1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,760 Well, hello ladies and gents, Robert Sykes, Keto, savage.com. 2 00:00:02,760 --> 00:00:05,360 And today I'm going to do a little podcast is a little 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:07,560 different than normal. I'm not bringing a guest on. 4 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,200 Truth be told, we are traveling back from a competition right 5 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:13,680 now and I'm short on podcast episodes. 6 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:19,640 So I figured I'd be able to do like a a short solo episode that 7 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:22,920 kind of discusses my wins and losses of these past three 8 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:25,240 competitions. So I'm going to break this up 9 00:00:25,240 --> 00:00:28,480 into two separate podcast. This one is going to be the 10 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,729 wins, the next one is going to be the losses and just basically 11 00:00:32,729 --> 00:00:35,650 some pros and cons of what I've learned over these past three 12 00:00:35,650 --> 00:00:39,490 competitions thus far. So without further ado, let's 13 00:00:39,490 --> 00:00:43,850 dive into the wins part one of this competition series thus 14 00:00:43,850 --> 00:00:55,760 far. Quick little caveat before we 15 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,960 actually begin. I'm recording this at an Airbnb, 16 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,920 not in my normal studio. I am using my normal mic, but 17 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,280 I'm using a different mixer. So hopefully the audio is still 18 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,360 pretty good and the levels are all solid. 19 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,880 So my apologies. My sincere apologies if the 20 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:14,560 audio is not great, but that's just kind of circumstances that 21 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,640 we're in right now. So here we go. 22 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,040 So we've done 3 competitions, thus farm. 23 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:24,480 We started with the OCB federation that was in Logan, UT 24 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:31,160 and then we did the A New York competition which was INBFWNBF 25 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:35,240 and that was in like I said, New York, White Plains, NY to be 26 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:37,720 specific. And then we are on the way back 27 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:42,120 from the third competition, which was in Washington state 28 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:47,220 that was also an INBFWNBF show. And I may do a wins and losses 29 00:01:47,220 --> 00:01:49,900 series after the next two shows as well. 30 00:01:49,900 --> 00:01:53,180 There's five competitions total, but these first three 31 00:01:53,180 --> 00:01:55,300 competitions were all amateur shows. 32 00:01:55,980 --> 00:01:57,860 So I was competing as an amateur. 33 00:01:58,140 --> 00:02:01,940 So I figured it would be fitting to do this, pros and cons, wins 34 00:02:01,940 --> 00:02:06,180 and losses as an amateur. And then again with the two pro 35 00:02:06,180 --> 00:02:08,220 shows. So let's just start from the top 36 00:02:08,220 --> 00:02:10,889 and we'll kind of dive in. We'll just go with the the very 37 00:02:10,889 --> 00:02:14,970 first beginning wins and losses of the the 1st 3 competitions 38 00:02:14,970 --> 00:02:16,890 here. So the first competition in 39 00:02:16,890 --> 00:02:23,250 Logan, UT I won my that was the one that was originally supposed 40 00:02:23,250 --> 00:02:24,810 to be bodybuilding. They're all supposed to be 41 00:02:24,810 --> 00:02:27,810 bodybuilding. I entered in as a bodybuilder, 42 00:02:28,170 --> 00:02:31,290 but they didn't have any competitors in that class other 43 00:02:31,290 --> 00:02:34,880 than me. So I had to compete as a classic 44 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,800 physique competitor if I wanted to be up against other 45 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:39,760 competitors and not just win by default. 46 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:44,600 So I opted to do that, which is exactly what I did with that 47 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:51,080 competition. I won Best poser award but I did 48 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:57,260 not win the class because they awarded that to a guy that they 49 00:02:57,260 --> 00:02:59,460 said had a better classic physique. 50 00:02:59,460 --> 00:03:04,500 Look, again, I went in to be a bodybuilder and I had to compete 51 00:03:04,500 --> 00:03:05,980 in classic. So I guess you can kind of 52 00:03:05,980 --> 00:03:08,500 classify that as a loss. But I brought a better 53 00:03:08,500 --> 00:03:12,220 conditioning to the stage and I had in years prior at prior 54 00:03:12,220 --> 00:03:16,460 competition, so I'm chalking that up as a win in my opinion. 55 00:03:17,580 --> 00:03:21,020 Again, they they counted me off because I was too big and too 56 00:03:21,020 --> 00:03:23,960 lean for the classic physique competition. 57 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:26,640 But again, my whole goal with this entire prep is to be the 58 00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:30,520 leanest man alive. So if I'm getting discounted for 59 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:33,760 being too lean, I'm not really going to count that as a loss. 60 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:38,240 That is a win in my book. So that was the results for that 61 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:43,200 show, the second show in Massachusetts, I won my class, 62 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:47,560 but I did not win the overall. So I won my class in lightweight 63 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,680 bodybuilding and then I competed against the other winners of 64 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:56,200 their class in the overall title and I got probably second. 65 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,000 They don't tell you what the actual placing is in the 66 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,360 overall, but I got probably second in that. 67 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:05,000 And the individual that won that one, they said had just better 68 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:06,720 posing. So again, we'll dive into the 69 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,840 losses and what I learned from the posing in the next part of 70 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:14,360 this series, but I brought a better level of conditioning to 71 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:16,560 that show that I did the prior show. 72 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,560 So in that regard, I'm marking it as a win. 73 00:04:20,079 --> 00:04:26,070 And then this latest show, the INBFWNBF competition in 74 00:04:26,510 --> 00:04:30,510 Washington state that I'm coming back from, I won. 75 00:04:30,950 --> 00:04:32,190 I won big on this one. This. 76 00:04:32,190 --> 00:04:35,430 This was a big show for me. This is a show that I've been. 77 00:04:36,430 --> 00:04:39,510 This was the one that I've honestly been trying to peak for 78 00:04:39,510 --> 00:04:42,990 since the very beginning. I competed in this show in 2015 79 00:04:43,310 --> 00:04:46,350 and I won my class and got second on the overall. 