Author: Doug Graham

When someone that you deeply respect tells you something, you listen and you act.  Rarely do we walk away from such people without a resolution to “obey.”  This happened to me last June, 2014 when Jose Raymond “The Boston Mass” was introduced to me by my coach.  We had a very short and polite conversation in the gym as he worked out the afternoon prior to his guest posing stint that same evening at the Utah NPC Show in Provo, Utah.  I was thunderstuck with awe that such a great Champion as Jose Raymond would condescend to spend even one minute with me.  My coach arranged for us to cross paths at his gym and the experience is indelibly imprinted on my mind.

A PICTURE OF “THE BOSTON MASS”  JOSE RAYMOND (FINISHED 3rd IN THE 212 LBS. CLASS IN THE 2014 OLYMPIA IN LAS VEGAS, NV

We are exactly the same height but he is much larger and more shredded than I am.  The one feature that stuck out in my mind was how big his hands are compared to mine.  He clearly comes from heavy duty stock as I do but this one feature was different.  I learned that he turned pro around 2005 and only weighed 175 lbs.  This day he was 225 lbs of romping stomping muscle.  Oh how I drooled to have his dimensions and to be his kind of champion.I

The next meeting I had with him was at the show that evening.  He was pushing his sponsor’s product and signing autographs.  He willingly made himself available for a shot with both of us together and then he signed a photo of himself.  This photo of Jose and me together will be framed and will occupy a prominent place on my wall.  After we talked again for a couple of minutes he told me to, “Keep at it!”  He then went to his picture that he signed and added the same words below the signature.

What does all this mean to a guy like me or to a person like you?  Quite simply, when somebody sees real talent or promise in you they will say so.  When we hear these words we are under a covenant to say, thank you, think about them, and formulate a plan to comply.  Jose, didn’t just toss out an idle phrase to me.  He saw something and he encouraged me to continue. To pursue. To mature. To ultimately win.  Such is the case for all of us.

One of the hardest things for any of us to do is to simply say, THANK YOU, when somebody pays us a compliment.  Because of insecurity or poor self-image we never quite believe what the person complimenting us is saying.   It just can’t be true.  We nervously make excuses for not being better and sometimes we do not even say, THANK YOU which is a little insulting to the person providing the encouragement.

Next, because we don’telieve in ourselves we will often file the compliment away and do not give it another THOUGHT.  Afterall, they were just being nice but did not really believe what they just said about us. This is nuts! Believe it. The person extending the compliment did so sincerely and totally believes in US. We are our own worst enemy.

Because of the first two items above, we fail to ACT  on the compliment.  We do not take the time to work out a first class plan to fly higher and faster.  Our moment of opportunity to advance and improve gets squandered by our own self-doubt.

“Keep at it!”  I said thank you.  I’m constantly ruminating on how to improve.  My plans are in full swing.  The next time I see Jose, I want to be able to demonstrate my progress and maybe even provide a victory right in front of him.  This will be my chance to tell him how much he has impacted me at a very personal level.

The greatest motivation for me to “Keep at it” comes from my coach Justin Dees.  He is clear and concise in his expectation of me and my prep for the Nationals. He said to me one time, “I’ve never met anybody like you before.”  So, we have kept at it and I regard every moment of his tutelage to be precious as he gets to know my body genetically and physiologically.  He and I are going to “Keep at it” until Justin can dial me in for every contest with precision.  This sport is lonely and rigorous and is better stated to be a life style that requires all of me all the time.  I will win because I “Keep at it” without losing my focus on the prize.

In closing, let me push all of my colleagues and friends to “Keep at it” until you accomplish that for which you were born.  This is our time!  Do not squander your goals or your talents due to laziness or lack of belief in yourselves.

I’m an old guy but so what!

Until next time!

Douglas E. Graham

Hard is now!  I can see the next phase. Keeping on track is ABSOLUTELY required from this point forward and I need to dig in even more firmly.  My heart will go through many changes but despite these changes, determination and focus must be the order of the day.

