Lifting Nerds
Adrian Ma and Brandon Emslie share discussions and interviews with the fitness community's best science-based researchers and coaches.
Lifting Nerds
S3E1 - Return of the Lifting Nerds: Brandon's Transformative Journey in Bodybuilding
This episode marks the exciting return of the Lifting Nerds podcast after a two-year hiatus. We share personal growth stories, updates on our lives, and discuss new goals for the upcoming 2025 competition season, emphasizing the significance of offseason training and personal motivations behind competing in natural bodybuilding.
• Discussing life updates and training changes from the past two years
• Celebrating coaching successes with clients achieving pro cards
• Importance of offseason training for muscle building
• Differences in training schedules and balancing personal responsibilities
• Emphasizing a pre-prep phase for optimal competition readiness
• Exploring motivations for competing in bodybuilding
• The value of community and personal growth in the bodybuilding journey
IG: @liftingnerds
Youtube: liftingnerds
Host
@_adrianma
@brandonemslie
all right, welcome back. Uh, hello, guys. So this is our first episode back. I want to welcome everybody back for a big excitement for this return of this lifting nerds podcast. Uh, so I do thank for all listeners for your patience and your continued support to actually listen to us and watch us on youtube. So thank you much, guys. It's been a solid minute about two years since we last recorded, but we're here to really just update everybody on what we've been and a little bit on new direction of what this podcast is going to look like, and so we have, of course, our lovely Brandon here with us and we're going to be just start off the bat. What are some of the stuff that we've been doing for 2023 and 2024? Why don't you share a little bit about what?
Speaker 2:we've been doing For sure man. So it's been a busy couple of years for sure, For me personally anyway, with moving. I ended up moving from Kelowna all the way to Edmonton and then we ended up moving again this past I guess two months ago or something like that. I guess something like that. So just a lot of moving from place to place in terms of physical performance and training and everything like that pretty much just been taking a two-year off season. So, reversed after my last show went up to a 190 mark, which is typically a decent off season weight for me then slowly worked my way up to 200 and pretty much just been deep into off season focusing on some improvements. The main thing I've been trying to focus on has been my delts, upper chest and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:But I just continued working with clients. I had quite a few competitors last year. I've got another guy his pro card had Braden end up coming second in his second pro show, then making it to Worlds. Which Worlds was this freaking stack this year? I've never seen Worlds like this competitive before. So it's very cool to see how far natural bodybuilding has progressed. But that's pretty much been the main things that have been happening for me this past two years Just staying consistent with training. Other than that, not too much else going on.
Speaker 1:You talk about. You have a couple athletes. I saw you brought a couple of athletes back to WMBF and congrats, by the way you have.
Speaker 2:I think you had three pro card athletes last year Two to three, I think it was three, no, so I've had in total four pro card athletes for men's physique. Last year I had one pro card, the year before I had one.
Speaker 1:No, you had Taylor. Was it Taylor my bad? Yeah, so Shane. And then you had Graydon. Sorry, graydon, yes my bad. Excuse my name. So you had Shane, you had Graydon, I thought you had one more.
Speaker 2:So I had Keith and Donald a while back.
Speaker 2:Those were actually my first two competitors to ever compete. I got their pro cards and then the other two. Um, I did have another client, like sheldon, who ended up, uh, crushing it. He did the cloner show. We did that as a warm-up show where we were not quite where we wanted to be, and then he did another show for the cpa where he ended up winning his class for the bodybuilding and then I think he came second for or no, he won the for bodybuilding and physique, but he came second in the overall.
Speaker 1:I remember him because he showed up on the only heavyweight at Kelowna.
Speaker 2:He was massive, I was there.
Speaker 1:He was really big. So I was actually quite surprised on why, because I didn't know what was going on, because they didn't notify us while we're on the panel. And then they were saying oh so he was the only one in the heavyweight class, so then he was stacked with the middle class as well the mid, mid, midweights and then he was like he's obviously the biggest one with the best condition standing there.
Speaker 2:And then he's like why are they putting him on the sidelines and and we couldn't see his name on the panel as well, so that was oh yeah, I think they did that last minute to put him in with them, just so he had other competitors to be posing on stage with. It's kind of awkward when you're just on stage by yourself and not really having anybody else to compare yourself to, so I think that's why they did it. I remember them talking to us backstage and saying we're just going to throw you in with the Middle East.
Speaker 1:That's true. So before that you had a pretty good I would say you had a pretty good season last year with your professional life. What about your personal life? I know you said you moved twice, but you moved twice um anything exciting personally about what's happening between you, your family, how many girlfriends you have.
Speaker 2:Well, I I've just been with Emma there for these past. I guess we've been together almost three years now.
Speaker 1:No, has it been that long?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's been. I would have to double check, but I think it's around there. Now she can't listen to this. Well, she's in another room right now, but no man, it's been good. It's just been finding a nice group with training and everything. I just been finding a nice group with training and everything. I've been training more in the evening lately. I used to be a really early morning person. Now I'm actually trying to be quite late at night, so it's been been a nice switch up from there. What made you switch from?
Speaker 1:morning to evening.
Speaker 2:Originally because my girlfriend if I would train in the morning and she trained at night. We just never see each other throughout the day, so we're like I guess I'll come train in the evening. I have more flexibility with work so I can just sleep in a bit more so I just found it worked out a lot better that way.
