Author: Doug Graham

Back Lat Spread

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

It’s very gratifying to be motivated by an audience.  In fact all of us loves to be pushed by the friendly encouragement of people around us.   We long to hear the loud admonition of our training partners to do “one more rep.” We have tons of energy when the spotlight is on us to perform.  When the whole world is pulling for us to go higher, go faster, and do it now we respond like champs.

But, those of us who know something about competing and winning it should be noted that the majority of the work occurs when there are no lights, no friends, no vibrant choruses of encouragement—–in short—-“When No One is Watching.”

We have to decide that the Trophy we seek is worth it.  Then, we devise a training regimen, diet, supplementation course, and amount of cardio, and posing to win!  Each of these is rarely, if ever done in the presence of another person.  Each sequence is placed into a time frame and sequence that optimizes the training.  Often, a bodybuilder will have to get out of bed super early and get himself to the gym to train. Sometimes he/she gets up early to do cardio and to eat.  These early morning forays usually come before work.  There is no time to accomplish anything else but the training scheduled for that day.  After work, the work continues.  All this effort is driven by the individual with an internal clock attached to a lions heart.  Nobody pushes the bodybuilder during these times.  There is only the athlete against himself and the world with an eye toward the much sought after trophy.

The point to this entire discussion is that the place to win is alone.  The road to winning is not well lit and the journey is alone and out of the public eye.  Nothing is free or guaranteed but the work must be done in a manner that says, “I can and I will win!”  The Trophy is mine even as I work.

Be diligent.  Be determined. Be tough. Be focused. Don’t talk during workouts.  Nobody works harder than me/you.  Decide that the Trophy is yours/mine even now.

Until next time!  This is our time!

Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM

the admonition of my Training Coach, Justin Dees July 2016 after I competed in the Masters Nationals in Pittsburgh. At this point I was anticipating competing in the Uta Classic on 8 October 2016.  He said you have to increase your cardio, youu cannot miss workouts, you have to stick to the diet he prescribed for me, and I could not change the supplementation regimen that I had been using.  Justin was adamant that I get on with the process ASAP and not look back.  Also, a part of these instructions was the not so obvious expectation that I listen to him and to him only.

My new goal for the October 8, 2016 show was to get as “Peeled” as possible.  I had accomplised very dense musculature and size.  Getting lean for the stage was the order of the day and the end goal for the next several weeks. The secret to getting first cut, then ripped, then shredded is discipline…..Tons of it!  There is no margin for error and a total commitment to contest prep is required.  With all this in mind I began the descent to showtime on 8 October.  The net result is that I was in the best shape of my life and I placed high in the judging.  I could not have asked for anything more.

Eachof us faces the dilemma regarding when to begin our quest to accomplish that for which we are called.  Despite all the arguments to establish a starting date I am a severe advocate of beginning the journey to the top ASAP.  Any delay pushes off the  desire and ethusiasm that is requisite to making the journey and winning.  Each time we adopt a new reason for not launcing our effort the more difficult it will be to elevate ourselves to the effort level that is demanded.  The truth is, if we put off starting to a more convenient time the odds of us accomplishing our goals decreases.  So, the advise to be dispensed at this point is, “Get Started.”  I would add that you get started with a vengeance.  Start and do not look back.

I would submit that if any of us puts off what’s required to accomplish that for which we are called, we will probably not win.  Getting started is the one step that we can control but we too often don’t control it.  We allow everything and anything to derail our effort.   We have to move the project from the brain, to paper, to action in a very rapid manner or forget it.  Iniating action is a real demonstration of our commitment to get the job done.

To win, “None of us has a minute to spare.”  Start!  Find the motivation to be on the trail to winning.  The trophy will find you.

Until next time!  This  is our time!

Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM

“Hell, everybody wants to win. But, victory belongs to those that prepare to win.”—Bear Bryant, University of Alabama Football Coach, College Football Hall of Fame.

Preparation is everything. When we have a test to take, a game to play, a contest to compete in, there is a requirement to be prepared to do your absolute best, and in my case…..to win!

My season of bodybuilding prep has begun in earnest. I push myself to work hard with an eye toward perfection. I have this nagging fear that I am behind and that all my opponents are Out working me and thus my work ethic goes off the charts. No trip to the gym is treated as a social engagement to discuss inane things with my friends. Like my Coach, Justin Dees has said, ” Bro! You don’t have a minute to spare.” I have to develop a sense of urgency that propels me forward, keeps me engaged, and causes a greater than normal personal effort to win. This whole time is called “PREPARATION.” There is no substitute for it and you cannot fake it. The whole journey is your responsibility. Nobody can do it for you.

