UKBFF North West - My Show!

Its Tuesday 7th May, I'm two days post contest and I'm still on a high and feeling extremely positive and motivated. The two days leading up to my show were a real mix of nerves and excitement, luckily I was fully prepared way in advance so could just chill out and relax rather than running around panicking over the small stuff.

Unfortunately I didn't make the top 3 however I did make the first call out for comparisons against the competitors that placed top 3 so I'm more than happy with that. I've contacted the UKBFF to find out exactly where I placed and for some form of feedback regarding my overall score. The experience from stepping on stage was incredible, I loved every minute of it and remember standing there at one point thinking to myself "this is amazing, I can't wait to do it again, and I honestly can't. I had some really positive feedback from friends, family and other competitors on the day so felt I held my own and brought my best condition to the stage, there's nothing I would of changed or done differently about my prep and I think that's a huge reason why I'm still on a high as I have no regrets.

Top 3, congrats Olly (1st) and Chris (3rd)

After the show I headed straight down to Sussex for two photo shoots the following day, the first was with well known photographer Simon Howard who was amazing to work with and really knows his stuff, I've seen some of the unedited shots already and they look incredible, I can't wait to shoot with him again this sunday in the gym. The second shoot was for Skinny Chimp, an instantly popular clothing company mixing fitness with fashion. I'm looking forward to working with these guys in the future.

Skinny Chimp Shoot - Awesome vests!

Finally I just want to say a huge thank you to my family, in particular my Mum and Dad for really being there for me throughout my prep, especially my mum as she's helped my cook my chicken and cooks my fish for me while my Dads at work because he can't stand the smell of fish and neither can my house mate! haha

Me, My Mum & Sister, Vanessa

Another huge thank you to Dara for encouraging me and giving me the confidence to step on stage and also follow my passion for the gym and fitness industry. It really was a nice surprise to see you at my show to wish me good luck and show your support.

A big thank you to my main man Nathan who is has supported me so much throughout this prep and has always stayed positive and kept me focused on the end goal, I think I'd of lost my mind by now if we didn't work together bro! We've both been there for each these last few months and I massively appreciate it mate, can't to hit Bodypower next weekend with you. And thanks to Tom who although I haven't know him long has been great support the last few weeks going through posing practice with me, to get my show tan and even coming back stage to help out on the day itself, cheers mate, you'll kill your show in a few weeks! Thanks to Stuart, my old training partner who sold me out for crossfit haha he always pushed me in the gym and has support my blog since it started nearly 12 months ago.

And finally a big thank you to Dan Wheeler, Mike Read, Bleddyn Escott and Craig Dickinson, I've spoke to these guys every single day way before I decided to do the show. They're a top group of lads and all have great potential, its our year boys! And a huge thank you in particular to Dan for prepping me since 2nd January for my show, its been such an enjoyable and flexible diet along with the added support through think and thin. Not only has Dan prepped me but he's also dealt with his own clients, moved house and nailed his own transformation since 2nd January, very motivational!

If I've missed anyone off I'm sorry, I appreciate everyones support and was overwhelmed by all the tweets, texts and messages on the day of the show.

I'll update in a few weeks regarding my new training and nutrition but I can guarantee I'll be stepping on stage, very soon!

Lee

17 - 10 weeks Contest Prep

As of today I’m 10 weeks out from my first Men’s Physique show. I started my prep from 2^nd January, after a solid 9 weeks of lean gains and working on my weak areas before Christmas using the Y3T program and adjusting my nutritional intake accordingly. The reason why I starting my prep so early (17 weeks out) was to slowly cut whilst maintaining as much muscle mass as possible, If I’d made the decision to cut from now at 10 weeks out it would be a much harsher cut on my body and would guaranteed result in a loss in muscle as well as body fat.

So what is Mens Physique?

Mens Physique is more about that fitness model/beach body look so too much muscle is marked down. Theres also not as many poses as a regular bodybuilding class and competitors wear board shorts as oppose to posing trunks or thong.

2012 is the first time a Mens Physique class will be introduced to the UK qualifiers for the UKBFF, it was first launched 2 years ago in America (think Steve Cook) and has grown so big its now featured in the 2013 Olympia. I'll be competing in the North West qualifier on Sunday 5th May, once all qualifiers have taken place both 1st and 2nd place from each qualifier compete in the National final at Sportex in October, where they'll have the chance to compete for an IFBB Pro card. The chances of the pro card being awarded to a Mens Physique competitor is highly unlikely though as they only hand out 1 pro card each year out of all the bodybuilding categories and always goes to a 'proper' bodybuilder.

I decided to compete this year as I love hitting the gym and seeing my body develop from the skinny kid I used to be, and thought rather than just going to the gym for the sake of going to the gym why not add that end goal so I have something to work towards and as you know from my previous article its made me more focused as a result of that. I also choose the Mens Physique class as my body type is an Ectomorph, so I naturally stay lean, have a high metabolism and struggle to add muscle mass.

I'm not going to lie I am nervous about stepping on stage for the first time and not knowing what to expect and yeah I could say that I'll be happy where ever I place but then whats the point in taking part at all with that mind set!? I've set this goal, I'm working harder than ever and I'm coming for that number one spot!!

