Journey to ANB National 2011

Natural bodybuilding is for everybody, man, woman and child, and it should be clearly stated that the competition side of bodybuilding is an area where those who try it, simply love it, there is a fresh energizing adrenalin rush that is hard to describe and just has to be experienced. It’s to a certain extent, the same feeling as conquering your fears, like abseiling over a ravine for the first time. Not everybody will want to try the competitive side of bodybuilding but every person should live their lives by the bodybuilding lifestyle philosophy, which is to train regularly and exercise your body, to eat well from all the food groups in moderation, to avoid smoking and excessive drinking and to absolutely say No to drugs in all their forms.

The ANB is in a way trying to go back in time to respected virtues of the past where we honored our family and respected our neighbors, yet the contrast is, at the same time to use space-age, atom splitting nutrition and gymnasium equipment that is borne from the technological age. Only by marrying these differing aspects to modern life can the natural bodybuilder of tomorrow achieve to a greater degree than those who went before him. The natural bodybuilding physique of today is far better than the steroid filled physique of 20 years ago, this is an absolute fact, so this must mean that the gap is narrowing. What it really means is that for most people in the world, a strict adherence to a good training and dietary program, aided by a personal trainer that has studied and achieved a high standard is all you need to have a wonderful, healthy and fit body. Armed with your naturally strong and toned body, you are putting yourself in the best possible position to fight against the new strains of virus that seem to be emerging with greater rapidity every day.

There is something that each and every one of us can do to improve their health, not to mention the metal feeling of goodwill that a healthy body gets as a side effect. A good attitude and a healthy body will mean a better family life, a zest for your work and a sense of well being that can be strive for. People who are sick of course can’t be generalized in these statements, but even sick people are encouraged to keep moving and are fed foods that are deemed useful to their condition. For average people without medical complications, those who are working longer and harder and meeting the modern stresses head on, there is a way to stay on top, and that is by having a strong and healthy, fit body.

The ANB with its Anti Doping partner in ASADA, plus those nutrition companies actively involved in continuing research into better and more affordable nutrition, as well as good people in every major city in Australia wanting to get involved in the new wave of popularity that natural bodybuilding is experiencing, means a fantastic future lies ahead for all Australians. We just have to do it, it’s not hard and everything is available. Join a local gymnasium today, subscribe to magazines like this one, eat sensibly and get plenty of sleep and stop putting poison into your bodies and start living life the way it was meant to be, feeling absolutely great, each and every day.

more http://www.anb.com.au/index.php/about-us.html

As what mention above this is a natural bodybuilding competition and most of the athlete will be tested.

Sample collection detects the use of a prohibited substance, or prohibited method, by an athlete.

Sample collection consists of testing by an anti-doping organization (such as ASADA) and sample analysis, by a laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Sample collection can be either in-competion or out-of-competition (such as at an athlete’s training venue or home). The majority of testing is carried out with no-advance-notice. The test can involve the collection of urine, blood or both.

more http://www.asada.gov.au/about/index.html

Before I share my blue print for this year competition, the reader out there should know that even if you are not using any substance like performance enhancing drug the product or supplement that you are currently using or would want to consume in future also may contain banned substance.

Banned substance

1,3-Dimethylamylamine contain in USPlabs Jack3d

Not listed supplements ingredient can cause a positive test due to ingredients not being listed on the label, or impurities during manufacturing stage.

Nattokinase contain in Xero limit EPO

Check your substance here

Now, I believe everything is clear and we can proceed to my plan for this year contest and preparation. The first contest that I will enter will be INBA Novice Rising Star & Rookie of the Year Championship. This would be my warming up contest to see how would my condition be. It's not to far away only 90 days to go starting from today. I'm putting all my concentration for the ANB Natural Mania Victoria and I have about 15 weeks from today. I have started my early morning cardio regularly about 3 to 4 times a week and seeing the sun raise each of that day motivates and giving me believe that I'm getting closer week by week to reach my dream.

Since I started bodybuilding about 4 years ago, I never had a trainer to train me only friends give me pointer and guide. Beginning next week I'll be training under Eyad "the contest guru". The reason why is not just because of his achievements and what he capable to do for his client but his expertise in this field is tremendously wide and the motivation he provide is what everybody needs. I will update this journey weekly with my diet/ training and video.