Speaker 1:How was the transition on, you know, getting used to training the morning, when your energy level is a little bit higher compared to evenings?
Speaker 2:surprisingly not that bad, like it was almost within a couple days it was normal. I don't know. I think it's just because of the food that you get throughout the day just helps feel you more. I find switching from more night workouts to morning workouts is usually a greater difficulty, just because you're oftentimes you end up training fasted or not much food at that point, so it's harder to get used to, whereas going to the evenings it is kind of a pain to get to the gym. I found that you're more likely to skip sessions when you're training in the evening just because you're like oh, I don't think, especially if you've had a long day, you're kind of fatigued, so you're mentally not as excited to go to the gym, whereas in the morning usually you're waking up. Yeah, sometimes it's hard to get up in the morning, but you don't have that same kind of fatigue that comes along throughout the day. So I found that worked out pretty well. I think performances actually probably even went up a little bit quicker training in the evening, just with more fuel, more fuel, but in terms of everything else going on, not a whole lot.
Speaker 2:It's just been continuing with work, trying to be the best client I can possibly be continuing to expanding on the coaching, really trying to focus and hone in more competitors. I've been finding I've been getting a lot more competitors than lifestyle clients. So with my content I've been really trying to niche to the natural bodybuilding. That's been fun. It's a lot more I find enjoyable for me making content like that, um than just more of the basic lifestyle stuff. So it's been good man that's what you do how has everything been with you?
Speaker 2:I know we've chatted a couple times. I got the cavalry show, but we haven't been able to chat as much. What's been new with you?
Speaker 1:yeah, so for me, uh, work has been shifted a little bit. I'm in between three jobs and they're all very weird. I'm not saying weird as in strange, but the time and the time that they get busy is a little bit all over the place. But we're really trying to balance work. Wife is now going back to school, so right now I'm the only one going to be supporting for the family at the at this moment. We got cats and her, so that's, uh. And then living expenses has increased.
Speaker 1:Um, as everybody knows around the world, it's been like this political drama thing all over the internet right now, um, and so right now I'm still doing the in-person trainings. I have a little bit couple of lifestyle clients there. And then now, with the Calgary season over, with the Calgary being the last show of last year, we are now stepping into 2025 and new seasons of work are starting to build up for the new season. So some of you have not may heard I'm a little bit more involved with the WIBF right now. So last year was great, um, I am sort of officially part of the judging panel right now, um, but not really on every single show, only on shows that once they need me. The only show I cannot be part of the panel is vancouver. So vancouver is going to be the the show I'm going to be there, excuse me, uh, where I'm going to be the show I'm going to be there, excuse me, where I'm going to be helping out and doing all the front end stuff. So, which is going to be fun.
Speaker 1:However, I haven't been seeing a lot more coaching clients for bodybuilding, for athletes. However, there are athletes inquiring different stuff based on the competition, acquiring different stuff based on the the competition. So it's not me prepping them, but, in another sense that we're, I'm running into clients for posings, more looking for judges, feedbacks and stuff like that. So that's took a different direction than what I've anticipated, and but that's exciting. And then there's off scenes, for it's actually exactly the same as you. When we last competed, that was 2022 for me.
Speaker 2:And I think it was about the same for you. I think you're one year earlier than me, right? 2021 was your last season. Mine was 2022.
Speaker 1:I think you might say yours was 2021, right. No, it was 2022 for me too.
Speaker 2:Oh sorry, no, mine was 2023, so you did oh shoot, it's been two.
Speaker 1:Oh shit, it's 25, three years, oh my god, in a blink of an eye. So 2022 was my last season and, um, from the judges feedback, we had a very similar problem for our not a problem we. We had a similar thing with our physique is delts overall mass, upper chest. That seemed to be something that everybody, if all natural bodybuilders struggle from is like that upper chest, um, so that that that was some improvements. Uh, that needed to be made. Uh. So I'm still working with, uh, brian minor now being part of 3mj, which is good for him, and now we've cut down. We did a mini cut since July just to see what we look like, and there are obvious good improvements, I would say, which is exciting, but we'll see. We don't know so very I wouldn't say very exciting season. It is off season, at the end of the day, for natural bodybuilding. Off season, we don't really do much. We just eat and lift, very, very much the same routine until and let time do its thing.
Speaker 2:It's one of the probably the most important phases, but it's the most dry and boring phase. Exactly right, you're not seeing as much physical change on a month to month basis, and a lot of times you're almost looking slightly worse as time goes on, because you're putting a little bit more body fat on while you're also putting on some muscle mass. So it's definitely not the most enjoyable part of the bodybuilding.
Speaker 1:I know right. So, basically, that's pretty much for me. And so I think, during the offseason since there's really nothing very exciting physique wise, since we are in off season and well, actually, we'll talk about that in a little bit Are there any during this off season? Well, we, you know, we concentrate on our professional life. Would you? Would you say that you have any exciting collabs or anything like that with with your business?
Speaker 2:So with the business. It's been more so just tapered towards the bodybuilding. But in terms of collabs with other people, that's one of the things I should probably do more of is collabing with more people we've talked about before. I've done some a little bit of test judging as well. I've been helping out a little bit more with the posing workshops for the wmbf, yeah. So that's been a fun thing to do. I'll be doing doing that this year as well.
