naturalbodybuilder hashtag performance

#naturalbodybuilder: Showcasing authentic physiques, celebrating hard work, dedication, and consistency. Inspiring fitness journeys, emphasizing discipline over performance-enhancing drugs. Building a community of genuine gains.

Abs aren’t made overnight—they’re built with discipline! 🔥💯 Stay consistent, stay hungry, and let the results speak. Who’s putting in the work for that shredded core? 💪🏾 #AbsOnLock #CoreStrength #Shredded #DisciplineEqualsResults #AfricanDiamond #naturalbodybuilder

Abs aren’t made overnight—they’re built with discipline! 🔥💯 Stay consistent, stay hungry, and let the results speak. Who’s putting in the work for that shredded core? 💪🏾 #AbsOnLock #CoreStrength #Shredded #DisciplineEqualsResults #AfricanDiamond #naturalbodybuilder

Steaming #tspaul #nattypro #naturalbodybuilder

Steaming #tspaul #nattypro #naturalbodybuilder

@sam_sulek and I both just won our first bodybuilding competition!!🤯🥇Here’s why we look so different 😂⬇️ First off, we did both compete under the same organization. Namely, both shows were @Musclecontest International shows! And we were both fully self-coached, which is quite uncommon in the world of bodybuilding! And our posing videos were shot by the same videographer! But that’s pretty much where the similarities between our competitions end 😂 Sam competed in an Untested Classic Physique Competition, whereas I competed in a Natural Men’s Physique Competition. Classic Physique has way more poses and is judged based on both upper and lower body. Men’s Physique only has two poses and is (*almost exclusively) based on upper body. *Technically the proportions of upper vs. lower body do matter somewhat in Men’s Physique, but we also do literally have to wear board shorts that cover our legs so that those muscles are covered. But the far bigger difference between the two shows here is that his was an untested show and mine was a natural show. This means that everyone in his competition was likely on performance-enhancing substances, whereas zero people in my competition were likely on performance-enhancing substances. We got polygraph tested for my competition, and we’ll be polygraph AND drug-tested for Nationals later this year. Sam also really has his posing down and has likely been practicing daily for months. I spontaneously signed up for my competition a month before the show and practiced posing daily for just that month leading up to the show. It’s definitely my biggest improvement area. Sam mentioned in his post-victory interview that he carb loaded with 900g of carbs, and I also carb-loaded with 900g of carbs! Sam’s incredibly research-based just like I am, so he and I likely read the exact same literature to come to that final days of peak week carbohydrate amount! Sam will be competing in the Arnold in just 2 weeks, and I’ll be competing at NPC Natural Nationals in November! Stoked for you Sam, and I’m rooting for you!💪🏼 #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #classicphysique #samsulek #ifbbpro

@sam_sulek and I both just won our first bodybuilding competition!!🤯🥇Here’s why we look so different 😂⬇️ First off, we did both compete under the same organization. Namely, both shows were @Musclecontest International shows! And we were both fully self-coached, which is quite uncommon in the world of bodybuilding! And our posing videos were shot by the same videographer! But that’s pretty much where the similarities between our competitions end 😂 Sam competed in an Untested Classic Physique Competition, whereas I competed in a Natural Men’s Physique Competition. Classic Physique has way more poses and is judged based on both upper and lower body. Men’s Physique only has two poses and is (*almost exclusively) based on upper body. *Technically the proportions of upper vs. lower body do matter somewhat in Men’s Physique, but we also do literally have to wear board shorts that cover our legs so that those muscles are covered. But the far bigger difference between the two shows here is that his was an untested show and mine was a natural show. This means that everyone in his competition was likely on performance-enhancing substances, whereas zero people in my competition were likely on performance-enhancing substances. We got polygraph tested for my competition, and we’ll be polygraph AND drug-tested for Nationals later this year. Sam also really has his posing down and has likely been practicing daily for months. I spontaneously signed up for my competition a month before the show and practiced posing daily for just that month leading up to the show. It’s definitely my biggest improvement area. Sam mentioned in his post-victory interview that he carb loaded with 900g of carbs, and I also carb-loaded with 900g of carbs! Sam’s incredibly research-based just like I am, so he and I likely read the exact same literature to come to that final days of peak week carbohydrate amount! Sam will be competing in the Arnold in just 2 weeks, and I’ll be competing at NPC Natural Nationals in November! Stoked for you Sam, and I’m rooting for you!💪🏼 #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #classicphysique #samsulek #ifbbpro

Thrive In 25 Day 35: Triceps #gainersparadise #paulkrueger #naturalolympia #siegementality #pumpcity #progressiveoverload #carpelucrum #beatthelogbook #stayhard #fundamentalfive #fundamental5 #f5 #naturalbodybuilder #bodybuilder #bodybuilding #lift #growth #growthmindset #gains #workout #fit #fitness #FitTok #gym #GymLife #GymTok #onlinecoach #personaltrainer #dc #hd #hit #highintensity #highintensitytraining #doggcrapptraining #dcuniverse #dcrestpause #mikementzer #dorianyates #dantetrudel #triceps #arms #armday #naturalbodybuilding #thrivein25 #fyp #fypviral #fy

Death by pendulum squats #ifbbpro #ifbbproleague #ifbbwellnesspro #ifbbprowellness #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #offseason #growingseason #improvement #improvementseason #build #buildingseason #growmuscle #musclegrowth #natty #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #GymTok #lifttok #FitTok #fyp

