Road to the 2026 Vancouver Fall Classic - 1 Week Out Update & Physique Check

We are officially one week out from the 2026 Vancouver Fall Classic. It’s Saturday today, which means by next Saturday, it’s showtime. Honestly, this is probably the most exciting phase of the entire prep for me. All the months of hard training, dieting, and discipline are coming together. At this stage, if you’re just starting to look ready, it’s too late, you should already be right where you need to be or very close to it. Luckily, I’m feeling right on track.

Here’s a breakdown of where things stand with nutrition, energy levels, training, and the final peak week strategy.

Dialing in the Final Numbers: Calories & Energy

Over the past week, progress has been really steady. Everything has been coming off evenly without having to pull any desperate, crazy moves.

• The Deficit: Right now, I’m sitting around 2,000 calories a day while burning close to 3,500 calories, leaving me in about a 1,500-calorie deficit.

• Energy & Strength: Even with that deficit, I feel great. Energy levels are solid, and gym performance has surprisingly stayed strong. That’s always a good sign that muscle retention has been right where I want it.

• Adjustments Ahead: For the first couple of days this week, I might pull calories down closer to 1,500 just to burn off the very last layer of fat, keep protein high, and get in plenty of walking.

The Carb-Load Mind Game

The reason behind that slight drop early in the week is the upcoming carb load. A couple of days before taking the stage, calories and carbs will ramp up significantly.

This is where a lot of competitors mess up mentally. You start taking in all those extra calories and carbs, and your brain tells you: “You’re going to get fat and ruin all your hard work.”

In reality, you aren't storing body fat in those 48 hours. You are simply filling up depleted glycogen stores inside the muscle belly to look full, round, and dry on stage. Any true fat gain wouldn’t even show up until days after the contest. It’s a classic mind game, but you just have to trust the process and stick to the plan.

The Scale & Body Scan Reality Check

Weight & Body Fat Metrics: The scale has remained steady at around 186 lbs, but my latest body scan showed body fat ticking up slightly (form 5% to 5.6%). Analytically, that doesn’t make sense given the conditioning and visible fat loss. What’s really going on comes down to how impedance scanners read body composition: because calories and carbs are so low, my muscles are flat, dry, and holding significantly less water. When intracellular hydration drops, these machines often misinterpret the lower water volume as higher body fat, skewing the numbers artificially higher than reality. Visually and physically, everything is right on track.

Peak Week Routine: Focus on Recovery & Blood Flow

Peak week isn't the time to chase heavy PRs or risk injury. My focus for the remaining workouts is simple:

1. Low Risk, High Blood Flow: Light pump work to keep muscles activated without generating deep tissue fatigue or soreness.

2. Step Count: Steady daily walking to keep energy expenditure high without beating up the joints.

3. Posing Practice: Holding mandatory poses, dialing in transitions, and locking in stage presence.

Posing Routine & The "Anabolic Lighting" Comparison

For this update, I brought back the posing trunks and ran through both classic mandatory poses and physique-style quarter turns:

• Physique & Flow: Direct front stance, side twist variations, and transitions.

• Classic Mandatories: Front Double Bicep, Side Chest (locking in the hamstring), Rear Double Bicep, Side Tricep, Favorite Classic pose, and Abdominals & Thighs.

To give an honest look, I compared the lighting setups. We started in standard, conservative lighting so you have a true, baseline reference point without dramatic shadows. Towards the end, I headed into the gym room under that dramatic overhead “anabolic lighting” just like last year’s prep. The contours and conditioning really pop in there, and overall, I’m liking how everything is coming in.

Final Stretch

We’re down to the wire. I’m right where I want to be, feeling confident, and ready to close this out. I might drop a quick midweek update if time allows, but otherwise, the next big update will be show day!

Make sure to leave a comment, like, and share the video/post if you're following the journey, it really helps out the channel. Let me know what you think of the conditioning so far, and I’ll catch you in the next one!

The Momentum Shift - How to Break the Fitness Rut and Take Control After 40

If you are currently feeling stuck, struggling with low energy, carrying unwanted weight, and frustrated every time you look in the mirror, you are far from alone. Most people know when their lifestyle isn’t serving them anymore. They know the habits they’ve fallen into aren't supporting their health, longevity, or how they want to feel day to day.

Yet, knowing you need to change and actually getting moving are two entirely different things.

The biggest hurdle isn’t a lack of desire or discipline; it’s an issue of inertia.

The 0-to-60 Car Analogy

Think about your health and fitness journey like driving a car.

If your vehicle is sitting at a complete dead stop, getting it from zero up to 60 miles an hour requires the absolute most effort from the engine. You have to step hard on the gas, burn through fuel, and push through initial resistance just to get the wheels rolling.

