FireMike

Well its been an exciting and life changing past few weeks. I made my move to the Carolinas (yes Im right on the coastal border of both states) 2 weeks ago. I landed a full time paramedic position with a very aggressive county department, unfortunately its taking forever for my N. Carolina Paramedic card to come thru, so im basically sitting down here, quickly running out of money waiting to start my job. I haven’t missed a workout since moving and in fact the workouts have changed alot. The overall enviroment and sense of happiness and feeling as tho im where I should be has been paying dividends in the gym. Im training at Gold’s in N. Myrtle Beach now and doing my cardio on the beaches. Currently im running 3 miles every other day and do 2 addt’l sessions in the gym. I’ve kept my bodyfat percentage right at the 9% mark and have gained about 5lbs of quality mass over the last month. Currently im taking in about 2300cals per day with 375g Protein and 300g Carbs, I do cycle in 2 low carb days a week and keep it under 80g those days. So far despite not starting my job yet, this move has been a great thing and I haven’t regreted it once since leaving. I miss my children like crazy, but even with my move I have found a special thing for us to do, every night I call them at bed time and read them a book before bed, yes I went out and bought a bunch of children books. My son calls me after all his soccer games and tells me how the game went and practices playing his guitar over the phone to me. While this isn’t the same as being there with them, it helps lesson the pain of not being with them, and it seems to help with their adjustment as well. On the competition front, well there are a few different show options for me to do in this area from now until late october, I have to seriously sit back and think about what I need to do to be most competitive and the time line for achieveing it, realistically I think it will be a show in September or October as I now plan to go light heavy and wanna compete at 190lbs which is about where I was with 4 weeks out from the May 3 show, meaning I need to add about 12 lbs of lean muscle or so. I’ll keep all updated on when I will be competeing and begin posting new pics at that time. Until then…..STRENGTH & HONOR

Akron, Ohio…. 10pm, temperature 32degrees… I’ve been battling it out with my car all day, trying to get it to cooperate with me but it has just refused. I pace thru my apartment, my mind is racing, can I have it fixed and back to 100% by next Tuesday when I move? Am I gonna get down there and then have it die on me? Oh hell, now im just getting pissed. I grab a redline and slam it down, followed by a orange, why? Because I need to go unleash hell on some weight. 1040pm. I walk thru the doors, there are a few odd looking people in there, nobody i’ve seen before and no one I care to see again fore they are nothing more than space fillers. Space fillers, thats what I call them, you know the people who walk all around the weight room, but you never see them lift a damm weight, yeah that was these peeps. Its a cold night, so I figure I better get good and warm before the battle begins. 3 sets of 100 pushups, that will get the chest good and warm, so I do them. When I finished the last set, the cross striations of my upper chest began to show like battle scars… thats what these are to me, they show the dedication and commitment I have put into achieving my idea of the perfect body. I grab a bench, then the 80lb DB’s, slam back and rep out for 15 before the thundering sound of the weight hitting floor echoed thru the gym, yes those damm space fillers all looked at me like I was breaking some damm rule that "tho shall not let the weight slam on the floor", well hello Einstein, this isn’t the 70’s anymore the DB’s aren’t made of steel, they are rubber coated so they won’t break, ass’s. Next the 90’s, with each rep I think about what im leaving behind here in Ohio, my parents, my siblings, my few true friends, but most of all my children. Then I think about how this move will positively effect their futures, this single thought motivated me to a new height. I lost count of how many reps I did but I think it was around 20. Last set, the 100’s, and then 12 reps later I was done. I felt like it was my job tonight to completely dominate, as the next chest day will be in Gold’s Gym of Shallotte, NC. I move immediately to incline DB’s no break other than set up between the last flat set and first incline set. I knock the 80’s around for a set 12, then the 90’s and finish with the 100’s for 8 solid controled reps. Note the word controled… and then practice it, I hate sloppy ass form. (sorry just had to say that) Next flat BB press, I haven’t done this movement in a long time, but I was curious how my power was so I had to see. 225×12, 265×10, 295×8… not bad but way weaker than I have been in years, im gonna have to fix that soon, I don’t ever wanna be useless muscle. Next I did a hardcore incline superset, Incline BB press, with incline hammer strength press. 3 sets 8-12 reps each move, first set 155lbs/180lbs, second 175lbs/180lbs, last 195lbs/200lbs. At this point I considered calling it a day, but then I thought what seperates me from the next joe, the fact that even tho I was exhausted and my pecs felt as tho they were gonna rip thru my skin at any given moment, I kept going. Decline Cable press, 3 sets 100lbs per side 12 - 15reps superset with Pec Dec 150lbs x15 reps. 2 sets of BB pullovers 90lbs x 15reps and stick the fork in me cause im done. Drank my protein shake, walked around for a few mins then off to cardio. Ran 1 mile in 6 mins, walk at 13 incline for 1/2 mile at 4 mph, then seated biked for 3 miles at level 15 - 20. Then I walked out in the same fashion that I walked in, focused on the tasks at hand and not given a dam about anything else. STRENGTH & HONOR

