I've been thinking about writing something up about fake natties for a while. It is something which is prevalent within the fitness community and is something I think is a problem.
What I intend to cover is what a fake natty is, why someone would lie about being natural, why it is a problem and what I think some of the signs to look out for are. However I want to preface this by stating that this is not an attack on anyone in particular. I for one have been accused many times of being a fake natty and it just isn't fair to accuse anyone of this without evidence. On the other hand it's silly to be ignorant and think that everyone out there who is saying they are natural actually is because some people are lying.
I also want to note that whilst I will be pointing out some things that I think you should look out for, if someone exhibits signs of one of these things it doesn't necessarily mean that they are a fake natty. Some people have just been training for a really long time and/or have genetic advantages over other people. For example I've been training since 2002 and have a pretty reasonable ability to put on muscle. But the muscle I've put on has been put on gradually over many years of consistent hard work and it wasn't a case of training however I wanted to train or eating whatever I wanted to eat. The good genetics part is just that in my case I have a greater total capacity to gain than many others, not the rate or ease of gain. Another example is Alberto Nunez. His gift is that he has an extraordinary ability to get contest lean. Of course he still has to work hard to get there but when he does get there he looks freaky vascular and striated (something that is arguably more difficult for others to achieve). So I would encourage you not to look at everyone who is ahead of you and think they are cheaters because numerous factors go into building a physique.
What is a "fake natty"?
A fake natty or fake natural refers to someone who claims to be a natural bodybuilder but in reality is using banned performance enhancing substances and is blatantly or implicitly lying about it.
Why lie?
The reasons fake natties usually lie about being natural generally stem back to either personal gain of some kind, ego/validation, maintenance of an image or legal reasons.
1. Personal gain could include - endorsements and contracts, winning bodybuilding championships, indirect financial gain through means which are related to a popular and marketable physique eg increased numbers of personal training clients, sales of programs and e-books etc.
2. Ego/validation is a motive which relates to projecting an image to the public which appeases the person's ego and validates their need for recognition. This could include anything from winning a bodybuilding show to gaining popularity on social media and within the bodybuilding/fitness community.
3. Use of performance enhancing drugs is frowned upon by many people in the community. It makes sense that people don't want to disappoint their family, friends, coworkers, clients and people who know them or may judge them. Hence by hiding the fact that they are actually using performance enhancers they are able to achieve well, make those people proud and do so whilst maintaining a squeaky clean image.
4. Steroid use is illegal. Legality is more of a reason that enhanced individuals in general don't openly admit to or discuss steroid use. So this one doesn't cover just fake natties but it is part of the reason fake natties don't admit to taking performance enhancing drugs.
Why is it a problem?
I personally see this as being a problem for a few reasons:
(a) It's cheating! In competition it is just plain unfair. Someone who has great genetics and is natural may be able to beat someone with poor genetics who is using drugs. But take two genetically superior bodybuilders and give one drugs and the guy who takes drugs is generally going to have the edge over the other guy. Use of drugs in competitions that are specifically meant for natural competitors is cheating and actually quite unnecessary considering how many federations exist that allow drug use.
(b) It sets unrealistic standards for young people, naive people and those new to lifting in general. Surely other perfectly normal factors such as genetics also contribute to these expectations but lying about drugs makes this so much worse. It makes it much more difficult (especially for the lay person) to determine the spectrum of what is typically achievable without drugs.
(c) It is part of a cycle of corruption that is rife within the bodybuilding and fitness industry. We have fake natties who want recognition. We have brands that knowingly sponsor fake natties who want money in their pockets. And we have (some) natural federations who promote themselves as being natural whilst doing nothing at all to catch the drug cheats. Fake naturals who look good make these federations look better and they bring in money through competitor fees and ticket sales. Everybody wins ... except for the real natural bodybuilders.
I hope that wasn't too pessimistic lol. Obviously not all natural federations are like this. Some do a fantastic job at deterring and trying to catch cheaters. But in my opinion there are those who are corrupt as well and it's probably smart to not fool ourselves into believing that all natural federations exist solely to benefit the real natural competitors and not primarily to make money.
So what are the signs?
