Road to the Vancouver Open Regionals - 1 Week Out Posing

Getting real close now to the Vancouver Open Regionals. I shot this video on Sunday so 6 days out technically but it will give you an idea of what my conditioning is like about a week out from the show. I always push things really hard the last week to get those last little bits of fat off, I can generally strip another 2 pounds of fat from the stubborn areas and that's about all I need to do now. I feel I am very close and I hope to come in as lean or maybe even a bit leaner than last years show with a bit more muscle added. Yesterday I was 188 pounds as compared to last year this same time I was closer to 182 pounds. So I am up potentially around 6 pounds of muscle if my body fat is in fact the same.

This week to get as lean as I can I have dropped my calories down to around 1500 per day at least till Wednesday and then I will need to start adding in carbs which will increase my food calories a ton generally up adn over 3000 per day as I need to at around 500 grams of carbs for the carb loading process. I also will be walking 6 miles and hitting my weight training each day for an hour or so. This will bring my exercise calories up to around 1500 per day, add that to  my BMR and I am burning 3500 calories per day while only eating 1500 so that generates a 2000 calorie per day deficit.

I am really looking forward to showing off all my hard work at this years show. Last year I did not hire a posing coach, this year I have a couple sessions with Jeff my Posing Coach so this should make the presentation a little better also.

Road to the Vancouver Open Regionals - What Are My Expectations

Last year when I competed in this same show, the Vancouver Open Regionals. My expectations where just to make ti to the show in good health and see how it felt to compete again. I didn't have a lot of prep time last year as I decided a bit late but it was on y radar so I was slowly easing into it even before my actual contest prep. I was just starting to get my strength back in the gym so I was not at 100% in terms of muscle size and density, probably at least 5-8 pounds lighter than normal and that would be muscle mass. My main goal for that show was to come in nice and lean and not push myself too hard as I really didn't know what to expect. I feel I did meet my goals for that show so I was very happy with it even though I did not place all that high. The judges at that show for sure favored size over conditioning.

So here we are a year later and I have one show under my belt post Open Heart Surgery. I know now I can push myself a fair bit with the diet and training and that's what I have been doing. I also have had a lot more time to prep for this show. Officially my prep is a 3 month prep and so I am hoping to be able to bring more muscle mass with at least the same conditioning I brought last show, maybe even a bit tighter! Based on last year I was around 180 pounds at the end of my cut before carbing up. I am hoping to be closer to 185 pounds for this show before I carb up and so on show day I should be close to 195 pounds all carbed up to the max. 5 extra pounds may not seem like all that much but when it's in all the right places and you come in shredded it makes a world of deference!

I am starting to feel the push now at times, it comes in waves and when it hits I get a low energy fatigue feeling that sometimes lasts a couple of hours but generally I get my energy back or at least enough of it to make everything happen that needs to happen.

In terms of how I hope to place in this years show, of course I want to be first in every class I enter but even if I come in a bit bigger this year, I know most of the guys will out size me. If I can come in super conditioned with good esthetics than there is always the chance of pulling off a first place. it really depends who shows up for this show and how they look. Also what the judges are looking for? Last year size was key. This year, who knows?

Road to the Vancouver Open Regionals - 2 Weeks Out Posing

When I get to two weeks out from a show, in this case the Vancouver Open Regionals, it starts to get real. Generally I start the process of signing up to the show at this point and making sure I have all my registration and tanning all setup and scheduled. At two weeks out I also usually get tighter with my diet and start adding in a bit more walking to increase calorie burn while reducing calorie intake. Calories this week will be around 2000 per day with at least 3500 burned calories via my BMR and exercise calories combined. This means I will be in around a 1500 calorie deficit each day so I should lose around 2-3 pounds per week.

I have been trying to stay as close to 190 as I can while I cut meaning if I am able to do this while losing fat, then that means I am gaining muscle. I have just recently started to dip a bit lower on the scale than my 190 goal but that's OK, it is bound ot happen at some point as I get as lean as I need to. I am hovering around 187 to 189 depending on the time of day.

I am feeling really good, yesterday I had a bit of a refeed, and so today I had a ton of energy and got a lot of walking in along with my regular weight training. I hope I am able to keep my energy up over the next two weeks while pushing a bit harder but I know there will be some ups and downs along the way.

Watch my poing update video here at two weeks out and let me know if I am looking much better than my last 4 weeks out posing video...

Road to the Vancouver Open Regionals - 4 Weeks Out Posing

We are getting ever closer to the Vancouver Open Regionals where I plan to compete in both Men's Physique and Classic Physique. At just 4 weeks out I am feeling good and I feel I am right on track. I am happy to be holding my weight at right around 190 pounds which has not changed for a while now. For some they may see this as not making any progress in terms of cutting weight? My plan has been all along to keep my weight but convert fat into muscle and since fat has about 3 times the potential stored energy compared to muscle tissue, I am able to keep my weight even when in a caloric deficit. Once I get closer to the show at about 2 weeks out, I will start to really push the cutting and caloric deficit and losing actual pounds on the scale will happen for sure. My goal will be to drop down to about 185 pounds but carb up for the show and fill in closer to 190 or even 195 pounds if I do it right.

You can see in this video I am leaning out and to me it looks like I am putting on additional muscle, but I will let you be the judge as I show off a few poses for the camera.

Road to the Vancouver Open Regionals - 6 Weeks Out Posing

Officially we are now 6 weeks out at the time I recorded this video, which was on Saturday May 31st. The Show (Vancouver Open Regionals) is being held on July 12th in Abbotsford BC Canada which is nice and close to me. I am feeling really good and I am very happy with how everything is going. I would even go so far as to say this may be the best conditioned I am at 6 weeks out I have ever been. I have been bigger before in terms of muscle but that did not always work out for me as even at my biggest I generally get outsized by most of the guys on stage, so I my strategy has always been to try and at least out condition most of the guys to enhance what I have as much as possible.

The goal for this show was not to be super big as I just can't do that anymore. What it takes is just too hard on my body with a heart that has already been through a lot, and needs to be taken care of. My goal is to come into this years show with about 5 more pounds of muscle and with similar conditioning to last years same show, as I feel I was really well conditioned but last year I just did have enough time to get that added muscle I needed to be more competitive.

As I said, I feel really good, I still have lots of energy and no real hunger issues. I even raised my calories from around 2000 per day up to 2500 per day as I was losing a bit too much fat a bit too quickly. I want to kind of stay in the area I am right now till perhaps 4 weeks out, and then reassess my calorie intake to slowly lose the last 5-6 pounds of fat or so I need to trim, to get into the 5-6% body fat range I need to be in. The Body Composition Scale (Evolt Active) at my local gym says I am in the mid 6% body fat ranges, but I think it is being generous to me. I would say I am closer to a high 7% or low to mid 8% body fat currently. I am also holding really close to 190 pounds which is great. Over the next 3 to 4 weeks I hope to add a couple more pounds of muscle and maybe lose about the same in fat and then it will be time to get shredded :)