I, like many of the pro bodybuilders today, was inspired by the bodybuilders of yesterday. I can name specific classic training videos that inspired me.  I would watch them before each body part that I trained.  The first was Dorian Yates “Blood & Guts” video.  The video was black and white. The gym was a dungeon.  The clothes that Dorian wore looked like rags and he simply lifted heavy iron.

The one exercise that stood out to me was seeing Dorian do barbell rows with 315lbs.  Before this video, that was the weight that I squatted and deadlifted and was aiming for on the bench as an impressionable 19 year old. So, in order to be Mr. Olympia with a back like Dorian, I figured….I needed to barbell row 315 as well.

My very next workout I was rowing 315, well, kind of. Ok I was moving 315 and did so for two years, yet, after my first show the judges said that I needed to train back!  I’m using the same weight and reps as Mr. Olympia Blood & Guts Dorian Yates.  How dare you tell me that I need to train back?

It took me 3 years and 4 shows with more than 10 judges telling to me to improve my back for it finally click……I could not lift the weight that Dorian was lifting.  Sounds like a very simple solution but it took discipline to stick to it.  When I did lower the weight almost by half and doubled the number of reps, my back grew exponentially.

Now I’m not saying that there is an exact number of reps or that one shouldn’t lift heavy.  However, I will explain the most effective volume and intensity of training for on-season and off-season.

The main difference between the two is actually what goes on outside of the gym.  The main difference is your diet.  Greater calorie consumption in the offseason will support muscle growth when training.  You want to lift heavy, but with moderate intensity to preserve the greater calorie consumption. Overtraining will defeat the purpose of consuming higher calories because it will burn them off.  Not only that, overtraining can lead to atrophy of the muscle.

OFF-SEASON TRAINING INTENSITY

To ensure that I am training with the right volume and intensity in the offseason, I never allow my workout to last longer than an hour for bigger bodyparts: legs, back, chest; and 45 minutes for smaller muscle groups: arms and delts.  I never go lower than 6 reps with perfect form to assure that I am stimulating the muscle and not simply moving the weight from point A to point B like a powerlifter with a one rep max.

I also incorporate more compound lifts like deadlifts and free weight squats because the higher calories and body fat give me more flexibility and strength in my joints and tendons to do heavier free weight lifts. I still do these lifts with no less than 6 reps to maximize muscle stimulation and growth.  I never do 1 rep max because once again, my goal is not to see how strong I am.  My goal is to get big!

I usually train 3 days on one day off in the offseason.  This is not the only method but for me it’s been extremely effective because my weight increases after every off day.  Remember, calorie consumption and preservation is extremely important in the offseason.  This off-day is usually when I’ll have my cheat meal for extra calories that will not be burned off by training that day.  The off day also gives me the right amount of rest to recover and mentally has me anxious about getting back into the gym.  I like to plan my off-days before my two biggest bodyparts, leg day and back day.

ON-SEASON TRAINING INTENSITY

Now lifting while prepping is slightly different and a little more complexed.  There is the myth that you lift lighter with more reps to get cut.  False.  In order to maintain muscle density, you still want to lift relatively heavy, however the higher reps do help with conditioning.  How does one accomplish both?

What has worked for me is to still lift for a 6 rep range, then drop weight and continue digging into the muscle recruiting deeper muscle fibers and also increasing the heart rate at the same time which will improve conditioning.  This is also when I incorporate more machines which make it easier to drop weight and also to keep strict form.  Due to lower bodyfat and supplementation, joints are more vulnerable to damage so you want to watch doing many compound lifts.  Remember, the key word for contest prep training is preservation.  You will rarely gain muscle due to lower calorie consumption, but you don’t want to burn muscle or get an injury.

During contest prep I also incorporate more supersets, training biceps and triceps set for set, or throwing in calves after each set on chest day and abs after each set on back day.  I also like to warm up with my own bodyweight with a superset of pull-ups and dips and the beginning of every workout.  This gets the blood circulating and really get my heart rate up.  I do this at the beginning of every workout when prepping and I really see a difference in my total upper body conditioning as a result.  Three or four sets is all you need and since it is your own bodyweight for a short period, there is no fear of overtraining.  This is simply stimulation.

So essentially the training is still hard and heavy in both the off-season and contest prep.  The only difference is off-season you want to preserve calories by training with moderate intensity, heavy weights for 6-10 reps, and allowing the body adequate time for rest and recovery.  Contest prep you want to burn calories/fat but still lift heavy by incorporating drop sets and supersets.  This will get your heart rate up while training without relying on cardio overkill which can kill all your hard work from the offseason. Stay disciplined with the weight and do not sacrifice form to lift what Mr. Olympia lift if you want a Mr. Olympia physique!

I always had a relatively slender figure and found it easy to keep the weight off.  After having two children and reaching my mid 30’s however, I found that it was becoming more difficult  to keep the weight under control. I was a classic Yo-Yo dieter and tried everything from detox, shakes, starvation, healthy eating, and exercise.  I would always lose the weight…. but of course it came back and usually with a few extra kilos in tow.  

I was constantly tired with little or no energy and I struggled to keep up with the kids. I realized that if I wanted to seek permanent change I needed to do things differently.  I not only needed to change my diet, but also my lifestyle and my attitude.  I knew that the only way I was going to do this was with help, support, motivation and above all someone to hold me accountable.  

