Imagine losing 48lbs, the weight of a five or six-year-old child, in 14 weeks.
Sport Management junior Mike Sarage did just that.
He recently placed first in his weight class at the National Physique Committee Greater Gainesville Bodybuilding Championship and second overall in his division.
Sarage, who hails from Springfield, Massachusetts, started dieting July 12 at the weight of 210 with 14 percent body fat. Within 14 weeks, he’d dropped six pant sizes.
Sarage had been working out for three years with his cousin Nick DeCoteau, who has also competed in bodybuilding competitions.
He decided that he wanted to set a goal for himself and began researching bodybuilding competitions in the Florida area. He found one in Gainesville. To join the NPC Federation it was $80, and each event cost an additional $50.
“My mom was not for it,” Sarage said. “She did not want me to do it. She wanted me to focus on school … she was scared that it would be really tough for me and if it didn’t work out I would be really disappointed, and she didn’t want to see me disappointed.”
But Sarage had already made his decision.
He began dieting and training this past summer in the midst of working three jobs. It was tough for Sarage, but he had the motivation to handle it.
“A lot of dieting is staying mentally focused. I took everything one day at a time and tried to stay focused on what I had to accomplish for that day,” said Sarage.
Sarage had a weight lifting schedule of his own, compiled of techniques he read in magazines and experience he had personally lifting and from others who have competed.
His diet was very strict, composed by his trainer Alberto Rubinaccio who placed first in his weight class at Collegiate Nationals.
Sarage ate six meals a day every three hours, nothing more, nothing less.
“A normal brain functions properly with 125 g of carbohydrates a day, I was running on zero!” He continued. “ It’s hard to stay focused and get through every single day but you don’t stop, it turns into a lifestyle.”
Roommates and friends teased Sarage with tasty treats and fatty fast food but he stood strong and never cheated on his diet, which was extremely difficult for him.
“My mom listened to me whine the most. The girl I’m seeing back home, Tania, was also dieting for a fitness model and figure competition so we were going through the same thing,” said Sarage. “She supported me big time. My cousin Nick and my good friend Chris Grady, both have competed before, were so much help and so supportive.”
Grady called Sarage every morning around 7 a.m. on his way to work to make sure Sarage was up and getting ready for his workouts.
He would blast a song in the car and hold the phone up to the speaker for Sarage to hear and get pumped up for the day. Sarage smiled as he reminisced about the past 14 weeks and how everyone supported and motivated him. He spent around $100 every one to two weeks on groceries, stocking his fridge with cartoons of eggs.
“I went to the store every week and just bought in bulk to last me,” said Sarage. “I actually liked the things that I had to eat. It was the redundancy of eating the same thing over and over that made the food gross.”
A nice layer of mustard was put on everything Sarage ate. He put it on eggs, chicken or sometimes he just ate it straight out of the jar.
“It wasn’t repulsive at the time, but now that I think of it, it’s disgusting,” said Sarage. “But if someone told me to eat [expletive] and I would look better, I would do it!”
“He put mustard on everything and mustard freaks me out,” friend Shaun O’Connell said. “But I supported him fully, the whole situation was out of control.”
Sarage’s other eating habits consisted of putting salt on everything and chewing 10 pieces of gum at a time for flavor to stop his cravings. He went through about three packs of gum a day.
A cup of vinegar between Sarage’s fifth and sixth meals was common.
He drank it because it made him feel sick so he wouldn’t get hungry anymore.
But other times throughout the day Sarage had his cravings. He craved doughnuts, pancakes, French toast and hash browns, all the carbohydrates in breakfast foods.
There was one night when Sarage woke up at 3 a.m. with the worst stomach cramps so he went to the kitchen.
With a plastic spoon in hand, the cold floor as the seat and the fridge light illuminating the way to the food he picked up a snack of sugar free, fat free jello.
One wrapper fell to the floor, and then another, it was like he couldn’t stop. That one night Sarage consumed 12 Jell-O’s, shocking himself with his hunger rage.
Every morning at 6:45 a.m. when Sarage woke up he weighed himself.
He questioned himself everyday on why he would ever put his body and mind through this stress and mental fatigue but said at the end of the day he thought it was worth it.
Sarage had to have someone take pictures of himself doing different poses so he could send them to his trainer Rubinaccio for evaluation.
After Rubinaccio looked at the pictures he would adjust his diet and workouts accordingly.
The gym became a second home for Sarage and after a couple of weeks he knew who would be working at McNiff when he went in for his training.
