Lifting Nerds
Adrian Ma and Brandon Emslie share discussions and interviews with the fitness community's best science-based researchers and coaches.
Lifting Nerds
S3E5: The Relationship Survival Guide for Natural Bodybuilders
Navigating relationships while deep in bodybuilding prep presents unique challenges that extend beyond just physical training and diet restrictions. We share personal strategies for maintaining healthy partnerships when your significant other doesn't understand the demands of competition.
• Diet breaks are crucial not just for physical recovery but for mental health and relationship maintenance
• Communication about mood changes, decreased libido, and energy fluctuations helps partners understand these symptoms aren't personal
• Carefully selecting social activities that don't revolve around food helps maintain connections without compromising prep
• Finding creative ways to participate in your partner's life while staying on plan requires planning and compromise
• Prepping with a partner who also competes creates unique advantages but comes with its own set of challenges
• Remember that bodybuilding is temporary while relationships are long-term—prioritize accordingly
• Bringing your own food to events, eating beforehand, and positioning yourself away from temptations can help manage social situations
If you have questions about managing relationships during prep or want us to address specific challenges you're facing, send us a DM or leave a comment below.
IG: @liftingnerds
Youtube: liftingnerds
Host
@_adrianma
@brandonemslie
Welcome everybody to our fifth episode. Yes, fifth episode. Wait, is it fifth? Yeah, fifth, fifth, fifth. Yeah, we had James Whittle last time and, yeah, today's our fifth episode. Today we have no guests, it's only me and Brandon today, but we have a very, very interesting we want to discuss about. It's a very big one. I think we want to talk about it because we both are in. We do run into where we have partners that don't know the whole process of a bodybuilding show, some conflicts we may run into and we wanted to address that and, potentially, ways to handle that or handle these kind of situations. But before we get into that, you know, brandon, how's prep going for you? Well, it's really marching right now. It's beginning of march and we're technically just really like nine and a half, almost like eight weeks away from your first show.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so yeah I am feeling good this week just because I had a diet break.
Speaker 2:So, if you're, if anybody's watching this and doesn't understand what diet break is essentially, I just brought my calories up to maintenance for a full week and carbs are up, energy is up, a lot of the symptoms that I was feeling before kind of dissipated, but now I'm going to be going back into it, so I'm just excited for this final push into the show. Um, but yeah, before this, before the diet break, was definitely feeling, um, some symptoms of more. So mental symptoms like, just like more irritability, more kind of overwhelmed, uh, more, a little bit more food focused, for sure, but I've definitely dealt with more food focus in past preps. But I just knew that with these symptoms starting to come up, I just was like, okay, I should probably have a break now rather than later, just to ensure that we get these symptoms down, so I can really push for this last eight weeks before the show.
Speaker 2:I've noticed in last preps I'm bad for underplaying symptoms sometimes, so like I'll be like oh, like no, I'm fine, and then I'll hit like a wall. I often find that if I don't have a deload or not a deload, but a diet break, I find myself getting sick. When I'm having these very severe diet symptoms. I always end up catching a cold. So I'm like okay.
Speaker 2:I'm going to try to do that before I get sick or before the symptoms start to really flare up.
Speaker 2:So I know I was actually watching some old videos of Alberto Nunez Like I think it's prep in like 2021 or something like that and just about how he was trying to reduce the symptoms of prep as long as he possibly could, and it wasn't until like the last like four or five weeks where he was really where he actually felt like extremely dieted.
Speaker 2:So that's what I'm trying to do for myself is really push those symptoms off. So, like I know, probably within another two weeks I'll probably start really feeling some pretty gnarly symptoms from prep, but I just wanted to push that off as far as long as I possibly can to feel as healthy as I can, so I can keep this prep going for a longer duration, as I feel, like my last prep I was kind of like with Jeff I was being very fairly transparent, but sometimes I feel like I should be, like I always downplay sometimes the symptoms and then they just catch up to me and I'm like okay, I just I can't keep doing this, like that's kind of what happened towards the last prep, because I was gonna do another show, but I was just like man, I just mentally can't handle it so this time I'm trying to really keep those symptoms down so that I can maintain this prep for longer than last year.
Speaker 1:How's your condition, though? Is it coming together after a full week? What was your body fluctuation before the diet break and now, one week after the diet break? I?
Speaker 2:was around 173. I was getting low weigh-ins around 173, probably averaging one, I think it was 178. This week my average is, I think, around 179. So I had some weigh-ins of like 180 and everything like that. But I got a lot more fullness back, like I even look a bit more conditioned now than I did before. So I think I dissipated some water as well. So yeah.
