I achieved very good results in each key area: Training Nutrition, and the right Mental Approach.
My bodybuilding lifestyle and personal goal achievement were stabliizing factors in a turbuient life.
A) I needed to break out of the mold that I had been in and try something new.
B) I wanted to base my plan on someone's real life experience and success.
C) I would have to adapt this new plan to meet my needs.
B) I wanted to base my plan on someone's real life experience and success.
C) I would have to adapt this new plan to meet my needs.
This photo was taken two hours after pre-judging.
At 44, I attained my best ever condition.
I knew from past experience that I could not simply take someone else's plan and follow it to the "T" expecting to get their exact results. My body just does not fall into line like that. We are all unique individuals and we must acknowledge that and listen and learn from our own bodies. Now, starting with a sound plan makes perfect sense, and reinventing the wheel is unnecessary - so what I'm suggesting is to take a proven plan/strategy and adapt it to your needs. This way you get the best of both worlds - proven success applied to your situation!
Beverly's always been a great source for these real life success stories. The one I sought, however, had to be a little different than the traditional training and nutritional plans that I'd been following. I found my answer in the training and nutritional strategy that Mark Ritter had followed leading up to his competitive successes in 2002. What struck me about his plan and results were that he too had been seeing good results but wanted to go to the next level. So right after finishing my competition prep in the fall of 2002 I put together my version of the Ritter plan. I was excited about trying something new and buoyed by Mark's comment to me that "The best time to start a program like this is right after you've competed," so the timing seemed to be just right.
Mark's plan, for those of you who are not familiar with it, was a gaining/hardening program where you cycle two diet plans intended to help you gain LBM but also stay at a fairly low body fat level. The training volume he recommends is significant, and many of the set/rep/weight schemes are very challenging. So to get started I laid out his plan and immediately saw a few things that would not work for me. For example - some of us have a weakness or limitation that we have to work around when we select exercises. For me, I have to avoid putting any heavy weight on my shoulders due to a lower back vertebra imbalance. Mark's heavy high volume squat routine was out for me. But that was OK - don't fret it when plan "x" is not perfect for you. I just substituted leg presses. Same thing for the heavy barbell rows - I can't do them without risking injury - but I can do heavy one-arm dumbbell rows supporting myself with my other arm. Fifteen years ago I tore a rotator cuff. Ever since then I can't push myself on regular bench presses. Mark was doing 30 reps with 225 - ouch, my shoulder hurt just thinking about it! But I seem to have no problem with doing heavy wide grip machine presses so I substituted those. [continued on next page]