The NGA Potomac Cup

I will keep this blog short and simple :) I dieted, trained, and did hours of cardio for 18 weeks. I practiced my posing and try to excell at my craft all so that I could reach my goal of becoming a natural bodybuilding professional. I can say that it feels really awesome to have accomplished that this year :) I won the 2009 NGA Potomac Cup Men's Open Overall and earned my NGA pro card! I couldn't be happier and more excited. I enjoyed every moment of preparation this year and I'm glad it paid off. My official weigh-in was 146.0lbs :) Thanks for following my 18-week journey. Now it's off to making improvements and setting my sights on competing as a pro :) 'Til next time!

Dan

1 week out

Wow! 17 weeks have already gone by! I really can't believe how quickly and smoothly things have gone this year. So far, I am really pleased with my conditioning and muscularity :) I think everything that needed to go my way did. The HIIT cardio sessions and the early AM training sessions really paid off this year. My last weigh in I was 144.2lbs. I'm excited to see what my weigh-in will be at the show on Saturday. As far as training & diet, things will change a bit this week. This week, we will allow my body to fill out and bit and give it some carbohydrates each day. As the week goes, I will taper my training and end up doing some full-body circuits. Once that all happens, it's "game over" :)...7 days is still 7 days, so we'll see what I can make happen in that time. I'll continue putting in my 100% effort for one more week...My goal going in is to come in at my best and take top spot in my weight class..Let's see what happens :) Ok, well, that is all for now..I will update one or two more times before the big show..Let's make this happen! 'Til next time!

Dan

2 weeks out

Hey guys! Ok, now we're getting down the the nitty gritty of this contest prep. I can't believe how 16 weeks has flown by so quickly. It feels like just yesterday I was waiting for March 21st to get here so that I could start my pre-contest prep. With a show down and a show to go, I am feeling fantastic. This week started out decent; my energy was good for being lower in calories. The second half of my week felt tremendous! My energy was extremely high and my strength felt like it had doubled from the days prior. It felt awesome. For this week, Layne decided to change my carb intake and fat intake. He also added intervals to my HIIT cardio and added some time to my low-intensity cardio. I love when he makes changes like that. It challenges me and it drives me to attack that week and do the best I can with it. My weigh in on Wednesday was 144.6Lbs. I'm nearly 10lbs lighter than my last competition in 2008, but I feel more dense and a lot leaner. I'm very excited about these last two weeks. I've put some much work into this and I can't wait to see how my hard work will pay off. That's all for now, folks. 'Til next week! :)

Dan

3 Weeks Out & Annapolis Update

Hey guys! Ok, so we're 3 weeks out from the Potomac Cup in Virginia. I'm feeling super pumped about this! Not only because my body keeps improving as the weeks go by, but also because I kinda had an empty victory at the Annapolis last Sunday. You see, there were only 7 people in the open class..Not too big at all, huh? My original idea was for all us 7 open guys to make one class and pick the overall winner from there..Needless to say, they broke us up into our weight categories. I was the only one in my lightweight class. When I went out for the comparison rounds, they moved me to the middleweight class to be compared to the other two competitors. I reality, I won the class; I had better conditioning than the other guys and my posing was superior..However, instead of giving me the middleweight trophy and announcing me as the weight class winner, they announced me as the lightweight winner and took me out there on my own..That stunk a bit..especially since I beat the other two competitors..As far as the overall went, I felt very confident with my conditioning and posing. I felt I had a good shot. The overall favorite was a 44 year-old from the heavyweight class. Thought out-muscled and out-sized, I felt I had better presentation and better separation in my lower body area; our upper body compared in conditioning..All in all, the win was given to him. I took that loss very gracefully, because he was a very good competitor. If we ever cross paths again, I just have to be more conditioned :) Ok, so for this week I'm feeling pretty fantastic. I weighed in on wednesday at 145.2lbs-about 1lbs lighter than my morning weigh in on Sunday..My cardio and eating hasn't changed at all..I'm just going to keep hitting it hard until showtime :) I'm really going to focus on my posing (both mandatories and routine) and also on my getting myself more shredded..I'll update you guys next week on how things are going..That's all for now! 'Til next week :)

