So many people have been emailing and phoning me asking what my next move is – what am I preparing for next. There comes a time when one must step back and assess where you are, and tweak your goals and rediscover that passion that got you to where you are in the first place.

I have taken this time off to get that“ drive” back again. The motivation put into 120 % in everything I do. I have been competing since 2004 when I was 14 years old and haven’ t taken a single year off. After coming back from my Mauritius trip last year my body was drained. We decided to do the Battle of Titans. In the back of my mind I wasn’ t really happy about it, but pushed through until the end because once I have set my mind on something, I finish it.

While warming up back stage I had a chat with Andrew Hudson and he told me exactly what I needed to hear. He told me that I need to take a year off from all fat burners and cardio and just add some good old-school mass. And that’ s exactly what I am doing now. I’ m not so strict on counting calories at the moment. I make sure that my protein intake is around 280g daily split up into 5-6 meals and I only eat when I am hungry. I do not force feed myself like I did in the past because I do not like that tired feeling you get when you stuff yourself with loads of carbs every 2-3 hours.

Something new that I have tried in my off season is adding good fats to my eating programme. I use a lot of coconut oil when preparing my food and

“ Having a good training partner by your side every day makes a huge difference.”

I’ ve added red meat as well and it is working pretty well. I am sitting at 120kg at the moment and not really sure what my body fat is. I have still got my abs but I do carry a lot of water. So much so that no one recognised me at the Rossi Classic when I went up to go support. I really want to push my weight up to about 130kg and then start dropping body fat slowly.

When I step on stage again I have to feel happy about the progress I made, and then I’ ll be competing for myself and for no other reason, and the hunger is slowly coming back. One show I cannot miss out on is the Arnold Classic in SA in 2016!

There are many days where I wake up and I feel like crap and I don’ t feel like training but then I drag myself to the gym because I have Roy waiting for me. Having a good training partner by your side every day makes a huge difference. This last month he cancelled three sessions because he had the flu. I promise you, I walked into the gym and walked out again because I am not going to waste my time giving 80 % where training with him every session is 120 %. There’ s no ways I am going to squat 280kg without him or with a random person standing behind me.

Another reason I took off is because I felt I needed to put more time into my athletes’ prep. I love watching how they improve from show to show, dominating each division they enter. I am truly proud of all of you guys! Team Bessinger! They don’ t realise how much they motivate me.

CHRIS FITZPATRICK

PREP TO WIN, NOT FAIL

So the 2014 SA Champs are something of the past. Well done to all the phenomenal athletes who took part again this year. Wow, bodybuilding in South Africa is progressing. World Champs are ahead and in the sights of a lot of guys.

There is something about that“ final week” that makes dieting bodybuilders lose their usual logical minds, and start doing some seriously risky things or falling into the trap of“ changing things” at the last minute with the hope of sharpening up to be contest ready. How often do we look back at contest pictures and say“ but I was better a week before in the gym” or a few days later because we have gone back to doing the same things we did before the stage craze affected our logic?

Diuretics and excessive dehydration are real causes for concern as they put your health at risk. Once your kidneys are damaged there is no miracle drug or process to repair such a delicate human organ. Be sensible guys, taking loads of diuretics is not the solution to stepping on stage with the illusion of being in condition. Just diet hard and get rid of the body fat! Unfortunately if you aren’ t in 100 % condition, a degree of moderate dehydration is the fail-safe so that you can“ dehydrate” the volume out of the remaining stubborn fat cells – moderate water restriction is acceptable, but not drinking fluids for days is a recipe for disaster – please be careful!

Be sensible and maintain a level of moderation in what you do. If you need to make a weight division, don’ t stop drinking fluids, your kidneys require consistent fluid intake to continue processing your system – stop drinking, and your body stops processing water! Simple science and fact … only excessive diuretics will allow you to continue forcing fluid out, at major risk once again.

Many athletes also go mad in the final few days throwing sugars and carbs into their bodies, to try and“ fill up” and volumise the muscle – I stepped on stage at 96 / 97kg in the heavyweight category, full muscle bellies, nice and volumised … and I probably had no more than 300-400g of carbs on the Wednesday before the pre-judging on Friday, and approximately 200-300g on the day of pre-judging. Did I look flat?? No. Why? Because I kept hydrated! The muscle is 70 %-80 % fluid, so dehydrating is the real issue that athletes have when they look“ flat” on stage.

Keep your food sources the same as what you were eating up to the show – if you dieted using brown or basmati rice, oats, sweet potato etc. then keep using these sources as your“ carbing up” sources as well. Your body is a sensitive organism and cannot tolerate major changes in food sources, otherwise you’ re going to end up with stomach cramps and major stomach bloating on show day.

One final word of advice, going into the final week before the comp, rest is more important than training and cardio. Your body is in an elevated cortisol state a result of weeks of high intensity training, excessive cardio, and reduced calories – unless you are able to get adequate rest to allow for recovery and reduce your cortisol levels( stress hormone), you will not be able to showcase your best physique on the day. Try and get to your contest destination a day or two earlier than necessary to get as much rest and sleep as possible, and eliminate any unnecessary stressful situations. Congratulations to all the division winners and in particular to the Overall Champ for 2014, Shanti Mitchell. Well done bro, you have amazing potential and I cannot wait to see you grow that aesthetic physique of yours over the next few seasons! Respect.

Train hard, every rep counts.

126 Muscle Evolution

Muscle Evolution Muscle_Evolution_-_December_2014 | Page 128

So many people have been emailing and phoning me asking what my next move is – what am I preparing for next. There comes a time when one must step back and assess where you are, and tweak your goals and rediscover that passion that got you to where you are in the first place.

So the 2014 SA Champs are something of the past. Well done to all the phenomenal athletes who took part again this year. Wow, bodybuilding in South Africa is progressing. World Champs are ahead and in the sights of a lot of guys.