What It's Like For A First Time Competitor

Calvin and Brooke Masters: You've counted every calorie, tried every diet, spent hours in the gym, and still something's missing. You want more than just weight loss. You want your energy back. You want your confidence restored. You want a way of living that doesn't feel like punishment. Welcome to Master Your Metabolism, where we cut through the noise, ditch the fads, and give you a real plan to become the healthiest, strongest version of you. hosted by our team of expert coaches with proven strategies, science-based tips, and real life encouragement, not just to help you lose fat, but actually create that lifestyle that you love. You've tried everything. Now, let's try what actually works. This is your turning point. Let's go. Brooke Masters: Hey there, everybody. Welcome, welcome to Master Your Metabolism. And today we are joined by two very fresh new competitors that just competed at the Tampa Pro with us. We have Anna Luperta, the banana, and the Anthony Russell. And I thought it would be, and of course, Calvin Masters can't forget about the coach. Calvin Masters: What is that Brooke Masters: But I thought it would be really cool topic to interview a couple of competitors who have never stepped on stage before last weekend. It was an experience that they both kind of decided to on their own. So I wanted to kind of have each of them share their story, what they learned, and just kind of a little bit about the experience that most people might not know. So, Anna, what Calvin Masters: Well, first of all, let's see. Anthony, you did men's physique. And then Anna was women's physique. So so with that intro, I'll let you let you guys take it. Brooke Masters: Yes, yeah. And and just to keep in mind, for those of you that don't know competitions, like the Tampa Pro was a big show for the two of them doing for their first Calvin Masters: Very scary one for the first show. Brooke Masters: show. So Anna, I'm gonna have you start off with like what made you decide to compete? Anna: So a year before I was doing a lot of like self growing and going out of my comfort zone and putting myself out there 'cause I'm very like shy and I don't like people looking at me and attention or like anything. but last year I did a lot Brooke Masters: Seems like a good sport. Anna: of wait what? Brooke Masters: It seems like a good sport to get into. Anna: Yeah. but the year before I was putting myself out there a lot and I got more comfortable with people like acknowledging me and noticing me and stuff like that. So my friend actually suggested that I should compete because she worked with you guys and sent you photos and you guys thought competing would be a good idea as well. so after thinking about it I thought, Okay, let me really go outside of my comfort zone and like step on a stage and compete. there was like no thought in it at all actually. didn't think about the posing or anything. I was just thinking about like the stepping on the stage part. so definitely not like not a lot of thought. Calvin Masters: Yeah. I think that's very common with with newbies Brooke Masters: Yeah. Calvin Masters: is that they they see what you look like on stage, they see how how fit everybody looks and that's what they want they want. They want to achieve that. So they don't put as much thought into all the other things that go around into it, like the sacrifice and and the things that you have to do to get to that point. Kind of going back that bodybuilders are the leanest people in the world, you know, and it is an extreme sport. So I think it shocks a lot of new people when they come in because they are like, wow, what did I sign up for to get to that Brooke Masters: Mm-hmm. Calvin Masters: point that this is not just we're just gonna, you know, tighten up the food a little bit, do a little bit of cardio. And I and it's very much a it's very much a science, you know, it's not a boot camp style weight loss thing where you're trying to do 30 pounds in a month. This has to be finished because you have to keep the muscle, you know, that's the main thing in bodybuilding is you lose a fat, but you have to keep the muscle. Right. And so backstory with Anna, her coaches at Project Sweat. Sweat shout out to Project Sweat and and Del Ray. And so her coaches were clients of ours, great girls. And so they actually gave Anna a really good transformation. You know, they did an amazing job with her. And so that's really when they said, Okay, you might be ready for the next level because Anna had a good amount of muscle, you know, that she she did. And so they suggested that she came in and so kind of how Anna had mentioned, she didn't really know what she was getting into. She was just kind of in the momentum of the moment, you know, and and rolled into it, not knowing and putting a lot of trust. And and I'll say, Anna, in the beginning, when you came on with me and and saw my style of coaching Verseris, I know there was a lot of questions. You know, you know, why is he changing Anna: A lot of questions. Calvin Masters: so much? And what's going on? What was going through your head when I was doing this? Did you think I already already lost my mind and Were you already thinking, What did you sign up for or what? Anna: honestly I was a little like hesitant. I didn't really like trust like what you were doing 'cause I was used to the lifestyle part of it and more or less just lifestyle of like building up the macros and that's all we were focusing on was build like we were cutting, but then after the cut we were building up and that's what I was used to. And you were like doing the carb. cycling and changing it and I like, Well why are we changing it if like I'm dropping? You know, like I don't like it was just weird to me and I was like, I don't know if this is working. I feel like I'm still under eating. I shouldn't I be building? I definitely questioned you a lot in the beginning. Like the first like couple of months I was very like not sure. Like Brooke Masters: Which you should, which you should. And I always tell people it's good that you have questions Calvin Masters: Yeah. It's good it's a good question. You learned a lot though, right? Brooke Masters: because if your coach is a really good coach, he should be able to answer the questions and make you feel more comfortable. And I think there were a lot of times that you did have questions, but he was able to kind of explain to you why he was doing what he was doing. Anna: Yeah, every time. Calvin Masters: Yeah, absolutely. Anna: Yeah. Calvin Masters: My advice to newbies is when you go in, especially with a new coach, you know, that you hear a lot, trust the process, right? that's not always very reassuring in the beginning, because you can't always trust the process unless you trust your coach. And Brooke Masters: Yes. Calvin Masters: so this is where you have to ask questions. And and I agree with what Brooke says is that you want the coach to be in alignment with that, inviting questions and willing to answer them in detail, right? So you understand and so you have to earn trust with the new client. You have to show them and you don't expect to have the trust in the beginning because you haven't laid the foundation down. They haven't seen how you work. So you build that trust and that relationship over time. So asking the questions, you know, like you were doing, you know, it was a great thing to do as a newbie. And I think a lot of people come in, they're afraid to do that, and they can't end up in a bad situation because they didn't ask the questions and and also When you're looking for coaches, it's good to interview coaches. It's Brooke Masters: Yes. Calvin Masters: good to ask around. Now I will say that coaches are going to tell you what you want to hear, you know. And you know, they're a salesman like anything else, but you have to kind of find the one that resonates with you, that's willing to work with you, that understands you and is willing to learn to understand you in the process. And would you would you say, Anna, in the process that you did gain trust in me as a coach? Anna: yeah, for sure. Yeah, no, a hundred percent. Yeah. Yeah. no for sure, 'cause Brooke Masters: Better say it now before he has your carbs in the in his hands right now. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Anna: like any question I asked you always explained it and like you were very patient. I I mean still now I ask like a thousand questions, so you're always explaining everything. So and what we've seen since I've worked for you guys for the last year, like there's no reason why I wouldn't like trust you. Like it shows my blood work and all that stuff has like night and day, so Calvin Masters: Yeah, with Anna's blood work, she came in and and had quite a few things that were off coming into it that she didn't know because, you know, when when you have blood work run through a physician, that it's very minimal. It's just the basics. They're looking for disease. They're not, you know, they're looking within clinical range. And so as a coach, a functional coach, you have to look at a bigger picture. And so you need a full panel and you look at things. So she was seeing markers on there that had never been tested. So she had no idea these things were off. And I'm talking across the board, you know, liver enzymes, insulin, all the things, you know, going in with this. So we had to fix all this. And we also had a time limit at the same time. So we started fixing periodically in the beginning, but during the process of the prep, we were able to clean those labs up to pristine, to a perfect set of labs. The only thing left with that was still high was cortisol coming out of the prep as we tested, which is actually kind of normal in a prep to have that. But usually in a lot of cases, preps are known to downregulate hormones. So it usually starts off good, but then ends up kind of a mess. You did the opposite. You actually went from labs that were busted up to actually clean labs. So this to me was a was a big victory. One, because you're a new person coming in and we really want to emphasize longevity and and enjoying the sport. And building into it. You know, I think a lot of people focus on super focused on winning right away. Winning right away. They don't want to earn their stripes. You know, you go in, but you you grow into it. But your most important aspect is always going to be your health. And it shouldn't be compromised because you're in prep. So prep can be healthy. It is extreme. It is going to push your limits and it is going to push to the point at the end of leanness that your body doesn't want to go to. And that will happen. But it's still fixing it and making sure that you're in a healthy place. And so we achieved that with yours, so which shows that you're gonna improve as time progresses through this and grow into this sport. You're gonna be a force to be reckoned with because of it. Brooke Masters: Yep, for sure. For sure. I can't wait to see what Anna: No, I I'm definitely excited. Yeah, I'm excited for the off season. Brooke Masters: Yeah. And Anthony, Anthony got started anthony russell: Here. Brooke Masters: with us also. So let's Calvin Masters: Yeah. Brooke Masters: hear your story, Anthony. What made you think about jumping on stage? anthony russell: Yeah, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. Brooke Masters: Okay. anthony russell: I wanted to see kind of what my body could do before I turn thirty. I'm approaching that this year. I know that may not seem crazy for a lot of people, but for me it was just to see kind of where I would get to or what I could do. I've always been in the gym, but I've never had like an actual strict plan or program. So I was always just kind of a bigger guy, you know, just with mass, but I never had, you know, I was never cut, never defined, and just wanted to kind of see what I could do. and so that's when I kind of just got connected with Calvin and wanted to kind of start. really just initially in my head was a lifestyle change, but then it kind of was automatically like, well, if I'm doing this, let me step on stage, you know, let me see what I could do. with zero intentions of doing well in it, just kind of doing it to check it off the list. that kind of is what drove me to get started. Not at all what I expected. I definitely thought, especially leading into prep, everything that I see online and other people where I hate my life, I'm not gonna eat anything and I'm gonna be doing an hour of cardio fasted, like every single thing that I saw and was expecting, I didn't have with this process and still able to lose a lot of weight and get ready for the stage. that was one of the biggest things that I wasn't expecting. I'm happy about it. still went days or you know, weeks or months where I was, you know, hungry and eating less, but never to the point of like starvation, wanna die. cardio, I was shocked the whole time Calvin had me on my program. I think the max I ever did was thirty five minutes of steady state cardio, five days a week. So that was definitely a switch for me. But then he really just focused in on areas of my life that I needed to improve on as well, like stress. Didn't know that was an actual thing when it came to the body. I live in stress my whole life. Calvin Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: and then even like leading up to prep, you know, the last little bit where Calvin would like get mad at me if he saw me online at night when I should be sleeping. Like it was and all that stuff, you know, is like I never really thought about it. I was just like, let's just get me cut up and step on stage and then So that was a big thing. And then I got really addicted to like the posing and then seeing how it would work. And definitely now that I've done it, what I will prep is like going into the next prep. Like it's it's all mindset. The physical side of it, I don't mean to like sound a certain way, but it's the easier part. Brooke Masters: Yes. anthony russell: pushing your body. Calvin did a great job of pushing mine. I think we could have gone further, like Calvin said, if I did like a later show, a hundred percent. Still happy with what happened, but Definitely now knowing going into prep and then the day of, the day before, how to do it, what to be thinking, and then getting on stage. So I'm glad we kinda did the first one. Was not expecting to be in front of like hundreds of people. So thanks Calvin for that. completely what I Calvin Masters: That was the biggest crowd I've seen since like a national show. anthony russell: It's crazy. I walked in, I was like, there's no way this is happening right now. Because Brooke Masters: Yeah. Calvin Masters: Yeah both of you. anthony russell: there's no going back at that point. You step on stage and it's like, okay. Brooke Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: Luckily, Calvin told me from the beginning. Yeah, me, Calvin