Doug’s Back at Nationals in July 2015 outside hotel.

Major Suggestions:

1.) Determine what you want and why you want it.

2.) Make a plan to accomplish your goal.

3.) Each and every day prepare yourself mentally to execute each step of your plan with enthusiasm and an eye toward the prize.

4.) Perform the plan faithfully.

5.) Set up a system to measure your progress.

6.) When game day comes you will be ready because you prepared—to win!!!

We are the Captains of Our Own Ships! So let’s act like Captains and demand more of ourselves to win! Do not stop and do not delay—do it now!

“PREPARATION” is the bottom line. It cannot be neglected. So, kick the door wide open and “PREPARE” to win. I know I will.

Until next time. This is our time.

Douglas E. Graham, USAF, (ret), MHSM

Well, I have gone as far as I can with all the tools and experience I possess.  It’s time to take everything I am to a brand new level.  The experiences, training, and lessons learned are the things that I now stand on which enables me to see how far I have come, where I am at, and where I need to go.  The view from the top is always amazing and clear.

Looking back

I can see where I began this journey and how I decided to pursue this quest to be the best.  I can review all the victories and defeats and injuries along the way.  /the pain of pushing myself to lift heavier and with higher reps. I see the long hours spent pushing the limits of my own endurance to be better.

Today

There is only a sense of satisfaction with the my position on the timeline of this journey.  It’s not to say that I am resting on my accomplishments or reputation.  I am just happy to know that I am still able to push through to bigger and better things and that today’s status is just a status not and end point.  All of us must accept who we are and where we are in our own personal goal attainment.  It is here where we regroup, and then decide how to advance toward our own goals.

Tomorrow

This is the focus of our being.  We have to lift up our eyes and SEE where we are going and WHY we want to go there.  The very first  thing we have to do is get “a big belly full of WANT TO.”  It is here that we define what it is we are and where we are going. Direction and drive is found here.  Tomorrow will never come unless we plan for it and execute a plan to go where we have decided to go.

As Jose Raymond said to me the first time we met.  “Keep at it!”  He saw where I was going and that I wanted something far more than I had.  He could see that I needed to persist in my effort.  So, he says to me, “Keep at it!”  That little admonition from Jose Raymond increased my motivation level beyond my wildest dreams.  Since that little exchange my focus and effort has gone through the ceiling.

Uncharted Water

What I mean by this is that I need to come into this next contest in October 2016 totally shredded.  In the past I have done my best but I have never gotten as shredded as I could.  Justin Dees, my coach has made it his personal priority to guide me through the process of training hard and getting shredded for this next contest.  As noted, this severe process of getting as lean as possible has never been attacked by myself with such gusto.  I am determined to be as lean as possible for the next contest.  This effort is “Uncharted Water” in that I am learning so much while I execute the chosen process.  In fact, I am disciplining myself to not analyze but to obey my coach and “Trust the Process.”  This mindset, all by itself, is a Segway into the world of “Uncharted Water.” Trust is not easy nor does it come naturally so there is an solid element of surrendering of yourself to the will of another to advance yourself.  This takes super human trust…..Nonetheless, I am learning to “trust the process” as I pass through “Uncharted Water” to my next level or goal…..”SHREDEDNESS” ON STAGE.”

This is how I see my efforts in these timelines and from these perspectives.  This is my world thus far.  Thank you for wishing me well always.

This is OUR TIME!  Take a chance and sail through some “Uncharted Saters.”

Until next time.

Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, (ret), USAF, MHSM
Instogram: benesar3

I am now one week after the National Bodybuilding Championships in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  My mind keeps going back to the great experience, the new friends, the multiple lessons learned, and the bonding time I had with my wife and my Coach Justin Dees and his wife Heather. I have flashes of events, conversations, on stage performance, dieting, pre-contest training and the rest of it.  All of these things serve to indelibly imprint the Nationals on my mind.  The whole experience was rich!

In the midst of all these memories is the lesson that stamped itself on my quest to be the best.  “EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.”  Let me illustrate.  I came out of the pre-judging in 4th place and feeling good that if I killed my posing I had a chance to move up even further.  I went back to my room feeling that if I made the necessary adjustments that Justing would help me make, I would do even better.

