JEFF ALBERTS

I am just 5 days away from my 3rd contest of the year. My aim is to get as lean as possible and after my last show I should be a tad bit leaner. Now all I have to do is make sure I am not flat but keep my muscles full by showtime. My main goal for this show is to have a great time and make sure I take everything in. I remember in 2002 I did the Texas Shredder Classic and I literally was so mad I did not win that I did not enjoy myself. The whole time I trained for that show it was about winning. There was no alternative but to go and win my pro card. I lost by one point and learned afterwards I had received 4 first place votes, 2 second place votes and 2 fith place votes. I was totally upset with the 5th place votes and I let that show discourage me for a couple of years and I did not compete for almost 3 years. I have learned a valuable lesson from that experience and I have realized that this sport is not about winning or losing but enjoying the whole process of taking your physique to a different level. Once you do that then the show is an outlet to showcase your hard earned work. It is always great to win but if I lose I have come to realize it is ok because of the past experience I had in Texas. In Texas I did not enjoy the whole process of the preparation and the actual show because I was so obsessed with winning! I am really enjoying myself now at each show I do. It is always great to meet new athletes at each show and enjoy the comraderie witrh them. For this reason alone I am enjoying the sport at a new level. I plan on having a great time in Washington and I will post my experiences from the show next week some time! To learn more about my training or to help other natural athletes be inspired to train naturally and showcase your physique visit my website at www.3dmusclejourney.com to learn more.

One week away from the big day! It has been a long journey from January 2nd to now. I started at 202 lbs and as of this morning I am right around 159 lbs. This week I have made great progress as I dropped the water weight I was holding and I seem to be tightening up a lot. I have to be careful not to over do it though. I do not want to get too stringy looking. As long as I keep doing what I have been doing I will be ok. This week was totally brutal for my energy levels. They were low all week but I never strayed off my diet. I still did my 60 minutes of cardio this week except tonight as I literally ran out of gas at 46 minutes and 34 seconds. I finished my leg training today with squats, leg curls, and standing toe presses. It was a really tough workout as I  had little energy but I pushed through it. The last 3-4 weeks I have been extremely hungry! This has been by far the most hungry I have ever been when preparing for a contest. I give a lot of credit to all the bodybuilders out there who really get very low on body fat because it is very mentally tough to sustain a diet for this long. With one week to go, I just have to suck it up and show up as best as I can. Today was also my last day of work. I have the upcoming week off so I should be well rested. Having the week off does have a disadvantage though, I will not be as active. I have a really fast pace job and it really burns the calories, so I will have to make a slight diet change due to this. I will probably drop my carbs slightly from 240 grams per day to around 210-220 grams up to Wednesday and then I will start to increase them again.

My plan for the week is to make Tuesday my last training day. This includes weight training and cardio. By Wednesday I will start to gradually add carbs and increase them slightly on Thursday and Friday. I usually take in 6 meals per day so Wed. will be 7, Thurs will be 8, Friday will be 9. However this is always subject to change as I evaluate my physique on a daily basis and I will make adjustments if I feel it is necessary. I will not cut my water intake as I did at my last show. That strategy just made my muscles go very flat. So I will keep water the same as I always do on a daily basis. Last show I was eating nothing but oats and shredded wheat for my carb intake but I got really bloated from all that fiber. This time I will eat what I always eat everyday. Some meals with oats, some with shredded wheat, and some with brown rice. I want to keep everything the same as any other day. I did notice that my photos from 2 days prior from my last show, I looked better than I did at the actual show. Those photos were taken without cutting back water or sodium or even carb loading! I just have to keep doing the things that got me to this point and do not resort to any voodoo bodybuilding tactics like cutting water intake, cutting sodium levels, and extremely high carb loading. 

I have to check in for the show on Thursday morning at 11:00 a.m. where I will weigh in and take a polygraph test. The polygraph is given to all athletes to ensure everyone is all natural. The cut off weight for lightweight is under 156lbs. so I do not think I will be a lightweight but it really does not matter. I will probably be around 158-159lbs which will put me in the middleweight class. As long as come in at the best possible condition I can, I should do ok.  

