Contest Journal 4 Weeks to Australian Championships

Back in the gym and back to work!

Following any competition, I have an intense urgency to get back into the gym.  On Monday I woke at 6am (after going to bed at 12:45am) knowing that three of the four weeks leading to the next contest will consist of heavy strength training, the type of training I relish!  During the final week of preparation for the State competition I was consuming just enough energy to allow for light-weight training so I was excitedly contemplating my first day back with more carbohydrates and greater strength.  I would get straight to work.  I wouldn’t waste one minute!

Training and nutrition strategy

Training hard and heavy felt great.  I was back where I belonged!  On Monday I trained back, Tuesday was chest, Wednesday quads, Thursday shoulders, Friday arms and Saturday hamstrings, glutes and calves. My ferocity and courage returned to hit the weights hard, especially the leg sessions.  My body was recharged with energy-giving and muscle-building carbohydrates and it felt like I had never deviated from my rigorous training regime. I was careful to strategically ease my body into post-competition nutrition and allow my metabolism to adapt to more food.  I gradually reintroduced starchy carbohydrates and fibrous vegetables this week.  Too much, too soon risks disturbing my metabolism – a risk I am not prepared to take for short term gratification.  I keep my long term goals first and foremost in mind.  Some people choose to eat such foods as pizza, chocolate, protein bars, pasta, chips and fatty foods after a contest, but I prefer to keep my post-competition nutrition ‘clean’, particularly when I have another contest in four weeks.  I won’t take any chances with achieving peak conditioning.

Regaining focus

After acknowledging the effort that I invested leading to my win on the weekend, I will now put that competition behind me and concentrate solely on the next challenge – the National Titles on the 9^th of October.  Every day this week I renewed my commitment and motivation during training sessions, pushing each repetition with an intensity and drive demanding full concentration and creating even higher standards and expectations for future efforts.  I am determined to look fuller, harder, drier and leaner in four weeks time.

Evaluation of effort to make minor changes for improvement

Using photographs and video footage of the contest, I reviewed my physique and overall stage presentation.  This highlighted areas that I will tweak in preparation for the next contest to further improve.  These include choice of tan and method of application to better suit my skin and the stage lighting, fine tuning of posing to better display my physique, and making some minor adjustments to contest-day nutrition timing to achieve a fuller, harder physique.

At this point it is also extremely important to evaluate my physique impartially and objectively.  My own judgement is subjective, and can easily become clouded or distorted through emotion and mental and physical fatigue after ten months of dieting and preparation.  This week I sought a valued opinion and critical evaluation from a trusted source.  Using such feedback I will devise practical strategies for improvement.

The week ahead

I am happy with my nutrition, training intensity and cardio sessions this week.  Next week I will continue with carbohydrates, plenty of high quality protein and essential fats, and concentrate on keeping my water intake high.  While it is important I consider the whole competition season still ahead of me (Australian titles 9^th October, Universe Contest 23^rd October, Olympia Contest 11^th – 13^th November) and how to best present my physique at every contest, I must focus most intently on the three weeks immediately ahead.