Happydude's Road to Competition

[IK9]

Looking fckin diced & 5 more weeks to go.. to me you look way ahead of schedule but I don't know anything lmao

I never feel full off of greek yogurt.. but that combo sounds like yum

[red_cat]

Seriously, you're in a great spot for 5 weeks out. Just keep riding it out and don't do anything crazy!

[happydude101]

Seriously, you're in a great spot for 5 weeks out. Just keep riding it out and don't do anything crazy!

Looking fckin diced & 5 more weeks to go.. to me you look way ahead of schedule but I don't know anything lmao

I never feel full off of greek yogurt.. but that combo sounds like yum

Appreciate the encouragement, fellas!

Seeing some vascularity in my chest, lats and back has me psyched and provides that extra motivation to see how much leaner I can get.

As a general update, the sessions this weekend went well, though my right shoulder is starting to get a tad sore with how hard I've been pushing the training lately. Going to spend some time stretching it out, icing it and get a physio appointment or two lined up.

On another note, a big shout out to Bob (The Solution) for his chocolate muffin recipe on the Cellucor site. Made a couple batches today with two different flavors of whey and they're definite keepers! I had to make a couple ingredient substitutions based on what I had, but ended up with a cupcake (w/ icing) that comes in at 60 calories, 0.5g fat, 3g carbs and 11g protein.

The only question now is whether to double or triple the recipe next time!

[happydude101]

Did a quick abs session yesterday after work that felt really nice. Lots of focus on exhalation during contraction and a deliberate one to two second hard squeeze at the top of every rep.

Also did a FaceTime session with my coach, running through the mandatory and symmetry poses. Was hard as hell, but felt great to get real-time feedback and some tips that really help to elevate the various poses. I find my two biggest challenges are properly controlling my breathing and maintaining tightness in my abs/legs during some of the poses I find more difficult, like left/right symmetry and side tricep.

What was REALLY awesome was spending a half hour or so with my coach putting together my free-posing routine and transition poses. We had an idea of what poses best accentuated my strengths, though getting them all in order, with transitions and running through it a couple times felt amazing. I only get 30 seconds to execute it and will be practicing a couple times a day up to contest time in order to have it down cold.

From here on out I'll also be taking only some progress photos on Saturday of my weakest poses, plus the poses for my free-posing routine. The next couple weeks will see at least a couple more FaceTime sessions, which will increase to 2 - 3 times a week as we get closer to the contest and likely every day during peak week.

Decline Bench Crunches
- 3 sets of 20 w/ 10 lb plate

Cable Crunches
- 3 sets of 25 w/ 90 lbs

Bench Deficit Leg Raises (heels touching floor at bottom of each rep)
- 3 sets of 20

Hanging Knee Raises
- 3 sets of 15

Standing Oblique Crunches
- 3 sets of 15 per side w/ 45 lb plate

All sets done with roughly 15 seconds rest between them, and no more than 45 - 60 seconds rest between exercises.

[NaturalPursuit]

BRO! Those muffins look SPOT on! Bob has the best recipes around

[happydude101]

Another fantastic leg session yesterday. Having the leg press machine has opened a lot of possibilities for alternate exercises and pre/post exhaustion, which I'm loving at this point.

Was looking forward to saying today was the last day of work before going away for the wedding/reception next Wednesday, though looks like I'll be having to work remotely early next week and potentially for a couple days while I'm gone. It sucks, but I'd rather do that than drop the ball and/or have to hand things off to another manager.

Continuing to practice posing on a daily basis and try to make sure and do at least one run-through without a mirror each day to get used to how a pose should feel. It's coming along, just slowly.

Also looking forward to testing out Bob's Molten Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups recipe this evening!

Leg Extension
- 3 working sets (40 seconds tension, 60 seconds rest).

Squats (Shoulder width, continuous reps w/ no lock-out, aiming for smooth, strict movement).
- 6 working sets (60 seconds tension, 90 seconds rest).
- 2 drop sets (in immediate succession after sixth working set).

Leg Extension
- 3 working sets (40 seconds tension, 60 seconds rest).
- 2 drop sets (in immediate succession after third working set).