Hard is subjective ranging from short bursts of self-doubt and sleeplessness to manic determination to push myself way beyond what is required in the gym.  Keeping these things under control and maintaining steadfast focus is paramount.  I am forever vigilant with self-monitoring and self-regulating activities.  The goal is to disallow feelings to rule the day!

Determination

Merriam Webster Defines Determination as: ” the firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end”—this has to be the source of all energy to accomplish my end.  Nobody can instill this in me. Nobody can lend it to me. Nobody can open up my heart and sew it into place.  I alone, am responsible for DETERMINING what I want and to go about the task of achieving it.  I have a saying that I use to motivate me, “Nobody works harder than me.”  I use this mantra like a whip while I workout.  It’s in my genes, it is my ethic to work harder than my competition.  What I lack in natural gifts I make up for by finding other natural gifts of my own, applying them, and then willingly working until they are better than the natural gifts of my foes.  My Maxim: There is no substitute for Determination and the application of serious work to win!

When the fits of self-doubt begin to emerge and it begins to effect my attitude, which in turn changes my training, I have developed another little mantra that I recite to myself.  I say to myself over and over again, “KEEP GOING!, MOVE, PUSH, DON’T STOP”—By repeating these words before and during workouts there is a change of energy from LOW to HIGH.  I very easily remember why I am doing what I’m doing and it becomes obvious that there is no retreat and there is no failure.  I control all this with the intensity of the training I am engaged in.

Sleeplessness

There isn’t a person alive that does not experience sleeplessness once in awhile. Athletes, in particular, are prone to sleepless nights as they train and prepare for competition. When I have nights of sleeplessness and my energy is directly effected physiologically I push myself to do the workout as if my energy level is high.  I train between 5:30 AM and 6:00 AM 6 days per week for an hour and a half per workout.  I promise myself a nap later in the day as a sort of bribe to my body that is sleep deprived.  Sure as the sun rises in the East, I take about a 30 minute nap on those days after sleepless nights.  I am rejuvenated. A good night’s rest is ideal but when it is impossible do not slack during workouts and take time to nap.

My Eyes on the Prize

This has to be the thing that drives me forward.  I have to rivet my internal gaze on the reward for my efforts.  I’ve already decided that this prize is worth it and I am now executing the requirements to get it.  If this image in my mind begins to fade, so does my intensity and sense of purpose.  It’s NOW that I bring this image of my goal into sharp focus by meditating on it. Talking about it. Visualizing myself being handed the trophy and the handshake from the promoters that accompanies the receiving of the trophy.  This image must crowd out all other competing images.

Next month I begin my “show prep” that my coach, Justin Dees, says will last for 14 weeks. The prep will consist of training, dieting, posing, heavy sessions of aerobics and tons of assessing and correcting to win.  Justin says I will arrive on stage huge and shredded and ready to win.  Thus, my effort must be equal to the task and ultimately the goal. I dare not disappoint my maestro! 

My “Maestro” and Coach — Justin Dees!

I believe that I’ve got one of the best coaches in the sport.  He has brought me this far very fast and he will take me to the “Winner’s Circle”.  I believe that this 14 week show prep will be very hard and very instructive. Justin has entitled this effort “Operation Pro Card” which, for me is the ultimate accomplishment this year.

Hard

Hard is now due to my mental and emotional state.  This is no time to be absent from the body.  As in so many other challenges in my life, toughness and determination have to take over. There are no short cuts and the effort and winning belongs only to you.  It is lonely at times and it is obviously painful, so you have to learn to love the journey as well as the trophy.

So it is with anything in life that is worth the doing.  Be sure the goal is worth pursuing.  Be sure you want it badly enough to pay the price to get it.  Train/prepare to get that goal like there is no tomorrow.  Develop antidotes and nullifiers for anything that can derail you. Set your face like flint and settle for nothing less than your best.

Just because it’s HARD does not mean you QUIT.

Until next time

Douglas E. Graham

More often than we like to admit, we engage in a process of “Pollyannaism” when we really want something of value for ourselves or those we love.  Sometimes, it’s not so much a physical object to possess as it is an occurrence or an event that will benefit ourselves or those we love.  In either case, we wile the time away “HOPING” that all will go well without raising a finger to effect the outcome.  We substitute “HOPE” for “ACTION”. We also ignore the formulation of a “STRATEGY” to get what we most desperately desire.

