Am I the only one? offseason

**mommyhasmuscle** · #1 07-01-2012, 10:16 PM

Srsly. Am I the only one that cant boast of staying 10lbs and 2 bodyfat percentages from contest weight or am I forever alone in this? Lol

**rosalou224** · #2 07-01-2012, 11:14 PM

Nope, chick, you ain't the only one at all.

I'm right there with you. It's annoying as hell.

Crystol88 · #3 07-01-2012, 11:22 PM

You need to check out the Life Beyond the Competition Stage sub forum and the poll about offseason weight

.

You are definitely not alone! I don't actually feel my best nor do I perform my best that close to contest weight.

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**missmar** · #4 07-02-2012, 12:14 AM

Fawk, me 3

dvsness · #5 07-02-2012, 12:16 AM

Absolutely not - and I was never interested in staying that lean, either.

**Staci** · #6 07-02-2012, 01:32 AM

I think im currently about 15 lbs over comp weight. Never stay that close.

**fitcrazy** · #7 07-02-2012, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by missmar

Fawk, me 3

I hear ya!

**Suzanne** · #8 07-02-2012, 07:04 AM

I think a lot depends on body type and of course category you compete in

it should be easier to stay close to bikini then next easiest figure then next fitness/wp then next bbing since each is at a lower bf the difference between bikini bf and bbing bf is huge

I am the type that holds a ton of water 3 dasy before weigh in i am 5+lbs form my weigh in in weight pus i have gradually dropped water over the previous 2 weeks so i could actually be at my stage bf level but weigh 5-10 lbs more just in water so there is no way for me to actually maintain 10 lbs from comp wt

**mommyhasmuscle** · #9 07-02-2012, 01:46 PM

I wish it were all water weight.

LaurenFazio · #10 07-02-2012, 01:54 PM

I go by weight prior to dropping water. This year I have maintained anywhere from 10-11lbs over that wt, because like Suz I hold a ton of water!! That is with a couple cheats a week but otherwise 95% tight tight diet (carb cycle) and as some of you know I'm a runner now running 25mins 4x a week usually. So to be honest I don't think it'd be easy at all for me to stay within 10lbs unless I kept my diet tight and also kept cardio up being that I have two shows this fall.

I'm not gonna lie or sugar coat it and say that I easily can maintain it cuz I prob can't lol and realistically I am with Crystol 100% I love to lift heavier and enjoy my time with family on the weekends. If that means 15lbs over stage weight I'm okay with it - and so is my coach actually! The weight will come off when it's time to diet.

**Scarl3tbutt3rfly** · #11 07-02-2012, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suzanne

I think a lot depends on body type and of course category you compete in

it should be easier to stay close to bikini then next easiest figure then next fitness/wp then next bbing since each is at a lower bf the difference between bikini bf and bbing bf is huge

I am the type that holds a ton of water 3 dasy before weigh in i am 5+lbs form my weigh in in weight pus i have gradually dropped water over the previous 2 weeks so i could actually be at my stage bf level but weigh 5-10 lbs more just in water so there is no way for me to actually maintain 10 lbs from comp wt

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaurenFazio

I go by weight prior to dropping water. This year I have maintained anywhere from 10-11lbs over that wt, because like Suz I hold a ton of water!! That is with a couple cheats a week but otherwise 95% tight tight diet (carb cycle) and as some of you know I'm a runner now running 25mins 4x a week usually. So to be honest I don't think it'd be easy at all for me to stay within 10lbs unless I kept my diet tight and also kept cardio up being that I have two shows this fall.

I'm not gonna lie or sugar coat it and say that I easily can maintain it cuz I prob can't lol and realistically I am with Crystol 100% I love to lift heavier and enjoy my time with family on the weekends. If that means 15lbs over stage weight I'm okay with it - and so is my coach actually! The weight will come off when it's time to diet.

I agree with this here. I wouldn't go by actual stage/dry weight to try to maintain near anyway. As it is unrealistic.