My best friend Mike, since the 5th grade, is flying in on Sunday night to stay the week and go to my show. He has never been to one of my shows so this is really exciting for both of us. It should be great week just hanging out with him again just like old times! My wife Jhanna’s Uncle Oscar, Aunt Anita, and lil’ cousin Forest are also flying out from New Mexico to see the show and have a family party the following day. Her Grandmother Edna is also coming to my show and this is her first bodybuilding show as well. We call her Gigibu or just G for short! She is really a great person and I always enjoy being in her company. My sister in law and her friends are coming from San Diego as well and a lot of my family are coming. I also have friends from work coming, so I really want to be at my all time best and not disappoint anyone! If I forgot anyone I do apologize!

Anyways I will be ready and it does not matter if I win or lose because I have put 100% effort for this show. All the work is almost done and now I just have to show up and do the best I can. If I win it will be great and if I lose I am sure it will be a little disappointing but at least I know I put all my effort on being the best I can be and I did not beat myself.  

to see more from my contest preparation visit www.3dmusclejourney.com

Hi everyone! I am in week #25 and I am now down to the final 3 weeks til the big show! I now weigh 160 lbs according to my scale at home. I am coming off a pro card win with the NGA (National Gym Association) last Saturday night but I have more work to do to be at my absolute best. After the show last Saturday I decided to celebrate my win and my birthday with my wife Jhanna, my brother and training partner Michael, and my mother-in-law Nadia. I decided to indulge with 1 chicken enchilada, 2 slices of pizza, some doritos, and to top it off I had a nice piece of chocolate cake! After getting back home the next day at around 4 p.m. I decided to weigh myself and I was totally shocked!! I weighed in at 170 lbs!! I was around 162-163lbs at the show. I think from all of the carbs I had taken in from Friday-Saturday night I was holding a lot of water in my system. On Sunday I was right back on my diet and I did 1 hr. of cardio on Sunday night. On Monday I weighed in at 168lbs and I had a good workout with the weights and 60 minutes of cardio. Tuesday I was down to 165lbs, Thursday down to 162lbs and today I was 160lbs!!! I have made an adjustment with my diet to shed some of that weight. I have dropped my carbs down from around 260 grams per day to 225 grams per day. I also increased my protein to 225 grams as well. So my calories are still the same as before but my macronutrients are different. This weekend I will drop my carbs down a little further because I am not working on the weekend so my need for carbs is slightly less than if I am at work. I will drop them to around 180-200 grams and just increase protein up to 250-270 grams during the weekend to keep my calorie intake the same. I still think I can drop about 3-4 more pounds to 156-157 lbs which could make me a lightweight. Being a lightweight is not a priority but at one of my previous shows in 2006 I weighed in at 156 lbs but my scale at home read 158 lbs so I think my scale may be 2 lbs off. If this is the case then in reality I am 158 lbs today. So in three more weeks I just may end up being a lightweight!

With 3 weeks to go I am really motivated to be at my best! I know a lot of people are coming to see me and I do not want to disappoint anyone! No pressure!!! My main goal is to have a good showing and have a good time. It is extremely hard to win a bodybuilding contest as there are a lot of really good bodybuilders out there. You never know who is going to show up! You have no control over the outcome or the judges decision. The only control you have is to make sure you bring your best and present yourself as best as you can! I have learned from my previous shows that if you go and think you are going to win and then you do not, it is a huge letdown and it is not enjoyable! I have realized to just show up and be relaxed and enjoy myself. This is what I plan on doing on July 18!!

I want to say thank you to my friends and family for supporting me through this journey! You guys have motivated me to keep going and train hard to attain my goals!

I just won my NGA natural pro card last night. To see my write up and pics go to www.3dmusclejourney.com

