Saturday, November 27, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Falling Short Again
On November 13, 2010 I competed in the WNBF World Championships in New York for the 5th consecutive year. After winning the lightweight class, I faced off against the middleweight and heavyweight winners for the Overall World title, but fell short as the heavyweight winner Martin Daniels took home the trophy. I was happy with the improvements I made over the past year, as my 6 month off-season and 6-month diet phase resulted in what I believe was my best physique to date. I defeated several very good bodybuilders in the LW class in relatively convincing fashion, with nearly unanimous scores from the judges. In the overall comparisons, however, I could only garner 2 votes to Martin's 4 (with the MW winner Miles Stovall also taking 1 vote).
This makes the 3rd time in the last 4 years that I have won the LW World title. A friend pointed out to me that I have also earned the following honors:
While I am proud of these accomplishments, I have no misconceptions that I am a "3-time World Champion" or "the 2nd best natural bodybuilder in the world," or even one of the best bodybuilders in the WNBF. I have never won a World overall title, there were at least four elite MW bodybuilders missing from this year's contest, and the WNBF has many fantastic competitors that I have never faced. When I assess my own physique I mostly see weak points that need to be addressed. I have already put together an off-season plan for improving, and am happily shifting into off-season mode with more food and some interesting ideas on ways to grow.
Below are a couple of videos related to the show: one is me practicing my posing one week away from the contest, and the other is my routine from the night show. I hope to get a write-up and some pictures of the contest up soon, although work is very busy right now. Thanks to everyone who supported me during contest prep!
This makes the 3rd time in the last 4 years that I have won the LW World title. A friend pointed out to me that I have also earned the following honors:
- Most LW class wins of any WNBF male pro in history at the World Championships
- Only WNBF male pro in history to have placed top 2 in his class for 5 consecutive World Championships
- Tied with Ben Tennessen (HW) for most class wins by a WNBF male pro at the World Championships
- Unfortunately, Ben and I also share the distinction of having no overall wins despite competing for the title 3 times
- Over $10,000 earned as a "professional bodybuilder"
While I am proud of these accomplishments, I have no misconceptions that I am a "3-time World Champion" or "the 2nd best natural bodybuilder in the world," or even one of the best bodybuilders in the WNBF. I have never won a World overall title, there were at least four elite MW bodybuilders missing from this year's contest, and the WNBF has many fantastic competitors that I have never faced. When I assess my own physique I mostly see weak points that need to be addressed. I have already put together an off-season plan for improving, and am happily shifting into off-season mode with more food and some interesting ideas on ways to grow.
Below are a couple of videos related to the show: one is me practicing my posing one week away from the contest, and the other is my routine from the night show. I hope to get a write-up and some pictures of the contest up soon, although work is very busy right now. Thanks to everyone who supported me during contest prep!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
The Drive for Tenure
This has been a very important year for me professionally. Since joining the Oklahoma State Faculty in 2006, I have had my eye on the tenure decision, which typically takes place after the first 6-7 years of employment. "Tenure" essentially means continual employment and is basically a vote of confidence by the University that they feel you are a wise investment and will represent them positively for the next 30+ years. In academia, the tenure decision looms over most new Ph.D. hires and pushes them towards excellence in research, teaching and outreach. Although data on tenure outcomes are rare, a recent paper suggests that recent success rates for a cohort of Division I schools tend to hover around 40-60%.
The video below is fairly representative of my work and what is expected of an academic. It is from a presentation I gave in 2008 to the Arkansas Broadband Advisory Council regarding a study I performed about the diffusion of broadband access. Being seen as an expert in a particular area is an integral part of receiving tenure.
I am very proud of my career as an academic - much more so, in fact, than anything I have accomplished in bodybuilding. I will be going up for tenure at the end of this year (2 years earlier than is typical) and will continue working feverishly to improve my academic record until then (and after, of course). Data on early promotion and tenure are even more scarce, but Table 3 of this paper indicates that this occurs in less than 10% of cases. In my opinion there is no better job than that of a professor - I go to work everyday thinking of what interesting thing I want to work on that day.
The video below is fairly representative of my work and what is expected of an academic. It is from a presentation I gave in 2008 to the Arkansas Broadband Advisory Council regarding a study I performed about the diffusion of broadband access. Being seen as an expert in a particular area is an integral part of receiving tenure.
