This 2010 season I announced to do every show held in US and had been doing so great specially in Orlando and NY, I brought my best condition and size combination in my career to take my first victory as an IFBB pro in Orlando but things started going wrong right after the NY pro where I had photo shoot for Gaspari and another European magazine. I did leg workout with my old friend from Japan. Everytime I done the show, the next workout would be legs. I should of gone easy training since my body was still very dry but I was too happy and excited about the result of the show to stop myself. Instead of easy training, I did pretty much same regular mass training. When I did leg press, I felt something pop on my right quad close to my hip and started feeling pain but this kind of pain was not unusual for us bodybuilder, I didn't care so much about it until I realized it didn't go away even after a few weeks. I have my deep tissue therapist Karl and now I started seeing Dr.Carmain in his chiropractic office behind the Gold's venice. I went to get Xray and it showed nothing was wrong with my hip bone so it looked like partial tear of upper quad.
Karl and Dr.Carmain have taken very good care of me and my coach Eric trained me very carefully not to make my injury worth at the same time we tried to make some improvement without doing any quads training and cardio for almost 2months.
This time I finally started noticing my body didn't respond from training and dieting like before. I usually eat a lot of food(carb and protein) even I am on dieting for the show but this time around I had to cut carbs big time to make my condition.since I could not do leg training and cardio. But even I dropped my carb intake, I didn't look hard enough, seemed like I was just losing weight.
Eric tried to persuade me skip the shows till Mr.O but I am very stubborn guy, I didn't listen to him( sorry!).
A week before Tampa pro, I had a guest posing in Fort Lorderdale FL so I decided to stay in FL for a week. I looked off didn't look like a week out on this guest posing stage. On Tuesday night, I trained triceps with my fellow Gaspari Athlete, Mark Alvisi. After he left the gym( he already trained chest in the morning). I started training biceps by myself. I knew I was very depleted and tired but again I was very stubborn trying to finish workout I planed. When I did the last set of seated incline curl, I maybe tried to hold my body really hard by kicking the floor. After this last set, I felt something like clumping on my right outer quad close to knee. I thought it was just clumping from dieting but pain was getting worth by the time I went back to the hotel and my right quad and knee started swollen up.
The next day, the pain was so bad and my knee was swollen like baloon. I still thought I was going to be ok and drove up to Tampa. I took medication, iced and elevated my leg high to try to remove this swollen, My nutrition coach Neil Hill tried to dialed me in as usual till prejudging. The morning of the show day, I wasn't my best clearly but I thought I could battle.
I was in the first call out but looked like I was battling for 5th place. Whatever callout was, I did my best! On the stage I didn't remember if I felt pain but as soon as I step off the stage, the pain came back and it was so bad at the same time my knee started swollen again. I couldn't even bent my knee. Utill then I only told about this to my sister like friend Cathy LaFrancois but now it was so obvious. I told my boss Rich Gaspari and he was so worried than suggested me to pull out. Of course I wanted to finish night show so bad but I knew I would walk on the stage like turtle and injury would get even worth.
I decided to pull out...the first time in my 17years competition career. I also had to decide to cancel to do Europa CT in the following weekend.
I am really sorry this happened and I apologize to all my fan that I could not keep my word doing every show held in US this year....
]]>
