Holidays and Bodybuilding

Now with the holiday season in full swing, it is very easy to get sidetracked in terms of training and proper nutrition. So the question arises: who can one enjoy the holidays and still keep a healthy physique?
First, proper planning will help. Schedule your workouts, if you are pressed for time you can cut the number of workouts and focus more on basic exercises
Plan your cheat days as well. Those could be the office Christmas party, Christmas day, Thanksgiving Day, New Year's. Reserve the cheating to those days and try to eat clean the remaining time so the holidays don't become 6 cheat weeks. On cheat days try to get a workout in or at least a walk ( nothing strenuous ). This will help burn some of the carbohydrates that might be still lingering around and keep your metabolism humming.
happy holidays!

Bodybuilding should not control one's life

Hey, how's everybody? I am in Germany again, spending time with my family. Today I had planned a heavy chest workout from 12-1pm since my gym closes at 2pm ( I live in a small town after all). around 1130 one of best friends called, He was coming over since he had to leave around 2pm. Needless to say, I did cancel my workout and used our "home gym " attached. As you can see in the picture, it is not quite fully equipped. So one has to make do with whats there, higher reps, harder squeezes etc.

In general, I had rather done a push-up sit up workout as opposed to not meet my friend.

Bodybuilding enhances our lifes, it increases the quality of it; it should not dictate our existence.

Until next time: Keep on pumping!

Post-competition reflections

With tthe last week really being a whirlwind, I did not have the time to post. When you are preparing for a bodybuilding show, everything seems to move at warp speed. and it takes several days for all the impressions to fully settle in.

Looking back, I am happy with the package that I brought on-stage, I feel I did nail my conditioning and did the best I could. The thrill of being on stage and perform a posing routine in front of a large audience is something that has to be experienced and cannot be described.

I will take a long off-season now, trying to improve the weak areas of my body , mainly arms and shoulders without giving up on symmetry and balance.

The days after a show are very anti-climactic, things almost seem dull and boring. However, meals have to be cooked, trainings to be planned since bodybuilding is not something that can be done 12 weeks out of the year. This brings me to my next point: the off-season. It occurs that the common misconception about the off-season or bulking season is that it is a free for all; eat whatever you want as long as you get bigger.

This couldn't be farther from the truth. In order to keep fat gain to a minimum, one should eat primarily clean foods and try not to overeat within a single meal.

Once or twice a week, a dessert or pasta can be eaten but all in moderation. After all, bodybuilding is a life style, not a fad!

Train hard!

The yak-comments from a golden age bodybuilder in California

Subject: The yak







I gave yac the link to your blogspot as I was proud of you, and here are his comments below....





" I went thru Maik's site and he looks terrific.



He really has super abs and calves. the calves are extremely tough for a person who is tall like he is to develop and they are great.



Also his muscularity is awesome. You can tell him I said so! "

Two friends prepare for a future in sports commentary . . . (Hey ESPN, r u listening??)

Finals Posing and Awards: Mission Accomplished.

Details, details . . . and memories of the classic, old school physiques come back . . .

The competition sees "The Wiedenbach Back" and Natural Symmetry & thinks: "Uh-ohhh!"

Atlantic Stage pics from Prelims- One word: "Awesome"!!

Prep time back stage!

Alex paints: "Don't touch the color "

Abs Competition Ready!

Back...with a vengeance!

Hey, how is everybody? I made it back from Germany, it was a rather strenuous trip for a variety of reasons. However, I will throw my hat in the ring and compete in THE Eastern USA Bodybuilding championships this Saturday 11/10 in Tribeca. Anyone who wants to support, by all means, feel invited!

I feel very good and strong after overcoming the jet lag and travel fatigue. Bodybuilding is an excellent way to manage one's life as I do believe that it was that discipline which helped me overcome my personal stress situation.

Another subject I want to write about is a very common gym myth: not eating after working out helps you lose more body fat. Nothing could be further from the truth. Training is a very stressful activity, the body needs to be fed right away. Otherwise it will turn to the next best food. Your muscle! Not a good idea after all.

So grab a shake or a bar when done; you will get leaner while eating!

Sometimes things don't go as planned

This morning I woke up, feeling very lean and full, ready to compete. Two e-mails from my dad would change all that rapidly, my mother had been brought to the hospital again. Needless to say ,i scrapped my plans for the weekend and booked a flight home instead. There are certainly bigger things in life than bodybuilding, one comes to realize.

