BrandonM.B’s BodyBlog

Well, I started this bodybuilding adventure about 11 months ago…At home, no equipment save two 25lb dumbells, and a 20lb barbell…doing pullups off the tree in my backyard…lots of pushups, one-legged squats,ect. And I haven’t taken more than three days off at a time since! OK, OK, so I’ve threatened to take time off before, but I haven’t. The time I took off in August was for the Gold’s Gym Games…77 consecutive reps of leg press at 140lbs is not time off,lol! But yes, i am taking one whole week off, after a rough 8 week stretch of all heavy, all to failure training. In short, I’m exhausted.

Hey y’all, Amy Kessler is going out there to get it done this weekend so give a BIG shoutout to this incredible, beautiful femme du bodybuilding!!!

What a weekend!!! Where do I start?

Lately, I was feeling depressed, worn out…sleeping every available second, barely managing to study and train in addition to work. And I only got back to studying after Carla got on me big sister style,lol..thank you Carla:) But, all in all, just feeling stressed out and unhappy, What was going on with me??? I got everything I wanted.

Yea, it’s been hard at work, my co-workers have some FILTHY mouths, and it can be irritating…in addition to the intensive labor and smelling like a sewer after being covered in shrimp guts and a assorted conglomeration of wasted food stuffs. Everything started out OK at work, I quickly learned all the details of my job, and I’ve know most of my co-workers for years; they all gave me over-whelming referrals, which I am grateful for(I try and take their language w/ a grain of salt). I think about when it started turning sour…

There is a beautiful girl at work, and I think I might like her! But, alas no time for that…still….OK here’s how that started. My first day, I’m hustling and bustling, carrying the dishes, and EVERY time I pass by her, she keeps touching me! Not in a inappropiate spot, but she puts a hand on my back, and even around my arm…and I’m feeling a bit guilty, cause I’m liking this attention. Oy vey!

The next time we work together I keep hearing this little voice inside saying ,"Why won’t he talk to me?"  I ignore it a wishful thinking, but later,"It’s not like we’re busy, why won’t he talk to me?"  So I bite…sometimes the Holy Spirit is trying to tell us something…So I walk up to her. She is sorting silverware with her lovely face in intensive concentration, her eyes  glowing blue fire. "Hi, I don’t think I’ve caught your name yet." "I’m Katie, she replies, her autumn mood shifting to summer, Hey, didn’t you play in Kyle’s band? What did you play?" ‘Bass"..and so we chat for a bit, and when I get back to my station, I hear that little voice,"Yeah!!! He FINALLY talked to me, about time:)"  She seemed to exude happiness, and so was I, as tip-toed upon clouds back to the sink…this is when evrything turned into a festering pile of shrimp guts and half-eaten buffalo wings!

I think I made someone mad. I’ll give you a clu; he’s mean, he’s evil, he hates everybody, most especially God. The profanity at work multiplyed, my dishwashing machine would malfunction for no reason, I started thinking that I was un-loved, that I had no friends…I wasn’t making any progress in training, that God had forsaken me because of my sins..on and on and on…I would barely be able to get to church, and when I would sing I would just start crying…He was ruining everything; how could I not see what was happening?  I was so tired and worn-out, I could barely pray. Then came the last straw.

I went to work Saturday with my friend. My ‘friend’ was kinda insulting pastors and men of God..Oh well, I was used to turning the other cheek lately. Though by this point all four were brusied and whipped raw! I was going in and I went into the bathroom needing some serious spiritual encouragment and prayer.  So for the first time in a while, I recite the Shema, the Great commandment, in Hebrew(Hear O’ Israel, Jehova our God is one Jehova, and his name is Jesus. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might) I say a prayer, a "Lord, I am at the very end of me patience and endurance, give me courage, give me strength," kinda prayer. Right away, I am swamped..and I start snapping at bussers for not cleaning off their plates, kitchen workers start cheering me on, what was happening!?? Then the moment of truth. I am putting away some plates, and I feel a force slap my hand into a metal shelf…plates go flying….CRASHH!!! No one had touched me!? It finally occured to me what was going on, and I had had just ENOUGH of fallen angels and their impish little ways. Everythime I was about to explode, I shouted LOUD, "PRAISE YOU LORD JESUS!" "THANK YOU FOR EVERY MOMENT OF LIFE!!!" People must of thought I was an escaped mental patient, but I didn’t care anymore…"PRAISE YOU ALL MIGHTY YESHUA!!!" "THANK YOU FOR THIS JOB, FOR ALL THIS HARD WORK!!!"  Then it came out…"I COMMAND YOU SATAN IN THE NAME OF THE ALMIGHTY JEHOVA YESHUA HAMASEACH TO BE GONE FROM THIS PLACE, BE BOUND TO THE GATES OF HELL, GO IN JESUS’ NAME!!!" Or something to that effect. Then something happened, the profanity decreased by about 80%, people were in a much better mood the rest of the night…Praise the Lord!:)

