Third Time's a Charm

So this was it, my third and final peak week. Since this year marked my first year of competing in bodybuilding contests, I have been trying out different peak week diets and methods over the past 25 weeks to see how my body would respond and which one would bring the best results. 

This week's approach had been fairly similar to my very first plan, as it did not include a keto run over an extended period, but rather slowly decreased carb intake over the course of a week and ended with only one zero carb day. 

In addition, the exercise program and water intake were also very much alike. 

Since I was coming fresh off the Delaware Championships and only had two weeks in between that competition and my next one, I started with the preparation right away and only allowed myself one cheat meal Sunday morning and went straight back to chicken and broccoli afterwards.

Sunday morning treat

Since my body was still sore and exhausted from the long day before, I did not work out on Sunday and gave my body some much needed rest. This was actually the first time in 168 days that I did not work out at all and even though my mind tried to guilt trip me I simply did not have the energy to do anything.

The rest day paid off and I went back to "work" fresh and revitalized early Monday morning.  

My trainer bumped up my carbs Monday and Tuesday which further helped with the recovery and resulted in great chest and back workouts. 

Starting Wednesday he slowly decreased the carbs every other day and increased my daily cardio to a full hour. 

Thursday and Saturday he had me doing two short but intense leg workouts consisting of only three exercises, leg extensions, leg curls and walking lunges.  

Each exercise required 8 sets of 20-25 reps and really pumped some blood into my quads and hamstrings. My legs were completely fried after these two sessions but the separation in between the individual muscles had never been better and I was excited to see how they will look at the show. 

On Sunday I started adding another evening cardio session  to my workout plan.

For the next three days I lifted weights, immediately followed by an hour of steady state cardio, in the morning and did a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session in the evening. 

Besides cardio, my weight lifting workouts also changed and the focus switched to low weights/high repetitions. Sunday I did chest and back, Monday I trained shoulders and arms, and Tuesday, as well as Wednesday I worked my entire upper body.
Wednesday was also the last day before I would start loading up my body with carbs and reduce my water intake so my diet for that day called for 3 gallons of spring water, 30 oz. of salmon, 30 oz. of chicken, 22 spears of asparagus and 2 cups of spinach.

ZERO Carb Day

It took me quite some time to get used to having salmon for breakfast since fish, with the exception of canned tuna, hasn't been part of my diet since my trip to Germany (where I developed a strong dislike for broiled fish). Over the past 14 days I ate a total of 13 lbs., which probably equals the monthly consumption of a full-grown Alaskan Grizzly bear, and will definitely avoid any salmon for a very long time after these two weeks.
Thursday I was finally done with fish and started with the carb loading process after twenty minutes of cardio in the morning.

Different to the two previous two times, this time's carb loading only included carbs from foods that were previously part of my diet, such as rice, potatoes and yams.

Carb loading done the right way

My carb loading menu on Thursday consisted of 6.75 cups of white rice, 13 oz. of sweet potato, 12.75 oz. of regular baked potato, 2 whole eggs, 31.5 oz. of chicken breast and 60 oz. of water. I surely missed my apple pie filling/dry oats mix but am confident in my trainer's plan and trust his expertise. 

Talking about my trainer, for this preparation I worked with IFBB professional bodybuilder Fred "Biggie" Smalls of Above and Beyond Physiques and gained a great deal from his vast experience in the sport.
He was very accessible through text messages and email if I had any questions or concerns, and since his office is conveniently located in my gym, I was also able to get immediate feedback from him and have him closely monitor my progress.

After looking at me Thursday, he increased my carbs from 620gr to 810 gr for the following day, which brought my total calories up to 4,500 and limited my water intake to 12 oz..
It is amazing what he has done over the past couple of days. I have never looked that lean and cut.
Despite the great improvements in my physique in such a short time, the past few days seem to have taken forever, as I felt physically and mentally exhausted. This week I was completely drained and had almost no energy left. I could not wait for the contest to be over so I could finally take some time off from the gym and enjoy some less healthy foods. I think after 25 weeks of strict dieting and tons of cardio I deserve some ice cream, pastries, pizza, chocolate, Chinese food, pasta, cakes and french fries. Maybe not exactly in that specific order, but I guess you get the point. 

If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

NPC Delaware Championships 2012 Recap

If you've been following me on Facebook you already know how I performed at the 2012 Delaware Championships last Saturday and seen some of the pictures.

Regardless of this, I wanted to talk a little bit more about the competition, my performance and above all, my great friends who came out to support me. 

This was my second show and even though I am relatively new to the sport, I felt much more relaxed going into this competition and less nervous.
The contest preparation went as planned and despite my fear of having peaked too early, I still came in relatively lean.
After two meals in the morning I went over to the venue, registered and weighted in. At 254.2 lbs., I was almost three pounds heavier than at the last competition and started again in the Super Heavyweight class. 

