Episode #17 Ryan Moore

In today's episode we sit down with international men's physique pro Ryan Moore. Ryan is a pro in multiple natural federations and has competed over 20 times in his bodybuilding career. In this episode we discuss all things natural bodybuilding, what Ryan has experienced across different federations and what keeps him driven to keep improving after doing this for so long. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

All right, guys, welcome back to the InLift Coaching Podcast. Today we are joined by Ryan Moore, a men's physique natural competitor, pro-natural competitor that uh competes internationally. Um we've met Ryan through obviously the OCD, um he competes globally. Um, Ryan, give yourself a little bit of introduction and tell everybody kind of what you do um for your career-wise and kind of how you got into bodybuilding.

SPEAKER_02 0:25

Uh thank you. I just want to begin by thanking you for having me. Uh it's I I love tuning into your show. Uh, I think it's definitely informative to a lot of people that have questions about bodybuilding and just fitness in general. So um my name's Ryan Moore. I uh I'm a uh six-time pro men's physique champion. Uh I competed internationally. Uh I've done 23 career shows. I competed in all different types of federations from NPC to OCB uh to USBF to um WNBF. So I've I've experienced a lot of different federations and uh I just absolutely love competing and it's been like a lifestyle choice for me. And I've just been uh just on this journey and uh I don't look to end my journey anytime soon. So it's just been uh a lot of fun and I made a lot of connections along the way. And uh I also judge too. So I I'm very involved with the sport and uh I love staying natural.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Yeah, that's awesome, dude. Um obviously we've seen you compete quite a few times. So I know you started bodybuilding, was it back in 2014?

SPEAKER_02 1:29

So I uh I didn't get started in bodybuilding until my late 20s. So I was not really uh looking to step on stage um until I felt like I was ready. And uh I did my first show through the NPC, and uh it was one of those things where I met guys in the gym that were doing shows and I talked to them about it and uh it kind of sparked my interest. And uh I met my first coach in the gym where he just kind of you know pushed me to be the best, like performed the best in the gym, just pushed me to be better. Um he was a heavier guy than me, so I would be, you know, trying to stick with him with weights, and uh he just you know really pushed me to be the best. So um I ended up signing up to do a show in the NPC and uh I learned a lot about myself after doing my first show.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

So what would you say the big takeaways were from um for you in that first that first prep? I think everybody has like there's so much like lack of knowledge going into your first prep. You don't know what to expect with the document and all that stuff. Like, what was that like for you and how did that kind of change your perspective on it?

SPEAKER_02 2:35

So for me, the physique was there. It was um, I thought I brought a really good physique. It was the posing, and uh, I was like looking up on like YouTube on how to do posing. Uh this was like in 20 um 18 is when I did my show. So I wasn't really using social media as much as I was using like like YouTube, and uh I found like posing practices on YouTube, and it just uh it wasn't enough to really get me to do well in that show. And uh I think if I look were to look back, I was just trying to do like a lats spread, um, just for trying to spread my lats when I hit that back pose, and I was like pinching my back so my back looks smaller. And in my mind, I thought I was doing it right the entire time. And then it wasn't until after I saw the pictures and I got the judge's feedback, they're like, hey man, you got you got all the like all the criteria to do well in this sport, you just need to get the posing down, and uh that's when I told myself I'm just gonna take some time just to kind of find a good posing coach.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

So yeah, the posing is such an important part of of a prep, right? It's like you can always tell, like as someone I know you judge, so like as a as a judge, you can always tell who's like a lot of time with the posing. It can make and break a physique.

SPEAKER_02 3:51

It's it's little things like that that I didn't think it would be a big factor, which was like, oh yeah, you know, I'm built for it. I'm just gonna walk on stage and just you know hit the poses that I think were gonna be the I mean I knew the poses that they needed, but it was just like, you know, there are small things that make a huge like deal with posing. And it's like you're when you're on stage, you're almost like a um you're almost like putting on a show to make that illusion to make you look like you have a thinner waist and broad shoulders and just the way you turn your body and hold certain angles, it's just like it can make a huge difference.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Yeah, I I think the big thing there, like obviously it you can leverage your physique to to accentuate certain strengths and hide certain weaknesses, but like when I know I know for myself and probably you guys as well, when we first got it started, like social media wasn't like there wasn't as much access to like posing coaches, and now people have like full-time coaching businesses where they just do posing coaching, like it's such a I know, I know it it's everything's at your fingertips so much easier now than when it was back in 2018.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

So if it wasn't for one of my buddies at the gym, he was like, he connected me with a guy uh in the OCB, his name's Sean Kanoy. He's helped me so much over the years of just getting better. And uh I can't thank him enough because I thought you know, he taught me more than just what it takes to for the posing. He taught me a lot of things with just getting ready for the show and prep and all that. So when I was an amateur, he was a pro and he was just kind of showing me the ropes, and it just helped me tremendously.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

Yeah, it's uh I remember back in the day, it was like coach prep coaches had to wear the hat of the prep coach, the programmer, and also the the posing coach. And now it's like there's people that you can just refer to because there's people that just are are experts at it, and it it does make such a big difference for somebody, and like putting time and effort and investment into like learning how to properly pose, and it can make it better too.

