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 By: Craig Roberts
Update: Craig wins his first contest this past Saturday! Congrats.
So I woke up one morning and decided, "Hey, I'm gonna be in a bodybuilding competition!" Okay, there was a little more to it than that, but if you had told me a year ago that I was going to be getting ready for my first contest right now... well, you get the idea.
About a year and a half ago I was doing both school and work full-time. I had very little time to focus on eating right or working out. I had so much going on it was hard to even remember to take a multivitamin in the morning. It was about that time that I was hired on with the video department here at Bodybuilding.com. Like most people, I knew exactly nothing about bodybuilding when I first started. I was in good shape in high school with wrestling and cross country, but that was ten years (and 30 or 40 lbs) ago. But I was enthusiastic about my job, and I really thought this might be just what I needed to motivate me to get back in shape like I used to be. It was a slow start because I was still in school and still had no free time, but just a few months after I started, I finished school, and Bodybuilding.com moved the corporate office just a block from my apartment. My first thought was, "sweet, this is my chance to get in shape and save money on gas!" So I decided I was going to run to work from then on.
  Click To Enlarge. Hey, I'm Gonna Be In A Bodybuilding Competition!
Not long after that, my sister-in-law talked me getting ready to run a half marathon. That's 13.1 miles, which is pretty intimidating, but I decided to give it a try. So I increased my training, and ran the Zeitgeist half marathon in the hills above Eagle, Idaho the first weekend in November '07, and since then I've been in three other races in the Boise area including another half marathon. As I started training for all these races, it didn't take long to realize that just doing cardio wasn't going to be enough to get me into the shape I wanted to be in. Jim Britain, host of LiftRite here on Bodybuilding.com, offered to help me out a little, and got me a guest pass at Gold's Gym in Meridian. I have to say it was a pretty rough start for me. I hadn't been in a weight room for maybe four years, and I really felt like I had no idea what the heck I was doing. It didn't take long to figure out that this was exactly what I needed, though, so I signed up for a membership and Jim and I have been training there ever since.
 Click To Enlarge. It Didn't Take Long To Figure Out That This Was Exactly What I Needed!
Like I said before, doing a bodybuilding show was the furthest thing from my mind before I started working here. In fact, the thought of a bunch of greased-up, muscly guys in tights seemed kind of creepy and gross, and it brought up images of Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze trying out for the Chip 'n' Dales on Saturday Night Live, or Jim Carey the she-male bodybuilder on In Living Color (please YouTube it if you don't know what I'm talking about-you'll be glad you did). However, as I started to set and reach my goals for size and body fat, and after gaining more exposure and understanding of the sport-i.e. losing my ignorance toward the sport-I began to think, "Hmm, I bet I could do something like that." I only had two reasons for doing a show: motivation to get in great shape, and just to say I'd done it. So I was just taking a casual approach to preparing to maybe doing a contest. It was with that little thought in mind that came into the summer of '08. Everyone knows summer is the time to get in shape, so you can look good with your shirt off (well... for the guys, anyway). As I started to see more improvements, I started to get more motivated to make even more improvements. By the middle of the summer, I was very happy with how far I had come from where I started just a year ago. About that time, around the end of July, I heard of a local show happening in September. It was the 2008 Natural Idaho State Pro-Am. So I told myself, "If I can get below 10% body fat, I'll consider doing the show." I kept training, and got more serious with my nutrition, and it wasn't long before I was there. "Oh crap!" I thought. "Now I have to make a decision."
 Click To Enlarge. I Was Very Happy With How Far I Had Come!
Luckily, in my line of work, I have access to a lot of people with experience in this kind of thing, and I determined to take advantage of their expertise. Fame Champion, Kendal Wood was in town for a video shoot, so I worked out with him, and he gave me some advice and critique. Jim Britain had been working with me, and he encouraged me to give it a shot. Brandon Poe, host of the Poe Show, took a look at me, and said I had a chance to do real well. My diet was on point, and my training was dialed in. My body fat was going down, and I was looking lean and mean. I had no excuses now. So with all my preparation and all the encouragement from others, I got my girlfriends approval and signed up for the show.
