Author: Doug Graham

People in our lives mostly want the best for us and they tell us so.  From the time we are small these same people manifest their love and high hopes for us always.  This group of relatives or friends can usually be depended on for encouragement and emotional underpinning to keep us on the right track and moving forward.

There is another group that seems to play the role of antagonists and obstructionists to us and our goals and objectives. It does not matter what the issue is, these associates of ours are always on the attack to destroy our motivation and our forward movement.  This group you cannot depend on for anything good.

There are times, however, when we take on something that others do not think we should take on.  These same people do not believe we have what it takes to accomplish the goal we set before ourselves.  During these times is when we get to know our closest and most important supporters in a much more intimate way.  Let me explain:  In most cases your cheering section consists of those who really do believe in you and they tell us so constantly.  This support seems unshakeable.  Then, along comes a challenge or a trophy that we want to win.  Suddenly, our unshakeable support from those who know us well begins to erode or is withdrawn completely.  Most of the time this loss of support comes as a by product of their own insecurities, e.g.,  They say to themselves, “If I can’t see myself doing this then I KNOW Doug cannot do it.”  Thus is born the period of going it alone.

The “Period of Going it Alone” is the time when all those people who have decided that we cannot “do it”.  In other words, they have withdrawn their confidence in us to win or to accomplish “this thing” we have said we want.  In other words they are saying and demonstrating that they don’t believe we can “do it.”  This is the time when we have to be courageous in our quest to reach our goal knowing full well that there are those who are watching our every move. They have bet against us and they are looking for validation that they ‘re prediction is correct which will be manifested by our failure.

To reiterate, this is the time when we have to perform.  We have to prove to ourselves and others that we are serious and capable of winning in the face of great opposition.  We have to develop a heart that believes that we cannot fail.  When Jesus began his final journey to Jerusalem, it says that “he set his face like flint (resolutely) toward Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) We have to focus on the goal.  We cannot take our eyes off the prize.  Nothing can come into our field of vision as we progress to the end.

It’s because we know that those who have decided that we cannot “do it” are watching and we dare not flinch or stop.  We have to totally believe that we are going to win despite the naysayers that are watching our every move.  In short: “WE HAVE TO WIN” for a myriad of reasons but the biggest one is that many have cast their votes against us.  In order to regain their favor and to bolster our confidence we have to win.  Failing is not an option.

In closing.  Know that when we set goals there are those who are pulling for our failure and demise just so they can jump on our grave.  These people should not be given too much attention during our quest.  Instead, we have to focus on all the details that are required to win.  We have to see the goal that drives us forward.  Nothing else can matter because we believe we can “do it.”

Until next time I remain, Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM

Doing Cable Curls is tough work.  It is a good pre-exhaust exercise or it is a good finishing exercise, it just depends on the order that you do things on a given day.  I like to attack my biceps with Cable Curls first.  I start very light and do a set of 20 reps.  Then, I increase the weight by a single plate in the stack and repeat. I continue to do sets of 12-20 until I can do no more.  I try to do each set slowly smoothly to keep the biceps under constant tension.  I then move onto the next Biceps exercise and complete my biceps training for the day.

But more than the biceps exercises themselves is my attitude…..I have to turn up the intensity even before I start my training.  I have to be determined to finish what I started and to go beyond my own expectations with each set and sometimes with each rep.

Attitude is everything when we train.  I like to think that my training involves me against the weights.  I have to approach my training with an expectation that there is nothing that I am about to try that I cannot do.  I attack each rep and set in a way that pushes my brain to ask more of my body.  The “more” consists of more intensity, more reps, more sets, heavier weight, shorter rest periods between sets.  I try to vary each of these demands as I go along to enhance the effort and ultimately the results of my training.

Eventually, I can see my goal and how my effort is carrying me to it.  As I begin to realize the date of my contest I turn up the effort, the focus, the energy, the precision that is demanded of an athlete preparing to compete.  Nothing is left to chance.

I consider my time in the gym as a place to wage war on the many hurdles, obstacles, distractions, that keep me from being my best.  Dick Butkus, (#51) All Pro and probably the best Middle Linebacker to ever play the position once said as he stood at the 50 yard line of Soldier Field in Chicago, “This is my church.  This is where I make my living. So, I figure this is no place to make friends.”  He is so right.  When I am in the hunt to win I spend very little time socializing in the gym.  My blinders are firmly in place and I avoid eye contact with other people in order to discourage temptation to stop training and talk. I stay the course and I put forth herculean effort to get better,

Bodybuilding is a war.  The gym is the battlefield. When we set foot in the gym there is a palpable transformation that occurs. I check my best self at the door and I go about the business of preparing to win.

