Joe Lyons’s BodyBlog

Hey, You Should Compete
 

Hey, you should compete is the famous phrase that got my journey started down the road of competitive bodybuilding.  It was always a dream of mine to compete.  I was an avid reader of Muscle and Fitness and Flex magazine as a teen working at a grocery store.  I was a bagger and shelf stocker that would stop to read the latest Dorian Yates article each month.  I didn’t know what it took to get on stage, or the dedication it took to attain a shredded physique, so I had to find someone that could show me how to get ready for a show.

There isn’t an experience that will teach you more about yourself then a contest prep.  When I was getting started, I really had no idea what I had to do.  I knew I would have a lot of cardio and that my diet would change almost weekly.  One of the hardest lessons is learning to pack your meals, and that I wasn’t eating for taste and pleasure anymore.

I’m not going to discuss in detail my first two diets.  Basically I wasn’t eating enough and my metabolism was destroyed.  I’ve seen figure competitors eating twice the amount of food I was eating.  I will focus more on the diets I had success with while competing.

The dieting strategy that worked for me was a basic carb cycling diet put together by Justin Harris of Troponin Nutrition.  I started working with Justin in the off-season after meeting him at the 2006 Jr USA.  We started with a 2 High, 3 Medium, and 2 Low carb days.  I liked eating this way because it wasn’t the same thing day in and day out.  I also didn’t feel stuffed everyday which helped me maintain my appetite.  By the time my contest prep started I was having 3 High, 2 Medium, and 2 Low carb days with a cheat meal each week.  My weight was around 235lbs.

We started the diet 16 weeks out from the spring shows in South Carolina.  It didn’t feel like a diet because I still had a ton of food.  I was given more food at the start of my diet, but took out the junk and higher sugar foods like instant flavored oats and barbeque sauces, etc.  I had 4 days of 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill post workout.

At twelve weeks out from the show there was a shift in the carb rotation.  I was still a little too soft. My diet was cut to 1High, 4 Medium, and 2 Low carb days.  Cardio was changed to 5 days of 30 minutes.  I was still working on the incline treadmill and most sessions were done post workout.  I was getting hungry on low days and occasionally on medium days.

The weeks started to fly by after the 12 week mark.  At 8 weeks we were in a full swing diet with double session cardio.  I had two 30 minutes cardio sessions on low days, 45 minutes on medium days.  My carb rotation changed to 1 High, 3 Medium, and 3 Low carb days.  At this point I was starting to notice the feeling of constant fatigue. I was also not sleeping as well.  I was drinking two plus gallons of water each day and would wake up 2-3 times a night to pee and wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep. 

Six weeks out is when I really started to struggle.  Cardio changed 2 sessions of 45 minutes each on low carb days, 2 sessions of 30 minutes on medium days.  Cardio in the morning was done on the stepmill and the evening sessions would be on the treadmill.  My carb rotation was 1 High, 2 Medium, and 4 Low carb days.  I was still occasionally having a cheat meal on my high carb days.  On the occasion I didn’t have a cheat meal on a high carb day, I would have a super high carb day of 1200-1500g.  I cannot eat that many solid carbs.  I was eating every 2 hours alternating between waxy maize starch shakes and solid foods.  On days like this, protein was ultra low.  I was having about 20g of protein per meal or less, such as 2 oz of chicken, 4-5 egg whites, or a scoop of whey protein.

Mentally it gets very hard at the 6 week mark.  Not only are you hungry, but you’re exhausted and moody.  The lack of energy from decreased calorie intake, extra cardio, and not being able to sleep takes a toll on you.  At times I felt like breaking down and crying because I felt so horrible.  The thoughts of food consume you. I get cravings for foods I don’t even like.  If you have any time where you’re not busy or mentally occupied, you try to find things that will make you feel better.  That’s when having ANY foods that are not on your diet in the cupboard is a very dangerous thing.  We all have moments of weakness, but if you can stay busy, you can make it.  I would keep myself busy during these times to make the next meal time come faster.  My house, car, office would be spotless during a contest prep.  I’m the most productive when I’m getting ready for a contest, I can’t sit still and let my head drive me crazy.