I am very proud of my career as an academic - much more so, in fact, than anything I have accomplished in bodybuilding. I will be going up for tenure at the end of this year (2 years earlier than is typical) and will continue working feverishly to improve my academic record until then (and after, of course). Data on early promotion and tenure are even more scarce, but Table 3 of this paper indicates that this occurs in less than 10% of cases. In my opinion there is no better job than that of a professor - I go to work everyday thinking of what interesting thing I want to work on that day.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
The Greatest Motivator
Below is an article I wrote for Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness that is included in the August 2010 magazine.
Being a competitive bodybuilder requires that you maintain a significant amount of motivation. Dieting strictly for 20+ weeks, getting up before the crack of dawn to do cardio, dedicating several hours each weekend to food preparation, and training with all-out intensity on a rationed diet is simply not going to happen if your mind isn't dead set on accomplishing your ultimate goal.
There are plenty of ways to motivate yourself on a daily basis – some people like to listen to hard rock music or rap while they train, some like to post pictures of physiques that impress them in their gym lockers, others like to track every workout and seek to break records. But for the experienced competitor, there is one motivator out there that trumps all others. Rarely spoken about, this motivator has at its base a simple human instinct and can potentially push you further than you ever thought possible. What is it? One word: FAILURE.
As humans we seek to succeed in all facets of life, and bodybuilding is no exception. When we do not, two options present themselves. The first is to wallow in the failure, question your ability or desire, and allow it to negatively impact your future endeavors. The other option, and much more positive in the long run, is to use that failure to motivate future success.
The bodybuilding trophies and medals I've collected over the years sit in a lonely corner of my garage. I rarely glance at them. When I do, I never look at the ones that say "1st" or "Overall." The only ones I ever take the time to peruse are the ones with a placing lower than 1. Why? Because they remind me, that on that particular day, I wasn't good enough. Someone else out there was better than me. I think about all of the effort I put forth into that contest, and how it just didn't cut it. What changes can I make this year that will alter that? What do I need to improve so that next year won't result in this same outcome? What training or diet techniques did I try last year, and how can I alter them to get better results this time?
Some may argue that focusing on your failures is not a mentally healthy thing to do. For some people, this may be true. If reminding yourself of the times you have failed leads you into a negative mindset, drains your energy, or makes you question why you are even bothering to trying again, then this type of mental exercise is probably not constructive for you. If, on the other hand, reminiscing on your failure motivates you, induces feelings of pain that you seek to vanquish, and inspires you to push on to the next level, then playing this mind game is right up your alley.
Think about the people who were better than you as you wake up to do cardio. During yet another meal of tuna and broccoli, recall the way it felt when it was your name that was called out too soon. Visualize a competitor's arms, legs, or back while you train; and ask yourself if you are training hard enough to make up the difference that held you back the last time you competed. Sure, your competition has great genetics. Sure, maybe their job or lifestyle allows them to dedicate more time to this hobby of ours. But feeling sorry for yourself about how easy others have it is a poor excuse for a motivator. Focusing on your own shortcomings and your desire to succeed is much more proactive.
I like to apply this type of motivation in other aspects of my life. Being employed in academia, my job is to teach college courses and publish research in my area of focus. When I get negative feedback about a class lecture or exercise, I keep it. When I get a rejection letter from a journal, I keep it. Looking over these failures at regular intervals keeps me motivated to do a better job in the future and to not let the same mistakes happen again.
Sometimes I even use my professional work to motivate my bodybuilding training. After I completed my Ph.D., I had the opportunity to interview for jobs at several very good schools in my field. I knew the likelihood of getting job offers at all of them was slim, so after each interview I picked up a t-shirt at the campus bookstore for that particular school. Sure enough, several of them called to say they were offering the job to another applicant. I wear those t-shirts to train. Every time I put it on, it says to me, "You weren't good enough." Similarly, I like to wear t-shirts from contests I have competed in. I haven't won a WNBF contest since 2006, so I have plenty to choose from that remind me about the other bodybuilders out there who were better than me. Wearing these reminders of my failures is a surefire way to put me in a mindset to really attack the weights.
No one enjoys failure. But it happens to everyone. The truth is that I have yet to taste what I consider to be "success" in the WNBF. I have tried my hand at the WNBF Worlds for 4 consecutive years, but no WNBF Worlds trophy sits in my garage. Three different overall WNBF World champions have attempted to defend their title during that time – and none has accomplished their goal. Even the best of the best fail. The true measure of a competitor, and of a person in general, is how they respond in the face of adversity. Will you hang your head and trudge off into the future with a defeated mindset? Or will you grab hold of your failure, and channel it to inspire your efforts next year?
