Sunday, April 30, 2006

The Posing Routine

Well, I just got back from my Father's. I had he and my stepmother watch my posing routine, and they both said it looks great. So I'm glad they think it looks good. I still have to tighten it up but it generally looks good now.

The posing routine is what everyone is essentially coming out to see. It's my one minute of time I get on stage. I come out, I stand on the X and hit all of my best poses to my music. So I want it to be as perfect as possible. You're not judged on it at all, but like I said it's what everyone is going to see, when I'm on stage for the 1 minute of time that everyone drove and hour and a half to come out there.

I really think I've been my toughest critic throughout this whole thing. My Father thinks I look great, and I'm ready for this. I still think I've got some tightening up to do, but we'll see what happens after I'm done zero carbing, and I drop my water. It's kind of a wait and see situation now.

I have gotten a lot of postive responses to the picture I posted of me 1 week out. I've recieved the following:

"Wow!"
"Jeez!"
"Holy Shit!"
"Jesus Christ"

So that's good. I'd be more worried if people were saying:

"Ugh"
"Yeah... I guess"
"I don't know buddy... when is the show?"

I'm really happy with the song I've chosen for my posing routine. I've last second found one I'd like to do as well, but maybe for the next show if there is one. But this one works for me on several different levels. I've tried my best to keep it under wraps until people hear it at the show when I do my routine.

We'll see how it goes. I'm more concerned with nailing that than anything else that day.

Saturday, April 29, 2006

1 Week Out!!!


Well, this is it...

I guess it was bound to come at some point. 1 week from today is the competition. Everyone keeps telling me, "Well you only have one week left!". The thing is... this is going to be the toughest week of the whole thing. Today I begin running on zero carbs until Friday. Then I'll carb up to about 150, but then I drop my water and dehydrate.

I've taken off this Thursday and Friday from work so that I can prepare for the show, both mentally and physically. I'm still working the kinks out of my posing routine. I'll be heading over to my Father's tomorrow to have him take a look at it, and me. I've got the routine down at this point. I need to work on foot and arm postitioning. Posing is not easy, contrary to popular opinion. If an arm or a leg is in the wrong place it can shift the balance of the muscles in the rest of your body, and look lopsided. But I still have a week and hopefully can tighten it up by the show.

I weighed in today at 186lbs. I also have cooked my last batch of turkey burgers. The next time I go grocery shopping it will be for real food again.

I'll work out through Wednesday, and then that's it. I won't lift another weight until I'm in the pump up room at the show getting ready for judging. I'll probably be checking in here quite a bit throughout the next week, so stay tuned...

As I said before... this is it.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

The Home Stretch


Well, in the last week and a half here, I'm just trying to maintain as much muscle as I can. My workouts are short and simple. I'll do split workouts rather than one body part a day. For example Monday is Chest and Triceps. 3 chest movements 3 sets each, 12-15 reps a set, and then 2 bicep movements following the same formula. I'm not lifting heavy at all, I'm just trying to keep the muscles from going flat on me in this last stretch of the process.


Right now my workout schedule will be as follows...

Mon: Chest and Triceps
Tuesday: Back and Biceps
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Chest and Triceps
Friday: Back and Biceps
Saturday: Shoulders and Legs
Sunday: REST


My cardio is back up now as well. I start each workout with 30min of high intensity cardio in which I burn between 420-450 calories. Then I do abs which usually consists of hanging leg raises, crunches on the stability ball supersetting with medicine ball twists. Then every few days I throw in some cable oblique twists as well. Then I start my weights.

My brother told me last night, that in spite of the fact that my Mother has yet to see what I look like beyond my face, that I'm not ready for the show and that I have no chance in it. My Father who saw me last Sunday in my posing trunks going through my routine, says I'm right where I should be, and that I look good. He says that I could do the show right now and look good, and in a week and a half, I'll do the show and look... great.

The bottom line is that at this point I look how I look. There's not much more I can do at this point to change anything. This Saturday I begin zero carbing, in which my daily carbs will be between 0-50 each day. This will really dump out any extra body fat I may be holding, then the night before the show I carb up to 150. This will harden all the muscles, and bring out my veins. I will also be dehydrating those last few days, and that's it. Then it's time for the show.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Wrestlemania 22


Well, I've had a suprising number of people asking me why I haven't written anything here about my experience at Wrestlemania 22. Which I appreciate, because that means that people understand what it meant to me to get to go. The only reason I haven't written sooner is just because I've been so damned busy with work, and training for this competition.

But by popular demand... here it is...

After 1 year of counting down the days literally to the big day, changing the number of days left on my dry erase board everyday, I finally came down to the day of the show, and changed it for the last time...


