kinkoshinkai’s BodyBlog

Alright, it’s about time I finally got around to posting something about the NPC Utah Open in which I competed last weekend.  It was my first show ever, and so I jumped in with both feet, having prepared rather ecclectically from a variety of advice, all goo, all be-it occasionally conflicting.   I entered the Sr. Masters (or as I’ve taken to affectionately calling it, the "Geezers walker and cane division), the open Lt Heavy class, and the Novice Heavy.  I was sort of talked in to the Open division entry at weigh-ins, and when I saw them, knew it was a mistake.  I weighed in at a far to svelte 187 lbs.  I made some serious erros in carb cut/load preparation, but learned from my mistake for whenever next time will be.  I honestly think I looked better 2 weeks out than I did the day of the show.  The water cutting was fine, I just needed a better understanding of my carb numbers (which I now have, after the fact) and would have ramped up my cardio a bit.

Anyway, the results.  There were two of us in the Geezer division, and I came in second (but the trophy is still really cool).  I was better tanned, had better legs and symmetry, but the 57 year old dude had experience, was known by the judges, and was ripped whereas I was, as I said, a bit flat from poor carb preparation.  

I got to go out and pose 3 times, and my routine was well received in the night show, so I felt good about that, and the cameraderie of the guys was terrific.  It was like joining a brotherhood of people who had a common interest outside the mainstream and an understainding of the sacrifice we all made to do what we do. 

Specifically, I cut carbs too much too close to the show.  My carb intake at two weeks out was, by most standards, sufficient cutting, I’ve since learned.  But the extra cut so close to show time was my misguided attempt to expel more fat stores.  Instead, I should have ramped up my cardio intensity and duration just a notch in the last 10 days to get rid of the fat, left my carbs the same, and then take 2 days instead of one to carb up before the show.  That would have brought in a far better package, I believe, in hindsight. 

None-the-less, it was a positive experience all around (though pricey on my wallet), and I have plenty of time to continue building more muscle as I learn more about my body and how to shape it.  Still for only 2 years on a Bowflex, I’m going to take my silver statuette, and be happy for what I learned from the whole process.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 1st, 2007 at 6:10 pm and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.