Craig Madden targets NABBA Universe glory and IFBB Pro Card in Milan

The NABBA and PCA Pro is chasing a place in bodybuilding history at the NABBA Pro Universe and has questioned why his achievements have not earned him greater recognition in the UK. In a candid interview with FrontDouble.com, the 6ft 3in bodybuilder discusses his ambitions, the challenge of building a heavyweight physique, eating almost 7,000 calories a day and why he believes he looks better on stage than on Instagram.

EXCLUSIVE By Gary Chappell

CRAIG MADDEN has spent years building a physique that he once thought was beyond his reach. Now, in the space of just 14 days, he has the opportunity to achieve two major milestones in his bodybuilding career.

The NABBA and PCA Pro is targeting the NABBA Pro Universe on Sunday, November 1, before heading to the NPC European Masters in Milan, where he will be chasing the coveted IFBB Pro League Card.

At 6ft 3in, filling his frame has required enormous amounts of food, patience and a willingness to endure extended periods away from the condition most bodybuilders spend their careers trying to maintain.

But Madden, who is approaching his 45th birthday, believes the work is paying off. He says he is still gaining muscle and feels he has an aesthetic advantage over some of his rivals.

The NABBA Universe holds particular significance. It was one of the first federations he encountered when he began competing and he remembers watching the standard of physiques on display in 2015 without imagining he would one day be a professional bodybuilder entering for its biggest title.

Winning it would represent a particularly special achievement.

Craig Madden's ambition to win the NABBA Pro Universe

He said: “The NABBA Federation was probably one of the first federations I came across alongside UKBFF when I started bodybuilding competitively and I went to one of their shows in 2015.

“It was the NABBA North West. It was an extremely well-run show with extremely impressive physiques. I never thought that I'd be able to stand with them guys on that stage, let alone be a NABBA Pro and be entering for the NABBA Pro Universe title.

“So as you can imagine it would hold huge prestige for me to go down in NABBA's history books and I would be delighted and over the moon to be part of that if I was to win it. So that is number one.”

The challenge of filling a 6ft 3in frame

Madden's height has been both an advantage and a challenge throughout his bodybuilding career. While he believes his stature helps his physique make an impression on stage, building enough muscle to fill a tall frame has been a lengthy process.

There was also a time when he regularly found himself being asked whether he was competing in Classic Bodybuilding, something that frustrated him because his ambition had always been to compete in the Open.

He finally got the opportunity to make his mark in 2019, winning the tall Open class at the PCA North West before taking the overall men's title.

He said: “Being six foot three, I have found it a lot harder to fill my frame out. There was a number of years where I would look to register at shows and they'd always ask, 'Are you in classic'? That used to annoy me a bit because I've never – I've got nothing against classic bodybuilding by the way – but I've never wanted or been a classic bodybuilder. I've always been an open bodybuilder.

“So I was extremely pleased one year back in 2019 where at registration I was asked whether I was classic and I ended up winning the tall bodybuilding open class and then went on to win the overall men's title.

“That was the PCA North West in 2019 and back then it was literally just one men's overall and one women's overall. So I literally beat every single other guy in the competition who had won their class.”

How Craig Madden built his physique on 7,000 calories a day

Building the physique he has today has required a huge commitment to eating, with Madden revealing that his off-season intake has at times approached 7,000 calories a day.

And while many competitors find the depths of contest preparation the hardest part of bodybuilding, he says the sheer volume of food required to grow can be just as demanding.

“In terms of how have I built my physique, it's just taken time and a lot of food.

“There have been times where I've been up to almost 7,000 calories per day, which I can tell you is actually harder to do than the depths of the prep. Because not only is it a lot of food, a lot of food volume to get in throughout the day and you just feel like you're eating, you just finish one meal and you start in the next.

“It does make you feel sluggish and the only time that you are anything useful is in the gym when you're strong and looking to build that muscle.