Speaker 2:I think I'm in a good spot, like again when I did the BC Cup last year. A lot of guys were coming in very full but weren't quite as sharp as me. So like I don't care too much if I'm a little bit less conditioned for that first show, but just bring me a lot of fullness and then when it comes, to the WMBF, I'll have a little bit more time to get a little bit more body fat off for the Clona show, and then if I do Classic.
Speaker 2:I'll have about a month or so to get a little bit more off. So I'm trying to just time it in a way that I'm not like way too ahead, but I'm not like really far behind.
Speaker 1:So what you're saying is that you're actually planning for Classic Physique for Edmonton. Saying is that you're.
Speaker 2:You're actually planning for classic physique at for edmonton. I'm just trying to make it that I'm gonna be have enough time to get to like that style conditioning for them because I know, if yeah, all right, I don't want to be like finishing the clone show and be like, yeah, there's no way I'm gonna have the conditioning for classic, so all right, we'll keep it in the download.
Speaker 1:So now you well, well, let's just say well, we'll just kind of sidetrack a little bit, cause I'm interested and you know what your thoughts are going to be. So what would you think that you'll fit better in like classic physique or bodybuild at this? You know certain body type that you have.
Speaker 2:It's tough Cause because, like for me, I feel like I don't have extremely broad shoulders and a very small waist like my waist, like I do have like good abs, but I absolutely have like a bit of a wider waist compared to some of these other guys. Yeah, well then I I don't quite have the size I feel for I'm just like I'm kind of like in the middle there.
Speaker 2:So I'm like I think classic will probably suit me better, just because I'm not as muscled. And then if I yeah like, so I'm thinking classic was likely the better way for me to go, and if I get my posing down for that, I think that's probably going to be the best route for me.
Speaker 1:So WMBF has finally released their reel on the. Uh. Well, not not entirely releasing the judging criteria, but the main criteria for mandatory posts is for classic physique on instagram. So if you haven't checked it out, check it out. Uh, I think all platforms for wmbf canada has shared that reel, including, um, you know, the main canada one and edmonton and, I think, vancouver, of course. So if you guys have not checked it, so you can go check it out. They are a little bit different from mandatory poses compared to bodybuild. I think they have like one hand open on some of the front and back double biceps, um, I actually didn't check it out.
Speaker 1:I gotta, I still gotta look at that real, yeah, so yeah, so I know I know some, some of you, if you're listening, you can't see this, but then, um, there, I'm just going to show you here. If you're watching youtube you'll probably see it. Um, so their front double bicep for batted body was basically just as so and for for classic, I think they have one hand open and higher like that, and that goes for back double bicep as well. Then there's side chest and side tricep. I think you hold the first position, just like how you would in bodybuild, and they'll rotate their thigh outwards.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, I think they got Chris Elkin to To do the demonstration. On, on, on, on the, on the reel. So if you haven't checked it out, go check it out. That goes for you too. Think that's their mandatory. And then you have a favorite pose. They have abs and and Dom wait abs and thighs. I forgot if they had that for bodybuilders, shoot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they'll have that for bodybuilding too.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, they'll have that for bodybuilding too. Okay, okay, yeah, then, and then I think that's about it. I think you also get like one or two favorite poses for, for for classic physique yeah, I know for cpa they had the one like favorite classic physique pose.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure for wmbf. I'll have to look at that real and see they have.
Speaker 1:They have like one or two favorite poses for classic physique. I think it does depend, uh, on time, you know, given they do have quite a bit of poses to get through. Same with bodybuild they have the symmetry round and the muscularity round. So you'll still hold those poses for for front, for front lat spread and front double buys. Those are still all there. It's the same as, uh, for bodybuilding, but, yeah, it's going to be exciting for for us to see it and um for wmbf vancouver at about same time as you like next in the next eight and a half weeks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it sucks because I, I wanted to come out to vancouver but I'm just like I was, so like it's just. If I go to vancouver like yeah it's, I gotta get a hotel and stuff and I gotta, it's just a little bit more of a process, whereas wmbf or cpa, yeah, it's just right there, all my family's there, it's just, it's nice from that perspective. Um, I have a couch. If you want to cry, well, I haven't. I haven't paid for the show cost for a piece of cup.
Speaker 1:So you never know for real yeah, I'm.
Speaker 2:I've been just holding off on it, for I.
Speaker 1:I should probably pay for it this month, though, because I know they'll probably be going up pretty soon oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, because I know they're for for even for wmbf, I think the late, not the late cost, but the late registration fee goes up for like almost 200 bucks 250 bucks for wmef, I think. I think it's a far after april where we're literally like four weeks out from the show and I don't remember when the when the registration closes.
