Quote Originally Posted by BigGuns21 View Post
"Technically" I'm the exception to Steve's argument. In 09 I stepped on stage at 175 and won the MW's, missed the overall by a 3-4 judge's split and this year I stepped on stage at 192 and placed 2nd in the LHW's, so 17lbs of stage muscle in one year. But did I gain 17lbs of stage muscle in one year? NO, it means I f'd my diet up in 09, ate into too much muscle, came in hard but flatter and smaller than I should have been. My offseason weight from '09to '10 went from 220 to 233, so less weight than I carried to the stage, mind you I was much tighter at 233 than I was at 220. A slight alteration to your diet can easily make a 3lb difference on stage, not necessarily mean you gained "x" lbs. That's where I think the numbers get skewed with some guys, you don't dial in right one year, then nail it the next and don't sacrifice as much muscle and you think you gained stage weight when you really didn't.

3-4lbs natural gains of legitimate stage weight per year, for a seasoned competitor would be the most I can see anyone doing, unless the offseason caloric intake was super low and you started eating like a man. 10-12lbs juiced gains would be the top end of what someone could put on and still hit the stage as conditioned or even more conditioned than the previous year.
I was still a little flat in my second show and should have been closer to 196, but this is why I've acquired the services of one Mr.Pakulski to take me into Provincials next June.

Mike is a buddy of mine and in my opinion is a phenomenal natural bb, especially when you take into consideration his heart condition. I can attest to the fact that this guy is 110% natural, right to stage day. I didn't get to see him last weekend, but the difference from May 09 to Nov 09 in his dryness was amazing. Tighter than many guys I know poppin diuretics. To continuously place top 3 in untested events against guys like me is something to be said. I'm gonna get him in with me for some back and leg workouts this offseason and murder him, lol.
So this was an old thread, but it's fun to see what happens year to year. I believe you weighed in right at the cutoff this year, at 187, so probably similar on stage or maybe a little less after drying out even more overnight - so after a year, you showed up the same weight or less, but way leaner. How much leaner? probably about 5 pounds of fat/water leaner, and therefore another very successful year putting on muscle. But I should stress, this was a 3-5 pound muscle gain! And if anyone dares to say that this was NOT a good gain, then have a look at what a few pounds of stage weight muscle gain actually looks like in your case. huge difference.

Another example was Korilon on this board. Showed up similar weight, a little tighter, and again - a successful year in my opinion.

Point is...don't expect gains of 10-15 pounds in a year. It's not realistic, and will set you up for failure, or a fat and watery stage weight.