So, about the feast. Well, I came in today after church and made me a meal of huge chicken strips. A little while later, a chef named Cody asks, "Hey bro you hungry?" "Well, I repled, I already have food, but yea sure, why not?" "What do ya want bro, hey, how about some pasta? You like green peppers, mushrooms, how about some cheese?" Yes, yes and yes! He was so eager to make me pasta…A little while later comes this massive bowl of chicken pasta with the works…it was slow today, so there I was with about five pounds of food,lol…just having a feast during my shift!!! I could use the extra cals, honestly…then that night, something incredible happened. I hear this usually foul mouthed chef sing "I’m hungry for you Jesus!!!" at the top of his lungs! Did I hear that right??? He was walking around smiling, he’s usually a nice guy despite his language, but this was no regular smile, this was 1000 watts of smile… Huh!?  Then I over-heard him say, "I feel like I’m drunk right now." I know that when people get touched by the holy spirit, they (a) praise God  (b)are unusually cheery  (c)feel drunk. Did the Holy spirit jump on this guy? I pray so…

What a weekend!!! Praise the Lord Jesus!

Carla Hampshire and Lilli Marlene both have comps this weekend, so give them all the support you can, they are both incredible! That is all,lol…

Carla Hampshire and Lilli Marlene both have comps this weekend, so give them all the support you can, they are both incredible! That is all,lol…

This little thing called bodyspace is just FLOODED with testimonies to how the hand of God has worked in so many lives….

Incredible weight loss’s, women who were depressed and unhealthy transforming into women who are confident, fit, who have great inner and outer beauty

People kicking drug and alcohol habits, people being healed from physical defects, people having success DESPITE physical defects, the hard work that goes into preparing for a comp and despite the odds winning!!!  All these men and women, too many to name….the hand of Jesus doing His work whether those who are affected are aware of it or not.

There is a young lady who is a powerlifting champion who considers herself the self promoter extraordinaire. And many people are that way, their success is a credit and glory to thamselves. But as for me, I know who makes these wonderful things happens; I know who is our helper when we work towards something…it is the wonderful Lord Jesus. If you have been touched by His hand somehow, tell Him thank you! God bless y’all!:)

Feeling lonesome today, not sure why..

Feeling lonesome today, not sure why..

Hey y’all! I usually don’t write a blog about my workout, but today’s was SOOOO awesome, praise the Lord..that it deserves mention.

Today was quads,glutes and calves. I stretched out, did a warmup set of bodyweight squats, butt almost to the floor and I was ready to ROCK!

I’ve been lifting heavy the last 5 weeks, but I wanted to take it a whole new level. I did more machines than normal, but my lower back needed the break!  so I loaded up the weight, doing the lifts slow, holding the weight at top. Here’s the rundown…

B.b squat 230×10  275×10   Smith squat 335×10  

Hack squats 375×8  440×5  505×4

Narrow stance leg press 450×10  555×10

Leg press 650×6(quads were feeling shaky by this point!)

Leg extensions 60×10 80×10 100×10

Calf press on leg press machine(My legs wouldn’t stop quivering by this point, what a beautiful feeling;)  345×30

395×25  415×20  435×15  D.b satnding calf raise 2 50’sx20 2 60’sx20

And I’m DONE..WHEWWW!!!  Have a great day everybody, and God bless:)

OK, just so y’all know, when I talk about baptism, I am NOT talking about baptizing babies; or the Catholic sprinkling of water. When I say baptism, I mean the repenting of sins, giving my life to Jesus by free will,  being dunked in water kind. Like the kind our Lord and Saviour Jesus underwent according to the Scriptures as an example to us. Also, I talk about the baptism in the name of the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That is, the name of Jehova Yeshua HaMaseach…our Lord Jesus Christ who IS the father,son and holy spirit! Our Lord died a horrible death on the cross at Calvary, so his blood could cleanse us of sin. Repenting and being baptized in His name is being cleansed in that blood. Beforehand, the Jews had to make attoment with blood, by sacrificing animals that met the requirements detailed in the Old Testament….because the only way to atone for sin is the shedding of blood. But rather than having us kill millions of animals and being knee deep in blood, God came to us in flesh. He became that perfect lamb whose blood could cleanse ALL sin. Also, God’s children are marked by that same blood. Just as the Jews  during the plagues on Egypt marked their doors in lambs blood so that the angel would passover their homes while on it’s mission to kill the firstborn of the Egyptians, the baptized Christian(Jew) is marked by the blood of the Lamb of God, to differentiate them from the "Egyptians"(people who belong to the World) If you doubt the importance of repentance and baptism in becoming a Christian, pray to Jesus to open your eyes and your heart to the truth…there is so much Scripture to support oneness of God and baptism there simply isn’t enough time for me to write it all!