Two Years of Bodybuilding

 

You know, Jack LaLanne looked really good back in the day.  What am I saying, the guy looked good probably to right up before his death for his age at any age he was.

Two years ago I got back from a vacation and realized I was a fat boy.  I was suddenly very motivated to do something about it,  I didn't want one of those 12 week and your done programs either.  There is nothing wrong with a 12 week program to get you started but to make a long term choice requires a long term approach.  After 12 weeks then what?   I was looking for more of a lifestyle transformation. 

Bodybuilding fit the bill.  I added the idea of health and flexibility and I got a program that in the first year helped me drop from 337lbs. to 262lbs. That year I also watched my body fat drop from 28% to about 7% based on the three site method on myself.

This year has not been as dramatic but it still has been a great ride.  The heaviest I ever was this year was 285lbs. and I got down to 265lbs. and could not break through that barrier no matter how hard I tried.  Indicates some muscle gain but not a lot.  Bodyfat % hung out at 7% form most of the year until my recent cut dropped it to 5.5% the last few weeks, 5.25% today.

Lessons this year:

1. Nutrition is as important as training - missing meals and too many cheats and all that work in the gym goes bye bye.  You will hear some people say nutrition is 80% but all they are doing emphasizing the point.  Simply put training damages the body, nutrition builds it.  Good Training will get you some results but nutrition puts it into overdrive and gets stuff done.

2. Patience.  Not my daughter, the virtue itself.

3. Relax.  Anxiousness and nervousness shortcut your gains.  Learn to chill.

4. Vary everything.  My training was more effective when things changed and challenged my muscles more often in different ways.

5. Volume is what works for me.  More sets with low reps did gain me some strength and I need that but what gave me growth was more reps at the right weight.  I beginning to think that the nature of my body may have more slow twitch fibers because every time I do more reps it works.  20-24 sets on a body part, yeah that's a lot but it works.  Along with pushing to failure on the last set or even adding an exercise if I don't feel that my muscles have been challenged takes it that much farther.

If one thing had changed I am not a fat boy anymore.  I am back to being what I was a long time ago -- an athlete.  My skin does not fit anymore, but what is underneath has good endurance, strength and muscle tone.  I feel great and I have the goal of competing sometime in 2014.  Year three is coming up and I am ready to change and grow the way I need to grow and change.             

The Mass Monsters Brought It on Themselves and Other Thoughts on the New Physique Classes

Dana Linn Bailey (pictured above) made history by winning the first ever women's physique class at the NPC Junior USA Championships and now the world of bodybuilding will never be the same again.

The new Physique classes for both men and women has drawn a lot of fire from traditional bodybuilders and praise from others so I thought I would weigh in as it appears that it may gain in popularity.  I have a few observations and comments:

1. The mass monsters brought it on themselves:  For the last ten years or so or maybe longer, probably after Ronnie Coleman came out with his 3.0 version of himself (huge and freaky), the focus has not been on the trifecta of judging: Proportion, Symmetry and Size in equality but Size has superseded the other two in importance.  This is in part due to the bodybuilders wishes and that judges have allowed it.  The fact that the insiders let this go on has caused outsiders to stay away in part because they didn't see anything they liked.  The general population wants to see bodies that are appealing.  Sorry big without proportion or symmetry does not appeal to many people.  Men's bodybuilding, by focusing so much on mass, has eliminated some really good competitors in the past because of it but when we get to the women this becomes more seen.

Above is a picture of the reigning Ms. Olympia, Iris Kyle.  Now when you compare her to Dana above, I ask you which one of them is more feminine?  Which one looks more like a girl?  Iris Kyle has won for good reason given the criteria she has been judged by, I am not trying to take anything away from her, but the muscles she has developed look like men's muscles and it is because of the mass monster syndrome.  This is a far cry from the days of Cory Everson's (below) days as Ms. Olympia and because of it the popularity of women's bodybuilding has dipped:

As you can see there have been a lot of changes for women and in my humble opinion not for the better and the reaction has been to create a new class where proportion and symmetry are back in the game.  If the mass monsters had not pushed their game so hard and the judges gone along with it; it would have never happened.  It is a reaction to a takeover by the mass monsters and it is gaining steam.