80 00:04:46,590 --> 00:04:51,060 I competed in this show in 2017 and I got second in my class and 81 00:04:51,060 --> 00:04:53,300 I compete. I I prepped for this show in 82 00:04:53,300 --> 00:04:56,540 2020 and then before the competition could take place, 83 00:04:56,900 --> 00:04:59,820 COVID cancelled it all. So I was not able to even 84 00:04:59,820 --> 00:05:03,380 compete in this show. So long history with this show, 85 00:05:03,380 --> 00:05:08,460 specifically the WNBF Natural Puget Sound Pro AM in Washington 86 00:05:08,460 --> 00:05:12,060 state. This weekend I actually took the 87 00:05:12,060 --> 00:05:15,260 title for my class in lightweight open bodybuilding, 88 00:05:16,180 --> 00:05:18,940 won my class there against the competitor class of eight 89 00:05:18,940 --> 00:05:22,220 different individuals. So very stacked class in that 90 00:05:22,220 --> 00:05:25,380 regard and won my class. And then I competed against the 91 00:05:25,380 --> 00:05:28,620 middle weight and the heavyweight and I actually won 92 00:05:28,620 --> 00:05:34,020 the overall as well, which means I am now officially a debut in 93 00:05:34,020 --> 00:05:35,780 BF. Professional natural 94 00:05:35,780 --> 00:05:39,540 bodybuilder. So huge, huge, huge win in that 95 00:05:39,540 --> 00:05:41,460 regard. I feel very proud to hold that 96 00:05:41,460 --> 00:05:43,340 title. This has been a long time 97 00:05:43,340 --> 00:05:47,540 coming, long, long journey for this show specifically and this 98 00:05:47,540 --> 00:05:50,900 federation win overall. So I feel very good about that 99 00:05:50,900 --> 00:05:52,380 and that is a definite win for me. 100 00:05:52,380 --> 00:05:55,700 As soon as the show was over or soon as I stepped off stage, 101 00:05:56,060 --> 00:05:58,500 they took me back to get my urinalysis test done. 102 00:05:59,100 --> 00:06:01,780 So they're going to get those results processed and then I 103 00:06:01,780 --> 00:06:04,740 will officially be a debut NBF Natural Pro. 104 00:06:04,740 --> 00:06:08,860 So very excited about that. I actually qualified to compete 105 00:06:08,860 --> 00:06:13,900 as an amateur at Worlds at the last show and then again at this 106 00:06:13,900 --> 00:06:16,420 show, but now I'll be able to compete as a professional. 107 00:06:16,420 --> 00:06:19,540 So very excited about that. So that's a huge win with 108 00:06:19,540 --> 00:06:23,580 regards to the high level, you know what the actual placing was 109 00:06:23,580 --> 00:06:26,460 at each show. So now that that's out of the 110 00:06:26,460 --> 00:06:30,300 way, let's dive into some of the specific wins of the prep 111 00:06:30,300 --> 00:06:32,140 itself. So let's start with meal prep. 112 00:06:32,540 --> 00:06:37,980 Meal prep is obviously very important when you are in a 113 00:06:37,980 --> 00:06:40,550 competition prep, you're tracking on your macros, you're 114 00:06:40,550 --> 00:06:44,270 getting everything down into the T and I have really, really 115 00:06:44,270 --> 00:06:47,790 focused on being as incredibly streamlined and organized and 116 00:06:47,790 --> 00:06:52,030 dialed in as possible with this competition meal prep. 117 00:06:52,350 --> 00:06:56,470 So I am blessed to have a wonderful wife in Crystal. 118 00:06:56,830 --> 00:07:01,310 She has prepped literally every single one of my meals from the 119 00:07:01,310 --> 00:07:03,630 very beginning. I have not had to deal with 120 00:07:03,630 --> 00:07:04,830 that. She is done with that. 121 00:07:04,830 --> 00:07:08,420 The way I've got it structures. I build out a spreadsheet and I 122 00:07:08,420 --> 00:07:11,780 put my macros for the week. I'm my own nutrition coach 123 00:07:12,020 --> 00:07:15,420 because this is using my protocol, so I calculate my 124 00:07:15,420 --> 00:07:17,780 macros for the week what I want to be consuming. 125 00:07:18,020 --> 00:07:21,260 I plugged it into my macro tracker in which I'm using my 126 00:07:21,260 --> 00:07:26,620 macros plus and then I basically give her access to that and she 127 00:07:26,620 --> 00:07:30,460 is able to see exactly what I'm going to be consuming each day. 128 00:07:31,460 --> 00:07:34,500 You know the right ratios of the foods, the right macros, 129 00:07:34,500 --> 00:07:38,020 everything. And I keep my foods consistent 130 00:07:38,020 --> 00:07:41,340 for the course of a week. So my macros change every single 131 00:07:41,340 --> 00:07:44,140 week. And then I slightly adjust the 132 00:07:44,140 --> 00:07:46,820 food intake based off of those macro changes. 133 00:07:47,100 --> 00:07:50,620 So I've kept the foods honestly incredibly consistent throughout 134 00:07:50,620 --> 00:07:54,020 this entire prep. I'm 29 weeks into the prep at 135 00:07:54,020 --> 00:07:57,220 the time of this recording and the base of my nutrition has 136 00:07:57,220 --> 00:08:01,620 always been a ground ruminant animal of some sort, usually 137 00:08:01,620 --> 00:08:07,920 beef venison or lamb with eggs and then I'll have a full keto 138 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:09,760 brick at some point throughout the day. 139 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:13,080 So that is pretty much been the basic foundation of all my 140 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:17,120 meals. I'll adjust the proteins and 141 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:21,040 fats slightly via, you know, adding an ounce, subtracting an 142 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:25,520 ounce of one of those things usually with the meat or the 143 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:27,560 eggs. And then I've also, as my 144 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:30,680 proteins kind of been varying as well, I've been. 145 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:33,000 I've been incorporating egg whites because egg whites are 146 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,480 pretty much pure protein. So if my proteins increasing, I 147 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:36,799 could simply add more egg whites. 148 00:08:36,799 --> 00:08:39,440 If my proteins decreasing, I could simply decrease the egg 149 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,640 whites without having to also adjust the fat sources. 150 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:47,240 So egg whites have been a pretty easy manipulating variable. 151 00:08:47,560 --> 00:08:52,080 So again, I'll have a fatty coffee of some sort in the 152 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:54,600 morning when the macros were hired, there was heavy cream in 153 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:56,200 there. As the macros have gotten lower, 154 00:08:56,200 --> 00:09:00,000 I've swapped the heavy cream out for, you know, like a nut Pods 155 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:03,240 almond milk Creamer because those are typically 1 gram of 156 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,640 fat per tablespoon so very easy to manipulate, Manipulate that 157 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,160 intake to nail the macros and then that one meal. 158 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:12,720 As the calories have gotten lower, I've transitioned from 2 159 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:17,120 meals to one meal that is normally consisted of the full 160 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:23,200 keto brick and then some ratio of a ground beef, lamb or 161 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,400 venison and eggs. Whole eggs with a certain amount 162 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,330 of egg whites. I'll sprinkle some dried kelp on 163 00:09:30,330 --> 00:09:33,650 top of that with some seasoning and that's pretty much been the 164 00:09:33,650 --> 00:09:36,970 basis of my meal prep throughout this entire prep. 165 00:09:36,970 --> 00:09:39,890 So I'm a big advocate for keeping things simple. 