In closing, note that the Cable Curls video above demonstrates the type and level of work required to get better.  The philosophy is that we treat the sport and especially our time in the gym like we were at war.  Winning takes far more than wishful thinking.  We have to be better and there is no shortcut to the winners podium.

Until next time, I remain, Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM

How many times have I been in the gym working as hard as I can and I hit the wall.  I just feel like I cannot do another rep.  My arms are heavy and seemingly out of gas and I know that I have NOT gone as far in my workout as I had set out to do.  I’m disappointed at my seeming underperformance so I conclude that I am finished.

It is, at this point, that I go get a drink, go to the bathroom, take a small break and then I come back to where I left off.  I don’t reduce the weight or change the exercise to accommodate my fatigue.  I sit down (if it’s seated presses) and I start again.  I push the weight for as many reps as I require.  If my goal for the day was to do 5 more sets then I do the sets, even if I have to do 1/2 sets until completion. It is when you think that you cannot do any more is when you figure out a way to do MORE.

Note that I took a little time away from training to allow my body to recover a bit before I continued.  I could have told myself that I can’t do more work and stopped for the day.  During my time away I meditate on how to finish what I started to do for my workout and to push through that moment of  “I CAN’T” to push harder.

My philosophy of pushing harder is not predicated on going to total exhaustion just to prove I have gone harder and longer.  Rather, I focus on doing more than I started out to do by a “Little Bit.”  For instance: If I set out to do 7 sets x 12 reps of something, I try to do 8 set x 12 reps. Or, I try to do 7 sets x 13 reps.  In any case, pushing harder involves a small incremental increase to acquire the needed growth in the muscle being worked.  To be consistent, whatever I do during the current workout becomes the floor or the minimum that I can do next time.  Again, I try to increase sets of reps to move my effort higher to get the muscle growth that I need.

Another variation on convincing myself that I can and must push harder is to take on new exercises for specific muscle groups.  Doing something new or different is often awkward and very hard.  I try to acquire new tools for my development tool bag so I do not become stagnant or stuck in a rut with no gains as a result.  Recently, my coach, Justin Dees has added a different and more intense quad regimen to my workouts.  First, he pushes me through “Sissy Squats” 10 Sets of 12-20.  Then, we do what Justin refers to as “Widow Makers” which is nothing more than resistance squats with weights suspended from a heavy belt on my waist.  Believe me, I have never seen so many veins jump out of quads.  I hurt bad.  Thirdly, he had me doing double clutch lunges with weights in my hand.  Ouch!  is the best word that comes to mind during this training.  The key here is doing something new to challenge your muscles to respond and grow.

In closing, never give in to under performing in the gym.  When you hit the wall, take a break and start again to completion.  Lastly, do new things to keep the muscle guessing and responding to your demand to be better.  When tired, don’t quit.  Take a deep breath and continue!  I and you are the Masters of our sports.  Let’s act like it and “PUSH Harder.”

Until next time, I remain: Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM

High Cable Curls

I provided a video yesterday showing simple E-Z Curls to the front.  This basic exercise is a mass builder for the biceps.  If you do them really slow or at least provide some resistance during the descent of the bar from the curled position back to your thighs you get what I refer to as a “two-fer.”  This means that I get extra work during the same movement.

Today I’d like to give you a couple videos that illustrate how I do cable curls both from the low position and from the high position.  In the video above you will see me doing biceps curls in the high position.  I start this exercise with very low weights in the “cage” as I call it.  My arms are higher than my shoulders and I step forward so that the biceps are totally isolated.  I contract the biceps bilaterally and simultaneously and draw my hands to my ears.  I try to maintain a steady constant rhythm and tension the entire way through the exercise. I try to get anywhere from 15-20 reps per set.  After the first set I move the pin down from 10 lbs. to 15 lbs. and I repeat for another 15-20 reps.  I move the pin down to 15 lbs. and do it again and I continue increasing the weight by one plate until I cannot get more than 8-10 reps.  At this point I quit and move to the next exercise below.

