SEPTEMBER PHOTOSHOOT

These are a few pictures(draft copies) I had taken on 26th September.
Courtesy of Ovan Photography

SEPTEMBER '09 UPDATE

One Week away from my Photo Shoot and training has gone well, I'm feeling good and really looking forward to it. 
It is my first professional shoot after all!
This month I have made a few adjustments to my training program; 
MONDAY - Chest and Triceps- AM
TUESDAY- Cardio- AM  Legs and Abs- PM
WEDNESDAY - Rest Day
THURSDAY - Back and Biceps PM
FRIDAY - Cardio AM  Legs and Abs PM
SATURDAY - Shoulders and Chest
SUNDAY - Rest Day
I only ever used to do legs once a week and really tried to avoid it to be honest, but after noticing I was getting top heavy I decided to take my LEG training serious and broke it into Quads/Hamstrings & Quads/Calfs over two different days. I feel and look better for it but its still early days so I plan on spending the winter season really building some good size in my legs.
ABS!! A big deal for me, however I only train them 2-3 times a week but after researching some of the training routines used by Professional Bodybuilders and Fitness Models, I decided to 'up my game'
I only ever used to perform 2-3x20 reps of each exercise but that has now increased to 3x40-50 reps and also supersetting and trisets, always covering upper, lower, obliques and lower back.
Really feel the burn with these sets and I am finding out what part of my abs are stronger than others which is helping me push myself more in certain areas to catch up and get a bit closer towards having competition quality abs.
The change in Nutrition has been the use of CARB CYCLING.
I burn alot of body fat on my low carb days basically because of the low calorie intake. I now include Cardio before breakfast which also helps. I mix my high carb days on resistance training days throughout the week, so not only am i full of energy for the session but i also replace lost carbs from my low days. My metabolism is always working using this method and it is working for me so far, however you may want to research the method a bit more before deciding if it will actually work for you.
Maximuscle Cyclone shake twice a day between meals, mostly for convenience, however the
Still using BCAA's as my post training method but I am constantly researching recovery methods and may try something different through the winter season.
I am looking to put on some serious size this winter in preparation for the comps next year and will be changing my diet again to aid this but for now I got to stay lean until the photos are finished.
Pictures from my shoot will be posted some point next week.

SEPTEMBER 2009

This month I have a couple of things lined up.
Firstly I am waiting to hear back from Maximuscle. It would be great if I did, however it has been a good stepping stone for me and I am proud of how well I have done regardless.
I am currently in the gym training as Maximuscle ask you to be available for the last part of September so I am pushing myself for the rest of this month.
As far as my training goes...I have decide to spend the first 2 weeks of September Training Heavy and my diet is complimenting that. I am going to introduce Cardio next week so I can shred those few pounds of Body Fat and again my diet will compliment that also. I am trying the Carb Cycling Diet this month and so far it has been ok. I am not putting on much weight and my body fat is still low, however I am never hungry on training days which has been the key!
I dont take too many supplements... Maximuscle Cyclone 2-3 times a day between meal times and BCAA/Glutamine after training for Recovery. I am using High Energy Foods as my pre-training source and so far it  has been ok, full of energy when I start training.
I have a photo shoot booked for the end of September to begin building a portfolio so I am training for that also and really excited about that as I hope to get some work through it in the near future.
No new pictures yet but I will have a few later in the month.

MY 'AFTER' PICTURE AUGUST 2009...

So Training continued in a similar pattern over the next few months and I was getting a few 'pat on the backs' from fellow gym users. I would like to believe I inspired a few guys but you never really know, I mean everyone uses the gym for different reasons. I have made new friends since I started training. Most of them are into similar training and some actually compete on the BNBF Natural Bodybuilding Circuit, so its nice to speak to them about their experiences and get advice form them at the same time.

The final entry date was drawing closer and I got myself ready for the pictures which actually makes me laugh when i think about it... 5 months of training and it all come down to a quick 20 minutes in the Studio upstairs in my gym at 7.30am (this was the only time it was free) LOL
And that was that..
It felt weird to be honest as I wasn't going to find out how I done for a while and I still dont know to this date, but it felt like it had all come to an end. I suppose I was training specifically for something but if I did get called back I had to be in good shape so I couldn't really stop training.
I gave myself the weekend off and spoilt myself with all the food and drink i had sacrificed to get in shape.
But it was straight back in the gym the following Monday and I am still training to this date...

