Speak it, believe it, achieve it!

Edit! secondfocus encouraged me to work on my symmetry and so I did! Observe: SYMMETRY ACHIEVED!

And speaking (or writing) of symmetry…

The photo on the left shows my jutting hip. Definitely no symmetry there. And then with the assistance of the Paint program, I achieved (at least digital) symmetry.

HA! Looks like my boobs are crooked, too. D’OH!

Straightened out and hip rearranged courtesy of Paint!

And this edit for Wendy:

MuscleTech’s transformation campaign had a fantastic impact on me. Using Hydroxycut allowed me to drop more than ten pounds of weight and to lose more than two inches from my waist in 15 weeks. I ate clean, reduced calories, and completed cardio. I’m healthier for it. And Hydroxycut helped!

Hydroxycut advertises increased energy. It delivered. I lost weight and still had the energy to improve from using the assisted machine to complete ten pull ups – with 100 pounds of my bodyweight subtracted – to being strong enough to do 6 pull ups with an extra five pounds of weight strapped to my weight belt. I can also perform sets of 3 reps with an additional 25 pounds added!

Thank you, MuscleTech and BodySpace. I’m convinced.

The MuscleTech contest thread was a blast. I’m grateful to have made the acquaintance of such a fine group.

But what I value most was the opportunity to encourage someone else to take part. A fellow BodySpacer hesitated to enter but with encouragement, he did enter and made a positive change in his lifestyle. He’s in the gym five times each week. He’s stronger, he’s less tired, and I imagine he’s happier.

Well, I’m happier too. I’m happier knowing that it pays to encourage people so that those people can then encourage others by their example and by their word.

Again, thanks for putting the contest together, BodySpace and MuscleTech. Special thanks to Richard Barnet for keeping us all on point. I really enjoyed myself.

Well, that’s a wrap! One contest down. To see the winner (at least from my perspective) visit http://blog.bodybuilding.com/rescuemadden/. THAT guy made a fracking RADICAL appearance shift. You’ll be amazed!

Lots of great transformations in the contest. Check out the MT blog to see for yourself!

So, like I said, it is a wrap! Here’s my final bit of text, well, with the exception of a 250-word essay still to come. ;-)

Thanks, MuscleTech! Using Hydroxycut as my main MuscleTech supplement, I was able to drop from 193 lbs. with a 38″ waist (March 26, 2008) to 181.1 lbs. with a 35 5/8″ waist (July 9, 2008) which calculates to 11.9 pounds of body weight lost and 2 3/8″ of waistline bid farewell. :-) SWEET! I’m 1-point-8 additional pounds down from the 7/2 measurements. And my waist is >< close to 35 1/2 inches, but I erred on the high side. Gotta keep myself honest.

In addition to Hydroxycut, my MuscleTech supplements included Aplodan and Leukic Hardcore caplets as well as Anator p70 post workout. The Anator was something I had in the apartment but had never used. And the Leukic and Aplodan was a purchase made at the local GNC. But the Hydroxycut was all BODYBUILDING DOT COM, BAAAAAY-BEEEE!!! Ahem. Okay, on to the stats:

Before:

Date: 3/26/2008
Weight: 193 lbs.
Chest: 42 1/4″ relaxed
Waist: 38″ definitely relaxed
Hips: 40 1/4″
Biceps: 15″ flexed
Thigh: 24 1/2″ flexed
Calf: 15 1/2″ flexed
Neck: 15″ pencil, er, I mean relaxed!

After:

Date: 7/2/2008
Weight: 182.9 lbs. I’ve lost 10.1 lbs.
Chest: 41″ relaxed - 1 1/4″
Waist: 36″ relaxed - 2″
Hips: 39″ - 1 1/4″
Biceps: 14 1/2″ flexed - 1/2″
Thigh: 23 1/2″ flexed - 1″
Calf: 15″ flexed - 1/2″
Neck: 14 5/8″ - 3/8″

Update from 7/2/2008

Date: 7/9/2008
Weight: 181.1 lbs.
Waist: 35 5/8″ relaxed

That puts me at almost 12 pounds lost and 2 3/8 inches from my gut.

After pictures! (Let’s see if this works.)

Essay next!

e. Essay: Write an essay describing what impact the transformation campaign had on your life (the “Essay”). The essay must be truthful, be entirely your own work, and must not have been previously published. Essays may not exceed two-hundred and fifty (250) words.

Wishing all the best as we reach the end of this part of our journey. ;-)

Note: You can check out my Hydroxycut/Nutrition journal here.

And my workout journal here.

No Bull Radio and Pro Bodybuilding Weekly are the two shows I cannot miss. I’m also currently enjoying Skip La Cour’s show. Catching up on all the replays offered. Big Nation is idiotic. I’ve only listened to part of one episode to be fair (or unfair), but the guy didn’t say one thing about bodybuilding. What?

