A bodybuilding journey - The Final Furlong at 12 Days Out

So here I am at this juncture, less than a fortnight before I'm due to take all my clothes off, have a dark greasy layer of fake brown tan rubbed onto me and step onto a stage to be judged by unknown strangers on my physique that I've tolled day and night, week after week, in the last 5-6 (serious) workout years or so. 

Just 1 or maybe 2 years ago I would have asked myself: just what the heck do I think I'm doing?

And right now, everything is still going as they have been in the last couple of months. The diet continues. Workout continues. Monotonous and exhausting cardio continues. 

But what shifts up two whole gears is without a doubt the anticipation of fellow gym bros and other non-bodybuilding friends, old as well as new (I can attest that having a leaner-than-usual physique does attract more eyeballs and conversations!). Everyone's asking similar things: Am I going for a comp? (Yes) How's the prep? (Tiring) Show us the abs! (Er..... up goes the shirt embarrassingly) You still need to trim down more...! (Yes I know =.=) Need someone to oil you up? (No thank you) Which category are you standing? (Above 75kg.. Or so I thought, as they actually didn't say where the boundary is on the form).... Et cetera et cetera...  

The psychology is much geared towards it too: I look at mirrors more often than Narcissus. Flexing becomes second nature (though I'm still a little weary doing it). I don't look at what kind of food it is on those glossy colourful labels now but turn right upside down and go straight to the nutrition labels: every food to me now comes with a mental P/C/F ratio. Any sugary stuff is a big no-no (Did you know that most 'healthy', fat-free snack bars come with >30% of sugar by weight? Some are even as high as 50%! Imagine downing 10 teaspoonfuls of sugar in a 100g bar... yuck!) Which means more than 90% of all supermarket stuff is out of bounds for me. 

Is it all worth it? A lot of friends ask. Where is life? (No, there is no life for me indeed - at least not now) 

In 12 days time, we shall see if it's all worth it.

A bodybuilding journey - Embracing Hunger at 16 Days Out

Last night after my usual hour incline cardio walk, an unquenchable hunger suddenly came about - my steps felt light; my eyes were filled with little stars; my semi-dead self was so knackered that I wouldn't have had the energy to even raise a hand to say 'hi' to my (rightly) concerned-looking friends...

As much as my brain desperately screamed 'FOOD!!' I was content that the glycogen depletion by now seemed to be working... As long as I could keep insulin level stable, and cortisol level kept low, fat storage should be discouraged and diminished.

It is therefore the time not to starve oneself but to carefully consume just enough to discourage insulin spike.

And this morning when I woke... Yes indeed, the body did ebb on the dry side, muscular lines were more pronouncing.. I hope my eyes were not tricking me. A little flat perhaps, but the ripeness baffled me quite a bit. 

A moderately loaded carbs refuel lunch should hopefully replenish my depleted body then. Let's see if this will work!

A bodybuilding journey - Random Thoughts at 17 Days Out

Some random thoughts at 17 days out... At this juncture I can certainly feel the build-up of pressure!

Diet is now steadily boring (high protein at 1.2-1.5g/lb, low carbs and low fat):

Breakfast: 10 egg whites + 1-2 egg yolks. 1 Orange / Pear / Apple. 1 pc whole-wheat toast. Preparing meals 2,3,4,5 on the stove whilst eating.

Meals 2,3,4,5: 200g boiled chicken breasts, 200g boiled veg (usually choi sum or broccoli), sexed up with wedges of lemon, pepper, chili sauce (minimal to reduce Na).

Meal 6: 5-6 egg whites. Around 10-15 pcs unsalted almonds (good source of monounsaturated fat and great satiety filler)

Weight is quite stable at 84kg... My original target of ~80kg seem unattainable now, but some very experienced bros at the gym did comment that I shouldn't/couldn't go much lower down with my built/dryness... I hope they're right. But I do seem to hold on to still some unwanted fat around the waist.. Is that because of the nuts? Or somehow I've had too much salt and cells are still holding too much water? Or perhaps it's normal before the dehydration protocol?

Gym much lighter now, concentrating mainly leg extensions, calf raises and tri-/bi-ceps for those parts to catch up. For back and pecs I've resorted to empty 45-lb bar pushes and pulls. It's like going back to being a complete gym starter many years ago, only now, of course, I'm a little more muscular than then, LOL! Sometimes I thought I may as well skip that and devote more time for cardio.

Cardio is now 30-minute stepper / slanted treadmill base, increasing to 40/50/60 depending on stamina of the night which, for many nights, was not easily up-kept due to carbs reduction. My faithful iPad has been invaluable all these nights on the machines. Speaking of which, I'm becoming more interested in a new reader and am really looking forward to the upcoming iPad Air 3 - I feel sure I'm due for a pad refresh! (pardon the pun, ladies :-)

Mentally... now this is the fun part. It's a strange feeling of weariness, not exactly a body weakness but a general lack of energy from depleted muscular glycogen. Psychologically I'm all gamed up for an hour-long cardio... When on the mill, though, my mind wandered off, longing to go home and for food. It's not a great feeling. I find my determination wanting as the day dragged on to evening, evening dragged on to night... But strangely when I was on bed I couldn't really fall asleep that easily (I blame the humidity but maybe that's not the real reason). 

So which colour would it be?

My posing trunks finally arrived from the magical world of Taobao. They look... well.... flimsy. No more different from undergarments. Surely I'm not wearing just these to go on stage?! But indeed, I would. It's too late to change otherwise.

