Thread: Total rebuild

good positive responses there mate,compete when you feel like your ready,

i personally wont be competing until 2011,siply cause i know i hae to bring out my arms and legs more,doesnt mean i didnt enjoy my last 2 comps,but sometimes you need to hold back to make those extra improvements and as we all know muscle doesnt grow overnight or over a few weeks,takes months to develop fresh lean muscle,

it is awesome though,walking in a gym and just by lifting a plate you see muscle hardness and vascularity everywhere,i get it quite well around the front delts and chest area,

i will never get sick of this thread,keep the results coming mick,

Quick update, feeling a little flatter than usual as the intense regime is taking alot out of me - down to 93kg, looking much more streamlined, at this rate I'd probably hit 7-6% BF at about 88kg - a little too light for what I'm after, so I'm working on keeping it steady around 93kg and improve the body composition over the next few months. The increased cardio is really opening up the lung power for the workouts - which is great. Strength is still there with an emphasis on really feeling the weight deep in the muscle. The detail exercises are also starting to do their magic, with abdominal and erectors much improved. I'm in experimental mode for the first part of the year just to see how the body reacts, hopefully if all goes to plan this 'deprivation' will slingshot gains to a new level by mid year.

Quick update, weight is still in the 90s - feeling a little sore all over of late, again took it real easy today moderate to light weights with a rep range of 8-12 per set. I'm really mixing up the exercises, execution and positioning - the body is responding accordingly. Typically with this tough regime the mood swings throughout the day are a little more pronounced, euphoric at times then real flat at others. Feel ravenous when it's meal time. The diet is tweaked day by day - mostly with the amount of carbs. The cardio is going great. For the most part feel strong and motivated even though going through a depleted phase. The vascularity is coming up in areas that haven't shown for years, so overall positive but it is hard on the psyche seeing that hard earned thickness coming down a few steps. It's all worth it seeing that mature muscle and conditioning coming through.

What sort of diet are you following Mick?

Following a clean diet that is high in protein, and low in carbs. I eat 6 to 8 small meals a day, mainly chicken, beef, fish - eating lots of veges with most meals - oats every morning - no breads, rice, potatoes - drink lots of water throughout the day.

Sounds good!

But from what I have read, you are more going for a re-composition and not a straight bulk / cut?

Yes Myst, still in experimental mode but re-composition is what we're aiming for. Packing on the size hasn't been an issue - it is finding that balance where growth can occur while maintaining or improving on a more conditioned look.

Originally Posted by BIGMICK

Yes Myst, still in experimental mode but re-composition is what we're aiming for. Packing on the size hasn't been an issue - it is finding that balance where growth can occur while maintaining or improving on a more conditioned look.

this sounds like true old school bodybuilding,plain and simple with your typical bread and butter diet,

your threads and posts inspire me mick thats why i keep following your journey,keep us posted mate,

any new updated photos?

Mino, should have some new pics up in a week or so, hopefully will show up the improvements and changes I've implemented.

Originally Posted by minotaur

plain and simple with your typical bread and butter diet

Sans bread and butter .

Agree with mino - great thread inspiring and committed, love it.

Here are pics taken today at the 13th month into the rebuild. Not taken under the best circumstances - gym was busy, strong flash, rushed through the poses etc. also not the best training day - feeling flat and it was hard maintaining a good pump. Anyway the pictures are what they are. I've come down about 8-10kg off my peak weight of 102kg at christmas. The cleaner diet has improved conditioning all over while relatively maintaining muscle size, the hardness, separation, shape and vascularity has also improved - though hard to see clearly in the photos, visible in person. Striated chest, triceps, just more streamlined allover, Abs, hammys and lower back is getting there with nice detail. There are more 'hills and valleys' happening throughout. I'm still trying to tweak the diet playing mostly with low carbs, the protein is up - trying to find that right balance - can be difficult to cope with some days. Very motivated on improving and still lifting mostly moderately, with some real strong days and some lighter - I approach each session based on how I feel and have no problems mixing up the exercises day to day. Cardio is going great, the body is heating up much faster now, and I'm able to sustain the high temperature longer, have to keep from getting dehydrated. I'm aiming for the body to find that balance/comfort zone where I can still add size and improve on the conditioning. So adding size has been relatively easy and now that I've laid down some foundation it's time to get serious about symmetry and quality.

hey mick,definiately noticing more conditioning and also more peak in the biceps,only thing lacking is the body hair getting out of control,lol

all in all,your getting there slowly and i like the fact your doing slow teaks to get that fine tune to getting in that right shape asnd to what your body can handle,

big sudden changes is what people tend to do and what holds them back as it shocks the body dramatically and puts it through stress,

i find that with a diet at least,if your going to diet down,doing it gradually,gradually reduce calories and slowly remove things out of diet,dont just go from say 3000cal down to 2000cal.a tip i learned on my prep up passed on by m.o,

Your'e absolutely right Mino.
My philosophy is there is no point in bulking up fast if you're just packing on heaps of fat as well, if you can't flex it don't carry it. Ideally it is best if you can keep about 6-7kg off your 'comp weight' and strive for quality muscle gains - you will be much better off, feel better and be much harder, you'll be able to get ripped and in contest shape with not as much stress to the body.

Looking awesome Mick!

I really like how in tune you are with your body, like temperature during cardio.

If you can't flex it, don't carry it, classic!

Thanks Myst, appreciate the positive comment!

Here's a pic from one of my earlier teens contest and a current photo - about 20 years apart, again I feel grateful that I have the opportunity and willpower to get in the best shape I can be.