Low Cable Curls

Next, I do low cable curls. I move the handles down to the lowest D-Ring on the stack on . both sides in the “cage.”  Again, I start at the lowest plate of 10 lbs. and I do 15-20 reps.  I then move it down to 15 lbs. and again do 15-20 reps.  I move it to 20 lbs.  and again get 15-20 reps and I repeat moving the pin down and increasing the weight with each new set until I can only get 8-10 reps.  I then stop and move to my next exercise.  Usually, I then do lying cable curls as noted in my previous article.

Lastly, I will then do the E-Z Curls, then moving to alternate seated dumbbell curls and doing dumbbell shoulder shrugs between each set of curls…..STOP!

Front Biceps

This is a great pose for me but I am constantly trying to do it better.  My coach, Justin Dees is forever after me to get my arms higher and allowing my lats to fall easily into place during this pose.  It’s seems very easy to talk about the proper pose but in reality, it is like any muscle memory sort of activity, it has to be second nature. You have to be able to do this with your eyes closed.  Needless to say, I put a very high amount of time in practicing the compulsory poses and this pose is one of them.  Doing heavy duty biceps work is absolutely necessary to make my arms appear much bigger.  It’s imperative that you “stay the course” and know that consistency and effort are the two variables that I have to pay tons of attention to as I train.  Nothing happens by accident!  This is a maxim.  You cannot wish these muscles to just appear.  Like Justin told me during one of his moments as my coach, “You just can’t say it.  You have to do it!”

Rear Biceps and Delts

Granted that this pose shows the results of tons of work on my back and shoulders but it also displays my biceps in a way that is appreciated by the judges when I’m on stage.  The interesting thing about posing is that though this is a biceps pose the most important thing is that I look symmetrical and big. Again, Justin has pushed me to hit the pose in such a way that my lats drop easily into place.  This is hard to get right because many misconceptions about what a good pose looks like.  Justin has had to correct me a billion times because of old (bad) habits in order to get it right.

In closing, please look over the photos and videos with an eye toward getting it right and to learn.  There is no short cuts but sometimes seeing something being done is worth its weight in gold.  I will provide more photos and videos in the days to come under the heading of Spartan Series.

Until next time, I remain, Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, (ret), MHSM

Posterior Delts Using Rope with High Long Rows

To help round out my shoulder workout I do these simple but very technical movements.  After I have done my anterior delts and before I do my lateral shoulder lifts I focus on the Posterior delts using a rope and doing high Long Row Pulls.  See the video above as an example.

It’s very important to include the posterior delts as part of our shoulder routine.  This exercise places particular stress on the rear delts to cause them to grow.  On stage it is imperative that when you show your back to the judges and the crowd that our shoulders cap off the perception of our back width as they reside just above the lats.  I implore you to not leave this muscle group out of your shoulder routine.  Rather, I place tremendous importance and effort in making these muscles huge.  Also, as I lean out as I near contest time, these muscles stand out prominently.

Please note that as you lean forward in the exercise you must open up your lats fully.  Then, when you pull back on the rope you don’t lean back but rather push your chest out and up and complete the pulling motion by moving your elbows as far back as possible to contract the rear delts.  Repeat this exercise at least 7 times with 12 reps per set.  When complete, move to your next shoulder exercise.

In conclusion.  It is absolutely necessary to include rear delt work.  The movement in the video above is only one of several exercises that can affect major improvement to the rear delts.  I will be placing more videos aimed at other muscle groups on this site in the near future.  Please tune in.

Until next time I remain, Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM

Biceps Curls

Briefly, on my arm days I do Biceps “AFTER” I have totally destroyed my triceps.  I start my biceps training by doing lying cable curls doing as many sets of 12 as possible.  Usually, the total number of sets tops out at around 12 sets of 12 reps.  I will post a video of this exercise in the near future.

As soon as I’m finished doing lying cable curls I go to the mirrors with an E-Z Curl bar with only 25 lbs. plates on each side and I do standing biceps curls facing the mirror.  I keep the movement as smooth and steady as possible. I try to control the descent of the bar to my upper thighs so I get some additional work. I do 5-7 Sets of 8-10 reps.  Then, I add 5 lbs. and I do another 5-7 sets of 8-10 reps.  Note that in between each set of standing biceps curls I do a set of dumbbell shrugs.  I start at 40 lbs. and then I move it up to 45 lbs. then up to 50 lbs. then up to 55 lbs. etc.  I try to go as high as I can and still be able to get 12 reps.  I continue this back and forth between standing curls and shrugs until I do 2 complete cycles of 5-7 sets with sets of shrugs between sets of curls or until failure.

