MrNor10’s BodyBlog

At the Southern Indiana NPC competition, I placed third.  Check the photo.  I think I could’ve gotten second, and I figure my downfall is not my size, but my posing.  I needed to be working on that, but there were other activities getting in the way.  (The week before the competition, I had a decent-sized role in a musical.  My training partner kept me working out, but afterwards, I was too tired to practice posing.)  I had also given up pop for Lent and for the competition training.  I tried a Mountain Dew about a week after the show, and I don’t think I like it anymore.  Anyway, I’m going to choose alternatives to pop because I think that is what builds my love handles.  I want obliques!  My other area that needs extreme improvement is my eating.  I don’t cosume enough calories.  I know this…but it just seems impossible to get that much inside me.  So, my new goals are:  Increase size in legs and back, EAT more good calories, and practice my poses.  If I have good size in about 10 weeks, I’m going to compete in St. Louis at the Show-Me Naturals.  If not, I’ll wait a couple more months for a later contest.  If I’m not gaining any size, I’ll take the rest of the year off of competing and see what next year holds. 

Thanks for reading and rooting for me.

 Dann 

I’ve not been using this site like I thought I would, but I was a little bummed after my not-so-great placing in October.  But, I have another contest in three days…and I did some things differently. 

 One, I’ve done absolutely NO cardio.  I might give in before the weekend, but so far, no cardio.  Why?  Well, I never carry much body fat as it is, and I have a slender build.  Cardio eats away at my size fast.  In all my previous preparations, I’ve started out at about 165 and I work my way down to 154–to keep me at the top of the lightweights.  But, because of cardio, my weight would continue to drop, and I’d weigh in at about 145-47.  Sure, maybe I was losing fat and water, but I was losing size, too.  This time around, I’ve kept the cardio out and I think, I look bigger and more ripped.

Second, I started the diet later.  Now, two weeks ago, this was freakin’ me out.  I didn’t really cut out anything–not the Mt. Dew, not the pizza, nothing–until one month out of the show.  Pop and pizza went first.  (It helps that I observe Lent and gave pop up for that!)  I kept taking Muscle Juice protein supplements, even though they had a lot of calories and carbs until the last two weeks before my show.  I added the Muscle-tech Shredded stack, and I think it’s worked nicely.  I’ve kept my size, my weight has dropped slowly, but steadily, and I look ripped.

 I always have trouble in the oblique area, and I don’t think they are perfect yet.  But, they don’t look horrible.  More dieting or cardio would’ve had too much effect on parts of my body I didn’t want to change.  So, this go around, I think I did it better. 

Now, I have another theory that pizza the night before will help my veins pop out…I don’t know if I have the guts to try that. 

Dann

It is two weeks until my next competition.  I am already down to my target weight, and I want to hold on to what I’ve got.  Still, I think I could trim off some more water…and I’ve got time to do it.  But, right now, I am soooo hungry.  All I can think about is pizza and Mountain Dew.  Why does such an awful substance taste soooo good to me.  But…anything really worth pursuing takes some sort of sacrifice, right?  This is my sacrifice.  I can make it two more weeks!

The other pitfall to competition is the pyschological factor.  I’ve got a lot of negative self-talk going on.  My arms are too small…my legs are toothpicks…my shoulders?  What shoulders??  I know this happens, so I am prepared for it.  I’ve surrounded myself with people who will keep my motivated and committed.  They’ll encourage, but not let me slide by with poor performance.

I really think I’ve got a chance to be the best I’ve ever been. 

 But right now…I’m going to go down a shake or something…this is killing me!!!!!