Bodybuilding.com has thousands of articles covering thousands of topics. Read the featured articles, or search for the topics that interest you. Watch all the videos you can. Bodybuilding.com has videos of pros, amateurs, men, and women. You can check out their training techniques and see how they work for you. One thing you will undoubtedly find out is that everyone has their own little variations that work best for them. As you get a deeper understanding of how your own body works, you will figure out what works for you. This is what works for me.
 Click To Enlarge. You Have To Get An Understanding Of Your Body If You Want To Improve Your Body.
You'll notice I get all my carbohydrates in the morning, and my protein and fat the rest of the day. There's no special reason for that other than oatmeal is breakfast food, and the rest isn't, but it seems to work out all right. This is my pre-contest diet, and I've been on it for about the last two months.
Snack: Lunch:
Snack: 2nd Lunch:
Snack:
Snack:
Dinner:
Snack: Snack:
As you can see, I am eating all the time. I always try to keep food in my body, I always make sure it's clean, and I always make sure it's something I enjoy. The only thing that will change after the contest is my milk consumption will go up from about 1/2 - 2 cups a day to maybe 3 - 5 cups a day, and my carbohydrate intake will increase significantly as well in preparation for the Zeitgeist half marathon again on November 1.
Daily Cardio:
Daily Weight Training:
That's 3 - 4 exercises per body part, 2 - 3 sets per exercise, 10 - 12 reps per set to muscle failure. Pretty simple. I don't usually focus on abs, forearms, or calves because those are already my strong points, but as the contest has come closer, I've been hitting them several times a week with high reps to help them get more cut up.
Pre Workout:
Post Workout:
Protein:
It was reviewed in comparison with nine other whey protein products in a recent article on Bodybuilding.com and it came out on top. Chocolate is my favorite (I like to add a little peanut butter, of course), but I'm looking forward to trying out my new box of vanilla real soon. Post Workout:
There are other supplements I've tried, and some of them are real close when it comes to my own personal preference, but these are what I'm taking right now, so give them a try if you've been considering something new for yourself.
I've been reading a lot and getting a lot of advice leading up to the show, and this is what I've come up with for my own preparation.
Some guys will spend a few days or even a week before the show just loading up with carbs-that's carb loading. I've decided that I'm going to keep my carb intake about the same as usual until the day before the show. I plan to load a little the day before and morning of the show. Nothing too crazy.
My method for this show is to load up on water about a week before the show, and for the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday leading up to the show I will be taking Scivation Showtime Advanced Water Pill.
Starting Friday, I will cut down the water dramatically and also stop taking the water pills. The idea is to get my body used to expelling lots of water, so when I start cutting water the day before, my body will be used to expelling all that water and it will dry me out. The risk is that you don't want to deplete so much water that you come in looking flat because there is not enough water to supply your muscles.
All other factors being equal, the guy who can pose will beat the guy who can't pose every time. More importantly, if you have a great physique, but don't know how to show it, that won't be enough against someone with just a decent physique who really knows how to pose.
Also make sure you have someone who can help you apply your tanning products at the show because you don't want to waste all your hard work and training because of a crappy tanning job. I will be using Dream Tan Red Bronze.
That about sums it up. I have only a few days now until the show. All I have to do is keep things clean until then, keep working on my posing, get my routine down, and I'm all set.
 Click To Enlarge. I Feel Good About My Preparation And For My Chances Of Doing Well. The good news is I'm competing in the novice lightweight class for my first show, but the really good news is they are combining the novice lightweight and the novice heavyweight classes because there weren't enough novice entrants. My current stats are:
Pre-judging is at 10 p.m., and the evening show is at 6 p.m. I hope to be at about 6% body fat for the show; I never thought I would get that low, but it's looking good so far. I'm excited for the show, and nervous for my routine, but I feel good about my preparation and for my chances of doing well. I'll have an update post show hopefully with a 1st place trophy on my desk! (Special thanks goes out to Ryan DeLuca, Jeremy DeLuca, Will Wiedenmann, Brandon Poe, Kris Gethin, Jim Britain, and of course my girlfriend and parents for all the help, support, and encouragement!) Craig Roberts Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
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