SPEAKER_02 5:43

Yeah, you think about it, you put all that time in the gym, you put that all that time with like doing the diet, and it's like you know, you take that little extra time and the posing, and you know, that will make or break you know your stage presence.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

So I got a question. What you brought up the uh when you started bodybuilding, right? Um the something that would help a lot of the younger athletes that are getting into the bodybuilding, whether whether whatever organization they would like to get in, the feeling ready, right? You said you wanted to make sure you were ready and you were you were ready to get on stage. And what what was that um trigger that you pulled that said, okay, I feel ready. And is there anything different today that you would give advice on that you see differently now in terms of feeling or being ready to get on stage?

SPEAKER_02 6:32

That's a great question. So I think um everybody in their mind, well, me in particular, I like to set goals and uh I have like pictures of one of how my physique looks as I go progress each month month, and um I track numbers and everything, whether it's with my diet or just with my weights and like how much I'm lifting at the gym or what my weight is on the scale. So I think a lot of it has to do with like tracking. And if you're you know putting on that muscle or that size over the course of so many months, and then you're like, okay, I'm ready to start doing like maybe like a 20-week prep to get ready for the show. You see how you're you know, you're progressing week by week leading up to that show, and then you start getting in your mind, you're like, you know, hey, you know, this prep's gonna take me a little bit longer, I might need a few more weeks, or hey, you know, I'm actually ahead of schedule, I could probably do a show in 15 weeks versus the 20 weeks. So I just think you know, proper tracking and just trying to track your numbers and see how you look with your physique, and just also getting an input from your coach who's gonna be supporting you and just trying to be like, hey, I want to see you bring your best package because you're not only representing yourself, you're representing me as a coach when I put you on that stage. I want to make sure that hey, you know, I brought this this athlete in looking peeled and looking at the best they've ever looked. So I think there's a lot of factors that go into it, but for me, it's just like just setting those goals. A lot of them are like a lot of them are short-term term goals, leading up to that one show. And then if we're hitting those goals and everything's going in smoothly, then I'll just kind of ride it out to the show day.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Yeah, so kind of track backtracking a little bit to when you first got into competing back. It was it 2018, right?

SPEAKER_02 8:20

Yeah, 2018's uh when I did the first my first ever show.

SPEAKER_01 8:24

Okay, so I know you you started out in NPC, you said, and then you transitioned it over into some natural federations. Like what was the what was the big difference you noticed there? And like what were the what was the driver to switch over to like a natural federation?

SPEAKER_02 8:37

So uh nothing against the NPC. I think NPC brings great with the competitors. Um I just felt like going into there, um, there was like this ego uh that I felt going in. And uh you kind of look at like the competitors, the competitors kind of look at you, and it's not like a warm welcome when you come in. I just felt like I was like, oh, okay, like, you know, first time competing. I don't really have super high expectations. I mean, obviously I want to come in and win, but at the same time, I realized this is my first show, so I'm not gonna take it too much to heart if you know, depending on how I do. So I'm just gonna kind of go in there, it's more of a learning show for me. But um, yeah, I think once I did the NPC show, um I felt like you know, I would want to maybe do another show uh with an organization where they they do test uh the competitors, so I feel like it's more of a an even playing field across the map. And um end up doing like an OCB show, and uh I just felt like when I came into that show, I felt like there was more of a warm welcome. I think the competitors were a little bit more friendly. Um I did meet like great and friendly competitors at the NPC, but I just felt like with the vibe I got going in the OCB and some of these other natural federations, I just felt like it was more of a warm welcome. So um, but you know, there's I feel like there's a fit for each competitor in different federations. Some people might like NPC or WNBF more than they do OCB, or they like OCB. So it's all depends on like the vibe you get going in and and who you connect with, and just uh you know how the judges like like your physique, because you know, certain uh federations have different types of criteria based off of the physique you're bringing to the stage. So some some of these um federations like more of a like a leaner look, some of them like more size. So depending on like what class you're doing and what federation you're going into, you might like as a beginner at like competitor, I would just kind of look into it and just do your research.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