Someone who always has the good word on bodybuilding is Bill Grant. And he’s going to be appearing on No Bull Radio next week, Monday July 14th at 7:30pm EST.

Don’t worry if you miss the show because they always post replays! See my blog about Bill’s upcoming contest, too. It’s on the other side of the Ric Drasin Birthday Blog. :)

Grant has a BodySpace, so if you’re unfamiliar with him, check out his profile and his website: http://www.billgrant.net.

He stated in a recent BodyBlog that his plan is to talk about The 2008 NPC Bill Grant Bodybuilding & Figure Classic and all of the exciting entertainment and live music they’ll be having at the show. I hope it goes great with John Romano and Dave Palumbo. They normally have fantastic shows.

Here is the link to listen to on Monday
http://www.musculardevelopment.com/content/blogsection/21/137/

It’s Ric Drasin’s birthday! He’s the man who created the original Gold’s Gym Guy logo for the mecca. Drasin is 64 today.

The art was originally drawn on a napkin.

Ric Drasin

Something I didn’t know (there’s a LOT of that, too) is that Drasin also created the World Gym Gorilla logo.

Drasin kept some good company:

Ken Waller (seated), Arnold, and Drasin back in the day

Ric Drasin seems to be a modern day Renaissance man! His skills include art, acting, bodybuilding, wrestling, and more!

PRESS RELEASE

Over 10,000 Athletes Competing in SportsFest

Promoter and Master of Ceremonies will be Legendary Bodybuilder Bill Grant, Mr. America and Mr. World. Bill Grant appeared in the new release of “Pumping Iron” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and has also been featured in numerous movies, television shows and commercials.

Looking for some excitement on Sunday, July 27, 2008 then don’t miss this outdoor event. The Bill Grant Bodybuilding & Figure Classic will be staged outdoors to re-create the spirit of “old school” bodybuilding from the great days of Muscle Beach in Venice, California.  

Admission is FREE for all spectators. This event is part of the annual Lehigh Valley SportsFest, a 4-day total sports festival that draws more than 10,000 athletes, 150,000 spectators and includes over 40 athletic events. BE A PART OF IT!

There will be appearances by guest posers IFBB Pro Brian Chamberlain, IFBB Pro Evgeny Mishin, and Newcomer Taylor Boyd.

In an effort to provide our athletes and sponsors with maximum publicity and exposure, The Bill Grant Classic national media coverage now includes Ironman, FLEX, MuscleMag, Muscular Development and Bodybuilding.com. We look forward to having you join us in our most successful event yet!

This event will be held at Cedar Beach Park, S. Ott Street at Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  Registration will begin at 10:00 am, with prejudging starting at 1:00pm and Finals will begin 1 hour after prejudging. For more information about this event please visit www.billgrant.net/bgclassic.html and www.sportsfest.org.

For additional information about this event please contact info@billgrant.net.

Mr. America / Mr. World Bill Grant hits a double biceps!
Oh, yeah, and there’s some other bodybuilder on the right, too. ;)

Local writer, David Jones, wrote a much more positive article about Olympic swimmer Dara Torres.

Dara Torres and child

His article appeared in the July 7 issue of The Patriot-News. I blogged (and ranted) about a previous Torres article which offered a suspicious and skeptical viewpoint on her incredible and athletic performance.

Jones, refreshingly and optimistically, offers a much different viewpoint. With good humor, Jones states that Torres has proved that “the rest of us over 40 — or even 50 — have no real, valid excuses.”

Ouch.

Is it time to hit the gym? Dara Torres has taken away my excuses! :)

Jones offers the observations of Dr. Bobbi Millard, a person well versed in the limits of human physiology. Millard is a former Penn State All-American swimmer and assistant professor in orthopedics at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center:

“It’s absolutely astonishing that a person of that age — not necessarily in this sport, but in the events she participated in — could be swimming personal-best times at the age of 41,” Millard said Sunday night before Torres swam the 50 free final.

“The 50 and 100 are about power and speed. The muscle groups are comparable to the 100 meters in track and field. If a 40-year-old male won that event, you’d fall over. You just don’t think of someone retaining that kind of power, those reflexes, the fast-twitch muscle action, at that age.

“For a woman two years post-partum to achieve the body type she has, especially at her age, and then to retain or even increase her power, more muscular strength, to achieve lifetime bests, it’s remarkable.”
- Dr. Bobbi Millard

Millard remarks with justified amazement, however without the unfounded steroid accusation.

Okay, I fall prey to The Bitter all too often and I’m not making a repeat blog on Torres simply to complain. No.

The Jones article offers information on Torres’ trainer or one trainer. Apparently she has an entire staff of trainers. This is one serious (and financially well off) athlete.

The trainer’s name is Bob Cooley.

Here’s a bit more from the article:

Of particular impact, she (Torres) says, has been a revolutionary technique called “resistance stretching,” or extending and contracting muscles at the same time.

