Freakin congratulations, Rob! And the same to your wife!! Enjoy the food and relaxation for a hot minute, man!!
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Just one word Quality. You look amazing and totally deserved it for hard work and attention to details you put into your prep. Well done sir.
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Brilliant. Well done. A lesson on thoroughness, planning, commitmentā¦ So pleased for you.
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@robstein In regards to the Keto diet, does it burn more fat? I notice that a lot of competitors use it at the end of a prep.
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The rationale is to deplete muscle glycogen so you can take advantage of the greater uptake pre-contest. Youāre not really burning any fat that last week, or at least you shouldnāt be hoping to -lol
S
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Well done! Watching your progress I expected nothing less, congratulations to you and your wife!
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Funniest moment of the day for me:
We had gone out to get a little victory dinner at a Famous Daves BBQ place, and Rob is just looking dirty as hell with his fake tan, loose fitting top, ski cap, sunken in cheeksā¦ While Katie, sitting by his side has her stage makeup and hair done perfect for photos.
Katieās Dad walks over between the two of them, and to Katie says āwhatās a purty girl like you, with eyes like that, doing with a homeless guy like this?ā
S
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Been lurking for a while just want to throw my .02 inā¦congrats to you and the whole crew! Way to clean house. From the pics it was clear you all well exceeded your competitors! Cheers!
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Now that Iāve had some time to decompress, just wanted to say THANK YOU so much to everyone following along on here, everyone who took the time to comment, itās just awesome to have such a great community here and the support really means so much. I am very grateful for it, and itās been a huge motivator going through the prep. Thank you again to T-Nation for the social media shout out! Full show day summary about to commence!
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Alright, letās start at the beginning!
Got to the show site nice and early at 9:30, polygraphs started at 10 on a first come, first serve basis, and we wanted to get them out of the way as Katie had her tanning/make up appointment at 10:30, and I just wanted to relax and stay focused. The setup at the show was great, typically the show site lays construction paper down in the hallways and competitors just grab some hall space, but we were in the mens/womens locker rooms, which were carpeted, with benches. Put my pillow down, legs up, and had plenty of time to chill until @The_Mighty_Stu arrived with @BrickHead and the rest of the wolf pack. Snacking on Finibars, rice cakes and Reeseās, goldfish grahams and swedish fish as needed.
Stu put on my dream-tan about an hour before the show started just before the competitor meeting, then the show started at 2. It was a small show, there were 13 competitors total in the entire thing, which was kind of nice because it was a more informal atmosphere and the show ended early enough that we got home at a reasonable hour. Straight through format, with a very brief intermission to tally the scores.
The pump up area was the school gym, which led right up to the stage. This was excellent, since we could pump up with a variety of equipment then head right up to the stage without having to move anywhere. Since there were only a few people in each class, it was easy to move around in there and still get on stage as needed. Plenty of mirrors also while pumping, just a great setup all around.
Show started at 2pm and mens bodybuilding was on first. There were 3 of us total. There was a novice and open class, I only did the open. Even though it was a small class, it was very competitive and I knew I had to fight hard. Competitor #3 looked great, very full and tight, and has been competing for years and took second place at this show two years ago, he also competes in OCB. He was my height and only a few pounds lighter than me at 137, I was 141 yesterday. Stu told me I had to make myself look as wide as possible with every pose, take big breaths, flex the legs as hard as possible and give up nothing. I slammed my pre-judging meal, got a great pump, lined up and hit the stage.
We went out for pre-judging, since I was #2 out of 3, I started in the middle. There were 3 rounds of quarter turns, I stayed in the middle for the first two. Once I was moved, I didnāt get in my head about it, as itās typical and expected that judges move people around and make sure everyone gets a chance to be viewed in the best light with the best chance. The pre-judging wound up being pretty long, but once they moved me back to the middle after mandatories started I stayed there until the end.
ANBF started a rule this year that if there are less than 5 competitors, the judges can still decide to award a pro-card to the winner if they all think the winner has pro-potential. Pre-judging was surprisingly long and drawn out, I could feel my legs starting to shake a little bit. But, when they started the final round of mandatories and I was still in the middle, the announcer said, āfolks this is so the judges can decide if the winner of the class should earn a pro-cardā it certainly gave me a boost to keep fighting hard, as well as having Stu, Brad, my wife, and our family and friends screaming from the crowd. Gave everything I had all the way through and hoped for the best!
After pre-judging, we walked off the stage right back into the pump up room, I was sweating buckets and out of breath, but had to go right back up on stage in 30 seconds to do my routine. Slammed some water and a hand full of jelly beans, and got back up. They really do it up at ANBF and set up a smoke machine in the back of the stage, so after they announced me and the smoke machine turned on, they played the music LOUD and it was a blast to perform my routine.
