Well hello ladies and gents, Robert Sykes, Keto, savage.com. And today I'm going to do a little bit of a different style of podcast. So actually for the next few episodes are going to be a little bit different. I am traveling right now for the last competition of my competition prep season and as a result of that travel I have not been able to book out a podcast guest because I've had my calendar blocked out for the travel.
So I thought what I would do is have a few shorter episodes, some of which are just me talking, some of which are like I'll bring Crystal on, I'll bring Greg on, just a few people that I have with me here for these competitions and then we'll resume the normal podcast once my travelling for the season is done. However, with that said, these podcasts are going to be a little bit shorter.
They're going to be specific to the competition prep and and this last competition in general, so I'm super excited about it. I've done a few of these solo episodes as it pertains to the prep and I got a lot of positive feedback on those. So I'm very much so excited about these next few episodes. This first one in this likely four part series is going to be all about the pre competition
mindset. So I'm going to record this podcast a few days before my last competition and we're going to dive deep into just the psychology of doing something big and grand and how that affects dopamine and how to hedge against a fall off after it is over. So I'm excited to dive into that. We'll pull the curtain back on dopamine and how to kind of hedge your bets against that negative fall off after doing something grand like that. But before we dive into the
podcast, let's roll the intro. Alright, so here we are and it is a time of this recording. It is Thursday afternoon. My competition is on Sunday morning. This will be the last competition of my five competition series. Basically I've done. This will be my fifth show. This is the largest show of the competition. This is my second pro show. This is the Super Bowl of natural bodybuilding, so to
speak. This is the world's competition in Seattle, WA. This is the one that people are coming literally all over the world to compete in. And it's a pretty big deal in the sport of natural bodybuilding. And for me, this is most certainly the largest stage that I've ever stepped on.
It is the most prominent stage I've ever stepped on as a natural bodybuilder and I'm incredibly honored and grateful to have the opportunity to do so and represent the ketogenic community and what is possible with a ketogenic diet. And there's been a lot that has gone into this prep. This is 33 weeks of dieting for me now, which is the longest
competition prep I've ever done. I mean typically a prep will be, you know, some competitors, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks prior to this prep, the longest I've ever prepped is about 20-3 weeks I believe. So this is 10 weeks longer than my previously longest prep, so it has been quite the journey to say the least. This is the fifth show prior to
this competitive season. I've only competed 5 times, so I've literally doubled the amount of times I've stepped on stage just with this competition, just with this competition prep specifically. So it's been, it's been a journey to say the least. And with them there is a lot of lot of mental components, a lot of psychology that goes into a prep. I always tell people that bodybuilding is more of a mental sport than a physical sport to begin with. Yes, you're pushing your body.
Yes, you're tracking your macros. Yes, you're doing cardio and training and your sleep's affected, Your hormones are affected. A lot of physiological factors, for sure, But the psychological component is the one that typically garners the most amount of attention from me and is the most significant. I always come out of a prep just transformed as a result of what all I have to put into the prep mentally and this prep has certainly been that. That has certainly been the case
with this prep. And with with that said, this last week, this last peak week, I've had some interesting emotions, some interesting psychology, some interesting thoughts. And I'd kind of like to just peel the curtain back on those and reveal them to y'all because a lot of, a lot of y'all are going through a prep yourself or you're doing something very hard and challenging. There's going to be a lot of parallels there with regard to how to approach those challenging things from a
psychological standpoint. I actually just finished listening to a podcast by Andrew Huberman and he was talking about how when you do something grand, when you do something that you've worked incredibly hard on, it is oftentimes the case that people celebrate that win, that success, that, you know, pivotal moment, that monumentous moment.
And because they celebrate that oftentimes very extravagantly, after that thing is over, they have a massive dopamine rush and then that drops off drastically and they oftentimes get depressed. And many of y'all listening can likely attest to that you've experienced it in some form or fashion in your own life. I've certainly experienced that in the past after my first bodybuilding competition in 2012. I I've talked about that in previous episodes, but I literally dieded down.