Ten minutes before going onto the stage my coach looked me over and said I was ready.  I was shredded, big, vascular, and dry. When I stepped onto the stage to do my music posing selection it was obvious that I had smoothed out significantly—-ALL WITHIN A TEN MINUTE PERIOD OF TIME! My coach was be waffled as was I.  I could not think of a single thing that I had done to cause such a major change in my appearance.  I was not “fat” mind you, my subcutaneous fluids just smoothed me out.  I was easily the largest competitor but I lacked the sharpness required to win the trophy. THIS WAS TOTALLY UNEXPECTED AND NEITHER I OR MY COACH COULD ACCOUNT FOR THE FLUID RETENTION THAT CAME ON SO STRONG.

Thus, the truism of the hour is to “EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.”  The action to this bit of truth is to be “OVER PREPARED NEXT TIME.” I can’t change the past but I can for sure do things to change that mistake or unaccounted for phenomenon.  As a result, I will be doing the Utah show in the next 2 weeks to see if I can correct this game changer that hurt me at the Nationals.

Justin is working up a new regimen to meet the demands of the new contest.  All is focused on my conditioning and my shreddedness.

Moral of the Story: “EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED” and plan as if it will occur.  No matter how dark things seem to get because of a glitch, we have the capacity to make big changes if we pay attention to the perceived or anticipated “UNEXPECTED EVEN.”

I leave you with the admonition to get started on the path to your goals.  When we face the “UNEXPECTED” we make the adjustments necessary to effect positive change.  Never give up and never stop learning even when we do not know what is about to hit us.

Until next time!

Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, (USAF), ret,

With three weeks to go until I hit the stage at the NPC Nationals Bodybuilding Championships in Pittsburgh, PA there are so many competing variables that demand attention.  Each has it’s own set of things that seem to steal time and energy that deters my best work away from the challenge at hand.  Managing these items is a full-time job and it takes tons of concentration to stay on track at a highly motivated level. There a few distractions that need to be discussed and put before you for your analysis so that you can learn to be consummate professional in your quest for world class performance and accomplishment.

Effort:

Under no circumstances will I lower my level of effort in any area as I prepare.  This is more than a credo.  It is a commitment of my heart to put out whatever energy that is required to prepare to win.  If it means getting up earlier to be sure I get to the gym then I do it.  If it means staying longer in the gym to insert more training then I do it.  if it means turning down food that will add unwanted pounds to my frame, then I turn the food down.  Whatever is required —- I must do it.

CONFESSION: My hardest item to control and to adhere to is cardio.  I am assigned 2 hours per day of cardio and it seems like the more I do it the more interruptions I encounter.  I am averaging 1.5 hours of cardio today but I am getting it done in 30 minute increments.  So, each morning my anxiety is to get my 2 hours of cardio done and I perseverate on the cardio task at hand for that day.

Trust:

Each time I go down this path it’s as though I have never done this before.  Each trek has it’s own set of difficulties, it’s own direction, it’s own end point along with a multitude of distractions and tributaries.  These things keep me from becoming too complacent with the process.  I have to “trust” the process and keep my eyes on the road ahead and goal that is chosen.  It’s very hard to keep your eyes on the prize and believe with all your heart that the tools you have and plan to win are perfectly in place for you.  No matter what, my coach, Justin Dees has designed a plan and has invested in our relationship such that losing will be an anomaly.  The process Justin has implemented with me is so good and I’ve made such great gains that I now possess a proverbial “chip on my shoulder” as I approach this competition.  This is my time!

Distractions:

Focus:  This is a huge distraction.  Unless I decide that my goal is worth my effort and that I want it more than anything else in the world, I will not get there.  Having a healthy thought life is the bedrock of my success. I have to know my goal better than my own life.  I’ve got to place it’s accomplishment at the very center of my being.  Nothing else matters!

Food:  No matter where you go, food is at the center of nearly all social activities.  I love food and I would eat it all if I were allowed (or nobody was looking).  To make food a non-player in the distraction category, I must have a plan to eat “MY WAY” or the best way or I will not develop “the look” that is required to compete in bodybuilding.  Food is important but it also can be a stumbling block to success —- so plan!