Speaker 2:I think it's also somewhere around that time as well I think sometimes they'll do it like up to like the week before, like I've seen that before. I don't know if you guys are changing it this year, but yeah yeah, um, I have no idea.
Speaker 1:I have no idea for bc cup, for cpa. I think they can. You, can you actually like to sign up on the day of the check-in?
Speaker 2:I I'm not sure, to be honest, like, uh, I'm sure if I like reached out and it was like a last minute thing and like because I've competed with them before, they might do something like that but I, I don't know it I don't know how much that would mess them up with like classes and stuff, but yeah, I'm not sure. To be honest, I know a lot of those federations like it's like it's always better to have more people, so sometimes they'll make an exception. Yeah, um, but uh, yeah but yeah anyways man, how, how's your prepping been going?
Speaker 1:uh, yeah, so I'm glad you brought up the diet break, um, because for somehow I struggled the same thing and I did a. I'm doing something similar to what you did last prep. I was trying to push off. Well, I'm actually so caught up in life stuff that I kind of ignored what I really needed. I was just feeling everything at the moment and I didn't identify the fact that I needed a diet break. My body weight hasn't went down for two weeks. I was sitting at 143 145 for two weeks in a row.
Speaker 1:However, when we're looking at the, looking at photos, we're looking at condition, and condition definitely went down and you know, brian did mention that you could potentially be stressed. It could potentially be um, what is that called a water retention? I'm just I just I don't understand the, the fact like I'm holding water. However, the condition's going down, so that's not something that I would probably chase after. He did mention that I did say. I did also say you know my performance is going down. My mood swings are getting more and more serious. Therefore, he gave me a diet break for this week. So this is my third day for the diet break Break. I think my calories is actually way above maintenance right now. So my maintenance is is thought to be about 25 to 2600.
Speaker 1:He's letting me eat to 27 to 2900 oh nice yeah, so like a very, maybe a very minor surplus kind of thing, very, very minor yeah, for just this week, for it's really just this weekend, and we will dial about we'll, you know, dial back next week. And then the fact that my body weight hasn't really fluctuated that much. So I weighed myself this morning and I'm still at 143.
Speaker 1:It's not yeah, it's kind of strange. Uh, I do feel better for, for you know, two days of feeding and uh, again today, you know, and this week is also deload in terms of training. Um, I do believe I'm very, very close to stage conditioning, uh, and I am 10 weeks or nine and a half yeah, nine and a half to 10 weeks away from colonna. Uh, I'm expecting, I don't know, I'm expecting to probably feed into the show, just like last time. I'm not sure how many weeks out we're going to start feeding and I'm not. I'm actually very suspicious if I will be able to reach the what is 62 kilos in pounds. Um, probably about the 140, 140 pound mark. So that was my stage weight last time, so I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to reach that this year. I'm a little bit concerned, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to reach that this year I'm a little bit concerned, but I'm not sure if I should be.
Speaker 2:Well, you might just have more tissue, more muscle mass on you, so you literally don't have to get to that weight Right. So I feel like that. That's probably a big component to that.
Speaker 1:I would, yeah, I would want to think that as well. I hope that is actually true. You know, three years of, you know, being an off season, you know, put on putting on three kilos of tissue, that's for me that's a little bit of a stretch, especially at my age. So that's something that it's in the back of my mind. But we'll see.
Speaker 2:We'll just do our best, moving forward I was just gonna say with the feeding into the show last year, maybe explain to the audience, like what that looked like for you when you guys were feeding into it. How quickly did you guys increase calories or carbs or fats or whatever?
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, that's a really good question. So a very common tactic a lot of bodybuilders would probably use. It's better now People would start quote unquote carbo loading into the show. Start, you know, quote-unquote carbo loading into the show. Mainly, usually like one week out of the show, during peak week, they'll start feeding into the show, increasing carbohydrates um, every single day, and then, uh, it will reach into, it will just suck into the muscle and it'll look more full on stage.
Speaker 1:Uh, so for my last prep, we achieved condition. We looked really flat six weeks, eight weeks from the show and we kind of held it at maintenance, um, so for me it was like 20 yeah, it's about 24 2500 calories. Uh, we hailed for maintenance until we were three weeks out of the show and we started increasing calories and carbohydrates week by week. We kept protein fairly high, fats levels started to climb about five to ten grams every week and during show day, that's we, we sort of had the same food. Uh, therefore we the the loading and the body response is a little bit more predictable and we gradually increased body weight for about roughly about a kilo, four per week. So that's, that was my loading. Yeah, that was my loading, um, and then I do think that the one thing that I could have done better was increase a little bit more sodium. I was a little hesitant on the 2020 show for the sodium intake. I should have been a grad a little.