My official NPC Men’s Physique posing routine that took home 3 golds at my first bodybuilding competition🥇🥇🥇 First and foremost, THANK YOU for the unreal amount of love and support over the past week. I’m dang proud of the physique I’ve built and the competition results, and I’m even prouder of the work I put in to achieve those results. That said, I have so much to improve upon from my first foray into competitive bodybuilding. I got feedback from the judges immediately after the show was finished, and there was a pretty clear consensus: 1. My conditioning (leanness / muscle definition) is on point 2. My muscular size is very solid 3. My posing needs a ton of work So in a way, this video is showcasing exactly what I need to work on in order to win my pro card later this year in November. Specifically, here are some of the improvements I need to make: 1. I need to learn how to properly pose my back. Right now, I have a huge gap between my arms and my lats, and my arms should be resting ON my lats. 2. My back posing is making my back look relatively narrow. I need to present my upper back/lats as widely as possible at to exaggerate the V-taper as much as possible. 3. On the front pose, I’m rotating my shoulders too far forward, which makes my chest cave in. This especially takes away from the perceived size of my upper chest. Torso needs to bd more upright/tall. 4. Also on the front pose, I need to correct my elbows such that my lat flares out from the front to again exaggerate the V-taper as much as possible. Over the next 9.5 months, I’ll no doubt be working to master the art of men’s physique posing so that I can bring the best possible package to stage AND showcase my physique in its most optimal form. In tandem, I’m optimizing my training and nutrition even more than I ever have to take my physique itself to the next level. Though posing is definitely my weakest point, my back width and thickness are lacking and will benefit from increased size. So, on top of building overall size all around, my back will be a focus area for my lean building phase that begins this Monday💪🏼 Beyond stoked for the journey ahead. T-minus 282 days. #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npcphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #posingroutine

My official NPC Men’s Physique posing routine that took home 3 golds at my first bodybuilding competition🥇🥇🥇 First and foremost, THANK YOU for the unreal amount of love and support over the past week. I’m dang proud of the physique I’ve built and the competition results, and I’m even prouder of the work I put in to achieve those results. That said, I have so much to improve upon from my first foray into competitive bodybuilding. I got feedback from the judges immediately after the show was finished, and there was a pretty clear consensus: 1. My conditioning (leanness / muscle definition) is on point 2. My muscular size is very solid 3. My posing needs a ton of work So in a way, this video is showcasing exactly what I need to work on in order to win my pro card later this year in November. Specifically, here are some of the improvements I need to make: 1. I need to learn how to properly pose my back. Right now, I have a huge gap between my arms and my lats, and my arms should be resting ON my lats. 2. My back posing is making my back look relatively narrow. I need to present my upper back/lats as widely as possible at to exaggerate the V-taper as much as possible. 3. On the front pose, I’m rotating my shoulders too far forward, which makes my chest cave in. This especially takes away from the perceived size of my upper chest. Torso needs to bd more upright/tall. 4. Also on the front pose, I need to correct my elbows such that my lat flares out from the front to again exaggerate the V-taper as much as possible. Over the next 9.5 months, I’ll no doubt be working to master the art of men’s physique posing so that I can bring the best possible package to stage AND showcase my physique in its most optimal form. In tandem, I’m optimizing my training and nutrition even more than I ever have to take my physique itself to the next level. Though posing is definitely my weakest point, my back width and thickness are lacking and will benefit from increased size. So, on top of building overall size all around, my back will be a focus area for my lean building phase that begins this Monday💪🏼 Beyond stoked for the journey ahead. T-minus 282 days. #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npcphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #posingroutine

My brother in bodybuilding, my physique friend, my prep partner @cohnan 💪🏼 This is a gratitude post for this guy right here. Not only did we get to share the stage and take 1st and 2nd in our first ever NPC bodybuilding competition, we got to share the entire experience together from start to finish. And let me tell you, I can’t even imagine this experience without Cohnan being part of it. After I spontaneously decided to sign up for this competition, Cohnan hit me up a few days later with this text: “Hey man, is that npc show sold out?” And so Cohnan signed up for the very same competition even more spontaneously than I did 😂 I was already stoked for it, but the stoke level went through the roof at that point because I’d get to do the whole thing with a friend. Since I’d already poured so much time and research into prep protocols across training, dieting, and peak week optimizations, I shared everything I could with Cohnan to fast-track final tweaks leading to show day. We followed pretty much identical peak week protocols and ate/cooked every meal together in the final 2 days leading to competition. I can’t imagine eating 14 identical, sodium-free meals back-to-back over the course of 60hrs with anyone else 😂 We even got spray tans together 💀 few things in this world will bond you with a brother more strongly than 3 coats of the darkest spray tans on pasty white skin 😂 And then backstage on show day, we got oiled up, pumped up, downed a bunch of fast-digesting carbs, took honey from the bottle straight to the dome, drank sugar water, and ate some salt. All of the prep we did together leading up to the moment of stepping on stage made it that more special when we legitimately got to share the stage together and take 1st and 2nd 💪🏼🙌🏼 And all of the above made it that much more special consuming an obscene amount of sushi together for our AYCE celebratory dinner afterward 😂 That’s all to say, Cohnan I can’t thank you enough for being by my side and doing this whole journey together. Meant the world to me to have a friend to share it all with. Freaking love you bro, and I can’t wait to take another trip together again soon 💪🏼🙌🏼 #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npcphysique #npccompetitor

