2008 Iron Man Blog

I flew out to LA from Houston on Valentine’s Day, checked into the hotel adjacent to the Convention Center and waited anxiously for my boyfriend (Rich) to meet me there to have our Valentine’s dinner.  Come to find out, when I checked into the hotel they made a mistake and were supposed to have a “special” room reserved for me.  Instead they told me that the room was not ready and gave me a different room than what was planned.  Well, unfortunately, that ruined my boyfriend’s sweet surprise to have flowers, balloons and a gift bag full of goodies waiting for me.

He was pretty bummed when I sent him a text and didn’t mention anything about the surprise waiting in my room. Instead, one of the bell boys came up and delivered everything to me, but at that point it was no longer a surprise.  My man is the sweetest though!  The flowers were orchids, which are my all time favorite, the balloons were giant and kid-like, just like me, and the goodies inside, well, some were personal and some were cute clothes, like the pants I’m wearing in these pictures.  He did so good!!

For dinner that night, his label got us reservations at Craft in Century City.  It is a beautiful fine dining restaurant but without the stuffy atmosphere.  We got to see Nick from the All American Rejects while we were there.  He is on the same music label as my boyfriend, so that was really cool.  The food there was incredible! It is served a la carte and family style.  We even had dessert, which was a giant gourmet peanut butter cup with peanut butter ice cream.  When we left they sent us home with carrot and cranberry apple muffins in take home bags for breakfast the next morning.  It was awesome!  I knew I’d need to do a few extra plyos the following week to be in the shape I wanted for the Arnold, but it was worth it!  Definitely go check it out!

The next morning we headed over to the expo at the Convention Center, where I was surprised to see that even at a larger venue this year the hall was fairly full.  There were lots of vendors and a large area set up for American Gladiator auditions.  I thought it was lucky that the boybuilding.com booth was close to the end where we could see the stage and close to the area where the auditions were being held.  I got to see tons and tons of people try and run obstacles on the slick floor and do pull-ups until they were blue in the face.

My buddy Valerie Waugaman, better known as the personality Siren on American Gladiators, was there to motivate and cheer everyone on.  It was great to see her and hear all the cool things she has been up to.  I expect big things, so keep your eye on her.  She is a very determined and ambitious person, not to mention super fun!

The following day at the expo I got to watch the World’s Fittest Couple competition, which was really impressive.  They performed amazing routines demonstrating strength and flexibility.  I do well just to walk in high heels and not trip and fall.  I also got to see my friend Amanda Harris, better known as Barbie Barbell.  She was at the All American EFX booth.  We chatted a little while about our plans to work out together and to do a photo shoot at the Arnold a few weeks away in Columbus, OH.

Another big highlight of my weekend was that I got to see my friend, Callie Marunde and her beautiful baby girl that resembled her daddy, Strongman Jesse Marunde, who sadly passed away last year.  He is terribly missed but I was very happy to see Callie doing so well and to hear that she was preparing to compete in Poland on behalf of the US this year.  Please take a look at her website:

www.marunde-muscle.com

and offer your support and encouragement.  There is an awesome community of people there. I plan to poke my head in on occasion and say hello as well.

The last day at the expo was not quite as busy as the two days prior, so I got to play a little bit and be a part of the Power Plate demonstration.  This machine vibrates at a super quick pace which makes for an unstable platform in which to perform your exercises.  Aside from feeling a bit funny at first, it really seems to force you to engage more muscles and your stabilizers to complete the exercises.

The entire trip was a great time.  I have gone two years in a row now and at the rate it is growing I have no doubt that there will be more and more people attending year after year, including me!

Placing in the top five at the Iron Man 2008 was one of the most honorable and for filling experiences of my life!  To add to the excitement of my placing was meeting all the wonderful people during the show in which I can proudly say that I have become great friends with.

I have been training actually all year since my first show with the NPC at the Iron Man last year. For I have competed in several shows during the year in which I had to continue to watch my nutrition and exercise pretty much non stop - though of course after each show I had my cheat days. 

