How does a girl stay hard and lean?

I competed last year for the first time in 15 years and did well - 2nd in the 40+ class (2 out of 10) in physique. I am going to be 51 this year, and will be competing again in November (Im after 1st place this time). I did Halo for her last year and honestly don't really know that I saw any huge difference. I am a "sturdy girl" - pretty muscular and really strong. Last year I found that I got too skinny, not just lean - and compromised muscle to get there. Any suggestions?

Beyond using Halo Extreme and other agents - coming into a show hard and lean has a lot to do with carbohydrate and water intake the days leading up to the show. I've no experience in actually competing, myself (yet) - perhaps heavyiron or one of the other reps or competitive individuals on this site could shed some light on this.

competingat50 said:

I competed last year for the first time in 15 years and did well - 2nd in the 40+ class (2 out of 10) in physique. I am going to be 51 this year, and will be competing again in November (Im after 1st place this time). I did Halo for her last year and honestly don't really know that I saw any huge difference. I am a "sturdy girl" - pretty muscular and really strong. Last year I found that I got too skinny, not just lean - and compromised muscle to get there. Any suggestions?

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Nutrition is absolutely crucial on a cut to spare LBM.

If you had no sides with H4H then you could try Halo Extreme at 1 cap daily. I have seen gals go 2 caps daily on Halo Extreme but I would only do that for a short period of time to assess sides.

heavyiron said:

Nutrition is absolutely crucial on a cut to spare LBM.

If you had no sides with H4H then you could try Halo Extreme at 1 cap daily. I have seen gals go 2 caps daily on Halo Extreme but I would only do that for a short period of time to assess sides.

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Thanks for the suggestion - I think I may just try! My diet is super clean, lean protein 5x day, very low carbs (brown rice, oatmeal, sweet taters, a few almonds here & there). Probably need to drink more water. I think my protein was not high enough last time - I have added a slow burn protein shake in the evenings as well. Have lost 5 pounds in first 4 weeks, 10-12 more to go (show is 16 weeks out so plenty of time). I just want to make sure that I look like I belong in Physique! Skinny is not the look I am going for! It doesn't get any easier after 50, and throw in a little estrogen haha and it is that much harder! But I am pretty determined... What side effects should I be watching for with Halo Extreme?

Thanks very much for the reply. My diet is good (see other thread here) but I know I still have lots to learn about carb/water/dehydrating/etc. pre contest. I tend to work with the philosophy that if it aint broke don't fix it - meaning - if I look good the week before the show - I don't do too much differently! ALTHOUGH - I always look AWESOME 2-4 days AFTER the show when I start eating "normally" again! Hmmmm, food for thought!

One more thing - what about timing and dose? It says dosage is 8 weeks - should I start right away (I am 16 weeks out) or wait until 8 weeks out from the show? Any insight is appreciated!

There are several factors that effect being hard at show time....so without further detail it would be difficult to give a accurate answer...one thing to keep in mind most women tend to load and fill out well on high fats...espc if there diet was low fat..

At 50 yrs young hormones could play even a bigger role depending on where your at per menupause...

competingat50 said:

One more thing - what about timing and dose? It says dosage is 8 weeks - should I start right away (I am 16 weeks out) or wait until 8 weeks out from the show? Any insight is appreciated!

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I would drop the oral 3-4 days out so you are dry on stage.