Masters: I I was excited and nervous for you at the same time. anthony russell: me too, man. And so the whole time Calvin was like, Listen, you need to focus on the judges and the first judge. Judges and the first judge. So I heard the crowd. I I heard Calvin's voice. I heard Book's voice. I heard my friends' voice. Anna's and everybody. But I would literally was just able to focus in on the coach and I wasn't nervous or anything like that after the first time on stage, but definitely up here now mentally and seeing my body, like definitely areas to improve on after the pictures and videos. so Calvin and I could work through that. And then what I wanna see going forward though is like more work with like the blood work, managing that, knowing understanding my body a little bit more. And tired of being the guy that everybody says, It's time to put weight back on. So Calvin, we're about to put on some masks, all right, 'cause everybody wants me to put weight back on. So it was good. Yeah. Brooke Masters: Yeah. Calvin Masters: We're gonna do it right. You're gonna have a different Brooke Masters: I it. Calvin Masters: physique come out. Well Brooke Masters: I love it. And just to give you guys an idea, too. So the day of the show when we're walking in through the venue, the line to get into the venue with all the people went to the front of the building. And then the first day when it pre-judging, and we went up the stairs, I'm trying to calm Anna down. And as soon as we get to the top of the stairs, they're saying, Okay, physique, time to line up downstairs. She literally just walked upstairs. She did not have her shine on for her tan. She did not do her pump up. She had nothing. And the poor thing was standing there looking at me. But Calvin said that I have to do the dance Anna: Okay. Brooke Masters: and I have to take my pre-workout. I'm like, I know, honey, but like we don't have time. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Brooke Masters: And there's someone literally pulling her by the arm, dragging her downstairs. And I'm like, hey, buddy, like it's her first show. And they're like, okay, don't worry. I'll take care of her. And grabbed her. Come on. We got three minutes. And So the poor thing the poor thing that was her like first Calvin Masters: That's Bill. Everybody knows Bill. It's competed. He but he's my go to guy, yeah. Brooke Masters: experience like jumping on stage. Calvin Masters: Well, Anna: I Calvin Masters: I am just I was just super proud because one of the things that really stood out with you two that I mean, first of all, your stories, both of you have something very unique that you brought to prep that I'll talk about in a minute. But but I was really proud when I saw you on stage with your stage presence. Brooke Masters: Yes. Calvin Masters: And that's something that I think a lot of competitors don't consider when they go into it their first show. They're th they're looking at their physique and just trying to remember their routine, you know, and they get nervous, their legs are shaken. But a big part of the coaching and and where you guys really stepped up was you didn't look like newbies when you're on stage. You guys got up there, it looked like you were having fun. The confidence was oozing coming out of you. And Brooke Masters: Yep. Yep. Calvin Masters: for me as a coach, when I see that, that's a huge win. That's a huge win because your stage presence is a big part. They do have markings with this, but that shows that you want to be there and that you're happy to be there and you're enjoying the process, you know. at at the end of the day when it's all over, you want have a good memory and you want to learn to love it and then grow into it and all that. And you guys just stepped up. I was just there was and and both walked away with top five finishes. I mean just amazing. You know, it was just a a great day all together. And then I was a like, go ahead. anthony russell: Yeah, I think I think sorry, what one of the I talked to Anna about this today too. I have a great relationship with my dad, a hundred percent. But when I when Calvin met me behind stage after it was all done and I had a medal, seeing like that like a proud dad moment and everything, it was crazy to get from like a coach. Like we did this together. Like I did every single thing Calvin told me. I trust I trust Jesus Christ, my parents, and Calvin. Like it was in that order. It was like Calvin, what am I Brooke Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: doing? I'm taking this. Calvin's force feeding me Reese cups, you know, right before going on stage, and Calvin Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: he's like, You need this. I was like, Okay, you don't gotta tell me twice. So kind of just seeing it from start to finish. Yeah. Brooke Masters: My arm. Calvin Masters: That may be my next tattoo. It with that same just anthony russell: I told I told Anna, I like, the amount of steps Calvin did the day up too, 'cause you were going upstairs, downstairs, upstairs, downstairs. I was like, 'cause there's no form of communication. So Seeing that out of him and and Brooke and everybody, especially like afterwards and it wasn't just like a bucket listing for me now. This is more of a lifestyle. I wanna continue to do it. I think it's a great being surrounded by everybody who's on the same path, but definitely just like the feeling of accomplishment. And now you want to do better than, you know, fifth, you wanna do better than fourth, you want to place, you wanna do the next one. So it's a little bit addicting for anybody who wants to get into it, but it's a good addiction, I think, you know, once it's done the right way. Brooke Masters: Yeah, and I and Anna: Well Brooke Masters: I agree definitely when it's done the right way. And you hear people that have these horrible experiences, it's like, no, it it should be like a really a life-changing event. Like you had such a great experience and you walked away and you like want to do it again because anthony russell: Uh-huh. Brooke Masters: it is. It's so much growth. It's in so many ways. It's physical, but it's also just like Anna said, it's just something having to do with the growth and personal growth and development of who you want to become. You just always want to grow and and get better and improve. Anna: I Calvin Masters: Yeah. Anna: no, seeing Calvin after walking off stage after finals, like I like he I don't think I've seen him so proud and happy. Like I like, my god, like I could like see it on his face and it was like just raiding off of him and it was like amazing to see that, you know? 