Paul Revelia Headed to the Pro Stage for the First time
[b]Contest Prep 2012[/b]
[b]Who?[/b] My name is Paul Revelia. This will be my third contest season. I began competing in 2008 after watching the video series “Life of a Natural Pro” With Layne and Isabel Norton as well as Tommy Jeffers. At that point I had never heard of Drug Tested bodybuilding. All my knowledge of competition was from years of reading Flex\MD\M&F and so on. Although I had been in the gym since the age of 15 there was nothing beyond the gym for me. I trained because I loved the Challenge and doing something physical to improve myself. After years and years of frustration and lack of progress from the wrong diet and the wrong program I had continued to train without any real sense of purpose, just because I loved the weights. After watching the video series and reading articles by Layne I changed my diet, found a new routine and suddenly I was making gains like I had seen in my teens. All my lifts started improving, I started to grow and it was then that I decided to take the next step. I started working with Layne at the beginning of 2008. He crafted my diet and training program and I worked my butt off and entered a Regional NPC show. As a drug free athlete I figured I would just show up and have fun. I entered the Novice Class. I did manage to get pretty lean for that show and wound up winning the entire class. I was so excited that night as my parents and friends all showed up to support me and see me win. I was hooked at that moment. So what was my next challenge? With Layne’s guidance again I entered and won my class at Two Tested Pro Qualifiers in 2009, I also won the overall at the NGA American International Championships earning a Pro Card. After seeing the pro’s backstage I knew I had work to do before competing at that level. So began on offseason of growing.
[b]What?[/b] I will be stepping on stage as a Pro in both the IFPA and NGA. Since turning Pro I have been working hard in the gym to prepare. I have done several powerlifting meets as a means to push myself past any personal barriers. I earned a sponsorship with Scivation after being a loyal consumer for years. Earning that was as rewarding as being the last person standing on stage. I have also been blessed to have Layne become one of my closest friends. He moved 90 minutes from me in 2011 and it’s been such a boost to watch him compete on the Pro Stage and spend time with.
[b]When and Where?[/b] Right now my target date to be stage lean is September of 2012. I have already begun dieting and will determine what shows I do based on how my body responds. I will be doing the Gaspari Classic in Cape Code for sure as well as the NGA Universe in November. I may also add the Kansas City and Yorton should I qualify.
[b]Why?[/b] This is the next challenge for me. I have been working for the better part of 3 years to make sure I did all I could do to take this step. Now the time has come for me to see how I stand on the Pro Stage with the bodybuilders I admire the most. It has been difficult sitting on the side lines these last few years but I kept my focus on what I needed to do. The next 9 months will determine how well my work paid off and what my next challenge will be.
Goals: My offseason goals were pretty simple. I knew that I need more size to compete on the pro stage so I wanted to reach a 400lb squat and a 500lb deadlift. Hamstrings, Back and thickness are what I would consider my biggest weaknesses. Although those numbers are very modest they did represent some big challenges. My PR’s in those lifts before the offseason started were in the range of a 300lb squat and a 400lb deadlift. I had never learned to squat properly and deadlifted for only a year or so. After watching Layne compete in the Raw Unity meet in Tampa in late 2009 I decided I would take a shot at powerlifting. I did my first meet in the summer of 2010 in Orlando. I weighed in at 242 as I had been really enjoying the offseason. I was very happy with my first meet at managed a 365 squat, a 380 bench and a 475 deadlift which were all Personal Records at the time.
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After this meet I soon developed some very bad left knee inflammation. I got an MRI done on my knee and found that there was no structural damage. The pain had affected my strength in a small range of motion for many months though so my progress has stopped on both the lifts I was working so hard on. Midway through 2011 I finally found a method to avoid that pain. I now take Aleve about an hour before I train legs and use knee sleeves to help keep the area warm. I will also ice them post workout on particularly heavy days. With this method I began to train and train heavy again. Shortly after this I strained my back, and the hits just kept on coming. This time I saw a chiropractor right away and got an X ray. After learning that I had no damage I was informed that the issue was tightness in my hamstrings and lower back creating tension. Well I began stretching, heating and icing the area and I was back in action almost right away. After training vigorously for the rest of 2011 and into 2012 I did my last powerlifting meet in Tampa. The Raw United Beau Moore Classic was to be my sendoff from offseason into contest prep mode. I was disappointed with my squat to that point as my best had been 385. I did manage a 500lb deadlift in the gym so one goal had been attained. Still I worked hard and my squat just refused to improve at a reasonable pace for me. However, on the day of the meet I had rested adequately all week and felt really fresh. I ended up getting 385 on my second attempt rather easily and decided to go for 400. I struggled mightily but I did get through my sticking point and lock it out, with that done I only had one more goal to reach. After getting 365 on bench(slight shoulder issue hindered training a bit) I hit a 500lb deadlift on my second attempt. At Layne’s advice I jumped up to 535 for my 3rd attempt and though he was crazy for suggesting it. To my surprise the weight rose off the floor, albeit very slowly, and I was able to lock it out for a huge 35lb PR. Offseason done with style!
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Here are some pictures of my journey so far.
Me as a teenager.
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Me at my first contest.
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My second contest season.
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Offseason building at 235lbs.
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[url]www.ProPhysique.com[/url]
During the last few years I have also been perfecting my skills as a contest prep coach. At the advice of several of my friends such as Tommy Jeffers and Layne Norton I have branched out on my own and started what I hope will be a coveted nutritional consulting service for those who wish to improve their overall well-being. I did a lot of pro bono work and its now paying off as I have reached a comfort level and a bit of demand that allows me to work with a small group of individuals so that I can offer very personal service. I have already had the pleasure of having one client win an overall title while yet another took home a teen title. I am now enjoying the process of being a coach for those who wish to take their physique to the next step, and it’s been a rewarding experience.
