Road to the USA

This weekend the 2006 NPC USA Bodybuilding Championship is being held in Las Vegas, NV. Like the NPC Nationals, this is another of amateur bodybuilding’s top contests with two of the guys qualifying for their IFBB pro status.

In the run up to the contest, Graphic Muscle has been interviewing some of the frontrunners, including my Perfect Tan guy, Curtis McGovert, and, as longtime readers should know, my particular fav, big Mike Ergas (who many believe was robbed of a win at last years Nationals, quite possibly because of his sexual orientation).

The following link is to Lonnie Teper's interview with Mike. At the beginning of July Mike weighed in at 225lbs, but he reckons his contest weight will be around 215/216 (5 to 6 pounds heavier than at the Nationals), and at only 5'6" that's one big man!

Mike Ergas: Never Say Die!

During the precontest period, with their continued heavy lifting, increased cardio, strict dieting, muscle depletion and carb-loading, bodybuilders are pretty mentally and physically exhausted (no matter how good they may look).

During my own USA “precontest training” I just concentrated on the carb-loading phase. After 6 months of solid lifting, my body badly needed a rest. So for the past 3 weeks I've been off from the gym (though I’m now jonesing to get back), and have instead focused on Dr. Bob's Ice Cream, a newfound fav, and Chips Ahoy (preferring the Chunky, rather than the Reduced Fat, varieties).

But even with all the cookies and ice cream, I'm still wasting away!!!