WNBF Pro Eric Gibson Weekly Journal!

[esgibson]

Hey everybody! My name is Eric Gibson and I became a WNBF Pro Bodybuilder in 2012. I'll be keeping this weekly thread to hopefully help or inspire someone else. A little about me...

I work as a Sales Rep in Northwest Indiana. I'll be 25 on Jan 24 this year and I've been competing since I was 20, I started in the NPC then made the very smart switch to a natural organization. Every year I've competed in at least one contest. My INBF/WNBF contest history is....

INBF Buckeye Classic 2010 Lightweight 7th place
INBF St. Louis All Natural Bodybuilding Championships Lightweight 2nd
INBF Tri-State Bodybuilding Championships Bantam weight Winner and 2nd in overall
INBF Hercules Bodybuilding Championships Lightweight 2nd Place
INBF Wisconsin Natural Bodybuilding Championships Bantam weight 2nd place
INBF Central USA Natural Championships Lightweight 4th place
INBF Tri State Bodybuilding Championships Bantam Weight and Overall Winner (Pro Qualifier)
WNBF Pro American Championships 7th place

As you can see, I turned pro this past year at the INBF Tri-State as a Bantam Weight. I'm a Top Secret Nutrition Athlete and feel very blessed to be supported by such a great company!

I actually started this journal because I've struggled with being over weight for my entire life. After reaching my ultimate goal of becoming a natural pro bodybuilder, I almost felt a little lost with what I was doing in the gym. It had been my goal for so long to become a pro and after achieving it...it was almost like...ok well sh*t..what now...I usually get pretty heavy in the offseason but this year I won't be competing because I'm getting married in March and refuse to diet through my wedding. The plan is to compete again in spring of 2014 and want to do a bit of a transformation here for 2013/wedding. As of this morning...I was a very swollen 193.0 (about 7 pounds heavier than the previous week because I ate and drank pretty bad for the new year...)

I'm doing 20 mins of cardio 4-5 days a week and lifting 4 days a week. My macros are 250P 75C 75F (yes I'm very carb sensitive..I know) with a refeed once a week where i'll to 200-250C depending on how I feel. I'm pretty excited to start this because I want to get back to 165Lbs so i can get back to maint calories and slowly bulk until I have to diet again next year!

Check out my Bio at http://www.topsecretnutrition.com/eric-gibson/
and my transformation at http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/body...ifes-work.html

If anyone has any questions or comments..please feel free to ask. Like I said I was hoping to help some people in the process!

[tsajdak]

Subbed. Congrats on the upcoming wedding.

[JulianBee]

Subbed! Congrats on getting married soon bro

[ZSize512]

You know I'm in on this. As usual lets do this sir!

[AustrianOakJr]

In. Congrats on the wedding! Looks like we are planning on getting back out there at the same time....spring 2014. You planning on the Pro American?

[mikhaill]

All the best Eric. And Nice to meet you!

[NaturalPursuit]

Subbed man!

[esgibson]

In. Congrats on the wedding! Looks like we are planning on getting back out there at the same time....spring 2014. You planning on the Pro American?

thank you and that's awesome man! i was actually looking more at the Tournament of Champions in Columbus, Ohio (it's a bit closer for me than boston) but you never know what will be goin on so i may look for something a bit later and just make a vacation out of it and go somewhere i've never been.

how's everything with you? training like a maniac i assume? haha

[esgibson]

All the best Eric. And Nice to meet you!

Alex! good back shot by the way...no homo haha

[esgibson]

Thank you to everyone that's following my thread! It's still a little surreal for me to call myself a pro...anyways!

