 At 5 weeks out I was already better than I’d been in previous contests. Here I’m guest posing at 213 pounds five weeks out from the Nationals. |
If I had to choose just one Beverly supplement as my favorite it’d be Muscle Provider. For the Nationals I took one scoop with 6 oz water every hour the day before the show. My favorite though is Muscle Provider mixed in my oatmeal. |
You know what’s even more remarkable? During this same time period I continued to run two full-time businesses, my home construction business and my gym, Total Fitness in Columbus, Indiana. But that’s not all: I also married my fiancée Amanda (complete with church wedding and reception just three weeks before the Nationals) and we adopted our son, Joey. So you see I didn’t have the luxury of following the training, eating and resting only lifestyle of many who compete at the national level.
For a beginner bodybuilder pound a week gains are not so uncommon. But, because of all my experience – eight years training and competing – I’d reached a point where I thought my days of big gains were a thing of the past. I pretty much accepted the fact that I’d already maxed out my potential for muscular growth and just needed to take my conditioning to a new level.
My first competition was in 1993 and I’ve competed in shows at every level of the NPC including overall wins at the Indiana State Championship and Battle of Champions. My only limitation seemed to be when I entered shows at the National level where a 5th at the JR USA was the best I could manage.
I’d already put the Beverly plan into play by keeping my weight and bodyfat percentage lower throughout the previous winter. At 14 weeks out from the JR Nationals, I received my first structured diet plan: 55% carbs, 35% protein, and 10% fat. It was very simple, and easy to stick to. For me simplicity was a key factor, due to my daily schedule.
I’d get up early and by 7:00 a.m. was outside pushing Joey in his stroller for a 20 – 30 minute cardio session. Next I went to the gym for 15 minutes of abs and 15 minutes of posing. Due to the insistence of Amanda, I spent quite a bit more time posing this year than in the past.
Now, with cardio, abs, posing and tanning completed I go to work at my home construction business, building and remodeling houses all day. After working a full day I go back to the gym to train, then take care of gym business for the rest of the evening. After closing the gym, I go home to spend some time with Amanda and cook my meals for the next day.
I found one of the most convenient ways of keeping a busy schedule and staying on my diet was to mix Muscle Provider or Ultra Size with oatmeal. As the ratio changed I just adjusted the quantities of Muscle Provider and oatmeal that I used. It got to the point where I rarely actually drank Muscle Provider or Ultra Size, instead I ate it. This way I could have more satiety and could savor the awesome taste!
My morning posing sessions paid off. At the Nationals they ran through 36 guys in my class and I had to make sure I was showing them my best physique from all vantage points. |
The gains I made this year relying on Beverly products 100% were nothing short of incredible. In my previous competitions I just didn’t realize what a difference Beverly supplements made in my size and condition. |
Vitamins:
Saturday afternoon my class took the stage and I made the first call out! All the hard work and discipline paid off. To be in a class of 27 guys at the National Level and get called out immediately in the top three was incredible. In the finals I received 4 first place votes eventually missing 1st place by just one point!
A week after the JR Nats I decided, what the heck, I’ll try the USA in Las Vegas. I got back on my diet but was a little bit lost trying to juggle my food intake. This time I wanted to come in at the top of the light heavies. (I really needed to just concentrate on being in my best condition and let my weight take care of itself.) As it turned out the dry desert air did a number on me and I weighed in at 194 and just a little off from my JR National condition. I achieved my highest placing to that point in the USA but knew I could do better. I wasn’t finished yet.
I was uncertain as to whether to try to make weight as a light heavy again or come in fuller as a heavyweight. Roger gave me some advice that turned out to be excellent. He said, “Mark, now’s the perfect time to put on some pure muscle. You should just follow the diet, take your Beverly supplement schedule up another notch and see where you end up.” It turned out to be the best advice all right. I went back to a diet very similar to the one I started with in March. But now I was 3% lower body fat and was able to actually add muscle, at the rate of nearly 1 pound per week all the way to the Nationals.
Another shock. At the nationals there were 36 of the best heavyweights in the nation. I started having self-doubts. Only 15 would make it into the finals. Even though I was in the best condition possible for me at this point in time, I was still one of the smaller guys at 208. But, I had already achieved a goal I’d been pursuing for the past three years – to come into a contest as a true heavyweight – in the best condition of my life. As it turned out I did make the finals in the NPC Nationals Heavyweight class. Next year, I’m going for top 5!
Meal # 1 2 scoops Muscle Provider or 10 egg whites 1 1/3 cups oatmeal (prior to cooking) Meal # 2 1 scoop Muscle Provider 5 scoops Mass Maker 16 oz water Meal # 3 6 ounces lean meat (chicken, turkey or fish weighed prior to cooking) 2 cups cooked rice 1-cup vegetables Meal # 4 1 scoop Muscle Provider 5 scoops Mass Maker 16 oz water Meal # 5 6 oz lean meat 10 oz potato ½ cup cooked rice 1-cup vegetables Meal #6 2 scoops Muscle Provider or 10 egg whites 1½ cups oatmeal prior to cooking or 4 scoops Mass Maker 1 scoop Muscle Provider
From 14 weeks out to 5 weeks … I gradually added protein and reduced carbs until my diet was approximately 55% Protein, 35% Carbohydrate and 10% Fat at 5 weeks out from both the JR Nationals and Nationals. Food portions and caloric values were about 10% higher for the Nationals.
Meal #1 2 scoops Muscle Provider or 10 egg whites 5 oz turkey or chicken breast ¾-cup oatmeal or 1½ serving grits Meal #2 3 or 4 scoops Muscle Provider + 2 scoops Oatmeal Meal #3 9 oz lean meat ¾-cup rice or beans or 5 oz red potato or 5 oz sweet potato 1-cup vegetables Meal #4 3 or 4 scoops Muscle Provider + 2 scoops Oatmeal or Mass Maker Meal #5 9 oz lean meat ¾-cup rice or beans or 5 oz red potato or 5 oz sweet potato 1-cup vegetables Meal #6 8 egg whites or 2 scoops Muscle Provider 5 oz turkey or chicken breast ¾-cup oatmeal or 1½ serving grits
Day 1 - Chest and Triceps
Day 2 Legs
