Category: General

I’m a sprinter. I’ll give you all I’ve got over a short distance (50-100 Yards) but beyond this I have no guarantees. I love pounding my way through a workout with one exercise quickly followed by another exercise. My basici formula for training is 1.5 hours per day six days per week. I don’t watch the clock except to provide some measure of my time spent. All my workouts seem to fit into this box. I really do not like spending tons of time in the gym just so I can say I spent 2-3 hours working out. I’m not impressed with time spent if it’s not efficient. Thus, I’m a sprinter…..Get in….Get it done…..Get out! Besides, my wife is waiting and she is probably already finished with her training.

During these “slam bam thank you Sam” workouts I push my body hard. It hurts! There’s no such thing as a “sweet burn” as some would put it. For me it’s closing my eyes and feeling it all. It’s automatic and my effort goes up when I increase the reps or I increase the weight. I try to make each workout a little harder and change it only when it’s obvious that another approach is required. I have to continually tweek my mind to release my muscles to do the hard stuff. If my mind had it’s way I would never train, I would never increase the weight, I would stop when it was uncomfortable. But, here is the secret! You have to ignore your pussy mind and let your muscles do the talking and the walking. Trust me when Isay, there is no other way to get big and strong. The great Branch Warren has said, “If you want big muscles you life big weights, if you want little muscles you lift little weights!” The logic is impecable. But, I would add that increasing reps alongside the bigger weights will enhance all that you do and the results will be great.

But! the bottom Line is that we must gain “self mastery.” Meaning our muscles do not have minds of their own. We have to train our own minds to demand excellence but it starts with the basic concept of “self mastery.” You are in charge….Not your muscles! I make the plans and I push for the response to the plans….and eventually with a coaches guidance to get the best possible final result.

Bottom Line: Make the demands. Expect the response! Get the results!—There is no substitute and it’s all in your own hands

This sentiment or emotion or crazy conclusion has been gnawing at me for about the last month or so. I have to raise money to compete, to eat, to pay for supplements, to pay for a coach, to travel, lodging, entry fees, tanning, and specialty training related to posing. The necessity is enough to cause most, if not all of us to slow down, stop, or quit. Nothing is possible without resources (money)….so you must take the time to put the fuel into place or you are going nowhere. I hate having to put money as my number one priority but that’s the name of the game for me now. I feel like nothing is going well and I can’t focus on the shows that are ahead of me. So, in order to get from here to there I have to stay the course which includes little things like depression, discouragement, anger, sleeplessness, and an overwhelming sense of having to climb with no strength.

Let’s pull this apart a little bit. In the book by Victor Frankel entitled, “The Meaning of Life” he reflects on his experiences in a Nazi Concentration Camp. Before the camp he was a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Berlin. In the camp he, as was everybody, reduced to animal-like existence. Nobody believed they would survive this ordeal and every exposure to life was a depressing, discouraging, painful, living hell. He observed that each man had a belief system that sustained them day by day despite starvation, lice, disease, and the incessant beating from the guards each morning and evening. Some believed that there entire family was waiting for them. Some believed that they were going to be liberated on such and such a date and all they had to do was survive to the day of liberation. In summary, we like these poor fellows in the concentration camps must cling to a belief that only we know about to get to the final objective. Sometimes, we have to be able to “imagine” the “win” even the moment indicates that we will be lucky to get to tomorrow.

Believe in what you want. Believe that the journey you are on is necessary to get what you want. Determine to want to “win” so strongly that nobody can take your dream away, not even circumstances will deter you from continuing despite no immediate evidence to validate your effort. Spend time focusing on not only the win but the why that establishes your effort. Why do you put yourself through all this? Dammit! DECIDE and then stick to it. Don’t look around. Just KNOW that what you are doing is yours and is worth it.

Bottom Line: When there seems to be no hope…..create that hope you need. Be disciplined when all seems lost. Be diligent and give nothing away to discouragement. You have to survive so that you can tell others how it’s done. The Best to all of us especially when the road seems too hard.

I tell my wife all the time that I don’t want to be a phony. Oh sure, I can be a failure and I totally expect I will have my set backs. However, pretending to be what everybody around me wants me to be is a bit much. I can’t even lie good. My wife sees through my every effort to mislead her….even when I’m trying to hide a Birthday gift or another sort of surprise. She sniffs it out before I can execute. This is another example of being a miserable failure. It’s interesting that as we observe our groups of friends and associates we seem to find our place and we behave accordingly. But, in my world I have trouble staying in my expected lane. I love to banter. I love to utter stupid quips that may land me in the “penalty box.” I fall into this routine when I can’t take conformity/normalcy anymore.

