I’m Competing In The OPBA Competition!!

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The OPBA (Ohio Power Bodybuilding Association) is a unique competition created by a couple guys in my area. They have only done a little handful of shows so it is still new and growing! This type of competition is interesting as a competitor because you are not just do a bodybuilding show and not just doing powerlifting, you are doing both, back to back days on the same weekend. Programming for this and dieting can be a challenge. You really have to try to learn what works best for your body.

I have been prepping for about 7 weeks now, so I am doing about a full 10 week prep all together. I have used this prep to experiment with some new training/diet methods. One new thing I have been testing out is carb cycling which I will explain more in a different post.

I am excited to try something new, honestly I have been wanting to try this competition out for the last couple times but now it’s time to go for it! I’ll be sharing more content based off of what I am doing to get ready for the competition. Can’t wait!

Have a great day!
-Alex Costa-

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My 2nd Powerlifting Meet!

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My YouTube video of the powerlifting meet.

It’s go time! My second powerlifting meet! I learned so much from my first one and now I have even more experience from this competition!

Thank you for all of the support and love through this process! I am so excited to get ready for the next competition. I will make a post very soon on what is next for me.

Have a great Monday!
-Alex Costa-

Last Workout Before The Meet!

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Click here for the video!

This was from Wednesday, my last lift / taper day before the meet. Weights felt smooth, getting excited for meet day!

Less than 24 hours till meet day, I am getting excited and nervous. When you have anxiety about a competition like this, it can make things a little more challenging. You may lose your appetite, have negative thoughts come to mind, or even start to doubt why you signed up in the first place. I am here to tell you that the ONLY thing or person standing in your way is the person in the mirror. I started having all of these thoughts last night and even this morning. Then I remembered how much work I have put in through the last 11 weeks leading up to this. I remember all of the anxiety attacks, panic attacks and every single bump in the road I went through. These aren’t anything negative, these were mini battles where you had to dig deep to beat them. These were learning experiences. We work too hard not to enjoy moments like this. It’s time to compete. Tomorrow it’s me against me, I am looking to get a higher total than last time. I am looking to prove to myself that I won’t let anxiety beat me, instead I will beat anxiety and make it my bit**! 

IT’S MEET WEEK BABY, LET’S GO!

I will not fall victim to anxiety,  I have taken so much sh*t from it over the years and I’ve had enough. I challenge you to be the one that beats down anxiety with me. We will not be a statistic that lets mental illness win, WE will take the challenge and beat anxiety down. 

If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, or any mental illness then lets stand up and take action. Let us be the ones that take control. If you need help then by all means get a friend or family member to help! Or even contact me!! I am on your side always and we will all get through this together. I love you all and I appreciate all of the support, its time to go have fun tomorrow. 

I am using this photo from http://mental-solutions.blogspot.com/2013/11/mental-health-hotline.html

Have an awesome Friday!
-Alex Costa-

I’M DOING A POWERLIFTING MEET!

Posted on by costafitness

I’m so pumped to start posting more so you guys can learn and follow along with me! I am doing a powerlifting meet in a few weeks and want to start making videos on the process. I want to start posting more videos in general. In this video, I also finally speak about my anxiety and other battles I have been going through. Thanks for watching, keep coming back for more videos!

-Alex Costa-

Speed Academy COMING SOON

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I am so excited to share more info as this unfolds! I will be hosting my own Speed Academy. It will be multiple days and will be limited spots so that the athletes get the absolute best coaching and critiquing possible!

If you are trying to get faster and become one of the fastest, most dominate athletes on your team then I would 100% keep an eye out for this!!

This is designed to teach proper mechanics to increase speed efficiency and decrease the chances of injury due to incorrect sprint technique. I will also be doing some of my favorite speed drills to increase top speed as well!

The event will be held locally around Newark, if you have any questions feel free to send me an email and I will respond as quickly as possible! I’ll be dropping more details later today!

Much love to everyone and have an awesome day!

 

-Alex Costa-

My Own Gym!!

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🔵🔵HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT🔵🔵

My Own Gym.png

 

I will be owning my own private gym!! You guys have no idea how excited I am to share this with you! This has been a goal of mine since I started lifting weights back in high school. It’s not a gym where you can buy a membership but down the road I plan on expanding the gym by buying a bigger place and then having memberships available but for now this will work perfectly fine!

I will have the indoor section where the strength equipment will be set up at. I have a garage door that opens to the back outside, this will be a spot where I will have a basketball hoop set up, tires, an outdoor rig with a pull up and dip bar as well as a squat rack to do squats outside on nice days. There will be room for sprints, sled work, speed / agility work and so on. There is quiet a bit of outside space actually. I also have access to a spot right next to my location to hold bigger groups for speed & agility sessions. I can also time 40s, 60s and perform other combine drills there.

I first started working on the room back in December and thought this would take a year to do. Only four and a half months later, it’s on the home stretch!

Next is to hang drywall, paint, finish hanging new lights, get the mirrors in and then put together all the equipment!!

This was originally something I was going to keep a secret until it was completely done but I want to show you guys day to day progress. I want to share my passion and excitement with all of you as well!

Big thanks to my Dad for helping me get in here. I also want to thank Taylor, Nick, Mike, Aj, Wes and Dominick for helping me out when I have needed it. I will be posting a lot more picture of the progress and start showing you guys before and after pictures as I keep getting more done! I also want to take a moment and thank Cory for all of the help and guidance you have offered to me! I appreciate you more than you know G.

Thank you for taking the time to read this long post. I appreciate you all especially everyone who has reached out to me to show support. Much love to everyone! Have a great day and enjoy the week!

