The Very Last Show

I took 6th place this time :frowning:

one moreā€¦ I was dryer last year.

Very last show?

[quote]jerometjosvold wrote:
Very last show?[/quote]

getting retired from competing :slight_smile:

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Getting retired. What, by your woman?

Funny, Iā€™m just thinking about doing my first show. But I suspect my woman might ā€˜retireā€™ me depending on how much of a toolbox, competitive dieting makes me.

BBB[/quote]
Precisely!!!
Be carefull. I lost pretty much everything and everyone in last 6 months :slight_smile:
The price tag is way too high for something that I even do not like to do (competition itself).

[quote]nreviya wrote:
Be carefull. I lost pretty much everything and everyone in last 6 months :slight_smile:
The price tag is way too high for something that I even do not like to do (competition itself).[/quote]

if you dont like doing it then why do you do it? That makes no sense whatsoever.

Why would you ā€œpretty much lose everything and everyoneā€?

Find some balance.

Good luck OPā€¦ oh yeah and you look great

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:

[quote]nreviya wrote:

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Getting retired. What, by your woman?

Funny, Iā€™m just thinking about doing my first show. But I suspect my woman might ā€˜retireā€™ me depending on how much of a toolbox, competitive dieting makes me.

BBB[/quote]
Precisely!!!
Be carefull. I lost pretty much everything and everyone in last 6 months :slight_smile:
The price tag is way too high for something that I even do not like to do (competition itself).[/quote]
If youā€™d care to elaborate, Iā€™m all ears. Not that Iā€™m looking for reasons not to do a show, but I do like to know what Iā€™m getting into.

BBB[/quote]

Well, you will be against a lot. At least in my case it was so.

  1. Constant hunger.
  2. Planned meals and you better carry your food with you. (It will taste like crap in most cases) :slight_smile: I hate cooking, and i am pretty lazy in that regard. So it was a battle for me.
  3. Eventually you will be on a very low or no carb diet (at least most of the time). Prepare yourself to be very moody, lethargic. To force yourself to go to the gym (2-3 times a day for me) will become next to impossible.
  4. I am a stimulant junkie, but even ephedra stops working at some point. All it will do it will make you paranoid. I had constant feeling that something horrible about to happen.
  5. Your girl will get tired very quickly of your schedule that will leave very little time for her.
  6. She will have normal food around you. Does not work on a long runā€¦ The only way not to eat crap or any carbs for me means empty house. Otherwise it is only matter of time when you give up on your diet now and then.
  7. You will be extremely sleepy and tired especially last 4-5 weeks.
  8. At this point your girl will be absolutely sure that you are losing interest to her :frowning: Unavoidableā€¦
  9. The only way for me to go through this hell was to shut myself down from outside world. Otherwise there is always something urgent that screws with your plan. ALWAYS!!! That was very difficult since I work in Information Technology field. Urgency and overtime is normal at work :frowning: It made me furious!!!

I can go on and onā€¦
But the funny thing isā€¦ when the day will arrive you will be seating (if you are lucky) in a crowded room with very little air, lots of unshowered guys and girls, who smell like animals in zoo. And you will ask yourself more than once: ā€œWhat the hell am I doing here? I do not belong to this circusā€.
And do not forget the frustration you will feel looking at 90% of those guys with huge pregnant bellies. Small ones will start warming up right from the start 3-4 hours before stepping on stage!!! Others will paint themselves all day long.
I do not know about others, but it made me sad to be part of this. I am a bodybuilder. It is a way of life for me, but competing itself is really freaky. I do not even like to pose :slight_smile: Stupid I know, and it shows on picturesā€¦

Have fun

So how many competitions have you done over the years?

[quote]davidcox1 wrote:
So how many competitions have you done over the years?[/quote]

total 4 competitions over last 3 years.

Thatā€™s too bad - I think you have an outstanding physique, but if competing is making you miserable then thereā€™s no point to continuing.

bushidobadboy, if it makes you feel any better, I did my first show earlier this month and had a fine experience. I realize that I am not the same level of competitor as the OP, but I did drop a ton of weight and have set the bar for myself in the future.

In 20 weeks I didnā€™t cheat once, didnā€™t miss any lifting, didnā€™t miss any cardio, and only missed 2 meals.

Detaching myself from food was probably the most important thing. I didnā€™t have any cravings for bad food up until the week before the contest, when I started to plan my post-contest meal. Constantly reminding myself that I am making a personal choice to do this diet was key. If I started to think about junk food or anything, Iā€™d just kick myself in the rear and say to myself ā€œMan up you pussy! Children are the ones who cry about cookies and candy, and there are people in 3rd world countries eating dirt. You made this decision and feeling sorry for yourself is pathetic and isnā€™t the championā€™s attitude.ā€

I never got too short tempered or anything like that, but I am already a calm and calculated individual to begin with. If you have a volatile personality though, it will certainly be amplified by your diet. A very experienced colleague who did the same show as me (has competed at Nationals), who followed a very similar diet as me, told me he was starting to get annoyed that even in the last few weeks of my diet, I wasnā€™t having a hard time. That was all because I chose to have that attitude. ā€œMind over matterā€ isnā€™t just some catchphrase, itā€™s the honest truth.

Sleep was kind of tough sometimes with an awkward schedule, but I was usually able to get it straight within a day or two. Working from home could help you quite a bit in that respect.

Social events werenā€™t the easiest, but just like the OP, I brought food with me everywhere. Iā€™d be designated driver for my girl and her friends on the weekend and run out to the car to scarf down my chicken every few hours. I didnā€™t make a big deal about it, it just became part of a routine.

After looking at all the mental preparation youā€™ve already done, I think your experience shouldnā€™t be horrible, and you might even enjoy it in some way, much like I did.

nreviya, I am sorry to hear that you had such a horrible time this go round. You still have an awesome physique and you should be very proud. Now I guess just do the things in life that you truly enjoy, and that make you want to get up in the morning.

Thank you, guys :slight_smile:
It means a lot to hear good things from you here!

Good luck, bushidobadboy! I am sure you will do well with your expertise and attitude :slight_smile:

As for my physiqueā€¦ it stands out among normal folks, but I look almost fragile on a stage next to other guys in heavyweight category.
I guess, i need a lot more mass, but I do not see it feasable in near future. Nor I really want to take myself to the level of modern bodybuilders.

[quote]nreviya wrote:
one moreā€¦ I was dryer last year.[/quote]
Great pose for you. Amazing work!

I too just competed in what probably will be my last competition. I love to lift, I actually enjoy the competition, but the diet takes all the fun out of it. The last month was hell.

I turn 54 in a week, so age might have a bit to do with it. I was a grumpy a hole, and put my wife thru alot.
So Iā€™m training for a powerlifting meet in Oct. Got to get it somewhere.

I donā€™t discourage anyone from doing a showā€¦it is a blast, just 3-4 months of being hungry kills it for me.

you look like a jacked geralt of rivia in the witcher 2, Awesome!

[quote]ultralars wrote:
you look like a jacked geralt of rivia in the witcher 2, Awesome![/quote]

I googled it. He he. I think I see the resmemblance :slight_smile: