Contest Prep Continues
Ok I’m now 11 weeks and 6 days away from stepping on stage for the first time and a tiny bit of doubt is starting to slowly creep into my brain.
Oh I don’t doubt I’m making progress cause I can see it. I just don’t want to step on stage thinking I could have done more or worked harder. I’ve never been known for my patience but I know that I’ve got to be and I know I need to have confidence in my plan. I’ve never questioned my desire or the intensity of my workouts as far as the weights go but I feel I’ve been holding back on the cardio and frankly that’s not gonna get it.
Thank you everyone who has told me they enjoy the video blogs. I enjoy making them and I’ve tried to make them entertaining and not some boring video of someone just busting out reps. Over the next few weeks, and with Susan’s help, I’m going to try to include some posing in my videos so you can see how stupid I look and how truly hard it really is to do right and you can laugh your asses off as I struggle to come up with a posing routine.
I have to admit that this contest prep is a lot harder than I imagined but not nearly as hard as some would have you believe. It does require some good planning though and a lot of discipline and determination especially where your diet is concerned. So far I have been next to perfect with the diet a few handfuls of plain popcorn in the evening being my only slip ups. For those of you who like to read such things here is a sampling of my current diet…..
Meal 1: 2 whole eggs + 4 egg whites scrambled with 6 oz of very lean meat usually turkey or ground sirloin. ½ cup oatmeal with a sprinkling of ground flax seed, wheat germ, and cinnamon.
Meal 2: Protein drink
Meal 3: 8 oz lean meat usually chicken or a ground sirloin patty, 2/3 cup brown rice, 2 cups veggies or salad.
Meal 4: 8 oz of chicken and I munch on a few snap peas as they are very low carb and taste good cold. Which is how I usually eat meal 4 since I’m at work at that time.
Meal 5: 10 oz of lean meat with 2 cups of veggies or a salad
Meal 6: A protein shake
At each meal I take 3 tablets of desiccated liver and 3 tablets of extra aminos. This is the diet I’ll follow till about 10 weeks out and then I’ll switch to phase 2 which will be a little more restrictive. Wife Maggie has been very helpful in cooking my meals in advance and has been eating pretty much the same diet as me which has been huge in helping me stick to my plan. I mean it’s pretty hard to munch on the same boring slab of chicken when someone is sitting next to you enjoying a mouth watering slice of pizza. Maggie and Susan are the best support system I could ever hope for.
Well that about covers it for now….I should be posting a new v-blog Monday so be watching for that plus I hope to get some progress pics posted.
So till next time…Lift Long and Prosper!
“B” real or B gone
July 13, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Hrm… I’m thinking with everyone’s first show, it’s probably common to have the same thoughts that you could come in better/stronger/whatnot, yes? But I think you just gotta put those thoughts aside and go in there with 100% confidence knowing that you did your best these next few weeks to prep for it. I mean, look at how far you’ve come just from these past few months, let alone this past YEAR, you know? You can do this and your discipline is awesome, my WT!! Now it’s time to see the vlogs - how exciting!!
July 13, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I will do my best to keep on supporting you and not let you down Bryan! I am very proud of your progress and determination!
July 13, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Bryan, I will also not let you down! Yesterday didn’t count…Something came up. Oh, neither did today
July 13, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Pixi nailed it right on the head. These next 11.5 weeks will be a giant mind f***. At least it was for me. Rough, hard, devastating. As close as a week out I was sobbing in hysterics saying I wasn’t ready and didn’t want to and JUST COULDN’T. And I am so incredibly thrilled that I did, and when I realized that I didn’t look as bad as I thought I was going to it was like "yeaaaa buddy! I did this!"
Keep it up, and you have a WONDERFUL support system. Thankfully Maggie is eating with you. Trixter decided to do a bulk while I was cutting :/
July 14, 2008 at 5:39 am
You can do this my man, with all the shit you went through, this is a cakewalk for you! We’re behind you 100%
July 14, 2008 at 5:56 am
Hey B, you might find this article helpful with the posing if you haven’t come across it already: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/pose.htm
July 14, 2008 at 7:09 pm
B - with Susan and Maggie behind you, you can’t lose!
Especially with Maggy eating along with you - that’s got to be the best thing EVER! You can do this, man! I know you can!!!
August 25, 2008 at 11:10 am
That is awesome!! Glad to hear you have a good support system, and how awesome of your wife to cook for you and eat the same diet plan! My husband also enjoyed following my diet plan (at least when we were around eachother) and the benefit is that the spouse starts looking/feeling better than ever, and that is even more motivation!!! Am happy for you! I saw what you wrote about the popcorn at night. Another great snack at night before you go to bed is 1/2 cup skim cottage cheese, as the protein casein breaks down slowly and so actually helps you retain your muscle at night, plus you don’t have to feel too guilty about eating. Although, this close to competition, if you have cut out dairy, you might not want to add it back in. But for after competition, cottage cheese is a good pre-bed snack.