Leg Press (Narrow stance, toes pointed out, continuous reps w no lock-out, knees to chest).
- 3 working sets (40 seconds tension, 75 seconds rest).
- Last set was a "death set", where I didn't rack the weight at the end and just went to failure, then had fiancee strip a plate while I held it static. Rep to failure, rinse and repeat. Painful!

Ham Curls
- 4 working sets (40 second tension, 60 second rest).
- 2 drop sets (in immediate succession after fourth working set).

Good Mornings
- 4 working sets (40 second tension, 60 second rest).
- 2 drop sets (in immediate succession after fourth working set).
- Haven't done these for awhile, though they felt amazing. Super slow and strict, with a laser-like focus on contracting the hamstrings while coming up.

Heavy Rack Deads
- 5 working sets (40 second tension, 75 second rest).
- Adding these in to replace conventional deads leading up to my contest, just to be safe. Felt fantastic in my back and maintained as strict form possible as per a video from Mark Rippetoe.

High Rep Leg Press Calf Raise (15-20 reps/set)
- 6 working sets (40 second tension, 60 second rest).

[red_cat]

Nice to see you keeping the volume up as the contest gets closer. I like to practice poses in front of a mirror with my eyes closed. That way I can quickly check to see if I'm holding things correctly as I'm going.

Keep it up!

[IK9]

Nice to see you keeping the volume up as the contest gets closer. I like to practice poses in front of a mirror with my eyes closed. That way I can quickly check to see if I'm holding things correctly as I'm going.

Keep it up!

Wow, I gotta try this!

Enjoy the wedding.. sounds like a good time.. you packing food or eating what's there?

[happydude101]

Well, another week gone and down to 124 lbs even, which means I lost another 0.2 lbs this week.

I'm more tired these days (harder workouts/less calories), but am enjoying this phase of the prep as it gets closer to contest time. Still doing my regular training schedule, in addition to posing practice every day and HIIT cardio. Attempting to master the poses is really growing on me and throughout the day I find myself routinely and randomly stopping by a mirror to test some new manner in which to flex my abs, tense my arm or spike my calf. Of everything though, I feel the FaceTime sessions with my coach and fiancee are the most valuable, where I can get honest real-time feedback on both my strengths and weaknesses.

LOTS of life updates this week, as well. Most importantly, by this time next week I will officially be a married man. Most everything for the wedding (small and destination-based), as well as the reception (open-house BBQ at my place) is planned and ready to go, though we're still running around double and triple-checking everything.

Got a great deal on a package of Ivanko "revolver" plates, which is awesome now that I have a leg press in my basement. Even better, the seller lived literally a couple blocks from me and really had them priced to sell.

Last but not least, owe yet another kudos to Bob (The Solution) for his Molten Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups recipe. Made them last night and they're a big hit, along with another batch of protein cupcakes.

As far as update pictures this week, the first eight (in this post) represent my free-posing routine, where some are the actual poses I do and others are transitions (I'll mark them).

The second post are merely general update pictures to check physique/posing progress.

As always, feedback, critiques and advice are very welcome!

FREE-POSING ROUTINE

POSE


POSE


POSE


POSE


TRANSITION


POSE


TRANSITION


POSE

[happydude101]

GENERAL UPDATE PICTURES

[NaturalPursuit]

How many weeks out??? Seriously in a incredible position…peak week plans?

[happydude101]

How many weeks out??? Seriously in a incredible position…peak week plans?

Funny you should ask...

Hit my absolute lowest mental point last night since I started prepping for competition, if not the year.

There were always two shows I'd been considering, with one in early October and the other in early November. I'd always been counting on (perhaps incorrectly) doing the October show, putting my prep since May at around 20-22 weeks. Speaking with my coach last night, he'd prefer I do the November show, which adds another 4 weeks of prep (24 - 26 weeks total) to the remaining 5 weeks from present I was anticipating for the October show.

I don't know why but it's deflated me like nothing else has and taken my motivation down to near zero. I completely understand his reasoning (e.g. more posing practice, more leanness, this week will be a write off due to my wedding), but its still hit me like a ton of bricks and has me considering saying, "f*ck it, why bother at all," which I know doesn't make sense and yet there it is.