I decided to try a  Body Challenge at a local Gym after seeing the advertisements a number of times. Without doubt the first three weeks were the hardest.  My muscles ached and I was craving chocolate but with the support of the trainers and new friends I persevered.  I loved participating in group fitness classes and having a personally tailored diet made it easy to resist the chocolate temptation.  I always felt full and had no cravings.  

 After the third week I started to notice the changes.  Weight was falling off quickly and my fitness levels were improving.  This fueled my motivation to succeed and hit my goals.

However, I started to find that my muscles kept aching and it was becoming increasingly difficult to do simple tasks around the house such as bending down or even going to the toilet!  It was suggested to me that my muscles were not being given a chance to recover and I was lacking in the nutrients that were critical to this process.  If I wanted to keep moving in a forward direction to meet my goals I needed to add a supplement to the diet.  I decided to try International Protein Amino Recovery during and after my workouts to see if it would make any difference.  

Having never taken a supplement before I was genuinely surprised to find that the pain was going away.  I also had the energy to work harder and could even sit down on the toilet again without holding onto the handrail!

 After eight weeks I had not only hit my goals but established new ones.  I lost 12kg and dropped three dress sizes and regained my zest for life.  Now my children had trouble keeping up with me!  

The most important thing that I learned in my Gym Challenge was that if I wanted to keep the weight off I needed to incorporate a true lifestyle change.   Diet and exercise needed to become a way of life, not just a 4 or 8 week plan.  Otherwise, I would quickly fall back into the classic Yo-Yo cycle.  This is something that I definitely did not want to happen.

Six months after completing the challenge I had lost another 8kg and was back to fitting into a size 10, sometimes even a size 8!  I was still participating in group fitness classes and I had even added Bootcamp to my weekly routine.  My body was changing and muscles started to “POP” out.  This was something new!  

Once again I found myself becoming tired because of the added fitness activities so it was suggested to me that a protein supplement would benefit my muscle recovery and provide some more energy.  I tried a number of products that either tasted disgusting or made me feel ill and bloated.  My trainer Bronwyn suggested I try the Chocolate International Protein Superior Whey.  Reluctantly  I gave it a go and again was surprised to find that there was no bloating.  This protein even tasted nice and my muscles thanked me for it.  Now I was able to tackle the gym and boot camp sessions with renewed energy.

It has been over a year now since my journey began and the last 6 months have probably been the hardest.  I live a very busy lifestyle. I am the Managing Director of two companies, one of which is going through a rapid growth phase and is requiring me to work late at night.  I am a wife and mother of two VERY active children and I spend every afternoon and weekend running them around to multiple activities.  I am also the Secretary of the Far North Queensland Regional Swimming Association.  

In the past I would have succummed to my commitments and sacrificed my health, diet, and sleep.  That is no longer an option for me.   I am still managing to find the time to commit to an exercise program and personal training sessions and focus on quality food portions control to ensure that my health and strength remain.

My focus has now changed, I realize that I am not going to be an elite athlete and a happy life is one of balance.  I still enjoy a glass of wine or a piece of chocolate, however,  it is now in moderation.  I recognize that is okay to indulge on special occasions like birthdays and Christmas because the lifestyle changes I have implemented are forever.  To keep my interest alive I added some new goals.  In October I climbed Walsh’s Pyramid with a group of friends.  The mountainous climb is the highest freestanding natural Pyramid in the world.  It is very steep and 922m up to the top.  Next year I am planning to compete in Tough Mudder and I’m starting to organize a trek in 2014/2015 either on the Kokoda Track or through Nepal.

Even though the last 6 months have been hectic, the support of my trainer every step of the way providing guidance and motivation has enabled me to maintain my weight and strength.  With International Protein’s supplements, I now have the tools to ensure that the changes I have made are permanent and easily maintainable. I can confidently say that I am committed to never being overweight again!

We’ve all heard of work/life balance. What about prep/life balance? The majority of competitors are not able to be bodybuilders for a living and most have families so how does one manage the demands of a contest prep with the priorities of raising a family and keeping your livelihood.

First thing’s first, if anyone feels that sacrificing family and work is worth a trophy they need to be hit on the head with that trophy. I’ve seen people prefer to not have a job and collect unemployment or move back with their parents. I’ve seen people sell prize possessions like cars or a big screen tv, or worst, their bodies. IT IS NOT WORTH IT, especially if there is not definitive monetary compensation like prize money IF you win!!!! This is what I call an imbalance.

Ok, one can say they are hardcore, or passionate, or driven but in reality blinded by their ambition. These are the people that you see alone in a few years living in a car outside of Venice Golds Gym, sacrificing everything to live the life of a bodybuilder.

This leads to one of the most recurring incidents during a prep, relationship struggles. I ALWAYS advise competitors to never end a relationship while prepping. Dieting and supps can make a competitor irritable and magnify the smallest things or issues that have always existed. Let’s face facts, 9 times out of 10 the issue is you. A contest prep is demanding and can make us selfish. We are focused on the person in the mirror and this often makes a significant other feel insignificant. This might lead them to act out in an attempt to regain your attention which in turn can make you, already on edge, go over the edge.

First thing’s first, know that when the stage goes dark and the trophies are handed out, that person you love will be the person you want to share it with and rightfully so as they had to go on the journey with you and make sacrifices. Knowing this, do not make a rash decision of ending it. See if they are willing to go to the gym with you whether it is to train with you or do their own thing, either way this mandatory time in the gym for you is not time spent away from them.

