Author: Doug Graham

go to http://www.sixpackandsenior.com for entire article and all my photos, and posts

I often get questions about how to get into the game of bodybuilding. Too often there is a general lack of logic that is behind the question. The question is really is aimed at “WHY” do I want to do this thing called bodybuilding. In my world, this is the most important question a beginner will ask. Unless this question is satisfied and a clear answer is derived and fixed in the mind of the neophyte there will be no need to proceed. I encourage seekers of the wisdom of bodybuilding to get alone and think about “WHY” he should start and subject himself to these rigors. This first step is the all important step. It cannot be ignored, or stepped around or taken lightly. This is your moment of truth and only you can decide….Choose wisely BODYBUILDINGSON!!

I’ve heard that “Today is the first day of the rest of your life!” Very pithy and self apparent but in many ways it is absolutely true when you decide you are going to enter the bodybuilding world. The most important thing to remember it is here and NOW where you start. There’s no place to go. There’s no special dispensation of angels that will move you forward. This room. This family. This gym. This garage is where it all begins. Today! I will start reaching for the person I imagine in my most private times. Grow where you are planted. Now get started right here and now.

Take a look around! Do you see a “magic carpet?” I didn’t think so. But, you do have a few things lying around to use. First, you have you. Nobody can ever take this truth away from you. You can be pushed. You can be disciplined. Nobody use you better than you. Next look at the basic tools required. Some of them are right in front of you but you have never seen them. Chairs, benches, bicycles, calisthenics, motivational videos and a host of things you overlooked before. Now, arrange them in a logical sequence of uses designing everything to make you better. Be free with your thinking. Get creative in youre approach to betterment. There is always something that will propel you forward, higher, and faster….Don’t overlook the obvious by seeking or wanting a short cut.

The final stage is: “Doing what you CAN do!” We all have jobs. Many of us have families that require tons of our time. Sometimes some of us are actually physically ill or very much out of shape. Some of suffer from acute discouragement from close friends, relatives, and knuckle heads.

This is what you can do. Never talk about what you are attempting to accomplish. The weak people will mock you mercilessly. They will do all they can to get you to quit. Ignore them. Pick a time to work out that attracts the least amount of attention. Out of sight preferably. Never say to yourself that this is too hard. Nothing in life worth having is easy. But! I can assure you that this journey will be “worth it!”

Find a gym. If you can afford a coach—get one! All items to help you are on the table….so them all. Nobody is looking for perfection but we are looking for us progress.

In summary: 1.) Start where you are. 2.) Use what you have. 3.) Do what you can. I would also throw in the admonition: “NEVER GIVE UP!” Why start if you are going to quit just because it’s hard?

go to http://www.sixpackandsenior.com to see all photos and posts

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.” I Cor. 13:1. This is where we start. To be real and truly authentic we have to be that very thing we profess to be……

I’m of the opinion that too often we spend tons of time trying to tell others that we are great rather than allowing them discover that we are much more than what meets the eye. When you impose yourself on others with a sense of how great we are, you have lost your audience…..We become proverbially the “sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.” As a friend told me in my early Christian days, “you are so loud I cant see you or understand you.”

A little more: Be who you are right now. Determine what you want to become. Begin moving in that direction and do it smartly but silently. Work so hard that others will ask you how you do it. Silence in the pursuit of excellence always bears superb results because the results will be real and undeniable.

Arnold Scharzzeneggar one wrote an article he called loosely, “My struggle –Alone.” Hinting that what you see before you was forged by his own will and effort and ultimately –alone…They gym is an unforgiving crucible that demands our full attention as we labor alone. When we are alone we do not have the great friends and colleagues screaming in our ears to keep going, higher, harder, and faster. We retreat to a place that belongs only to us. I read someplace that Kevin Levrone who is an accomplished pianist plugs in Vivaldi or other great masters and he allows the workout to flow around him as he trains. The whole thought of his personal space driving him forward was an amazing motivator to me. I’m no Vivaldi but there are some great tracks to listen to.

