TeenBodybuilding.com - Derek Charlebois - A Bodybuilding Revelation!

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Did you know?
Purplish scars you see are A Bodybuilding Revelation!

My will power and motivation have been weak. But that all changed that night.

It's a cool summer night. I was enjoying a pleasant walk around the block with my little sister when it hit me. I had just taken some new pictures to check my current status. When I looked at them, I was completely disappointed!

I looked chunky, smooth, and soft. Why? Why has my physique deteriorated into what I see before me? Because I lost that edge. I lost the "Eye of the Tiger." My will power and motivation have been weak. But that all changed that night.

My sister and I had just finished watching Rocky 5 before we went for the walk. We had watched 1 through 4 during the last two weeks. We were talking and I was telling how I felt about the way things were progressing. She said "You ain't been hungry since you won that belt." Which is very true. Ever since my competition, my effort has been lame to say the least.

Tommorrow It Changes

So we continued to talk and I said, "That's it, starting tomorrow it all changes. No more junk food. No more messing around." She then said, "How about right now.", With some attitude. That's when it happened. Something clicked in my brain. My eyes sharpened and focused. My mind cleared. I could see exactly what I needed to do.

That night, I sat down and reevaluated my diet. I set up a new plan of attack. I said to myself, "It starts now!"

The reason that I am telling you this is so it doesn't happen to you. Bodybuilding is very complex. It involves every aspect of your mind, body, and heart. All these aspects must be in line and strong in order to succeed.

Bulking

I will begin bulking September third. After sees Ted's (Fletch) post on the message board, I decided that this bulking diet would be totally clean. Ok, maybe I'll go off my diet once in a while, but not often.

To check out Fletch's post go to:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46335&perpage=30&pa genumber=1

He has gained 14 pounds in eight weeks and is still ripped. This means he is gaining mostly muscle and not unwanted fat. The reason why is because he is following a clean bulking diet. It's easy, especially when bulking, to eat junk food. You slip into the mind set that, "I'm bulking so I need to gain weight."

The point of bulking is to gain muscle, not fat. The more fat you gain, the more you have to lose. The more fat you have to lose means the more muscle you might sacrifice. What's the point of bulking if you lose the muscle you gained from having to diet for long periods of time. Staying strict of your diet is a must. Especially when bulking!

How Is This Bulking Cycle Going To Be Different from the Last?

This year's bulking cycle is going to be very different from last year's. A major difference is that I'll be lifting in an actual gym and not in my garage. I've lifted in my garage for the past two years. Mainly because of the convenience.

Going to school from 7 AM to about 3 PM along with working didn't leave much time to travel back and forth to the gym. But this year is different. I will be starting college September 4th. For the first semester, I will have classes from about 8 AM to Noon. The good news, two of my classes are in the same building as the gym, and my other two classes are very close :). So when classes are over for the day, I'll be heading to the gym.

There are so many more options when you train at a gym. Now I'll be able to do leg presses, hack squats, cable crossovers (looking forward to those), and have tons other equipment available to me. With the gym comes new motivation. A new atmosphere.

I have lifted at this gym a few times before, and I love the atmosphere. When people go there, they go there to lift! They aren't there to socialize or take up space. People are grunting, screaming, and putting raw emotion into their lifts, which in turn will motivate me to push myself harder.

The Knowledge

Another huge difference is the knowledge I have gained over the past year. I now have a greater knowledge about nutrition, supplements, training techniques, and most of all, about myself. I have seen what my body responds to. Being nutrition or certain exercises.

Probably the biggest difference is the support I have from Bodybuilding.com, its writers, and its message board members. Without Bodybuilding.com, I wouldn't be where I am today. I would have never read the great articles on this site. I would have never talked to other fellow bodybuilders go are going what I'm going through.

I would not have people to answer my questions, or simply have a productive conversation with. I would not have the encouragement I receive from my readers and fellow bodybuilders. With that said, I know this is going to be a great year! I look forward to sharing my experiences with you, so we can progress together.

Later

dspikehead@hotmail.com