“I do find off-seasons tough because, at six foot three, it's taken a lot of food over a lot of years to put that size on. And not only that, you need to get used to not being lean all the time.

“If you want to put a tremendous amount of size on you have to go through periods where you do look a little bit softer to reach new milestones in terms of body weights.”

His peak off-season weight has been around 302lb, although he says his most recent off-season was considerably leaner than previous growth phases.

“My peak body weight is probably about 302 pounds in an off-season, I don't think I've ever really been above that. That's the morning body weight on waking.

“And last off-season I actually only went up to 290 pounds but it was a much leaner 290 pounds than what I've ever done before hence the added size.

“And for myself, at nearly 45 years old, to still be gaining the amount of muscle that I do and still have the younger looking skin and physique that I do, I do find that I am blessed in that way. And it is to my advantage, especially when it comes to aesthetics and against the guys that are a little bit older than me, or even some of the guys that are younger than me in their 30s.

“I do feel like I've got a younger looking physique than what I actually am and that's probably due to me always eating clean, very rarely eating off-plan. Even when I was on 7,000 calories I would potentially have one off-plan meal per week maximum and it'd be nothing crazy then. As you can imagine, if I'm eating 7,000 calories a day I'm not even going to feel like having an off-plan anyway. I'd rather just stick to my usual clean foods.”

Keeping muscle during bodybuilding contest prep

The challenge then becomes holding on to that hard-earned muscle as the calories come down and the demands of preparation increase.

For Madden, the key is making sure the off-season has been managed properly before prep even begins. Starting from a strong position, with food intake high and output relatively low, gives him more room to make adjustments without immediately compromising training performance.

He believes maintaining strength is central to retaining muscle tissue and says any decline in performance should prompt a closer look at recovery and training demands.

“It's all about managing your off-season first and foremost, making sure that you're in a good place to start your prep, food high, output low etc.

“So you've got a lot of tools to play with in prep. I will start my prep maybe about 4,000 calories which is somebody's off-season typically or maybe even more for somebody in somebody's off-season in terms of calories.

“So if you're on a good amount of food then you're going to maintain training performance and that is key to holding muscle tissue.

“If you can hold training performance or even potentially improve training performance especially at the start of a prep then you're on to a winner. You ain't going to be losing any muscle, it's as simple as that.

“And if you do start losing strength in training then you need to look at your lifestyle and the amount of training that you are actually doing. It's probably too much for your body to recover from if you are starting to regress in terms of performance.”

Why Craig Madden added the NABBA Universe to his Milan prep

The decision to add the NABBA Universe to his schedule came after Madden had initially planned to concentrate solely on the NPC European Masters in Milan.

Discovering that the Universe fell just two weeks earlier changed his thinking. Rather than viewing the extra contest as an unwanted complication, he felt it fitted his schedule and would break up the preparation.

With both shows now in his sights, managing fatigue and recovery will be crucial. Madden insists he feels fresh, although he admits that mentally he is already looking forward to bringing the campaign to an end after Milan.

He said: “So initially it was literally the plan to just do the Milan show but then I found out that it was the NABBA Universe two weeks prior and I just felt it fit really well with my schedule and it does break up the prep a little bit.

“I still feel fresh. I feel like I can still peak fine and still be fine for that last show.

“I don't feel particularly tired at the moment even with just two weeks prep left. I feel fresh like I could carry on for a good month yet, albeit mentally I am ready to call it after Milan.

“So it's just all about managing fatigue, recovery and mental and just having good mental fortitude as well to be able to carry on and for the shows to actually mean enough to you, for you to put your all into both.”

Craig Madden questions lack of recognition in British bodybuilding

While his immediate attention is on the two competitions ahead, Madden also has a longer-term ambition: to establish himself more firmly among the leading names in British bodybuilding.

It is an interesting subject because, despite holding both NABBA and PCA Pro status, he feels he has not received the level of recognition he might have expected.

