Friday 3/1/24: 9,413 steps, 3.4 miles, 1 floor climbed
These are just a few notes and observations from day 1 at the Arnold:
I found a new, low calorie hack for coffee at my hotel (where it’s free 24/7). It’s 4 teaspoons of flavored creamer, 4 tablespoons of unsweetened almond milk, and 2-3 packets of Splenda. This makes 16-20 ounces of coffee remarkably good.
I met the defending Arnold Classic champion, Samson Dauda. That didn’t help my struggle with body dysmorphia. 😄
A new Arnold Classic Physique champion was crowned, Wesley Vissers. He’s taller than Chris Bumstead. That division will be very interesting at the 2024 Olympia.
I was happy to see that USA Powerlifting got an upgrade in terms of production value, location, and seating. They used to be in the main concourse of the convention center where the expo is held. Now, they’re inside the expo with stadium style seating. After this bodybuilding thing, I might have to set my sights on getting back to that platform. I haven’t been to The Arnold as a competitor since 2010.
I ran into Ed Coan today. He’s still the 🐐
I saw Dr. Mike Israetel for the 2nd year in a row, and this time, we got to meet his wife too. I showed him our picture from last year and he said he remembered us, and they both gave me some very encouraging words about my upcoming show. That was cool.
7X Figure Olympia champion Cydney Gillon gave me some good advice about fat burners. I think I’m going to use one for the remainder of prep. I don’t know that it will help with “burning fat” directly, but if it helps with appetite control, then it will be worth it to me.
We got A LOT of free stuff - mostly energy drinks and ready to drink bottles of protein.
I’m looking forward to Saturday! I’m having one of my two planned cheat meals tomorrow. There’s a local market here that sells what may be the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. We brought some bagged salad at a grocery store today with some low calorie dressing to eat with it, so I can minimize the damage.