Anthony’s BodyBlog

I’m sitting here, thinking about the trophy presentation.  I had heard from a few friends that they thought I was going to place first in the heavyweight (novice) division.  A few people running the show commented to me that they think I had taken first but they really didn’t know.  Competitor #15, my chief competition, and I were talking it over in the back and we figured it was between the two of us. We shook hands and wished each other luck before walking out there again for the trophy presentation.

I could see the crowd this year.  I could see all my friends and co-workers from the gym out of the corner of my eye.  They announced 5th place (#18), I moved to the right… they announced 4th place (#17), I moved to the right (putting me dead center)… scared out of my mind… they announced 3rd place (#15) - now I’ve totally begun to freak out because I had misjudged the other competition.

Would it be #16 or me, #19?  "Lets take that 2nd place trophy to competitor number… SIXTEEN!"

I could hear everyone scream - Amber, Michaela, Nickie, Jax, Sarah, Drew, Iris, Kathy and Dustin…

The trophy was nice, but hearing them cheer was priceless to me, that meant more than anything.  I wished dad had been there to see, but I knew he was watching me and I gave him a wink upwards on my way backstage.

Text messages began pouring in!  Everyone knew!  I couldn’t keep up with them all and I felt a little more humbled after the fact.

I wanted to blog this the day after, but I decided to enjoy the moment and take a step back to evaluate what the next 365 days had in store for me and where my intensity stood. 

The next day, I was back in the gym, hitting the weights as hard as ever - My intensity has only grown.  I’m looking ahead to 2009, hoping to come in 10-12 pounds heavier than this show (186lbs).

Many thanks to all of those who attended the event, helped me with my training and posing and for those who gave me the support I needed to make this possible.

This achievement is not mine alone, it’s part of Pro Fitness and our staff and the amazing support of the members.  THANK YOU ALL!  I hope to bring another trophy home to The Pro next year - and just wait till you see who’ll be bringing the other trophies home.

It’s crunch time… a week from today I’ll be headed up the road, enjoying that final sip of water (by noon) and have a few tupperware containers filled with chicken that has been boiled, then microwaved (to remove any and all moisture) along with some mashed sweet potatoes to get me thru until showtime.

The posing has come along very well, except I pulled a muscle in my shoulder the other night transitioning from one pose to the next - the pain was more than I expected but I tried to work through it.  Luckily, Amber gave me some BioFreeze packets that helped numb things so I could practice my posing last night - THANK YOU!!!

I’ve had a few people watch me and point out a lot of the things I need to work on.  (I’ll spend a few hours a day this week, until the day of the show, working on my poses.)

The bodyfat is not as low as I expected, I’m hovering around 7% (I competed at 6% last year), but that may not be a bad thing.  It depends on the person body and the amount of muscle they carry on their frame, hopefully I won’t look as flat as I did last year.

That’s about it for now, just watching and greeting members as they scan in at the front desk…

Actually, two weeks from this moment (5pm) it will all be decided.  It’s become more intense as the day gets closer.  I’ve freaked out a few times (only in private, nobody has seen me lose it or anything ) and my mind is going in a thousand different directions. 
I’ve come so close to quitting and walking away a few times.  I’m not sure why, maybe nerves or life’s distractions, but everyone has been so supportive - to the friends who I speak with and talk to on a daily basis to one of my best friends, Keith, who lives in Texas now who motivates me with a few simple words.
And I’m pretty scared about this.  It sounds like I’m going to have a pretty large cheering section (with how last year’s looked - I may have the biggest crowd compared to any other competitor, but until that day arrives, we’ll see).
With that said, I’m very thankful that I’ve been given the opportunity to do this.  Recently, a lot of people around me have been going through some very serious times themselves or with family and friends.  While I may not talk about those issues very much, I keep them in the back of my mind while I’m training and dieting and I always think about how hard their life is compared to what I’m doing and it doesn’t seem that tough anymore and I’m very blessed for my health, my family and friends.
OK, enough sentimental talk - I had Joe Tag take a few pics for me while at the gym this past weekend, a lil’ update.  I hope to have more done prior to the show and I *might* put those up, but I’m undecided.  So, check ‘em out if you’re interested (I’m intrigued with last years REAR DOUBLE BICEP pose versus this years…).
Quick Thank You to some (if I miss you, sorry, I’m going off the top of my head because my boiled chicken is burning in the pot…):
Amber, Keith, Chris B, Casey, Drew, Emily, Joe Z, Ronnie, Chuck, Mark D, Michaela J, Sarah G, Sarah C, Jesse, Staci, Brian K, Joe Tag, Dustin, Tom J, Jax, Ashley, Nick S, Rachel M, Sean D…
and a VERY SPECIAL THANKS to MOM! (LOVE YA!) and my boss, Willie - who’s kept a keen eye on me at work and has done his best to keep me from eating all the Hershey Dark Chocolate mini candy bars.
So… we’ll see what happens in two weeks…