Show time
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| 2nd place in "Toned- Figure" for my first bodybuilding contest |
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| Elvis hair, fake tan and an attempt at "side-chest" pose |
The final week of my bodybuilding preparation phase has fast
approached and what was intended as a 3-month prep phase rapidly turned into a 12-month
prep phase. Admittedly, dragging that out was mostly my own doing. A strong
desire to prep myself and have this is as a learning experience above anything
else, inevitably means mistakes are made and it is a much longer process. It
has however been one of the biggest and best challenges of my life. I have
lived so far outside of my comfort zone for this entire period, but it has been
one of huge growth and transformation. I placed 2nd in my category (Toned-Figure)
but more important than the medal and the physique, I have found a confidence
in my own skin, which is nothing about the body. Bodybuilding to me is not
about gaining perfection, it is about overcoming limits, dealing with adversity
and striving to be your best both mentally and physically. In this respect it
is not so different from any other sport or challenge despite it’s mythical
narcissistic reputation. I have been inspired and motivated by many along my
way, all of us very imperfect just trying to do a little bit better and giving
something back in return.
An important
nutritional lesson
Nutrition to bodybuilding is like wheels to a bike. You’re
not going to go too far without having this in place. It is however a mine-field
of information with regards to type of diet, supplements, nutrient timing, etc
etc. My main learning from all of this is the importance of understanding one’s
own body and what works at different times. But the results are well worth that
investment, because if you get it right the process can be a lot more joyful
than if you don’t! Other people’s programs should rarely be copied, but they
can serve as templates or guidelines. Individualising training and nutrition
programs is necessary and the use of case studies now in sports science is
becoming a lot more credible as it highlights this need. Humans are not the
same and therefore we respond differently to the same stimulus.
In bodybuilding, body composition is crucial, so the best
one can hope for (as a non-steroid user) in a period of calorie deficit is
minimising muscle loss and maximising fat loss. Common sense would suggest
utilizing the smallest daily calorie deficit would be the best strategy for
maintaining muscle mass, so this was my approach throughout. It is however slow
progress and very much challenged my usual impatient temperament for fast
results.
The biggest mistake I made was trialling a Ketogenic diet; a
very low carbohydrate, high protein diet. It can work for a select few but I
can vouch this did not work in anyway for me. I simply did not have the energy,
stoicism or the will to train at the intensity I needed, to make the
physiological adaptations I had in mind. I lasted a week and promptly surrended
to that idea after I was reduced to tears by a shoulder press machine, using
30% of my usual weight. Yes, this sport is certainly a teacher of humility and
grace. From there on, I kept my carbohydrate levels consistent at between
120g-150g/day. I didn’t carb cycle or implement cheat meals, I just slowly
plodded away at a macronutrient split of 50% protein, 30% carbohydrate and 20%
fat. Every week I would take progress pictures and these would serve as a
really good (private!) tool for
visualizing change. You start to get a feel for portion size and how your body
responds and you can move away from strict use of measuring scales and body fat
analysis, but certainly in the beginning this was necessary to install good
habits.
The final week
Now this is a treat. Essentially the essence of this week is
to deplete glycogen, re-load and dehydrate. The end result is to have musculature
that is “full” and “dry” which really shows up muscle definition. It is not
however for the faint hearted. It was probably the hardest week of my life and
with benefit of hindsight I’m not sure I’ll repeat it either! This is a very
brief outline and by no means will work for everybody. It’s a formula that
needs to be individually tweaked. Training was designed to deplete glycogen
stores so was based around high volume training with little rest between sets
for: back, chest, arms and shoulders, followed by 30 mins interval training
directly after lifting weights.
Tues, Wed, Thursday: Carb
depletion days; 40g carbs per day.
Friday, Saturday: Carbohydrate
loading; 150g cooked weight carbohydrate with each meal (5 meals per day). I
ate sweet potato, white potato, white rice and oats as staples. Let me tell
you, eating carbohydrate after three days of depletion is like all your
Christmases have come at once! It most certainly is the small things in life. Salt
is removed from the diet at this point.