There is nothing morally wrong with “HOPING” for good things.  We all do that.  But, we have to take our desires and “HOPES” and put legs on them.  We have to push our ideas onto the drawing board, then the practice field, and then onto the playing field of life. “HOPE” is only the beginning.  It is exciting and it helps us to define precisely what it is we want, to imagine what we would do with the thing we are “HOPING” for once we have attained it.  In short, “HOPE” is the product of a dream but it is NOT an “ACTION” or a “STRATEGY” to get that which we “HOPE” for.

In bodybuilding, the sequence of events to get that which we seek is like this:

1.)  Something ignites a dream.  We spend much time thinking about having the dream become real and how this would impact me and my circumstances.  Dreaming is a blast but in the end, dreams cannot satisfy.

2.)  We then have to determine whether the dream is possible and worth having.  At this stage we hold the dream up for scrutiny from many perspectives.  There has to be the ability to actually see ourselves attaining the dream and a shift from just thinking and dreaming to “believing” it is possible to have our dream.

3.)  Once we have decided that the dream is possible and worth having and that we have it within ourselves to attain or possess the dream, a plan or strategy must develop that we believe in and that takes us to our goal.  At this point, though we don’t have our plan totally worked out, we have a perception that all is possible.

4.)  Putting pen to paper is next up.  The “STRATEGY” to get what we want has to take shape right before our eyes on a two dimensional surface.  We have to be able to take what we believe to be true and paint a picture of the path forward.  By doing this the dream comes alive.  The written “STRATEGY” will cause us to consider all that is possible on our trek, both good and bad.  Each step is put onto paper with an eye toward winning. Each stroke of our pen brings our dream into sharper focus.  We have taken “HOPE” and given it a face, and a direction in the form of a “STRATEGY.”

5.)  “HOPE” that once only existed in our “DREAMS”  now must be launched.  We take down our written “STRATEGY” and we start at the beginning.  Each phase of the plan has to be executed as written to obtain the necessary results.  This strategy is unwavering until it is proven that a change of course or a change of  methodology is required.  Execution is the name of this stage for their will be “NO” winning without it.  Eventually, all strategies must be put into play, to be tested, to be modified, to be pushed to perfection which can only occur by execution of the strategy.  Tireless and relentless repetition of the plan in a seemingly never ending sequence of practice, assessment, and correction will yield the needed skills to win.

6.)  Lastly, “HOPE” will inevitably give way to setting foot on the field or stage of contest.  No longer will “HOPE” be inoperable.  “HOPE” now lives and is ready for the final test and the final attainment.  It takes courage and a sense that all is possible.  As you stand at the foot of the stairs awaiting the call to the stage to perform, take a deep breath and be confident in the knowledge that your “DREAM” is about to come to life for you.  This is your moment and nobody can take it away from you!  When you hear your name called, bound up those stairs and give ’em both barrels.  THIS IS YOUR TIME!

Footnote:  “Now faith is the substance of things “HOPED” for, the evidence of things not seen.”—-Now that you have arrived you now can see the things that were previously not seen.

I don’t really know the meaning of the term “Work Ethic.”  I know that many people use it to describe a person who works hard and seems to be indefatigable in daily activities or the pursuit of their chosen goal or quest.  But come on!  Since when did “WORK” become an “ETHIC?”  Thus, my ignorance is manifest to all the world in the application of this phrase.

 Only 175 lbs here

I’d like to take you through how I establish and carry out my daily training.  Then you can decide for yourself whether I have a “Work Ethic” or whether I am laser focused on the Prize.

Arise:
Alarm goes off at 4:45 AM. I get up use the “John” and lay out my training clothes for this morning’s workout.

4:50 AM: Weigh myself to be sure my body weight trajectory is still going UP!

