FEATUREBEFORE
76 MUSCLE & FITNESS/JULY 2019
BY DR MIKE CATAUSEN
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOE MIKOLIAmerican-based ER physician and dad of
three, Dr Mike Catausen underwent an
awe-inspiring transformation to step on
stage in his first bodybuilding competition.
A
s an ER physician
based in Kansas City,
America, I primarily
work nights. After long,
arduous shifts, poor diet and
not prioritising my health
I found I had piled on the
pounds and was looking a
far cry from the prime of my
younger years. Suffice to
say, I wanted to get in better
shape!I visited many gyms in my local area and
ended up choosing His & Her Fitness.
I wanted to work on my abs specifically,
so they tailed a workout plan to meet
my goals. I was given a meal plan and
lifting schedule, focusing on gaining
lean muscle.
After just six weeks, I could see real
results and felt confident enough to
potentially get on stage. With the support
of my wife and children, I competed
in an NPC show; one of my proudest
moments! I could relate competing to
my work life, going through medical
school and residency requires patience,
determination and perseverance. You
cannot expect to do well in med. school
by cramming all the information in the
night before the exam. It takes consistent
daily discipline to do well, which is
exactly what was required to attain the
body composition required for the stage.
I know for a fact that I could not have
accomplished my goals without my wife’s
support. It helps no end that she already
cooks super-clean for our entire family
and never cooks separate “unhealthy”
meals for the kids just to satisfy them
with chicken fingers and mac and
cheese. She always prepares well-
balanced meals and it’s not uncommon
for the family to eat a dinner consisting of
baked salmon and roasted vegetables at
least once a week. Beyond nutrition, she
supported me by encouraging me to
push forward especially when I was tired
and not feeling like hitting the gym one
Real life transformations
EARLY GRAVE TO THE STAGE
day or picking up another chicken breast.
I honestly have never fully dedicated
myself and my nutrition to gaining mass.
When I was heavier, I didn’t feel
encouraged to eat excess calories for
fear of gaining more fat then muscle.
But my training prior to contest prep
was always geared towards heavier
compound movements in the lower rep
range. Nutrition for contest prep was
calculated but not overly meticulous.
I thought that I would have to count
every single macro and calorie to attain
sub 4-5% body fat but shockingly thatwasn’t the case. Christina at His & Her
Fitness made it simple by constructing
a basic menu for my daily food intake
which I followed very closely. Only if my
body composition stalled, did she make
further adjustments. I will be honest
though that I pretty much ate the same
foods all day and only changed up my
dinners and maybe a snack here and
there. I found that this consistency in
eating made it less stressful because
there was no question as to what I was
going to eat for the day. It simply made it
easier to stick with it.