Bodybuilding Classic Physique Division Offseason log
You know you who it is already. Can't recall my old password or even what email I used so here we are. I promised I'd st
The show was my best to date. The level of aura farming was off the charts. My placing was pretty bad but I deserved it; tough field. I didn't realize they allowed IFBB pros to compete at this ostensibly amateur show since it isn't technically an NPC worldwide show and its their own federation. i guess countries other than english speaking ones allow their ifbb pros to compete for other organizations not affilitated with IFBB or NPC. Regardless, super happy with the result. It'll be minimum 2 years before I'm back on stage, and possibly 3 where I could do master's Asian championships in age 40 and over category. I've got an offseason process/plan dialed in and ready to roll. Sticking with my 4x/wk upper lower (torso limbs, technically) split but a few changes with exercise selection, sequencing, and volume distribution.
I'm starting to build a reputation in the Shenzhen competitive bodybuilding community as I've shown up to some shows just to spectate and had a brief moment of accidental virality of "that foreigner who speaks Chinese really fast and is always smiling/laughing" when I appeared on one of the main bbing gyms Chinese tiktok (douyin) channels chatting with the owner. And as a competitor people are knowing me as "that small but really ripped guy who is VERY into his posing". I'm starting to make friends in this niche and that's always good when you're in a foreign country and you're new to a city.
Anyway, long offseason. Sloooowww reverse diet, not a ****ing "justin harris rebound!". Then a slooowww offseason where I gain less than 1lb/wk on average, then a cut that doesn't quite go to full contest shape but like 4 weeks out sorta shape, then another long bulk, then maybe another prep or just another truncated cut.
In other news, the Montreal Shooter's manifesto. Dunyain if you haven't already you gotta check it out. This has definitely been the most interesting incel shooter, and ofc theirs the comedy "are the simulation administrators ****ing with us?" elements with the female cop accidentally shooting the rabbi outside the pornhub HQ.
Well, the manifesto starts off strong. In fact that first 10-15% of the 104 page document is like easily even better than uncle ted's. Then it falls off even worse than Game of Thrones post red wedding, and I mean both the TV shows and the books. Starts off very coherently addressing and very precisely diagnosing parts of the problems with modern society through a marxist lense in a way that actually does make coherent sense and offers novel insights that nobody else has to my knowledge. Then it quickly loses the beat and becomes one of the most mind numblingly stupid treatise I've ever read on gender. Just outrageous exaggerations about what the lives of "chads" and normal women are actually like coupled with some weird moral grandstanding about sexual degeneracy that even Nancy Regan would find prudish. Easily as delusional, stupid, and divorced from an understanding of true human nature as any of the works of Andrea Dworkin or any lesbian 2nd wave 'tards. The literal radical leftist communist incel part is driving the MSM narrative makers crazy.
Mentally ill? no. Grandiose and kinda just wrong? yes.
This bbing fed is called DWOWS and honestly best I've ever competed in. These guys and Huanji Galaxy (haven't done of their shows yet) bring a level of professionalism and organizational skill to bodybuilding that is badly needed in most other countries. Super precise with communication, on time, punctual, organized, perfect stage lighting, great photography, super reliable live stream with commentary, just the right amount of advertising... absolutely awesome. By contrast, even the biggest national level pro qualifiers in America don't have a live stream or even anyone recording it at all.... we had drones flying around us and multiple cameras from different angles capturing everything perfectly. And yeah, prize money. 30k rmb for first in male divisions, 10k for bikini (the only female division at this show). They have livestreams for some pro shows but they pepper the backgrounds with ads that make it harder to actually see the physiques accurately, the live streams are often 30-70 USD pay per view, low quality and cut out, no multi-cam setup at all. Outside of Olympia+Arnold, only the Detroit Pro is known for great professionalism and lighting/stage design. It's an absolute joke that pro qualifiers aren't filmed and streamed. This federation and the one that does pro qualifiers (huanji galaxy) for non-guangdong mainland china stream everything from their lowest level beginner natty shows up to the high stakes pro/am pro qualifiers.
China becoming a bbing powerhouse shortly after I start getting really into it and taking it seriously is pretty cool timing!