My training has fluctuated through the year as I have learned different things from so many people. However if I could sum it up (which is quite hard to do) I would say that in the end I have learned for my body that high intensity intervals and heavy weights is the best way to achieve the best look for my body.

I rollerblade all over NYC streets as my transportation which is great for the glutes… though I stop two weeks before a show just in case of an accident also to make sure my legs are not puffy!

Nutrition for me is basically of the normal foods that one would eat to stay healthy. However again as I strongly believe that everyone’s body is different! For me, I have been on different food plans and tried different ways to achieve the ultimate figure for myself. In the long run I do know that what might seem ideal for someone else, or the “norm” of a bodybuilder, is not right for me.

As I was told, and quite true indeed, that I did appear a bit too skinny. This I know mainly had to do what I ate prior to the show! I know that because after the show when I do eat - that is when I should compete because my body fills out. It is trial and error, and following my gut instinct.

So even if I were to explain in detail what I ate, I feel that it would be inappropriate. For I do not want to write something that someone else might take as the right thing to do for them! To reiterate we are all the same in a sense, just have different body chemistry. And what might work for me will not work for someone else and visa-versa!

I hope that I can show this as I compete at the Arnold next week. Which is not much time, however being that I was a competitive gymnast and cheerleader at a young age, and continued to work out ever since, I have conditioned my body so that it actually does not take long for me to react and change!

I do take the supplements Gakic, Leukic, and two weeks before a show stopping Creakic (Creakic on cycles). But I never take the recommended dose. I take much less, I am only five feet and 104lbs so I don’t think it would be great if I did. I do love the product and find it works great with my body chemistry!

I adore BodySpace… it was the best site I have ever joined and I am proud to be part of it!! It is so amazing! The people here are great, kind, wonderful, gosh I could go on however I think I would run out of room! 

The support and inspiration I have received from other people here has been quite incredible. I just wish I had enough time to get back to everyone. I am not the person that sits by the computer much, although I have found myself doing so for hours here conversing with everyone!! I love answering anyone’s questions hoping that they help - which I have been told they do. 

As a personal trainer and life coach I love what I do and could not imagine doing anything else. I thank God that I have been given the ability to help others. In reality isn’t that what we are all here for, is to help each other and find love and live a healthy life?!

I send many smiles to everyone in hoping they will help them smile… Smiles are contagious! As well as smiling and laughing helps lead a healthier life!  I want to thank Bodybuilding.com and everyone that works here… you are all so very awesome!

I am looking forward to continuing my relationship with all of you guys and the members, and getting you all to keep SMILING! 

Debbie Bell
http://contest.bodybuilding.com/bio/3739/
Change Your Body - Change your life!!!
I live and breath by that and always - always keep smiling

I just got back from the Fit Expo in Los Angeles and WOW I had a blast!

I got to meet many of my friends from MySpace that live in California and that was great that they took the time to come by and see me at the EFX Nutrition booth. I got to spend some time with my sweet friend over at Bodybuilding.com, Jamie Eason.

Me and BodySpace Member Charla!

If you have never met her, you need to! She is one of the prettiest models in the business and has the best personality you could ever imagine, her beauty is much more than skin deep! I got to spend some time with bodybuilding legend Flex Wheeler and he is a super sweet guy too. Flex is responsible for me coming on board with EFX Nutrition and now I get to work with Flex and that is awesome!

Me and Texas State NPC Chairman Lee Thompson!

I saw many of my friends from the NPC in Texas at the Expo as well and they all came by to wish me well, I feel like I am part of the family already! I also got to see my good friend Dave Palumbo who I met at the Arnold 2 years ago. He just finished an article on me and it will be coming out in the very next Muscular Development Magazine. Thank you Dave:>)!!!

Me and Ms. Fitness Olympia Adela Garcia!