Speaker 2:So if any of you guys are listening to this that are from Edmonton and are coming to the WMBF workshops, I'll be at those ones as well. But that's been the main thing I've been doing is trying to help out a little bit more with the WMBF. I don't know, this year, maybe for the Calgary show I might see if I can do some judging or maybe do another test judging just to make sure I'm in a good spot for judging. But other than that, those are the main focuses right now.
Speaker 2:I was doing a little bit of personal training in Edmonton but I found it was getting a little challenging getting clients just because I didn't really know how many people here. So I found when I was trying to get clients for that, I was getting more clients for online coaching. So I was like I'm just going to stick with online coaching, but I don't know, We'll see I might do some in person from time to time. I do find meeting up with my clients that are from Edmonton and getting some training sessions and some posing sessions and very useful so other than that, man you know things have been good.
Speaker 1:Oh, it was interesting that you brought up that you did one test judge.
Speaker 2:I thought you did two already no, I I was gonna do two, but I think I had a client or a couple clients in the show that was gonna be test judging. And for me, when I have a client, I want to really prioritize them. So I feel like when I'm trying to judge, deal with them, I just feel like I can't put my full focus on them. So for for me, I'm not going to judge if I have clients competing at the same day just because it takes my focus. And for me I know if I had a coach I wouldn't want them doing like distracted with something else while they're trying to help me. So I try not to do the same for them.
Speaker 1:That makes sense, I guess, with athletes being on stage, as a coach, you probably want to really be there for them, first off, professionally that's part of the service that we must provide and I think, secondly, I think it's more exciting to actually see and prepare your athlete to its peak condition and its peak physique before he actually steps into the light or she stepped into the light physique before he actually steps into the light, or he or she stepped into the light. I think that's far more important because, as we judge or as we test judge, if you're sitting on the panel, then basically you're just stuck there and you're not be able to move and you won't be able to talk to your athletes until your break, which is in the middle, and then or after and when you're judging, you're constantly with the paper and I guess now it the typing, but I find you're so sucked into that.
Speaker 2:So if he texts me and oh, should I have this? And it's like, well, I can't.
Speaker 1:You really have no time to actually pick up your phone, and the only time we can actually pick up our phone is basically we just take a picture of the lineup and then basically all your eyes are on either the athlete or your screen while we're judging. But that was a fun experience. I look forward to your next test judging and hope you do well Are you judging the Kelowna show. Maybe you'll be judging me, Maybe who knows, if they need me, then I might be.
Speaker 1:But I think I can judge, since you're not my athlete. I just know you as a friend, but then it doesn't. I don't think it causes any bias. I don't think it caused any bias. I don't think I will have to talk to Leo about that. Yeah, I'd be interested too, because it's interesting.
Speaker 1:But it's a very good segue that you mentioned that I might be judging you, or potentially judging you, on the Kelowna show, which segues into our main event for competing upcoming this year. You have announced on your social media that you are going to be prepping for 2025, which is this year, and your season is going to start, so what is your season going to be like this year?
Speaker 2:so it's still a little bit loose, but for sure WNBF Kelowna and WNBF Edmonton I might be doing the BC Cup. The BC Cup is actually on the same day as the WMBF Vancouver show, which I'm kind of in a pickle with because it's like Kelowna I have a lot of family there so it's nice they can come watch. I can stay at people's places. It's not too much of an issue that way, whereas Vancouver it's just a little bit more of travel. A it's just a little bit more of travel, a little bit more of an expense. So I'm likely going to be doing the BC Cup for the CPA during I think it's the May 3rd, and then I'll be doing the WNBF Kelowna show which, fingers crossed, hoping to finally be able to get that pro card, but again, you never know who shows up. It's continuing to get more and more competitive each year. So I'm just happy if I can bring my all-time best physique and I'm really going to prioritize men's physique this year.
Speaker 2:Last year I was kind of more so focused on bodybuilding. I was more so focused on getting super lean. For that and I think for my upper body, I may have just lost just a little bit of fullness, and so this time around I'll probably come with a little bit more size, a little bit more weights. Um, conditioning will probably be in the upper body. It will still be good, just the lower body is it comes last for me. So I don't know if I'll do bodybuilding. We'll see. For example, if I do get a pro card or something in the Kelowna show and I want to do the Edmonton show, I might just do bodybuilding and hop in there and see how things go. But uh, main priority for this year is definitely going to be men's physique so just two shows for you this season.
Speaker 1:Is that what you're?
Speaker 2:planning wmbf edmonton too, so it'll be bc cup. Oh, we have klona, uh, wmbf edmonton. Um, if I do get a pro card in there, I believe there's a show in the States that is around the same time as the Kelowna show, so that could be a possibility just to get, but I can't remember what the rules is. If you get your pro card, can't you wait two years now before you do a pro show?
Speaker 1:You can. There's two years now that you must do a pro show in order to sustain your pro card, that you must do a pro show in order to sustain your pro card. Before, I think it was last year, they wanted to be within the year or within the year that you must compete in a pro show after your pro card to solidify your pro status. Now I think they changed it to two years, I think, or is it like every two years you have to at least compete once to maintain your pro status. I don't know, because I don't have one either, so I don't know I I remember they.