4:55 AM:  Start Pounding Down my Supplements.  Liquids, Capsules, Powders, Tablets—all find their way down my throat.  I lay out supplements for my wife too.  She is my training partner who keeps me honest in my work and intense in the application of the requisite Exercise, Sets, and Reps.  She is my honesty policeman—She ensures that I do not cheat myself during my workout by becoming lazy or unfocused.  All guys should recruit their wives to this task.  She is involved up to her neck in our quest to win a National Title.  What a woman!

5:00 AM: Get Dressed and be sure all my training equipment is in my backpack that I will lug to the gym.  If there are special devices that my coach has asked me to wear or to utilize for certain exercises (Squeem, Straps, Belt etc.) then they are dropped in the bag.

5:10 AM: Fix 8-12 eggs (Fried or Poached) with 2-4 slices of toast and butter and sometimes jelly.  Other times I use peanut butter.  Often my wife makes a very dense protein shake for me that I drink in the car while driving to the gym.

5:30 AM:  Out the door with my wife to the gym.  It’s about a 5-7 minute drive.  In the mornings when it’s nice (spring, summer, fall) Christine rides her bike and I drive.  I’m driving to focus on the workout ahead (this is my story and I’m sticking to it).

5:45 AM: Begin training for that day.  I have a regimen that my coach, Justin Dees and myself have worked out for each of six days per week…..Monday – Saturday.  Justin has specifically chosen these exercises and these regimens for me to get the most out of me in a single session with sufficient rest between these workouts to allow me to recover and grow.

As I begin, I start with very light weights to get the blood moving into the selected muscle group for that day.  I quickly move up the weight to get to the poundage that allows me to get 8-12 reps for seven sets.  I repeat this with another exercise for the same muscle group and I change, repeating the task as noted above.  I pound through the workout for 1.5 hours or more and call it a day.  Sometimes I will do 10-15 minutes of cardio work on a treadmill or a stairmaster.

8:00 AM I take my wife to work and I return home to eat and do my job which I perform from home.

This regimen, as noted, is repeated daily for six days per week.  My diet is overseen by my coach who does measurements on me once per week to document that I am moving in the right direction.  Justin keeps careful records on me and guides my training and my diet.

I guess I have a “Work Habit” and maybe even a “Work Ethic”—–My personal definition or description of my effort is simple……If you want something you have to work for it. Nothing in this world is free and nobody will do it for you.  Thus, in order to win you have to work while your opponents play or while they sleep.  You/I have to develop a mindset that provides the necessary impetus to be our best.  Our “Work” must transcend the pain that is unavoidably a part of the process.  Our “Work” must allow us to disappear inside our minds to escape those who would discourage us.  During our “Work” we have to develop a mantra that drives us forward when we want to quit.  Our “Work” must lead us to that “zone” where it is surreal and where only you and the training apparatus are perceptible, palpable, and harsh.  This “Work” place is “ZEN” that no others can violate. This is the crucible where we are shaped by our “Work” to become Champions.

Yes, there is such a thing as a person possessing a “Work Habit” or “Work Ethic.”  But, I believe it only exists in a person who has decided that what they have set out to achieve is “Worth it!”

This is OUR TIME!  Develop that desire to achieve and the “Work Ethic” that is required to attain your goals.  You can have it!  Now go get it!

Until Next Time

Douglas E. Graham

But of course, we all “want it all.”  We want to be free to do as we wish anytime any place. We want to be loved the way we want to be loved.  We want happiness ringing throughout the land for all who will receive it.  But, mostly we want things to proceed along a path that we have chosen with as little pain as possible.  Such is the life of a bodybuilder—mine in particular.

The focus is on July 2015 to be in the best shape of my life that night at the Nationals in Pittsburgh, PA.  The process of getting ready is organized, requires discipline and maximum effort.  There is nothing “free” here.  The expectation is that the path be traversed and that those who love you and support the effort are coming along.  Each day brings it’s own set of challenges and there is always a possibility that there will be some challenges that will threaten to destroy you/me and the entire endeavor.  These “super” obstacles have to removed or the journey ends.

