Nutrition

Preparation for a competition takes weeks, months or even years! I have to stay on a strict diet for at least 16 weeks, which used to be difficult because my mom is such an amazing cook. Coming from a large family and such a rich culture, dieting was hard in my household. Being persistent and proactive is what helped me cope and over the past couple years I have implemented my bodybuilding diet into my daily life, making it part of my lifestyle. I taught my family the importance of healthy eating. My mother even started implementing healthy substitutions into her cooking. Eating healthy, in my household, is now a part of our life. One tip I can give you is to always try to eat with someone, because eating in front of the TV or
the computer can lead to mindless over-eating.

Cardio

My favorite type of cardio is the stair master. I usually have to be at work by 5am, so I wake up an hour early to do cardio. It’s such a great feeling and perfect for weight-loss because I do it on an empty stomach. My aim is always 45 minutes but going an extra 15 is never a problem, if I have time.

In Closing

Preparing for a competition is only a hobby but it is the #1 factor in helping me get in shape fast. Knowing a contest is approaching motivates me to become much more disciplined in my training and especially in my nutrition plan. And I love the outcome, especially if it’s a late spring or early summer show – just in time for my summer beach body. Since my first competition in 2009, I have done five more competitions. On November 22nd, 2014 I won the overall at the NPC Natural Muscle Classic in Rockford, IL. So whether you want to look “BIG” and fit like me, or just want to live a healthier lifestyle, I hope that this article inspires you the way past No Nonsense articles have motivated me.

Cardio and Running Program

The next step was to incorporate fat burning/muscle sparing cardio along with endurance training. I believe cross training is the key to being injury free and protecting the joints. Even though running 13.1 miles in a decent time was the end goal, I felt that I needed to incorporate different angles, inclines and types of cardio to keep the muscles fresh and avoid repetitive joint injuries. Let me show you how I did it:

Phase One: 4 days/week of HIIT on the elliptical or treadmill for 15 minutes. On the treadmill, I alternated one minute of fast jogging at various inclines, with one minute of walking. I varied the resistance on the elliptical while going fast in the forward motion for a minute and then slow in the reverse direction for a minute.

Phase Two: 3 days/week of HIIT on the elliptical or treadmill for 20 minutes. And 1 day/week a distance run on Saturday in place of one of the HIIT sessions. I started with a 3-mile run on Saturday and gradually increased the distance.

Phase Three: 2 days/week of HIIT on the elliptical for 20-30 minutes. And 2 days/ week of running. In the weeks leading up to the race, I substituted a 2nd day of running for one of the HIIT sessions. On Wednesdays, I would run 3 miles for time, trying to decrease my time a little each week. On Saturdays, I continued my longer run, successively adding mileage as the weeks grew closer to the race. I did two days of HIIT intervals on the elliptical, 1 minute fast in the forward rotation and 1 minute slow in the reverse rotation for 20-30 minutes.

Nutrition

The next piece of the puzzle was diet. I knew I was going to need more carbohydrates than usual to fuel my long runs, but would need to manipulate some variables for continued fat loss. I began with my usual diet of 250g of protein, 400g of carbs and 50g of fat. When I started the long runs on Saturdays, I bumped my carbs to 475g two days prior and 450 the day before the run for added glycogen. This was important since I was still working out hard in the gym. At 11 weeks out from the bodybuilding contest I ran my first half marathon. My average macro count at that point was 260g of protein, 370g carbs and around 35g fat.

To get my numbers to where they needed to be, I varied the portion sizes and added or subtracted grams of fats, carbs and proteins. To bump my carbs before the races I added in Ezekiel bread or muffins.

Two days before the race I bumped my carbs up to 500g and the day before I consumed 450g. Given that my upcoming bodybuilding competition was the end goal, I paid close attention to how my body looked after these carb up meals during my morning posing practice sessions. I noticed that I looked best two days after the carb up meal. This helped me develop my final peak week as the contest approached.

Final Preparations

The first race went very well and I established a personal best for the half marathon. My next race, the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon, would be just 4 weeks out from the bodybuilding show. I would have to start tightening things up even as I was preparing for another half marathon. My training and nutrition schedules now looked like this:

Monday: 30 minutes of posing and stretching in the morning; Chest and 25 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical in the evening

Tuesday: Legs – no cardio or running on leg day!