He believes his height could be a factor, arguing that taller bodybuilders can look considerably more impressive in person and on stage than they do in photographs. He also questions the influence of social media, where he feels shorter physiques can be better suited to the camera.

“I'm not quite sure why I'm not regarded as one of the top guys," he said. "Maybe because I look more impressive in person than on social media, being a taller guy somebody's physique always looks better on stage which is a massive advantage if you want to win the titles. Because let's be honest, the Insta bodybuilders don't tend to do too well, albeit the Olympians all look good on Instagram but they are the shorter guys. So it tends to be the shorter guys that look best in the pictures – and I never edit my pictures or anything like that.

“So it's an odd one that I'm not recognised the same as others, but it is what it is. Maybe I just don't have the algorithm that other people have. But I have started a YouTube now, so that should boost things a little bit for me and get more people following.

“But having pages like FrontDouble.com to actually promote athletes like myself is only going to help cement my place in the bodybuilding history books as it were. To cement myself in the community as one of the top guys who's close to potential IFBB Pro Card and already has the PCA Pro Card and NABBA Pro Card. But it's an odd one that I'm not recognised more. Maybe the guys on YouTube that seem to have bigger personalities probably get that little bit more recognition.”

Madden has now launched his YouTube channel in the hope of reaching a wider audience and giving people a better opportunity to see what he brings to the stage.

But first comes the business of competing.

The NABBA Pro Universe offers the chance to win a title with particular personal significance, while Milan represents an opportunity to secure the IFBB Pro League status he is chasing.

Two shows, two weeks apart – and a major opportunity to make his mark.

Craig Madden offers online coaching. To find out more, send a DM to @blade.pro.coaching on Instagram or apply via the link in his bio.

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Prep Diary of a Masters Bodybuilder – Episode 8: Two weeks to Milan... and it doesn’t feel real

A stomach that won’t settle, a new job, an exhausted week and a European Masters that hasn’t sunk in, as the cost of a long prep starts to show

Saturday, October 24, 2026

The dark mist has descended. I have still not really taken any time to digest or enjoy any aspect of my PCA British title victory. It is almost as if it never happened. Football training for Ollie this morning. I sit in the car and work on my online check-ins. Lots of clients fail to check in on time. This does not help my mood. My parents visit, but I’m not great company. I’m trying to grow FrontDouble, but so many people have ignored my messages. Frustration is boiling over. The thinking is truly indicative of contest prep.

Sunday, October 25, 2026

Match day for Ollie. Away. It is blowing a gale. Hood up, I can still barely see as I stand there shivering. I watch the second half from the car – which I have never done – and I’m so exhausted from everything that I keep nodding off. I’m so ashamed. I’ve never done that at Ollie’s matches before. Once home, I eat, then sleep again. This is akin to BC life (before CPAP, for my sleep apnea). I check the MyAir app and mask leaks and events per hour are up 55%. This is not helping. Mood is appalling. Irritable. Short temper. That everything-is-going-wrong feeling. I start my new job as assistant gym manager tomorrow too. A client decides it is OK to check in 24 hours late, despite me saying the missed check-in means plans stay the same for seven days. I get a raft of excuses. Later, I start to will myself to turn my attention to Milan. I am doing the NPC European Masters in three weeks and it is almost as if it isn’t happening. Then I laugh and ridicule myself; the prize up for grabs is an IFBB Pro League card as a Masters. Who am I kidding? Have you seen my arms? Not that you can call them arms. My front double biceps pose is as pathetic as it gets. It’s laughable I’m even considering doing the Milan show.

Monday, October 26, 2026

Client at 10am. Stomach still an issue. I’m going to have to consider going to A&E. Frequent sharp pains and swelling. This is not right. I train my arms after my client, before starting my new job at noon. It seems to go well. By the evening, I am exhausted again. I really shouldn’t be. I help wrap the remainder of Ollie’s presents ahead of his 12th birthday tomorrow. And I continue to ridicule myself over Milan.