When we first fall in love with our challenge we seem to have immeasurable amounts of energy and optimism.  We plan for our eventual victory with a zeal not previously experienced by us.  We do all things in a manner that places the event above all other events in our lives.  Our heart and our confidence in our objective makes our nights glorious and our days full of joy and solid expectation.  Nothing can stop us.

Our training is off the chart!  Our personal discipline and commitment to the goal is unmatched by any previous efforts.  The sweat and pain that I endure only serves to motivate me more and to push my already exhausted muscles forward.  Life is good and the body is turning to flint.  Alignment with the objective changes from being general to straight and direct.

Then, the dreaded and unanticipated obstacle appears.  It could take the form of an injury, or lack of psychological intensity in the training that is required.  It could arise as a relationship problem with someone close to you that takes your attention off the prize in order to deal with any of the above problems.  This is where  I/you must decide that these things will not stop you no matter how badly they damage your current Herculean training.  The prize must be revisited and all adjustments to continue my quest have to be made.  Each of us knows what has to be done when “you can’t have it all” along the way.  A perfect path to the top is never and option.  We have to decide that we can and will persist on our journey. We have to focus our attention away from the injury whether it be physical or emotional.

Recently, I experienced a major sense of loneliness that translated itself into a feeling of despondency and as a result some very sub par workouts.  I’m not absolutely sure what caused the drop in intensity but I can tell you in no uncertain terms that it was devastating and it seemed like the journey would end because, “I didn’t have it all.”  My family also suffered right alongside DAD and Doug as I pushed into the darkness and out the other side.

After a couple of weeks the fog began to lift.  I dug in HARD being more determined than ever to not let this emotional downturn ever get me again. Even with this determination, there are times when I feel myself slipping into one of these rooms of discouragement. The antidote is ALWAYS to “encourage myself in the Lord his God”

I don’t “have it all” but I am absolutely certain that one day I will “have it all.”  This is the objective of my life

This is “OUR TIME.”  Stay focused, stay energized, never say no to the WIN! Always say NO to the discouragement of “not having  it all.”  There is no other way!

In this state of depression, our workouts, though sub par, have to continue.  We have to reach down deep inside and grasp the components that are needed to take that next step forward.  We have to decide that there is nothing in this world more important than our goal attainment.

When “we can’t have it all” then we have to reach deep to salvage and to apply “what we can.”  The key to winning in this situation is found in our hearts. Somebody once said, “Trials don’t make men.  Trials reveal the man.”  Be determined to be the type of man or woman whose character will be a shining example to all those who come after you.  Never give up on your objectives.  But, you have to know how to negotiate an obstacle that threatens to derail you.

Reach deep and show yourself what sort of person you are when “having it all” is not an option. Until Next Time!

Douglas E. Graham

I have had a very bad time gaining weight due to my “over-the-top” metabolism.  My core body temperature and my basal metabolic rate in conjunction with heavy training causes a caloric burn rate that exceeds my food intake.  I lie awake at night and I sweat quarts of water that leaves a very clear outline of my body on the sheets.  Christine and I have tried to keep up with my caloric burn rate by stuffing me with massive amounts of food (7,000 calories taken in per day).  Slowly, my body weight and my Body Fat per cent has crept upward.  Today, I weigh 203.5 lbs (I started at 173.2 lbs in June 2014) and my frame is much thicker.  Justin Dees (my coach) continues to push me to pack on the weight and muscle until he says “UNCLE”.  At that point I begin to prep for the stage in July 2015.

In the past week or so my wife has followed my coach’s admonition to have me eat frequently, eat much, keep the protein high, keep the carbs high  and train like a demon. My weight has risen and my coach has noticed…..All this is good and I am that much closer to the goals we have set.

Justin, hit me with a scientific/experiential fact last night during training at his gym in South Jordan, Utah. He said, “When we have gotten you packed with as much muscle as we can put on your frame, we will then ‘Grow you into your Stage Body!”  This whole idea of growing into my stage body after pounding in food, supplements, and training like a beast just turned all of my paradigms on competition preparation on it’s ear!  I’ve always believed that you got big and then you “cut your body into your Stage Body” which implies losing weight and giving up some muscle.  What he went on to say is, “We will simply cut away the fat you’re taking in and the salt and the water slowly over time.”  Carbs and proteins are still on the table, if I am interpreting what he said correctly.  When I tried to question him further, he stopped me with a bit of conventional wisdom, “Don’t worry about it.  You train and pack on the muscle and let me worry about this.”