Four weeks out was the turning point.  Cardio is maxed out at 2 hours on low carb days, 45 minutes twice on the medium day.  The carb rotation went to 1 High, 1 Medium, and 5 Low carb days. Ten minutes after I finished a meal I was hungry.  It took effort to get out of bed everyday and cardio became a major effort.  Making it though each session became the only goal.  The sessions on the stepmill were grueling.  I didn’t talk to anyone, I never looked up, I just focused on each step and kept pushing through till the time was up.  I’m using supplements like chocomine and L-Tyrosine to help with cognitive thinking and to be able to focus at work.

Two weeks out was when I start to get excited.  I was extremely tired, but I got a kick from getting close to the show date.  My carb rotation became 1 High, 1 Medium, and 5 Low carb days.  Cardio was maxed at 5 days of 2 hours of cardio.  The Medium carb day was less, with only 1.5 hours.  Hunger was at an all time high and meals had no positive impact on satiety.  Eating actually caused me to become hungrier.  My warped perception of myself also caused me to keep pushing and not allowing me to relax.

One week out is when most of us realize what all the off-season efforts and struggling has done for our physiques.  This is usually where I have a mixture of emotions and where support from my friends keeps my head straight.  I know this time is about prepping my body for the show.  Training changes a little because I’m trying to deplete glycogen.  My cardio gets decreased to 45min on Monday and 30 min on Tuesday.  I also make sure my sodium intake is high.  The carb rotation has changed and it’s been low days since 10 days out. 

Week of the Show
Monday
Sodium and water stay very high.  I salt everything and actually add salt to almost each bite of food.  I had to drink 3 gallons of spring water.  I still had crystal light with two of the gallons. Food intake was 5 oz of meat per meal with veggies and 7g fish oil.  Training on Monday was my last leg day.  I trained high rep with low rest periods.  I stayed with machine exercises such as Leg Press, Hack Squats, Lunges, Extensions, and Curls.  I incorporated walking lunges along with the machine exercises for the stretch.  All sets were done with 20 reps.  Low intensity cardio for 45 mins in the morning.

Tuesday
Sodium and water were the same for today.  I trained my complete upper body with 3 sets for each body part and the standard 20 reps each set.  I did my 30 min of cardio post workout.  My diet was the same today as Monday and was also the day that was, for some reason, the hardest.  I can’t explain why, but the Tuesday before the show has always broken me down.  Knowing the next day will be a carb up day is the ONLY thing that gets me through it.

Wednesday
Sodium got cut in half and protein is only chicken with sodium free Mrs. Dash.  I tried to control my sodium intake and that’s the reason for the Mrs. Dash along with my measured amount of sodium.  I had an average of 80g of carbs per meal eating every two hours.  With each carb meal, had 3 oz of the chicken.  My carb sources were Waxy Maize Starch, Oats, Brown Rice, Sweet Potatoes.  Fat was kept to a minimum.  I trained my upper body again and did the same routine as Tuesday, but changed the exercises.  Water was still at 3 gallons of spring water.

Thursday
Sodium dropped to a ½ a teaspoon on my chicken for the entire day.  It was very bland, boiled chicken so that we could control the sodium amount.  The carb amounts were close to the same, but I chose whole foods over the waxy maize half way through the day.  Water was still at 3 gallons.

Friday
This is the day that I pay for on Sunday.  Friday was the day when carbs got lowered and consist mostly of rice cakes.  I added nut butters to the rice cakes after 4pm and had 2 tbs with 5-6 rice cakes with each meal till I went to bed.  I switched to all red meat, even the fatty cuts such as NY Strip steak, for the entire day.  There was no added sodium at all on Friday.  Water was 2 gallons from when I woke up till 10pm.  I stopped my water intake around 10pm.  I have a tendency to hold a lot of water.  I’ve been compared to Sponge Bob with my water storage capabilities.  All the added fat helps me stay and feel full all day, but I pay for it Sunday when I feel like I’m 5lbs heavier with all the PB and Almond Butter sitting in my lower intestines. 

Saturday
Show time!  I don’t sleep the night before a contest.  It’s not nerves, but more like anxiety.  I’m extremely competitive, and when I get ready for a show, I consistently think about what I have to do and remember the corrections on my poses. 