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Ollie is 12. It is a cliché, but where does the time go? Condensed into a myriad of memories. A blur of colour and emotion. After the unwrapping in the morning, I rush to get all my meals prepped. I’ve been given a high day but don’t have everything I need. In the evening, my stomach goes nuclear. I lie on the couch in pain. My stomach bloats so much it feels like it’s about to touch the ceiling. I try to think about getting Meal 5 in, but I’m in so much discomfort I think the best thing is just to wait until I can move, then go straight to bed. Irritability off the charts. What is going on?

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Client at 10am. Training just after 11. Then day three of the new job at 12. Things are getting smoother as I start to bed in and recognise how to put my stamp on things. Mood is lightening. Milan still does not seem real. I’ve done four comps and they are almost a blur now. Milan is arguably the biggest of the lot and I feel nothing. No excitement. No drive. No motivation. I take some post-workout pics and realise I look exceptionally sharp. My baseline diet has increased from 1,900 calories and now sits at roughly 2,800, with about 390g of carbs and 250g of protein and yet I’m getting sharper – leaner almost – and more vascular.

Thursday, October 29, 2026

I start the day in agony. I’m lying on the kitchen floor again. Definitely considering A&E. This is not normal. Leg day too. God only knows how I get through this, especially as I don’t train until 3.15pm and have been at work since 7am. First-world problems, of course, but this is a routine I am still getting used to, new job and all. I get in and can barely keep my eyes open. I need to eat, walk the dogs, feed the kids and get food bits at Aldi. All while virtually sleepwalking. Two weeks today, we fly to Milan. I’ve barely given it a thought. The Bodybuilding Breakdown YouTube channel drops its latest video assessing the PCA British Championships. Critique is always interesting. My quads are “massive”, apparently and I’ll be “hard to beat” in Milan. They make a quip about beating your grandkids in an arm wrestle. I’m nowhere near being a granddad. My youngest are 12 and 13! Granted, the eldest is 20, but he’s hardly planning a family. Cheeky.

Friday, October 30, 2026

Good push session. The pump in my delts is brutal. Dieting at close to 400g of carbs makes me think of all the people who think they need to eliminate carbs. Ways and means, dear friends. My mood is easing, but I still feel washed out. It’s got to be the length of prep. And I wonder how that will translate to the look in the biggest competition of my young career. You know, the competition that has barely registered in my thinking.

Want a coach who's living the prep alongside you? I'm taking on clients. DM me on instagram @gary_chappell76 or email info@dietplanman.com to apply to work with me.

Masters Bodybuilder Prep Diary – Episode 7: British champion and PCA Pro on the darkest of days

Four from four, a British title and a PCA Pro card, on a day nobody in Telford will forget

Saturday, October 17, 2026 - one day out, PCA British Championships

I start my online check-ins. I need to get pretty much all of these finished before we head to Telford. I want to leave just after noon. Of course, that's never going to happen. I'm still using the toilet like we're an inseparable new love. I start packing the car about 1.30pm. I notice the tyre pump in the boot and remember my tyres are below recommended pressure. So I fish it out and start pumping them up. Two down, two to go. But the passenger side fails to connect properly and suddenly, instead of filling the tyre with air, it starts deflating. Soon, one is sitting completely flat on the driveway. And the other is seriously below the safe pressure to drive. I start to rant. Laura finds another pump in my son, Jack's, car. Fixed. Who's panicking? We set off, late as usual. But it's a smooth drive into Telford International Hotel. Some check-ins were late, so instead of relaxing, I need to go through these to ensure clients are set up for the week. Day 1 of the PCA British Championships has also taken place, so I have to go through instagram with a fine tooth comb and collate all results for FrontDouble. That is in between heading to the venue and getting my base coat of tan.

