George's Road To The Bodybuilding Stage (1st Prep)

Looking fantastic George, the glutes are definitely in!

CHECK IN DAY - 09.07.19 (25 DAYS OUT)

So checked in with the boss this morning and AJ was really happy with the adjustments we made by introducing the diet break. We both identified that we started to look shit, watery, bloated & almost a faded look to my physique. An increase in food really improved my look, how I feel and performance has been fantastic, even sleep quality has drastically improved over the past 5/6 days which has been amazing.

So this week we are continuing with the diet break macros

P225 C450 F50 (roughly 3,200kcals).

My physique has responsed really really well to those adjustments and the reverse diet phase has almost begun. BW wise, we saw an increase (which is going to be expected) and my BW is sitting around 148-150lbs give or take. Psychologically this is very hard for me to deal with as I always want to see the scale weight drop, but when you're super lean the scale weight almost becomes irrelevant and how you're looking/feeling becomes WAY more important & by the looks of things, I look WAY better now then I was at 146lbs.

I've had a few recent digestive issues lately too. Found that potato pre workout was giving me too much of a bloat through the day, I would wake up with just an odd looking bloat too. So I reintroduced oats pre workout and found everything improved. One thing I have done is STOP the pepsi Maxs and syrups too. Its been hard but I have been relying on that shit WAYYYY too much. So AJ told me to stop, and I have.

PLAN OF ACTION

We will run a linear training day food at 450c 50f 225p on TD. The goal is to hold onto performance/muscle and use NTD as a fat loss day. Expenditure has increased up to 15k on NTD, and 12k on TD.

Feeling really good, confident and excited to showcase something special. I'll attach photos below.

cardio and non training day macros remain the same? I believe that the 150 more carbs in TD will make you well physically and mentally!

CHECK IN DAY - 6 WEEKS OUT

So another week ticked off and another step closer to the overall goal. I will be honest, I have been struggling these past couple of weeks especially with my mindset whilst training, expenditure outside of the gym and upset with how I am looking physique wise. I have been guilty of the following:

- Doing more in the gym than I should be e.g. more sets/volume.

- Expending way more outside the gym that I should be (steps, cardio etc)

The reason behind this, the more I do… the better. The better my fat loss will be, the leaner I will look which in reality ISN’T always the case and has actually bit me on the ass.

Based upon the photos I sent over to @ajmorris_ I look extremely flat, worn out, watery look & slightly faded in some areas, and its very disheartening for me to see because I really have worked extremely hard to not get to this point. HOWEVER, we can sort this out. So changes into this week is simple, diet break. I haven’t had a diet break for 24 weeks now, not once. So diet fatigue is incredibly high. Luckily I’m very lean, condition is still very good so I can afford to have one (the benefits of longer preps & being ready early). So food is up on TDs, which makes me nervous/excited as I forever am looking for that progress.

So my food intake is the following

TD - P225 C450 F50

We are both hoping to see a reduction in diet fatigue, bring back those faded body parts and hopefully allow us to take a step further in fat loss.

Photos attached below...

7.5 weeks out - 20.06.19

Resting up today. Had an EPIC pull session yesterday. Top set of deadlifts were all time PBs for me believe it or not. Pull 140x10 which is something I am proud of despite being so lean and deep into prep. I have avoided movements like this for SO LONG. Was never good at them, form was meh so had the fuck it I wont bother doing it approach. And it has bitten me straight in the ass because my posterior chain is something which is lagging behind ever since getting lean. So my off-season goal is simple, I will pull 200kg off the floor, its gunna take me a long time but I am confident I will be able to do so.

Rest day wise I do my standard shit, haircut, sunbed, "trying" to relax and nail my steps early. I was try getting everything out the way so I can spend some time relaxing instead of worrying about having to do steps, or check ins etc. Cardio this morning was harder than normal, it didnt help that I did push things yesterday with the deadlifts causing some lower body fatigue but it was damn worth it in my opinion.