2. This is supposed to be about health not big:  Ultimately the promoters of bodybuilding and fitness have always said that this is about health and being healthier.  My question is muscle obesity healthy?  When you get reports of guy so big they can hardly move, you begin to wonder.  Weight, regardless of where it is located (muscle or fat) is weight and it strains the heart.  What the characteristics of proportion and balance do is provide balance so a competitor has to work on other things besides size.  I believe flexibility and heart health should play a role and the new Physique classes take us back to the days of Jack LaLanne, Reg Park and other classic guys who we should honor as it was about health to them.

3. More options equals more participation:  What the sport of bodybuilding and fitness needs is growth and another class will do that.  One of the things that this is doing is giving more opportunity to people who would otherwise not really fit.  Dana Linn Bailey is  perfect example of this.  She is too big to place well in Figure (12th at the NPC Team Universe Championships in 2010) but she is too small to place well in women's bodybuilding.  Physique fits her very well because she has the right amount of form, symmetry and size for balance and she is not the only one in this situation.
 
While the classic bodybuilders on the men's side can gripe about it, it means that some of them can keep competing when the muscles shrink as the 'pretty boys' class can do just that.  Hey, if I could look like a men's model at age 60 and still compete in Physique, I would do it and I think a lot of other people are going to feel the same.

It ultimately equals more competitors and that means more fans.

4. Ultimately it is the fans that will decided what goes.  If people don't like it it will not be bought and it will go out of business.  For myself I am not sure about Men's Physique, but I know women's has my interest because that is the kind of muscle that I find appealing on a woman.  It is sexy muscle and that is why in women's competition, I think it will go very well.

IMHO

The Naked Truth: The Secret to Motivation in Health and Fitness

Most people struggle to stay motivated in any fitness endeavor. When people visit Bodybuilding.com or other sites like it there is always a thing called a motivation gage and people can input what their motivation level is on a scale of 1-10. Mine very rarely drops below 8. It hovers at 9 and hits a regular 10 all the time. I have been asked by some how do I do that.

I wish it could be some psyche-out thing I learned or some mental trick there is I do, but the real truth is I get naked on a regular basis in front of the bathroom mirror. For a while I even thought I was nuts, until I read Jack LaLanne's book called Live Young Forever and guess what he considered to be the number one motivation technique he had ever heard of and knew that it worked? That's right, go to the bathroom, lock the door, take off all your clothes and take a long look in the mirror and then get mad at what you see. Ever time you even feel your motivation slipping, go to the bathroom, lock the door...well you get the idea.

Ultimately the best tool in fitness motivation is not a bathroom scale or body fat calipers, but a mirror. Accountability helps but our human perception has an instinctive understanding when we look at the human body whether it is healthy or not and that includes our own. Ultimately, motivation comes from facing the truth in a mirror and not as James says we do so often:"forgetting what we see". It is facing the truth of what we see that ultimately motivates us to change anything and our bodies are no different.

Now body image is a big concern here as most women and some men still see themselves as fatter than they are and people can a very twisted fun house mirror image of themselves. That aside though, the quest to make your body look good in that mirror motivates like nothing else and that is why it still remains a potent part of any person's focus and motivation in reaching their fitness goals.

That is the naked truth.

Musclemag International: May 2011 - Review

Musclemag International's (MMI) May 2011 edition has as its focus getting leaned out by Summer. There is also an additional cover story about Jay Cutler's (on cover) Arm Workout that changed history and allowed him to be the four time Mr. Olympia. MMI's philosophy of eat clean, train hard and emphasizing health over size resonates with me so I will freely confess I like them the best of all the bodybuilding mags out there.

