227 pounds with Progress Pictures

I could go on and on about the Arnold Weekend but I won't.  Instead, the only thing "Arnold" will be that my progress pictures were taken in the hotel in Columbus, Ohio, while I was in town for the Arnold.  I mean, EVERYONE knows that the lighting in hotel rooms is far superior to almost any gym and certainly better than at any point in your home.

My current weight is stable at 227 and my goal was 230 with roughly 4 weeks to go.  I also said that I would hit this 230 mark with the same condition I had at 218 or as close as I could possibly be.  In addition to providing pictures in another 4 weeks for comparison, I will also be doing another DEXA scan to compare the results over the 12-week off season phase.

As most of you know who have been following my coach logs, I was kind of "stuck" around 225 and tried the mid-week Skipload prior to leg day in addition to the Sunday Skipload.  I didn't like the results and listed in detail what the results were in the last coach log.  I did manage, however, to bump my scale weight to 227.  The problem wasn't the results as much as I didn't like the feeling after loading mid-week because I was then bloated again and distended while training legs and I don't feel this is going to be the best approach.  Instead, I am changing my regular diet, again, by adding carbs and fats.

This is exactly the diet I will be using for the next 4 weeks to topple the 230-mark and hold my current condition while doing so:

meal 1

2 scoops TEAM SKIP protein

3/4 cup oats

2 tbsp. any kind of nut butter (though I prefer pistachio butter)

Meal 2

6oz chicken breast

1 slice of real cheese

onions and peppers

1 cup of mashed sweet potato

Meal 3

same as meal 1

Meal 4

2 cups non-fat, plain greek yogurt

1 cup fresh fruit

1 slice of real cheese

1 Monster

immediately prior to training:
supplement that spikes IGF levels

TRAIN (25g of carbs and 15g EAAs in my workout water)

Meal 5 (postworkout)

1.5 cups of rice chex 

2 scoops of TEAM SKIP protein

Meal 6

6oz chicken breast

1 slice of real cheese

onions and peppers

Meal 7 (if needed like after legs)

2 scoops of TEAM SKIP protein

2 tbsp any nut butter

(no oats)

I have little doubt that this plan will push me over the 230-mark with 4 weeks still to go.  The question is whether my condition will hold as it is now and I think it is likely that it will.

My critique of my progress with my physique goes like this:

My legs are not what they were years ago but they have come up quite a bit in the last year.   I am happy with the progress but obviously, I want even more.

I believe that my legs are tighter than they have been so far during this "comeback."

My delts and arms and calves I have no real issues with, in that the progress has been pretty good and they are not lagging behind any other body part.  My chest is better but not by leaps and bounds and my main focus or "worry" is my back.  I absolutely HATE my back in a front double biceps shot - hate it.  I do feel like it has progressed but slightly in comparison to everything else.  I am working hard to add as much width as possible to my back right now.

I also want my hamstrings to come up and I feel they are.  However, they aren't as weak as my back width.  The number one concern right now is my back width.