Working in Silence strengthens the character and demands only that we are true to our efforts and our goals…Always remember, “People never judge us by our effort. They judge us by our results. So, let me admonish all of you/us to ‘SHUT UP, TRAIN HARD, EXPECT THE BEST FROM OURSELVES,—-AND THE WORLD WILL BEAT A PATH TO OUR DOOR!” Winning is everything but the silent refiners fire is that which prepares us for success.

Bottom Line: You are the love of your life and others. You are the Silent Champion that the world will judge by what we produce….in Silence, Alone, and Determination to be our manifest best.

go to http://www.sixpackandsenior.com for all articles and photos

“NOBODY IS GOING TO DO IT FOR YOU!” We all love to talk a great game because it costs us nothing to pontificate and bloviate with our chest stuck out. But in the real world there are no short cuts to success. I’ve had business associates talk about “hacks” that if discovered and applied to a problem then the effort will be truncated—and nobody is the wiser. Hacks can be useful but everybody knows that you either cheated or tried to get something for nothing. Fortunately, bodybuilding is so personal that any decreased effort will be noticed on stage. The first to know about your decreased amount work is YOU! You feel grumpy. You feel like you tried to cut a corner or two to get to the stage. but it’s not working. Secondly, All my friends are aware that I am not as sharp as in previous shows. It’s painful to know that others are clued into my personal laziness. Thirdly, Is my disappointment in the results of the show. Instead of finishing in the top 5 competitors, you have been reduced to ashes here. CONVENTIONAL WISDOM TAKE HOME—–NEVER cut corners, don’t miss workouts, and above all else, “WORK HARD”…in fact you have to work harder than anybody else if you want to win. Stop talking and get to work!

Bottom Line: You’ll never be good enough, but you can outwork them and win. Your will to win leaves them mesmerized mainly because they know nothing about the effort you expended to win…..

Go to http://www.sixpackandsenior.com for complete article

This is a real “GUT CHECK” for all of us, especially me! Let’s just say that I am writing this article to me and you can just follow along and look in on the things I have to face in order to be better than I am today.

When there is a challenge ahead like, a show, an event, or some new clothes I want to fit into, I have to take sometime to get alone and decide that whatever is in front of me I have to decide it is worth it and get started. Let’s stick to a bodybuilding competition that is on the calendar. This date will bug me until I address what is required to be ready.

The choices at this juncture are simple but I dare not over look any of the steps. First, as I said, I must decide that this show is worth it. I have to make this show something that has all my attention and all preparation flows into the date of the show. This is where I have to decide that I want to to be better this time on stage than last time. I’ve got to reach deep inside my gut to create a “WANT TO” that lights the way. I have to believe that I can do it. A trade secret of mine is that I have to create a goal that forces me to be my best so that I never stop pushing myself. This is what makes me want to be better. I want to be better so badly I can taste the effort. I don’t naturally just “want” to be better, I have to create a requirement to be better. I want to better because my goal says I must be better. So, let’s break it down a bit more. I am weak but I want to be a winner and being a winner requires me to better. The show date forces me to give it my all. Nobody has to motivate me once the date for the show is set, I need self appointed goals to establish how bad I want to be better. my desire to better cannot occur without the goal. Crazy I know but it’s this process that defines for me how badly I want to better myself.

Each of us must first decide that we want to better ourselves then decide how badly we want it. Then, we have to set up the path forward. Pick something bigger than yourself that only you can attain. Never compare yourself to others. Just lower your head an plunge forward until your arrive at your goal attainment.

Thank you for listening in on my introspection. I know it sounds a little bizarre but then anything worth doing will require us to “think outside the box.”