I was also interviewed by Iron Man Magazine and I will be coming out in a future issue with them too. Overall the LA Fit Expo was a great success and I look forward to next year’s show!

peace,

**BB**

Im in Phil Heaths seminar. This is what he is saying.

"I know that I had to give up basketball when sometimes I would try to dribble the ball between my legs and it would always hit my calfs."

He dieted mainly on tuna on his first show. He used to eat oats straight out of the tub, no water, nothing.
The day before his first show he had to sleep in his car because his friends were having a party upstairs (on college campus)and he couldnt sleep. He had to use his cell phone as his wake up alarm, but more of his friends kept calling to wish him good luck in his show, thus he didnt have any sleep. He said that due to this he looked bad but ended up winning the show.

He loves sweets so he makes sure that he doesnt have them in the house.

His competitive career has been focused on each day as he cannot predict the next. He told his step son who plays games four hours a day to dedicate this amount of time to his school. He was having trouble with certain subjects so once applied he passed his exams. Phil does the same, dedicates time to his weaknesses to become a winner

Over the past couple of years he has realized that if he wanted something that he hadnt had before, he had to do something he didnt do before, thus he began to eat clean throughout the offseason.

His biggest challenges were to be honest with himself. He shot picks of himself in his bedroom to be objective with himself on a consistant basis.

His is an internet junkie when it comes to learning about nutrition, training, anatomy etc so he knows that he is more educated than everyone else and keeps improving.

He said that everyone trains hard, diets hard but Phils focuses more on consistancy. He doesnt want to get to the end of the year and know that he missed a meal, supplement, workout or cardio session.

He writes all of his articles that are seen published in FLEX magazine.

He did an hour and half of cardio this morning and 30 mins of weights

He said he is going to come in bigger and fuller in the back and chest for the Arnold. He will continue to keep his sodium very low, carbs will remain low.

It’s been an eventful day 1 of the IRONMAN / FIT EXPO. Ron Avidan and I started the day off by visiting GOLD’s GYM VENICE where Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler was putting on a camp and sporting his MUSCLE TECH apparel. Jay was looking huge and lean. We did a video with Gold’s gym that you’ll see here later featuring them as the GYM OF THE MONTH. Lots of other industry people were seen in the gym before heading to the FIREHOUSE. We made the short walk over to the famous eatery and joined a number of people for lunch. The weather is absolutely perfect with temperatures in the upper-60s. Dining at the firehouse was Ron Avidan, Kris Gethin, Kevin Horton, Bob Chic, Lee Thompson, Dan Solomon, Larry Pepe and myself. A few people dined on the "Bob Bowl" but I opted for the bodybuilder’s breakfast which was 8 eggwhites, 3 whole grain pancakes and a buffalo patty. DELICIOUS! If you’re in Venice, definitely check out GOLD’s GYM and stop by the firehouse. Check out some of the video footage from the meal later here on bodybuilding.com.

Ron and I then made our way to the LA convention center to pick up Big Will from Bodybuilding.com. The traffic in LA blows goat balls to say the least. I could never live in LA but must admit the sunshine is nice. We picked up Will and headed to the host hotel where we saw a number of industry people checking in and heading over to the venue. The rooms are spacious and the internet speeds seem to be pretty decent. When you travel to a number of shows there are a few things that are important… A good internet connection, good water pressure in the shower and a comfortable bed. Everything else is pretty much eh, whatever. We grabbed our camera and video gear and headed over to the venue. The walk is only a couple of blocks from the hotel which is awesome.

The hall in which the EXPO is in is MASSIVE. There is an octagon set up, tons of booths, a stage where performances will be taking place and lots to do. There were tons of people through the halls and many booths said they already had to get more samples and supplies sent in for the rest of the weekend. The show venue for the IRONMAN looks like it will be pretty sweet with it’s signature stage lighting looking great. The show will be webcasted here on bodybuilding.com at 10 a.m.