My brother in bodybuilding, my physique friend, my prep partner @cohnan 💪🏼 This is a gratitude post for this guy right here. Not only did we get to share the stage and take 1st and 2nd in our first ever NPC bodybuilding competition, we got to share the entire experience together from start to finish. And let me tell you, I can’t even imagine this experience without Cohnan being part of it. After I spontaneously decided to sign up for this competition, Cohnan hit me up a few days later with this text: “Hey man, is that npc show sold out?” And so Cohnan signed up for the very same competition even more spontaneously than I did 😂 I was already stoked for it, but the stoke level went through the roof at that point because I’d get to do the whole thing with a friend. Since I’d already poured so much time and research into prep protocols across training, dieting, and peak week optimizations, I shared everything I could with Cohnan to fast-track final tweaks leading to show day. We followed pretty much identical peak week protocols and ate/cooked every meal together in the final 2 days leading to competition. I can’t imagine eating 14 identical, sodium-free meals back-to-back over the course of 60hrs with anyone else 😂 We even got spray tans together 💀 few things in this world will bond you with a brother more strongly than 3 coats of the darkest spray tans on pasty white skin 😂 And then backstage on show day, we got oiled up, pumped up, downed a bunch of fast-digesting carbs, took honey from the bottle straight to the dome, drank sugar water, and ate some salt. All of the prep we did together leading up to the moment of stepping on stage made it that more special when we legitimately got to share the stage together and take 1st and 2nd 💪🏼🙌🏼 And all of the above made it that much more special consuming an obscene amount of sushi together for our AYCE celebratory dinner afterward 😂 That’s all to say, Cohnan I can’t thank you enough for being by my side and doing this whole journey together. Meant the world to me to have a friend to share it all with. Freaking love you bro, and I can’t wait to take another trip together again soon 💪🏼🙌🏼 #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npcphysique #npccompetitor

By far the best part about my recent trip to LA was the people 💪🏻🙌🏼🙏🏼 Something I’ve always been so proud of about the fitness industry is how genuinely kind, welcoming, supportive, encouraging, and helpful the vast majority of the people are. The people in these 20 photos made my experience in LA 100x better because I was able to truly connect and have conversations with every single one of them. I walked away from each conversation better than I entered it, and every single person legitimately gave me the time of day to listen and chat. In a world full of big muscles, big egos, and big personalities, it would be easy to assume that well-known people in the fitness industry would brush you off or be “too busy” to talk. But that’s almost never been the case in my experience. These people all share a common thread: a passion for health and fitness, inspiring others, and making the world a better place. Those points of common ground make it easy to connect, and those specific commonalities make it easy to have great conversation because I so deeply care about sharing my passion with the world and learning from others doing the same. I should also mention that at the end of the day, the people in every single one of these pictures are just people like you and me. Sure, they share a huge part of their lives online as public figures, but they have wants, needs, likes, dislikes, and a desire for authentic connection. So if you meet any of these people out in the wild, just be yourself and say / ask what’s on your mind! As someone who’s been in the content creation space for a decade now, I can say with certainty that it feels great to be recognized and it feels even better for someone to know your work well enough to speak to you about nuances that only a dedicated follower/fan/viewer/person who know and remember. I love bringing up super niche things in conversation that show I have real insights about whatever we’re talking about…because I do!!! I live and breathe this stuff, so it just makes life more fun to bring my full self into every interaction, whether with someone I’ve just met who I recognize from social media or someone I’ve known for years. #n#naturalbodybuildingn#naturalbodybuilderm#mensphysiquen#npcmensphysiquen#npccompetitorb#bodybuildingt#thefitexpobodybuilder

By far the best part about my recent trip to LA was the people 💪🏻🙌🏼🙏🏼 Something I’ve always been so proud of about the fitness industry is how genuinely kind, welcoming, supportive, encouraging, and helpful the vast majority of the people are. The people in these 20 photos made my experience in LA 100x better because I was able to truly connect and have conversations with every single one of them. I walked away from each conversation better than I entered it, and every single person legitimately gave me the time of day to listen and chat. In a world full of big muscles, big egos, and big personalities, it would be easy to assume that well-known people in the fitness industry would brush you off or be “too busy” to talk. But that’s almost never been the case in my experience. These people all share a common thread: a passion for health and fitness, inspiring others, and making the world a better place. Those points of common ground make it easy to connect, and those specific commonalities make it easy to have great conversation because I so deeply care about sharing my passion with the world and learning from others doing the same. I should also mention that at the end of the day, the people in every single one of these pictures are just people like you and me. Sure, they share a huge part of their lives online as public figures, but they have wants, needs, likes, dislikes, and a desire for authentic connection. So if you meet any of these people out in the wild, just be yourself and say / ask what’s on your mind! As someone who’s been in the content creation space for a decade now, I can say with certainty that it feels great to be recognized and it feels even better for someone to know your work well enough to speak to you about nuances that only a dedicated follower/fan/viewer/person who know and remember. I love bringing up super niche things in conversation that show I have real insights about whatever we’re talking about…because I do!!! I live and breathe this stuff, so it just makes life more fun to bring my full self into every interaction, whether with someone I’ve just met who I recognize from social media or someone I’ve known for years. #n #naturalbodybuildingn #naturalbodybuilderm #mensphysiquen #npcmensphysiquen #npccompetitorb #bodybuildingt #thefitexpobodybuilder

