Bodybuilding.com - Derek Beast Charlebois - Derek Charleboisâ€™ 2006 Competition Journal

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Did you know?
I never did like spinach, but my dietician recommended it. Now I cannot get enough of it.

I am currently aiming to enter the NPC Michigan Bodybuilding Championships on May 20th. This will be an ongoing journal which will show my training plan and how well I progress. Check it out!

Weeks 1 & 2!

By: Derek Beast Charlebois

Part 1 | Part 2

Instead of listing my daily workouts, I will be focusing more I what I am learning as I diet and train for my coming competition.

Vegetables Are Vital For Success

I have never been fond of vegetables, except for Chinese chicken and broccoli. When I started this diet, Chuck wanted me to eat spinach with my meal #1. I have had spinach in the past and was not too fond of it. So I sucked it up and bought some frozen leaf spinach, cooked it, ate it, and actually liked it!

I guess Pop-eye was right all along, spinach is good stuff. Now the only vegetable I eat is spinach, which is a wonderful vegetable to like considering all of the nutrients it holds. Eating spinach with every other meal keeps me full and satisfied; I do not feel hungry at all on this diet.

Dealing With Injuries

I have two minor nagging injuries: my left iliotibial band and left elbow have been bothering me.

What Is The Iliotibial Band?
A fibrous reinforcement of the broad fascia on the lateral surface of the thigh, extending from the crest of the ilium to the lateral condyle of the tibia.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome:
Iliotibial Band Syndrome is one of the leading causes of lateral knee pain in runners. The iliotibial band is a superficial thickening of tissue on the outside of the thigh, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running, moving from behind the femur to the front during the gait cycle. The continual rubbing of the band over the bone, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed, or the band itself may suffer irritation.
Treatment:
As with any injury or ailment, you should see your physician or physical therapist for diagnosis and treatment.

Due to these two injuries, I have not been able to squat or bench heavily. Therefore, I am switching up my workout routine (which I will post in the next article) to work around these injuries and exercises.

Squats and bench press are two of my favorite exercises because they are great compound exercises that really allow you to test your strength.

Don't Drink Your Dietary Fat, Eat It!

Bodybuilders often use flax seed oil, olive oil, etc. to get there required essential fatty acids. I highly recommend eating almonds or almond butter and 100% natural peanut butter to obtain your EFA.

When you are cutting it is bad enough you are on a restricted food list, so why decrease the amount of food you get to chew by drinking fat oils? I don't know about you, but when I diet there comes time when I just want to actually chew on food (when bulking this is done with carbs). Switching to eating foods to get your required fats is much more enjoyable than drinking your fats.

Stats

WEEKS OUT	19	18	17
DATE	1/8	1/15	1/22
Pectoral	4	4	3
Abdomen	6	5	5
Quadricep	8	7	7
TOTAL	18	16	15
Bodyweight	215	213.5	212
Weight change from previous	-	-1.5	-1.5
Weight change from beginning	-	-1.5	-3
Electronic Bodyfat Percentage	4.3	3.6	3.3
% Bodyfat	7.3	6.6	6.3
lbs Bodyfat	15.695	14.091	13.356
Fat Mass change from previous	-	-1.604	-0.735
Fat Mass change from beginning	-	-1.604	-2.339
% Lean Mass	92.7	93.4	93.7
lbs Lean Mass	199.305	199.409	198.644
Lean Mass Change from Previous	-	0.104	-0.765
Lean Mass Change from beginning	-	0.104	-0.661