Well hello ladies and gents, Robert.
Sykes Keto Savage dot com coming back.
At you with the second-half of this two-part series on the wins
and losses of my competition prep thus far.
Before we dive into this, let's roll the intro.
All right, So as you likely know, I've listened to the prior
episode. Of this two-part series, I'm
doing a wins and losses of my competition prep thus far with
my amateur. Show.
So I've competed three times. I've got five shows total.
I won my pro car with the last show, so the next.
Two shows will be pro shows. The last three were amateur
shows, so I'm kind of going over the wins and losses and
takeaways. Of those two shows.
The first part of this series was the wins.
The second part will be the losses.
To be honest, there's not a whole lot of losses.
I mean, I feel. Very good about this prep
season, but I have learned a ton and just kind of want to
showcase some of those learnings.
Again, I'm not yet in my podcast studio, so the audio may be a
little off. My apologies there.
Hopefully it's totally easy. To hear and understand what I'm
saying, that we'll be back in the podcast studio going.
Forward with the episode, so let's roll up our sleeves and
dive in. Let's talk first about the
travel. There were some pros to the
travel, but there are also some cons to the travel.
Specifically with these last three.
Shows, so we have driven to all of.
These amateur shows thus far, we drove the converted ambulance
camper to the first two shows which were in Logan, UT and
White Plains, NY. This last competition that I
went pro at, We drove my pickup truck with everything in the
back and like I said, I'm I'm definitely classifying that as a
win. Overall.
We made some great memories. We took, you know, Rigel.
To all these playgrounds and KO ways and cool little Airbnb's
and all that stuff and it was great.
However, there are some cons associated with driving that
far. We are based in Arkansas,
Northwest Arkansas. Specifically, we drove a
converted 1999 ambulance to the first two shows in Logan, UT and
White Plains, NY, which is not a trivial Dr. that is not just a
hop, skip and a jump down the road.
That's quite an extensive journey.
And with that we brought our young son Rigel, so he was
sitting in the car seat. The converted ambulance is a.
Cool rig, but it is not the most comfortable by any means.
It's incredibly bouncy, the ACS kind of.
Subpar. So it got very hot and it was
just. Very stressful.
Like the heat, the fact that, you know, I'm sitting up so high
in that specific rig, my feet are dangling down.
I had a lot more fluid retention during that travel.
So I'd be very mindful of keeping compression socks on,
and I was worried about that being showcased on the.
Stage Luckily that was not the case, but it was just not a
great comfort From a comfort standpoint, I mean, we.
Would stop at these koas and sometimes we would camp in the
rig and you know we had crystal and rides or crystal and myself
on a little twin bed mattress thing and then rides on his
little pack and play which is just very cramped.
So that was kind of a con. We will be wisened up and
started getting KOA campgrounds that had a little cabin on it.
So then she and Rigel would be in the cabin and I would be in
the camper or vice versa or something of that nature.
We'd get a cabin that had that had multiple beds and I'd sleep
in one. I'm trying to optimize my sleep
because I'm not getting much of it, but traveling and staying at
KOA campgrounds is probably not the most conducive thing to
sleep. So I would say that would be a a
con for sure. So that that was an issue, but
again I think the the memories and just the experience far
outweighed it and it was a net positive, but the traveling was
a bit tricky in that regard. Plus we're just gone for so many
days at a time and we're typically driving you know, 4-6
hour days. But then with Rigel and the
stops and everything, it winds up being an 8 or 10 hour day on
the actual Rd. driving. So the day started early because
I had to get a workout in as well and pose and all that stuff
and then have my meal. And then they would end late.
We would get often times to the KOA campgrounds at night.
We have to unpack. Just get situated so took a long
time on the days and then you know getting there and getting
back home was pretty much like a two week endeavor.
Like we'd have a week to get there and then a week to get
back. At least four days on the front
and back end of each of these competitions, plus the
competition weekend itself. So we've just been out of our
normal environment and setting for an extended period of time
each time we've driven to. These shows, which is hard in
and of itself. So that aspect I would say as a
con we are definitely excited to get home and we pull into the
driveway and again we're grateful for the memories, but
being gone that long while running multiple businesses,
having a year and a half year. Old and just trying to keep life
organized is. A bit tricky to say the least.
However, these next two competitions, we are actually
flying to them, so there will be much less of a burden from a
travel standpoint in getting there and returning home.
So I'm excited to see how that compares.
