A typical days eating will look like this:

- bowl of oatmeal
- protein drink

- can of tuna
- garden salad

- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 baked potato

- protein drink

- steak
- steamed veggies
- 1 cup of rice

- protein drink

I also salt my food and even add a couple shakes of salt to my protein drinks. This may seem off the wall to most people. But I find that if I don't add salt to my diet I get bad muscle cramps when training. Don't worry you will not retain water, your body will adjust to a higher salt intake within a few days and as long as you are drinking lots of fluids your body will flush out any excess water.

I don't try and lift too heavy in the gym because I know that I will not gain any new muscle during the last month before a contest, I am just trying to maintain my muscle mass and get leaner. I basically have my posing routine down pat. At this stage I just want to keep my bodyfat low and allow my skin to get tighter and thinner to really bring out the definition. The temptation to cheat on my diet is very strong now. It is very important not too cheat. I keep my eye on the finish line and know that the dieting will be all over soon.

I do not carb deplete or carb load during the last week. I have tried all kinds of crazy stuff like this in the past and I found that it is best to just diet right up to the day of the show. But I will increase my water intake to about 2 gallons per day. I will stop all training a couple days before the contest to let my body rest and recover.

The night before the contest I will mix up 1 cup of red wine and 50 ml of glycerine and sip this before going to bed. This helps to fill out the muscles. Glycerine temporarily draws water inside the muscle cells making them fuller. I will have the wine and glycerine again early Saturday morning. Glycerine is also a mild laxative, so it will help eliminate any bloating.

Friday night and all day Saturday I will eat small meals of high fat foods like steak, eggs, peanut butter, peanuts, french fries, and protein bars. I do not drink a lot of water, usually just enough to wash my food down. But I will have a couple cups of coffee during the day because caffeine is a mild diuretic. I also take herbal diuretic capsules on Friday and Saturday to help get rid of the excess water under my skin.

I go to the tanning salon about 3 times per week during the pre-contest. So the only pre-contest tanning agent that I use is Dream Tan. I will put a coat on the morning of the show and another coat on about 30 minutes prior to going on stage. Dream Tan works great and it has oil in the tan so you do not need to use additional posing oils.

When I go to the contest I take along my walkman and a tape of my posing music with me. I try to find a place by myself back stage so I can practice my posing routine. By doing this, my routine is fresh in my mind before going on stage in front of the audience and judges.

When pumping up before going on stage I will do some light, high rep, upper body exercises such as push ups, bent over rows, bicep curls, etc.. with a rubber fitness band. Never pump up the legs, legs always look and flex better when they are not pumped. I will sip red wine while pumping up, the sugar and alcohol in the wine help to bring out the veins. Do not pump up too much because it will make you shake when you pose. Just warm up and get the blood flowing to the muscles.

And the last thing that I recommend is to go out there and have a good time. Be confident and proud of your accomplishments and put on a good show for the crowd. At this stage you have done all you can do, now it is up to the judges to decide the rest.