rp29nct 
"Hit 200 solid lbs with a larger and more mature musculature."
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| Created: | 10/06/2006 |
| Total Visits: | 1617 |
| Total Blog Entries: | 17 |
| Total Comments: | 16 |
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June 30, 2008
Since 2005, my church (www.fbcmct.org) has sent volunteers on mission with Baptist Builders for Christ. The organization was founded as part of a ministry to help meet the needs of congregations that are growing or have outgrown their present church facilities, and are seeking to or are in the process of building new facilities. My church benefited from the organization in 2004, and has been part of it ever since.
This year, the team from my church went to Logan, Ohio, to work on the new worship center for Ebenezer Baptist Church. Teams are organized and sent each week during the summer, and are scheduled to coincide with the specialty work required each week. For us, our work focused on putting the roofs on. Since pictures speak louder than words, I’ll include some images of the progress we made in one week.
For most of the week, this was the roofing crew. In the photo, we’re standing in front of what will be the new sanctuary. The whole roof, also consisted of the preschool and class wing extending from the other side of the sanctuary. The team is smiling and still appears “fresh,” which is probably due to the fact we had not started, yet (I’m the tall one wearing the black tanktop in the background).
When we first got started on Monday, the roof of the preschool and classrooms was the only one that had the decking and felt paper on. We started putting the shingles on, and actually finished the entire roof in a day and a half. By Wednesday, we were ready to start on the larger roof over the sanctuary, which was a bit more challenging because the pitch of the roof was 1 inch more than on the preschool wing. Since I’m actually afraid of heights, I was lashing myself to as much of the safety equipment we had in place as I possibly could. God kept us marvelously safe throughout the whole week!
  By the end of the week, the team had laid 10,000 sq ft of shingles out of a 15,000 sq ft job. No small miracles that week! We had great weather and plenty of time to get the work done. Thanks and praise to God for the labor we completed, and for allowing us to keep the project on schedule. Once the roof was in place, the rest of the teams could begin drying in the building and hanging the sheetrock and installing the electrical systems.
After the hard work, we got to enjoy ourselves for a few hours before the flight home. We went to the Washboard Music Festival in downtown Logan, OH. If you enjoy bluegrass, eating smoked turkey legs, and general fun, then that’s definitely a place to be!
Posted in Christianity
May 28, 2008
Memorial Day weekend was well spent, in that two other avid hikers and I set out to conquer the summit of Mt. Greylock.
On Saturday, we parked at the end of Hopper Road and took the Money Brook trail to the junction of the Prospect Mountain trail. The trail is rated as strenuous and was somewhat of a workout. We then climbed Prospect Mountain to the summit, which was a distance of 1 mile. However, the climb in elevation is 1590′! That part was rated as aggressive, and I could definitely tell by how it impacted my legs. After enjoying the sun and scenery at the top, we joined the Appalachian Trail and then descended to Wilbur Clearing, our first campsite of the weekend.
On Sunday, we took our time getting up and back on the trail. After doubling back on the trail to the AT, we headed up Mt. Williams, across Fitch, and to the summit of Greylock. The last stretch to Greylock was very steep and also rated aggressive. It was a fantastic view at the top, and all of us took time to visit the war memorial tower and sprawl out on the grass. From the summit, we took the Gould Trail down to the Peck’s Brook shelter. Since I had brought my nifty new tent, which is actually a hammock bivy, I had an easy time setting it up only 30 yards from a waterfall! The other two hikers shared the leanto with a local couple who had hiked in to enjoy the weather and scenery. We had a great time talking and playing cards. At night, I opened the rainfly over my tent and lay staring at the thousands of points of starlight before drifting comfortably to sleep from the roar and gurgle of the waterfall.
On Monday, we hiked back up and over the shoulder of Greylock, picking up the Hopper Trail, again, which lead us down to Sperry Road campgrounds. We walked out Sperry Road to the Stony Ledge overlook which was a beautiful view of Greylock and all the other mountains we had hiked. The view allowed us to pause and reflect on God’s creation, and the areas we had covered in our loop. We took the Haley Farm trail down from Stony Ledge to the parking lot, and a descent of 1460′.
Overall, we covered a distance of 14.7 miles on some strenuous to aggressive trails. It is one experience that I won’t soon forget… nor will my legs!
Posted in Other
May 16, 2008
This post is in regards to someone else’s body. I know it’s weird to post about another person’s body in my bodyblog, but it deeply concerns me.