It’s also the day where the sodium load starts and the chance to see what a years worth of hard work has given me.  Depending on when I will be on stage at Pre Judging determines when I start my sodium load.  Last year I ate an entire large pizza and a double cheeseburger.  The plan worked well as far as drying me out, but I didn’t fill out as much as Justin and I would have liked.  This year, at Jr. USA, I ate a triple cheeseburger and two large fries much later in the morning then the previous year.  I didn’t dry out as well and the moment I got off stage and started talking to some friends, I was dry, hard, and extremely vascular.  It’s all about timing and I need to find out how my body will respond to getting my timing down.  It’s also very difficult because each promoter runs things differently and so judging when to time things right is very difficult.

Show coloring
I get this question often.  What has worked best for me has been tanning for 5-6 wks before the competition to establish a good tan base.  Then on Thursday evening I will have applied 2 coats of Pro Tan or Jan Tana competition tan.  On Friday I apply 3-4 coats throughout the day depending on how well my skin is taking to the color.  The morning of the show I may put another coat on if I’m not dark enough.

In between the morning and night show I usually put on one more coat.  After competing and wiping off the sweat and oil I loose a shade of color.  If I’m in the first call out then I put another coat of color for the night show.

Supplements (most of my supplements come from Optimum Nutrition)

Fat Burner (any kind) 1-2 pills X 2 daily

Yohimbine HCl 15-20mg before AM Cardio

Fish/Flax Oil with meals

Green Tea 2g X 2 Daily

Creatine 5g pre and post workout

Beta-Alanine 6g pre workout

Multi Vitamin

Ephedra based supplement 25mg X 2-3 a day

10g Glutamine post workout

Dry Shredd (www.troponinnutrition.com)

Cramp-Ex (www.troponinnutrition.com)

Post Show Comments
The best part of competing is the new people you meet.  Granted, I want to win and I don’t train for anything else, but the friendships I have made with fellow competitors are lasting ones.  No one else can relate to what it takes to prep for a show aside from other competitors.  They can relate to all the pain and sacrifice one goes through to attain a show ready physique.  There is a special bond and understanding between competitors that is difficult to put into words.

Perfecting your mandatory poses is of utmost importance.  This lesson was a hard one to take because if you show up in condition, but if you can’t display it correctly to show your strengths, it can and will cost you points with the judges.  Take the opportunity to have photos taken of your poses and send them to friends that compete to see if there’s anything else you can do to present yourself better.

Be sure to be confident on stage.  If you go onstage with doubt, it will show.  It will show on your face and during your posing.  Have the feeling of no regrets, knowing you did everything you could to attain your best conditioning, and you should go out and show that you’re proud of all your hard work.  It’s the only aspect of the show you can control.  There is no control over the other competitors in the show, only your presentation.  Make the most of your opportunity.

Post Show Rebound

For some this is the most exciting time to train all year.  It’s the time when your body is very sensitive to increased protein synthesis and optimal insulin sensitivity.  Competitors will make more muscle size and strength gains during the 4-6 weeks after a show than the entire rest of the year.  It’s a time when you can indulge in all the foods you kept restricted from yourself during the prep.

A word of caution, for some the rebound works great and no major issues are experienced aside from the increased water retention.  For others, like me, that’s not the case.  The two times I pushed the rebound in an effort to add muscle took a toll on my joints.  I’ve had two major shoulder issues during each rebound.  I’ve also been limited in work, training, and daily life with the intense pressure in my lower back due to the added weight.  While waiting for my body to normalize and adjust to the added weight I couldn’t sleep and didn’t do anything outside of work and train.  Training was limited to machines for legs and back to minimize low back stress.  I was limited to doing anything overhead for months because of the shoulder strains I had. 

I’m not saying a competitor shouldn’t take advantage of the post show rebound, it’s an important time to capitalize on a great opportunity to grow, but I would like others to have an idea of what can happen.

The Daily Life of this Competitor.
 

My life doesn’t change dramatically when I start a show prep.  For the past 4 years I’ve always packed my food and planned ahead.  As I mentioned before, I become very productive when I’m getting ready for a show.  The constant focus on staying busy, getting my cardio and workouts in, as well as prepping for the next day meals means I need to be organized. 

I have a flexible job that allows me time to get all my meals in when need to eat.  The issue becomes when I have to entertain my clients and I’m not participating in the dinner/lunch.  I often get asked why, and sometimes it sparks a very long, detailed conversation, where I get asked the usual questions. 

There is one minor issue when getting ready for a show takes a little extra planning and that’s when you’re in the final week and have to have such a high water intake.  When the goal is to take in 3 gallons of water you have to make sure when you leave the house you know where to find a place with an accessible bathroom.  The final week I make sure I’m working close to home and I don’t have a long drive ahead of me.

