Anthony’s BodyBlog

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…