After that, Katie had two classes until she was on. Reviewed her mandatories one more time, had her pre-judging meal ready to go, got her pumped up, and off she went for the debut class as I ran around to the audience to watch. The debut classes in ANBF are different from the novice/open classes, in that the competitors go up by themselves and go through the mandatories. It was absolutely incredible to watch her up there, she had such great stage presence and presentation, nailed her poses, the audience and judges were all buzzing. After she was done, the announcer said, āsheās the other half of the power couple thatās here at the show today.ā The ANBF promotor also took this photo of us and put it up on the ANBF Facebook page, calling us the power couple, so cool and SO PROUD OF HER!
Josh, the physique competitor Stu was coaching, was up next. It was his first show, and he killed it, also ultimately earning his pro card!
After intermission, we went back up for awards, and mens bodybuilding was on first. We all wished each other luck, it was great camaraderie among the competitors and we all got along well. At that point I was hoping for the best, but knowing I gave my best effort during the prep and fought as hard as I could during pre-judging, I was ready to accept whatever the outcome would be. Kent, the owner of ANBF and announcer, told us in the competitor meeting that if the judges feel the winner deserves a pro card, theyāll announce, āin first place and new ANBF pro, so and soā during awards. If they didnāt say ANBF pro, you win, but no pro card. So, obviously I was all ears and hoping for the best. When they got to āin 2nd placeā there was the obligatory very long pause, ultimately announcing competitor #3, and then awarding me first place and new ANBF pro. After that I was back in the pump up room celebrating with some gold fish and reeseās spread when someone ran back and said, āRob you gotta go back up on stage!ā I had no idea why. I ran up there, and they announced I won most entertaining/best posing, a great ācherry on topā for the night!
After the show I spoke to all of the judges, thanked them, and asked for their notes and feedback on how I can continue to improve. They all said the same thing. Solid muscularity and mass, conditioning, posing and presentation, but quads have to be tighter. They noted my hamstring development and conditioning, but all said the same thing, quads have to be tighter and deeper, and theyāre totally right. Looking at our time frame till the next show, Stu and I are confident weāll make it happen. We have no choice!
After everything was done, Katie, Josh and I took pics in the hallway with Stu and the families, changed, and headed over to Red Robin where there was a 45 minute wait. A blessing in disguise, Famous Daveās BBQ was next door which turned out to be SO MUCH better. Nothing like having an enormous plate of ribs, rib tips, chicken fingers, french fries loaded with ketchup, mac 'n cheese and a corn muffin looking back up at you after 22 weeks of dieting. It hit the spot deep down in my soul, it felt absolutely awesome to eat it all.
Katie and I were saving desert for home, no way I wasnāt going to have some, knowing Iām about to keep prepping. We kept it clean, we shared a pint of halo top, two complete cookies with some peanut butter on top, and a bunch of my dadās amazing flourless chocolate cookies that he made, consisting of egg whites, peanut butter, cocoa powder and chocolate chips, sweetened with stevia.
I was thinking I was going to be 8-9 pounds heavier today, but woke up at a relatively tight 146, only 4.5 pounds heavier than show day. Back on the wagon today and keeping it tight at 1800 cals and under 100g carbs. I certainly ate my fill yesterday and then some, and this past week was enough of a physical and mental break to recharge into the next part of the season!
EDIT: Just wanted to add one more thought I was discussing with Katie yesterday. As Iāve mentioned numerous times, the competitive outcome is not the primary reason for competing. However, anyone who decides to compete, does have a competitive nature and wants to do well. Earning a pro-card has been a dream of mine since I started getting into bodybuilding, and earning it based on the opinion of the judges is a very rewarding feeling. Not just based off the competitive outcome of one day, but more-so because it offers a sense of reward and validity for the relentless effort and consistency Iāve put into this since starting with Stu a year and a half ago, through the entire off season, and 2017 so far. A great motivator to keep pushing.
Thank you again SO MUCH everyone for the support along the way, now itās time to buckle down and aim for for the next one! Full steam ahead!
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@kd13, IronAndMetal, @littlesleeper, @The_Myth, @dchris, @EyeDentist, @BOTSLAYER, @simo74, @JamesBrawn007, @staystrong, @johnson2133, thank you so much all! Much appreciated!!
Lonnie thank you very much for your kind words about the posing man! It does not alter the prep for the WNBF show, since ANBF is a different federation and the two are not affiliates, I am still an amateur in the INBF/WNBF and will compete as an amateur there. Going to give everything I have for this next stretch, and again not going to get too attached to the competitive aspect, but hopefully we can get a repeat going!
