NABBA UK Over 45

[GaryC]

Coaching myself for the NABBA UK Over 45 on November 13. Not the comp I wanted to do but will not be ready for the UK IBFA qualifier on October 10. With the world going to ruin. this may be one of the last chances to compete.

Anyway, a brief history:
Trained in my 20s but, being young and naive, liked my social weekends. Changed jobs, stopped training completely; a gap of roughly 15 years.
Picked up the iron again in October 2016, with all the discipline I was lacking before.
Competed for the first time in March 2019.

March 2019: PCA First Timers Over 40: 1st
May 2019: IBFA Mr Liverpool Over 40: 1st
May 2019: IBFA West Midlands Athletic Tall: 3rd
June 2019: IBFA British Finals Over 40: 6th
November 2019: IBFA World Finals Over 40: DNP

Felt I was horribly flat for final two shows. So I am trying the skiploading method.

So far, I have worked up to 12 hours, which I am trialling tomorrow [Sunday, September 19]. Started skiploading late August and have maintained a steady 2lb weekly loss.

I hope to have built some muscle since November 2019. The day before the World Finals I was 175lbs. My off-season high was 232lb and, following a brief tidy up, I began dieting at 227lb.

Today, I was 204lb.

The NABBA UK Over 45 is on November 13 - eight weeks out today [September 18]. I still have fat to lose from back, lower back, side of my chest, hams and lower abs.

I will re-evaluate if I will be ready once I hit 196lbs.

Here's my skipload, diet and cardio history. Please feel free to point out any glaring errors. It has worked for me so far.

Training:
Upper
Lower
OFF
Upper
Lower
OFF
OFF

Cardio: 30min x 2 daily [increasing this by 5min this week]

Diet:
TD:
Cals: 2029
C: 145
F: 26
P: 302

NTD
CALS: 1741
C: 34
F: 53
P: 281

Friday 28 August [training day]
Three-hour skip load
1.6lb overnight
Pizza, cereal bars, few sweets.

***
Friday, September 3 [training day]
Six-hour skipload
250g gnocchi with low fat sauce
Three pancakes with strawberry syrup
Two cereal bars

***
120g coco pops with almond milk and 50g whey
One bagel with jam
Two cereal bars
Few jelly babies

***
Spicy chicken pizza
low fat ice cream

Hit baseline Monday

***
Saturday September 11 [non-training day]
Nine-hour skipload
250g gnocchi with sweet chilli sauce
One bagel with strawberry jam
Four pancakes with strawberry syrup
Marshmallows
Caramel rice krispies bar
(didn't touch the sides, but soon very sleepy. Didn't want anything for about four hours, full but comfortable, not bloated at all]

***
150g coco pops, 50g whey
Three cereal bars
Some jelly sweets
Mint choc-chip ice cream cone
[Just not really hungry for next four hours, meaning just three meals in nine hours, same as last week in six]

***
Pizza
Oven chips salted
Small bag of Walkers French Fries salted
Two cereal bars
Marshmallows
Rice krispies cereal bar
Few sweets

Below baseline [209.4] by Wednesday [209.2]
https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif
Some shots post evening cardio from Thursday night:

[RIR0]

Following keep us updated. 8 weeks is cutting it close but you know how your body responds to diet and training so you might be right on the money. I’m 37 and looking at maybe doing my first show next year.

[GaryC]

Yeah, may not be ready. Been a steady 2lb weekly loss since July 16. But...

I'm still fat. Fat all over chest, fat on lower abs, fat back.

12-hour skipload last Sunday. Weight before: 205lbs. Weight after: 209lbs.

Weight today: 206.8lbs. And totally flat again. Flat, hungry, no energy.

Will continue with prep but if I get the feeling I have made no improvements since my last competition, there really isn't any point.

[GaryC]

Weight today: 205.4lbs.
Just 0.4lb above Sunday pre-skip baseline.

[GaryC]

Thursday: 204.4lbs. Under Sunday baseline. Set to lose more by Saturday, so looking at moving from 12-hour skipload to 15.
Will have to check the peak week videos again to see how we utilise this method in the run up. I'm not 100% on it.

[GaryC]

Friday: 204.2
Saturday [today]: 202.2lbs.

After a brief but helpful email exchange with Skip, I will experiment with raising my training day calories by way of carbs.
They are currently 145g, which includes trace carbs as well as direct.
This is after a 3lb loss this week following a 12-hour skipload. Looking at 15 hours this week but will raise cals to ensure it doesn't get much bigger.
Still some fat to get off; it is clinging to my chest longer this time and I look desperately empty, flat and drawn, but my face is becoming more like skeletor every day - and this is seven weeks out.

[GaryC]

Little update. Current weight: 198.0lbs. Four weeks out. At this stage, I really doubt I am going to be ready in time, so have some important decisions to make; continue to try, or stop wasting the effort.
I still have about 10llbs to lose. I have loads of fat on my lower back, still fat around chest, lower abs and my legs are not coming in enough. Cardio is an hour a day.
Strangely, weight loss has slowed since the introduction of winny and clen.
I was debating whether to miss this week's skipload, but may just reduce it and take frequent pictures during the day to see how carbs effect fullness and condition.
For me. I still think I'm up around 11-13% bodyfat, which is nuts at four weeks out.
Here are some pics. If anyone has any thoughts, please let me know.