BadBoy_4_Life’s BodyBlog

I have an evil growing within me. I call it my Beast. The doctors call it Cluster Headaches.

I have lived with this Beast since I was about 20 years old. Most of the time it lies dormant, deep inside me. But then it awakens…

When that happens, the Beast is unleashed and the evil grows.

My body is taken over by this unholy animal. I am wracked with up to 6 migraines a day, 1 every few hours. I am in constant and excruciating pain and vommiting uncontrollably all day long.

I can’t train, I can’t work, I can’t function. Every noise, every flash of light, every smell becomes a messenger for evil and feeds the Beast constantly, so it’s power can grow. 

When this beast rears it’s ugly head, It then becomes a battle to bring it back under control, and ultimately to exorcise it from my body so it will hibernate again. My allies against this monster: my weapon masters, my battle strategists and my sage advisors. Also known as my doctors. They supply me with the weapons I need to fight the Beast- the various potent medicines, which, like most weapons can be just as dangerous as the Beast itself. Yet these weapons must be weilded anyway, lest the Beast become too strong to eradicate and the evil grow too big to control.

And lo, after around 6 weeks of constantly battling the Beast, it begins to weaken. My weapons start to take their toll on it’s power. Soon the Beast is forced to relinquish control of my body and retreat into the depths of hell from which it was spawned.

The Beast hibernates again, leaving my body drained, my mind dulled, my spirit broken. The battleground, my body, is left a scarred and barren wasteland. A dead husk of it’s former self. A featureless landscape, that must now be built up again to restore it to it’s halcyon days. The days before it was obliterated by the Beast and scorched by the weapons used in the Great Battle that ensued.

I must then start the long journey to normalacy again, letting my body heal and repair so I have the strength to do battle the next time there is a call to arms.

Then the fear rises…

The fear that one day soon the Beast will awaken once again.

And thus the neverending battle rages within me.

side note* I get cluster headaches periodically. They last around 6 weeks then dissapear for some months before returning. Medically, cluster headaches are very rare and still a bit of a mystery. There is no real way to control them.They are the bane of my existence. I am currently about 3 weeks into a cluster.

I Read this article today in the winter2008 (yes, it’s winter here right now) edition of FQ, the official quarterly publication of Fitness Queensland Association. I don’t know if I exactly believe it but it is a reputable publication and comes from the National Fitness Industry body.

the article:

Scientists report that people who regularly pump iron 3 times a week are more likely to go bald.

They found that testosterone levels soared an average of 25% after a session but the levels returned to normal after 30 mins, when the body converted it into a chemical called DHT. However, DHT shrinks follicles and roots - so hair grows back thinner each time. They found it affected both men and women.

Just thought I would put this out there to see what people think about this.

I had 2 thoughts about this.

1. Man, I am so glad that I pump iron a lot more than 3 times a week. haha.   and

2. Why, oh why, couldn’t this be true of all the hair on my chest & forearms & legs etc. That would save me a lot of time shaving those areas LOL.

Alright, I know this is going to sound like one of those stories you find in men’s magazines but this really happened to me today.

I was driving home from work and as I turned into my (long) street I see in the distance a nice looking female physique in a short skirt walking along. Even from this distance I could see that this girl took care of herself and had a great body. As I get closer it becomes obvious that she doesn’t just have a great body..she is absolutely smoking HOT! I can make out the shapely muscles in her calves, her strong and sexy legs and her perfectly formed butt contained in a form hugging skirt. As I get closer and then pass her in my car, I can also see that This girl has a trim and athletic body, perfect breasts and stunning facial features. Topped off with beautiful flowing long hair. Quite literally, This could be the girl of my dreams… model good looks and the sensationally sexy body of a goddess. She was just a vision of beauty as she walked along, radiating determination, strength and confidence. She could make any man’s jaw drop and as I passed I could only look at her and say "oh my god…" 

Anyway, I pull up at the front of my house and start getting my work gear out and after a few minutes I hear a wonderfully lyrical voice say "excuse me.." I turn to see who is talking to me and it is this same drop dead georgous girl I had just passed a few minutes ago. "yes?" I say (yeah, i know… a real smooth talker).