Again I want to reiterate at this point that displaying one or more of these signs is not a reason to label someone as a definite cheater. These are just things that you might look out for:
1. Blowing up and shrinking - what I mean by this is there will be periods (ie weeks to months) of time where the person gains size (blows up) and then periods of time where they appear to shrink back to normal again. As a side note I want to point out that I don't mean they go into the gym one day and get a good pump and the next day they look flat. Those things are more likely to be related to nutrition and training. What I'm talking about is a cyclical blowing up and then shrinking down.
2. Maintaining fullness during a cut - any natural bodybuilder who has done a serious contest prep knows that generally you look flat most of the time during a cut largely due to glycogen depletion. The exception is of course when you have a refeed, diet break or when you get a great pump going in the gym. When a natural bodybuilder is cutting for a contest and they are continuously full like they are in the off season throughout the time they are prepping, that is in my opinion suspicious.
3. Gaining size during a cut - I won't say that this is completely impossible. It isn't unheard of that you might gain a small amount of muscle whilst losing body fat. However if one were to gain significant amounts of muscle whilst losing significant amounts of fat then something is probably up. This is called growing into a show and is mentioned at times by IFBB Pros.
4. Lean off season - staying quite lean (within striking distance of contest weight) and gaining significant amounts of muscle. I don't mean being just relatively lean with a very slow rate of gain because that is of course possible to do naturally. I mean being quite lean all year round and gaining reasonable amounts of muscle.
5. Nutrition - on the note of the above point, if you are a large, male natural bodybuilder and you are eating predominantly salads in your off season and making all kinds of gains whilst staying shredded then something isn't quite adding up. You don't make gains with salad. This isn't of course the case for some females or smaller males, but the lean 100 kg guy eating 6 chicken salads a day hmmmm.
6. Training - this one is a tricky one because some people do just have great genetics and everyone has different responses to training. However within the context of other factors I generally find it suspicious if I notice someone has an advanced looking physique but their training is largely bullshit. What I mean by bullshit is short, infrequent training sessions which involve fancy, non progressive exercises. Of course there are people that do respond well to training relatively infrequently with lowish volume but they are not the norm and generally you will find that their training is well programmed with good and consistent exercise choices.
7. Physical signs of drug use - this could include things like acne, baldness, skin tone, unproportionate muscle growth (huge delts, chest and traps are typical). In this case these things might be things that lead you to believe someone might be a fake natty but again should be taken into account with the entire context because many of them occur normally. Obviously many people who have never even touched a weight go bald. Many people also experience acne for a variety of reasons. In fact I experience some acne myself and I am life time drug free.
8. Federations - one thing you can do is look at the federation(s) the person competes with. This is by no means fool proof but it can give you a better idea. Some federations are almost renowned for their competitors being largely made up of fake natties. Additionally if competitors are specifically competing in dodgy federations whilst avoiding federations that are known to test that might be another clue.
I don't suggest people use the above points as "signs and symptoms" of being a fake natural. It isn't exactly healthy to go around thinking and/or accusing everyone who is bigger than you or looks better than you of drug use. At the same time it doesn't help anyone to be completely naive either. You might use these points to give you somewhat of an idea of who is natural and who is not. Of course there are more objective ways to get a ballpark idea eg FFMI and online calculators but these aren't perfect and you will require the person's measurements for those things.
What can you do?
This blog entry would be fairly pointless if it were just talking about the problem without offering any solutions. Personally I'd like to see more testing occurring at shows and in the off season.
People are always going to argue that people can pass tests by cheating in some manner or going off the drugs early etc. Other typical complaints are that polygraph testing is useless. These people should realise that just complaining about the accuracy and effectiveness of testing does nothing. What we have at the moment is not perfect but it's somewhat effective and is a deterrent. Testing is something that hopefully will become more advanced and effective as time goes on but for now we have to accept what we have available.
Things you can do are:
- Talk to show promoters and let them know what you want to happen eg more people tested at shows, off season testing, types of tests, structure of testing at shows (mandatory testing of winners or top three etc).
- Do your homework and cast your vote by only competing with and supporting reputable federations who are implementing more of the things you want to see happening in regards to testing and deterring drug cheats.
Well, I think that's about it for this entry. Remember you can get in touch with me or follow me via the following avenues. Coaching inquiries should be directed to email.
