In May of 2011 I’ll be competing in my 4th bodybuilding competition...
“The 2011 NPC Grand Prix Bodybuilding Championships.”
This is a “natural” competition, which means it is intended for those who do not use steroids, growth hormones, testosterone etc.
It’s not drug tested across the board, but the judges will pull anyone they suspect might be using, and ask them to do a polygraph test there on the spot. This isn’t to say that some competitors using drugs may not slip through the cracks, but generally speaking most competitors using aren’t interested in natural shows in the first place. So your odds of competing with fellow natural competitors are going to be much higher. I hold much greater respect for these people, and prefer to surround myself with fellow natural competitors.
Believe it or not, natural competitions are more of a novelty these days than anything. Due to the overwhelming number of competitors out there slowly killing themselves with drugs, promoters stand to make more money on non-drug tested shows. So I only know of two natural shows in a year out of twelve competitions. It’s a sad commentary.
At the end of the day it shouldn’t matter whether the competition is natural or not, because at the end of the day the only person you should be in competition with is yourself. You have no idea who you will be up against until the day of the show, you don’t know what supplements they are on, how often they train, their age and experience factor, if they’re buddies with the judges or not… There are so many variables that go into how competitors place in a competition. My parents were both competitors as were some of their friends, and I grew up going to these shows watching competitors who should have placed higher than they did, and get screwed for a multitude of reasons. This very strongly discouraged me from ever having any desire to compete whatsoever.
In 2005 I felt as though I was starting to lose interest in working out. I had been doing it for over 10 years. I needed a new motivation. I found that in bodybuilding. I had decided I wanted to do it just to see if I could. I had also packed on some excess weight, and this would give me a great reason and motivation to do something about it.
Could I go through the dieting process, could I do the training, could I learn how to pose properly, could I get up in front of hundreds of people on stage in nothing but posing trunks? This was what doing this show was all about for me. How I placed had nothing to do with why I was doing it. I wasn’t then, and to this day have never been in it for the trophy. A concept that just seems to elude my fellow competitors.
My first show I said was going to be a one time thing. I ended up dropping 50lbs in 12 weeks, and took 3rd place in the Light Heavyweight Novice class, as well as 5th in the Light Heavyweight Open. After I got off the stage that night, I knew this was not going to be a one time thing. I was hooked.
February 2006 - 235lbs
May 2006 - 185lbs
The whole experience re-ignited what was a dwindling fire in me for working out. I had learned so much about dieting, and how my body worked in the process, that now I wanted to do it again, and see if I could do it better than the first time. I looked at all my pictures, picked out my weak points, and tailored my workouts to try to focus on them.
Bodybuilding competitions became my “assessments” if you will. It’s my time to cut all of the body fat off of myself, and really see where I stand. I then determine what my next set of goals will be between then and the next competition. This process gave a whole new purpose for my own workouts. All along the way, just trying to go into my next show looking better than my last. Always trying to make progress.
November 2008 - 184lbs
One of my goals in preparing for this my 4th show, is to maintain a low body weight throughout the year in preparation for it. I competed in my last show at 184lbs. That was me stripped of all my body fat, but I had once again put on more weight in the off season that I had cared to, and had to lose 35lbs this time in preparation. The problem with such rapid weight loss is that your skin does not have time to tighten up, especially the older you get, and you then sacrifice definition on account of it.
May 2010 - 184 lbs
You learn more about your body, how it works, and how it responds to different methods every time you do one of these. I’ve never approached a competition the same way diet/training wise. I’ve done each one differently as I learn more about myself.
So in an effort to come in looking harder, and more defined, my goal from last May of 2010 to May of 2011 is to not allow my body weight to exceed 195lbs. Thus far I have maintained that goal. I started my training for my next show exactly 1 week after completing my last one. So when I am on stage in 2011 it will be the culmination of an entire year worth of diet and training. I am very excited at the potential results I could achieve in that time.
I think it’s important when attempting any sort of endeavor like this to publicly declare your intentions. This keeps you obligated. I’ve found it easier to let myself down than other people.
So, I'm keeping my eyes on the horizon... looking forward to May!