Wednesday: 30 minutes of posing and stretching in the morning; 3 mile timed run in the afternoon

Thursday: 20 minutes posing in the morning; Back and abs in the evening

Friday: 20 minutes of posing in the morning; Arms and 30 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical in the evening

Saturday: Long run

Sunday: Shoulders, 20 minutes of posing, and 20 minutes of HIIT all in the morning

At this point my carbs were down to about 300g/day. For the race, I bumped them to 400g two days before and 350g the day before. Although being somewhat depleted, my time was even better than it had been in my first race 7 weeks prior and I set a new PR!

Now it was time to switch to straight bodybuilding mode for the final four weeks. I didn’t want to change a lot. I continued to run, but cut the distance for my long run on Saturday to 5 miles at maximum. I no longer added extra carbs before the run and basically just kept things steady.

I used this basic format all the way to the show, with some minor adjustments in my ratios depending on my look. I always am instinctive with my diets, so I would tweak things as necessary depending on how I was looking. Given that I had been observing from this whole time how my body responded to the carb up meals for the runs, I knew how much to bump my carbs to peak for the show.

Since bodybuilding is normally a 24/7 sport, it was definitely a mental and physical challenge this year to train for a race while preparing for a professional bodybuilding show at the same time. I have to admit though, it was fun! I came into the show at my heaviest weight to date and placed second in the IFPA Pro Galaxy Elite amongst very tough competition.

I was first introduced to Beverly International products from a member at the Iron Pit Gym back in 2007. The first supplements I used were UMP, Lean Out, and 7-Keto MuscLean. In 2011, I heard about a new division that was about to be introduced into bodybuilding called men’s physique. I did some research and found out that it was a division for people who want to focus on an athletic look, and in 2012 I competed in my first men’s physique competition. From there I was hooked. For the next two years I competed and won a number of contests culminating in earning my IFBB Pro Card in 2013.

I continued competing over the next few years – but without Beverly International supplements. You see, on winning my pro card I was offered a sponsorship by a different nutrition company and as part of the deal I couldn’t use Beverly. However, I decided that it was more important to use and recommend the best products on the market, even if I did have to pay for them. I’m happy to say that I am now a Beverly International distributor and able to recommend them to all my family, friends, clients, and followers. Now, with Beverly again in my supplement stash, I’m back on track to train and successfully compete again in 2020.

One more thing I’m kind of proud of – my photo is on the cover of a recent novel, Reign by Elizabeth Knox, and will be on the cover of at least seven more novels that will be published soon.

In the rest of this article I’ll detail my current diet, supplement, and workout plans.

I follow a pretty strict diet year-round so that I'm always just a fewweeks away from top condition for a contest or photo shoot.

Pre-Contest Adjustments

My pre-contest diet adjustments are minimal. I drop the whole egg from meal 1 and drop the rice at meal 5. I also substitute tilapia for chicken at meal 5.

Supplement-wise, I add Glutamine Select and 7-Keto MuscLean to my year-round supplement program. Battling low energy during contest prep is one of the hardest parts of competing, so I use Beverly’s Up-Lift to give me the boost of energy I need to have a good workout. Glutamine Select helps my body recover so I can continue to work out hard even when my body is running on low energy. 7-Keto MuscLean makes losing those last couple pounds of bodyfat (at my age, 45) possible.

This was fine until the head coach’s assistant, Coach Olsen, noticed that I smelled like weed and he banned us from the weight room. That was a huge disappointment for me because Coach Olsen was partly responsible for a lot of my muscle and strength gains. I wanted to work out so badly that I would sneak back in the weight room when the football team would go outside. The last time we tried, Coach Olsen chased us out of the weight room and banned us for life. After that, we had to make use of hand-me-down weights with the busted-up concrete plastic coated plates and work out in the front yards or basements of any friend’s house that had them.