In 12 weeks, I lost £80 in 12 weeks, totally transformed my physique, got leaner than I'd ever gotten before and won the show, and I was literally on top of the world. That was the first time in my entire life where I was able to recognize the fruits of my labor and just feel totally unstoppable. Like, that was a a transformative moment. It shaped me in so many different ways. But after that show was over and that finish line was crossed, I didn't have any direction, I
didn't have any outlet. And as a result, I spiraled out of control. From an eating disorder standpoint, that's what was the catalyst for my disordered eating tendencies that lasted for several years. I had pretty severe depression after that. I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn't know how to do it. There wasn't a tangible goal in front of me that I could work at
every single day. And I really was on cloud nine and then crashed and burned for several months, if not several years after that first competition. And that is often times very much the case for first time competitors. They had nothing to compare it to. They go into a prep, they don't have the perspective and they come out of that prep and what they have worked so very hard for day in and day out with utmost consistency is no longer there.
And without that they fill that void with negative emotions, negative energy, overindulging in foods, overindulging in negative thoughts, and it just becomes a downward spiral that often times cripples them. And you certainly want to avoid that. With every prep that I've done since then, I've gained perspective and I've been able to get better and better at how I go into the prep, how I come out of the prep and just make the process much more
sustainable. And I'm really proud of how I've been able to do that with this prep specifically. So this is the 1234 fifth season I guess I've competed in, and with that I've gotten much more experience under my belt and I now conduct myself as a professional athlete, a professional bodybuilder. This is not some monumentous thing that I'm doing that is totally, you know, out of my norm. This is part of my life, This is my lifestyle, this is my day-to-day.
And I've just ingrained everything that I've put into this prep as part of my day today. And that's offered me a ton of stability in going into this prep. And it will offer me a ton of stability in coming out of this prep. Because when you don't put these big things on a massive pedestal in your mind, you are not as likely to fall off from it. And you have to kind of be careful on how you do it because you don't want to distract from the significance of it.
You don't want to avoid recognizing the fruits of your labor. You don't want to avoid congratulating yourself and being proud of your accomplishments and celebrating those wins. But at the same time, you don't want to put them on such a pedestal that when the show is over, when the the obstacle has been met and overcome, you just totally get depressed afterwards. And I've really tried to hone in on that with this prep specifically.
So much so that with the third competition of this season, the one that I actually went pro at and had it in my sciences, like the main show, I didn't even really celebrate. Like I didn't have a celebratory meal afterwards because I had two more shows to do. I just got right back to work
and didn't really skip a beat. And honestly, I think that was a really healthy move for me. Yes, I'm going to be able to reflect back on that third competition and the significance of it after this last show is over.
And I'll kind of roll that celebration into this final celebration, but I think not, You know, setting it aside and and really going all out with the celebration after that show was key for me to go into these next two shows with the right frame of mind and just give it all I've got and not fall into a depression. So here I am recording this podcast literally on Thursday, just a few days before I step on stage for the final time of this season on Sunday.
And I'm trying to walk through with y'all and just verbalize where my mind is AT and what I plan to do going forward. And one of the things that a lot of competitors do after a competition prep and a lot of people do after accomplishing something significant is they cross that finish line and then there's just nothing afterwards. There is a massive void that they fill, like I said, with that negativity.
That's the case with people that run marathons, people that do bodybuilding competitions, people that graduate from college, you know, submit a paper that gets accepted into a prestigious journal, whatever the case may be, academic, physical, personal, whatever. And they they have this massive climb up to the top of the mountain, so to speak, as an analogy, and they just jump off the Cliff afterwards.
You can't do that. You have to put in the same practice and work and habits that led to that success in the 1st place so that you can return back to base camp and scale down that mountain in a safe, sustainable manner. So like if the competition prep for example is me climbing this mountain, this massive Mount Everest of an obstacle, The last thing I would want to do is finish this competition.
