First Competition! (17Y/O M)

[oanda]

Hello! My name is Gerik and I am 11 weeks out from what I plan on being my first show. I started working out about 3 years ago to lose weight, lost about 65lbs and fell in love with lifting during the process. I am sitting at about 16% body fat right now as confirmed through a Dexa scan (I know they are not always 100% accurate but that seems about right.) By my estimations I have to lose about 14lbs-15lbs to be competition ready in October. My plan right now is to compete in the teen devision but the promoter has not yet confirmed if that will be teen bodybuilding or teen physique. As far as prep goes I have a good grasp on dieting. I am lost however when it comes to other things.

Some things that confuse me or I'm not quite sure about are peak weeks, pumping up backstage, spray tans, posing, and timing carbs on show day. I know that is a lot but as a first time competitor I would really appreciate your two cents if you are knowledgable in some of these fields or you have any advice for a guy who has never competed before. Thanks!

Tl;dr: I have never competed before, I am 11 weeks out, and I would appreciate any and all advice you might have for me.

 

[shopie]

@oanda Hard to give you solid advice without pics, but I will say at 11 weeks out with 15lbs to lose, you’re looking at a pretty compressed timeframe! I would look at some shows further out to give yourself some time to diet down and not stress. Those last few pounds will move slowly.

 

[mcolley10]

@shopie especially since when you think you have 15lbs to lose you probably have 25...

 

[oanda]

@mcolley10 According to my dexa scans I have 24lbs of fat mass on my whole body, based off my current body fat percentage to get down to 8-10% I have to lose 13-14lbs. Its possible that the dexa scan could be wrong, I know there is no perfect way to measure body fat.

 

[mcolley10]

@oanda Well yeah Dexa is pretty well known to be trash, and also you shouldn't be targeting body fat # for a comp prep, it doesn't work like that. You will know when you are ready, also, you dont want to over diet, and at 17, you probably dont have a ton of muscle so often times teens such as yourself don't want to get extra ultra peeled because they dont have the muscularity to support it, and are not fully developed hormonally.

What I am saying is you cannot just go off Dexa and aiming for a specific number via a math equation like you are doing for a prep. It wont equate to just 14lbs of scale weight and boom you are ready. You have to diet until you are ready.

 

[oanda]

@mcolley10 Ok thanks for the help!

 

[oanda]

@shopie Good to know, I will look into later shows, but at this point I have to lose about 1.5lbs per week.

 

[smash89]

@oanda Get a coach. For the knowledge and expertise yes but also to have a critical outside opinion of your progress. It should also reduce your stress levels considerably as all those uncertainties about prep will vanish.

 

[oanda]

@smash89 Thank you for the advice! I have a friend who competes and is helping me out. I have thought about hiring an actual coach though.

 

[gnewsbob]

@oanda I would advise giving yourself as much time as possible to get there as the slower the better. You have to understand the you could have a really bad rebound if you rush it and loose a lot of muscle and strength in the process and look a lot worse than if you had taken your time. Should have posted pics so we have a better idea.

 

[oanda]

@gnewsbob Oh ok good advice, is 1.5lbs per week too aggressive? I weighed in at 153lbs today. I've heard that 1%-2% per week is attainable without losing much muscle. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[gnewsbob]

@oanda Depending on if your loosing strength and how your feeling and looking. Aim for 0.5%-1%. Also you have to understand that the leaner you are the more you have to be steady and patient. It’s a very delicate process. If you need diet breaks do them. Also depending on your muscle size and years training and being in a lean gaining phase, you might not look like how you want. The pictures you see of contest lean individuals usually have a fare amount of muscle, so just know that you most likely won’t end up like that. It takes time going through numerous gaining phases and cutting phases.

 

[cecece3]

@oanda I would highly recommend you get a coach, especially for your first show

 

[oanda]

@cecece3 Thanks, I have a friend who competes who is going to help me out. Its definitely something I think would be beneficial.

 

[jonson68]

@oanda You need to get a coach to learn how to grow and build muscle on top of nutrition. The worst thing you could do is lose muscle while you're cutting or spill over before your show. If you need any advice or pointers please let me know. I've been competing and marathon running for over 5 years so I can help you with nutrition, cardio and muscle building as well.

 

[oanda]

@jonson68 Thanks for the advice, I have a friend who competes who is going to help me out. I really appreciate the offer. I have been working on my running lately. Do you think 1.5lbs per week at 153lbs is too unrealistic?

 

[mcolley10]

@oanda Do you have a coach?

 

[oanda]

@mcolley10 I have a friend who ha competed 4-5 times helping me out.

 

[dawn16]

@oanda can i see your body ? im 17 yo too and considering about competing , but i can t estimate to which point should i get.

 

[oanda]

@dawn16 yeah I'll send you a pm