Matt Gladding
May 31, 2018 23:05
I have been a fan of bodybuilding for a large portion of my life, and at several points in my life I set a goal to diet and compete in a bodybuilding show, but on my own I always failed. It was too easy to make excuses or let life get in the way.
Last September (2017) I decided to give it another shot. I started the process on my own and set a goal to be ready for the Dennis James Classic in May of 2018. By the start of the year it was evident that I needed help. While I consider my self knowledgeable in diet and exercise I knew that without coaching I wouldn't get very far.
In February I found the team at AZ Bodybuilding and at 16 weeks out from the show we began the process.
Coaches Tom and Ty put together a diet plan to take me from start (where I was overly fat) to finish (shredded and stage worthy). I attended the weekly posing classes where they adjusted my posing form and took me from being horrific at it to being able to hold my own on stage. And weekly I would work out with Tom who would push me hard when I was too depleted to push myself.
The process was grueling, and I'm not kidding when I say it is the hardest thing I have ever done both physically and mentally. I know for a fact I couldn't have done it without the team at AZ Bodybuilding. They gave me the tools to succeed, all I had to do was "trust the process".
On May 28th 2018, a little over 2 weeks before my 37th birthday, I competed in Classic Physique at the Dennis James Classic and took home 3rd place. I felt I had won just making it to the stage, so to place top 3 was icing on the cake, and I owe it all to the AZ Bodybuilding team!