Bottom Line: Decide you want to better yourself. Decide what tool or construct you must put into place to push your or attract you. Get started. Talk to nobody. This journey is yours and you share it with nobody. Arrive and see how many people notice your winning self. Unsolicited compliments are the best. Go for it and make sure you want the greatness that you set before you….and WIN!

go to http://www.sixpackandsenior.com for all articles and photos

It’s so easy to proclaim to ourselves and to anybody else within earshot that we want something very badly and we will do anything to get it. We restate our intentions often to remind us and others of where we wanted to go and the person we wanted to become in the process. All of us at one time or other has made vow to defeat our enemies and remain good guys with big hearts. We all want to be well thought of.

I stood in the middle of the basketball court and vowed I’d be the best athlete this school has ever seen. That moment defined me and my path forever—so I thought. I was so good at sports you could easily call me a “BIG MAN ON CAMPUS.” (though I’m short). But, after a short stint in college football and a summer of minor league baseball it was time to do some serious growing up. After putting 5,000 Miles on my thumb traveling around the East Coast I joined the Navy. I won’t bore you with the entire sidetracking of who I wanted to be but suffice it to say it was a good thing. First, I didn’t get killed in Vietnam and I got some great training that propelled my adult career in the military and in medicine. For this I am eternally grateful.

However, all of us will remember what and who we swore to become. Those commitments and vows really never go away. They are dormant but not dead. As I got older I got into bodybuilding long after and much older than most guys do. It reignited that passion for accomplishment and the love for the work that is required to get there. I have loved the restarted journey toward my own personal goals. This whole thing at this age is truly a labor of love. It’s not the trophy it’s the hunt. Bodybuilding has given me and my super charged set of goals a new lease on life. It caused me to remember who I really wanted to be. Champion of my own making. This year will be my last year competing and I’m going to go out a winner…..Take great comfort in getting another chance at our remembered greatness.

Bottom Line: We never forget who we wanted to be. Often we just don’t get the chance to actually remember and to gain the self vaunted stature and person we set out to become so long ago. This is your time to remember and begin the pursuit of who you want to be—one more time!

There are a billion reasons we can come up with to not do something that we know we ought to do. It ranges from, I’ll do it tomorrow or later to I can do it anytime, to I’m too tired, to I’m not interested, to I want it but not that badly. Whatever! However, when you finally do lock in on the thing you want, it will cost you everything—because you have decided getting this thing is worth it.

Work is viewed as optional or required. This is the sharp demarcation line between the person who wishes for things and the person who sees accomplishment as entirely possible with superior effort and focus. I would submit that common sense dictates that hard, unrelenting work is the method of choice in accomplishing anything worth doing or having. This choice pretty much crushes the idea that hard work is an optional or part time endeavor. But, of course in our world of bodybuilding there is no room for part time participants. When you decide to go for the stage and the gold, all other mediocre attitudes must, of necessity disapper from your mind.

“WORK FOR IT!” isn’t just a capaign slogan. It’s a full throated admonition to get started, focus, work until you are standing on the stage receiving the gold which you have earned. You and I must pur aside a comfortable placing. We have to zero in on the top spot. If we don’t then what is the purpose of entering the race to win!? The hardest part of the journey is to get it into your head that it is possible to win. Once this is in place it has to transfer the belief to all oiut “work”.…There is no substitue and there is only one way to win…..Work until you drop and then work until there is noway you can lose. Believe me when I say “IT WILL BE WORTH IT!’ Nothing is quite like winning and knowing that nobody can ever take your victory away from you. You earned it because you “WORKED FOR IT!!!!” Now go home and live your life as a champion!

Bottom Line: There are no short cuts. Working for what you want is the straightest line between what you have now and what you want!

go to http://www.sixpackandsenior.com to see all photos, and posts, and articles

There are times in our lives where we give it all and we seemingly get nothing in return. In fact, there exists a point where we actually disappoint ourselves, our friends, our associates and so many others we love. This is not a juncture we want to experience and when we do we must reach deep inside to forgive ourselves, apologize to those we have disappointed and go on. All of us has had this terrible moment. It is here that we must face ourselves and show our “mettle”. It is at this place that we have to be better than we are and sometimes much better than others who will try to demean us. Let me say that this is a current situation. But, it is also a situation that I must overcome and be better.