Speaker 2:They changed the rules. I think you have to compete within two years and then I think after that I don't know if you have to compete every two years there there was some formal rule change that we'll have to look back. Maybe on the next podcast we can just bring that in at the start.
Speaker 1:Just to just to confirm or you can get your pro card and you'll know but um no, so that I'm stoked for that man.
Speaker 2:Um, and then you're, you're competing too, I think I don't know. You say I don't know.
Speaker 1:So, uh, I'm, I'm very similar to you, um, but I'm a little bit. I'm even more loose, uh, than you are. So, first off is, since being um, being a part of the WNBF team and being part of WNBF Vancouver, that's the show. I cannot do anything, so I can't judge, I can't compete. I have to be there, eyes on everything and running the show with Leo and Charlotte, well, actually helping them run the show on that day. So I will be definitely be in Vancouver, no matter what. So if you guys are going to come support your athletes, come say hi if you are listening. And so for Kelowna, I'm still in the air for that. I'm just not sure if the improvements are. You can technically say enough. However, we've talked to Brian about potentially, if we do compete this year. There's only two ways to outcomes for this season. Number one is we compete this year and then next year we might, or the upcoming years, my career or my professional life may head to a different direction, and then that might not be able. Then I might not have time to, I might not be have time to compete, um, so might as well just think about compete this year and then just get it, just do it and then just stay off season for the next I don't know how many years. So that's one route, or the other route is just the improvements are not visible enough to make a huge difference between now and 2022. So it's good to see improvements, but let's keep building. That's the other outcome. So we're still not sure, but you were saying that there was a show in US because we were looking at it and we were talking about it. So there is a couple of shows in US while we were speaking, when me and Brian were speaking about it.
Speaker 1:I'm a little I don't know about you, but I'm a little resistant to travel to the east due to just the time difference, this three, four hour time difference, and for me it just fucks up my I'm sorry, excuse my language, excuse my french it just messes up the um, the conditioning. As soon as you get off the plane, there's waters, retentions and conditions just doesn't look as good. Sleep schedule is going to look different, as they are three, four hours ahead. So for us here oh, for you, it might be two, two hours, because you're in it, you're in alberta, I think it'll be probably one or two hours. So it might not be too bad, but at least two, three hours for you, that's for me, and it just might not work and I don't want to spend another three days traveling to the East just to stay there early, just to adjust to the time difference. That's expensive on top of that.
Speaker 1:But we were looking at a couple of shows at the West. There is going to be a show in Federal Way that's down at close to Portland it's still part of like state, so there's a show there in mid June. And then there's, of course, which I think you can seriously think about. I don't know if you want your season to be that long. At the end of July there's always Muscle Home. Ahem, yeah, it's going to be. Theremj is going to be there. I think rp has a couple of uh uh, so jared is going to be there, I think. I don't know if meno is going to be there, but there's a couple of athletes I know for sure through. Dmj is going to uh, everybody's going to be the athletes and I think he's competing too right.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, alberts yeah, I think jeff is going to be competing. There's a lot of Team 3DMJ coaches competing this year, I think Because Alberto Nunes, I think, is competing, jeff Alberts, I think, eric Helms Isn't. Brian Miner, like your coach, competing, I did talk to him about it.
Speaker 1:He's like, yeah, itching it, but he hasn't, number one, found a show that works with his schedule yet, so he's still prioritizing either his work and his family first, so that you know. He knows that. He did tell me that bodybuilding is always going to be here for him, which is true, so that's up to him, you know.
Speaker 2:Finally, I'm actually itching to see him on stage yeah, I'm sure he, because I think last time he did a lot of dance state right, like probably one of the most dense guys would like he's so thick.
Speaker 1:yeah, that's like jealous, but but from when you were competing last, let's say, last season, 2023, it's going to be difficult for our audience to see this, but then it's, and I think it's also very difficult for us to overlook, because we look at ourselves every single day and we may not notice minor improvements. We can see it, but may may not be able to identify specifically where they are. Um, but what would you say? Your, your, your, your major improvement would be during this offseason I would probably say my chest, like you mentioned.
Speaker 2:It's hard to tell what when you're in the offseason. You still have some body fat on you and like you can compare and contrast, like, uh, from the same body weight, which I've been kind of a bit more like, my chest and my delt seem like they have a bit more like a pop. They're just a little bit thicker and denser, um, so I think those are probably the main areas that I'm a little bit sick, uh, for you, those of you guys watching, so if my voice cuts out, that's probably why, um, but yeah, uh, I think those are probably the main areas that I've been able to bring up. I think my legs have probably come up a little bit too, even though I'm more so focusing on men's physique. But I don't know for me.
Speaker 2:I find I, I have to train legs, I I can't like there's something about like I always started bodybuilding with quite small legs, so for me to to like back on legs, it just mentally I don't like it. So I'm still training them quite a bit. But yeah, shoulders is definitely the main areas that I think I've brought up. We'll see once I get down to that conditioning. I think the main thing, too, is just really being able to showcase my back pose this time around. I know for that WNB vancouver show I was having issues opening up and posing wasn't quite where I needed it to be. So I'm hoping, like why this year I'm hiring a coach and everything and like sure that that's going to be dialed into the best possible. Um, so I have the best chance at doing well at that show what would you say?
Speaker 1:you would your difference between your training, between when before?