Speaker 2:I could have put a little faith, a little bit more faith in it and add that bigger slice of of salt in some of my foods gotcha, yeah it's crazy how much like that salt will help allow, uh, more fullness to like basically just like having that uh, because like I think that's the same thing with my clients before they're going on stage, like usually we're having a big bout of sodium and you just see the veins just start to really pop the vascularity, and then just even that fullness even if somebody's a little bit too flat, that can just even allow for a bit more fullness to the physique as well so that that would be that.
Speaker 1:That would how would be. Uh, we'll probably approach the show, I think, the same way. I think yourself as well. We'll probably approach the show the same way as we did. It has. It has shown that this it's, it's coming a little bit more common now with a lot of other athletes, you know, slowly feeding into the show instead of rushing and everything into peak week. So I think that's a that's a really good thing. Right, push direction on how, how bodybuilding has improved over time.
Speaker 1:But going back, going back on it, I think being on diet breaks and, you know, being on this like severe deficit for such an extended period of time as, as you said, you know being extended for me it was from beginning of january until now, so that was almost eight weeks. So eight weeks of, you know, harsh dieting, what is, um, you know, there there are a lot of limitations on uh while being on, you know, bodybuilding prep. So probably some of the things are you know that we have to go through a strict diet, of course, and there's a lot of social limitations that we can't go through. And for me, for my experience, I've experienced like quite severe mood swings for the past week and thank god, I didn't um lash them out at my wife. However, she's going through her own stress while going to school and she's going to social events that also wanted me to tag along, and I had to say no to a couple of them Actually, many of them just due that I'm actually on prep.
Speaker 1:I'm fortunate enough that my wife also did bodybuilding before she does bikini, before before she's going to school, so she understands what I'm actually going through. Um, she understands the extreme bodybuilding prep is. She understands the fatigue and everything else. Uh, so I don't have any good stories to share on that end, but do you have any like good? Or have you ever ran into a partner where you're on prep but your other half does not understand bodybuilding itself?
Speaker 2:Yeah, like.
Speaker 2:So when it comes to prep, yeah, like, I probably had like two ex-girlfriends in the past where the relationship definitely got quite shaky during the time when I was in prep.
Speaker 2:I think a lot of it was just not being as communicative, like not communicating as much about the symptoms and about, like what the prep actually looks like. But yeah, oftentimes I've had a situation where an ex-girlfriend at the time like she didn't have the best eating behaviors, so oftentimes when we were hanging out she was bringing like fast food with her, bringing a lot of candies, bringing a lot of like stuff with her to hang out and come chill. And then it's just at the time I was kind of it was the first couple of preps I was in, I think some of that was probably from my first prep too um, I just didn't know how to like handle that with like the ear to go with, like when you're smelling those kind of foods, when you're seeing it, it sometimes can just create like agitation and if you you don't know how to manage yourself during that, like I just got a lot more irritable and more like argumentative so like, yeah, like the relationship just kind of got rocky.
Speaker 2:I was a bit more moody when it comes to another huge thing, when it comes to relationships. That doesn't get talked about enough, when it comes to natural bodybuilding, is just libido, like when you're when you're in competition prep and like you're getting very, very lean. Your libido is coming down over time.
Speaker 2:It's not that you can't do it, but it's just you don't want to do it as often and sometimes if your partner, if you're not like getting into it as much, then you're essentially like the relationship can feel kind of weird. They might feel like you don't like them anymore and like so some of that kind of stuff can start to happen. And that's where, like what I've noticed over prep is that even though you aren't feeling in the mood as much, you have to still take action, like your stuff, though you may feel like you're not doing, like it's still gonna work. Sometimes I've went through preps where I was like, yeah, like I don't even know, yeah, yeah, well, but so like, yeah, like it's still gonna work. You just have to put in the effort and sometimes it just takes a little bit longer to get in the mood and stuff.
Speaker 2:But putting in that effort, even when you don't feel like doing it and your energy levels are really low. I know Jeff Alberts. We've had a couple of chats, the one he was coaching me last time.
Speaker 2:It's like, oh, just like, buy her some flowers, make sure you're showing her affection even though, like, maybe your brain is more focused on prep and because that's that's another big thing with these kind of competitions is like it's awesome to have a goal, it's awesome to be locked in, but sometimes we get so tunnel visioned with our goal that other things in our life start to get kind of pushed to the side.
