Less than 4 weeks until the stage....

   Well, I have to say, it is hard to believe that I am already less than 4 weeks away from stepping on stage in Kelowna, for the Western Canadians.  This is the first show here that is presenting the new category for Men's Physique.  Training is progressing really well, as well as I have just tightened up my meal plan (so very slightly).  One benefit of keeping up with a lean and healthy style of eating consistantly, means I feel less of an impact from "contest prep diet" than I think many others feel, that follow an "off-season" style of eating.  It is kind of funny to say this, but one change to my meal plan that I have found tough to give up, is my morning oatmeal I am no longer adding in the mixed berries that I had been up until now.  I am adapting though.

  With regard to training, I am still working with Dean of BodyByBrandt 3 days a week, in addition to workout out with Grace the other 4 days a week.  I have been able to work out my schedule so that I am able to do double workouts 5 days a week, doing a cardio session for 30-45 minutes in the morning, paired with weight training in the evenings.  Due to a later shift at work on Fridays and Saturdays, I find I am not able to make it for a second training session, so I do my best to go hard in the mornings on these days.  For cardio, Grace and I are hitting the gym every morning at 6:00am so we have enough time to get back home and be out to work by 8:00am.  This does make for some days that I feel tired, but the morning cardio I feel, gives me a real kick start to my day and actually gives me energy to real push through my long days. 

  Intensity of both cardio and weights has picked up the last week or two, in order to really push myself to get the best results I can.  I have been maintaining my weight and body fat to the levels I am happy with at this point.  I will be trimming down a bit more still the final week or two before stepping on stage.  I have been refraining from posting progress pics since my last one at 6 weeks out, only because I think you need to keep some element of surprise for the big day.

  One other new addition to my plan this past week, has been my first Men's Physique posing practice with Dean.  Conditioning is spot on and with a few weeks left to add some size (hopefully) up top, I am feeling very confident.  The one thing that I do find difficult now, is being the first show for this category, there are so many questions and opinions as to what the judges will be looking for when judging the Men's Physique.  Recently, I heard a piece of advice that really hit home with me.  The advice was, of course you want to listen to the feedback from the judges and work to make improvements based on this, but you have to bring a physique to the stage that you are most impressed with.  I had started to question my original thoughts and plans of how I was going to cut & prep for the show, but I think at this point, the best thing I can do, is prep as I feel I am showing my best attributes.  This way, I will know I did what is right for me!

  If you are planning on attending the show in Kelowna on May 19th, please look for me to say hello.  If not, I hope there will be lots of pictures available that I will be happy to post and to share the results with all of my friends, family and followers.

  As always, thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and support me along my journey.  If there are any questions you have, let me know through Facebook, Twitter, or email and I will be happy to answer.

  Until next time, stay healthy and keep pushing to achieve your goals, whatever they may be.

Andrew Bukowsky

6 Weeks out - Active Rest

Well what a start to the week.  Meal planning is on track, since I was slightly ahead of schedule with weight and Body Fat % measurements, no new adjustment to my meal plan at this stage.  Training is going great, with 6am cardio sessions every morning and weight training every night.  The one thing though, early this week Grace noticed that we almost forgot to send in our registration forms for the competition in Kelowna.  Now wouldn't that be the way things go, after all of this training and preparation, only to forget to register for the event?  I can't say it often enough, but I don't know what I would do without Grace there beside me every step of the way!


One question I am asked quite often, is "how often do you workout?"  My answer is usually 13 times per week.  Grace and I do take a rest day, but this rest day will still include at least a 30 minute "steady cardio" session, just to keep up moving.  It is kind of strange, but we found that when we did take an entire day off from the gym before, we would be thinking about it all day, wanting to go anyways.  Grace was reading through some studies found in the Guide to Sports Medicine and found that not taking a full day off from training, not only is not as bad for you as once thought, but it actually is found to be beneficial.

The term “active rest” or “active recovery” applies to training

schedules used by athletes.  In the recent past, athletes were
encouraged to rest completely after a competition or on a day off.
But newer research shows that engaging in low-intensity exercise
during “rest” is better for maintaining fitness levels.  Low-intensity
exercise flushes out lactic acid and delivers healing oxygen to the
muscles.  Any activity that keeps the target heart rate in the 60 –
65% range is low-intensity exercise.  Active rest activities are easy
recreational movements like going for a bike ride or a hike.

