Recent Posts by Jason B

I am doing a powerlifting meet on August 4th in the 100% RAW organization.  I am trying to get to 242 to try and go after the national record for 35-39 year olds in the bench press.  It is only 325 right now.  I did 363 last year at 269. 

I did my first strongman contest on July 14th.  My log press was only 210.  I flipped the 600lb tire 60 feet in 59 seconds.  I did the Farmers carry with 230lbs in each hand for 136 feet.  I went 60 feet with the yoke and 550lbs in 17 seconds and I pulled an 18,000lb semi rig 60 feet in 35 seconds.  I got 8th in the MW class which I was very happy with for being my first time out.

If I ever do bodybuilding again I will for sure include some strongman training.  I feel stronger, denser, and more muscular than ever and I am only at 250.

I started Strongman training for my first competition next month while I put my bodybuilding career on hold and tire flipping is actually pretty fun.  We flipped a 600 pound tire around for a while.  It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.  Now the farmers walk on the other hand will be a trick.  Luckily in the competition I am doing I only have to do 230 in each hand.  The yoke walk will be interesting also.  I did 80 feet wih 430 pounds in my first training session and need to get up to 550 over 60 feet for time.  The 12" diameter log press is a little different too and I went a little to heavy for my first time out and tweaked a shoulder a bit, but I can work around it by not doing the log for a few weeks since only overhead movements seem to bother it.  I didn't have any problems benching Monday with it.  I was trying to figure out how to incorporate some of the strongman stuff into my next pre-contest period.

I will agree with Sean and say this was the toughest class I have ever seen at an NANBF show in my limited competition and attendance.  The top 5 were fantastic and out of the 3 who didn't place two of them would have probably been top 3 in any other height class at the show.  I was off though.  I missed on my conditioning by about 10-14 days so my peak was going to have to be perfect and I hit it about 15 minutes before going on stage and then smoothed out horribly onstage.  About 4 hours later I looked great again.  Very frustrating.

Here is a decent picture of me before the night show.  If I could put my size with Sean's conditioning we would have killed everyone there.

Well, I thought I looked better than this.  These are my first pics.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute.  I think once I drop some water and get some carbs in to pull it all tight I should be okay, not in Sean's league though.

I think I am ready for you Sean.  I just did my final full body workout and am feeling pretty good about where I am at.  I weighed 240 on the button post workout, so I should be walking on stage around 236 Saturday after I dry out a little.

This is probably too simple of an answer, but eat big and lift heavy.  Squat more.  Squatting allows you to put more muscle on your entire body.

I used to blame long arms also for my poor chest and chest strength.  I now have benched 425 pounds in the gym and done 363 in powerlifting.  I was shocked at how much pausing the bar would take away from me.  I am 6-5 and wear 38 inch dress shirt sleeves so I understand long arms.

Just adding muscle all over will bring your chest up.

This is probably too simple of an answer, but eat big and lift heavy.  Squat more.  Squatting allows you to put more muscle on your entire body.

I used to blame long arms also for my poor chest and chest strength.  I now have benched 425 pounds in the gym and done 363 in powerlifting.  I was shocked at how much pausing the bar would take away from me.  I am 6-5 and wear 38 inch dress shirt sleeves so I understand long arms.

Just adding muscle all over will bring your chest up.

After my carb up yesterday I was at 243 this morning which makes me down 33 pounds in 16 weeks.  30 pounds lost has really been pretty easy.  I guess as a percentage of total weight it was less for me to go from 276 to 243 than for someone to go from 205 to 175.  Eating a lot and lifting heavy does wonderful for really adding mass, even though some is fat.  For me it is easier to lose the fat than gain the muscle.  I just consider a 2 steps forward, 1 step back approach.  I will be competing in 2 weeks around 15-20 pounds heavier than 2 years ago in better condition.  But since about 3 weeks after the last show until Janurary when I started my diet for this one I was between 275 and 285 that entire time.  Except when I dropped down to 274 for a powerlifting meet to avoid being in the 308 class.  I would say that between 10-12% bodyfat is pretty optimal for putting on muscle though.

As far as lifting heavy, today is my last heavy workout lifting the big 3: deads, squats, bench.  I plan on using the same weights I was using in January.  Mentally I think I use to trick myself into believing I had to lose strength to get lean, but this time I have refused to let it happen.  I will try and avoid injury over the next 2 weeks, even though that will be a huge battle with my ego to back off of the weights any.

As far as clinically obese, I think I just moved into the overweight category from obese on the good ol BMI chart not long ago.

My main point I was making is that is seemed like the NANBF had really made a swing on their judging criteria.  When I attended my first shows in 2000 and 2001 as a spectator there really seemed to be an emphasis on size over leanness.  A couple of guys I saw win overalls wouldn't even have placed at shows I went to watch in 03 and 04 when there seemed to be a real swing towards leanness, hence my "dieted down swimmer" comment.  It seems like a nice balance in the middle would be better.  I haven't been to a show in 2 years so I am not sure where they are coming down at right now. 