Dan

4 weeks out

Hey guys! With the NGA Annapolis tomorrow, I am definitely getting pumped about this whole pre-contest experience. I can't wait to get onstage tomorrow and see what 14 weeks of preparation has done so far. I feel comfortable with my conditioning and muscularity for tomorrow's show, and I am looking forward to seeing what type of conditioning I can bring to Virginia at the end of July. As of Wednesday, I was 148.2lbs. My energy is still through the roof, and my strength with my weight training has gone done about 2-5%. Overall, I have been very pleased with my workouts :) I'll make sure to post some pictures from the Annapolis-I love the lighting there! There weren't any major changes to my diet or cardio from last week. Since Layne wants me to focus on the main show, we're just going to ride this week out and eat and train as if it were any other week. The only difference is that I'll be doing my re-feed day on Sunday instead of my usual Friday. Ok, that's all for now. I'm totally psyched about tomorrow! Wish me luck! :) 'Til next week!

Dan

5 weeks out

5 weeks 'til show time, baby!! Man, I can 't wait! I will say that this week has been my favorite week so far; I think the change physique-wise from last week to this week was pretty dramatic. My lower body seems tighter, especially from the glute-ham area. My upper body is feeling full and I can feel my skin just getting tighter. It definitely makes me push harder in my preparation. When I weighed in on Wednesday, I was 148.2lbs. I'm right on target as far as my weight loss, and my strength has gone down very slightly. The major changes that happened this week came from an increase in my HIIT cardio, an increase in my low intensity cardio, and a slight decrease in my overall carbohydrate intake. The changes were subtle, but I am happy with the outcome. Another change that happened was changing to sprints for my HIIT cardio. Doing intervals of those really got my whole body sore! I can't wait to give them another shot on Sunday :) I definitely need to remember to warm-up properly and stretch after; it's been years since I've sprinted and the last thing I'd want to do is pull a hammie. I'll be competing in the NGA Annapolis next Sunday, so I'm really looking forward to getting onstage and feeling out how I feel with my overall presentation and physique. Well, 'til next week! :)

Dan

6 weeks out

Time is definitely ticking now! I can't believe I've been dieting for 12 weeks already. It seems so crazy because I'm down about 20+lbs. and my energy is still incredible. I actually think I look better now than I did at my last two shows last year. I can't wait to keep getting more shredded!! After discussing with Layne, he felt that another 8-9lbs would get me onstage "super shredded" There have been few modifications to my diet, HIIT cardio & low intensity cardio, but nothing too drastic. I was weighing in somewhere in the neighborhood of 150lbs last week, and I weighed in this week at 149lbs. My training hasn't changed too much either. I don't feel like my strength has really gone down much, so I haven't seen the need to tweak too many of my exercises, rep schemes or weights. I'm really excited about getting onstage at the end of the month. I'm going to keep practicing my posing routine as well as my mandatories. I definitely want to nail it when I step onstage this year! I'll have video of my posing routine by next week, so you can all see what I have put together so far. Ok, well, that's all for now. "til next week! 6 more weeks, baby!!

Dan

7 weeks out

Boy, am I feeling good. I'm holding at 150.2lbs and my energy is still through the roof. The diet and training are really affecting me in a good way this year; by this time last year, I was starting to get tired and I was feeling the effects of pre-contest preparation. Intake wise, I'm still at the same level. I have my two re-feed days, which really seem to help balance out those other lower carb days. The best thing that has come out of this pre-contest is HIIT(high intensity interval training) I really think it has made a big, big difference in my overall conditioning and I think it has helped create more separation in my legs. Layne Norton said that he feels about 8-9 more lbs. and I could be really shredded onstage. I'm looking forward to showing the package that I've been working on for the past 11-12 weeks. Since I'll be doing the NGA Annapolis in 3 weeks, I'm going to step up my posing practice. I've just sent out my registration, so that gets me even more excited! 'Til next time! 7 weeks out, baby!

