As I sit here with my 2010 wrap up, I can’t be too upset with the outcome. Having taken the full year off to train, eat and improve on areas I felt needed improvements, I was very thrilled when the final product was displayed at the 2010 WNBF Pro World Championships. I focused solely on bringing up weak areas that I felt kept me from bringing the entire “complete” package.

Entering the 2010 Worlds, I was 3lbs heavier than the previous year with far better conditioning. I was at my all time best. Many people wondered what I was going to bring to the stage. With being the defending World Lightweight Champion, I was expected to bring a new look…a look that was undeniably better than what was seen in 2009. Amongst the 3lbs of solid size I put on, I brought my best conditioning to the show. I not only trained hard, but I dieted hard and stuck to my cardio regime day after day.

Going into the prejudging, I knew it would be a dog fight. The class was stacked with 10 solid WNBF Pros looking to knock each other off, not to mention, there were three World Champions all in the same class; Myself, Jim Cordova and Brian Whitacre. Many people wondered how this was possible. With Jim naturally being a middleweight and Brian being at the very top of the class the previous year, many thought these two would be battling out for the middleweight title. However, with the weight class cut off as high as 174lbs, this left Cordova and Whitacre in my class and once again, my class was the class to watch!

25 minutes of continuous posing and moving until the judges felt comfortable with their decisions. We battled from start to finish and I personally felt that I was at my all time best and felt that my new look would put me on top. However, I could only wait to the night show to see where I had landed.

Here we are once again…the top 5 are brought to the stage andof course, the three World Champions were in the top 3 spots. What were the judges looking for this year? Who was their favorite with the best look? As the placings are read, we findout the answers to these questions. I found myself in total shock and disppointment as my name was called for the number 3 spot. Based on comments and photos I had viewed from the prejudging, I felt I put in enough work to put me in the top 2. However, I had failed to make that happen.

The favorite, Jim Cordova had to settle for the 2nd place spot. After winning numerous titles in the past, he had fell short in his goals of adding another title to his credentials. His goal, like mine, was to take the year off to improve his overall physique and work on flawed areas. Despite putting in the work, he fell short.

The 2x Lightweight Champion and now 3x Brian had did his homework and brought another great physique that was able to knock off myself and Cordova and gain his title back. He also took the year off and brought up his physique, which obvsiously paid off for him. Congrats to Brian on a job well done.

Again, despite not being happy with my placement, I was thrilled at the improvements I’ve made. I receieve many compliments and great feedback from fans, friends and family. What’s next for me? To be honest, I’m not sure what or where I will be next year. My focus right now is to get my life back on track and begin my training. With not having any goals in mine as far as shows go, I will hit the gym with the goal to get bigger and better. Once I feel that I’m on the right track and slowly making significant gains, I will proceed to target a show and begin prep for it. But for right now, it’s time to give my all to my friends and family.

GK

Here we are…2010! A new year can only mean new changes!

Since competing at Worlds, I have been focusing a lot on my physique and been doing a lot of analyzing. Though I happy with winning the title, I was not 100% pleased with my physique. Even if I had won the overall, I still would have found something wrong. I never want to get satisfied. I feel that there is ALWAYS room for improvement.

I’m currently training at a new location and my reason for doing this was because I felt that I needed a change of my routine. The new facility had a lot more equipment that I can utilize in recreating a new look for 2010. This new gym also has a better atmosphere, which is helping me stay focused. My old gym wasn’t serious enough for me. Guys were worried too much about what was going on later that night or what team was winning on the television. I tried my best to block these things out, but at times, it would interfere with my thought process. I have less interference, not 100%, but definitely better then what I had before.

Currently, I am in my last semester of graduate school and this is my toughest semester by far. I am only taking 1 course but this course requires a lot of time and effort. I have a major project, a major paper and a comprehensive exam, which will determine if I graduate or not. Needless to say, my focus right now is more so on my studies and this test. I still make time to train and get my meals in, however, I make even MORE time to study and get my work done. I’m looking forward to finishing up this course, graduating and then focusing on my physique and competing in 2010!

GK

Still sitting here on cloud 9…

November 14th will be a day that I will always remember because my dream had finally come true. My third shot at obtaining the Lightweight World title had finally arrived. Coming into the show, I knew that the lightweight class was going to be stacked with some of the best WNBF pros and of course the defending lightweight champion, Brian Whitacre was back to make it a 3-peat.

I competed in 3 other shows prior to Worlds with the intentions of staying in contest shape the entire year so that when I came into Worlds, I’d be ready. I incorporated some new things into my plan of attack..things I knew would help me reach the top.

