Where do I start?

Buffalogal · 10-03-2008, 10:43 AM

I am planning on competing next spring. Every year there is a New York State Natural event run by the USBF in May and/or June in Binghamton NY. The 2009 schedule has not been released yet, but assuming it is the same time next year, I would need to start preparing by January.

I ran a trial 14 week program from May 1st-Aug 15th and saw a dramatic difference in my body. I had no way of getting my BF tested (could not get coordinated with the owner of the gym I go to). But, I dropped from 145 to 133 pounds and went from a snug size 10 to a loose 6. I KNOW I can do this. That was without the extra cardio, cutting out dairy, sweeteners, etc. which will definitely have to go. My butt and thighs are the last to go, and I'll have to work super-hard at it to get rid of the fat.

I've been wanting to do a figure comp. for several years now. My Master that I take karate from has offered to put me through a weight-lifting routine. He was on the Olympic sparring team years ago and is also an ex-Marine. He will absolutely kick my butt!

This was a long-winded way to get around to my question. What do I do now? I have a timeframe for the comp., trainer for the weights, no diet coach but I'll decide on that later or go it on my own. Do I need to join the USBF? On top of the comp. in Binghamton there are also several across upstate NY and northeast PA offered by USBF. I know the judging in figure can be questionable, especially after seeing SBT's comp pics and the results. WTF??

Anyway, do they let just anyone join, do you have to be affiliated with someone, how soon should you sign up, etc.? I'm a worry-wart

and like to have all my ducks in a row before I commit to something. Thanks all! I'll likely be starting a log after the holidays!

Elle · 10-03-2008, 03:05 PM

I have NO idea but just wanted to say hi!

Sounds like you already have a rough game plan and there are a lot of experienced women here to learn from.

Great to have you here!

NubianBeauty · 10-03-2008, 03:24 PM

Welcome!!!

Does the USBF have a website? If so, go there to read their rules for membership. I know with the NPC you pay a yearly membership fee so if you paid now it would expire Dec 31 so you would need to pay again in Jan. Since your show is May 2009 I would think you can pay in Jan or like some local NPC shows you can pay when you register for the comp you're going to compete in. So IMO first you read the rules for the USBF, then set a comp date which seems as if you've done already, third get in the gym. Start training NOW. You could get a personal trainer in your gym to start just to learn the basics.

I'm kind of in a brain fog right now (not feeling well) so I know sass or Bunny will be here to tell you more. This little bit of typing has ready drained me! LOL!! I'll add more later if needed. Gonna PM those 2 for ya!

Tweak · 10-03-2008, 03:42 PM

hi there!

It's GREAT you want to compete! I'm 4 weeks out from my first show myself, so I feel ya!

Look into the specific show you want to do and see what their rules/requirements are. Some of them require that you're part of specific organizations in order to qualify for the show. Nubian covered that. For instance, I had to become a member of the NPC in order to even compete in the show I'm going to be doing next month and then pay about 40 bucks to register for the show itself.

Re: the diet. Honestly you can hire a training coach or you can research it on your own. There are a ton of knowledgeable, helpful, wonderful people on this board who will be happy to give you tips and pointers on a competition diet. So it's really up to you!

Other things to think about: learning to pose, acquiring your suits, getting your shoes, etc. It can be fairly costly but if you save up now it won't be that bad. If it was TERRIBLE, nobody would do it.

*Bunny* · 10-03-2008, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NubianBeauty

Welcome!!!

Does the USBF have a website? If so, go there to read their rules for membership. I know with the NPC you pay a yearly membership fee so if you paid now it would expire Dec 31 so you would need to pay again in Jan. Since your show is May 2009 I would think you can pay in Jan or like some local NPC shows you can pay when you register for the comp you're going to compete in. So IMO first you read the rules for the USBF, then set a comp date which seems as if you've done already, third get in the gym. Start training NOW. You could get a personal trainer in your gym to start just to learn the basics.

I'm kind of in a brain fog right now (not feeling well) so I know sass or Bunny will be here to tell you more. This little bit of typing has ready drained me! LOL!! I'll add more later if needed. Gonna PM those 2 for ya!

Awwww Nubes

Hey BG, so you're finally going to take the plunge?!?! Congrats on your progress already!!

Here is the site
United States Bodybuilding Federation
Membership $40.00
You can contact them to ask about what shows you can do, since your an amateur.