Spend a moment away from the gym and the prep together. Pack up your meals and go see a movie for 2 hours. You will not lose a show because you saw a movie. Communication is key. If you know that you woke up irritable, tell them first so that they know not to provoke you or that you are not mad at them.

If you are a competitor with children, you can also incorporate them into your strict lifestyle. My first role model as a bodybuilder was my dad. I loved going to the gym with him and seeing how many egg whites I can eat while he ate his. Teach your children a healthy lifestyle and you will not have to worry about all of the kid snacks around the kitchen that make it hard to diet…..I’ve heard that complaint before to. A relaxing day in the park with your children can be just what you need to relieve the stress and rigors of a prep.

Another challenge is having the time to do everything required for your prep while working a full-time job. Well, newsflash, if you don’t have the job you do not compete. Do not sacrifice your livelihood for a trophy and moment of glory. Guess what, all of the bills that you had to pay before the show will be there after. All of the financial responsibilities that you had before you hoisted your trophy will be there when there after you call yourself the winner. I know this first hand as a totally slipped on my car insurance during my prep. After a big win at a competition I was pulled over by police while driving home from the airport. Because of my focus on my prep and not my financial responsibilities, I was given a huge fine for an insurance lapse. The cop was not hearing that I was low on carbs and forgot to pay a bill. My awesome trophy in the passenger seat meant nothing to him. In fact, he asked if I was a wrestler :-(

The bottom line is that you want to put your all into your prep and leave no stones unturned. However, at the end of the day, it is not worth sacrificing love and livelihood for a hobby that you’re passionate about. When there is a will there is a way. I knew a guy that lost his family and job for a show that he was ‘sure’ to win. He didn’t win and realized that he has no control of the outcome on stage, but the outcome off stage is totally up to him. Take your passion day by day without losing what you will love forever.

This year, for the first time in my twenty odd year bodybuilding career I suffered a major injury.  Not the kind of injury you can nurse and get around by changing the training, but the kind that puts you on the sidelines for a period of months, not weeks.  This injury, where my triceps completely detached from the bone, taking some bone with it, I might add, occurred only 6 weeks out from my return to the Pro Bodybuilding stage after an extended lay-off…. 6 weeks out and in the shape of my life…

There is never a good time to suffer a major injury like a muscle or tendon tear that requires surgery.  Some athletes may never have to deal with this type of potentially devastating event, but if they do, how do they recover and get back to where you were?  I’m not talking about the physical repair aspect, that’s for the surgeon’s to worry about.  I’m talking about the mental game involved in over-coming and even improving from a major set-back.  How did I deal with the frustration and disappointment and get back on with the process?

Part of the key to getting over something like this is keeping a positive attitude.  While the timing sucked, it could have been worse.  I could have been a week out from the show, in the USA, away from my local support crew, not sure where to go for medical attention and navigating a medical system I don’t understand!  Always remember; while there is never a good time, there could always be a worse one!

Looking forwards and not backwards kept me moving in the right direction.  I couldn’t afford to dwell on what happened.  It happened.  I couldn’t reverse time and wish I’d done something differently… read my body better, used a different training method, listened to what people were telling me.  Yes, you can, and should, learn from past mistakes, but beating yourself up over it now isn’t going to help your healing process.  I found I needed to let go of where I was and focus on the road ahead.  Depending on your injury there are going to be a number of steps between where you are now and where you need to be, which is back in the gym or doing the activity/sport you love.

Taking it right back to the moment the injury happened, I must admit I had a short phase of denial when I tried to convince myself (despite what my gut told me when it happened) that I’d be able to train through with some cortisone and make it to the show.  I even stayed on my contest diet 3 more days until the Ultrasound report confirmed that there was no longer a triceps tendon attached where it should be!

But from that moment on, I had two immediate goals.  1.  To get this fixed and 2. To get as much information about what this meant in terms of getting back to training.  Information about what I’d done, how it will be fixed, what I could expect along the way and how long will the rehab take.  All of this allowed me to mentally prepare and make a plan.  A plan that gave me a series of mini-goals to keep me focussed and on track.  Without a plan and a series of goals it would have been very easy to get discouraged, frustrated and basically lost.

I want to stress the importance of building the plan around what the surgeon or specialist advises and NOT what I might want to determine after hearing what they had to say.  It sort of froze my heart to hear, “No weights for 4 months after the surgery.”  Oh, so you mean I’ll be back to normal training in 4 months?  “No, that’s when you start to train again and take another 4 months to get back to where you were.”  What??  While that sounds like a long time, trust me, it went fast.  Well, maybe not month 3-4, but the rest does.  The reason it did is because of those little goals and focussing my mind on what I COULD do, not what I COULDN’T do.

First thing out of surgery and they hit me with some more news… “You can’t actually bend your arm more than about 40o without stressing the repair… well, actually, you can’t bend your arm more than 40o period… even if you wanted to, it just won’t!!”  Ok, having never had surgery for an injury before I wasn’t aware this would happen.  I figured they’d stitch and bolt the tendon back on and away we’d go…  In hindsight, this is actually a blessing and it gave me those little mini goals to achieve.

Getting back to what I COULD do… “The good news is, to help get movement back, do 10 sets of 3 reps of bending your arm in the 40o range of motion.”  Immediately I had something I could do.  Whether it is a triceps, bicep, quad or any other kind of muscle injury, there will always be something you need to do to get the range of motion back in the joint.  Doing exactly the exercises and movements I was told optimised my chance of a 100% recovery.  Never doubt that you will have a 100% recovery, and by doing everything you should, it will ensure you do.

