Over the Summit weekend there was the 2nd annual Beachbody Classic. It’s a physique style bodybuilding show. We had multiple members of teamRIPPED take part, but 2 made it all the way to the TOP TEN! With the field that was present, that is a huge accomplishment! I wanted to get their story of prepping for the Beachbody Classic and share it with ya’ll. I know I have loved getting to follow their prep. Chet and Chris are two prime examples of taking your physique to the extreme edge of RIPPED!
These are also 2 of the coaches that will be heading up the Year of the Beast Challenge with me! They are wealth of knowledge and have great experience. Check out the link above for more info!
Chris Coburn: Beachbody Classic Top Ten
Chet Nichols: Beachbody Classic Top Ten
What did your Classic prep look like? Workouts? Nutrition?
The preparation plan I followed was nothing extraordinary. About 12 weeks out, I had completed my 3rd round of Body Beast. That right there should tell you something. I have stuck with the program since I first tried it because I continued to get excellent results. Let’s face it, I have won the Beachbody Challenge three times. I won the $500 daily contest with P90X, which was mostly about fat loss, and some muscle gain during my second round. But my size, well, that was all Body Beast. It was “the Beast” that is responsible for the progress I made resulting in wins in the $1000 Monthly Contest and the $5000 Quarterly Contest. The point is, since I had so much success with following the Body Beast program as it is written…why change? Why would I change something that has obviously given me great results? The bottom line is, I followed the program to the letter, right to the end. The workouts, the nutrition, everything. The only exception is the last week where I deviated from the Beast contest schedule. I tried that method before, without much success so I took a different approach. Don’t get me wrong, most people have EXCELLENT results following that method; it just didn’t work for me. See my response at the end for elaboration.
What was the hardest part about getting ready for the Classic?
I really didn’t have a lot of struggles getting ready for the classic. Not physically anyway. I was already “dialed-in” regarding my nutrition. I was comfortable with all the workouts which enabled me to push myself to the limits. I had the full and unconditional support of my family (probably the most important part) and I felt ready. I guess if I had to pick one thing, it would be the mental preparation…fear of failure. There were a few times I thought, “will I be ready?” or “will I make a fool of myself?” It’s only natural because as individuals, we all have fears of the unknown. That fear did lead right up to the competition. But to get over it, I just convinced myself that failure was the road to success. And the only thing worse than fear, is never even trying at all. It’s like we say, the more you fail, the greater your success.
What was the pre-judging like? Were you feeling like you had made the Top 10?
Pre-judging wasn’t all that bad, but a little intimidating at first. I actually walked into the room in my sweats, sat down and played my music and relaxed. Other guys were frantically trying to pump and scope out the competition. Not me, I just chilled for a while, relaxed, and when I felt ready, took to the corner for some warm-up and a light pump. I was careful not to overdo it to blur my physique.
Soon enough, they called us up and prepped us on what to expect. Then, one by one we took the stage. Quarter turns were first, followed by our routine. I had been practicing my routine to music, which I played in my head because the music they played (on an iPhone) really sucked. I took my time on this (more on that later), and felt as if I nailed it. When I finished, I saw one of the judges turn to another and whisper “wow!” Yup…I nailed it.
Next, they called us all to the stage for comparison. The judges called 7 people to the front, I was not one of them. My heart sank…confidence blown. I thought “I wasn’t even considered?” I surely thought I misread the judge’s reaction earlier. After calling everyone back, the judges then called me and another guy (who happened to be the most ripped guy there) to the center, then one guy from that first group of 7. It was then I realized what was going on. We were the top three…me and “Mr. Ripped” were the top 2. My confidence soared and before the third guy made it to the stage, I quickly repositioned myself to the center and refused to give it up. It was mine for taking, and nobody was going to take it away.
The judges then called for our poses, and I held nothing back. After the last pose, I repositioned myself, spread my lats, held my head high and noticed three of the judges look straight at my number and write it down.
The show! How was getting to be on stage and pose down?
Getting to the show was awesome. A couple hours before, me and Chris decided to go to the hotel gym and get a little workout going, just to get the blood flowing. Afterwards, we headed down. When we got there, I have to admit it was a little intimidating. There were some pretty big dudes in there, and some of them were ripped to shreds. But I felt prepared. I had put in the work without taking any short cuts, my nutrition was solid, my muscles felt full and hard, and I felt good.
When we walked out on the stage for rehearsal, it became real and it was hard to focus on the instructions. SO I figured I would just follow the guy I was lined up next to and go from there. After we were called back, the doors opened and we could hear the crowd pour in. THAT is when the nerves started ramping up…I almost felt sick. “Nah, can’t be bothered with that” I thought to myself. So I picked up my bands and started to pumped. Within five minutes, the pump had arrived…no more needed. I put them down and I saw some of the others frantically trying to get a pump that would not come. I felt Confident.
Soon enough, we were called on stage and that nervous feeling came back. But I have to tell you, as soon as I stepped through that doorway, the nervousness vanished. It had been replaced with excitement. The moment had arrived and I was loving it.
Eventually, we got to the top 10 selection. Of course, my number was the last one called, and I felt like I was on top of the world.
But then it happened. They started playing the music we were to pose to, and I felt a little panic set in. It was almost twice as fast as the music I had practiced to. I am a rhythm guy, and the music was way too loud for me to tune out. I figured, “what the hell…let’s just do this!” My number was called and I hit my first pose and sped right into the next one. I knew when I had finished it was too fast. Nonetheless, I had given it my best, had a great time! I did something I always dreamed of doing, but never thought I would do.
What did you learn from this whole process? Would you do it again?
The main thing I learned from this whole experience is that we set our own limits by not taking chances to do the things we dare to do. Standing on that stage was something I dreamed about since I was a little kid and I almost let fear keep me from living my dream. Did I meet my ultimate goal and win? No I didn’t! But goals are not typically reached with the first try. I am a firm believer that if you get knocked down 10 times, it is the 11th time you get up that really matters. As far as doing it again…I give you my commitment right now that I will be on that stage again next year. Does that answer your question?
Best piece of advice for anyone looking to get into SHREDDED and RIPPED shape?
The best piece of advice I can give anyone is to listen to your own body. Pay attention to how your muscles react to the workouts. Learn how to contract your muscles and let them do the work, not momentum. Regarding nutrition, stick to what works. The nutrition guide in Beast will work wonders, but you may have to tweak it a little here and there. Just stay consistent with what works, give yourself time to shed the fat slowly the last 12 weeks (or whatever is needed) and by all means, focus more on what you see in the mirror (or the progress pics you should be taking) instead of the scale and commit to YOURSELF!
Oh, and when the time comes, don’t practice to music. Instead, just lose yourself in the poses and block everything else out. But, if music is a must, practice to a variety of types and speeds.
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
