3 Things I Learned By Not Placing

*Originally written in 2021

Let me explain

I have competed in over 14 bodybuilding shows, with only not placing in the Top 5 once in my life. This was also my second show ever. In my first show I placed 4th out of 16 people, so I thought I knew everything. I wasn’t ready for the ensuing smack in the face. Here is what I learned…

#1 I wasn’t going to outsize anyone

I wasn’t that large of a bodybuilder, so I knew right away that I wasn’t going to outsize anyone. My thought was that I was going to put on some muscle, slow down my conditioning, and look so much bigger on stage. If I did this, then I could crack the Top 3. That’s a great plan, but when you do those things but are much softer, you look even smaller than you did before.

Conditioning almost always gets awarded. I’m not saying to look like a marathon runner, but condition what you have. I went into the competition in not my best shape, trying to hold onto size, but I was soft in general.

#2 Bodybuilding is an illusion

When I look the most jacked on stage, I look the smallest in a basic t-shirt. I am what you call an “undercover” huge. What I mean is that if I get a pump on and then take my shirt off, I look easily almost 20 lbs. heavier. This is exactly what I mean by an illusion. Guys worry about how small they feel and want to try to hold on to any size that they really don’t have. It’s disguised as fat, and most just don’t know that.

They still feel big in a t-shirt, and when we take our shirt off, I weigh 178 or 174 shredded to the bone, while they are sitting at 192 and way softer. So, if I am in their weight class like I was at the Muscle Trifecta, I’m going to win. I beat a few guys over 190 lbs. weighing 178, but appeared much bigger, more symmetrical and in overall better condition.

#3 No one is as lean as they think they are

I tested myself on the DEXA scanner when I could see the top of my glutes coming in. Body Fat: 7.8% The DEXA scanner also takes into account organ fat, along with arm to arm and leg to leg. So, you aren’t 3 or 5% body fat… that’s a lie.

Most people people in reality are 7-10%, and they just think that they are holding water, but are in fact holding fat. Water will make a bit of a difference, but it comes down to getting lean enough. Water depletion is an added bonus if you did this correctly. When in doubt, the key is to get leaner.