Transformer in training

Excuse me sir stop thinking in your head ‘how ridiculous these peeople are’ in your head as you walk by and see three guys and two HHUUUGGGEEE gym bags  filled with tubs of various protein powder and supplements on your right and on your left you see people carefully measuring water and supplements in their workout bottle at the water fountain.

So, today I came to the realization that some of the things that I think are really stupid are just part of gym culture. So actually this particularly one is about me…I gotta do better on thinking such rude things about people.

Slowly but surely I’m learning…Gym culture does not equal the nerd culture that I think I have been surronded by to long. Any how self critques are good right? I hope so!

Happy lifitng folks!

Let me start this particular blog in saying that ‘No’ I am not  a hater for supplements. I use them my self…but obviously in much more moderation that some. Anyhow, as I was at the gym today I see these two guys talking. This guy….more novice than the other asked about becoming more jacked,losing fat and building more muscle (The mantra of all of us right?). So, as I get my Ipod ready for my workout the first thing I hear is something to this effect "Yea…my brother got some sample packs of Lipo Black and that stuff gets you jacked!".

It may not have been Lipo Black…I really don’t know but it was something black. That’s not really the point. The point is instead of saying, "Well you know the key is your diet and a considerable amount of cardio in combinataion with….’ he went straight to the rely on the supplement to fix your issue answer. Is it me or do other people have a problem with this. An addiction I tell you…a straight addiction!

Well, here I go again analyzing the key components that seemed to make people say ‘daaannnggggggg they are tight’. In an earlier blog I talked about tattoos and then then tanning. Today, I am back to the tattoos. If you like, try this out yourself and see what you find:

1. Peruse the site of people who are the same age (maybe) but height and weight.

2.Compare all stats(If available).

I found this…but you may find something different. It seems as if people who have decorated their bodies with a massive amount of tattoos are perceived to be more ‘jacked’ or in shape than those who do not have tattoos but are of the same stature. Additionally, it seems as if the people who have all of these tattooos perceive themselves to be in superior condition. Maybe it comes with the territory and I don’t understand.However, there are some people who do not conform to this observation…several of them are on sites like muscleink.com.

I only write this because I too was at first fooled by the tattoos and was like dang they are ripped. But, then I saw that tattoos convoluted the true picture of the physique. Careful you must be! As Yoda would say.

Happy perusing on the site and happy lifitng folks.

Recently, I came across a site for this man…and obviously he is one of the ‘greats’ in bodybuilding. I just discovered that he went from this

http://i3.iofferphoto.com/img/item/275/917/36/o_untitled.JPG

to  this

http://kevinlevrone.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/0211.jpg?w=300&h=225

Why do I write? Well, I am intrigued by this bodybuilder, who obviously has done some great work in the past, cataloging his journey to get back into bodybuilding. He states that he has done bodybuilding in about 4 years, yet if you roll through the blog one can see that muscle memory is definetly real because this man is on a roll. Anyhow, if you get a chance…check it out. I think it’s pretty nice to see an accomplished bodybuilder start at the get go and catalog the everyday trials and tribulations of bodybuilding.

I am curious and maybe some of you all know…did he use steroids? For some reason, he put steroid free on his website…which to me hints to pass usage…but I don’t want to make assumptions. Anyhow…happy lifting folks.

IINnnnttteeerrreeessstinggggg……
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31508668#31508668

So, a guy who I mentored in college saw me in the gym today and told me this. Man my mind is so weird in that I instantly thought ‘Is this suppose to be a compliment’ and something said ‘Yes, in his mind it is so please respond appropriately’ and I said, outloud ‘Naw man I can’t afford those I only make pennies at work. Ha ha ha’. Is this the first time someone has said something like that? No. But, I know some of you all may have felt a little slighted when people say that and they are serious. It’s a totally different story when you know someone is playing but some are so serious and adoment about it that they almost act is if they are to make you think you do take steroids!!!!

This guy, I know he was kidding.But, I know some of you all have experienced this and probably felt like daaannnggg all this work and people think I cheated or am some stupid freak of nature?!?!? Or at least that’s what I thought.LOL!!!!

Aaaannnnnddddd just in case you want to question me about that on the real…take a look at the blogs and the pictures buddy…If I am using steroids….I must be the saddest example that ever lived because my ups and downs are more countless than the waves in the Atlantic ocean. Alright I’m out.. Have a good day everyone.

Today, I barely made it to the gym because I am in a real ‘down’ mood…more of a thinking mood about my friend who is on her death bed. For those who have read my blogs, I constantly question things in the world and today I was contemplating about the death and its effects on those who are left behind. Anyhow, I did make it to the gym…totally zoned out and came across the following…a lighter point of the day.