 

-Alex Costa-

My First Big Publication

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GO SHARE THE ARTICLE ON STACK.COM

Here is the link:

 MY ARTICLE

HUGE NEWS!! After working on getting a chance to write for a bigger audience, I have finally got my first article published on STACK.com👌🏼
This was something I set out to do about a year or 2 ago. I always wanted to write for a big website or a magazine. I am very happy to say that I can finally cross that goal off my list!! Thank you for stopping by to check it out if you can! Much love, and more to come! I’m posting the link in my bio, go check it out and let me know what you think🙏🏼 also I want to thank @taylorgallant_ for helping me with the content! She helped record the videos and take pictures!

This is first of many, I am looking forward to getting more content out to them and others. My next big thing is to get a magazine publication!

I love you guys, thank you for the support!

-Alex Costa-

ARNOLD CLASSIC VLOG 2018

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Another year, another trip to the largest fitness expo in the world. Taylor & I had a blast this year! I was very happy I could meet some of my idols and fitness leaders in the industry to ask some questions about daily habits and secrets they use to help so many people.

If you were able to go to the Arnold, tell me who you met and what your favorite part was!

I hope you enjoyed the vlog, give a subscribe and like if you enjoyed the video on my youtube channel! Have a great day, much love!

-Alex Costa-

What’s The Best Day to Visit The Arnold?

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What's The Best Day to Visit The Arnold?.png

It’s a common question that is always asked about the Arnold Classic. “Which day is best to go?” Well I have my opinions that I will be sharing with you today! I hope this helps some of you to have a great time at the largest fitness expo in the world.

With today being the first day a lot of people are going to the Arnold, I wanted to post this a little early in the day so you can get an idea of how each day is.

Friday

I kind of look at Friday like the one day right in the middle. It’s not slammed but it’s usually not as busy as Saturday. 

Pros

  • Basically guaranteed samples wherever you go
  • almost all competitions are set at lower times or numbers. Ex, the pull up contest is lower the first day but by Sunday, that number may be like 50. That means it is easier to win prizes.

Cons

  • Pretty long lines
  • Not all athletes will be there just yet

Saturday

Well this is the day to go if you like to stand in lines lasting about 2 hours and like walking 10 miles cause of your parking spot. This is a solid day if you really want to meet like 1 or 2 people in the fitness industry. Everyone and their grandma is there on this day.

Pros

  • Pretty much everyone is there, celebrities, athletes and all the big booths are loaded
  • This day is a lot of fun, especially if you have a group of friends

Cons

  • Long walk for parking
  • Booths take forever
  • Feet cramps, well maybe that’s just me haha
  • Probably get to see only 2-5 celebrities max if you are hustling

Sunday

Pros

  • You get all the leftover samples
  • Get through most lines pretty quickly
  • Not as many people as Saturday

Cons

  • Most athletes and celebrities are starting to head out
  • Some booths are sold out of items
  • A lot of booths pack up early

Tips:

  • Park a few blocks away and take a bus. It may cost a few bucks but way easier and better than a $20 parking spot. Usually they are all taken anyway. I did this last year and it wasn’t too bad.

 

  • Take a book bag of some kind for all the supplement samples you get. They give you bags there at almost every booth so don’t feel like you have to but I personally like to.

 

  • Go with a friend! It’s way less stressful plus you have someone to talk to while your waiting 2-3 hours to see some of your favorite athletes and brands.

 

  • Wear comfortable shoes. I can’t stress this enough, but it should be a given. You are taking about 10,000 steps I’m guessing in this day maybe even more. The last thing you want is a blister on your foot during this event.

 

  • Grab an expo directory. This has all booths listed and where they are so you’re not looking for 1 booth for an hour. This sometimes tells you when events are like strong man events and other competitions.

 

  • Wear something comfy. I get that you want to look good for all the chicks or dudes but look you’re on your feet for like 10 hours and walking probably about 10,000 steps. You’ll probably break a sweat because of how many people can be packed in walking shoulder to shoulder with each other. For me, I hate wearing something that I won’t be comfortable in. I would recommend wearing a comfy pair of shorts, sweats or jeans with a nice comfy shirt. On the other hand, Ohio weather tends to suck monkey butt each year around this time so bring warm clothes for outside cause this year will be a little cold out and rainy.

 

  • PRE ORDER TICKETS. I used to get mine from Kroger but I don’t think they sell them anymore. You should be able to get them on the official website for the Arnold Classic. They are usually about $15-$20 for a normal ticket, but also have VIP passes available as well. This will save you money and a lot of time!

 

 

In my personal opinion, I have found that visiting the Arnold on Sunday is the best experience overall. It is not as busy as Saturday and you get so much free stuff! This is what a lot of people want though is the samples. If you want to meet someone and get pictures then I would go Saturday cause they sometimes aren’t there on Friday yet and leave by Sunday. Saturday is the best time to go and meet a couple people.

I hope everyone going has a great time full of amazing memories that will last a lifetime. Some serious motivation can be created at something like this so if you need some motivation to get healthier or create a fitness goal then I would definitely go to this huge event!

Have a great Friday and enjoy the weekend!
-Alex Costa-

Get You Some NEW MERCH!

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Yo, hope everyone has had a great week and is starting their weekend off strong! If you didn’t know, I released NEW MERCH this week and the pre sale is going on until the 28th of February. I have the page on the website for you to place your order. Click this link and it will take you straight to the pre sale page:

PRE SALE (GET MERCH HERE)

Here is the items I have out. The pre sale page will have the pictures of the back of the apparel on there. Go place an order or if you live locally around me, message me and I’ll get your order placed and give you a total.

switch offyour lights for earthhour

Thank you for all of those who have already placed orders! I sold a lot the first day, so get yours today and rock some of the most comfortable clothing you’ll ever put on!

Have a great Saturday, much love!
-Alex Costa-