Nutritional wise, oats pre workout have been REMOVED. I have found that my sweet tooth has been trying to get the better of me in recent times, making me crave chocolate etc in my oats which isnt productive at all. So potato pre workout is in. Just brought myself an air fryer so excited to cook some potato chips in there tomorrow ready for legs. Other than that no real changes this week.

Resting up now, gunna get a sun bed, finish my steps then legs tomorrow with Nathan again down at Physiques Gym (very excited).

13.06.19 - 8.5 WEEKS OUT

UNREAL session today with Nathan @ Physiques Gym in Hemel Hempstead, if you're in the Hertfordshire area I would HIGHLY recommend taking a trip to that gym. Opened earlier this year, kitted out with Atlantis, new hammer strength kit. Fantastic.

High an all time PB on the Atlantis Pendulum today, no idea how but we'll take it. I looked back through my log book and when I was 20lbs heavier I was doing 75x6, today I did 72.5x12. CRAZY!

Lower body session:

Atlantis Pendulum x2

Atlantis V-squat x2

Leg Press x3

DB RDL x2

Leg Ext x2 (triple drop)

Seated Curl x3

Seated Calf x3

Adductor RP

Abductor RP

Unreal session! Motivation high, feeling epic and a new low this AM of 147.9lbs. So we are happy.

9 WEEKS OUT

I PROMISE YOU I WILL KEEP THIS UPDATED EVERYDAY.

Another solid week in the books. Not much as changed in the past couple of weeks physique wise but we are slowly cruising into the first show of the year. BW dropped 0.2 on average this week which isnt much, a reduction in 25g protein made not much of a difference. Didnt effect hunger at all either. Sunday/monday I had 550g carbs go in, felt a lot better within myself which was good. Feeling good this AM too so excited to train pull today with Nath down @ Kings Gym.

NUTRITION

TD P225 C300 F50

NTD P225 C250 F70

REFEED P200 C550 F40

CARDIO/OUTPUT

30 MINS STAIRS ON REST/PUSH SESSION (FASTED WITH 10MG YOHIMBINE)

10,000 STEPS EVERYDAY

TRAINING

LEGS, PUSH, PULL OFF, REPEAT

Generally still feeling ok. Fatigue isnt CRAZY high and i'm still recovering pretty well between sessions. The only issues i'm having is a little lower body fatigue when training, high impact cardio (stairmaster) and steps. Dont allow my lower body to recover. But performance in the gym is still V GOOD (lower body wise) progressing lifts still. Upper body is okay, making little progress with that but maintaining some lifts is the main focus there for me. I do miss being stronger hahaha, I miss progressing numbers like I used to in the off-season but i'm confident I will surpass the previous years when working with AJ.

My planned shows this year

BNBF Southern - 4th Aug

UKDFBA Sourthern - 10th

Hoping to qualify for the finals too and the overall goal would be the WORLDS. I am working extremely hard for this. BELIEVE ME!

Hi George,

Looking amazing, Have you thought about investing in a posing coach it helped me so much gave me a bit more confidence, i think Emma hyndman does bodybuilding!

04.06.19 - 9.5 Weeks Out

Another productive week ticked off in the books. Not much has changed since I last gave you an update. BW changes havent been crazy (0.2lbs on average) but AJ has told me he sees more visual changes in my physique (especially more details in the glutes). One big win for me this week was gym performance. I have really been able to actually progress some log book numbers which is interesting. Felt fantastic going into 90% of my sessions and numbers are either being maintained/progressed. Cant really underline exactly what that is down to but either way I shall take it.

One change AJ has made this week is the reduction in protein intake. Rationale behind this is pretty simple. AJ believes that weight loss this week will most likely be minimal so a reduction in 25g protein on both TD/NTD will see a 100kcal reduction for the day. As im around 150lbs right now, 250g protein is pretty high and isn't necessary for my BW. So we've pulled 25g. Reasoning behind pulling protein over carbs/fats is purely down to how the minimal effect it will have on me compared to 25g carbs for example which I know will make me hungrier.

