The Chronicles of “B”

I love it when I look around this site and come across a newbee who expresseses a desire to compete.

Here they are in all their newness….never lifted anything heavier than a spoonful of ice cream…weighing in at around 265 to 300 plus and talking about competing in like a years time.  Oh Really????

It not only cracks me up but it sort of pisses me off too that someone would think you can just start from ground zero…grab some weights and in a years time go from a 300 lb coach potato to a competetive bodybuilder. Like it’s just so damn easy.  They seriously have noooooo clue!

It’s taken me 2 years to get on stage and as far as I’m concerned I’m still nowhere near where I should be.  That’s 2 solid years of hard core Mutha style training…several injuries and setbacks…many many disappointments, and a whole boatload of fears and doubts.

Getting up on stage is the easy part.  People just don’t realize how much torture you have to put yourself through to get there.  I truly believe that some people think you can just stroll into a gym…walk for 20 minutes a day on a treadmill….do a full body workout 3 days a week with light ass weights and then be ready to step on stage in a year.  Oh, and all the while munching on hot wings and swilling beer with their buddies on the weekends!  Sorry Skippy but it don’t work that way.

I do an hour of cardio everyday as well as very intense weight training six days a week.  Sometimes twice a day weight training sessions with an extra 40 minutes or so of cardio thrown in just for good measure.  The diet sucks ass!  I’ve eaten so many eggs I have them coming out of my….well, you know…LOL…so much freaking plain ass chicken breast that I’m about to grow feathers and start clucking which would at the very least make it easier to explain the eggs coming from that certain special place….fish, fish and more fish and so many green veggies that if I get cut I bleed green!

Oh and did I mention that along the way you manage to offend and alienate nearly every friend and family member you have because they just don’t understand why you’ve suddenly become an a-hole.  Oh it’s not that you really do become an a-hole but they think you are because you don’t partake of the donuts at the workplace any longer or you don’t go with them to the bars on the weekend to fill up on deep fried greese and beer.  They think you’re an a-hole because they just don’t understand the dedication and determination it takes to succeed at bodybuilding so like most people they just hate what they don’t understand.  And then they blame it on you!  Cool huh??

I seriously love the enthusiasim that newbees have when they talk about competing in a year.  I really do.  I just wish they understood how had it really is.  Well actually I guess they soon find out which is why they are here one minute and suddenly gone the next only to re-emerge a few months later with a whole new understanding and talking about…"this time I’m really gonna do it!"

REALLY???

I’ve been noticeing lately that there seems to be an explosion of online trainers on the site and it seems everybody is aligning themselves with one or the other and singing their praises.  You have team this and team that all telling you how you can turn you’re life around…for a small fee of course.

I myself have been approached by several online trainers through PM’s and friend request.

Now I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed but I don’t understand how this would work or why someone would pay for online training.  I mean why in the world would I pay hundreds of dollars to someone for info I can get from the internet for nothing???

Now I don’t want to seem like I’m bragging but I think I’ve made a pretty amazing transformation and I did it all by researching info (mostly on this site) I got from several sites, from magazines and books, and from talking to actual people who have been there and done that. And I did it all for free.  There are tons of info out there for free and all you have to do is put in a little time and effort…no different than the time you might put in at the gym.  It’s all part of the process.

Maybe someone can explain something else to me also.  Are these online trainers evaluating their clients properly before they prescribe a program???  Do they question you as to any exsisting medical conditions or limitations before they set you up on a program???  These are things a good personal trainer should be and would be considering if you met one in person.

And how can they evaluate you as to form and make sure you’re performing a movement so that you don’t injure yourself or that you’re getting the maximum benfit from the movement when they’re in Florida and your in North Dakota??  If you want to get the most benefit from a personal trainer hire one who can be there with you to help spot you and make sure you perform each exercise properly.
Now I don’t have nothing against someone seeing a need and trying to make a buck.  I’m a big supporter of the free enterprise system.  Hell if nothing else they are at least getting people up and interested in exercise even if it might just be a placebo effect.  But like I said I just don’t understand why someone would pay for something they can get for nothing. To me it’s the equivelent of buying an exercise video or DVD.  I mean there are tons of people on this very site who would gladly help you (me being one of them) and not expect a dime so why wouldn’t you take advantage of that?