Before and soon after
Progress
Progress

BSC Mini Meal High Protein Low Carb - White Choc. Berry

BSC Mini Meal High Protein Low Carb - White Choc. Berry

Review 

 

• Easy to chew  
• Eye catchy packaging
• Texture of nuts & seed are noticeable and slightly crunchy
• Extremely delicious taste   
• Value for money
• 8/10

Protein Bars

Nutrition and bars are expected to hit $982 million in 2011 predicts the Chicago market research firm Mintel in the publication "Functional Ingredients." Protein bars make up a substantial subsection of this market. These bars can seem like candy fortified with extra vitamins and protein, and with America already suffering from an obesity crisis, it is hard to believe we need substantial supplementation

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/232569-what-are-the-functions-of-protein-bars/#ixzz1CPhz3BYQ

Why do we consume protein bar ?

Firstly it is not a must to consume a protein/energy bar but it would be convenient for the athlete to carry it around. Instead of snacking on candy it is better to get a healthier nutritional snack, AGREE !!

We spend half of our day working or studying and in that period of time some of us just can't get the right nutrition in their diet.

How to consume ?

Easy, at the back of the packet it has stated the direction on how to consume it. Why I mention this because energy bar should be consume before physical training. Protein bar/ snack back are usually consume in between meal. There is some meal replacement bar in the market where by is can be consume as a meal replacement or post training.

How about taste/ value/ brand ?

I will update frequently about bars that I consume. I believe this would be convenient for the readers out there to find the most suitable for you. As for me, I have spent a sum of money just to find which would be suitable for me. If you have anything in mind or wish to try but just to lazy to experiment it, do leave comments about the product that you want me to share with. I try it and post it. "Your interest is my business"

The List

BSC Mini Meal High Protein Low Carb - White Choc. Berry

BSN worth $144 Million

Glanbia, an international nutritional ingredients and cheese group, has purchased Bio-Engineered Supplement and Nutrition(BSN) for $144 million. Glanbia is no stranger to the world of supplements. They purchased Optimum Nutrition (ON) and American Bodybuilding (ABB) in 2008. One could argue that Optimum has increased their presence in the world of Bodybuilding and Fitness since being purchased.

Team BSN Roelly Winklaar

Chicago - Global leader in sports nutrition recruits New York Pro Champion Roelly Winklaar to elite roster of endorsed professional athletes

Boca Raton, Fla., January 19, 2011 - BSN®, the global leader in sports nutrition, recently announced IFBB pro and 2010 New York Pro Champion, Roelly Winklaar, as the latest addition to Team BSN, the company’s elite roster of athletes. Roelly dominated 2010, his rookie year as an IFBB pro, with a strong debut at the Arnold Classic, top honors in New York, and his first trip to the Olympia stage.

“Roelly is the perfect candidate for Team BSN,” James Tracy, director of marketing at BSN, explains. “His hard work and determination to succeed has positioned him for a strong career in bodybuilding. We’re thrilled to support Roelly as he continues to make a name for himself; earning his stake in the IFBB.”

A native of Curacao who now resides in the Netherlands, Egberton Rulove "Roelly" Etienne-Winklaar first came to national prominence in the US with his overall win at the 2009 NPC Arnold Amateur Championships. Roelly will return to the Arnold Classic stage, once again, as a Team BSN® athlete this March. Joining him this year will be new BSN® teammate Dennis Wolf. The duo will present a formidable threat to the rest of the competition expected at this year's event.

link

Extreme transition just within 5 years. He is my inspiration and many people out there respect with what he capable of. After earning his IFBB pro card he manage to win overall for New york pro 2010. Roelly keep it up !

Food Lable

Nutrition is very important to achieve you target physique. How do you measure/check you food nutrition? Do you read the Nutrition Facts food labels when you shop? Food and Drugs Administration FDA has required these labels to be placed on food packaging. The Nutrition Facts food labels are easy to find on the back, side or bottom of the packaging. A food label should list the country of origin of the food product

Food labels carry useful information to help you make choices on the food. The food label will tell you if the food contains an additive that you may or may not want to avoid. The nutrition information helps you to compare the nutrient profile of similar products and choose the one that suits you best.

Difference between ‘use-by’ and ‘best before’

Foods with a shelf life of less than two years must have a ‘best before’ or ‘use-by’ date. These terms mean different things. The ‘best before’ date refers to the quality of the food – food stored in the recommended way will remain of good quality until that date. It may still be safe to eat certain foods after the ‘best before’ date, but they may have lost quality and some nutritional value. By contrast, foods that should not be consumed after a certain date for health and safety reasons must have a ‘use-by’ date and cannot be sold after that date. You will find ‘use-by’ dates on perishables such as meat, fish and dairy products.