Email - info@muscleacademy.com.au
Website - www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook - www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter - @evansoooon
Until next time.
- Evan
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Tuesday, 21 April 2015
Offseason Update 1
This post will detail my off season training and nutrition from my last show in November up until now.
Nutrition
The first two weeks following my show I traveled in the USA, visiting New Orleans, San Francisco and Las Vegas. During that two week period I was not tracking macros because my number one priority was enjoying myself and experiencing the culture and food in those regions. I was also staying in hotels and didn't have cooking facilities which made tracking more difficult. Typically what I did was created a structure of food for the first three meals of the day and left around 500 calories for my final meal which was untracked. No doubt that last meal was generally well over 500 calories.
I want to note just how easy it is to gain weight post contest and that how little physical activity contributes to mitigating that weight gain. I was training nearly every day and I was walking everywhere, all day. I hardly ever caught a cab or used public transport. I walked until I literally had blisters on my feet. It was a great way to see the different cities and my caloric expenditure would have been way above average but it didn't stop me from gaining weight.
Following my return from the USA my weight had skyrocketed from around 90 kg to 105 kg. It turned out that quite a bit of this was fluid from the flight and within two days I was back down to 99 kg. That is still a gain of 9 kg in just 2 weeks! At this point I began tracking macros again. My starting macros were 300 P, 350 C and 70 F (3200 calories). We actually kept me on those numbers with a weekly refeed at 4200 calories for around a month before bumping that up to 3400 calories. A few weeks later it was 3600 calories and then 3800 calories. At some point we dropped the refeed days off and also started aiming for a calorie target rather than specific macros (with a protein target of 250 - 300 grams per day). The catch with tracking calories instead of specific macronutrient targets is that I generally find fats tastier but carbs are a bit more beneficial for me in terms of fullness and energy. So I need to be careful with over consumption of fat and under consumption of carbs. After a month or so on 3800 calories we decided that I was gaining too fast and so now I am back down to 3600 calories and sitting as of today at around 101 kg. That's an average net rate of gain of 0.4 kg per month.
It really took me about two to three months until I started feeling 100% again. This encapsulates various areas such as gym performance, appetite, mood, energy, libido etc. Given that I did diet for eight months this was to be expected. Some areas recovered faster than others (some things like energy recovered quickly and other things like appetite took longer to normalise). In the end though everything recovered.
Right now I am fairly happy with body composition. I have enough body fat to give me reasonable leverages for my lifts and to protect my joints but not so much that it takes me way to far away from contest shape. It's a good place to sit. The plan at the moment is to more or less maintain my current body weight and body composition for a bit longer and make as much progress as possible in the gym. From there we may try to start increasing weight again and the plan is to hit around 105 kg by the end of this year.
Training
I did actually train whilst I was traveling. I didn't train every single day but I did fit in a reasonable amount in the mornings or evenings around sight seeing and tours. I did an upper lower split as that way it didn't matter too much if I missed a day or two as I'd just pick back up at either upper body or lower body at my next workout. It also didn't matter to a huge degree what equipment the gym had available with this split as I could always figure something out for each muscle group.
When I got home we continued to run the split that I had been running during contest prep for another two weeks or so and then we transitioned to an upper lower split (3x/week frequency). We did this not only to try it out but because having three upper body days and three lower body days allowed me to shift more of my weekly volume toward my back, hamstrings and calves which are the biggest priorities for this off season. My main lifts for this were a high bar squat, sumo deadlift, bench press and seal row. We took out OHP for this block because I was having some scapular motor pattern issues. Those lifts were done two to three times per week at reduced intensities. AMRAP (as many reps as possible) sets were done at the end of each week as a means of updating my 1 - 5 RM which those intensities are based on. My secondary work was split into three upper body days and three lower body days (6 days/week). Volume per session was down a bit to account for the increased training frequency. My secondary work was also done in either the 8 - 12 rep range or the 12 - 15 rep range.