As for those who have approached me about becomming part of their "TEAM" well all I have to say is, "Where were you 2 years ago when I might have been able to use you?"  Where were you when I was a fat slob and making mistakes that lead to injury?  Now that I’m actually making excellent progress and have won a contest…NOW you want to help me?  NO THANKS!  I’ve managed pretty nicely on my own thank you very much so I think I’ll just save my money to buy supplements if it’s all the same to you.

Now if you are currently using an online trainer don’t be hating on me…I’m just offering up an opinion and an alternative.  If it’s working for you that’s great and I applaude you for all your success and wish all the best for you.  I just happen to think you could have saved yourself a few bucks that’s all.

Is there anyone out there who doesn’t appreciate a good underdog story??  No No No I’m not talking about the cartoon or the movie…which by the way was a very good portrayal of the original cartoon Underdog…I’m talking about that person or team who against all odds rises to the top to become a champion!

Some underdogs who have always stuck out in my mind are….boxer James Braddock the Cinderella Man who people said was washed up and was living in poverty when he took on Max Baer. Baer was much bigger and younger and some thought….invincible.  In true David and Goliath style though Braddock took down Baer and won the Heavyweight title of the world.

Many years later a young big mouthed kid from Louisville Kentucky took on another man thought to be invincible.  Sonny Liston was called names like the bear or Gorilla because of his size and the way he dispatched opponents.  But a young skinny Cassius Clay not only beat him he humiliated him not once but twice.  He truly did shock the world!

My bodybuilding heros have always been underdogs as well.  Rich Gaspari was known as the Dragon Slayer.  That’s because despite being smaller than most of his opponents he out worked them and through shear determination he out shined all the others on the stage.

My favorite though…and my all time bodybuilding idol is Frank Zane.  Here is a man who at 5′9" and around 180 lbs developed one of the best physiques ever to grace a stage.  Frank was a granite statue and one of only three men to hand Arnold a bodybuilding defeat even though Arnold was much bigger and heavier.

A 3 time Mr Olympia and in my opinion the greatest ever.  A true underdog who through shear will and determination took his body beyond what maybe even he believed it could be.

This is what I aspire to be.  Like Frank I’m being told that there is no way I’m going to be able to fulfill my dream of getting a pro card or winning a major competition.  Especially at 52.  But let me tell you this my friends….don’t ever tell me I can’t do something or that I’m told old because I will prove you wrong.

Well today is my birthday and the calander says I’m 52 years old.  I never dreamed that at 52 I would be in the best shape of my life but that is the reality.

And what a difference a year makes.  Last year on my birthday I weighed over 240lbs, had a 38 inch waist…don’t even want to speculate as to my bodyfat percentage, and after what seemed like a million nagging injuries and setbacks; I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.

This year I weigh 193, have a 30 inch waist, and 6% bodyfat.  And I finally made it to the bodybuilding stage where I walked away with a trophy.  Not a bad turnaround for one year.

The thing that I like best about this birthday in contrast to last birthday is my attitude.  I have this amazing feeling of optimisim and in addition to being in the best physical shape of my life I think I’m at the best place mentally I’ve ever been.  It’s certainly a wonderful thing.

Having my mind in a good place has been instrumental in getting my body in tip top shape.  More and more I’m discovering that this whole bodybuilding thing is really about 90% mental.  I mean just think about it….if you aren’t mentally tough you will never stick to a diet and you can not go into the gym and push yourself past the pain threshold that you have to push past to get any real gains.  You just can’t!

If you allow your mind to dwell on negetive things like…"oh one cupcake won’t hurt" or "gosh I just don’t feel like cardio today" or "I hate doing squats I’ll just skip those today" or "you know I’m 50 years old and other 50 year olds can’t do this either so why should I bother"….you will never get any where.

You’ll just be a fat lazy slob stuffing cupcakes in your face all day just waiting for the day they cart you off to the nursing home because your family no longer has the patience or the apathy to deal with you.