Dan

8 weeks out

Man, I'm so excited with how this week has gone. It felt so crazy, but my strength and energy were through the roof. It baffles me that I am almost 20lbs lighter, yet I'm still doing the same poundage and with the same intensity. It makes my pre-contest that much easier :) As for the diet, there hasn't been any changes at all. My carbohydrate, protein & fat intake is still the same. The HIIT and low intensity cardio have stayed at 25 minutes and 35 minutes. My current weight is 151.4lbs-though I feel and I think that I look bigger than that. I've been putting some more time into my posing; I have about 90% of my routine done already. I'm going to be putting some more posing time on Sunday. I'm really excited about the Annapolis show at the end of June. The more I keep mentioning it, the more people say that they're going. I would really appreciate everyone's support! Well, that's all for now. I just wanted to write about how excited I was about this training week. I have one more HIIT session on Sunday, so hopefully the intensity extends all the way until then :) 'Til next week!

Dan

9 weeks out

Time is ticking..Time is flying..Another week has gone by in my journey to my 2 NGA competitions of the year..Since last week, I dropped my carbohydrate intake a bit and added 5 minutes to my low-intensity cardio days..Just to try to stay ahead of the curve..For 9 weeks out, I feel fantastic! My energy is high. My focus is high. My strength doesn't seem to have dropped one bit-which is always a good thing :) There hasn't been much of a change training/nutrition/cardio-wise since last week, so this blog won't be long. My weight is around 152.6lbs..'Til next week :)

Dan

10 weeks

Ok, so I am now 10 weeks away from the NGA Potomac. What makes it even more exciting is that I will be competing in the NGA Annapolis at the end of June. I am so anxious to step onstage and compete that I am really, really excited for the Annapolis to get here :) I have been practicing my posing and posing routine for the past week..I am always striving to put on a good quality routine, so this year will be no different..As far as the diet and cardio, Layne hasn't changed too much..I feel like my body has been responding so well that there really isn't a need for a drastic change..I am noticing small, subtle changes (my hamstrings and my glute tie-in are becoming more apparent)...My abdominal conditioning and overall conditioning is much improved from last week..Overall, I am very happy with the plan that Layne has put together for me..I will say that so far this has been my best pre-contest prep..Energy wise, I am just as good as when I started..I look forward to the changes that are to come..I look forward to putting 110% of my effort into these shows..My current weight is 153.8lbs..Let's see what next week brings :) 'Til next time!

Dan

11 weeks out

Man, time is flying by! It just seems like the week goes by so quickly..I guess that's a good thing when it's pre-contest dieting time..lol..My body seems to be responding really well to my current nutrition plan. So far, it has only been changed once since I started 7 weeks ago (my total carb intake has dropped 10 for both my normal and high-carb days)..I can't complain, though. My cardio has still remained the same, which has made my weight training sessions as intense and as strong as they were when I was in my off-season.. This weekend I will begin putting my posing routine together..Each year that I have competed, I have done a ballad type of song..This year, I'm looking to keep it the same and pose to Mariah Carey's version of "Open Arms"..I like the flow of the song and I think I can pose quite well to it...I will keep everyone updated on how that goes..If I can, I will even post up a video so everyone can see my overall progress..Ok, well, that's enough for now..My weight was around 155.4lbs when I last check..let's see what changes I can make for next week..'Til next time :)

Dan

12 weeks out

Ok, so I am now 8 weeks away from the NGA Annapolis in MD and 12 weeks away from the NGA potomac in Woodbridge, VA. When I weighed in yesterday morning I was 156.8lbs. For 6 weeks in, I am feeling great! My strength and energy have remained the same, and the diet is going very well. The cardio has remained the same ( 2 HIIT sessions and 2 low intensity sessions) Even the breakdown of my eating has stayed the same ( I guess if it's working, then there is no need to change it) For the past 6 weeks of my pre-contest, I have been guided by natural bodybuilder Layne Norton. He is overseeing my entire preparation, and I am very pleased with all of the work that he has put in. I will update more on my progress next week. For now, it's time to get to the gym for some HIIT on the elliptical. 'Til next time! :)

Dan

13 weeks out

So I am now 5 weeks into my pre-contest...(I will be doing the NGA Annapolis and the NGA Potomac) I am very pleased with the progress so far... I started out at 170.0lbs and I am down to about 160.2lbs right now... My caloric intake hasn't changed too much during my pre-contest.. I will say that the one thing that is giving me a good run for my money is the high intensity cardio. It's only 10 minutes-but man is it tough!! The more I do it, the more I look forward to it, though..I do see the difference that it's making on my quads/hams/glutes..I will update each week until the show gets here :) Feel free to follow! 'til next time..

-Dan