Yeah, I would agree with that. I think I think you have to just kind of see what federation you vibe with, but at the end of the day, it's like you want to make sure that you're getting connected with a community of like-minded people that you exactly.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

Yeah, and sometimes you don't know until you try it. And it's like one of those things like, hey, I'm gonna try it, see how it feels, and you know, if it feels like it's a good fit, I'm gonna continue going through it.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Yeah, and I think uh kind of going off what you said, like different federations have different criteria and stuff like that. Also, I feel like, and you could probably test this where you've competed in different areas. Um, I feel like different regions of the country almost judge things differently as well. Would you say you've noticed that? Like certain parts of this country and and maybe other countries.

SPEAKER_02 11:07

I know you've you've done international shows like they're like, so I did I did an international show. It was uh it's been on like my bucket list for so long. And my cousin that lives out in Dubai. Uh, she found out I got my pro card through this federation, and uh, she's like, you know, since you're so serious about this, you you should come out and visit me in Dubai and you can do the show. And um, I ended up looking up the show and I was like, wow, seems like it's a really cool show to experience. And I had the opportunity to do it, so I ended up just pulling the trigger and doing it. And um the competitors out there are a different type of, I mean, they're they they're phenomenal. They there's competitors from all over the world that are coming in to Dubai to do the show. So it's not just like, you know, competitors just the United States, it's like competitors in Europe, competitors in Asia, Africa, and you just meet people from different countries, and it's just just that experience and just being able to be on stage with people from other countries, it almost feels like you're in the Olympics kind of. That's like kind of the closest, you know, I feel like I could ever be with going into the Olympics is doing something like international like this, where you're on stage competing against other people from different countries and just trying to like you you feel like you're not only just representing yourself, you feel like you're kind of re representing your country too. So just having that um experience was such a once-in-a-lifetime thing. So I think um, but yeah, like you know, what they judge for in that country might be a little bit different from what they judge in the United States. So I know going into that show, I was like, I don't know what they're kind of, you know, what I should bring to stage, more of like a conditioned look or try to bring a little bit more size. So I try to do like a set like a balance between, and I ended up placing you know better than I was anticipating. I got to the overall, ended up placing fifth overall. So I was just like extremely happy about that. But um, it was just one of those like life experiences where I was just like, you know, I just want to go and do it and just meet people and see, you know, what other people are bringing to stage from different countries.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

So yeah, it's amazing. It's it's I always find it fascinating when there's like an international show and you get people from other countries like kind of tied into the sports. Almost like like the World Cup one right now, you got all these people like tied into one event, right? It's really cool.

SPEAKER_03 13:16

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:17

And some of these other countries, they they look at these sports in a whole different light than what we look at sports in our country. Sometimes they look at it like, oh my god, this is like one of the best things ever. They they hype it up to be so much bigger than our country. So it's it's interesting, it's definitely uh a neat experience.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

Yeah, absolutely. I remember watching like your Instagram stories and being like, what is this dude doing in Dubai? And then I saw it. I was like, that's it, that's it.

SPEAKER_02 13:42

Yeah, yeah, I um I was gonna compete the Jordan that year, and my cousin was getting married that same weekend, and I was like, you know, I'm gonna do a show that was like a top-tier show that was just as challenging as the Jordan. And it was falling around that same time where I was like, you know, I just did the Viking show, and then I was like, you know, this will fall the weekend after the Viking show was that uh Dubai show, and then the weekend after that was the Jordan, which I had to go to my uh cousin's wedding. But I was just like, you know, this is the perfect time to pull the trigger. I'm in the conditioning, I'm in the shape. Let's do it.

SPEAKER_01 14:14

So that's unreal. Um, so I know you've been a pro for quite a while now, but so when you transitioned over into like the OCV and some of the other natural federations, how long did it take you to achieve your pro card? Because I know that's a lot of our listeners are are in the natural life space, and I think nowadays there's a lot of pressure around people that like the expectation is like you're just gonna turn pro, like right off the bat. But there is a process, too. So how long was it for you and what was that process like?