Sunday:
Competition day 3pm. Rice cakes and chicken until 1pm.
Hydration/dehydration:
8 Litres of water Monday to Saturday morning. Last sip of water 2pm on Saturday. This
is double what I had been drinking for the duration of my prep.
Saturday 8pm - 250ml dry white wine and 1 shot of gin. As
one can imagine, this formula is going to induce a bit of intoxication. Bearing
in mind, this was performed on my own in a Premier Inn in the midlands, I will
be vague about the exact details of what happened behind closed doors but it
unfortunately involved a lot of singing and dancing and discovering shocking
red faced “selfies” on my phone the next day.
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| Red eyes and dry white wine in a Midlands Premier Inn (before it gets bad!) |
On waking to contest day I felt horrible but I did look
contest ready. Skin tone and muscle definition was exactly as I had wanted, so
a 12 hour window really can make all the difference. This takes competition
“peaking” to a whole other level where what you eat and drink hours and minutes
before stage time can make a huge difference to appearance.
I was however so dehydrated even the water in a small bowl
of porridge went straight to my stomach. I was like a walking sponge and I’m
sure even a digestive biscuit had more moisture than my whole body. My eyeballs
were so dry that once I had applied fake eyelashes, which resembled wings, I
was completely incapable of sight, making driving somewhat of a challenge. I
can conclude that this is not a fun process and completely detrimental to any
kind of performance or strength as was found out back stage trying to warm up
and get a little “pump” in my muscles. I think I managed about 3 reps using a
resistance band and then had to sit down under a table with a Mars Bar. Once
the adrenaline (and Rum!) kicked in for the stage, I was fine and enjoyed every minute of
my hard earned opportunity to free style it, strutting to 1980’s dynamic
foursome “En Vogue”. The changing room
post contest was awash with Cadbury’s chocolate and pork pies but I have never
looked forward to fluids so much in my whole life. If I had to munch on any
pork pie crust I would have surely asphyxiated, so in true celebratory style I
settled for…water and electrolytes!
This process was monumentally challenging and a huge
learning experience, which has only added to my curiosity not sated it, so I
shall be continuing this intrepid voyage. I was absolutely emphatic that the competition
process not rob me of my soul or destroy me of my health. I enlisted the help of a bespoke nutrition service called Mealtek for the last three months; I wrote articles for them about my progress in return for food! Through them, it was nothing but a hugely positive experience. I was able to complete a MSc
in Strength and Conditioning with distinction, successfully create a PhD
opportunity, work and train to a really high level, none of which would be
possible if I had to spend time prepping my food.
A week later,
despite some man flu, morale is high and more surprisingly I have no food
cravings and find I’m actually eating just as well as before - but because I
want to, not because I have to. It did however take 5+ days to rehydrate
properly and look vaguely normal. Day 2 and 3 post show saw me looking more like a pufferfish than human because water wasn't sitting at all well in my system.
I am missing my prepared meals slightly! but also when you remove
something, you can have appreciation for what you have learnt. The good eating habits
I have learnt along the way are actually hard wired into my psychology now and
it is a lovely feeling to adopt new positive habits. My body hasn’t rebound and
actually looks better than the day of the show – most likely that is due to the
removal of pressure and the introduction of much needed sleep and recuperation.
I’m entirely grateful for the opportunity to do a bodybuilding contest – it is
amazing what you can learn from conflict, hard times and difficulties. Good nutrition
kept me sane, healthy, functioning and performing and has given me an
appreciation for how to do things the right way.
The evolution of my own thoughts about training have also prompted me to start a new blog about the "mindset" of training, which I had to cultivate whole heartedly though this. I have no doubt become a healthier happier person through this process and that above anything else is the thing I most want to share with others. Link coming soon....