Speaker 2:yeah. So before I was getting coached by jeff alberts and like it was, uh, we didn't have like kind of intensity techniques or length and partials and stuff like that um, and the volume was probably a little bit lower than what I'm doing right now. So like uh, about I would say a year and a half ago I started, I hopped into Alberto Nunez's training group, so he has a training group where he has like programs set up for everybody. I've been pretty well utilizing a lot of like programming and just manipulating certain variables so that I can increase volume in like delts in my chest a little bit more. But I've been doing that just as a way of learning more too.
Speaker 2:I find looking at other people's programming and utilizing it, seeing what works best, what doesn't work that well for me, has been a really good tool for myself. So I've been, yeah, a lot of Alfredo Nunez's techniques with mile reps, with some length and partials, doing a couple different movements that are very like sissy squats, hack squats and like to get more range motion through the quad. Um, with the, I've been doing a lot more cable, lateral raises. I know there's a recent study with lateral raises showing that like versus cable there doesn't seem to actually be much of a difference oh, by metal, right?
Speaker 2:yeah, I think I sure yeah like weird because, like training those length, it seems like now they're starting to be a bit more evidence showing that length of the partials. Maybe they're not quite as good as yeah suggesting, but I do personally think with like back training and with my chest training, getting into that deep stretch position has seemed to help with some growth. Um, it might just be mentally or like placebo effect thinking, oh, this is gonna work, so it actually does work. But, um, yeah, I, I think those areas probably improved on me. Um, what about you? Do you think you've been able to bring up, uh, the delts and the chest as well, a bit more?
Speaker 1:yeah, um, so chest wise there's a little bit more improvement for myself. Um, now, I I didn't see it when I was like that, but when I was like kilos down back in the summertime I couldn't see anything. I actually looked a little bit more skinnier than I figured, just because definition wasn't there. And then now when I cut back, I did a mini cut so I cut down to like kilos. So I cut down what? Six kilos, if my math is right over the course of July, August, September, five months, so a kilo a month-ish. And I'm actually surprised because I've also incorporated, you know, different training variables.
Speaker 1:So this is the thing about, you know, Brian, I've worked with him for so long that he allows me to choose some of my own exercises and I figured one of my weaknesses were my arms. They have like mass to them and I started doing a lot more, you know, just biasing overhead, tricep extensions, cable dumbbell, you know whatever you can think of. And I found that, you know, obviously, even during the cutting phase, just doing strictly just overhead, I think there seemed to be a good improvement on my triceps and that kind of brought out the arm mass a little bit better. I found success there. I didn't really find too much success in my anterior delts. Well, there were, but probably not as visible. Chest-wise, pec-wise, I think it's visible, but not as much as I want. Lats actually one of my stronger suits were that improved, for somehow, I don't know how, I pulled back a little bit on the volume, but I don't know how. It's just probably my bad posture. It's a bad training technique.
Speaker 2:Well, with back training I do find for me if I pull back volume my back seems to respond a bit better to lower volume with back training. I don't know if it's just because it's so fatiguing and like that fatigue, if if you're going really ham because I like when I try to do quite high volume with back training, like fricking toast, so I think it's probably that little bit of balance of stimulus and that fatigue, yeah.
Speaker 1:And I think I also did quite a bit of compound lifts Well, not like barbell, I wouldn't say barbell, just double joint stuff for quite a long time and I think now we can shut up and added a lot more isolates. So I'm not saying like, don't do one, if you're listening, and just do both. You just have one. And I think I'm somehow creates this circle of life where we go back to where we first began training and started the bro splits.
Speaker 2:I think it's sort of working, yeah, and that's the thing like, oh no, I feel like the more I yeah experiments and like research, like it's always constantly like a little bit, so like like if I'm not like I'm gonna be ocd and I gotta do everything perfectly because it's like, you see, like studies, oh high volumes, like best thing ever, some studies like well, you can still see like much like results with like slow volume, um, so like I don't know, I feel like with the research I I'm trying to not to get super hyper focused on it anymore because just with how much it keeps like I'm just gonna stick kind of middle to not take it to one extreme or the other yeah, speaking of I think it's a good point that you brought that up so really adjusting your volume and we're not saying that you make it in every like frequently.
Speaker 1:I guess that's what we're trying. I think we talked a little bit like this before. Okay, uh, let's uh, since you talked a little bit about the entire in programming and things like that, I think it's also good for us to just also notice we pre-prep ourselves into in competitions as well. So what would be some of your philosophies?
Speaker 2:on that. Yes, like I have this from jeff alberts, the first ever time I did a full-on pre-pep cut was my last show that I did, or for my last season back in 2023, where I essentially my peak off-season weight. Just to give an example to make it make easier to understand I was probably around 10 um 205 when I was like heaviest off-season weight. Um, we spent about two to three ish months getting down to about 190 and then held there for a bit, um, and started the actual competition prep at 190, where we went down to 170 uh. So essentially, just uh, start at a healthy position so we don't have to rush the prep.
