Coming off of a successful bodybuilding season in 2009, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to compete in the 2010 season because of everything on my plate – a full time job, Be Fit NOLA, training and a limited budget.  However, after much thought and encouragement from Ann and others in the community, I’ve decided I’m going to train for and compete in the 2010 Greater Gulf States Bodybuilding Championships – 26 June 2010.  Ann knows what to expect this time around with the competition prep and she’s pushing me to go forth and make it happen.

Usually when I have a thought about doing something I tend to only put forward 50% effort and I can be easily distracted; in this case that thought was competing.  I knew I wanted to compete but I wasn’t sure about being able to do it.  That thought became a reality when I made the decision to commit to it; this forces me to adjust my schedule and make it happen.

Now that the decision has been made, it’s time to start buckling down on diet, training and outside activities.  Since deciding to compete this year, I’ve developed my nutrition and training program for the rest of this off-season.  My precontest program will come into play about 8-9 weeks out, depending on my conditioning around 3 months out from the show.  Similar to my show last year, I’ll be writing about my training, diet, supplementation, etc… leading up to the competition.  This took a little extra effort last year to do but it was well worth it because it allowed me to communicate with others about my contest prep and it also allowed people to follow someone who was in preparation for a bodybuilding competition.  In New Orleans, there is no one doing this so I hope I’m able to shed some positive light and give good insight to others interested in bodybuilding.

For those of you who don’t know me, I just returned from Iraq last year and moved to New Orleans with my fiancee, Ann.  The New Orleans culture was a big shock to me but I’ve come to embrace this city because of its unique culture and what it has to offer.  While I was in the process of making my transition back into a “normal” environment, I met some great folks around the city who helped me get situated in the bodybuilding community.  I hope to continue to meet more great people and highlight bodybuilding, as well as health & fitness in the Greater New Orleans area.

Please follow me as I prepare to battle some great local New Orleanians in what I will call an unforgetable 2010 bodybuilding season in New Orleans!