So now that the Vancouver Fall Classic has come and gone, what are my final thoughts and what is next for this 53 year old body bodybuilder wannabe. Was I happy with how I looked for the show and in the show? Was I happy with how I placed in the show? Did I do everything I wanted to do? Could I have done more or made any changes in my contest prep? How is everything going now after the show, is my body bouncing back OK since post show stress can be even worse then pre show body stress? And what are my future plans moving forward now that the show is over and I have to go back to my regular mundane life ;)
I answer all of these questions and more for you in this video so grab a drink and bag of popcorn and sit back and watch the video...
So we made it to the Vancouver Fall Classic stage and for the most part everything went as planned. I stuck to my program and came in what I thought would be very close to my best condition in several years. If I am honest I don't think I was in my best condition? I have my doubts but really need to see my stage photos to know for sure. They really tell the truth, not that friend and family don't but they will always be rooting for you and have a bias that may not give you 100% accurate feedback.
As I have been talking about leading into this show I struggled with a bit of water retention in my face and to some degree that also showed up a little bit with stomach bloat, not so much in my skin but more under my skin and in my abdomen. I managed this fairly well in the morning show by using an over the counter diabetic called Watertight along with very limited water intake the night before and day of the show. I know I was not holding a lot of water for the morning show because I weight pretty much the same as I had weighed leading up to the show, in my weigh in and in the morning and right up to the day show which was right around 193 to 194 pounds.
Between the mornign Prejudging Show and the evening Awards Show I did have a reasonable sized lunch and I took a bit of fluids, this increased my weight from 193 to around 198 pounds so I went up a good 5 pounds but it was all water and it went a bit into my mid section and face, not really anywhere else and not too much into the skin but maybe a little bit. So I did feel. Little bit bloated on stage which was not exactly what I wanted for the evening show.
It could of been worse for sure but I feel I could have been tighter on stage if I did not have this water retentions issue going on, that said I did OK and placed 1st in Master's Classic Physique which was not a surprise as I was the only one in that class. I placed 1st in Masters Physique out of three competitors one of which I felt was a strong contender for sure so happy with that placing. In the open categories I placed 3rd in Tall Physique out of 5 guys all of which where half my age so again very happy with that placing and in Tall Classic Physique which is probably my weakest category I placed 7th out of 11 guys all of which where young other than me and another Master competitor.
So am I happy with the results? Yes and no, I feel like things fell apart the last week or two of my prep. It's like I strolled a bit, my body fat seemed to drop but I didn't see changes in my body as much as I should of and I believe it was a water retention problem because my weight did not change much even though my body fat did and I was having problem with my face holding onto water any time I changed my diet even a little bit when adding any carbs in.
I am posting this on the Monday after the show and right now I am 205 pounds so 12 pounds overweight in and stage weight and I did not go crazy with the food. I had to shut down the eating and drinking a lot because it was literally putting me into a coma every time I ate anything significant. The interesting things is I am not holding virtually any water anywhere other than my face and abdomen, my ankles and feet are fine, my skin in general is fairly thin everywhere other than my face. I do have a lot of bloat in my stomach which puts pressure on the organs and makes you feel lethargic.
So I guess it is in my best interest and health to go back to a much cleaner and low carb eating style which I am more use to but I was hoping to be able to enjoy a few meals and treats before getting back to more regulated eating. Maybe this is good in a way since I am less likely to put on unwanted weight and can stay leaner this time post show. I will keep you all updated on my health and how my post show recovery goes...
We are officially one day out from the Vancouver Fall Classic and at this point there is not much more I can do other than make sure I make it on stage. All the work has been done and hopefully it was enough? All I know is I gave it my all and stuck with the plan right to end, no regrets on my end. Did this old body respond to all the training and dieting? I guess we will see? At this point it is so hard to be subjective. One moment I feel confident and the next I am doubting myself, it's all part of what I go through each show and I will only really know when I step on stage and get judged beside my peers.
What you're going to see in this 1 Day Out Contest Prep Update Video is exactly what I experience in person on this day. Eating a lot of food, mostly carbs, checking into the hotel and athletes meeting, taking a look at what's inside my loot bag, and finishing the day off with a nice burger and fries at Red Robin...
Only 2 more days to go till I show all the hard work I have done on stage at the Vancouver Fall Classic. Today was not an easy one, my body has had it, my legs are aching, my mind is gone, there is no more energy left but it's just one more day of hard work until I don't have to do any more exercise and I can start my massive carb up.
Today was all about making sure I stuck to my eating plan and I got my activity in which needed to total 2000 calories of exercise. I even had to tell myself if I was a good boy I would get a treat at the end of the day and all I can say is I pulled it off.
I am so excited for tomorrow, I almost feel like the carb up and checkin is one of the more enjoyable parts of doing a contest, don't get me wrong, show day is a lot of fun but for sure more stressful.
In this 2 Day Out Contest Prep Video I take you along with me as I get my last work day completed!
Wow 3 days out to the Vancouver Fall Classic already and for me has come and gone but here's what happened today...
As per normal like every other day for the past several months I made my trek to A&W where I had my two eggs sunny side up and shot my first what's going on today video clip. I also recorded some Shoulder and Arm training at the gym along with some quick change room mandatory posing. There are a couple of food clips of course and I talk about what's going to happen tomorrow a little bit.
I am so glad to have finished up my last weight training session today and only really have tomorrow to worry about in terms of getting steps and activity in to hit my calorie burn goal of around 2000. I am so done and my body is done too, don't know if could do another week of this as I am really getting depleted now and every day I see positive changes in my body. Super excited to see how I look Saturday morning!
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 1:29PM ;)