Time is going by fast and the Natural Olympia contest will be here before you know it. This weekend (Saturday, July 15) will be only 16 weeks until the big event. I began my diet one week ago today (Wednesday, July 5) and have lost about 2-3 pounds since then. I began my diet at 235 pounds which is exactly where I wanted to be.

My goal for this year is to compete in my best condition ever. I want to combine the best qualities of when I competed in the Natural Mr. Universe - Pro Division in 1996 with the best qualities of my physique from the Natural Olympia in 1998. In 1996, I was much bigger and thicker than I had ever been before and competed at 208 pounds. Unfortunately, I was not super ripped and hard but I was still big enough to win. When I competed in 1998, I wanted to get shredded so I competed 4 pounds lighter at 204 pounds. I was much harder than I was in 1996 and I competed in the best shape of my life. For this year, I want to be as shredded as I was in 1998 but 4-6 pounds heavier. So, my plan is to compete at 208-210 pounds ripped to the bone. When I began my diet in 1998, I was only 224 pounds so I only dieted for 12 weeks before the contest.

In 1996, I had bulked up to 243 pounds so I needed to diet for about 21 weeks. This year, I bulked up to 235 pounds so I'll give myself 18 weeks to get ripped. Bulking up really helps me to make improvements to my physique. I know how to diet to get ripped so it doesn't bother me to put on some fat in the off-season.

I am still training 4 days per week, working every bodypart once a week. This may change as the competition gets closer since I will be in better shape and my body will be recuperating at a faster rate. My schedule right now goes like this: 

Tuesday- Chest, Triceps and Calves,

Wednesday - Abs, Legs, Thursday - Rest day, Friday - Rest day,

Saturday - Delts, Traps and Calves, Sunday - Abs, Back and Biceps,

Monday - Rest day.

I will be adding cardio in a few weeks after I've lost some fat from just dieting. I don't believe in doing too much too soon when I start my diet because I need to hold onto as much muscle as possible while losing all the bodyfat. I can feel my body changing already although I can't see much of a difference yet. My stomach feels flatter and I can even see some more veins on my arms although I know this is nothing compared to what is going to be happening after another month of dieting.

Starting next week, I will be sharing my training and nutrition strategies with you as I get ready to compete in the Natural Olympia. Tune in next week for the latest update!!