After graduating, I started joining gyms. I kept the same strategy; find the biggest, strongest guys and workout with them. In 1998, I ended up at a local gym called The Pit Barbell Club. Ironically, I’d be in there high out of my mind, working out with many police officers, sheriffs, powerlifters and a few bodybuilders. I got very serious with my training, even planned to compete in a powerlifting meet. That came crashing down in October of 1999 when my brother, Karly, died of a drug overdose.

That day I realized that if I continued down the weed smoking and dealing path I was on, that I could end up in prison like many of my relatives or dead like my brother.

Family and Health Issues

On December 30, 2003 my daughter Jalia was born healthy and vibrant. I had purchased a brand new home, a brand new truck, and life was good. Two months later, Jalia had emergency
heart surgery at Riley's Hospital to repair her aorta. In 2007 while working for CSX, at a company health screening the nurse pulled me to the side and told me to go see a doctor immediately. My blood pressure was in the 150/100 range. I followed her advice, walked in the doctor’s office a couple of days later and told him... “I’m not taking medication for the rest of my life, what do I need to do?” He told me that stress, genetics, weight, diet and exercise are major factors in controlling high blood pressure. I knew I could control all but one, the genetics.

At that point, Jalia’s mother and I separated and I made up my mind to change my lifestyle for the better. I left that doctor’s appointment filled with all kind of emotions... primarily guilt and shame. I felt guilty because I knew that high blood pressure ran in my family. I felt that I was the cause of Jalia having heart troubles. I felt guilty because I was still selling weed. “What if I die like my brother?” “What if I go to prison?” “What will happen to Jalia?” “If I would have known how to take care of myself better could her surgery had been prevented?”

I felt ashamed because the doctor gave me medication to take, and being the person who looked fit, and was known to always workout, taking a medication was something that embarrassed me. From that point on, I made a decision to do everything in my power to ALWAYS be here for my daughter. To always be free. To stop hustling. To do everything in my power to be the best man, father and role model that I could be.

As fate would have it, around that same time in my life, a lot of the people I was dealing with were being sent to federal prison. I’ll never forget going to federal court for the trial of one of my cousins and during the break the prosecutor comes over to me and one of my other cousins, calls us both by name and tells us we are next. I was scared straight; by my doctors and by the prosecutors. From that point on, I’ve focused on a positive life.

During my next doctor's appointment, he advised me against powerlifting because of the added weight to my small frame, to stop taking pre-workout stimulant supplements, and to increase my cardio. I HATED cardio. I never did it. In 2008, my younger brother Larry was overweight and was told by his doctor to lose body fat. I took him to the gym with me a few times, and he never came back. Not long after that, he tells me he is doing P90X and he lost 30 pounds. I thought, “Big deal! You finally got off the couch, of course you’re going to lose some weight.”

P90X, Insanity and MY First Contest

Meanwhile, I was running, swimming, and lifting lighter weights for higher reps. Now my goals were different. I thought, “If I have to lose a few pounds and eat cleaner for my health and to get off medication, I might as well get ripped.” Larry stayed committed to P90X, and lost 70 pounds. When he sent me his before-and-after pics, and he had a hint of abs, I got jealous, thinking, “I can’t let little bro outdo me.” I went over to his house to see what this was all about. I followed the Insanity program, got down to 163 pounds and even earned a spot on one of their promotional infomercials. This led me to develop a following as a trainer.

I eventually chose to personally train just a few handpicked clients who wanted to work hard. I realized that I enjoyed teaching, speaking and working with crowds of people over training people in a one-on-one setting. One of my fellow instructors, Marlon, competed in his first men's physique competition. I was only aware of the bodybuilding aspects of competitions and I knew I didn’t want to do that. When he explained to me how men's physique works, with the limited posing and board shorts, I knew I could compete.

One of my goals is to be a fitness model, and I know that doing men's physique can be a great opportunity to get my name and face out there. Also, it would be one of those things that I would kick myself later for if I didn’t try. No more “what ifs?” for me!

I competed in my first Open Men’s Physique contest this spring and was thrilled to place 4th in both the novice and open divisions. In the remainder of this article I’d like to share with you the training and nutrition schedules that got me into my best shape ever and a few “contest” tips for any of you who might be thinking about competing.