The time in between registration and pre-judging I spent watching a movie on my new IPad, which I finally had an opportunity to use, and eating my "delicious" dried pineapple rings, dry oats/granola mix, and rice cakes with all-natural peanut butter and strawberry jam. 

After the competitor meeting, it was time to head backstage and start preparing. I put on a sweatshirt and sweat pants to keep myself warm and set up my warm-up area. Compared to the last show I was much better prepared this time and brought my own set of 10 lbs. dumbbells, exercise bands and even my own mirror. 

Twenty minutes before going on stage for the pre-judging I started pumping up with my "girly weights" (please re-read with an Arnold voice) and put on some Pro Tan Hot Stuff oil.  

When it was finally show time I was literally pumped up, physically, as well as mentally, and ready to face the judges. 

I had a great time being on stage and felt much more comfortable compared to the previous show. Having a great number of friends in the audience cheering for me, definitely helped and gave me some extra motivation. Instead of the grim and strained face from the Philadelphia show, I was all smiles, as I truly enjoyed every second on stage. 

Front Double Biceps

Rear Lat Spread. I will definitely have to work on my width this off-season.

Having fun on stage

Just like the event in Philadelphia, the promoters put up a great, well organized, show and ran it very well.

The venue, an intimate 389-seat theater on the Riverfront in Wilmington, was perfect for the event, providing sufficient room backstage for the competitors, as well as comfortable seating for the audience.

The evening show flew by, but was extremely exhausting. Right after I finished my individual posing routine, I was called back on stage for the division awards ceremony, immediately followed by the overall pose off, first in in the Open category, then again for the State. 

Constantly flexing and holding the poses for a long time took a lot of energy out of me but I had such a blast during the pose off that I forgot all the pain and exhaustion. 

My individual posing routine went a lot smoother this time as I experienced my time on stage more vividly. Being more calm and less nervous, I was more aware of my surroundings, including the cheering from the audience, and was able to fully appreciate being the center of attention. A narcissist's dream come true. 

Little Video of my posing routine in case you missed the event 

Overall Most Muscular 

Comment Sean R.:"u are a man among boys" ;-)

Pose Off

So how did I do when all was set and done? 

Well I did not win the "Mr. Delaware" title (this year!?!) but I won my class (Super Heavyweight) in the Delaware Open, as well as the Delaware State, championship.

But besides the outcome and the nice trophies, I am actually more impressed with my work ethic and the physical changes I achieved over the past five months. 

And the Winner is...

1st place Super Heavyweight Delaware Open 

1st place Super Heavyweight Delaware State 

First Place Trophies

First I wanted to thank Broderick Chavez from Evil Genius Sports Performance who helped me with my peak week diet for this competition.

A big shout out goes to each and every one of my friends who came out last Saturday to support me. You guys were awesome. Hearing your voices coming from the dark auditorium, shouting out my name and number or cheering me on motivated me to go above and beyond and to put on the best show I possibly could. It really meant a lot to me that you guys took the time out of your busy schedules to sit in a dark theater on a gorgeous summer day to watch a bunch of half naked men and women (I can understand the later part ;-)). It was great seeing all the Six Eight Fitness shirts in the audience, the homemade signs and the familiar faces.

Thank You!!!

A very special thank you goes out to my friend Chris for taking some great pictures and to my friends Amy and Lou for supplying me with one of the most delicious cherry cobblers. Since I'll be doing another show in two weeks, I probably wasn't allowed to have it, but I just had to get a taste of it. AMAZING, but please don't tell my trainer about it. ;-)

BEST CHERRY COBBLER EVER!!! Courtesy of Amy and Lou. THANK YOU for this great treat and your support.

Another surprise awaited me later that evening when I saw the marquee at the Best bar/Irish pub/restaurant in Wilmington, DE, Catherine Rooney's/C.R. Hooligans. Therefore another big THANK YOU to my friends at Catherine Rooney's/C.R. Hooligans. 

Local Celebrity ;-) 

So what's next?
I have have been dieting now for almost 24 weeks straight and, besides the couple cheat meals after this show and the one before, not given in to any food temptations.
However I am starting to feel the effects of the strict diet, the strenuous workouts and the long cardio sessions. I feel tired and drained, both mentally and physically.
Regardless of this, I decided to do one more contest this year and will be competing in the OCB Mid Atlantic's Battle for the Belt on August 25th in Burlington, NJ.
So if you want to come out and support me, this will definitely be your last opportunity to do so this year, since this kid needs to finally eat.

As much as I enjoy competing, I cannot wait for the show to be over and finally eat some "unhealthy" foods, such as ice cream, frozen yogurt, chocolate, pizza, Chinese food and finish off the delicious cherry cobbler in my freezer. 