Speaker 2:I find this is the hardest thing for most first timers because they go into it Okay, like, like, how's above stage weight? And they're like, okay, I just want to start my competition prep. Like, weeks out, we don't have enough time. Like, are you in a good spot with your metabolism? So essentially, my philosophy around it is just to get yourself in a better position to start your competition prep. So get to a point where you're about 10% above stage weight For this most people, this is about 15, 20, 25 pounds above stage weight and then start like a competition prep about 24 weeks out. This way you can go nice and gradually into the show, you can retain as much muscle mass, you can retain your strength, you can feel actually decent For good majority of of the prep. The last bit is always going to be very challenging, but it's just going to make the prep that much easier, whereas if you, yeah, have more weight to lose in a shorter period of time, a lot of times there's a lot of digging involved there's a lot more harsh symptoms of hunger, fatigue, lethargic, these kind of things are going to get super ramped up. So we want to try to do everything in our power to reduce those things and try to have them so that they're not popping up as much, or at least not till the final bit of prep.
Speaker 2:So this time around I'm actually going to be doing it a little bit differently. Like, actually cut down to 103, 82 pounds. I've maintained here kind of lean gains, you could say, or main gains, you could say, for about three months, and now I'm going to be starting at like and like pounds 84, I guess would probably be a better number, but uh, yes, I literally only have 14 pounds to lose to to hit my stage weight. I might not even have to lose that much within this. Next I guess I'm probably gonna be months yeah, it'll be about 16 weeks out from the first show.
Speaker 2:So I also shortened the the amount of time of my prep, just because I'm I'm that much leaner, so I don't need as long of a prep. Um, just because I'm already this lean, so it's just don't need as long of a prep just because I'm already this lean, so it's just kind of it, so I don't have to be prepping for quite as long, I don't have to be going as aggressive with it, and I'm hoping this is going to be like one of my easiest preps to date.
Speaker 1:I would agree it was also something that that you I'm glad that you actually you know that up, as that has been always some of how we would prep others athletes, or I would suggest on how would they prep. However, we're not. I don't think this message is you know enough on the importance of a I wouldn't want to say pre-prep, and how I frame it is just like a pre fat loss phase. Before you step into prep, what puts yourself in a position where you're about 10 to 15% above stage weight. However, I think it is a little bit more challenging to identify for first-time competitors on what their stage weight is actually going to be compared to what they are right now. So maybe I think that's also a good question that I might ask. I think that's also a good question that I might ask.
Speaker 1:Would um, I think it's also a part of this question off, I think male men athletes are going to be a little bit easier to identify, could guess on where their stage would potentially sit compared to females. So probably that's going to be the first part of the question. Uh, you know the time that you would suggest for some athletes to pre to do this pre-fat loss phase and the time difference between for a, a female athlete. You say and how would you go? You know, how would you, you know, approach this by taking a guess at what their stage would be yeah, so no great questions, ben.
Speaker 2:In terms of female versus male, I tend to find with most females the rate of fat loss tends to be a bit slower as well. Just from my experience and what I've seen with a lot of other prep coaches, they typically need a bit more of a longer prep, with some breaks and stuff in there and stuff in there, um, and then, compared to like a male or um competitor, it's usually it depends on the individual too, because I've had competitors that just drop weight, like like that where it's really easy for me to lose weight but it's really hard for me to gain past a certain point. So depends on like individual, their metabolism, what their experience has been like fat loss phases. Has it been very challenging to get very lean, um. So there's a lot of questions that I like to ask people, like what their previous fat loss phases have looked like, how the leanest they've ever gotten to, and send me a photo of them at that leanest, and that gives me an idea of, okay, we probably need to be maybe 10, 15 pounds below that current weight, um. So when I look at somebody's picture, I have a general idea of what their body fat percentage is, just from seeing so many photos of so many people at different body fat percentages. If somebody has access to the access scan or something like that can be another very useful tool just to really see okay, like body fat percentage are you actually at and like your body fat, yeah, it might be quite a large period of time to get down to that competition uh weight where you might be looking at a year, just over a year, just to slowly make your way down, have some maintenance periods in there.
Speaker 2:Um, if you're somebody that's like body fat, starting prep, that's usually a pretty good sweet spot. Like 12, 13, 12 40 body fat while you're starting a competition prep, that's usually a pretty good sweet spot. Like 12, 13, 12, 40 body fat while you're starting a competition prep, that's generally where you want to be at. So, yeah, much just guesstimating where they're currently at.
Speaker 2:Seeing a photo of them right now, seeing a photo of them when they got to the leanest if they have a photo, and from there I make some guesstimations on where I believe that weight is going to be, typically with people that I don't know what they're if I don't have any photos of them being super lean, we'll give a rough estimate of some shows to do and as we're getting closer, then we can make those adjustments, like not quite as lean as we should be, let's look at maybe pushing to a later show, or if they're like okay, like already super lean, I could probably even throw in some earlier shows and we can look at doing that. So it's, it's gonna depend, um, from person to person, but uh, yeah, those are the kind of things that I like to use yeah.
Speaker 1:No, it's not the answer that everybody let's straight answer, everybody's looking for. That is the actually the honest truth. That um it because this is a an individual sport. So, yes, people argue this is not a sport, but I am going to call it a sport. So this is an individual sport. Um, there isn't really anything that you can you compare yourself to but yourself.
Speaker 1:So that's um, I guess it also comes with experience, as also mentioned, that uh, just by photos, and I know it's also a little bit challenging because I've seen photos that are taken very well and it's going to be a little bit more challenging to see. Not everybody has access to a very nice camera, but I think phones right now your cameras are good, but then this is also they. That's also very hard for us. So if you are thinking about competing for the very first time, or even your fifth time, uh, with them, that's why we do consults for every individual.
