Top 5 precontest myths and training update
November 13, 2009 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
It’s been 3 weeks since the NANBF Natural USA contest and my pro card victory and I’m still replaying the moment through my head! As my goal is to do my first pro show (IFPA Mr. Universe) in June, I am in growth mode, but going slowly to ensure I stay leaner and don’t have to overly diet for this competition. Came in today only a 1/2 pound over my stage weight and was at 5.8% bodyfat, so far so good! The picture below is from this morning.
Ryan Irwin 3 weeks post contest, 5.8% bodyfat
In my quest to compete at the NASA Nationals in January at Oklahoma, my strength levels have been steadily increasing. This week was the last week in my first 3 week cycle and I’m very pleased with the progress. We have been doing varying range of motions to continue to shock the body and attack the weak points. Below is a video of some deadlifts off 6″ blocks, which is right where my sticking point is. Squats are going great, as is bench too.
I have compiled a list of myths in regards to precontest prep that I thought I would share. When I work with my clients, it never fails that the locker room talk brings these up and others swear by them. Keep in mind, this is regarding those who are not using steroids or prohormones, but apply to most everyone.
Top 5 myths for precontest prep
5. Lift light for more definition: Wrong-lifting heavy weights stimulates muscle growth/retention, cardio & diet cuts the bodyfat. Wanna keep the muscle, keep the weights.
4. Stop taking creatine as it causes water retention: Creatine causes retention of fluid inside the muscle fibers, not underneith the skin. That keeps them hard and full, which is a good thing.
3. Do cardio on an empty stomach: Fasted state cardio has been shown in research studies to not increase the amount of fat utilized, but does lend itself to lose muscle tissue, not a good thing!
2. Don’t eat any carbs: This is a HUGE variable topic that really differs among individuals, but carbs are muscle sparing and you want to keep them as high as individually possible, gradually dropping them as needed.
1. Dehydrate/drastic carb deplete/carb load: This is a method that is supposed to draw water and carbs into the muscle fibers, make them hard and full. However, the timing is very difficult to hit dead-on and you do something extreme and you get an extreme reaction, often not what you want. A conservative approach is much more predictable. Muscle is 75-80% water, so when one dehydrates, what happens? Muscles flatten out and aren’t as full and hard. Most of the time when you hear someone is “holding water”, actually it is bodyfat and they didn’t diet long or hard enough.
These are just a handful of tidbits thought I would share! If you’re interested in competing in the Natural Iowa contest in May or just getting in the best shape of your life, come in and let’s chat so we can help provide direction. You bust your butt, so might as well make sure you’re doing it the most effective way possible.
Also, our next 9-week Bodysculpting course starts up in 2 weeks, if you’re interested, check it out!
Ryan Irwin
IFPA Natural Pro Bodybuilder
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd, Clive, IA 50325 515-331-2141, ryan@nutrisportfpt.com
Contest prep -2 weeks out
October 8, 2009 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
Wow, time has flown by! Hard to believe I’ve been dieting since July!! This has been a very smooth contest prep for the NANBF Natural USA in Chicago on Oct 24th. I believe the variety of food choices has really helped a lot on this. Everything is right on track, looking to come in stong!
Speaking of strong, I am simply amazed at how my strength has held. I attribute this to focusing on progression of weights and cycling my training to allow for recovery. I continue to get stronger with my leg exercises as well as the bench press and deadlift. My shoulder and lower back feel awesome and looking to start my training for NASA powerlifting Nationals at 100% right out of the gates.
For supplementation, the 100% liquid egg whites have be awesome to keep me satisfied and is very convenient. In either a shake or cooked as an omelet, they have been great. I am also going to add some night time herbs in before bed as sleeping has been increasingly difficult.
Have been working more on posing and putting together my routine. Looking forward to having fun with it as this will be the first time my kids will see me onstage!