After numerous months of running this split we did a four week transition block. This meant that we switched my main movements for similar movements to give my body a break from the same movement patterns. For this purpose we included a smith machine front squat, conventional deadlift, weighted chin up, incline bench press, close grip bench press and barbell hip thrust. I enjoyed all these movements and found value in performing them and giving my body a rest. Secondary work was the same as the previous block but volume was tapered during this month. The only slight problem was that I experienced a few bumps and bruises during the transition block. The conventional deadlifts flared up a previous lumbar disc injury (I knew I stopped doing them for a reason!) and I also triggered a slight patellofemoral injury in my right knee doing leg press. I think in the future if I do a transition block I'll either keep sumos in or do something like trap bar deadlifts. C'est la vie, these things happen. On the bright side because I was tapering for quite a reasonable time, my strength went through the roof with the majority of my accessory work.
Now what we are doing is running a new split. The main lifts are much the same as the original split except we have added an OHP (for which I am doing a seated dumbbell shoulder press). It does feel good to OHP again! And the secondary work has now been organised into a twice/week frequency split over six days (except for back which is trained three times and shoulders which are only trained once). Volume has remained the same for all muscle groups, the only thing that has changed is frequency (and in a few cases exercise selection). The purpose of this block is of course to make gains but also to allow some of those boo boos to recover. I've had to include a bit of higher than average secondary leg work as part of the knee recovery process. I also just really enjoy training this way so hopefully we can do more of this in the future.
My take on the different splits (primary difference is training frequency) is that the upper lower split really let me develop two areas really well: legs and back. It makes sense that it would happen that way too because I was training legs three days out of six and I was training back three days out of six with one third to half of my upper body training being focused on back. My stronger muscles didn't exactly "suffer" but I could tell they just weren't as full as they normally would be. Training twice per week allows a more even development across my physique, though in this case I have kept my back at three times per week as it is a priority.
I hope that gives you somewhat of an idea of what I have been up to this off season and how I have been progressing. Below I have included a photo showing my back progress (rear double bicep is one of my weaker poses).
Remember for all Muscle Academy coaching inquiries you can contact me at my website address or social media accounts as given below:
Website http://www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter @evansoooon
I will continue with these blogs to keep you updated on my progress as well as discussion of any topics that come to mind.
Peace!
Nutrition
The first two weeks following my show I traveled in the USA, visiting New Orleans, San Francisco and Las Vegas. During that two week period I was not tracking macros because my number one priority was enjoying myself and experiencing the culture and food in those regions. I was also staying in hotels and didn't have cooking facilities which made tracking more difficult. Typically what I did was created a structure of food for the first three meals of the day and left around 500 calories for my final meal which was untracked. No doubt that last meal was generally well over 500 calories.
I want to note just how easy it is to gain weight post contest and that how little physical activity contributes to mitigating that weight gain. I was training nearly every day and I was walking everywhere, all day. I hardly ever caught a cab or used public transport. I walked until I literally had blisters on my feet. It was a great way to see the different cities and my caloric expenditure would have been way above average but it didn't stop me from gaining weight.
Following my return from the USA my weight had skyrocketed from around 90 kg to 105 kg. It turned out that quite a bit of this was fluid from the flight and within two days I was back down to 99 kg. That is still a gain of 9 kg in just 2 weeks! At this point I began tracking macros again. My starting macros were 300 P, 350 C and 70 F (3200 calories). We actually kept me on those numbers with a weekly refeed at 4200 calories for around a month before bumping that up to 3400 calories. A few weeks later it was 3600 calories and then 3800 calories. At some point we dropped the refeed days off and also started aiming for a calorie target rather than specific macros (with a protein target of 250 - 300 grams per day). The catch with tracking calories instead of specific macronutrient targets is that I generally find fats tastier but carbs are a bit more beneficial for me in terms of fullness and energy. So I need to be careful with over consumption of fat and under consumption of carbs. After a month or so on 3800 calories we decided that I was gaining too fast and so now I am back down to 3600 calories and sitting as of today at around 101 kg. That's an average net rate of gain of 0.4 kg per month.
It really took me about two to three months until I started feeling 100% again. This encapsulates various areas such as gym performance, appetite, mood, energy, libido etc. Given that I did diet for eight months this was to be expected. Some areas recovered faster than others (some things like energy recovered quickly and other things like appetite took longer to normalise). In the end though everything recovered.