The 12 lightweight pros took the stage early Saturday morning ready to do battle and a battle we had for sure! We were on staged for at least 30 minutes, being moved around and continously posing. Again,  knowing how stacked the class was, being on stage for this long was expected. There was no clear cut winner and in my mind I knew it would come down between Brian and myself. When we were asked to leave the stage, all I could think about was that I put all I had on that stage and I prepared myself for this day. Now it was time to wait and see how the judges felt.

The night show was here and only the top 6 pros would be awarded medals and some money. As the placings got read, I grew more and more nervous, hoping to have my name called last, which would seal the deal of me being the World Champ. Down to the top 3:

Wendell Webb-Brought a much tighter/improved packaged with SICK quads to match. I knew this guy was going to bring it and HE DID!

Brian Whitacre-2x defending Champ had unreal conditioning that was pretty much flawless. Being that he was the defending champ, you know he was bringing a sick package to the stage.

Myself- I was coming off a decently good year and was hoping to end it with a bang!

Top 2: Brian and myself…This is it, the moment of truth. The prayers, dreams, hopes all went up and when the 2nd place winners name was called, I immediately fell to the ground. Reason being, my name was NOT called next, which meant, I had won the World Title! Three long years of hard work had finally come to an end and it all paid off. I was able to knock off the defending World Champ and become the 2009 Lightweight World Champion.

I’ve enjoyed the victory and still think back to how this all happened. However, at the same time, I am back in the gym, grinding away. My job now is to bring up my weak areas and make sure I prepare myself for war because there is going to be another stacked lightweight class coming in 2010 to try to knock me off. My plan is to make sure that does NOT happen.

GK

Whats up all…

It’s about a week since I conquered one of my main goals, to win a pro title…

I competed Sept 26th at the WNBF Pro US Cup in California. This was my 3rd show for the season and I had a good feeling that I would finally win my class. I changed some things up prior to the show and it worked GREAT!

In my weight division, there were 5 Pro Lightweights and 6 Pro Heavyweights. I came in weighing 128lbs, so of course, I was a lightweight. At this level, every competitor is top notch and I knew this was going to be a war to the finish. I ended up being moved to the center during the pre judging and had a strong feeling that this was my show to win.  However, I didn’t want to take any chances and didn’t want to celebrate too early because in this sport, ANYTHING can happen.

At the end of the night, we all did our routines and receieved our awards. I knew it would come down to me and another pro, who was in great shape. The MC was reading off the names from 5th down to 1st pretty quickly and at first I didn’t even hear my name being called as the winner. When I saw my main competitor receiving the silver place medal and I was the only guy left without a medal, I knew I had won! This was absolutely the best feeling ever, but my job was not done. 1 more round to go!

I came back for the overall against the heavyweight winner. Going into the show, I knew he and I would be going head to head. I posed as hard as I could and gave it my all, but at the end of the night, the heavyweight was crowned to overall winner.

Overall, this was a GREAT show. Run smoothly, no issues and EXCELLENT venue. As a competitor, any small issue can cause un-needed stress and thankfully, there were no issues that threw us off track. Though I did not win the overall, I walked away with my 1st Pro win under my belt and new motivation for my next war!

GK

p.s. Pics posted tomorrow…

Whats up everybody…

I’m coming off a LONG season thus far and it’s only getting longer. June 6th was my 1st show for the season, where I took 2nd in the Lightweight Pro Class. August 1 was my 2nd show, where I again took 2nd in my class. My eyes are still set on victory so I’ve decided to go for a 3rd try. I will be competing on the 26th at the WNBF Pro US Cup, promoted by Leroy Perry. The show will be held at the Crest Theatre in Sacramento, California.

While many enjoy Cali as a place of rest, fun and adventure, those 3 things will NOT be on my mind. I’m focused on being the last man standing. I’ve gathered all the notes from judges and evaluated all the pictures to determine what exactly I need to do. I’ve made those changes and I strongly believe that they will benefit me in the end.

This has been a very long journey for me. I’ve never dieted this long and done this many shows before so to do this was a strenuous process. I couldn’t of made it through without the strong support of my friends, family, my sponsor, Universal Nutrition and all my fans and supporters.

Cali….here I come!

Giant Killer

Photo by my photographer: Scott the “GURU”

Shot is of me and Leroy (promoter) at the 2007 WNBF Pro Worlds

Whats up all,

I recently competed at the 2009 WNBF Pro Mid-America, held in Evansville, Indiana. Overall great show put on by Dr. Joe and staff. The trip turned out to be a 14 hour road trip for my training partners and I.

