?

 

[amysz1217]

@chelseyn09 Hard to say without knowing your rate of weight loss prior. What was your intake and activity level when you were losing 1-1.5 lb/week?

 

[chelseyn09]

@amysz1217 Started at 203 lbs on Feb 28th. Sitting at 180.0 lbs this morning. Eating about 1800 cals for the last 4-6 weeks pretty strict. Been doing 30+ min cardio a day for 5x a week via incline walk at 13% and 3.1 speed. Steps per day vary between 5k to 10k.