They have a schedule up as well I do believe.

Here is the NPC site,
NPC News Online
you can do natty shows with them as well.

You can also try FAME, BodyProud.org Official Site of the FAME World Tour
nabba
NATIONAL AMATEUR BODYBUILDERS ASSOCIATION & Ms. FIGURE®

IMO do not expect to win your first show and do it for you, the right reasons and for fun. Usually everyone gets the bug for a period of time after and if that's your thing, go for it.

Each org wants different looks, and IMO are not very consistent at this time.

I also highly recommend using a trainer or comp prep coach that has experience with the org, shows, dieting (esp for natties, it's DIFFERENT).

Some are horrendously expensive, others VERY reasonable, but IMO worth it.

If you are the same BG from the other board, you know Sassy has helped greatly, and these boards and others for the figure/fitness/BB competitor are out there. I've got great help from some pro girls, national competitors, as well as feedback from judges on them, great outlets... but I'll say 90% all have trainers/coaches and prep help. SO...

Hope that helps a little.

Buffalogal · 10-03-2008, 05:20 PM

Thanks everyone for the responses so far. Yep Buns, I am the same BG from "that other board."

I'm finally gonna get off my ass and do it.

I'm still learning but it has helped to read Tweak's, Triv's and Crofty's log for some extra info (yes I'm a big-time lurker). I am not above asking for help - I'll be damned if I know what I'm doing. It just seems like so much to sort out; federations, amateurs, posing, contest rules, etc. It makes me

. Then to find people in Binghamton NY that actually can help me. I'm not holding my breath, which is why I'm starting now.

Thanks for the info so far. I'm going to be reading Sassy's sticky tonight about competing. A girl's got to have something to do at work overnight.

Quote:

IMO do not expect to win your first show and do it for you, the right reasons and for fun. Usually everyone gets the bug for a period of time after and if that's your thing, go for it.

Definitely no risk of that from me. I just want to take lifting and dieting to a new level. I'm excited to see the limits I can push myself to and I'm not out to prove anything to anyone. I just love this stuff (unless you catch me on a low carb day!).

sassy69 · 10-03-2008, 05:23 PM

^^^ What they said.

You should probably expect to set aside 16 weeks to dive into a strict diet. You'll want to be down around 10% bf generally - depends on how you 'wear" your mass, but that gives you an idea of where you want to be. Dont' get too hung up on weight because Figure competition is by height. It all matters about how you "look" and "present" at show time. Yes the judging is sometimes all over the board, but especially for your first show, and being new to it all, the important thing is to bring the best packag that YOU can bring. Don't worry about the judging.

As mentioned, there are several federations you can look at. For NPC, note that the whole federation is not "tested' or "natural". There are shows that are, shows that aren't. But you can still enter any of them. Generally the "testing" they do is not the unquestionable urine test type (those are very expensive), but rather something like a voice-stress analysis or lie detector test. Honestly, even some of the ones that do claim they do a urine test, I've heard they just throw out the specimens & don't test anything. And just because a show is "tested" doesnt mean that everyone in it is natural. There are only a few truly & enforced "natural" federations (e.g. NGA) and they will be the smaller shows. NPC generally is the largest federation w/ the largest shows. Anyway, my point is don't worry too much about the "tested" or not either if you find show dates that fit your schedule better. Your primary goal is to get on stage w/ the best package you have, and do it for yourself.

Diet-wise, there are many ways to approach. At a very high level there are two main approaches - either ketogenic diet (i.e. primarily fats & proteins) or non-keto (i.e. 'regular' - protein, fats, carbs). Unless you've had experience w/ a keto diet, I'd probably not go that route. It is a distinct difference in picking your foods as well as how you train - i.e. you can't really do any sort of HIIT on a keto diet - just no energy for that because no carbs. So assuming you are going w/ a non-keto approach, I'd suggest you start by posting up the diet you used on your trial run and we can throw some comments in. How did it work for you? Was it "doable" - i.e. easy to fit into your lifestyle? You didnt' feel starved, tired, or exhausted? You slept well & had energy for training & your daily life? This will give a starting point and a baseline to discuss around.

