My 2007 USA Bodybuilding/Figure Championships Experience And Contest Results

This past weekend I had the pleasure, and the honor, to compete at the 2007 NPC USA Bodybuilding & Figure Championships promoted by Jon Lindsay in Las Vegas, Nevada. I must say that this was not only a challenge but also a lifelong bodybuilding goal that I had set for myself 18 years ago when I first started bodybuilding.

I competed at a weight of 158-lbs, believe it or not, and placed 4th on the welterweight class (which is a class between the lightweights and the middleweights). The key thing is that in order for one to compete at this show one must qualify by winning or taking at least second on a Level V bodybuilding contest which is what is called a "National Qualifier". Because I was not qualified, I first had to compete at Peter Potter's NPC Southern States Championships a couple of weeks prior to the USA. I won the welterweight class there unanimously and then for the first time in my life, put myself through the rigurous challenge of achieving another all time best condition in a couple of weeks.

One thing I love about bodybuilding competition is that by performing it, one can always learn a few things that can be applied to the rest of your life. Through these year's preparation I learned a few things:

1. Put Your Best Foot Forward: If you decide to do a bodybuilding competition, simply put your absolute best effort at following all the components required of a contest preparation. If you do that, inevitably you will achieve your best condition ever, and by doing so, you already become a champion. Let the judges place you where they feel you should go and regardless of where you place, just be happy that you did everything in your power to get in your best shape ever and be proud of yourself. By approaching bodybuilding competition with this mindset, it becomes a positive experience that regardless of placing, you will cherish for the rest of your life. This mindset was key for me also to be calm at all times and not worry about who might show up. I just knew I was in my best shape ever.



2. It Is All In The Mind: To me, preparing for a bodybuilding contest is really much more of a mental endeavor than a physical one; it is all in the mind. If you ever embark on such an endeavor, be very clear about the reasons you are doing it (which in my opinion the reason should be to achieve your best shape and to get to know what you are made off), and use those reasons to drive you through all of the adversities that you will find. And believe me, adversity will show up when you least expect it! It may show up in the form of added stress at work, low energy levels, food cravings, lunches at work, birthday parties with plenty of bad foods, insomnia combined with a voracious appetite, etc. It is your job to remind yourself constantly of the reasons you decided to choose such a challenging endeavor and not only go through with the contest preparation flawlessly but also do it with a smile and do not make those around you (such as your family and co-workers) miserable. People always ask my wife and son if I am cranky as I do a show and they are always baffled when they both shake their head and say that I am the happiest camper ever. I may be very lethargic at times but even then I keep smiling. Even when I am faced with adversity I just keep my cool and keep going. For instance, I lost my cell phone after the pre-judging at the USAs. However I just figured that eventually it would either appear or I would just use my cell phone insurance and get me a new one. I did not let that negative event bother my mindset in the middle of a bodybuilding show. As a result, I remained unaffected, just focused on the task at hand and the cell phone was turned in by someone at the office where the event was held and thus given to me on the following day.
   
   So be strong mentally and know that if you want something bad enough (which in order to do a bodybuilding competition you really need to want it) then you can accomplish anything provided you are determined enough to follow through with the plan that will get you from A to B.



3. Become As Machine Like As Possible, Especially When It Comes To Food: Many bodybuilders torture themselves dreaming about cheat foods and what they would love to be eating. In my opinion, this sort of behavior is a sure fire way to torture yourself throughout the contest prep and to get into a bad mood due to the fact that you cannot have such foods. The most successful competitive bodybuilders however learn to not even think about that and only focus on what they will look like onstage and as a result everything they do helps to achieve that look. Therefore, there is not thought about cheating; reason why I can take my family to eat at a nice restaurant and I simply eat my food as they enjoy theirs. As a matter of fact, I had a conversation with one of my bodybuilding idols, Shawn Ray, and he expressed to me how back in his competitive days he would test himself and be in front of people eating pizza and drinking and he would test himself on how strong he was mentally.
   
   Along the same lines, when you wake up tired in the morning and know that you have to do your morning cardiovascular exercise, do not even think about it; just do it! Become a machine with a clear and set schedule, and execute that schedule without any emotion regardless of how you feel. Only envision the end result which is you looking your best ever in front of your family and friends.



4. Enjoy The Journey: I always say to enjoy the journey as though it is very challenging, it goes by quick. When you are on stage, cherish every second up there as that time goes by even quicker. And of course, always take something that you learned from the experience and apply it to other aspects of your life.

Related Articles

• Top 7 Tips To Balancing Your Bodybuilding Contest Preparation With Life - Tips on how to get ready for a bodybuilding show without impacting the rest of your life.



• My First Bodybuilding Contest Experience - See what it takes to compete on a bodybuilding show.



• Bodybuilding Contest Training and Diet Page - See the training and nutrition required to prepare for a bodybuilding show

Related Links

• Muscular Development USA Pictures and Results - Not only do you get contest results on this page, but also you get to see plenty of great pictures.



• Bodybuilding.com's 2007 USA Coverage - As always, great coverage of the event provided by bodybuilding.com with plenty of pictures and interviews as well.