[ DEAD STOP ] ──(Max Fuel & Effort)──► [ ACCELERATING ] ──► [ CRUISING AT 60 MPH ]
  Stuck / Inertia                       Hardest Phase         Minimal Effort / Cruise Control

Once that car reaches cruising speed, however, everything changes. You back off the throttle, the engine hums along smoothly, and staying at 60 mph takes barely any effort at all.

Right now, if you are stuck in a fitness rut, you are sitting in park. Breaking that inertia is going to demand energy and focus upfront, but once you build momentum, maintaining that lifestyle becomes significantly easier.

Here is the exact three-step framework to get your wheels turning and build lasting health momentum.

1. Make the Honest Decision

Before buying a gym membership or cleaning out the pantry, you must confront an uncomfortable truth: your current body and energy levels are the direct result of your current daily choices.

The routines, comforts, and conveniences you’ve settled into created the reality you’re living in today. You cannot expect a new outcome by repeating the exact same patterns.

Breaking negative momentum requires an honest decision to trade short-term comfort for long-term vitality. You have to decide, without reservations, that you are ready to do things differently.

2. Pick One Lane First (Diet vs. Exercise)

Where most people derail is trying to change everything at once. They decide that "next Monday" is the day they will completely clean up their diet, eliminate sugar, drink a gallon of water, and hit the gym five days a week.

By Thursday, the cognitive overload kicks in, fatigue sets in, and they abandon the whole plan.

Instead of overhauling your entire life overnight, pick one lane first:

• Lane A: Nutrition. Focus entirely on what you consume. Dial in your protein, manage portion sizes, or eliminate liquid calories.

• Lane B: Fitness. Focus entirely on movement. Commit to getting to the gym three times a week or hitting a daily step goal.

Ask yourself: Which of these two feels like the lower barrier to entry right now? Choose the one you feel most confident tackling first, and give it your full focus until it feels like second nature.

3. Stack Your Wins

Once your first habit is locked in, something crucial happens: you create positive momentum.

You start noticing small victories, your clothes fit a bit looser, your morning brain fog clears up, and you regain a sense of accomplishment. That newly built energy completely changes the equation when it's time to tackle the second half of the puzzle.

Transitioning into workouts is dramatically easier when you’ve already fixed your nutrition and feel lighter and more energetic. Likewise, cleaning up your diet feels intuitive once you’re regularly training and don't want to waste your hard work in the gym.

You are no longer pushing a stalled vehicle; you’re steering one that is already moving forward.

Ready to Put the Entire Blueprint Together?

Building that initial momentum is step one, but knowing exactly how to bridge the gap—balancing effective resistance training, sustainable nutrition, recovery, and lifestyle after 40—is where most people lose traction.

That is why I built the Get Fit Now training course.

It eliminates the guesswork, providing a practical, step-by-step roadmap designed specifically to help you build lean muscle, strip off stubborn fat, and sustain peak energy for the long haul.

👉 Start my FREE Get Fit Now Training Course Today and let’s keep that momentum moving in the right direction.

Road to the Vancouver Fall Classic 2026 - 2 Weeks Out Update

With just two weeks remaining until the 2026 Vancouver Fall Classic, the preparation is entering its toughest phase. Despite the crunch time setting in, the overall feeling and energy levels are excellent. Here is the latest update on nutrition, weight, and physique changes heading into the final stretch.

Nutrition and Lifestyle

• Enjoyed two Thanksgiving dinners over the weekend while keeping alcohol intake minimal, having just one glass of wine or beer.

• The focus remains on competing against oneself and maintaining a balanced life, rather than stressing over placing high for a plastic trophy.

• For the final two weeks, alcohol is completely cut out.

• Daily calories are kept well under 2,000, sometimes dropping down to 1,500 depending on daily progress.

• Protein intake is steady at about 150+ grams per day to preserve muscle mass during this cutting phase.

Weight and Physique Progress

• Morning fasted weight is down two pounds, currently sitting at 187 lbs, with an expectation of rising to 190 lbs by the end of the day.

• The final stage weight goal is to be fully carbed up at around 190+.

• Stubborn fat areas, particularly on the back, are noticeably leaning out.

• Arm and leg muscle mass has been successfully retained, and more striations are visible in the shoulders.

• There is a small amount of loose skin on the lower abs, which is natural and expected at 57 years old.

Training and Next Steps

• Daily cardiovascular activity includes walking six to seven miles.

• Posing practice is underway, testing out new physique shorts from Jed North.

• An official Evolt 360 Active Body Scan reading will be done soon, with the detailed results to be posted on the site. (UPDATE - scanned in at 5% which I think is a low reading so it will be interesting to see what the 1 week out ready shows?)

The Absolute Best Diet For Everyone: Myth or Reality?

