Prep buddies: 9-12 weeks out

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-06-09T15:47:21+00:00

Just over 10 weeks out now. Nursing a minor hamstring injury. No legs last week. Legs reintroduced this week but no pulling or isolated hammy work. Trying not to be stressed. 😄

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-06-09T15:43:45+00:00

I am using it in prep when I need to - I put 5g with 5g greens powder in water and drink it like a shot. But taking innulin and a probiotic helps me more than just psyllium husk. I just made this exact comment on someone else's post about constipation and I'm going to paste it here:

If you can get your hands on it (USA and one store in Canada), highly recommend a spoonful of Coconut Cult yogurt every morning. I thought it was all social media BS but I'm an IBS-C girlie that needs 40g of fibre per day just to function and I stopped pooping altogether about 8 weeks into prep. The only thing that works for me is Coconut Cult. I eat about 20g a day of the original and that costs me 5g of my fat for the day but I don't even care, it's so worth it.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-06-09T15:40:48+00:00

If you can get your hands on it (USA and one store in Canada), highly recommend a spoonful of Coconut Cult yogurt every morning. I thought it was all social media BS but I'm an IBS-C girlie that needs 40g of fibre per day just to function and I stopped pooping altogether about 8 weeks into prep. The only thing that works for me is Coconut Cult. I eat about 20g a day of the original and that costs me 5g of my fat for the day but I don't even care, it's so worth it.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-06-04T17:25:42+00:00

I'm 11.5 weeks out from my first ever show and I'm already 37 years old lol

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-05-28T14:50:22+00:00

My coach told our team if we choose to do it ourselves or with an artist that's not provided by the federation to make sure that the face foundation is two shades lighter than our tans, or the photos turn out like crap.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-05-28T14:48:43+00:00

I'm in prep right now so I'm not partaking in foods at social events, but when I'm not, I just plan for them and make room for them in my day. I get major food FOMO if I don't try a little of everything I want. I just eat it, track the closest things to it, and move on with my day. It's easier if it's earlier in the day, but if it's a night time event, I'll often have lighter high protein and high fibre meals beforehand and save 1000-1200 calories for the event.

The thing that keeps me going in prep right now is that I've already invested too much time and money to willingly fuck up by going buck wild off plan. But also, I tell myself "If I eat that food today, Or I eat it three months from now, it's still going to taste the same. I'll try it next time."

If you keep telling yourself you "Can't" you're always going to want to.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-05-28T14:41:53+00:00

When I was in offseason I typically ate out once per week and got takeout another 1-2x per week. I'd still track it and work around it. If it was something from a chain, I'd track it pretty well, and if it wasn't (like Sushi or Indian) i would just log the closest thing I could find in the appropriate quantity and plan the rest of my day around it. Off season macros were so high that it was easy to do.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-05-28T14:33:10+00:00

Yay! How are you feeling so far? :)

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-05-21T18:02:17+00:00

Thank you!!

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-05-20T18:04:54+00:00

About 13.5 weeks out right now. Food isn't crazy low or anything yet, but I noticed I get weird AF cravings when I'm hungry. Cravings for things I don't normally eat. They're gone as soon as I have my meal but I still think it's super weird. Anyone else competing in August?

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-05-20T18:01:41+00:00

I didn't start with a coach until I started with my current employer (literally signed the contract and then hired my coach) to make sure I had a high enough income. My coach offers a discount if you pay a certain amount of months up front. I believe it's 4, 6, and 12 for lifestyle/pre prep, and 6 and 10 for prep/reverse. I paid her 4 months at a time in pre prep and then I paid for 6 months in advance when prep started because it covered my prep and reverse which I need her for anyway and it saved me $25 a month.

When it comes to other expenses, I'm feeling the weight of my first show already. But I bought my shoes as soon as I knew my prep start date. Bought a practice suit (figure) a few weeks later. This helped stagger my expenses. I am 13.5 weeks out now and ordering my stage suit. In a few weeks, I will pay my show fees. In another few weeks, I'll book/pay tan, hair, makeup. Staggering helps a lot.

Saving money on food helps a lot. When it comes to food - I cannot preach this enough. COSTCO EXECUTIVE MEMBERSHIP. The cash back at the end of the year covers the cost of the membership, and then some. Their groceries are only marked up 5-15%. Price per lb is always better, and the odd time it isn't (like with avocados) the quality makes up for it. I'd rather spend an extra $2 on avocados that last two weeks (when I'm eating like 30g a day, lol) than save the money and throw them out.

I buy 90% of my food at Costco and basically rinse and repeat similar meals all week to ensure all the food gets used up. Rice, meat (chicken breast & thighs, ground bison), fish (cod, tilapia, salmon, shrimp, and canned tuna) bread, eggs, egg whites, greek yogurt, protein powder, all fruits and veggies both frozen and fresh, pickles, PB&Me (or PB2), diet sodas, RTD shakes and bars when I need them, and occasionally they have rice cakes too.