For the sake of instruction and example refer to the video posted above.  Please note that what I have described is only a fraction of the exercises that I do for my biceps.  When these are done I have alternating dumbbell curls, cable curls low and high.  Each of which I will demonstrate in a future blog post.

For now, just know that biceps curls is a basic exercise that can help build solid mass gains to the arm.  I like doing them as early in the biceps workout as possible so I can then focus on further isolation exercises for the biceps.  Each exercise should be done to failure but be sure to start out with a mental goal for the number of sets and reps that you want to do. Then, exceed that goal.

I hope this helps!  Work hard and do not look back.  It’s not where you start that matters it’s where you end up.

Until next time, I remain Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM

Attitude is everything!  In my world, and being an older bodybuilder it is imperative that I determine to outwork everybody else in the gym.  I have no choice because “father time” is not on my side.  I have to be always at my best if I am to be competitive and if I am to progress in the ranks of bodybuilding.

My Best Days to Train

There are days when I go into the gym to train that I am perfect.  I feel good, I am strong, and I am able to work long and hard with seemingly little effort.  My mind is focused in accomplishing what I have set out to do.  Nothing can stop me on these magnificent days of total commitment to being better because I am ready to train.  There isn’t anything that can deter me from performing at a very high degree.  These are the best of times.

My Worst Days to Train

As I noted above, attitude is everything!  When I run into days when my body is totally racked with pain, I have a nagging injury, I am ill (sometimes with a fever), or I am mentally distracted, I have to reach deep to find the drive to do my training.  Luckily, I have determined a long time ago that when things are not good in the gym I instantly look for something that will push me forward.  For instance, when I have a nagging injury and my training is in jeopardy that day, I think hard about how to work around that injury without exposing my body to further injury or to exacerbate my existing injury.  If my biceps muscle is torn, I shift my emphasis to using my triceps muscle.  I minimize the stress on the injured muscle.  It’s amazing how hard I can still train despite being hurt.

Another example is when I am sick.  I know!  I know!  Conventional wisdom and advice would dictate that I forget training and go home.  There are times that I follow this advice and head back to my bed.  But, before I leave I make a herculean effort to get into my workout to see if I can still train though I don’t feel well. If I can get into a rhythm during my workout I will stay in that rhythm throughout my time training.  Sometimes, I notice that the fever goes up and I sweat like crazy.  The big thing here as in any other hindrance to training, I have to put my mind in gear and be determined to never quit.

Even on my Worst Day—I’m Killing it!

Its imperative to know that nobody can or will out work me.  I have four goals when I train: 1.)  I never miss workouts 2.) I don’t talk during my workouts. 3.) I work harder than anybody else in the gym.  Nobody out works me! 4.) . When I am finished I have to know that this gym belongs to me.  This is my “MY HOUSE.” I own this place!  All these goals are in place to push me to be better—even when it seems impossible to perform.

What I Seek

I only want to be better and I cannot be better unless I do the work.  I have to do the work all the time and when I am not at my best I “STILL” have to be at my best.  Nobody gives us anything.  I have to work for what I want and expect nothing from no one.  It is me against the world and I have to be sure that all that I do qualifies as “KILLING IT!’  There is no tomorrow and my success is dependent upon my ability to “KILL IT” even on my worst days.

In closing I would advise that you, like me, must learn to “KILL IT” even on our worst days in the gym because the goals we seek demand this level of effort.

Until Next time, I remain, Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM

WE ARE WHAT WE DO REPEATEDLY

When a person makes a decision to not do what they know they should do they are only cheating themselves.  They are self-eliminating themselves from the race they have set before them.  Every one of us has something we want to accomplish or contest that we want to win and if we do not put into place on a daily basis all the things that are required we will lose.  To state it another way, “a habit of focused, intense, directed, activity on a daily basis will always yield a winning attitude and a goal accomplished.”

Body building

Daily Events Repeated Form a Habit (to Win)

Daily, we exercise our personal agency to do or not do things.  In my world it is important to plan and then to execute those things that improve or enhance my life.  Mostly, the things I plan for are related to personal goal achievement.  Remember that most personal goals are attained out of the sight of others.  We set the goals, we plan to accomplish the goal, and then we set about the task of getting to that goal.  Usually, nobody else knows a thing about what we are doing.  This is a good thing.  As Flex Lewis has said, “The trophy is earned during the hours when nobody is watching.”

