Six Pack and Senior

I would call this, “Kicking it into Overdrive” or “Turning on the Afterburners”

Life does not have to be lived according to the dictates of others, especially those that wish us bad tidings.  We have the choice to “Live beyond mediocrity rather than live below the level of mediocrity.”   We, myself included, must be able to focus on what we want and generate the energy to go get it.  There is a fire inside us that wants us to out perform anybody who says we can’t do it or to beat anybody who is contending for the same goal as we seek.

As I take this quote from Arnold apart, it is painfully obvious that we have to place inside our hearts, minds, and soul that we resolve to not settle for something less than what we want.  We have to get up every morning with the thought that this is the day that I will win.  This is the day . that will define me as a winner.

 

 

When I was a young Navy Hospital Corpsman and I thought I knew what I was talking about, I was cornered by a Navy Chief Warrant Officer who had fought in World War II and was somewhat of a hero.  When I told him that my brother was a Marine he put his finger in my chest and said, “Your brother is a Marine. He and you should be so excited about getting out there every morning to do your job that by the time you finished shaving you ought to kick the bathroom door down to get out there to do your job.”  That’s the image of a Marine that I’ve kept inside my mind ever since that lecture, way back in 1971.  This is the same image I reach for when I want to accomplish something.  I ought to tear down any obstacle in my way to get out there and prep for my show.

Bodybuilding is made up of the mundane and the excitement required to “get it down.”  I have to keep my eyes on the trophy to be had to drive me forward, to win, and to claim victory.  It is very important to stay “hungry” and to push ourselves forward.  There are so many goals and objectives to accomplish.  Each one has to be approached with the same degree of urgency and confidence.

In closing.  It is imperative that we develop an attitude that longs to be a winner, participate in life with an eye toward the goal(s) I’ve set before my own eyes.  I choose to be a bodybuilder that anticipates winning and conquering my opponents.  All of us need (not want) a mindset that puts us in the driver seat.  We should not want to be prepping for contests or living our lives at the mercy of somebody else.  This is my life and I choose to drive my own ambition according my own desires.  Go for it! Do not let somebody else dictate what and how we do anything.

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

Self Mastery is the cornerstone of all achievement.  I think this says it best and Buddha certainly captured the scope of the impact that Self Mastery has on the person and the world around him.  I could write for days on the subject of Self Mastery and many others have done just that.  For the sake of this article let it be understood that Self Mastery is synonymous with Self Discipline.

In bodybuilding there is a saying, “When Motivation Runs Out then Discipline Must Take Over.”  While we are digging deep to win the trophy there will be times when we just do not have the stomach to go into the gym and pound away at the weights.  There will be other times when we are distracted and other things in our lives are encroaching on our training time.  It is here that we have to see where we are going and focus on today and the tasks at hand to keep moving.  We have to, by sheer will, carve out time to workout.  Emotionally, we may be someplace else but we have to use personal discipline to bring our attention back to today’s effort.

Self Mastery has to cause us to do the priority items first and to do them well.  Self Mastery also has to cause us to NOT DO things that are not priority and that could actually hurt us.  Sometimes we have to get rid of friends and others who influence us to do things that are bad. This move to dump friends who are bad is a real challenge for all of us because none of us wants to lose friends.  Once we have worked out, we return to our normal hectic lives.  If you have a family then they come first and sometimes working out must go by the wayside, but if a family crisis is not in the offing then sticking to the regimen is paramount.

Here are four principles that I follow each day:

1.)  I do not miss workouts

2.)  I do not talk during training

3.)  I work harder and longer than anybody else in this gym

4.) . When I leave the gym I can honestly say to myself that I’ve worked so hard that I “OWN” this gym

Self Mastery is the name of the game because nobody is going to do the work for us.  Nobody is going to suffer the consequences of not training hard or well.  Nobody is going to give me or you anything.  It all has to be earned!

In closing.  Drive yourself as hard as you can with an eye toward the prize.  Wherever you are weak, get help and then do the work to correct the weakness.  Nobody should have to remind you to get up and get going.

Here are some practical things to do to get started each morning:

1.) Set your alarm.

2.) Have your wife wake you up.

3.)  Set your workout clothes out the night before.

4.)  Prepare your food the night before.

5.) Get a training partner to whom you can be accountable

6.) Ultimately, get a coach that can keep you on track and focused on bigger and better goals

We chose this life and its up to us to capitalize on our strengths and correct our weaknesses.

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

In bodybuilding as in ancient Sparta, we don’t care about how many competitors there are that we must defeat.  We only want to know where we are to meet and fight for the trophy.  To Quote the Spartans: “Not how many, but Where.”  This has to be our mindset as we take the stage against foes who have trained as hard as we have to compete and win.  Sometimes, we will hit the stage and there will be few other competitors in our weight class or category.  Other times it will seem as though every bodybuilder in the world has shown up to take my win away.  In either case, the number is irrelevant.  We have to show up in the best shape of our lives and be ready technically to out do the competition.

