Speak it, believe it, achieve it!

“Get started and learn as we go… Learn, read, study, learn from other people’s mistakes through books, through meeting other people, that’s the first way to really start being successful.”
- Ryan DeLuca, Bodybuilding.com CEO

Ryan DeLuca, BB.com owner

Ryan DeLuca answers your questions in this fantastic episode of Justin.tv.

P.S. Being a guy with not especially broad shoulders, it’s encouraging to see that Ryan DeLuca does not have especially broad shoulders.

“With the death of Sydney Pollack on Monday, Hollywood loses its greatest mensch. The presence of the gruff-voiced, gentle-faced Jew raised in South Bend, Ind.—whether behind or in front of the camera—always reassured audiences that they were in the presence of something warm and real.”

More at: Slate dot com

Sydney Pollack

P.S. Pollack’s films:

Sketches of Frank Gehry (2005)
The Interpreter (2005)
Random Hearts (1999)
Sabrina (1995)
The Firm (1993)
Havana (1990/I)
Out of Africa (1985)
Tootsie (1982)
Absence of Malice (1981)
The Electric Horseman (1979)
Bobby Deerfield (1977)
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
The Yakuza (1974)
The Way We Were (1973)
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969)
Castle Keep (1969)
The Swimmer (1968) (uncredited)
The Scalphunters (1968)
This Property Is Condemned (1966)
The Slender Thread (1965)

P.P.S. The boldfaced films are ones I’ve seen. Three Days of the Condor would have to be the one I enjoyed the most. I could watch that over and over again.

Or izzit a bb.com bug? I posted a supplement review for BSN’s Atro-Phex and always looked for that product’s logo as I scrolled down to access my workout journal, etc.

Product not found? Ouch.

It’s on!

Big Al and I are in a friendly (haHA - NOT!) competition to see who can transform their body to a more Arnold Schwarzenegger circa 1975 dieselness! What? It is TOO a word! :)

If you’re interested in following along and/or offering advice or guidance (Lord knows I need it!) then check out the thread!

If you’re not, well, that’s cool, too. Save yourself the trip. Here’s the most recent post:

Kermit here! :D

(waves hand)

The goal weight is 240 lbs.

I’m at about 180 and Al, my brother in bending iron, is at about 310.

So, to visualize where we’re each at in relation to the goal, let’s go to the KERMIT-VISION GRAPH!

240 - 180 = 60
310 - 240 = 70

So we’re about on the same playing field from the perspective of pounds to goal. I have no clue what my percent bodyfat is. The last I checked was maybe a freaking year ago at least at Gold’s here in Carlisle and it was fifteen? Not even sure. It was a handheld electronic unit the guy at the gym used.

The scale I purchased is a Weight Watchers deal that lists %bf. THAT fcuker says I’m 184.7 pounds and 21.7 percent FAT. Son of a…

Maybe we should adjust our competition to who can shed the most fat and build the most muscle? Naaah. I’m good with 240 as a goal. I’d be happy to hit 170 and 5% bf. I’d be ripped and with at least a Kermit-sized portion of diesel-ish muscle, right?

Okay, off to a baseball game tomorrow with my two younger brothers so I better get to bed now. Rockies versus the Phillies. We’re cheering for the Rockies because, hey, it’s my brother’s favorite team.

Was reading a thread about the cost of bodybuilding DVDs. People were complaining that they’re so expensive and I can appreciate those complaints, however it’s also a question of priorities.

You’d prefer not to spend $30 on some DVD entertainment, but do you spend that same $30 on a carton of cigarettes?

The one complaint was actually by a person who had their computer zapped by a virus while downloading a bootleg copy of a bb video. D’OH!

There should be a system set up where people could get their DVD fix at what they consider a reasonable price without cheating the videographer/ filmmaker, athlete, distributor, etc. Not to mention avoiding having your harddrive crumpled into a tiny ball.

If I can pick up a copy of the Terminator at Walmart for five bucks then why can’t I get a copy of a Jay Cutler DVD or one of Lenda Murray for the same amount? I guess it’s supply and demand or the economies of scale?