My Training

I work a full-time job with a rotating schedule and I’m a group exercise instructor. I am aware that I can overtrain, so my workouts are short, hard and they vary weekly. I usually train two body parts per day while focusing on short rest periods between sets (less than one minute). Here is my current workout:

Cardio

I teach 8-10 group fitness classes for my off-season cardio, but 4 weeks out from a contest I add 30 minutes fasted HIIT training (in the form of Insanity Max :30). In the last 5 years or so, I’ve also added another twist to my routine, and that’s Hot Yoga. I believe hot yoga will be a benefit to many bodybuilders.

Diet

When it comes to “diet,” (I use that word loosely because I refer to my food intake as a nutritional plan) mine is really simple. I don’t count calories. I do, however, aim for at least 20-25 grams of protein with every meal to preserve and build muscle. I follow a handful of guidelines to keep me lean all year around and use sensible portion sizes. When it’s time for a photo shoot or contest, I dial it in more for about four to six weeks and carb cycle for two to three weeks. I believe by following this simple eating plan, it affords me the luxury of shortening my pre-contest prep. A sample off-season or lifestyle plan is as follows:

In Closing

For almost two years now, I have been a coal handler at our power plant. The job is dirty, dusty and dangerous with many hazards. Our primary job is to ensure coal flows into the power plant in order to produce electricity. I primarily operate a D9 bulldozer pushing coal into the coal feeders or using the dozer to stockpile coal for later use. The best part about this job is that we have a great supervisor and a full kitchen. My supervisor allows me to prepare meals on my breaks. Some of my healthy eating habits have rubbed off on most of our department. We work a swing shift so it can be a challenge to stay on a consistent workout plan.

That’s pretty much my life story. I believe that all my past experiences led me up to this moment. I’m excited about the future. I believe as long as I continue to put 100% into what I do, the man upstairs will bring people and circumstances into my life and those things will lead to greater opportunities.

I grew up playing sports as a kid (football, basketball, and baseball). The desire to become bigger, faster, and stronger fueled me to be the best I could be in any athletic competition and led me to start weight training. I began to train consistently when I was a sophomore in high school and have stuck with it ever since. I have been training at the same gym, Fenton Powerhouse, for the past 17 years.

Last year, I competed for the first time at the NPC Great Lakes Ironman in the Men’s Physique division. I placed 1st Overall True Novice, 1st Overall Novice, 2nd in the Masters, and 3rd in the Open. Just recently I stepped on stage for only the 2nd time at the NPC Michigan State Championships and won the Masters while placing 2nd in the Open division.

I don’t take my initial success lightly. I continue to challenge myself with each workout because I’ve learned that my real competition is against myself. The only thing I can control is how hard I’m willing to work every time I step into the gym. I try to live by the principles of dedication, pride, commitment, and excellence each and every day. In the remainder of this article I am going to present my workout, my precontest nutrition plan, and the supplement program that helped me gain 10 pounds of muscle.

My Introduction to Men's Physique

My journey of competing in Men’s Physique is different than most. It started when one of the trainers at my gym said he thought I would be a perfect fit for it. At first, I laughed it off. I told him I wasn't really interested in getting on stage. He explained the rules to me and said that basically it was just about being in tip-top shape. That caught my interest, but I still wasn't ready to say yes. It wasn’t until about a year later that I finally followed up with him.

At my gym we focus on HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), core training, and strength work. The only mirror you'll find is in the bathroom. However, to compete in Men’s Physique, I needed to round off some of my rough edges and learn how to pose. So, I contacted Matt Packer from Healthier U, another gym here in town. I had just 4 weeks to get ready for my first show, the Natural Ohio Bodybuilding Association contest in Newark OH. Matt put me on a strict diet, and worked with me on posing. I continued to do my workouts at SWET during the week and met with Matt on Saturdays to get the poses down. With his guidance, I took first place in my class and second overall! I loved the adrenaline rush when those stage lights hit me! I had definitely caught the contest bug!

