68 days out from my first competition and things are steadily changing.
Change is something that is inevitable. It's something we all hear, learn and/or experience at some point in time. I find more and more that my openness and willingness to "change" sometimes comes at a slower rate than when I was younger and I reflected this week on "why" change was so hard.
From week-to-week my body changes little-by-little. A little here. A little there. And the thing about this journey is that it is my first. I have never competed in a bodybuilding competition. So in the end, when the next 68 days are up I really don't know what to expect. I know this vision that I have in my head but really, underneath the layers that are being melted away each and every week, I don't know in the end what/how this "change" will result.
That is the part of the constant change is life - not knowing what to expect. You think about all of the time and effort you've put into something we reach a place where we feel like we have more to lose. In actuality, there is a lot more to gain on the other side of change. And if we are really truly honest with ourselves, isn't it worth risking a little to gain a lot more. To gain a new perspective, insight, clarity and experience. Things that may require a bit of sacrifice up-front and will result in going even a little bit further than where you would be if you didn't take the chance on change.
Because in the end, everything will change. We will get older, other people will take that leap and new people (that we may or may not like will replace them), time will move and will never come back. So why not just take the change and happen to change before change happens to you. Either way, it will happen.
In general...
If I had to name this week I would call it - Administration Week. I took care of ordering my suits for the show, choosing music for my individual routine and posing practice with Ute. Ute is also a bodybuilding competitor and she goes to my gym. She has been working with me and correcting my posing. This is a very important aspect of competing and to be honest, it is necessary to have someone available who knows what they are doing to help you. Please don't get me wrong, The Boss is still 100% in control and he knows of Ute as a competitor. Since he is further away, it is advantageous to have someone here who is a little accessible.
Choosing the music was not so easy. When you read online, they tell you to start with music that you like and that will give you that "feeling". For me that is rap music, but.....for bodybuilding, that's not the "best" selection. After several trials and conferring with Ute and the Boss, I finally settled on a song. Now it's practice, practice, practice until it's second nature. There is still a section I am not 100% feeling, but it's 80% completed and that's okay for right now.
Diet...
This is the third week on the new diet and I am finally in a groove. I am still eating 100g of carbs a day and only chicken and veggies. Getting into a routine with preparing meals was the biggest challenge. Since I can't use salt to cook, only pepper and a little bit of oil I have come to find that I can only prepare chicken 1 day in advance, otherwise it is too dry. Also, I prefer cooking it in a pan on the stove with a little oil (less than 4ml total) and lemon juice (pure lemon juice). The pure lemon juice is important because monitoring my salt intake is key.
I normally buy thin cuts of chicken; however, with thicker cuts it's important to pound them with a meat tenderizer (or a rolling pin would suffice). It helps to keep it moist. After letting the pan warm up on medium-high heat, I add a little oil then add the chicken and letting is cook a bit on both sides (about 1 minute a side). Then I turn the heat down to medium-low, squeeze a little lemon juice over the top and cover it. It's important not to let it cook too long then it will be too dry. I remove it and put it in plastic tupperware lined with foil. I turn the heat back up on the pan (but now it has still some oil and liquid) and I do the same with the next pieces. Some times I may have to add a little more oil or a little more lemon juice, but staying within the confines of the diet are key. I find that the chicken is more tender the next day when I warm it up again, and I haven't gagged on dry chicken in 2 weeks. It still a different flavor than being able to add all the salts and seasonings that you like but I can admit that I've gotten used to it and it's not so bad. Especially since I can sprinkle salt over it before I eat. I use that 5g of salt I get a day very wisely!
For the veggies I rely on broccoli, green beans, paprika and/or mushrooms. The broccoli has more calories than (for example zucchini) and in the game of volume eating vs. being tired of choosing, broccoli is a great option. The green beans are a second favorite, but they often take a bit more prep time than the broccoli. Paprika I love when I am at home, and when I need something to eat with a different, refreshing taste. The red and yellow have a bit more calories and quite frankly they taste good and are easy to clean and eat when needed. And the new addition to my routine is mushrooms, which I personally like. Now, they have low calories so you have to eat A TON to make a dent in your caloric requirements for the day, but they are filling and if you like them they are a good option. At some points when my calories are reduced they will probably be more of a staple, but since I am still eating around 2,000 calories a day, the broccoli and beans are my best options.