According to The New York Times, the model’s innovator Bob Cooley says it makes muscles more flexible, but also increases their ability to shorten more completely. When muscles shorten more completely, they produce power and speed in greater bursts, Cooley asserts. It’s one way Torres believes she has enabled her body to snap back from workouts and simultaneously avoid repetitive training that could wear out any number of components in her sleek and toned but still aging body.

Bob Cooley and resistance stretching. Guess what I’ll be Googling next! :)

Here’s a link to various NY Times articles on Dara Torres: Dara Torres, 41-year-old Olympic swimmer

I swear I can rip off an additional two or three reps when I’m doing a YouTube video.

So, thank you, YouTube!

All my videos have been completed at Gold’s although I have a membership at Planet Fitness, too. Gold’s seems to have more cardio folk which gives greater freedom to place the digital camera for filming without fear that it’s going to get stepped on or knocked over while I’m doing my reps.

I have asked two people to film me for vids, but typically I prefer to just set the camera down and do my set without interfering with anyone else’s workout. Plus I feel like a major dork asking, “Uh, can you film me doing a set of squats?”

Anyway, I definitely get a boost if the camera is on. I guess it’s fear of embarrassment. “Chriii, he didn’t get that last rep. LOSER!” ;)

Strength from fear of humiliation. There’s probably something very wrong with that, but so far it’s been working.

The 2008 House of Pain Gym Girl Photo Contest

Ladies,

1) This forum photo contest will run from July 4th, 2008 through October 4th, 2008.

2) You can enter as many photos as you like and the pictures can be as “eye catching” as you want them to be (PG-13 pics allowed but no X rated pictures please.) Post up your photos  in the House Of Pain.com Message Board Photography Forum

3) The first photo that you enter though has to have you modeling at least one piece of House of Pain clothing as part of your outfit. It can be any garment or hat that House of Pain carries in their catalog.

4) You can post up as often as you like (you don’t have to post up all of your photos at once in the contest thread.)

5) Anyone can post up their vote in this thread, for whomever they think deserves to win (each person is only allowed to vote once per day and you “vote” by posting up the person’s name you’re voting for in the thread.)

6) This contest will end on October 4th, 2008. The lady who gets the most votes will win a $200 HOP gift certificate good for any product HOP carries + some additional prizes selected by House of Pain. The lady who gets 2nd place will win a $100 HOP gift certificate + some additional prizes selected by House of Pain.

7) You can contact your friends and associates and have them join the forum for the purpose of voting. This forum is 100% free-to-join and the photo contest is 100% free-to-enter.

8) Please do not try and join the forum under multiple names.

7) If you have any trouble at all joining and/or posting on the forum, please feel free to email me at seanzilla@ hardcorepowerlifting.com

and title your email House of Pain Forum.

Good luck with the contest and I hope that y’all have fun competing and voting!

And check out the HOP Weightlifting Blog while you’re here!

I recently received some green and some good words. The BodySpacer said they hope they maintain the same zeal for exercise as they grow older that I’ve (according to them anyway) demonstrated in my workout journal.

Replied with a thank you and a quick note to say that the person’s words were more important than the green. And encouragement certainly does count.

Zeal or enthusiasm for my workouts has definitely been like a roller coaster. I’m positive that the number of people who maintain a lifelong intensity or unceasing devotion to their workouts is greatly outnumbered (well, with the exception of BodySpace’s ChickenTuna, of course) by those who have been out of it for a time and chose to begin exercising again.

That’s certainly been my experience. Last year, on my 45th birthday, I said the heck with my “skinny fat” appearance and went on a drastic 800 - 1500 kcal per day diet coupled with weight training three days each week and cardio just about each and every day. I figured I’d swap the skinny-fat for simply skinny.

And it worked. I lost the fat.

Unfortunately, I lost what little muscle I had, too. Regardless of what I now call my “stupid human trick” - dropping to 149 pounds - I started to lift, eat, and (the weak link of the muscle triangle for me) rest like an athlete. Especially difficult for me as I’m the furthest thing from an athlete being as uncoordinated as I am.

Enthusiasm for me comes from reading other people’s stories, looking at the muscle mags, and listening to fitness radio programs including Skip La Cour’s show, No Bull Radio, and, of course, Pro Bodybuilding Weekly.

Regardless of bodybuilding entertainment, however, the BodySpacer’s compliment definitely created that motivation to achieve, to stay dedicated and consistent, as well as to be that good example for myself if not everyone who visits my journal.

And I know I don’t serve as that example entirely. Why? Easy. There are so many truly dedicated people who grace my journal. I am the rookie while I get frequent visits from the rock stars. (How can they be so young and yet so smart?)

If you don’t have a training journal or a workout diary created on BodySpace then you’re definitely missing an opportunity for intelligent and experienced feedback as well as a source of continued camaraderie, encouragement, and that all-important kick in the butt when we need it, right?