The subjective judging is very hard to deal with sometimes.  In the 2005 show I did I had all 1's and 2's, but one of the judges gave me 5's across the board.  Those 5's cost me the class.  So what was he watching?  My assumption is that he drug tested me in his mind since I was by far the biggest competitor on stage, probably by around 30 pounds and didn't want to reward me because of a perception he had.  It is also interesting to look at comments sometimes.  One judge says "great leanness" and another says "needs to be leaner".  It would just be nice to know overall what they are looking for.  I know it is spelled out at a high level, but what does each judge want, and maybe having a mix of judges who all view the show completely differently is what is best so there aren't swings over time where one type is rewarded more than others and then completely opposite during the next season.

Ultimately though I just have to bring the best package to stage I can.  I could never get as lean as Sean.  No way, no how.  Not if I hadn't eaten for months.  What Sean has done is amazing, I honestly can say I have never seen anyone that lean.  Now if he could get that lean at 190-195 he would rarely ever lose a show, at 205-210, he would untouchable.  What I have to hang my hopes on, good or bad, right or wrong, is what Joe said above, I just have to be hard enough at my size.  Seeing Sean's pictures has motivated me though into a ton of extra cardio so I may not hit my 240 goal, but 234 looks like a real possibility and much leaner and harder than I had originally planned.  But will it be enough??  We'll have to tune in at the same bat time on the same bat channel......

In my opinion you have to give up the abs in order to really pack on a ton of muscle.  You just have to make sure it doesn't get to far out of control.  You also need to make sure you have enough time once you are heavier for your body to adjust to carrying the extra muscle before you start taking the fat off.  I am 2 weeks out from a show and have not lost any strength yet on my heavy day I have every week.  I have lost a few reps, but not poundage, which I blame on not having deep glycogen reserves to pull from.  So instead of getting 6 with my heavy weight now I get 4.  I actually was debating doing a powerlifting meet tomorrow because of how much I maintained this time.  In the past I have lost a lot of strength, but I made it a focus to not lose as much this time.  I have 8 weeks after my second srping show to train for a strongman contest and knew if I lost to much I'd never be able to get the 900# tire flipped, or carry 250# in each hand for the farmers walk, etc.

"I think I am looking wimpy, skinny, and sort of like I have the body of a dieted down SWIMMER. 

 LOL!"

Looks like a smart ass shot at me there.........

Did you do your routines in pre-judging in KS or only at the night show?  I was wondering how Iowa might be.  2 years ago we only did routines at night to help shorten prejudging.

Sean -

 I got my Iowa show information in the mail yesterday and they are doing the urinalysis after the awards on Saturday night??  Did they do it that way in KS?  Seems kind of strange.  Makes me wonder if they are moving to random urinalysis, or just class winners?  Just seemed weird.

One of my only complaints about NANBF/WNBF is that I think they are to restrictive on what is banned.  In my opinion if it is over the counter and legal it should be allowed to be used.  They obviously are banning these compounds because they work.  They aren't banning Cheetos because those don't work.  Then some will argue that pro-hormones aren't natural, but then neither are taking vitamins, or creatine, or BCAA's.....It all depends on where you draw the line of "natural" at and almost everyone has their own definition. 

One of my good friends actually helps design supplements for Biotest which is probably while I trust their stuff a little more than others.  He is the smartest guy I know, particulary when it comes to chemical compounds and the body. 

My personal rant is that what attracts hardcore bodybuilding fans to the "pro" bodybuilders are the freaks...Ronnie, Jay, etc.  I think as an amatuer association WNBF should look to have their own line of freaks who are doing everything that is legal and available legally.  If I had to pick between having a body like Brad Pitt or Ronnie Coleman, I would rather look like Ronnie and I believe that would be true of most bodybuilder types.  It sound like the winds may be chagning a little, but it is disappointing to me to go to natural shows and see guys winning who look like swimmers who decided to lean out.  It is bodyBUILDING, not how much leaner can the skinny guy get.  In my opinion it is much harder to walk on stage at 220 and 5% bodyfat than walking on stage at 165 and 4%.  But I am a big guy, so I am biased and that is my rant.....LOL

What is wrong with Biotest?  High quality supplements, great website with tons of information about training, diet, etc.

In my opinion Hot-Rox is the best fat burner on the market and it works.....

Sean, you might want to look at Surge from Biotest.  Looks just like what you want post-workout.

Dr. Joe, how about something that works like steroids, but isn't, and not banned by WNBF/NANBF.  And a Hot-Rox replacement.  I was so ticked when that got banned this year......

I was 275 only 16 short weeks ago.  I am doing a strongman deal in July so I will probably be 275 by then.....So I bet I would win the race!

167 already?  What are you hoping to compete at?

