Muscle Ventures Podcasts

In this podcast (Quicktime ipod compatible, 52MB; Google streaming flash video) Jim and I continue footage from the Northern Kentucky Bodybuilding Competition.  We begin with video in front of the Ohio River.   I am checking out the show this year and may decide to compete here in 2008.  While attending the prejudging I was able to interview some competitors and get their thoughts on the show.  There is also video of the women's heavyweight division.  This would be the weight class that I would be competing in so I was quite interested in this division.

The first interview is with Rich Lurow.  He is from Columbus, Ohio and  competed in the Men's Open Welterweight Division.   At the time of this interview Rich was still waiting to get on stage for the prejudging. He was kind enough to share his thoughts about the show and give a bit of background on himself.  He had competed in two shows approximately a year and a half ago.  After those shows he felt that he wanted to put on more muscle so he could move up a weight class.  During his time off he was able to make gains in the gym and decided that he would compete in the Northern this year.

The next interview is with Carrie Walend.  Carrie has competed many times but never in the Northern Kentucky show.  Carrie and I actually competed against one another in the Flint Mid Michingan in 2006.  She won her weight class and the overall title (beating me in the posedown!) at that show.  Carrie states that she changed a couple of things preparing for this show.  First of all she made an adjustment to her diet.  She changed her last meal from chicken to beef and really felt that this helped her come in leaner for the show.  She also kept her training heavy through her entire prep phase.  Although she was tired from the heavy training she believes this also contributed to her being leaner for this show.

This video concludes with commentary from both Jim and I about the prejudging and if he thinks I would do well here next year.  We both thought the judging was quite thorough.  Evidenced by the fact that the women were asked to perform a most muscular pose.  This is usually a pose only the men are asked to perform.  We also noted that the judges were asking for side triceps and side chest from both sides rather than having the competitors chose their best side. Jim's final thought was that I could compete with the women that were at this show.  Something to think about!!

Additional Links

• Here are professional photos of the female heavy weight prejudging.
• Why is nutrition important in bodybuilding?  Here are some basics.

In this podcast (Quicktime, 12.7 MB; Google Video, no download), Nancy and I (Bud) close out our series on her prep for her April 29, 2006 contest. This podcast combines three video clips from Nancy's posing practices on April 14 (two weeks out from the contest), 21 (one week out), and 28 (day before). We follow this set of videos with a slide show of the different mandatory poses taken on each of the days. For those interested, Nancy is currently doing an exercise analysis series on bodybuilding poses.

It's interesting to note the progression in Nancy's physique and attitude during this period. The photos on the left show Nancy doing the Front Double Biceps pose. In the first photo in the series, Nancy is two weeks out from the competition. She was still in her heavy diet phase and had some fat left to trim. In the second photo, you notice less fat and some more definition. This is even more apparent in her back. By the third photo the day before the competition, she has really trimmed down.

I have to say, I had some concerns about Nancy during this period, she was losing weight so fast at the end. Some of that concern comes out in our final podcast before the show when we discuss her water depletion strategy.

Finally, I should point out that it is rare for bodybuilders to point up their imperfections in this way. They're in it to look perfect at the end and typically only want to put their best foot forward. One exception is John Hansen's decision to post weekly photos for 6 weeks leading up to his Natural Mr. Universe and Natural Olympia contests in 2004. That particular series shows a rather dramatic progression from someone who already looks very strong and fit to someone who is prepared to compete in a bodybuilding contest.

In this clip, which you can access by clicking Nancy's picture, we discuss the different posing requirements on the day of the competition scheduled three weeks from the day of filming. At the female amateur level where Nancy competes, there are seven mandatory poses:

• Front double biceps
• Rear double biceps
• Front lat spread
• Rear lat spread
• Side triceps
• Side chest
• Front abdominal and thigh

She will perform these poses at the behest of the judges during the day portion of the competition which begins at 10 AM. In the evening she will perform free form posing. As the name implies, free form posing gives contestants the chance to exercise their creativity. It must include some mandatory elements as well as elements the contestant chooses. In her free form routine, Nancy has decided to include the front double biceps, the rear lat spread, and perhaps the rear double biceps, in my opinion, one of her best poses. Competitions are won and lost in the posing rounds.

Additional links

• David Robson provides a good overview of the mandatory poses at the pro level with pictures.
• Mark Tilden provide brief video guides to the poses.