And again, the draft, the driving wasn't that positive I
would say overall because. We had all of our gear with us.
We have our camera gear. With us, all of our audio
equipment with us. All of our food with us.
It's just tricky to drive that far, be gone, be gone that long,
and be pretty much living out of a.
Vehicle for two weeks at a time anytime there's a show.
So there is a con there, all right.
The next list on the Con spectrum is the polygraph
anxiety. So I've passed all three
polygraph tests, and the way the polygraphs now work within the
debut NBA federation is that you take a polygraph test and it is
good for the next. Six weeks.
So, because my last competition in Washington.
Will basically be five weeks. Prior to Worlds, and even less
time for this show in Massachusetts, I do not need to
take any more polygraph tests, and I've passed all of them.
I've never taken anything that I should concern myself with, but
you talk to any competitor that does polygraph test, they're
pretty much going to tell you that's still nerve wracking.
And I've kind of been thinking about why it causes me so much
anxiety and I I believe I've nailed it down.
I know I've never taken anything.
I can look at any polygraph, proctored straight in the eyes
and be very honest, and I am very brutally honest with that.
But what? What causes me the anxiety is
the knowledge that somebody that doesn't know me can be the the
make or break factor. They can say Oh no.
Look, you failed this test and prevent me from competing and I
put so much into this prep. I literally have sacrificed so
much. I've not left one stone left
unturned. I've not missed a meal, I've not
missed a macro. I've not missed a training or
posing session or a cardio session and the idea that
somebody. Could say, hey, look, you know,
you you seemed a little bit nervous here.
You failed and just acknowledge that somebody could take that
away from me, not. The the work that I've put in,
but the opportunity to present that work causes me a lot of
anxiety and starts festering with my OCD and just frustrates
me a little bit, you know? So thank goodness I had never
taken anything I can feel good about that.
I can be at peace with them and I've passed all the polygraph
tests, so it's water on the bridge now.
But just the sheer anxiety that those kind of tests bring me is
a con in and of itself. And I'm the same thing with with
just tests in general. When I was in, you know,
elementary school, middle school and high school and college,
anytime I have to take a standardized test or an exam of
any type really, where I've got to, like, put myself, you know,
through the testing, you know, modality environment just causes
me a lot of anxiety. No matter how much I studied, no
matter how much I prepped, and no matter how confident I felt
about the knowledge of the material, I would just get
anxiety on the actual testing. I know a lot of people are like
that, so this is probably similar for many.
But just testing in general, especially when it's with
someone that could potentially remove my opportunity to compete
and step on stage and showcase. What I've worked so hard for
does cause me anxiety and that anxiety around the polygraph
testing. I would certainly classify as a
con, but certainly something I need to just work at and you
know be it more peace with. And you know, like I said, I've
done three this year. I've passed all three and it's
getting easier each time I pass And because it's like, you know,
OK, this just. Is what it is, so there's that
with regards to the training, the training, like I said in the
prior. Episode of this series has
mostly been positive. I haven't really experienced
much of a decline in strength, but that much of A decline
caveat is where the con comes in, because these past few weeks
I have experienced some decrease in overall training output and
that's, you know, going to be caused by a myriad of factors.
I'm at, you know, nearly £30 down from my offseason weight,
which is going to change my leverage points, which is going
to have an impact on what I can lift for the number of reps I
can lift it. So there's that I am losing a
little bit of lean tissue, not much, certainly not as much as I
was, you know when I was following a.
Carbohydrate based protocol, but it's always, you know,
disheartening and unsettling to see any drop in strength.
And again, I haven't seen a decline in top level strength,
so I'm still able to pull the same deadlift numbers for a
single rapper. To that I was prior, but I'm not
getting it with as many repetitions as I was in the
building phase because I am so depleted right now.
So there has been a slight decrease in strength and overall
training volume these past few weeks, so that again would be a
con. Judges feedback, judges feedback
has all been very positive. After that second show, I got
feedback on my symmetry round posing, specifically my front
relaxed and my rear relaxed poses.
They said that's likely what cost me the overall title in
that second show I've talked. With all the judges across all
the different competitions and they've all unanimously said
that I was the most conditioned on stage.
So that's certainly a positive. But the fact that my posing on
that front relaxed and rear relaxed cost of the overall is,
you know, good criticism, like it's constructive criticism.
It gave me something to work on, which I did.
After that was over, I called one of the promoters.