Sleep: I am a chronic insomniac.  I sleep less than 3-5 hours per night and that is on a good night. The consequent of being an under sleeper is daytime fatigue, mental sluggishness, and also physical exhaustion that directly impacts the intensity and quality of my training.  This state of tiredness is way too hard to carry for very long.  My training will not improve unless I can master my sleep.  A little hint is that I take something to sleep that is natural (Melatonin, or Benadryl) and thus sleep ensues.  Sometimes, my nightly sleep goes to around 7 hours, which is my optimal number of hours of sleep.  As my sleep goes up, my training intensity and quality goes up proportionally.

I could go on with distractions but I won’t.  We only have to focus on our goal, put in the effort, and trust the process to get me there.  This is the path and these are the distractions that keep us from getting the goal.

This “IS OUR TIME” and we dare not squander the opportunities that are presented to us.

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

Doug’s Back at Nationals in July 2015 outside hotel.

In the last 3 months I have been asked by increasing numbers of people about how I am able to get such big gains.  Believe me, sometimes the gains that occur are a big surprise to me too but gains are usually made by choice, planning, and all out work.  Sometimes, the gains we get are localized and due to very intense focus on the gains desired.  In any case, answering this recurrent question from my perspective and experience has taken a little thought.

Posing Work in upstairs bedroom Provo, Utah

Front Lat Spread

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

First Principle — Evaluation

Before anything else we have to know ourselves.  We need to be able to “SEE” what we look like “RIGHT NOW” with no filters.  In the beginning this takes real courage for most of us.  We have to look imperfection dead in the eye and accept ourselves as we are and not how we otherwise imagine ourselves to be.  Ouch!  Take some pictures of yourself and date them.  Put them into some sort of journal where all subsequent photos can be placed in chronological order.  This line of pictures will serve as a living document of your progress for yourself and anybody who asks for proof that you were not always perfect.

Neutral Position on Stage 21 June 2014

Most Muscular pose`

Precontest: June 21 2014

Second Principle — Desire to Change (Win)

I always tell prospective bodybuilders or fitness entrepreneurs to think about what they want and where they want to go with the sport they choose.  Once they have decided they have to internalize their decision.  By this I mean, they have to get a “BIG BELLY FULL OF WANT TO!”  The road ahead is going to be hard and frought with setbacks, frustrations, and pain.  They have to determine before they even start that the outcome is already won and that pursuing it is worth it.  I highly recommend that each newcomer to bodybuilding keep a journal daily about their feelings, training, improvements, and setbacks, and frustrations.  Anything to do with training and their journey goes into pages of this book. It establishes a paper record of this mighty transformation that they are undertaking.

Third Principle — Planning

Nobody starts a trip without first consulting a map to check for the best route to get from home to our desired destination.  Such is the case with bodybuilding.  I encourage my friends and muscle head buddies to put together two items that they can hang on the refrigerator or the bathroom wall so they do not lose track of what they are doing.  I still do it today.  Firstly, an exercise program designated for each day of the week except Sundays. Each aday has to have a designated body part that is pushed to the limit and punished. we have to understand that real muscle gain occurs when that particular muscle is taken to it’s end point.  This end point is marked by pain as the muscle is filled with blood and lactic acid.  This is the muscle gain zone.  Secondly, in order to fuel the muscles to make the improvements desired we have to feed them with the appropriate amounts and types of food required. As my coach, Justin Dees says, “We are driving a Nascar race car and we we have to put the highest quality fuel into it.”  Such is the case as we feed our bodies.  We have to eat the highest quality food required.  Each person needs to meet with a nutritionist or a bodybuilding coach to determine the types and amounts of food needed for a diet that will give us the correct results.

Fourth Principle — Training

At this point it is absolutely required that each workout be performed correctly and to the max.  It is important to have a Coach who can help you/me do the exercises right and then to establish the parameters for number of sets and reps per set for each exercise.  This has to be a routine that is constructed and trusted to give the best results in the most efficient manner.  Also, it must be understood by the bodybuilder that no gains occur when you do your training in a half-hearted manner.  Forging a new body is hard work and it’s imperative that we push ourselves to the level of pain and failure with each set.  THIS IS WHERE THE MUSCLE IS! If you run 5 miles per day and you weigh 150 lbs and you do this for 5 years there is a good chance that you will still weigh 150 lbs (give or  take a pound or two) at the end of the 5 years.  Why is that so?— you ask!  Didn’t the runner move 150 lbs. over 5 miles each and every day thus performing work?  Shouldn’t this have caused his musculature to grow and thus get heavier?

The answer lies in the amount of resistance over a distance and period of time.  The muscles required to run the 5 miles are never challenged beyond that which is required to perform the task.  Thus, they adjust to a predictable amount of work and that becomes their max and their threshold all at once.  No increase in resistance equals a steady state of unchanging size, density, and performance.