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NEXT STEPS
So the original plan was to compete in the WNBF Hercules on June 24th, 14 weeks from now. After going through the past 22 weeks of dieting, 11 weeks of lockdown prep and this show, and trying to make it all work with real life and my career, Iāve come to the decision that I am not going to compete in the Hercules. It simply is not possible to balance prepping and competing with real life to do it right, and it is starting to affect my career too much to try to āpush through.ā I am writing full time now, for some of the best bands in the country, for the biggest music organization in the NFL, to support my family and put food on the table. I have to be able to do my job to the best of my ability, and the past 5 weeks, that hasnāt been able to happen. Sitting at my computer in a hungry, brain fogged daze after cardio, thereās no way I can product my best work. Additionally, the sheer amount of time it takes to prep, to do cardio, go to the gym, prep food every day, etc., itās hours a day I could be working. At the end of the day, regardless of the show youāre at, if the physique you bring and the effort it took to get there is your very best, the stage youāre standing on doesnāt matter. I put a lot of thought into it, but continuing this for another 14 weeks, while trying to write full time, simply wonāt happen. Additionally, if things worked out at the Hercules and I earn a pro-card there, I then have to prep even longer for a pro-show. Not gonna happen. The bulk of my writing season is from February through July, thereās no way I can go through the entire thing prepping and be successful at my job. Real life takes priority.
SO, I have decided to instead push for my final show of 2017 to be the WNBF Northeast America on May 6th (7 weeks from now), the same show that was my first show last year. Itās a very competitive show, itās a big show, and itās 20 minutes from my house. It would also be a great feeling to go in there and redeem myself after getting 4th in my class last year. Granted it was my first show, I wasnāt even close to proper stage conditioning, and the other 3 guys in my class were beasts. None-the-less, it would be a perfect show to aim for as itās 7 weeks away, meaning 6 weeks of hard grinding until peak week, and knowing Iāll be done after that and still have a good 3 months of just focusing on my writing, I can do it. Should the planets align and I earn my pro-card there, thereās a WNBF pro show 3 weeks after that in Boston I can compete in if I choose to. The main reason would be if I donāt compete as a pro within a year after earning a card, I lose pro status and would then have to compete as an amateur again. If it does work out and I knock out the pro-show 3 weeks later, I can maintain pro status for 2 years, allowing me to take a good break, make improvements, and come back better. Iāll decide if I want to cross that bridge if I get to it.
I definitely will be taking a year off of competing to get back to real life after this season. Prepping for 2 years in a row, being in a caloric deficit for more than half a year for both years, is really starting to take a toll. I am very excited to push as hard as possible for this final 7 week stretch, and to then get back to real life and focus on my career. As Iāve finally fulfilled my dream of being a full time composer, I have to put that as my top priority. Katie and I are also in some of the best years of our life right now (married, and no kids yet!) and I donāt want to let that time slip by that we could be enjoying vacations, eating out when we want and doing things, and living a normal life, rather than prioritizing prepping. I LOVE BODYBUILDING and competing, but itās taken the priority for the past year and a half, and I know itās time that I need to balance the scale.
So, hereās to the next 7 week push!!!
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Congrats man, that sounds like a good decision. I came to a similar conclusion with pursuing baseball again, several years ago. In the end, I decided that pursuing my career and enjoying my twenties/thirties with my wife were more important.
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Congratulations, Rob! Itās great to hear you won.
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It was a great day and I am very happy for @robstein, Josh, and Katie. I was feeling very thankful yesterday because this forum has helped me befriend great people.
ANBF is still relatively small but I think Kent and his staff really care about the competitors. Itās Robās thread but I got a cool shot of Kent and I at the show. I thank him too.
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Back to business! The dust has settled, and now itās time to push for the INBF Northeast America in 7 weeks. INBF is the amateur division of WNBF.
To get back into it, weāre at the previous medium days of 1800 calories, 150g carbs. After some nutritional jujitsu, I was able to split up my original 5 meals into 6 meals, AND adjust my pre workout meal to 2 Finibars, more fuel for the fire, and the Finibar is truly just an awesome food source. IMO it just canāt be beat as a pre-workout meal, with the carb and protein sources, macro breakdown, portability, and food volume. I donāt like training with a big meal in my stomach, but I do need enough gas in the tank to keep killing the gym sessions. 2 Finibars gives me 560 cals, 80g carbs and 30g whey protein without feeling too full. After 30 seconds in the microwave with a glass of unsweetened almond milk, itās the nutritional highlight of my day.
Bumping up the pre-workout meal, and dividing my day into 6 meals, will be a great change. By the time Iām done cardio and coffee, it puts me eating my first 4 meals of the day every 2-2.5 hours. Granted, theyāre each only between 220-250 cals, but still, I make them filling enough to not have hunger be a huge issue.
This week we are tapering cardio back in, by next week weāll be full throttle with everything. Still a lot of work to be done to get my legs more dialed in and get conditioning to the next level, but with 6 weeks of grinding to go, hopefully it will all come together.
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Whatād you weigh in at after eating that entire pig with the sides?
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