SPEAKER_02 14:43

So uh I ended up doing so. My second show was the battle for the belt. I took two years between the NPC show and to going into the first OCB show, and um I made sure like you know, there was stuff that the judges gave me feedback-wise that I took and ran with it and ended up just I didn't want to rush back the stage, so I gave myself a few years, but I did the battle for the belt and um ended up, you know, winning my class, uh, got to the overall, and I just came up short from winning the overall and getting the pro card. And uh, I mean, the guy that I was on stage with looked phenomenal. I think him and I brought really good conditioning. Um, I was in a bigger class than him, so I was a little bit bigger uh size-wise, but I mean his conditioning on stage was really good, and he was able to hold the poses longer. For me, I started getting uh gas, I started gassing out. And um, I think the judges saw that, and they're just like, you know, hey, you know, you I think you're right there. Like, don't get discouraged. Um try to get into another show as soon as possible. And I, you know, ended up looking on the OCB website and I saw there was a show in White Plains, New York. It was the 9-11 Tribute to Heroes. So I ended up signing up for that and um did that show. I took the judge's feedback they gave me from the battle for the belt, made slight adjustments with my coach at the time, and uh ended up winning the class and winning the overall. And then uh as soon as I won the overall, I was like, you know, before I end my season, I want to see how I do in the biggest show in the country. So I ended up doing the Yorton that same year. And I was like, if I'm gonna be going against these pros, I want to see how I line up against the best. So I threw myself in the Yorton that was up in Pittsburgh and ended up placing fifth of my class. So um I uh was like, you know, this is a good opportunity to get the feedback. So I took two years off and then ended up coming back to do the presidential. I think that was back in 2023. So took that 2021 or 2022 off and then came back the next year and just performed as best I can.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

So that's awesome. So would you accredit that time off between your first show, that two years you took off to a lot of the progress that you made?

SPEAKER_02 16:55

Yeah, I think um it's funny. I like it's hard to stay off stage when you're competing because it's just like you get do you see other people like on stage that you competed against, and you're like, oh man, like I would love to be back on stage with that person and battle it out again. But I think you know, me taking those two years off between when I finished the Yorton to when I started competing at the presidential again, I think I looked the best coming back because I just looked I put so much size on over that course of two years, and I just mentally just you know stepped away and just kind of like got my mind on other things, and I still was working out and still was sticking to a plan, but I just felt like I was able to kind of focus on other things and then come back with like a refreshed like mindset and be like, you know, I'm gonna, I know what I want now, this is my goal. And I just kind of went right after it. And you know, I think with the the coaching helping me and the posing, I think all that just factored into just making me perform the best on stage.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

Yeah, I think it's so important to take that time away from the stage. So many people, when they first get into competing, it's they they get that rush and they're so excited to do it again and again and again.

SPEAKER_02 18:02

Oh, yeah. It is so valuable to be displayed. There's nothing else like it, man. When you get on that stage, it's just like it doesn't matter if you place first or last, just getting on stage and just being like not a lot of people can say, Hey, I I felt I I was you know put this much time in, I look this good in my life. I feel like that looks good. And I got on stage, like just stepping on stage is a huge accomplishment.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

So yeah, absolutely. And I think I think I we can all attest that like the time in between has made has made such a big difference. I know for myself, like when I first started competing, I did probably too many shows too quickly together, didn't give myself enough time to improve. But the best I have I've ever looked at felt like was when I took two to three years in between. I think GT addressed that as well. Oh yeah, that's what it's a it's a game changer, man. Seriously. I think people forget that it's it's bodybuilding, right? Not competing. There's a there's a huge component of it of time in the gym building your physique up to where it's worthy of putting on stage and making progression, right? So it's like if you don't lock in and love that part of it, it's gonna be really hard to be successful in the sport.

SPEAKER_02 19:07

Yeah, and uh, I mean, unless you're like a new person that's hitting the gym for the first time, that first year of called like the newbie gains, you'll see the most muscle growth in your life. And then after that, I mean, um you and I have been in the game for so long now, we'll be lucky to put on like a couple pounds of muscle a year. It's it's at that point where it's like it's it's gotta be a patience game. It's not a it's not a marathon. I mean it's a it's a marathon, not a sprint kind of a thing.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

So yeah, absolutely. What would you what would you say is like as a as a competitor and as a as a judge, like where do you see people making the most mistakes when it comes to getting into the sport of bodybuilding, like for the first time, prepping for their first show? That's a good question.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

Um I think sometimes the competitor doesn't always listen to the coach. And um there's times where I feel like I question my coach's, you know, decisions on what I should be doing leading up to the show for my physique. And uh, you know, I it's the bet the best thing to do is just have an honest conversation with your coach and just be like, listen, this is how I feel, versus I'm gonna go behind my coach's back and try to do something that will make I think will make my physique look better on stage. Because that's not always the case. And you know, there's a reason why you're spending this money to hire this coach, and you just gotta let that coach make the decisions based off what they think is best for you. And if at the end of the day, if you don't feel like you put out the best physique you think you could have put out, then you might want to reevaluate and be like, you know, maybe I should look elsewhere about maybe hiring a different coach, or maybe I should just have a one-on-one with my coach and just you know talk about how we can bring a better package. So I think a lot of it's just trusting the person that is coaching you. And if you don't have a coach and yourself coach, it's just about like, you know, maybe going back to your drawing board of what your notes are and be like, you know, how can I change my you know dynamic on what I should do leading up to the next show? So I think everything's just like a learning experience anytime you do a prep.