Lenda Murray

Bodybuilding fans are being penalized for the fact that they’re fans of a niche sport that will never be able to realize those economies of scale.

And, yeah, even if it was a perfect world - female bodybuilders were revered, Mr. Olympia was as popular as LeBron James, gyms on every corner, bodybuilding DVDs on sale for that aforementioned five bucks with downloads available for a buck a pop, there’d be folks who would still be bootlegging or downloading for FREE.

Welcome to planet Earth, right?

The following 6 pack abs program is from BodySpacer TheFitnessVoice:

Day 1-15 Nutrition Plan:
Will consist of 6 meals a day and I will be giving you a variety of meal options to choose from for each meal.

Breakfast:  
Option 1:  3 eggs (2 whole eggs & 1 egg white), 1/2 cup of oatmeal, handful of blueberries

Option 2:  3 eggs (2 whole eggs & 1 egg white), 1/2 cup of granola with milk, one medium sized banana

Snack #1:  
Option 1: Protein bar (promax bar or zone bar), 1 apple (preferably braeburn)

Option 2: Protein bar (promax bar or zone bar), 1 low fat yogurt

Lunch:        
Option 1: Turkey or Roast beef or chicken or tuna sandwich-Whole Wheat bread (preferably with no hydrogenated oil), Low sodium turkey, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mustard.  And a mixed greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Snack #2:  
Option 1: Protein bar (promax or zone bar) and 1 cup of broccoli.

Option 2: Protein bar (promax or zone bar) and 1 cup of cauliflower

Dinner:    
Option 1: Chicken or Fish or Lean steak or Lean ground beef, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of broccoli or asparagus or cauliflower.

Snack #3:
Option 1: 1/2 cup of Non-fat cottage cheese

***Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. And black coffee and hot green tea is okay with breakfast and after dinner. No sodas or alcoholic drinks is preferred for best results***

Day 1-15 Workout plan:
Will consist of your cardio and ab routine that is to be done every other day of the week.  Just add this routine to your regular weight training routine.  If you need help making a weight training routine as well just let me know.

Day 1:
Cardio: 30 min. of elyptical at low intensity in the morning on an empty stomach

Abs:  3 sets of 25 full sit ups, 3 sets of 15 reverse crunches, 3 sets of 20 bicycle crunches

Day 3:
Cardio: 30 min. of treadmill at low intensity jog in the morning on an empty stomach

Abs:  3 sets of 20 sit ups on decline bench, 3 sets of 15 leg lifts, 3 sets of 20 bicycle crunches

Day 5:
Cardio: 30 min. of stair stepper at low intensity in the morning on an empty stomach

Abs:  3 sets of 30 floor crunches, 3 sets of 15 reverse crunches, 3 sets of 20 bicycle crunches

Day  7:
Cardio: 30 min. of elyptical at low intensity in the morning on an empty stomach

Abs:  3 sets of 25 full sit ups, 3 sets of 40 bicycle crunches

Day 9:
Cardio: 30 min. on treadmill at low intensity jog in the morning on an empty stomach

Abs:  3 sets of 25 sit ups, 3 sets of 25 reverse crunches

Day 11:
Cardio: 30 min. on stair stepper at low intensity in the morning on an empty stomach

Abs:  2 sets of 35 sit ups, 2 sets of 50 bicycle crunches

Day 13:
Cardio: 8 sets of 100 jump ropes

Abs:  3 sets of 10 on ab wheel, 3 sets of 25 floor crunches

Day 15:
Cardio: Hitting the punching bag for 5 rounds of 3 min each. Using 12oz to 16oz gloves. Keep a steady pace of combos and foot work.

Abs:  3 sets of 10 on ab wheel, 3 sets of 15 reverse crunches.

Click here for more articles by MMA fighter Jared Bradshaw a.k.a. TheFitnessVoice.

Visited eazy_mas’s BodyBlog recently where he said he didn’t listen to music much. He went on to mention that regardless of that fact that he does enjoy Seal. I immediately visited YouTube to check out the one Seal song that I remember from back in the day:

P.S. I love that song although, like eazy_mas, I don’t listen to music much at all.