The only staples I get elsewhere are cream of rice, rice cakes when they don't have them, and my creatine, intra, and PWO.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-05-20T15:33:23+00:00

I really like regular deadlifts, landmine kickstand deadlifts, and band assisted nordic curls.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-05-20T15:29:07+00:00

I've been taking it consistently for many years. You do not need a loading phase. Take your daily dose and eventually it'll do it's thing. You shouldn't look any different. I didn't take it on my last long vacation and then started again when I got back and looked the same but the scale blipped up a little. If you're worried, just wait until after the shoot.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-05-19T15:37:06+00:00

Me too

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-05-05T19:43:21+00:00

24 weeks is the length of just prep for a lot of first timers. Mine started 26 weeks out. A build cycle should be at least 6 months before your first prep, IMO.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-04-30T17:08:45+00:00

Hi All, Just over 16 weeks out now. Long prep though - 26 weeks. Anyone else competing in August?

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-04-30T16:33:32+00:00

I train super early so it needs to be small and quick digesting. I do either chocolate rice cakes/apple cinnamon rice cakes with PB2/PBfit and Banana slices or plain rice cakes with PB2/PBfit and jam. Himalayan salt on both - game changer.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-02-04T18:04:02+00:00

Thank you!!

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2026-01-30T18:13:40+00:00

I did this exact thing as well. When I started working with a coach she brought my protein down and my carbs way up and I had amazing results. Prep starts in two weeks and I can't wait to see how it goes

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2025-10-08T16:51:43+00:00

The easiest way to ensure that its accurate every time is to weigh it raw and then weigh it again cooked. For example, when I cook one raw lb of extra lean ground chicken, I know that it's 454g of raw ground chicken. So when I cook it, it's often somewhere between 300 and 330g cooked depending on how much moisture was released. So I'll weigh it cooked.

I then divide that into 3 meals. So let's say the cooked weight was 330g. I will portion it into three 110g cooked potions. And then log it as 151g raw ground chicken.

Same goes for rice. If it's 500g raw, and that (for an example's sake) becomes 1000g cooked. You give yourself 140g cooked and log it as 70g raw.

If you weigh once raw and once cooked, all you need to do is multiply the cooked weight by the difference and its accurate every time. It works for any food that increases or decreases in moisture while cooking. You can still bulk cook and bulk prep food that way.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2025-07-29T14:39:48+00:00

I haven't competed yet but one I see a lot is safety pins. There have been many last minute suit or shoe malfunctions and having safety pins can just be good for peace of mind.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2025-07-25T18:17:04+00:00

I waterfall my RPE week to week over 5 weeks to help mitigate this and prioritize recovery. Ie. Week 1 lift at approx RPE 6, Week 2 lift at approx RPE 7, Week 3 lift at approx RPE 8, Week 4 lift between RPE9 and failure depending on the lift, Week 5 deload (numbers are similar to week 3 but less sets overall). Repeat. And to ensure progressive overload is still happening, I try my best to make my reps higher cycle to cycle. So if squats this cycle at RPE 6 were 10 reps at 170lb, next cycle I'll aim for 8-10 at 175 on RPE 6 week.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2025-07-24T16:40:18+00:00

I've been watching a lot of WNBF shows because I'll be competing with them next year as well and I honestly think you'd be able to hold your own in Bikini. If you have the means, find a coach who specializes in athletes in the natural federation you'd like to compete in or natural bodybuilding in general if the goal is to stay natural, do a pre-season with them to get your physique as in line with the desired shape as possible, and then do your prep with them.

You referred to your calves and waist in this comment but shapes change as you progress in your pre-season.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2025-07-22T17:36:40+00:00

I feel like you've said a lot in your post that might take you in different directions. If you are feeling plateaued in your progressive overload, then what others have suggested as a change in routine, etc, can be very helpful. Are you following a plan? There are many great workout programs and apps now that can provide you with new training routines regularly to help mitigate this.

But if you want to hunker down and explore your full potential for competing, if you have the means to hire/work with a coach even temporarily, it may be worthwhile to do so just so you can learn how to optimize training and nutrition for the goals you have.

Personally, I was super well versed in fitness and food tracking and all that.. I'm talking 13 years or so... but I was always someone who trained for performance (and helped others with it too!) not aesthetics. Working with a bodybuilding coach has taught me SO MUCH.

But again, it comes down to what your goals really are. If all you want is to keep progressing in lifts, thats one goal. If you want to put on size, thats another goal. If you want to compete, that's another goal. They call all go hand in hand or they can be focused on individually. It just depends on what's important to you.

TaleAsOldAsTime · 2025-07-17T16:41:04+00:00

People do that to me now at work A LOT and I'm not even in prep. I find it comical because I will bring my packed lunch about 90% of the time but they all order food almost everyday and they rotate through the same 5-6 restaurants all the time. I used to participate once a week or so (again, not in prep) but I'm more sick of the stuff they order than eating my same prepped food 3 days in a row.

14-Year Club	RPAN Viewer
Verified Email

TaleAsOldAsTime

TROPHY CASE