Sunday, October 18, 2026 - PCA British Championships show day

I use the toilet seven times before leaving the hotel. How am I even supposed to compete today when my stomach is like this? I check-in with Nathan; usual drill, short, sharp espresso and 10-minute walk to "get things moving". I pull a wry smile. Trust me, I don't need to get things moving. Still. I dress and walk round the car park for 10 minutes in the freezing cold. I get my things together and head to registration and top coat, leaving Laura to enjoy her complimentary breakfast. In tanning, I'm stood with a guy in tattoos. We stand there and dry in front of the fan in silence. I don't recognise him from previous shows. I later discover it is Mateusz Chmura. Had I known then who he was, maybe I would have spoken. It seems eerie now, but little did either of us know what was about to transpire. That within a couple of hours, he would collapse on that stage. Those thoughts persist all week.
When he collapses during Classic Bodybuilding Medium, no one knew if he had merely fainted, or was in real trouble. But the shrieks from PCA tanning made it clear soon enough. They scream for paramedics. Laura rushes to the stage. She is an Emergency Care Assistant - a paramedic in all senses. My abiding memory is seeing her start CPR. Pumping away on his chest. I will her on before being asked to leave as the auditorium is evacuated. Screens are hurriedly thrown around the chaos to ensure some degree of dignity. The repeated calls for a defibrillator echo around the silent auditorium. I wait in the foyer for news. Several people say the show cannot continue. There is lots of speculation. If he is alive, they may decide to carry on. This is not like football, where cardiac arrests in the crowd see fans ferried out while the game continues. Hundreds have planned and timed their body for this moment. It seems harsh. Cruel. Cold. Laura finally returns. I hug her. The details are harrowing. But at this moment Mateusz is alive. The PCA calls everyone back in after about two hours. A cheer goes up when news is relayed that Mateusz's heart is beating. They give competitors the choice of continuing. The overwhelming majority decide to carry on. Perhaps as a tribute to him. Who knows. About four classes are ahead of me. I'm on stage with another 11 or 12 people. It is a big class. Two large digital screens flank the stage. As I perform my posing routine, I turn to the side and see myself on it - I don't look too bad, I think. Still, in comparisons I'm not in the centre, but from the corner of my eye I can see the centre spot changes places several times, which is not normal. I'm uncertain of my placing right until the end, despite reassurances from Laura and Nathan. I'm British champion and a PCA Pro.
Before I do the overall and Pro show, I find out that, in fact, Mateusz has died. My mood changes. On the way home, as I'm cruising and chatting over the horrific events with Laura, I'm flashed on the motorway. I'm not even home and the good feeling is well and truly gone. It was brief anyway after what happened today.

Monday, October 19, 2026

Mateusz is the first thing on my mind as I wake. I check-in and Nathan asks, 'How you doing Mr New PCA Pro?' But I'm not feeling it. When I got home last night, I wrote the story of his tragic death. I got to bed at 2am. I feel rough this morning and have to reschedule a PT client. I'm still feeling ill. I don't train today either. Mind just not on it. Food is up though as we reset a little ahead of my final competition of the season, the NPC European Masters in Milan on November 14. 125g rice becomes 200g and Hydrorice or cream of rice moves from 50g to 120g at Meal 1 and 100g at Meal 5. Dark chocolate moves to 15g from 10g. This is the big win. You have no idea how much difference that 5g makes.

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Again, I wake with Mateusz on my mind. Usually I am not affected by these things. But I think I am starting to be. I keep thinking of Laura working on him furiously and wonder how she does such a job. I tell the kids how proud they should be of their mum, that she is a real life hero, not me, a show-pony with a few muscles. Lots of people, including my old industry in the mainstream media, are jumping on the story. But true to form, they do it a disservice. I write a tribute piece. I still don't train today.

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

I start the day in severe pain again. What is going on with my stomach? At 8.45am I am lying on the kitchen floor in agony. I'm helped to the sofa, given painkillers and sleep until my shift. Later, I sign my contract. I got offered the job from last week's interview. New Assistant General Manager of my gym. First salaried job since my redundancy from my 20-plus-year newspaper career in December 2024. No more relying on my redundo package, which is now more than 50 per cent smaller due to using it to live. I train today as pain has gone and I need to do something.

