Zach Kotecki – @ZachKoteckiFitness
18 weeks from now I will be stepping on stage for my very first NPC Physique show! I will be competing in the Mens Classic Physique on June 2nd in Anderson, Indiana. I will be documenting each week on my progress, training and how the change in diet/training has me feeling. As the start of my prep drew near I made sure that I was taking full advantage of all my favorite foods. Pizza, wings, Ice Cream, Beer; all the things that I enjoy eating or drinking on occasion because I knew soon I couldn’t partake in any of it. After a pretty decent “bulk” (aka binge eating the above mentioned foods) I weighed in at 197.6lbs Sunday evening the night before prep starts. I was astonished at the number on the scale. The heaviest I’ve ever been prior to this was 190 but I knew that this was 100% okay as it added some size to me which will help once the cutting begins.
After just a few day of prep I went from 197 Sunday night to 186 Wednesday morning! 11 pounds in just 3 days! Granted, a lot of that is water weight and I expected to see a dramatic change due to my diet going from crap food to clean foods. My first week diet consisted of 4 meals a day + a post workout protein shake. Lots of chicken, beef and some eggs for my protein, asparagus, green beans for vegetables and some jasmine rice and sweet potatoes for carbohydrates. My 4th day is a re feed day in which I’m able to enjoy some higher carb foods such as protein pancakes, sweet potatoes with brown sugar and butter and a steak. I looked forward to this day all week! With all the progress I’ve made, my coach granted me one cheat of anything I wanted on Super Bowl Sunday! So I went to my all time go to,Ben And Jerry’s Pint of ice cream! This was very much enjoyed and I downed the whole thing in no time. Now it’s time to get back on track and dial it back in for week 2! only 17 weeks to go! I finished the first week of prep weighing 183.
One aspect I overlooked when signing up for this show was how challenging posing will be. This is no joke and I have gained a lot of respect for bodybuilders and people who perform in physique shows. Posing is just as exhausting as the workouts itself.
My training has changed tenfold. This was the hardest part without a doubt throughout the week. The diet wasn’t too bad, but the workouts were brutal. Going from a powerlifting aspect where we rarely go over reps of 6-8 to doing volume reps of 30, tempo work and a lot of assisted reps my body feels like it was hit by Lawrence Taylor. The day after leg day was the roughest, but I love every part about it. There’s nothing quite like taking your body to that next level. The pain, the sweat, the sacrifice is something I feed on and knowing that not everybody can do it makes me push even harder. Starting out I only have cardio 3 times a week for 20 minutes to see how my body adapts and keeping the metabolism burning high. Abs are being worked 4-5 days a week right now. By far my least favorite ab movement is windshield wipers but it’s a love/hate relationship because I know they are going to help sculpt me into something freaky! I’m most excited to see at the end of 18 weeks how my midsection will look.
Overall, the first week has definitely set the tone for whats to come. I’ve got a great coach in Garrett Locke, an outstanding supporting cast with all of Team IVB and the best atmosphere to train in at Iron Valley Barbell. I’m ready to step out of my comfort zone and attack this prep head on! I don’t expect anything but Gold, if I thought otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it.
Until next week.
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