There were many things to consider when working out what to do to rehab.  I could’ve opted to do nothing except the movements my therapist told me to rehab the injury.  However, I had to consider the impact of this on the rest of my body?  It was still working, but I couldn’t afford to create an imbalance by training the heck out of the other half of my body.  But on the other hand, I didn’t want to lose all my fitness and I still wanted to burn some extra energy.

So again, what COULD I do?  Firstly I evaluated my movement situation.  What movements could be done with my injured side?  In my case; anything that didn’t involve bending my arm!  I could do lateral raise and front raise movement for my delts and a cross up and pec-fly machine for my chest.  So that’s what I did.  I created a little routine where with one arm I used no weight and the other I used a low weight (trust me, you don’t realise how much you need the counter weight of both side to be able to do your normal weight on the good side!!).  Obviously, 10 reps on low weight isn’t  going to keep much fitness, so I chose to go to failure… which in this case meant up to 100 reps! 4 sets of 50-100 reps, no weight on the injured side, 3kg – 6kg on the non-injured side for shoulders definitely pumps some blood into the working muscle!  I’m not saying I didn’t drop a pile of size like this, but the muscles maintained a degree of fitness and made the transition back to full training a lot quicker and easier.

On the body-parts where it was impossible to use the injured side, I used the same high-rep, low weight program and selected exercises that could be performed on one side at a time.  Most equipment can be used with one arm, from the back machines like iso-rows or cable rows to pushdowns for triceps and seated triceps machines.  Again, the weight you can use on one side is very limited compared to both sides of your body so there is little risk of creating a major imbalance.

Putting it all together I came up with a little program that consisted of training the same body parts I normally would, and selected 2-3 exercises that were feasible and repped the hell out of them.  By the time I’d done a few hundred reps per exercise, I discovered I’d been in the gym about the same amount of time as when I was doing more exercises and less reps, so mentally I felt a lot more satisfied than if I hadn’t gone to the gym at all.

I started this program about a week after the surgery, as soon as I felt recovered from the anaesthetic and stress of the operation.  Each workout I pushed for more reps, not more weight.  After a month when I was allowed to take the protective cast off and start to use the arm for basic things like lifting a coffee cup (even if I still couldn’t get it, or a spoon to my mouth!! Lol).  I was amazed at how the bicep muscle, which had totally wasted through lack of movement) started to come back from these basic tasks.  The focus at this time was also to regain the full range of motion… to be able to eat, brush my hair or even clean my teeth using my right arm.  Each day seeing a small improvement made time go so quickly.

By the 3 month mark, everything felt normal and range of movement was 100%, so I was able to perform some un-weighted movements alongside the good arm during my weights routine.  As I said, this month 3-4 is the hardest, simply because I felt ready to be able to lift again, but knew that in order to have the best chance of a permanent recovery, I had to listen to the surgeon and wait until the correct amount of time had passed.  I kept thinking, “Is returning the weights a couple of weeks too soon worth potentially ending my bodybuilding career permanently?”  And of course the answer was NO!

Even though I was in the gym, which allowed me to satisfy that need, I was still extremely aware that I wasn’t able to burn anywhere near the amount of energy I had when I was training up for the competition.  So here I had to make another very important and conscious decision, and that was to reduce my food intake.  I had to take it lower than what I’d been dieting on for the show, which really sucks, I might add, but I decided it was going to be hard enough getting my full fitness back once I could start training, without having to also shed a pile of extra weight.

The goal here wasn’t to stay in the shape I was, just not to let too many extra kg’s creep up, further stressing my already compromised fitness! I think mentally, while tough, it was a lot easier than having to deal with body image issues and reduced confidence that can be associated with excess weight gain at a time when I was mentally vulnerable.

Let’s face, injuries are inevitable when we are pushing our bodies past the limit as bodybuilders.  There is nothing that kills momentum and sets us back more than an injury, especially a nagging injury.  We have all seen or maybe are the person that complains of the rotator cuff injury that makes it hard to bench or the knee injury that makes it hard to squat. Sure we all know that the best thing to do is to take the full amount of time required to make a full recovery, but how many of us are willing to do that.  Let’s face it; we are addicted to the gym.  We have a physical, mental, and emotional need to train and when we don’t we are totally out of sync.  This article will show you ways to train around these injuries, explaining what exercises are best and which exercises to avoid.

Rotator Cuff Injury

This is an injury that is longest to heal because people cannot avoid the one exercise that is the most antagonizing, the barbell flat bench press.  If you have a rotator cuff injury, stop bench pressing! Another exercise to avoid is behind the neck shoulder presses.  Both of these movements put the rotator cuff in a very vulnerable position.  Not only are they going against the natural range of motion of the rotator cuff (even reaching back to rack and un-rack the bar) but they are doing so with the resistance of added weight.  Allow full recovery before returning to these movements if you feel that they are so necessary.  I personally do not do either and my delts and pecs have not slowed down in growth.  In fact they have grown exponentially because there have not been setbacks from injury.

On chest day I prefer to warm up with cable crossovers.  This movement that’s usually a finisher is great at the start of chest day because not only are you able to stretch and contract the pecs pumping a lot of blood in them, you are also able to warm up your rotator cuff.  The double resistance of the cable provides to perfect constant tension on this joint without overloading it with weight.  The constant tension of the cables also allows more control than using a dumbbell to warm up the rotator cuff.