Who was a judge at that second show and I scheduled a call with
him and he viewed my posing and gave me some more pointers and
feedback That in tandem with the feedback I got from the judges
immediately post show, I put into practice and tweaked my
opposing practice accordingly and was able to improve upon
those. Two poses for this third show,
so definitely take the time to get the feedback from the
judges. Don't you know shirk your
responsibilities with the posing?
Because that does often times become the make or break factor.
And it should be the make or break factor when all those
things, when all else is equal, certainly.
But even if not, if not, I mean posing is a massive component of
bodybuilding so you definitely want to make sure you're dialing
that in. You know, it's it's sad to see.
Competitors that work so hard with the nutrition, with their
macros, with their training, with their cardio, and they
bring an outstanding level of conditioning, but then they miss
the bar with the posing, like you got to give that the
attention it deserves. And I was, but I was posing
incorrectly, apparently, for these federations and those what
the judges wanted to see with. Those two poses.
So I took that constructive criticism, made the tweaks and
improved upon the package. For this third show, for those
interested, the the feedback was on those two specific poses.
I was holding my arms up too high with too much of A bend in
my. Elbows, which was basically
minimizing my ability to fully extend my lats out.
Basically it was basically showcasing that I didn't have
the lat development that I did. They were able to see that lat
development in the muscular round poses like the the rear
double bicep, the rear lat spread, the front double bicep,
front lat spread. But they couldn't see it as
well. In those symmetry round poses
the front and rear relax. So by simply dropping my arms
down a little bit, changing how I was breathing, slightly
improved upon that look, touching on breathing, actually
that's something that I also need to work on going forward.
That's. That's another.
Tweak that they've given me that that I can use to improve upon.
When I'm transitioning through the poses, I tend to breathe a
little bit more, you know, through my diaphragm.
And I let my midsection relax slightly as I'm transitioning
from 1 pose to the next and I need to work on that for these
next two shows you want to make. Sure.
Your core is tight throughout the entirety of the time you're
on stage and you know I I need to improve upon that.
It's something that I need to work on.
So when I'm transitioning to these poses, keeping my core
tide, having shorter breaths that's more, you know, upper
breathing like more my chest and less in my abdomen section is
going to be key. So I'm going to take that
feedback going forward and try to improve that for these two
pro shows that I've got in the pipeline.
Blood work, let's talk about blood work.
So I'm going to do a full blown YouTube video.
That shows the blood work panels, so I'm just going to
kind of briefly touch on it here, specifically my hormone
panels because those have dropped quite a bit.
My total testosterone is normally around 5 to 700.
Which is pretty good for someone of my age.
I'll be 32 at the end of this month, month of October.
So you know 700 is pretty solid number there when it's around
500 that's typically at times when I am sleep deprived or
super stressed with the business endeavors.
Sleep and stress are catastrophic towards hormone
levels. Doing a prep being depleted is
also catastrophic. So again, my baseline is
typically around 500 to 700. When I got my blood work drawn
on 7/17 of this year, my testosterone dropped
significantly down to 169.4. And then here at my latest blood
panel on 10/3 of this year it dropped even.
Further to 86 nanograms per deciliter on total testosterone,
which is abysmally low. It doesn't take an expert to
know that that is not good. So interestingly enough, I have
not really like most people. Most guys, when they're talking
about low testosterone levels, they're experiencing symptoms
such as. A decreased zeal for life.
Lower energy, less strength and power output, and definitely
less libido. I can't really say that I've
experienced any decrease in just zeal for life, excitement,
fulfilment, or anything like that.
Certainly there has been a drop in libido with my testosterone
being so low. Hormone hormones in general, sex
hormones, specifically estrogen and testosterone, are very much
so directly linked to body fat levels.
So with me being incredibly lean right now.
Probably sub four percent body fat via DEXA.
And my last DEXA was 4.1 and that was several weeks ago.
I'm going to have lower testosterone levels.
That's just simply the nature. Of the beast with regards to
doing these competition preps and that's been the case in
years prior and as in years prior when I put on more body
fat in the reverse statin building phase, those numbers
return to a healthy baseline, but hopefully by me sharing
this. With you, you recognize the
significance and importance of having a proper reverse diet in
building phase. Post prep, so you do return to a
healthy body fat level and those normal those numbers can return
to normal because being that low until testosterone is not the
the best. It's not, it's not the
healthiest. It's certainly not sustainable,
certainly not something that I would advocate for.