Best Quote: "I can't die; it would ruin my image" - the late Jack LaLanne (p.297)

Highlight Article: Actually there are two involved with getting lean by summer that stand out "The Ketogenic Diet" and "The Everything Cardio Guide" that fit the bill on this one. Really when getting ripped it is less about training and more about nutrition and cardio. (p. 126-146) Both articles deal with this idea.

Best Regular Feature: Joel Stubbs' column is a hit with me this week as it talks about the Big Man and nutrition. Joel being a big man himself makes this a column from someone who is there and that means authentic. He still remains my favorite of the regular pro columns. (p.262-263)

Notable Articles:
1. "Sugar Shock" - Great nutrition article on the actual effect of fruit juice in nutrition. It isn't always good. (p158-166)
2. "Workouts That Rewrote History" - great chronicling about how Jay Cutler took the throne from Ronnie Coleman and got it back from Dexter Jackson (p.238-251)
3. "Rock Your Back" - great article about Ronny Rockel's back workout. (p.104-111)

Dud: "Take the Easy Whey": I only label this one a dud because of timing as Muscle and Fitness released their supplement guide this month and to follow it two weeks later with the same stuff is a little off.

Graphics Content Review: Solid as always, although nothing really caught my eye this week as super great. The magazine is just clean and crisp with good photos and illustrations; so the challenge for them is to do something off the charts. Eye candy this month is Jacqueline Suzanne and I am fairly certain that there would be little construction going on at any site she showed up at as the men would be busy doing other things.

Rating: Four and a Quarter stars, solid work as always. I guess what I am waiting for is a wow factor that will give them something even more. I love the two sections and content being solid and timely. Graphics great as always. Every article was good as far as content although the Whey article showed poor timing.

Flex: March 2011 - Review

Flex, like a lot of the bodybuilding periodicals this month, has Arnold Schwarzenegger on the cover. That also means the focus of the magazine in training like Arnold. Also as a collector's edition it promises classic shots of the man who made fitness and bodybuilding more than a small cult. The reason, of course, for all the Arnold coverage is that the Arnold Classic is the first weekend in March.

Best Quote: "Obviously, I can't train like I used to, but I am still in the gym - my home gym - five days a week, for at least an hour at a time." - Joe Weider "The Master Blaster" Age: 90 (p26) It doesn't get much more inspiring than that.

Highlight Article: Actually there is a set of three articles in a row running from page 120 to 166 which are all Arnold. The first is his eight best moments, the second is on how he trained and the third is some great photos of 'The Oak'. Great collectors stuff here.

Best Regular Feature: In Hard Times this month is a tribute to Jack LaLanne that is very well done. It was good to see all the heartfelt support for Jack and his family. (p. 52)

Notable Articles:
1. 'And The Winner Is...' Great article about the (at the time) upcoming Arnold Classic. (p. 172-188)
2. 'Back Burner' Kai Greene's Back Day. It also showed a little more of Kai's change of attitude. (p226-242)
3. "Stick to It" Good advice for people who are going into contest regarding their diet. For me as a hobby guy right now it also was good stuff about cutting. (p. 246-252)

Duds: "The Flexy Awards" given to the most 'buff' entertainers. Don't get me wrong I understand how the entertainment industry needs buff performers and they should be recognized. But some of the best ones got ignored this time, I simply disagree completely with the results.

Graphic Content Review: Good as always. With the addition of a lot of black and whites of The Oak, it is a plus. Clean and crisp photos this month on everything else. The green and black shoot is Figure Pro Felicia Romero who also happens to be this months only eye candy. Truth be told, this was a great graphics shoot showing a very strong and sexy woman. The best I have seen of the green and black this year.

Rating: I would say four and a half stars. The addition of The Oak makes it so high. Otherwise it would be four. The best graphics this month was the Felicia Romero shoot. I have come to expect this quality of work from Flex and they didn't disappoint.

One and a Half Years of Bodybuilding

Maybe in couple years I will feel confident enough to post my own picture, but for now a very young Arnold Schwarzenegger will have to do. New minor goal, post my own pic without embarrassment in two and half years - end of year four.

