Tim Martin’s BodyBlog

With about two weeks out of the Team Universe I’m exactly where I want to be, still getting leaner without losing any size.  Now the trick seems to be to stay positive and just focus on myself.  That means not who else might be competing, not friends and co-workers who don’t understand the level of committment necessary to compete, and not ignorant wannabees on internet message boards.
Last night I stumbled upon a forum thread basically devoted to whether or not I was natural.  Now I don’t know a single person who posted, but there were over three pages of statements that I am a liar and a cheat who uses steroids!  Initially I was enraged, but soon realized just who these cowardly internet people are.
To my surprise, Skip LaCour emailed me a short note of support, as he must have seen some of these same forum posts.  This guy has been dealing with this sort of thing his whole career, so I really appreciated his help.
For you natural bodybuilders out there, just stay true to yourselves, and ignore all those people who will try to bring you down to make themselves feel better.
Peace

I continued my crazy year with a victory at the NPC New Jersey State Championships yesterday.  I got first Masters (35) heavyweight and overall, and first open heavyweight.  The lightheavy won the overall, but I think it must have been awfully close between him and me.  I have photos posted in my gallery.  Now it’s five weeks to focus on the Team Universe, and come in at my all-time best!

Check out the banner on the main page and interview with Dave Palumbo after winning the Atlantic States at: www.MuscularDevelopment.com

It’s Wednesday night, and I’ve got ANOTHER show this Saturday!  The good thing about stringing shows back to back is that your nerves are definately a lot calmer each time.  I’m trying not to overanalyze anything at this point, just to keep doing what I’m doing and have faith that I’ll come in peaked again.  The weird thing is that my bodyweight still seems to be climbing, probably averaging around 209 lbs. this week.  I’m not eating any more calories than previously, so I can only conclude that it’s muscle filling out.  I’ve also tried not to look too critically in the mirror for the past few days because I know that the body tends to "rebound" slightly after manipulating nutrients, and will only start to scrutinize things tomorrow when I lower Sodium again.
As for my mindset, although I do feel that I’m bringing some momentum into the show having won overalls at the last two regional contests, I also feel a little like a marked man.  There is a saying that the only reason you win a contest is because no one better showed up.  It will be interesting to see who’s competing, and I’m going to try to maintain focus on myself and bring my best package to the stage.

Well, it’s Sunday morning after a big breakfast.  I competed in the NPC Bev Francis Atlantic States and won overall in the open and masters divisions.  I don’t really believe it right now!  My weight was 206 at weigh in, and 208 by the evening.  I felt I looked better in the evening, but was pretty happy with everything.  The more you compete, the more you learn your body, and the lesson I’m continuing to learn is don’t mess around with ANYTHING the final week.  I kept my carbs consistent (100g) on Friday, moderately lowered Sodium Thursday and Friday, and re-introduced Sodium on Saturday, which kept me full and vascular.
This is my 25th(?) show and the most satisfying victory for me.  I’m learning not to judge those who use steroids so harshly because it is their personal decision, but the feeling I have of walking into that show clean and winning really makes it rewarding to me.