Natural BBing Season Wrap-up

For the first time in 6 years I did not participate in the WNBF Worlds in NYC in November. With the birth of my daughter in July and a clear need for more muscle in order to improve, I shelved any notion of competition in 2011. However, I still followed the results of both the WNBF Worlds and the IFPA Yorton Cup, the 2 best shows in natural bodybuilding. On October 29, my friend Valentine Ezugha beat out 10 other pro bodybuilders to take home the LW class title at the Yorton Cup. Valentine's victory at the biggest IFPA show came at the tender age of 25. Valentine has now won a World title at an age when I had just started hearing about natural bodybuilding. What a future for this guy! Valentine pushed the overall winner Cleveland Thomas very hard, losing primarily due to quad and hamstring thickness. At his young age, with plenty of time to grow and arguably some of the best symmetry in the sport, look for even bigger things down the road. The top 2 IFPA bodybuilders, Philip Ricardo and Doug Miller, sat out this year's competition. Valentine will need a bit more size to hang with those guys, but with his work ethic and discipine I know he will be among the IFPA elite for a long time.

The Overall at the Yorton: From Left: Valentine Ezugha (LW), Cleveland Thomas (MW and Overall), Henry Graham (HW)


The WNBF Worlds were held on November 12, with my friends Vaughan Twigger and Kurt Weidner competing in their 3rd pro show of 2011. The LW class featured 10 pro competitors, although I was disappointed to see that none of last year's top 5 returned. The class win went to Leonardo Casagrande out of Italy, who I have never seen in person. Pictures from the show made it look like a clear win for Leonardo, with outstanding quad sweep and decent condition. The MWs and HWs looked much more competitive, with Shevon Cunningham beating out Greg Rando (2nd), 2008 Overall champ Brandon Greenwood (3rd), and Vaughan Twigger (4th) for the class win. I have always been impressed with the amount of muscle that Shevon carries, and the pictures made it look like his condition was very solid. Congrats to Shevon for avenging a questionable 3rd place finish back in 2009. The HWs presented perhaps the biggest surprise of any class, with the newcomer Rich Gozdecki from England outsizing Martin Daniels for an incredibly close 1-point decision. Rich weighed in at close to 230 lbs, something I frankly thought was impossible for a natural bodybuilder, and outconditioned Martin from the back, although he did look somewhat smooth from the front. Kurt Weidner took 3rd with easily the best condition in the show - while he matched the top 2 in terms of pure muscularity, their genetically superior structures gave them the advantage. The overall went to Gozdecki, although it sounded like the decision was quite close between him and Cunningham.

The HW Class at Worlds: Rodney Helaire (4th), Kurt Weidner (3rd), Rich Gozdecki (1st and overall), Martin Daniels (2nd), Richard Peacock (5th)



On a personal note, my training is going very well and I am confident that I am making improvements in my physique. I have been training with a student here at OSU, Victor Galvan, for the past several months. Victor has a powerlifting background (in fact he just pulled an impressive 565-lb deadlift at the OSU Powerlifting meet a few weeks ago) and is willing to push himself extremely hard. He is also very knowledgeable about hypertrophy-specific training and is always seeking to learn more. Thanks Victor for being an awesome workout partner!

Also, Kurt interviewed me for his website, and did a great job throwing in some pictures along with the interview. You can check it out here if you are interested: http://teamanimal.net/2011/11/18/feature-interview-of-the-week-brian-whitacre/

Congrats to Valentine Ezugha!

My friend (and former OSU student) Valentine Ezugha participated in the IFPA Pro International show in Kansas City on Sept. 17, and took home a class win. He lost a 1-point decision to 3x WNBF World HW Champ Ben Tennessen in the overall, which speaks to Valentine's potential. Personally I would have gone with Valentine in the overall, he was much more conditioned than Ben from the back and his tiny waist gives him an added edge structurally. Ben is exceptionally complete and has not lost since transferring over to the IFPA...this should make for an interesting Yorton Cup!

Congrats to Kurt Weidner & Vaughan Twigger!

Congratulations to my friends Kurt Weidner and Vaughan Twigger on their class wins at the WNBF Universe in NYC on Sept. 17. The overall between these training partners must have been an incredible feeling. Kurt took home a 1-point victory, but both he and Vaughan looked fantastic (in fact Vaughan defeated 2007 WNBF World Overall champ Jim Cordova in the LW class to get to the overall). I competed against Vaughan back in 2005 as an amateur...boy has he grown since then! The sky is the limit for this guy. Kurt and Vaughan began training together soon after I left Blacksburg in 2006, and are close friends who push each other every day. Great stuff guys!

Also, Kurt now has 2 WNBF Overall titles to his name, a feat accomplished by only a handful of pros. Very impressive! Check out www.teamanimal.net for more contest pics and tons of good info from Kurt.