I won’t bore you with too many details. My most recent crisis is with my weight. I try hard and do good and then I fail to pay attention and I’m back at the starting line. It’s not that I don’t know how but this run at my prep is a “bear” and it’s killing me. I will solve the equation but it puts me into a bad frame of mind and I want to quit. I have to lose 15 lbs.

But suffice it to say the battle to be my best is never over. I’ve already let go and I’m putting on my game face. I have already set a new goal, a new reason for continuing. Thanks for listening to all that. Here’s the plan: 1.) Circle the calendar for the next show 2.) Make the plan with the help of a carefully selected coach 3.) Get my wife on board so that no matter the hard trail she is with me all the way–without my wife I can do nothing. 4.) Begin and be faithful to the plan. Don’t miss workouts or opportunities to excel. 5.) Never look back and be determined to be your best in every way.

Somebody recently said: “The best cure for depression or failure is to work your asses off.” When you are engaged and working you don’t have time for regrets or depression.

This year I have gigantic goals and I don’t need any psychological, spiritual, or imagined burdens. Carrying all this does not allow me to run fast, jump high or to win. Neither do any of us. Reflect deeply about what you want and be about the business of working for it. Do not wait for a crisis to motivate you. Having your back against the wall is never a good starting point.

Bottom Line: Never give up. You set your own course. You surrender only to your own defined defeat. So never accept defeat. This is your life so go WIN!

go to http://www.sixpackandsenior.com to see all photos, posts, and articles

I’ve had a horrific learning curves on this quest called bodybuilding. One of my first was understanding that using gigantic heavy weights is not all it’s cracked up to be. First thing you do when you are 16 is to try to prove that you are as strong as anybody. So, you go about the business of figuring out how you get your total poundages (Personal bests) as high as possible as fast as possible. The driver for this mindset is our egos, our pride, our self-perceived image of us being much smaller and wimpier tht our friends and of course enemies. We ever want to be seen as the guy who gets sand kicked in his face on the beach by “Mr. Everything,” Ugghh! The very thought of this personal humiliation leaves me feeling embarrassed and defeated. So we, push ourselves mercilessly to be bigger, stronger, faster, in as short period of times as. possible. The method we used is tied to the concept, “you got to eat big and lift big to get big.! There is much wisdome in this but more often than not, one of us will get injured, quite severely using this mindset. Baically, we do not embrace the concept of a little progress each day will get us super duper results fast so we overload our bodies and we will get bigger but the price paid will always be more than we are able to pay. Believe me! I have had some injuries that could have ended it all for me. Example of my idiocy on parade. I after several months of pounding on heavy weights was able to clean and jerk 165 lbs. I benched 225 lbs. I squatted 375 our of rack. I weighed only 135 lbs. Then some place a light came on. I began a ladder system that I used for each body part. I grew and grew with 100s of reps and sets. I no longer feared getting in jured with my “Incredible Hulk” routine,

Key concept learned: A muscle will respond to small changes over an extended period of time repeating the movements correctly much better than putting your whole being on the line repeatedly, Patience and hard work are the orders of the day.

Today I weigh 185 lbs and I rarely use super heavy weights. My personal mantra and pride says, “NOBODY WORKS HARDER THAN ME.” My favorite mantra when I’m too tired on unmotivated is to repeat simply, “DO THE WORK.”

Patience, Consistency, Hard Work, Climbing Ever So Slowly, will take you far above all competitors and jealous friends. Slow Hard, Organized Work will win the day…..Be motivated by Branch Warren who said, “I AM MOTIVATED BY THE FEAR OF BEING AVERAGE!” Write this down and stick it on your mirror. I believe that settling for Average is the graveyard for the weak and uncommitted.

Remember my Formula: 1.5 hours per day X 6 Days per week. Don’t miss work outs and you will have the results you seek.