7 days officially into dieting and i'm down to 183.6 as of this morning! for those of you counting that's almost 10 pounds in a week. i know your prolly thinkin..what is this..the biggest loser?! no no no i was really swollen when i weighed in the first morning because of crappy food and of course alcohol on new years. i'm assuming that my weight loss will slow down significantly this week...

just a thought..does anyone else swell like a pregnant woman any time i eat something off my usual diet? i assume it won't kill me cuz i've dealt with it since i started competing...

this week was pretty good as far as lifting goes..finally took the time to write up a new work out program which i'm actually experimenting with heavier weights and less volume than i've done in the past to see what happens! pretty excited about it actually! I did Monday is "universal chest day" so i joined the droves of other lifters and did that too haha then I did back on Tuesday (must have been universal curl day and i missed the memo..literally all but 3 ppl in my gym were doing curls at the same time..it was amazing..)

i'm really focusing on getting my strength up with this new program but for some reason my strength is very picky. some days i'll go in to deadlift and i'll hit a pr and some days i'll go in and i can't get 75% of it because my low back just has no strength..if anyone has suggestions on how to fix that i would love it! i'm a pretty awful deadlifter because i just started really doing it a couple years ago and i've got these little alligator arms i get from my grandpa that makes it more of a straight legged deadlift when i do it (i can't get around my knees if i don't)

pretty good week with more exciting stuff to come! work is going really really well and even better with the new year being done with (i'm in sales so the holidays suck...bad..) this weekend i'm headed to indy to get some wedding planning stuff done (my fiance is doin the invites with her maid of honor this weekend!) and i'll be hangin out with my boy ZSizemore! we will be catchin a work out at Life Time Fitness in Indy cuz our homeboy aka coach, Austin Dossey is a super star trainer there and also our buddy Louie is comin in from Dayton to get swole with us too! it's gonna be awesome! too bad i can't get all you guys to move to Merrillville so i can have 3 good training partners all the time!

more to come next week ppl...stay tuned and if you have any questions or comments..please post!

[JulianBee]

Same thing happens to my lower back when I deadlift too much bro. I started deadlifting twice a month and since then I've had no issues.

[esgibson]

Same thing happens to my lower back when I deadlift too much bro. I started deadlifting twice a month and since then I've had no issues.

thanks for the tip man! i actually took the week off from deads just because you said that and i felt a lot more solid already...good advice!

[esgibson]

Lowest body weight this week is 183.2 not as low as i was hoping for but i can def see a difference in the mirror so that's a good thing i suppose

this week started out a lil rough..work was killing me and all the prospects i was working on for new sales weren't cooperating at all! that's part of the job though..if it were easy..well..i'd make a lot more money but everybody would be doin it! By the time wednesday came around, i was ready for the weekend! instead, i put on a different pair of shinny dress shoes and turned my stuff around and it actually worked! things have been on the up and up ever since!

lifting was pretty decent this week. for some reason i can never lift when i'm really angry about something. it bothers me cuz i know a lot of guys that have the best lifts ever when they're mad but that's not the case with me. when i'm mad i'm always just distracted and pis*y haha anyways..i picked it up after the wednesday and just like work it was on the up and up ever since.

i've been experimenting with a few things these 2 weeks. fixing my deadlift problem (thank you jullian) and also fixing my delts. my delts just never get sore and that's an issue because my delts...well...suck..haha after workin out with big Z (lookin like a monster btw..him not me) it made me really look at the form i was using on my lat raises and other delt exercises. Z noticed that my traps took over with all my lat movements (meaning i wasn't hardly using any delt at all!) once he pointed that out, i started keep my arms completely straight and act like i was reaching for the walls when doing lat raises. i did that about an hr ago and i'm definitely more fatigued than i'm used to. hopefully i'll get some soreness in there so i know i'm doin something!

lastly..just an observation i had this week. on ******** one of my friends (that is an accomplished natural pro figure competitor) posted about doing like 1.5 hrs of cardio a day trying to get in shape for a contest. you wouldn't believe how many ppl wrote on that post and was like "you know after 45 mins your body starts eating muscle" "why are you doing that? trying to loose all your muscle" "who would want to do so much cardio, that's stupid" and then i thought holy crap i can't believe how rude ppl were being to her about it. those were the nice ones that only said that much. it amazed me how much ppl thought they "knew" about all this stuff and how they always know better than you do and your always doing something wrong or should be doing this blah blah..it actually made me feel really bad and i wanted to post something on there but i knew it wouldn't have accomplish anything...just funny how ppl who've never competed or accomplished anything in their life will try to give you advice or try to tell you that your wrong about something you obviously know what your doing with.