I'm tired of going to bed hungry and waking up hungry. I'm tired of feeling like I have no energy and like it's a chore to drag myself through the day. Particularly, I'm sad that training is starting to feel like nothing more than an unpleasant chore that I need to "get over with" during my day, rather than something I look forward to and am passionate about. Most importantly, I don't like that the fluctuations and lows of this prep journey negatively color my perceptions of the really great things in my life, like getting married and a career that's going well.

In the grand scheme of things it's all pretty trivial, but considering "my world" has been about this for the last 4 - 5 months, it feels a lot bigger.

[Devils]

Funny you should ask...

Hit my absolute lowest mental point last night since I started prepping for competition, if not the year.

There were always two shows I'd been considering, with one in early October and the other in early November. I'd always been counting on (perhaps incorrectly) doing the October show, putting my prep since May at around 20-22 weeks. Speaking with my coach last night, he'd prefer I do the November show, which adds another 4 weeks of prep (24 - 26 weeks total) to the remaining 5 weeks from present I was anticipating for the October show.

I don't know why but it's deflated me like nothing else has and taken my motivation down to near zero. I completely understand his reasoning (e.g. more posing practice, more leanness, this week will be a write off due to my wedding), but its still hit me like a ton of bricks and has me considering saying, "f*ck it, why bother at all," which I know doesn't make sense and yet there it is.

I'm tired of going to bed hungry and waking up hungry. I'm tired of feeling like I have no energy and like it's a chore to drag myself through the day. Particularly, I'm sad that training is starting to feel like nothing more than an unpleasant chore that I need to "get over with" during my day, rather than something I look forward to and am passionate about. Most importantly, I don't like that the fluctuations and lows of this prep journey negatively color my perceptions of the really great things in my life, like getting married and a career that's going well.

In the grand scheme of things it's all pretty trivial, but considering "my world" has been about this for the last 4 - 5 months, it feels a lot bigger.

Do the early show, it's a local competition you literally just pay money and go stand up there for 5-8 minutes and get a plastic trophy if you're lucky. Do it for yourself, do it for a quick thrill and sense of achievement, do what makes you happy, it's a hobby. If you like it do another show later on.

[IK9]

Do the early show, it's a local competition you literally just pay money and go stand up there for 5-8 minutes and get a plastic trophy if you're lucky. Do it for yourself, do it for a quick thrill and sense of achievement, do what makes you happy, it's a hobby. If you like it do another show later on.

This.

Earlier show. Gogogogo

[phillysteak]

When is your wedding again?

Obviously it doesn't help now, but dieting down to stage ready levels at the same time I'm having my wedding day is a little too much for me. Not to say throw in the towel on competing at all now...but if it's soon yeah maybe talk with your coach--a one week small diet break and then grind for 4 weeks to do a show would probably be pretty sweet.

I just could never sacrifice my entire happiness on that day for a bodybuilding show, powerlifting meet, nothing.

[happydude101]

Just popping my head in to say hello!

Been super busy the last couple weeks with the wedding, then catching up on everything at home/work that I've fallen behind on.

In short, the wedding and trip were fantastic and we couldn't have asked for a better location, weather and family to share it with. Nothing feels "different", which is probably a good thing, though we both managed to get tremendously sick at the start of last week, almost as soon as we were back. Not fun, but probably unavoidable when surrounded by sick/grubby little nieces and nephews.

For those offering kind words above, thank you! I ate my ass off while away and became intimately re-acquainted with steak, chinese food, good BBQ and vodka on the trip. This past Saturday's weigh-in was in the very low 123's, which I and my coach are pleased with, and somewhat surprisingly I came back feeling reinvigorated to train and keep pushing the intensity.

Contest-wise, no decisions yet. I'm contemplating hitting this first competition in October to do Physique, which was my intention at the start of this journey. If nothing else, it could be fun and provide some experience of what it means to be on stage and getting prepped the day of. I'd then look to compete in Bodybuilding in the November show, with everything dialed in and confidence high (hopefully!). If I'm truthful, I don't feel like my posing, legs, glutes and abs are quite where I want them to be before hitting a bodybuilding competition. That conversation will happen tonight, so we'll see!