UPDATED MACROS

TD - P225 C300 F50

NTD - P225 C250 F70

REFEED P200 C550 F40

Cardio/steps all remain the same. Have been a little more demotivated this week as I haven't seen a change on the scale weight and when performing cardio/steps etc, it hasn't rewarded so it does frustrate me. Expecting a new low this week with the reduction in food so will keep you all updated. Feeling good still in general. Sleep has been shit recently, waking up at 2/3am going for a piss, quality hasnt been good either so potentially a deload is due soon but we shall assess.

My main focus this week is posing, I AM SHIT. I need to work on this a lot. So any advice from you guys reading would be greatly appreciated.

PHOTOS ATTACHED BELOW

07.05.19 14 weeks out

Productive overall week of ticking the boxes, weight dropped from 152.6 to 150.3lbs yesterday. So a nice drop on the scales. Visually I look leaner, I feel leaner so all in the right directions there. Took some shots this AM and happy to see where I am at. More lines, glutes coming in more and overall actually surprised myself in particular shots which is good. Resting today, so cardio done this AM, done roughly 5k steps already, plenty of meals, and trying to do something outside of bodybuilding which I enjoy.

Had a few eyes on me this week, was able to practise some posing with a PCA athlete which was good, he taught me a few things which I need to work on, my weaknesses etc etc. My biggest issue when posing is trying too hard, like I should be making it look easy instead of breaking a huge crazy sweat from tensing so hard hahah, but I think this is just the inexperience I have, been practising everyday so far so WILL get better.

Training wise has been up and down. Had Nathan training with me the past couple of days which has been a huge boost BUT I have been pushing things further than I should e.g. More vol in sessions, more forced reps which is biting me on the ass. This is something which I addressed to AJ and I was fully aware of what he was going to response with ("sort it the fuck out") which is what im going to do within this week. Recovery still pretty good, not sore much. Maybe a little after pulling from the floor but nothing crazy to notify.

Nutrition/output all remains the same for this week.

TD P250 C300 F50

NTD P250 C250 F70

REFEED P200 C500 F40

Excited for my refeed tomorrow, thursday which should be good. Will keep you all updated :)

04.05.19 14 weeks out

Woke up 0.7lbs lighter this morning (151.3lbs). Normally dont drop weight after a rest day but somehow did this morning and I felt it. Felt a little more tired than usual this AM. Getting into the routine of posing every AM right now (2 rounds). Never really posed properly before so really want to start early instead of going on stage not having a clue how to pose. Its a shame because I see SO MANY good physiques who pose like shit and it makes me really sad hahha.

Anyway, had a good leg session today. Felt pretty tired and strength was slightly off compared to usual. Nothing to worry about if im honest, just took a little longer to recover between sets, a little fatigued with the heavy loading aspect of things. But we kept going, didnt give up and ensured I gave it my all.

Trained @ Graftism Gym, Watford. Really good bits of kit for legs. Only reason I go there.

LOWER BODY

Atlantis Pendulum 1x4-6 1x8-10

Smith Squat (in replace of a V-Squat) 1x5-9 1x12-15

Single Leg, Leg Press 3x15-20

Smith Lunge 1x8-10 2x12-15

Leg Ext 3x12-15

Kneeling Leg Curl 1x8-10 2x12-15

Adductor/Abductor REST PAUSE (Gym was closing so had to rush)

Standing Calf Raise 3x12-15

Didnt manage to do calves as the gym shut but will do them tomorrow, no issues. Good session, sweaty session for sure. But nailed.

02.05.19 - 14.5 WEEKS OUT

First of all, apologies for not updating the log as often as I should. I will keep you updated on a daily. So Monday & Tuesday were refeed days (both 500g carbs going in) and BW dropped 2lbs which is perfect.

