Three weeks ago we won the Pro Master Men’s Physique class at the Windy City Natural and this last weekend we stacked it by winning the first ever IPE Pro Master World Championship. So now I can officially say I am a natural Pro 3x Champion and World Champion. But I didn’t get here alone. This was a team effort that included God, my family, so many influential friends, my coach John Gorman with Team Gorman, and all of you for the daily encouragement. Big thanks to my friend Jason Fountain for coming to Memphis, TN with me and helping me make the drive. Special thanks to my sponsors who helps make competing possible: Kaged Muscle Supplements, Swole O’Clock, Elite Training Tulsa, and ISSA. I saved my Snapchat video reel the 48hrs before, during, and after the competition for your reviewing pleasure.
Worlds part 1
Worlds part 2
Worlds part 3
My Posing Presentation
This has been the longest period of time in a calorie deficit and I was feeling it here at the end. I officially started contest prepping June 1st with my 12-week ‘Diamond Cutter’ program (start free Here). Overall I was cutting for 4.5 months. I know others have cut longer, but this was long for me and I was more strict than I have been in the past. This long period of pushing hard did lead to a injury I incurred just a week before this competition. I mentioned my right shoulder hurting a little on social media, but never explained the extent of pain I have been feeling. The Saturday before the competition I was working abs at home and while laying on my back resting between sets I reached for my phone and felt a stab of pain in my right arm. I have been told my inflammed my Infraspinatus which is part of the rotator cuff. I could still lift and move my right arm, but only at certain angles and slowly. The slightest wrong move would result in intense pain. At this point I had three upper body workouts to do and lots of posing practice before the competition. I was really hoping it would get better as the days past, but the day before the competition it hurt worse than ever. I prayed hours before the show for healing, pain reduction, and/or that I could just show my best. I made it through all my posing without that intense pain and we ended up winning. It is still hurting a bit at the moment, but at least now I can let it rest and heal.
My friend Jason and I left Tulsa around 8am and 4 pee stops and 7hrs later pulled into Memphis, TN. I was drinking so much water that day I almost didn’t make it to the bathroom every 90mins. I am sure you really wanted to know that too lol. The usual day before a competition activities went down like checking-in, mandatory drug testing, fake tan spraying, and meeting with old and new friends. The night before the competition I was still having trouble with that right shoulder, but at this point I was determined to kill it even if my arm fell off.
As usual I did not sleep much the night before the show. I am always too excited. Then I had to wake up at 3:50am for meal 1 and again at 5:50 for Meal 2 and at that point I was up. I maybe slept a total of 4hrs. While we were in Memphis to compete and win a lot of the day was planned around the after show food. Understand I put a lot of research and planning into this part of the trip. So we left the hotel early to swing by Gibson’s Donuts on our way to the convention center. While I did not touch a single donut I did place two in my bag for immediately after the show and had more for later. Let me tell you now Gibson’s did not disappoint.
One of my favorite parts about competing with the NANBF/IPE is the friendly environment. Hanging out backstage catching up with old friends and making new ones is always a highlight for me. I am always pretty social backstage and I really enjoy giving advice and encouragement to the younger NANBF amateur athletes competing later in the day. But once it’s 30 minutes before stage time I get that focus and tunnel vision just like when I am in the gym.
Then it was time to battle! I’ve said this before, but it’s so hilarious to me I want to say it again. We who compete deal with iron, sweat, and blood. But before we battle…we have to shave our legs and exfoliate! Haha. The battle for the Top 3 was extremely tough and could have gone either way. I was honored to share the stage with who I consider some of the top natural Pro Master Men’s Physique competitors in the world. I cannot say enough about Joe Knox with his muscular size and personality, and Alfred Raoof with his aesthetics and superior posing. I don’t have quality stage shots yet, but coming soon. I had a blast doing my posing presentation to the WWE wrestler Bobby Roode’s entrance music “Glorious Domination”. In another life I would be a WWE wrestler so it’s fun to blend that into my posing and pretend for a few minutes. Watch my posing routine at the link up above. When it was time to come back out and announce the placings I really had no idea how it would go down. I was truly surprised when they called my name as the Master World Champion. One of the prizes was this amazing gladiator helmet which I accidentally dropped on stage while posing for photos. Oh, I am going to have so much fun with this helmet and it’s almost Halloween.
Once the photographs and goodbyes were done our ‘food tour of Memphis’ began. Remember those Gibson’s donuts? I had two of them before walking out of the building and they were amazing! Jason and I drove from the venue directly to Aldo’s Pizza right down the street and picked up some garlic knots and a large T-Rex pizza which we saved for the 6 hour drive home. We went from there to meet a friend at a restaurant called J. Alexander’s which has the best warm carrot cake in all the earth which I enjoyed after the prime rib appetizer. I even got a second piece of cake to take home. We never did bust into that pizza because we were so full, but you know I had some once I got home.
I want to end again with thanks. I feel truly blessed. The amount of texts, emails, and social media love after the show was overwhelming. I also want to thank the NANBF, IPE, and everybody associated with those organizations for what they do for natural fitness. I can see myself someday getting into judging, promoting, and helping behind the scenes. My focus now shifts to completing and launching my new home trainer “Kirb Karnage” with my sponsor Kaged Muscle Supplements. I plan to take off from competing until 2020 only to return bigger and better. As a 42 year old natural athlete it takes time to build quality muscle. Maybe I will try that Pro Classic Physique when I return. Thank you for walking with Wittig.
-Wittig, ISSA CPT
IPE Natural Pro 3x Champ
Kaged Muscle Athlete
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