Thursday, October 22, 2026

I feel better today. No pain. A little less exhausted. Fatigue is still there but manageable. I PT a client, then train before my shift. I continue to make plans for my new AGM role. I have a raft of ideas. I still keep thinking of Mateusz. It is hard not to.

Friday, October 23, 2026

Legs today. I train, chat with the gym manager about Monday's start, then get home, change and take my daughter to Lakeside for the opening of new yoghurt shop Frurt. We wait in the queue for two hours just so she can be one of the first 150 people to get a free pot. I get one too. Not for me, of course, but for my son, Oliver. As I buy banners and wrapping paper for his 12th birthday on Tuesday, the yoghurt starts running everywhere. I'm now exhausted, fatigued and hungry. And stuck in a shopping centre. Later, I start to realise I need to get my head in the game. Milan is in just three weeks. And I've barely given it a second thought.

Want a coach who's living the prep alongside you? I'm taking on clients. DM me on instagram @gary_chappell76 or email info@dietplanman.com to apply to work with me.

Prep diary of a Masters bodybuilder Ep.3: Teeth falling out, a prep kitten and my opening win

A week of contest prep, family life, work, fatigue and increasingly precise attempts to get my physique right for the next four shows – with the next one my 2Bros debut

Saturday, September 19, 2026 – show day:

I wake at 6am. No tan on the white bedding because both coats are being sprayed this morning. But as has happened once or twice over the past few weeks, I get sharp pains in my stomach. I struggle to find decent lighting in the Airbnb but take pics and weight and fire them over to Nathan, who has just landed in Vegas as he plots the 212 Olympia debut for his client Yinka Majolagbe. They are eight hours behind, he's had a 10-hour flight and it's getting late stateside. Without fail my phone lights up within minutes; espresso and 5-10min walk to get things moving. I venture out into the morning light, wander round a park, past a squirrel ruffling the feathers of a flock of hungry pigeons then, of course, a Ghostbuster van.
Meal 1 goes in; 100g Hydrorice – rice pudding to you and me – whey and honey. Pics and weight in two hours. Water and salt consistent.
As I prise the kids out of bed and the family gets ready, I wash up, make sure the place is clean for check-out and gather my bits together for the day ahead. I have tanning at 9am and expect to be on stage at 1.30pm. Short drive to the venue – seven minutes or so.
Tanning is, as it always is, delayed. I chat to mass monster Don Valley in the changing room as we both wait to stand together, naked, except for a sock. Amiable chap. We talk bodybuilding and its problems. We're clearly on the same page and I reflect how these shows always create friendly bonds with people who live the other side of the country. It is one of competitive bodybuilding's positives.
I finish tanning at gone 11 and realise the show has started and they are rattling through classes. That means they are ahead of schedule. I rush to get pics and weight to Nathan waiting more than 5000 miles away across the pond for my update. Messages struggle to go through due to dodgy reception and I'm feeling increasingly rushed. Finally they go through. I get my meal plan. Then I find out I'm going to be on much earlier than planned. We halve the meal and I just start pumping up. I'm now on in 30 minutes roughly, not 90. I stand behind the stage curtain as some guy I have never met rubs glaze into my skin. They call me on straight into my posing routine. I perform it to a backdrop of my wife and daughter's support. No rest as it finishes as they want me straight into mandatory poses. It is just me in the class. Happens sometimes. You just get on with it. At least I've won.