My coach is outstanding and he has redirected me to focus only on what I have been instructed to worry about today and to accomplish the task before me.  It is this sort of guidance, even for an old guy like me, that has kept me going without going stark, raving, mad due to so many things to worry about.  Perspective, Perspective, Perspective.  Mine and the Coaches Perspective.  I only have to carry my portion of the burden and for this I am grateful.  Thus, I can “TURN UP MY EFFORT” as I prep for the challenge ahead because I don’t have to give attention to that which I am not responsible for.  Whew!!!

Learning to “TURN UP OUR EFFORT” is a lesson for all of us.  Learning to unburden ourselves from things that will hinder our effort is just as important.  Letting your friends, coaches, family members, and fans pick up the slack when it’s appropriate is required—or we will fail.  My take home in all this is: Rarely, does anybody carry all the burden themselves when a major undertaking is launched.  All of us need wisdom and a heavy dose of humility to allow the best helpers to under gird us during our quest.  In my world, this is a “MAXIM.”  I didn’t say I was smart.  But, I will always maintain that once a lesson is learned, IT STAYS LEARNED.

I leave this small nugget of truth with you for you to integrate into your quest preparation. THIS IS OUR TIME!  We cannot screw it up, lest we fail.

Until next time!

Douglas E. Graham

We always want things to be perfect or moving toward perfection in as straight a line as is possible.  When we close our eyes and imagine the way things ought to be, there is a never ending panorama of goodness and victories with never a failure, setback, or sidetrack.  We pump our fists skyward in celebration as we conjure up the image of our arrival at our final destination in glory. (Pretty Heady Stuff to legends in our own minds).

This month of October has presented things that totally defeated the “dream” of victory accomplished along a perfect trajectory.  I am exhausted but not bowed.

I have a goal of competing at 212 lbs in the National Bodybuilding Championships in July 2015.  I have had a hell of a time getting to 200 lbs.  My metabolism is so high that in the face of between 5,000 & 7,000 calories per day I would actually lose weight.  I would describe this phenomenon as extremely weird.  I train very hard 6 days per week. I take all the right supplements.  I eat as much protein and carbs as my little body can absorb each day.  I’m sleeping much better now as well.  I have been faithful to the plan outlined by my coach Justin Dees and things have progressed well but very slowly.

Finally, a week ago I hit 199.6 lbs and I was ecstatic.  My son comes home from the University of Utah and begins to throw up.  Within 2 days, I begin the toss my cookies, with an associated fever, body aches, chills, nausea, and extreme weakness.  You guessed it!  I lost 8 lbs in 36 hours.  I fought through this episode of flu-like symptoms and got back to the gym.  In fact, I missed training only once during the illness.

After, I had gotten better I got a severe cold accompanied by nasal congestion and cough. This went on for several days and my weight hovered between 193 and 196lbs.  Then, after about 5 days I pushed myself to eat and my weight was back up to 200 lbs even.  I decided to visit my coach.  I walked in his front door and it was obvious that he was feeling very badly himself.  He had been with diarrhea, fever, chills, nausea, body aches etc.  I only stayed for about 1.5 minutes I sware.  I went home and thought to myself, “boy, he sure looks rough.”  Within 12 hours I had another episode of the flu with diarrhea, fever, chills, weakness, body aches, chills.  I was again down for the count.  This time, after 4 days I had lost another 8 lbs and I was still extremely weak.  I repeated the intense workouts during the illness.  I could not eat very much at each meal due to the nausea and the subsequent diarrhea. My weight dropped to 192.4 lbs.

Today, was much better with my weight skyrocketing back to 198.6 lbs this afternoon.  I am feeling better and I’m back on track.

