Week 5: The Quest for the Stage – Updates and Insights
Church of Gainz Family,
Welcome to the first installment of my weekly journey to the 2025 NPC League San Diego Championships stage! We’re only 7 weeks out from competition, and prep is officially in full swing. Week 5 brought plenty of lessons, progress, and adjustments as I fine-tune my approach.
In this series, I’ll share my progress, how I’m feeling, wins and losses, and key takeaways to help you improve your own prep—or just keep you entertained! Let’s dive into what’s been happening:
The Week in Numbers
Average Weight: Dropped from 186.3 lbs to 184.7 lbs.
Calories: Ate an average of 2,500 calories/day (40% protein, 45% carbs, 15% fats).
Workouts: 5 lifting sessions + 1 active cardio day (50 minutes on the stair climber).
Morning cardio each lifting day (30 minutes alternating between stair climber and incline walking).
Extra Activity: Hit the slopes at Vail for a 4-hour powder day—snowboarding counts as cardio, right?
Adjustments This Week
1. Calorie Drop:
Starting Monday, I’m cutting 100 calories/day, bringing my intake to 2,400 calories. This translates to reducing carbs by ~25 grams while keeping protein high. Oatmeal is being scaled back (only one packet instead of two), but the rest of the diet remains consistent.
2. Stretching for Width:
Tight muscles have been limiting my back flexibility and posing range, so this week I’m incorporating daily stretching (5-10 minutes) to improve my back width and muscle engagement.
Why it matters:
Improved Muscle Mobility: Stretching increases your range of motion, allowing for better engagement in exercises like pull-ups, lat pulldowns, and rows. A greater stretch in the lats can lead to improved muscle activation, which contributes to a wider back.
Enhanced Posing: Flexibility is key for hitting poses like the front and rear lat spread. Stretching the lats and shoulders makes it easier to open up, creating the illusion of a broader V-taper on stage.
Muscle Definition: Consistent stretching helps improve blood flow and nutrient delivery to muscles, which can enhance recovery and muscle definition over time.
3. Exploring New Techniques:
I’m considering adding blood flow restriction (BFR) training at the end of workouts. This could help combat muscle atrophy and boost growth in a calorie deficit, though I may save this for next week as I focus on stretching for now.
Wins and Challenges
Wins:
Energy levels have been solid overall, though Tuesday was a tough day in the gym. Adjusting carbs that day made a big difference in fueling my workout.
Snowboarding in 8 inches of fresh POW provided both a mental and physical reset, not to mention a significantly more fun way to do cardio than the god forsaken stairclimber.
Challenges:
Strength is starting to dip, which is expected in a deficit.
To compensate, I’ve shifted my focus from increasing weight to pushing out 1-2 extra reps per set. This keeps me mentally engaged and ensures I’m still challenging myself.
What’s Ahead
I’m incorporating yoga once a week to break up the routine and enhance recovery.
Why yoga matters: Flexibility improvements from yoga can complement daily stretching, while the mental focus and controlled breathing help reduce prep-related stress. This practice will be particularly beneficial for improving posing and recovery.
Parting Thoughts
This week was a reminder to stay patient and take things one day at a time. Early in prep, energy was high, strength was consistent, and the scale moved predictably. But this week brought fluctuations—energy levels varied day to day, and the scale bounced all over the place.
The key takeaway? Avoid making too many changes at once. It’s hard to set a baseline for progress if you’re constantly adjusting.
Question for You: How do you gamify your workouts to stay motivated, especially on days when you’re low on energy?
Thanks for joining me on this journey. See you next week as we dive into Week 6!
Much Love, Pastor Quest