Why I will (likely) never compete in a bodybuilding competition ⬇️ I wrote this at 12:46am on August 25, 2023. Totally ironic given recent events 😂 so I had to share. “I desperately want to drink water. But I’m voluntarily not going to. Let me explain. I’m 10hrs out from a professional studio fitness shoot. I want to look my very best. I’ve been prepping for this shoot for the last 12 weeks. I’m dialed in. And in the final days leading up to a fitness photoshoot, there are certain protocols you can follow to pull together the final 1-2% of dialing in. Namely, I’m referring to: 1. shaving 2. self-tanning (never in a tanning bed or in the actual sun) 3. dehydration 4. dry carb loading 5. sodium reduction Technically, there’s even more beyond this list that you can do in terms intense water, sodium, and potassium manipulation. I opt not to do those things because they aren’t nearly as important as the other items, and they have worser potential health consequences. Anyway, intentional dehydration is by far the least healthy and the most unenjoyable thing for me leading up to a photoshoot. As I’m writing this, my mouth is craving water. My brain can’t think as quickly, my body is moving slower, and the quality of my final workout was low due to dehydration. So why do it? Because dehydrating your body (temporarily) causes your muscles to retain water, making them as full as possible, especially in the presence of carbs from dry carb loading. Additionally, this reduces potential bloating in the stomach and reduces water retention between the skin and muscle all throughout your body. This gives you that “shrink-wrapped” look for the photoshoot. But I’m only electing to do this for <24hrs leading up to the shoot. It’s not the most enjoyable thing, but it’s also not the end of the world. By contrast, when you do a full bodybuilding prep, you’re dealing with weeks of hunger and exhaustion and a solid week of carb, water, sodium, and potassium manipulation. It’s far less fun, lasts way longer, and is far less healthy. Given how much I already don’t love the 24hrs leading up to a shoot, I don’t think I could subject myself to longer for a show😂” 😂💀🤷🏼‍♂️ #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #bodybuildingprep

Why I will (likely) never compete in a bodybuilding competition ⬇️ I wrote this at 12:46am on August 25, 2023. Totally ironic given recent events 😂 so I had to share. “I desperately want to drink water. But I’m voluntarily not going to. Let me explain. I’m 10hrs out from a professional studio fitness shoot. I want to look my very best. I’ve been prepping for this shoot for the last 12 weeks. I’m dialed in. And in the final days leading up to a fitness photoshoot, there are certain protocols you can follow to pull together the final 1-2% of dialing in. Namely, I’m referring to: 1. shaving 2. self-tanning (never in a tanning bed or in the actual sun) 3. dehydration 4. dry carb loading 5. sodium reduction Technically, there’s even more beyond this list that you can do in terms intense water, sodium, and potassium manipulation. I opt not to do those things because they aren’t nearly as important as the other items, and they have worser potential health consequences. Anyway, intentional dehydration is by far the least healthy and the most unenjoyable thing for me leading up to a photoshoot. As I’m writing this, my mouth is craving water. My brain can’t think as quickly, my body is moving slower, and the quality of my final workout was low due to dehydration. So why do it? Because dehydrating your body (temporarily) causes your muscles to retain water, making them as full as possible, especially in the presence of carbs from dry carb loading. Additionally, this reduces potential bloating in the stomach and reduces water retention between the skin and muscle all throughout your body. This gives you that “shrink-wrapped” look for the photoshoot. But I’m only electing to do this for <24hrs leading up to the shoot. It’s not the most enjoyable thing, but it’s also not the end of the world. By contrast, when you do a full bodybuilding prep, you’re dealing with weeks of hunger and exhaustion and a solid week of carb, water, sodium, and potassium manipulation. It’s far less fun, lasts way longer, and is far less healthy. Given how much I already don’t love the 24hrs leading up to a shoot, I don’t think I could subject myself to longer for a show😂” 😂💀🤷🏼‍♂️ #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #bodybuildingprep

learning how to pose from a bikini competitor @lexi lutz #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #youngla #bikinicompetitor #bikini #posing #bikiniposing

learning how to pose from a bikini competitor @lexi lutz #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #youngla #bikinicompetitor #bikini #posing #bikiniposing

Look back at it 👀💪🏼😂 these two photos are only about 72 hours apart from each other! Here’s what changed ⬇️ On the left was from my first ever bodybuilding competition. I placed first in my class in large part because of my conditioning (leanness) and front side muscular size/shape. If anything, it would be valid to say I won my competition *despite* my back. In other words, my back was a very clear weak point. I knew this going into the competition, but seeing my official stage shots + hearing that direct feedback from the judges really made this clear. The truth is, though, that this was in large part because of my back POSING. Without proper posing, you basically lose out on showcasing the muscular size and shape you’ve worked so hard to develop in the gym, in the kitchen, and in your sleep. And unfortunately that was the case for me on show day. But I immediately took the feedback and started applying it to my back posing. Namely, I needed to spread my lats more and close the gap between my arms and my upper lats. I’m still by no means perfect but want to emphasize that I immediately applied the feedback I was given. In everything we do in life that we seek to improve upon, feedback from experts is crucial. And taking action based upon that feedback is even more crucial because otherwise the feedback was for naught. Seeing this side by side gets me that much more hype for Nationals later this year because I KNOW that with 9 months of further back development and 9 months of posing refinement, I can bring a totally different package to the stage 💪🏼 Here’s to continuous improvement and turning feedback into action on the daily 🙏🏼🙌🏼 #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #thefitexpo #bodybuilder #physiqueposing