Ok, my mom had major eye surgery last week, and is currently visiting with me in Connecticut with my dad. I’m surprised that she made the trip after everything that the doctors had to do. The gist of it is she had a detached retina and damaged macula, resulting in 3 procedures to correct the loss of vision. The surgeries all went well (praise God), and now the body has to heal!
Many who will read this entry know me well enough that I’d ask you to pray for my mom’s health and healing. For those who don’t know me or my beliefs, I’d still appreciate the prayer for my mom. It seems that so much has been piled on her, recently, and there needs to be some hope or good that she can rest in.
Thanks, in advance! God answers prayer!
Posted in Other, Christianity
April 29, 2008
Now that I’ve recovered from the competition, and no more chest cold, I’ve started training as hard as ever, and am happy to report that my weight is increasing while my bodyfat is still at 9%! My body looks more solid and I can see the muscle visibly growing!
The only drawback to my training is that I’m experiencing neck pain that feels like a strained muscle. I pulled a muscle on the left side of my neck a while ago doing barbell shrugs. Since then, I’ve modified my routine to perform dumbbell shrugs instead. This seems to have eliminated the motion that was straining my neck.
Last night, while doing bent-over barbell rows, my neck once again was strained. It’s not as bad as before, but noticeable and limiting the movement (twisting from side to side) of my head.
Does anyone have any advice about what I can do to fix the problem entirely? I don’t want to treat the symptoms, I want to cure the disease! Any thoughts would be appreciated to get rid of this pain in my neck.
Posted in Training
April 21, 2008
As promised, I’m providing a copy of the Posing Music that I used at contest. It was composed by Jeremy Soule, and is available in it’s entirety off the Guild Wars: Factions Original Soundtrack, as Bonus Track 4. Once I get the video of my routine, I’ll upload it into my Youtube videos.
Took the last week off of training due to catching a chest cold after the contest. A combination of stress, no sleep the night before the contest, and pure exhaustion lowered my immune system to the point where my typical sinus infection/bronchitis was able to rear its ugly head. I’m feeling better, and looking forward to hitting the weights, tonight! Working to get to a lean 200 lbs by the end of the year. That is my NEW goal! 
Posted in Training, Contest Prep
April 14, 2008
The contest was amazing, and I had a great deal of fun talking with the other competitors and hitting the stage! Although I didn’t place or win anything, I enjoyed myself and count it as one of the more motivating experiences of my life, thus far. Learning what a bodybuilding competition is like from behind the scenes was enlightening. Most of what I saw is that I definitely need more size and a more mature look to my musculature in order to challenge the other competitors in my weight class. I weighed in at 181 lbs which put me in the Novice Heavyweight and Open Light-Heavyweight categories. I was the tallest competitor at the competition, and if I can boost my muscle mass to over 200 lbs, then I’ll definitely be in the running for placing or winning!!
During the contest, I met a lot of great people. I felt comfortable and confident posing in the weight classes. The only time I got nervous was right before doing my individual routine. Hopefully, I didn’t make any noticeable posing errors. My girlfriend was a true support and calming presence during the entire show! I have to give her so much credit for putting up with me over the weekend, and being my “trainer” in the backstage areas. She was responsible for painting me up and making me look presentable for the stage. Personally, I think she far surpassed my expectations!
For now, I’m satisfied with reaching my goal and hitting the stage. It’s also nice to be able to eat “regular” foods, again. My first treat was a trip to Cracker Barrel, yesterday. The discipline I’ve gained, though, will not be wasted in a bunch of binge eating. Now that I know I can do it, I’m assured of success at my next show (TBD)!
Posted in Training
April 7, 2008
Sometimes I think this is all just a dream, but then I realize I’m really going to compete in a bodybuilding contest this Saturday! On April 5th, I kept looking at the clock and imagining what would be going on at those times one week away! It’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time!
Started off this morning on a carb reduced diet, after meeting with my trainer last week. In addition, I got off to a good start with 15 minutes of fasted cardio before heading into work. My abs are becoming more and more visible, and I know I’m below 10% bodyfat, now. The trick will be to see how much I can drop it by in 5 days!
