And the show has come and gone. The older you get and the more shows you do the more anti-climactic they become. Example: I am standing off stage waiting for the guy in front of me to finish his routine for the night show so that I can go on and I am talking with the expediter (friend of mine) about guns, his job, how we are going to work together for his off season, etc, and then I notice the MC is introducing me so I have to get out there.

I had a lot of people support me for this show and a lot of people asking about how it went so I figured this would be the easiest way to not only recap what I did this time, my focus and goals, but I am providing a video clip of prejudging instead of pics because the pics came out so bad.
First, I want to say that I was very pleased with the package that I presented. It was an incredibly easy prep – easier than any other prep I have ever done. As most of you know, I didn’t plan to do this show until after I got done filming the training footage for the DVD and figured that with my weight just under 210, I was in pretty good condition being only about 7 weeks from the show. I told myself that if it remained easy and fun I would continue getting leaner and leaner and do the state show here. Competing locally my kids get to come and be a part of the show and that is important to me. When traveling it is just too stressful and expensive to take all of the kids along.
This year I did very little cardio (5 days at 30 minute sessions) with the exception of 3 weeks where I added an extra 30 minute session on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I only did that for 3 weeks because I was getting lighter too quickly so I backed back off to only 5, 30 minute sessions. My diet was very simple and I actually kept carbs in this year for 2 of my meals, plus postworkout, even during the last week of prep. I did lower my fat intake by switching to only chicken and egg whites (half and half for each meal) for the last 4 weeks. However, I was still getting clean fats in the form of natural peanut butter and nuts with 3 meals a day. I think the only time I was ever hungry was the weekend before the show for about 3 days before the final load.
I loaded for 2 full days and I loaded until I was blue in the face. I have the progression pictures from the last week and will likely post them after getting them organized but for now I am only posting the video from prejudging. I went from an incredibly flat 197 to 210 over a two day load. I weighed in at 208 but that is a little misleading as I was still drinking water and that sort of thing on Friday night. Still, the point is that I was full and much bigger than I had ever been on stage and was a heavyweight for the first time, ever.
Now, I need to mention that being a heavyweight to ME is something I am very proud of and have been striving for, for a long time. In my mind, you just can’t be a small dude if you are a heavy. I don’t care if you are only a few pounds into the heavies – you have the heavyweight label and that means you are big, in my mind. So, it was something I was and am proud of after so many years to finally be able to move up a class to the heavies.
My condition? It wasn’t typical “Skip condition”. I wasn’t ripped to the bone at the expense of size and fullness. Last year, after I dipped into the lightheavies for the Jr USAs and then didn’t have enough time to fill out, I decided that I didn’t like that look – what with looking emaciated and being so lean that I was getting “old guy skin”. You know – when you get so fucking lean that your skin is so thin it looks like it loses elasticity? I didn’t like the look and I don’t think it looks healthy. Plus, it looks ….. well ….. old.
The plan this year was to come in full as shit and look BIG and, yes, I knew this might mean giving up some of my condition that I am known for. I figured if I give up 10% I am still going to be as ripped as anyone else up there and still likely leaner than almost everyone. After looking at some of the pics and video (it all isn’t in yet as of this blog only one day after the show) it appears that I likely gave up more like 20% with conditioning but I still don’t care because I think most anyone looking at the pics or video (or if you saw me on stage) will say that it was a fair trade – a bit of conditioning for fullness. I figured if I am going into the heavies I will be damned if I am going to get pummeled on size. Quite frankly, I think I held my own and the feedback that I have gotten (and from trusted sources) says the same thing.
Now, the placings could have been better but ….. as cliche as it sounds, I compete to win and I prepare to win but I don’t live and die by what a panel of judges says on a given day. At the end of the day I drug my 4th place open trophy and my 2nd place masters trophy home with my kids and my wife to my beautiful home driving in my big yellow tractor and I went out with friends that came out to support me instead of friends that want to hang out with me because I am some faux internet celebrity. The latter being another blog I will get to in the next week or two.
With the exception of the Jr USAs last year, this was my lowest placing ever at a state level show. At the same time, I couldn’t have been more proud to have brought a package that I have not ever brought to a weight class that I have never competed in until this weekend. I was so full that I watered over only 3 hours post show. lol I hadn’t even left the restaurant after the show before my ankles and calves started taking on water. How close is THAT??? And I also decided not to use a diuretic, at all.
I am sure I am going to get the guys that say “Skip showed up and wasn’t as tight as he usually is” but …. I can do that most any time as I have proven so many times before. What I HAVE NOT ever done until this last weekend is show up so fucking full that my skin was going to split (or at least it FELT like it). I enjoy pushing the envelope and seeing how far I can push my body to produce a look that I haven’t yet achieved. Will I go back to just showing up peeled? I don’t know. I have been to the point that I don’t know if I could get any leaner so …… where is the challenge in that?? Do I go in next time as a middle?? Whatever I do it will have to be a challenge or I won’t do it. I get bored easily and I learn nothing from doing the same thing over and over. I also did a LOT of different things with my Skiploading including increased fat intake and loading for 2 days like I mentioned previously. I don’t know where to go from here but ….. it has only been one day. In all honesty the only direction I DO know I will be going tomorrow is straight to CJs Chicago Dogs for some chili cheese dogs with my kids for lunch. If I show up with chili on my face for the seminar, don’t laugh. I’m a happy man.

The video was choppy the first time I viewed it – like it was loading the entire time. The 2nd time I viewed it, it was fine.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 12:35 am and is filed under Skip's World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.