Look back at it 👀💪🏼😂 these two photos are only about 72 hours apart from each other! Here’s what changed ⬇️ On the left was from my first ever bodybuilding competition. I placed first in my class in large part because of my conditioning (leanness) and front side muscular size/shape. If anything, it would be valid to say I won my competition *despite* my back. In other words, my back was a very clear weak point. I knew this going into the competition, but seeing my official stage shots + hearing that direct feedback from the judges really made this clear. The truth is, though, that this was in large part because of my back POSING. Without proper posing, you basically lose out on showcasing the muscular size and shape you’ve worked so hard to develop in the gym, in the kitchen, and in your sleep. And unfortunately that was the case for me on show day. But I immediately took the feedback and started applying it to my back posing. Namely, I needed to spread my lats more and close the gap between my arms and my upper lats. I’m still by no means perfect but want to emphasize that I immediately applied the feedback I was given. In everything we do in life that we seek to improve upon, feedback from experts is crucial. And taking action based upon that feedback is even more crucial because otherwise the feedback was for naught. Seeing this side by side gets me that much more hype for Nationals later this year because I KNOW that with 9 months of further back development and 9 months of posing refinement, I can bring a totally different package to the stage 💪🏼 Here’s to continuous improvement and turning feedback into action on the daily 🙏🏼🙌🏼 #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #thefitexpo #bodybuilder #physiqueposing

When you stand next to @Erick janicki 🌍Worldwide wearing the exact same tank and get slightly out angled 💀 #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #zooculture

When you stand next to @Erick janicki 🌍Worldwide wearing the exact same tank and get slightly out angled 💀 #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #zooculture

Changes I made to my diet/exercise to win a natural bodybuilding competition ⬇️ First I want to explicitly address that, yes, this was an NPC “natural” men’s physique competition. I had to take a polygraph (lie detector) test to validate that I have not taken any banned / prohibited performance-enhancing substances like steroids. Since I won the competition and qualified for Nationals in November, I will have to do both a polygraph and urine analysis to confirm no steroid usage at Nationals. I am deeply passionate about natural bodybuilding specifically because it’s far healthier than the alternative, and I am a massive advocate for actualizing your genetic potential to prove to yourself what your body is capable of. That aside, here are some of the moderately insane things I did in the months leading up to competition. 1. I bumped workout frequency from my usual 5-6 days per week to 6-7 days per week. 2. I increased my steps from 20k per day to 25-30k per day. 3. I increased my water intake from ~1 gallon per day to 1.5+ gallons per day. 4. I consumed insanely high protein, high fiber meals daily. My daily protein intake was ~240-250g, and my daily fiber intake was 80-90g per day, all while in a calorie deficit. 5. I increased my nutrition tracking precision from 2700 +/- 50kcals to 2700 +/- 0kcals (meaning that I had no variance in my calorie intake from one day to the next). 6. I did not eat at a restaurant a single time in January, and I only ate at a restaurant a single time in December over the holidays. 7. Every meal I ate was cooked by me so I could control every ingredient, other than some of the meals I ate at home over the holidays. 8. I increased my sleep from ~8 hours per night to 8.5-9hrs on any occasion I possibly could. I do not plan to live the rest of my life doing those 8 things, but they absolutely enabled me to take my physique to the next level / a level beyond what I’ve ever achieved previously. Many of these habits are unsustainable and are not things I recommend to the vast majority of people, including my own clients. But for small bursts of time when the most dramatic results humanly possible are desired, they absolutely can be effective. Finally, it is possible to sculpt an extremely impressive physique with far less extreme habits than the ones described above. I didn’t live this way for all 28 weeks between these two photos, just the final stretch of 1-2 months. #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #transformation #transformationtuesday #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npcphysique #npccompetitor

Changes I made to my diet/exercise to win a natural bodybuilding competition ⬇️ First I want to explicitly address that, yes, this was an NPC “natural” men’s physique competition. I had to take a polygraph (lie detector) test to validate that I have not taken any banned / prohibited performance-enhancing substances like steroids. Since I won the competition and qualified for Nationals in November, I will have to do both a polygraph and urine analysis to confirm no steroid usage at Nationals. I am deeply passionate about natural bodybuilding specifically because it’s far healthier than the alternative, and I am a massive advocate for actualizing your genetic potential to prove to yourself what your body is capable of. That aside, here are some of the moderately insane things I did in the months leading up to competition. 1. I bumped workout frequency from my usual 5-6 days per week to 6-7 days per week. 2. I increased my steps from 20k per day to 25-30k per day. 3. I increased my water intake from ~1 gallon per day to 1.5+ gallons per day. 4. I consumed insanely high protein, high fiber meals daily. My daily protein intake was ~240-250g, and my daily fiber intake was 80-90g per day, all while in a calorie deficit. 5. I increased my nutrition tracking precision from 2700 +/- 50kcals to 2700 +/- 0kcals (meaning that I had no variance in my calorie intake from one day to the next). 6. I did not eat at a restaurant a single time in January, and I only ate at a restaurant a single time in December over the holidays. 7. Every meal I ate was cooked by me so I could control every ingredient, other than some of the meals I ate at home over the holidays. 8. I increased my sleep from ~8 hours per night to 8.5-9hrs on any occasion I possibly could. I do not plan to live the rest of my life doing those 8 things, but they absolutely enabled me to take my physique to the next level / a level beyond what I’ve ever achieved previously. Many of these habits are unsustainable and are not things I recommend to the vast majority of people, including my own clients. But for small bursts of time when the most dramatic results humanly possible are desired, they absolutely can be effective. Finally, it is possible to sculpt an extremely impressive physique with far less extreme habits than the ones described above. I didn’t live this way for all 28 weeks between these two photos, just the final stretch of 1-2 months. #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #transformation #transformationtuesday #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npcphysique #npccompetitor