All of this excitement and good that’s happening is also being balanced by some disappointments. The first and biggest disappointment is that the documentary I was participating in won’t have anyone able to attend the show due to Skybus announcing closure. The project is a lot of fun, and something I’ve been very enthusiastic about. The second disappointment is that my company’s gym won’t let me use the group aerobics room to practice my posing. The main reason being that it is an unsupervised area, and they can’t let anyone use it until there are enough trainers around. If I’m so out of shape that I can’t pose alone, then I’m really in trouble!  haha. Lastly, my friend who was going to help apply the Pro-Tan and Dream Tan so that I look my best, won’t be able to attend. So, now I get to ask my remaining friends for help!
At least I got confirmation that my application was received and paid. 5 days to go and keeping my head down and the shoulder against the wheel. Get through this training and hit the stage!!
Posted in Training, Contest Prep
April 4, 2008
Getting closer to just 1 week out! This update finds me in a much better mood and with an optimistic attitude towards the competition. Although I still don’t boast any delusions of grandeur, I think I look fantastic, and believe that I could walk out of the show with the Best Poser award.
The report from my trainer is more than encouraging! As soon as I lifted off my shirt last night for him to assess my bodyfat, he could tell that I’d burned more off… but would it be enough to satisfy me? The skin is tightening up in several places. After taking my bodyfat measurements, he applied a coat of Pro-Tan to my body, and I was instantly amazed by the changes the color brought out. I flexed my biceps first and was astounded… I actually HAVE biceps! Flexing abs revealed a lot of detail I didn’t think was there. It’s funny how the mind plays tricks on us.
Ok, so the bodyfat is 10.04%, which means I’ve dropped ~1.5% bodyfat in about a week and a half. By adding in cardio, I hope to push myself down to 9%, if not to 8.5%. I’m psyched up and excited for the show, and following a conversation with my trainer, might keep the condition I’m in, go for some more fat loss, and look for another local competition within the next month or so!! That’s still a thought, but would be worthwhile after this long of a process.
Posted in Training, Contest Prep
April 3, 2008
After much debate, I’ve decided to go with an orchestral piece from Guild Wars: Factions Original Soundtrack. For those not familiar with Guild Wars, it is a MMORPG that I play with several friends, and Factions is the Asian-themed package (you can read more about the game here: http://gw.gamewikis.org)
One of my friends helped me edit ‘Over My Head’ by Lit and ‘GW Factions Bonus Track 4′ down to 1 minute each. After listening to the two, I chose the Guild Wars music because of its more artistic expression. There are some strong driving chords later in the piece, as well. At least, no one else will be using the music at the show, as I doubt anyone else plays Guild Wars (Yay, me!).
The music is credited to the composer, Jeremy Soule. I’ll post the edited version of the music AFTER the show. That way no one can borrow my idea!
Posted in Training, Contest Prep
April 3, 2008
It’s been 10 days since my last update, and I have been using my time wisely. The tweaks to my diet took a couple of days for my body to adjust to, but all is well, now. The diet has been consistent and I have been training hardcore to drop the bodyfat. The good news is that my bodyweight is still maintaining at roughly 185 lbs, while the fat has been dropping. I’m meeting with my trainer tonight to assess the changes, and should *crosses fingers* be below 10%!
The cardio is coming along, as I’m doing 20 minutes of fasted cardio at the new gym onsite at my company. They also have a group aerobics room that I want to use to practice my posing throughout the next week. Mostly, I’ve been practicing at home, but I’d like to do some more choreography for my individual posing.
The biggest news is that I’m almost completely shaved now, and all I can say is that it sucks! It’s a lot of work, and it itches like crazy after a few days. I’ve consulted a few friends who are swimmers and gotten some tips on preparation and shaving down while avoiding the majority of razor burn. Funny enough, the best advice has come from my friend, Michelle, who told me to invest in a lot of baby oil. Ok, now that I’m slicked up, I can’t actually hold onto the razor! haha.
It’s a disturbing feeling to see yourself hairless, especially if you’re like me and you pride yourself on your resemblance to Sean Connery without a shirt on (meaning the abundance of chest hair and the younger version)! I’m going to throw a coat of Pro Tan on and see what shakes loose. I think this will boost my confidence when I see the contrast and improvements… kind of a premier for what I’ll be like on stage.
I am disappointed by my bodyfat at this stage, but can only forge ahead and do the show. If the numbers aren’t where I want them tonight, then I’ll start dual cardio sessions each day to encourage more fat to drop. Both will be fasted, once in the morning, and then again one hour after lunch.
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