I got to the place and it was exciting to see all the WWE trucks everywhere. They had tents set up with various displays of wrestling memorabilia from over the years. Obviously there were long lines of cars just trying to get into the place, and then all the lines to stand in once you got in.


So I finally get inside, and I was sitting right next to the Titantron, which for those who don't know, is the big screen that's usually front and center over the entrance ramp the wrestlers come down. So while I couldn't see the big screen, I was front row in the balcony looking over the competitors as they'd come down to the ring, which I also had a great view of. They had a few warm up matches before Wrestlemania went on the air, and the crowd was all pumped up. One thing I won't forget was right before the show went on the air, the entire crowd broke into a rawkus Eddie Guerrero chant, in memory of the late wrestler. Completely unprovoked, everyone just started chanting his name, and it just thundered off the walls of that place, and then the lights went down as the chants continued and then the fireworks hit, and Wrestlemania was underway.

The crowd was great. Every time I've gone to see the WWE live, you can always tell a difference with a Chicago crowd over most crowds in other cities. Chicago is always very loud, and vocal. Which is great. It really adds electricity to the whole event, and the wrestlers feed off of that amped up crowd, and then it translates into better matches. I wish more cities could understand that. By getting into it, and becoming a part of the show, you're creating a better show for yourself. I don't know if there's just more hardcore wrestling fans in Chicago or what. Who knows what determines an entire crowd's habits.

The show started with a music video montage of moments from past Wrestlemanias... it was at that moment that reality set in and I was starting to finally realize that I had made it.. I was at Wrestlefuckingmania... I honestly felt honored to be there.


The 6 man "Money In The Bank" Ladder Match was great.

The "Money In The Bank" match involves a briefcase suspended 20 feet over the center of the ring. Inside of it is a contract for a title shot at the WWE Championship which can be redeemed at any time for up to 1 year. Ladders are strewn everywhere to use to get up to the briefcase, as well as to be used as weapons.

I was excited going into this match, as one of my favorite wrestlers was in it, "The Whole Dam Show"-"Mr. Monday Night"... Rob Van Dam. RVD in a ladder match at Wrestlemania was all I needed to hear to know this was going to be fucking awesome. The other wrestlers in the match far exceeded my expectations of them. It was an all around great match.

"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair was in it and took a massive suplex from Matt Hardy off the top of a ladder, and I thought his 57 year old ass was dead. It THUNDERED through the arena when that fucking guy hit the mat. Flair was taken out of the arena by medics, as he was screaming in pain. The whole place chanted his name as he was taken away. Less than 5 minutes later he limped on his own back out to the ring to finish the match... 57 years old... unreal.

Shelton Benjamin did a great move... running across the ring, and up a ladder that was leaning on the ring ropes, and diving into a group of his opponents. Very cool.

As predicted, RVD won, and became "Mr. Money In The Bank". RVD earned himself a gauranteed title shot whenever he wants within the next year, and I hope when he does go for it that he finally fucking wins. RVD has yet to ever be the World Heavyweight Champion, and I think it will be great when the day finally comes.


The Hardcore match between Edge and Mick Foley also far exceeded my expectations. I hate Edge. I was never a huge fan of his. Then last year he stole the girlfriend of his real life best friend, and fellow WWE Superstar Matt Hardy. The girl who is also a WWE competitor named Lita, was once my absolute favorite women's wrestler... until she turned her back on her boyfriend. This was not part of a storyline, this was all very real, and a situation that hit a little too close to home for me. So I turned my back on her, and my dislike for Edge grew into hatred.

Now, all that being said. There is no denying the ability Edge has to put on a great match. I hate doing it, but I have to give him credit where it is due. His match with Foley at Mania this year was fucking great. There was barbed wire, thumbtacks, and burning tables... They beat the shit out of each other. In the end Edge won, but it was a great match, and something to see in person.



The "Casket Match" between The Undertaker and legitimately the world's strongest man Mark Henry... pretty good.

Nothing that knocked my socks off, but a solid match nonetheless. The Undertaker's 14-0 undefeated streak at Wrestlemania was at stake, against the 400lb powerhouse that is Mark Henry.

For those who don't know a casket match is a match unique to The Undertaker. The only way to win the match is to beat your opponent down to the point that you can roll their lifeless body into the casket sitting at the edge of the ring and close the lid.

An extra large casket had to be made for the huge Mark Henry, and in the end The Undertaker's undefeated streak was untouched as was victorious.

