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.