Sir, I know you are incoming student to the university because I can see your name badge that has ‘orientation 2009′ on it. But, as you can see I am in the sauna…and if you also notice I really sweating and almost about to pass out. Sir, please do not come into this huge sauna as I am doing ab workouts, get right next to me (So much so that I can almost feel your shirt) and start doing pushups.Ohh and sir, please do not start shadow boxing with me while I am trying to get some oxygen.As you can see sir I am not smiling because I really don’t know what your doing…since you see I am not responding to you…thank you for stopping and leaving the sauna.

Is it just me…why do I attract people like this…do I have some sign on my forehead that I don’t notice. Just weird.

So, this particular blog is somewhat about bodybuilding in that it is, for most of us, an intrinsic part of our lives. For the sake of the audience hear, I will try to exercise as much brevity as possible in stating my point.

Over the past year or so, there have been many people within my life that have been ‘called home’ as we say here in the South. Now, there are plenty people out there who do not believe in some sort of higher calling and that percentage is on the rise, according to national statistics.However, statistics will still show that Jesus is always the reason for many seasons. Seasons can be defined as a period of time, such as in the life span of a person. I often times think about my season and I think about them as divided into chapters. For instance, birth is 1, childhood could be another, graduation another, marriage and so on and so forth. For all of us the final chapter will be that of death and that has lead me to wonder…

When that chapter is written what will be said about me? For my uncle who was shot by his girlfriend? Not a whole lot, my great uncle plenty of positive things, for the babies in my family? only words of love and today I find out a good elementary friend had so many hemmorages in her head during the birth of her first child that she is now a vegetable and will be gone soon…for her many good things I am sure will be written. So, what is the point? I often times look at this site and see how many people are so vain in their accomplishments and deeply yearn for the top spot on the main page of this website…and I wonder…is that what this site is all about? Isn’t there more to bodybuilding than seeking personal gratification in everything you do? I surely hope not…I cannot think of what could be said about such a person. Maybe many things….I just can’t seem to get my mind wrapped around them. In many aspects I am dummy and in many I think those people are.

I think I will curtail this blog, because as I write this I can find more and more topics to elaborate on.But, I would like to finish with this opinion: Teachings will tell of the importance of hubris in the lives of the just….the meek are the ones that will inherit the earth. I personally would like to have a ‘bestseller’ not one that will attain me fame and fortune, because it won’t, but one that says ‘this is a good example of just man’.  Bringing that home to bodyspace would be things like being geniunely interested in helping other members and not just trying to get rich or die trying by giving people false hopes in many senses.

Hmmm…there is saying that kind of goes like live as if you were dying, laugh with others like you never laughed before, and love as if you have never loved before. I hope that when my chapter and yours is written it to can reflect such hubris in life through social and personal relationships and accomplishments you have performed.

So, I know that the gym culture is different every where you go. I have seen videos of body spacers in their gym with their shirts off working out.But, as you and I both know….the culture of gyms are different every where you go. For instance, we have a gym in the city that doesn’t allow homemade cut off shirts. Well, the gym I work out at is on the campus of a university. Hence my rationale for the following:

Sir, as you can see and you have saw for all of the times you have been in the gym that no one takes their clothes off in the gym unless they are probably in the sauna,steamroom,pool, o rin the locker room changing. Sir, please do not take your shirt off and continue your workout  on all of the machines in the gym. 1 I think it is disguisting because that means that instead of your shirt capture the sweat the machine is getting all of it!!! Oh wait….you’re not working out hard enough to sweat…so I guess it doesn’t matter. 2 just because a girl that you seem to like has come into the gym please do not try to hope on all of the machines that will show your muscles flexing….first, you probably need to have a much much much much lower body fat content to even ’show off’ whatever you are suppose to be showing off. Nothing against people who have a high body fat content because everybody is in the gym working towards their personal goal. However sir, It is not Kosher….no you are not starting a trend…by walking around the gym with your shirt off and doing 1 set on every machine. In case you didn’t notice the girl you were looking at has started to look at other people in the gym…and ohhhh they have their shirts on!!!!

For some reason, people decide to do some of the craziest thing. I mean we all learned about context clues in school. If I go to a gym and see people working out with their shirts off…I would be like ‘Okay, that’s whats up..that’s how this gym gets down’. But if I see that NNNOOOOO OONNNEEEE EEEVVVERRRRRRR TAKES THEIR SHIRT OFF after I have been at the gym for some months…I would think…maybe that’s against the rules?!??!?! Am I the only one who thinks like this? Dang!

Man….everything is sore back…a little of the chest…im just waiting on the legs. I think I am doing pretty good. I calculated my 1rm on the leg press at 407…so like the Jeffersons ‘I’m moving on up’ I did several heavy sets…single leg extensions at 120 single hams at the same. Standing calf 1rm was calculated at 540. So…all in all im getting there.

Excuse me people in the gym…I know that everyone is different…especially me ( I know I am very special in my own way). But, 1 please stop using the scale that said I was 220 when three other scales said that I was exactly 209 and 2 please stop running to the scale every 15 minutes as if your weight has changed within that time. Sirs, just because you a have a ‘pump’ does not mean that true weight has jumped up at all. Are people really this narcissist? Sirs, please focus more attention to the weights than the mirror and the scale…I promise you will get better results.

You would think that since people are in college that they would know stuff like this. Then too, let me stop acting brand new…I was an undergrad no to long ago and might have done the same…..NOT!!!!!

This blog is actually a trackback to some comments I left the other day on someone else’s site. The topic? Total body wellness. A couple of times I have mentioned that bodybuilding has been upstaged by  all upper body and no lower body strength. To prove my point, well maybe, try this exercise….when you think of a bodybuilder what’s are some of the things you think of? Bulging arms, rock hard abs, and a chiseling chest…right? Well, if I didn’t guess yours….I think that’s what most people look at. Anyhow, I decided to read up about this phenomena on the net by typing in some key phrases to see what articles I could find. Although not of these are scientific, the mere fact that it’s appearing in journals and fitness blogs is good enough for me to say…’This is a problem!’

Check it out:

http://www.muscleworkoutpro.com/muscle-building-workout.html

This one is hilarious…glad I don’t have this problem!:

http://www.fitdarcie.com/men-who-dont-work-their-legs/

I’m confused…

http://www.musculardevelopment.com/content/view/1620/51/

This should be gym etiquette but more of a comment. Dude #1  and Musty dude #2. I see you all are in the gym working other body parts as I see Dude #1 in the gym everyday and he does a set, talks on his phone for about 5 minutes, goes around the gym to look at his self, then talks to his friends some more and then comes back to do another set. Musty dude#2 please stop walking by me to see how much weight I have on my bar when you clearly are not just coming over to workout since you were on the other side of the gym….also your funk is burning up the hairs in my nose and throwing off my concentration..I don’t know if I should be more fearful of your lack of concern for putting on deodorant or H1N1. Both of you dudes, don’t see me pressing and then come over to the bench next to me and start pressing, on your first set, what I am pressing on my last set…I am not impressed.

Dude #1 I am not impressed that your upper body is moderately huge and your lower body is due to genetics….I know this because everyday you only do chest and arm workouts…over the last 2 months I haven’t seen you on any leg machine whatsoever…oh wait I forgot about when you sat down to talk on your phone that was plugged up by the leg machine.

Dude #2 grant it you played football in high school because you were the same shorts everytime you come to the gym with the same football t-shirt. But, I unlike your teamates am not in competition with you and I am not impressed but what you can or cannot lift, your diet or anything else concerning you….hence the reason I turned my Ipod up even louder when you stood next to me talking to dude #1.

You know what? Maybe it’s me…that’s what I get for being so freaking vigilant of my surrondings! I gotta learn how to block these people out some more!

I was tempted to write another post on gym etiquette…there are some idiots that plague gyms across America and if you are one of them…then you should try to correct your action…then to some people may like to be gym idiots or in nicer time rude gym people. Anyhow, today I just realized that you should eat at least 3 hours before going to bed. In case you are wondering how did I figure that out…while trying to achieve my goals of beating the Wii fit balance games it told me about eating. LOL!!! Peace!

This week is the beginning of do heavier weights and lower reps as part of my workout routine.So far, I have seen good results with this program.Even as I write, my legs are killing me from a workout on Friday. So this week, I think I will start off with about 60% of my one rep max on the major lifting exercises(those listed on this site) and then go up each week. Do you think I should do a higher percentage? Anyone every try a program like this? Thanks for the info.

This weekend my good friend from college got married…and as you guessed it, it was a Catholic wedding. So, for those who know much about Catholics we ugghhh believe in having plenty of beverages available to quench your thirst! So when I get to the reception me and a gang of friends were like bar time!! Yea…by the end of the night I was gooonnnneeee!!! Today, I woke up at about 2:00pm. Man…the more you stop drinking and then go back to it…the longer it takes your body to recover. Whatever…I had a blast!!!

Some may have notice my new program since being out of school for the summer. These past two weeks were filled with high reps little rest. For instance I would do something like this:

Incline dumbell curls 20 - 30 reps, immediately followed by, one arm extenstions 20 - 30 reps and repeat about 5 times.

Then I would move on to the next superset. The same type of supersetting happened for every body part on different days of the week.

If you haven’t tried it…..you need to. You think you are being and bad because you are curling some heavy weight…when you finish this type of workout?  You’ll be exhausted!!!

Now that I have finished these two weeks, it’s on to two weeks of heavy weights. I think I will be trying to 85% of my 1 rm. So,now I got to to get to calculate.

Update on the Wii fit goals…so EA sports has the new game out called active. Althoug I love Wii fit….this one looks so much cooler.So, I will continue to do the Wii fit…but you might see a new goal soon. Peace out folks!

You know, while in the gym some music can really get you going. There is a song, that recently came out, called my shirt off. I know this sounds  little pompous but it really does motivate me to hit it a little harder in the gym. So, what about you?

For some people, it’s amazing what photoshop can do for them. But anyhow, I won’t get on that tangent. So, i was looking at my profile pic today….and not to toot my own horn. I am in a better position, physically,than I think I am. Now I wonder do other people have this same discovery after taking pictures of themselves. To be quite honest…even when I am in the mirror I am like ‘Yea…you need to do better.’But, it seems like the camera just puts a totally different lens on your physique altogether!

Anyhow, these are internal thoughts that I decided to put out there for discussion. Peace out folks!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1829293/worlds_strongest_toddler_liam_hoekstra.html?cat=2

When you go to school and do all kinds of studying all the dog on time…you kind of forget some of the random things you do outside of school. Ergo my bodybuilding experiences. One of the main reasons I keep a blog is because I do the most random things most of the time.

Recently, I was looking through my progress pictures and notice how I was much more trimmed in some older pictures.It’s kinda weird because I am trying to get that look now and seem to be having some extreme difficulties. Then I remembered…… at that time I would workout in the mornings.Since I was being my usual self, CHEAP, I would run instead of drive to the gym.

Today, I just realized that it probably was that light morning cardio before each workout each morning that help me to burn fat and retain the muscle. Go figure! So there you go,light cardio if you want to retain some mass….turn it up a notch if you are wanting to burn it all off.

Thank you bodybuilding.com!!!!! Today, I saw a new feature…an inspiration button. For those who know me….I was a little hesitant to hit the button and then comment on why someone inspires me….it sounded a little weird at first and then I was like what the heck…if they inspire me then they inspire so why shouldn’t I let them know. So, today I clicked on a few but I got so many to go!

Finally bodybuilding.com is coming back around to what I believed the site was created for…inspiring others to achieve healthy lives through stories of people with real struggles and real success.

So what are you waiting on folks I am inspired by most of you because you are just like me out here grindin day to day to acheive healthier lifestyles.

Peace out.

Online Training Blog

Okay okay, if you haven’t look at the previous post…it might help to spark some points of relation to this. Some of the people, but not most, that I mentioned in the last article also have done this too.

So why must people put on all of this tan crap for a show and think that it looks good? My co-worker’s husband is a personal trainer and he sees people who do this stuff all the time. The rationale is that it helps the muscles to look more ‘defined’. Are you kidding me? I have seen several people who muscles are really defined without any tanning. When people put tans on I have seen several problems with it:

1. It makes you seem like you are of a completely different race than you actually are, unless you are already of a very dark complexion.

2. People have it running across their numbers, their undies and then sometimes its even beading up from them sweating. When this happens, their are strands on their body that is lighter than the others because of the beading.

3. It makes people look like the trophies that people win at the end of the show.

So does tanning help to create and ‘equal’ playing field. I know some people have fairer skin than others, but maybe natural tanning can help take care of that. Then, I thought we where judgining muscular development or are we judgining shinyness,beauty and muscle?

I mean I’m just saying. Again questions from the uninformed…because I will admit that I have never competed in a show and really don’t know the logic to the madness.

So, recently I have seen many profiles here on bodyspace that offer on-line ‘personal training’. As soon as I heard of this, I then took a look to see what type of qualifications these people had to administer such as service and then tried to find out how this is so much more better than  live personal training, because on-line training seems to be more than personal training from many of the gyms offered in our area. So, I would like to share my personal thoughts about these ’services’.

For most of the profiles, people have seemed to worked out pretty well over the years and now consider themselves to be experts and personal trainers. Some of the users, thank goodness, took enough time to get certified in the field. But, does that include being able to appropriately assess people through the internet? Additionally, I envision a personal trainer as someone who will be in the gym with me encouraging to hit that last rep when I feel I can’t go on anymore. I also expect them to do physical assessments of me and my progress and have lively conversation with me as I go on the journey of becoming more fit than I actually am. With all this being said, I find it a little difficult for such high quality interaction to occur through informal processes such as the internet,e-mail,excel sheets, and Voip.

Another point is that, and I know I am not just the best looking person and probably should be the last to speak. But some, not all, lack crucial features in total body developement. For instance, 90% of one persons pictures are all about abs and when they finally show other body parts that barely look as if they belong on the same body(This is meant in a negative way)!!!! This only contributes to my doubt about on-line personal training.

Lastly, I truly believe that for some people at the end of the day…it really is all about money….regardless of your progress. The internet is so informal…I can be on-line and not talk to you for as long as I want…you can send e-mails and I don’t have to respond…I can accidentaly forget to send you your workout plan  during a specified amount of time….your workout can be ‘customized’ just for you and I really wouldn’t know how it was developed just for me or anything else….with on-line training the trainer can only asses me through 2D photos and not in real life. What do I when I am in the gym doing a workout that was put on my workout sheet and I am tired…then what…how does the encouragement factor workout?

As you can see, as with most things that scientist do…I am little skeptical about the idea of on-line training and you should be too before you jump into the conveience notion of the concept.

This is just a random question for the uninformed like me? Do people when money for all categories and places at bodybuilding shows?

For some reason, many people have this idea that it is perfectly fine to have cut abs maybe some arms,huge chest and that’s it. Sometimes, I have even been on the muscular development site to see pictures from shows and see people who are, at the top at least, physically sound in upper body but nothing to show for lower body.It’s like they go to the gym and do curls and benchpress all day everyday?!?!?

Then you have those who are on bodyspace who insist on showing off their abs and the one shot of their legs look as if they may belong on someone else’s body! Now, I can’t talk because I know that I am not physically proportioned so far as legs are concerned…but I really am working on it.

Sometimes, I get discouraged because I see these people who are apparently genetically gifted and have huge calves and are doing donkey raisese with something like 25lbs and are struggling with it! Are you serious?

I am over here killing my legs….barely able to walk and still have legs straight as an arrow. What gives? I need some motivation…I wanna see the person who has had some chicken legs…committed themselves to bringing their legs up to par and made some significant changes. I am almost convinced that I am will be stuck with some disproportionate legs…which makes me want to change up my workout plan; so that I want walk around like some of these misfits with a big body and little legs…

The floor is and e-mail is open for some feedback.

I mentioned fraternal movement because this could apply to anybody…but more so guys then girls…So, as usual, I am pretty keen at noticing my surroundings at all times. On a couple of occasions, I notice this huge guy about 5′9 250 in the gym with this woman (Assuming she is his wife) and wearing the smallest and tightest short any man who is my size should not be wearing (So they were too small for him). So I think to myself this man is off his yousers. Then while sitting in the sauna yesterday he comes in with the women again. As he walks in I notice a sign that signals he is part of the same fraternity I am in. THen I am like dang!!! The yahoo has to be in the same fraternity as me. Well, after talking with the brother, he is actually cooler than his workout outfit suggest. It just goes to show you again that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.

Me and my awareness is sometimes not as good as it should be! LOL!!!

Today was the first day of less weight high rep, one of many parts of a new routine I have started.So, today I hit the legs again, and again, and again. In fact, I was in the locker room and my legs started to shake like crazy. Like I really had to get myself together mentally and be like ‘okay stop shaking legs’ LOL!!! I know it sounds funny but it so true. Then as I get ready to walk out I feel my legs about to like give out. Hmmmm over exertion? So, I told the guy I was rapping with that I would have to holler at him later and I went to go sitdown. Man, has anyone else had this experience…this is the first time I have ever experienced this in my life. So…I’m at home chillin now…getting some rest.

Well…I think for some yes…for others it is false hope.But, I guess you have to start somewhere right? I, personally do not consider my self to be a pruning person (i.e. you want see me talking smack about how huge I am and how you can come and get some or how much muscle mass  I have or how much I can bench,press or curl). But today, I am looking around the site and see people just ecstatic about their accomplishments and talking mad game.

Nothing against them, but I just wonder how much attitude does it take? All comments are welcomed…the floor is now open…

Man,

Last week I did such heavy weight that I hurt something in my body that was killing people. I was doing some tricep kickback with 45’s and when I got home? Whenever I would take a deep breath my something in my back was hurting? Weird…but it stopped like the next day.
Anyhow, this week I am glad to get back to some not so heavy weight with more reps. The only problem is…this method will wear you out!!!! But, hey no pain no gain right? More updates soon. Peace!