Six weeks into my training and Shaun has already entered me into a fitness physique competition. Already! It’s nerve-racking, but it turns out that the idea of standing in front of a hall full of strangers in your pants is one of the best motivators in existence.
Shaun still has me on a German volume training programme that’s helping me build strength and muscle mass. I found the sessions tough at first and needed an Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre-Workout just to give me the energy to get through them. Then, just as I started getting used to them, Shaun told me he’d entered me into the competition and that my carb intake would have to drop to help me lose body fat and look as shredded as possible.
I’m happy to say it’s working and as I write this I am in the best shape I’ve ever been in, but it’s bloody hard work. The lack of energy turned brutal sessions into nightmare sessions. I’m getting through them, though. With the success Shaun has had in fitness physique competitions I know I’ll succeed if I stick to his instructions to the letter.
As well as making the gym sessions harder, I’ve got to the point where I’m dreaming about bread. However, aside from the temporary lack of carbs while cutting for the impending competition, my nutrition plan is working out just fine. Shaun has made me a day-by-day meal plan, but rather than forcing me to stick rigidly to it we’re adopting an ‘If it fits your macros’ approach. So if I’m bored with chicken I can swap it for turkey, beef for lamb and so on.
I’ve never had too much of a sweet tooth, but I am starting to miss pudding. It might be a bit sad, but I’ve started looking forward to the chocolate-flavoured Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey I have as soon as my workouts end. Yeah, it helps my poor, battered muscles repair and get stronger, but that’s just a happy side effect of the only sweet thing I have in my life right now!
Coach’s verdict
‘I’m psyched about how Matt has progressed over the last few weeks,’ says Shaun Stafford. ‘We’ve switched up his training to allow him to lift a little heavier, but also upped his training frequency and volume a little. He’s getting fitter and more conditioned, which is fun for a coach because it means I can throw curveballs at him and know he’ll be able to handle it. We are only six weeks in – I can't wait to see where he is at the end of the six months.’