The athlete weigh-in went pretty smoothly with Lonnie "the swami" Teper at the mic. Swami’s best line of the day came when Dave Palumbo chimed in from the audience and asked him, "What did I miss"? Lonnie responded with, "Your pro card." OUCH! The Swami showing no love to Jumbo Palumbo. A couple competitors rolled in late… Desmond Miller and Silvio Samuel. Silvio was sporting all white attire and looked like he had just gotten in from the Bahamas. Sil looked great from the preview he showed the crowd. Toney Freeman weighed in at the heaviest weight of 290lbs. Toney hasn’t shown anyone what he’s looking like and he could be dangerous. Phil Heath seemed tired and out of it, which means he’s ready to rumble and is in great condition. Ron, Kris, Will and I made our way around the expo and did a few interviews and took a number of photos.

When the day’s events were over we headed back to the hotel which was jam packed with people. Siren and Wolf from American Gladiators where in the hotel lobby. We had a WOLF OFF to see who had the best wolf cry and Valerie "siren" Waugaman had the best. Check out some of the videos we got from the hotel. Ron and I also learned that "The Experts" are HUGE in Japan. A big shout out to all our Japan fans! Lonnie, Ron and I made our way down to a dive restaurant called, "The Pantry" which had some awesome food. We interviewed a few guys from "MAX REP" who were delusional and picked King Kamali as their favorite to win the show. I’m not sure what these guys are smoking but holy smokes no chance. We did a few more video interviews in the restaurant and then proceeded back to the hotel. We managed to do an interview with a homeless man pushing a wheel-chair and when LT asked him who he had winning the IRONMAN he responded with, KING KAMALI. What the hell is going on with all the Kamali love? We ran into Dennis James who was comedic as always and a group of Japanese women thought LT was stalking them. Again more amusing videos will be posted.

I grabbed a drink with Bodybuilding.com’s man in the Advertising department, Paul and we chatted a little biz. It’s now 1:30am LA time and I need to hit the hay. It’s a big morning tomorrow and lots more to come here on bodybuilding.com. Thanks for checking out the site and check back for continual updates throughout the weekend.

Want to hear what some of the experts say about the show last week? Make sure you check out this weeks edition of Pro Bodybuilding Weekly, with co-hosts Bob Chicerello and Dan Solomon as they are joined by special guest Toney Freeman. Listen as Toney talks about his big win just 2 days after the show! Also, you’ll get to hear Dan and Bob’s opinion on how the show was run, the conditioning of the athletes, the judging, and the lack of certain call-out. PBW always tells it like it is, so check it out!

Show #63, February 19th, 2007: Iron Man Post-Show With Toney Freeman!

Official PBW site: http://www.probodybuildingweekly.com/

Not only can you find all the great write-ups on the main bodybuilding.com site, but you can look in the forums to see what some fans are saying about the IronMan. Here is some interesting threads about the competition:

Discussion on Sergey Shelestov’s conditioning (by CertifiedStrenght)

Silvio Samuel apprciation at the IronMan (by colombianofreak)

Is Ahmad Haidar overlooked in IFBB? (by carlow)

Could Toney Freeman place at the Olympia? (by Gavin77)

Some forum members attended the FitExpo/IronMan themselves, and shared their pictures and experience with other members.

Check out IBey777’s thread about his trip!

CapOne818 attended and posted some of his pictures in this thread!

IBey777 and David Henry

Ron Avidan, Ian Sitren, Jerome Ferguson, Dave Middleton, myself and many others all enjoyed a the first BodySpace meet and greet. The event took place before the finals where food and beverages were served. Ron and I nabbed some video at the event which will be posted this week.

Bodybuilding.com’s fitness divas, Timea and Christina were in attendance as well. If you attended the event, let us know what you thought. It looked like everyone was having a great time.