Next, I added some sculpting days at Healthier U to my normal workouts at SWET. At SWET, I kept working on strength, Olympic lifts, core work, and pushing myself to my anaerobic limit in our HIIT sessions. At Healthier U, I did more traditional bodybuilding exercises and focused on muscle development. This proved to be a perfect combination for me. I was able to feed my competitive energy and football background as well as catch a great pump all during a week’s workouts.

3 Beverly Supplements and a 10-lb Gain

I was introduced to Beverly International products at this time. The first products I purchased were Ultra 40, Mass Amino Acids, and Multiple Enzyme Complex. Wow! I'd been weighing around 195lbs for 10 years, ever since college. I could never break 200lbs. By taking Beverly supplements the right way, I gained over 10lbs of muscle at 34 years of age and found myself weighing 212lbs! Beverly definitely had my attention from that day forward!

My next competition was the NPC Natural Cincinnati presented by Rick Ruether and his team. I weighed in 6lbs heavier and leaner than at my NOBA competition. I took first place in my class and first overall! Then I went to Chicago for the NPC Jr. Nationals. Now here was a different breed! I recall telling my wife, "We're not in Kansas anymore." The results from this competition didn’t end close to where I’d hoped. I was in the 3rd call out! Even though I was in a huge class with extreme competition, I was not happy with myself about this finish. I’d have to go back to the drawing board before my next national contest.

For the IFBB North America, in Pittsburgh, I kept my off-season process of using Ultra 40, Mass Amino Acids, and Multiple Enzyme Complex. I also added Beverly UMP Protein. I have never had a better tasting protein in all my years of training. Another change I made for this show was to further tighten my diet. For the Pittsburgh show, I weighed 202lbs! This was still a lot more weight than my first ever physique show. Now 202lbs is my “light weight”! I have to thank Sandy and the Beverly team for that! Also, I went back to my normal split of Olympic lifting, HIIT, and body building being evenly dispersed through the week. For the Chicago show I had thrown off this balance. I did a little too much bodybuilding and not enough  conditioning. My results were better in Pittsburgh! I finished 6th in my class, just 4 slots away from getting an IFBB pro card!

A Lesson Learned

I learned a ton from this experience. The main thing was to just be myself. For Chicago, I had gotten too uptight. I broke my own rules and starting paying attention to other Physique guys on the web. That's not me. My motivation is internalized. When I stopped caring about what others were doing, my results were significantly better! I was much more relaxed and conditioned, and this reflected on stage at the North America. Let that be a lesson to you. Make a goal and go for it! However, whatever you do, don't worry about what others are doing or thinking. Everyone has their own opinions. You can't worry about that though. Take strategic steps to achieve your goals and never lose focus. Keep those around you that help motivate you and don’t pay attention to those who might discourage you.

Now, I'm beginning another year of competition. I'm 35 years old and feeling better than ever! I call this my sophomore year since it is only my 2nd year in the game. Whatever the results, I plan on being myself and having fun throughout. I am also making sure not to neglect my loved ones, my beautiful wife Jennifer, my son Gabe, and my daughter Grace. If my ambitions ever get in the way of my quality time with them, it's time to hang it up. It's up to me to be proactive and keep this balance. Also, I have to keep my eyes on the Man upstairs. God is the reason I'm here. With Him on my side, nothing or no one can be against me.

 
My life changing journey into bodybuilding began my sophomore year at Eastern Kentucky University. I was working at the campus gym and many of the clients said that I should think about competing. So, after graduating, I decided to give it a shot. I stepped on stage for the first time at the NPC KY Derby Bodybuilding Championships and finished dead last! I’m sure many would have given up, but I only became more determined that the next time I stepped on a contest stage I would not only place, but win! The first step was for me to find a trainer to guide me in my quest.

After researching many trainers, I chose Dave Uhlman to guide my physique transformation at Team Elite. The first thing Dave did was make me take a good look at my nutrition. He explained that proper nutrition and supplementation would account for 80% or more of my ultimate contest success. Prior to working with Dave my meal planning and supplement intake was pretty random – whatever was being touted in the current magazines or internet posts. Dave also analyzed my workouts and created workout schedules that spelled out exactly what I needed to do. After working with Dave for 2 years I stepped on stage again at the NPC KY Muscle in 2017. This time I won my class! You can see a sample of my successful diet, supplement, and workout programs accompanying this article.

