4.5 Weeks Out to the Vancouver Pro Am and MK-677 Update

Getting closer now to the Vancouver Pro Am, only 4.5 weeks to go so time to dial in the diet and start getting shredded. I love and hate this part of contest prep. Most days I can deal with the diet just fine but then there are days when you hit a wall. I usually like to throw in some higher calorie refeed days at least once per week to help me deal with it.

This week I am down to 2000 calories per day which usually puts me at 2000 calories under my Maintenance so even if I only hit 5 days per week like this I am still 10,000 calories under for the week which should net me about 2-3 pounds of fat loss this week alone. Next week I may bring up my calories a bit depending on how I look and feel and then I will drop them down again closer to the end.

I'm still holding my weight pretty good, usually between 212 and 215 depending on what I am eating that day. I should drop down to under 210 but when I carb back up for the show I hope to hit somewhere between 210 and 212 pounds for weigh in day. This will mean I added around 15 pounds from my last show the Popeye's Fall Classic where I had my debut in Classic Physique.

I have decided to only enter the "Open" categories and not the "Masters" ones at the Vancouver Pro Am since the cost for each category is the same at $215 each with no discount for add on categories like they do in many other shows I have entered. I just can't afford to pay $1000 to enter the 4 classes I wanted to enter for a show with no real prize money involved. It doesn't really make scence that we the athletes and the main entertainment are the ones paying for the bulk of the show. The cost of vanity I guess :) I will be paying the $215 (times 2) to compete in both Open Classic Physique and Open Physique.

In terms of my results on the MK-677, it's kind of hard for me to know for sure since so much is going on in my life right now with my contest prep! Exercise, diet, supplements are always changing so it's really hard to know what is effecting what. I do feel that the MK-677 is helping with recovery since I have been training really hard (at least 2 hours per day usually 6 days per week) and I am still holding together... I did notice some hand dumbness, a bit more than usual as I do get some in my hands when I sleep. I was taking 15mg of the MK-677to begin with and then increased it to 30mg but just recently I dropped it back down to 15mg. I felt the MK-677 was interrupting my sleep as I was waking up with anxiety which made it really hard to get back to sleep again. I was also feeling sluggish during the day. Now that I am back down to 15mg which I take at night, my sleep is much better and my energy during the day has returned.

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Road to Popeye's Fall Classic 2017 - Contest Day

I know I should have made this video a little bit sooner but I needed to relax a bit and take a few days off after all the work that went into competing at this years Popeye's Fall Classic.

So how did I do? I feel I did pretty good considering I competed in the "Open" class for both Men's Physique and Classic Physique. In my tall height divisions for both categories there where 13 very competitive athletes that I went up against and most of them where about half my age at least!

In the end I won 1st place in Physique and I got 3rd place in Classic Physique which I am very proud of since I really didn't know what to expect competing in a new class that features legs and a lot of posing.

I always hope to get an overall but it did not happen yet again, there seems to be a course on me when it comes to overalls, this one was my third attempt at an overall award and it slipped by me yet again. The fellow that won the overall in Open Physique also won the overall in Classic Physique so he got double of everything when it came to the prizes - lucky guy! He for sure looked good but then so did I and I kind of felt I had a little more size in the right places and as good if not better conditioning to take the overall but it's always up to the judges at the end of the day and you have to accept what they decide.

Speaking about conditioning, I did get called out on stage to accept the "Ripped Freak Award" for being the most notably shredded competitor that day!

Enjoy my YouTube video and watch it till the end as I have some high quality stage photos of the event included.

Road to Popeye's Fall Classic 2017 - 1 Day Out

Only 1 more day to go and I will be on stage at the Popeye's Fall Classic competing in Classic Physique for the very first time! I will also try Open Physique again and see how I do up against the youngsters :)

In this update YouTube video I take you through my last day before the show, some of the video clips include:

• Some workout bench fitness items sent to me from Inspire Fitness for my FT2 Functional Trainer gym.
• I talk about my Peak Weeks and how I carb load back up for the show.
• I go over what I use to do my self tanning and save a few bucks.
• I go for a walk to burn off a few extra calories.
• I shoot some video at the Athletes meeting at the Castle Rock Casino in Richmond.
• And of course include some video of my hamburger at Red Robin Restaurant.

Road to Popeye's Fall Classic 2017 - Why I Do Competitions

Some people might think it's a little bit crazy the way I prepare for a fitness competition like the Popeye's Fall Classic, the hard dieting, the hours of training, and all so I can pay a bunch money to be the entertainment at a body building fitness competition where most of the time all I may get out of it is a medal or trophy for my accomplishment.

Well if you put it that way it does sound a bit off but I love it any way! Here's why:

• Fitness Competitions give me a goal to focus on so I can work hard and get into the best shape of my life!
• I truly enjoy watching the physical transformation my body take when I prepare for these fitness shows.
• I even kind of enjoy the food tracking and manipulation, it keeps me focused and on track.
• I enjoy the fitness competitions themselves, meeting all the like minded people who also have put themselves through hell and back to get on stage and do something that very few people will even try to attempt.
• I love that my body is a representation of who I am as a physical person, strip us all down to the skin, take away our fancy clothing, expensive cars and designer homes and we are only left with ourselves. My health and fitness lifestyle has moulded me into who I am. 

Road to Popeyes Fall Classic 2017 - 1 Week Out

It's almost crunch time or what we call "Peak Week" when preparing for a fitness contest. This is when it gets even more serious and changes are made to the diet to get dialed in for competition day. Calories and Macros are adjusted almost daily with the end goal of walking on stage as lean as possible while still holding as much full muscle as you can. Carbs, water and salts are often manipulated very carefully to achieve this goal.

At roughly 1 week out from my Popeye's Fall Classic Fitness show where I will be competing in Men's Open Physique and Men's Classic Physique I feel I am right on track and will be the leanest yet the heaviest I have ever been on stage to date. Lord knows I am going to need the extra size and conditioning to be a competitor in the Classic Physique division, let alone keep up with the youngsters in Open Men's Physique.

I am really looking forward to this show and hope to have a ton of fun doing it while getting to know some new folks!