166 00:09:40,130 --> 00:09:43,330 No need to complicate the system, no need to add in 167 00:09:43,570 --> 00:09:46,090 unnecessary variables. If you know your body responds 168 00:09:46,090 --> 00:09:50,010 well to it, keep doubling down on that and just keep things 169 00:09:50,010 --> 00:09:52,530 consistent because then you can dial things in with more 170 00:09:52,530 --> 00:09:55,730 confidence and know exactly how your body's going to respond. 171 00:09:55,730 --> 00:09:57,690 So that's been the basis of my meal prep. 172 00:09:58,050 --> 00:10:00,290 Again, Crystal's been doing all of that for me. 173 00:10:01,170 --> 00:10:04,570 She'll prep for the entire week, typically on Sunday, and then 174 00:10:04,570 --> 00:10:07,730 I'll be good to go grab the Tupperware of prep food, put it 175 00:10:07,730 --> 00:10:11,090 in a warming tray, put my brick on top of that so it's got the 176 00:10:11,090 --> 00:10:13,690 perfect texture. And then I am rock solid. 177 00:10:13,690 --> 00:10:17,370 Takes the guesswork out of it. So let's now talk about some 178 00:10:17,370 --> 00:10:19,530 travel. Travel pros. 179 00:10:19,810 --> 00:10:25,560 So the first two competitions both to Logan, UT and White 180 00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:29,840 Plains, NY we took the rig which we're calling it the rig, It's 181 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:34,400 this big 1999 Freightliner ambulance that's been kind of 182 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:39,360 roughly converted into a camper. And we've stayed at various koas 183 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:44,600 along the route and not so much hotels, but koas or Airbnb's, 184 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:48,400 but mostly koas with this big old camper. 185 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:52,860 And that has been good because there's a ton of cabinetry space 186 00:10:52,860 --> 00:10:55,340 in this camper. So I've got like a cabinet for 187 00:10:55,580 --> 00:10:57,500 my supplements. I've got a cabinet for my 188 00:10:57,500 --> 00:11:01,060 workout equipment. I've got a cabinet for my food. 189 00:11:01,300 --> 00:11:02,940 I've got a little mini fridge in there. 190 00:11:03,780 --> 00:11:07,620 So space has not been a problem with that. 191 00:11:08,060 --> 00:11:11,180 This last competition to Washington state, we took my 192 00:11:11,180 --> 00:11:15,100 truck and we loaded everything up in little totes, like plastic 193 00:11:15,100 --> 00:11:16,780 totes. Put that in the back of the 194 00:11:16,780 --> 00:11:22,290 truck and continue to stay at Koas and or Airbnb's the the 195 00:11:22,290 --> 00:11:26,490 actual weekend of the the show. We stayed at Airbnb because I 196 00:11:26,490 --> 00:11:30,250 had my on all these shows. I've I've flown out to my media 197 00:11:30,250 --> 00:11:35,050 guy, Chip and this last show my parents flew out as well to you 198 00:11:35,050 --> 00:11:38,890 know participate in the show. So we've stayed at an Airbnb for 199 00:11:38,890 --> 00:11:41,810 the actual weekend of the competition, but in regards to 200 00:11:41,810 --> 00:11:44,290 traveling to and from the competition, we've stayed at 201 00:11:44,290 --> 00:11:46,350 various Koas and that has been good. 202 00:11:46,350 --> 00:11:48,750 There's been some cons with that for sure, and I'll dive into 203 00:11:48,750 --> 00:11:50,350 that on the next part of this series. 204 00:11:50,670 --> 00:11:54,190 But the pros have been good in that we have several days of 205 00:11:54,190 --> 00:11:57,470 travel. Usually we're breaking these 206 00:11:57,470 --> 00:12:02,870 days into four or six hour long driving stints, but we're taking 207 00:12:02,870 --> 00:12:04,950 Rigel with us to all of these as well. 208 00:12:04,950 --> 00:12:07,950 So we're trying to take it slower because you know he needs 209 00:12:07,950 --> 00:12:10,510 to get out stretch his legs. I need to get out, stretch my 210 00:12:10,510 --> 00:12:14,700 legs so a four hour day one's it becoming a six hour day, a six 211 00:12:14,700 --> 00:12:17,460 hour day one's it becoming an 8 hour day because we take these 212 00:12:17,460 --> 00:12:20,340 frequent stops. We're also stopping along the 213 00:12:20,340 --> 00:12:25,020 route to train to get my cardio in to just make sure that we're 214 00:12:25,020 --> 00:12:28,300 checking all the boxes there. But in doing so we've been able 215 00:12:28,300 --> 00:12:32,420 to stop at various, you know, KO ways and see those. 216 00:12:32,420 --> 00:12:35,820 We've stopped at a couple different museums and just like 217 00:12:35,820 --> 00:12:38,980 scenic byways and just like gotten some memories together as 218 00:12:38,980 --> 00:12:42,090 a family, which is cool. We've been documenting all this, 219 00:12:42,090 --> 00:12:45,570 taking pictures. So the travel has certainly had 220 00:12:45,570 --> 00:12:49,330 a lot of pros in that regard, making memories, and I'm very 221 00:12:49,330 --> 00:12:51,730 excited about that. Again, there's been some cons 222 00:12:51,730 --> 00:12:55,170 with that approach and I'll dive into those on the next video. 223 00:12:55,850 --> 00:13:00,690 With regards to electrolytes, electrolytes have been something 224 00:13:00,690 --> 00:13:04,770 that I've been tracking very, very strictly these past few 225 00:13:04,770 --> 00:13:06,690 months. As I've gotten closer and closer 226 00:13:06,690 --> 00:13:10,050 to these competition days and peak weeks, I don't want to have 227 00:13:10,050 --> 00:13:12,730 any surprises there. If you do not have your 228 00:13:12,730 --> 00:13:17,530 electrolytes dialed in, IE sodium, potassium, magnesium and 229 00:13:17,530 --> 00:13:21,530 your fluid intake, it's going to cause a drastic shift in how 230 00:13:21,530 --> 00:13:23,570 you're looking and peaking for the show. 231 00:13:23,570 --> 00:13:27,090 So if you have a disproportionate ratio of your 232 00:13:27,090 --> 00:13:31,530 fluid intake to your sodium potassium load, you could be 233 00:13:31,530 --> 00:13:36,790 coming in not near full enough or maybe you have an extra layer 234 00:13:36,790 --> 00:13:39,670 of fluid in your subcutaneous layer of skin, which is going to 235 00:13:39,670 --> 00:13:41,430 hide the definition of vascularity. 236 00:13:41,430 --> 00:13:44,590 So that's no good at all. So I've been really strict about 237 00:13:44,590 --> 00:13:48,470 tracking my electrolyte intake and fluid intake these past few 238 00:13:48,470 --> 00:13:51,910 months as we've gotten closer to these peak weeks and shows, and 239 00:13:51,910 --> 00:13:53,910 I have truly gotten that dialed in. 240 00:13:54,630 --> 00:13:58,230 I've got my entire peak week strategy dialed in from an 241 00:13:58,230 --> 00:13:59,710 electrolyte and refeed standpoint. 242 00:13:59,710 --> 00:14:04,420 The first two shows I did a sodium load on Friday with my 243 00:14:04,420 --> 00:14:09,740 ketogenic caloric refeed pizza and that brought a fuller look 244 00:14:09,740 --> 00:14:14,500 by having an additional 3 to 4000 milligrams of sodium the 245 00:14:14,500 --> 00:14:17,860 day before the show. It basically drew in any 246 00:14:18,660 --> 00:14:22,780 subcutaneous fluid I had into the muscle tissue itself and 247 00:14:22,780 --> 00:14:26,460 filled me out considerably, which allowed me to bring a 248 00:14:26,500 --> 00:14:29,340 fuller look to the stage on show day. 249 00:14:29,990 --> 00:14:34,070 However, with this last show in Washington, I played around a 250 00:14:34,070 --> 00:14:38,910 little bit differently. I'm front loaded my macros and 251 00:14:38,910 --> 00:14:42,310 actually kept my sodium levels consistent throughout the entire 252 00:14:42,310 --> 00:14:47,430 week at my baseline intake of about 11,700 milligrams of 253 00:14:47,430 --> 00:14:50,390 sodium. And I got that through, you 254 00:14:50,390 --> 00:14:54,070 know, the LMNT packets. Mike Muchell's Mile Science 255 00:14:54,710 --> 00:14:58,490 Electrolyte brand relight. I just a few different 256 00:14:58,490 --> 00:15:01,850 electrolyte supplements, so I've tracked all that, but it winds 257 00:15:01,850 --> 00:15:06,210 up being about 11,700 milligrams of sodium with the salt that I'm 258 00:15:06,210 --> 00:15:10,050 also adding to my food. And that with the amount of 259 00:15:10,050 --> 00:15:13,370 fluid intake I'm taking it on a daily basis has really allowed 260 00:15:13,370 --> 00:15:18,930 me to flush out any excess fluid without needing to draw it into 261 00:15:18,930 --> 00:15:21,250 the muscle tissue and have a sodium load. 262 00:15:21,250 --> 00:15:24,650 So this last peak week, I actually did not have a bolus of 263 00:15:24,650 --> 00:15:28,350 sodium prior to the competition and I brought a really good 264 00:15:28,350 --> 00:15:30,270 level of conditioning to the stage. 