Steve Cook #Swoldier

The last 7 Weeks

So over the last 7 weeks I’ve noticed a difference in my conditioning and that’s resulted firstly from my nutrition, I know there’s different protocols out there and different things work for different people but I find carb cycling works best for me. It’s something I’ve used in the past to get me in shape for photo shoots and holidays so it was always going to be the route I was going down. I originally started off with a split of low and high carb days and have recently introduced medium carb days into the mix as well. I have factored 2 refeed days during the cut and if you follow me on twitter you would have seen the X-Large dominos pizza I had and almond cheese cake after a ridiculous legs session!

And secondly from my training, having seeing such success on Neil Young’s Y3T program and considering I’m slowly dropping my calories my training split was week 1-Y3T, week 2 Y3T and week 3 DTP then repeat. The first two weeks were based on hitting different muscle switch fibres to try and maintain and even slightly increase strength, the third week was gruelling and added to really target body fat, if you haven’t heard of DTP before check it out on the bodybuilding.com web site and give it a try. It really does get your heart rate going, pouring in sweat, digging deeper than usual and feeling like you’ve been hit by a bus at the end of it.........but it’s all worth it!

I’ll talk more in depth about my nutrition and training in articles closer to my show, for now I just wanted to briefly touch on my progression so far. Here’s a comparison pic from the morning I started the cut until this morning, bang on 10 weeks out.

82kg (17 weeks out) - 76.2kg (10 weeks out)

Leg comparison 

Back comparison

As my final weeks get closer I will be working with a coach that also competes so understands fully what I’m going through both physically and mentally. I’ve decided to do this not only because its my first show and I want to pick his brain about what to expect, tanning, posing etc but to also help make relevant tweaks in my final weeks as I felt I lost quite a bit of muscle when I experimented with fluid manipulation last year before my holiday.

I also have three photo shoots lined up around my show (with amazing photographers)  so I’ll be posting the pics up as soon as I have them and I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone that’s tweeted me or sent me messages wishing me good luck in my show, I really do appreciate the support and look forward to sharing the rest of my prep with everyone!

Lee

Find You 'Inner Switch'

I always see people posting pictures or statuses on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram about being in “beast mode” and it seems to becoming more and more popular and is even now on gym clothing and spreading.

This particular phrase has never really appealed to me just like the difference in fitness magazines and their own target audience. For example I’d rather read Muscle & Fitness magazine with Steve Cook on the front rather than Flex magazine with someone screaming their head off on the front, just like some people would rather read a ‘men’s lifestyle’ magazine featuring Justin Bieber!

However since I made the decision to compete around November last year I have noticed I now train differently, and after thinking about why I’m training differently I've come to the conclusion that I've found my own 'inner switch' and setting the goal of competing has lit a fire inside me. I’m not saying I now scream and bang around the gym (I hate those guys) I just feel more focused on what I set out to achieve that day and on that particular body part I’m working. Looking back I found I started doing this firstly when I was working my weak areas (delts and lats) I’d find myself digging deeper and really pushing myself knowing that it’s my weak area and wanting to bring it up and outdo my competition on stage.

I've always been a fan of mind to muscle connection so I always emphasise that during training and aim to keep my muscles under as much tension as possible with controlled movements. Below are a few things that I find help me really focus during training and flick my inner switch.

Pre Workout supplements- I’m not the biggest fan of taking pre workout supplements for every session, as your body will adapt and get use to the stimulant and you’ll need more and more scoops as the week’s progress. If anything I’ll take one before a legs session and sometimes before a chest/back session on my heavy days. I’m personally a fan of Muscle Pharm Assault (Raspberry Lemonade is amazing).

Set Workout- Having a plan will always help you in all aspects of life, going into the gym just thinking “I’m going to train legs” isn't ideal, you want to have a set workout planned out, know what part of legs your targeting, how many reps your going for, how much weight you’re lifting to ensure you've improved from the week before. Read over it before you go into the gym, I print my workouts off at lunch time, read over them and read them again while I warm up on the cross trainer and stretching.

Clear Mind- Having less distractions in the gym will help you in more ways than just keeping you focused and preventing any form of injury for example. I also find the gym is also a great way to release the days frustrations and just get away from anything that’s on your mind and solely focus on yourself and personal goals.

Positive/Competitive Gym Partner- Having someone to train with always has its benefits, try to get someone that’s been lifting just as long as you and if they’re slightly stronger that’s perfect, no doubt you’ll be stronger in some areas yourself and that will motivate them with the competitiveness between you. Not only do you want to physically squeeze out 1 more rep or 2kg more than your training partner but visualise your competition too. That’s some I've started doing since I made the decision to compete however I have done the same in the past when it’s come to my Thai Boxing fights or grappling tournaments, again this is something you can apply to any sport or competition.

Music- You’d be surprised how many people only listen to music while they’re doing cardio, I used to be one of them up until 8 months ago and now I love the added intensity it gives me during a weights session. I’ll be writing another article in the next few weeks discussing more about the benefits of music while you train plus it helps with my next point too.

Less chit chat- You’re at the gym to train, NOT to socialise whether that’s messing around with friends or on your phone (normally updating Facebook statuses so everyone knows you’re in the gym!). I’m not saying don’t speak to anyone at the gym, just don’t get carried away during rest periods or sets. Keep them short, this adds intensity, keeps your heart rate up, shortens the chit chat and gets you in and out of the gym without wasting any time.

I hope this helps and I just thought it’s something I’d share considering I've noticed a difference in my training and focus. Try a few of the tips/techniques above and find your own inner switch!

Lee