Off Season....HUH?
This blog does not relate to everyone – instead to those that compete and are trying to build their physique. For those of you that ever wonder one of the reasons why competitors gain weight when they are not competing, this may help clarify – from my point of view of course……
I competed 3 months ago and fortunately qualified for a national show. There are only 7 national shows per year to choose from. Looking at how long it will realistically take me to make enough progress to compete at that level and the cost (flight to PA vs NV are quite drastic) I decided to compete in 2018. Truthfully, I don’t want to be “off season” for that long, but realistically that is the only show feasible and with adequate time to build my weaker areas.
In order to build muscle mass, the top 2 principles are - lift heavy and eat more. When trying to lose weight, you consume less calories than your body needs to maintain it’s size; therefore, to gain weight you must consume more calories than your body needs to maintain. With this being said – if I want to build my muscles (so when I cut fat for competition my muscles are more pronounced) I need to eat more – consequently gaining weight (both fat and a little muscle mass).
Currently I am sitting 10-15# over competition weight and 5-10# over where I feel “comfortable in my skin”. I am having a very difficult time adjusting to this, thinking I’m fat, people are talking crap about me, how can I help people if I don’t “look the part”, people asking me if I’m bulking, etc.
I went back and forth, sticking to my off season plan vs cutting calories and doing cardio to be “normal”. I’ve gone back and forth thinking I won’t do a national show so I don’t have to build too much, I’ll stick to local shows. I’ve even thought, I will do fine so just to stay at my current weight just lift heavy.
But when it comes down to it…..
I want to challenge myself – doing so means competing in a show that will push me to my limits
I am not planning to spend a lot of money to travel and compete to not know deep down that I gave it 110%
I know I need to put on some size (temporarily….but not really cuz a year seems forever) to make the gains I would like to make.
There are many ways to put on size…..Steroids, Clean eating, Mixed eating, eating crap, supplements, or combination of any of the mentioned…..
I am eating a mix of “clean” and “junk” food – making sure that my priority is getting adequate protein to build muscle (just about 1.5g per # of body weight). I will also be taking muscle building supplements soon.
I am still not sure if I’m going to jump my calories up or reverse diet….Tryson would want me to just jump it up – mentally I’m not even comfortable at my current size to do this and put on more weight. I am trying to get a grip on my mind games so that I can stay focused on the long term goal.
So here I am……trying to bring my best and make those that support me proud. If you see me doing cardio (I shouldn’t be doing more than 30 minutes a few time per week) please tell me “stop being stupid you know you can’t build and cut at the same time!” J
Stay tuned…..do you want me to do Part II next month w/progress pics and what I did in regards to diet and how I’m adjusting? Please say no :) as being accountable puts on more pressure.