Fri- After a very LONG drive, we finally made it to the hotel and I immediately checked in, weighed in and did my urine testing. I weighed 138 (fully dressed) which put me at around 135 or so. While checking in, I ran into a few fellow WNBF Pros and we chit chatted a bit, which is always fun. As soon as that was done, I headed up to my room to relax for a few hours before my polygraph test.

At the competitors meeting, we received all the information we needed. In the Pro Men’s Lightweight, there were 9 of us. In the Pro Men’s Heavies, there were a total of 12. Not a bad Pro Men class. As usual, the show would be tough. Off to get some fuel and rest.

Showtime-Up at 6am, getting my tan on and my fuel in my system. Im about 3 hours from being on stage. It’s now about 10 mins before I am on stage and I am fully READY to rock. They finally call us up and its GAME TIME! The lineup was tight. Guys were moved around so much and we were put through 40 minutes of HELL. Non stop quarter turns to breakdown who was placing where. I have to say that this was the 1st time that I really was BEAT. I tend to practice my posing a lot, but I was not ready for that. It was now in the judges hands.

As we prepare for our night routines, the only thing in my mind was “did I do everything I needed to do” and I could only answer, YES! I came out on stage with my custom made black w/sequins posing suit and posed to “please excuse my hands” They say, “pick a song that flows with your physique.” This was a song that I felt worked best for me.  After waiting almost 40 mins, we are brought back to the stage for our awards. This is it, the moment of TRUTH. Who would be crowned the Lightweight Champ?!?!

5th place is called, then 4th, then 3rd…Here it is, I am in the top 2. Hoping that the next number called was NOT my number, but to my disappointment, my number was called. Upset as I was, i thought to myself that I just beat out a ton of great competitors and had nothing to feel bad about.

Back in the hotel, I needed time to think about what just happened and what my plans were going to be for the future. Lots of decisions and choices needed to be made. I decided that I needed to clear my head, so we headed over to the after party at Cheeseburgers in Paradise, where I completely stuff myself! I had burgers, fries, cake and washed it all down with 4 cups of Iced Tea. I treated myself, but paid for it all later. I was in PAIN! But it was worth it!

Now back after 14 LONG hours of driving back to Jersey, I began my training as soon as I got back, mentally and physically preparing myself for my next battle. I know what I needed to improve on and what needed to be done to insure myself a victory next time around.

GK

Whats up all,

Just wanted to update you on some very important information that has been going on. As of today, I am now sponsored by Universal Nutrition, a branch of ANIMAL.

I have always followed the ANIMAL/Universal crew by attending their ABC events and have always respected their team. One thing I have noticed about them is that it’s more of a family with these guys. Also, as you may know from posters/ads, ANIMAL is HARDCORE. When these guys are in the gym, there is no BS going on. They are there to work and trust me, they WORK!  These are the reasons why I always admired them, followed them and always hoped that maybe one day, I can be apart of this team.

That time has come…After talking back and fourth with management, I signed on to be the newest athlete of Universal Nutrition. I could not thank them enough for this great opportunity. As you may have seen, they don’t have tons and tons of athletes under their label like other companies. They are selective with who they choose and I am thankful for them choosing me. I now have to work extra hard and live up to the HARDCORE that this brand represents and show them that they did not make a bad decision.

I plan on attending the ABC evens in NJ/PA/NY area as well as attending seminars/expos that Universal will have.  I want to again send a HUGE THANKS to Universal for this unreal opportunity. I’m thankful to be a member of such a great family.

GK

Shaun “The Giant Killer” Clarida vs. Jim “Crusher” Cordova

Hello All,

I just arrived back in town from Marlborough, MA. I decided to compete at Nancy Andrew’s Pro American show that was held here in Marlborough. There were many reasons I decided to do this show. I arrived Thursday afternoon and immediately took my polygraph test and as soon as that was done, I headed to the room to rest up. I began the fueling process to fill out little by little.

Friday, I awake and continue my fueling and head down to do my urine testing as well as my weigh in. I weighed in and of course was the LIGHTEST of every pro there! I weighed 134lbs!!! Sure, that may look like nothing on paper, but the best was yet to come! Back to fueling……..

Saturday-Showtime!!!

As I began to get ready (tan/fuel/pump) I’m feeling GREAT! I took in my secret weapon that really gets me going and as soon as that happened, I knew it was time to ROCK!  The men’s pro division was stacked and luckily, it was split into two classes. The lightweight cut off was 168lbs, so of course, I was a lightweight. We came out (7 of us) and I was immediately called to the middle to go head to head with the 2007 Mr. Universe, Pro America and World Champ, Jim Cordova. That didn’t stop me from hitting every pose hard and confident. It was a battle up there as every single pro deserved to be there! The judges made us work and I knew I prepared to go 12 rounds!!!

