Buff is not enough for Hinton bodybuilders

Date: 08-07-2003 Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamCanada

In one minute as they flex and pose, competitive bodybuilders are judged solely on how they look.
Someone who is unfamiliar with the sport might think it is as simple as lifting weights, showing up in a bikini and flexing your muscles. But there is much more to it than meets the eye.
Last month three locals entered provincial bodybuilding competitions. Mike Harding and Dave Thomas competed in the Nothern Alberta Bodybuilding Championship, while Carmelle Rice competed in the fitness and figure event at the Alberta Provincial Bodybuilding Championship.
"It tests your limits of discipline," says Harding. "It's a great personality builder."
A bodybuilder's diet leading up to a competition is a testament to the discipline required. More than five months before the competition, Harding started eating 7,400 calories per day to pack on muscle mass.
This meant he ate a dozen egg whites for breakfast. Throughout the rest of the day he ate six meals, one every two hours. Each meal consisted of three chicken breasts, two cups of rice and a cup of corn. Eating every two hours kept his metabolism on high speed, helping turn food into muscle and at the same time burning fat. His chicken budget alone for one month tallied $400.
"At the end of the day I was lying down and the food was up in my throat. Sometimes I had to sit up to let the food go down," says Harding. "Every time I started a meal I was full."
At 17 weeks before the competition, he curbed his calorie intake to 4,800 and stopped eating protein supplements. Still, his diet was chicken, rice and corn.
Harding gradually ate less and less leading up to the competition, shedding three to five pounds per week. Before the four-month pre-competition diet, he peaked at 245 pounds. A day before the competition he weighed in 175.5 pounds. His body fat fell from 18 per cent to three and a half.
The event was held on a Saturday. On Thursday before the event, Harding stopped drinking all fluids, and only ate one ounce of oatmeal until his minute on the stage.
For his efforts, Harding didn't place in a medal position at the northern Alberta championship, but it was his first competition and he vows to compete again.
Rice placed seventh out of 16 competitors in the provincial fitness and figure competition. Besides being judged on her physique, Rice performed a series of fitness testing exercises on stage.
Thomas, an experienced competitor, placed fifth in the over 30-years-old masters' competition, and fourth in the heavyweight competition, for those who weigh in at more than 201 pounds. "There's no cheating on your diet," says Thomas. "You find about 15 to 20 ways to cook chicken."
Thomas says that contrary to the stereotype that bodybuilders are cutthroat and conceited, there is a lot of comradery and support among them when they compete.
"It's a social event. You get to meet a lot of nice people. I encourage anyone who enjoys lifting weights to do something like this. I regret waiting until I was 35."
Anyone who is interested in learning more about competitive bodybuilding should check out http://www.albertabodybuilding.com.