anyways back from negative town...i was gettin ready to tan tonight (yes i tan..i'm very pale and we have no sun up here) and i over heard the girls working there talking about what exercise program they do and how the trainer said this and that and blah blah and i was thinking "well that's obviously not true.." "that's stupid..i can't believe their trainer told them that..they don't know what they're doing at all!" (just thinkin this of course ) Then i thought "...holy sh*t..i'm just like them" "i'm as bad as those dbags on ********..." (at least i didn't walk up and tell them it was bs or anything but still..bad enough that i thought it) after that i made a commitment to stop being so cynical about other ppls exercise/nutrition programs or beliefs or whatever because i'm sure we all judge it against our own. we should just be happy that ppl are actually starting to exercise more and try to learn about nutrition. of course if they ask for your advice then be happy to share information as to what you believe or what you've learned but we need to stop just giving ppl advice when they don't ask for it. i've never seen it go well. no one ever says "why are you doing so much cardio? are you trying to lose all your muscle?" and the other person goes "oh yeah you're right. i'll do your cardio program and have you as my trainer and pay you because your so helpful and polite" no no no that doesn't happen haha

moral of the story is..i'm going to stop being so negative about other ppls programs no matter how silly they seem. at least the person is making an effort to be healthier.

wow that was a lot longer than i intended it...welp..time for some netflix! the lady is out of town this weekend and my Top Secret Nutrition Demo is tomorrow morning! anyone in the area come out to Body Max Fitness in Merrillville between 9 30-11 30! i'll have free samples! and if you guys get a minute..take a look at some new products we have out! a new fat burner just came out, powder BCAAs (i'm sure it's delicious but haven't gotten to try them yet), and we have new flavors for Cardio Igniter (i'm pretty upset i haven't gotten to try those either because i'm positive watermelon is gonna blow me away!) Check it out and i'll talk to you crazy kids later!

[JulianBee]

thanks for the tip man! i actually took the week off from deads just because you said that and i felt a lot more solid already...good advice!

Anytime bro! Glad it worked out for you as well. Btw I hear ya on all the negative comments. It's amazing how they'll tell a pro figure athlete she is doing something wrong when they themselves have never been on stage. I did 90 minutes of cardio for one of my contest preps and I definitely won't do it again because I felt like after a certain point it wasn't beneficial. However, I wouldn't have known that if I didn't try. So much of this is trial and error and seeing what works for you personally.

[esgibson]

Anytime bro! Glad it worked out for you as well. Btw I hear ya on all the negative comments. It's amazing how they'll tell a pro figure athlete she is doing something wrong when they themselves have never been on stage. I did 90 minutes of cardio for one of my contest preps and I definitely won't do it again because I felt like after a certain point it wasn't beneficial. However, I wouldn't have known that if I didn't try. So much of this is trial and error and seeing what works for you personally.

that's for d*mn sure man! i'll tell you what..i did 2 hrs of cardio every day gettin ready for the tri state this past year and that's the one that i turned pro at! the same thing won't work for everybody... that your exactly right about trial and error! only one way to find out homie! most ppl don't have the determination to find out though!

[esgibson]

Today is my birthday! hasn't been a full week since i posted and my weight is stayin right around 184 which was baseline for last week but it is what it is. i'm still seeing slight changes in the mirror and my weights are actually going up so i'm not worried. i don't have a contest day that i have to peak for haha if it takes me 6 months to get where i wanna be that's okay.

this week has been pretty good. Thank you Jullian for the deadlift advice...i felt 10x stronger and didn't feel like my back was going to break this week!

not much has gone on this week but i'm headin to indy this weekend to get some wedding stuff done (well my fiance has some wedding stuff to do and i'll be supporting her) prolly going to go see me 7 yr old niece play her bball game then shoot my new gun with my dad! then having a bday dinner for my cheat meal and the rest is to be determined!

this week has gone really fast for some reason..i hope it keeps goin! 8 weeks until the wedding! and the following week i'll be in Mexico!