NEW LOW this morning of 150.9lbs, slow getting into those 140s which is unknown territory for me. I think the lowest ive ever weighed in 147lbs so we are closing in on that. Feeling good though, really good. Performance in gym is very good, overall energy has been better compared to last and things are ticking nicely.

MACROS

TD - P250 C300 F50 KCALS 2650

NTD - P250 C2500 F70 KCALS 2630

REFEED - P200 C500 F40 KCALS 3160

AVERAGE PER WEEK - 2800 KCALS

Not too bad for a 150lbs bodybuilder IMO.

Training all remains the same, lower body and pull sessions still pretty strong, however pushing sessions still have been taking a hit (MAINLY ON THE BIG MOVEMENTS) but not too much to report or worry about I dont think. Still believe im holding on to muscle pretty well. Pulling off the floor today which always excites me. So will let you know how that goes. OVERALL things are good.

Nutritional wise I have been smashing more 10kcal jellies, more pepsi max's etc and its almost getting to the stage of me relying on them through the day. I'm starting to realise that its probably too much. After speaking with the boss we both agreed this does need cutting down and the relationship with this type of stuff isnt going to get me anywhere. On another note I have tried not stress out about fitting meals in. Sometimes I finish the gym around 6:30 and have to fit 3 meals in before 10pm. This could cause me STRESS, both internal and external. But I have been focusing on not worrying, I can fit that in with 2 bigger meals instead. This has improved digestion and reduced bloating for sure.

Attached photos from my check in on Tuesday 30.04.19 let me know what you think.

23.04.19 - 16 weeks out

AM shots attached below. Had a wicked session with AJ yesterday over at Flex n Tone. Unreal gym, kitted out with Nautilus... just unreal. AJ posted the session in his log so make sure you check that out.

BW dropped down to 151.4 the past two days. Yesterday was a 500g carb refeed and BW remained the same this morning, my body just seems to suck these carbs up really nicely with no issues, no bloating or stress which is brilliant. Refeeding again today so another 500g carb so expect to fill out a little more tomorrow and fallen out towards the end of the week.

AJ took some shots and said I was in a good position, few areas which we need to work on and posing defo needs to be more frequent as I do struggle with transitions etc. But will start right now with that. Overall I dont like my upper body, I lack that density which is frustrating, like nothing pops out. But lower body im happy with right now, I actually have quads which is nice to know as I work so fucking hard for them.

Overall I am happy, push today with AJ down at World's Gym, so will film the full workout for youtube. Had my AM cardio this morning at 400kcals on the stairs (30 MINS) now off for a sunbed loool.

18.04.19

BW came down to roughly 152lbs this week which is a pretty big drop. I go through phases of where my BW still stall and then just drop, fairly weird this fat loss phase haha. The lowest I have been EVER is 147lbs and I fucking hated it, felt very very skinny within myself. My girlfriend is even starting to notice that I'm getting leaner and we see each other everyday (she isnt the biggest fan of 'lean' George) but it needs to be done.

An interesting debate over on my instagram post the other day (follow me Georgeosborne12). Some individuals think im too lean at 17 weeks out. And I totally decrease, no offence to the individuals who quoted that but most were very uneducated about this and didnt really see/understand the importance of condition in natty shows. YOU HAVE TO BE PEELED. We all know im not the biggest most dense mass monster out there, just look at me. So I really need to work with what ive got and that simply means if I have any chance of winning a show, I need to chase that condition. I am fully aware of what this will do to my health, from a hormonal perspective etc etc. We all know that competing isnt healthy, its far from it but this is something Ive never done before and I live and breathe this shit, its my life, my job, the thing which gets me up in the morning. So I will give it my all.

So my answer is NO, im not too lean. Im still fat, my glutes are soggy, no details in hamstrings so plenty more to come off.

Rest day was good yesterday, tried to keep myself busy. Today is a lower body session (my favs) so motivation and excitement is high.