If you’ve been searching for the "perfect" diet, you've probably realized by now that there is a lot of conflicting information out there. You might see a headline claiming to have found the absolute best diet for everyone, but let's be honest, that's usually total clickbait.

The reality is that there is no single perfect diet. We are all unique, and our bodies process food differently. This becomes especially true as we navigate fitness and health over 40, where factors like muscle retention, recovery, and metabolic changes play a huge role in our success. What gives a friend or a fitness influencer amazing results might leave you feeling sluggish, hungry, or frustrated. The real secret is finding what works specifically for your body, your goals, and your lifestyle.

Finding Your Balance: Carbs vs. Fats

Let’s talk about macronutrients. Some people thrive on a higher-carb diet. For them, carbs provide the necessary fuel to power through intense weight training sessions and maintain high energy levels throughout the day. However, for others, eating too many carbs can set off a rollercoaster of hunger, cravings, and energy crashes.

On the flip side, some find that higher-fat diets are incredible for keeping hunger and cravings at bay. Fats are highly satiating. But there is a catch: fats are very calorie-dense. While a gram of carbohydrates or protein contains 4 calories, a gram of fat packs 9 calories. If you aren't paying attention, it can be incredibly easy to accidentally blow past your daily calorie limit on a higher-fat diet.

The Power of Protein and the 33% Rule

Then there is protein, arguably the most important macronutrient when it comes to holding onto and building muscle as we age. A higher protein diet is generally fantastic for most people, though it’s worth noting that going too high can cause stomach sensitivities for some.

So, where should you start? The "sweet spot" for most people is a balanced diet. A super easy rule of thumb is to aim for equal amounts of your macronutrients: one-third protein, one-third carbohydrates, and one-third fats.

For example, if you were aiming for a 1,700-calorie daily intake, that breakdown looks roughly like 100 grams of protein, 100 grams of carbs, and 100 grams of fats. From this baseline, you can tweak the ratios. Want to prioritize muscle gain? Drop the fats a bit and increase your protein and carbs.

The Bottom Line: Total Calories and Whole Foods

You can adjust your macros to regulate insulin, manage your energy, and use fat for fuel, but at the end of the day, your total caloric intake is the ultimate deciding factor in whether you gain, maintain, or lose weight.

To make your calories work for you, focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible. Lean meats, vegetables, complex carbs, and healthy fats will keep you full and provide the nutrients your body actually needs. Keep your diet balanced, don't overcomplicate it, and most importantly, find the sustainable approach that works for you.

For more Health and Fitness guidance, check out my FREE Get Fit Now Training Course.

Road to the 2026 Vancouver Fall Classic - 3 Weeks Out

We are officially exactly three weeks out from the 2026 Vancouver Fall Classic, and doing the update right on schedule this Saturday! Things are progressing right on track, conditioning is tightening up, and the details are starting to show through.

Here is a look at where the numbers stand, how the conditioning is coming along, and what’s dialed in heading into the final three weeks.

Current Weight & Body Fat Stats

• Body Weight: Holding steady just under 190 lbs (often sitting just a bit under depending on the time of day).

• Body Fat: Down to 6.7%—a full 1% drop from last week’s test, while managing to hold solid body weight.

• Target: Continue stripping down toward that 5% range over these final three weeks to step on stage completely peeled.

Conditioning & Stubborn Fat Distribution

At three weeks out, cuts, striations, and muscle separation are becoming more visible in the mirror and during training sessions. When you get down to this level of leanness, it’s all about monitoring where the body holds onto those final last stubborn pounds:

• Trouble Spots vs. Leaning Out: My arms, legs, and shoulders tend to strip down first, and the upper chest gets very lean early on. The last places I release fat, especially as an older competitor, are typically the lower back, a little bit right under the chest, and the lower midsection.

• The Last 2 Pounds: Because fat is no longer evenly distributed across my entire body as an older guy, dropping even just 1 to 2 more pounds makes a dramatic visual difference right where it counts.

• The "Death Face": Leanness is starting to creep into the face, which is always one of the final indicators that conditioning is improving. I’ll likely be shaving the beard down for next week’s update so we can actually see the jawline and overall facial conditioning.

Posing Routine & Mandatories

Posing practice ramps up heavily at the three-week mark. Motivation is high, the shape is dialed, and muscle control is critical:

• Men’s Physique: Running through the front and back stances, dialing in the arm positioning, back flare, and footwork transitions.

• Classic Physique: Running through the classic mandatories, including front double bicep, side chest, back double bicep, and hitting the vacuum poses.

• Real-World Lighting: Just like last week, this check-in is shot under standard, honest overhead non-gym lighting, no single overhead spotlight or flattering "anabolic" stage lighting, just a true benchmark of where the conditioning sits.

We're hitting the home stretch now. Expect another check-in next week as we close in on two weeks out. Check out the video above to see the full physique update and posing routine!