Facing Death!

This spring I was in even better shape than at the KY Muscle. I had created a physique package that I was extremely proud of. Going in to the show I thought I would win for sure. But when I stepped on stage I was dwarfed by two of the other competitors. I ended up third, but couldn’t get the size of those two guys out of my mind.

In my mind, I felt like a loser and this drove me to take a risk that I came close to paying for with my life. I started researching online steroid sites. Ultimately, I purchased growth hormone from an underground site.

Almost immediately after I started on it I noticed that I was having trouble swallowing. I went to Urgent Care, but two days later I was unable to swallow at all, and when I tried, the pain was so excruciating that it brought me to my knees. My girlfriend, Sarah, took me to the hospital and after four hours in the ER that included a CAT scan, IV fluids, and Tylenol, they diagnosed my condition as Epiglottitis. This is an infection of the epiglottis and an ENT was immediately called in.

But just fifteen minutes after I was diagnosed, my airway completely closed and I was rushed to the OR for an emergency tracheotomy. While heading to the OR I coded, so they had to apply CPR for five minutes. I then coded two additional times during the procedure. I literally died three times! After hours in the OR I became septic. The doctor told my mother and Sarah to call my family and loved ones because the chances of me making it out alive were slim. I was finally stabilized at 4:30am and moved to the SICU where I was placed in a medically induced coma with paralysis, and put into a hypothermic state as a last ditch effort to save my life. After 24 hours of barely clinging to life, my body began to respond and I slowly began my recovery.

I’m not sharing this story to tell you how I beat death and have been given a second chance at life. I’m telling it to encourage you to not make the same mistake. The underground growth hormone was the cause of my trauma. The drug was contaminated which caused an infection, and the growth hormone cells then attached to the infectious cells causing severe epiglottitis and closing my airway.

I know that during our fitness journeys we hit plateaus, or get frustrated and begin to question the process and ourselves. But I want to encourage you to keep pushing, and to keep working as hard as you can. Good things come to those who work hard and don’t give up. Be proud of who you are, and what you have accomplished. I should have been proud of being in the best shape of my life at that last show, but instead I focused on the judges’ placings and the two guys that placed ahead of me.

I am now playing catch up with my body and fighting to recover. The advantage I was seeking ended up nearly killing me. I am blessed to have a second chance at life, but someone else may not be as lucky. Through this battle, I saw the pain I caused my friends and family, and no trophy or victory is worth the heartbreak that they endured because of my decision. But through that I also saw the love and support of those same people during the toughest time of my life and for that I am forever thankful.

I did my first show when I was 18 years old, the Teen Novice Michigan. I was able to win my class and like many others who catch the “competition bug,” was hooked on the sport! In 2003, I was introduced to Beverly International. I have been using Beverly products now for 15 years! But, not only their products, the foundation I gained from Beverly’s information and philosophy on training and diet have led me to many successful competition experiences throughout the years.

In 2011, I did a final series of shows and then decided to “hang up my trunks”. At this time, I owned a few gyms, promoted two drug free NPC shows (the Natural Indiana & Indianapolis), and had a number of nutrition counseling clients. I hadn’t really intended to “quit” bodybuilding, but my priorities slowly drifted away from competing. I still kept in shape and people would always ask when “The Shark” (a nickname I’ve had as long as I can remember) was going to return to the stage.

I half-heartedly planned on competing in 2013; however, due to poor decisions and too much ambition in business, I ignored my relationships, didn’t pay as close attention to family, and even got “too busy” to go to church. As a result this was a rough year of divorce, dividing and dissolving assets, and a time for inner reflection and needed council.

It was later that year that I met Erika. I coached her as she achieved her lifelong goal of competing as a figure athlete, and as our friendship grew, I found myself attracted to her work ethic and dedication to her faith. I was madly in love and didn’t even realize it. Luckily she felt the same and we got married in 2016. Erika shared my passion for health and fitness and using it as a platform to help as many people as we possibly can. She helped me rebrand our nutrition company into MacroMissionary and in late 2017 she declared that she was going to compete again.

Self Reflection Time!

