Trop: how come you and steve are staying very lean this offseason, (as seen in the pics DC posted), whereas last offseason he was very... well... not lean.
Are you trying out a different off season strategy, or just cuttin down on the pizza and cheesecake?
I always like to stay fairly lean in the offseason. I don't try to stay contest shape, but I do like to look like a bodybuilder. Last year, I only lost about 10lbs during my contest prep, so I did stay fairly lean.
With Steve, we knew he had to move up a weight class at his height, as heayweight wasn't going to cut it at the national level. We actually thought he wasn't going to compete for more than a year, so he enjoyed himself a little more, and ate more than he would usually do.
As I've said before, Steve is insanely dedicated. He brings pre-cooked food everywhere. He can get a little too dedicated IMO, so from time to time I try to tell him to let himself be a kid. So, that was part of the reason too. He enjoyed some of the foods he wouldn't usually enjoy last year. But, being Steve, I still ate his normal food too....so the extra stuff was on top of his normal intake.
It worked for him, as he got up to around 280 or more, and stayed at 270lbs most of the year. He competed at around 240lb, so he lost about 30lbs during his prep.
He's a legit super heavy now, so he's staying a bit leaner now. This way, his prep for his next show won't be about how long it takes to lose the fat, but about how much time he'll need to "dial it in."
He will be able to get in shape in much less time. He'll still "diet" for as long, but, it won't just be about fat loss. We'll get to focus more on finding the look that is best for him.
