Hey hey hey! This one is a little wordy, less picture-y. It's another beautiful day, another day waking up blessed with air to breathe, a roof over my head and food on my table - I will never be able to be grateful enough for another opportunity to make the best of living this life. I am forever grateful for the opportunities - both those that I was lucky enough to have fallen into my lap, as well as those that I have worked hard for. This is one of those experiences...
A few months ago, I was approached by someone dear to me asking if I wanted to partner with him on his road to competing! Luke is an amazing human, one of many, that I have been able to meet through the gym. They say the gym changes your life and I couldn't agree more. Not only for the obvious physical changes and mental growth that comes with it, but (I suppose it may not be the same for the larger cities) also the family that comes with it. That is a blessing in and of itself. Regardless of whether you are a social butterfly at the gym or a hat down, zoned in kind of person - any time you spend a long period of time in a routine with the same people, you develop a relationship. Some of those stay just that, friendships at the gym, others develop into greater things - best friends, lifelong interactions, romantic relationships, mentors and family. Luke is no exception to that for me, so it was a no brainer when he asked if he could pick my brain for his competition prep nutrition.
With that being said, Luke and I (and the rest of his team and support system) deep dove into the world of competing. I was honored with the trust he instilled in me and took every ounce of knowledge to help guide him through a 16 week prep. Each week we checked in, tweaked macros and navigated through his body's response to those changes. We learned how he shreds, how far he can push it and , my favorite part, just how determined to succeed this man is. I watched a man with a goal of his first competition commit with insane willpower to arrive with nothing short of the best physique he could. He manage to balance working full time night shift work life with the grueling world that can be prep. Luke found the determination to push through those tired days and sleepless nights to put his time in. He made every minute count, sacrificing things others never will, to sculpt himself into a competitor worth watching.
As his nutrition guide, I aimed to keep his numbers as high as possible yet still invoke a response from his body. We worked together, regularly discussing his cardio levels and energy for workouts as well as his ability to get through the work days. I wanted to make prep as enjoyable as possible for as long as I could. Prep is often portrayed as this big giant scary monster in which you are in a constant state of depletion and a fog. Don't get me wrong, it is indeed a big scary monster, but not one that has to be miserable from day one. It's more like a monster from Monster's Inc. It has the power to scare but that's only when it HAS to - other than that it's friendly. That's my approach to prep. The Wazowski of coaching, if you will.
We started with the highest level of calories and carbs that we could without him being in a massive surplus and gaining. The better reverse diet you do before prep, the higher the numbers you are able to start with. Meaning you don't have to be as extreme to get results. Which is exactly what we did. Throughout the 16 week prep, with exception to the final couple weeks, we never dropped his carbs below 200g. He was able to indulge in a sweet treat and still enjoy the things that were important to him. This was a very important concept to me. I preach the importance of living life and not one of restriction. You are on this earth one time and that is to live and make memories. Be productive and a positive impact on someone's life. None of that says to avoid food with your family, or at all. But that's a chat for another day. Back to Luke.
I am very lucky for my first experience to have such a committed athlete for training. He made my job easier in that I didn't have to worry about him missing workouts or slacking on anything. I was able to rely on his commitment to both hard, effective daily training sessions as well as following the plan. I did not have to stress about him slipping up and how that would effect the rest of the plan moving forward. For the most part we maintained his weight at a steady level, minimizing as much body fat as possible while retaining his muscle. The objective was to avoid muscle/energy loss as much as possible. His commitment shown through as he shredded down.
Luke presented the stage with a body that had been well deserved. Every minute spent grinding was up for show in his posing routine (another coach that crushed it!). He nailed every pose, has great stage presence and, honestly, was a natural. You wouldn't have guessed that this was his first experience. Apparently I wasn't the only one with that opinion: the judges must've agreed with his TWO FIRST PLACE PLACINGS. Luke walked away with first place standings in the Novice class as well as the Open class! Feeling confident with one and a bit taken aback by the other, the fire was lit under the athlete before me. Qualifying for nationals and chasing to fill the hunger for proving to himself what he's capable of - the next journey begins. While Luke easily could have picked up a more widely known nutrition coach for such a beast of a journey ahead - he confided in me once more to do this with him. No where near the excitement and nerves he has, I can feel the butterflies. Both for myself, as I'd feel awful to steer him in a wrong direction, but especially for him and the world of pressure that comes with a national level competition.
Regardless of the challenge ahead - if anyone can do this without hesitation and be wildly successful, I have no doubt it is Luke. This man was born for this and I am just blessed to be on the ride ❤
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