ABCbodybuilding - BioLayne... the upgrade

Some of you may or may not know me. My name is Layne Norton. I'm a pro natural bodybuilder and powerlifter. I worked in the same lab as Gabe Wilson where I received my PhD in Nutritional Science for 4 years and he is a close personal friend as is his brother Jake whom I now live about 20 minutes from. When I left Illinois to move to Tampa, I joked that I traded one Wilson for another.

Some of you may or may not know I competed in my first series of natural pro shows this past year. Here were my results

-IFPA Pro International: Men's Heavyweight winner (out of 7)
-IFPA Gaspari Pro Classic: Men's Heavyweight 4th (out of 12)
-IFPA Yorton Cup Pro World Championships Men's Heavyweight 5th (out of 12)
-NGA Pro Universe 4th (out of 12)

It was a hell of a ride and overall I was thrilled to place top 5 in my first series of pro shows. Here are a few pics from the shows.

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/x...810KS_0517.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/x...810KS_0514.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/x...810KS_0768.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/x...ro/TW-MM-1.jpg

Since the shows I've been really trying to keep it tight coming out of this contest prep and properly stimulate my metabolism. I've done the whole blow up and put on 15 lbs in 2 weeks and i just had no interest in that this time. I want my offseason to be productive. I would like to get back up to 230 lbs this offseason, but I want to do it slowly over time and I know post show it's absolutely crucial to properly stimulate your metabolism so that your body can handle bulk level calories without putting on excessive fat gain. I firmly believe what you do the first few months after a long prep sets the tone for your offseason. If you eat a ton and get sloppy real quick you will be trying to play catch up the rest of the offseason for all the fat you put on. If you properly stimulate your metabolism you'll be able to add lean mass with less fat gain and seeing how lean Phillip Ricardo was at the Yorton... I know I have the size to do well, and even though I easily beat my previous conditioning, I still think I can get harder and I know it starts with staying leaner in the offseason.

So as you know, I was down to about 100g of carbs per day before my first show and about 150g/day before my last show with fat around 40g.

Right now I am at

I started my offseason at
250g protein
200g carbs
50g fat

on leg days I took carbs up to 400g.

3 weeks later I am at
250g protein
270g carbs
55g fat

still taking carbs up to 400g on leg days

I also am doing zero low intensity cardio and 2 HIIT sessions per week.

I have only added 3.5 lbs since the show, even with thanksgiving and 3 of those 3.5 lbs were added in the first day after the show. So I feel real good about where I'm at. I still have a long way to go strength wise, but my energy levels are already feeling about normal.

At this point I feel really good about where I'm at and after seeing the level of competition in the pros and knowing it's only going to get tougher, I KNOW that I have to be totally disciplined in the offseason as well. Not to say I can't enjoy dining out with my wife here and there, but I gotta keep it tight and make sure I'm tracking everything closely. Lots of people can be disciplined for 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks for a contest prep, but I believe what separates champions is staying focused even when you don't have your next show picked out yet. Right now I'm totally focused, feeling good, and still enjoying life. Feel like I'm in a real good spot.