Ruben’s Rants

A lot has happened in the last few months. I want to apologize to all my friends for neglecting you I will try and do better in the future. I have just done enough to keep from getting too fat and stay in relatively decent shape. But, now its time to get serious again. My goal this time is to add muscle mass instead of just cut. I want to add 10 or 15 lbs in the next few months. I wish I could narrow it down more but I am venturing into new territory and don’t know what to expect. Hopefully my body will respond positively.

I saw on TV, a guy who lost 1000 lbs!  A world record. He had gotten down to 198 lbs and went out to celebrate. He said he ate a hot dog, then fries, because you can’t eat a hot dog without fries and added cheese because you gotta have cheese…Needless to say he added all the weight back!  Can you believe it?  

That got me to thinking. Why am I putting my body through all this punishment?  How long can I keep it up?  What happend to the guy that lost all that weight only to put it back on and what is going to keep the same thing from happening to me?  I know the answer…I have to change my habits!  Replace my bad habits with good ones. If I  eat well and exercise regularly, in time the weight will come off and will continue to stay off as long as i continue with the good habits. I hope you can change your habits too!

Yesterday, 6/27/69, I turned 40 years of age. I had several goals to reach by then. 1) To be in the best physical condition yet. 2) To have my home paid off along with all other debt. 3) To live past 40.  lol.  I met all these goals with the help of family, friends and faith in God. I look around and see that I am surrounded by some pretty amazing people. There are some that lift you up and some that try to beat you down every step of the way. I believe it takes a balance of the two to make you the best that you can be.  I had a hard life as a child and somehow managed to escape what was destined for me had I followed in my siblings footsteps. You don’t have to “Settle”, if what you’re doing is making you miserable, change!  Sounds simple, right?  But its not. To change means to interrupt not only yours but possibly someone elses life. But in the end, its all worth it. My new sig. “Today is the first day of the rest of my life”.

It’s there for the taking.  All you have to do is  go get it.  People cannot make us do something we don’t want to do, and in turn we cannot make other people do anything they don’t want to do.  Quit making excuses!  It is easy to blame others for our misfortunes….we so often blame parents, bosses, relatives or friends.  We have the final say in how they affect us.  I am in control of my own destiny.  I have had my share of bad luck, just like you.  I decided long ago that no one, NO ONE, is going to control me.  I will not give you that power.  So stop making excuses as to why your fat and out of shape.  No one is force feeding you, no one is making you sit in front of your TV 6 hrs a day.  Today is the day to change, today is the day YOU start taking control.  GO GET IT!

When I first started training, I did not know much about nutrition.  Luckily I knew about weight lifting from High School Gym.  After completing the MuscleTech Challenge, I am going back and reading articles on how to lose fat, build muscle, etc…  After reading those articles, it’s a miracle that I even saw any results.  I was supposed to take this supplement and do that excersise, eat this don’t eat that.  I mostly went by common sense.  1. you got to have protien, everyone knows that.  2.  to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume.  3. If you want to lose weight even quicker, burn more calories.  Simple right?  While there is a lot of good info out there, use a little common sense.

I was not aware of how many people hate Bowflex. I did a 14 week transformation contest using a Bowflex exclusively. I have to say I am very pleased with the results. I am truly trying to understand the hate. A lot of the reasons I get is that they are overpriced but isn’t something worth what someone will pay for it?  I also keep hearing "free weights are better", with no more explanation. I believe it is a matter of personal preference. In my case, I live in a small town and no gym is available. I am greatful for that now otherwise I might be one of those haters who never gave this machine a chance and was repeating what everone else is saying. Me, I don’t care what a person uses to better their health. Whether it’s a machine, free weghts or a sack full of rocks, I support you to be the best you can be no matter how you get there. They tell me I can’t possibly gain mass using the Bow, yesterday I set out to prove them wrong.

I was not aware of how many people hate Bowflex. I did a 14 week transformation contest using a Bowflex exclusively. I have to say I am very pleased with the results. I am truly trying to understand the hate. A lot of the reasons I get is that they are overpriced but isn’t something worth what someone will pay for it?  I also keep hearing "free weights are better", with no more explanation. I believe it is a matter of personal preference. In my case, I live in a small town and no gym is available. I am greatful for that now otherwise I might be one of those haters who never gave this machine a chance and was repeating what everone else is saying. Me, I don’t care what a person uses to better their health. Whether it’s a machine, free weghts or a sack full of rocks, I support you to be the best you can be no matter how you get there. They tell me I can’t possibly gain mass using the Bow, yesterday I set out to prove them wrong.

I was not aware of how many people hate Bowflex. I did a 14 week transformation contest using a Bowflex exclusively. I have to say I am very pleased with the results. I am truly trying to understand the hate. A lot of the reasons I get is that they are overpriced but isn’t something worth what someone will pay for it?  I also keep hearing "free weights are better", with no more explanation. I believe it is a matter of personal preference. In my case, I live in a small town and no gym is available. I am greatful for that now otherwise I might be one of those haters who never gave this machine a chance and was repeating what everone else is saying. Me, I don’t care what a person uses to better their health. Whether it’s a machine, free weghts or a sack full of rocks, I support you to be the best you can be no matter how you get there. They tell me I can’t possibly gain mass using the Bow, yesterday I set out to prove them wrong.

On January 15, 2009, I made a decision that would change the course of my life. I set out on an expedition and pointed my navigational beacon towards a new destination. Along the journey, I discovered strengths and weaknesses. I fought many battles, some won, some lost. All the while my beacon kept me on course. Like a warrior preparing for battle, I armed myself with a host of MuscleTech products. These supplements were exactly what I needed to fight my own worst enemy, ME! As far as bodybuilding knowledge, I came into this challenge as a newborn baby coming into the world. Today, I feel like a seasoned veteran. Although it’s time to end this chapter, the entire book is yet to be written. The days of wishing are over, it’s time for action. These days, I welcome the battles that in the beginning, thought were impossible to win. But with Bodybuilding.com and the entire community, these battles seem more like skirmishes. I live to fight, I fight to live. My enemy knows no boundaries and will use everything at his disposal to knock me off my feet. With a winning combination like MuscleTech and Bodybuilding.com, I will continue to improve and grow stronger. I am reaching for new heights. I am no longer daydreaming but making dreams come true. I will continue this journey to my destination, a destination that is not a place, but a direction.

I have not set foot in a gym since I started my transformation.  In less than two weeks, I will be posting final pics for the MuscleTech transformation contest.  It has been an awesome learning experience.  Everything I have accomplished has been done at home using a Bowflex for strength training and treadmill for cardio.  About 6 weeks into the transformation, I was beginning to understand about macronutrients and excersise.  I can’t imagine what I could’ve done if I had the knowledge from the  beginning.