With the drive and motivation from the win early in the year accompanied by the unwavering support from those closest to me we decided to forge on with the comp prep and hit the big stage at the Nabba/WFF Pan Pacific International. This was quickly shaping up to become the biggest show of the year, with the international rules and the chance to win a Pro card alongside prize money, the best of the best were all starting to emerge from the woodwork. We knew the calibre of athlete was going to be super high so we really had to put in the work and bring an improved package.
My prime objective when stepping on stage is to better myself, improve on my last outing and display progress. On the left is April Show -WFF regional where I won my class, best poser and Overall WFF title, on the right is August show WFF international where I placed third in the most competitive line up in the show Mens Performance category.
With a little bit of feedback from the judges in regards to my April physique we immediately went to work to make improvements. Approximately 6 weeks of increased calorie intake with a switch in programming with an emphasised focus on bringing up legs, lots of volume and lots of frequency then back in to contest diet and amended split to ensure recovery was on point as calories were manipulated to bring that condition back in sharp. In regards to the competition I was facing we knew I had to come in as big and as full as possible whilst staying tight. I went with very different food groups for my load, this is always met with a little bit of anticipation, of course i’d done a couple of dummy runs just to make sure it wouldnt totally back fire but what I had found was for me personally there was a very fine line of getting it bang on or if I pushed it a little too far i’d spill over and lose that super hard look I was after.
Looking at the comparisons the obvious difference is the darker tan, with super bright lights at the bigger international venue a darker tan was a must to avoid being washed out by the stage lighting, now in my eyes I feel like I was drier and tighter at the April show however I was a little bit flat, its a little bit hard to gauge as the the tan was a lot lighter which presents a very dry look in comparison to the darker more ‘moist’ tan application. The August show I feel like we achieved the goal set out, much fuller and bigger, condition was still on point and my main objective of making improvements with my legs was accomplished.
Bodybuilding is a ‘marathon’ sport, small consistent improvements over an extended period of time build a solid physique, there will always be something to work on and there will always be room for improvement. Being your own worse critic and at the same time being able to take criticism and use that to fuel the necessary improvements that need to be made are critical to becoming a better version of yourself.
For now its back to the drawing board with excitement building for a productive ‘off season’, lots of heavy lifting, more food and more recovery time. While the focus, commitment and dedication to my goals are still of the upmost importance its also time to relax a little enjoy training for training and put more time into other aspects of life such as family, friends, business and down time. Its important to remember that you may stand up on that stage by yourself but theres no way youd get there without the support of those around you and at the end of the day being able to share the experience with the people that are most important in your life is far more rewarding than doing it alone.
Small steps to success !!