February 15th marks the halfway point of every year I train. On August 15, 2009 I came home from vacation significantly embarrassed by what shape I was in, and began a search for something I could do that would counter everything wrong with my body. Bodybuilding fit the bill nicely for a lot of reasons:

1. It involves long term commitment. Look at any cover of any bodybuilding magazine (look at one of my reviews) and the chances are the guy on the cover has been doing this for at least five to seven years. Probably longer. You simply do not get those kind of bodies from a gimmick or quick 12 week program. There are goals at every level: short-term, mid-term and long-term.

2. I can do it for the rest of my life. Bodybuilding actually has competitive classes that involve 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+ in all divisions: Novice, Amateur and Pro. No shortage of goals to aim for, no matter how old I get. Jack LaLane who died at age 96 was reportedly still lifting up till age 94-95.

3. It involves total body health. You cannot be successful in bodybuilding without doing all of the following: Lifting weights, cardiovascular work, nutrition and flexing/stretching. Lifting keeps your muscles ligaments and skeletal bones strong. Cardio keeps the heart and lungs in shape. Nutrition involves 'eating clean' which dumps the poisons from your body and improves overall health. Flexing and stretching keeps you limber and free moving.

4. Mental Focus: To really lift requires mental concentration. It involves setting aside distraction to focus on the task at hand. Some of the meditative techniques I use to lift have also branched into other areas like work and my prayer life. You can accomplish more when you learn to focus and bodybuilding is part of the training I need to learn to focus.

5. Variety: Do you know that there are so many exercises and training techniques that if you are guy like me, that likes to change things up, you will never run out of variety in workouts. There is also the fact that Bodybuilding follows a cycle: strength building (10-12 weeks), size building (28-30 weeks) and fat loss (aka. 'cutting': 10-12 weeks), then repeat and each of these phases is different. No workout has to be completely the same.

6. Side Benefits: You know with health, my quality of life of life has improved. My blood pressure is normal or low normal because I stress less. If I feel stressed or depressed, I hit the gym. Just this last week, I went to the dentist and filled the out the medical history section for registration and the only thing I marked 'yes' on was that I wore contacts. I suppose I should mention that lifting increases testosterone production and that means improved libido. I would say I am at the same level I was at with that when I was about 25 to 30. Two years ago, I was probably at was at 50 prematurely.

Right now I am halfway through this year's mass building cycle. My weight has gone up 20 lbs. since August 15th but my body fat percentage is flat lined (6 to 7% based on three site method of calculation). That means some pretty good muscle gain and that my diet is right on. The only thing I do not like is the loose skin around my waist and chest. It still makes me look a little fat, but it is pretty much hollow loose skin. Skin takes more time to change than the rest of our bodies, so the spiritual lesson of bodybuilding becomes patience.

Rest in Peace: Jack LaLanne (1914-2011)

Bodybuilder and Fitness Guru Jack LaLanne died on January 24th, 2011 from respiratory failure caused by pneumonia. He was 96.

If there is a person who has more influence on the world of fitness and bodybuilding than Jack LaLanne, his name must be Weider. The fact is the many things of fitness we now take for granted were inventions and innovations created by Jack. Jumping Jacks, 'Getting Jacked', weight machines with plates, nutrition plans, the first health club and juicing are all connected to this one of kind man who had his own fitness show from 1951 to 1985 (That's 34 years). Even in old age his feats of strength astounded many the most compelling was on his 70th birthday when he swam a mile with two boats full of seventy people shackled to him. I remember watching the news about it, I was 15 at the time.

His influence on me is greater that original news story I saw. His line that those that are healthy 'have more options for life and better quality of life' sticks with me to this day. It was philosophy he lived and sold most of his life. His early day pictures during his bodybuilding days give the classic physique that in many ways is still sought after by many including myself.

Thanks Jack -- You were a great American that will be missed.