Well fellas, I had to spend some time away from any kind of forums for a bit to sort some thoughts out and really see what I want to do with respect to bodybuilding, my career and life in general. I know the forums and all of you guys are an incredible resource in providing guidance but often times I feel like I become engaged in the discussions and thoughts surrounding bodybuilding that I lose sight of other aspects of my life.
I've had recurring GI issues that have put a huge damper on any kind of mass gain and I was planning on starting prep within a few weeks but trying to prep for a show while my body is recovering would not be the best situation. Subsequently, I have not been able to train hard or heavy for about a month and just this past week I was able to get back into it. I know I lost a great deal of mass (and muscle) but my bodyfat also dropped drastically and my readings over the weekend were hovering around 8.2% +/- .1%
So I was faced with a decision to either do what I can and push through to do a show, in which case I would likely have to push back finishing my masters program, or I could take the year off and get healthy and finish my masters. I had a discussion with my coach, Scott Stevenson, about this and he has been looking after my health as a top priority from day 1. In looking at the scenarios and reflecting on what I want to do, I decided that I should take this year off and just finish grad school then get into bodybuilding again in the new year.
In addition to this I am dealing with a tremendous amount of stress from work and a new supervisor who is completely unreasonable.
So this is where I stand...I am going to take this year off and focus on health but will still be training with the same passion and dedication I have always had, but I will loosen up on the diet and enjoy life, and a have few drinks on the weekend and not worry about the effect it will have on physique. I will be able to finish grad school this winter and then i will be able to re-dedicate myself to bodybuilding.
As far as my training goes, I am going to take a little break from DC and do a program that I made up a while back that is based off of the Titan Training program but incorporates some aspects of DC and Mountain Dog training. I've run the titan training program before and made decent gains but at the time my knowledge of nutrition was lacking and I do not feel I reaped the full benefit. I know that this plan is going to be border line insane, but it is designed around the things I know work for me and styles that I enjoy. I figure you never know until you try and now that I am feeling healthier and can eat, why not? I've been doing this for a little less than a week and so far I am enjoying it. I am getting sore and my muscles look full again.
I appreciate the concern from the incredible members here who have wondered where I have been. I love being part of this community and hope to be able to give back as much as I have taken away. :headbang:
I've had recurring GI issues that have put a huge damper on any kind of mass gain and I was planning on starting prep within a few weeks but trying to prep for a show while my body is recovering would not be the best situation. Subsequently, I have not been able to train hard or heavy for about a month and just this past week I was able to get back into it. I know I lost a great deal of mass (and muscle) but my bodyfat also dropped drastically and my readings over the weekend were hovering around 8.2% +/- .1%
So I was faced with a decision to either do what I can and push through to do a show, in which case I would likely have to push back finishing my masters program, or I could take the year off and get healthy and finish my masters. I had a discussion with my coach, Scott Stevenson, about this and he has been looking after my health as a top priority from day 1. In looking at the scenarios and reflecting on what I want to do, I decided that I should take this year off and just finish grad school then get into bodybuilding again in the new year.
In addition to this I am dealing with a tremendous amount of stress from work and a new supervisor who is completely unreasonable.
So this is where I stand...I am going to take this year off and focus on health but will still be training with the same passion and dedication I have always had, but I will loosen up on the diet and enjoy life, and a have few drinks on the weekend and not worry about the effect it will have on physique. I will be able to finish grad school this winter and then i will be able to re-dedicate myself to bodybuilding.
As far as my training goes, I am going to take a little break from DC and do a program that I made up a while back that is based off of the Titan Training program but incorporates some aspects of DC and Mountain Dog training. I've run the titan training program before and made decent gains but at the time my knowledge of nutrition was lacking and I do not feel I reaped the full benefit. I know that this plan is going to be border line insane, but it is designed around the things I know work for me and styles that I enjoy. I figure you never know until you try and now that I am feeling healthier and can eat, why not? I've been doing this for a little less than a week and so far I am enjoying it. I am getting sore and my muscles look full again.
I appreciate the concern from the incredible members here who have wondered where I have been. I love being part of this community and hope to be able to give back as much as I have taken away. :headbang:
. best of luck bro, smart choice