Cooking the broccoli and beans I steam them. I bring a pot of water to a boil (not a lot, just enough to cover about 1/2 inch. You don't want the water to cover all of your veggies. Add the veggies and cover them and let them boil/steam for about 8-10 minutes (anything past 12-15 is too long). You don't want to over cook them to the point they change color and are too soft. With the broccoli you can just touch the top and tell if its cooked enough. (Sorry, I am a cook so I do everything by look and feel - my times are approximate.) Once they are done, to keep that vibrant green color pour out the hot water and immediate run cold water over them, filling up your pot. Then pour out that water and do it again. You don't want them sitting in hot water. I would cook veggies to cover no more than 3 days of meals. Broccoli for example gets sour and that is not good. Broccoli literally takes less than 15 minutes from cutting to finishing cooking. It's something that can be done more often.
Since I eat only 100g of rice a day, I split it up with 50g before I train and 50g after to really use that carbs wisely.
Weight....
On the weight front, this week was a good week. I clocked in today at 76.2kg /168lbs and I'm happy about that. I figured out one of the contributors to my weekend weight gain which I will write about more in the new "TMI" section after the pictures. The goal next week is to be at 75kg/165lbs. I have included a screen shot of my weight history on MyFitnessPal app for the last 6 months. You can see how my weigh has fluctuated but you can see the trend downwards. In the beginning I had a lot of food options and flexibility. The target was the lose weight with more movement. Cutting calories was not the first line of business. As the weeks go along, the Boss will make more tweaks and changes to make sure the fat loss continues. However, at no point is the goal to sacrifice muscle for the weight loss. I want to minimize the loss of muscle as the primary target. I want to make this clear. This is a snap shot of the last 6 months. At no point was it/or will it ever be an overnight sensation.
When I started working with the Boss, the goal was the gain muscle. He told me I had potential, but to see any of that potential I had to put in the work. And on top of that I had to eat. That was hard for me at first because I didn't want to get "fat". I wanted the "lean gains". Sure, everyone wants size and toning at the same time, but they are two completely different goals. So I picked size. And I gained muscles and for sure some fat too. I got up to 85kg/187lbs, my pants didn't fit and I was always warm. At 85kg/187lbs, I was also stronger than I had been in my life to date, and putting up some good numbers and aspiring for bigger numbers. I took longer breaks between sets, trained 4 days a week and did zero cardio. Because the goal was to gain size. Now the goal has changed. Now I want to lose fat and uncover what I have spent over the last 1+ year working to build. It is all possible. This transition takes time, and since it's my first cut it will for sure be the hardest - but it will be worth it. Then when it's all said and done, I will gain some weight back and push heavy weights. What is important to note is the consistency - you have to pick a direction, make up in your mind that's where you want to go for however long you want to go there, and make it happen. Changing things up every 1-2 weeks because of reading a new article or getting advice is not the way to go. Work your plan and let it work for you. When it stops working, make a change. But the most beneficial change always is with the primary mover - YOU!
Training...
This week I started training in the mornings because I really needed to free up some more time in my day. For the most part it went well. Getting up is hard whether it's at 5:45am or 8:00am or 12:00pm. So once I'm over the original "get up" I'm okay. I live close enough to my gym that I can go home after I train and shower and get dressed for work and still get there before 9am. At the end of my work day, I didn't have to worry about still having to train and I could go to the grocery store if needed or anything else. This week I used the time to cook my chicken for the following day, posing practice, grocery shopping, or an extra walking session on the treadmill. I will continue into this week. So far I think it's a good change.
I'm still on the same schedule - so 5 days a week training, each day consisting of a heavy basic exercise: Monday (Bench), Tuesday, (squats), Wednesday, (chins), Thursday (rest), Friday (Shoulder Press), Saturday (Barbell Rows), Sunday (Rest). For my heavy basic lifts I use the PITT Training protocol. The goal is 20 reps and there is a rest-pause (2-5 second) between each repetition. Sounds easy?! NOT!! The idea is that with the pause in between you can always do one more repetition. For the squats, it's a (INSERT EXPLETIVE HERE). You pause with the weight on your shoulders. And then go for another. And always for 20 reps. I have been using this style training since October of last year and it was different in the beginning because it's not "common" but it definitely works and I have seen results. I'll go more into the protocol as the weeks go on.