Now, how does this apply to bodybuilding?!! Actually, it fits nicely. Try to imagine that you have wanted something as a bodybuilder but many if not all your colleagues have established in their minds just how successful you should be. Without even being direct, you begin to feel the “GLASS CEILING” rolling into place over you. It says, “you are good at bodybuilding but you cannot go beyond” the “GLASS CEILING” that we have so carefully put into place so you will know where your success must end. Afterall, we who are “NORMAL” have decreed that you will not exceed us who will not work this hard to win, and who also cannot tolerate a super winner in our midst. Our decree which is marked by the “GLASS CEILING” is immutable and unmoving as it relates to you.

This is something we all face. When we perceive that we are being defined by others who are “NORMAL” it is here that we return home. We return to the person that we are. We fall in love with ourselves and we push on to greatness as defined by us alone. the “GLASS CEILING” is broken and ‘NORMALCY” is left in our rear view mirrors.

I always want to be on the cutting edge that I alone establish. Let the judges tell me otherwise and nobody else. I admonish all of us muscle heads to “SET OUR FACES LIKE FLINT TOWARD THE STAGE” and never look back. Failing is my business but pretending to be something else and being pressed into other peoples conformity is a personal “SIN!” As it says in the Bible, “avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.”

Bottom Line: We have the privilege of deciding who we are and how far we are willing to go based on goals and effort. Go win! the “GLASS CEILING” that is set in place by others is irrelevant.

It has been my conclusion that I’ve arrived at over the last five years or so that there is not a lack of intellect in the world, there is no lack of great ideas to serve and benefit humanity, nor is there a lack of funds to do what we need to do. The world is rich and the resources need to be tapped to release human ingenuity to enhance our ability to produce and provide enough.

When it comes to bodybuilding there is no shortage of opinions, ideas, plans, food, training regimens, etc. The problem that I see in the world and especially in bodybuilding is a total lack of the most basic of qualities. That being backbone, persistence, commitment, personal will power to go the distance. Hell, we all want things and we are often willing to pay for it. But, the commodity that is most often missing is the willingness to fight for what we want. We quit because it’s hard or we experience set backs due to money, family tragedies, or injury. We hit a bump in the road that was not anticipated and we step off the playing field and leave, never looking back. We self eliminate without a whimper. We do this because we forget that we are ‘WARRIORS” and a ‘WARRIOR” simply gets rid of the weapon that is no longer useful and “THE WARRIOR” picks up a new weapon that he selects to attack. I remember listening to some Navy Seals talking. A person from outside the circle of Navy Seals asked them loudly and a bit sarcastically, “what would you Seals do if you found yourself surrounded. A very large intimidating Seal replied, “CHAARRGGEE!! The outside commentator fell speechless. He suddenly realized that in order to win all of us needs to know when to attack and stop analyzing. First, you assess. Then you react with a vengeance that has prepared you for this difficult moment.

Stonewall Jackson famously said, “ONE MAN WITH COURAGE MAKES A MAJORITY!” The whole idea of being a ‘WARRIOR” is that when the time comes, we grab our tools, our weapons and we fight. In bodybuilding we are all “WARRIORS” and backing down is never an option. We started this fight and we will finish it.

Bottom Line: We never play NOT TO LOSE we always play to win. We have the guts now we have to engage. There can be no victory if we do not pick up our swords and shields and fight for what we want. See you “WARRIORS” on stage.

Way too often we start on our prep with an eye toward being that perfect person on stage—tiny waist, huge chest, deep cuts in the rib cage, cannon ball shoulders, biceps the size of cantelopes. veins coming out of our head, neck, arms, thighs, calves pulsing with life, Abs like a washboard. But!!! If we are honest this adonis is usually not reached each and every time we think about it or we set out to get it. We have to get our heads around the concept that nothing is free and our rich imagination cannot make it so. Each step toward this image is gained through superior and consistent “EFFORT!!” In fact, we have to do better than this. We have to turn “EFFORT” into the consistency that shapes not only our bodies but our personalities too. We have to see “EFFORT” as the norm and the habit that we perform daily and that makes us better just because we did it.