The real difference between a competition diet & any other diet is that your goal isn't reaching a point & then maintaining, but rather its all about dialing in so you look a certain way on show day - that means you are doing a slow cut, adjusting a little a time to drop bodyfat, and then a targeted short-term water manipulation and sort of extreme depletion to hit that day, and then ease back out to a "maintenance" state. So in the second situation you will basically feel exhausted but love how you look, then a couple days later you start rebounding. That always messes w/ people's minds because they want to stay that way, but there's nothing about the diet / prep that is intended to make it a healthy, long-term maintainable result. But all of that is specific to the last week of prep which can be explored as the discussion continues. One good thing about Figure is that because they aren't looking for <7% bodyfat, the dialing in is not nearly as aggressive as for BB.

Congrats on diving in! I suspect you'll be hooked! Getting started is a bit confusing and causes stress by the "unknown" - but its still all about managing your progress over the long-term cut. You'll find that its probably a bigger mental challenge than physical, but it also pushes boundaries you never thought you could achieve while stripping you down to the basics - eat, train, recover - consistency and slow controlled progress all the way into show day. It will be the biggest mindfuck and the greatest accomplishment you will have ever experienced

*Bunny* · 10-03-2008, 05:24 PM

So you want to compete...

This was golden for me as well.

sassy69 · 10-03-2008, 05:28 PM

LOL Oh yea, I forgot about that.... saves a few lines of typing doesn't it?

Buffalogal · 10-03-2008, 05:47 PM

Quote:

So assuming you are going w/ a non-keto approach, I'd suggest you start by posting up the diet you used on your trial run and we can throw some comments in. How did it work for you? Was it "doable" - i.e. easy to fit into your lifestyle? You didnt' feel starved, tired, or exhausted? You slept well & had energy for training & your daily life? This will give a starting point and a baseline to discuss around.

Okay, so this was a "typical" diet day for me last time around. My stats for reference are 32 yrs old, 5'6" and I'm now back to 141 pounds. I tried to keep my cals approx 10-12x my body weight. Any more than 12x and I didn't see much in the way of change.

Meal 1:
1/2 cup egg beaters
1/2 c oatmeal with 1 scoop whey protein and 1/4 c raspberries
34 oz water

Meal 2:
1 serving Dannon Yogurt light n fit
17 oz water

Meal 3:
3 oz ground turkey
1/2 c couscous or 1 small sweet potato
17 oz water

Meal 4:
1/2 c raspberries or strawberries
1 serving Dannon Yogurt light n fit
17 oz water

Meal 5:
3 oz ground turkey
FF cheese
6 asparagus spears sauteed in cooking spray
17 oz water

Meal 6 (before bed):
small apple
2 T natty PB
apple
1 scoop Casein protein

This ends up to be (give or take a few):

Calories = 1306 (too low for my current weight)
Carbs = 116 (31%)
Fats = 32 (24%)
Proteins = 139 (45%)

If I don't have the turkey I substitute bison (my favorite), fish or chix.

But, here are the "problems" as I see them. I work rotating shifts. Therefore, mealtimes change at least once per week, workout times change at least once per week. That's why I've not included pre and post-workout meals. Usually post workout I'd have a real meal (minus fats) or just a whey protein drink mixed with water.

During the day I drink approx 4-5 mugs Earl Grey tea (more on midnight shifts) with a ton of sweetener. Occasionally I have coffee with FF creamer and sweetener although not often as it activates my heartburn.

I also love yogurt and am worried the dairy may be too much at times. I cannot find a direct correlation between dairy and bloating with me. I do tend to retain a lot of water if I have too many carbs, and like to keep those below 30%.

Physically, I felt great on the 30C/30F/40P approach. Any more carbs and I feel bloated. Too few carbs and I'm sluggish. The only problem is knowing whether I'm sluggish from my work schedule or the diet.

I will say that my karate instructor told me I do everything (kicks, jumps, power moves, etc) 10x better when I'm on this diet versus what he's seen before when I eat like a "normal" person.

This combo really does seem to agree with me. I had plenty of energy for weights. Plenty of energy for karate but I still hate any other cardio. Just gonna have to get over it!

Now it's just a matter of tweaking carbs, water (which I obviously don't drink enough of), etc. I ran the trial diet for 14 weeks but think 16-20 would be ideal for me. Unfortunately I was mentally shot after 14. How to stop the bitchiness toward the end and not alienate my family might be the biggest challenge of all!

*Bunny* · 10-03-2008, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sassy69

LOL Oh yea, I forgot about that.... saves a few lines of typing doesn't it?

