Real Life.
Hey friends! The 2013
NPC Axis Labs Northern Colorado Championships are now 6 weeks out, and the game
is just as serious as ever! Training,
diet, prep, posing, and mental toughness are a true test each and every
day. I said it once, and I’ll say it a
million times; this sport is not for the weak.
The last two weeks have been less than pleasurable for me and my
progress, but the fact of life remains no matter what goals, hopes, or dreams
we have in front of us! Unfortunately I
have been plagued by a nasty virus, followed by sinus infection, and general
illness that has been less than favorable towards my progress, goals, and
especially my attitude. But it’s not
over!
I’m going to keep it real with you guys. I’m not someone who sees life as nothing but
sunshine and rainbows. It’s just
not. With that being said, I still
strive and encourage everyone to see the positives in any and all oppositions
that come our way in “the real world”.
I’m definitely a realist, but please don’t take anything I say as
pessimism. I chose to accept all
emotions willingly, and use them to my advantage. In my opinion, hate is the second most
powerful emotion to love; but you must know how to control and channel hate to
use it to your benefit. Is it a negative
emotion or just a dangerous, difficult one?
Really that’s up to you, your control and your approach to life. In the last couple weeks I’ve experienced
everything from pride, success, and empowerment, all the way to frustration,
weakness, and defeat. I’m no different
than anyone else! What makes “us”
different is to have the heart and soul of a champion. “It’s not how many times you’ve been knocked
down, it’s how many times you can get hit and keep going!”
Not being healthy enough to get your workouts in, or to push
yourself to your full potential can be incredibly challenging to one’s mental
strength and detriment. We should only
be in this to compete with ourselves, but there is that determination in us to
push as hard as we possibly can and bring our absolute best package. I’m not going to lie…there have been days in
the last two weeks that it was advised that I just rest and let my body
recover; great advice, but not easy to take.
There were days that I took this advice and days that I pushed through
anyway. With both of these aspects, I
had days where I thought to myself, “well, that was dumb…should’ve just went to
bed”, and days that I felt accomplished and better after my lift. We’ve all dealt with this and will ultimately
make our own decision based on all factors of “life” around us. By all means, if you think you may have a
contagious virus, please stay out of the gym and save others around you from
suffering!! It was once I was on
antibiotics is when I chose to push or not.
It’s very difficult for me to accept that it’s best for me to rest and
relax when I’m this close to being able to show off what I’ve worked so hard
and long for; but it truly is the best thing in the long run. It’s a journey, not a destination. Health should stay as our number one
priority.
I’m looking forward to all the upcoming posing practice and
really dialing everything in as soon as I am back to health! My goal is to really focus on my conditioning
from here on in! Slowly dropping the
body fat and maintain muscle mass. I’ve
began upping the intensity of my workouts and adding in some additional
cardio. We’ll continue to adjust my
meals and training regime week by week as we will really be able to see the
changes with the added attention to posing.
Carb cycling, cardio, and depletion workouts are on the cusp and I
welcome all challenges; for I will NOT be defeated!! We really do manifest our own destinies, and
positivity IS power!!
I wanted to take a quick second to thank my coach,
incredible wife, and all my friends for their support, care and continued
efforts to help push me to be the best that I can be! I couldn’t do it without you guys! Thanks for dealing with my grumpiness
(yes…I’m the common male who turns into the world’s biggest baby when he’s
sick!) and always trying to put a smile on my face! It’s appreciated more than you know!
Hope you are all pushing forwards toward your goals! Remember, life can be relentless; but that’s
what puts us out on top. That’s what
helps us appreciate the good! Stay
Strong friends.
Follow Nick and his journey to step on stage in his first Bodybuilding Contest and turn his Dreams into Realities! With Nick's Discipline, Drive, and Determination you too will be inspired! For further information you can contact Nick at:
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