Throw my diet to the wayside, throw my training to the wayside and just like get depressed and not have any sense of direction. Which is why I'm going to implement a very structured reverse diet post show and continue my training, gradually taper my cardio and honestly stick to pretty much the same schedule and routine that has led to this success. In the 1st place, I am going to allow myself, you know, a
celebratory meal. Afterwards, I'm going to take my family and my crew that's with me to a Brazilian steakhouse after the competition. I'm going to eat without tracking those macros and I'm going to eat until I'm satiated and full and happy and it's going to be great and it's all
going to be ketogenic foods. The last thing that I would recommend anybody that's doing a ketogenic competition prep do is to consume a bunch of carbohydrates post show, because that's going to make you feel sick and you're going to hold a bunch of fluid. You're going to wake up the next day. The scale is going to be 20 pounds heavier, and that's going to really mess with your psychology. By me going to Brazilian steakhouse, I can experience and explore all those amazing
flavors. I can eat a ton of quality meat with people that I care about, have a great sense of camaraderie, and then not really have a negative rebound the next morning, which would spiral me out of control. I may or may not have a ketogenic dessert afterwards. I'm on the fence about it. I haven't decided yet. If I do, it's going to be a simple ketogenic brownie that I'll have crystal make and track the macros on. And it's going to be made with half a keto brick, some almond
flour and some eggs. So maybe a tablespoon or to a peanut butter. So pretty simple, pretty clean, nothing too crazy. I'm certainly not going to be getting anything dessert wise at the restaurant, and by allowing myself that one meal that is not tracked, I can kind of give myself a break from the strenuous tracking. But it's all gonna be in line with my ketogenic lifestyle and
macronutrient targets. It's all gonna be in line with my ketogenic food types, so my body's going to respond well to it. I'm not gonna have any issues
with excessive fluid retention. Yes, I'll have probably more sodium that day, and I'll probably wake up a few pounds heavier the next day, but not enough so that it's going to really screw things up. So yeah, I'm going to allow myself that one celebratory meal, but I'm going to be very present in that moment and I'm not going to fixate on the food to the extent of it becoming obsessive.
I'm not going to go off the rails and eat a bunch of non ketogenic foods, and I'm not going to repeat that habit day in, day out. I did promise my crew that could not come with me that I would take them out to a Brazilian steakhouse once I returned home from these travels, so I will likely do that. And that Brazilian steakhouse will also be untracked. But it again will all be meat and foods that I know my body responds well to, and I won't have a ketogenic dessert with that meal.
So pretty much just one. One celebratory meal after this show on Sunday where it's ad libitum consumption of quality meats and a ketogenic dessert possibly. And then an additional celebratory meal with the crew 2 weeks later when I get back in town again, I'll meet no crazy deviate deviations there, no ketogenic dessert that that meal. And then that's pretty much going to be the only two meals that I consume post prep that are untracked. Everything else will be
accounted for. This following week is Thanksgiving. I'm going to be tracking my macros. Then I will probably eat the exact same foods every day that week except for Thanksgiving Day. But on Thanksgiving Day, I'm going to be tracking my macros. And then what?
My plan is going forward. And something I'm actually quite excited about is every single week of this reverse diet which will likely last, you know, three months or four months will be attract meal prepped meals the same as they were going into the prep itself. One day a week I'm going to allow myself to eat different foods. Foods that I've been wanting to explore, foods that I've been
wanting to experience again. But all foods that I prepare myself or that crystal prepares that we prepare as a family, which is going to bode well for some bonding time there and all quality sources of ketogenic, you know, foods that we know and love and those are all going to be tracked. It's just going to be one day a week that is a different type of food, but again, all tracked. That's my plan with the reverse
diet as far as food goes. That way I can give myself some variety in the flavors that I'm experiencing again. But six out of the seven days are all going to be consistently meal prepped and tracked as it was going into the prep itself. And that is really going to do wonders for my body from a strictly physiological standpoint. So many people fail to reverse diet and that results in them gaining a lot of unnecessary body fat immediately. Posts show when their metabolism is down regulated.
I'm going to be able to avoid that by strategically increasing my target macro intake, increasing my fat and protein in a strategic, scalable, sustainable manner, tracking that intake and then letting my bodies homeostatic set point reset at a leaner composition while consuming more calories overall. So I'm very excited about that. From a psychological standpoint, it's going to keep me accountable. It's going to keep me having specific goals and things to work towards.
I'm going to be able to see the benefits of those extra calories coming in with my training, with my hormone levels. My testosterone will increase as I put on more body fat in a healthy manner and consume quality foods and more of a surplus. So my testosterone will increase from the low point that it's been at now after 33 weeks of dieting. That's going to certainly help with overall energy and how I'm feeling throughout the day and
sleep. So I'm excited about that, but I'm going to have a very specific plan with this reverse diet post show from a macronutrient standpoint, from a training standpoint, from a cardio standpoint, I'm going to gradually taper my cardio. I'm going to gradually scale up my training intensity. But all of that, again, this is this particular episode is more focused on the psychology.