Speaker 2:So if it's either hanging out with friends or hanging out with your girlfriend, like I had another relationship where I was so busy at the time like I was going to school uh, full-time in university, I was working like 20 hours a week and I was prepping at the same time and I also had a girlfriend at the time and I found like I just wasn't putting in as much effort into the relationship because I was so focused on school and that, so yeah so there's definitely you got to make sure you have to put extra effort into the relationship when you are going through these times, just because that's often something that gets a little bit neglected, as because, when, when we are going through these times, just because that's often something that gets a little bit neglected, as because when, when we are going through prep, our brain is solely focused on, like, staying alive.
Speaker 2:Like when you're getting super, super lean, um, your body is just like, okay, we're more focused on food than like sex. Like we're more focused on on, um, the goal at hand than like having like conversations that, like you become more aware of things that you don't really care as much about when you're in prep. So, if somebody's talking about drama, oftentimes you're like, okay, I just don't want to, I don't want to talk about that, I just want to have a peace of mind right now. Just because, so, yeah, just being doing your best to still try to be emotional, because that's a that's another thing is, I find, for me personally I've noticed with other people is we stop being as empathetic to people, like we're more, just like we get very blunt.
Speaker 2:We're just like we can sometimes be like no, I don't like that, whereas, like you could say it in a more caring kind of way. So those are kind of some of the main things I would say when we're having when.
Speaker 2:I've been in relationships is just yeah. Sometimes I catch myself being not the nicest person, so I that's where nowadays I try to take a little bit longer to respond to something that's maybe like kind of frustrating me, and I try to think of the words that I can express so that I'm still caring, but not being a dick about something. I don't know if that makes sense, like, have you noticed that yourself with relationships?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. It's a very good point. And there are times, even in a married relationship, I do believe there's times where you have to make an effort to, you know, sustain the marriage. I think it's just just like being any other relationship, even if it's just your partner. If it's just your partner. There are times, uh, where I still have to make an effort, you know, to spend time with her. I don't say I don't want to say it's a good thing, but I would say that I could be more focused on prep is because my wife is also busy with school, so she doesn't have all the time in the world for me. Um, so it's basically now I don't want to get to a stage where it kind of feels like roommates, you know, where I'm doing my own prep thing and then she's doing her old school thing and then we don't really have sort of like quote unquote time together, because Usually this is something that we commonly hear the other half would probably be reaching out, saying, hey, you don't have, like us time, no more.
Speaker 1:It's like only you and I'm doing my stuff and they get lonely. And now you know, I try to make an effort, so things like she would have gatherings with her new friends friends, I would say, her new class buddies um, they would. They would have different activities and I would see if I could go to and support them on some things. Um, for instance, if they're having, of course, a potluck or or like if they're dining out, then those are things that I probably would avoid. However, they do have other activities, like badminton. That that is something that I could join in. I probably just down in protein shake, so I don't feel that that tired and then uh, and then that could be, you know, that could contribute to my quote-unquote cardio and just exert another 150 to 200 calories there. So that is something on those that I would be share her part of her life and you get to meet.
Speaker 1:On some of her new friends, at least I know who she's hanging out with, and so for me, you know, it's a little bit more simple for me. I don't hang out, I don't really hang out with anybody. Um, it's that. Or either I hang out with you, you know, once, twice every week online, or I'm with the other gym trainers at the private studio that I train my clients, and that's the only people I see most of the time. Therefore, she knows them, she knows you, she's not that worried of who I'm around, but I try to come up with activities for us to do together, that we can do together.
Speaker 1:It would probably not be cooking or dining out, you know, that's something that I can't do. However, I think walks or movies. Well, weather is kind of like spring is coming and it's getting a little bit more more warm, at least hopefully, um, and we can go out for movies, which we haven't we still haven't done, and yeah, and she tends to be a little bit resistant to walks and especially in this weather it's raining. But we can do hang hangouts and stuff. So I think these are some of the tactics I would turn to if your other half isn't prioritizing the same goals as you are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like to think back to like social events. So like I actually just went to a buddy's Mario Kart drinking party the other weekend there and like, so I advocated, advocate myself one drink, one low calorie drink and that's it. But the way the the game worked with mario kart is like you would have a drink and you'd have to finish your drink before you finish the race. So so for me, I had, I had one alcoholic beverage that I fitted into my calories, but the rest of it I was literally just chugging diet pop. All these guys are getting like smashed. I'm like just sitting there chugging diet pop while I'm trying to raise.