Some foods carry the date they were manufactured or packed, rather than a ‘use-by’ date, so you can tell how fresh the food is. For example, bread and meat can be labelled with a ‘baked on’ or ‘packed on’ date. You should:

• Check the ‘use-by’ or ‘best before’ date when you buy food.
• Keep an eye on the ‘use-by’ or ‘best before’ dates on the food in your cupboards. Don’t eat any food that is past its ‘use-by’ date, even if it looks and smells okay.

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Food_labels_explained


OVERVIEW

The information in the main or top section no.1-4 and no.6 on the sample nutrition, can vary with each food product it contains product specific information (serving size, calories, and nutrient information). The bottom part no.5 contains a footnote with Daily Values (DVs) for 2,000 and 2,500 calorie diets. This footnote provides recommended dietary information for important nutrients, including fats, sodium and fiber. The footnote is found only on larger packages and does not change from product to product.

SERVING SIZE

First area to look at is the serving size and the number of serving in the package. The serving size on the food package influences the number of calories and its nutrient listed on the top part of the label. Pay attention to the serving size, especially how many servings there are in the food package. Then ask yourself, "How many servings am I consuming"?

CALORIE

Calories measure of how much energy you get. By controlling the amount of calorie you consume you able to manage the weight you desire. Each amount per serving equal to calories given.

NUTRIENTS

Limit this nutrient. Eating too much fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, or sodium may increase your risk of certain chronic diseases, like heart disease, some cancers, or high blood pressure.

Understanding the Footnote on the Bottom of the Nutrition Facts Label

Note the * used after the heading "%Daily Value" on the Nutrition Facts label. It refers to the Footnote in the lower part of the nutrition label, which tells you "%DVs are based on a 2,000 calorie diet". The amounts circled in red in the footnote--these are the Daily Values (DV) for each nutrient listed and are based on public health experts' advice. DVs are recommended levels of intakes. DVs in the footnote are based on a 2,000 or 2,500 calorie diet.

The Percent Daily Value (%DV)

5%DV or less is low and 20%DV or more is high This guide tells you that 5%DV or less is low for all nutrients, those you want to limit (e.g., fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium), or for those that you want to consume in greater amounts (fiber, calcium, etc). As the Quick Guide shows, 20%DV or more is high for all nutrients.

REFERENCE http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ConsumerInformation/ucm078889.htm#seeimage2

Setting Goal

set·ting

The position, direction, or way in which something, such as an automatic control, is set.

The context and environment in which a situation is set; the background.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/setting

goal

The aim or object towards which an endeavour is directed

The terminal point of a journey or race

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/goal  

By setting a goal, you have clearly stated what you want and not for others desire. You will gain more confidence with every step that you take get closer to you goal. The commitment that you put into yourself is your action plan, with this commitment you will utilize all the time to achieve it. Your goal let you design your future. You may not be where you want to be today but you are able to see what tomorrow can bring. One you start to take action, you are able to see possibilities and opportunities that were probably there all along but because you were not focused, you could not see them. Once you have accomplish your first goal, you are highly motivated to set new one. You able to move forward with a clearer purpose where each accomplishment has a greater incentive to achieve even more.

SMART Goal setting

• S = Specific
• M = Measurable
• A = Attainable
• R = Realistic
• T = Time

SPECIFIC is the question to you goal. Why? How? What?

My goal is to lose body fat and to win the competition,  let it be a specific goal, to have 8% body fat and to win <70kg category

MEASURABLE is "establishing concrete criteria to measure progress toward the attainment of each goal you set".                                                    

Create a short term and mid term goal because every goal that you accomplish motivates you and push you closer to you long term goal

ATTAINABLE  by identifying your goal you will figure out ways to make them come true. You develop that attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin to see opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.

REALISTIC  is creating a plan or a way of getting there which makes the goal realistic. The goal needs to be realistic for you and where you are at the moment, be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! If its to difficult you'll set the stage for failure.


TIME is to set a time frame for the goal. Time must be measurable, attainable and realistic.
Everyone will benefit from goals and objectives if they are SMART.

"My goal is to lose 1% of body fat every 2 weeks and 1lb of weight every 2 weeks".        

Fats

A balancing act
Sharon Kam

NUTRITION vs TASTE. A perennial challenge. And chances are, Taste and those who root for it will end up the heavyweight champs. Pun intended. In a food haven like Malaysia where a vast variety of food is available any time, any day, anywhere, it is an extreme tussle with temptation when choosing what goes into our bodies.

Our eating habits have evolved with growing affluence and unfortunately, have become more unhealthy. We are not only eating more. We are also eating more of the wrong kinds of food.