Took some updated photos on Saturday and will post those tonight. As always, would greatly appreciate any and all input on my physique and/or posing!

PS - Dexter should have taken the Olympia. That is all.

[NaturalPursuit]

Update?

[happydude101]

Howdy all,

Haven't updated for awhile and figured I'd toss something up for the sake of documenting the journey start to finish.

I ultimately decided not to do the October competition due to a few extremely hectic weeks at work that were mirrored in my home life, making things more than a little insane and causing my sickness to linger for longer than I'd hoped.

That said, I'm excited to say I will be competing in my first show (novice bodybuilding) in just over two weeks. I've submitted my entry, paid the fee and have my spray tanning all lined up. Being a cheap SOB that basically means I'm irrevocably committed at this point!

Dieting continues, with me sitting at around 122-123 lbs, currently, and about 1500 calories on most normal days.

Training also continues, though I have backed off the volume, while maintaining intensity, in order to keep from getting too burned out and wasting away. What this means is effectively ensuring no single session goes longer than 45 minutes (as opposed to my previous 90 -120 minutes) and reducing rest time both between sets and exercises.

Posing practice continues, as well, and I finally feel like my breathing and maintaining a smile (as opposed to a hard-flexing grimace) is becoming easier to remember and maintain. Side triceps poses still feel rather awkward, though everything else is comfortable, and my 30-second routine really feels good in the poses and transitions.

Overall, I'm feeling much better about things than I was a month ago. The combination of not being constantly exhausted from too much training volume and having effectively "seen the forest for the trees" in terms of this not being the only thing in my life has done wonders for my mental preparation.

As always, I'd appreciate any tips or advice people would care to share, particularly for contest day and the hours leading up to the show. I've continued taking progress pictures and if there's any interest I can post a few of those, as well.

[IK9]

Glad to see that you are alive

Yeah, nice to see that you have backed off the volume a tad bit.. Auto-regulating is very important & it's hard to maintain all that volume on an extended time period of being in a calorie deficit

I'm gonna see this til the end with you.


You always have our support here no matter what

[Bnizzle163]

I don't post often, but when I do it's because I saw something awesome. You are looking on point, man. Bring it home!

[happydude101]

Appreciate the encouragement, fellas!

The hardest part these days is really never feeling satiated, though the use of Walden Farms products and diet soda with and between meals has been a real sanity-saver in that regard. Hell, occasionally I'll take a teaspoon of "calorie-free" syrup or caramel, just to satisfy a strong craving and prevent any potential cheats.

It's a little pathetic, though a couple times I've even found myself getting something from our kitchen pantry and taking a big handful of tortilla chips or the like, then standing there for 30 seconds while I mentally wrestle back control and toss them in the garbage.

[happydude101]

Few update pictures!

[happydude101]

Howdy folks,

Seeing as my show was yesterday I figured it was probably appropriate to cap off this journal with a final update. It's a bit long but bear with me.

I competed in the NPAA Canada Championships & Magnum Instinct Pro Show, in the Novice Lightweight (<155 lbs) bodybuilding class, and all I can say is WOW!

I wasn't sure of entirely what to expect, seeing as I'd never been to a bodybuilding show before, let alone entered one. The show seemed incredibly well organized and the staff and volunteers were very good about being communicative and providing as much information as possible as to what was going to happen next, when you needed to be pumping up, any potential delays etc...

The other athletes were also really great and everyone was surprisingly friendly! I expected the bodybuilding waiting room to be filled with a lot of douche-bags and bros with bad attitudes, though it was really chill and everyone just lounged around chatting and shooting the breeze.

There was morning (Novice, Masters, Open Physique) and evening (Open, Elite) shows, so I was up around 4:00 am starting my food/pumping program in preparation for my 10:00 am stage time. Got to the venue around 8:00 am and just did my thing, while surreptitiously trying to figure out who my competition was. Unsurprisingly, my fellow competitors, once I figured out who they were, had about 25 - 30 lbs on me (I weighed in at 122 lbs), which definitely got my rookie nerves going. A chat with my incredibly patient/supportive wife (who was also my backstage helper) and I was good to go!

