Ottawa Bodybuilding Precontest Diet Progress Report - Week 5-8

Well I was hoping to get progress reports from Greg all the way through, but Greg's been focused on more important things like his training and diet.  And trust me, he's been nailing it!

Greg's the ideal client.  He does exactly what you say.. to a T.  Can't ask for more.  When you see him onstage on Saturday, you'll see what all his hard work has produced!

Gonna be sick!

So in lieu of his reports, here's more progress pics we took each week.

Week 5

Week 5

The flash on my camera still severely washes out the definition in these pics... ahhh.. to have the right lighting!



Week 6

Week 6

Only a little bit of water left in the lower back... pretty tight otherwise!


Week 7

Week 7

No week 8 pic... sorry guys..

You'll have to come to the show to see the final result!

It's pretty freaking dramatic!

Ottawa Bodybuilding Precontest Diet Progress Report - Week 4

Here's the week 4 progress report on Greg's pre-contest diet for this Sat, Nov 6 bodybuilding show.

If you don't have tickets yet, you can get them here:

http://ottawachampionships.typepad.com/tickets/

Week 4

Hey Shane!

This week I'm starting to look really lean. I am definitely dropping the last bit of fat.  I have my eating down and training. My cardio is finally figured out. Morning cardio bike, nice and easy.  And this week I have been doing cardio post workout, treadmill.  No fat left on stomach and back fat going quick. Come Friday should be shredded, depleted but shredded.  Feeling good still. 

Week 4

I will say though, the low carb days are starting to get me a little loopy!  All good though!  I'll make it! 

Gonna hit my peak perfectly!

- Greg

** As you can see, as the weeks go on and the calories and carbs get a little lower, the comments start to get less and less as "thinking" becomes something you want to spare for the really important stuff!  LOL

Ottawa Bodybuilding Precontest Diet Progress Report - Week 3

Here's Greg Charron's report on his third week of dieting for the Ottawa Bodybuilding Contest which takes place on Sat Nov 6th.

Week 3 - Pre-Contest Diet

A bit of a different spin this week.  Since I only decided to compete 8 weeks out from the show, things have really had to move quickly.  This week has been no exception.  Because I was eating so little in the beginning, the first two weeks of high calories as Shane explained were to boost my metabolism.  I guess I knew lower calories would have to come, and this week it has.

Week 3

The low carb days definitely affect my energy, but I only do the low carb days for two or three days and even then the carbs climb, and the fats drop, keeping my calories low, but helping to stimulate leptin (the master fat burning hormone as Shane calls it!)

Week 3

Aside from what Shane is doing diet-wise, I'm finally getting the hang of taking the fluctuating numbers he gives me and organizing them into my 7 daily meals.  One thing that I've been surprised at is the variety of foods I'm allowed to eat.  I'd spoken to a few other people about contest diets and pretty much everything I heard was about chicken and broccoli, but with Shane's diet, I'm eating gourmet everything.  I'm allowed all veggies, all fruit, all meat, butter, natural peanut butter.. pretty much everything I used to eat.  The difference is how foods are combined, and when during the day I eat things.

Since I love to cook, it's great I'm eating like a King, and getting into the best shape of my life at the same time!  Still with 5 weeks to go, I'm sure some of this will change at some point.

We met again on Friday morning and took more photos of my mandatory poses.  We reviewed them, and Shane gave me his feedback. We were both impressed with the changes that have happened in just 3 weeks. My shoulders are starting to show striations my chest had grown, and my arms are showing an improved peak and detail. My right quadriceps had almost reached the left leg in size. I'll admit, I have decent genetics, but never thought my body could change like this.  Clearly, having the right coach is a huge deal when it comes to making this kind of progress!

At this point I'm starting to feel like I may actually be a true contender at the show.

- Greg

Ottawa Bodybuilding Precontest Diet Progress Report - Week 2

Here's week 2 of Greg Charron's Pre-contest diet for the Ottawa Bodybuilding Contest on Sat Nov 6th.

Second Week of Diet

The first week out of the way, I feel much more confident with how the diet works.  Not to mention the obvious of working really hard in the gym and being strict.  The way Shane has explained it to me, I know if I follow his instructions to a T, I will be in the best shape in my life come show day!

Week 2

This week I'm noticing my muscles are getting bigger, and I'm getting leaner at the same time.  I always thought that wasn't possible, but it's exactly what's happening.  My mood is also much better, but I guess that's due to the dramatic increase in calories.  Another benefit to this increased calorie intake is my energy for training is way up there now.

It's really been great, I've often got questions about how or why my diet and training are set a certain way, and Shane always has an answer that actually makes sense to me.  Even when it's pretty technical, he makes it seem simple to understand, which definitely increases my confidence with what I'm doing!

Week 2

I met with Shane on Friday morning and he took progress pics again.  I was so happy with my quick results and so was Shane... It's a good thing when your coach is pleased!


Shane's eye for shape and symmetry must come in part from his 17 years of judging bodybuilding shows.  I was shocked to learn that.. but to be honest, it was also one of the reasons I hired him.  On top of knowing his stuff when it comes to training and diet, he's got an almost unfair advantage by knowing exactly what the judges are looking for.  So when we work on posing, he's got amazing tips on how to present my body in the best possible way!


I also bug Shane quite a bit on ideas for areas that I don't find respond well to my training, and he's always got tips that not only sound good, but seem to really work!  I think you'll see what I mean come the day of the show!  


Shane and I have a really good working relationship. It's like a race car driver. He's not much good to the pit crew manager if he does not know how to talk about his car and the issues at hand. He gives me new instructions for the next week, and I follow them verbatim, and presto.. results!




Can't wait for each week!




- Greg