I have finished my journey for the 2009 contest season. Last December I made my mind up to come out of retirement and give it one more shot. The last time I stepped on a bodybuilding stage was in October of 2006. After that last outing I was sure I was done with competing. However after looking at some photos on the internet I got that itch again. The only problem was I was way overweight! I was still lifting weights but I was eating almost anything and my weight was up to 202 lbs. My competition weight is between 156-163 lbs. so I knew I had a lot of work to do to be able to do well on the stage again. I targeted the 2009 INBF Capital City Naturals on July 18, 2009 to be my goal. I chose this show because it is local and in the past I was never in my best shape. It has always left a bitter taste with me. I had a vision of what I wanted to look like but I needed a plan. 

The Plan 
My plan was to start early to give me the time necessary to lose the weight at a slow pace. This would ensure no loss of lean muscle mass. I decided to start on January 2, 2009, as this would give me more than 7 months to get in my best shape ever!

Diet - My diet consisted of ground turkey (99% lean), whey protein, brown rice, oatmeal, shredded wheat, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats.( Click on my nutrition page to see an example of what my diet looked like)http://www.3dmusclejourney.com/nutrition.php 

Training - I weight trained 3 times per week and did cardio almost on a daily basis. (Click on my Training & Cardio pages to see how I train)
http://www.3dmusclejourney.com/training.php
http://www.3dmusclejourney.com/cardiovascular-training.php 

Supplements - I used whey protein powders, multivitamin and glucosamine sparingly to help with my joints.

After weeks of dieting and training as hard as I could I achieved my best shape of my career! To see how I did click on one of my contest write ups below.

June 20, 2009  - NGA Natural Mr. California Overall Winner & NGA Pro Card
July 18, 2009 - INBF Capital City Natural 1st Place Lightweight & 2nd Overall
August 8, 2009 - INBF Washington State Natural Overall Winner & WNBF Pro
August 15, 2009 - NPC Pacific USA Naturals 1st Place Middleweights & 2nd Overall


This season was a great year for me. It was nice to win, but even better I got to meet a lot of great people as well as reconnect with some of my family and friends. At the California show I got to meet Dave Blumgold. Dave and I competed together back in 1995 at the Mr. Fremont. It was nice to talk to him and share bodybuilding stories and experiences together. At 50 years of age, Dave is an awesome natural bodybuilder at any age!

Dave Blumgold & Myself

At the Capital City, this show was memorable for me because I had so many family and friends in attendance cheering for me, I will never forget this experience! My Aunt Jennifer, my cousins; Heidi, Heather, Shannon, Lindsay and her daughter, my 2nd cousin Zoe. My wife's Uncle Oscar and Aunt Anita with their son, my cousin Forest. They came all the way from New Mexico to be there and I will never forget that and I really appreciate it. My wife's Grandma, it was her very first bodybuilding show! My wife's Uncle Jeff and girlfriend Roxanne, all the way from San Jose. My mother-in-law, Nadia. My sis-in-law, Tiffany and her man David were there from SoCal, chanting 3D! 3D! My best friend since the 5th grade Mike came all the way from Florida! Mike is a brother to me and I cannot have asked for a better friend! My friends from work Dave, Mike, Karen, Jamar and Rico - I appreciate that as they drove quite a ways to support me. My brother Michael, my brother WNBF Pro Paul Alberts. Of course my wife Jhanna was there taking all the photos! My wife's childhood friend Debbie, her first show as well. Old neighborhood friends Sean & Jim. Thanks to everyone, I had an awesome time!

My wife Jhanna, David, Me and Tiffany

Me & Mike (My best friend since 5th grade)

Grandma (aka Gigibu) & Me

Zoe, Lindsay, Aunt Jennifer, Shannon, Me, Heidi & Heather

Uncle Oscar, Forest, Me & Aunt Anita

Roxanne, Nadia(my mom in law), Me, Uncle Jeff 

My friends from work
Jamar, Mike, Karen, Me, Rico & David

At the INBF Washington show I won my pro card but I will always cherish the friendships I gained. I was able to get to know fellow natural bodybuilders Eric Helms and Luke Ehlis. Eric won the Heavyweight class at the Capital city and the light heavies in Washington. Eric is truly a great person and has incredible knowledge of the sport. He is a very hard worker and shows plenty of dedication. I am truly grateful for meeting him. To learn more about Eric visit him at http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Quelly/

Eric Helms

Luke Ehlis is a great natural bodybuilder. At 5-9 and 198 lbs. on stage, he packs quite a bit of muscle. His personality has more size than his physique. Luke has a quiet confidence about him and he truly represents the sport really well. I really enjoyed my time being backstage and talking with him. I know in the future he will really do well and I look forward to continued friendship with him. To learn more about Luke visit him at http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/ehlisl/

Luke Ehlis

Washington's Best Naturals
Luke Ehlis, Jeff Alberts & Eric Helms

My final show in Anaheim I got to meet Joe Yezzi. Joe is a 20 year veteran in the Air Force. He placed 2nd in the lightweight class and 3rd in the Armed Forces division. We went out to eat after the show and got to talk and share our experience together. He is truly a great person and again I am grateful for meeting him. To learn more on Joe visit these links
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/military_amateur_joseph_yezzi.htm
http://www.pacaf.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123164655

Joe Yezzi

Me & Joe at El Toritos

This contest season was an incredible experience for me. It was awesome, I won 2 pro cards and 2 class titles, but even more important to me was meeting some really great people. I have a new passion for this sport. I have learned that meeting new friends and enjoying  the journey is what it really is about. I really enjoyed the camaraderie between the athletes and that is something I will never forget. This sport is viewed by most people as an ego sport. They think all we do is admire ourselves but what they do not realize is that for me it has taught me dedication, desire and the discipline to reach and attain my goals not only in bodybuilding but in life as well. This sport has brought my family and friends closer to me and for that I am truly appreciative. This sport has given me a lot and hopefully with this website and blog I can give back to the sport and other athletes. Thank you for everyone who has supported me through my journey this year. The journey is not over for me but just beginning, stay tuned for better things to come!! Until then keep training hard and naturally!

 Jeff Alberts - New WNBF & NGA Pro