Don’t forget to check out ‘The Eye of FitSights’ for their hilarious review of Iron Man & TheFitExpo from this past weekend, and a good description of what I call ‘Booth Anxiety.’   LOL

Link:

http://www.fitsights.com/blog/2007/02/ironman-fitexpo-recap.html

Since I wasn’t able to attend this year’s Iron Man Pro, I was only able to live it through the coverage online, and by online I mean right here at bodybuilding.com. This is a great tool for any fan that wished to see the show and wasn’t able to attend. The Iron Man Pro was covered in great detail by a wide range of representatives that use this great website as their publisher. You can check out all of the post contest coverage throughout this blog, or on the main Iron Man page.

If you are a bodybuilding fan, and knew about the live webcast, you shouldn’t have missed the webcast of the pre-judging and finals. You can check out replays any time. Again, as they did throughout the contest season last year, Bodybuilding.com put on another great production this year in broadcasting the event. In my opinion, I believe that the webcast was again very well done. They definitely don’t disappoint when it comes to putting these things together.

As far as other coverage, the non-webcast video coverage was hands down the best to date. You can view it here. From the interview with Toney Freeman after winning to the press conference to TheFitExpo clips, it could not be beat. No other website can compare to what we see here.

My favorites are the clips of Max Muscle in Venice before the show and the press conference. Check them out for yourself!

Like pictures of the contest? The best bodybuilding photographer works right here for this site, and is in this blog. Ian Sitren has been working for bodybuilding.com for years, and for those who have seen his work know what I mean when I say that they are some quality pics! You can view them from the main IM site listed above.

Overall, another great show covered by Bodybuilding.com. You can expect the same and better for upcoming IFBB shows and events. Stay tuned!

Now this was a great weekend. If you have not gone to a bodybuilding show and its expo, then you are missing out. I got to see a lot of cool competitors, both on and off the stage, took some great pictures and videos, and met a lot of cool people who just came up and said hello.

Guess what! It didn’t rain the entire time I was there, which was great, considering it rained the last three Ironman’s in a row. However, by the time I got home Sunday evening, it started to rain, and it is still raining this Monday morning. The weather gods looked down and gave us some pity this time!

The Ironman Pro show was quite good, although many of us, including myself had the Japanese sensation, Hidetada Yamagishi, in the top five. I was also very impressed with Samuel Silvio, who many people said he should have been second right behind Toney Freeman. I myself, had him in third, as Mark Dugdale looked the best I have ever seen him. This was a contest of surprises, in which Samuel Silvio, Hidetada Yamagishi and Mark Dugdale looked in the best contest shape of their careers, while David Henry, Ahmad Haidar, and Kris Dim were off.

Eddie Abbew came in third. Wow … that almost none of us saw coming. Where did he come from. And even after the competition was over, many of us were still puzzled on his he placed so high. One judge told us that his back had a lot more depth and was more mature than Silvio’s back, which is why he placed higher, and that he had been overlooked in other contests. This is Eddie’s highest placing ever in the United States, which made for an incredible comeback over last years dismal placings at the San Francisco Pro (13th), and New York Pro (11th).

So the special invites for the 2007 Arnold Classic. Who will get it, Eddie Abbew, Hidetada Yamagishi, or Silvio Samuel. All are qualified, but only one or two will get it. I am leaning towards Samuel Silvio because he had the best physique, even though the judges put Eddie above him. As for Hidetada Yamagishi, he had more people cheering for him than many other competitors, including a contingent of Japanese fans waving the home flag yelling wildly for him. And he deserves it.  We should know very quickly on what the Arnold Committee decides.

Click here to see what Isaac Hinds has to say on this subject…

Lonnie Teper, the emcee of the Ironman Pro for the 18th time in a row, did a great job as always, quickly adapting to any mishaps that happened, either by a delay with the judges tallying up the scores, or to delays via backstage. Unless you were looking really hard, you really didn’t notice it, and Lonnie’s quick wit had some of us laughing pretty hard.

Well, you will see some of the videos that we did very soon (a few are up already). We tried to put a sense of humor in the videos, from a bodybuilding fan’s perspective, and since I know Isaac Hinds and I had fun doing them, they should be interesting. I even got put in a headlock from a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, and couldn’t breath for a few seconds!