265 00:15:30,590 --> 00:15:34,590 I was able to fill out properly, not quite as much as I was for 266 00:15:34,590 --> 00:15:38,030 the first two shows, but I think I benefited overall by having 267 00:15:38,030 --> 00:15:40,830 that dryer, crisper look because that's often times what the 268 00:15:40,830 --> 00:15:44,630 judges are looking for within the debut NBF Federation. 269 00:15:44,630 --> 00:15:47,390 So feel very good about the electrolyte manipulations. 270 00:15:47,390 --> 00:15:51,030 They're definitely a win in that regard because that is something 271 00:15:51,030 --> 00:15:52,270 that a lot of people struggle with. 272 00:15:52,630 --> 00:15:56,070 So really tracking that, getting it dialed in and knowing what my 273 00:15:56,070 --> 00:15:59,910 body responds well to and how much to, you know, add or 274 00:15:59,910 --> 00:16:02,430 subtract is key and that's going to be different for everybody. 275 00:16:02,430 --> 00:16:06,310 So don't take my intake of 11,700 milligrams, which is 276 00:16:06,310 --> 00:16:09,430 pretty high by most people's standards as what you should be 277 00:16:09,430 --> 00:16:11,870 taking in. You can certainly manipulate 278 00:16:11,870 --> 00:16:15,990 your electrolytes and fluid to reach an equilibrium within your 279 00:16:15,990 --> 00:16:18,990 body, but that's going to be different for everybody and it's 280 00:16:18,990 --> 00:16:21,870 going to be you know, variable based off of how much you're 281 00:16:21,870 --> 00:16:24,430 sweating, the environment, etcetera, etcetera. 282 00:16:24,430 --> 00:16:30,030 But for me, that has been key with regard to the refeed 283 00:16:30,030 --> 00:16:34,230 manipulations. The first two shows I had my 284 00:16:34,230 --> 00:16:37,990 ketogenic caloric refeed pizza on Friday. 285 00:16:38,430 --> 00:16:43,670 The shows were on Saturday. I also started incorporating an 286 00:16:43,670 --> 00:16:49,870 extra pound of ground beef or lamb on Thursday, the day prior 287 00:16:49,870 --> 00:16:54,190 to that refeed. I tested that out after I did 288 00:16:54,190 --> 00:16:57,990 the 50 mile March, which was the week before my first 289 00:16:57,990 --> 00:17:01,310 competition, and I noticed that extra pound of meat filled me 290 00:17:01,310 --> 00:17:05,109 out even further. In tandem with that refeed 291 00:17:05,109 --> 00:17:07,990 pizza, I was coming in pretty depleted. 292 00:17:07,990 --> 00:17:12,630 So that worked out well. What I did with this last peak 293 00:17:12,630 --> 00:17:15,589 week going into the Washington show was I actually started 294 00:17:15,589 --> 00:17:21,190 incorporating that extra pound of lamb with added duck fat on 295 00:17:21,270 --> 00:17:26,150 Monday and Tuesday. And then Wednesday I had the 296 00:17:26,150 --> 00:17:32,510 refeed pizza. Thursday I had the extra pound 297 00:17:32,510 --> 00:17:37,230 of lamb and then Friday I had an extra pound of lamb, I believe, 298 00:17:37,430 --> 00:17:39,510 or maybe it knows. Thursday I had the refeed pizza, 299 00:17:39,510 --> 00:17:41,270 Friday I had the extra pound of lamb. 300 00:17:41,590 --> 00:17:46,190 And then Friday or on Saturday rather than the day of the show. 301 00:17:46,590 --> 00:17:51,070 All that I ate prior to stepping on stage was a full keto brick 302 00:17:51,070 --> 00:17:54,190 and a fatty coffee. In the morning I had a full keto 303 00:17:54,190 --> 00:17:57,510 brick before I stepped on stage for my class, and then I had 304 00:17:57,510 --> 00:18:01,190 another full keto brick before I stepped on stage for the overall 305 00:18:01,190 --> 00:18:05,950 competition. So this last show, all I did 306 00:18:05,950 --> 00:18:10,230 from a day of show nutrition standpoint was the fatty coffee 307 00:18:10,550 --> 00:18:13,870 and then two full keto bricks. And then I had the rest of my 308 00:18:13,870 --> 00:18:17,870 macros after the show was over, but my body responded really, 309 00:18:17,870 --> 00:18:20,500 really well to that. I was able to bring in that dry 310 00:18:20,500 --> 00:18:22,340 look. It didn't cause any excess fluid 311 00:18:22,340 --> 00:18:24,500 retention. I was able to fill out my 312 00:18:24,660 --> 00:18:28,340 vascularity was next level. Everything worked perfectly from 313 00:18:28,340 --> 00:18:30,660 a peaking standpoint with that strategy. 314 00:18:30,660 --> 00:18:35,340 So that was a huge win for sure. It's interesting, most other 315 00:18:35,340 --> 00:18:37,940 competitors, pretty much every other competitor, was sucking 316 00:18:37,940 --> 00:18:41,180 down rice cakes covered in honey and Jelly and just a bunch of 317 00:18:41,180 --> 00:18:44,460 carbohydrates backstage. And here I am eating a full keto 318 00:18:44,460 --> 00:18:47,580 brick that's got more fat and then in it than they're probably 319 00:18:47,580 --> 00:18:50,140 having in a week. So felt really, really good 320 00:18:50,140 --> 00:18:53,820 about that. Definitely kind of just, you 321 00:18:53,820 --> 00:18:58,900 know, verified that the keto brick was a perfect backstage 322 00:18:58,900 --> 00:19:02,180 source of nutrition to peak properly for these shows when in 323 00:19:02,180 --> 00:19:05,620 a keto adapted state. So that's their manipulations I 324 00:19:05,620 --> 00:19:09,260 made with regards to the refeeds and peaking protocol. 325 00:19:09,900 --> 00:19:13,580 With regard to tanning, that has been a pretty big win. 326 00:19:13,580 --> 00:19:18,600 In the past I've used a rub on Tan or a pat on Tan called Dream 327 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:20,840 Tan. I love the way that looks. 328 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:25,000 However, all of these shows have not allowed Dream Tan because it 329 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:29,240 is so messy and I think most of the federations are moving that 330 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:32,240 direction. They are at a liability if the 331 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:35,720 venue gets messed up or any issues are there. 332 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:39,480 So a lot of these competitions are moving to a 0 Dream Tan or 333 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:43,080 self application Tan policy and they're just forcing competitors 334 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:45,560 to use the sponsored spray tan company. 335 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,040 So I've used the sponsored spray tank company at all three shows 336 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:51,360 and they've all turned out great. 337 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:54,680 Sometimes it can be hit or miss with these tanning companies, 338 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:56,840 but all three companies that I've worked with thus far have 339 00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:00,520 been very professional. You pay for the tan up front. 