[Cytrainer913]

Eric,
just wanted to say congrats on your pro card and all the other things that are coming your way over the next few months! Bday and wedding and all, best of luck.

With your weight, which I know was an issue in the past, saw your great transformation, way to go, is it that easy for you to add that weight bac on? Do you have to be really conscious of all that your eat, even in the offseason? Do you consider yoursefl an endomorph?

Just wondered about some of these things with you and what time do you give yourself for your prep?

[JulianBee]

Today is my birthday! hasn't been a full week since i posted and my weight is stayin right around 184 which was baseline for last week but it is what it is. i'm still seeing slight changes in the mirror and my weights are actually going up so i'm not worried. i don't have a contest day that i have to peak for haha if it takes me 6 months to get where i wanna be that's okay.

this week has been pretty good. Thank you Jullian for the deadlift advice...i felt 10x stronger and didn't feel like my back was going to break this week!

not much has gone on this week but i'm headin to indy this weekend to get some wedding stuff done (well my fiance has some wedding stuff to do and i'll be supporting her) prolly going to go see me 7 yr old niece play her bball game then shoot my new gun with my dad! then having a bday dinner for my cheat meal and the rest is to be determined!

this week has gone really fast for some reason..i hope it keeps goin! 8 weeks until the wedding! and the following week i'll be in Mexico!

You're welcome bro. Did you eat any cake on your bday? Congrats again on the wedding I know how things can get crazy as it starts to get closer lol. Where are getting married at in Indy? There's a lot of nice venues in the area.

[esgibson]

Eric,
just wanted to say congrats on your pro card and all the other things that are coming your way over the next few months! Bday and wedding and all, best of luck.

With your weight, which I know was an issue in the past, saw your great transformation, way to go, is it that easy for you to add that weight bac on? Do you have to be really conscious of all that your eat, even in the offseason? Do you consider yoursefl an endomorph?

Just wondered about some of these things with you and what time do you give yourself for your prep?

Thank you so much man! H*ll yeah it's easy for me to add weight back on...drives me nuts to be honest. and yeah i have to be very conscious of what i eat even in the offseason if i want to stay any kind of lean. it's very easy for me to get fat..mostly because i have an appetite that is hardly ever satisfied so if i'm not counting everything then i'll over eat without even noticing.

i believe that i'm a combination of an endo-meso but mostly endo. i've been overweight most of my life and would love to be able to control myself in the offseason and be able to enjoy it like other guys i know do but i lose my mind.. and because i have so much trouble staying lean in the offseason i make sure to give myself 20 weeks to prep. i'd kill to be one of these guys that stays lean enough to get contest ready in 12 weeks...man 12 weeks would be easy! lol

i just hope that other ppl that struggle like i do can see that it is possible if you just put your head down and get it done!

any advice would be appreciated btw..i'm always trying to learn and try new stuff brotha!

[esgibson]

You're welcome bro. Did you eat any cake on your bday? Congrats again on the wedding I know how things can get crazy as it starts to get closer lol. Where are getting married at in Indy? There's a lot of nice venues in the area.

naw i didn't eat any cake on my bday but then again i haven't celebrated my bday in like 5 years cuz i'm always dieting lol my bro's baby boy just turned 2 and i was at his bday party today..i had some of his cake so it was basically like my bday party too haha it was a "moo cow party" lol

stuff is actually gettin a little more relax since my fiance is so on top of the planning and stuff but we are very excited about it! we're gettin married at the hawthorne in fishers. it's a beautiful place..ever been?

[Cytrainer913]

Very few ppl have that luxury to do a 12 week prep anymore, it's just an old thing that never really died back in the 70s n 80s, but girls more than guys should b near that slow n steady prep which will preserve muscle n u being an endo will preserve muscle but lots more cardio for you sux man!