As the story above describes.  I was not headed to victory without some turbulence, slow downs, and good old fashioned, ILLNESS to try my soul.  Each episode illustrates and underlines the basic fact inherent in any quest—-that the path is NEVER straight and NEVER void of trials, slow downs, and outright failures.  This is to just state the obvious of course.  But, what is the required response? What should our strategy be when things have taken a tributary.  Let me try to put one single process into our heads that provides a focus for us to keep on keeping when things go poorly.

When things go awry and I am totally taken off the path to victory there are a few steps that absolutely must be taken to get back on track:

1.)  I must never “Lose Track of the Goal:
“Please know that that “where there is no vision for any of us we will not succeed”—-I do tons of “heart work” to nail down what I want to accomplish and why I want to do it.  I determine in the very beginning that NOTHING will get in my way to make the prize mine. Thus, during a time when I am thrown off the path I will not “forget” my destination.

2.) I must “Suffer/Survive the “Tributary Event”
Surviving the disaster is absolutely important.  Dead soldiers never fight another day.  All of our energies have to be invested in survival so we can get back on track.

3.)  I must “Rehab” from the “Tributary Event”
Once Survival has happened we have to rehab and make ourselves strong in order to proceed.  Take a breath of fresh air.  Stretch your limbs. Go for a walk.

4.)  I have to “Reload” my strategy and effort
Reload at this point.  Reform your strategy if it’s required. Maybe even redo your thoughts about why this objective is so important.  It’s a bit of gut check to validate the effort and the way forward.  If all systems check out—-GET GOING!

5.)  I “Proceed” to accomplishing my dream
Proceed with the gusto!  Leave everything you just experienced in your rear view mirror because it is only a drag on your forward progress.  Unless there is another “Tributary Event” I/you will be champions.

These are principles that have presented themselves to me over and over again during my quest and especially during the times when things are not going my way.  Sometimes these seeming catastrophes are not quite so bad so long as I/we have a strategy to hold onto and to exercise.  Having these steps firmly in mind for the bad times is part of preparation for the journey.

Always remember that this is “OUR TIME” and it these are “OUR” goals and “OUR” dreams to be had.  Nobody can take them away from us lest we self-eliminate by not believing we can attain our own levels of greatness in this life.  This has been good to explain these requisite steps to “get out of the ditch” and back on the path to your goals and dreams.  Until next time.

Douglas E. Graham

Nobody said this journey was going to be easy.  I’ve accepted the the challenge to grind out the daily work, to sweat, to hurt, to rise early to train, to accept the various pieces of advice from my coach, Justin Dees.

However, in the midst of all this is the stark reality that the trek to the top is long and oftentimes lonely.  It is during these times when everything we aspire to seems to be far, far ahead and unreachable that discouragement causes a bit of aimlessness.  I find myself tempted to cut some corners by stopping short of total exhaustion in my workouts which is required for maximum gains.  I begin feeling like I am the only dummy in the world pursuing dreams like this.

No matter what, I push forward for the “prize that is set before me.”  I force myself to take much shorter looks at the path ahead. I make small mini-sets of plans and goals to keep me on track and motivated.  In fact,  I have divided up the year at the direction of my coach into 4 quarters (I just finished quarter #1) with very specific things to accomplish during each quarter.  So far, he says I am way ahead of the pace.  I’ve gained a pound or more each week for the last 13 weeks.  I am hovering between 191 and 195 lbs. My body fat is 5.2%, my lean muscle has gone from 167 lbs to 181 lbs.  My goal is to compete in the Nationals at 212 lbs in July 2015.  If I make this weight and look lean, cut, shredded, and huge, I will step onto the stage and it will “TILT!”

The key to a “long and winding road” to the top is being able to break up the trip into bite size pieces and then pace yourself.  For each segment set goals within each segment and construct plans to accomplish each small goal.  The vector is set but the trajectory can change if we do not plan well.

Lastly, one of the chief things that will fog your mind is the chorus of naysayers and scorners who would steal your dream.  If you listen to them you will fail.  By listening to them you give them power that they would not have otherwise. So, as it says in the Bible, “and Jesus set his face like flint toward Jersusalem.”  We must do the  same.  We must set our faces like flint toward our goal.  In my case it is “Pittsburgh.”