340 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:04,480 They typically give you a coat of tan on Friday the day before 341 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:08,080 the show and then touch ups on Saturday the morning of if need 342 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,080 be. But again, all that has worked 343 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:12,120 out wonderfully. We'll have not had any issues 344 00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:15,320 with the tan. All right, polygraphs. 345 00:20:15,710 --> 00:20:19,670 Polygraphs have all been a pro. There's some anxiety associated 346 00:20:19,670 --> 00:20:21,870 with polygraph testing. I'll talk about that in the 347 00:20:22,510 --> 00:20:26,270 losses section of this. But I've passed all three 348 00:20:26,270 --> 00:20:28,790 polygraphs. I've done 3 polygraph test now 349 00:20:29,110 --> 00:20:32,070 for all three shows. Those have all gone very 350 00:20:32,070 --> 00:20:34,230 smoothly. The proctors or the 351 00:20:34,230 --> 00:20:36,030 administrators for the polygraphs have all been very 352 00:20:36,030 --> 00:20:40,020 professional, very kind, very friendly, and I've been able to 353 00:20:40,020 --> 00:20:43,380 just sit in on those and pass all three of those polygraphs 354 00:20:43,380 --> 00:20:46,660 without any issues. So that is a massive win there. 355 00:20:47,140 --> 00:20:51,740 With regards to posing trunks and posing suit, this is much 356 00:20:51,740 --> 00:20:55,220 easier for the guys and the gals, but what I've done this 357 00:20:55,220 --> 00:20:59,260 year is honestly, I've been pretty lazy with it in the past. 358 00:20:59,540 --> 00:21:03,420 I've gone through like a legitimate posing trunk company, 359 00:21:03,420 --> 00:21:07,150 sent them my measurements and give them the specs of what I 360 00:21:07,150 --> 00:21:08,790 wanted. They would make a custom suit 361 00:21:08,790 --> 00:21:11,870 for me this year. I don't know if whatever reason, 362 00:21:11,870 --> 00:21:16,350 I just decided to go through Amazon and actually just 363 00:21:16,350 --> 00:21:20,550 purchased a bunch of different pairs on Amazon for a reasonable 364 00:21:20,550 --> 00:21:24,390 price and then tried them out and wore the ones that I thought 365 00:21:24,390 --> 00:21:27,630 fit me the best. So don't overthink the posing. 366 00:21:27,630 --> 00:21:30,350 Trunks definitely get ones that fit you well and showcase your 367 00:21:30,350 --> 00:21:33,830 body well, but I was honestly impressed with the selection you 368 00:21:33,830 --> 00:21:36,230 can get on Amazon. So if you're in a bind, you need 369 00:21:36,230 --> 00:21:37,830 to get some posing trunks in a hurry. 370 00:21:38,070 --> 00:21:41,390 You can certainly get some decent ones on Amazon, but do 371 00:21:41,590 --> 00:21:43,110 spend the money to get some decent ones. 372 00:21:43,110 --> 00:21:46,030 You don't want crappy posing trunks that are falling off of. 373 00:21:46,030 --> 00:21:48,870 You're not giving you full coverage, so that is a win 374 00:21:49,830 --> 00:21:54,470 relationship with those around me and my wife Crystal, So this 375 00:21:54,470 --> 00:21:57,550 is a huge, huge win. This is honestly probably one of 376 00:21:57,550 --> 00:21:59,230 the biggest wins of this entire prep. 377 00:21:59,230 --> 00:22:05,590 Honestly, in prior competition preps, I have just been very 378 00:22:05,590 --> 00:22:07,390 negative. Like I'm depleted. 379 00:22:07,390 --> 00:22:11,190 I'm hungry, I feel miserable, especially when I was eating 380 00:22:11,190 --> 00:22:14,270 carbohydrates. And I would take that out on 381 00:22:14,590 --> 00:22:17,350 those around me, especially those in my inner circle, 382 00:22:17,350 --> 00:22:20,390 because I would feel comfortable enough to do so with those in my 383 00:22:20,390 --> 00:22:23,430 inner circle, which is most certainly not fair to them. 384 00:22:24,310 --> 00:22:26,390 So one of the things I was really trying to focus on with 385 00:22:26,390 --> 00:22:29,660 this prep from the very beginning is to just be very 386 00:22:29,660 --> 00:22:34,060 stoic through it all and not let it be a negative in my life and 387 00:22:34,060 --> 00:22:37,260 not be negative towards those around to be in my life. 388 00:22:37,620 --> 00:22:41,020 And I can say with confidence that I have done a great job 389 00:22:41,020 --> 00:22:43,420 with that throughout this entire prep season. 390 00:22:43,780 --> 00:22:47,380 I have not raised my voice, I have not gotten bitter or 391 00:22:47,380 --> 00:22:50,780 irritable really, or lashed out at anybody. 392 00:22:51,020 --> 00:22:53,940 And I'm really proud of that. Like a lot of competitors become 393 00:22:53,940 --> 00:22:58,300 just zombies and are incredibly negative to those around them. 394 00:22:58,980 --> 00:23:03,260 There are short fuses and they just have bad temperament, and I 395 00:23:03,260 --> 00:23:06,140 haven't had that at all with this prep. 396 00:23:06,140 --> 00:23:08,620 And I think a lot of that is because I've just been so 397 00:23:09,060 --> 00:23:13,900 reflective and focused on being grateful and appreciative 398 00:23:14,300 --> 00:23:16,620 towards every little thing with this prep. 399 00:23:16,620 --> 00:23:19,420 I've taken time to journal in the mornings. 400 00:23:19,420 --> 00:23:22,860 I've taken time to meditate. I've taken time to pray, taking 401 00:23:22,860 --> 00:23:26,340 time to like really dive deeper into the spirituality component 402 00:23:26,340 --> 00:23:30,280 of my life throughout this prep. And this prep has really opened 403 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:33,760 my eyes to that spirituality component that could be a whole 404 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:38,440 other podcast in and of itself. But I think being present, being 405 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:41,880 grateful and just taking each moment for what it is and and 406 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:45,080 really being, you know, honest with myself and those around me 407 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:47,880 has allowed me to be positive to those around me. 408 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:51,840 And that is honestly one of the biggest wins of this entire 409 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:54,120 prep. So I'm very proud of that. 410 00:23:55,810 --> 00:23:57,890 And that goes through with my mental state and overall 411 00:23:57,890 --> 00:23:59,650 outlook. You know, that's the next bullet 412 00:23:59,650 --> 00:24:03,490 on this wins section. I haven't been negative. 413 00:24:03,490 --> 00:24:06,690 I've been positive. I've really just recognize that 414 00:24:06,690 --> 00:24:10,930 this is a chapter in my life. And yes, I'm depleted. 415 00:24:10,930 --> 00:24:13,690 Yes, I'm hungry. Yes, I want to eat, but that is 416 00:24:13,690 --> 00:24:18,090 no reason for me to be negative overall, like all that I'm going 417 00:24:18,090 --> 00:24:21,220 through right now, All the sacrifices that I'm making, me 418 00:24:21,220 --> 00:24:23,900 being as depleted as I am, this is all my own doing. 419 00:24:23,900 --> 00:24:27,780 This is all stuff that I asked for, planned for and wanted. 420 00:24:27,780 --> 00:24:31,580 I can't have this grass is greener on the other side 421 00:24:31,580 --> 00:24:34,980 approach and always be looking for the next thing. 