P.P.S. Oh, yeah, Seal is married to…

Heidi Klum

Edit: Okay, so maybe I read it wrong and Ava Cowan did not add me as her friend on the recommendation of a fellow BodySpacer but rather as a scheduled addition of new names. Dunno. Don’t care. Ava is awesome.

Who’s a good sport?

Ava Cowan is!

THANK YOU to my BodySpace benefactor. Some fine BodySpacer must have encouraged a fitness superstar to visit this part of town and Add me as her Friend. That kind gesture was probably taken on my behalf in response to one of my recent blogs where I lamented the fact that there are more men adding me than women. (I wonder what the gender split is on BodySpace.)

I should have done a screen capture that showed that - if only for about the .0000001 second’s worth of time it took for me to click Add - that Ava Cowan was stalking me.

Riiiiiiight. :)

But, she of good sport (and 4,800 BodySpace Friends) recently added my profile to her list of friends. Thank you, Ms. Cowan! Thank you!

Part of me believes that the whole Friend/Stalker/Fan Club system is rubbish^*   , but I can testify that people can indeed benefit from association with their fellow man in an online setting. BodySpace absolutely rocks.

^*   And rubbish so far as, hey, “We should ALL be friends.” (how’s that for a realistic expectation?) and “We’re all created equal!” But, yeah, we are NOT all created equal.

Look at her abs and then, well, we won’t look at mine. Just look at hers. :D

Stunning.

Hey, as my "Friends" list increases in numbers I have been wondering how the HECK people keep up.

a) They don’t

or

b) They do a copy and paste greeting.

D’OH!

I guess that counts, but there’s this BodySpace function where you can see what the most frequent comments that have been made by an individual BodySpacer to others. Yeah, and so it’s amusing to read the duplicate comment being offered to people over and over and over and over again.

Essentially, this is not a criticism as much as an observation.

And I guess I’m guilty of repeating myself, BUT if you receive a "Have a great weekend!" message from me, well, be confident that I actually typed each character of that comment and did not rely on the copy/paste function.

P.S. I’ll bet there’s a study that was conducted that states emphatically that “resistance to using available technology is a sign of depression, cancer, bipolar disorder,” or some other difficulty.

P.P.S. Or, yes, c) They actually spend a good chunk of time writing notes to the people listed as Friend.

P.P.P.S. Ahem. Still recruiting women for my Friends list. :) No copy/paste greetings and virtual flowers guaranteed (how do I make an ascii rose???)!

Yeah, suuuuuure, but by the time Wednesday gets here, then what?

What?

Oh, for the uninitiated, each week I complete what I call my Wednesday weigh-in where I record my weight and my waist measurement.

This morning (yes, Saturday) I woke up especially dehydrated/dry mouth and thought, "Hey, get the scale!"

And the tape measure.

Weight was 181.9 lbs. and the waist taped at 35 3/4". That’s down from last Wednesday’s numbers of 186.6 lbs. and a 36 1/2" waist measurement.

I’m guessing that it’s The Cheat Day^TM meal that I recently enjoyed. Somethingsomething restores your body’s glycogen levels to ensure that somethingsomething.

(Oh, YEAH, I’m a candidate for personal trainer. Uh huh.)

Whatever. It’s all for me. I’m not stepping on stage any time soon (if ever, although I do list NABBA USA’s Athletic category as one incentive for lifting). I’m just eating as I do, avoiding alcohol, exercising regularly and with a plan, etc. in order to feel good about myself.

I don’t agree with my gym’s philosophy of “no judgment zone” as we judge each other each day and every moment, but I also don’t care especially what someone else thinks about my physique or body’s appearance.

I’m not trying to impress anyone (but that’s not a bad thing either). It’s just something I enjoy - lifting and keeping track of my progress. And, hey, it’s a big part of what BodySpace is all about for me!

P.S. D’OH!  

P.P.S. BodySpacer seeks new joke writer. Please PM. Thanks!