There you can have some 18 year old aide who hates old people give you a bath and change your shitty diaper and spoon feed you like your momma used to.  You will have no worries because your mind is not to sharp anymore…a victim of the plaque buildup from all the crap you’ve eaten most of your life.

You won’t have to be bothered by pesky things like having sex because your penis hasn’t worked since you were 55.  Not that you could see it anyway since it will be safely tucked away under your huge beer gut.  Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful life??

I plan on having many, many more happy birthdays in the years to come.  I plan on competing at least another 10 years and enjoying being able to get out and romp with my grandchildren and do all the things that I’ve always done because I’ll be more than healthy enough to do it.

The clock may say 52 but I feel more like 22!  Happy Birthday to Me indeed!!!

It’s a glorious sunny day here in West Central Ohio but while others were out enjoying family activities Susan and I were in a gym laying waste to our back muscles and biceps.  It was a wonderful thing!  I’m sitting here now…barely able to type because my hands are shaking so bad.  And it’s been a good hour or more since the workout ended.

Over the past 2 years I have become a real student of the sport of bodybuilding.  I’ve read tons of books and magazines and spent countless hours on the internet researching diet and exercise routines as well as supplements.  I’ve even delved into the spiritual aspects of the sport such as visualization and mediatation.

After all the research I have come to the simple conclusion that….everyone from beginner to pro pretty much does the same basic thing!

What I mean by that is that there are only so many exercises and so many combination and we all do the same things  Oh we might add our own little twist such as suppinating your wrist or some other such thing but basically we are all doing the same exercises.

We pretty much all follow the same type of diet….some of us are just a little more devoted to it than others and as far as supplements go….well we all have our favorites and I do believe that some are far superior than others. But we all have the same access to them and use the same products.  Those being protein, NO supplements and fat burners.

The thing that makes the contenders stand out from the pretenders is one thing and one thing only….INTENSITY! The ones who truly stand out from the crowd are the ones who go balls to the wall each and everytime they touch that weight.  The ones that walk into the gym all business right from the get go and are barely able to crawl out the door when they are done.

The ones who are making the faces…grunting on groaning and upping the poundages till their muscles are ready to explode!  They’re the ones you see doing supersets and tri sets and dropsets.  They are the ones that push every set to failure…up the weight and go at it again with even more intensity than the last set.  They are the ones who never talk to anyone in the gym…never smile and have that cold hard stare of intensity.  The one that says…DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT TALKING TO ME WHILE I’M LIFTING!
Who are these people???  They are the ones you see walking away with the trophys week after week, show after show.  The ones making huge gains and turning heads every where they go.

Up the intensity and you could be one of those people.  I am determined to be one of those people!

Intensity is the name of the game.  Want to get the body you’ve always dreamed of???  Well just turn up the intensity and you’ll get there…I swear you will.

I swear that I will!!

I have been a BodySpace member for almost 2 years now.  When I started I was a 248 pound fat slob of a couch potato who couldn’t even bend over and tie my shoe without getting winded.  My diet was horrible and exercise was a foriegn concept to me at the time.  Basically all I did was work, sleep, eat and watch TV.

The funny thing is I didn’t realize that I was in fact slowly killing myself.  I was just doing what hundreds of thousand of Americans do each and everyday.  Same old routine day in and day out.

Thankfully I got a wake up call in the form of a picture that revealed to me just how far I had sunk into the abyss of obesity.

Then a trip to the cemetary on Memorial Day made me remember how the same lifestyle that I was currently living had taken my parents from me at a very early age.

I recalled the agonizing pain they suffered in their last days as they slowly succumbed to heart and liver disease.

I remember my father who was a proud and strong man lying there in a catatonic state unable to even feed himself.  I remember thinking how humiliated he would be if he knew that he had to wear a diaper and have strangers change it for him.

I remember my mother grabbing my shirt…in horrible pain…pulling me down to her and begging me to make it stop.

I remember the tubes running from her body bringing her food and pain medication.  I remember the beep…beep…beep of that God awful heart monitor and waiting for it to signal what we all knew but somehow tried to pretend was not really going to happen.

I remember the last few hours of her life when all hope of any recovery was gone and we waited by her bedside for the enevitable.  I remember standing there and holding her hand as the strongest woman I had ever known breathed her last breath.