It's not worth the cost to be that lean for too long.
So I am excited to get those numbers back up to a healthy
range, which they most certainly will once I start eating more
food and putting on more body fat.
But again, total testosterone made that low is most certainly
a con. So that is the con with the
blood work there. And on that note, Libido has
certainly taken a hit sex life win this deep into a
competition. Prep wanes quite a bit for most
natural athletes and I am certainly in the boat there.
Crystal and I have a great relationship.
Honestly, we've been more connected now with just
everything we've been doing together and everything we've
had to sacrifice and push through.
So like our relationship. Is solid and she was just
commenting down on that the other day.
But our sex? Life is pretty, pretty, pretty
abysmal right now, and part of that is simply because I am
focused. I've got the eye of the tiger.
I am 100% zeroed in on these competitions, so that's where my
mind is AT. And from a psychological
standpoint, I'm just not focused on sex life right now.
But from a physiological standpoint, having such low
testosterone as a result of the low body fat is certainly not
conducive to. A great sex life either.
So I would, I would classify that as a con, without a doubt.
Relationship with food, Let's talk about that.
So I said in the prior episode that my relationship with food
has been positive and that is most certainly the case.
That said, I am still hungry right now.
Like I am depleted. I'm down to one meal a day,
which I think works really well for me via the Ketogenic Prep
protocol. This low on my calories, but I
am still most certainly hungry. It's not like I'm walking.
Through the day satiated. Right now my daily intake at the
time of this recording is about 1700 calories on.
Refeed day, like today is a refeed day actually.
So my intake will be 3400. But on the day today my intake
is quite low. So I do think about food.
I am hungry. I am very cognizant when people
around me are eating. So those are all cons.
But again, to kind of cap that with a positive, it's not
debilitating like it has been in the past.
It's not like I'm obsessing about food.
That's not like my only thought throughout the day.
So there's my two cents on my current relationship.
With food again overall positive but definitely, definitely
hungry. Now let's talk about just the
fact that I am depleted. I mean, that is certainly a con
this far into. The prep.
We've had, I mean, life goes on, even when you were in a prep.
So like these past several weekends when I'm we haven't
been traveling. We've been working on our
homestead. We've had my folks come in, my
dad's been helping me put up a fence and that is very
physically. Demanding I'm driving T posts.
I'm digging post holes. I'm carrying concrete. 80 pound
bags of concrete. I'm mixing that concrete.
And I am most certainly feeling it.
I love physical labor. I love.
Working outside, I love putting the work gloves on and getting
after it, but I have been very depleted lately.
So that work has been strenuous much more so than it is when I'm
at my normal baseline. I mean, my dad is 30 years older
than me and he is a hustler and he's working circles around me
right now because. He's just not depleted and I am
depleted. So being depleted in and of
itself is a. Con Now it's something that I
knew was going to happen, something that I embraced, and
it's just part of the. Process of this journey.
So you know, I take it as it comes, but I don't love feeling
depleted. I don't love feeling like I
can't outwork anybody around me and, you know, being depleted
is. Is a con, so I wanted to throw
that on the list. But honestly, it hasn't been
debilitating in most aspects of my life.
Like, I'm still working. I'm still podcasting.
My mental acuity is still there. Which is?
Awesome. I think, you know, I tribute
that to the fact that my ketones, you know, are rock
solid as a result of the prep protocol that I'm following.
So from a mental acuity standpoint, I don't really feel
depleted, but from a physical standpoint, when it comes to
doing everything else outside of the prep.
It's been challenging for sure, especially when you're doing a
whole bunch of physical labor outside or something of that
nature. So that would be a con on this
list without a doubt. Let's talk about expenses.
So expenses are a con, doing a competition prep, traveling to a
venue, we've been, we've been spending a lot of money.
I mean just simply the traveling component is very expensive,
like when you when you add up all the fuel costs.
When you add up the Airbnb cost, When you add up, the hotel
stays. When you add up the KOA
expenses, that's expensive. Plus I have a flown chip our
media guy out to all of these events, put him in the Airbnb
with us. So there's been a, you know,
quite a bit of cost associated with those flights.
We're going to be flying to the next shows, like I said, so
there's. The cost of those flights?
It's my flight. Rigel's flight crystals, Flight
chips, flight. I mean, it's just expensive.