Knee Injury

It pains me literally to see people rehabilitating their knees and doing heavy leg extensions as their warm-up.  This is worse than doing squats yet people insist that it’s the proper warm up.  The knee is a hinge joint and the natural motion is to move the lower leg back.  Moving it forward with extra resistance is how we develop the quads but if the weight is too heavy, the joint will take on a lot of the load.  It is also important to learn how to contract the quads from the beginning of the concentric (forward) motion and flex the quads before the knees lock.  Lock the knees will transfer too much resistance to the joint.  Avoid simply kicking your legs up.

If you have to warm up with leg extensions, start off with light weight and a rep range of 20-30 reps for a couple of sets. Then, at the end of your workout, finish with leg extensions with heavier weight and lower reps like 10-12 reps.  By the end of your workout your knees are more warmed up and finishing with extensions will allow an insane connection with your quads since they are already pumped with blood.

I actually prefer to warm up with single leg presses.  This is not only easier on the knees than leg extensions but great for the hip flexors which will increase your range of motion on movements like squats.  I usually do 20 reps each leg. After this movement, my quads are pumped and my knees are ready for leg extensions.

Elbow/Wrist Injury

This can be a nagging injury but one that is easier to work around.  Proper warm up is the key.  Start your tricep routine with pushdown movements on the cable using different handles.  This will warm up the tendons connecting the triceps to your elbows.  I would recommend two sets with the rope, two sets with the straight bar, and two sets reverse grip all with a rep range of 12-15 reps.  For dips I recommend a good dip machine so you can control the resistance and range of motion more than using your own bodyweight.  In this case, being in a fixed position is a good thing because one slight wrong movement or twist can aggravate your elbow.  Stick to a high cable for overhead movements opposed to skull crushers with a barbell which can be killer to your elbows.  For close grip bench presses, keep your elbows in line with your hands and close to the sides of your body.  Allowing your elbows to go out will put a lot of stress on your wrist and elbows.  The easiest way to keep the elbows in on close grip bench presses is to line the barbell up with the bottom of your pecs.

Back Injury

First things first.  If your injury to your back is causing a shooting pain to another body part, go see your doctor! This can possibly be damage to a nerve which is nothing to be taken lightly or try to train around.

Lower back stiffness can be in direct relation to one muscle that is often neglected, abs.  Us bodybuilders who maintain relatively low bodyfat do not train abs as much or as serious as other muscle groups because our only concern is that they can be seen.  Our concern is the aesthetics and we neglect the function of our abs and their role in strengthening our core.  When abs are not trained, the lower back works much harder to balance out our core. I recommend training abs at the beginning of every other workout so that they are not forgotten or a mere afterthought.

Our aim is to grow so with that our body weight generally increases and this makes our core work harder.  Sudden weight gain can lead to back issues especially when dealing with post show rebound.  Stretching is extremely important and I highly recommend a good yoga class once a week to maintain flexibility and prevent injuries as you grow. Nothing slows down progress like the setback of an injury.  Train hard but train smart.  Leave the gym with sore muscles and not sore joints.

Let’s face it.   Bodybuilding is one of, if not the most, expensive hobby.  The reason why it is so expensive is because it’s more than a hobby, it’s a lifestyle.  Just your average non-competitive gym rat spends a lot more than the average person to maintain a high level of performance in the gym and to achieve the look that they desire.  The whole food protein that we consume i.e. chicken breast and lean beef are always more expensive than other cuts.  We fly through tubs of protein, pre-workouts, amino acids, and even casein protein to take at bed time.

Then there is the expensive contest cost, posing suits and trunks (especially the women), contest entry fee, card for eligibility, travel expenses, tanning, grooming, etc.  Amateurs are spending as much as pros to prep on top of having to pay to enter a show. However, there is no prize money that can cover the cost of the prep.  Instead you win a trophy and the glory of winning.  The burning question is, how as an amateur can you if not make money, but cut some of the expenses of being a competitive bodybuilder?

The first method which easiest to think of yet hardest to attain is sponsorship.  Most of you see a bodybuilder that you idolize in the ads of your favorite magazine and desire the same.  I was once told that if I idolized someone, trace their path success from the end to the beginning.  In the bodybuilding world, this would mean start with your favorite bodybuilders’ last show and trace their competitive career back to the level that you are at.  See what steps they took to becoming the pro with the nice sponsors that you admire. I’m sure that you will see that at some point that person hit a bump in the road but used it to push the forward rather than fall apart. You will also see one common theme; they landed sponsorships AFTER they’ve won.

It seems like common sense but I have been approached by many wanting sponsorships from a supplement company yet have never won a show.  Focus on being the best that you can be to win your show and never prioritize making money when you are still an amateur.  Keep bodybuilding a hobby and enjoy training as if it was your first day every day.  That is how you will win shows and possibly have the opportunity to pursue a sponsor.

So, now you’ve won your class or even better, won your show. You look back at the cost of your prep and then see you spent a lot of money with none in return.  Well, if you’re not a Pro yet then you will not earn prize money and landing a paid sponsorship is extremely challenging.  So, instead of looking to make money, look at ways to save money with sponsorships.

If you have a great relationship with your gym, you can possibly ask them to help with the entry fee to your competition. In exchange, offer to help to promote the gym via your Facebook page or twitter.  Talk about how awesome it is to train there.  Ask for permission to shoot your training videos of your prep there.  If you are FB friends with a Pro bodybuilder near your area, invite them to your gym and maybe even set up a training session or seminar with them.  The gym owner will likely love the promotion that you are giving the gym especially if you are able to get a pro to visit or send an autograph picture to the gym.