  I guess the one change I have made to my routine at this point, is in training, I have moved to less conditioning workouts and have focussed on more strenghth building workouts with heavier weights.  I still need to add some more size before competition, so I am doing all I can at this point, before I begin the next stage of preparation (the cutting phase).  Confidence is still high, with excitement and a bit of anxiousness setting in.


  Looking forward to training next weekend (which will be 5 weeks out), as the guys from our team will begin weekly posing practice, so we look like we actually know what we are doing once we get on stage.  This is definitely something I am looking forward to.  I have watched a few shows so far and no matter what category a person is compeiting in, nor whether they are male or female, I have found those that stand out the most (in a good way), are the ones that have the physique, but also great stage presence!  You can easily see who has worked with a coach in this area and who has not.  I would hate to work so hard in my training, only to step on stage and miss this key element.  I will let you know more next week how the first class goes.


  I guess until next week, I will share more with you then.  Have a great week and stay focussed!


Thank you,


Andrew Bukowsky
#TeamRippedFreak

Kelowna Western Canadians Competition - 7 Weeks out!

So, the preparation for my first Men's Physique Competition in Kelowna is getting interesting, to say the least.  When I think of how much time Grace and I are putting into training and our meal planning, it makes my head spin.  One thing I have to say though, is  feel truly fortunate to be able to go through these stages of preparation and training with my best friend (my wife)!  From making sure we are awake at 5:00am every morning, so we can get in our morning coffee before hitting the gym as soon as it opens at 6:00am, to preparing meals for each other when we get rushed (almost every morning).  I still can't believe it though, Grace and I both had the chance to sleep in this weekend two days in a row!  Now, when I say sleep in, many of you will think I'm crazy when I tell you that we woke up at 6:00am.  Now, when it comes to our meal plan, you can not imagine how amazing Grace is with keeping our food on track with clean eating and sticking to our meal plan, but also making the food taste so good!  You should check out her recipes, I highly recommend them (be warned though, many that are posted are not competition meal plan approved).

We also have incredible support from friends, collegues and I would argue, the most dedicated Personal Trainers you could ever imagine.  Dean Brandt is always so accommodating to my needs and is willing to change his schedule around to fit in my training when something comes up to mess with my usual routine.  I have had a concern with my muscle development in my trouble area and last week while training with Dean, we really had a breakthrough, because he focussed on finding a solution right away.  With a few small tweeks to my form and exercises, I am already starting to see noticable changes in just over one week.  The picture below, is the last progress picture that I will post before the Kelowna competition (you have to keep some element of surprise).  I know, it is the dreaded bathroom mirror pic...

I think one of the most challenging parts of the entire process of preparing for this competition (for me at least), is getting out of my own head.  This might be a statement that some people would say, "Huh?"  I mean there are those days where I look at my progress and I am amazed at how far I have come since beginning this journey in August 2011, to where I am today.  But, then there are other days, when I start to think about the reality of this competition and start to doubt myself, or my readiness to step out on stage.  This is what I mean about getting out of my head.  I do feel confident about my progress and I feel that I am ready, or at least will be by the time May 19th arrives.  Grace definitely helps to keep me grounded and I hope she feels I do the same for her.

When it comes to following a strict meal plan for this preparation, lots of times people will say things like, "I couldn't eat like that!" or "Don't you miss eating regular food?"  The only thing I can really say, is that I don't treat this as a "diet" but rather a lifestyle.  Trust me, I did find it difficult to curb my cravings especially during the first month (sweets is my biggest craving).  Being a restaurant General Manager with so much amazing food surrounding me every day, does add to the challenge, but I've found dedication and not giving in to temptation to be the key to success.  I have found the longer I have stayed focussed on this way of eating, it does become easier to manage.  Cravings are still there from time to time, but you just have to take a moment to think, are you really willing to sacrifice your progress for a moment of indulgence?  It also gives us a chance to play around with recipes to find ways of taking some classic dishes and making them in a new way that is much healthier.