Good luck with ur life n take care of all that now n the biz is always there!

[JulianBee]

naw i didn't eat any cake on my bday but then again i haven't celebrated my bday in like 5 years cuz i'm always dieting lol my bro's baby boy just turned 2 and i was at his bday party today..i had some of his cake so it was basically like my bday party too haha it was a "moo cow party" lol

stuff is actually gettin a little more relax since my fiance is so on top of the planning and stuff but we are very excited about it! we're gettin married at the hawthorne in fishers. it's a beautiful place..ever been?

Lol sounds like you had a good time. That's good man I remember how stressful it was for us leading up to the wedding and then on our wedding day the justice of peace was late lol. It was crazy, but glad it's over. Is the Hawthorne like that really nice golf resort/country club? I've never been there, but I've drove past it a couple times and it looks crazy nice. I'm sure you guys will have a beautiful wedding there.

[esgibson]

Lol sounds like you had a good time. That's good man I remember how stressful it was for us leading up to the wedding and then on our wedding day the justice of peace was late lol. It was crazy, but glad it's over. Is the Hawthorne like that really nice golf resort/country club? I've never been there, but I've drove past it a couple times and it looks crazy nice. I'm sure you guys will have a beautiful wedding there.

haha yeah it's that country club. it's a very nice venue...i was pretty surprised when i first saw it to be honest. i'm excited to be married..but can't wait until all the traveling is over

[esgibson]

i thought i would make a small post tonight because i finally tried squatting heavy with my new ass to the ground technique. i was really happy! i did 275x5, 315x3 for 2 sets, 335x1, and then i did 185x30. i was pretty sure i was going to die on that set of 30 and honestly didn't know if i was going to make it to 20 but i just kept freakin going! i kept tellin myself..ok..5 more..ok..5 more..ok..5 more..it was crazy but my legs are shot! haha

also my fiance and i have started a cardio program together. it's a "couch to 5k" program. i thought i would try it out and see if i can't start enjoying running again (i used to enjoy running when i would run before class in my early college years). i'm hoping this will help bring the weight down a lil more as well.

i also stopped counting my macros. i know pretty well what i'm eating as far as a ball park but i just got a lil too crazy with it and need to learn how to eat healthy and live healthy. i'm more concerned with eating and being healthy at this point. i'm excited to see what happens and honestly i just got really bored with the same old programs as i was doin before so i'm just trying to have more fun now. maybe on saturday after i jog then i'll hit the heavy bag at my gym!

[ZSize512]

i thought i would make a small post tonight because i finally tried squatting heavy with my new ass to the ground technique. i was really happy! i did 275x5, 315x3 for 2 sets, 335x1, and then i did 185x30. i was pretty sure i was going to die on that set of 30 and honestly didn't know if i was going to make it to 20 but i just kept freakin going! i kept tellin myself..ok..5 more..ok..5 more..ok..5 more..it was crazy but my legs are shot! haha


also my fiance and i have started a cardio program together. it's a "couch to 5k" program. i thought i would try it out and see if i can't start enjoying running again (i used to enjoy running when i would run before class in my early college years). i'm hoping this will help bring the weight down a lil more as well.

i also stopped counting my macros. i know pretty well what i'm eating as far as a ball park but i just got a lil too crazy with it and need to learn how to eat healthy and live healthy. i'm more concerned with eating and being healthy at this point. i'm excited to see what happens and honestly i just got really bored with the same old programs as i was doin before so i'm just trying to have more fun now. maybe on saturday after i jog then i'll hit the heavy bag at my gym!

185 x30 is no joke brotha. Talk about cardio I think that can be considered it. As we talked about today setting "feats of amazingness" is a great idea. If anybody knows about being frustrated with progress and the gym becoming a job it's me. Im just happy that I love the sport I participate in again. I'm proud of you for looking for another outlet, it shows your maturity. Most people would just mop and complain about it. Like always I'm going to stand by your side just like before.

Also Im counting down the days for your bachelor party and also the wedding.