If there was one match I could count on being great going into Mania this year it was the "No Holds Barred" match between "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, and The WWE Chairman Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Vince McMahon has never had a bad match that I've seen. They are always bloody, intense, and usually hysterical on top of everything else.

Vince's son Shane was ringside attempting to give his Father an unfair advantage. Michaels subdued him, and handcuffed him to the ring ropes to keep him out of the match. But not before burying his face into his Father's bare asscheeks.

The match was finished off with a beaten down Vince McMahon laying on a table, and Shawn Michaels leaping off of a 20 ft. ladder driving an elbow right through Vince and the table. HBK got the 123 and the match was over. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.
There are two major championships in the WWE that constitute the 2 main events at Mania. Monday Night RAW's champ carries the WWE Championship. Friday Night Smackdown's champ carries the World Heavyweight Championship... these two major titles were up for grabs in the 2 main events this year.

First up... the WWE Championship.

"The Game"... "The King Of Kings".... "The Monarch Of The Mat"... "The Cerebral Assasin"... he has many monachers, but most know him as Triple H. And he once again found himself in the main event at Wrestlemania. This time as the challenger attempting to take the title off of the current champ "The Doctor Of Thugonomics" John Cena.

This was more than any other match the best example of how intense the Chicago crowd was. In spite of being the champ, and the good guy in the match... the fans had grown to resent Cena for becoming such a goody goody, and he had been catching boos for months. HHH went into the match as the crowd favorite, and the crowd made sure these two competitors knew who they were pulling for. Every blow that Cena would land on HHH would meet with boos from the fans, while every blow from HHH met with upoars of cheers from the crowd. Back and forth, boos and cheers the whole match. The crowd was absolutely electric.

Unfortunately HHH was unable to defeat Cena for the title, and tapped out at the end of the match. The crowd was not happy.


Next up... The World Heavyweight Championship.

The Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship involved the champ, and Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle vs. "The Legend Killer" Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio.

Rey had dedicated this match to his best friend, the late great Eddie Guererro... so naturally he had the crowd on his side. This was a great match. Very fast paced. The crowd was less split on this one. Mysterio was clearly the favorite, although admittedly Angle did have many supporters as well.

In the end it Mysterio who pinned Orton to win for the first time in his career The World Heavyweight Championship. At 5 foot 4, and 175lbs this made him the smalled World Heavyweight Champion in wrestling history.

As he celebrated his victory, Eddie Guererro's widow Vickie Guererro, and his Nephew Chavo Guererro came out to celebrate his victory with him.

Being apart of such an incredible Wrestlemania was an honor, and something I'll never forget. It was unreal, and I still can't believe I was there.

Next year Wrestlemania 23 emminates from Detroit... if I can get tickets... the countdown will begin once again.

I love wrestling... It truly is one of my favorite things in this world, and I would do anything to be apart of it someday.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

2 Weeks Out

It's hard to believe it's getting this close now to the show.

Right now the diet is going ok... my energy levels are managable. I think the excitment and anticipation of the show helps override any exhaustion I'd feel otherwise.

I still have some concerns however. My abs are not coming in the way I'd like them to. My legs are looking better, but still not quite what I was hoping for. These are obviously points I'll be focusing on once this whole thing is over. I'm long past the stage of being able to build any muscle. The diet doesn't allow your body to do much in the way of building muscle, you're fighting just to maintain. I've definitely lost some in the course of this diet, but I also know I can put it back on easily enough once the show is over.

I'm practicing my posing twice a day right now. Which most people don't understand how exhausting that can be. I hold each pose as solid as I can for a minute at a time. I break a sweat within a few poses. You are flexing every one of your muscles at the same time and trying to hold it as hard as you can so you don't lose any definition.

For example when you hit a front double bicep shot, which is the most common pose you see people do. You're flexing your biceps, flaring out your lats, holding your abs, flexing your quads, squeezing your butt, and keeping a smile on your face for the judges the whole time. This is why so much time needs to be put into practicing posing. If you can't hold these poses solid for an extended period of time, and your competition can, then you'll go flat and they'll look solid.

I'm down to 190lbs now which for those keeping score means I've lost 40lbs. in 10 weeks.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Feelin' Good

Well, I stopped by my Father's for Easter. He took a look at me and was very pleased with where I'm at. He says I look great, and I have maybe 5lbs left to lose, and that's it. This was good to hear, as I've been worried about how I look with 3 weeks to go, but he said I'm right where I should be at this point.

So now I'm getting more and more excited about the show. My diet will pretty much level out for these next 2 weeks, and then that last week will be crunch time, and I'll be running on about 1000 calories a day, and zero carbs. But at this point, I feel like, "bring it on".