Ryan Irwin front double bicep, 2.5 weeks out
Ryan Irwin 2.5 weeks out rear double bicep
Supplement stack:
Ecogreen multi vitamin capsules
Quad protein (timed release protein)
Bio Heat (fat burner)
Nitro Burn PM (night time fat burner/cortisol blocker)
Creatine (Bio Cell)
L-Carnitine/Alpha Lipic Acid (pre/post workout)
Xtend (during workout and in between meals)
Omega 3/6/9
CLA
Multi Whey & Karbolyn (post workout protein/carb shake)
Beta Alanine
Casein protein (before bed and added to whey to help get in between meals)
Psyllium husk
100% liquid egg whites
Nutri-Sport & Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
www.nutrisportFPT.com
Contest prep -3 weeks out
October 1, 2009 by Ryan Irwin · 1 Comment
Right on track!!! At this point I feel right on, have done absolutely everything I have to do and am very pleased with my progress! Absolutely at an all time best. What continues to amaze me is that my strength has not gone down. This week I did deadlifts off the floor, 400 for 5 reps, very happy about that. Was a judge at the NANBF Bluffs Classic and watching the other competitions keeps me motivated too!
This week I have switched to using 100% liquid egg whites for a couple meals instead of protein, just to eliminate the residual 4-6 grams that are in the timed release whey. I have also had more casein to keep me satisfied with it’s slow digestion.
Nailing the workouts, cardio too and looking forward to the contest, then turning right around and switching gears to hit NASA powerlifting nationals in January! Planning my training cycle now, it’s gonna be intense!!!
Ryan Irwin 3.5 weeks out from NANBF Natural USA
Ryan Irwin 3.5 weeks out
Supplement stack:
Ecogreen multi vitamin capsules
Quad protein (timed release protein)
Bio Heat (fat burner)
Nitro Burn PM (night time fat burner/cortisol blocker)
Creatine (Bio Cell)
L-Carnitine/Alpha Lipic Acid (pre/post workout)
Xtend (during workout and in between meals)
Omega 3/6/9
CLA
Multi Whey & Karbolyn (post workout protein/carb shake)
Beta Alanine
Casein protein (before bed and added to whey to help get in between meals)
Psyllium husk
100% liquid egg whites
Contest prep -4 weeks out
September 25, 2009 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
Officially one month to go before the NANBF Natural USA bodybuilding championships in Chicago, IL. Things are really going well, definition, strength, size and even energy levels doing great.
This week for supplements I added in Nitro Burn PM, which is a night time fat loss agent that also helps you reduce cortisol levels and get a good nights sleep. Also, for the workouts, almost always splitting up my lifting and low intensity cardio sessions to get a metabolism boost two times a day.
Hit PRs again this week on some lifts, did sumo deadlifts on Monday and worked up to 455 for a single, which felt surprisingly good.
Tomorrow, headed to Council Bluffs for the Bluffs Classic and IFPA Masters Pro Cup. Great competition, looking forward to watching it!
Ryan Irwin 1 month out
Ryan Irwin, beginning of precontest diet
Ecogreen multi vitamin
Quad protein (timed release protein)
Bio Heat (fat burner)
Nitro Burn PM (night time fat burner/cortisol blocker)
Creatine (Bio Cell)
L-Carnitine/Alpha Lipic Acid (pre/post workout)
Xtend (during workout and in between meals)
Omega 3/6/9
CLA
Multi Whey & Karbolyn (post workout protein/carb shake)
Beta Alanine
Casein protein (before bed and added to whey to help get in between meals)
Psyllium husk
Contest prep -5 weeks out
September 18, 2009 by Ryan Irwin · 1 Comment
Things are really starting to get dialed in! Five weeks out from the NANBF Natural USA, feeling great, checked my bodyfat and just above 6%. I am two weeks ahead of where I was last time I competed in regards to leanness, which is right where I want to be. Strength is still increasing too! Things are coming together nicely.
In regards to supplements, this week I upped by Bio Heat dosage to the full amount so now I’ll run that through the end of the show. Have started to add some more psyllium husk to my casein before bed to slow digestion. I’m going to try to hold off one more week before I start the Burn PM to really crank things up.