SPEAKER_01 21:04

Yeah, I agree. I think it's so cool to like collect the data from from past preps and kind of look at it and assess and say, all right, this is what works, this is what didn't work. Exactly. In terms of that, like what is your what is your prep approach typically look like? I know you work with uh Milligan, right? Like what do you guys usually look like for getting stage ready in about 20 weeks?

SPEAKER_02 21:25

So um him and I, he's he's been he he's got such a uh history of bringing people up as far as like from like their first show to becoming like pros and winning pro shows. And uh I saw you know how well he brings his competitors in, and uh he's uh in my mind, I'm like, you know, if I'm gonna go with the coach, I want to make sure it's somebody that I feel confident in, and I felt super confident working with him. But um yeah, just going like as far as like the prep goes, him and I will talk almost like every day and I'll do my check-ins each week with him and uh he'll adjust my meals based off how I look each week and uh we're constantly having like low days and high days where we're fluctuating the carb intake so there are certain days where I can have more carbs if I'm doing like let I'll try to schedule my leg days where I'm intaking more carbs and then like other days will be more of a lower carb day. That's this is all during the prep period. So um and based off how my physique looks by the end of each week we're basically trending down with my weight but we're not trending trying to trend down fast enough where I'm losing muscle. We're trying to maintain as much muscle as we're getting ready for the prep. But um but that's why we have like you know he gives me some cheap meals and then he'll fluctuate my high and low carb days uh accordingly based off my exercises I'm gonna be doing for the day and then uh you know how the week pans out.

SPEAKER_01 22:57

So very cool. That's awesome. Uh yeah I always like hearing about different approaches for how people approach getting stage conditioned.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

So for you guys like obviously you do multiple show seasons typically right like I do I so um this past season has been a very unique season for me because I don't normally extend my season as long as I as I did. I did like nine shows in a course of 11 months which is unheard of it's ridiculous. But I uh I just got in this I just felt like I was holding my physique very well as the the months progressed and I'm like you know if I'm holding my physique I don't think there should be any reason for us to stop. I mean if I'm like looking like I'm washed out on stage or just not really bringing my best physique on stage I think that would be a time for us to kind of reevaluate and set new goals but um I just felt like him him and I went on like a bit of a run there and especially these lat past few weeks but um I told myself before no gear I was like you know I'm gonna end this show after Los Camplianos like I end my season as after Los Campianos it doesn't matter if I unless I win like every show between No Gear and Los Camplianos I might consider the Jordan but I just need a mental break and I just um told Dave I'm like you know I think this is what I have in my mind is just to finish after Los Camplianos and just take some time between now and the end of the year to just like regrow and just try to like you know build again. But yeah it's it's hard.

SPEAKER_01 24:27

I I like I think I tell athletes um my competitors I'm like ideally you like to try to consolidate your shows in a few months so you're not you know going long periods of time with you know low you're basically like in a depletion you you want to just try to consolidate those shows so you're in a little like just a few weeks of depletion before you go back into growing again so so yeah in in regards to like your approach to like that back end of prep do you find it challenging to stay um like stage lean for a while like do you experience a lot of the physiological side effects uh of being that way and and when you get out of prep is it hard for you mentally to allow yourself to get some body fat back on is that something you struggle with that good conversation that a lot of like younger competitors need to hear and any competitor it's it's a mentally that side of the sport is very challenging.

SPEAKER_02 25:22

So I I definitely think there's a whole science behind this but based off what my experience is is my body just starts like adapting to changes. So I've been in such a uh depletion state for so long that my body's just used to the meals that like the lower carb meal days and uh like peak weeks for me used to be very challenging when I just get out of a on offseason and I do my first uh prep but then once my body starts adapting I feel like it's not as challenging for me to get ready for those shows for that weekend coming up. So but um now typically I think um it it is a very challenging adjustment trying to uh be more selective of the meals you're eating you got to be mindful of like um what you're putting in your body leading up to the show and then once you're finished the show you want to reverse diet uh just so you don't you know you want to make sure your metabolism's gonna be responding correctly and everything but I just think um going back to eating like normal it's tough because you have to be mindful of the fact like your body's been so used to it tolerating this low carb high protein diet and uh leading up to these shows and there's a lot of factors that go into it but for me I think um I just felt like my my body just started getting you know used to the fact of this is like normal and now I'm going back to what most people considered normal and it's it's different for me. It's just a little bit of a transition.

