It’s been almost a year since I stepped on the NPC Men’s physique stage. 2014 was my debut as a regional competitor and it was a great year.  The new season has arrived and  I’m faced with the question, “will I be ready to compete again”? 2015 is a new year with new challenges, the biggest challenge would be to achieve a certain physique while maintaining my strenuous work schedule. Most bodybuilders spend the off season “bulking”, gaining size in purpose of bringing a “fuller” package for their return on stage. “Bulking” would be no easy task for me since I teach 12 cardiovascular classes per week, in addition to my weekend gig as a professional entertainer that requires me to put out even more energy. Every calorie I put in my body, I burned. Most would think that being a calorie burning machine is more of a gift than a curse, in my case it made it difficult to put on size. Even though I was very discouraged of my in ability to gain the size that I wanted, I did notice improvements in my physique.  As I looked at images on Facebook and Instagram of fellow men’s physique competitors it ultimately inspired me to jump back on stage.  I had to remind myself that I left 2014 as a National Qualified competitor and the next step is achieving the IFBB pro card.  2 weeks out, I decided to compete at the 2015 Northeast Summer Classic. I wanted gauge where I was and most importantly where I needed to be for the new season.

As far as my competition preparation is concerned, most competitors prep 12 weeks out, due to my weekly activities, genetics and healthy lifestyle I was ready to begin dieting down 2 weeks out. I brought a well conditioned package and ended placing 3rd in the O Men’s Open physique B class. The Northeast Summer Classic was a great and well organized event. One of the highlights was the exhibition bodybuilding pose down between pros such as Juan Morel and Victor Martinez. Northeast Summer classic motivated me even more to compete in another regional show for practice for my national debut. Stay tuned.Photo Credit by Chris Hayden