I'm surprised by my posing fitness - this never happened in 2024 BC [see previous diary entry]. My midsection control is excellent and breathing nicely under control. I'm confident, happy. It has gone well.
As the chance is there, I step into Class 2 - open bodybuilding - just for extra stage time. It is me and the friendly Don Valley. What a battle. Don outmuscled me. I out conditioned him. Today they want muscle and he takes the win. I'm pleased for him. He messages me later with very complimentary words about how I've helped him realise what he needs to do condition-wise to achieve his PCA Pro Card. I always struggle with people being positive. That and self-belief. I am working on it. Later, I win best poser, even though in my head I cannot pose. Overall, it is job done as we prepare for two more shows back to back.
I ditch my flip flops and change back into trainers for the three-hour drive home. As I drink a sugar-free energy drink and sugar-free fizzy to help navigate the M6 and M1, I start feeling more human again. I walk through the door at 8.30pm. Two meals to go and we reset for another competition in six days.

Sunday, September 20, 2026:

Back to baseline diet today. 1900 calories. Fully expected. I take my son to his football match for 9.15am. He is captain for the day and opens the scoring. The weekend seems to continue in a positive vein. He misses out on man of the match and seems upset afterwards. But I ask him: 'Did you put in a man of the match display today'? He did. I say: 'This is what we want. You keep your standards high, put in performance worthy of man of the match every single game, the rest is out of your hands. But do everything in your control to be the best'. It seems to lift him. I tell him he's done a good job, bank it and move forward.
The depleted feeling starts rinsing through me late in the day as the lower food starts to bite. The dog walk gets hard when this feeling returns. I do what feels like mountains of washing up and fold what also appears to be two tonnes of washing. Full client check-ins too. Many have cheated on their diet this week. It reminds that I haven't done that ever. And had nothing off plan since May. I get an insta message asking me to do a podcast. I'm told some people think I'm an icon. I wonder if she means eyesore. Who knows.

Monday, September 21, 2026:

Baseline diet again. More food expected tomorrow as we polish for the next show, my 2Bros debut. I need to do this UK regional qualifier so I can compete at the NPC European Masters in Milan. Last leg session today. Lots of writing too as I catch up from the weekend's exploits. Son got in the school football team, albeit the reserves. That'll do. He can build from there. Things are looking up.

Tuesday, September 22, 2026:

Carbs start going back in after two days on baseline diet. Regardless, I start to feel washed out. Strange, because there isn't even any cardio at this point. I have an overtime shift until 1pm, then a PT client, training, then straight to get the kids. Tuesday is always manic. I need to take my youngest to football training by 5.45pm. I try to eat first – but there's no chicken already done so I have to prepare more. With my wife on a 12-hour ambulance shift, I'm juggling plates. I put washing on, wash up the mess left from the morning rush, eat – finally – then dash out the house for football. I take my laptop so I can do some writing in the car but the laptop is low on juice and it dies quickly. Training ends earlier than usual because of the fading light but I'm still not home till nearly 8pm. Then I prepare dinner for the kids, eat again and take the dogs out. It's now 9.30pm. I have one more meal left, my head's spinning with stuff I need to do and haven't done, a million emails from the kids' school [why do they insist on sending so many?!] and a message to deal with after my son was given a detention for forgetting to bring in a whiteboard. This is his third week of high school. Their arbitrary rules are just so unnecessary.
I keep checking emails to see if anything has dropped from the literary agents I pitched. It's been about seven weeks since I finished re-polishing my children's picture book. I need another income stream and this idea has been in the works for years. I've had one rejection and silence from six others. Nothing from The Times, either, after two job applications for sports production and sports news editor; roles I have close to 20 yeas' experience in. At different points I remember I'm prepping for another four bodybuilding shows.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026:

I'm up at 4.30am to do fresh pics and weight to ping to Nathan, who is eight hours behind in Vegas and who has been up since 4am himself preparing Yinka for his 212 Olympia debut. We exchange a few messages, then I go back to bed until 6.45am when I take more pictures, this time in the garden for natural light. They are so much better. I keep referring to my post-workout pics in the best bog in Thurrock and how I believe that look is even better than the stage look from Saturday. I never think official photos do the physique justice somehow. Or maybe I'm never happy. I sent Nathan some stage shots overnight and his reply landed: "Some of these shots are crazy". He mocks up our 12-week transformation from when we started working together saying "crazy 12 weeks work" and "should be super proud of these". Still, the thought persists that I can improve that stage look.