In any case, we have to develop a standard of excellence that is put into play each and every day.  We have to nurture an attitude that demands our very best on a daily basis as we strive to win.  This attitude must be so ingrained into our psyche that it is second nature and habitual.  The sheer act of doing what is best in the very best way always produces a champion.  If we want to win we dare not take our small steps toward the winners circle lightly.  Each thing we do repetitively and daily brings us that much closer to our end game.

I learned a long time ago from some friends of mine that escaped from North Korea’s Communist regime that if you want to win or to excel you have to be willing to work while others are playing or sleeping.  In other words, I and you have to be willing to do what we do not want to do on a daily basis.  We have to do these things well or they are not worth doing.  The secret to anything that is done well is attitude and repetition.  To perfect something it must be performed to the best of our ability over and over again until it is second nature and as close to perfect as possible.

One of my weak areas in bodybuilding is my personal discipline to pose daily.  I have to do it first or it will not get done.  So, when I awaken as I prepare for a contest, I put on some tight shorts and head for the mirror to do several rounds of posing, each time trying to make every pose better than the previous pose.  As I do this daily it becomes a habit that will bring out the best in me on stage.  Thus, I address my achilles heal problem first and completely daily.  This is a habit a dare not ignore.

In closing, If we want to be winners then we have to establish daily habits that align themselves with our ultimate goals.  It’s important that we select where we are going and then arrange everything in our lives in a manner aimed at getting to our goal. An act is a singular event.  When these singular events become daily repetitive events then we have a pattern established to win.  So, go about the business of making your goal known to your heart.  Repeat daily the disciplines that will enable your goal to materialize.

Until next time I remain, Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF (ret), MHSM

There two parts to this article that I want to discuss.  First, Following your dreams.  I would submit that life is about discovering what drives us forward.  Following a dream also means that we will not always have access to a cheering, compassionate, crowd of well wishers.  In fact, I believe that those of us who truly follow our dreams have determined that the cost is reasonable and, if necessary, we will invest ourselves completely and alone.

“Most Muscular” on Stage 21 June 2014, Utah Valley University, Provo, Utah

Front lat spread backyard 2 days post contest. 23 June 2014

Dreams

Dreams are the things that we are made of.  They are the fabric that bridges the gap between our souls, our minds, our physical selves and the things we pursue.  All of us welcome the excitement of a vision that takes place inside of us when we realize that we can have something better for ourselves or the people we love.  When a dream takes hold of us we have to decide whether that dream will remain nothing more than an image inside our minds or whether we will put together a plan to obtain and live that dream.  All of us have fantasized about something we want and have concluded that the dream we want is not obtainable so we fold it up neatly and return to our mundane daily existence.

In the hearts and minds of another group of people dreams are guides, they are objectives to be reached.  This group sees dreams as goals that beckon them to pursue them and to obtain them.  This type of person next goes about the process of developing a plan for “dream attainment.”  They have ruminated about the dream for so long that they know what is required to get there.  After they have counted the cost to win their desired goal, they get the plan into place and they simultaneously go about the business of  “dream pursuit.”

Walking Alone

Most of the time our dreams cause others around us to cringe, they back away from you, they conclude that your dream is false and that you are self deluded.  The sad thing is that they actually tell you that your dream is foolish, too risky, and ultimately they do not wish you well on your pursuit to obtain the dream.  At times their discouraging words devolve into hostility and hatred for you.  It is here that walking alone must be implemented if you believe in what you see inside yourself. If you decide that the dream is worthy of you and that you will mot be supported in your quest each of us must be willing to go it alone.  There is no other course of action except to pursue the dream in silence and alone.

When I decided to compete in bodybuilding I had to do so in the face of multiple points of discouragement.  Because I am old tons of people automatically concluded that I could not be successful and this bodybuilding thing was a fad and it will pass.  They also thought that I should not do this because of my age.  It’s as if they were saying, “grow up! Men your age do not and should not think that these goals are still alive and well inside you.”  I like what Arnold Schwarzeneggar says in his second rule of success, “Ignore the naysayers.” I also would add, avoid them like the plague.  Instead, surround yourself with men of like mind that will add fuel and encouragement to your forward progress toward your goal.

