Joe Cross

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A little offseason update 🐷

Heaviest ever bodyweight sitting just under 105kg and very happy with the look ( I posted some pictures on my Instagram last week of my latest check in with my self – yes I’m coaching myself right now and I’ll be seeing that out until I potentially start a prep…)

Cycle has come to an end as of New Year so now it’s a case of solidifying the bodyweight as best as I possibly can for this next 8 week phase of TRT

One phase I feel know-body talks about is maintenance blocks (probably because they are boring 🫠) – essentially where the goal is to solidify the muscle gained from the previous phase of pushing up

Of course you expect to drop a little and get a touch softer in the process of coming off cycle – but every intention is being made to solidify the new tissue which for me is the most important part following a gaining phase

As building tissue takes time – so we can’t afford to loose it

If you gain body fat we can pull that back off in time at all..

In these time Food remains high, training volume drops and every shift is made in enhancing recovery

The biggest mistake I’ll see people make in this phase is train at the same volume and pull calories just because there ‘off’ – which to me makes no sense in pulling from both your main recovery tools at once – it’s just a recipe for muscle loss

Still yet to decide if I’ll be back on stage this year, I set myself a goal of not competing again until I was a solid 110kg on stage which is going to require another long push up like the one I have just done… but the fire is lit after 18 months of pushing (3 pushes – 2 mini diets) – decisions decisions, what shall I do?

Joe Cross - FBS Athlete

So guys – its been a little while since I posted on here, but in all reality that’s a pretty good reflection of my offseason right now, head down and doing the same sh*t day in day out haha

But all jokes aside I am very happy with how things have been going recently, bodyweight increases on the weekly – currently 15lb up from my lowest weight of the mini diet whilst still holding very decent condition – the best I have ever been in at this bodyweight so its a very good indication that new tissue is being added right now

Offseason for me isn’t glamourous – my diet hasn’t changed in 8 weeks, my training hasn’t changed in 16 weeks and its very much a case of rinse and repeat the most from everything until we physically need to change anything.

This offseason I am being particularly patient with my approach as my biggest bottleneck for progression in the past is simply pushing food to soon to fast – ruining my appetite and bringing my offseason to a swift halt – as if you aren’t in a surplus, you aren’t growing – it really is that simple.

So right now I am very set on maintaining the current rate of gain which is around 1lb per week – as its allowing me to eat the food, train hard and gradually push up whilst holding condition. Sometimes eating in a bigger surplus doenst make us grow any faster – we just see larger spikes in bodyweight week on week which ruins long term progression, as you just accumulate fat faster – ruin appetite – ruin sensitivity to food and just go soft (FAST)!

The only time I would map a timeline out with a rapid rate of gain is if you have a very finite time to push, so sometimes a more aggressive approach will lend itself better – but in times where you have many many months (for me it will be 18 months) to push food – there really is no need to rush, as every time you have to mini diet is time wasted where you aren’t in a surplus

Appetite and insulin sensitivity are two massive variables which I am tracking on a weekly basis now – so Strom Digestmax, TBJP Digest Pharmapro and TBJP Insure are my best friend right now in assisting the assimilation of the current food volume.

Digestmax taken with Greens / glutamine prior to meal 1 – and insure / digest pharmapro taken with each meal through the day.

I will follow up with a separate post with my actual set up of food as it has come up a good chunk since I last posted.. still poverty calories compared to most bodybuilders – but for me its a lot of food (I have the appetite of a small child haha)

Appreciate you guys following along and if you have any questions on either my or your offseason – I am here to help!

Joe Cross - FBS Athlete

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