SPEAKER_01 26:53

Yeah I I think when you when you dedicate so much time to being so rigid with your diet there's a natural component where it's going to require some time to get back mentally okay with eating a bit more and having a little more fluff right like you're you're analyzing your physique daily and weighing and being so to transition away from that and slowly build back up to feel more yeah and it's change.

SPEAKER_02 27:17

Yeah and it's just uh being able to visualize it and just accept it I know biodysmorphia is a real thing it's serious it's like you know people look at you and you're like wow people look at you and they're like you look phenomenal like and you look at yourself in the mirror and you're like well this isn't how I want to look you know even though it it's kind of like definitely screws with your mind a little bit when you you get that deep into prep and you start looking at yourself and you start critiquing little things and you at the end of the day you gotta just kind of not be so analytical about that and just just kind of let your coach trust like trust your coach and just let things kind of roll with that.

SPEAKER_01 27:52

Yeah I think we can all relate to this but like you'll be working out on the gym floor in the offseason and somebody will come up be like dude you look you look lean you look great and you and like you've just looked at yourself in the environment like oh I'm so soft.

SPEAKER_02 28:02

Yeah yeah I'm like I'm flat right now I'm I'm low carbs I'm not anywhere where I want to be and it's just like you know it's a real thing man.

SPEAKER_01 28:10

Once you pick up the weights and start competing you never feel big enough and you never I know I know that's that's a real thing. Yeah. So in regards to like your offseason approach like what does that look like when you guys are transitioning out like reverse dieting and moving into like a growth phase like what is that what does that approach look like for you um in your lifestyle uh it's I mean we're just um he he'll allow me to have like free meals like after the show just to kind of enjoy the fact that hey like that you know the competition's over let's just go out have a free meal um but then we'll you know Monday we'll be back on just trying to we're basically just doing the same exact diet that we were doing leading up to prep but it's a little bit higher carb days and we're just gradually adding carbs as each week I mean as it gets later and later um throughout the week and into the next week.

SPEAKER_02 29:07

So but um still doing like you know the the cardio and the workouts but it's just we're we're kind of like gradually getting back into it again. So it's not like we're gonna be going back into the gym lifting like the heavy weights again. It's like we're you know gradually getting back in just doing like modest amount of weights and uh it's like hard for me because I just want to go back in and try to hit PRs again and I realize like it's not going to happen. It's gonna take time for you to kind of build that muscle that you lost over the course of that 20 week prep.

SPEAKER_01 29:37

So yeah I would say in regards to the reverse dieting process I think a part that people really overlook it's not just about being restrictive and building back your calories slowly it's also about building back your like training tolerance and your recovery and all those factors as well because you've been in this deep depleted deficit for so long your body's not in a healthy spot to just flip a switch and start growing but people get that energy back from the from the extra carbs and fats like post show they feel like oh I'm gonna go be Iron Man in the gym again but your body's not ready there is like there's merit to taking time and trusting that process of reverse dieting. I know it sucks and it's it's not enjoyable to feel hungry but have to be restrictive as you build back up but there's there's a reason for that process in place and that's why I think it's so important for people to at least work with their prep coach a few months post post prep to get them back into a healthy offseason phase because I think that's the hardest part of prep really is like when you know you're getting on stage yeah you're not gonna cheat on your diet because you know you've got to be judged but like you get off and there's no like direct immediate goal it's very challenging to adhere to your program.

SPEAKER_02 30:42

Exactly and you got to be careful with uh you know hitting the gym again and just the weights and that's how I got um I ended up getting injured after I did this uh the last Yortin I did I um ended up was trying to get ready for Mr. America and four days after the Yorton I was doing like the lap pull down machine and uh I was going harder than I should uh rolling out from uh like four days after a show and uh I felt like a pop ended up tearing my bicep tendon and it just ended up I ended up having to cancel my entire season I had to reschedule the Mr. America for the following year and I had surgery I went to an orthopedic surgeon ended up repairing the the tendon reattached it back onto uh the shoulder but um if I let that go and there there's some people that don't um it doesn't require surgery but I figured you know if I'm gonna be on stage being judged I want to make sure I look symmetrical as possible. So I only had a short window to get that repaired before that muscle fuses. So ended up getting it repaired and I'm so happy I got it repaired because I made a full recovery. I don't I'm not having any kind of limitations as far as my strength on either on the side so uh I definitely highly recommend just if you ever get injured just have somebody uh like a professional look at it see if it's something that needs to be repaired or something that you can rehab.