A New Addition!

Today my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. Becoming a dad is without a doubt the greatest feeling in the world, far exceeding anything I have accomplished in either bodybuilding or academia. During the week that she was born, I missed two workouts for the first time in over 10 years, and I couldn't have cared less. I can't wait to spend more time with my little girl!

Welcome to the world Sidney Ryan Whitacre!

More Techniques for Growth

I have used a much wider variety of training splits and techniques this year than I have in the past. After another month-long trial of German Volume Training (see below), I put some thought into setting up a split where I could focus explicitly on bringing up some of my weak points. I came up with a routine that looks like this:

• Monday: Upper body (bicep focus)
• Tuesday: Lower body (quad focus)
• Wednesday: OFF
• Thursday: Upper body (bicep focus)
• Friday: OFF
• Saturday: Lower body (quad focus)
• Sunday: OFF

The key here is that the two focal points of this routine (biceps and quads) are hit with both intensity and volume over the duration of the split (I plan on using this for about 5 weeks). All other body parts are essentially being trained only for maintenance. The focus body parts are trained using a 5 x 5 technique with relatively heavy weight, followed by 3 sets of a different exercise with higher volume. Finally, all other upper (or lower) body parts are trained for 2-3 sets each with only moderate volume. So for example, my workouts for this past week went like this:

• Monday:
• Standing bicep barbell curl (5 sets of 5 reps)
• Alternating dumbbell curls (3 sets of 10 - 12 reps)
• Tricep extension (2 sets of 10 reps)
• Lateral raises (2 sets of 10 reps)
• Incline chest press (2 sets of 10 reps)
• Lat pulldowns (2 sets of 10 reps)
• Tuesday:
• Front squats (5 sets of 5 reps)
• Leg press (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
• Hamstring curls (4 sets of 10 reps)
• Calf raises (4 sets of 10 reps)
• Thursday:
• Alternating dumbell curls (5 sets of 5 reps)
• Preacher curls (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
• Tricep extension (2 sets of 10 reps)
• Lateral raises (2 sets of 10 reps)
• Incline chest press (2 sets of 10 reps)
• Lat pulldowns (2 sets of 10 reps)
• Saturday
• Squats (5 sets of 5 reps)
• Front squats (3 sets of 10 reps)
• Hamstring curls (4 sets of 10 reps)
• Calf raises (4 sets of 10 reps)

The hardest part for me is not training to all-out failure on the non-focal point muscles (triceps, chest, back, hams). It's going to be tough not doing deadlifts for more than a month! But so far, after a week of this, I think my quads and biceps are responding well to the extra work they're being given. I'll probably use this on some other body parts that I want to focus on in the coming months, but I think it's best used interspersed with more traditional training splits.

Back in the real world, I successfully made it through the review process and am now a tenured associate professor at Oklahoma State. I set this as a goal for myself even before starting the job back in 2006. Here is an updated vitae if you are interested, which includes links to most of the journal articles that I have published. I'm proud of accomplishing such a long-term goal - hopefully I can accomplish a few more as my career progresses. And who knows, maybe I'll even be a decent bodybuilder at some point in my bodybuilding career!

Off-season Deadlifts

Below is a video of some sumo deadlifts from this past weekend. This was a PR for me, as I hit 495 x 12 reps. It's still nowhere close to my friends Doug (405 x 30) and Kurt (545 x 14), but it's pretty good for me. My off-season is going very well so far - my strength is as good as it's ever been and I feel like I'm making some solid muscle gains. My weight is hovering in the low to mid-190s (eating lots of food is fun!). I enjoyed the GVT split, but am now back on my traditional 2-week split and am considering implementing a Sheiko powerlifting split in the near future.

Posterized in the Latest Edition of Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness

The May 2011 issue of Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness included a pullout poster of me (and probably a more enticing pic of World Figure Overall Champ Amy Llinas Lynch on the back):


Also included in this issue was an article I wrote regarding confidence vs. cockiness in bodybuilding.

Think Highly of Yourself? Think Again - by Brian Whitacre

I have never understood some people’s need to boast.  Whether it’s professionally, in the gym, or in a social environment, someone bragging about their accomplishments – or worse yet, something they haven’t done yet but feel sure they WILL accomplish – is an immediate turnoff.  It remains unclear to me what these people hope to achieve by speaking highly of themselves.  Do they hope to positively influence others’ opinions of them?  Do they hope to be seen as someone to look up to?  Do they hope to intimidate other people?  Does it make them feel better about themselves to know that others are aware of the things they have done?  Regardless of the reason, speaking highly of yourself does little more than make you come across as arrogant, self-important, and egotistical.  