I know which option I will choose. I hope that you make a similar choice.
Being a competitive bodybuilder requires that you maintain a significant amount of motivation. Dieting strictly for 20+ weeks, getting up before the crack of dawn to do cardio, dedicating several hours each weekend to food preparation, and training with all-out intensity on a rationed diet is simply not going to happen if your mind isn't dead set on accomplishing your ultimate goal.
There are plenty of ways to motivate yourself on a daily basis – some people like to listen to hard rock music or rap while they train, some like to post pictures of physiques that impress them in their gym lockers, others like to track every workout and seek to break records. But for the experienced competitor, there is one motivator out there that trumps all others. Rarely spoken about, this motivator has at its base a simple human instinct and can potentially push you further than you ever thought possible. What is it? One word: FAILURE.
As humans we seek to succeed in all facets of life, and bodybuilding is no exception. When we do not, two options present themselves. The first is to wallow in the failure, question your ability or desire, and allow it to negatively impact your future endeavors. The other option, and much more positive in the long run, is to use that failure to motivate future success.
The bodybuilding trophies and medals I've collected over the years sit in a lonely corner of my garage. I rarely glance at them. When I do, I never look at the ones that say "1st" or "Overall." The only ones I ever take the time to peruse are the ones with a placing lower than 1. Why? Because they remind me, that on that particular day, I wasn't good enough. Someone else out there was better than me. I think about all of the effort I put forth into that contest, and how it just didn't cut it. What changes can I make this year that will alter that? What do I need to improve so that next year won't result in this same outcome? What training or diet techniques did I try last year, and how can I alter them to get better results this time?
Some may argue that focusing on your failures is not a mentally healthy thing to do. For some people, this may be true. If reminding yourself of the times you have failed leads you into a negative mindset, drains your energy, or makes you question why you are even bothering to trying again, then this type of mental exercise is probably not constructive for you. If, on the other hand, reminiscing on your failure motivates you, induces feelings of pain that you seek to vanquish, and inspires you to push on to the next level, then playing this mind game is right up your alley.
Think about the people who were better than you as you wake up to do cardio. During yet another meal of tuna and broccoli, recall the way it felt when it was your name that was called out too soon. Visualize a competitor's arms, legs, or back while you train; and ask yourself if you are training hard enough to make up the difference that held you back the last time you competed. Sure, your competition has great genetics. Sure, maybe their job or lifestyle allows them to dedicate more time to this hobby of ours. But feeling sorry for yourself about how easy others have it is a poor excuse for a motivator. Focusing on your own shortcomings and your desire to succeed is much more proactive.
I like to apply this type of motivation in other aspects of my life. Being employed in academia, my job is to teach college courses and publish research in my area of focus. When I get negative feedback about a class lecture or exercise, I keep it. When I get a rejection letter from a journal, I keep it. Looking over these failures at regular intervals keeps me motivated to do a better job in the future and to not let the same mistakes happen again.
Sometimes I even use my professional work to motivate my bodybuilding training. After I completed my Ph.D., I had the opportunity to interview for jobs at several very good schools in my field. I knew the likelihood of getting job offers at all of them was slim, so after each interview I picked up a t-shirt at the campus bookstore for that particular school. Sure enough, several of them called to say they were offering the job to another applicant. I wear those t-shirts to train. Every time I put it on, it says to me, "You weren't good enough." Similarly, I like to wear t-shirts from contests I have competed in. I haven't won a WNBF contest since 2006, so I have plenty to choose from that remind me about the other bodybuilders out there who were better than me. Wearing these reminders of my failures is a surefire way to put me in a mindset to really attack the weights.
No one enjoys failure. But it happens to everyone. The truth is that I have yet to taste what I consider to be "success" in the WNBF. I have tried my hand at the WNBF Worlds for 4 consecutive years, but no WNBF Worlds trophy sits in my garage. Three different overall WNBF World champions have attempted to defend their title during that time – and none has accomplished their goal. Even the best of the best fail. The true measure of a competitor, and of a person in general, is how they respond in the face of adversity. Will you hang your head and trudge off into the future with a defeated mindset? Or will you grab hold of your failure, and channel it to inspire your efforts next year?