OCB Mid-Atlantic's Battle for the Belt

When: Saturday August 25, 2012
Where: Burlington Township High School, 610 Fountain Avenue Burlington Township, NJ 08016. 
Prejudging begins at 12:30pm and the finals are scheduled for 5pm. 

"Winning is only half of it. Having fun is the other half."

                                                                                                                       Bum Phillips

Agent Orange

Today I want to talk a little bit about a very "messy" subject and by messy I mean messy in the most literal sense, spray tanning.

Just like hair removal, tanning, let alone spray tanning, is not a very "manly" topic like bench pressing, explosions, hot chicks or cars and usually does not cross someone's mind. However in the world of bodybuilding and physique, it is quite an important part of the final contest preparation. 

By darkening the color of your skin color, your overall physique will appear more defined, especially in the bright light of the stage. While a good base tan is recommended you need to be much darker and at least one or more coats of spray tan should be applied, regardless of the color of your skin. Even African-American athletes apply one or two coats to achieve the impression of higher muscular definition.

Different as Day and Night

A common "piece of advice" in bodybuilding is that when you finally feel dark enough, you should apply another coat of paint.
Being the fair-skinned Middle European that I am, I usually require three coats of spray tan to achieve the desired darkness.
Since I am personally not a big fan of orange bathrooms, I just take advantage of professional services and have them "paint" me (and have them clean up the mess afterward). Including dry time, this "paint job" takes on average between 60 and 75 minutes, depending on the level of humidity, outside temperature and other factors.
There are several different Self-Tanners & Bronzers on the market but here is a short oversight over the most popular ones.

Jan Tana Competition Tan

Jan Tana Competition Tan is my preferred self-tanning product because it is a quick and easy to apply. It is a lotion which is normally applied with bare hands or airbrush to achieve an even and dark color. As I mentioned before, usually two or three coats are sufficient to achieve the desired darkness. Jan Tana Competition Tan washes off fairly quickly and therefore has the tendency to start running when you sweat or in conjunction with competition oils. Even though a lot of paint will come off once you take a shower after the show, some of it will stay on and slowly wear/wash off giving you a "tan look" for a couple of days afterwards. 

Pro Tan Instant Competition Color

Performance Brands Pro Tan Instant Color is another product I personally use and one of the most popular tanning products in bodybuilding, physique and fitness circles. It is applied with a sponge and the color matches surprisingly well with the Jan Tana lotion. I therefore use it to "tan" my face, which is left alone during Friday's "paint job", and for touch ups.

Several coats of this liquid tanning agent are usually required to achieve maximum color saturation. Most users apply two coats the evening before the competition and another coat in the morning of the show. When done correctly, the color comes out very dark, even and does not smear easily while sweating or when covered in oil. On the downside, this characteristic causes  Pro Tan to not wash off easily and also to wear off unevenly. As with other self-tanners, the application process is pretty messy and the scent is not necessarily the most pleasant. However since you will be judged on your looks and not your smells on stage, you might as well just suck it up. 

Dream Tan

Dream Tan  is a product that I have not used myself before but seen its application numerous times backstage. This lotion is typically applied in the morning or backstage before pre-judging or backstage, since it is applied quickly and evenly. From what I have seen, many competitors only apply one coat, however two coats will deliver maximum darkness. Since Dream Tan already contains oil, additional posing oil is not really necessary and the tan washes off completely and easily. However since it comes off the skin fairly easy, but is difficult to clean up, some promoters and venues have started to ban the use of the lotion, so check with the organizer/promoter in advance if you are planning on using it.

For best results, the spray tan should be applied the day before the competition or if offered at the venue, on the morning of the show. Once the paint is on, you cannot take a shower anymore and should avoid excessive sweating and rain, so plan accordingly. 

Another piece of advice if you have never "worked" with spray tan before. Make sure you wear old clothes and sleep in old sheets or cheap bedding. 

No matter how much the paint has dried on your skin, by sweating at night, your bed will look like the scene of a crime or straight out of the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street the next morning.

Before

The After looks like Freddy Krueger visited during the night

I just finished the final preparation week for my second competition and as I mentioned previously I tried a slightly different approach this peak week. I started with the carb depletion Thursday a week ago and began carb loading on Tuesday. It was interesting to see what effect five long days without carbohydrates had on my energy level and mood. I felt sluggish, cranky and from time to time even drowsy, but the ketogenic diet along with HIIT cardio and exhausting workouts worked as planned. Not only were my muscles craving for carbohydrates and filled up well once I put them back in my diet, but I looked leaner and harder than ever before. When I took pictures Wednesday morning I appeared lean and my muscles full, hard and defined. 

Friday afternoon I got my three coats of Jan Tana Competition Tan on and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

If I was able to hold my form until the competition and how I did in the 2012 NPC Delaware State and Open Championships will be the answered in next week's post.

"The Winning Color"(Jan Tana Advertising Slogan) ?!? We shall see August 11th. 

                                                                  

Just Like The Naked Mole Rat

Now what does an East African Naked Mole Rat (Heterocephalus glaber) has to do with bodybuilding? 

No worries, it's not a newly discovered lean source of protein or an alternative to chicken breast that I am trying to pitch, no, the answer is, hairlessness.

You Talkin' to Me?

In order for the physique to really stand out on stage and to see the definition more clearly, bodybuilders have to entirely remove all of their body hair a couple of days before the competition and be as smooth as, well, a naked mole rat.

As funny and strange as it initially sounds, hair removal is actually an important part of the final contest preparation and can make or break your on-stage appearance. Obviously excessive dark body hair will cover up muscle details but even tiny, light colored hair can deteriorate a ripped physique once covered with dark spray tan or in the bright spotlight of the stage. 

There are several different methods and techniques to remove unwanted body hair, so here is a short overview over the three most popular ones.

Shaving

I would imagine everybody is familiar with this method, so I will keep the blah, blah here to a minimum. Shaving is probably the most popular method, since it is easy and, if done correctly without any self-mutilation, pain free. It can be performed virtually everywhere and supplies (shaving creme and razor) are usually on hand or can easily be acquired.

On the downside, shaving can cause rashes and ingrown hairs, especially in "new" areas, and does not keep the hair "off" as long as other methods.

Sprays and Creams

Using  Hair Removal Creams and Sprays is a fast, but also rather expensive way to remove unwanted body hair. The cream is fairly easy to apply and leaves a very smooth surface for days.

I personally "swear by Nair" and used it with very good results for larger areas, such as legs and arms. Even though I had good experiences with it, creams and sprays might be less effective for people with thicker hair and will have to be used with extra care.

The chemicals can cause severe burns on the skin if the cream stays too long on the skin, so exactly following the instructions is key. Sensitive areas such as private parts and face should be avoided for the same reason. 

Waxing

I haven't had the "pleasure" of experiencing this technique yet, so I cannot really comment on it.

Many people prefer this technique, since it is apparently almost irritation free and the hair does not grow back too quickly. However it is supposed to be painful and after watching the scene in the movie " The 40-Year-Old Virgin" in which Andy is getting his chest, or at least part of it, waxed, I have no real desire in trying it out.

In my experience, regardless of the method, I would recommend to initially use an electric razor to shave off the major part of the hair before you "smooth" it out by either wet shaving or using hair removal cream, especially if it is your first time and your body is covered with a "fur". 

I would lie if I said that it didn't take me quite some time to overcome my initial skepticism and that completely removing all body hair wasn't awkward at first, but now that I have done it several times I am more comfortable with it and don't mind it at all.

Personally, I had the best results by using wet shaving for sensitive and hard-to-reach areas (face, arm pits, private area, chest, shoulders and back) and applying hair removal cream to larger areas such as legs and arms. 

The whole process can be very time consuming, so I usually set the Thursday evening before a Saturday show aside and remove all body hair in one "session". On the morning of the competition I only have to shave off my facial stubble and I am ready to go.  

Final piece of advice, don't wait until the last day before your competition, especially if you have never shaved your legs or "manscaped" before. 

Hair removal is not only very time consuming, but it can also cause severe skin irritation or maybe even burns. So give it a try a month before the show and see how your skin will react and just "maintain" your hairlessness up until the competition. 

The past week has been surprisingly exhausting, both mentally and physically. The longer carb depletion period, as well as the back-to-back workout sessions including heavy deadlifts and heavy squats definitely took their toll on me.

As planned I started the carb depletion process on Thursday and have been following a somewhat ketogenic diet for the past four days.

4,000 almost 100% carb-free calories.

My daily food intake during this time consisted of 32 oz of chicken, 12 oz. of lean steak, 12 oz. of lean ground turkey, 8 cups of broccoli and 6 spears of asparagus along with 4 tbs. of extra virgin olive oil and 3 gallons of water. 

As you can see I cut out all the carbs besides a minimal amount found in broccoli and asparagus and have been doing low-weight/high-reps workouts along with High Intensity Interval Training cardio sessions every day to squeeze the last bit of glycogen out of my muscles. 

My energy levels are way down and my cognitive abilities, as well as my mood are also taking one for the team.  

I am tired, exhausted, grumpy and moody. To best describe my current mood, imagine a mix between menopause and "that time of the month" packed in the body of a silverback gorilla with the temper of a world of warcraft playing teenager. Needless to say that any interaction with other humans should be avoided as much as possible.

Well, tomorrow will be the last zero carb day before I will start carb loading on Tuesday. Hopefully along with apple pie filling, oatmeal and yams, my spirits will also return. 

Does Not Play Well With Others During Carb Withdraw