Not that I was very "big" or "huge" but I damn sure have lost more size doing TRT for the last 5 years than I may have thought. To be more clear: I haven't been REALLY lean in a long time (2012) and it took getting really lean to see that it just isn't as good as I had anticipated.
When I hold 10% I can hold my own and look like a bodybuilder as long as I am full. Prepping is a different animal because being depleted all of the time to get lean is bringing my weaknesses to the surface. My legs are my main issue as they just aren't anywhere near what I wanted them to be. Obviously, I lost size while on TRT but probably nowhere near as much as I lost simply due to not being able to train legs heavy and hard through all of my back injuries.
Make no mistake, I'm not despondent as much as I am just a little disappointed, I guess. I am doing this prep to basically just show myself that I can still do it and to enjoy the process after not finishing a prep since 2012. I am still enjoying the process and I am pleased with my condition. Plus, I LOVE prepping because of the high structure and I also LOVE being really lean. I am just making the point that I thought going back "on" for this prep would get more out of it and somehow magically make muscle appear and that is surely not the case. I can't even imagine what I would have looked like still on TRT. Yikes.
I am just over 200 pounds right now and still have roughly 9-10 weeks of prep left. I am not killing myself and I have responded well to the changes that I implemented a couple of weeks ago - less cardio, no change to the diet and pushing the Skiploads closer together. In fact, it has made a marked improvement. I am still getting pretty depleted and it isn't all fun and games but it isn't the miserable, torturous endeavor that it was 3-5 weeks ago. And it's important that I reiterate that I am progressing better now without killing myself so if you think more is better and torturing yourself is a better way to get into condition, you need to rethink that strategy. It isn't about who works harder, but rather who works smarter to take advantage of your own individual needs.
I also have a bone to pick with God: I have worked my ass off for over 30 years of training and over 20 of competing and I should not be punished with old-man skin. NOT FAIR. The leaner and more depleted I get, I am reminded of my age because my ab skin gets loose and so does my titty skin. Nevermind the obvious aging issues that almost all of us deal with in that I am probably 10 pounds leaner from the front than the back but at least THAT one I was dealing with 10 years ago. That one is a given. The loose skin? Yeah, thanks God for that one. If you are an older competitor and have loose skin, be damn sure you are full when you step on stage or that skin is going to stand out quite a bit. If you are full (as you should be) it will be far less noticeable.
No more water issues as that was resolved a few weeks ago. I am pretty damn dry with the exception of the day or two after a Skipload.
I am going to be in Tampa this weekend to meet with a client and I have to Skipload so it should be a great load. I have already done my due diligence and have an outline for the day. Look for pics, as usual, and it should be right up there with the best of them. 🙂 It has to be at this point or I will not get the benefit metabolically that I need for the following 2 training rotations. I am still going for 24 hours and see no reason to change it (longer or shorter). The SCGS compound is in full effect on Skipload days and will remain in effect this weekend, as well.
The car is washed, my bags are packed and all I have to do is get through my leg session tonight and I am on the road in the morning.
Hope you all have a great weekend!