The issue when I’m competing becomes my social life or lack of a social life.  It’s not an issue of not drinking or eating snack foods.  I’m not much of a partier at any point of the year.  It’s more of my energy levels and attitude towards others that can get cynical.  I don’t have patience for people that are not respectful of others and I tend to become very outspoken.  It’s better for me to stay home and rest and spend more time with my wife who also competes and can relate to what I go through when prepping for a show.

In conclusion what I’ve gained from the experience of Competitive Bodybuilding is, if I can do all that it takes to get in a competition shape while working a full time job…I can do just about anything.  I’ve learned dedication and time management while being able to focus on my goals.  While I was getting ready for all my shows, I was able to still perform in the top 20% in sales for my company.  Any goal I set my mind to, I truly believe I can achieve it with the work ethic I gained from competing in Bodybuilding.

For those of you that have competed, you are very familiar with the focused mindset, and that single mindedness it takes to attain insane conditioning.  Competitors often go through their days focused on themselves with meals, training, tanning, cardio, and of course family and friends.  Family and friends usually get the short end of the stick.

When people find out that my wife and I both compete, and diet at the same time, we always get the "how do you guys do it?" question.  The thought of two people in one house, exhausted from training and cardio, while starving to death, sends a shiver down their spines.  Jess and I have made it for 3 years now. I don’t know if I could have made it without her.  The patience and understanding we have for each other during the prep is all part of the ordeal of competing.

Recently my wife earned her Figure Pro Card at the ‘08 Jr. USA.  This was supposed to be the last show for the two of us, and we would start a family soon.  Upon winning her pro card, neither of us could accept her not stepping on the pro stage at least once before the arrival of a little Lyons’.  She decided to train for a show, the Dexter Jackson Classic Pro Figure, which is the first weekend in August.  I support her the entire way, and I’m excited to see how she’ll compare with the pros.

The first two weeks after the show where Jess got her pro card was exciting and fun to discuss with others.  The reality of one of us competing while the other wasn’t hadn’t set in yet.  All the plans and activities that we had made were now set on the back burner, and our lives were once again dominated by food, training, and cardio schedules.  Gone were the thoughts of Sunday brunches and going out with friends.  Gone were the ideas of taking one more vacation before the family planning arrived.  Gone where the thoughts of cooking things with flavor, color, and excitement, and we welcomed the bland chicken, fish, and greens.

People have said to me, "why do you have to eat that way?" and my response is that it’s not something I would appreciate if the roles were reversed.  If I was getting ready for the stage I wouldn’t want to see cakes, cheeses, and other taste treats tempting me to cheat on my diet.

Summer is here, and I have gone with my friends to dinners and evenings out, but like most marriages, my wife is my best friend.  Sure I would say "it’s your choice to compete, so I’m going to do…" but that’s not how you treat your best friend. 

The reality is that the ones that support us unintentionally get left behind.  They are somewhat limited in what they can or will do while their partners get ready for a contest.  They care about us and want to do activities together, not going out and having fun only to come home and tell their husband/wife of what a great time they had.  The people that support us deserve a lot of credit for sticking with us through this process and should be appreciated more then we show them. 
I will constantly keep this in mind if/when I compete again.  It’s a different perspective being on the other side.  Granted this is an observation on a general scale, but one seen all to often, and one I’m experiencing for the first time.

When the show prep ends, and my body starts it’s normalizing processes, I always go to the doctor to get a full check up, blood work, etc.  This past week I went to the Dermatologist because when I was young I had a few suspicious moles that got removed. I had a few concerns again from my primary care doctor and I wanted to get everything taken care of now.  With the tanning that I’ve been doing for shows, I’m walking the line for my skin health.  He found one mole he wanted to remove immediately for biopsy.  This past week I had it removed and can’t train till Wednesday.  I have a wonderful new scare (sarcasm!) and 7 stitches till the July 2nd.

Since I couldn’t train, it was the perfect time to get my blood work done.  Training, and especially intense training, can really effect your liver function results. It’s better to have a few days off from training before you go in for your blood panel.  I had the blood drawn today, and I’m looking forward to hitting the gym on Wednesday. 