Today it seems that there are many bodybuilders who think that if they do some work they must be automatic winners and they cannot fail. In reality, a great bodybuilder works and exerts effort with a deep seated feat that they are lazy and cannot succeed. I have a T-shirt that I bought from the great Branch Warren that says across the front, “DRIVEN BY THE FEAR OF BEING AVERAGE!” Our self assessment must always be that we are never good enough until the judges say so. Nobody, including ourselves, says that we are ok and then we are ok.

Perfection is a delusion! But we can be better than we are with heavy doses of effort and the realization that we can expect more than we have but it will cost us “EFFORT.” We may approach that which we consider to be perfection but that is a soft target and it cannot be trusted. Instead focus on the here, the now, and tomorrow. Perfection will take care of itself. Last bit of advice. Never compare yourself against others. They will never be as good as me anyway. I am my own worst enemy and my own worst judge so nobody can survive my scrutiny. It’s harsh.

Bottom Line: Perfection is a illusion. Effort to be better is not. So stop dreaming and begin doing that which will make you better.

These days for me I am very engaged with my personal company that specializes in International Healthcare, logistics, security, Satellite Communications Medicine, and Aviation. But, in the midst of all this I have to focus on my training despite the preoccupation and all the distractions. I have to muster the mental power to bring all that’s required of me into sharp focus. Epic concentration is the words that come to mind. Thought: If you want results you have to abandon making excuses and accept the journey even if it requires only putting one foot in front of the other. Ohhh! The effort to do what we need to do when we don’t think we have the strength or will to do it!

Today’s training was an extension of this concept. Underslept and tired. My wife is a trooper! She keeps telling me to keep going and she will follow. What a woman!

In our world of bodybuilding we have to see the target, we have to want to hit that target, we have to develop a plan to reach the target, we have to execute the plan daily without fail. Somebody said once that, “LIFE IS SO DAILY!” Our “Trophies” are carried with us as we make our bodies extensions of ourselves and our items to put on full display on stage to keep us honest. Just remember that “discipline means having the sense to do exactly what is needed.” We often think that if we do more we are winning. Most of the time it is doing what we set out to do and not backing down just because it is hard. What people see is noting more than an honest display of our lifestyles. We don’t get good things just because we say we want good things. We have to work for them and they will appear.

Bottom Line: Work when we don’t feel like it anyway. Project the things you want most by deciding to do “exactly what is needed.” Do not delude yourself into thinking that if I do something else the thing we desire will just show up. In Proverbs there is a verse that says, Proverbs 24:33 “A little sleep, a little slumber,
   a little folding of the hands to rest—
³⁴ and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.

This is what our end will be if we neglect doing “exactly what is needed.” Nobody can save us from ourselves if we don’t do what’s “needed.”

Get after it and get to the stage. Everyday is “GAME DAY!!”

This is truth “on the half shell!” Indelicate, tasteful, rich, and true….So often we ascribe to winning by simply applying our sheer energy and we assume good things will happen. Most of the time this is true so we do not abandon the effort and energy component. However, opportunity is also a major part of success is being at the right place, at the right time, totally prepared. All us believes that we deserve a break or an opportunity, especially if we bust our asses and pay day is due. Reality dictates that being at our best guarantees nothing. It’s at this point we determine that “we” have to now create the opportunity by any means possible to go to the next level. Remember! Nobody got you this far except you and your daily preparation and hard work. Now, you need another set of skills that you may not naturally have. Let me explain:

This is the time when asking for a coach to help you…..Ouch! We who know it all has to stoop to ask for help. Then, we need to be coachable…..That means doing what you are told and not changing the script to fit our comfort zone. Next, maybe we have to ask a buddy for some money to enter the contest….Ouch #2! This violates nearly every honest guys value system…..Now way! But, you might have to…..Next, we may have to get a good friend to train with you and be there during the bad times…..Ouch! None of us believes we need anybody but us…..Wrong! Lastly, we have to keep at it until the system tells you that you are qualified to compete at a much higher level…..This involves winning on stage. This time you have created your own opportunity and now you must step into this reality….Now, you’re hunting bear! This is your night.

Bottom Line: Preparation establishes your personal confidence and belief system. Opportunity opens the door for he WIN! Be sure you know why you do what you do….Then never look back….Step onto the stage and win. Then stroll to the winner’s circle that you have earned. This is where Preparation and Opportunity Meet! More precisely it’s where YOUR opportunity and your preparation converge. Way to go!