My very first goal was to first get into the best shape of my life.  I trained twice per day, 6 days per week, for three years.  The next step was to prepare to step on stage for the first time.  So, I did! I got 1 4th place trophy and 2 fifth place trophies in one night.  The bug had bitten me and the excitement was just as I had imagined it to be.  The next thing I had to do was improve as fast and as well as I could.  I competed two more times and did ok but I knew I needed help to do better. So, I hired a world class coach in Justin Dees.  He is my partner, friend, but when he has to he is my Egyptian Task Master Coach.  He demands much but leaves the effort to me.  Since those early days he has taken me through all the gates of learning and progress.  I’m old but I am also new at this stuff.  I’ve had to take the hard knocks of rookie mistakes and I’ve had to pick myself up and continue to train and get better.  I’ve concluded that there are only three people that I need to please in this sport: 1.) My wife. 2.) My Coach. 3.) The judges.  Everything else is a bonus or a curse and I deal with them separately.

My biggest dream these days is to turn pro.  I plan to do that this in July 2018 at the Nationals in Pittsburgh, PA.  I’m finally feeling ready and able to do this.  Justin has made it clear that I’ve got the physique to win but I’ve got to work overtime to present well when I’m on stage. Thus, I practice posing daily until I think I’ve got the posing down. Justin measures me weekly monitoring my weight, my body fat, and my lean muscle mass. He makes adjustments at each session to my training, my diet, and training techniques.

Much of my training is alone.  I do not use a training partner.  I keep blinders on when I hit the gym.  I keep my headset on and my eyes on the clock to be sure I’m using each moment of my training efficiently.  I, like everyone else, has a life to live and thus I have to work hard and get home.  I cannot allow myself to be distracted by socializing in the gym.  This is where the construction of a world class physique occurs. Being alone and dependent on nobody to push me is my calling card.  I believe that nothing gets done unless I do it myself and if necessary, I will do it alone.  Flex Lewis, the five time Olympian Champion, at under 212 lbs. has a great quote. “The trophy is won in the hours when nobody is watching.”  I’ve made this my mantra.  It has paid off handsomely for me with a greatly improved physique and a better performance on stage with each contest.

In closing: Keep your dreams present.  Keep planning to accomplish your dreams.  Keep at it!  Keep pushing your limits toward having your dreams in hand.  Nothing, nor anybody, can come between you and what you dream about.  Do not depend on somebody else to win for you.  If you must walk alone—-Perfect!  Winning is about me and you and nobody else.  Go for it and don’t look back.  Being alone is the best because you/I will work better and learn more.  Go for it—ALONE!

Until next time, I remain, Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM

What a summary of the road map to success!  All of us need some type of template that tells us how to do something.  A plan is the ultimate cue card that can point the way toward us accomplishing our goals.  Each thing mentioned in this article are maxims that we violate at our own peril.

Dream Big

My first bit of advice that I give a person that seeks advice about being successful in their chosen endeavor is for them to consider whether their goal is “worth it.”  Does it hang out there as something that will be rewarding and worthy of maximal effort.  In other words, is our “Dream” or “Goal” bigger than ourselves?  A maxim concerning our “Dreams” is to determine whether that “Dream” scares us or not.  If it does not scare us then the “Dream” is not big enough.  A dream is just a dream unless we decide to chase it.  The goal starts as a “Dream” with only visions of what it is and and what it will take to accomplish that goal.  Once these components are in place it migrates from being a “Dream” to the development of a “Plan.”

Please note that if your “Dream” is big and scary a significant amount of time and initial fumbling will be required to move forward.  It is here that you must exercise “make haste slowly.”  Be anxious to get it done but take your time to get it right.

Start Small

Bite off only that which you can chew.  When you begin the journey by dropping your plan to paper, be sure to include the very first baby steps that will be required to get started. Do not set a goal for accomplishing something that will easily take 3 months and shortening the timeline for it’s accomplishment to one week. Don’t try to do too much too fast.  Make each required item small enough to accomplish in a manner that will not frustrate or defeat you.  But, nonetheless, get started!  “Start Small” and gather steam as you go.