Take the long look and know it will be lonely and hard.  It truly will be “the road less traveled.”  But!! This is your road because you chose it.  Do not look back and do not give up.

This is OUR time!  No matter how hard it is or unpopular it is, nobody can take it away from us unless we surrender it. So, finish well and set the pace for the others who also need some inspiration to do better and to be better than they are.

Until next time!

Douglas E. Graham

Man!  Have you ever been cruising  along accomplishing anything and everything that you touch when, POW!!!! Something happens to totally stop you in your tracks?  All of us have testimonials to these horrors that can make us downright suicidal if we let them. Let me be selfish here and tell you about the “POW” event that I just experienced.

Story:

I was training hard each and every morning with my magnificent wife who stays close to me always.  As you know, my goal given to me by my coach, is to move my weight up from 173 lbs (22 June 2014) at last contest to between 198 lbs and 212 lbs for the nationals in July 2015.  I was up to 195 lbs and eating 5,000 – 7,000 calories per day and all seemed perfect and on schedule……Suddenly, my son comes home with nausea, vomiting, fever, body aches, chills, headache, diarrhea, serious fatigue etc.  I picked him up at the train station (he goes to the University of Utah and commutes south to Provo) and he was quaking and baking with rigors.  He turns up my car heater to full blast and he wraps himself in the blanket I brought along.  His teeth chattered and he shook violently all the way home.  Upon arriving at home he tossed his ill body into bed and he stayed there all night.  His illness went on like this for a couple of days and he crapped so much that I thought he was going to totally dehydrate from the loss of body fluids.  Eventually, he got better and he returned to his life as a pathetic student.

About 2 days later, I got the same illness with all of the same manifested symptoms.  I weighed 195 lbs and I was eating like a horse and training like a dog when “the train ran over me.”  I hit the bed and pulled all the covers over me.  I breathed very heavy as my fever went through the ceiling.  I sucked down Aleve, Advil, Aspirin until my ears began to ring.  Summarily, after 3 days I finally started to get better.  That day is today.  The net result is that I have lost 7 lbs in 2.5 days and I feel very icky!  Dumb as I am I went the gym 2 out 3 of my sick days to work out.  I am still with a “chippy” stomach but I am again pounding down the food to make up for what I did not take the last 3 days.  I ate 8 eggs, 1 bagel with slathering of butter, 1 slice of toast.  Later, I ate 4 oz. Rice, 3 Tbsp Mayonnaise, some vegetables, 8 ounces of chicken breast, and 3 pieces of pizza with an avocado….Much more food to eat today and everyday.

When I saw that I had lost 7 lbs I was crest fallen.  All that work, I moaned!  All I could think about is how I was going to put it all back.  I thought my coach was going to brain me for being so stupid to allow myself to be infected. I was a nervous wreck and a basket case.

I took a page out of my wife’s playbook.  She is forever saying that we can change the way we feel by how we think.  She quite literally, can will an illness to go away.

I have changed my fatalistic approach to recovery with optimism.  I didn’t get this big by working less but by working more.  So, I sat for a minute and mulled my other options. After awhile, I made up my mind to NOT accept what comes.  I HAD to gain that weight back and I could not wait.  I wrote a note to my coach telling him what happened.  I got my butt up off the floor (literally) where I was sulking and jumped in the shower with my wife who was getting ready to go to the gym herself.  Bang! (not really) we were back on the same sheet of music and we were moving again.  I was determined to put Christine’s “MOJO” to work for me this time rather than make fun of her as usual.

My workout today was “awesome!”  I pushed my triceps, biceps, and traps to new areas of pain.  I was exhausted and now I am happy again to be on the trail.  Thank you to God for allowing me to see the error of my ways in my wife.  I will keep you posted as I move ahead.  However, the big lesson here is that we “REALLY” can change how we feel and respond to life by changing the way we think of our challenge.

Let me submit to all of us that since this is “OUR TIME” we direct our energies toward the problem at hand rather than the feelings of defeat we feel.  The problems are real but the feelings belong to you “for the changing.”…..if you choose!

Douglas E. Graham