[Andy]

Yeah smaller gauge needle, ensure you’re putting the needle all the way in – baffles me that some people don’t – massage the area with an alcohol swab very lightly, don’t inject and then go to bed and lie down.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

Legs yesterday was nothing special, it was pretty much the exact same session I’ve been running for the past 3-4 weeks. The aim just now is just to keep the legs there in terms of fullness. If they spend too long untrained I find that the separation doesn’t quite come through the same on show day. I’m not training to the point where I’m getting doms, literally just putting them through familiar patterns with 75% of previous peaks of load.

Cybex seated leg curls – 1 set, 8-12

– Each rep is paused in the stretch

Leg extensions – 1 set, 8-12

Pendulum squat – 1 sets, 8-12

BB squats – 1 set, 8-12

Prime lying leg curls – 1 sets, 12-15ive

Seated calve raises – 3 sets, 15-20

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

I had an excellent push session yesterday, with the pump being absolutely blinding due to the 3lbs of fluid I’ve held from the flight. I didn’t do anything crazy, just pumped up the disco muscle (chest/shoulders/biceps).

I had a look this morning during posing practice and I’d say the majority of the water retention is confined to my calves/shins, the rest of me looks pretty good, and with a few more days of my body finding it’s balance I’ll be a new level of physique I’d say.

As I mentioned yesterday, I think there’s room to push fullness further, but I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, if we’re going to make any adjustments to the peak, then they are going to be very minimalistic.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

Reverse into your holiday, slowly raising calories/CHO and tapering expenditure down slowly. You’ll most likely still be in a deficit as you raise your baseline of calories anyway, but the reverse will mitigate rebounding to heavily while you’re away.

Once you’re back simply continue from where you left off.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

That is us back in Glasgow after what felt like 5 minutes in LA/Cali. That was the trip of a lifetime, and one that also allowed me to present probably my best look to the stage in my career. We always try to bring the best to every show, but to bring my best to my pro debut made that experience something else.

The peak wasn’t over the top by any means. First off, we didn’t use any diuretic. We also didn’t change water at all. The most significant thing we done on a hydration front was to stop drinking maybe 45 minutes before I went onstage, and that was just so I didn’t have to pee while I was onstage. The look was the hardest and fullest I’ve ever been onstage.

Going into the end of the week, we agreed the best look around that time of the day (11am) was after 2 meals, and around 2.5L of water, so I simply spread that amount between 4:30am and 11am. Carbs totalled around 300g pre-stage, with salt 2.5g per meal.

Leading into the show we loaded;

Wed: 1200 (I dropped 4lbs from travel)

Thurs: 1000g

Fri: 1000g (it was originally looking at 750g, however, I was still bone dry around 5pm, so we decided to push to 1000g).

I’m sitting here looking even harder and fuller at 263, so I know there’s room for more.

Prior to the load my food wasn’t low either, between 750-800g per day.

After prejudging, I had another small meal 2 hours before stage, 500ml of water, and another 2g of salt. I felt a bit harder and fuller again, however, one thing to remember is that once the nerves of prejudging are gone, the body usually relaxes and looks better, so it’s not always down to the food.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

I don’t see any issues with those numbers.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

All over the place with my timing, and being run ragged on Tuesday with travelling.

We made it to LA safe and sound, no issues with travel, diet, or any other issue that might occur when you’re travelling this far.

I woke up 4lbs down from the week’s average, a combination of both dehydration, some flatness/pop and being up for 36 hours. We made sure that we went to bed to reflect normal kind of timings here.

Nick and I decided to run 1200g of carbs off the back of this morning’s check-in. I was probably the driest I’ve ever been, even typing this looking down at my hands, they are so unbelievably dry.

The 1200g is very easy to get in, more so with my day being extended quite a bit with being stuck in traffic, and spacing the middle meals out. However, I am cramming 2 meals quite close together tonight.

I think I should be at pretty much peak fullness tomorrow morning.

Going off the look/weight I think 258 is my best look (which I hit after 1 meal of 175g of carbs). However, Thursday and Friday we’ll get more insight into where the body looks it’s best, and then devise a game plan for Saturday.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

First leg of the journey complete (Edinburgh to Heathrow). This is usually the portion of long hauls that cause the problems due to connections being missed, however this time, I’ve booked 2 separate flights to LA, so we fly to LAX tomorrow at 10:30am, and I’ve just had my last meal (260g salmon, 150g white rice, 100g pineapple).