I am so excited for these next several weeks ahead.  I am sure as time passes and the date of stepping on stage gets closer, nerves will kick in stronger and things might get stressful, but with the support I have from family and friends, I am sure it will be just fine.  Thank you to all of you that have taken the time to read my thoughts and share in this experience.  I will do my best to keep you informed of my progress along the way, offer and tips and advice I can and hopefully be some form of inspiration for some people that are just getting started on (or thinking of starting) their own journey towards "Transforming Wellness".

Until next time friends, take care and live well!

Andrew
#Ripped365

9 Weeks out from Kelowna 2012

  Well, as it stands, I am less than 9 weeks out from my first competition.  On May 19^th, I will be taking part in the first ever Men’s Physique category at the Western Canadians in Kelowna.  I think back to when I first began training and working towards my goal of getting in better shape.  If you had asked me in August of 2011 if I would ever consider competing in a Men’s Physique competition, I would have laughed.  Today I am deep into preparing for this show and I am fortunate to have my wife Grace taking the same journey with me, as she is preparing to compete in her first Bikini competition at this same show.

  In just over one month after beginning my Ripped Freak Training Program, I started to see results I didn’t think were possible, especially in such a short amount of time.  From what I remember, the first time I had the confidence in myself to wear a tank-top to a training session, Dean seemed to see the same results.  At this point, Dean presented me with a challenge, to work towards preparing for a photo shoot with Pink Elephant Photography at the end of October.  Without even thinking about it at the time, I agreed to take on the challenge.  I must say this was both extremely difficult and a very rewarding experience.  The intensity of training and focussed meal planning showed me just what my mind and body is truly capable of.  From doing this photo shoot, I then took a chance to submit one of my photos and personal story to Inside Fitness Magazine, with the hopes of being selected for the magazine’s Feb/March edition to highlight amazing transformations.  After a difficult three month wait for the release of the new issue of the magazine, I was extremely honored and thrilled to find that my submission was selected to be featured as one of the transformations.

   I now feel more focussed and committed than ever, to my meal planning, cardiovascular endurance and weight training.  One thing I have found a key to my success in staying focussed, is that I have not fallen into the traditional “off season” style of eating and training.  I am often asked by friends and co-workers for advice on ways to adjust their habits to eat healthier.  It feels good to be able to share some of my experiences with these friends to help them begin their own journey to improve their overall wellness.  I took it as such an amazing compliment, when a friend sent me a message to ask for advice on how to start on a path of living a healthier lifestyle and told me, “You’re a motivational force!”

  I look forward to share more insights with you and continue to share my ongoing journey of Transforming Wellness.

Thank you for reading!  Talk to you soon.

Andrew

Where did it all begin? ...

  Born and raised in North Vancouver, I grew up playing all kinds of sports competitively. My favourite sports were football, softball, soccer and basketball. Throughout my teen years, I was always very active and physically fit. As I approached high school graduation, my goal was to pursue a career as a Physical Education teacher.
  By the age of 19, I began working full time as a Restaurant Manager. Being a young person in a very challenging role, I devoted the majority of my time to my job. Shortly after beginning upon this career path, my health and fitness took a back seat in my life.
  At the age of 35, I found myself weighing in at 185 pounds, the heaviest weight of my life, in my worst physical condition and left feeling very self-conscious about myself. I also became very concerned over my health and wellness, as I am approaching the age at which my Dad passed away from his second heart attack. Being a husband to a beautiful wife and father to an incredible daughter, I was concerned with a similar fate as my father.
  Over the past several years, I have tried many different kinds of diets and used a range of “at home workout DVDs” (some with better results than others), but none that made a significant impact on my overall wellness.
  In August 2011, I found myself at a place in my life where I was serious about making a change in my life, to improve my health and fitness. Fortunately, I was able to find Dean and Leigh Brandt, of Body by Brandt. Having been so disappointed with my own results over the years, I had very small goals for my improvements. I began my training with Dean, hoping to lose about 10 pounds. In less than 3 months of Dean's Ripped Freak Training Program, I was able to achieve an incredible transformation of losing over 30 pounds. Dean's training has literally changed my life, as I find myself in the best shape of my life. I am happier, healthier and more focussed on wellness than I ever thought possible.
  The next stage in my Ripped Freak Training Program, is preparing for my first Male Physique Competition in May 2012. Keep posted here and my other social media for updates on my progress.

Thank you for your support!


Andrew