'cause my family doesn't they don't understand the bodybuilding thing. So to have him like there and then to show how happy and proud he was, like that made it even better. anthony russell: Yeah. Anna: And even with the crazy prejudging thing, like yeah, it was crazy, but honestly, like I still had a blast. a little hectic, my head was spinning, but like Calvin like found me like right before I went on stage and like calmed me down, which is very helpful. because I was like Yeah. Did the Brooke Masters: And then Anthony gave her a Reese's cup and then all life was anthony russell: Exactly. Anna: Reese's cup, yeah, I just even after that like anthony russell: Yeah. Anna: hecticness I would still do it all over again. Brooke Masters: Mm-hmm. anthony russell: That's one thing though I'll also say about not to boost Calvin up too much, but he needed he was calm. Like he's Brooke Masters: Yeah. Calvin Masters: That's okay. Yeah. anthony russell: done it all the time, I get it. But you have me who's naturally anxious, Anna who has the same thing. But during show Anna: Yeah. anthony russell: day, other than Calvin being, you know, late the first day, it was like, All right, we're good, Anna: Yeah. anthony russell: set, awesome. Nope, time to do this. Like there wasn't Calvin Masters: I don't know how it wasn't. anthony russell: any sense of like freaking out from Calvin. So for me, going into it. I had no worries 'cause I was like, I'm just gonna do what says, it's good. Him and Brooke, if they tell me to do this, I was that gave me like peace. And so that made the day of being a rookie like easier. Now it's something like we could talk about, you know, going towards the next one, like how we'll do it. Just a lot more clarity and peace of mind kind of and now we know to kinda tell Calvin it's an hour earlier than what's supposed to be. So we Anna: Yeah. You Brooke Masters: You guys, it's the rule. It's Anna: do need to do that. Brooke Masters: how we live. Calvin Masters: Well, and Anna: Yeah. Calvin Masters: now you guys have their baseline set. So you've done the first anthony russell: Yeah. Calvin Masters: show. So you know from this point, this the main goal is to keep improving as we go. And that's what makes it fun. You know, that's where you find your wins. It's I'll repeat it again, is in this sport you have to find your own victories. Never forget that. And if you do that, you'll always enjoy the sport. Never rely on the judge's call to bring happiness to you because you don't know you could get a different panel of judges and get a different you know, lineup. completely, you know. And so that's at work, that's on the checklist of what we want to do. We want to win. We want to try to work our way to first. But that shouldn't be the dominating factor. You know, it's there should be wins before you even step on that stage. So that you you no matter what happens, you already know you're there, you know? And that's a very key thing, a very key thing that I think is for newbies especially, and even some of the veterans, you know, that they They allow it to kind of get into their soul and kind of, you know, tarnish it a little bit and have bad things to say about it. But it's it's this is a sport at the end of the day. So so for me, this, you know, this is my second year as a pro. And I went up there and I ended up coming in flat. You know, I was my physique was looking the best. It's probably at least as good as it's looked before. So I was having a good shot, but we kind of misfired on the peak and I came a little bit flat. Did not deserve to be in the top five because I didn't show up the best that day. I'm fine with that. I'm fine with that. That's a lesson learned. So you'll always learn more from the times that you don't win than the times that you do. So there's always value in that. So you take that value and use that to improve. And this is the same thing you do in life because life is the same way. You're not always going to win. You can, the lesson that I took away from this is that you can give your best. You can come in at your best. And it's not always gonna be enough to win the the show, right? But that's okay. You have to find your victories in the way there and enjoy the process and be proud of what you achieved and just no take that data, what needs to be improved, and you take it and you go forward. And if you just bring those little improvements each show, you're gonna get to the top eventually. So this was a great takeaway for me. Now I'm gonna compete again at Max Fit. With Anna and with Brooke. And unfortunately Anthony won't be there. We would love to have had you, but but you got vacation. anthony russell: Next one. Calvin Masters: So yeah. So next one. And I already know that this will be the toughest show that I've ever done in my history of competing. So going into it, I'm gonna try like hell to get top five. But to be honest, I'm just proud to be on stage with these guys, you know, and proud to be doing this and and trying to set an example. But I do feel like as an example to my clients. It's gonna be how you handle the losses more than how you handle the victories. You know, so it's because there's a lot to be learned from it. And so I'm gonna get off my my soapbox now. And I just want to say for Anthony's prep, what was really kind of interesting too is when looking at your original pictures and when we estimated the weight where you were gonna land, Anthony has one of those physiques, and I'm and I'm sure any coaches listening to this have had this before. That you estimate, he's probably about 35 pounds. No, no, no. We went 50 plus pounds and still going, still going. And that was a big drop. You know, 50 pounds is a very big drop for prep. And Brooke Masters: Yes. Calvin Masters: I tell you what, Anthony was just on point. And thank goodness for that. Because even with that, that we had to keep cutting, keep cutting, and he was so patient about it because he was consistently dropping. And you say, how we were looking and I'm like, well, we're not there yet. We're not there yet. And so we have to keep going. You know, we see the abs starting to come in. We're almost there, almost there. And but it just kept going and and going. And and I estimated, I think, probably ten pounds more than where you landed originally, maybe fifteen. And anthony russell: you said one ninety at first. I was like, All right, cool. And then we Calvin Masters: Yeah, yeah. anthony russell: got to one eighty five, nope, and then one seventy seven is what I was on stage with. Calvin Masters: Yeah. So it's so that's another thing to remember as for some competitors is that whatever weight you think you're going to end up, it's most likely going to be 10 pounds less than that. You Brooke Masters: Or more. Calvin Masters: know, so be ready mentally for that. And and also to kind of circle back around the thing with bodybuilding is you when the leaner you get, you don't want to see four pound drops in a week. Brooke Masters: Right. Calvin Masters: So that can destroy your physique. And and it's at the end of the day, they judges don't care what your weight loss was, how much you lost per week. They want to see a nice, full, rounded physique that's lean. And that's what you have to achieve. So you have to regulate it. And this is where it can be very testing for a competitor as you're just, you're just fired up. You're fired up and and the weight's coming down. You're hitting that one and a half, two pounds a week, but it's still not showing. It's still not showing you have to stick with it. You have to keep going because it will get there. But if you rush it and do like the boot camp style, Go out and do the classes and cut the calories down and all that stuff, you're not gonna have a bodybuilding physique at the end. So it's it can be patience. But now that we know he's been on stage, Anna's been on stage, now we have that baseline, we have the data to build on. And and that's for first time competitors. No as you build that data. That's why it's smart when you believe in your coach to stick with your coach because they have that collected data to improve on, you know. And then So we know with Anthony where he is. And and yes, if he had a couple more weeks, we could have got him even leaner and and got him even a better placing. But at the end of