Today was a good boost for my morale, which I needed going into the home stretch.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

3 Weeks Out

I'm exhausted right now, so this will be short. But I wanted to report in...

3 Weeks out, and I'm about 194lbs. I still have a bit to lose, so I'm resuming my twice a day workouts. The diet continues to clamp down more and more. My abs need to come in more, which I'm really hoping will happen as I continue to lose fat, and when I drop all of my water.

My abs and legs are my two biggest downfalls... unfortunately these are two things that are glaringly obvious in competition, but there's little I can do about it now.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Tanning

Well, today I began my tanning. I am being extra precautious in doing so, as I once had a very bad tanning experience long ago.

When I was about 17 I was on a cable access bodybuilding show my trainer/mentor/friend hosted, called "Let's Workout". My father thought I should get tanned for it. So the night before the taping we went to a tanning place and he threw me in there for like 15 minutes. For the next 3 days my entire body was itching head to toe in the worst way. It was a very intense 72 hours. So much that I've never forgotten it.

So I made sure I was extra moisturized, and I started off with only 8 minutes. It seemed to go ok, and I did manage to get some color out of my first visit.

I just need to get a good base tan going, then I'll get painted up with pro tan the last 3 days leading to the show.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Abs

Well at just over 3 and 1/2 weeks from the show, I'm concerned about my abs. They aren't coming in as much as I'd like them to. I still have 3 1/2 weeks to go, but I don't want to take any chances. So I'm going to start up the two workouts a day, and get some heavy cardio and abs in before breakfast again. It's going to suck, but I've gotta do it. I barely have time and energy for all that I'm already doing, but like I said, I've gotta do it. This means I'll be up at 5:30, go to the gym, train, come home, eat, go back, train, come home, eat, shower, pack my food, go to work, come home, go to bed, do it all over again the next day until the show, or until my abs come out of hiding.

Like I said before, the last 4 weeks of this is when things get really heavy.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Wise Words

On April 1st, 2006... the night before Wrestlemania 22 in Chicago, Bret Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

In closing his acceptance speech he left the world with a few final words of advice that I thought were very wise, and really applied to the undertaking I'm currently in the midst of.

He said...

"The best way to rise to the top is to give yourself up to lonliness, fear nothing, and work hard."

That had really stuck on me, and I'm trying hard to hold that in my mind, and in my heart as I push through these final weeks leading up to the show.

He also said, "Life is based less than you think on what you've learned, but more on what you've already got inside you."

Saturday, April 8, 2006

4 Weeks Out

Well I weighed in at 197 today. Not too bad. It was an exhausting week. Very busy at work. I'm still running on very low energy, and it makes everything a thousand times harder. Daily activities are 10 times a task as they usually are. Working out is currently not fun for me. Only because I have nothing when I'm in the gym. My whole body feels empty and hollow. I'm braindead from the low carbs.

I am looking forward to the day I return to the gym post-competition. When I can go back to throwing around some heavy fucking weights, and getting big again. I do enjoy how I look lean, and I'll maintain that throughout the summer, but come mid fall I'll start throwing the weight on again. I figure I'll probably hang out around 200-205 for the summer. It is nice to have my old face back. I've had a fat bloated fucking face for a long time now, mainly due to the obscene amounts of sugar in my diet. So I'll find a happy medium where I can get big, and not have such high sugar levels.

Other than that, I'm just taking it all one day at a time. These last 4 weeks will be the hardest yet, getting harder with each passing week. Everyone keeps telling me, "at least it's almost over", but it's one of those things where you're so close, yet so far away. I'm extremely irratable these days, and Holly bares the brunt of this.

I'm going to go to Peggy's party tonight, but then that'll probably be my last major public appearance until after the competition. I don't want to spread my assholness around to too many people... or no one's going to want to come see the show.

Low energy, no strength, and an irritable son of a bitch... that about sums me up right now.

Saturday, April 1, 2006

5 Weeks Out

Well, I weighed in this morning at 199lbs. So I'm still on track with my weight.

I upped my carbs a bit the past few days, and my dizzy spells have ceased. So that's good. Once again the diet clamps down even more as week 5 gets underway. The weekends are hardest, when it comes to sticking to the diet. I have yet to falter, but when I'm at work moving around all day doing shit, I don't have time to think about it. The weekends I finally get to relax, and recoup from the week, but it also leaves me that time to think about being hungry. It's also harder to force the 1 gallon of water down each day. When I'm at the gym, or at work I'm drinking water non-stop.

Other than that there's not much left to report right now. This will be the last week of moderate difficulty in the diet... Week 4 is when we really get fucking serious.