NILS BARSOM

BodyPlanet: Training - competition preparation and nutritional advice

Characteristics:

Tamer called me a few days ago: "Du Nils, I am redesigning my website, there is also an area where the athletes are presented.... don't you feel like writing a few lines?” Sure, well, logo…. Actually, the topic was ticked off very quickly... and suddenly more than 2 hours had passed on the phone, where we talked about everything, really EVERYTHING possible.... what makes us happy and what depresses us…. Just like only real friends can talk to each other.

I draw a very clean line between a good acquaintance and a friend . Tamer clearly belongs to the latter, narrowly defined circle. And it doesn't matter that I don't live around the corner from him, which makes it difficult to stop by for an hour.

Whether a real friendship can develop or not depends rather on the respective personalities. That also means whether you have a similar way of thinking and feeling. You can often feel it immediately upon first encounter.

In 2001 I worked for a few weeks in Ludwigsburg as a representative. I went into his shop just to ask about a good studio nearby. The conversation quickly went far beyond that and it was immediately clear to me: the man not only lives for his sport, he also enjoys sharing his knowledge and fascination with others.

I'm supposed to write about myself here, and not about Tamer. The fact that I am now starting with him is simply because I am very grateful to him…. for his friendship and also for kicking my butt several times, so I finally made up my mind to go on stage.

With a height of 189 cm, you are one of the tallest in BB sport, even in the heavy weight classes, which does not make it easy for you to present yourself compact and nice and “chubby” in competition.

I had been attending championships as a spectator for a long time and dreamed of being up on the stage myself one day. But whenever I saw my heavyweight class - at 189 cm it's almost automatic - I got very queasy at the thought: "You're way too thin..."

I think I'm quite critical in judging my form. And it's also okay to have this trait if you want to progress. In any case, it was always easier for me to list my weak points than, conversely, to confidently name my strengths. Self-criticism is one thing... but unfortunately I tended to see the famous half-full glass half-empty rather than half-full. I wasn't able to visualize my appearance in competition form in advance. Tamer, on the other hand, already had a clear idea (which is not surprising given the number of athletes he looks after). And so it was a real stroke of luck to have met him. Otherwise I would probably still be dreaming today...

In 2005 the desire to go through with a preparation germinated, but with the birth of my son I put it back again. In 2006 the time had finally come.

I live in southern Hesse, about 150 km away from Ludwigsburg, and there are several performance-oriented studios nearby that support preparation more or less professionally.

As a newcomer, there are good reasons to look for someone to prepare you. First of all, you simply don't have the detailed knowledge required to participate successfully, and I don't think you can acquire it well via media such as the Internet either. Further, it is very difficult to judge oneself as to whether the form is on schedule, ahead or behind. Finally, being accountable to someone else is a lot easier than just being accountable to yourself. If you have to show that person week after week that you have done your homework, it makes it easier to stand your ground in certain situations…. 14, 16 or 17 weeks is a long time, and there are many moments when you can weaken. You only have to walk in the pedestrian zone and the smells from the baker, which are even more intense than usual when you are on a diet, pass by....

On the one hand, an optimal supervisor should be competent and know what he is talking about. Incidentally, a successful competitive career of your own does not hurt. On the other hand, he should always be honest with the athlete, which means he should build him up or squeeze him, depending on how necessary it is. After all, ideally, his personality should just go well with the athlete if I have to respect him absolutely and consequently implement his preparation 100%.

With Tamer, I knew beforehand that he would fulfill all of the things mentioned. So the question of an alternative did not arise for me from the outset. And that's why I didn't really care about the 300 km drive every Saturday with long traffic jams on the A6. The diet was initially planned over 14 weeks until the national championship, in the end it was 17 until the German in Wiesloch.

One of the really nice things about the preparation was the Saturday meetings with the other athletes that were prepared by Tamer. Competitive sport and everyday life on weekdays are basically two different worlds. You often encounter a lack of understanding in those around you when you unpack your Tupperware while the others are biting into their pizza. You're hungry, and there are occasional self-doubts or moments of insecurity. It is then very constructive to exchange ideas at the weekend with others who are going through the same thing as you. I would like to mention Colin Ziegler in particular here. I still like to think of how we pushed each other on and on... from the many meetings and late-night phone calls to the three championships we both competed in.

The championships! I can't really describe the feeling on stage. You have to experience it yourself and maybe the next person will feel it completely differently. It was downright fantastic for me... but in relation to the diet, unfortunately, it was over far too quickly. Well, you can preserve your form for a few weeks and use it for a photo shoot. The pictures you see here were taken about a week after the German one.

I'm extremely happy for the experiences I've had at the championships and diet and know for sure that none of this would have been possible without Tamer.

I therefore only advise one thing to anyone who is toying with the idea of ​​their first competition:

Come to Bodyplanet and do it! There is absolutely nothing to lose!!

Competitions (IFBB)

• international Donaucup 2006 – 1st place men V (+100 kg)
• international Rhein-Neckar-Pokal 2006 – 2nd place men v
• international German championship 2006 – 6th place men v
• IFBB Int Rhein Neckar Pokal Master 2008 – 2nd place
• IFBB International German Championship Master 40-49 years heavyweight 2008 - 3rd place.