Speaker 2:So like I feel like there are ways you can go about doing that. It depends what phase you are in prep. Like like if you're like real close to like stage condition and like you're like very irritable, very hungry, very low energy at night, it's probably going to be very torturous going to something like that. Um, especially, they had snacks and stuff and stuff. There too, I was kind of just sitting away from the snacks, I was just kind of chilling on the couch and stuff, where they didn't really have much food. So I was just trying to do things to reduce temptation and stuff. So I do think you can do these kind of events if you know that you're gonna be able to manage and not accidentally slip up on your diet, because I I feel like there's a couple of types of people, like some people can go to these events and be fine and the peer pressure doesn't get to them.
Speaker 1:Some people.
Speaker 2:It's like it just kind of eats away and you feel guilty for not having the food, and then it just turns into like you're kind of resenting people and then you can just kind of give off like not the best vibe.
Speaker 2:So, you got to just make sure that you're managing yourself and since I've went through the prep so many times, I've I can generally manage myself. Last prep, I actually went to a concert between the last show or the my second last show of the year and the last show of the year back in yeah, 2022. Probably wasn't the best idea as, like yeah, I ended up staying up up till I think like one in the morning like everybody was drinking around me. I think I just had a couple like tokes of weed and like was just a little bit stoned. But like man, I felt probably the worst. I felt all that prep when I was there. Like we ended up going on to the area like we were sitting down originally, so I was like fine, but then everybody was willing to go up to the area where you would stand up close to the stage. So we went and did that and I just felt like I was like sleeping, like I was like in like a dream state while I was there, just because I was so tired.
Speaker 2:So I feel like there's definitely a fine balance between doing events to like please others and like to make sure that you're not going to mess up your prep, so I probably wouldn't do that again that close to the show, but if it's, if it's further out, I'll do it.
Speaker 2:So it's. I find it it's a fine balance between making sure that you can still have fun. You can not just consistently say no for like like, say like 20 weeks straight, but if there's a couple weeks in there, especially if you're digging where you're saying no to things, I think that's totally okay.
Speaker 1:But just having that fine balance, I agree, and, yeah, just picking the activities, I think it's also important. So, where we're you're during prep, I think energy availability is very limited. We're not eating that much already, so we we don't really have that much energy to spare yet. Just getting through the day itself with you know working and you know basic life, life stuff that we have to go through, um, that's also very, very important, I think. So there is something that we have planned for april. So april is when your wife's semester break, that's when her break is going to be. She only has like two and a half weeks or three weeks in in between, and that's the only time we get to do stuff together. But, that being said, I'm literally six to four weeks out from the show. Yeah, so I think the only thing I think I found myself another hobby to to do it's a very expensive hobby. I'm modifying the car for me to be able to do some off-roading. That's that's something that has picked up late last year and that is something that does not require food. So thank god for that, and it just takes a lot of time just driving to wherever up in the mountains and having a group of that little community of off-roaders and that's an activity that we can share together. She hasn't been. Therefore, that is something she would get to experience this year.
Speaker 1:I've done it three, four times. I've done some alone. For those who are also into off-road, please don't do that. It's very, very dangerous. If you're going off-road alone, usually up in the mountains, there's no reception. So if you're stuck, you're stuck. Um, so don't do. Yeah, never, I do. I picked those uh, very, very easy trails where we still have reception. In those higher up in the mountains I could get down safely. So if you're doing on those more fun trails, don't go alone.
Speaker 1:And during those times we're usually talking about a two to three hour trip and within that time period, I would probably feed before and it will probably bring a protein shake or some protein bars on the way. Number one keep the protein intake high and just keep ourselves from. You know, hunger levels like elevating hunger levels. By the time you get back, you're just way too dehydrated and you're just hungry from the trip. And that brings us to planning your meals throughout the day as well. But I do think that if, going back to planning your meals and also working with your other half as you did mention, too, having parties. You're having social events Would you actually bring? Let's say, if you and your other half has this house party, would you bring your own food, like, have your own little tub of ware? Um, yeah, how would you? How would you work around that?
Speaker 2:um, I would just eat before and uh like have it, so like at least a little bit of that hunger is like down, yeah, um, and then I would just I would just try not to be like, if possible, around the area that has food, like they kept like all the food and stuff in the kitchen area and I was just kind of chilling in the, so I didn't really like notice it much or smell it as much so like little things like that can actually go quite a long ways but yeah if say, for example, you have a busy day and like you haven't had any food yet, yeah, I would definitely bring like your own food or look at the options that they have there.