You can gain sponsorship from your local supplement store.  A reasonable request would be sponsorship for supplements.  For example, they may provide you with free protein during your prep. Cross promote the store the same way as the gym via FB, Twitter, and other social media outlets. Convince your buddies to shop there instead of always online and bring them all to the store. Shoot your training videos wearing a shirt from the store so that everyone will know about it.  See what products they carry the most and make the athlete of that supplement company aware of it using FB.  Ask if they can come visit the store and with them knowing how great their product is doing, their supplement company might be willing to send their athlete out to the store.

You can even gain sponsorship from your favorite supplement company….now this may take some work but it is possible.  Don’t just write the company saying “hey I won I like your supps sponsor me”.  Send an email explaining your success as an amateur and your goals in this sport.  Find out what competitions or expos the company is sponsoring near your and offer to work the booth for them.

Without asking for money, you can offer your services for a month supply of supplements.  Train in your gym with the company’s t-shirts.  Offer to do demos for the company at your local gym and supplement stores.  Companies are always looking for demo reps.  One demo a week for 2-3 hours is very reasonable and in exchange you may not be making money, but you will be saving money and possibly getting your favorite pre and post workout for free!  Once you show your value to that company, who knows, they might be willing to cover all of your contest expenses or even use you in an ad when you’re in contest shape.

Yes this is an expensive lifestyle but if you are hard-working, savvy, and still maintain good morals, opportunities will open up where you can benefit financially by either making money or saving money.  It all starts with winning, and that starts with hard work and discipline inside and outside of the gym.

We all have seen it.  You are focused on your next set and all of a sudden you look up and see someone doing an exercise that just leaves you scratching your head.  It’s like….what magazine instructed you to kill yourself in the gym because that’s what it looks like you’re doing.  I’ve seen a guy who looked like he has never been to the gym before load up a bar on his very first set with 315lbs and attempt a bench press. Needless to say, his rib cage almost shattered, and if I wasn’t looking and able to save him, the damage would’ve been a lot worse.

We’ve also seen people perform the worst form on certain exercises that not only make them unproductive but sometimes dangerous.  As the saying goes, you want to leave the gym with sore muscles and not sore joints. This is my first rendition of the most common exercises that are done incorrectly. Here are the top 5:

1. Lying Leg Curls
Not only are hamstrings an afterthought for most after they punish their quads, but when the do them they half-ass the leg curl.  It is so common that you see people turn their feet out while executing the lying leg curl for hamstrings.  Doing leg curls with this flawed form will make you miss the meat of the hamstrings.  The proper way is to try to keep your toes in line with your shins.   To add to the contraction, instead of lying fully on the pad (chest on the pad), hold your upper torso up by keeping just your forearms on the pad.  This will totally isolate the hamstrings and prevent your hips from lifting off of the pad.  When the hips lift off the pad it’s a sign that your lower back is coming into play.  We want to totally isolate the hamstrings so leave the ego outside and lighten the weight too!

2. Barbell Rows
Oh this one exercise makes me cringe when I see people do it.  Just because Dorian Yates did 315lb in his classic training video doesn’t mean that you have to do it.  First off, standing at an angle of 45 degrees or more is too high and will only target your upper back. The reason why most people cannot go parallel to the floor with their torso is because they complain of lower back pain…then lighten the weight!  The lower back will not have to stabilize the weight totally if you’re using an amount that’s indicative of your strength and body mass, not Ronnie Coleman’s.

Now on to the row or what I call the snatch by the way some people do it.  Snatching the bar with momentum will totally take the back out of a back movement which defeats the purpose.  You want to row the bar up and start contracting every muscle in your back before the bar even hits your waist.  To take the arms out of it, I kind of imagine shrugging with my entire back.  That way I’m contracting from the very beginning of the row.

3. Preacher curls
If your arm barely opens then you need to lighten the weight and use weight that allows you to use a full range of motion.  This exercise is great for the lower insertion of the bicep which you totally miss unless you use a full range of motion.

4. Side laterals
No a bird did not just fly into the gym.  It’s just that guy with no delts that trains them every day doing side laterals with more weight than he can shoulder press.  Side laterals are great for the medial head of the shoulders and capping off delts.  The key is to simply lead with your elbows.  Your hands should never be higher than your elbows and as you’re raising the dumbbells, turn your thumbs down as if pouring a drink.  Your elbows and hands should not go over shoulder height. To really pump the delts, do not pause at the bottom.  Fire those fast twitch muscle fibers and grow

5. Shrugs
This is the bread and butter for traps but your traps do not grow faster or get more pumped by rotating your shoulders.  In fact you are subjecting your rotator cuff to unnecessary stress. Nor are you shrugging if you have to bend your arms and even your knees in a squatting motion each rep.  Simply shrug straight up to an imaginary point behind your head and hold the contraction for an extra second or two.

So you size up the guys at weigh-ins and in the pump room.  You’re texting your buddies from the gym that you have a great chance from what you see of the competition.  You’re feeling confident that you left no stones unturned during your prep.  You’re at your all-time best and everything is dialled in.

Now pre-judging starts.  Adrenaline is running through your body but you are confident you may be bigger or you may have better conditioning than everyone, or maybe both.  The first call-outs come and you’re in it but by the way they shifted you guys you can’t tell where you’re placing after pre-judging.  Now there’s a little doubt and concern. You analyze the callouts with your friends and family that came and measure all probabilities.  They convince you that you’ve got it……….