I did too!!!!

SO happy we kept that, and you kept it updated.

sassy69 · 10-04-2008, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffalogal

Okay, so this was a "typical" diet day for me last time around. My stats for reference are 32 yrs old, 5'6" and I'm now back to 141 pounds. I tried to keep my cals approx 10-12x my body weight. Any more than 12x and I didn't see much in the way of change.

Meal 1:
1/2 cup egg beaters
1/2 c oatmeal with 1 scoop whey protein and 1/4 c raspberries
34 oz water

Meal 2:
1 serving Dannon Yogurt light n fit
17 oz water

Meal 3:
3 oz ground turkey
1/2 c couscous or 1 small sweet potato
17 oz water

Meal 4:
1/2 c raspberries or strawberries
1 serving Dannon Yogurt light n fit
17 oz water

Meal 5:
3 oz ground turkey
FF cheese
6 asparagus spears sauteed in cooking spray
17 oz water

Meal 6 (before bed):
small apple
2 T natty PB
apple
1 scoop Casein protein

This ends up to be (give or take a few):

Calories = 1306 (too low for my current weight)
Carbs = 116 (31%)
Fats = 32 (24%)
Proteins = 139 (45%)

If I don't have the turkey I substitute bison (my favorite), fish or chix.

But, here are the "problems" as I see them. I work rotating shifts. Therefore, mealtimes change at least once per week, workout times change at least once per week. That's why I've not included pre and post-workout meals. Usually post workout I'd have a real meal (minus fats) or just a whey protein drink mixed with water.

During the day I drink approx 4-5 mugs Earl Grey tea (more on midnight shifts) with a ton of sweetener. Occasionally I have coffee with FF creamer and sweetener although not often as it activates my heartburn.

I also love yogurt and am worried the dairy may be too much at times. I cannot find a direct correlation between dairy and bloating with me. I do tend to retain a lot of water if I have too many carbs, and like to keep those below 30%.

Physically, I felt great on the 30C/30F/40P approach. Any more carbs and I feel bloated. Too few carbs and I'm sluggish. The only problem is knowing whether I'm sluggish from my work schedule or the diet.

I will say that my karate instructor told me I do everything (kicks, jumps, power moves, etc) 10x better when I'm on this diet versus what he's seen before when I eat like a "normal" person.

This combo really does seem to agree with me. I had plenty of energy for weights. Plenty of energy for karate but I still hate any other cardio. Just gonna have to get over it!

Now it's just a matter of tweaking carbs, water (which I obviously don't drink enough of), etc. I ran the trial diet for 14 weeks but think 16-20 would be ideal for me. Unfortunately I was mentally shot after 14. How to stop the bitchiness toward the end and not alienate my family might be the biggest challenge of all!

You've got a great base diet! Keto diets - you really need to know how your body responds to them. I've only tried keto once (this summer) - from my own experience I think I have much better result from something like a 50/25/25 macro ratio - I don't do well with either too much carb or fat.

I think you can start w/ that as your base diet. As you note, I'd up the cals to something more like 13-15 x your bodyweight - i.e. more like 1600 at least. I cut on around 1800 cals - I'm 5'7", easily maintain an off-season / no effort weight around 162, and cut down to around 140. If you keep the cals too low in the beginning of the diet , you don't have much room for adjusting calories as you get closer to showtime and may need things to tweak if you stall out, w/o going too low so you go catabolic & have crappy energy reserves.

Then as you dial in, I'd toss the yogurt and fruit. You'll need a better fat source - which you can get cleanly from fat oils like macademia nut, flax, olive, as well as almonds, etc. (which adds in a few carbs so you have to watch the volume of those - the oils tend to not be as tempting to overeat like nuts or PB and dont' introduce anything else besides good fats.) Then I'd also toss extraneous stuff like the FF cheese -- but these things you can toss as you get closer. Depending on your progress, you can probably safely have include a single scheduled cheat meal / week (not a full-on hog fest - but a reasonable meal that isn't as strict as the rest of the week, and throw in Glucorel / Sesapure to help

And then drop it as you get closer. That also helps w/ the stress of trying to maintian such a restricted diet w/o losing your mind & all your friends.

