Time to Compete (Part One)

I’ve decided to compete again, this time in the Hawaiian Natural Muscle Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships in Honolulu June 8th, 2013. My last event was the 2007 INBA Natural Olympia in Thessalonica, Greece.

So based on popular request, I’d like to discuss my approach and review some of the training and nutrition principles I employ to prepare for this special type of athletic event. My particular category is the Grand Masters Men.

That’s 50 years of age up to and including age 59. Ultra Masters is 60 and over. Natural Bodybuilding contests are typically designed around age, height and/or weight, depending on the association. This particular event is INBA sponsored, which means it is drug-tested to provide a level-playing field for natural athletes.

Personally I’m not interested in performance enhancing drugs. I like to rely on my own inherent supply of testosterone and growth hormone. I’m attracted to sport for the training benefits, for the skill development it demands and for the opportunity to test my character under pressure.

First I decide on the competition itself and determine the day of the event one year in advance. This gives me plenty of time to prepare mentally, emotionally and physically. The mental part is of particular importance because I like to put my brain to work. I also compete only once every five years. This significantly reduces any risk of burn-out, physical damage or injury caused by competing too frequently or excessively.

This is my 43rd year of working out at the gym. My 60-minute workouts five-days-per-week are absolutely fantastic for creating excellent shape and fitness without injury or damage long-term. Each workout has five specific phases including a warm-up, resistance training, core training, cardio and stretching.

Five Steps to Health

But preparing for a show is much more stressful than eating and training for optimum health year round. Preparing for a show puts greater demands on the body and represents a higher risk of injury, attrition and physical damage. Competition as a way of life even in natural bodybuilding is not ideal for long-term health, but if planned correctly, much of the potential risk can be minimized.

One method I use to reduce damage to my mind and body is I don’t compete to win. That doesn’t mean I don’t train incredibly hard, diet with diligence or make significant progress. It’s an attitude. I learned long ago that winning means more to the audience and my friends than to me. I simply find no satisfaction in the “must win” thought process.

I compete for my own satisfaction. I love the discipline associated with the elegance of training and dieting like a master. I enjoy the challenge of meeting MY OWN GOALS. I like striving for something worthwhile doing something I really enjoy. I like to set goals and achieve them. I decide on the event for my own benefit, then use the event as a form of positive pressure to help create my best possible outcome.

Another factor is pace. My personal groove is slow and easy but consistent. I’m the proverbial tortoise that keeps moving forward. I take my time to get things done but I get them done. I live according to my own schedule. The entire process is self-directed. I conceptualize, intellectualize and visualize everything in advance.

I first met Arnold not as a movie star or politician, but as a champion bodybuilder. One of my favorite Arnold quotes is “You make a plan and then you work the plan”.

The key word here is “You”.

That’s how true self-esteem is created. You do it yourself. You lift the weights, count the reps and record the math. You also don’t do anything that compromises your objective of creating physical excellence, such as eating junk. On this program there’s no tolerance for empty food. Fresh whole food is partitioned and consumed liberally. Protein shakes and supplements are a main stay. The goal is to supply your biological demand.

There are many variables to consider when it comes down to actually competing, such as workout timing and frequency, calculation of sets and reps, workout intensity, dietary format, food preparation, contest dieting, creating a posing routine and so on. This is why before you decide to compete; you really need to think about how training for the show will affect your lifestyle and health. Nothing should get in the way of it.

One of my first contest related projects is to create a 2’ by 4’ wall calendar that displays a full year of training days and weeks in advance. I like to cross off the days I train on the calendar as I complete them. This creates a visual pattern of completed workouts that acts as evidence of progress and stimulates my desire for more. I also paste pictures of myself from previous competitions and display several quotes that inspire me.

One of my favorites is, “IF IT’S GOING TO BE, IT’S UP TO ME!”

I also designate certain days on the wall calendar with different colors. This provides advance notice and incentive regarding when a new training schedule begins or when I need to begin a new phase of my diet. For me the event and everything leading up to it is a science project. Nothing is left to chance.

UNLIKE almost every other sport in the world, bodybuilding is ALL about what you look like. There’s no implement to throw, no hurdle to climb or ball to kick. There’s no team to consider. It’s just you and your muscle on stage.

During your 90 second posing routine, the judges will score you on body symmetry, muscle size, muscle separation, posing ability, confidence and poise. This is why dieting and training is so important to a natural bodybuilder in competition and why bodybuilding is such a difficult sport.

Sorry Charlie, no pizza and beer after working out.

Time to Compete (Part Two)
Time to Compete (Part Three)
Time to Compete (Part Four)

As always...Stay and Live Free!

Dr.C