I made sure the keep my quads tight, lats wide, chest high and my pearlie whites blinging from start to finish. From much of the comments/feedback I received, it was going to be between myself and Jim. Jim and I were top amateurs with the INBf before moving onto the pro ranks. He won the INBF Amateur Worlds overall in 2005 and I followed up with winning the Overall World title the following year. We both have strengths and weaknesses, so it was all up to the judges. What were they looking for that night?

Finally the time has come. The call-out was done differently. Instead of bringing the top 5 guys out, they announced immediately who the 3rd place guy was (Brad Steere). Obviously, the top 3 guys would be on stage receiving their medals. The anxiety began, waiting and hoping for the next number to be called, which I was hoping WAS NOT my number, which would mean, I had the chance of being the champion. Unfortunately, the number on my waist was called, leaving me to walk out to receive my 2nd place silver medal. The last and final name called was of course Jim Cordova, who came out to receive his 1st place award.

Every show I do, I make it my business to improve in all areas. No one person is perfect and I am far from perfect. That gives me the energy to come back each and every time with a new and improved physique, hoping the judges see a winner in me. If not, its back to the drawing board until finally, my number is the last number called. The plan of action starts Monday. NO DAYS OFF FOR THE GIANT KILLER.

The lightweight pro division in the WNBF is and will remain the top class to watch, no matter what show you attend. Each of us are bringing a smaller, tighter and fuller package to impress the audience and most importantly the judges. We are setting the bar that you don’t need to be a mass monster to be the best. Great things come in small packages and us lightweights are proving that each show. Congrats to all my fellow WNBF Pros.

GK

More pics to come soon…

Back in late January, I attended the Rich Gaspari’s Dragon Den Seminar held at the Apollon Gym in Edison. I was impressed with the gym. I was able to get a workout while there, which I was very pleased with. This gym is your typical “hardcore” gym. No fancy machines, just HEAVY WEIGHTS! That’s my style.

As the seminar started, I was asked by Rich Gaspari to be apart of their posing session.  Though I was in off season shape, there’s no way I would have turned down this great chance to be critiqued by Rich and his team. His team that came along included: Flex Lewis, Jason Artnz, Mark Alvisi and Erin Riley. I went through all the mandatory poses as Rich critiqued me in front of a group.

Included in the seminar included a leg section that was run by Erin Riley, a chest section, run by Mark Alvisi, Back section run by Flex Lewis and Rich and Jason were over with me at the posing. Lot of posing, but well worth it!

At the end of the seminar, there was a Super Pump Challenge, which I entered. Two groups, Under 200 and over 200 were formulated and of course I was in the under 200 (go figure). Non stop barbell curls supersetted with non stop diamond push-upswas the name of the game. The last man standing in the group was your Superpump champion. At the end of about 100+ reps of both curls and push-ups, I was left standing to be the Superpump Champion!!! I walked away with $500 worth of Gaspari Nutrition supplements. 

At the end of the day, not only did I walk away with free supplements, but some new friends. This seminar was a great learning experience not only for new and upcoming competitors/athletes, but experienced guys, such as myself.  Just want to thank Rich and Team Gaspari for the knowledge and the GREAT EXPERIENCE!  Below is a video trailer from the seminar. I will also create a photo album to show off my experience.

Giant Killer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN9HyxhuaPk

Happy New Years to everyone!

2009 is here, which means a new WNBF season. Many have been asking me what shows have I decided to do this  year and the answer is, NONE.  I have not planned anything as far as competitions goes. I have been focusing a lot on bringing up a few weak areas as well as improving some of my areas. This is Bodybuilding and in order to make the necessary changes/improvements, it takes TIME. 

Since Worlds 2008, I have make the necessary steps toward improving my physique. I have joined up with a another gym. I felt that I was not getting what I needed at my current gym, so decided to add on a new gym. I feel that’s beneficial because each gym is different and getting used to only one gym and one atmosphere, personally was not helping me improve…so I did what I needed to do. Since that addition, I have made significant improvements and will continue to do.

I have been studying pictures as well as the Worlds DVD, looking to see where I could have possibly went wrong and to see where I could possibly improve. I received many great compliments in regards to my improvement from 2007 to 2008 in regards to my size, growth and conditioning, all of which are great! However, deep down, I know that I can do better. Like I said, this is Bodybuilding and if I am not “building,” then why am I here? 2009 is the year of change and trust me, CHANGE WILL COME.

Check back in a few weeks for a new album that will be added from 2008 WNBF Pro Worlds. Pics below are from the 2008 Worlds.

Later

GK