Right now I am fairly happy with body composition. I have enough body fat to give me reasonable leverages for my lifts and to protect my joints but not so much that it takes me way to far away from contest shape. It's a good place to sit. The plan at the moment is to more or less maintain my current body weight and body composition for a bit longer and make as much progress as possible in the gym. From there we may try to start increasing weight again and the plan is to hit around 105 kg by the end of this year.
Training
I did actually train whilst I was traveling. I didn't train every single day but I did fit in a reasonable amount in the mornings or evenings around sight seeing and tours. I did an upper lower split as that way it didn't matter too much if I missed a day or two as I'd just pick back up at either upper body or lower body at my next workout. It also didn't matter to a huge degree what equipment the gym had available with this split as I could always figure something out for each muscle group.
When I got home we continued to run the split that I had been running during contest prep for another two weeks or so and then we transitioned to an upper lower split (3x/week frequency). We did this not only to try it out but because having three upper body days and three lower body days allowed me to shift more of my weekly volume toward my back, hamstrings and calves which are the biggest priorities for this off season. My main lifts for this were a high bar squat, sumo deadlift, bench press and seal row. We took out OHP for this block because I was having some scapular motor pattern issues. Those lifts were done two to three times per week at reduced intensities. AMRAP (as many reps as possible) sets were done at the end of each week as a means of updating my 1 - 5 RM which those intensities are based on. My secondary work was split into three upper body days and three lower body days (6 days/week). Volume per session was down a bit to account for the increased training frequency. My secondary work was also done in either the 8 - 12 rep range or the 12 - 15 rep range.
After numerous months of running this split we did a four week transition block. This meant that we switched my main movements for similar movements to give my body a break from the same movement patterns. For this purpose we included a smith machine front squat, conventional deadlift, weighted chin up, incline bench press, close grip bench press and barbell hip thrust. I enjoyed all these movements and found value in performing them and giving my body a rest. Secondary work was the same as the previous block but volume was tapered during this month. The only slight problem was that I experienced a few bumps and bruises during the transition block. The conventional deadlifts flared up a previous lumbar disc injury (I knew I stopped doing them for a reason!) and I also triggered a slight patellofemoral injury in my right knee doing leg press. I think in the future if I do a transition block I'll either keep sumos in or do something like trap bar deadlifts. C'est la vie, these things happen. On the bright side because I was tapering for quite a reasonable time, my strength went through the roof with the majority of my accessory work.
Now what we are doing is running a new split. The main lifts are much the same as the original split except we have added an OHP (for which I am doing a seated dumbbell shoulder press). It does feel good to OHP again! And the secondary work has now been organised into a twice/week frequency split over six days (except for back which is trained three times and shoulders which are only trained once). Volume has remained the same for all muscle groups, the only thing that has changed is frequency (and in a few cases exercise selection). The purpose of this block is of course to make gains but also to allow some of those boo boos to recover. I've had to include a bit of higher than average secondary leg work as part of the knee recovery process. I also just really enjoy training this way so hopefully we can do more of this in the future.
My take on the different splits (primary difference is training frequency) is that the upper lower split really let me develop two areas really well: legs and back. It makes sense that it would happen that way too because I was training legs three days out of six and I was training back three days out of six with one third to half of my upper body training being focused on back. My stronger muscles didn't exactly "suffer" but I could tell they just weren't as full as they normally would be. Training twice per week allows a more even development across my physique, though in this case I have kept my back at three times per week as it is a priority.
I hope that gives you somewhat of an idea of what I have been up to this off season and how I have been progressing. Below I have included a photo showing my back progress (rear double bicep is one of my weaker poses).
Left: 5 weeks post contest, Right: Last week
Website http://www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter @evansoooon
I will continue with these blogs to keep you updated on my progress as well as discussion of any topics that come to mind.
Peace!
Wednesday, 15 April 2015
2014 Contest Season Overview
I just realised that I never concluded my account of the final weeks of my 2014 season, so I thought I would catch you guys up on what happened and how it all went.
Weeks 31 to 33
These weeks were by far the hardest weeks of contest prep. Carbs remained around the 250 gram per day mark except for the occasional refeed day and of course for when I peaked for shows. A couple of days we took them down to 200 grams. I know what you're thinking "200 - 250 grams of carbs? That's not too bad at all!". At this point being very lean and having been through a very long prep, that amount of carbs felt like a lot less than it was and it wasn't doing much for me energy and performance wise. But it was of course what was required to get contest lean.