Getting out on stage was a HUGE rush and while I was initially worried I'd forget or screw up my poses everything fell into place like clockwork. Thank god for all that practice! What was probably 6-7 minutes of mandatory poses and comparisons felt like 30 seconds at most, after which we were taken off stage and went back out individually to perform our own routines.

Four agonizing hours spent in the waiting room later and it was finally time for awards and......I WON the Novice Lightweight division!

Grinning like a maniac, I'm led off stage to the drug-testing area to give my urine sample while simultaneously dreaming of the chinese buffet in my immediate future. That's when the stage manager tells me that by winning my class I am automatically eligible/entered in the Open Lightweight class in the evening show, which is about three hours away.

Craving fried rice and chicken chow mein the whole time I head back to the waiting room and take stock of how much food I brought and figure out with my coach at what intervals I'll snack and pump-up. Good thing I brought a little extra food! This time my competition is even bigger, with probably 35 - 40 lbs on me, as well as being guys who have already done/won multiple competitions and trained for several years.

The three-hour wait turns into almost four as things run a little behind with some incredibly competitive bikini/figure/fitness classes going before us. Finally it's time and we head out on stage with me grinning like an idiot from the earlier win and just being happy to have the chance to compete in the Open class. Posing goes well, though it's freakishly hot on stage (lights had been all day) and I'm sweating like crazy. We wait another hour, then get sent on to do our individual routines. Where mine consisted of just my strongest mandatory poses, the others were really creative and incorporated a lot more of the poses you see guys do in the Olympia and what not. Impressive to say the least.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long for the awards and I almost unconsciously take a step forward when they read the first name, expecting to place low but thankful for the opportunity. "Wait a sec, that's not my number," I think to myself as they're announcing it.

Well, turns out.....I WON the Open Lightweight class, as well! On top of that, it also meant that I received my PRO CARD and get bumped up again to the Elite-Pro show later that night to compete for an IFPA pro card! HOLY ****!!!!!

Now the Elite-Pro show being what it is, there's no weight classes and I was quite literally going up against guys that had 95 lbs on me. LOL We sit in the waiting room for another hour or so, then head out on stage to do the mandatory poses and I feel like a garden gnome. The guy next to me is at least 6'0 (I'm 5'3) and weighed in at 218 lbs (I'm 122 lbs). On the plus side, it offered a little shade from the glare of the lights. Nevertheless, I pose my ass off and we head out 20 minutes later for routines, which again emphasizes for me the need to incorporate more variety and creativity into my routine.

Finally, around 10:30 pm they bring us out for awards and I manage to take home third place, over which I'm ecstatic! Granted, there was only four guys in the class, though the two that got first and second had 80 and 95 lbs on me, respectively, and the fella that came fourth was a pro who also probably had about 40 - 50 lbs on me.

Overall, it was a phenomenal experience and got me absolutely hooked on the idea of competing and putting on more mass for next season. It was a long-ass day with being up at 4:00 am to start prep and not getting home until 11:15 pm, but it was undeniably worth it. Tired as hell when I got home I unpacked, showered and skipped any food celebration in favor of a small bowl of oats and heading to bed.

Pic below is of my trophies and the massive amount of Magnum swag I won. Digital photography wasn't allowed in the venue, but I purchased a photography package from the show and hope to post some pics of the day soon!

[NaturalPursuit]

PRO!!!!

Hell yeah man huge congrats!!

[phillysteak]

Dude!!! Huge congratulations. What a month for you!!

[happydude101]

Appreciate the kind words!

I requested feedback from the judges, which I'm waiting for, and can't wait to see photos from the show, partly to see how I stacked up against other competitors and partly because I want to see what I'm sure are amusing pictures of me posing against the two giant guys in the Pro class.

[happydude101]

Getting back into prep mode next week for the next series of shows next year.

Believe I will cap off this thread, now that my competition is over, and create a new one dedicated to next years' goals.

Thanks to everyone for stopping in over the course of this journey and offering their wisdom and advice!

[NaturalPursuit]

IN for new thread! Make sure to send me a link once its up!