More friends say they are coming to the show - much grateful to their support! And if you're reading this - I thank you for your interest to my thoughts in words as well. There is this perception, perhaps, that one may think bodybuilders are all iron, sweat, rude; and they pant and shout and swear all the time; and are so beefy and thick-headed that they couldn't write a complete and meaningful sentence... Well I hope I will prove these people wrong - many of us are quite cultured indeed and can definitely write! Most are dieting experts, if not also in kinesiology and muscular biology. It's just that one of our hobbies happens to be quite highly visible and aesthetically pleasing to the eyes of the public. Never judge us all with the same eye :-)

On a side note... I heard no news from the organiser after submitting the form. Even the cheque wasn't encashed. That's strange.. Did it go through? Did I miss anything? Maybe it's got eaten by a postbox zombie and I'm not in the race after all? 

Oh well, I seem to think too much... Better concentrate on chowing down my chicken breast lunchbox now...

A bodybuilding journey - An Incoherent Train Of Thoughts, 26 Days Out

My mindset, 4 weeks' out:

Tired. Tired. Tired... From hunger (rather constant now). From a reduction of carbs (which I foresee will get worse as carbs intake will go lower still). From all the crap I've to deal with at the day's work (I didn't take the luxury to quit prepping this comp). From not getting enough sleep after a late night's heavy duty. From having to actually lift weights (Yes - that doesn't stop). From the cardio through which I discover the lost joy of my ever faithful iPad as I finally have dedicated time reading those articles on the step machine. From every chores of life (sorry, those won't go away either)

Gym weights for me now are so girly - I never imagined using just 2 plates on those machines and getting exhaustion from those! Man... I understand why all those pre-comp people have such shitty faces written all over the face - I'm probably just another one of them now!

A spoonful - or two, I must confess - of this low-GI low-carbs less-insulin-spike peanut butter really saves the day, when the day needs to be saved at most, for there's so much to do after getting home..

Competition forms - due in 2 days, still empty and here they are in front of me waiting for my pen. I suppose that's the least difficult bit for tonight? (Or so I hope). 

But first I'd need to get tomorrow's meal sorted out. I could go bankrupt just from buying all those chicken fillets..

Pose. Pose. Pose... Double front biceps. Hold. Hold. Hold... Front lat spread. Hold. Hold. Hold... Side chest.. Or was it side triceps first? Pose. Hold. Pose.

And then there's that free pose music CD I have to worry about... Damn.. Where's that CD burner?! Do people still burn CDs these days in the age of the cloud?

More poses. More poses. Maybe one more spoonful - um - maybe not. More. More....

A bodybuilding journey - I'm Hopelessly Surrendered to Temptations

Sigh.... :(

A bodybuilding journey - A Preparation Shortlist

"Failure to prepare is preparation to failure."

As the time of the show approaches I'm feeling the ever more daunting task of preparing for the show getting heavier and heavier by the day, as I foresee the more and more stuff of what will be required of me for this competition, especially for a first-timer like me.

To give you a little hindsight (and a cheat sheet to help me remember) here is a shortlist of a few more important items to keep in mind:

- Posing trunks

- Fake tanning cream/oil

- Hair styling gel

- Hair dye and/or golden sparkling powder (can/should I use those I wonder?)

- Gloves, towels, rolls of tissues, slippers

- Posing music to be burnt in 2 CDs (in case one fails)

- Remebering the choreography for the minute free pose

- Contact details of friends whom I shall rely on helping me put on the oil, bring me stuff etc.

- Some glucose tabs (for combating those dreaded cramps I'd hopefully not get on the day for lack of nutrients)

Remember to BYOF when out and about.

Not to mention having to remember to keep the diet clean throughout, get enough rest (so as to not fall sick) and not to indulge in activities too vigorous (to minimise the chance of getting myself injured). On the days running up when one is quite carbs-depleted, every bit of bread, rice and sugar is going to wave a tempting hand on the ever-weakened mind.

This experience is getting more surreal by the day.. Must keep my mind more alert!

A bodybuilding journey - Good Temptations

If you ask fellow bodybuilders what the most difficult aspect of a competition is, a good proportion of them will say: it's the diet.

Most bodybuilders love to eat - big and hearty, that's how we grow! But it is also undeniable that a successful physique depends upon a good, strictly-controlled diet. But how strict? Truth be told, temptations are everywhere, especially here in Hong Kong, aka the Food Paradise. One can't easily find anything that fits the muscle builder's requirement as most food is laden with salt, sugar and fat, and very little protein. 

For me, a normal self-made lunchbox would look like this (with perhaps half a spoon of hot paste for a bit of flavour):

But it's difficult not to be tempted. Once in a while when exceptionally sick of chicken, I'd do some self-made salmon, which is an excellent source of omega-3 & 6 oils benefitting the overworked joints, and it's fantastic when garnished with some broccoli too:

With a bit of 'healthy cheats', one will not feel so bad having chicken lunch boxes all the time. And when I'm out and about, when I'm really desperate, a wise choice of food once in a while isn't going to ruin a careful diet (although I know some will disagree with me on this. But hey, we're human after all!). For example here is some cool fresh unsweetened bean curd at a famous joint in Tai Po:

Without adding that sinister fructose you see on the table, there's only around 8g carbs/bowl, its contents being made up mostly of water. There's even 16-20g of soybean protein - not so bad after a sweaty day is it?

Meanwhile before hitting the sack, I'm going to down my last protein shake (25g protein, 2g carbs, 2g fat) - a just reward for the stomach after a vigorous evening workout, and with a satisfying sense of fulfilment.