Speaker 2:Most of the time, if it's very snacky food, it's usually not going to be the best and most satiating and you're probably not going to be able to accurately measure it out if they're making like homemade dishes and stuff. So yeah, usually, especially if you're deep into prep, I wouldn't be picking out that stuff, stuff if you're on the early phases of prep and like you're ahead of schedule and stuff, I would guesstimate a little bit and just overestimate. So if I look at something and I find something similar in my fitness.
Speaker 2:I'll just add like 10 20 to it. So I'm like okay, I at least know that I'm overestimating it. So the likelihood of me having more than I am is very low. So those are some tricks that I'll use, even eating out like so m and I will pretty much eat out or like have order skip or something once per week and like with that meal. I'll try to find things that have their ingredients online, though oftentimes it's not gonna be super accurate. I'll look at those meals and then just overestimate. So like I'm like oh, so if something has like 800 calories, oftentimes I would just put it as like 900 or 1000 calories, just to be safe that
Speaker 2:way I have that flexibility and that kind of slight looseness with the tracking, so I can kind of I don't know, there's something always about eating out where it just kind of helps reduce, I would say, like diet fatigue and cravings. But if you can do it in a way like I try to do, where you can still kind of overestimate and make sure that you're not blowing your calories, then that works really well and oftentimes I'll do that on like my refeeds, like one of my refeeds. I'll have one meal out and fit it in there that way if I do notice, can't like we're not seeing the trend downward as much.
Speaker 2:We're getting close to show. I'll cut that out because I'm like, okay, there might I might be having more calories than I am. But yeah, when you've done this as many times as I have, you kind of get an understanding of how to track those foods out and understanding if you're making progress, if you're not if you're somebody that's brand new to prepping.
Speaker 2:This is your first show. You've got to be very careful with that because, like some meals out, you can look at my fitness pod like, oh, this sounds about right, oh, it's 800 calories. And then you actually look up it on, like the actual website, it's like 1700 calories so there's, a very large range in terms of those calories out. So if you're not careful with that tracking. You could be having a lot more than you think you are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I think you, I think you make a really good point and there's something I did want to mention to all of our listeners. I'm not trying to shit on anybody, I just wanted to make a reminder to all listeners and everybody, anybody who's watching. So if you see coaches out there, including myself, um, and if we tell you quote-unquote flexible diet for your first bodybuilding prep flexible diet, yes, but it's not as flexible as you think it is um, the thing about that is we allow, we allow different variety of foods, but that does not mean eating out constantly or quote unquote once a week, especially if it's your first prep show and that's, I think that's also. That also just solidifies on what you just said. On, if it's your first bodybuilding prep range and it's just the experience of tracking and understanding foods, is is not quite, you know, experienced and mature yet. So we you need time and effort and, again, tracking food and training is is. It goes hand in hand. It's also a skill that it takes time to learn as well. So just keep that in mind.
Speaker 1:If it's your first bodybuilding prepping show, I would recommend you be a little bit more strict with a lot of your foods and training as well, um, really listen to what your coaches are telling you in terms of, uh, you know, training executions. There are difference between, uh, you know, training smart and training with enough intensity, but that's for another time. Um, but on the track of um, so that just kind of closes on what I want to piggyback off what you said. There is just one more thing that I did want to ask. So we've talked about ourselves for the past. I don't know 40 minutes. How is Emma's prep?
Speaker 2:Oh, it's been good. Like there was a time period where she was like sick for almost three weeks, so she was kind of still in a slight deficit during that time. Her weight hasn't been dropping quite as much as her and her coach have been planning. I think she's also gained some muscle back after that time period of being sick, because she is looking leaner and leaner.
Speaker 2:Things seem to be coming along quite nicely. It's also really nice having her prep Prep and Me Prep at the same time. We'll see how it gets when we're both like super lean and both really irritable, but so far it's been nice because we kind of have the same similar routine like for cardio for, like for getting steps in, for going to the gym and stuff.
Speaker 2:We set it up so we're doing it at the same time, so it makes it work for spending time together. And the same thing with the weekends like it's nice to have somebody that's in the same position where it's like okay, like we both know we can't be spending so much time around these foods. They're like doing things that revolve around food a lot. Like we'll have our maybe one meal out per week where we're tracking that we're overestimating, that, we're making sure that we're getting close to it, um, but yeah, it's nice to be able to do similar activities and not stress about, okay, like this person wants to go out and have some drinks, um, and stuff like that, whereas, like right now we're both like, yeah, no, we don't want to have drinks. Like if we go out we'll have like a non-alcoholic drink thingy.
Speaker 1:So like, um no, it's been good like she's been.
