Competing
is much more than bringing a nice physique to the stage. What most people don’t understand is that even though Men’s Physique is considered a “Beach Body Physique” there is still a lot of work and preparation that goes into preparing for a show.
On July 1, 2012 my coach Anthony Racanelli and I decided to compete in the NPC Titans Show Oct 20, 2012. This gave us 16 weeks of preparation time. After the first 6 weeks we were on target dropping from 220lbs to 210lbs then the expected happened. Literally overnight, no exaggeration, my body weight increased right back to where we started at 220lbs.
What most don’t realize is the impact “stress” has on our body. I was going through some personal issues that I thought I was handling reasonably well because I didn’t FEEL affected by it. My body on the other hand did. The thought going through my mind during that time was to throw in the towel. My coach then did the opposite of what I thought he should have done. He completely removed my cardio and increased the amount of food I was eating for a period of two weeks. Now, not only was I dealing with my personal stress, but also dealing with the thought that my coach had lost his mind.
In this sport we need to TRUST those who we have entrusted in the position to coach us from start to finish. So as crazy as I thought that his advice sounded, I knew I had to trust him and just do it. After those two weeks my body weight began to decrease and once again I began to regain control of my body. My diet changed again and cardio was implemented but a minimal amount. As a result of what had happened, my coach thought it would be best to NOT to do that show and hit the The Excalibur show in early December instead. Excalibur was now another 6 weeks away. Dieting for 16 weeks is plenty hard but for 24 weeks? So once again I agreed and we kept moving forward, that decision really wasn’t as difficult as it sounds because I made a deal with my coach that the only way I would step on stage is if he thought I was 100%.
The ups and downs that occur during the preparation of a show can be and are very taxing physically and mentally. There is so much of a mental approach that goes into everything that you do. It’s not just go to the gym and train, you have to mentally prepare before you do train, same with cardio, eating, sleeping, everything for that matter.
We are now 5 weeks out as of the day of writing this article and I am farther along than I have ever been in my prior shows.
In closing I must say, expect the unexpected and trust your coach when he says to do what’s required. Competing is not about winning or losing. Competing is about the journey to the day which you stand on stage and know that you gave it everything, left nothing to chance and brought the best you that you could. Success is a few simple disciplines repeated every single day, as failure in contrast is simply a few simple errors in judgment repeated every day.
You have embarked upon a journey few will never do and many do not understand.
John is a Personal Trainer and Fitness Consultant for American Medical Response. He is a sponsored athlete by 6 Pack Fitness Inc. and Nutronic Labs Inc. For further information you can contact John at:
Iamcombat Website
http://www.iamcombat.com
Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/combatiam
Iamcombat Fitness Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/iamcombatfitness
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