Have you ever been interested in competing in the hottest new physique competition? Find out how to get started by tracking my progress throughout my twelve weeks of contest preparation. See how I trained and dieted for my first physique show, and the physical, mental, and emotional demands I experienced throughout my transformation.
12 Weeks Out
Start Weight: 135.5 lbs
Body Fat: 17.0%
At this point, I just started to get my mind in "competition mode." I began cleaning my diet up a little by limiting whole grains and dairy. I also kept my cheat days strictly to weekends. I began doing cardio 2-3 times per week for 20-30 minutes, and I continued my 4-day strength training split.
Training Split
- Monday: Chest, Triceps, Quads
- Tuesday: Shoulders, Hamstrings, Calves
- Wednesday: Rest
- Thursday: Core Training
- Friday: Back, Biceps
Cardio
- Monday: 20-30 minutes
- Tuesday: Rest
- Wednesday: 20-30 minutes
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: 20-30 minutes
Supplements
- 2 x 2.5g Glutamine
- Multi-Vitamin
- 2 x 2.5g Creatine
- 2 x 3 capsules BCAAs
10 Weeks Out
At 10-weeks out I began logging my daily caloric intake into a food diary. I restricted my complex carbohydrates to oatmeal, red potatoes, rice cakes, sweet potatoes, and whole wheat English muffins on occasion. I started to control my simple sugar intake as well, limiting it to low-sugar fruit preserves and honey. I added a fourth weekly cardio session and kept my strength training the same. My caloric intake was roughly 1900 per day.
Cardio
- Monday: 25-30 minutes
- Tuesday: 25-30 minutes
- Wednesday: 25-30 minutes
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: 25-30 minutes
8 Weeks Out
Weight: 130.0 lbs
Body Fat: 16.6%
I stopped supplementing with creatine at this point, and added Syn-Flex—a blend of liquid glucosamine, shark cartilage, and EFA's—to my program. I restricted my weekend cheat to only one meal on Saturday. My daily caloric intake was 1800 on training days and 1600 on weekends.
Cardio
- Monday: 30-35 minutes
- Tuesday: 30-35 minutes
- Wednesday: 30-35 minutes
- Thursday: 30-35 minutes
- Friday: 30-35 minutes
Supplements
- 2 x 2.5g Glutamine
- Multi-Vitamin
- 2 x 1/4 oz. Syn-Flex (Glucosamine, Shark Cartilage, EFA blend)
- 2 x 3 capsules BCAAs
6 Weeks Out
I really started getting serious at this point. I increased my cardio to four weekly sessions of 45-50 minutes and one LSD of 1 hour. As far as diet, I completely eliminated all dairy and whole grains. I stopped eating cheese on my egg whites, ricotta cheese, English muffins, and fruit preserves. I still occasionally topped my egg whites with a small amount of ketchup, and I ate a small amount of Balsamic Vinaigrette on my salad. I started taking in a small amount of caffeine, either in the form of coffee or tea, to help keep my energy levels up. My caloric intake was between 1700 and 1800.
Training Journal: 5/6/2003
I've been feeling great all week long about my training and diet. Am very eager to see my results at the end of the week! I upped cardio this week by adding 5 minutes to my current four sessions (to equal 45-50 minutes) and by extending my LSD day to up to 1 1/2 hours. Hopefully my body will be OK with all the pounding it's taking! My knees hurt a little from all the running, but my glucosamine really seems to be helping out a lot.
I am becoming more strict with my diet this week, as well. I'm eliminating what little processed foods remained in my diet last week. No more cheese on my egg whites, ricotta cheese on my rice cakes, or fruit preserves on my rice cakes. The only exception to this will be my balsamic vinaigrette dressing that tops my baby spinach, tomato, tuna, and basil salad. Mmmm!!!
I upped my water intake this week as well. My protein intake is slightly higher so I can keep my caloric intake the same while still eliminating processed foods. I keep it between 140-160g daily. Because of this, I upped my water intake to 4-5 liters per day. I feel much better drinking this extra water, and it's better on my body also. I added a little caffeine to my diet also. I drink 1/2 cup of coffee or 1 cup green tea or Honest Tea, which I recently found in the health food section at my grocery store. This keeps my energy up as I increase my training levels, though I don't want to rely on it too much as I find myself feeling lightheaded and dizzy with too much caffeine in my system.