By far one of the most special parts of competing in a bodybuilding show was the support from friends, even thousands of miles from home🥹 I’m sure that competing still would have been an electric experience without friends showing up to support, but friends absolutely made the experience unforgettable. @Matt King and Matt Ewing - so freaking grateful for y’all coming out to the show and witnessing my first competition ever in person. Genuinely meant so much to me to have y’all there. Honestly crazy that all three of us grew up in the exact same neighborhood in Carrollton decades ago, and we all ended up in LA for this spectacle of a weekend. Also shoutout to yall for capturing all the content yall got from the audience 🙏🏼 And shoutout to Matt for screaming my name louder than anyone in the audience to where I could legitimately hear HIS voice above the crowd of hundreds😂 Also gotta give a shoutout to all the friends I met at the expo on Saturday who spontaneously came and watched the show on Sunday just to support me and Cohnan 😭 y’all are real ones!! Huge shoutout to Kelsey and Tony Kaner for joining us for a celebratory all you can eat sushi dinner the night of our big win 😂 I’m a big believer in never dining alone when it comes to celebratory meals, so I can’t thank y’all enough for coming out! AND can’t thank yall enough for bringing a pie+cake from Erewhon 😭 genuinely the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever had!! The post-competition celebrations continued with a reunion with Fidencio and Alexander who I hadn’t seen in literally 4 years 🤯 so great catching up with y’all and seeing how much y’all have been crushing it while pursuing your dreams. So in conclusion, as with any experience in life, by far one of the greatest parts of competing in my bodybuilding competition was not the competition itself, but the people who were shared those memories with me. PS - the biggest shoutout of all goes to @cohnan who shared this entire spontaneous competition experience with me, but I’ll be dedicating an entire post to those reflections and memories :’) stay tuned for that! #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npcphysique #npccompetitor

By far one of the most special parts of competing in a bodybuilding show was the support from friends, even thousands of miles from home🥹 I’m sure that competing still would have been an electric experience without friends showing up to support, but friends absolutely made the experience unforgettable. @Matt King and Matt Ewing - so freaking grateful for y’all coming out to the show and witnessing my first competition ever in person. Genuinely meant so much to me to have y’all there. Honestly crazy that all three of us grew up in the exact same neighborhood in Carrollton decades ago, and we all ended up in LA for this spectacle of a weekend. Also shoutout to yall for capturing all the content yall got from the audience 🙏🏼 And shoutout to Matt for screaming my name louder than anyone in the audience to where I could legitimately hear HIS voice above the crowd of hundreds😂 Also gotta give a shoutout to all the friends I met at the expo on Saturday who spontaneously came and watched the show on Sunday just to support me and Cohnan 😭 y’all are real ones!! Huge shoutout to Kelsey and Tony Kaner for joining us for a celebratory all you can eat sushi dinner the night of our big win 😂 I’m a big believer in never dining alone when it comes to celebratory meals, so I can’t thank y’all enough for coming out! AND can’t thank yall enough for bringing a pie+cake from Erewhon 😭 genuinely the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever had!! The post-competition celebrations continued with a reunion with Fidencio and Alexander who I hadn’t seen in literally 4 years 🤯 so great catching up with y’all and seeing how much y’all have been crushing it while pursuing your dreams. So in conclusion, as with any experience in life, by far one of the greatest parts of competing in my bodybuilding competition was not the competition itself, but the people who were shared those memories with me. PS - the biggest shoutout of all goes to @cohnan who shared this entire spontaneous competition experience with me, but I’ll be dedicating an entire post to those reflections and memories :’) stay tuned for that! #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npcphysique #npccompetitor