I'm tired at work today. Client at 9.30am, train, then straight into holding a circuit class. I eat soon after then retreat into my shell for a bit. I clean the treadmills and crosstrainers as it helps me think. I leave at 4pm and head straight to collect my son from school football training. His training overruns and I'm nodding off in the car. Three days out from show number two of five.

Thursday, September 24, 2026:

Up before the alarm today at 4.15am. Pics sent across the pond to Nathan. Then back to bed for all of two hours. Weight holding after two days of higher carbs so a few more going in today. We are trying to land a similar look to my post-workout fullness; dry and vascular. I take them after two meals and 2.4litres of water. So what I need to do on Saturday for my 2Bros debut is improve my pump-up routine. I won't be working out obviously. But in the past I have not pumped up very much for fear of blurring detail in the muscle when in fact, with me, the opposite appears to be true – and these post-workout pics prove this. As the day goes on, I get that empty, quiet feeling again. So I hoover and clean the gym simply to be alone with my thoughts. I feel rushed when I leave; writing bits for FrontDouble, preparing stuff to get to Milton Keynes on Friday in time for tanning and registration. My mind is not clear. I don't like this feeling.

Friday, September 25, 2026:

One day out from show two of five, my 2Bros debut. I wake groggy after a bad night. Dreams were wild and weird. First, I dreamt my teeth suddenly starting falling out one by one. Then I dreamt my plans dropped from Nathan for my next show and he wanted to me to buy a kitten. I can remember thinking, why the hell do I need this? I already have four dogs.
I work the early shift today 8-12. Food is pulled back slightly. We are trialling the look without Peak Max this time. Everything has looked ideal day after day, following two meals, two litres and a workout. So we are not adding any more variables. On Saturday we just repeat, two meals, two litres and I fix my backstage pump-up protocol by doing a bit more and not worrying whether I'm going to blur any lines. Looks like I need more of a pump up, not less. These two qualifying shows will serve the perfect purpose of refining for the more important trio to come; the PCA Masters next Saturday, October 3, the PCA Britain and the NPC European Masters.
I finish work at 12, get home, get my bits together, collect the kids from school at 2pm – early finish Fridays – then head to the venue at Milton Keynes. Loads of motorway traffic as usual. And once again I have to stop at a services to use the toilet, which they helpfully locate 400,000 miles away from the car park. I switch to passenger and let Laura [my wife] drive. I click the heated seat button and doze off, waking on M1 to yet more traffic. We arrive just in time for me to dash behind an outbuilding and because I'm busting for the toilet yet again. Base coat of tan goes on. The spray is freezing. We then get diesel but due to a couple faffing at the pump and then the pump not reading the debit card, I somehow lose my reading glasses. Stress after stress. We finally reach the Airbnb, I eat and settle down to get some writing done ahead of tomorrow's second outing.

Craig Madden's ambition to win the NABBA Pro Universe

The challenge of filling a 6ft 3in frame

How Craig Madden built his physique on 7,000 calories a day

Keeping muscle during bodybuilding contest prep

Why Craig Madden added the NABBA Universe to his Milan prep

Craig Madden questions lack of recognition in British bodybuilding

Craig Madden offers online coaching. To find out more, send a DM to @blade.pro.coaching on Instagram or apply via the link in his bio.

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A stomach that won’t settle, a new job, an exhausted week and a European Masters that hasn’t sunk in, as the cost of a long prep starts to show

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Want a coach who's living the prep alongside you? I'm taking on clients. DM me on instagram @gary_chappell76 or email info@dietplanman.com to apply to work with me.

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Want a coach who's living the prep alongside you? I'm taking on clients. DM me on instagram @gary_chappell76 or email info@dietplanman.com to apply to work with me.

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A week of contest prep, family life, work, fatigue and increasingly precise attempts to get my physique right for the next four shows – with the next one my 2Bros debut

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