the day, he did really well and looked really great on stage. Great physique Brooke Masters: Really well. Yep. Calvin Masters: because he did it. He he was patient about it. He didn't try to rush it. And I was really impressed with his physique. Really impressed. And in his stage presence, it was he was just having a blast up there. The whole bleak thing anthony russell: That was fun. Calvin Masters: when you raise your arm up and you're like, Displaying the I about fell out of my seat when you did that. It's like, it's my boy. Show me. Yeah, so. anthony russell: Yeah. Brooke Masters: That was it. Yeah. But I'll tell you, yeah, but the two of them, it's what makes what makes a great anthony russell: It was good. It's entertaining. It's fun. Brooke Masters: competitor is the consistency. And the two of you were so on point the entire time. So it was just, it was like the perfect storm of you have a coach that's giving you direction. You have the client that is just following to a T. So it's very predictable. And You know, in Calvin's mind, he knew exactly what was happening. In your mind, you had to kind of trust that Calvin was doing it, but to kind of know like from both sides and know like what that's like of not knowing. Okay, does is this really gonna happen? Is this really am I gonna make it to stage? Because I know when I competed my first time, I was like, I don't know what this is what's even gonna be happening here. And it's really scary to have that much trust in someone when you are changing your body composition so much. And you are getting that lean. And you're, you know, again, and knowing that things with your labs and our intention and our expertise and how Calvin does things and how he judges things. So I know that's a lot for you guys to be able to kind of keep that in mind. But the two of you, the reason you both did so well and enjoyed the process so much is because you all just killed it. You followed everything to a T and I know it's hard because people around you don't get it, like you both mentioned. Like they're not. They it's it's not Calvin Masters: Yeah. Brooke Masters: something you can kind of explain to people unless you're in it. And both of you guys were in it, and despite all the noise, you all were able to stay laser focused. And that's really what it takes to be a true competitor. And to be able to be in this sport and be able to be successful in this sport, you have to be able to block it out. But I think that was a cool thing for me also is like backstage hearing some of the other people that are there and the stories and the people you get to meet. It's like when Calvin Masters: Yeah. Brooke Masters: you immerse yourself around people that are just really trying to do better and get better and in that same type, like it's a really cool process. So I would have to ask both of you, like Calvin Masters: It really is. Thank you. Brooke Masters: what was something that you got out of prep that you weren't anticipating that you were going to like feel or experience during a prep? anthony russell: I could eat the same thing every single day. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Brooke Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: And and absolutely enjoy it. But also how my body now reacts to when it's not clean. even now during the reverse, I'm staying clean, I'm eating more of to whatever Calvin has me doing. But yes, the the post show meal was great, you know? But now I remember I just don't like this feeling. And it's not like putting it aside for life. I guess enjoy life. Calvin and Brooke were huge advocates for that as well. But it's like I I kind of understand my body better now than before, which is great. As I'm getting older I'm understanding it. but definitely getting used to that lifestyle, eating wise, and knowing just to better analyze everything that I'm eating. but being able to enjoy it. So I wasn't expecting any of that as well. And I was expecting like to to eat horrible stuff throughout the whole prep. The actually note the absolute worst experience about this prep I'll put on the podcast was the drink that Calvin made me drink the week of. the gut health Calvin Masters: Get help. anthony russell: drink. my Brooke Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: gosh. But it did its job. Yeah, we'll we'll do a next time. Yeah. It was definitely memorable 'cause I I've never had Calvin Masters: There are some tricks to kind of spruce that up a little bit. I'll sh I'll tell you after. But I had to make it a little bit rough for you. Brooke Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: to hold my breath while I was drinking something before, but it it definitely worked. So definitely just understanding my body and what it could eat and kind of funnel through a lot better. Much better. Brooke Masters: Nice. What about you, Anna? Anna: You thought you thought the drink was that bad? I don't I don't think it's that bad. I anthony russell: It was horrible. Anna: mean I wouldn't drink it for fun, but I don't think it was like anthony russell: I may have been doing it wrong, but I followed the measurements and maybe next time I'll get one with some better flavoring or or a liquid, but yeah, it was it was pungent for sure. Anna: Really? yeah, I don't know. I'm still drinking it now, actually. On number two, and I'm Calvin Masters: It's it's required they anthony russell: Yeah, no. Anna: like, it is what it is. one thing so the food I kinda already like was on point with from previous coaches, so that wasn't really a big eye opener. I think the one thing that I wasn't expecting is how hard it was gonna be to like drop the weight. Like when I first did a weight loss thing, with Project Sweat, it was easy. Like the weight was just coming off and then also I didn't have like a goal weight, so that was easy 'cause I was just like, I just wanna look better, you know? I didn't really care about the scale or really anything specific. But with this we were like trying to hit a certain number and like when the scale wasn't moving like that, I like, wow, this is like way different than what I've done before, like with dropping weight. that and like the posing, definitely didn't realise I was gonna enjoy it as much as I did. took a little bit, but after I got through it I realised like wow I actually like the posing. I actually enjoy it and it's gonna be a little weird not doing it every day. What? And Brooke Masters: And she enjoyed makeup. And she wore makeup and enjoyed it and thought she looked beautiful. Anna: loved it. And actually loved it. Calvin Masters: And got a compliment on her posing after too, which was really cool. Anna: Yeah. Brooke Masters: Yeah. Calvin Masters: Yeah, so Brooke Masters: And the posing anthony russell: One thing I definitely saw a sorry gun. Brooke Masters: Yeah. No, I was just gonna say the posing for physique for women, it's a routine. It is not just front and back like it anthony russell: Yeah, Anna killed it. Brooke Masters: is ph physique and bikini. Like Anna had a full-on choreographed episode. Like it was Anna: Yeah. Brooke Masters: incredible. So to first time competitor to jump on stage with a routine that was choreographed the way it was, like girl, that was very impressive that you remember. Everything and was able to do that just so flawlessly and just show up with so much energy and just loving the project the whole time. anthony russell: she was smiling. Yeah, she had a good that's the thing when 