I noticed you don't have any protein mix in your diet - this is fine -actually best to eat all real food, but for practical reasons (cost & convenience) this doesn't always work so protein mix is a great option. You can do a straight protein shake, or mix w/ ANPB, or tofu, etc. I often do a mix of protein mix + splenda + 1 tbls ANPB + around 1/4 c of cold coffee -- YUM! Travels well, doesn't take up much room and its like pudding!

I was also going to comment that a carb cycle / rotation would probably work really well for you too - simple 3-4 day cycle of changing your macro ratios of carbs & fats while keeping the total cals the same. (There are many ways to do a carb rotation but this is one way I've done.)

Buffalogal · 10-05-2008, 01:14 PM

^^^^^^

Thanks for all the input! I did try a carb cycling the last several weeks and had some good results. But I tried to time it with my lifting schedule and it just ran amok after awhile.

You're definitely helping me. You might actually have me believing I can do this if you keep giving me all this info.

10-03-2008, 10:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
Buffalogal Gold Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 155 Rep Power: 40880	Where do I start? I am planning on competing next spring. Every year there is a New York State Natural event run by the USBF in May and/or June in Binghamton NY. The 2009 schedule has not been released yet, but assuming it is the same time next year, I would need to start preparing by January. I ran a trial 14 week program from May 1st-Aug 15th and saw a dramatic difference in my body. I had no way of getting my BF tested (could not get coordinated with the owner of the gym I go to). But, I dropped from 145 to 133 pounds and went from a snug size 10 to a loose 6. I KNOW I can do this. That was without the extra cardio, cutting out dairy, sweeteners, etc. which will definitely have to go. My butt and thighs are the last to go, and I'll have to work super-hard at it to get rid of the fat. I've been wanting to do a figure comp. for several years now. My Master that I take karate from has offered to put me through a weight-lifting routine. He was on the Olympic sparring team years ago and is also an ex-Marine. He will absolutely kick my butt! This was a long-winded way to get around to my question. What do I do now? I have a timeframe for the comp., trainer for the weights, no diet coach but I'll decide on that later or go it on my own. Do I need to join the USBF? On top of the comp. in Binghamton there are also several across upstate NY and northeast PA offered by USBF. I know the judging in figure can be questionable, especially after seeing SBT's comp pics and the results. WTF?? Anyway, do they let just anyone join, do you have to be affiliated with someone, how soon should you sign up, etc.? I'm a worry-wart and like to have all my ducks in a row before I commit to something. Thanks all! I'll likely be starting a log after the holidays!

10-03-2008, 03:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
Tweak Probably kind of sweaty Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Banana phone Posts: 4,207 Rep Power: 451515	hi there! It's GREAT you want to compete! I'm 4 weeks out from my first show myself, so I feel ya! Look into the specific show you want to do and see what their rules/requirements are. Some of them require that you're part of specific organizations in order to qualify for the show. Nubian covered that. For instance, I had to become a member of the NPC in order to even compete in the show I'm going to be doing next month and then pay about 40 bucks to register for the show itself. Re: the diet. Honestly you can hire a training coach or you can research it on your own. There are a ton of knowledgeable, helpful, wonderful people on this board who will be happy to give you tips and pointers on a competition diet. So it's really up to you! Other things to think about: learning to pose, acquiring your suits, getting your shoes, etc. It can be fairly costly but if you save up now it won't be that bad. If it was TERRIBLE, nobody would do it. __________________ Tweak's Training Log

10-03-2008, 05:24 PM	#8 (permalink)
Bunny Rara avis Bunnylicious Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Somewhere over the Rainbow... Posts: 8,924 Rep Power: 493711	So you want to compete... This was golden for me as well. __________________ *Brief $Bunny$ History......New Log: Time To DeFluff The Bunny* Please help a Good Cause ....... Start your Albums Anafit Sponsored Athlete - The AF Store

10-05-2008, 01:14 PM	#13 (permalink)
Buffalogal Gold Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 155 Rep Power: 40880	^^^^^^ Thanks for all the input! I did try a carb cycling the last several weeks and had some good results. But I tried to time it with my lifting schedule and it just ran amok after awhile. You're definitely helping me. You might actually have me believing I can do this if you keep giving me all this info. __________________ My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dogs think I am.

10-03-2008, 03:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
Elle True to the Process! Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 373 Rep Power: 137257	I have NO idea but just wanted to say hi! Sounds like you already have a rough game plan and there are a lot of experienced women here to learn from. Great to have you here!

