The biggest struggle was in the nutrition. I actually enjoyed ingesting almost 280gm of protein a day. Chicken breasts, lean steaks, and egg whites were just part of the daily routine. Only being able to take in a little more than 50gm of fat a day was a challenge, especially since peanut butter taste so wonderful.
The real challenge resided in the 175gm of carb per day restriction. I tried my best to fight those sugar cravings with a Floyd Mayweather type of defensive tenacity. Most days I did what I was supposed to, on other days I caved in. That is probably the main reason why I wasn't a Top 3 finisher.
The day before I stood in front of the judges, I was on a serious carb restriction. I had 30gm from breakfast and didn't have another gram until 8pm that night when I was supposed to have 30 more. Guess what I chose to eat........
The Gaylord Orpyland. What a ridiculously huge hotel! It's like a small indoor city.
The morning of the show I was ready to go. I wanted to go and impress the judges, then go and eat something I had no business eating. I woke up real flat with little energy.
Two hours before I went to show I needed a meal of about 90gm or carbs and some sodium so my muscles would fill out. I also needed about 30gm of fat to add some vascularity to my depleted body. Good thing the hotel room service provided french toast, coffee, and bacon. I was all over it. This is how my body looked after the meal.
Posing in front of the judges was cool. It felt natural. I would much rather pose like a bodybuilder than physique competitor but I practiced both of them a lot so I felt comfortable. I kept a smile on my face.
Some of the other male competitors looked amazing. You can tell they put in some real hard work in the gym....and probably cheated a little less than I did. They were getting pumped up with band and tubing exercises before they went in to pose. Everybody I met seemed positive and was there to enjoy the experience.
The problem with the Beachbody Classic was that pre-judging was Thursday morning and the stage show was Friday night. Now I've heard of Thurs am/ Thurs pm or Fri am/Fri pm but not the morning of one day and then night the next. Being out of town added to the degree of difficulty because I did not have food with me. NOTE TO SELF: If you go out of town to do a show, seal up some food and bring it with you.
I posed at 9am and the judges notified us that the Top 20 would be announced "sometime before midnight." What!?!
The evening show at Nissan Stadium did get me pumped up. Beachbody knows how to have a party.
Bloody nose!
And I made some new friends!
Then came the email.....Congratulations Mr. McCohn you've made the Top 20 competitors. Be ready for stage tomorrow night for the possibility to bring home the trophy. And I immediately went back to the hotel and got a workout in.
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