And yet, it is the sport that helps me to feel that I am in control, even when things seem to be overwhelming. By preparing your meals the same way as if nothing had happened and planning training and cardio , one gains a certain sense of feeling in charge as opposed to being shifted around. This may be the biggest positive bodybuilding has to offer, you as the trainee feel that you are creating your own physique , a mind set which can reflect into lots of other aspects of your life.

So keep on training, eat healthy!

Attached 2 pics from this am

7 more days

So I am 7 days away and extremely depleted as evident in the picture. During the week ,i will actually consume more carbs and gain 2-3 lbs until the actual contest. I prefer this approach over " crash dieting" , which tends to flatten out the athlete.

& Wiedenbach Back 2 Work!

A client warms up.

8 days away

Only 8 days to go, this is probably the most difficult time since energy levels are extremely low yet training and business go on as usual. At this point I would like to thank all my family, friends and clients for putting up with my diet related grumpiness....

The new blog

As you can see, my good friend Scott helped me set up a more professional blog, which also includes pictures of my dieting progress. It is 10 days until the show, I feel pretty good despite my overall state of starvation. This morning I trained chest and was shocked by how weak I was. 325 on the flat bench was all I could do, the return of power is one thing to look forward in the off-season!

Two weeks before the show

Wiedenbach back July 07

Wiedenbach legs 25 Sept 07

Blog Synopsis -Transfer to new site

Welcome to my blog. I am currently preparing for two bodybuilding shows, the NPC natural Rhode Island on 10/20 and the NPC Eastern USA Bodybuilding Championship on 11/10 in Tribecca, NYC. RIght now, the diet is rather strict since every calorie and every meal counts.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 01:46 PM


Maik
Attached you can see some pictures of my latest progress. http://homepage.mac.com/scottgerst/MWiedenbach%20Sept%202007/
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 01:48 PM


Maik
Today I will leave to Germany in order to attend a friens wedding, something I am very happy to do.Starting today, I will, in no particular order, present certain gym myths that I have come across as a trainer or an athlete and point out their falsness.Myth: Cardio alone is enough to loose weight and get in shape.While cardio can be used to burn calories and loose body fat, it will not build muscle and it won't change your overall appearance.Cardio can make you smaller but not necessary leaner since it tends to break down muscle as an energy source without building any new muscle.A weight lifting program is an absolute necessity to build some lean body mass which will increase you metabolic rate drastically. The higher your metabolic rate, the easier it is to lean out ( given the athlete follows a reasonable diet)
Thursday, September 20, 2007 - 07:43 AM


Maik
Made it to Germany and hit the gym within hourse of arrival: chest and back. It is rather difficult to stay on a competiton diet when you are visiting family but with four weeks to go there is no room for cheat meals.
Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 02:50 AM


Maik
I returned from Germany yesterday, the wedding was wonderful and I am very happy that we went. Training yesterday was tough as the flight had dehydrated me despite drinking 2 gallons, so I just managed a quick pump workout. This morning, things look a lot better and after doing cardio and posing from 630 -730 am I feel much more optimistic toward the upcoming shows.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - 08:22 AM


Maik
Well, I am approaching the 3 week mark and it looks like things are falling into place. Engery levels are rather low due to the lack of calories and the high volume of training. There is a point in every diet where the athlete looks worse than before, because of the empty glycogen stores in the muscle.It is crucial not to panic and fill up with food but to stay the course. The rewards will be there!
Friday, September 28, 2007 - 02:48 PM


Maik
207 lbs this morning, looking rather flat which is to be expected. Strength is still good, now all that remains is to stay healthy. It is very hard to walk back home from the gym and pass the bagel store and Dunkin Donuts...
Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - 12:13 PM


Maik
Yesterday, i took a break from bodybuilding ( as much as possible) and visited Scott Gerst's launch party for his latest art project. It can be seen here http://homepage.mac.com/scottgerst/Corporatesplash.htm . Scott is a friend and client of mine, who has a lot of different talents, the two most notable ones being photography and bodybuilding. We will see if we can get him ready to compete next summer....
Friday, October 5, 2007 - 05:12 PM

Sept 16, 2007

Maik's Blog

This is where you will find out about what I’m up to, what new training tips I might have to offer, and be able to track my progress - or my client’s progress- whether for training or for competition.

5 Sept '07

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