I remember when I first met Jose Raymond, “The Boston Mass” and I was so impressed that he can get up to 230 lbs. in his off season bodybuilding career.  He is only slightly taller than me and so I decided that I wanted to be as big as Jose. I weighed only 176 lbs. at the time so I was anxious to get started.  I told my coach about my goal to get as big as Jose Raymond.  He did not make fun of me or condescend me.  He very quietly put together a meal plan of 7,000 Calories per day which is augmented by a training program that was very intense and designed to cause massive muscle growth.  Well, after about 4 months my weight hovered between 205 lbs. and 210 lbs.  I looked like a tennis ball with arms.  I was absolutely massive but I had developed some significant side effects that made life very uncomfortable.  First, I developed high blood pressure.  Wow, I had never had elevated blood pressure in my life.  My wife subsequently purchased a blood pressure cuff to monitor myself.  I was taking my blood pressure 3 times per day and it was higher than normal.  Secondly, I developed reflux esophagitis (stomach acid splashing back into the distal esophagus) which caused me tons of pain.  I ended up taking Zantac tablets to reduce the acid reflux.  I also, elevated the head of my bed to allow gravity to keep my stomach acid in my stomach and out of my esophagus.  It worked!  Thirdly, I began having sever episodes of sleep apnea.  My periods of no breathing were long enough to cause my wife and others to worry that I would never start breathing again.  In fact, my buddies would stand around my bed in the hotel and they would take bets on when I would take another breath while I slept.  I made some guys a bunch of money it seems.

At about this time, Justin Dees, my Coach says to me one day, “Are we done yet?”  Meaning, can we get on with real training and stop this absurd exercise to gain massive amounts of weight before I was ready?  It’s here that I learned that gaining that much muscle took Jose nearly 10 years to put it on.  I surrendered and Justin developed a reasonable plan of diet and training aimed at making me lean and strong.  I’ve never tried to influence my coach in this area again.  Rule!: Never get ahead of yourself.  Do what’s next on the logical timeline and agenda.

Work Hard

Nobody works harder than I do!  This is my clarion call to myself.  I set up my workout in such a way that disallows me to take rests that are too large between sets of exercises.  I often have 3-5 different stations going at the same time that I work through.  Each station hits the same muscle in different ways.  I work to failure and then I switch to a different muscle group with designated stations and repeat the journey to exhaustion.  Never take on a workout unless you are willing to start small and ascend to bigger weights slowly until you reach failure.  The muscle is found in the last couple of reps with each exercise.  So, by all means finish the anticipated number of reps and then get a couple more for good measure.

I have labored under the delusion that if I perform a certain number of things I will automatically grow.  Well, much to my chagrin I learned that unless I keep challenging my muscles to do more I will get the same or lesser results for my effort.  Now, I push myself to failure plus a couple more reps on each exercise.

My three maxims for training day are: 1.)  Never miss workouts.  Consistency is the name of the game and missing workouts breeds inconsistency which slows muscle growth. 2.) Do not talk during your workouts.  Per my conversation with my Coach, Justin Dees, “When you allow people to talk to you during training, they essentially are stealing your workout time.”  I put on my headset and my blinders and I keep my nose to the grind stone. 3.) I work harder than anybody else in the gym—bar none. I have to know inside myself that I have put all colleagues in the gym in their places with my work ethic.  4.) When I leave the gym I say to myself, “I own this place!”  Nobody does it better than me….It’s more of an attitude but it’s my mantra.

Huge shoulders!!!

Stay Focused

Never lose track of what you are doing in the moment and where you are going.  These items are not mutually exclusive.  As you focus on the ultimate goal you must keep an eye on what you are doing at the moment.  The two points of focus will converge and I will never get lost.  All things I do count toward the end game.  Often I am prepping for a contest so I am constantly asking myself what I need to do to be better and to be prepared to take on athletes that are in superb shape.  I never look back! I always have my eye on the prize and all things between here and there are aligned to make this a greatly successful show.

Keep Going Forward

Somebody asked a Marine what he and his company of Marines would do if they were totally surrounded. He replied, “CHARGE.”  There is no direction in the sport of bodybuilding except, “FORWARD.” You cannot wake up one morning and decide to go back to where you started.  This is not called retreat, this is called quitting.  The worst thing you can do to yourself ever in any situation is to quit.  Failing is ok. You can recover from a failure but when you quit there is no place to go.  It’s been my experience that you can “Unquit” but it is extremely difficult to recover from quitting.  It’s like trying to resurrect yourself to life after death.  The odds are not great that you will be successful. So, push forward even if the going is tough and sometimes stalled.  Figure out a way to move forward.  You have to take the hits that may knock you out or knock you off your game, but moving forward is the only direction.  This is where discipline comes in.  You can be motivated but it takes discipline to get the job done.

In closing.  The only direction is forward.  The rest you have to figure out as you go.  But, if you are certain of your ultimate end all other things will fall into place with ease.

Until Next Time, I remain. Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM