Speak it, believe it, achieve it!

My one younger brother’s birthday is today! He is now 35. Which is mathematically impossible as I’m 12 years older than John and I’m only, what, 16? I’ve been lifting weights for just a year and am very glad to be graduating from high school next year, 1980.

Say what? I’m turning 47 years old? You’ve got to be kidding me!

Okay, so it’s no surprise and I’ve been calling myself "almost 47" ever since August 21st last year. lol

I’m really looking forward to fifty, actually, but it’s going to be a problem from that point on. Fifty is a safe enough number. I’m comfortable with 50, but anything over that and, hey, not so sure. Otoh, my uncle will be 63 and seems to have fewer aches and pains than I do, so maybe things get better with age. (Or maybe he’s taken better care of himself than I have.)

So, John is 35 today. I’ll be 47 tomorrow. And life goes on! Meeting with my brother at a restaurant in our hometown at around 8 p.m. The Eagles are playing and I suspect there will be karaoke later in the evening.

It’s almost 1 p.m. and I plan on hitting the local Gold’s for my last workout as a 46-year-old. I still remember watching my stepfather pull that hundred-pound vinyl-covered weight set out of the trunk of his car. With one arm! I couldn’t get it out of the trunk with two. lol

“Bodybuilding For Everyone” by Lou Ravelle was one of the first books I ever read on the sport, the activity of progressive weight training. Bodybuilding is for everyone! I believe that’s very true and wish everyone could find the joy and fun I’ve experienced over the years as the result of hitting the weights. Gym memberships, attending physique and powerlifting competitions, checking out gyms in other areas, and, of course, the online fun that is available, too.

Another year! And I’m glad for it.

Just posted my GAT review journal. Planning on posting about my experience using that company’s supplements. Received a lot of free supps from them and will be commenting on each product.

Anyone have experience with their products?

Click away…

And check out the Bodybuilding.com GAT page:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/gat/gat.htm

I’ve always admired a good physique. Grew up reading comic books that my uncle had collected in a huge "grocery" box. Spider-Man, Thor, Superman, Batman, Mystery in Space, and more. Ten-cent magazines made of newsprint and that each told a story of some superhero adventure or strange tale from a writer’s and an artist’s imagination, comic books always captured my imagination.

And in those comics there were always some advertisements for Charles Atlas or Joe Weider or some other "muscle man". They portrayed real people who looked like superheroes. Pretty cool for a kid and definitely influenced my opinion of what a physique should (or could) look like.

No, I’m not Mr. America nor will I ever be, but I’ve kept my average build from becoming a total wreck and do hit the gym regularly. Although these last two weeks…

I enjoy physique competitions for the same reason, I’m guessing, that many people enjoy gymnastic competitions. They - the bodybuilding shows - offer entertainment by way of the human body in motion. The best athletes in bodybuilding, imo, are the ones who combine a dynamite physique with the ability to display that physique!

One such athlete is Monica Montone who competed in Maryland recently. Her routines are always a sight to behold. I mentioned previously that I first saw her compete in a NABBA contest. Here are some pics from that show:

In my opinion, they should have given her all the trophies. lol

Okay, that’s not fair, but there should definitely be more athletes like Montone. Competitors who possess posing talent as well as an admirable physique. It’s always awkward to see someone walk out on stage and then realize that they have no clue how to pose effectively. It’s like watching Ellen in that episode of Seinfeld.

Not pretty.

True posing ability combined with a dynamite body? That’s another thing entirely.

Claudia Montemaggi has a background in classical ballet which clearly served her well on the bodybuilding stage.

Monica Montone has these same skills. And if anyone out there was also in attendance at the 2007 NABBA contest in Middletown, PA and has footage of Montone’s posing routine, please give a shout.

I didn’t see everyone there that I was hoping to see, but the show was definitely worth the ticket price. Big Ron Coleman guest posed and Monica Montone made an appearance in the women’s bodybuilding competition!

I’ve seen her compete in previous shows and knew her posing routine was going to be absolute freaking DYNAMITE! Montone was awarded second place while newcomer Hayley McNeff received first place! McNeff appears in the latest Raising the Bar film! The men’s winner also appears in RTB.

Saturday, August 8 in Rockville, Maryland.

Prejudging at 10:30 a.m. and the night show is at 6 p.m.

Ronnie Coleman is guest posing.

It’s always a great show.

Maryland NPC - Bodybuilding and Fitness