In the world of competitive bodybuilding, this trait is not only irritating but it can be detrimental to your overall growth in the sport.  Many competitors new to bodybuilding become fixated on any outstanding body parts or poses they might have.  “Man, my quads are gigantic.”  “No one can touch my front double biceps!”  That may well be true, but focusing on your strengths only gets you so far in this sport.  Once you get to a higher level, winners are determined by a lack of weaknesses, not by a particularly outstanding component.  Consider each of the past 5 WNBF Worlds Overall winners:  Harris, Cordova, Greenwood, McGill, and Daniels.  Sure, they have some good individual bodyparts, but their lack of weaknesses is amazing.  THAT is what sets these guys apart from the rest of the pack.  If you spend most of your posing practice admiring your best poses and not working quite as hard on your sub-par ones, you’re going to fall short of the upper echelons of the WNBF.  So the next time you think a certain body part looks great, remind yourself that someone else out there is focusing on their weaknesses instead - and they may very well beat you because of it.

I will agree that there is a place for confidence, but not cockiness, in bodybuilding.  If you have no confidence in yourself, the odds are dramatically against you – regardless of whether you’re standing in front of a new personal record in the deadlift or if you are standing onstage amidst 12 other competitors.  What is the difference between confidence and cockiness in these instances?  One simple answer is verbalization.  Confident people think about what they will accomplish, while cocky people feel the need to speak it out loud.  If you are confident you will get that deadlift, tell yourself that in your head, crush the lift, and give yourself a congratulatory head nod when done.  If you are cocky, you will yell “light weight!” at the top of your lungs, complete the lift while screaming, and then go tell anyone who may have managed to miss it.  Similarly, it is relatively easy to pick out the confident competitor on stage – they stand tall with a smile and exude a belief in themselves.  While it is rare to get a competitor so cocky that they actually talk while onstage (although I have seen it happen), in today’s era the verbalization of an egotistical competitor usually comes through commentary on Internet forums.  Comments like “This show is mine!” or “No one will touch my conditioning” or “I’m bringing that overall title home” are little more than tough talk that frankly will make you look silly if the result doesn’t come out quite as you thought.

In general the Internet is a great source of information for both neophyte and experienced bodybuilders, and “contest prep” threads can be very useful.  Unfortunately a lot of people seem to want to use these forums as a source of ego-building instead of a way to obtain any useful feedback.  As nice as they are to hear, any bodybuilder who truthfully wants to improve has little use for any positive comments on their physique.  The most beneficial comments are the constructive ones that suggest what body parts need to be brought up, discuss innovative training techniques that might provide a needed improvement, or propose posing tweaks that could better suit your physique.  Personally I prefer to use a trusted group of friends to critique my progress pictures, simply because I know they won’t waste my time with complimentary fluff.  

I have had the opportunity to interact with two groups of individuals widely known for their egotism – academics and bodybuilders.  It has been my experience that the best in both fields have no need to boast.  They simply do their best, every day, and let the accolades fall to them.  They are confident in their abilities, but are receptive to critiques and always keep an open mind about how to improve in the future.  So the next time you feel the need to brag about your physique or your lifting accomplishments, take a second and reconsider.  Focusing your attention on ways to train that lagging bodypart instead might be much more productive in the long run.

German Volume Training

After keeping the same 2-week workout split for over a year (see bottom of this blog), I have decided to implement a new lifting routine. In keeping with my New Year's resolution to spend less time in the gym, I have started my own 4-day per week version of German Volume Training (GVT). GVT is elegantly and brutally simple. It consists of 10 sets of 10 repititions per bodypart, typically split into 3 separate days - push (chest / triceps), pull (back, biceps) and legs. The key components, which a lot of people overlook, are 4 second negatives on each rep and 90 seconds of rest between sets. I will be doing a 4-day split as follows:

• Monday: Chest / Triceps
• Tuesday: Back / Biceps
• Wednesday: OFF
• Thursday: Shoulders / Calves
• Friday: OFF
• Saturday: Legs
• Sunday: OFF

This will allow me to get some direct training in on my weak points while still sticking to the basis of GVT. I can't wait to get under some deadlifts and front squats with this split and feel the pain!

Interview on Natural Bodybuilding Radio

Hosts John Hansen and Mike Neumann had me back on their show to discuss my perspective on the WNBF World Championships in November. We also talk diet strategy and my plans for the future. You can check out the interview here.