There is a question among American Military Warriors, typically the Seals and the Green Beret troops.  “What do you do if you and your men are surrounded?  The answer from the leader of the Warriors is, “CHARGE.”  In other words, no matter the odds, we have only one response to our adversaries, “CHARGE.”  We will not die in place.  We will not surrender and be tortured to death, we will not submit to the sword of humiliation at the hands of our enemies.  We will find a way to win or die trying.  Our solemn commitment to excellence and the defense of ourselves is sacred and nobody can take it away unless we give it away.

In my world of bodybuilding, my Coach, Justin Dees has taught me that “I cannot talk about winning or preparing to win.  I have to do it.”  Thus, is born my holy commitment to be ready and to be in a mindset to win.”  Nothing is left to chance and my mind and body is thrown into the fray in pursuit of excellence and victory.  I’ve played tons of sports in my life but for some reason this sport of bodybuilding has brought out the Spartan in me that has always lived below the surface all my life.  I’ve done very well as an athlete but this challenge has placed my feet on a higher plain to fight and win.

In closing let me quote again the Spartan refrain, “Not How Many, but Where?”  Now is the time to put away fear and attack your goals with all your body, mind, and soul.  There is no turning back because you know who you are, what you want, and what you are willing to lose to gain the prize.

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

It is an absolute truth that “The Beginning is Always the Hardest.”  When we set out to do something that we have never done before it is hard to get started and stay on track.  Also, when we choose to do what we know we ought to do it is hard.  Chances are that we put off doing what we have to do because it is hard and because it is new to our daily regimen.  There are tons of reasons why something new is hard in the beginning, let’s look at some of them:

1.) . It requires redoing our habits so that this new thing gets attention each and every day

2.  It usually requires us to restructure our schedules and lives to accommodate the new activity or discipline

3.) . The new task requires new muscles or new mental energy that we have never applied in this area and we are totally retarded in the application preocess

4.) We have a bad attitude about doing something new even though we know it has to be done

5.) Lastly, starting something new is awkward, stressful, and painful

 

These reasons all by themselves can derail our best intentions to go out and conquer the world.  Each of us has things that we want to accomplish but we are not motivated enough or we are too fearful to try.  But, like the Title of this Article: “Don’t Give Up, the Beginning is Always the Hardest” we must recognize this fact and commit ourselves to overcoming the “Beginning Difficulty.”

When I started lifting weights in the “Beginning” I had to overcome the very real muscle pain that was generated during the initial days and weeks.  Sometimes I would be so sore and I would see so little progress that I wanted to quit.  But, I knew that if I wanted to have something special occur because of my weight training I had to persist and to endure the punishment that I was inflicting on my body.  I had to learn that fighting through the pain barrier was imperative for me to succeed.  So, I pushed myself through two workouts per day, 6 days per week, for three years.  Nothing kept me away from my training sessions.  I just had to believe that these training sessions during the early days were going to pay off.

We have to have an internal task master that drives us forward to do better, to be better, to accomplish our goals.  Initially, the goal may be as simple as not missing workouts.  This little item is often just enough to keep us going. We will go to our journals and declare this week a smashing success because we did not miss training sessions.  We have to never take our eyes off the ultimate prize that we have set for ourselves.  Knowing where we are going and why we are going there makes the early days easier to live through because we have a definite destination.

Just remember!  “The Beginning is Always the Hardest.”  This is not the place to quit.  You have to believe in yourself to overcome these little wrinkles and bumps in the road that are going to occur early on in the process.

One more suggestion: If you are hurting, confused, discouraged, and weak, do not allow yourself to to feel self pity.  Do not think that you are incapable of winning.  Believe from day “one” that you can and will win and the rest is just the journey.

In closing, do not let the “Beginning” be the burial ground for all your hopes and dreams.  Find a way to put your desire to win ahead of all pain, suffering and sacrifice……Especially, in the “Beginning.”

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

How many times have we listened to our own kids adamantly insist that they would do just about anything to get this thing or that thing.  We have been subjected to the grand desires of our children to the point of near insanity.  Then, when we ask them what they were willing to do get the trophy or the item they so strongly wanted they would insist that they would do “ANYTHING.”

Let’s translate: First, as noted, nothing wished for or desired will come to pass by simply wanting it to occur.  No amount of pontificating and daydreaming will produce anything especially that which we desire.  Also notice that eventually each of us realizes that if we truly want something there will have to be effort applied to getting it.  It is here that we have to decide whether the trophy desired is worthy enough to pursue.  It is also at this juncture that we have to reach deep inside and determine how hard we are willing to work to attain the goal that we want.  This is the place where we either stop thinking about the thing we want or we turn on the after burners to go get the trophy ourselves.