SPEAKER_01 32:07

Yeah absolutely I know JT and I have been been fortunate enough to not experience any major setback injuries like that but I am curious from a from an aesthetic standpoint when you go through something like a bicep tear where you're having to have surgery and repair it what is the approach what does the approach look like for you trying to kind of regain symmetry in that arm post surgery and getting back into computing so um the orthopedic surgeon um his name is Dr.

SPEAKER_02 32:34

Sean McMillan he's phenomenal he works with athletes a lot of them were professional athletes he's he's worked with and um he knew how much I was itching to get back in the gym and he said uh you know for now you can do like lower body but you need to give this time to heal and eventually it did heal uh over like the course of three months um and we were grabbing he he's he started lifting limitations for me where I could start doing like light just very light resistance bands into you know slowly phasing into weights and doing a little bit more like strength training but um it was just a matter of just trying to just focus on doing a little more exercises on the right side to build it back to where this left side is symmetrical with weight and size. So um yeah we uh it I didn't have to go to like a rehab for it he just said hey I trust um that you you can you know do this yourself you just just have to be mindful of the fact that you are still healing and uh there are some limitations. So I just kept that in mind and um once I felt like this was fully healed I felt like it just was a matter of you know a few months before I started getting that strength back to where it was equal to the left side.

SPEAKER_01 33:54

Yeah I'm sure there was a a big element of having to be patient with that whole process.

SPEAKER_02 33:59

Yeah yeah it's uh it's the last thing that any competitor would want to deal with but it's just a matter of being patient like this sport has taught me so many patience just to be patient in everything and every every aspect of it is just about being patient. So as much uh as I wanted to rush back to the stage I just knew you know my time will come so it is exactly that this whole sport requires patience across the board.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

Yeah you don't have to you're gonna rush into things and it's not gonna turn out the way you want it to you have to you actually have to put in the work you have to track everything everything that we've talked about so far is literally patience.

unknown 34:38

Exactly you have to take your time you have to do it the right way.

SPEAKER_00 34:42

If you want the results if you want the results that you're looking for on stage it requires patience.

SPEAKER_02 34:47

And that's the beauty of the sport man I a lot of you know young competitors they want to see the results and they're like you know I don't want to wait till I'm in my late 20s to look the best I want to you know I want the results now and they'll you know go towards some kind of enhancement to get those results but you got to think about what the long-term effects are from taking those enhancements and you know are are the are you going to be competing so many years after taking these enhancements if you're in your early 20s. Like I'm close to I'm getting close to my 40s now and it's like you know I feel like my physique has only improved every year since I've got past my 30s. I thought my prime was going to be in my 20s and I was just like thinking thinking in my head I'm like oh man like you know my testosterone is going to drop I'm not gonna look put on as much muscle as I'm hoping you know and then you know I realized that's not true. It's you know there you you can continue keeping your testosterone up as long as you exercise a healthy lifestyle your diet's on point you're getting enough sleep and you're you knew doing strength training I think you know the sky's the limit and you know there are competitors in the OCB that I look up to like the Desaru and uh Marcus Harris they're those guys are older than me and they're bringing a better package every time they step on stage. So for me to see that that's just super motivating.

SPEAKER_01 36:01

Yeah it's insane I I I think the longer I'm in the sport and around dating and competing with people that are in their 40s and just like older and bringing such a great work I've realized that like the less I believe in like the genetic ceiling you know like I think a lot of it is literally just time and patience and if you don't have those things like you don't have enough skin in the game years in the gym and the patience to see like what your physique's really capable of you're never going to truly know and you're always gonna like set limitations and self self-limiting belief on yourself.

SPEAKER_00 36:30

Yeah you cannot work in genetic ceiling someone who doesn't work it's only a small portion of it which is a fantastic thing. But you play the game like that I mean it is one big game like you you go into previous you gotta understand how to come out of previous you got to get away from a little while understand you're living a life and it's also still we're still we're still trying to grow we're still trying to put in the work but it's it's a long term game that you can have a great time with and get on stage it's it's a hobby it's it's it's enjoyable in every aspect but you gotta understand that you got to grow in patience you got to grow I was talking to a a client of mine that like as a philosophy kind of asked me that question I was like honestly bodybuilding is more than what it sees that people see like you will build character you will build this like person that you never knew was a part of you until you get into the sport that's a beautiful thing about it is bodybuilding is more than just muscle it's more than just looking for it you will develop a new mindset you develop so much like your endurance your uh resilience movement like you you can really build a lot from it than just muscle everybody sees the muscle in the stage presence but they don't see what kind of person you have become from just getting into a prep and seeing like oh my gosh I can really push myself and say yes I can do this. And that builds so much more than just a muscle.