The last 96hours have been a big ball of emotions for me, and have lead to both exciting and intimidating news. It all began on Sunday evening when I was speaking to a friend of mine who wanted to know what a good fat burner was he could take. I do not believe in fat burners but there is only 1 I would ever take if I was to use them again. I told him what it was and where he could get it, thinking he lived in Cleveland still I offered to pick it up for him because there is only one place I know of to get it and that’s in Akron. He told me he had moved a few weeks ago to Memphis, TN to take a job with FD. After I got off the phone with him I really began thinking, he’s a guy who has been a medic and fireman far shorter than I. I have more experience and honestly believe I am a superior paramedic to him, yet I sit in Ohio letting my knowledge and skills go to waste. That evening I also learned that hours were being cut back and overtime was no longer available. Great… I just got caught up now im not gonna have enough coming in again. Late that night my good friend Tom called me, he is a paramedic in Brunswick County, NC just slightly north of Myrtle Beach, SC. He has been pushing for me to come down there for 2 years. Last year, I did, I interviewed, I got a formal job offer, and I turned it down bc I didn’t wanna leave my kids. Well I can barely support myself here in Ohio after I pay my child support. I asked Tom what the medic situation looked like in surrounding areas of where he lives. He said everywhere needed medics in a bad way, then said but why are you asking about other areas when we need about 10 medics. My reply, I turned the job offer down last year. His reply, for a very honorable reason, call and talk to county operations director. I did on Monday morning, he said I wanted you a year ago, of course I still want you, but you need to prove how serious you are now, can you be down here on april 24 for physical and practical testing? Yes I can. So I started looking up flights into Wilmington NC, round trip very affordable ($185) Then I get to thinking, what is gonna keep me from coming back and changing my mind again??? I know, liquidate all my stuff other than my clothes and drive down there and not come back… So that’s what Im gonnna do. I leave Tuesday April 22nd and will arrive early morning Weds the 23rd. The first thing I do sleep, but when I get up, go get my Golds Gym membership and in the process maybe talk them into giving me a part time job. That would be nice. Anyway, yes im moving, no im not coming back to do my show. The plan: stay lean thru summer, maybe gain 5 to 10lbs of lean mass then find a show in late October to do down there. This is a great opportunity and a risk, makes for a great movie plot. Im very excited on multiple levels, yet scared. I only know two people down there, my family will be 800 miles away, my kids will be 800 miles away… But at what point do we think beyond what you feel is best for everyone else, and put our own well being first? NOW is the time for me, I wanna do more for kids, I don’t wanna be so tired I can’t stay awake when I see them. Im tired of their mom getting to do all the fun stuff with them, and me not being able to afford to do anything with them. I wanna be great for them, so they will have drive to be great themselves. I wanna show them not to be afraid of chance or risks, because if you fall you just dust yourself off and get back at it. This is also gonna push me to a new level of training, im gonna live with minimum necessities, a bed, a chair or couch, a pan, a pot, and stereo, that about it for a while….Im gonna live animalistic, im gonna become more physically, mentally, and spiritually. With all this said after next week it maybe a while before I get back on here, as Im not gonna have a PC for a few months, but know im training hard, im pushing myself to new levels and I will be back on soon, bigger, leaner, stronger. STRENGTH & HONOR ALWAYS:

This past Saturday morning I went pretty heavy on my arms, it was a total assault. 4 push / pull supersets each consisting of 4 sets for a total of 16 superset’d rounds. On Sunday morning I awoke with a little pain in my right tricep, no big deal. Throughout the night at work last night it got to the point that I can not move my right arm up and over my head without using my left arm to assist, alot of pain. Any lateral raise movement is causing alot of pain as well, which leads me to believe I tweaked a thoracic nerve somehow. This morning it was very painful and hard fought to hit my reps for chest, but I dug in deep and fought thru the pain, I figure I got all the time in the world to heal up after May 3rd. Im keeping the entire area wrapped tight and oiled up with icy hot, that stuff is a god send sometimes. Luckily with my training rotation I wont be hitting this area at all again until Thursday so with a little luck the pain will die down and it won’t be such a struggle to train shoulders and arms latter in the week. Im 18 weeks into this now and no pains or strains will keep me from my gains dammit. STRENGTH & HONOR