“Everyday I looked at my body, I found places where I needed to improve. I was very insecure because you basically have to be perfect,” said Sarage.
His workout consisted of 60 minutes of cardio in the morning and 60 minutes of cardio at night with weight lifting in the afternoon.
He focused on one body part per day, lifting 5 days a week and continuing the double session of cardio 6 days a week.
“I never looked forward to doing cardio every morning or night, but I looked forward to lifting on most days,” said Sarage. “It was difficult, it takes a toll on your body.”
Muscling in on The Competition
The two-hour drive to Gainesville ended at the Oak Hill auditorium where the competition was Saturday Oct 18.
Sarage had many fans there to support him. His cousin DeCoteau flew down from Mass., his Auntie Robin drove from Jacksonville, and supporting friends cheered him on as he stepped on stage. The competition was divided up into age groups, the teen division, Novice, Open, Men’s over 40 and Men’s over 50.
The Teen division is for young competitors, Novice is for competitors who have never placed or competed in a competition and Open is for competitors who have placed and competed before.
Once separated into groups, participants are again divided up into weight class. Sarage competed in the 176.25 and under weight class with five percent body fat.
“They rank you by muscle and best body condition. Each pose shows a different body part and muscle,” said Sarage.
Prejudging at 11 a.m. starts off the nerves, testing them to see if all the hard work paid off.
Everyone in the same class walks on stage in a line and faces the judges.
The judges then tell them to do four-quarter turns to the right. Each competitor is judged by the symmetry of the body. Once back around everyone is then required to do the mandatory poses where they are evaluated by muscle size, shape and condition.
One pose was a front double bicep where the competitor stands shoulder width apart from everyone, spikes one leg (flex), and flex’s the biceps.
Another was the left side chest, putting the right knee pressed up against the hamstring and spiking the left calf, grabbing the right arm with your left wrist and twisting the body and pulling the elbow back so it shows the side of the chest.
When showing the left side of the chest, stand so the left side of the body is facing the crowd.
The first part of the competition lasts around two hours and then there is a break until 7 p.m. when the second round of judging starts.
During the break the competitors are not allowed to drink but are allowed to eat.
Sarage ate a triple cheeseburger and fries from Whataburger soaking up the last parts of water in his body and expanding all muscles.
They use this time for touch ups on their tans and practice of techniques.
The idea is to get as dark as possible to bring out the body’s lines, cuts and definitions.
A product called Protan is applied to the whole body, 5 coats are applied within 4 days. Then another coat of bronzer creams is applied to make the body seem even darker.
“The hardest part is you don’t know who you’re up against you just have to go in looking your best and see what happens,” said Sarage.
The second part of the competition is a routine.
Each competitor has a routine for the judges showing off their best assets.
Sarage always told himself to always smile and flex his legs at all time while on stage.
“It was pretty bright on stage because the lighting is right on you,” said Sarage. “I heard my roommate Alex Bartels screaming the whole time and my cousin telling me to flex and hold my legs.”
Sarage’s routine was a 90 second instrumental mix starting off with classical music slow with strong poses and then went into heavy metal where the poses were more hard and quick.
“You always catch yourself looking at everyone while comparing yourself to them in your mind. Sometimes it can be distracting, but you just have to stay focused,” said Sarage.
There isn’t usually too much thought about the process an individual has to go through to get the body he wants or the story and motivation he has to get him so far.
“I used anything for motivation … everything … people who said I was crazy and couldn’t do it … people who laughed when I was an overweight kid … I knew I had to attain my goal,” said Sarage.
“I am extremely proud of him, seeing what he’s come from and seeing the changes from when he was first at the gym till now,” said DeCoteau. “It’s a life style… it went from a challenge to a lifestyle.”
Sarage was shocked when he heard he came in first place.
“I went into the competition thinking that I wasn’t even going to place,” said Sarage. “I am very surprised with my placement, it feels amazing after everything I went through.”
Sarage was rewarded with a trophy of a muscular man in a side chest pose for all his hard work and determination.
“My friends were so supportive and went nuts,” said Sarage. “My cousin Nick who flew down from Massachusetts was going nuts and when I called my mom, she started crying! Everyone was so happy for me.”
Once the competition is over participants are supposed to gradually ease back into normal eating habits.
“Once deprived of food for so long it’s hard to control yourself,” said Sarage. “I haven’t had carbs in 14 weeks so I am going crazy with sugar!”
Even though the training was tough Sarage said he could see himself competing in about two years so he can gain more size.
“I would never take back anything. I don’t regret any decisions and choices. I’m definitely glad I competed,” said Sarage.
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