rp29nct’s BodyBlog

Happy New Year! (belated) With all the traveling done over the holidays, I didn’t have a chance to update everyone on my goals and how I finished out 2008. The good news is that I achieved my goal of being 200 lbs by the end of 2008!!! That is phenomenal for me as I have never been this big, before. With the added weight has come some additional fat stores, but I have a plan to keep that to a minimum as I continue to bulk up in 2009. It’s very exciting, and definitely reassures me that I can get bigger.

Looking back over the year, one of the highlights has been meeting and beginning a relationship with my girlfriend. She’s been so supportive of me and my interests, and served as my "trainer" at my first contest ever in April 2008! That was by far the greatest experience last year, and I’m glad she was there to share that with me!! As 2009 gets started, I’m encouraged and excited about the challenges ahead, the one at the forefront of my mind being to shed some of the fat I’ve gained while still encouraging muscle gains. I’d like to be a lot tighter than I am as I gain, but I don’t want to sacrifice gains in order to satisfy my own vanity.

One day at a time to 220 lbs by the end of 2009!!

Current status

After spending time in deep thought over my bodybuilding successes, thus far, and desired goal, I’ve concluded that a new plan and approach is necessary in preparation to hit the stage in 2010. I’d like to do the same contest, only push myself up into the next higher weight class. The added muscle mass will fill out my frame and provide a more mature aesthetic than what I competed at this year. In addition, the change will be dramatic for those who may recall my performance this year.

The why has been established, now to determine the how of achieving it. My short-term goal is to hit 200 lbs by the end of 2008 with a follow-on long-term goal to hit 220 lbs by the end of 2009. For the immediate goal, I’m closing in on the mark, but with the holidays coming up, may be interrupted. For the majority of the increase in 2009, my plan is to cycle between bulking for 4 weeks (+500 calories to basal) and cutting for 2 weeks (-500 calories to basal) to encourage lean mass gain with minimal fat, and put on 2-3 lbs every 6 weeks. This gives me an average gain for 2009 of 21.5 lbs +/- 4.5 lbs, and thus hitting the goal of 220 lbs. Contest prep would then bring me to roughly 200 lbs at contest.

Based on my prior experience, diet and nutrition are key for me to transform my body. At the same time, I’ve changed my exercise split to work: Mon - Chest; Tues - Back; Thurs - Arms; Fri - Legs. Focusing on developing my legs considerably, and spending time focusing on the larger muscle groups, while developing the arms independently.

Now that I’ve recovered from the competition, and no more chest cold, I’ve started training as hard as ever, and am happy to report that my weight is increasing while my bodyfat is still at 9%! My body looks more solid and I can see the muscle visibly growing!

The only drawback to my training is that I’m experiencing neck pain that feels like a strained muscle. I pulled a muscle on the left side of my neck a while ago doing barbell shrugs. Since then, I’ve modified my routine to perform dumbbell shrugs instead. This seems to have eliminated the motion that was straining my neck.

Last night, while doing bent-over barbell rows, my neck once again was strained. It’s not as bad as before, but noticeable and limiting the movement (twisting from side to side) of my head.

Does anyone have any advice about what I can do to fix the problem entirely? I don’t want to treat the symptoms, I want to cure the disease! Any thoughts would be appreciated to get rid of this pain in my neck.

As promised, I’m providing a copy of the Posing Music that I used at contest. It was composed by Jeremy Soule, and is available in it’s entirety off the Guild Wars: Factions Original Soundtrack, as Bonus Track 4. Once I get the video of my routine, I’ll upload it into my Youtube videos.

Took the last week off of training due to catching a chest cold after the contest. A combination of stress, no sleep the night before the contest, and pure exhaustion lowered my immune system to the point where my typical sinus infection/bronchitis was able to rear its ugly head. I’m feeling better, and looking forward to hitting the weights, tonight! Working to get to a lean 200 lbs by the end of the year. That is my NEW goal!

Sometimes I think this is all just a dream, but then I realize I’m really going to compete in a bodybuilding contest this Saturday! On April 5th, I kept looking at the clock and imagining what would be going on at those times one week away! It’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time!