Don’t let this happen to you on Super Bowl Sunday ❌🙅🏼‍♂️🫃🏼😵 Believe it or not, this before/after is not an exaggeration where I hammed it up for the camera. Between these pictures, I ate 7,228kcals. 5,659kcals were in a single meal consumed within 2hrs. The most calories I’ve EVER consumed in a single meal. 0/10 would recommend. Legitimate pain. Discomfort even attempting to move. Where did I go wrong, and how can you avoid the same mistakes I did? Number 1: go in with a plan for exactly or at least approximately how many calories you’re going to consume in that meal / at that party. Fail to plan? Plan to fail. Number 2: don’t hang out AT the snack table. Choose the exact amount of each food you’re going to have, put it on your plate, and then go hang out elsewhere. Hanging out at the snack table leads to *snacking* in which you just keep eating because the food is RIGHT THERE. Number 3: don’t feel obligated to eat some of everything. Choose the things you actually want and indulge, but avoid overindulging. If there’s pizza, wings, chicken fingers, chips and guac, AND brownies, choose your top 2, and decide in advance how much you’re going to have. It’s a heck of a lot more manageable to fit 1-2 slices of pizza into your calories than 4-8 slices. Number 4: reduce or skip lunch and breakfast on the day of the party! I recommend just having a protein shake OR large portion of super lean protein (chicken breast, shrimp, 99% lean ground turkey) for one or both meals + some high fiber fruits and veggies. That way you don’t need to be as concerned about protein or fiber at the party. Number 5: avoid alcohol. It will increase likelihood of overindulgence, and it’ll add tons of calories without making you feel full. If you’re curious, I “went wrong” at numbers 1-2 when this happened 2 weeks ago. I’d just been in a calorie deficit for 28 weeks, and I was celebrating winning my first bodybuilding competition. We went to AYCE sushi, I didn’t give myself any sort of calorie target, and I continuously ordered food to be put right in front of me. I didn’t stop eating until fullness level reached pain. Eat slowly until 80% full. Enjoy your friends’ company ❤️ #SuperBowl #superbowlsunday #superbowl2025 #sueprbowllix #transformation #transformationtuesday #naturalbodybuilder #npccompetitor

Don’t let this happen to you on Super Bowl Sunday ❌🙅🏼‍♂️🫃🏼😵 Believe it or not, this before/after is not an exaggeration where I hammed it up for the camera. Between these pictures, I ate 7,228kcals. 5,659kcals were in a single meal consumed within 2hrs. The most calories I’ve EVER consumed in a single meal. 0/10 would recommend. Legitimate pain. Discomfort even attempting to move. Where did I go wrong, and how can you avoid the same mistakes I did? Number 1: go in with a plan for exactly or at least approximately how many calories you’re going to consume in that meal / at that party. Fail to plan? Plan to fail. Number 2: don’t hang out AT the snack table. Choose the exact amount of each food you’re going to have, put it on your plate, and then go hang out elsewhere. Hanging out at the snack table leads to *snacking* in which you just keep eating because the food is RIGHT THERE. Number 3: don’t feel obligated to eat some of everything. Choose the things you actually want and indulge, but avoid overindulging. If there’s pizza, wings, chicken fingers, chips and guac, AND brownies, choose your top 2, and decide in advance how much you’re going to have. It’s a heck of a lot more manageable to fit 1-2 slices of pizza into your calories than 4-8 slices. Number 4: reduce or skip lunch and breakfast on the day of the party! I recommend just having a protein shake OR large portion of super lean protein (chicken breast, shrimp, 99% lean ground turkey) for one or both meals + some high fiber fruits and veggies. That way you don’t need to be as concerned about protein or fiber at the party. Number 5: avoid alcohol. It will increase likelihood of overindulgence, and it’ll add tons of calories without making you feel full. If you’re curious, I “went wrong” at numbers 1-2 when this happened 2 weeks ago. I’d just been in a calorie deficit for 28 weeks, and I was celebrating winning my first bodybuilding competition. We went to AYCE sushi, I didn’t give myself any sort of calorie target, and I continuously ordered food to be put right in front of me. I didn’t stop eating until fullness level reached pain. Eat slowly until 80% full. Enjoy your friends’ company ❤️ #SuperBowl #superbowlsunday #superbowl2025 #sueprbowllix #transformation #transformationtuesday #naturalbodybuilder #npccompetitor

Accidentally won my first bodybuilding competition and qualified for Nationals 😂 here’s how that happened ⬇️ I’m being a bit facetious, but it genuinely was never my plan to ever compete in bodybuilding in the first place. In fact, I’ve had countless people ask me over the past decade if I’d ever compete, and my answer was always no. The reason for that answer is that bodybuilding is genuinely not a healthy thing to do. In fact, it’s an incredibly unhealthy thing to do. Of course bodybuilders’ bodies are incredibly aesthetic and impressive feats externally. But it’s a totally different story internally. Getting below 10% body fat (for men; ~19% for women) results in a myriad of adverse health effects. Most notably, it tanks men’s testosterone levels. Research is clear that dieting down to stage leanness drops testosterone levels by ~50% on average. Mine dropped by ~80%. Simultaneously, it results in significantly reduced IGF-1 levels and significantly increased cortisol levels. This results in lower libido, lower energy levels, and even makes simple tasks like going up stairs more challenging. So why did I willingly subject myself to these negative health impacts? Truth be told, I never intended to. Over the last half year, I lost weight gradually in order to preserve lean muscle mass and keep calories sustainably high. And that much, I achieved incredibly successfully (lost 1lb/week every week for 27 weeks). However, as I neared the end of my cut, I realized just how lean I’d gotten. Literally TOO lean for overall health optimization, even if other measures of human performance optimization (like my cardio and strength) were at an all-time high. Because I’d gotten so lean, I got blood work done and sure enough my testosterone was already in the tank due to my low body fat %. The whole reason I told myself I’d never compete (tanking my hormones)…had already happened. So I said welp, my hormones are already temporarily in the toilet…I might as well just send it and do a bodybuilding competition now, like ASAP 😂 and so that’s exactly what I did. Now it’s time to get back to optimal internal health as I prep for Nationals/winning my pro card💪🏼 #nat#naturalbodybuildingt#naturalbodybuilderd#bodybuildingd#bodybuildern#mensphysiquec#npcmensphysiquec#npcphysiqueccompetitor