What is the one thing that without a doubt every single one of us has a good number of??? Pictures. Pictures help remind us of the things we’ve done in our lives, looking at a single photo can rekindle all sorts of memories of that particular day or event. With that said, as bodybuilders we take pictures to see where we’ve come and help aid in our motivation to push towards more. Prior to today I didn’t feel I was in that great of position as my comp is really closing in fast, then I saw the progress photos and WOW. I amazed myself, I look at myself everyday and didn’t realize what I really looked like. Then I posted them and the out pouring of positive thought I have recieved from not only long time friends but those i’ve never had the oportunity to speak with prior to today, has just put in a state that I can’t even explain. Today was one of those emotional "low" days when it began but now its a "high" day. My motivation to not only keep doing what i’ve been doing, but to find a way to improve it more down the final stretch  is higher than ever thanks to the great people on this site. I will not let anyone down, including myself, Iam very poised to finish what i’ve started stronger than ever. My physique will only get tighter and more "shredded" from here on out. My focus is primarily on my conditioning and midsection over the final 5 weeks, and I will do my best to hold the size I have retained where it is and do what is necessary to make sure I loose no more on my arms, chest, or legs. Buckle and strap yourself in tight, because the first 18 weeks have blown minds away (including my own), well this last 5 just may be "end game" for all who dare finish the journey with me. STRENGTH & HONOR

Recently I was diagnosed with having walking pneumonia, at the beginning of the week I was just coughing alot but I was able to train. Then on Thursday this all took a change, I haven’t been able to train since then, I haven’t really been eating since then, and all I wanna do is lay in bed and sleep. In fact I left work last night at 11p, was home and in bed by midnight and didn’t get out of bed until 6pm today, and I just wanna go back to bed. This is throwing a real curve ball into my comp prep, im gonna try and train tomorrow but if its anything like thursday was I won’t last long. Anyway thats why I haven’t been on here or posting workouts in my journal.

Do you have any idea how many germs, bacteria, and diseases are on the floor of a hospital? Alot. We start IV"s, are around all the bodily fluids of patients and even some certain fluids produced from the bodily organs such as bile. YUM. So there I was getting ready to eat my chicken at 3 am this morning, 48 wonderful protein filled grams, along with my 6 am portion, so in all 96grams of protein worth of chicken. I sat the bowl down, spun in my chair to grab my gallon of water, and thud… there was the sound and instantly I knew what it was, my chicken all over the floor. I was like a jack rabbit trying to gather it up as quickly as possible, hell it was the rest of the nights food and I haven’t stocked my locker w new reserves yet. (cans of tuna yuck) I decided I was gonna wash the chicken off and eat it, well that sounded like a good idea. SO I hurried into the kitchen and began defunkifying my chicken. A nurse friend of mine was in there and asked what the hell I was doing, I told her the story and how I was gonna eat it and had no choice. She told me not too, to which I said "i have no choice" then she told how she steped in poo at some point tonight and has been walking around with that sh it on the bottom of her shoe all night, ya never mind eating the chicken. I was so angry with myself I broke the number one rule, gaurd thee food with thee life. Well my girls rallied to my rescue, gathering up what ever food they had remaining and told me to help myself to whatever I could eat. My 3am meal consisted of turkey breast from a sandwhich, one smaller chicken breast and some ham…believe it or not health care workers are not the healthiest of eaters. Regardless 3 am was covered, but here I sit 6am supposed to be eating, but I have no food to consume and my last meal of the day will be almost 2 hours behind schedule….Im so sad right now, cuz im so dam hungry. Lesson learned, dont be a dumbass and sit your bowl of chicken so close to the edge of your work space.

Yesterday morning my room mate and I (pictured w me in AVI) trained back together, while at the gym we ran into a newbie who happens to be a friend of my room mate’s. His name is Mike (Big Mike actually), he’s roughly 360lbs maybe more, out of shape. He recently found out he is gonna be a father for the first time and decided he needs to get into shape to be able to have the active envolvment in his childs raising. Very noble and honorable reason to get into shape. Well he warmed up by doing a fast pace walk on the treadmill before having a personal training session with one of the trainers at the gym. It was to be a leg day for Big Mike, so first he’s doing some leg extensions, reps of 20. My room mate and I had finished our back session and were working forearms, we began joking with Mike a little about how pale he was and telling him not to worry there was two of the best paramedics around in the gym, everything would be fine… Little did we know that we were going to be needed in a few moments to come. Big Mike was done with extensions and getting ready to do some leg pressing, he was extremely diaphoretic (this didn’t make us suspicious of anything bc he’s a big guy and working out should make him sweat profusely). He had just told the trainer he was working with that he was feeling dizzy and that he hadn’t eaten anything this morning, and then all we heard was the THUD of a 300 plus lb man rolling off the leg press and hitting the floor, out, unconscious. We instantly dropped what we were doing to get over to him, he was only out for maybe 30 seconds and very confused when we were able to arouse him. His eyes were jumping, he was pale as pale gets with about a lb of sweat on him. My room mate went to get his first in bag from his car, I got Big Mike some gatorade and gave him some of my Almond stash I keep in my gym bag since he hadn’t ate before training. We assessed him, his BP 92/68 (this isn’t good, very narrow pulse pressure meaning lack of perfusion of the muscle’s and vital organs) his Blood Glucose….undetainably low (which means less than 30 on the glucometer we had) We gave him a tub of oral glucose since he was alert and oriented and had him consume the 32oz gatorade and then filled the bottle up with water and had him consume, as his BP was low mostly likely bc of dehydration. We got Big Mike back on his feet and he said he was feeling alot better. Then he showed how dedicated he was to achieving his goals, he didn’t want to stop despite our advice. We were able to convince him to go walk on the treadmill for a little bit and see how he was feeling afterwards. He did another mile and then decided that lifting prob wasn’t the greatest idea in the world right now. Later last night he called our house and we all had a good laugh at his expense. We’ve all had this happen we told him and not to worry about as his pride was busted a little, and its true, anyone who trains intense has fallen syncopal before from pushing themselves past that threshold, I have multiple times following squats, deadlifts, and heavy benching. I prop Big Mike on his dedication and desire to achieve, and feel confident that he will be one of the few who follows thru with it and converts from a unhealthy life to a lifestyle focuse on health and fitness on whatever level he chooses.