I struggled with day to day things like getting dizzy when standing up. I really had a lot of trouble just walking a few blocks to the gym and carrying my gym bag or riding my bike to the supermarket. A couple of times I experienced some diet/energy related anxiety like symptoms as well which weren't fun.
Typically I required two to three cups of coffee before I could even consider going to the gym to workout. When it came to lifting I got it all done but volume did have to come down somewhat and I had to take extended rests between sets. I remember at times sitting on some of the machines at Golds Gym Venice (my workouts in the final weeks included a reasonable amount of machine work for safety reasons) and watching everyone else working out hard, full of energy and at times I had difficulty just standing up or putting the weights on/off the machine.
Luckily my girlfriend did actually travel over to LA to meet me and then with me to Boston to help me out with everything from preparing food (HUGE salads), to getting around, grocery shopping, training and preparation on the day of my final show. So that was a massive help, very generous of her when I was finding things quite difficult and is something I am very appreciative of.
This is by no means me complaining about the difficulties of the final stages of contest prep but rather just giving my personal account of what it was really like.
PNBA Pro World Cup
This show was held in LA at the end of my 31st week of contest prep. My friend Daniel took the time out to come help me at the show with transport, tanning, food and pumping up. He was prepping at that stage and I believe the shows that he intends to compete in are now coming up in a few months time which I'm sure he's going to do well at.
So for the most part the day went well. I nearly didn't allow enough time to pump up for prejudging due to the divisions running much faster than expected. Prejudging went well, I was moved to the centre and stayed there the whole time for comparisons. As a result of almost having too little time to pump up for prejudging I was overgenerous with how much time I allowed to pump up for finals as the routines took longer than expected. I ended up pumping up for something like two hours for finals which was crazy but at least I had a good pump. In a way it was a good thing though because one of my meals was quite large and it ended up leaving me with somewhat of a distended abdomen. So pumping up for quite a while actually helped the digestive process along so that I didn't look pregnant on stage.
At the end of it all I won the show! This was my first pro win and something I was proud of to say the least. I had to take a moment to "smell the roses" and appreciate my hard work and the hard work of the people working behind the scenes like my buddy Daniel and my coach Alberto Nunez.
WNBF World Championships
We flew in to Boston I think on the Tuesday before the show which was on a Saturday. This week as you can imagine mainly consisted of making the final preparations for the show. We found a gym to train at which was a few blocks away. We found a wholefoods supermarket to shop at for groceries which was a bit further out and required more walking. Of course this week also involved a peaking protocol when it came to nutrition and training. I feel Alberto got this one right on point as far as peaking went. In fact I have no complaints about the entire contest prep. I think it was a smart way to do it, was planned and executed well and I have no regrets.
The competition itself was a great experience. This was my first time competing at this show as a professional (I had competed at it twice before as an amateur, including my pro card win in 2011). Alberto Nunez and Eric Helms made the journey out to the show to help and support Jeff Alberts and all the other 3DMJ athletes which was not only helpful but was kind of a real bonus to have your coaching team there for support at the end of a big season. Some of the 3DMJ team who weren't competing also came to watch.
For two weeks following my show I traveled New Orleans, San Francisco and Las Vegas. I saw, ate and experienced tonnes of cool stuff in my travels which is probably too much to include in this blog post but you can check out the many photos I took on my instagram account @evansoooon or https://instagram.com/evansoooon/
Coming SOON - Offseason
My next post will detail what I have been up to in my offseason, specifically what my goals are and what I am doing to work towards them.
Email - info@muscleacademy.com.au
Website - www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook - www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter - @evansoooon
Thankyou for your continued support
- Evan
Weeks 31 to 33
These weeks were by far the hardest weeks of contest prep. Carbs remained around the 250 gram per day mark except for the occasional refeed day and of course for when I peaked for shows. A couple of days we took them down to 200 grams. I know what you're thinking "200 - 250 grams of carbs? That's not too bad at all!". At this point being very lean and having been through a very long prep, that amount of carbs felt like a lot less than it was and it wasn't doing much for me energy and performance wise. But it was of course what was required to get contest lean.