Accidentally won my first bodybuilding competition and qualified for Nationals 😂 here’s how that happened ⬇️ I’m being a bit facetious, but it genuinely was never my plan to ever compete in bodybuilding in the first place. In fact, I’ve had countless people ask me over the past decade if I’d ever compete, and my answer was always no. The reason for that answer is that bodybuilding is genuinely not a healthy thing to do. In fact, it’s an incredibly unhealthy thing to do. Of course bodybuilders’ bodies are incredibly aesthetic and impressive feats externally. But it’s a totally different story internally. Getting below 10% body fat (for men; ~19% for women) results in a myriad of adverse health effects. Most notably, it tanks men’s testosterone levels. Research is clear that dieting down to stage leanness drops testosterone levels by ~50% on average. Mine dropped by ~80%. Simultaneously, it results in significantly reduced IGF-1 levels and significantly increased cortisol levels. This results in lower libido, lower energy levels, and even makes simple tasks like going up stairs more challenging. So why did I willingly subject myself to these negative health impacts? Truth be told, I never intended to. Over the last half year, I lost weight gradually in order to preserve lean muscle mass and keep calories sustainably high. And that much, I achieved incredibly successfully (lost 1lb/week every week for 27 weeks). However, as I neared the end of my cut, I realized just how lean I’d gotten. Literally TOO lean for overall health optimization, even if other measures of human performance optimization (like my cardio and strength) were at an all-time high. Because I’d gotten so lean, I got blood work done and sure enough my testosterone was already in the tank due to my low body fat %. The whole reason I told myself I’d never compete (tanking my hormones)…had already happened. So I said welp, my hormones are already temporarily in the toilet…I might as well just send it and do a bodybuilding competition now, like ASAP 😂 and so that’s exactly what I did. Now it’s time to get back to optimal internal health as I prep for Nationals/winning my pro card💪🏼 #nat #naturalbodybuildingt #naturalbodybuilderd #bodybuildingd #bodybuildern #mensphysiquec #npcmensphysiquec #npcphysiqueccompetitor

Saturdays are for chest & abs 🤝🏼 #ifbbpro #ifbbproleague #ifbbwellnesspro #ifbbprowellness #bodybuilding #bodybuilder #offseason #grow #growingseason #improvement #improvementseason #build #buildingseason #buildmuscle #growmuscle #musclegrowth #girlswholift #gymgirls #GymTok #lifttok #FitTok #natty #naturalbodybuilder #chestworkout #chestday #chestpump #delts #deltpump #shoulderworkout #shoulderpump #fyp

Still in shock that I lost that weight! 5 going on 6 months. #gymmotivation #naturalbodybuilder

Still in shock that I lost that weight! 5 going on 6 months. #gymmotivation #naturalbodybuilder

Posing video taken 72 hours after I won my first bodybuilding competition 🏆 In the week leading up to the moment of stepping on stage for my bodybuilding competition, I did the following: 1. depleted carbohydrates then carb loaded 2. water loaded then cut water 3. got a spray tan 4. pumped up with a million reps of resistance band exercises and push-ups 5. stepped into the spotlight of the stage 6. smiled uncontrollably while flexing abs All this to say, the moments of posing on stage exist for only an extremely brief period of time. But even with as brief as those moments are, you can absolutely still maintain a nearly-equally impressive physique in the days, weeks, and months thereafter. I ate a massive celebratory meal of sushi following my competition that literally 3x’d my typical daily calorie intake and resulted in some fat gain. But that was just one meal. One meal is not enough to “ruin” your progress unless it spirals into a day or a week or a month of overeating. I’m dang proud of the physique you see here, and it’s the product of months / years of application of the current scientific literature to my training, nutrition, and recovery 💪🏼🙏🏼🙌🏼 #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npcphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #posingroutine

Posing video taken 72 hours after I won my first bodybuilding competition 🏆 In the week leading up to the moment of stepping on stage for my bodybuilding competition, I did the following: 1. depleted carbohydrates then carb loaded 2. water loaded then cut water 3. got a spray tan 4. pumped up with a million reps of resistance band exercises and push-ups 5. stepped into the spotlight of the stage 6. smiled uncontrollably while flexing abs All this to say, the moments of posing on stage exist for only an extremely brief period of time. But even with as brief as those moments are, you can absolutely still maintain a nearly-equally impressive physique in the days, weeks, and months thereafter. I ate a massive celebratory meal of sushi following my competition that literally 3x’d my typical daily calorie intake and resulted in some fat gain. But that was just one meal. One meal is not enough to “ruin” your progress unless it spirals into a day or a week or a month of overeating. I’m dang proud of the physique you see here, and it’s the product of months / years of application of the current scientific literature to my training, nutrition, and recovery 💪🏼🙏🏼🙌🏼 #naturalbodybuilding #naturalbodybuilder #mensphysique #npcmensphysique #npcphysique #npccompetitor #bodybuilding #posingroutine

Approaching the end of my bulk 💪🏼 #physiqueupdate #bulking #theynotlikeus #naturalbodybuilder

Approaching the end of my bulk 💪🏼 #physiqueupdate #bulking #theynotlikeus #naturalbodybuilder

#naturalbodybuilder 💪🏾💪🏾

#naturalbodybuilder 💪🏾💪🏾

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