Why? by Anthony DeAngelis, NPC Competitor, Natural Pro Why do I get up at 6:00am stumble down the steps, take my Animal cuts with ice water, and walk briskly on my treadmill for 20 minutes, watching a bodybuilding DVD when on the tread covered in sweat? Eating egg whites and oats every morning for my pre contest diet, and some days, that meal feels like it will be coming back up instead of going down. I force it down regardless. Why do I have to pack four meals with me to take to my full-time job, and pass on tasty "treats" the office has to sample? Why do I go to the gym after eight hours of work, to endure a heavy and intense workout, training alone? Slamming a protein shake as my last set comes to halt. Why do I practice my posing every night, with the lowest energy levels humanly possible, force my last meal of broiled fish and vegetables down, go to bed, struggling to get between six to eight hours of sleep a night? Why do I repeat these rituals every day, to the exact measure for the next sixteen weeks? Why? Because I can control these things. If they are done it ensures me that my body will be at its best condition on contest day. Notice how I did not say "winning" on contest day. I have no control over the judging, how my other competitors train and diet or their genetics. I just control what I can do. You see, after the dust clears, as the attendance starts to empty out of the venue where the bodybuilding contest is held, late on a Saturday evening, I approach the judges and ask how I can improve for my next contest. I listen to what they say, take notes, and plan for my next attack. Why do I do this? Because feedback, good or bad, is what I need to improve my physique, not my placing. Again, I can't control my placing and I only worry about what I can control. I like the challenge of the process and seeing the finished product after long months of an off-season that includes heavy weights and a huge amount of good food. Injuries will occur, they are part of the game, and so is the occasional illness, all things that make you alter your basic training and diet protocol. This is the time when I need to be my strongest. I keep my eye on the future, the big prize, the light at the end of the tunnel. Why do I do all of this? Because I love it.