422 00:24:34,980 --> 00:24:40,100 I just need to be focused on the here and the now and soak it in 423 00:24:40,180 --> 00:24:42,820 and be grateful for it and appreciative towards it. 424 00:24:43,260 --> 00:24:46,720 The goods and the bads. So that has been a really good 425 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:48,760 thing for me. And my overall mental state and 426 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:53,600 overall outlook has been very positive, gym lifts, training 427 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:57,960 and cardio progression. So this has honestly been really 428 00:24:57,960 --> 00:24:59,600 great too. I've lost a little bit of 429 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:03,200 strength, so I'll kind of touch on that with the losses in the 430 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:06,480 next section. But honestly, I made it all the 431 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:11,600 way through probably 25 weeks of prep before I started noticing 432 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:16,830 any decline in strength whatsoever, and that is just 433 00:25:16,830 --> 00:25:19,670 huge. Most people that go through a 434 00:25:19,670 --> 00:25:23,030 prep start to experience incredible decreases in strength 435 00:25:23,030 --> 00:25:26,350 and power output as their calories drop, as their weight 436 00:25:26,350 --> 00:25:28,390 drops, as their leverage points change. 437 00:25:28,750 --> 00:25:31,590 And I have not really noticed that like I am still, to this 438 00:25:31,590 --> 00:25:36,430 day, 29 weeks in pulling and pushing a lot of the same weight 439 00:25:36,430 --> 00:25:39,630 that I was in the offseason. Now, I may not be doing it for 440 00:25:39,630 --> 00:25:43,680 quite as many reps, but my overall strength capacity hasn't 441 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:48,120 really decreased much at all. My lean mass and skeletal muscle 442 00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:51,800 tissue hasn't really dropped much via the body composition 443 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:55,000 scans, DEXA in body calipers, etcetera, etcetera. 444 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,120 Well, calipers are not only going to get a measurement for 445 00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:00,640 muscle tissue, but with the in body and the DEXA scans, I'm not 446 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:04,400 really losing much actual muscle tissue and that is reflected in 447 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:07,880 my strength markers in the gym. So I've lost a little bit of 448 00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:11,820 strength, but again not near as much as I have in years prior, 449 00:26:11,820 --> 00:26:15,020 especially when I was doing carbohydrate based approach. 450 00:26:15,020 --> 00:26:18,940 So I think that really speaks to the efficacy of a ketogenic prep 451 00:26:18,940 --> 00:26:22,340 protocol when it comes to preserving lean tissue and 452 00:26:22,340 --> 00:26:25,700 maintaining strength and power output in the gym And the 453 00:26:25,700 --> 00:26:28,620 cardio, I've had to do pretty minimal cardio like I have not 454 00:26:28,660 --> 00:26:32,540 gone above 2 cardio sessions a week. 455 00:26:32,860 --> 00:26:35,860 I've increased my intensity level and the duration of those 456 00:26:35,860 --> 00:26:39,940 cardio sessions, but I have not been a slave to the Stairmaster 457 00:26:40,140 --> 00:26:42,420 throughout this prep, which is also a huge win because if you 458 00:26:42,420 --> 00:26:45,700 start overdoing cardio, you're going to start losing lean 459 00:26:45,700 --> 00:26:48,460 tissue. So by me not having to do that, 460 00:26:48,460 --> 00:26:51,420 that's also protected me against losing muscles. 461 00:26:51,420 --> 00:26:57,940 So that's a huge plus as well. Now let's also dive into some 462 00:26:58,460 --> 00:27:00,780 documentation and content creation. 463 00:27:00,780 --> 00:27:03,620 So that's one thing I've really been trying to focus on 464 00:27:03,620 --> 00:27:05,580 throughout this prep. I want to be incredibly 465 00:27:05,580 --> 00:27:08,140 transparent. I want to take you all along on 466 00:27:08,140 --> 00:27:11,460 this journey, and I've been really adamant about that From 467 00:27:11,460 --> 00:27:15,100 day one. I have posted an Instagram 468 00:27:15,100 --> 00:27:19,740 picture that kind of breaks down my stats, my nutrition, my 469 00:27:19,740 --> 00:27:23,460 macros, my training, my cardio. Every single week I've been 470 00:27:23,460 --> 00:27:25,980 posting that. So I've been really, you know, 471 00:27:25,980 --> 00:27:27,980 consistent with that, which I'm proud of. 472 00:27:28,370 --> 00:27:30,090 I've been documenting this on YouTube. 473 00:27:30,090 --> 00:27:33,090 There's been a YouTube vlog update every single Friday, so I 474 00:27:33,090 --> 00:27:36,170 feel very good about that. Chip, our media guy, has been an 475 00:27:36,170 --> 00:27:38,930 absolute rock star. Like I said, he's been coming to 476 00:27:38,930 --> 00:27:42,330 each of these competitions and filming this on a professional 477 00:27:42,330 --> 00:27:45,490 level with the correct lighting, camera and audio set up. 478 00:27:45,490 --> 00:27:50,410 So we are getting high quality footage for the vlogs, but also 479 00:27:50,410 --> 00:27:53,570 for the competition prep course that I'm in the process of 480 00:27:53,570 --> 00:27:56,010 building out now. More on that later, but this 481 00:27:56,010 --> 00:27:58,050 course is going to be a freaking behemoth. 482 00:27:58,410 --> 00:28:02,010 It's going to be a one stop shop for anybody that's wanting to do 483 00:28:02,010 --> 00:28:05,730 a competition prep via this Ketogenic protocol and it's 484 00:28:05,730 --> 00:28:08,450 going to be a massive resource to people wanting to lean out in 485 00:28:08,450 --> 00:28:12,530 a healthy, sustainable manner. So really been adamant about 486 00:28:12,850 --> 00:28:16,530 creating content, documenting this journey and consistent in 487 00:28:16,530 --> 00:28:18,410 doing so. So I feel really, really good 488 00:28:18,410 --> 00:28:19,890 about that. I've done that in years prior, 489 00:28:19,890 --> 00:28:22,770 but I feel like I've gone next level with this one. 490 00:28:22,770 --> 00:28:25,830 So hopefully you all agree with me on that and you're getting 491 00:28:25,830 --> 00:28:29,430 some value out of these consistent weekly vlogs, 492 00:28:30,470 --> 00:28:33,830 podcast, Instagram updates. And I will keep that going 493 00:28:33,830 --> 00:28:36,310 throughout the reverse that as well because that is something 494 00:28:36,310 --> 00:28:39,230 that needs to be documented and shared too, because a lot of 495 00:28:39,230 --> 00:28:42,430 people don't give the reverse that the attention it deserves. 496 00:28:42,430 --> 00:28:45,510 All right, let's talk about judges feedback. 497 00:28:45,510 --> 00:28:49,430 So I've gotten feedback from all the judges at every show and 498 00:28:49,430 --> 00:28:51,150 that's been super helpful as well. 499 00:28:51,590 --> 00:28:55,770 The first show, it was the show that I entered as a bodybuilder 500 00:28:55,770 --> 00:28:59,130 then had to cross over and do classic physique. 501 00:28:59,410 --> 00:29:02,330 So most of the judges feedback there was that I was just too 502 00:29:02,330 --> 00:29:04,970 lean and too big. But again, like I said at the 503 00:29:04,970 --> 00:29:07,650 beginning, that was my goal in the 1st place. 504 00:29:07,650 --> 00:29:10,770 So I'm not really taking that as negative constructive criticism. 505 00:29:11,090 --> 00:29:13,490 That's just is what it is with me having to do the crossover. 506 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:18,560 The second show in New York was very enlightening because what 507 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:22,520 likely cost me the overall according to the judges was that 508 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:27,640 my posing in the symmetry rounds were a little off. 509 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:30,520 So I'll kind of dive deeper into that in the next phase on the 510 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:33,520 losses. But generally speaking, the 511 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:36,320 feedback on that show was unanimous that I was the most 512 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:39,840 conditioned or one of the most conditioned. 