Speaker 1:So coaches like myself or brandon will ask you like a ton of questions, uh, on your kind of where the leanest you've been like also mentioned. But I think you make a really good point. I think you also need some clarity to some of our audience on a little bit of a time frame for expectations. You know, of course everybody's going to be different, so just don't take this one cookie cutter and apply it to everybody's gonna have to cut for 24 weeks. Everybody has to come for like a year. So, as you did mention, if you're like percent body fat over stage weight, then yes, you may potentially need, you know, weeks or plus, who knows um, but as as I think you need, to make sure you don't miss out any details that you guys said.
Speaker 1:He did say that you cut and then you throw in maintenance phases in there, so that's also just part of important. On importance of periodization, if you have not looked into that, there's many studies proving that this has worked as well. But what would you say? Like you are actually, you know a little bit more uh, first-time athletes or people who actually want to compete, naturally, um, since you've talked to individuals or athletes, would you say their, uh, your goals, of course, for competing are going to be, of course, win a pro card uh, and winning.
Speaker 1:You know divisions. I think this is the most uh in the room, but would you say why there would be their main drive to actually want to compete instead of just winning?
Speaker 2:a lot of times it's just people, especially when they're coming out of, uh, like your high school and like their sports are ending, they they don't generally have like a competition drive anymore, so they're kind of do something hard. And that's where I see like a lot of people coming to me from sports backgrounds or like um sort of like generally like hard shit, like maybe they've done marathons before, maybe they've done like there is something that's like when demanding and they crave that. Um, that's where I see a lot of people like done this before? Like seems really cool, I want to try this out. Um, that's one of the main ones.
Speaker 2:Uh, some people do it for the wrong reasons, where they think, oh, this is how I'm gonna get super fit and healthy. For those kind of people, I try to steer them away from that. Or like I just talk about why we should potentially be competing, how like cool to get super shred like love the kind of from it and everything like that. Like there's always going to be some level of like body image that comes along with it. But just understand that there's those phases that can't be just super shredded all the time, or else you're not gonna feel good, you're probably gonna have a bad rebound back up and stuff like that if you're not careful. So just yeah, let them know like gotta be doing this for some internal for more of a camera, think of the word for it.
Speaker 1:But yeah I think you know what I mean, yeah, I actually know exactly what you're talking about. I was just gonna see if you could pitch it, but uh, I think that's a really good way to kind of dial in where why I actually asked this question on, uh, your motivation behind athletes coming into you, asking, requesting them. You know competing and stuff like that. So I think we can actually all share a little bit. I think we have actually talked about this. You know, back in season one. You know where uh is your main.
Speaker 2:You know drive uh to actually wanting to compete uh in in natural bodybuilding, yeah, so that would probably be my question for you gotcha, I would say it's like for me, like I've talk about with, like people with the sports growing up, it's always been testing those limits.
Speaker 2:Um, I I always have that crave for like how far I can take things. So when I, especially with my body, like I used to do some running, I used to play sports and stuff like that, but then just the sport of bodybuilding, there's just something about it that just um just takes so much more energy, I find, like you like a 24 hour thing where they gotta get your sleep, you have to be tracking your nutrition, you have to get in your training sessions. It's something that you have to really lock in and I find every time I go through this process I just learn more about myself and like helps me kind of if I'm finding that I'm a little bit all over the place with maybe, like career, I'm not being as productive. I find when I get into a routine with competition prep structured, really there I can, my productivity is so much better, my work goes better. So it ties into a lot of other parts of my lifestyle. So, yeah, it's probably one of the biggest things yeah, awesome what about you?
Speaker 2:what would you say is like biggest reason why you like competing in natural body so that's yes.
Speaker 1:I would share this as I didn't start off very similar with a lot of how your competitors or athletes came to you having a sports background. I did not have a sports background, so you would say, like entered natural bodybuilding for the wrong reasons. Um, yeah, part of those the, the population going into it for the wrong reason in the beginning, all I wanted.
Speaker 2:Yeah, do you think is fine sometimes, as long as you have the right direction going into it. I feel like if you have that direction of just like you're trying to like, can sometimes make it so that people don't want to stay in the sport if they go into it with just that reason. But yes, go ahead. Yeah, I um just wanted to be jacked?
Speaker 1:yeah, I wanted. I was always very skinny. Um, I weighed my lightest weight I think it was coming out of college and, uh, you know, only weighed like pounds, being I like foot nine, 125 pounds, and I put nine. Yeah, I was literally like a kite. If I had to wear like shorts and like baggy wear, I was literally a kite. All I just got to open my arms and I was a kite. I could fly, though. So I kind of put into bodybuilding hiring a coach just for the sake of wanting to put more mass, but it was for the wrong reason so, like me, getting into lifting was for that exact reason, for the bodybuilding aspect.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't say it was specific. There was probably some parts of me that were kind of a little bit in the tension from bodybuilding. Like, yeah, originally into working out was, yeah, stronger to impress girls and shit. And like like some thick dude where I I was quite on the skinny and I wasn't quite that skinny, but I was yeah, I was pretty skinny, for sure too yeah, problem was the coach that I went to.