People at work have been noticing my fat loss and have been complimenting me on it. I don't really see it myself, but I'm glad others notice. It makes me feel like I'm steadily making progress, which really helps keep me motivated. Hopefully this will last for the next 6 weeks!
Cardio
- Monday: 45-50 minutes, 15-20 minutes
- Tuesday: 45-50 minutes, 15-20 minutes
- Wednesday: Rest
- Thursday: 45-50 minutes, 15-20 minutes
- Friday: 45-50 minutes
- Saturday: LSD 1 hour
5 Weeks Out
Weight: 132.0 lbs
Body Fat: 14.9%
This week I came down to 14.9% body fat and weighed in at 132 lbs. I am consistently losing about 1 lb. every week. Morning cardio sessions have been increased to 50-55 minutes each for a total of five sessions, and I've added a 25 minute evening session after weight training 3 days per week.
I increased my sets and decreased poundage in my weight training workouts, and I've limited my rest in between sets to under 1 minute. My rep range is now 12-15 for upper body, 15-20 for lower body. I eliminated what little processed foods remained in my diet (ketchup, balsamic vinaigrette). I stopped drinking coffee and tea and added Hydroxycut to my supplement list. My caloric intake is between 1600 and 1700.
Training Journal: 5/13/2003
I'm feeling even better about my training and progress this week than last. I weighed in this morning at 132 and 14.9% body fat, putting my fat mass at 19.5 lbs - down from 20.5 lbs last week. I practiced my posing after weight training last night and I've really noticed my cuts and lines beginning to show in my upper body, particularly my delts, lats, and traps. I know my lower body is close behind, and I'm even more eager to continue my training and see my legs and abs come in!
As for training, I upped my cardio again this week. In addition to my four morning sessions of 50-55 minutes and my one LSD of 1-1 1/2 hours, I've increased my evening cardio after weight training to 25 minutes from 15. I may also add an additional shorter session of about 45 minutes on Saturday. Cardio is getting boring and I feel like I'm dragging through it, so I try to keep it varied as much as possible. In the mornings I run outdoors, my LSD day is a power walk, and my evening sessions alternate between the elliptical, the bike, and treadmill walking and/or jogging on an incline.
I've also altered my weight training workouts. I increased my sets to four while decreasing the poundage to keep my rep range between 12-15 for upper body, 15-20 for lower body. I've also switched out some of my compound movements for single joint movements to focus on shaping. My rest time between sets is now 30-45 seconds, where as in previous weeks it was 60-90 seconds.
As for my diet, I've eliminated all sauces, which meant I had to stop eating ketchup on my egg whites and balsamic vinegairette on my salad. I have also been adding more fibrous carbs and only eat starches at 2 meals now - breakfast (2nd meal) and dinner (4th meal).
I had been eating EAS Carb Control AdvantEDGE bars, but have now switched to MET-Rx Protein Plus bars, which are a full meal replacement and only have 80mg of sodium, unlike other bars, which have up to 200mg or more! I've definitely noticed less gas and bloating with this small change.
This week I began supplementing with Hydroxycut. I had been taking in caffeine in the forms of coffee and tea, but this source of energy was short-lived and too much at once. I feel great using Hydroxycut because it's a consistent energy source that's not too powerful, but enough to keep me going all day long.
Mentally, I feel pretty good. My motivation has sky-rocketed. I no longer have a desire to cheat with my diet and a 30-minute cardio session seems like a warm-up! My feet are the only body part that's really getting destroyed from all this training—especially the running! I have blisters and calluses galore. I've been taking care of them daily with warm water soaks, scrubs, and bandages and Neosporin, so hopefully they will hold up until my show date.
Training Split
- Monday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
- Tuesday: Legs
- Wednesday: Back, Biceps
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Abs, Calves
Cardio
- Monday: 50-55 minutes, 25 minutes
- Tuesday: 50-55 minutes, 25 minutes
- Wednesday: 50-55 minutes
- Thursday: 50-55 minutes
- Friday: 50-55 minutes, 25 minutes
Supplements
- 2 x 2.5g Glutamine
- Multi-Vitamin
- 2 x 1/4 oz. Syn-Flex (Glucosamine, Shark Cartilage, EFA blend)
- 2 x 3 capsules BCAAs
- 3 x 1 capsule Hydroxycut