She tells me she is looking for a certain street nearby but is a bit lost. I tell her I have a map in the car and get it out to help her. As we are looking up the street in the map, this APHRODITE leans up against me to look as well and i feel her body brushing against mine, I can smell her hair and her sweet perfume and feel the heat of her body all while listening to her silky voice as she speaks.

Well, I remember thinking, this must be a setup… One of my friends or a football buddy has arranged for this little ‘meeting’ to have a laugh because things like this don’t happen in real life. All this while, this mega-babe is leaning and brushing against me. I show her how to get to her destination and she says thanks but since she is in a hurry would I mind giving her a lift there if it was not too much trouble.

Well, some could say I am far too trusting or you could say I am just a nice guy but I agree to give her a lift. Mainly since my car is right there, it is about to rain and the walk to her destination is all uphill from here. I was just probably too smitten by this GODDESS to refuse anyway!

As we drive there we have a great conversation, we laugh and talk and generally have a fun time. She tells me how she wouldn’t ussually ask a stranger for a lift but that she is in a hurry. She says she has been living here but is leaving tonight and just had to pick up some of her gear from her friend’s place before she left. We just seemed to click and I remember thinking "damn this girl is just…. just…. PERFECT!" All too soon we arrive at her destination and I drop her off. We say our goodbyes and we part ways.

Sorry to dissappoint you guys, but there was no hot spontaneous sex romp or anything like that. Just a beautiful moment when 2 total strangers came together and shared a moment in time. A brief connection between two souls and the happiness of a wonderful shared experience. 

As I am driving home again I remember thinking "Wow! I just had the girl of my dreams enter my life for the briefest of moments and then leave again forever… never to be seen again" 

and then just this final thought as I pulled into my driveway and considered the possibilities…

"If only…."

I had a great holiday over the xmas / new year period. I visited the uk and although the holiday it self was awesome, the plane flights were a total nightmare for me.

You see, I just could not get comfortable in those tiny seats when the whole craft is full of passengers packed in like sardines. I think the problem stems from having wide shoulders and physique.

I tried an aisle seat but I found passengers would bump me when they walked past to use the toilet and the stewardesses would do the same when using the food cart.

Next flight, I was put in a center seat. I spent the whole trip hunched forward, trying to pull my shoulders together so the people either side of me could sit properly in their seats without having my shoulders encroaching on them.

Next flight I had a window seat. This was a little better but I still had to lean to the side all trip to keep within my seat. Also this meant that I was "trapped" in my seat all flight because I could not get past the other passengers in my row who were asleep.

It seems to me that airline seats are way too small. The only way I see to avoid the problem in the future would be to fly 1st class but I can’t really afford that.

I would be interested to know how you other gym hewn civilians do it. I know there are a lot of guys out there that are bigger and wider than me, so how do you guys fly? What are the worst experiences you have had and do you have any tips. Is there anyone out there with a good experience or have you found and airlines that provides it’s passengers with ample room?

It just seems to me that in the grab for cash and to cram as many people together in a plane as possible, the airlines have created an almost ludicrus seat size for normal people  let alone bodybuilders. I feel sorry for those people who are grossly overweight.

The whole time spent on the plane was painful and unconfortable for me and it makes me think twice about travelling in the future. Please reply with any hints ,tips suggestions or stories. Thanks and have a great day

Good news, I have been given the opportunity to work with David Westley (NRL player who won a premiership with the Canberra Raiders and also played for the Parramatta Eels and his country of Papua New Guinea). He is now coaching the Cairns Kangaroos back here in his home town and has offered my a position as the fitness trainer for the A-grade team. I am looking forward to working with David and hope to play a key role in the club’s push for a 2008 grandfinal win. I love David’s training philosphy and attitude and think it is a privelage to be working with someone of his caliber. I am hoping we have a successful year and I perform well in my duties. I hope to be a valued member of the team and an integral part of the club’s success.

Well, it’s been a couple of weeks since I have attempted to change over from a 3day split to a 4day split and so far I have not have much luck. The main problem is that work seems to be getting in the way. The long and erractic hours are really stuffing me around and impacting on my training and diet. I think I need to find a more stable job, so I have decided to try and move on from here within the next 3-4 months. Hopefully something will come along by then that will fit more easily into my lifestyle and give me back the work/life balance I really want.