16.04.19

THANK YOU FOR THE BDAY MESSAGES, I had a lovely day. We decided to go paintballing which was sick but damn I was fucked, I defo could have enjoyed it more if I wasnt on prep but ah well ill remember that one for next time. It was constant (9am-5pm) of paint balling and afterwards I had to go train legs which defo was ideal but I got it done.

NEW LOW this morning, 152lbs after 500g carbs yesterday. I have attached some photos below. All in all im happy with where im at. The refeed is doing its job and I feel a lot better than previous days which is good. Sessions this week have been pretty good considering, no real issues to tell you about and actually maintaining some numbers as well. I dont know why but previously when im in and around this BW, my gym performance always seems to be a lot better, had this last year too. Checking in with the boss this AM so will keep you updated with his feedback. Another 500g carb day for me today. I was meant to refeed on the Sunday (my bday) but after the paint balling and all the running around rushing to get the food in, it would have just caused more stress in total honesty so we did monday & tuesday instead which I confirmed with AJ.

Pull today with deads, I LOVE DEADLIFTING even though im terrible at it.

Happy Birthday George!

Lower body session was good today, wasnt the best ive ever had but still very much got what I needed done and took some numbers. What ive found out from my training, is that I get better as the sets going on. What I mean by this, my first set is always harder than my second. Some people are very different. Their top set typically is the best set and then lack off they normally have to reduce the loading. Not sure why I am the opposite, I think it just takes me a little more time to adapt to the movements

Lower 1

Cybex Hack 3ppsx9 2.5ppsx21???

Atlantis Pendulum 70x5 (felt horrilbe) 65x15???

Leg Press 350x8 340x12 300x22

DB RDLs 50x16/16

Leg Ext 77x16/14 (TRIPLE DROP)

Leg Curl 91x8.5 84x10 63x21

Seated Calf 50x16/14/14

Adductor 80x15 70x15/12

Been struggling to connect with the pendulum lately, no idea why but as you can see I got 10 extra reps with a 5kg reduction, very odd. But overall took some good numbers.

That is a lot of supps! Interested to see how you find them over time, although it would be quite impossible to single out which one(s) are facilitating your prep goals!

Upon Wake

- 1000mg Vit C

- 5g Supportmax Neuro (on rest days only with M1)

- 10mg Yohimbine (push days/rest days FASTED with Caffeine)

- Vit D3 (Nutri Advanced)

- Greens Powder (Strong Greens, BPN)

INTRA

- 30G Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin

- 2g Taurine

- 15g EAA

- 20g Pepto Pro

- 5G Creatine

- 1G Electrolytes

PRE

- 1 Scoop MVPre (On lower body)

With Post Wo Meal

- 200mg Magnesium Glycinate

Pre Bed

- 200mg Magnesium Glycinate (2 caps) Ive played with 300mg

- 5g Supportmax Neuro

- 30mg Zinc Picolinate (2 caps)

Not crazy with supps but do think they provide that extra 1/2% so the only way to know is try it (for a period of time) and assess whether it provides a benefit. With ANY supps you need to trial these for a period of time to see the benefit. DO NOT take it once and assume its shit.

09.04.19

Checked in with the boss this AM, all is fine and no changes made this week. The refeed did the job we wanted and its been kept in place which is fucking awesome so very excited for the 500g carbs on the weekend. Its my birthday sunday so makes me that little bit happier.

Resting up today did my standard fasted cardio

30 mins level 12 (pure gym) 400kcals

20 mins incline walk (incline 5.5, speed 6.2) roughly 160kcals

With the incline walking all im doing is recruiting steps, but I want to aim to progress it too. So higher incline/speed over time. 30 mins on stairs is getting easier, I keep my head down, listen to a podcast (educational/entertainment) and get on with it. Try my best to keep my hands off the machine but id say I do it for 95% of the 30 mins and put my hands on when needed. Cant stand seeing people lean on it throughout their cardio, totally makes it so much easier but there we go.