'cause you were first, and you the guinea pig. And so I like, All right, let's see how Anna: Yeah. anthony russell: she does and she gets on stage and she's not like freaking out, she's not nervous in her face, like she's smiling, she's posing, she looks great. I'm like, Wow, she's just absolutely killing it right now. And so that was one thing Calvin told me going on stage as well, is like, make sure you smile and then you told me like emphasize like the abs and everything, but they are just like you wanna look like you've done it before and that you're a pro. It's smooth, it's flawless, everything like they're they're judging you, they're grading you on your performance and not just, you know, how you look. You could be a massive guy on there and not place. It all depends on kind of how you look, how you're feeling everything. So that was a big thing for me as well. And I think the other cool thing about what I took from this was even when for me, when like the weight like wasn't dropping, in my mind, and somebody who doesn't do this, okay, well let's just eat less, eat less. And then it'll go off. And then Calvin teaches me about, you know, well, a refeed. And I'm like, Well, what's a refeed? And he's Well, you're gonna eat more to lose weight. I was like, Calvin, I don't think you understand what you're doing right now. So I had to like trust him for stuff like that as well. And sure enough it worked, at least for me. Like when I was going a week and we didn't see it drop, I he threw a refeed or a double refeed in, and that's what my body needed. And then we started to see a pattern. It was almost it is a science that towards the end it was like, Okay, we need to lose a couple pounds on this date, hit your refeed. And sure enough The next day or the following day, the drop hit. So like Calvin knew my body better than I did, where it was like, Okay, he needs to do here, boom, boom, boom. So that was cool to me, 'cause I didn't think that was a thing. So you need to you need to eat more, lose and it I know it depends, but it was really good to learn that about my body too. Brooke Masters: Yeah. Yeah. And Anna d it's for women it's not as easy with as it is with guys. Uhhuh. Anna: That's what guess what I was told numerous times. Not easy at all. But but back with the what Anthony said with the smiling stuff, that was one thing my posing coach and my friends were like yelling at me for, like leading up like two days prior and was like, You gotta smile, Annie, you gotta you look miserable. You don't think you're enjoying it. Literally like leading up probably a day before, like they were saying that to me and I was like, How am I gonna smile on stage if I can't smile at home? And then I went on stage Did it, got off, see my friends that I was practicing with and they're like, Where was this the last two months? You didn't look you did not look this like you had this much fun practicing at home that you did on stage, which so I don't know where that came from, but it definitely was like Brooke Masters: It was the makeup. It was like painted on there. Anna: Yeah. But I had a glass. anthony russell: Yeah, speaking of makeup, you know, my my smile looked great because I was about six shades darker than what I usually am. So my teeth, without even whitening they stood out. So and I know I wasn't even as dark as I should have been. I know. So next time we're Calvin Masters: I still not dark enough. anthony russell: going much darker, Calvin. Brooke Masters: Yeah, yeah. Calvin Masters: We're gonna do it. We're gonna yeah, we're gonna help you on that one. But that smile anthony russell: Yeah. Calvin Masters: was that smile was standing out. I that those teeth, boy, those are white teeth. I don't know what you did, anthony russell: Yeah. Calvin Masters: but you could see that all the way back in the back of the room. anthony russell: Hey, I'll take it. I'll take it. Calvin Masters: But yeah, I mean both of you and Anna, you brought up a great point, you know, about about that with the smile on the stage. And this is another thing that I think a lot of newbies kind of miss. Because they're so concentrated on not messing up their routine, is Brooke Masters: Yes. Anna: Yeah. Calvin Masters: a big part of this is showmanship. So remember, this is called a bodybuilding show. Most people know it's a bodybuilding show. Not we know it as a competition, but they see it as a show. So the morning is prejudging and then nighttime is the show. And a big part of you being on stage is showmanship, especially when you're looking at like men's physique, bikini, wellness, women's physique. is in the routine. So but it's showing your pre your you know your confidence on stage. It's smile and it's it's showing that you want to be there and that you put the time in and this really resonates with the judges. That makes them happy to see that. Because I will say with MPC, the the the promoters of judges really, really do want you guys to enjoy the experience. And they really put a lot of effort into that. So when they see it's appreciated and that you're happy to be there, That that makes them remember you, you know, on top of your stage presence too. You want to be remembered, you want to be smiled at when you're seen. And the presence on the stage has a big role in that, you know. And I think that's an area that gets skipped a lot. And you guys were just masters right out of the first show. I mean, your routine, Anna, was very brave, very brave because you were, you did this hop jump thing, you l used the whole stage. You were the only one that used the whole stage in your first show. You didn't realize that was a big thing, but I wasn't gonna tell ya until after. Anna: What what do you mean? I was having second thoughts like Thursday n Friday night, Thursday night. I like, Calvin, and did I make a mistake using the whole stage? You sure I shouldn't just stay in one spot and you're like, just own it. So I owned it and Calvin Masters: yeah. Anna: like I looked down at the judges and they actually looked like they like they really enjoyed my routine and like the audience really Brooke Masters: Yeah. Yeah. Anna: did. I did. I'm like anthony russell: That's one thing, yeah. Anna: I'm glad I didn't like change anything and I just owned it, like Calvin told me Thursday night, he was like, Just own it, like you practice it, it's your routine, just do it and I did it. I just again didn't like want it I didn't want to be the outlier and I like, I'm gonna be the outlier and be moving across stage. I'm like, This is not what I wanted. But yeah. Calvin Masters: It's okay. It's okay to stand out, isn't it isn't you Brooke Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: One thing, Calvin Masters: know. anthony russell: I don't know if it's gonna be this way for all the shows, but I wasn't expecting it to be so fast and and rushed because I know there's a lot of people there. So I thought there was gonna be more time for the individual routine. so that's definitely something to kind of keep in mind for next time, kinda knowing the time frame of it. it wasn't that it was too far off, but definitely like backstage and then the guy kind of talking to you and calming you down right before you go on stage. It was kinda like, Hey, you see how quick they got you going up to the center while the guy's still doing his routine. So I was like, Okay, this is like my sixty seconds is now gonna be forty five or thirty. Let me make sure to hit all the points that I