My best training partner, Christine and I together.

Backstage Prior to stage prep March 2014 Salt Lake City, Utah

Red shorts neutral position

For the bodybuilder he/she must continually challenge our musculature to lift more weight more times with decreasing rest between sets.  Our muscles in response to this increasing demand will grow (hypertrophy) and in some cases new muscle (hyperplasia) will occur. Let me emphasize again that pushing our muscles to do more work will fill them with blood and increase the levels of lactic acid.  This state will be very painful but, as noted above, this is where the new muscle is.  We have to push into and through this pain barrier to get maximum growth from our muscles.

The difference between a weightlifter and bodybuilder who is a champion is defined as PAIN. We who aspire to be champions in this sport must master ourselves as we step into the crucible of pain.  We have to keep telling our muscles that “we” are in charge here, not you! This is my path.  I chose it.  I will win.

This is  “OUR TIME” and we must learn, even at this late date in our lives, that “if we want something we have never had before, then we will have to do things we have never done before.”

Until next time!

Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret), MHSM

Time is going by and each day before the next show is precious.  Each day is another day to train hard and to excel, to push your body to the next level of strength and appearance. The workouts are so intense that finishing becomes a singular goal.  Fatigue, sweat, pain are the hallmarks of my march to the Nationals in Pittsburgh 20-23 July 2016.  Of necessity, these elements will manifest themselves everytime I step into the gym to train. Nothing can get in my way!

I have trained long and hard to be in a position to “deserve” to be on stage next to some of this country’s great amature bodybuilders.  The evidence of the journey have added mightily to my physique from even a year ago.  I’m bigger, more dense, leaner, more cut and much stronger.  These changes have been noticed by many of my friends, relatives, and colleagues and they regularly tell me how good I look.  These unsolicited compliments are ever so welcome and they make me feel more confident and good about my chances to do well in July.  In fact, it’s pretty “heady” stuff.

The reality and the challenge is that I do not depend on the opinions of others to validate my improvement or whether I am ready to jump up on stage to compete against several worthy athletes.  Being “good” is only a starting point and cannot be trusted.  It’s just a descriptor of our present status and by itself, will not be enough to win.  The real wisdom is knowing that there is always a demand to be “better” because this same demand is also part of the mindset of all of my fellow competitors. The essence of the contest is for each competitor to be “better” than anybody else who steps onto the stage with us.  This idea of being “better” must totally occupy my mind and drive me forward each and every day. There is no room for a half-hearted attitude or effort.  Paul “Bear” Bryant, Hall of Fame Football Coach for the University of Alabama once said, “Winning?!  Hell, everybody wants to win.  But, winning belongs to him who “PREPARES”  to win.”  Thus, I go about the business of “PREPARING” to win—-each and every meal, supplentation regimen, workout, cardio session, and the rest I an required to get each night.

My best training partner, Christine and I together.

Kensington, Maryland trip home 2005

As always, there are only two people I need to make happy in this quest.  First, my wife. She is the backbone of all that I do.  She cooks all the right food for me to eat.  She does endless hours of cardio right beside me in the living room on our eliptical machines.  She whispers in my ear that she believes in me, even when I don’t believe in me.  She pushes me harder to be better during training by talking to me and telling me to do more when I want to quit.  She, by her very nature and commitment to us is the torch that ignites a brand new me to emerge on this journey.

Doug’s Back at Nationals in July 2015 outside hotel.

Secondly, my Coach Justin Dees.  He continues to believe that I am improving and that I can be pretty good.  He sets the tone for the win and monitoring my every improvement and gain.  He can be critical as only a Coach can be.  He asks alot of me and depends on me to do the work that is required to excel and so I keep at it.  Justin is the Maestro and I play to nobody else.  My appearance, my performance, my winning is under constant surveillance by the best Coach I have ever had.  Lord willing, I will not disappoint either my wife or Justin.  I cannot do any better than this.  Winning will take care of itself.

I am “GOOD” but I must be better than I have every been before.  This is my quest and I dare not shrink from the challenge. I will be at my absolute best as I step onto the “stage of Contest” in Pittsburgh.

This is “OUR TIME.”  Thank you for coming along on this march to be “BETTER”, I doubt that you will regret the trek.

Until next time.

Douglas E. Graham, Lt Col, USAF, (ret.), MHSM