SPEAKER_02 38:00

Yeah and a lot of people look at you and there's it's there's a respect there where it's like you know this person respects their body you know if it I think about it like if I go into someone's home and they have it really well organized and clean it's it's a more respectful thing for them somebody that just doesn't take care of their house and just leaves stuff all over the floors and leaves mess. So it's just like you know I get a lot of respect at work a lot of respect outside of work you know it's just uh it's one of those things where you kind of carry yourself better.

SPEAKER_01 38:29

You you feel mentally uh you know more focused I feel like uh you know I wake up and have a purpose I have something I have you know work hard towards every day so it's just gives me more you know purpose in life yeah and it's it's hard to explain to somebody that's not ever given the sport a try it's like why didn't you starve yourself to get on stage like it doesn't seem very fun well it's part of the process it's not the entire process right like it's a lifestyle year round that I value what it brings to me and what it helps how it helps me elevate as a person.

SPEAKER_02 39:02

Yeah and you usually the people that have the hardest time understanding it are like the closest people in your life but they're also the people that support you the most in your life and they see how dedicated how much you love this and you know how how much of a better person it's making you because you know it is a selfish sport where it's like you got to think about yourself and what you're eating and getting all your meals in and um it takes like somebody um with a lot of patience on the other end that it could be your significant other or your family member that to really be like your rock and you know I think everybody has that in bodybuilding where if someone's like you have someone that you can you talk to or just you know just be able to like discuss any kind of like you know problems you have as far as like getting to where you need to go with your goals but yeah yeah I agree.

SPEAKER_01 39:51

Uh Ryan we got time for one more question for you today. So I'm gonna kind of blend in in two and one here.

SPEAKER_02 39:56

So someone that's competed over 20 times now um and obviously you have a busy professional career as well how do you balance and slash stay motivated during all the things you have now and with you being sober along like how do you balance all of that um a lot of it's just be trying to be one step ahead so I I do my meal preps I try to get in the extra time I have I try to use it as wisely as possible because I'm working eight hours a day that doesn't can like can like contribute that I have to drive an hour and back and forth to work. So that's 10 hours out of the day and then I try to get at least seven hours of sleep so that's 17 hours. And then I'm in the gym for an hour hour and a half so that's what 18 and a half and then you know so the time that you have you have to use it very mindfully and just try to you know get your meals in plot everything and then you know there's stuff that happens at work. I'm supposed to be eating five meals a day I try to eat two like a couple meals while I'm at work but I try to do everything very timely but there's times throughout the day where something happens at work and I miss a meal or you know I can't go do a workout because something came up and I have to work extra hours that day. So it's just about trying to manage time as best as possible and there's gonna be things that won't happen or won't work for you and that will cause you know cancellations with your trying to eat a meal for the day or at the go to the gym or do your cardio in the morning and it's just try it's just trying to get in later or trying to like you know just uh like try to fix it for the next day. Like so if I can't you know get everything done that day I'll just you know be like all right you know I couldn't do it this day I'm just gonna pick up where we left off the next day and just not take it you know too much to heart because there's things where are we out of your control that take a higher priority than bodybuilding and it's just you know it's just managing life. So you try to stick to your plan as best as possible and that's you know the best you can do. Yeah I think I think a lot of younger competitors first time getting into the sport really struggle with to wrap their mind around the all or nothing approach like you can I think you don't understand that it like it's a long process and like if you have one day where it's like you're not checking all the boxes as long as tomorrow there might be a day where the time gets away from you and you didn't accomplish everything you achieve just don't let that bother you and just start the next day and try to hit those goals like hey I ate all my meals or I did my cardio this morning or I did my workouts like you know I checked all the boxes today but you know that's great. Let's try to do it again the next day and if you know something pops up and you can't no big deal let's just try it again the next day. So it's just a matter of just trying to do the best you can yeah 1000%.

SPEAKER_01 42:48

Well Ryan that's all we got time for today but this was great man I really appreciate you jumping on. I know you got a busy schedule so thanks for um getting on here so our listeners could hear your story and talking about your passion for natural bodybuilding.

SPEAKER_02 43:00

Yeah I I can't thank you guys enough for having me and um I uh wish you guys the best of luck and I'll definitely be tuned into your uh your podcast. Sounds good brother appreciate you thank you Ron all right have a good day guys