Got my oats to finish off the night and trying to hit the bed early.

I peep a glute striation! Looking in a GOOD spot for how far out you are, excited to see the final product!

08.04.19

So refeed was really good, over the weekend I consumed 1000g of carbs and felt A LOT better. Ive done refeeds in the past but never really gained/felt a benefit from them. But this weekend I VERY much did which was good. Overall my mood was better, energy better, performance, reduction in fatigue are the main things from it (CRAZY what a little bit of extra food can do)

Interestingly, I thought my BW would increase as intake was higher. But I dropped 0.6lbs over the weekend (154.9-154.3). Im guessing my body really needed that extra bit of food and very much sucked it up very quickly. Also one thing I wanted to note was longer days, which meant output this weekend was a little higher and longer days meant more kcals being burnt throughout the day. One important thing to note, higher insulin from the carb intake also has a diuretic effect, which can cause a water loss effect on its own. You can also lower cortisol and aldosterone, which can cause greater water loss.

I have attached AM photos this morning, feel slightly fuller, not crazy amounts, defo feel leaner too.

Training wise I cannot complain at all, really really good sessions. Ive actually been able to progress my push session yesterday which was a surprise as my push sessions have taken a bit of a hit within this prep. Lower body session on saturday was one of my best too. So overall feeling good. Got deads today so looking forward to beating some numbers and make the most of this food. I expect to flatten out towards the end of the week.

18 weeks out, just here ticking boxes. Check in with the boss tomorrow as well

hey george would you say your rate of fat loss increased after implemeneting yohimbine? I said to you yesterday this is the best youve look so far mate :) keep at it and ill see you on show day !

02.04.19

CHECK IN DAY with the boss so will post his feedback on here for you. I'm expecting some changes for sure. Overall okay week, got my first speeding ticket, car broken down which cost me £250 so stress was higher than usual BUT training has been fucking sick! Really had some sick sessions this week and motivation has been higher. Sleep quality has been its best (roughly 8hrs) and still enjoying my time with my girlfriend.

Annoyingly scale weight hasnt changed much, still sitting around 156-157lbs which is frustrating, but looking better in pictures I think. Still plenty more to come off of course. Feel leaner as well especially when introducing carbs on a rest day, vascular as fuck.

Im expecting a refeed this week at some point so will go through that with you in the coming days to show exactly what im doing. In for legs today which are my favourite sessions so will post how I get on with it. Motivation is so high right now!!!

Good push session yesterday after all the stress that occurred. Was a little rushed with things but managed to do the best I could with the time I had. I personally love to be in the gym for 3 hours, take my time warming up, ensure EVERYTHING is firing etc etc.

Pressing lately has still been taking a bit of a hit. It has always done this EVERY TIME I diet or lose some BW. I very much struggle to maintain numbers within presses & if im honest with you... it shows within my physique. Chest is something I defo need to improve upon, I know execution isnt an issue. Its simply a case of not getting progressively stronger over the years because I have been doing the same weights for a year or two now. So with help from AJ in my off-season this is something I WILL bring up.

Recorded a full day of eating for youtube (live today) so check out exactly what im eating.

TD P250 C350 F50

NTD P250 C250 F70

In for pull today, going to travel over to the Cave In Corby for a session, really enjoyed the kit in there. Will post my push session below....

30.03.19

154.6lbs this AM (new low), went and did my cardio and my car decided to break down which in the time of the moment I thought it was the end of the world. But I got over it. Had to sit in Mcdonalds with my chicken and a black coffee whilst being able to charge my phone. So not the best start to the weekend.

Had a SICK lower body session yesterday. Felt unreal and everything just was perfect which was nice. In for push today which im excited about, going to defo take my anger out from this morning.

AJ is planning my first refeed of this prep so excited for that, will keep you updated. Cardio this AM was actually easier than usual which was good.

10mg Yohimbine

30 mins stairs (level 12, Pure gym)