Never in my wildest dreams did I ever envision myself entering a bodybuilding contest. Frankly, the thought of stepping on stage wearing nothing but teeny tiny posing trunks frightened me. But beyond the fear was a lack of desire. There was no reason for me to compete… Until now.
This shift in mindset took place exactly 12 months ago when my friend, role model, and mentor Tom Venuto, author of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle and The Body Fat Solution came to visit us. After putting me through a grueling leg workout like I’ve never experienced before, Tom and I took a walk along the riverfront to get some of the lactic acid out of our legs. It was during that walk that Tom planted the seed of entering a bodybuilding contest into my mind.
Tom saw potential in me. He ignited a burning desire within me like I’ve never experienced before… and he did much more than that. He fed my belief system with examples of lightweight competitive bodybuilders who won the overall competition even against the heavyweights.
This was the moment when I first began to think like a Physique Artist. Tom started talking about the importance of symmetry, proportion, and balance. It was all about creating an optical illusion where a smaller guy (like me), could look more impressive than a guy who weighed 50 pounds more.
Thanks to these words of encouragement the doors of possibility had been swung wide open for me, but I still wasn’t quite ready to take that step outside of my comfort zone. I was content with following through with my goal of getting ripped six pack abs for my 36th Birthday and capturing that moment in a photo shoot.
That photo shoot made me realize that I did indeed have what it takes to sculpt a physique worthy of displaying on stage. But it also made me realize that if I was serious about competing I would need to put on some muscle. So I spent a few months focusing on gaining lean muscle mass. This was a whole new experience to me. It seemed like I had spent an eternity trying to get ripped and never dedicated any time to building muscle. It was exhilarating to see how my body responded and began to fill out. This elevated my confidence to a whole new level.
After gaining muscle I booked another photo shoot where I would capture my physique even more ripped than ever before. I decided to treat this “cutting phase” as if I was preparing to step on stage and compete. I really showed myself what I was made of and gained a great deal of insight into how my body responded to a bodybuilding contest diet. This experience built up my belief system so much that there was no looking back. I was going to compete… no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it.
Now it was time to search for a contest, so I began to ask my physique artist friends on Facebook, which natural bodybuilding contests they recommended. In the end, I decided upon the UFE Halloween Mayhem event on October 27th, 2012.
A short time later, local competitive bodybuilder Joey Flores suggested that I enter the Fouad Abiad Open on October 6th, 2012. That gave me three weeks less to prepare, but I was willing to accept the challenge. I was a little nervous about competing in a non-drug tested event, but I wanted the experience under my belt.
I still had a bit of fear in me, mainly because I had never attended a bodybuilding contest before. I really didn’t know what to expect. So, logically, my next step was to go see one. I drove two hours to watch the UFE Showdown… what an amazing experience!
The feeling of being in an auditorium surrounded by hundreds of like-minded women and men dedicated to sculpting their physiques and living to their fullest potential is indescribable. I felt “at home”. Like it was meant to be.
Pre-judging was general admission so I scoped out the theater for a great seat. I ended up sitting next to a BEAST of a man, competitive bodybuilder, and one heck of a great guy Adam Headland. We had some great conversations that really made me appreciate the bodybuilding culture.
I also got to see a highschool friend Maxine Deschenes compete for her first time in the female physique category. It’s pretty interesting to see so many of my friends in their mid to late 30’s deciding to enter bodybuilding contests. What is it that ignites this desire to compete at this point in our life?
When I sit back and think about the main reasons why I’ve become inspired to enter a bodybuilding contest, here’s what comes to mind…
Why I Decided to Enter a Bodybuilding Contest
I’m a competitor and always have been. A bodybuilding contest brings out the competitive spirit in me where I strive to do and become my very best.
Throughout my transformation journey this past year I have adopted the mindset of a Physique Artist with a focus on continuous growth and improvement. I have reached a point in my journey where entering a bodybuilding contest just makes sense. It’s a way to expand my comfort zone, to discover more about who I am, what I’m made of, all while striving to discover my true potential. It provides me with a great purpose. Something to train toward while living my life to the fullest.
I view my training as an art form and my body as a work of art. I am a Physique Artist… The bodybuilding competition stage is like an art gallery where I can display the hard work and effort that I have put into my craft… in hopes of inspiring others by the beauty of body sculpting.
It’s an event that ties into my transformation goal. Scheduling an event around your goal will make it more concrete, creating more urgency, and adding more emotion to the process.
I’ve become hooked on the process itself. It’s fascinating! I find great joy and happiness in the pursuit of self growth. Participating in the event itself is going to be absolutely incredible, but it’s everything leading up to the event where the greatest joy is experienced… and the journey will not end when the event is over. The path will lead me forward to even greater adventures.
It’s good for business. Unlike some fitness experts I prefer to walk the talk. I am a walking billboard for what my physique training programs are capable of producing. I receive a great deal of satisfaction through leading by example and witness others become inspired to take their body and lifestyle to the next level.
Simply for the love of the sport. I feel at home with the bodybuilding community. The support. The environment/atmosphere. The energy. The passion. It’s all contagious.
So there you have it. Off the top of my head, those are my main reasons for competing and the journey that brought me up to this point.
As of today (July 29th, 2012) I am 10 weeks out from winning my first bodybuilding contest… the Fouad Abiad Open held in Windsor Ontario on October 6th and 13 weeks out from winning my 2nd bodybuilding contest… the UFE Halloween Mayhem held in Hamilton Ontario on October 27th.
I will be recording every step of the process… the meals that I eat, the workouts that I perform, my thoughts and emotions, and every bit of the experience in the Metabolic Masterpiece Inner Circle with my fellow MM Physique Artists. I will be sure to share clips of the process here on the Metabolic Masterpiece blog too in hopes of that you will gain some valuable insights from my journey.
If there are any details in particular that you would like me to share, please do not hesitate to ask. Thank you for sharing this journey with me. You ROCK!
Sculpt a Masterpiece,
Scott Tousignant
PS Here are my current stats…
Competing in the lightweight division in both events
Height: 5’7″
Current weight: 157lbs
I’ll share photos and videos of my current conditioning in the next video in this series (very soon)
Body fat%: Don’t care… I train for looks and bodybuilding contests are judged on how you look, not what number shows up on the scale.
About The Author
Scott Tousignant, BHK, is a Certified Fitness Consultant with a passion for transforming fitness enthusiasts goal driven, dedicated, and voracious physique artists who take pride in their body, fitness, health, and lifestyle. Embraced by physique artists around the world, his Metabolic Masterpiece Body Sculpting Programs will guide you through the process of sculpting your body into a work of art, by applying what Scott has coined, The A.T.T.R.A.C.T. Formula.
With his synergistic, boredom busting body sculpting workouts you will melt stubborn fat and gain muscle while skyrocketing your metabolism!
The art of molding and chiseling an aesthetically pleasing physique with ideal proportions and spectacular symmetry is one of life’s most rewarding and fulfilling experiences. It’s an opportunity for self growth and self discovery that will impact every area of your life.