Saturday, July 30, 2005

A Good Start

So far everything has been going well...

I got myself a stopwatch about a few weeks ago, to keep track of my time in between sets. I found that sometimes I'd wait too long, or sometimes not long enough. Either giving myself too much time to cool down, or not enough time to recoup. So since doing this, and pacing myself, I've notice bigger gains in my weights week to week, and in my energy levels as well. It did cut my weight that I was lifting down a little in the beginning, but I'm quickly getting back up to the weight I was lifting before. This is also in part, due to my having just returned from no upper body workouts for a little over a month.

I'm currently working a body part a day, with one full day off a week. I am trying to build my legs up a little more right now, so they get two days a week.

The current schedule is as follows:

DAY 1: Cardio - Abs - Back
DAY2: Cardio - Abs - Chest
Day 3: Cardio - Obliques/Lower Back - Legs
Day 4: Cardio - Abs - Shoulders
Day 5: Cardio - Abs - Bis/Tris
Day 6: Cardio - Obliques/Lower Back - Legs
Day 7: REST!!!

The upper body gets about 3 out of the 7 days to rest. 2 of which are consecutive. Legs get 1 day on, 2 days off, 1 day on, 3 days off.

I used to combine arms with their appropriate counterparts such as: Back/Bis, and Chest/Tris. But this routine is currently working for me. It allows more time to spend my energy focusing on one specific body part, and attacking it from all angles.
I may even go so far as to split Bis, and Tris apart, which I used to do, but we'll see. Right now I think I need to have that rest day. So that the muscles all have SOME time to attempt to regenerate and grow. This is one of the rare instances in life, where I feel that there just aren't enough days in the week.

Current weight: 220 lbs.
Body Fat: 20%

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

The Early Stages...

Well, I told my mother of my intentions... She didn't seem all that excited or interested in it. But she did tell me about some shows coming up. One is in November, unfortunately it's a week after my father's Iron Man Triathalon. At which I'll be down in Florida, and there's no way I could go away for a week down to Florida, a week out from a competition. I'd have to bring all my own food, I'd be an irritable bastard from all the dieting... there's no way, and I made the commitment to go down there almost a year ago, so that's that. The other one she mentioned was in April. Which is a ways off... 9 months. But that might be the best. I just need to make sure she's not judging the show. Not that I think she'd show any favoritism, in fact I'm sure it'd be quite the opposite. But either way the other competitors may not see it that way, so I'd like to avoid that situation all together.

I still haven't told my Father about it yet. I want to see if he knows of any good natural shows to compete in. But if nothing else I'll aim for the April show.

I also haven't told any of my friends yet. I won't unleash this blog on my website until I have a show date nailed down.

I've already been trying to find a song to work my routine to. The sooner I have one picked the sooner I can begin practicing. I have a couple in mind. But I won't tell anyone what it is, whatever I decide. They'll have to come to the show to see. I'm hoping that a lot of people will come out for it, as it may be the only one I ever do. But I'm not too worried about it. I'm also going to try and get my hands on some of the tapes of my parents' previous shows they competed in, to get ideas for routines, and poses.

I'm also going to have Holly take some pictures of me in the next week or so, (she's the only one who knows right now besides my mother... she also didn't seem very excited about it), so that I can see where I was in the beginning, and we'll take pictures along the way to help me identify what I need to work on as I get closer to the show. If they're not too embarrassing, I'll post a few here.

Sunday, July 17, 2005

And So It Begins...

Well, I suppose it was bound to happen...

For about a year or so now, people have all been asking me if/when I was going to compete in a bodybuilding show...

I never felt like I was in THAT kind of shape that I could compete. I still don't know that I am. But when I was a kid and I watched all the shows that my parents either took me to, or had competed in themselves, I knew I wanted to do that someday. Having been to so many, and my mother being a judge now herself, I knew of the politics involved in a bodybuilding competition. That no matter how good you may look, or how hard you train, you may very well get screwed over because someone else in your class was buddies with one of the judges or the promoter. So all of this discouraged me from ever wanting to compete. Ultimately my desire to train everyday comes from being in competition with myself. Just trying to top that which I have already achieved. People ask me, how big do you want to get? My answer to that is, as big as my body will naturally allow. Which I don't think will be much bigger than I am now. But as of late I have lost a little of the fire that has fueled me in the gym the last few years. Partially due to a back injury that kept me from training for about a month and a half.

I have had everyone from close friends, to ex-competitors, current competitors, judges, and promoters all tell me to do a show.

So today, I have decided that I will.

I will compete in an all natural show. Which for those who don't know, is a show where it is illegal to compete if you have used steroids, growth hormones etc. They usually either drug test or do a lie detector to determine this.

One of my biggest reservations about doing this, was the fear of failure. To not place well in the show...

So I have decided that I am not going into this to win my class. I WILL do this with everything that I have, and I will aim for #1. But ultimately my goal is to just do it. To have just gone through the process, and to have competed. It's like starting a band, and just getting through that first show. It won't matter if I place last. If I know that I did everything in my power, to be in the best condition that I could for the show, then that will be good enough for me. The rest of it doesn't matter.

I have decided to compete for the following reasons...

1. To re-ignite my fire in the gym. To give me something new to strive for, a reason to train harder, and unlock my full physical potential.

2. To have fulfilled a desire I once had in my youth, and to prove to myself that I can do it

3. For the sake of a new experience.

4. (It won't hurt the personal training resume'.)

I still have to talk to my parents regarding this. To pick a show, and set the timetable. I would like to have anywhere between 6 to 9 months to prepare for it. To have time to bulk up more, and beef up my legs some.

I have decided to finally make use of this blog I created almost a year ago, but have yet to use... To chronicle this experience. Here I will post my progress, training routines, current weight, diet etc.

A bodybuilding competition is sheer vanity... It is ultimately a beauty pageant. But the work, and time that goes into it is great.

So... here we go.