In the building season I did the same exercises, but I only went to the gym 4 days a week. There has been no change up of the program since the beginning. I am NOT; however, doing anything new that I didn't do in the build season. Every week I learn something new about the exercise, my form or the feel of being under the bar. You only learn this over time and after hundred of reps. And when the weight goes up, you learn a little more. Some exercises changed because, quite frankly, there are some movements I like more than others. For example, I prefer the decline bench press vs flat bench press because the flat bench murders my shoulders #paincentral101. So in the building phase I did decline bench for size and incline bench for look instead of the flat bench. For the PITT reps, I am doing a seated chest press because it works better with the protocol and I can get the work in. All-in-all I am still lifting heavy as possible in the main exercises. My strength is still maintained, I just find my energy levels leave a lot faster with the reduction of carbs.
Cardio...
Last week I think I wrote that the Boss told me to cancel out the HIIT training and stick to low impact activities. I've still been walking 20 minutes a day for 4 of the 5 training days, but since I do sit all day at my job, this week I walked on Thursday as well and since I had more time in the evenings a couple of evenings I went in for a second 20 minute walking session on the treadmill. I walk at 7.0kpm (kilometers per hour) which is not slow, but not too fast. Getting in the extra movement where I can and 20 minutes is not bad at all. It's doable.
In General....
The things I am doing for this prep is no different than any other athlete. The key is to find a routine that works for you and stick with it. I would love to only have to get up, train and eat everyday. That's not my life. I work full-time (9-10 hours a day), still take my German class, am a homeowner, and have other commitments. Life happens, and throwing training and contest-prep into that is not easy. However, you do what you must to get what you want. We make time for the things that are most important to us.
Until next week, here are some update pics at todays weight of 76.2kg....
"TMI" ...
Last week I talked about noticing on the weekends that my weight seems to creep up a little bit, well I found the culprit. I began to notice that Monday through Thursday I have a bowel movement regularly because I drink coffee during the week at work. But on the weekends, I rarely drink coffee because I don't have it at home and as a result I wasn't "moving" like I do during the week. It is amazing how one thing can be off and how it can affect what you see. It's important to keep a solid baseline of input so that changes can be tracked. Needless to say, this weekend I drank coffee both days and I did not have the problem with the scale. Until the next challenge.
Another week of working, training, eating, meal prepping on the books. Overall it has been a good week. One of the most important variables in this prep is keeping a neutral emotional equilibrium. Because stress can trigger a response in the body that results in weight gain, staggered improvement and just overall reduction in performance. This is just not in the gym, but in life as well. My life the last weeks have been pretty structured. With when and how I prep my food, train, eat, sleep, etc... And while I am the Type A personality that thrives in structure, it is not always my most dominant. The one thing about structure is that when things happen that throw it off, for me, it triggers a stress response. When I was sick last weekend, unable to train and do things how I "normally" do it according to the "plan", I realized that at the end of the day these are the things I need to do: work, train, eat, meal prep, pose, sleep, repeat. So this week, that's exactly what I did. I started the week getting up earlier and getting to work earlier. By mid-week it was a bit later because Tuesday's I train legs. I got off work later than I "planned"; therefore, I trained later than "planned". And guess what, I still needed to cook chicken for the next day. Well Wednesday night, I didn't feel like cooking chicken and I knew if I ate and got to bed I would be up at 6-6:30am automatically the next morning. So what did I do, I took my tired behind to bed and cooked my chicken in the morning. The chicken had to be cooked that was clear. But I didn't have to kill myself trying to do it the night before. Now true, going into this week I made sure I have chicken through at least Wednesday so I don't have to do the same. But the point is that being a little flexible never hurt anyone. What's most important is to keep your priorities in check. For the next 54 days, my priorities - work, train, eat, meal prep, pose, sleep, repeat. 