Erika’s decision to compete really made me think. I stopped competing for two main reasons.

1. I did not want to start using illegal drugs.
2. I’d get too caught up in winning to where it would be messing with my head.

I made no commitment to compete, but set a goal to get in my best shape ever for my 40th birthday. I buckled down and got to work eating and training like a bodybuilder... and the thought of returning to the stage began creeping into the back of my mind.

About this time I read Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life. The book inspired me to make the very best of the gifts that God has given me. And to honor not only Him, but also the people that He put in my life to help me foster these talents. Those who helped me the most in life and bodybuilding were my mom and dad, brother, and Erika. I decided I would compete again, not striving for ripped abs or a trophy, but for a much greater purpose - to honor these people who had meant so much to me.

Jump Back into the Contest Waters

I set my mind to compete in the same two shows Erika was doing -- the Indianapolis Championships, August 4th and the Indiana state Championships, August 18th. Unfortunately my dad has later stage Alzheimer’s so travelling to Indiana for the shows would be too hard for him and my mom. But on the 4th of July I was scrolling through the NPC site and came across a show in Michigan not too far from my parents’ house. The show was just 3 days away!!! I called my friend and leader in the NPC, Ed Sanders, and asked him his thoughts about my competing and he gave me his blessing. I’ve never believed in crazy changes the final week, and Erika was BEYOND supportive, so I entered the show and dedicated it to my dad.

Three valuable lessons that my dad taught me are:

CONSISTENCY - Dad didn’t chase the next new thing, or greener grass on the other side. He was loyal to his work at GM, never missing a day in 36 years. This taught me in bodybuilding & life to find the basics, follow them, and stay focused, not for days or years, but for a lifetime.

HARD WORK - My dad was not gifted with an Einstein brain or a Michael Jordan jump shot. He put in the work, period. His thought was “I work until the job is done.”

In bodybuilding, I’d get up before school and pay an older friend with a car to drive me to the gym, then hit it again after school. I started weeding gardens, cutting grass, and shoveling snow at 10 years old. Thank you Dad for teaching me to WORK.

FOLLOW THE RULES - Although we butt heads on this one, it’s probably the primary reason I choose not to do drugs illegally. My dad followed the rules, period! If he signed a contract he made right on it. His word meant everything. Thank you for your example dad!

As it turned out, I won the Masters and Open Classic Physique Overall titles, as well as 1st in the Open Bodybuilding LHW class with my dad and mom right there in the audience!

Midwestern States and Indianapolis

The next show was the NPC Midwestern States. This show’s purpose was to honor my brother Jason. He was always a positive role model and was the one who actually got me into lifting when I was 12 years old. He showed me how to do the exercises using old sand weights in my parents’ basement. He gently “forced me” to follow the workout routine 3 times per week and as I grew into high school I became known as “the lifting expert”. While other kids were experimenting with alcohol I was testing new lifting protocols, and when they were eating cafeteria food I was preparing meals and eating out of Tupperware. I never really told him how much I appreciated him until the day of the contest.

I won the Masters Bodybuilding Overall and the Open Men’s Physique Overall. My first overall victory in Indiana.

The next show was the Indianapolis Championships! Erika and I would compete together! I won the Master 40+ class and the Masters Overall at this show and Erika competed with amazing confidence having lost 23 pounds of body fat and reducing her bodyfat percentage by 17% in her journey to the stage!

Our final show was the Indiana State Championships. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be Mr. Michigan or Mr. Indiana. It was my dream and at one point the only thing that mattered. As it turned out, I cracked top 4 in the open LHW and 2nd in the Masters Over 40, but the mission was much bigger and more meaningful than my placing. This show was dedicated to my mom! She inspired and motivated me in life through her example of overcoming adversity, societal bias and ALWAYS letting her light shine NO MATTER WHAT.

The journey back to the stage was incredible, but also the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I gained an entirely new respect and empathy for athletes who compete, the hunger, the low energy, social events, and concentration which are really tough the last few weeks before shows. If it wasn’t for the PURPOSE behind the prep there is no way I would have followed through, NO WAY.

Looking for help on your nutrition? Email: coaching@macromissionary.com