It's become part of youth counterculture which is hilarious. My high school students follow it and know the big names, even if they don't compete themselves. But they watched their parents embrace materialism, status jockeying, and a lack of importance for physical experiences or health and strength and basically decided to do the opposite. Reject the cars and jewelry and hustle to make as much money as possible culture, embrace ascetic minimalism, discipline, presence, and physicality.
Congrats on the shape you’ve got into and it’s awesome to read the energy and enthusiasm you have for your future with bb
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How are you the small guy? Aren't you like way over 6' tall? JFC. They got Yao Ming's kids coming up doing BBing now?
How are you the small guy? Aren't you like way over 6' tall? JFC. They got Yao Ming's kids coming up doing BBing now?
Small is a word for "less muscle" not height in bodybuilding. Milos Sarcev was a "small but sleek" competitor in bbing standards; he's still massive by a normal person's perspective but visibly much less muscular than his competitors. This isn't a bad thing at all; Terrence Ruffin is a very small competitor but he's top 3 Olympia classic physique and could realistically win next year. But he's 5'5 and 176lbs. What it means is he's got less muscle but way more aesthetic/balanced/lean and generally the only problem they had is just adding more size.
Yeah, I'm just saying. You probably tower over most of the competitors. If I were that tall I'd dare them to call me small again. lol
Congratulations on the performance. Those two photos look amazing.
Yeah, I'm just saying. You probably tower over most of the competitors. If I were that tall I'd dare them to call me small again. lol
Not really. A lot of short Chinese height was just poor nutrition in previous generations. I'm the shortest male in the room at 180cm in 3 of my 4 10th grade classes, and still well below average height among all of my male high school students. Overall winner was around 188-189cm.
But funnily enough, among people around my own age I am indeed a giant.
Not really. A lot of short Chinese height was just poor nutrition in previous generations. I'm the shortest male in the room at 180cm in 3 of my 4 10th grade classes, and still well below average height among all of my male high school students. Overall winner was around 188-189cm.
But funnily enough, among people around my own age I am indeed a giant.
Damn, I had no idea.
random things
1. I got really obsessed with a subgenre of EDM that's real atmospheric and chill sounding called "wave" and it's closely related partner "witchhouse". Completely different from what I normally listen to (metal, hxcx, folk, dark rap like $uicideboy$ or Bones) but loving the vibe and aesthetic. Some of the first music I've enjoyed in my life that neurotypical females could actually listen to and enjoy.
2. GLP1s definitely have direct psychiatric action and seem to change behaviour and brain chemistry in ways that manifest in different behaviour and mood independent of weight loss. I will refrain from sharing too much personal details, but I'm feeling it and it feels good. Even through my forum posting I might seem just way less "dramatic" and "intense". Of course some of that comes with age, wisdom, and confidence, but my subjective experience of being on this medication vs off is definitely some big changes in how I feel day to day. Just less neurotic overall. These are still fairly new medicines but I'm really looking forward to these being studied as off-label treatments for depression/anxiety/addiction/bipolar/epilepsy etc. I'm already staying on it year round on lower doses (1.5mg/wk reta) for insulin sensitivity and glucose management which are two of the most significant variables in enhanced or natural bodybuilding. Having a (perceived) mellowing out from it is a nice cherry on top.
3. On the note of GLP1s, if you have any sort of biohacking or social science in your social media feed you probably came across this:
It does somewhat contradict my worldview of constantly spazzing out about how important looks are for men, but I imagine something similar might happen for men with limb lengthening surgery or getting on a steroid cycle+lifting. But even I'll admit the effects wouldn't be this drastic, nor would I have expected the impact to be this drastic for women's lives. Being fat just wrecks your life as a woman way more than I would have believed before seeing this.
Not related to anything else in this log, but this was an interesting study that came across my timeline. One of those things you would expect from common sense, but still always useful to test the hypothesis at the experimental level.
Culture shapes electrocortical responses during emotion suppression
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PM...
--Cliffnotes: East Asian culture (and genes?) cause a more more modulated emotional response to stimulus compared to European ancestry Americans, and this can be measured at the neural level.
--As an aside I remember reading that in the 18th-20th centuries when America was still 80/20 white black, European travelers like de Tocqueville noted Americans were more externally emotional than Europeans, and speculated this was due to the influences of being in proximity to blacks and black culture.