Finals come and you perform your kick ass routine.  You didn’t slip on your conditioning and the crowd loved your performance…..then the winner is announced, and it’s not you. What do you do? How do you react?  Everyone is saying that you got robbed.  Now you have to hold the winners hand up and be a part of his or her moment to shine.  All that work…weeks into months of prepping for what?

It could be worst.  You could be that person that just won a show and then all of a sudden don’t even make first callout at the next show.  You’re standing on stage watching people that you know you can beat on your good day battle it out. You’re angry, confused, dejected, embarrassed, and pretty much want to walk off of the stage.

Injuries and age isn’t the leading reason why people hang up the posing suits.  It’s competing in a subjective sport where the reward of winning far outweighs the loss of money and time put into a contest prep. However, losing in a subjective sport makes you feel that all the money and time isn’t worth it.

Here’s is how you handle the almost inevitable disappointment with a placing:
#1- As hard as it is the moment you hear that you did not get the placing you want, take a deep breath and smile, yes smile.  The judges are always watching not just the winner but also the other competitors and noting their sportsmanship.  Any gesture of displeasure with the placing you can assume will be noticed.  Make an effort to congratulate the winner while on stage so that the judges and the audience can see that you have good character.

#2- Respectfully approach a judge after a show and ask what can you improve to place higher your next show.  Because this sport is subjective, the biggest or most conditioned or best shape may not win.  You want to find out what the judges were looking for in picking the first place winner.  Be humble enough to accept hearing that you may have had flaws that you were unaware of.

#3- Be careful of who you discuss your displeasure of your placing with.  I was at the airport after one of my shows and a figure competitor whom was unhappy with her placing was discussing it while in line at Starbuck’s.  She called the judges all kinds of names and conjured up all kinds of conspiracy theories that prevented her from placing higher.  She was complaining to a woman whom she didn’t know.  The woman turned out to be one of the judges wives.  I knew it but obviously she didn’t and every time she opened her mouth she was digging her own grave.

Ultimately you cannot let instant emotions in one night ruin your future.  Humbly accept the defeat and walk away knowing that you will only be better the next time out.  These same judges will be there when you win so do not burn bridges. Use this as fuel for your training during the offseason, but at the end of every day love what you see in the mirror.

Do not allow one night of being judged, or misjudged, determine who you are or steal your passion.  After all, if you’ve made it to the stage you’ve already defeated your toughest competitor, yourself!

What is the one body part that is the most controlled by genetics?  Calves.  Calves are stubborn for most simply because of mom and dad.  You have other muscles that have insertions that can be a genetic ‘flaw’ by bodybuilding standards but they can still be manipulated.  For example, high lat insertions are considered a flaw in bodybuilding but we’ve seen top pros like Dennis Wolf build incredibly wide backs despite higher lat insertions.  Mr. Olympia Phil Heath overcame genetically narrow clavicles by adding slabs of muscle to his delts and that is how he can beat a more genetically wide Jay Cutler and Kai Greene…but calves……there is no masking their flaws…or is there?

Usually, bodybuilders with weaker calves have relatively higher calf insertions.  Genetically you will see sprinters with relatively high calves and more fast-twitch muscle fibers.  That’s great if one of the mandatories were sprints, but they’re not.  The other problem for people with genetically high calves is that this lack of response of the lower leg has nothing to do with the response of the quads and hams so now the symmetry is thrown off.  This same person with the stubborn calves can have quads and hams that grow just by looking at the squat rack, making their calves appear even smaller.  Fortunately for them, calves are probably the least judged bodypart.  It seems like judges are partial to the limitations of genetics.

Sure there are limitations.  A person with high calves will not have calves that look like Eric Fankhouser and Christine Envall, however there is a way to develop them and remain competitive on stage in every bodypart including calves.

“High calves” is a general term but to be more specific, it refers to a higher gastrocnemius insertion.  This is determined by how high the gastrocnemius attaches above the ankle.  A shorter gastrocnemius will also mean that the individual has a longer soleus.  The soleus is not as dense as the gastrocnemius, however, an emphasis on developing the soleus will add width to the lower calf region and when posed right (posing can create a different illusion of the physique), will give the illusion that the calves are not as “high”.

Calf workout:
I. Seated calf raise 5 sets 30, 25, 20, 15, 10
The soleus is the primary calf muscle that’s working when the legs are bent at 90 degrees or in a seated position.  The soleus responds to high reps but with the high reps, you must stretch really well between sets.  The calves are used to working because they are stretched and contracted every step we take.  They are used to a load because they carry our body weight.  You almost have to over-train your calves since they are used to being worked.

To really get a good burn and maximize the recruitment of every fiber of the soleus, I like to lean myself forward on the eccentric or lowering of my heels to get a deeper stretch.  On the concentric I start leaning back, coming up half way then pausing for a second, then up all the way up and squeezing the calf as hard as you can.  This half rep-pause-full rep will allow you to get deep into the dense calves.
II. Donkey calf raise: 3 sets 10-12 reps
This is second only to seated calf raises when it comes to hitting the soleus.  The gastroc gets a good pump as well but in order to fully activate the soleus, do not cheat the range of motion.  You have to contract at the highest point possible.  A partial rep with weight that’s too heavy will only activate the gastrocnemius.