Carbohydrates, protein, fat are the three main macronutrients which contribute to the calories or energy we need. It is recommended that we should only consume 55-70% of carbohydrates, 20-30% protein and 10%-15% of fat.

But for many Malaysians, the consumption of protein and fats has increased while consumption of carbohydrates has decreased, says Family Health Development director at the Health Ministry Datuk Dr Narimah Awin.

"We suspect Malaysians are eating way too much fats but exactly how much, we do not know yet," she says, adding that this will be revealed when an ongoing National Diet Survey is ready year-end.

While we eat too much, we have also become less active compared with past generations which has brought on an imbalance between what we eat and how much we eat with how physically active we are. Eating habits and physical activity decide how healthy we are. But only 11.6% of Malaysians do adequate exercise.

http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=8909

As what mention above, fat is bad !! Not everyone has a clear image about fats and most people that wish to change their sedentary life style to a healthier tend to remove fats, sugar and even carbs. Firstly let us have a look at the food pyramid. Most country has different type of food pyramid. On the left side is Malaysia food pyramid and as for the other side is Japan food pyramid.

  The Japanese diet has been known for centuries as one of the healthiest due to it's high levels of nutrients and antioxidants. 

 The Healthy Japanese Diet: A Diet of Longevity and Good Health http://www.suite101.com/content/the-healthy-japanese-diet-a34961#ixzz1B94Y2Gz2

"The Japanese diet is the iPod of food," says Naomi Moriyama, co-author of Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat: Secrets of My Mother's Tokyo Kitchen, "it concentrates the magnificent energy of food into a compact and pleasurable size."  

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diets-of-world-japanese-diet

In Malaysia food pyramid, poultry and fish are in the same category same as for fats and sugar. Fish and poultry has different benefits and obviously fish is more beneficial. If fat and sugar is in  the same category it means that fat is categorize as unhealthy.

Now, not all fat is bad. Fats are an essential part of healthy eating so it’s good for you to eat a certain amount of the healthier fats. Fat is important for our body processes. We should consume some fat inour  diet. Fat protects the organs, keeps and helps our body absorb and move nutrients around. It also helps hormone production. Some fats are better than others and having too much of any type is not a good idea.

Dietary fats are classified by their structure. Different types of fats react differently inside the body. Saturated fats (found mostly in animal products) increase blood cholesterol, which is a risk factor in coronary heart disease. Mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats tend to lower blood cholesterol.

Healthier fats

Healthier fats include monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats - omega-3 and omega-6. These fats reduce the 'bad' LDL cholesterol in the blood and increase the 'good' HDL cholesterol. This helps to lower the risk of getting heart disease.

Unhealthy fats

Unhealthy fats include saturated fats and trans fats. Too much saturated and trans fat contributes to the build up of fatty material, called plaque, on the inside of your blood vessels and is a major cause of heart disease. These fats can increase LDL cholesterol in our blood that leads to the plaque. Lowering saturated fat in the diet will help to lower LDL cholesterol.

  

We can still consume fat and be aware with the type of fats. Always control the portion size of a meal because to much of everything is not good.

Metabolism

1. The chemical processes occurring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. In metabolism some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes while other substances, necessary for life, are synthesized.
2. The processing of a specific substance within the living body: water metabolism; iodine metabolism.

reference  http://www.answers.com/topic/metabolism#ixzz1AVKhZjj7

The easiest way to describe what is metabolism is countless chemical process continuously inside the body that allow life and normal function. The amount of energy that the body burn depends by the metabolism.

Types of metabolism

Catabolism - breakdown of food component into simpler form, which can be used to create energy. 

( Protein - amino acid, Fats - fatty acid, Polysaccharides - monosaccharides) 

Anabolism/ Anabolic - This reaction require energy, many of its process powered by ATP. Its a process towards building/ and growth.

Metabolic rate ( total energy expenditure )

divided into three components;

• Basal metabolic rate (BMR) - is the amount of energy burned at rest and contributes 50-80 per cent of our energy used.
• Energy used during physical activity - this is the amount of energy burned during movement and physical activity; in a normally active person, this component contributes 20 per cent of daily energy use.
• Thermic effect of food - this is the energy we use to eat, digest and metabolise food. It contributes about 5-10 per cent of your energy use.

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

BMR is the rate of metabolism that occurs when an individual is at rest in a warm environment and is in the post absorptive state, and has not eaten for at least 12 hours. Lean mass responsible for BMR. It is describe like an engine, the larger the engine are the more fuel it burn.  This is why having a large amount of lean mass is beneficial and preserving the lean mass during the process of losing weight is important. 