All of that is going to provide the structure that I need to not have that massive rebound depression that oftentimes comes following. Doing something big and significant, like finishing out A5 competition series of a contest prep that I went pro AT and I've been dieting for for the past 30-3 weeks like that is a pretty big deal. But if I make that a big deal in my mind and then don't have a plan to come out of that, it would be devastating to me.
So at the end of the day, with this episode specifically, I really want to drive home the point that when we create things in our minds that are seemingly insurmountable that we just lack the perspective and of the significance on and then we don't have a plan to come out of that with the same strategy and and preparation that went into it. You are most likely setting yourself up for a certain
disaster. And I want y'all to avoid that because I have certainly not avoided that in the past and that has not served me well. So have a plan, have a structured routine post significant event and then be mindful going into that event. Here we are a few days going into this, this, this competition, and I've been really mindful of my training, my eating.
I train hard. I do my posing practice, but then after that is over, before I allow myself to eat, I allow my parasympathetic state to return to normal, allow my breathing to return to normal. I spend some time meditating. I spend some time praying. I spend some time just simply focusing on the moment and being present so that I am not obsessive about the food afterwards, so that I'm not obsessive about whatever the next thing is. I could just simply be in the moment and appreciate the
moment. For what it is, because moments like this are so incredibly beautiful and they don't come very often. When you have worked so hard for something for so long and you put your blood, sweat, and tears into it, and you see the fruits of your labor unfold before your eyes, the last thing you want to do is rush through that moment and take it for granted and not give it the time that it's due by just simply being present and reflecting and being grateful.
I'm incredibly grateful for all those that have supported me on this journey. I'm incredibly grateful for my friends and my family. I've made it a point to call my parents more regularly throughout this prep, to talk to my brother, to call my family members, and to appreciate all of those around me and just the beauties that this world has to
offer. You know, there's so much greatness out there, and when you spend your life in the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day, constantly checking your e-mail notifications, your text messages and your Instagram DMS, you often times miss out on what all this world has to
offer. That's the last thing you want to do anyways, but most certainly the last thing you want to do when you're going through something that's very trying, very challenging, very difficult, and you don't want to distract from that because there's no telling when I'm going to do another prep. It may be five years before I do another prep. So the benefits that I glean from this prep need to last me well into the future.
And that arc is going to be much longer if I take the time now to soak in these moments and appreciate every little waking detail that it has to offer. So I would just encourage you all to do that very same thing regardless of what it is that you're doing in life. That is impressive.
Whether it is a prep or you're going through college or you're, you know, diving deeper into your relationship or whatever that case might be. Spirituality, whatever it is, just focus on it. Give it the time that it's it's due, Give it the time that it's worth. And don't let the the things in life that don't matter distract you from those that do. So that's, that's my two cents on this going into this competition. I'm very excited about this show.
We just got a few more days left to rock'n'roll. I'm going to give it my all, but I'm not going to let my tendency for obsessive Compulsive disorder to come in and create a negative. There's no benefit that's going to come from trying to make myself miserable. All the hard work has been done, the training has been done, the nutrition's been dialed in, The cardio has been accounted for.
I have a tendency to let my OCD create this sense of negativity in my life, in which case I want to do my best, and I equate being miserable to doing my best at this point in the game. No benefit would come from that. I need to just simply relax, take a breath, enjoy the moment, be at peace with the moment, and have fun. You know that at the end of the day, this whole thing is supposed to be fun. Like, you want to do a prep because it's fun. So if I'm making myself miserable, what am I
accomplishing in doing that? So yeah, I'm going to take these next few days, give it my all, but not allow myself to be miserable and truly just soak it all in and have fun and be present in the moment with those that have been with me from the very beginning and supported me all the way through. So thank you all so very much for tuning in. I certainly appreciate you all more than you know.
Hopefully this episode provided some clarity for where my mindset is at going into this last show and hopefully it was presented in such a way that you can apply it to your own life in some form or fashion. So again, we're going to have probably three more episodes similar to this.
We'll do one post show that kind of recounts what I did with that celebratory meal, what I did, you know, going into the start of the reverse diet and just thoughts of the show itself, what the, the judging criteria were, what the placements were,
all of that good stuff. And they'll probably do another two episodes or so with some of the people that are with me like Crystal, possibly Greg Chip, I don't know what, we'll come up with some some episodes for these next few weeks to get through this season of travelling for me and then we'll resume the normal podcast afterwards. So thanks again. I really appreciate y'all tuning in and listening and thank you all so much for the support and we will talk to you next time.