I am 2 days away from my first show of this year, 2009 NGA California. I am using this show as a practice run leading up to the Capital City on July 18 to make sure I can correct any mistakes I may have in my posing, tanning, diet, etc.  It has been 24 weeks and I have gone from an out of shape bodybuilder who ate anything and everything to an athlete again. It feels good to be back in shape. No matter the outcome I am happy to be where I am now compared to then. I weighed in today at 164 lbs but I did drink roughly 2 1/2 gallons of water yesterday and I drank one of those gallons past 6:00 p.m. last night so I know I am probably a little lighter than 164 lbs. Everything is going as planned. I started on Monday with 2 gallons of water and today I will probably get in 2 gallons. I will probably drink 1/2 -1 gallon tomorrow but I will evaluate my condition as I go. Starting on Wednesday I lowered my salt intake as well to help dry me out. It has seemed to be working because each day I am getting drier. I switched from Optimum Nutrition whey protein to Bioplex because Bioplex has a lot lower sodium content. I did this starting on Wednesday and I have definitely noticed the difference in my conditioning but it sure does not taste as good as Optimum! Monday and Tuesday I ate my normal diet which was an average of 185 grams of protein, 260 grams carbs, and 22 grams fat. Starting Wednesday I added a 7th meal in, so it increased to 211 grams protein, 305 grams carbs, 29 grams fat. Today I will eat 7 meals again and keep the same numbers as Wednesday. Friday I will eat roughly 400-600 grams of carbs maybe more depending on my conditioning. I am not scared to eat if I have to fill out. In the past I would be scared to take in food fearing I would spill over and be waterlogged. I would look flat. This time I have had some high carb days(up to 800 grams) in my contest prep and every time the day after I looked fuller and more cut. How many times has a bodybuilder gone out to eat after a show and ate a ton of pizza, then look way better the next morning? That has happened to me a few times! So I will definitely make sure I eat enough this time around. I typically eat oatmeal, shredded wheat, and brown rice as my carb sources. On Friday I usually eat just oatmeal and shredded wheat as my carb sources. 

I will post the outcome of this show probably Sunday evening with hopefully some good pics!

I am 8 days away from the NGA California Natural. I weighed in today at 163 lbs and I am getting leaner each week. I will probably weigh around 161-162 lbs at next weeks show. I am using that show as a tune up for the Capital City in July. I should weigh around 157-158 lbs for the Capital City but maybe I might even be a lightweight at 156 lbs. We will see when I weigh in. This weeks training has gone really well for me. I am not losing any strength and I am getting leaner as I go along from week to week. I have already surpassed my conditioning from my last show in 2006 and for that I am very proud of accomplishing my goal of getting better. However I still have 5 more weeks to go and I know I can really push hard and attain my goal of getting as lean as possible. I will just keep taking one day at a time and do the small things that have gotten me to this point.

Training
I continue to lift as heavy as possible while maintaining excellent form. I have limited the forced reps, negatives and holds to prevent any injuries. I have been using a very slow rep speed on most exercises to really feel the muscle working with out any momentum. By doing this style I have had to lower the weight on some lifts like squats, bench press, incline press but I definitely get a good workout. I am not trying to impress anyone by how much I can lift but rather just working the muscle I am targeting.

Nutrition
My diet has been going very good and I am starting to feel really hungry most of the time. I know in my mind if I am hungry than my body is using bodyfat for energy and that is a good thing. I am averaging between 240-280 grams of carbs per day, 180-190 grams of protein and 25-35 grams of fat per day. I will stick to this until I see no more changes in my appearance. If need be I will lower carb levels just a little to shed more weight. A little means 20-40 grams per day.

Cardio
I still do the recumbent stationary bike for 60 minutes per day at 17-18 mph. This has definitely helped me shed a lot of bodyfat to display more muscle. I know it sounds like a lot and most people would have a fear of losing muscle with that amount of cardio but I ride with low intensity and I feel I have kept a lot of muscle on. I will continue this all the way to the show in July.

NGA California Game Plan
The game plan for next week starting on Monday is the same as any other day except I will start to drink 2-3 gallons of water. I will drink 2-3 galons all the way up to Thursday evening. On Friday I will probably cut that amount down to 1 gallon but I will have to see how dry I am as I go. As far as food goes I do not carb deplete but I will start to increase my carbs starting on Wednesday by 40 grams taking me up to 280 grams. Thursday I will increase carbs by another 40 grams to 320 grams. Friday I will increase carbs up to 400-600 grams but again I will see where I am as I go along and make adjustments as necessary. I will take notes on everything I do during this week so that I can make any adjustments for the Capital City in July. I will continue to train in the samer manner up until Wednesday and then I will take the rest of the week off to let my body heal back up. I will stop cardio training on Wednesday as well. Until my next blog keep training hard and naturally!

