2012 Masters Nationals

9th out of 30 in the over 40 heavyweights; What a big show! All the weight classes were big!

First they split us up into four groups; I was in the last one. We stepped out on stage and hit our poses and where then winged off onto the sides of the stage in four lines, two on each side. First call out was only four numbers and they ran through their poses; then they were dismissed and done. Then they called out the next six numbers and I was the 5th one called. I knew I was top 10 but I also knew I wasn't top five when the had me switch places with the guy on my left, who was on the end, after we hit a few poses. After prejudging, my family and I went out and I had beers, pulled pork, slaw... I didn't care how I would look for the night show, which was smoother.

I am very happy with this placement. Being in the top 10 for two years in a row, is something to be happy about. Of course, if I nailed my condition, regardless if I still took 9th I would be much happier. But I have grown in a lot of places and even though I didn't come in at my best, I've brought myself to a new level in size and condition and that whats it's really all about, growing and improving

I've grown a lot since my last show where I weighed 207. This time I stepped on the stage at 215 and I was pretty ripped at 2%, I could have been fuller which would have made me harder looking and even more lean. When you are properly carbed up and ripped, you look even more ripped.

The question I have is, why do I need to get fat and eat myself up to 240 to grow? Why can't I do that by just eating in excess? Why do I need to eat fat, when the carbs not used will turn to fat? Where does the fat go first? Into the muscle (where you want it)? or on the muscles where you don't?

I have no cravings at all, for any type of junk food, I would much rather over eat clean fat free foods. Don't get me wrong, when in Rome I will eat like the Romans. It's not that. I'm not dieting for a contest. I just don't care to eat junk food, I have no interest in it, even if it is in the house... and I have a 10 year old living in my house, so trust me, it's there if I wanted it!

I am a firm believer, if you are craving something fattening, like cakes, chips, cookies, pizza,  hamburgers, fries, peanut butter, you are not eating enough food. Yes I said peanut butter is junk food, and you can tell yourself what you want, you will not get abs to show off, if you eat peanut butter, its high in fat and low in protein, low quality too. I would not use it for a staple in my diet

220 under 5% bf

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Fill up the water balloons baby!

In less then two weeks I will take my second shot at the Masters Nationals. Last year, I took 7th out of 24 in the 40+ heavyweights. Last year, I stepped on stage at 207, which should have been 210, if it wasn't for a lesson learned the day before. Right now, I'm waking up at 213 and have 2% body fat and I'm in the best shape of my life thus far. I like saying that, because it's true. I've never been this big nor ripped this big, so that makes the statement stand true, right?

I started dieting 11 weeks out for this show and at that time I weight 224 with 8% body fat. I hadn't allowed myself to get too fat, so that I would be farther ahead near the end of the diet and that I would have to eat more food to stop from losing muscle, because of no longer having any body fat.

I got to that point a week ago.

I started dieting by eating 50 grams of carbs with each meal every 2.5 hours, that got me shredded in 7 weeks, oh and no fats by the way. My fat intake for an average day is 10 to 15 grams total.

What do you do when you have no more body fat?

You need to eat more food, because you don't have anything in reserve. Now I could just eat some fats and that would increase my calories, which is what I need to do, but I'd much rather eat more carbs and see how big I can get without smoothing out.

I woke up last week weighing 210, wrapped, and realized I was on the low end of my carb levels and need to increase them, having 3 weeks to go. So for the next day and a half, I ate 100 grams of carbs each meal and in 2 days I was waking up at 215, just at ripped. Since then, I have eaten 100 grams with two of my meals and that's holding me at 213.

You see where I'm going with this right?... Fill up the water balloons baby! Its time to grow! It's party time!

I'm going to slowly change out meals, adding more carbs and see where it takes me.

My sodium is just over a 1000mg and when I drop that to 300mg, I'll lose 1.5 pounds of subcutaneous water weight.

The plan is to see if I can eat myself up to 217 and dry out to 215... but even if I were to dry out at this weight here, 213, that works for me too

Not only is having no body fat and being in kick ass shape the best part of the dieting, now is when you really learn your body

Like I've always said, first you get ripped, then you grow!

Master Nationals July 21th!

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