Like traveling is expensive. Plus you've got the added
expenses of registering for the shows, having your membership
card for the amateur division and now the the Pro division.
For me, the cost of the posing trunks, the cost of the tanning,
the cost of the photography packages in which I've been
getting all the photographer packages.
So I have that to document this journey as well so.
Quite a bit of expense there. And then just the expense of you
know going to different gyms along the way, paying the day
passes the cost of the food. For the meal prep like this is
a. Fairly expensive sport when you
start itemizing and breaking everything down bit by bit.
We have spent several, several, several. $1000 thus far.
And I'm OK with that because I knew that going in and I want to
not, you know, take any shortcuts.
I want to eat quality. Food I want to.
Make sure that I'm bringing my media guy with me so I can
document all this for y'all. I want to make sure that we're,
you know, traveling and you know, making making it as
sustainable as possible. So I embrace those expenses, but
it is still very expensive, so that would be a con on the list
as well. And then finally, I kind of want
to just cap this list of cons out with just the fact that
doing all of this has spread me pretty thin.
So when you do a competition prep.
You know, like I said, life goes on.
But it's also a pretty big focus.
Of your life during that time. So I've got a lot of things
going on and I've got a lot of irons in the fire.
I've got multiple businesses that I'm running.
I've got multiple employees that I'm managing.
I've got, you know, my son that I'm raising.
I've got my wife that I'm married to.
I've got my friends, I've got my family.
I have all these things pulling at me from all different
directions, all different angles.
While I'm also prepping for five competitions and trying to be
the leanest man in the world and be the absolute best I can be,
which means, you know, not shirking my responsibilities in
the gym, Training hard, putting in the time with the posing,
putting in the time with the cardio with the tanning with
everything and doing all of that in tandem is quite the challenge
indeed. And I think I've managed it.
I know I've managed it better this prep.
By far than I ever have in the prep prior.
I have more responsibilities now than I ever have.
I've got more commitments, more obligations, and I've been able
to juggle it all quite effectively.
But that doesn't change the fact that I am still spread very,
very thin. I am excited for these next two
shows. I'm excited to soak in every
moment of this competition prep journey, but I am also excited
for them to be over. So that I can allocate the time
and resources and attention and energy and just hustle that I'm
putting towards these shows to every other aspect of my life.
Like my parenting, like my relationship with Crystal, like
the relationship with my friends and family, like the business
and my my crew and everything. And they've all done a great job
keeping everything on track while I've been focusing on
this. But I'm excited to take.
The time and resources that I'm now spending on the prep.
And being able to apply that to every other component of my
life. And that's something that I
always come out of a prep season with just this, you know,
resounding sense of zeal and excitement for.
Like when I pour myself into the prep and I see the fruits of my
labor take place there and then that's over.
So many people, they cross that finish line and they don't
really know. They feel lost.
They don't know what to do with. All of that energy, drive and
focus and attention they were putting towards the prep.
I'm grateful because I've got. So many other things going on in
my life outside the prep, the businesses are going to go on a
whole nother level of OverDrive once the prep is over.
Like there's so many things that I'm working on, on the business
right now that have had to take a little bit of a back seat due
to this prep. So when the prep is over, y'all
just get ready because. All the aspects of Keto Brick
live savage. Apparel, this contest, prep
course that I'm working on, the coaching, everything.
It's just about to get. A very extensive overhaul for
the better. And everything is just going to
improve. So I'm excited to pour into
those things. But that is not where my focus
is right now. The focus is on the prep.
So that is kind of a a pro. And a con.
I mean, there's there's good things that I said there for
sure, but the fact that I am spread as thin as I am in its
totality would be a con because there's just so many things
going on right now. So that, ladies and gentlemen,
is my list of pros and cons, wins and losses.
Hopefully you got something out of this.
Definitely let me know if you like this kind of shorter form,
you know podcasting, which I'm not bringing a guest on, I'm
just kind of talking about something with more of a deep
dive focus from my perspective. Definitely keen to get y'all's
feedback on this, but I appreciate.
Y'all tuning and I appreciate y'all being part of the journey
and I'm excited to keep. Delivering content around this
nutritional protocol, the ketogenic lifestyle and this
contest prep specific protocol. So again, I can't thank you all
enough for being a part of it. Thank you all so very much and I
will likely do a similar two-part.
Series of wins and losses after these next two pro shows.
Coming up. So stay tuned for that for sure.
Until then, talk to you next time.