Energy used during physical activity 

During heavy physical training, the muscles may burn certain amount of energy. The energy used during exercise is the only form of energy expenditure that we have any control over.

Thermic effect of food 

BMR rises afterwe eat because we use energy to eat, digest and metabolise the food we’ve just eaten. It rise  soon after we start eating and peaks two to three hours later. This rise in the BMR can range between 2-3 per cent and up to 25-30 per cent, depending on the size of the meal and the types of foods eaten.  

Chest

In my younger age I always want to have a bullet proof chest, a wide and thick pecs would describe it best. Many method I have learn and try but not all are correct or best suits my self/ many individual. Chest or Pectorals muscle divided into two area.

Anatomy

Pectoralis major - thick muscle situated at the front of chest of the body. It makes up the bulk of the chest muscles

Pectoralis minor - thin muscle situated at the upper part of the chest beneath the pectoralis major

Pec major  located on the front of the rib cage, its insertion/ attach to the humerus proximal and originate near the  shoulder joint (clavicle) and on the breastbone in the center of the chest (sternum). A fan like structure of the pecs allow the humerus to move in a variety of planes across the body.

Pec minor located underneath pec major attaching to corocoid process and originate on ribs 3 to 5.

Recommended exercise 

Dumbbell Incline/ bench press

Cable Cross Over

Pec deck  machine

Tips

•  Most athlete would agree that dumbbell is the best equipment to use for this exercise due to it gives a larges range of motion and better squeeze
• When performing cable cross over, avoid bend/ slanting to forward because we do not want to use the body weight to support the weight. Cheating with big weight = big muscle
• Try to get the most stretch at the bottom of every rep and always squeeze at the top of every reps

Time Killer

As I mention before, I was on a long holiday. Who say bodybuilder just eat, sleep, train and repeat only. We do have some life in us. I'm so going to share my experience/ picture and also video. This is me when I am not in a competition season and this is me appreciating nature.

A bunch of us agree to go to KOKODA TRACK MEMORIAL WALK located in Dandenongs for a 1000-step walk. It only takes about an hour from Melbourne. I have done a 1000 step on a stepper machine and it takes about over an hour. Not so hard just boring doing the same thing and not moving so why not take up this challenge.

It takes approximately 90minutes to complete 1000-step to reach the top and word that could describe are burn, tired, pain, wait for me, f$%k, giving up. Not what I expected, some step are so narrow only one person able to walk through it, some are so high where literally I almost have to  climb it and being so heavy around this time is just like carrying extra sin with me. People are just overtaking me like I'm a turtle and even there's this mom carrying her baby with her climbing up the stair like she's using an escalator. Soon after that hike we went to SkyHigh Mount Dandenong and we end our day with a popular pastry called scone on the way back to Melbourne.

A few other activities took place in LEONGATHA. A place with great scenery but not the place where I'm going to have family. First destination was the famous AGNES FALLS. Than later we had a good sweat from hiking and walking in Wilsons Promontory National Park. Those are the last activities a bunch of us did before everyone went back to Malaysia for holiday.

It doesn't end there, my family came all the way from Malaysia to spend a good quality time in New Zealand and what a great time we had. I had to fly from Melbourne to Auckland from Auckland to Lake Taupo in the same day just to meet them. I was on rage most of the flying hours due to hunger but I was happy when I have reach to the destination. What more need to say, blue sky, crystal clear lake, awesome weather and huge kebabs. Spending just three days at Lake Taupo wasn't enough but at least I had a great experience from Sky diving, yachting and Hukafalls Jet. I manage to find and train in a gym where some of the natural competitive bodybuilder from New Zealand train at. I also had an opportunity to chat with the owner/ ex pro bodybuilder. Long story short here are the photos and video of our trip

New Year, 2011

Wasn't around more than two months. Was on a great long holiday and busy packing and moving to a new location. What is so special with this 2011, I'll tell you what..

Firstly, I always wanted to attend and see it with my own eye how a fitness/ sports/ bodybuilding expo would look like. Believe it hard enough and it will come through,

MELBOURNE EXHIBITION CENTRE, MARCH 12 & 13

You will meet qualified genuine consumers looking to improve their health, physique, lifestyle, performance and diet. As well as, Gym Owners, Sports Administrators and Coaches wanting to improve what they can offer their customers.

Next, Australian Fitness&Health Expo

SYDNEY CONVENTION CENTRE & EXHIBITION CENTRE, APRIL 15th to 17th (10am - 5pm)