Its cold outside, im surrounded by 20 inches of snow, the roads are a sloppy mess, my car is running like crap from the bruttle winter… I enter the doors, bag in hand, music blasting my ear drums out, all I wanna do is start the war. As I lifted I began to think about the beginning of this diet, how difficult it was, what I went thru trying to make sure I got proper nutrition in my system daily, how I had to learn what my body reacted too. Its been a long hard road, but now I feel I have it in order but Im fearful. I fear not being ready in time, 53 days and shrinking fast. I fear putting a sloppy physique on stage, I fear forgetting my posing routine in the middle of it. I was once told that fear is nothing more than pain leaving the body. What pain was leaving my body at that moment? Was it the pain of being a beat step child? Was it the pain of building a good family home and having it tore away with nothing left in my pockets? Was it the the pain of being hurt by the one I was truly in love with? I don’t know, but I liked it, it pushed me to keep moving the pounds, rep after rep, set after set until the very end. When putting everything you have into something, it brings out things you never knew were there, sometimes your thoughts drive you to the brink of certain failure, yet you have to use them as fuel and drive forward. Its Ironology, its therapuetic in a way. Regardless what began as a 154 day diet is now a 53 day diet, and I don’t like what I see. Is my knowledge and understanding of all aspects of bodybuilding wrong? Do I truly understand? I question myself constantly, but the day is approaching and I will be judged, soon I will have the answer to my questioning. Some say stop, you’ve proved you can do it, just go back at it next year since you know what works for you body. I say fu ck that. Im two thirds of the way there, i’ve backed out twice in the past, no way not again. I preach this life to those who are physically inactive, I live it, I love it with a passion and its time for me to prove it to all who know me and question me. Im use to being questioned, it began when I was in high school and many didn’t believe how strong I was, hell that still happens now a days, but I dont care because i’ve had all my numbers witnessed and honestly I just dont give a sh it. For some reason tho when my dedication and commitment to competeing comes into play, it bothers me. Sure I didn’t finish it twice before and those closest to me know the circumstances as to why, they dont judge, but others do. Why do I care? Its because I love this sport and I wanna claim my place in it. May 3rd I claim my place.  

Saturday March 8th…. yeah what a day. First there was a blizzard here in Northeastern Ohio, we got roughly 24inches of snow. Roads were closed and cops were pulling you over and writing tickets if you were out driving in it, fun stuff. Well there I sat at home, plenty of diet food, couldn’t go to the gym it sucked. To make the most of the time on my hands I decided I would practice my posing routine and while practicing I became very discouraged, not with the routine but with myself. My mind began racing, and the next thing you know I began to think it…"im not gonna be ready in time." Then it happened, "oh fu ck it" and I raided my stash of non diet food that I keep around for the kids. Some pizza, tortilla chips and con queso and a large bowl of cookie dough ice cream. Then I had a couple of beers and called it a night. When I awoke this morning, I looked in the mirror and couldn’t believe what I did the night before, I was ashamed of myself. 15 weeks of dieting without flaw, and 8 weeks out and I binge one night. My body, well it looked like it does every day when I wake up lean with a glimpse of how my abs look, but my overall feel, well it was like crap. I was very sluggish and had a hard time getting myself moving and amped up. I made it of the most priority to get to the gym for a extra cardio session and ab training. This will not happen again, no more breakdowns or freakouts. I expect myself to appear flawless on stage and if Im not come the day of comp, well i’ll just have to find another comp to do in a close time frame when I can get myself flawless. Regardless I will carry out the mission with strength & honor throughout…