I know which option I will choose. I hope that you make a similar choice.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Interview on Natural Bodybuilding Radio
This week I was interviewed by hosts John Hansen and Mike Neumann on the Internet radio show "Natural Bodybuilding Radio." This show has featured some of the best natural bodybuilders in the world, including Philip Ricardo, Jim Cordova, Dave Goodin, and Doug Miller. During the interview, we talk about how I got started with bodybuilding, how I was able to add mass to my ectomorphic frame, and my experiences with the WNBF. Check out the interview here!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Some Photos Before 2009 Worlds
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do a photo shoot with my friend Kurt Weidner the day before 2009 Worlds. Reg Bradford, a very well-known physique photographer, got some excellent shots of the two of us. Thanks Reg for the great photos! You can see a few of the shots on the gallery page.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Weight Update and the Beauty of Hamstring Training
I recently broke the 190-lb barrier and am relatively happy with how I look at that weight. The general public would still consider me to have a "6-pack" although most bodybuilders would recognize that I am over 20 lbs from contest shape.
Below is an article I wrote for Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness that is included in the Feb 2010 magazine.
Training Hamstrings: Only for the Truly Dedicated
When I attend a bodybuilding competition, whether it's a small local show or WNBF Worlds, the first thing I look for to see whether or not a competitor has a serious chance of winning is their hamstrings. Not their arms, not their overall symmetry. Hamstrings. Why? Because looking at this single bodypart can tell you oh-so-much about the competitor in question.
First, hamstrings are one of the last bodyparts to "come in" on most experienced competitors, meaning that getting rid of the last remnants of fat that cover them happens much later than, say, the fat covering your chest or abs. For me personally, my hamstrings don't show up until I have dieted for over 20 weeks. So, when I see someone with detailed hamstrings, I know they paid the price for them in terms of dedicated diet and cardio. This speaks volumes to me about the work ethic of that competitor and the effort they put into their contest prep.
Second, let's face it - hamstrings are just about the last bodypart most regular gym-goers look at or train. Adding mass to your hamstrings is just not something the typical non-bodybuilder is overly concerned with. Why do heavy stiff-legged deadlifts when you can do another set of bicep curls and stare at your blood-engorged arms in the mirror? When someone shows up with thick, hanging hamstrings, I know that person was putting forth the effort to display a complete physique.
Below is my hamstring routine and a couple of tricks I have learned about training them. While I would never say that my hamstrings are "good," they have improved dramatically since I first got serious about bodybuilding. I hope that when others assess my physique, my hamstrings are an indicator of how seriously I take this lifestyle and how hard I am working to bring a comprehensive package to the stage.
Brian Whitacre's Hamstring Routine
2 leg days over a 2-week period
Day 1: Quad focus, hamstrings secondary
Day 2: Hamstring focus, quads secondary
Brian's hamstring training tips:
Heavy stiff-legged deadlifts build mass. You can do as many sets of lying curls as you want, but similar to how heavy squats build your quads, moving heavy weight with good form on stiff-legged deads is the best thing you can do to add some serious mass to your hamstrings. I am never going to be one of the strongest guys in the WNBF, but even I typically work up to 400+ lbs for 4-10 reps in the off-season. Get your form down, focus on the task at hand, and get that weight moving.
Flex for success. Let's get something straight – I hate it when people pose in the gym. Nothing says "egotism" like someone hitting a front-double bicep in front of the entire gym crowd. Personally I only pose when I have a room to myself or am at home. But for hamstrings, you can flex in between sets without calling any attention to yourself. After your set of stiff-legged deads or leg curls, put your lower body in a rear-relaxed position just as you would on stage, and flex those hams and glutes as hard as you can for 30 seconds. After your next set, flex your hams as you would in a rear lat or rear double bicep (no need to pose the upper body). Flexing in between sets helps to bring in additional detail to your hams and ensures that you will be confident when posing onstage.
Below is an article I wrote for Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness that is included in the Feb 2010 magazine.
Training Hamstrings: Only for the Truly Dedicated
When I attend a bodybuilding competition, whether it's a small local show or WNBF Worlds, the first thing I look for to see whether or not a competitor has a serious chance of winning is their hamstrings. Not their arms, not their overall symmetry. Hamstrings. Why? Because looking at this single bodypart can tell you oh-so-much about the competitor in question.