Speaker 2:She's been doing really good with her prep. Like I'm excited to see, like I think she's going to have a good amount more tissue, possibly like three to five more pounds, than last time she was on stage. Her posing is looking really good, like her coach has been really dialing that in with her, um, so no, I'm really excited to see. I think it's going to be a night and day difference with her her package this year is she going to be in colonna?
Speaker 2:yeah, so she's going to do the colonna wmbf show. Um, she's going to do the probably the edmonton wmbf show as well, depending on how things turn out there um.
Speaker 2:So yeah, man, no it's, it's gonna be good like me, you, her, oh, I'm good to see her. Yeah, and then I got another client too competing. Uh. Well, I guess he'll be competing in the edmonton show. I got, like I guess, three clients competing in the edmonton show. I might try to see if some guys want to come to the corner show too. Um, but uh no man, it's it's gonna be. It's gonna be a good time are your clients like shorter or?
Speaker 2:are they taller? Uh, they're gonna be doing like one guy is doing men's physique. I think we'll probably keep it to edmonton, just to make sure he's nice and down, and for that the other two bodybuilders. They're just bodybuilders, or I might see if one wants to do classic too. Um, keep them away from men's physique. But no it's. It's gonna be fun like it's. I'm not sure how big the wmbf corner show is looking right now, but uh, I'm hoping it's gonna be a decent size even though I do know I'm not.
Speaker 1:I can't tell you if, but I honestly I don't know. I only I know. I know so far we have quite a bit of people for vancouver. It's going to be very similar to last year and we're expecting a little bit more, since it's being in march.
Speaker 2:Yeah that's awesome, man. Yeah, do you think you can convince some of those guys that are doing vancouver to probably do uh klona as well?
Speaker 1:some. I've asked. I've done, you know, the three workshops. So the workshop in february and then we did two posing workshops just last week and, um, we've talked to some of them and not everybody's willing to travel out to colonna, though it's two weeks, uh, it's cost, and some of them may just want to do that one show in vancouver and just call it, and that's some. Uh, some bikinis are willing to travel over there for men's. I haven't ran into one that will. Uh, that we'll see in in coluna. We was there.
Speaker 2:Some of them are still, you know, thinking about it I'll see if I can get some people from the cpa, the BC Cup hey you want to come to this show. As long as they didn't beat me. Yeah, please don't. No, I don't care.
Speaker 2:I'm always up for competition. I would way rather try to get a pro card with a big show than one that there's barely enough people for a pro card. I just feel better in myself in getting a pro card when I feel like I honestly deserve better in myself and getting a program when I feel like I honestly deserve it.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I understand it. So even like last year when I was judging for Kelowna show, there wasn't many athletes. I wouldn't say there's many athletes, but every athlete that stepped on the Kelowna stage was stacked. So it's not really a quantity, it's more of a. Every athlete has, you know, very high caliber quality. You can see, you know, lauren lauren was up um that. She won her bikini, her very first show man. Her physique was stacked.
Speaker 1:I think brad prepped her okay yeah, brad, prepped her and then yeah, it was amazing and she did well in Calgary for her pro show and I think she went to Worlds, but I don't remember what she placed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think the Worlds this year was just so stacked that everybody was having a hard time creeping up and placing so. But no, she looked awesome, like she definitely brought a really good package. Yeah, I can't wait to see it.
Speaker 1:But yeah, so just dialing back to you know what we our topic was. I just want to remind all listeners, you know, that you know support is also a, you know, a very, very important part of the relationship. It's all. It's a two way street, honestly. So I hope our experience at least your experience, brandon, I didn't really share much really helps, you know, to acknowledge your partner's needs and just creating opportunities to spend time with each other and share experience and make goals very, very clear and let's hope things don't get toxic evaluate your relationship dynamic with each other, and that would just bring your relationship a long way. Just remember, bodybuilding is just a temporary thing. You can't be an athlete for life. Bodybuilding is temporary and your relationship is a long thing, so prioritizing your life is also important. That's it for me. Anything you want to add.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would just say again you want to be on stage and having people there watching and supporting you. So if you're treating those people not, well, they're probably not going to come watch you and support you. So, yeah, you, at the end of the prep, you want to make sure that you're keeping these relationships intact, so that you're supportive, because, like, yeah, when that show ends, you don't want to be like okay, I just destroyed this friendship, this relationship, this, this position at work.
Speaker 2:You want to make sure that you're doing everything in your power to still put emphasis on that and balance it with your prep.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree, that's very, very well said. So again, relationships are very individualized to all of you. So any questions or anything that you want us to address, you can send us DMs or leave in your comments section below. We'll check them out, but anything that will probably close this until next time. So thanks for listening and thanks for tuning in, see you.