I wanted to invite all natural athletes to promote your physique and help inspire others to train 100% naturally. Also to share your articles to help others learn from your experiences. Visit 3dmusclejourney.com and help promote natural bodybuilding!

22 weeks into my contest prep!! I am almost there, just 6 weeks to go to the big day. I am feeling much better this week compared to last week due to my cold. I am writing this blog a couple of days early because I have a busy weekend doing other things. I weighed today at 164 lbs. the same as last week but I definitely look leaner, so I think I may be holding a little water. I have realized this contest prep has been by far the best for me in my career thus far. I have dropped the weight at a much slower pace and I feel I have maintained more muscle size than in the past. I have dropped an average of one pound per week compared to 2-3 lbs in the past. By doing this I have kept my muscles much fuller and not so flat. One huge difference this time is in the past I would follow my diet plan exactly as planned. I would eat the same amount day in and day out regardless of how I was feeling or looked. My discipline was hindering my progress. I felt that if I was not following my plan than I would be cheating myself. This time I have learned to listen to my body and really examine how I am looking on a daily basis. I make adjustments based on those two elements. If I am feeling really low on energy then I will not hesitate to increase my carbs and not have fear of not losing weight or gaining weight. If I feel I am looking stringy or flat then I will increase carbs to fill back out. If I am a little water logged than I will just drop my carbs back down to my normal levels and after a day I am back to looking normal. This has really benefited my training by giving me the energy to perform in the gym. Usually by this time my strength levels are poor but I have seemed to keep most of my lifts up. I will continue to keep this plan of doing a daily assessment and then making adjustments as needed. I also have been keeping a training journal to keep track of my workouts so I can continue to improve each and every workout. I keep a log of my food intake as well on my IPOD using the "Lose It" application. It is great because you can tailor your own foods in the application.  It gives you calories, carbs, protein, fats, sodium as well as recipes and a food database. It has worked great for me and it is easy to use. I also have to really give a huge thank you to my wife Jhanna for preparing all of my food which she has prepared perfectly. She has been a big part in my preparation and I love her with all my heart! With 22 weeks down and 6 to go I am even more motivated to see where my body will be on July 18, 2009. I will continue to push forward one day at a time and I will be at my best win or lose!  Until my next blog keep training hard and naturally!

20 weeks have gone by and it seems like yesterday I was eating all kinds of junk food. I started this journey at 202 lbs and probably the worst shape I have ever been in. As of today I am 166 lbs and my goal is around 158 lbs but I will continue to drop weight and where I land does not matter as long as I am in my best shape ever. The reason I decided to take this journey was I wanted to prove to myself I can get in my best shape ever and leave no thoughts of what if I did this or that different. I decided to take a full 7 months to get myself ready. I wanted to commit everything I had in being my best. My last show in ‘06 I thought to myself after the show, what if I took an extra 4 weeks to get ready? What kind of conditioning would I have? After that last show I let myself go physically and mentally. I still trained with weights 3 times per week but I did no cardio and my diet, well was no diet. I ate anything and everything and it showed. I was out of shape! About a year ago my little brother, not little but younger, started to train with me. With him training with me I became more motivated and he pushed me really hard. We were lifting heavy weight but with great form. He has been a great motivator for me and he is a big reason for my gains in the gym. All of a sudden I realized I was bigger than I ever been at 200 lbs, but I was holding a lot of body fat. I started looking at photos from many natural shows and I started to get the itch to enter another show. The reason I chose "Capital City Natural" is because it is close to home and every time in the past I have competed there I was not in shape. In 1999, I did the show but it was a week after a previous show and I was mentally not into doing another show. In 2000, I had just did the "Northwest Natural" in Oregon and again I was not mentally into dieting for another 2 months. In 2004, I did the show with only a couple months of dieting and fell way short of being my best but I was able to capture the middleweight class. So now 5 years later I am doing the show to prove to myself I can be at my best and erase a lot of questions and doubts in my mind. The one thing in this sport you have to have the mental toughness to go through many weeks of dieting and cardio. I feel I was ready 20 weeks ago to take my journey and with 8 weeks left I feel I will achieve my goal to get my best shape regardless of the outcome of the show.