need to. So Calvin Masters: Yeah. Yeah. It's a shout out to Rich Alvarez for that. He's Brooke Masters: Yeah. Calvin Masters: a man. He's he's a legend in this business. He as far as I'm care, he is MPC. He's a he's he lives and breathes it, you know. And you know, but it's true, you know, and you you can you just Nelly just kind of really you look like veterans. But I want to talk about the dark side a little bit too now. what about that water load? anthony russell: Yes, I wasn't expecting that at all. so I was leading up I was drinking a gallon a day and then kinda like a week into the like the prep week, it was pretty much two gallons, right? Which was hard as can be. And as soon as you wake up you're drinking water, you finally finish one gallon and you you don't even feel that relief anymore 'cause you're like, now I gotta drink another one and you dread it. I I d genuinely dreaded it. And then the day of the show afterwards I had a headache out of this world because I was dehydrated. I didn't have Brooke Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: anything. So literally when I was at the in the dinner place, I had about five things of water and I was just downing it. Brooke Masters: And Anna did the same thing. Anna's like, Can I have another water? She's like, Anna: Me too. Brooke Masters: There are three and thought it anthony russell: I was nonstop. I was like, just keep coming. 'Cause I I my head was just pounding, which all makes sense 'cause you're and now that's something that we both know going into the next one, how to mentally prepare. So it's like, all right, you're gonna get X amount of water today, figure it out, you know, the right way. but definitely a break from the two gallons a day. 'Cause that that's I dreaded the the worst part about this process was getting up about three times a night to pee. And it was just the amount I don't think people talk about that. Brooke Masters: What was funny is you asked me Calvin Masters: Well, that's pretty normal at my age, so Brooke Masters: like And what anthony russell: Yeah. Brooke Masters: but what was funny is you asked me before of like the depletion that I saw you there at the gym and you're like, what about this depletion that I'm hearing about? Like I'm not gonna be able to like drink water? I'm like, you're you're gonna be drinking. anthony russell: Yeah, I had it the opposite way. And so really it's Anna: Mm. Calvin Masters: You'll be anthony russell: a drink that that's that's honest like the working outside of it is it's not the hard part. It's it's everything else. Brooke Masters: No. Yeah. anthony russell: so as long as you have that under control, then it's all mindset and then just downing Brooke Masters: All gravy. anthony russell: that water. Calvin Masters: Yeah. With the d with the water with the water Brooke Masters: Except the tan. Tan I experienced the tan. Calvin Masters: on on show day, it it really depends on the person. That's one of the things we kind of look at. Like why I have you guys send me the pictures periodically through the day and I'm like, tell me how much water you've drank, how many meals you've had, and what your weight is. So what I'm looking at is where do you look the best? You know. So do you look the best with a little bit of water or do you look the best with a lot of water? Do you look the best with more food or less food? You know? And so that's how I kind of estimate for How much to drink during the day, during show day. So that can actually change based on your leanness, you know. So it may be different. I don't like to pull water on show day. You know, I I don't want to go any less than like say six ounces every couple hours, but it can get to the point where you actually don't have to pull back. You can just drink freely, you know, especially as a natural competitor, because you need water to keep the muscles full. And I think a big mistake that a lot of the natural competitors can do is they start cutting water. I've seen I've seen them start cutting water out at Wednesday to where they're down to like a quarter of a gallon by Friday or maybe a half and they're just completely dehydrated and muscles are flat, they can't get a pump. You know, so so loading the water in pushes the subscutaneous water out. and then on show day you kind of keep it fairly dry depending on on what your best look is. So that may change and that's something we can play with. But the one thing you want to remember and this is For the newbies too, is to bring some electrolytes. Brooke Masters: Yes. anthony russell: Mm-hmm. Calvin Masters: Very important, either pediolite or LMNT, you know, Brooke Masters: Coconut water. Calvin Masters: coconut water, and you want to chug that after stage. When you get out of finals and you you're done, the first thing you want to do is grab 16, 24 ounces, whatever, put the electrolytes in and chug it down. And you're probably gonna need a couple of packets. And you wanna get the electrolytes back in you because It can mess up your dinner after two and especially if you have a drink, which I don't really recommend after, but but if you do and you're dehydrated, you are not gonna feel good. Not gonna feel good. So so that's important to know as well. But I tell you the water loading thing, we I when I went to Nationals in twenty-three, or I think it was twenty-three, and I talked Brook into drive into Pittsburgh for this, right? From South Florida. You know, we're in Palm Beach, South Florida, just You know, for those who don't know where that is, it's just north of Boca Bertone and about an hour north of Fort Lauderdale. So I wanted a road trip, let's go up there so we could visit some people, clients, on the way up and the way back. Something I did for I forgot about was a water load. And I was loading at that time three gallons a day. And we went up with my son and his friend and and Brooke, and we're all just kind of piling this car. That was one of the worst decisions I ever made. We had a great time in the road trip, especially back, but my gosh. And that's before I knew about peabags. Did you know about peabags, Anthony? There anthony russell: There's no way. Brooke Masters: Don't no. Anna: Ha ha ha. Calvin Masters: is a thing called, well, I guess I don't know if they're actually called peabags, but they're Brooke Masters: So anyway. Anna: Exactly. Calvin Masters: they're made you you can use them anywhere, but you put them in your glove compartment that way. If if you are in say traffic or something like that, and you gotta go, you use a peabag. I didn't know they existed, I didn't know about them then. Right. anthony russell: Wow. I could have used that. I I definitely could've used that. Wow. Calvin Masters: And but for traveling, that's flying is not fun. I can tell anthony russell: Yeah. Calvin Masters: you that. that was one of the reasons why I wanted to drive because I'm like, well, I don't want fly either, because then I'm gonna be going in and out of the seat and they're gonna be like, Everybody put your seatbelt on. I'm like, no, no, no, no. Because when you're water loading, when you got a pee, it hits you on that second and you gotta go anthony russell: Yeah. Calvin Masters: dead. There's no sitting around and waiting. So that's something that should be aware of with first time competitors. Is that if your if your coach has you do that, some will run the water straight through because not everybody needs it. But you know, so it is something to be aware of as you have that the last week. Brooke Masters: Mm. Calvin Masters: So Anna: something that was surprising to me because everyone online said like, you know, you're not drinking water and like I got my water cut in half and I was surprised we actually went up in water to like a gallon and a half and I was like, this is not what I was expecting at all. but and then definitely after I Calvin Masters: Yeah. Absolutely. Anna: like chugging the water like Anthony was saying, I like, I need another glass and everyone's like there's other water and I was like, just someone bring me another glass of water because I'm gonna drink all of it because Brooke Masters: Just in case. Anna: I was like Calvin Masters: Yeah. Anna: so thirsty and I had like a bad headache after prejudging too and Calvin's like, You need electrolytes. Coconut water though. Definitely need a different solution 'cause I'm not a fan of the coconut water. Anthony, I'll Brooke Masters: Neither. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Anna: I'll trade you. You can have the coconut water, I'll do the gut drink and we'll be good. No. anthony russell: trade you any time for that. I'm from the islands. I could drink coconut water all day long. Anna: No. Coconut water Brooke Masters: Yeah. Anna: was no for me. It was not good at all. Brooke Masters: Yeah. All right. And the the most important question that I'm sure everybody wants to know is that after your show, what was your meal of choice? anthony russell: Well I was well I wouldn't count this as a meal, but they had like gourmet, I will say gourmet. It was really nicely done, like pizza and cookies, like there. So they're smart. They were like, right? That didn't count. we Calvin Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: went out for tacos that night and I Brooke Masters: That was the back of them. anthony russell: definitely my what is it, my stomach was bigger than my eyes or vice versa. Like my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I ordered way too much food 'cause I ate the first couple. And I was so dumb too. I had something greasy, something with cheese, everything that kind of my body's like, no, but my mind was like, Yes. it was Brooke Masters: I think this is a good idea. anthony russell: not. But at the time it was great. definitely worth it. But yes, it's great for that night, but I was looking forward to my cream, rice, and chicken the next day. I mean, I Brooke Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: I hate to say it, but like I told Anna today, I was like, I look forward to going to bed now in my reverse, waking up to have my cream, rice and protein breakfast. Like Brooke Masters: Yeah. anthony russell: I'm used to it now and my my taste buds like, Yeah, you want this. Like it makes everything happy up here. So it definitely changes. Brooke Masters: For sure, for sure. Calvin Masters: Yeah. Did you get the food, baby? Did you have the nice swollen stomach after that after those tacos? anthony russell: The n the next day, the next day, all day. It was taking forever to digest, but after a couple of days it felt better, for sure. Calvin Masters: Yeah, yeah, that can that can rock person's world pretty quickly. anthony russell: Yeah. Calvin Masters: Pizza is a pizza will beat you up. I know that from past experience. tacos are so borderline, you know, because of the sodium and the fats and everything in anthony russell: it's crazy. Calvin Masters: and you just want to just keep on eating you know. anthony russell: Even now I'm in this reverse and the other night I my aunt came from home and she brought cake and I'm like I don't know if I could ha and then I'm like, wait a minute, I'm not competing right now. But in my mind I'm like I just Brooke Masters: Still in it. anthony russell: don't I just don't wanna do it. Not to kill yourself, like enjoy life, live life, especially if you're not gonna do it. But I was like, I'm good with just this one slice. I'm happy, you know, my body's able to tell me, you know, I'm good. So that's a good change. Brooke Masters: Yeah, it's nice. What about Calvin Masters: Yeah. But Brooke Masters: Anna? I know what you had, but Anna: well honestly though, Calvin Masters: What were you craving? Anna: like you guys kept asking, like, what do you want to eat? What do you want to eat? there was really nothing like I wanted. Like I know people like get off stage and like, I want this, I want that. I mean, besides my chocolate chip cookies, Calvin. I still want chocolate chip cookies. Calvin Masters: Yeah, yeah. Anna: But besides the cookies, there was really no Calvin Masters: You and me both. Anna: like like food I really wanted, but I wound up getting chicken tenders with like on top of fried fries anthony russell: It's always good. Anna: with a bunch of cheese. I felt that I think till Monday. I was feeling like crap probably Sunday. they were good. It was good. I just felt like crap Sundays. Brooke Masters: French fries were good though. French fries were good. anthony russell: yeah. And that was one thing one thing that threw me off on the day of or the night before is Calvin's like, yeah, make sure you y you have a burger and fries tonight. I'm like, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 'Cause I know we tried this earlier on in the prep. We did it better though, so it was the cheese Calvin because the cheese didn't relate with me. So the next time I had a burger and fries and that's what kinda helped me the next day look fuller. And then the day of after our comparisons have another one. So I had another burger with fries and still looking good and everything. So definitely a way to manipulate the body, you know, leading into a show or even sh show day what's needed. So that was not expected. and now kind of just knowing going forward what my body reacts well to and what doesn't. Calvin Masters: Yeah, it can be a great tool to fill somebody in, but definitely something to be tested Brooke Masters: Try it. Calvin Masters: before peak week. We did try it. but I I knew the dairy and the cheese was gonna be an issue because you weren't really doing dairy so much with that after. So then but now and the other thing too is when we did the burger after after the pre after the prejudging, that's a time like when you know you're not gonna win, you know. to get first place, you know, is your first show, you do get, you know, first call out. But but at the same time, that's an opportunity for a coach and a client to experiment a little bit and see, like, so if there's a big lineup, if a lot the guys in your category are just bringing mass, then let's see if we can manipulate a little bit and and do it. Now's our chance to do it. If you were fighting for first and you were right there, there's no reason to change anything. You play it safe, keep things status quo. But if you think it's going to be fourth, fifth place, this is your chance to kind of See if you can get that little bit more volume out. And when you come back, see how you measure up. So you have that data going into the next show. So that's that's a good opportunity to do that and and see. And it's either gonna work or it's not, you know, but your placing's gonna pretty much be the same because they basically do that during prejudging. So but again, not something I would recommend if we're fighting for first place, you know. So that's unless we know, unless we know that's a something that would work in that situation. So but you were a trooper about it, yo