Started off this morning on a carb reduced diet, after meeting with my trainer last week. In addition, I got off to a good start with 15 minutes of fasted cardio before heading into work. My abs are becoming more and more visible, and I know I’m below 10% bodyfat, now. The trick will be to see how much I can drop it by in 5 days!

All of this excitement and good that’s happening is also being balanced by some disappointments. The first and biggest disappointment is that the documentary I was participating in won’t have anyone able to attend the show due to Skybus announcing closure. The project is a lot of fun, and something I’ve been very enthusiastic about. The second disappointment is that my company’s gym won’t let me use the group aerobics room to practice my posing. The main reason being that it is an unsupervised area, and they can’t let anyone use it until there are enough trainers around. If I’m so out of shape that I can’t pose alone, then I’m really in trouble! haha. Lastly, my friend who was going to help apply the Pro-Tan and Dream Tan so that I look my best, won’t be able to attend. So, now I get to ask my remaining friends for help!

At least I got confirmation that my application was received and paid. 5 days to go and keeping my head down and the shoulder against the wheel. Get through this training and hit the stage!!

Getting closer to just 1 week out! This update finds me in a much better mood and with an optimistic attitude towards the competition. Although I still don’t boast any delusions of grandeur, I think I look fantastic, and believe that I could walk out of the show with the Best Poser award.

The report from my trainer is more than encouraging! As soon as I lifted off my shirt last night for him to assess my bodyfat, he could tell that I’d burned more off… but would it be enough to satisfy me? The skin is tightening up in several places. After taking my bodyfat measurements, he applied a coat of Pro-Tan to my body, and I was instantly amazed by the changes the color brought out. I flexed my biceps first and was astounded… I actually HAVE biceps! Flexing abs revealed a lot of detail I didn’t think was there. It’s funny how the mind plays tricks on us.

Ok, so the bodyfat is 10.04%, which means I’ve dropped ~1.5% bodyfat in about a week and a half. By adding in cardio, I hope to push myself down to 9%, if not to 8.5%. I’m psyched up and excited for the show, and following a conversation with my trainer, might keep the condition I’m in, go for some more fat loss, and look for another local competition within the next month or so!! That’s still a thought, but would be worthwhile after this long of a process.

After much debate, I’ve decided to go with an orchestral piece from Guild Wars: Factions Original Soundtrack. For those not familiar with Guild Wars, it is a MMORPG that I play with several friends, and Factions is the Asian-themed package (you can read more about the game here: http://gw.gamewikis.org)

One of my friends helped me edit ‘Over My Head’ by Lit and ‘GW Factions Bonus Track 4′ down to 1 minute each. After listening to the two, I chose the Guild Wars music because of its more artistic expression. There are some strong driving chords later in the piece, as well. At least, no one else will be using the music at the show, as I doubt anyone else plays Guild Wars (Yay, me!).

The music is credited to the composer, Jeremy Soule. I’ll post the edited version of the music AFTER the show. That way no one can borrow my idea!

The cardio is coming along, as I’m doing 20 minutes of fasted cardio at the new gym onsite at my company. They also have a group aerobics room that I want to use to practice my posing throughout the next week. Mostly, I’ve been practicing at home, but I’d like to do some more choreography for my individual posing.

The biggest news is that I’m almost completely shaved now, and all I can say is that it sucks! It’s a lot of work, and it itches like crazy after a few days. I’ve consulted a few friends who are swimmers and gotten some tips on preparation and shaving down while avoiding the majority of razor burn. Funny enough, the best advice has come from my friend, Michelle, who told me to invest in a lot of baby oil. Ok, now that I’m slicked up, I can’t actually hold onto the razor! haha.

It’s a disturbing feeling to see yourself hairless, especially if you’re like me and you pride yourself on your resemblance to Sean Connery without a shirt on (meaning the abundance of chest hair and the younger version)! I’m going to throw a coat of Pro Tan on and see what shakes loose. I think this will boost my confidence when I see the contrast and improvements… kind of a premier for what I’ll be like on stage.

I am disappointed by my bodyfat at this stage, but can only forge ahead and do the show. If the numbers aren’t where I want them tonight, then I’ll start dual cardio sessions each day to encourage more fat to drop. Both will be fasted, once in the morning, and then again one hour after lunch.