With my 2004 competition season coming to an end on August 14th at Musclemania New York, I was extremely happy with what I had accomplished. Most importantly I improved every time I stepped on stage this year and learned a lot. Feedback from the judges at each show was the same, so in order to accomplish my goals as a natural bodybuilder it meant it was back to the gym. My focus for this off-season is very similar to my plan of attack for my previous years off-season. My main goal is to keep my off-season weight around 205 pounds staying as lean as possible. That is only fifteen pounds away from my competition weight this season. As far as training, I am going to lift hard and heavy focusing on problem areas twice a week. I also plan on practicing my posing throughout my off-season and not just 12 weeks out from my first show of the season. I now have one day a week in which I will go through mandatories and just free pose to all different types of music. Even though I am done competing until the 2005 season, I will still be on the scene.
I would like to end this entry giving a special thanks to some important people who have really helped me out along the way this season. I would like to thank God for giving me the strength day in and day out to do what I had to do in and out of the gym in order to prepare myself mentally and physically for these shows. I would like to thank my family for always being there for me and encouraging me along the way. I would like to thank Deirdre for always putting up with me during my dieting phase and her positive words of encouragement. Thanks to Ulisses and Hugh for their continued support and knowledge of the sport, Tony Hernandez and Ron Rich for pushing me day in and out in the gym and last but not least Musclemania for their continued support and exposure.

My next stop on the Musclemania circuit will be the Capitol Classic on October 16th where I will be supporting Deirdre in her first bikini competition. Next I will be headed out to the World Championships to support Ulisses in his attempt at a clean sweep of a 2004 Musclemania Pro-Circuit.

In the meantime I’ll be checking back periodically to update you on how everything is going. Feel free to Send me a Message or any questions or comments.

Peace and blessings,

Jamel Keels

© 2006 Fitness Universe, Inc. - All Rights Reserved