Went down to Kansas City last weekend and judged the NANBF Golds Classic and IFPA Pro International bodybuilding and figure contest. Talk about motivating!!! Those pros are awesome and it is amazing what drug-free bodybuilders can achieve!
Scheduled a photo shoot for tonight, so threw on a coat of Pro-Tan this morning (thanks honey!) Here are a few pics with some color on my skin.
Ryan Irwin 5 weeks out
Ryan Irwin 5 weeks out
Ryan Irwin 5 weeks out
Ecogreen multi vitamin
Quad protein (timed release protein)
Bio Heat (fat burner)
Creatine (Bio Cell)
L-Carnitine/Alpha Lipic Acid (pre/post workout)
Xtend (during workout and in between meals)
Omega 3/6/9
CLA
Multi Whey & Karbolyn (post workout protien/carb shake)
Beta Alanine
Casein protein (before bed and added to whey to help get in between meals)
Psyllium husk
Contest prep -6 weeks out
September 10, 2009 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
Everything is on track! This week Labor Day weekend kicked things off and I was super busy getting things done around the house and in the yard. Even used mowing the lawn as a way to get one of my steady state cardio sessions in (neighbors probably thought I was pissed I was mowing so fast!)
Hips and lower back feeling great. Did good mornings on leg day for the first time and looking forward to pushing it more and more. Hit a PR on hack squats for the second week in a row! It’s almost scary how well everything is going (stronger and leaner!!)
Added another Bio Heat cap but other than that, holding steady with my supplementation. Have been using the psyllium husk as needed and casein to extend out the digestion period of meals if I need more time in between. Have been exclusively taking the 100% casein before bed too. Mix that with puffed brown rice and raw almonds, yum!!
Off topic, had one of my new customers come in and show me some products they purchased at another store. Not only did they pay around $150 for something they could have gotten for less than $75 here, while they were in really cool glass containers, the formula wasn’t even broken out and wasn’t a sufficient dose. For example, to get an effective dose of CLA in one of the products, you had to take their largest recommended dose, but that doesn’t even consider that the propietary blend had other stuff in it too… Guess that’s what the big dollar marketing campaigns makes up for, quality.
This weekend I’ll be judging the NANBF Golds Classic and IFPA International pro show in Kansas City. Looking forward to seeing some of the top drug-free bodybuilders and figure competitors in the world!
Till next week, keep training like a machine!! -Ryan
Ryan Irwin, rear double bicep 6.5 weeks out
Ryan Irwin rear lat spread, 6.5 weeks out
Ecogreen multi vitamin
Quad protein
Bio Heat (fat burner)
Creatine (Bio Cell)
L-Carnitine/Alpha Lipic Acid (pre/post workout)
Xtend (during workout and in between meals)
Omega 3/6/9
CLA
Multi Whey & Karbolyn (post workout protien/carb shake)
Beta Alanine
Casein protein (before bed and added to whey to help get in between meals)
Psyllium husk
Precontest prep update -8 weeks out
August 27, 2009 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
This week things are full speed ahead. Hit the Iowa State Fair bench press/deadlift meet last Saturday and was pleased with my performance. Dropped down to 148lb class (reminded me of my wrestling days) and hit 295 on the raw bench press and 510 on the raw deadlift (see video below). Both won my class, but more importantly, hit the numbers I was going for. Now full speed ahead for contest prep! I am still planning on lifting heavy. One of the biggest mistakes people make when dieting is lifting light and going for more reps, this will cause muscle tissue loss and is wrong!! You still need to lift heavy to give your body every reason to hang on to the muscle while in a calorie deficit. Your nutrition and cardio is what really gets you lean.
My lower back is stiff from the meet and while most take a week of easy training afterwards, I can’t afford that luxury. I did bump up my dosage of my fat loss agent (Bio Heat) to 2 caps in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. Switching up to more casein in the evening (which is lower in sodium and carbs than cottage cheese).
This week I’m feeling good about my progress pictures. Things are starting to come together but gotta utilize every day over these next 8 weeks!