Speaker 1:He was an enhanced bodybuilder and by back then I was naive and didn't think that there were peds. Then, so, dumb me thought that, oh, I could do this naturally. But he was enhanced so I thought it's like, oh, I could look like that, you know. So that's how I got to uh, so that's how he also trained uh people as well as like what you want to look like. Then you just lift and you know how I got into it. And then until the day is he invited you know he's and all those people to come watch his uh bodybuilding show. And I was like, oh, look, this is exciting. It's like so good and making it look so easy. And then, until you do it the first time, it's like, oh shit, this is hard. But then it's very, very. You know the first show. It was very fun. I. I found a lot of fun the moment on stage. So that was the most exciting part for me. So that's why I want to do it like enjoy the moment on stage prep.
Speaker 1:For me, cutting is honestly easy, just the same as you cutting down. It's just like a breeze and uh, it's, it's bulking for me. So that's like for for every bit, every natural bodybuilder. You know bulking is impacting more muscle. As age goes on, it's definitely harder, so that that was the big thing for me as well. Yeah, what would you? Yeah, question for me. Yeah, sorry, I'm just cut you off, no worries, go ahead. Yeah, you did mention it. I'm just going to ask you with this again now what was your stage? Weight 2023 so 2023?
Speaker 2:I think I got to the lowest weight like this, not my stage weight, but I got to around 165 pounds. Uh, on stage I think I was around 169 170. So that's around my stage weight, I think. Probably this year I'll probably be around 172, 173, maybe even a little bit heavier, especially with the carb up and everything, just for men's physique, because I don't have to be having like glutes or hamstring tie-ins and stuff like that. But we'll, we'll see. If the process is, like Mount, easier than the last time I did it, I might even chase a bit more conditioning, but we'll, we'll see how things go yeah.
Speaker 1:So sorry, what were you going to say before I cut you off? Oh, I think it was about like on stage.
Speaker 2:You mentioned being on stage was the thing that was you enjoyed a lot about bodybuilding, I find for me, to be honest, like posing, the being on stage doing that stuff, I don't enjoy that as much as like the process going through everything like like like shred it and like um, some photos and video like and stuff like that. But like being actually on stage like that I don't get like kind of enjoyment out of it. I just think like, as I'm going through this process anyway, I might as well hop on stage to like that program too.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I think the process is the thing that I get the most reward out of, rather than kind of on stage like like I was like like I had shows where I won and then I ended up losing the overall the show, and then I was like, oh, but I wanted to win the overall. So there's always something that you want to chase that you. You almost never feel good until you get that, but then you get that goal, but then there's something else. So I try not to focus too much on that and just just focus on enjoying the thing, because I've had shows where I was so focused on winning that I didn't do that well at the show and then the whole experience just kind of act great like because I was so focused on that. So I find if you can just enjoy, like like you're going on stage and enjoy the process leading up to it, um, see how far you can push yourself, I find that's where I get the fun. But uh, yeah, just me anyway.
Speaker 1:No, that's a really good point you point out, because, um, but we also did mention on you know, having, you know, going on stage for the wrong reasons. This is one of them, and it's inevitable for every first time competitor, or even experienced competitors, to actually want to step on stage for that reason, that which that I just talked about. Even though it's enjoying the stage, everybody wants to win, or else why compete?
Speaker 2:yeah when I say that too like obviously want to win, like I want to like that trophy, I want to get the pro card, like to make it to worlds one day like deal with something. That's like I want to do. It's just those aren't probably, as it's not your first priority yeah, shouldn't be your first priority.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I agree with that. Yeah, I think I really agree with that. Um, but uh, why I actually, you know, to asking your stage weight and uh, what your goal stage wage is. I do encourage everybody to have your own goals as well. You know you're your competitor if you're just a hitting a real lifestyle, if you actually have a goal, if you're working with a coach. If you don't have, if you don't have one set, if you have one, you really encourage you to stick with it, share with us. Well, you know what you you know you have, and we'll invite questions or topics. If you guys want to hear in future episodes, we can definitely about it and talk about it. And uh, if, uh, we have enough questions, we may even do segments. Let's say, q and a live. I don't know something like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah I'll be game, because you can do that on youtube, right?
Speaker 1:like you can actually do on youtube. Yeah, you can actually catch us. Yeah, you can actually catch us on youtube as well. We will load this um video on youtube, just just both talking to each other like this.
Speaker 2:Um, anything that you wanted to add before we close no, yeah, I think that's great man like yeah for how the podcast is going to go on from episode to episode, like we were talking about this before officially relaunching this. I think we're going to keep these conversations a little bit more casual and just whatever comes up, I think we'll have it flow a bit nicer that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's why I've also invited you to come and leave comments in the sections or on mainly two platforms. You can leave it on the YouTube comments down below, or, if we do post this on Instagram as reels or something like that, leave comments down, and if there's specific stuff that you want talked about, or if you want to know, then we're more than happy to share that as well. So, if not, we're going to close this episode out. So thank you for everybody who tuned in. Um, we will see you in the next episode. So remind you all you know to follow on lifting nerds uh, sorry, lifting nerds podcast on instagram and on youtube as well. We will be there looking at all the comments for questions, um, but yes, so thank you guys for tuning in and we'll see you soon. Bye, thanks, guys.