Update time, and once again I have failed to keep updating as the lean down / carb deplete bites, I will try really hard again next time to keep words coming!  Is very hard though when you barely have enough energy to wipe you nose, let alone hit a few keys on a keyboard - and in the right order to actually have some sense coming out at the other end once your fingers finish!  Tough enough having ex front-row fingers that point in all the wrong directions anyway!

So, Rarotonga, the Cook Islands, and the 4th NABBA Asia Pacific Championships.  How to describe the whole experience, well, in one word, superb.  A beautiful country, beautiful people, easy to get around the place, fantastic weather, and a bodybuilding competition thrown in for good measure. 

Those of you who follow the world of bodybuilding will already have the results.  I took the overall Mr Athletic title in what would have to be my hardest contest yet.  She was tough going, some pretty decent physiques out there, but thanks to trainer Teresa, she got my body to the right place at the right time and on the night, that was good enough for the judges.

It was a hell of a battle though, we got a pair of scales from the helpful people down at the Muri Beach Resort, and were weighing in, and out weights were staying over and above the limit.  And with a night weigh in, it is even more difficult to hit your target.  It was only on the day of the weigh in that I finally nudged under my target of 80.5kg, hitting 80.3kg before heading to weigh in.  And as we had no idea if the scales were accurate or not compared to the official ones, even more nerve racking.  However, I hopped on the scales as soon as they arrived, and with tee and shorts, came in at 80.3kg, and when the official weight was taken a half hour later, sans tee shirt and after another pee, my contest weight for the books was 79.8kg.  What a week of nerves as the weight did not come off.  The entire Friday's menu consisted of melon and sipping of water so as to stay alive - no more and no less!!

My battle to get the weight down though was nothing compared to Vanessa's.  She struggled, the weight just not shifting over the final few days.  Thursday night was her D-day, and she ran.  With my weight still not down, I tried to run with her, but failed miserably - my tanks were bone dry, so as she powered off into the distance, I walked!  With the temperature around 29 degrees, it was horrible.  But I think it was this run that saw Ness make the grade on Friday night, but it was still a struggle, as she weighed in at 54.1kg, 100 GRAMS over.  So she took her tee-shirt off, and re-weighed in wearing just her knickers.  Result, acute embarrassment, and 53.9kg game day weight.  Certainly not the way we want to do things in the future!

Anyway, Vanessa went on to place second in her over 35 figure category.  She certainly was not in the best shape she has been in lean-ness wise, but the shape of her body was the best it has been.  The struggle to get the weight down though, was horrible.  Ness puts muscle on very easily, and perhaps there was basically just too much muscle, and the lean down left too late.  At any rate, we debrief with Teresa on Monday, and will plan accordingly for the coming few weeks.  Suffice to say, leaner, and the same 'shape' the order of the day.

So when Teresa our trainer said to me that this was going to be the hardest lean down she has given anyone in the lead up to the Asia pacific Championships, she was not joking!  But when the results came in at the end of the night, it was worth the effort and pain!  It was a tough night at the office on stage too, with the first round of poses seeing my calves cramp at every opportunity, me having to slam my foot down to almost 'recock' them each time I moved around for another pose.  It was tough, and after the forth and final round of comparisons, I was ready to drop.  But as you are standing there flexing, the thoughts going through your mind to just keep going, that the other blokes sweating it up and puffing and panting are also doing it hard, so just keep going, crack it out as best you can, and hope you are doing enough.

As per usual, it is not until you are at home and looking at photos until you start seeing who you have beaten and what they look like.  I never 'check out' the opposition pre contest, as frankly, I don't care what they look like, there is nothing I can do about anything on their bodies, so who really gives a flying proverbial about how they look.  It's time to focus inwards and make sure everything that you do is spot on, and then leave all decisions in the laps of the gods.  Anyway, there were some pretty good physiques out there, so Nationals are going to be just as tough, with no doubt a few other physiques hidden in the woodwork that did not travel over to Raro.

Pairs we placed second, but had a great time, and still get a touch confused about the judging criteria's.  Maybe we'll give this a miss in the future, as we get conflicting feedback and views all the time, and at the end of the day, maybe it is just not worth the time and the effort.  But it was fun, and we pulled out coiuple of lifts that had the crowd pretty stoked!  I even managed to not cock things up in the morning routine, but Ness did, so I was stoked!!  Then in the evening show it was my turn to make an error or three, but we didn't foul up the lifts, and had a fun time.

Raro though, what a place - my vote, not that this world has too many democracies, is to have the Championships in Rarotonga every year.  I heard NABBA are looking at having it in the Philippines next year, I hope not, we'll struggle to get there - just too expensive to get there in the first place, and then when you are there too dangerous by all accounts.  Certainly would not be the stress free environment that you get in Raro' - no problems for anything there, transport, food, currency even (NZ dollars), and the weather perfect.  Spending a few days in Raro' after the contest was a highlight too, slothing on the beaches, visiting resort pools and ripping into some cocktails (A Snickers, believe it or not, yum), all those athletes who had to rush home, next year, if in Raro, stay a few days!

Update over - had first gym session today, and am soo ready to train hard it was hard to hold myself back and just keep to programme.  But did, and feel grand as the sights re-calibrate for Nationals.  Ness was going to gym, but the annual Whangamata Fun runs were happening - so she jumped in and did the 10 K - 45 or so minutes, not bad considering the last time she ran was last years 10k!!!  Who says bodybuilding is bad for your health!!  She was beating all these girls we have seen around the place training like mad, just quietly, I was stoked. 

For more photos of Rarotonga, go here to the Oversize facebook page (I think it works, still getting my carb addled head around FB)!!