Weight has been holding between 257-259. We push the carbs up today by a touch to 800g. I’ll do this tomorrow as well, but only have 1 meal on the flight, keep water/fluid as high as possible and wear my trusty flight socks.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

A pretty chilled one today, in fact, the day is almost dragging. I’ve got energy, but there’s not really much I can do with that energy. . .

I did train though. I pulled some of the poundage back though, just so I’m stimulating the muscle, but also giving my joints a break. No matter how I train my chest, I always get DOMs anyway.

Standing cuffed cable flys – 1 working set, 8-12

– Back-off sets paused

Incline DB press – 1 working set, 8-12

– Back-off set paused

Prime flat PL press – 1 working set, 8-12

Weighted dips – 1 working set, 8-12

Prime peck deck – 1 working sets, 12-15

– Torque set to 2

Prime rear peck deck – 3 working sets, 15-20

– Torques set to 2

SA cable side raises – 2 working sets, 12-15

Standing EZ-bar curls – 3 working sets, 12-15

SA alternating DB curls – 2 sets, 12-15

Standing EZ-bar cable curls – 2 sets, 12-15

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

A great back session yesterday, nothing out of the ordinary, I kept the volume low, despite being tempted to do 5 sets on the new Megamass chest supported t-bar row – that thing is fantastic!

I weighed in at 255.4, and the look that I saw at my photoshoot today was one I want to replicate on show +/- a little bit of water. I think we know roughly where I need to land weight wise and that’s between 255-257.

Now, 255 is what I weighed the morning of my pro card win, but the physique/look I have now is far superior to that.

I’ve got 1 more meal at the time of writing this to go. If you want to see a full day of eating 1200g of carbs, be sure to check out my “pro debut” story highlights.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

Agreed, 90 minutes. If I’m in a prep situation, then I can go as low as 30 minutes, but most of the time it’s 90.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

A decent enough push day yesterday. Nick and I agreed to push the carbs up to 500g, it did nothing. . . So today we’re putting 750g in with back.

Tomorrow I’ll be running my 1200g NTD high day as we know exactly how I react to that, and then we’ll take it from there. As I’ve mentioned, I don’t want to be eating a tonne of food on an 11 hour flight, so if we can do the ground work fullness wise now, and then only have to touch it up the days before the show then that works for me.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

Probably the last low day of the prep yesterday. Now it’s a case of slowly pushing food up in the opposite direction and filling out the rig.

The lowest my training day dropped to was 385g carbs, which isn’t too shabby it all, so a 100g increase today and then take it from there. Going off records from this prep, it’s likely and probably wise we run 2 high days across the week (1200g) and then just manage the look from there.

I’d say after last weekend’s high days I was at 85-90% fullness, and if I run slightly higher carbs both today and tomorrow then the response should be even greater.

We fly to LA on Tuesday, so I’d like to have the physique where it needs to be by Monday fullness wise.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

Last leg day of the prep ticked off yesterday. It only dawned on me it was the last one as I was finishing the session. I noticed significant improvement in my glute detail this morning, and I think that’s just because they’ve filled out not only from the 3 high days, but from being pumped up yesterday. So, I may add a bit of light abductor work in a few days out just to bump them up a bit – open turned bikini girl.

Cybex seated leg curls – 1 set, 12-15

– Each rep is paused in the stretch

Leg extensions – 1 set, 8-12 – using the Prime LE, I work in a 8-12, not 12-15 range.

Pendulum squat – 1 sets, 8-12

BB squats – 1 set, 8-12

Prime lying leg curls – 1 sets, 12-15

Seated calve raises – 3 sets, 15-20

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle

[Andy]

I like doing cardio fasted, and the majority of my steps fasted. It just feels nicer doing cardio on an empty stomach. There have been preps where I’ve had to do cardio/steps at different times of the day and saw no real difference. Whatever suits your schedule best.

Instagram - amsmuscle
Youtube - AMS Muscle
Tik Tok - amsmuscle