 

We should never stop wanting things, attaining goals, winning trophies, or desiring outcomes.  These activities are all good.  What we have to do is focus on the amount of work it’s going to take to win.  At the same time we have to measure the amount of work it’s going to take and then take responsibility to expend the effort to do the work to win.

In bodybuilding I and my coach, Justin Dees will have lengthy conversations about what we want to accomplish this year.  In the final analysis we come to a meeting of the minds about the goal and the work it will take to win.  The most important thing he has to extract from me is my willingness to sacrifice, to rise to the occasion, to do the work, and to win.  Once this is done I and Justin will work hand in hand to get it done.

 

 

In closing.  Wanting something is easy.  Expending the work required to get something is very hard.  Like Justin has said to me during one of his moments of great exasperation, “You can’t just say you will do it.  You have to do it!”  Thus, the mantel of responsibility to do the work has been passed to me.  Justin, will hold me to the path and the goal.

Lastly, to all of us who have real goals and objectives to accomplish, “DO THE WORK AND DO NOT LOOK BACK.”  IT’S NOT WHERE WE START, IT’S WHERE WE ARE GOING AND WHERE WE END UP.”

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

Putting this into play as a maxim for life has everything to do with “DISCIPLINE.”  My son, Sam Knuth, brought me a stupendous book entitled “Discipline Equals Freedom” by Jocko Willink.  On page 26 he says this about “DISCIPLINE,”  “It starts with waking up early……But that is just the beginning;  ….. It is working out, every day, making yourself stronger and faster and more flexible and healthier.  It is eating the right foods, to fuel your system correctly.  It is disciplining your emotions, so you can make good decisions. It is about having the discipline to control your ego, so it doesn’t get out of hand and control you. Discipline is about facing your fears so you can conquer them.  Discipline means taking the hard road — the up hill road.  Discipline calls for strength and fortitude and “WILL.”  It won’t accept weakness.  it won’t tolerate a breakdown in will.  Discipline is your best friend.  it will take care of you like nothing else can.  Most important, discipline will put you on the path to FREEDOM.”

Wow, this is a great description of what “DISCIPLINE” is and what it can do for you.  But, let’s discuss this a bit more.

First, we have to decide on a goal or objective.  This step alone can absorb us completely as we consider all the ramifications of selecting the thing that we want and are willing to sacrifice for to attain.  I recommend getting alone and thinking and writing about the goal.  Describe it great detail and insert all that it will require to have.  Ruminate on it.  Think about it always.  Pray about it.  Make it a part of our very being.  Having what you want will/may take all that we can bring to the fight to have it.  Ultimately, we have to decide that the goal is worth it.

Next, we discipline ourselves to do the things that are required to have the goal as our own.  We arrange our entire lives, if necessary, around the idea of accomplishing the goal.  I call this the principle of  “Asymmetrical Living.”  This simply means that what we want will demand all that we are.  There will be little to no balance in our lives as we pursue the goal that we have set before ourselves.  All that we do flows toward the accomplishment of the stated trophy. In bodybuilding, as in life, disciplining ourselves to study, to physically perform, to focus on the end goal requires far more than just doing the right thing.  It will demand a heavy bit of mental strength, emotional stability, and a setting aside of our ego.

We get up in the morning with an attitude that says, “We can do it and we can have it.”  We get our feet on the floor and we begin the act of living to win.  We shower, we shave, we put on fresh clothes, we eat breakfast.  Our day has begun and our every thought is on the thing we want the most.  We discipline ourselves to stick to the task at hand that contributes to a small degree toward the attainment of the goal.  Nothing we do throughout our day is wasted.  All things are there for our using to move us forward.

Let me reiterate that the exercise of personal discipline will lay the foundation to help us build personal strength and know how.  There is no short cut and there is no other way.  We have to embrace our discipline as the taskmaster that it is and that we are using it to win.  We cannot tolerate to any degree of breakdown of our will and personal discipline will keep us strong and on task.  Any other path we choose will put us in bondage to things that are meaningless and totally unrelated to the direction we set for ourselves.  However, personal discipline and perseverance will take us to our end goal and this end goal is truly defined as “FREEDOM.”

As noted in the title of this article, “We Do Today What They won’t, So Tomorrow We Accomplish What They Can’t.” This is the focus of discipline in my world of bodybuilding.  I have to assume that my competition is working very hard to beat me.  I must, in turn, be willing to do the hard things as they present themselves TODAY.  I have to think that what I am doing today is not what my competition is willing to do so I do it ASAP and harder than they are willing to work.  I do it now.  I have to know that if I outwork my competition by disciplining myself to do the really hard stuff today that I will be in a position to watch them fail because they cannot do what they failed to train for yesterday.

Life is like that.  We have to be willing to do the hard stuff so we can compete better, especially against those who choose an easier path.

In closing, please note that if there was an easier way to do something then everyone would be doing it.  What sets us apart is our willingness to do the hard stuff.  If we are disciplined to do the hard stuff then we will learn “THE ART OF WINNING.”

 

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