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been involved in athletics and competition ever since high school, so I wanted to continue that athletic mindset after I graduated from college. I ran track in high school and in collegiate competitions, but there was no way I'd ever be fast enough to line up against Usain Bolt! Fortunately, I graduated into being a full-time gym-rat and personal trainer. And after being surrounded by various Men’s Physique Division competitors and bodybuilders it was only a matter of time before I made the choice to compete.
Be aware, if you're seriously intrigued with the idea of competing in Men’s Physique then you should give it serious consideration. Personal relationships can suffer. Your friends might not understand why you can't join them for pizza and beer. Unless your significant other is vested in the fitness lifestyle as well, you could very well come to blows when carbs are cut and cardio is high.
I was already working as a personal trainer and had been watching my diet, so the transition to full-fledged physique competitor was not overly drastic. I started to rotate more of my protein sources, add in medium and low carb days and slowly increased cardio every week. I constantly lift weights like a madman so there was no issue there, but I did struggle to add some actual rest days into my routine.
Make sure you seek the help of a qualified prep coach to help you with any dietary or training questions you might have. I was lucky enough to have national level bodybuilder Eric Posejpal train at my gym so I immediately sought his help to aid my prep.
Let’s fast-forward through 8 weeks of sweat, tears and tilapia to the days counting down to my contest. These days were filled with great anticipation and angst. I could lie and tell you it gets easier and easier as you approach a competition (for some with immaculate genetics that might be true) but hard workouts and tough dieting will continue to test your will (and sanity). It’s not the immediate lack of carbs, it’s that second no-carb day, feeling depleted and still training legs for ninety minutes then crawling to the StairMill to attempt to do even more cardio! But my prep was unlike most others in that I had a few scheduled cheats in my diet. Heck, the night before the competition I had a burger and fries! Every person and every prep will be different. If I hadn't busted my butt day in and day out I would have only been able to dream about those burgers. Only egg whites and fish? Yum.
I think most will enter their first competition and be happy just to have survived the experience. No matter what the outcome, you have to stay humble and remember the real reason you decided to compete. During this entire process I said nothing like "I’m going to win" or "Yeah, I’ll beat so-and-so." That's not my style, not what I stand for. I’d rather put in hours and hours of work and let the judges decide.
Hopefully, you’ll have the luxury of competing with friends (after all, misery loves company). I had the opportunity to enter the same contest as a friend and co-worker. At times it tried our friendship but in the end it only strengthened it.
Exact meal-timing the day of the competition is a sweet science. You need to pull the correct amount of carbohydrates into the muscle at the right time so your muscles can "pop" onstage. I can hear my coach now: "Eat the rice cakes now with jelly but not the peanut butter, you have to have the candy five minutes before stage but not after that!"
I'm just glad that I pulled it together in time for pre-judging! Things can always go wrong but stay calm and don't worry. I was late out of the gate and the last one to register, which means I was last on stage. Even though I ended up at the very end of the stage, I did make the first call-out. First call-out or not, use your first competition as a learning experience!
Hopefully by this time, you have learned how to properly pose for your individual competition. Men's Physique isn’t about hitting a most-muscular or front double biceps pose. It's about being confident in your body and personality. Non-verbal cues will display your personality or aura to the judges. This is what some call good stage presence and it’s vital to the Men’s Physique competitor. I just tried to bring it, but man it was hard to continuously smile and hold those ab poses.
Invite everyone you know to your first contest: mom, dad, rabbi, butcher, accountant; the more, the merrier. It made it so much easier that I had friends with me onstage. I felt more relaxed and at ease, keys to appearing cool and confident for this division. I also got a lot of love from friends, co-workers and my coach while I was onstage. "22! YEAH 22! ALL DAY!"
I can’t thank those people enough for helping me. Lots of friendly texts as well made me feel great. After pre-judging I was so relaxed and thankful it was over but also pumped because I knew that I did well. You should never walk into your first contest expecting to win. In all actuality, I thought I did horribly until my number was called. I was waiting to step offstage so I could commence the brownie and pizza gorging.
For anyone unfamiliar with these competitions, there is a morning show or pre-judging where all the judging is done and a night show where trophies are given out. The night show was easy. We all pretty much knew what was up, but I was happy to discover I took home a piece of hardware. I eventually placed 3rd out of 22 competitors (2013 NPC Mid-Illinois Championships, Men's Physique Class B).
No matter how you do at your first contest, never be satisfied, even with first place. There is always room for improvement. The entire experience made me hungry for more. Thoughts circled around my head: "Ambition. I can’t stop. I won’t stop. I have to do more." It is an addictive hobby. Once you've taken the plunge, it can become a lifelong journey and passion.
Here’s a recipe for success in any Men’s Physique competition: an educated coach with personalized attention, intelligent meal planning and training design combined with lots of hard work and dedication plus the absence of tilapia and egg white allergies!
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