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Excalibur Contest Prep Journal – 7 Weeks Out

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Excalibur 2012

It is now 7 weeks until December 1, 2012. I have 7 weeks before I am scheduled to step on stage at the Excalibur contest. I was reflecting today on some of the changes that have happened for me.

After my last contest on Memorial Day 2012, I looked over my physique and made the following observations:

  1. My chest was way too small, almost non-existent.
  2. My shoulders needed to be more rounded and larger.
  3. My back needed to be thicker and the erectors needed work.
  4. My biceps were too small.
  5. My triceps needed to be bigger.
  6. My legs were great.
  7. My abdominal conditioning needed improvement

I then set out to fix these problems. As of right now, 7 weeks out, I have seen major improvement in every area of my body. My biceps are still lagging and I am experimenting with ways to fix that. I am working harder and harder every single day. I am focused on my diet and training plans. 

Come November 1 my main source of protein will be Swai. This white fish is very low in fat and I will be using it to help me lean out and grow muscle. I am confident that it will work for me.

You see, setting goals to improve body parts is what got me focused. Those goals gave me a reason to wake up each day. The goals gave me something to look forward to with my bodybuilding efforts. This is one learning an aspiring bodybuilder can take away from my own experience. Make sure you set goals that can be achieved, but are difficult. I already have a new goal for my next cycle. I am going to work even harder on my chest and arms, even going so far as doing specialization workouts just for those body parts.

 People are taking notice of the changes I've been making and that makes me feel good. I am stronger than I've ever been in my life. I am also in better shape right now, as I write this, than I was the last time I was on stage. Translated–I have already made improvements over my previous contest physique and that is exciting to me.

For anyone wishing to compete, take the time to set goals and then stick to them. Enjoy the progress you make. Nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it. During preparation you are competing against yourself and nobody else. Remember that!

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Excalibur Contest Prep Journal – 8 Weeks Out

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Excalibur 2012

I am now 8 weeks away from the Excalibur on December 1, 2012. I am still pushing towards my goal. While I do not have an update picture, I am getting leaner and things are looking better and better on the training front. I will stay the course and keep doing what I have been doing because it is working.

Training

I am still using my instincts to train each week. I am focused on hitting my arms 3 times each week because that is my weakest body part right now. This type of training, using my instincts, is working well. I don't hit a typical split where I do a certain body part on Monday, another on Tuesday, etc. Instead, I hit what seems ready at the time. I trained my back on Wednesday last week, but it feels strong and ready to go, so I will hit it again on Monday.  This is how I've made such good progress–hitting what is ready to be trained when it is ready to be trained. 

Nutrition

We have switched me to basically no carbs. I am actually carb-cycling, but in a different way. My coach, Ken Turchek, wants me taking in my carbs right before training. Thus, I have a cycle that goes like this:

  • Day 1: 150 grams of carbs
  • Day 2: 50 grams of carbs
  • Day 3: 50 grams of carbs
  • Day 4: No carbs at all

Now let's avoid confusion here and I will explain that “carbs” are referring to the starchy variety (rice, etc.) and not veggies. 

I am required to take in the carbs right before I train with weights each day. It is helping me to get extra lean.

Cardio

I am doing cardio 2 times a day for 40 minutes now (we increased it by 10 minutes). This is less than what I did during my last prep cycle yet I am leaner than ever before at the 8 week mark. 

Motivation

I am motivated right now because I want to see my six pack and the definition of my newly developed muscles. I am excited to look better and to feel better. 

Lifestyle

Bodybuilding has become a lifestyle for me. I am no longer just dabbling in it. I live it daily. I love to train in the gym and I love to feel stronger. I am looking better and feeling better. This is why when I hear the word “diet” I cringe because permanent changes only happen when you change your lifestyle. This is a choice for me–to live a healthy lifestyle–and I am sticking to it.

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Excalibur Contest Prep Journal – 9 Weeks Out

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I am now 9 weeks out from the Excalibur show on December 1, 2012. I am aiming to be in the most amazing shape of my life. I've already made some incredible changes and now I am focusing on getting super lean. My diet and training are aimed at that goal right now. At the same time, I am keeping protein high to aid in the building of muscle because I am still lagging in several areas of my body. This is a marathon, not a sprint and that is something I have to keep reminding myself of.

After taking new progress pictures this weekend it appears that most of my body is growing. I need to give extra attention to my arms because they are still lagging, but the rest of me is growing nicely so I am going to focus on continuing that growth over the next 9 weeks. My goal is to have a six pack 4 weeks before the show, so in the next 5 weeks. Let's see if that happens.

I am feeling amazingly good right now. I feel like my progress has been awesome. I look better now than I did 2 weeks out from my very first show. A lot of that has to do with the extra cardio I've been doing right from the start of preparation. I am really pushing hard and getting the job done. The experience I gained from the past 2 shows has taught me a few things:

  • You can never do cardio too early in your preparation. I know that cardio is what gets you shredded (along with diet) so doing it early and often has been the key this time.
  • Training instinctively will help build up lagging body parts. Instead of following a set split where there is only a certain number of times a body part can be trained, train with your instincts. If your arms are lagging, train them more often. Find a way to fit in extra arm workouts even if it means training twice in one day.
  • Try different things to see what works for your body. My arms are not responding well right now so we are changing things up. We are going to try a workout where we hit them with lighter weight and higher repetitions and then another where we hit them with heavier weight and lower repetitions. We will see what works and then leverage that going forward.
  • Push yourself. We all have days where we wake up and don't want to train. Do not give in. Push yourself and make yourself train. You will not be sorry. This type of discipline is what champions are made of.

These are the things I've learned and anyone attempting their first bodybuilding show can learn from these as well.

Some progress pictures:

At the start of my preparation 5 weeks ago.
My back as of Saturday, September 27, 2012. The pose isn't as good as the original and it isn't as close up, but there is major progress.

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