10-03-2008, 03:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
NubianBeauty Super Moderator Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 8,473 Rep Power: 117142	Welcome!!! Does the USBF have a website? If so, go there to read their rules for membership. I know with the NPC you pay a yearly membership fee so if you paid now it would expire Dec 31 so you would need to pay again in Jan. Since your show is May 2009 I would think you can pay in Jan or like some local NPC shows you can pay when you register for the comp you're going to compete in. So IMO first you read the rules for the USBF, then set a comp date which seems as if you've done already, third get in the gym. Start training NOW. You could get a personal trainer in your gym to start just to learn the basics. I'm kind of in a brain fog right now (not feeling well) so I know sass or Bunny will be here to tell you more. This little bit of typing has ready drained me! LOL!! I'll add more later if needed. Gonna PM those 2 for ya!

10-03-2008, 05:23 PM	#7 (permalink)
sassy69 Super Moderator Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 7,557 Rep Power: 347516	^^^ What they said. You should probably expect to set aside 16 weeks to dive into a strict diet. You'll want to be down around 10% bf generally - depends on how you 'wear" your mass, but that gives you an idea of where you want to be. Dont' get too hung up on weight because Figure competition is by height. It all matters about how you "look" and "present" at show time. Yes the judging is sometimes all over the board, but especially for your first show, and being new to it all, the important thing is to bring the best packag that YOU can bring. Don't worry about the judging. As mentioned, there are several federations you can look at. For NPC, note that the whole federation is not "tested' or "natural". There are shows that are, shows that aren't. But you can still enter any of them. Generally the "testing" they do is not the unquestionable urine test type (those are very expensive), but rather something like a voice-stress analysis or lie detector test. Honestly, even some of the ones that do claim they do a urine test, I've heard they just throw out the specimens & don't test anything. And just because a show is "tested" doesnt mean that everyone in it is natural. There are only a few truly & enforced "natural" federations (e.g. NGA) and they will be the smaller shows. NPC generally is the largest federation w/ the largest shows. Anyway, my point is don't worry too much about the "tested" or not either if you find show dates that fit your schedule better. Your primary goal is to get on stage w/ the best package you have, and do it for yourself. Diet-wise, there are many ways to approach. At a very high level there are two main approaches - either ketogenic diet (i.e. primarily fats & proteins) or non-keto (i.e. 'regular' - protein, fats, carbs). Unless you've had experience w/ a keto diet, I'd probably not go that route. It is a distinct difference in picking your foods as well as how you train - i.e. you can't really do any sort of HIIT on a keto diet - just no energy for that because no carbs. So assuming you are going w/ a non-keto approach, I'd suggest you start by posting up the diet you used on your trial run and we can throw some comments in. How did it work for you? Was it "doable" - i.e. easy to fit into your lifestyle? You didnt' feel starved, tired, or exhausted? You slept well & had energy for training & your daily life? This will give a starting point and a baseline to discuss around. The real difference between a competition diet & any other diet is that your goal isn't reaching a point & then maintaining, but rather its all about dialing in so you look a certain way on show day - that means you are doing a slow cut, adjusting a little a time to drop bodyfat, and then a targeted short-term water manipulation and sort of extreme depletion to hit that day, and then ease back out to a "maintenance" state. So in the second situation you will basically feel exhausted but love how you look, then a couple days later you start rebounding. That always messes w/ people's minds because they want to stay that way, but there's nothing about the diet / prep that is intended to make it a healthy, long-term maintainable result. But all of that is specific to the last week of prep which can be explored as the discussion continues. One good thing about Figure is that because they aren't looking for <7% bodyfat, the dialing in is not nearly as aggressive as for BB. Congrats on diving in! I suspect you'll be hooked! Getting started is a bit confusing and causes stress by the "unknown" - but its still all about managing your progress over the long-term cut. You'll find that its probably a bigger mental challenge than physical, but it also pushes boundaries you never thought you could achieve while stripping you down to the basics - eat, train, recover - consistency and slow controlled progress all the way into show day. It will be the biggest mindfuck and the greatest accomplishment you will have ever experienced

10-03-2008, 05:28 PM	#9 (permalink)
sassy69 Super Moderator Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 7,557 Rep Power: 347516	LOL Oh yea, I forgot about that.... saves a few lines of typing doesn't it?