513 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:42,710 Me and the other guy that won the overall on the stage. 514 00:29:42,710 --> 00:29:45,750 So that was great feedback. And they said all my other poses 515 00:29:45,750 --> 00:29:47,950 were on point. That was one that actually won 516 00:29:47,950 --> 00:29:51,430 the best poser on. So great feedback from the 517 00:29:51,430 --> 00:29:53,830 judges there. And then with this most recent 518 00:29:53,830 --> 00:29:58,230 show in Washington that I won, the overall on the judges 519 00:29:58,230 --> 00:30:01,270 feedback was great as well. They had a very cool how they 520 00:30:01,270 --> 00:30:05,030 did. They had a like after party so 521 00:30:05,030 --> 00:30:08,070 to speak at a restaurant. I did not eat at the restaurant, 522 00:30:08,070 --> 00:30:10,730 but they had all the judges there at different tables and 523 00:30:10,730 --> 00:30:13,570 the competitors could just go there, get something to eat if 524 00:30:13,570 --> 00:30:16,490 they so choose, but then just sit with each of the judges to 525 00:30:16,490 --> 00:30:18,450 get feedback on them specifically. 526 00:30:18,770 --> 00:30:21,850 So I did that with all the judges and the feedback at the 527 00:30:21,850 --> 00:30:23,650 show that I won. The overall on was great. 528 00:30:23,890 --> 00:30:26,890 They all said that I was the most conditioned guy on stage, 529 00:30:26,890 --> 00:30:28,410 which is what I was striving for. 530 00:30:28,610 --> 00:30:30,610 They said I was lean and crisp and dry. 531 00:30:31,370 --> 00:30:35,570 They said that I could work on some of my just putting on more 532 00:30:35,570 --> 00:30:38,130 size honestly like I'm the lightweight competitor, so just 533 00:30:38,130 --> 00:30:41,250 building more size was key or is key. 534 00:30:41,250 --> 00:30:43,850 So I need to be doing that in this coming building phase. 535 00:30:44,490 --> 00:30:47,330 But honestly most of the judges didn't really have much 536 00:30:47,330 --> 00:30:49,610 feedback. They they all kind of said that 537 00:30:49,690 --> 00:30:53,250 I brought my a game, I had the conditioning, I filled out, I 538 00:30:53,250 --> 00:30:55,570 had the right proportions, the right symmetry, the full 539 00:30:55,570 --> 00:30:58,210 package. So all the judges feedback at 540 00:30:58,210 --> 00:31:01,530 all shows has been really positive thus far and I feel 541 00:31:01,530 --> 00:31:03,970 grateful to have had the opportunity to sit with each of 542 00:31:03,970 --> 00:31:07,210 these judges and get that feedback and anything they've 543 00:31:07,210 --> 00:31:10,000 been able to tell me that kind of build on, I've been able to 544 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:12,600 harness that and just improve for the next show. 545 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:18,200 With regards to the camaraderie of the competitors backstage and 546 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:23,080 on stage at all shows, it's been amazing at each of these three 547 00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:25,320 shows. The camaraderie has been there. 548 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:27,960 You know we've talked with everybody backstage. 549 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:30,080 That's what I really love about this Natural federations. 550 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:33,280 It's not like click it all like you'll sometimes see at the NBC 551 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:35,670 shows. Everybody is there to be their 552 00:31:35,670 --> 00:31:37,190 best. Everybody wants the other 553 00:31:37,190 --> 00:31:39,750 competitors to be their best because they want to beat them 554 00:31:39,750 --> 00:31:42,510 at their best. We're all talking about, you 555 00:31:42,510 --> 00:31:43,670 know, what the journey's been like. 556 00:31:43,670 --> 00:31:46,670 We're all talking about how positive it's been, how negative 557 00:31:46,670 --> 00:31:49,870 it's been. We're just talking and it's fun 558 00:31:49,870 --> 00:31:53,070 to be up there with other competitors that are happy to be 559 00:31:53,070 --> 00:31:54,310 there, that are excited to be there. 560 00:31:54,310 --> 00:31:57,670 We're all fist bumping. We're all like doing pose downs 561 00:31:57,670 --> 00:32:00,230 together, talking about how brutal the posing is. 562 00:32:00,550 --> 00:32:04,990 After we walk off stage, it's all smiles, you know if if one 563 00:32:04,990 --> 00:32:07,230 guy wins, everybody else goes to congratulate him. 564 00:32:07,590 --> 00:32:11,390 And there's just a lot of support amongst the competitors 565 00:32:11,870 --> 00:32:15,030 at all these shows and I really appreciate that because at the 566 00:32:15,030 --> 00:32:17,430 end of the day, this is all supposed to be fun. 567 00:32:17,710 --> 00:32:21,510 We're all supposed to be enjoying this process and having 568 00:32:21,510 --> 00:32:23,710 good camaraderie amongst the other competitors that you're 569 00:32:23,710 --> 00:32:27,710 stepping on stage against and competing against makes or 570 00:32:27,710 --> 00:32:29,950 breaks that. So I've been very grateful for 571 00:32:29,950 --> 00:32:31,510 all the competitors at these shows. 572 00:32:31,990 --> 00:32:33,950 I've gotten, you know, vlog footage with them. 573 00:32:34,350 --> 00:32:37,110 I've messaged him on Instagram after the shows. 574 00:32:37,110 --> 00:32:39,230 I've set a podcast recordings with a few of them. 575 00:32:39,790 --> 00:32:42,790 They've all been great to interact with and I just can't 576 00:32:42,790 --> 00:32:45,030 say enough good things about the competitors of these shows. 577 00:32:45,750 --> 00:32:50,830 Relationship with food, that's been a big win for me with this 578 00:32:50,830 --> 00:32:55,950 prep in years prior. I would binge on foods and purge 579 00:32:55,950 --> 00:32:58,870 on foods after the show because I felt so depleted and 580 00:32:58,870 --> 00:33:01,940 sacrificed so much during the prep itself. 581 00:33:02,260 --> 00:33:05,620 I don't anticipate that happening at all post show 582 00:33:05,620 --> 00:33:09,460 season with this prep because I've just really got things 583 00:33:09,460 --> 00:33:12,100 dialed in right now. I'm not really fixated on the 584 00:33:12,100 --> 00:33:14,540 food. I recognize that I'm depleted. 585 00:33:14,540 --> 00:33:17,980 I recognize that I'm hungry. But my relationship with food 586 00:33:17,980 --> 00:33:20,660 has not been a -1. I have not deviated from my 587 00:33:20,660 --> 00:33:24,780 macros one single time since the very beginning of this prep. 588 00:33:24,780 --> 00:33:28,220 I don't have any plans to going forward and I feel very good 589 00:33:28,220 --> 00:33:30,920 about that. My food choices, like I said in 590 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:33,000 the very beginning, have all been very consistent. 591 00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:35,520 So I haven't had very much variety. 