This seems to be what I need to write about today and I’m betting this declaratiion is also what many others need to invoke. Let me explain. In the last several months I have had this overwhelming desire to just “stop!” Stop rying so hard. Stop feeding myself a stready diet of “can do” messages. Stop wanting more than I have. Stop pushing into new areas without a clear war forward. It’s any amazing sense of ‘GIVING UP.” —Man! I wouldn’t wish this on anybody. However, I kept repeating a truth that I picked up about 3 years ago as I wrote one of these articles. “WHEN MOTIVATION IS ABSENT—DISCIPLINE MUST TAKE OVER!” I have faithfully trained everyday even when my heart was not in it. I pulled up a mantra that I have used with each workout. I’d repeat to myself, “DO THE WORK!” Thus, as I pulled against the psychological inertia, times and feelings and focus have changed. Hell, I was making gains that I refused to see or just didn’t notice. One of my gym buddies said out loud in front of others, “Hey brother you look like you are ready again!” That one little comment helped me turn the corner…..I’m back in the game!

I was so stupid to allow myself to fall under the spell of, “IT’S OVER! GO HOME!” I’m here to tell you that discipline and a private mantra and a word of encouragement can turn around a self-inflicted sense of defeat. It’s been tough! But, then that’s why bodybuilders (male and female) are special people. The fight is daily to advance, and keep all we have worked for. My admonition to all of us is this. Find the personal reason WHY you do what you do and then —- NEVER GIVE UP! This is your time and this is your life. Do not surrender it to anything or anybody. Least of all do not wound yourself with doubt.

In bodybuilding we push ourselves into areas of stress that leads to success without hesitation. Many people will never understand but we who do this always understand. I missed some key shows this past year as I passed through this fog. Not this year! Let all of us set our sights on that which we want and never look back. Relax! Enjoy the ride and the win. “NEVER GIVE UP!”

Whoa! Way too often we sit down and refuse to pursue the next great thing in front of us because we say to ourselves stupid things like, “If it’s meant to be it will happen” so we step off the track. Other stupid things that we tell ourselves is, “If it’s God’s will it will happen” or here’s a good one, “Relax, Rome wasn’t built in a day” I have no idea what all these mean except to say, each of these refrains give us an excuse to put off what we really want most. These sayings give us air cover to underperform or to not perform. Too bad for us as we watch many others get what we want as we sit on the track’s infield not even participating or working on our own “chance” to win. A “chance” is not always meant to be a cosmic accident. A “chance” has to be seen as an opportunity to win. A “chance” to win, a “chance” to have the thing we seek most has to be created and then taken very aggressively as an opportunity. Creating “chances” has to become a part of our personalities, our characters, our motivation to win.

I find it interesting that we always refer to the idea of a “chance” as something that befalls us rather than an item we create for ourselves to advance. This is totally wrong. Miracles tend to occur out of the blue and we have little to no influence over them…..But, a “chance” can be created and we control the type of “chance” and the characteristics of the “chance.”

Bottom Line: Waiting for a “chance” to do somethings is a recipe for disaster. We should rather, “be creating chances and taking them!” “Chances” are our to take and to created. So let’s be about the business of molding our personal futures by taking “Chances” and creating “Chances.” If we don’t do it—-Who will? We must aggressively, TAKE A CHANCE ON OURSELVES AND CREATE THAT “CHANCE.”

We are all procrastinators. We want things but for reasons we sometimes cannot even definite for ourselves we don’t go after the things we want. For instance, when we want to take our wives to fun places to just enjoy her and to raise a little hell, we don’t do it. We are either lazy, or we cannot commit to doing something this great for crazy personal hang up reasons. So, the time we had set aside in our minds to go away and be nuts with our wives comes and goes…..No action! No satisfaction! No experience….We are prisoners to our own insecurities, fears, and our own negative stories. We cease to be the “free bird” that our wives wanted. She wanted a guy to talk to her incessantly, make her laugh, and be crazy when the time is right. Most of all she needs us to treat her with respect and to never lose sight of her love and person. So, we will remain in this self-made prison until we take action to change this.

In bodybuilding, we are all given compliments and massive doses of encouragement. We want to be better. We want to prove ourselves on stage—but, we don’t because it’s easie to settle for nothing rather than to risk it all for something. You see, our FREEDOM is embedded in our actions. We have to do something to become free. We just don’t wish it into existence. It requires us to to take Action to be Free to have the trophy. Nothing is free but you can have anything if you’ll take action to get it.

Bottom Line: If you’re going to walk in the world of risk takers and action initiators you have to be willing to ACT in order to be free of the temptation to be average or to quit. Go be free…..Decide to ACT in order to get what you most desire—-YOUR FREEDOM!