HOW TRAINING DEVELOPED AND MY INTRODUCTION TO NUTRITION...

I decided to train before work started, which was hard to get used too, up at 6am to eat then cycle to the gym, train, then cycle to work. I have no car so cycling everywhere is my only option and was killing me, especially after a hard session.

My training is split between Resistance Training 3 times per week and CV/Endurance, 3 times per week.

I make the most of the Southern Coastline and Hills for some Off Road Mountain Biking, Running, Sprinting, General Endurance training and the odd Kickboxing class with my girlfriend for a total body workout. My aim was to achieve a great physique using as many outdoor sports as possible. I didn’t want to spend the next 5 months stuck in the gym like everyone else!

 I have never been scared of hard work, I really pushed myself to get ready for this competition and I am proud of what I have achieved. I learnt a lot about myself whilst training, I know I still have a good Mental Attitude and always look to train out of my comfort zone. I looked around the gym and saw guys ‘taking it easy’ and promised myself never to let that happen. 

Nutrition has become an important part of the training for me and over the 5 months I have come to learn a lot about what foods to eat and when to eat and different ways to diet to achieve the results I wanted.  I asked a lot of questions to a lot of people regarding my diet and what has worked best for me is basically 6 meals a day- (breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, pre-bed snack)- strict, high protein diet which has varied every 6 weeks based on the type of training I am doing at that particular time. Also to avoid boredom! A lot of the food has to be made the night before because of my job. I have not got the time or facilities to prepare food every 3 hours, Meals fit around work, which is something I have to deal with unfortunately.
I use Maximuscle as my choice of supplements, Promax, for example, is a great way to maintain the levels of Protein I need in my daily diet and all in the form of a convenient shake.

FIRST FEW MONTHS...

After 2 weeks I had my own little book to note my progress and a diet to compliment the training. 

I knew it was going to be hard work, based on my job and what was involved to reach the physique required to win.

I have always understood that eating healthy helps i.e. avoid chocolate, biscuits etc but I never believed I could manage 6 meals per day.

However after the first few months I was noticing the changes..

THE MAXIMUSCLE BODY OF 2009 COMP...

So heres how it worked.
Maximuscle advertised their Body of 2008 Competition on their website www.maximuscle.com
Due to the success they decided to offer the public a chance to become the BODY OF 2009.
Slight difference this time with added categories to break it up a bit. I decided i was going to try and change my physique to make the COVER MODEL category.
The 2008 Finalist were in good shape and the winner deserved to win in my eyes due to overall proportion. He looked good! But this didn't put me off, I did think, blimey, I got some serious training to do but I have been in relatively good shape in the past with Kickboxing as a teenager so I was up for it.
You had to produce a before picture which is what made me want to enter this competition in the first place.
Im sure you will agree I looked messy! lol
Feeling a bit down from how much i have let myself go without really noticing (camera never lies!) I started training again at my local Fitness First Gym in Poole.

LET THE HARD WORK BEGIN...

HOW IT ALL BEGAN...

My name is Jay Benedetti. I am a 25 year old Carpenter from Bournemouth.

I live with my Partner Natalie who is a Personal Trainer and World Champion Kickboxer.

I have been a Kickboxer all my life and only recently learnt I need an operation on my knee, which has pretty much put a stop to my career in the ring. It also put me off training completely; I cancelled my gym membership and began comfort eating.

I used to compete at -74kg and when I stopped I went up to 80+kg and unfit with it. 

My confidence was knocked and I felt my partner losing interest in me physically, I mean she is around fit, healthy guys all the time.

IT HAD TO CHANGE!

She introduced me to her friend and fellow Personal Trainer, Jamie Vandersteen. Jamie has given me great advice throughout and initially helped me with my Resistance Training. 

We agreed that I could still use the gym and train around my injury but I needed a goal.

I came across the Maximuscle competition in April, Jamie had a look at the previous winners and we decided to go for it.