592 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:38,280 But I honestly think that's been a good thing because I'm not 593 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:42,520 craving a ton of variety. I look forward to my single meal 594 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:45,760 every day. I look forward to the taste, the 595 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:49,760 texture, the simplicity of it. So our relationship with food 596 00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:53,160 throughout this prep has been a positive and I feel very, very 597 00:33:53,160 --> 00:33:57,320 good about that OCD. I've got two more bullet points 598 00:33:57,320 --> 00:34:00,980 here. OCD, so I've I've been open 599 00:34:00,980 --> 00:34:05,700 about this in the past, but I have a really bad case of 600 00:34:06,020 --> 00:34:12,219 obsessive compulsive disorder and that really reared its head 601 00:34:13,060 --> 00:34:17,580 when I did my first competition. I mean, I was just in a very bad 602 00:34:17,580 --> 00:34:22,139 place and I was able to harness that for bodybuilding and I 603 00:34:22,139 --> 00:34:26,050 would kind of transfer these OCD tendencies towards, you know, 604 00:34:26,050 --> 00:34:29,969 training harder and hitting a certain Rep count with regards 605 00:34:29,969 --> 00:34:33,370 to my training. But OCD for me is oftentimes 606 00:34:33,370 --> 00:34:38,250 been a negative because it just, you know, takes things, it takes 607 00:34:38,250 --> 00:34:41,730 over my life like I I take it just messes with my hand. 608 00:34:41,730 --> 00:34:44,130 I feel like I've got to do things a certain number of times 609 00:34:44,130 --> 00:34:46,530 in order to be considered successful towards that. 610 00:34:46,889 --> 00:34:50,250 And that's oftentimes manifest itself with my training in a 611 00:34:50,250 --> 00:34:55,710 negative way, to the point of me overtraining and just risking 612 00:34:55,710 --> 00:34:58,190 injury. With this prep, I haven't had 613 00:34:58,190 --> 00:35:00,390 that issue. I've been able to just, again, 614 00:35:00,390 --> 00:35:05,950 be present, be objective and be smart about my training. 615 00:35:06,150 --> 00:35:08,510 Like I'd push my body. I don't leave anything on the 616 00:35:08,510 --> 00:35:12,830 table, but I don't push it to an unhealthy level that really 617 00:35:12,830 --> 00:35:15,630 flares itself from an OCD standpoint. 618 00:35:15,630 --> 00:35:20,830 So that not being an issue with this prep has been a massive, 619 00:35:20,830 --> 00:35:23,560 massive win. And I'm so very grateful that's 620 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:26,040 been the case because that has not always been the case. 621 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:30,440 But with this Prep specifically, it has been no issue whatsoever. 622 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:35,240 And the last bullet point for this win section is simply the 623 00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:39,720 fact that I've truly enjoyed this entire process. 624 00:35:39,720 --> 00:35:42,080 Like a lot of people go into a prep, especially if you're a 625 00:35:42,080 --> 00:35:45,160 first time competitor, you don't really have the perspective 626 00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:48,800 because you've never done a prep before and you're doing this 627 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:52,900 very hard thing and you fixate on how hard it is. 628 00:35:53,300 --> 00:35:58,340 So much so that it becomes a miserable thing and you're proud 629 00:35:58,340 --> 00:36:01,140 of what you're doing. But it's like something that a 630 00:36:01,140 --> 00:36:03,380 lot of people don't want to do again because it becomes a 631 00:36:03,380 --> 00:36:05,220 negative, miserable thing in their life. 632 00:36:05,660 --> 00:36:07,060 That has not been the case with me. 633 00:36:07,060 --> 00:36:09,580 I don't know if it's because I've done so many prep seasons 634 00:36:09,580 --> 00:36:16,020 now or what, but I've truly had fun and enjoyed this entire 635 00:36:16,020 --> 00:36:19,100 process. I have not felt miserable at any 636 00:36:19,100 --> 00:36:20,740 point. Yes, there's been moments where 637 00:36:20,740 --> 00:36:22,500 I felt depleted. Yes, there have been moments 638 00:36:22,500 --> 00:36:24,340 where it's like, man, I just want to eat. 639 00:36:24,740 --> 00:36:28,060 Yes, there have been moments where it's like, I'm so freaking 640 00:36:28,060 --> 00:36:31,780 exhausted that, you know, I'm looking forward for this to all 641 00:36:31,780 --> 00:36:35,140 be over. But when I take that in its 642 00:36:35,140 --> 00:36:38,540 aggregate and I just look at this prep in its totality, I've 643 00:36:38,540 --> 00:36:40,500 really had fun. I've enjoyed it. 644 00:36:40,820 --> 00:36:44,060 I'm having fun documenting it. I'm having fun creating content 645 00:36:44,060 --> 00:36:47,880 around it, having so much fun reading the comments and the 646 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:51,840 YouTube section and the Instagram comments and just, you 647 00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:55,200 know, seeing the feedback I've gotten that's kept me going, 648 00:36:55,200 --> 00:36:59,080 that's kept me positive, you know, actually being present and 649 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:04,280 in the moment and soaking up all the little nuance of this prep 650 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:07,120 has been enjoyable. Diving deeper into my macro 651 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:09,880 tweaks, my electrolyte manipulations, my training 652 00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:14,530 variations, my cardio, the tanning, everything. 653 00:37:14,530 --> 00:37:18,690 Like, I've really just enjoyed this process and we've done 654 00:37:18,690 --> 00:37:20,690 three shows. Now we've got two more to go. 655 00:37:20,850 --> 00:37:24,250 I'm excited about these next two, looking forward to these 656 00:37:24,250 --> 00:37:27,450 next two and I have not felt miserable at any one point. 657 00:37:27,450 --> 00:37:30,570 This is a sport, this is my profession. 658 00:37:30,570 --> 00:37:36,480 This is something that I am now professional athlete in and it's 659 00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:38,920 been very, very fun and enjoyable. 660 00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:41,520 At the end of the day it should be fun and enjoyable. 661 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:44,760 I want to be able to walk away from this competition season 662 00:37:45,080 --> 00:37:49,200 with positive memories and thus far I can confidently say that 663 00:37:49,200 --> 00:37:54,400 will most certainly be the case. So a huge win for this season 664 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:58,200 thus far is that I'm simply having fun and enjoying the 665 00:37:58,200 --> 00:38:02,080 entire process. So that is a massive win as 666 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:04,320 well. And that, ladies and gentlemen, 667 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:10,170 concludes the wins section of this two-part series on wins and 668 00:38:10,170 --> 00:38:12,530 losses of my competition prep thus far. 669 00:38:12,850 --> 00:38:17,530 Again, I felt it fitting to do this after doing 3 amateur shows 670 00:38:17,810 --> 00:38:21,450 and having now won my pro card as a WNBF natural bodybuilder. 671 00:38:21,690 --> 00:38:25,570 I will likely do the same format of wins and losses in a two-part 672 00:38:25,570 --> 00:38:29,570 series after I do the two professional shows competing as 673 00:38:29,570 --> 00:38:31,690 a pro because I think there's going to be some differences 674 00:38:31,690 --> 00:38:36,020 there with that being a pro stage against pro competitors. 675 00:38:36,340 --> 00:38:40,820 So by all means, please let me know in the comments if you like 676 00:38:40,820 --> 00:38:44,620 this format, if you like me doing this solo episode format 677 00:38:44,620 --> 00:38:46,660 in which there's no guest to me, just talking. 678 00:38:47,460 --> 00:38:49,940 So I'm very curious to see if this is a good thing or bad 679 00:38:49,940 --> 00:38:51,540 thing from a podcasting standpoint. 680 00:38:51,860 --> 00:38:55,100 Love to hear your feedback, love that you are, you know, a part 681 00:38:55,100 --> 00:38:57,980 of this journey with me and I can't thank you enough for all 682 00:38:57,980 --> 00:38:59,660 the support you've shown me throughout it. 683 00:38:59,660 --> 00:39:02,820 So thank you all for listening and I will talk to you next 684 00:39:02,820 --> 00:39:03,140 time.