I struggled with day to day things like getting dizzy when standing up. I really had a lot of trouble just walking a few blocks to the gym and carrying my gym bag or riding my bike to the supermarket. A couple of times I experienced some diet/energy related anxiety like symptoms as well which weren't fun.
Typically I required two to three cups of coffee before I could even consider going to the gym to workout. When it came to lifting I got it all done but volume did have to come down somewhat and I had to take extended rests between sets. I remember at times sitting on some of the machines at Golds Gym Venice (my workouts in the final weeks included a reasonable amount of machine work for safety reasons) and watching everyone else working out hard, full of energy and at times I had difficulty just standing up or putting the weights on/off the machine.
Luckily my girlfriend did actually travel over to LA to meet me and then with me to Boston to help me out with everything from preparing food (HUGE salads), to getting around, grocery shopping, training and preparation on the day of my final show. So that was a massive help, very generous of her when I was finding things quite difficult and is something I am very appreciative of.
This is by no means me complaining about the difficulties of the final stages of contest prep but rather just giving my personal account of what it was really like.
PNBA Pro World Cup
So for the most part the day went well. I nearly didn't allow enough time to pump up for prejudging due to the divisions running much faster than expected. Prejudging went well, I was moved to the centre and stayed there the whole time for comparisons. As a result of almost having too little time to pump up for prejudging I was overgenerous with how much time I allowed to pump up for finals as the routines took longer than expected. I ended up pumping up for something like two hours for finals which was crazy but at least I had a good pump. In a way it was a good thing though because one of my meals was quite large and it ended up leaving me with somewhat of a distended abdomen. So pumping up for quite a while actually helped the digestive process along so that I didn't look pregnant on stage.
Award Presentation
With my friend Daniel, backstage after finals
WNBF World Championships
We flew in to Boston I think on the Tuesday before the show which was on a Saturday. This week as you can imagine mainly consisted of making the final preparations for the show. We found a gym to train at which was a few blocks away. We found a wholefoods supermarket to shop at for groceries which was a bit further out and required more walking. Of course this week also involved a peaking protocol when it came to nutrition and training. I feel Alberto got this one right on point as far as peaking went. In fact I have no complaints about the entire contest prep. I think it was a smart way to do it, was planned and executed well and I have no regrets.
The competition itself was a great experience. This was my first time competing at this show as a professional (I had competed at it twice before as an amateur, including my pro card win in 2011). Alberto Nunez and Eric Helms made the journey out to the show to help and support Jeff Alberts and all the other 3DMJ athletes which was not only helpful but was kind of a real bonus to have your coaching team there for support at the end of a big season. Some of the 3DMJ team who weren't competing also came to watch.
With Eric, Jeff and Alberto backstage
When it came to the judging mine was a tough class. At times I was
moved into the centre and at other times I was moved away from the
centre. I would say for most of the time I was in the centre though.
After prejudging I remember Berto saying "well you're either 1st or
5th", which was a commentary on how confusing and close the comparisons
were. I ended up placing 5th which I was happy with (original goal was
to place top 5 at Worlds). The 2013 World Champ (who placed 2nd in the
Pro Middleweight) came and spoke to me backstage saying he had thought I
had won for sure which was kind of cool coming from the champ himself.
As I said the judging was a bit confusing. I couldn't quite figure out
what they were favouring in my class (size, condition, symmetry). It was
a bit random in that regard but placing 5th in the Pro Heavyweight at
Worlds on my first attempt I think is not too bad! Jeff Alberts ended up
placing 4th in the Pro Middleweight as well.
Pro Heavyweight Prejudging, Most Muscular
Pro Heavyweight, Award Presentation
For two weeks following my show I traveled New Orleans, San Francisco and Las Vegas. I saw, ate and experienced tonnes of cool stuff in my travels which is probably too much to include in this blog post but you can check out the many photos I took on my instagram account @evansoooon or https://instagram.com/evansoooon/
Coming SOON - Offseason
My next post will detail what I have been up to in my offseason, specifically what my goals are and what I am doing to work towards them.
Email - info@muscleacademy.com.au
Website - www.muscleacademy.com.au
Facebook - www.facebook.com/MuscleAcademy
Instagram and Twitter - @evansoooon
Thankyou for your continued support
- Evan
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