My mom and dad grew up in a time when a typical meal was something fried in lard with a generous helping of potatoes smothered in gravy that was made from the drippings of the lard fried meat.

Everyone smoked….movie stars…athletes….hell even Doctors smoked.  No one was there to sound the alarm.  So my parents just did what every other normal American did and because they followed the crowd and didn’t think for themselves they paid the ultimate price.  My dad at 55 and my mom at 66!

One good thing did come from their passing though.  It taught me a hard lesson and one that I hope I can pass on to others by my example.

If I can turn my life around at the age of 50 to the point that I recently walked onto a stage and not only competed in a bodybuilding contest but walked away with the prize….then anyone can do it.  That’s why I do what I do….each and every single day.  All the hours I bust my hump in the gym.

It’s not for the trophys or the praise it’s in the hopes that others will learn from my example.

We don’t have to be typical when we can be exceptional!  We don’t have to end our lives in a nursing home just waiting around for the sweet relief that death will bring.  We can make it happen if we just try.  It’s really just that simple.

Ok, Ok so I finally got up on stage after a two year quest….and low and behold I actually won the prize my first time out.  It really was a dream come true and I’ll never forget the feeling but now it’s time to face reality.   It was a small time show and to be completly honest…I didn’t look Good! 

Oh sure I had made huge improvement from the 248 lb tub of blubber that I was when I started but come on…I ain’t no bodybuilder!  Not yet any way but I will be.

So here’s the dear Lucille!!!  This guy is going to get freaking serious.  I ‘ve got to know if I can run with the big dogs so that means doing a bigger show.  So here’s the plan.  I’m going to do one more small local show on June 27th in Ann Arbor.  That’s 12 weeks from today.  I am determined to come in totally shredded at about 180lbs.  I’m gonna compete in the mens open this time which will mean going up against guys much younger than me but like I said I have to know if I can compete at that level.

I’ve vowed that the diet will be spot on!  No cheats and I mean NO CHEATS!!  The workouts will be consistant and intense.  If I’m gonna get anywhere in this sport I’m gonna have to walk the walk and not just talk.

After this show I’m gonna do a bigger NGA show in Cleveland in August and that will be the true test of where I’m at.  I’m determined to win the show in Ann Arbor and I want to place top three in Cleveland.  I know I won’t make either goal if I don’t come in looking better than I did in Toledo.

I may do another NGA event after that if I can find one not to far away but then I’m determined to do the NPC Northern Kentucky in the spring of 2010!  This is a huge show and would be the ultimate test of whether or not I can make a career of bodybuilding.  If I could do well at a show like that I would be on my way to making my dreams come true.
I know a lot of people think I’m insane and to be honest I know the odds are against me as far as competing and getting a pro card at the age of 52 but I say F*&K the odds!!!  I think I’ve already shown that I can beat the odds if I just stick with it.   I want to make this a career.  I’m not only obsessed I am posessed!!!  I just know I can do this but I also know it’s going to take every ounce of discipline I can muster.

I have dreams of winning a National qualifier and making it to the stage at the Arnold instead of fighting the crowds as a spectator.  I have dreams of photo shoots and personal apperences…magazine interviews and a trophy case full of hardware. The thing is though….I’m tired of dreaming.  Dreams are nice but it’s time to stop dreaming and get about the task of making it happen.

So as much as I hate to say it I can’t be wasting too much time hanging out here and babysitting my page.  I need to crack down and think about nothing but the big prize.

Now don’t get me wrong…I love this site and it is one of the reasons I’m where I am today.  Actually it’s one of the main reasons.  The inspiration I get here is priceless!  But I need to be focused and I can’t do that if I’m on here everyday socializing.

Don’t worry though I will still maintain a presence here and will keep you all updated as to my progress.  I mean come on let’s get serious…I can’t do this without the support from my BodySpace friends….but I just won’t be here everyday.  Please don’t stop checking up on me though and leaving me your comments…I love the encouragement.

I also want to keep a presence here also in hopes of inspiring others to get off their butts and get about the task of taking back their lifes and making their dreams come true.  So stay tuned folks cause big things are a happening I promise you.