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