Mens Physique 12 – 8 Weeks Out

Mens Physique 12 – 8 Weeks Out

So my viewpoint and outlook changed drastically from how I felt 13 weeks out.

To how I felt 8 weeks out.

Lets just say I should of stepped on the gas a little earlier.

This Phase literally made me almost want to drop out of the show.

No word of a lie I think week 9 or 10 I was like Im probably not gonna make it.

Ill probably look like a a fool.

Way to fat to be on stage.

Im working so hard and getting nowhere.

I honestly just got really negative man!

My head was stuck in the gutter.

And its not like I didn’t know how the body worked.

Or how hormones force your brain to receive signals.

And tell you hey its time to eat…

A MILLION TIMES A DAY!!!

I was very conscious of all this.

But that didn’t matter.

I didn’t feel like I really got dialed in till about 8 weeks out.

The difference at that time is that I set my MIND to the challenge.

I forced my MIND to work for me not against me.

And honestly when that happened….

Everything changed.

Stats during this Phase

February 4th I had weighed in at 193 pounds.

I didn’t lose any weight until February 25 th and I had only got to 189 pounds.

That was it!

Nothing more nothing less.

I thin that during that phase I even gained weight.

Which really messed with my head….

This was the biggest block in my fat loss journey.

I was super anxious and kinda fearful. that I wasn’t gonna reach my target.

And I feel that added stress also kept me from dropping weight.

(Heightened levels of Cortisol will make it harder for you to lose weight).

(Perceived stress on the body says hey lets preserve some good old energy in the form of the jiggly).

Making the fat loss that much more rough!

Measurements and Physique Updated

Ill be real at this phase I was so fixated on the scale I didn’t even want to take pictures.

I’d quickly glance at the mirror.

Than I would run in shame.

But at 8 weeks out when I did feel good about myself I took a couple shots.

And I also measured my waist which was a pleasant surprise as it was now down to a 34!

And when it comes to aesthetics we know that this is by far the most important measurement.

Diet During this Phase

This is where I feel I screwed up big time.

I think as I observe this prep more closely…..

I kept my calories at 2000 calories pretty much until 1900 calories.

Why?

I figured that if I was losing weight I should keep the calories stable.

Which is technically true.

However I plateau’d and felt a little too comfortable.

I also thought that 1900 calories this many weeks out would too drastic.

However getting stage lean is a different kind of grind.

And one that require me to push harder.

So at 8 weeks out I dropped my calories to 1900.

Tightened up any loose ends in regards to miscalculations and really dialed in my diet.

And this led to the 4 pound weight loss.

Along with the smaller waist in my opinion.

Supplements

Halfway through this phase I started to take L Carnitine on an empty stomach when I woke up.

Got it from iherb.com

I would take it in a fasted state and would do 10 to 15 mins of cardio.

Not much but just enough to get the habit started.

At the latter part of this Phase I also started using Vasoburn.

Its a topical thermogenic that would help to burn fat.

However to get the most out of it.

You have to get the body hot to activate it fully.

Its why the manufacturer actually recommends using a belt along with applying it.

Though I never used the belt I would make sure I raised my core temperature.

As for pre workout kept it 100 with my GHOST pre workout!

The Workout

Workout was pretty much the same.

Days 1 to 5

• Day 1 – Chest
• Day 2 – Back
• Day 3 – Legs/Core
• Day 4 – Shoulders
• Day 5 – Arms

I did feel less strength at week 8 though.

SO its important to note that I started to use much lighter weights.

I also leaned into doing a lot more supersets.

My biggest focus was on getting a pump.

Which was really easy to do at week 12.

At 8 weeks out I had to recalibrate my workouts.

I had to adjust for low energy.

Lackluster pumps.

And an overall slow down in my workout intensity.

At 8 weeks out my focus shifted heavily into conserving muscle.

And staying injury free!

Cardio During this Phase

At 12 weeks out cardio was not a priority.

From weeks 12 to 9 I aimed for 30 minutes daily post or pre workout.

With the small light 10 to 15 minute fasted cardio session when I woke up.

At 8 weeks out I had to up the ante.

Due to time constraints and having a thing called a life….

I was unable to get too many fasted cardio sessions in.

However I did make time to ensure I got my hour long cardio sessions in daily.

For the most part I would do incline walking at levels 5 to 8 on incline.

And 3 to 4 for speed.

If it wasn’t incline treadmill I would switch and do the stairmaster master.

Observations During this Phase

12 weeks out to 8 weeks out are two totally different animals.

Looking back however I wish I had pushed harder at 12 weeks out.

Why?

Because it would make my life down the road so much easier.

In that in the last 3 weeks I wouldn’t of had to have pushed as hard as I did.

And if you are moving at a rapid pace it would of allowed for a mock peak week.

At lets say 4 weeks out which would of been a massive help.

The other thing is that it would allow me to come in to the show with more accuracy.

And more fullness.

Closing Thoughts

Weeks 12 to 9 during the process I could of pushed harder.

I feel as though I could’ve progressed a lot more in this period.

Which would of made it far less uncomfortable at the latter part of my cut.

However I still made gains.

And I still managed to push through plateaus.

At 8 weeks out I was really able to dial it in!