Week 11: Surviving the Hardest Week, Posing Refinements, and Lessons from Snowboarding
¡Hola desde España, Church of Gainz Family!
Less than two weeks out, and I’m officially in Spain, praying to the Spanish Catholic gods that I hold onto my stage-ready physique while traveling. I wrote most of this post before I left on Saturday, reflecting on the most physically brutal week of prep yet. Now that I’m here, my goal is simple: maintain, stay disciplined, and not let tapas ruin my conditioning. But first, let’s talk about some hard lessons learned from last week.
The Week in Numbers
Weight: 176.5 (down .5 lbs)
Calories: 2,200 calories/day, adjusting meal timing for energy.
Training:
5 lifting sessions, prioritizing lower abs and lats.
Refined posing routine, improving leg engagement and pacing.
Cardio slightly reduced due to exhaustion.
Snowboarding for extra calorie burn (and a major recovery lesson).
Adjustments and Key Moments This Week
1. The Hardest Week of Prep So Far
This was the most physically exhausting week of prep, and a major reason for that? Snowboarding.
Originally, I thought I could use two straight days of snowboarding to burn extra calories and help cut down before Spain. And technically, it worked—I burned thousands of calories over the weekend.
But the reality? It backfired.
Snowboarding wrecked my legs, and because I did it on Sunday (my usual rest day), I never gave my body a real chance to recover before hitting another full week of training. By Monday and Tuesday, I was completely wiped, and my workouts suffered hard. I even had to reduce my cardio because my legs just weren’t bouncing back.
Lesson learned: It’s NOT worth over-pushing for extra calorie burn if it means sacrificing recovery, performance, and energy for the rest of the week. At this stage in prep, preserving muscle and staying sharp is just as important as cutting weight.
2. Posing Refinements: Leg Engagement & Slowing Down
This week, I focused on two key posing refinements:
Engaging my legs more—showing off calves and hamstrings in my back pose and quads in my front pose.
Slowing down my transitions—I naturally rush, so I’m holding each pose for 4-5 seconds in training, knowing I’ll naturally speed up to 3 seconds per pose on stage.
These small tweaks are already making a big difference in how I present my physique.
3. The Psychological Battle of “Not Lean Enough”
As I get closer to show day, I’ve found myself feeling like I’m not lean enough or haven’t made enough progress.
For the past two weeks, my mindset has been:
Be leaner. Push harder. Get sharper.
But then, I looked back at my early prep photos—even from just 3-4 weeks ago—and it hit me.
I was soft. My muscle definition wasn’t nearly as sharp. The progress is real.
It’s easy to get caught up in wanting more, but I need to remind myself what Men’s Physique is actually about. It’s not about:
Being the absolute leanest.
Being the biggest guy on stage.
It’s about aesthetic balance, symmetry, shape, and conditioning. I’m right where I need to be—now it’s about trusting the process.
4. Spain Prep: Maintaining, Not Cutting
Now that I’m in Spain, my goal isn’t to lose weight—it’s to stay as close to show shape as possible.
Biggest challenge? Not making my own meals. Instead of stressing about exact macros, my plan is:
Eating consistent portions of clean foods.
Adjusting based on how I feel and look.
Prioritizing hydration, which is harder while traveling.
For training, I’ve already found a solid gym, scoped out diet-friendly restaurants, and will be walking a ton while sightseeing. The Spanish Catholic gods willing, I’ll stay locked in.
Lessons and Insights
1. Late Lessons Always Come
Every prep teaches new lessons. This time, I learned:
I should have focused on emphasizing the weaker points of my physique in training earlier on.
I should have taken recovery more seriously before burnout hit.
I should have defined a target leanness to have a more objective measurement of progress.
2. Show Shape is Close, But Not Perfect
I feel almost stage-ready, but I wish my lower core was a bit leaner. I know peak week dehydration will help with this, so I’m trusting the process.
3. Routine is King Now
With less than two weeks left, I’m not making drastic changes—just executing. It’s about:
Keeping my routine solid.
Feeling comfortable and confident on stage.
Enjoying the process and having fun with it.
Wins and Challenges
Wins:
Survived the hardest week of prep.
Posing refinements are making a huge difference.
Cravings are nonexistent.
Spain plan is set for training and diet.
Challenges:
Leg exhaustion was brutal from snowboarding.
Still wish my lower core was leaner.
Hydration while traveling will be a challenge.
What’s Ahead
Final training push before peak week.
Maintaining discipline in Spain.
Locking in posing routine and stage confidence.
Sticking to consistency, not making drastic changes.
Parting Thoughts
We’re at less than two weeks out, and at this point, it’s all about execution. The hardest work is done, and now I’m focusing on refinement, maintenance, and walking onto that stage ready to dominate.
The biggest lesson from this week?
👉 Pushing harder isn’t always better.
👉 Recovery matters.
👉 Trust the process—you’ve already done the work.
I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, and now it’s just about having fun with the final stretch.
Key Takeaway: At this stage, consistency is everything. The work is done—now it’s about showing up, executing, and trusting the process.
Question for You: When you’re two weeks away from a big goal, how do you shift your mindset to focus on execution rather than overthinking? Drop your strategies—I’d love to hear them.
Thanks for following along. Peak Week, here we come!
Much Love, Pastor Quest