First, hamstrings are one of the last bodyparts to "come in" on most experienced competitors, meaning that getting rid of the last remnants of fat that cover them happens much later than, say, the fat covering your chest or abs. For me personally, my hamstrings don't show up until I have dieted for over 20 weeks. So, when I see someone with detailed hamstrings, I know they paid the price for them in terms of dedicated diet and cardio. This speaks volumes to me about the work ethic of that competitor and the effort they put into their contest prep.
Second, let's face it - hamstrings are just about the last bodypart most regular gym-goers look at or train. Adding mass to your hamstrings is just not something the typical non-bodybuilder is overly concerned with. Why do heavy stiff-legged deadlifts when you can do another set of bicep curls and stare at your blood-engorged arms in the mirror? When someone shows up with thick, hanging hamstrings, I know that person was putting forth the effort to display a complete physique.
Below is my hamstring routine and a couple of tricks I have learned about training them. While I would never say that my hamstrings are "good," they have improved dramatically since I first got serious about bodybuilding. I hope that when others assess my physique, my hamstrings are an indicator of how seriously I take this lifestyle and how hard I am working to bring a comprehensive package to the stage.
Brian Whitacre's Hamstring Routine
2 leg days over a 2-week period
Day 1: Quad focus, hamstrings secondary
- Heavy Squats (at or below parallel)
- 3 warm-up sets, 3 working sets of 5-10 reps, 1 finishing set of 30+ reps
- Lying Hamstring Curls
- 1 warm-up set, 3 working sets of 6-10 reps
- Sumo Smith Machine Squats
- 3 working sets, 6-10 reps
- Standing Single-leg Hamstring Curl
- 3 working sets, 8-10 reps
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- 3 working sets, 8-10 reps
Day 2: Hamstring focus, quads secondary
- Heavy Stiff-legged Deadlifts
- 2 warm-up sets, 3 working sets 4-10 reps
- Leg Press
- 1 warm-up set, 3 working sets 6-10 reps
- Seated Leg Curls
- 3 working sets 6-10 reps
- Leg Extensions
- 3 working sets 8-10 reps
- Glute Ham Raises
- 3 working sets to failure
Brian's hamstring training tips:
Heavy stiff-legged deadlifts build mass. You can do as many sets of lying curls as you want, but similar to how heavy squats build your quads, moving heavy weight with good form on stiff-legged deads is the best thing you can do to add some serious mass to your hamstrings. I am never going to be one of the strongest guys in the WNBF, but even I typically work up to 400+ lbs for 4-10 reps in the off-season. Get your form down, focus on the task at hand, and get that weight moving.
Flex for success. Let's get something straight – I hate it when people pose in the gym. Nothing says "egotism" like someone hitting a front-double bicep in front of the entire gym crowd. Personally I only pose when I have a room to myself or am at home. But for hamstrings, you can flex in between sets without calling any attention to yourself. After your set of stiff-legged deads or leg curls, put your lower body in a rear-relaxed position just as you would on stage, and flex those hams and glutes as hard as you can for 30 seconds. After your next set, flex your hams as you would in a rear lat or rear double bicep (no need to pose the upper body). Flexing in between sets helps to bring in additional detail to your hams and ensures that you will be confident when posing onstage.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Off-season Eating!
Things are moving along well for me so far this off-season. I just returned from a week of vacation near Cancun, Mexico - eating from a buffet was a welcome break from yet another week of food prep. It was my first real vacation since I started my job at OSU and my wife and I really enjoyed our time there. My strength is slowly returning and I am looking forward to a productive semester at work. My current off-season diet looks like this:
My current weight is around 185 lbs, and I should be able to use this diet to get to 190 or 195. One change I am making this year is to incorporate cardio 3x per week. I am doing low-intensity morning cardio for about 25 minutes.
- 6:00 am: 1 cup oats, whey protein, skim milk (40 / 80 / 10)
- 9:30 am: Egg white / whey protein / oat muffin (35 / 20 / 5)
- 12:00 pm: 6 oz chicken, veggies & almonds (40 / 5 / 15)
- 2:00 pm: Scivation Solution 5 (30 / 12 / 12)
- 4:00 pm: 5 oz ground beef & 1 cup rice (35 / 45 / 8)
- 7:00 pm: PWO shake (40 / 70 / 3)
- 8:00 pm: Various dinners (35 / 30 / 15)
- 10:00 pm: Whey & PB (30 / 5 / 16
My current weight is around 185 lbs, and I should be able to use this diet to get to 190 or 195. One change I am making this year is to incorporate cardio 3x per week. I am doing low-intensity morning cardio for about 25 minutes.
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