III. Standing calf raise 4 sets 10-12 reps

*I recommend training calves every other day because they recover extremely fast since they are used to being worked every step that you take.  I also recommend training calves at the beginning of a workout to prioritize them.  In order for them to grow they cannot just be a few sets after you destroy a bigger body part.  You will not have the same focus and energy.

Calf Workout
I. Seated calf raise 5 sets 30, 25, 20, 15, 10
II. Donkey calf raise: 3 sets 10-12 reps
III. Standing calf raise 4 sets 10-12 reps

Ok so it’s your first time in the gym and you seem a little intimidated by all of the guys screaming and grunting and throwing heavy weights around.  Then you turn and notice that the biggest guy is benching 315lbs.  Little do you realize that he just got his ass kicked at a low-level amateur show because he has weak legs, or that his partner spotting him is getting a better pump because he’s shrugging the bar, while the guy shows off.

On the other side is that guy. His bravado shines because he can out bench anyone.  He just wishes there will be a time when the judges call, “front double bi, front lat,…how much do you bench..?”. In fact, he knows that when the average person in awe of his size ask how much he lifts, it’s safe to assume that they are referring to how much he benches.

Oh the love affair with the bench press is in every gym in every corner of the world, especially on Mondays. However, to build massive pecs, the bench press is not the best movement.  In fact, I haven’t bench pressed in over 2 years and my chest has grown significantly.

Here’s why I do not bench:
A common injury that can devastate a bodybuilding career is a pectoral tear.  Judges will mark you down automatically with a pec tear.  Surgeries are usually successful but definitely noticeable when judges are judging symmetry. So, ask yourself, is showing your buddies how much you bench worth losing time from training and points in a competition because of a torn pec?

What I do recommend is a really good warm-up that will not only stretch the pecs and the front delt, which is usually more of the culprit when it comes to stiffness on chest day.  My very first movement on chest day are cable crossovers.

Warm-up: Cable Crossovers- 2-3 sets 20 reps
Don’t worry your lifts will not go down if you’re more concerned about impressing the attractive woman in your gym.  In fact, your lifts will likely increase because this warm up will stretch the pecs and front delts and increase your range of motion and explosiveness when shifting from the eccentric (lowering) to concentric (lifting).  You will be less likely however, to finish your set with a stiff shoulder because the double resistance of the cable will also warm up your rotator cuff.

The second reason for starting with cable crossovers is because you are able to pump so much blood into the pecs before moving onto your pressing movements.  This will allow for a much greater connection with every single rep because your pecs will have so much blood in them already.

Incline Bench 4 sets 8-12 reps
I do this movement second because the upper pectoral region is a smaller area that has to be specifically targeted for development.  Developing density in this region of the pecs is not only important in side chest pose.  Density in the upper pecs are important when the pecs are stretched in mandatory poses like the front double bicep and front lat spread where the pecs are stretched.  Often times when guys lack this development, their chest goes flat in those two poses.

I prefer the smith machine because the barbell free weight on an incline causes some rotator cuff discomfort due to having to stabilize the bar.  With most free weight incline benches you have to almost reach behind you to unrack and then rack the bar when exhausted after a set and without a really good spotter, going heavy can be dangerous.  I prefer the smith machine to avoid putting the rotator cuff in a vulnerable position and to also make sure that every rep is targeting the same exact spot on my chest.

Dumbbell Flat Bench 4 sets 8-10 reps
Ok the difference between the bar and dumbbells is very simple, the dumbbells give you more freedom and range of motion.  Why is this important? Well as discussed earlier, the flat barbell is the main culprit of pec tears.  The main reason is the intense pulling and stretch that occurs on the pectoral muscle/front delt during the eccentric movement or lowering of the bar.  With dumbbells, you can control how far apart your hands are during the eccentric so that the pecs aren’t as vulnerable to pull that’s too intense from the sternum.

The other benefit from dumbbells on the flat bench is the contraction.  There is a technique to contracting the pecs during dumbbell presses but it might take some humbling because you may not be able to go heavy and use the dumbbells that make a loud thud and shake the gym when you drop them.  When I do dumbbell presses, during the concentric or pressing up of the dumbbells I start turning my thumbs higher than my pinkies.  This will give you an intense contraction of the pecs as you are pressing the dumbbells up.  During the eccentric I lower the dumbbells under control and even out my thumbs with my pinkies emphasizing the negative and a good stretch.

Hammer Strength Flat Bench 2 sets 20 reps (drop sets)
I prefer higher reps combined with drop sets for isolation movements like the Hammer Strength because it’s easier to drop the weight and the restriction of the machine will reduce the risk of injury while going higher in reps. I usually start with a weight where I can barely get 6 reps and just keep dropping weight until I get to 20 reps.  My sets usually consist of 2-3 drops each.

Pec Deck or Dumbbell Flyes supersetted with dumbbell pull-overs 3 sets 10-12 reps
I prefer doing the pec deck because not only is the stretch more controlled but the the contraction is more intense and can be held for an extra second or two.  With the dumbbell pullover the emphasis is more on the stretch which will help expand the rib cage.

Chest Workout:
I.   Warm-up: Cable Crossovers- 2-3 sets 20 reps
II.  Incline Bench 4 sets 8-12 reps
III.  Dumbbell Flat Bench 4 sets 8-10 reps
IV.  Hammer Strength Flat Bench 2 sets 20 reps (drop sets)
V. Pec Deck or Dumbbell Flyes supersetted with dumbbell pull-overs 3 sets 10-12 reps