I run between 75-125 grams of carbs Monday thru Thursday and then take in 1200 or so on Friday as a carb up and then do about 175 a day on the weekends.  I have maintained a lot of muscle through these 15 weeks.  My starting weight was 276 and after my carb up Friday I was 248.  I have dropped 8 1/2 inches off of my waist in that time.  My conditioning is coming right along with veins running about 4 inches up my abs in 3 or 4 different spots.  I am seeing striations in my quads, tris, and chest, and I have a nice little Christmas tree planted on my lower back.

What do you guys consider a cheat meal?  I always find everyone's definition interesting.  I personally have no foods that are off limits as long as I hit my daily macro targets.  Anyone looking at my diet log would probably see a lot of what they would call cheat meals.

My current macro targets are:

Monday-Thursday 265g Protein, 100g Carbs, 65g Fat, 80g Fiber

Friday 265g Protein, 1200g Carbs, 65g Fat, 40g Fiber

Saturday 265g Protein, 175g Carbs, 65g Fat, 40g Fiber

Sunday 265g Protein, 125g Carbs, 65g Fat, 40g Fiber

Some foods just can't be worked in, like ice cream, but otherwise it really comes down to how creative I get in the kitchen.  I make a mean pizza, great tacos, chili, etc.  I also enjoy my carb up day explaining to people how I can eat bagels with jelly, fruit rollups, Captain Crunch, etc. while on a "diet".

Don't misinterpret my comments as not wanting to win, but bodybuilding is probably not even in my top 3 as far as priority.  Becoming a pro will not make or break who I am.  Being a WNBF pro would mean that I would occasionally have a chance to win money by doing my hobby.  As I said earlier though, I am doing strongman and powerlifting this summer and if I don't get my pro card that is where my focus will turn. 

I haven't been logging much food lately because I pretty much eat the same things over and over again and I know where everything comes out.  +/- 5 carbs or grams of protein here or there are not make or break in my opinion.  Like I said, my take on the whole bodybuilding thing is a lot different than most.  Chili and tacos are probably my two most common meals with lunch meat wraps coming in a close third along with protein shakes (Lean Body, Muscle Milk, etc.).

If year round dieting is what it takes then I will never have a chance.  I love Outback and Red Robin way too much.  I have taken around 35 pounds off in 15 weeks so far along with 9 inches off of my waist in the same time period.  So what I do works for me.  Very similar to what you have all said about Dr. Joe's plan for peaking not being able to be made exact on paper is exactly what my protocol is.  I look in the mirror and I adjust as I go.  I do everything around 98% percent right and I know that is all I can do while constantly adjusting, there is just no way to be 100% right on this stuff. While it seems to contradict several you as it appears I have taken a little beating above.  I hope the final results will play themselves out on stage in my favor :)  My goal was to take 25 more pounds of muscle onto the stage after 2 years at the same level of conditioning that got me 2nd place to the pro card winner last time and let the chips fall.  Stepping on stage at 240 pounds as a natural bodybuilder will be something I am very proud of.  Not too many guys at this level can carry that much mass and get it cut up enough to have a chance to win.

I take a lot of abuse because I am not an anal counter.  I don't count condiments for example.  I had quite a debate on another board about how I go about everything because I do things a little different than most which is why Dr. Joe's methods intrigue me, they are different than most.

I am very interested in Dr. Joe's finishing techniques.  How much can he, or anyone, share without giving away "the product".  I was looking at an article from Layne Norton that appears to be similar to some of the very vague Dr. Joe articles and I am intrigued as it flies in the face of all I know and have read.  I do have a tendency to hold water under my skin.  The picture in my avatar shows my conditioning and that was following the carb up and don't drink method.  I can even tell the difference in my conditioning overnight.  I look significantly leaner in the morning after not drinking all night long. 

Sean, how do I put pictures into my message like you have been?  I cannot figure that out on here.  I don't see an attach button.  I can post a few others from my last competition.

I get some weird feelings in my low back and hips that I can't explain the sensation of at all.  Not pain, no discomfort, not pleasant, just weird feelings.

I am personally going to send Sean some pizza and ice cream that should be eaten by him immediately and often.  Just a little help from one competitor to the next...LOL

 I showed my wife Sean's pictures last night and her response was, "honey, you need to do more cardio......"  You go along feeling like you are in good condition and on schedule and then you see these pictures and start thinking, wholly crap, I need to get even leaner.....

The head to head competition should be good.  I am 6.5 million feet tall though.  I have yet to compete against anyone taller than me.  I will have you by quite a few pounds, but I will not be as lean, so I hope the judges are looking for size!! LOL  Based on how everything is going I still think I will hit the stage right around 240.  I was 248 Sunday night.  Losing another 4-6 pounds is about all I would expect now.

Wow, I hope you plan on leaning up a little over the next few weeks, fat boy!  You have some work to do!

 Just kidding.  You look great.  I couldn't get that lean if I wanted to, let alone look like that all of the time.  I peak for 1 day and 1 day only!

Sean -

 You are in Omaha?  I was reading through some early posts.  I am in Omaha also.