Ryan Irwin 8.5 weeks out precontest prep overhead abdominal pose
Ryan Irwin 8.5 weeks out precontest prep front double bicep shot
Current Supplement stack:
Ecogreen multi vitamin
Quad protein
Bio Heat (fat burner)
Creatine
L-Carnitine/Alpha Lipic Acid (pre/post workout)
Xtend (during workout and in between meals)
Omega 3/6/9
CLA
Multi Whey & Karbolyn (post workout protien/carb shake)
Precontest prep -9 weeks out
August 20, 2009 by Ryan Irwin · 1 Comment
This weekend is the Iowa State Fair bench press/deadlift competition. I am cutting down to the 148 lb class so got to drop some water weight for that. Hoping to double my bodyweight in the bench press and deadlift over 500lb pounds. The training this week has been modified, but still making progress to the ultimate goal of being stage ready in 9 weeks.
For those interested in attending, the meet will be at the Budweiser, ABC5 stage which is SW of the Varied Industries building on Saturday. Lifting starts at 9:30 and it should run most of the day.
This week I added in a fat loss agent to my supplement stack which was Bio Heat, which is a great all around thermogenic. I’m starting off at a minimal dose, which is 1 cap 2 times per day. I will continue to work that up as things draw closer.
In the meantime, next week I’ll update on my next mini-goal which is the Richard Dellaca Pump & Run which is on September 5th. Bench press your bodyweight as many times as possible then run a 5k, my kind of race!
Ryan Irwin 9.5 weeks out back double biceps
Ryan Irwin 16.5 start of precontest prep, back double bicep
Precontest prep -10 weeks out
August 13, 2009 by Ryan Irwin · Leave a Comment
It’s been a good training week, feeling good and having good workouts. Last Saturday hit 295 on the bench very easily and feel confident of my strength here. On Wednesday did back squats then did my last set of deadlifts, which will be the last of those till the Iowa State Fair powerlifting meet next Saturday on the 22nd. For anyone interested, the meet will be at the Budweiser stage which is SW of the VI building. Lifting starts at 10AM. Weighed in at 155 on Wednesday, so might actually drop down to the 148lb class for the Fair.
This week I dropped some additional carbs and for supplements, threw in some extra green tea with my CLA. Have been using a new product called Cell Power, which I add to my Xtend and sip on in between meals. It helps keep me going in between feedings. Have also started using a timed release protein during the day to help keep my hunger levels at bay. Thinking next week starting a fat loss agent, but we’ll see (like to keep those in my back pocket for the end).
My foods have been: oatmeal (old fashioned), protein powder, veggies (green beans/broccoli), tuna, cottage cheese, almonds and Ostrim sticks (for on the go). Sometimes eggs if I get a chance to cook. One of my favorite HIIT cardio sessions has been doing sprints with our sled behind the studio at Nutri-Sport. Totally jacks my heart rate up and develops power at the same time.
Things are coming along as planned, good progress for the bodybuilding contest in 10 weeks and ready for the powerlifting meet next weekend along with the rest from Team Nutri-Sport!!
Ryan Irwin 10.5 weeks out side chest
Precontest progress -11 weeks out
August 6, 2009 by Ryan Irwin · 1 Comment
This week was a wild one! Progress is going good but had an obstacle. On Tuesday my wife Mandee was playing sand volleyball and someone fell laterally into her knee and dislocated it. We went to the ER and they ended up keeping her all night to make sure there was no damage to the artery. Thankfully the MRI showed nothing was torn or severely damaged, but it was a long day and a half. I was able to get my food in with some planning and changes as well as the workouts. Did deadlifts yesterday and did 435 for 3, lower back is feeling much better and looking forward to the fair. Everything is on track.
Ryan Irwin 11 weeks out side chest
Ryan Irwin 16 weeks out precontest side chest
In other news, the government is cracking down on prohormones, which in my eyes is a good thing. We never push them and even though we carry them here, it certainly isn’t a big item for us. There are a lot of people that either should not be taking them or have no idea of what it is they are taking. While I don’t like having “big brother” stepping in and saving us from ourselves, I think this is warranted and needs better control.