Nancy Andrew's Pro Series Camp

On January 29-30 I participated in the annual Pro Series Camp held by 4-time WNBF World Champion Nancy Andrews in Massachusetts. This was an absolute blast, as Nancy packed an incredible amount of information into the 2-day event. The staff included a slew of WNBF pros and judges, including World Figure Champ Amy Llinas, Dr. Joe Klemczewski, and Dwayne Broadway. There were lectures on contest dieting, training strategies, what judges look for during a competiton, and Dr. Joe's famous info on "Perfect Peaking." I gave two lectures - one on being productive in the real world while contest dieting, and another showing progress pictures from my latest 26-week prep. I also managed to hit 515 x 5 in sumo deadlifts. The participants were great and eager to learn! For more information, check out Nancy's Website. Nancy is one of the nicest people I've ever met and is extremely passionate about natural bodybuilding. I hope she'll have me back in the future.

OSU Weightlifting Club T-shirts, and Check Your Ego (& Tank Top) at the Door

I was honored that the Weightlifting Club at OSU (which I serve as faculty advisor for) chose to put a quote from me on their t-shirts this year. I'm proud to have introduced a number of OSU students to the world of natural bodybuilding, and I really enjoy interacting with the guys and gals in the club - seeing people push themselves to a level they never thought possible is always inspiring.


On that same theme, my article below is featured in the February 2011 edition of Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness.

There are a couple of things that irk me about the way bodybuilders are perceived.  One is that we are “meatheads,” meaning that the only thing running through our brains are thoughts of training, cardio, and diet.  Fortunately, all natural bodybuilders have real world jobs; it would seriously concern me if I ran across any natural bodybuilder who actually thought his “profession” was bodybuilding.  My own interaction with numerous elite natural bodybuilders suggests that this cliché is simply not true – most have a variety of outside interests, including business, academics, or even community activism.

The second thing that bothers me is that bodybuilders are generally perceived as egotistical.  To some extent this is understandable – our primary measure of “success” is a ranked placement in comparison to other competitors.  However, most people we see on a daily basis DON’T see us onstage.  Where do they get this idea that we are egotistical?  From actions in everyday life – notably, in the gym.

How many times have you seen the following in your gym:

• Loading weights up with excessive force, or dropping dumbbells to make sure people notice
• Using a weight that is way too heavy, then lifting it using half-reps
• Yelling / unnecessary grunting during or after a lift
• The “face wipe” with the bottom of a t-shirt, while making sure to check out the abs in the mirror at the same time
• Flexing in the mirror
• The guy who wears a tank top or sleeveless t-shirt every day 

Every single one of these actions gives off a vibe of egotism.  And my frank opinion is that none of them deserves a place in the world of competitive bodybuilding.  Why do people act like that?  In short, to get attention.  People generally want to be complimented on how strong they are, how great they look, or how lean they are.  As a competitive bodybuilder, condition and muscularity are essential to doing well – but do you really need the approval of everyday gym-goers to improve them?  Similarly, posing practice is mandatory – but not in front of everyone else.  Work on your posing in a secluded room at the gym, or at your own home, or with a trusted fellow bodybuilder.  Hitting a most-muscular shot in front of the dumbbell rack while wearing your string tank top mostly makes people roll their eyes and think, “another vain bodybuilder.”

Some people will say, “But I need to see the muscle working to make sure I’m hitting it properly.”  Really?  You can’t tell your form is good if a ½ mm thick shirt is covering you?  Then you need a trainer, not a tank top.  You also hear, “I get too hot if I wear sleeves.”  I don’t buy that one either.  A couple of inches of cloth on your arms aren’t going to make anyone overheat.  Getting a compliment from someone in the gym might be nice to hear, but the unspoken thoughts of most people in attendance probably feeds into the general consensus that “bodybuilding = egotistical.”  Don’t play into that.

We’ve all also seen the guy who feels compelled to make sure that everyone knows he is a competitive bodybuilder.  This guy will loudly discuss his contest plans for the year, which shows he has won, and if he has won his pro card, you will certainly be reminded of that at every opportune moment.  Don’t get me wrong - I wear WNBF t-shirts from some of my old contests - but I only discuss bodybuilding when someone else brings it up.  Constantly yammering about contest condition and the importance of quarter turns don’t exactly dispel the “meathead” myth.  

So, consider this article an open invitation to all competitive bodybuilders out there.  Keep the tank tops in your closet.  Throw away those sleeveless t-shirts.  Don’t feel the need to discuss your bodybuilding exploits every time you open your mouth.  Train with the goal of improving your physique, not to impress other people in the gym.  There is no need to advertise what you do, just do it, because you enjoy it.  The people I respect most in my gym are NOT the ones constantly in front of the mirror, staring at their bared skin – they are the ones who work the hardest.  They might be scrawny guys in the corner, barely getting 10 reps with 185 on the squat bar, but maintaining perfect form and pushing themselves as hard as humanly possible.  Or, they can be advanced powerlifters, pulling 600 lbs for reps – but without fanfare or need for recognition.  The common theme:  No Ego, No Juice – Just Train.