What’s up shredheads, a phrase I often say when opening my videos. Although come to think of it, I’ve not actually opened up a shreddybrek video with that for quite some time now. I started the Shreddybrek Youtube channel toward the end of December 2012, I believe my first video went up on Boxing day, although I could be wrong (how about you go check and tell me in the comments ?)
I don’t want to turn this into a trip down memory lane, or a reflection on the channel, I’ll save that for another time. However one of the reasons I start the Shreddybrek channel was to track my own bodybuilding progress and to look at the body transformation I was going to embark upon.
Getting ready for NABBA North Britain 2013 took me about 14 or so weeks. I can’t remember the exact date I started training for it, but it was towards the end of January 2013. Throughout this 14 week bodybuilding contest preparation, I also underwent a 12 week body transformation, as part of the bodybuilding.com $100,000 challenge. Unfortunately, the ever-ending reach of the bodybuilding.com forum’s ban hammer cast a thunderous blow upon me, so I was unable to submit my final entry photos. However, used to being down, and low (ass to grass squatting, panty droppin’) I made some lemonade out of the bruised lemons I had left, ready to turn sour.
I took my “after” photos, as I had planned to, and made a 12 week body transformation and put it on youtube. I was impressed with the body transformation I had underwent. I had dropped over 15 lbs, achieved a good amount of fat loss, and had also gained some muscle mass, which is ultimately what we’re all aiming for, whether a teenage bodybuilder, professional bodybuilder, general fitness enthusiast, you’re not going to turn down some lean muscle gains.
However even after these 14, long weeks of training, dieting, weightlifting and cardio, I was still looking like crap – in my eyes. To a regular person looking at me, they’d be able to tell I trained. If I was on a beach topless, Id look decent. However in the bodybuilding world decent = shit. Like terrible.
Regardless of this, I used the NABBA North Britain 2013 bodybuilding competition as motivation. This competition provided me with the bodybuilding motivation I needed to undergo my body transformation. I was training for a specific goal, which gave me the motivation to train even harder, stick to my bodybuilding fat loss diet, and never skip a cardio session. Had I just been “cutting for the summer” my transformation wouldn’t have been as impressive.
Ultimately im happy with how things turned out, I never placed (which was expected), but it’s gotten me closer to where I need to be, and into a much better condition than what I was at the beginning of the year. Merely stepping on stage was an achievement, as for a year and a half prior to starting my diet and training for this bodybuilding show, I had continually said “I wanna compete, I wanna compete” ….and had done nothing about it.
Roll on NABBA North Britain 2014. I’ve got a year to get better, so time to get the biceps poppin’!
Adam Foster is an aspiring bodybuilder, and has been training since a teenager. As the founder of the website & youtube channel 'Shreddybrek' he shares his experiences and knowledge via informative videos and articles. Get in touch if you have any questions!
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