I love to compete, but competing isn’t the healthiest condition for a persons body.  You look amazing…and feel like crap.  That’s usually how competing goes.  I feel it’s my responsibility to myself, as well as my family, that I get my blood work taken at least 2-3 times a year. I want to make sure I’m healthy and address any concerns early before they become major issues.

This weekend makes 4 weeks since I was on stage. It’s been an extremely stressful 4 weeks, but I survived and things are going to be just fine.

My goal was to stay lean after the show. Then I was having the mixed emotions of taking advantage of the post show rebound or stay shredded. I decided to safely push for the rebound by eating when my body was saying I was hungry. The issue there is my appetite hormones are off the wall, so I’m ALWAYS hungry!

I shot up to 219lbs for a few days and brought it back down to 210 where I’m holding pretty steady now. I had veins still in my legs this past weekend, but the abs are getting very blurry. I’m still eating clean, but in higher amounts. Today is my first high carb day where it’s very high (600g) with no added fat and very lean meats. I will be then go to medium and low days for the rest of the week and this weekend with be two low days with a focus on fish for protein. The fish emphasis is because that’s what I’m craving most, aside from cake.

Training is going great! No aches or pains at all. I haven’t squatted in 4 weeks till last week and I was still able to squat 365lbs for 12 reps without to much effort. I think my legs needed the break anyway. My focus is still on upper chest and my arms. I’m happy with how my arms are responding, but there’s not much I can do to change the shape of them. I can only make them bigger and I’m using lighter weights and more concentration. I think my shoulders were taking away from my biceps development because I’m doing what Dorian advised and starting with concentration curls of some sort and then doing the heavier movements and it seems to be working.

I’m still doing cardio as well 15min of HIIT with another 15 min of lower intensity cardio. It’s not keeping me shredded, but I should be much fatter now with all the food I’ve been eating. I don’t plan to break the 215lbs mark this year…or anytime soon. I don’t like being over 220lbs. I just don’t feel good and could care less if I’m the biggest guy in the gym. LOL

I do want to say thank you to everyone for their support. It’s been a life saver!

Starting tomorrow I will be taking a full week off from training. This is partially due to choice, and partially due to job prospecting. The issue with a week off is, it eats me up both physically and mentally. Physically, I can’t sit still as it is and I’m always multi tasking, but without that energy output from training I’m probably going to bounce myself out of my seat!

Mentally, training is my stress relief. It’s my medicine for feeling crappy, as well as my escape from reality. It gives my mind the opportunity to focus on the moment, and not worry about the other factors in my life. It refreshes my ability to focus on work, family, or other daily activities.

Training is/was going great! This week I hit all of my off-season numbers again with the exception of legs. I haven’t trained legs since the show and probably will give them some more time and focus on my arms and my chest…my two glaring weakness. I plan to add legs back into training in July and even then it will be squats, extensions, and curls. Leg growth isn’t an issue for me and sometimes less is more.

I started my HIT training again this past week and it feels great to be back to it. I love intensity, heavy weight, and the challenge of pushing higher numbers each week. I’m also doing 5 days of HIIT cardio. It’s rough because I’m doing 15 sec of all out sprinting and then the rest of the min at a low intensity level. I’m currently doing 15 min of the HIIT cardio along with 15 min of LIT to keep the blood flowing and my body temp up.

I will check in when I get back.

It’s been just over 2 weeks since I competed at the 2008 Jr USA in Charleston, SC.  I weighed in at 193lbs which put me in the light heavyweight class.  It’s usually one of the most competitive classes in every show.

I placed 6th out of 18 in a class that brought conditioning to a new level.  Usually in any show other then the Pros there may be 3-4 guys with striated glutes.  Striated glutes is a level of conditioning that is difficult to attain as well as maintain.  Athletes that achieve this are usually the ones that worked their butts off…literally. 

At this years Jr USA in the LH class there were about 9 guys with this level of conditioning.  That’s unheard of in a single class.  In some aspects I was happy with placing 6th and in other aspects I was disappointed because I cost myself a few placings.  I didn’t pose correctly to show my level of conditioning and I was then placed where I should have been.  It was a learning experience.

I’ve been training for the past three weeks to take advantage of the post show rebound and now plan to take next week off and let my body rest and heal.  I will keep this blog updated of my future plans when I figure them out.

Train insane, rest appropriately, and eat efficiently and you will achieve your goals.

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