Also you hold like 3g of water for every gram of carb (something like that). So you imagine in the offseason, eating more carbs (at least I hope so) you are going to weigh more in just water weight anyway, that is at least probably 5-8 lbs just being fuller all the time. After that, yeah it is probably fat/and or muscle weight. Hopefully the later.

I usually can stay withint 10lbs or so, at most 15lbs..I think that is reasonable. It also depends on my goals etc too in the offseason.

**ShawnCarla** · #12 07-03-2012, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scarl3tbutt3rfly

I agree with this here. I wouldn't go by actual stage/dry weight to try to maintain near anyway. As it is unrealistic.

Also you hold like 3g of water for every gram of carb (something like that). So you imagine in the offseason, eating more carbs (at least I hope so) you are going to weigh more in just water weight anyway, that is at least probably 5-8 lbs just being fuller all the time. After that, yeah it is probably fat/and or muscle weight. Hopefully the later.

I usually can stay withint 10lbs or so, at most 15lbs..I think that is reasonable. It also depends on my goals etc too in the offseason.

This right here... I gain a good 5-10lb peak week when I start carbing up and filling out.
I have no clue how much I actually lose or gain as I don't weight myself... just going by a visual aspect.
But I can tell you that I feel I look my "street best" the weeks following a show. Just my own preference.

**sassy69** · #13 07-04-2012, 07:19 AM

You always need to look at what you're doing in your off-season first of all. Its not diet like crazy for a show, and then let it go, and then diet like crazy for your next show while trying to add muscle because they said you needed more at the last show. Off-season is for growth & recovery. If you don't need to grow, then focus on recovery. But also balance that w/ how hard you want to work to lose the flab. Along those lines, over time, not just show to show, if you can work to adjust your body's set point - meaning your body learns to adjust to a particular weight / bodyfat so that it can support it more readily than 30-40 lb weight swings every year.

**mommyhasmuscle** · #14 07-04-2012, 04:04 PM

I guess this is more of a commentary on consistently seeing competitors having an off season weight and bf level thats seems only something of my of my dream unless I want to hate my life. My body's set point is ghetto booty.

Crystol88 · #15 07-04-2012, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mommyhasmuscle

I guess this is more of a commentary on consistently seeing competitors having an off season weight and bf level thats seems only something of my of my dream unless I want to hate my life. My body's set point is ghetto booty.

Did you see the Perceptual Bias video from Scott Abel? Beni posted a link in the thread called After the Show I'm Gonna Stay this Way. On my phone or I would post a link to the thread. We really often have a distorted vision of ourselves, usually to the negative side. I have seen pics of myself, head cut off, and not realizing who it was thought that person looked really good. Mind f*ckery at its finest. Not to say that I haven't ever over indulged post contest and experienced excessive spillage, but even then I looked fine. Genetically I am not super lean, so how I look when I FEEL best is where I choose to stay post-contest. It's where I am eating well and training optimally, but also where I am not constantly watching the clock for my next meal. And where an off plan meal doesn't result in any physical or emotional issues. (refined sugar is not my friend! LOL)

Stop comparing yourself, Hun. Find your own sweet spot, love it, live it, no apologies.

Just read on another fitness-oriented FB page some guy singing the praises of jiggly booties. Funny how many men love those parts of us, eh?

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**mommyhasmuscle** · #16 07-04-2012, 07:27 PM

Its not a visual thing. I look fine and normal. I was really wondering if I'm alone in not holding at a hop skip and a jump from contest shape.

**chicky9914** · #17 07-07-2012, 05:37 PM

Depends on what you had to do in your offseason prior - building and gaining weight, then having to do a longer, more grueling prep to get it off and then some?

In the last 2 years I havent had a building offseason (since I have no plans to compete right now). I've just been at maintenance with occassional treats and more rest.

During the summer months I do more cardio and tighten up the diet. I'm now about 5 lbs from what I last competed at. Even in the winter, when I'm a bit looser with my diet, the highest I got this year was 118-119 (8 over what I last competed at)

Back when I had offseasons where I was trying to gain weight, I had 20 lb fluctuations!

I certainly prefer my current scenario in which I'm much closer to my natural, smaller setpoint.