Six Pack and Senior

Keep going.  Don’t stop. Just a little further. Don’t give up.  If you quit now, you won’t be able to say you made it.  You are so close, don’t go back,  Push yourself.

Each of us has heard these sorts of admonitions at some point in our lives.  When we are in the midst of a major challenge and we just do not think we will make it, somebody comes along to encourage us to not quit and to press forward to the prize. At other times our only companion is ourselves. In most cases we can dig deep to get the strength to complete the task that establishes the “win.”  Many times, despite “ALL” the encouragement we fail and we go home dejected.  This is where this article picks up—at the point of failure.

 If we have decided that something is worth it, we have to also accept that a single effort to attain our goal is rarely sufficient. We have to accept the self-evident fact that seldom does a person strike out to attain something or to be something that we get there with the first effort.  In fact, all of us knows hundreds of stories of people accomplishing their goals “ONLY” after experiencing a ton of failures.  However, even in the midst of these wonderful success stories, there are those who are still on the track striving with every ounce of their energy to “get there.” These individuals, who are still “PERSISTING” have to be helped and pushed along their paths, hopefully by those who were once in their shoes.  Go ahead!  Dare to be the catalyst that propels these potential winners onward and upward.  It’s the job for all us to take care of those who aspire to be great and are still trying…just like us.

There is another group that needs to be pushed.  They are the ones who have failed and have concluded that they will never get to their stated goals and have stopped trying. When we see this type of despondency, one of us needs to make contact, speak the admonitions to give it another try and to not stop —– no matter what.  We have to be there for these guys and girls who have opted out of their own race to greatness due to discouragement. They need to know about the rewards of “PERSISTENCE” are great and eternal.  We have to be the “still small voice” for them who need to ignite their passion for living.

Anecdote: Yesterday, my wife and I trained in the gym for no less than 2 hours which is the norm for us 6 days per week. We worked our Anterior Shoulders, Chest, and Calves.  She is my training partner and we have worked out hand signals to help motivate us while we work so as not to interrupt the flow of training.  In short, we were totally spent at the end of the session.

We then took her mother and her boyfriend out for breakfast.  Great meal and great times were had.

We came home and immediately changed into our training clothes again.  This time we ended up biking over 28 miles. Most of the first half of the journey was a steady uphill grade.  When we got to what I perceived to be the end of the first leg, Christine pointed to a road that she said she had ridden 4 times before.  She went on to explain that the road was 4 miles straight up with an acute, steady, incline. She had made it to the top twice without stopping. I had heard much about the difficulty of this 4 mile ride and I was tired, and I did not have any desire to challenge myself after our training earlier this morning.  We talked for a little while and so I decided to go as far as I could and then come down. 

We started up the road, comfortable in the fact I could stop anytime.  Before I knew it we were huffing and puffing up this road.  Christine, would keep saying that it was a hard ride but that we can make it we go slow (as if there is another speed on this monster).  We kept talking and climbing.  The huffing and puffing, even with lower gears, was starting to occupy our minds more and more with less talking.  When we came to a much steeper grade, she would push me forward with some flimsy promise of a “flat stretch” just ahead.  I could never see the end of the grade. To shorten this story, Christine, who was already the champ due to her having successfully climbed this mountain road, did her best to move me up the road to completion.  Even though I have only been biking seriously for the last 4 days, my wonderful wife and mentor gave me the right words at the right time to win.

So it is with all of us.  We have to have those timely bits of encouragement to persist and go on.

The “Magic of Persistence” is it;s own reward and many of us will persist to get our hands on that magic.  Others will not be so motivated and they are the ones we have to stand ready to help.

“PERSISTENCE” is elusive to any of us unless we set a course to the top of your world. Don’t stop!  THIS IS OUR TIME! Nothing can stop us as long as we “Believe in the Magic of Persistence.”

Quote: “Victory Belongs to him who gets up — One more time!”

Miss you guys!

Douglas E.. Graham

Sometimes life gives us good things that we do not deserve nor could we have anticipated.  I have been training now with an eye toward the “National Masters Bodybuilding Championship” in Pittsburgh, PA in July 2015.  Recently I was with my coach who has been monitoring my progress very closely.  Our goal is to compete at 198 lbs. as a Light Heavyweight which requires a gain of 25 lbs between my last contest  on 21 June 2014 and July 2015.  Justin Dees, my coach reported, after taking several readings on my body that I had gained 18 lbs, 14 lbs.of which was new muscle, Also, my per cent body fat had dropped from 7.5% on 2 July 2014 to 5% 13 August 2014.. This means that my lean body mass had risen from 167 lbs to 181 lbs and my total body weight was now 191 lbs.  This means that I have a little less than 9 lbs of total fat left on my frame.

As Justin read off the numbers I could only stand there with my mouth open in total amazement.  Coach and his plan are right on the money with no sign of slowing down.  I told him that I didn’t believe these numbers and that I am totally dumbfounded.  Ask my wife Christine, she was standing right there.  Justin, then extended to me a personal invitation to meet the guest poser for the Utah Bodybuilding Class that was to be held 16 July 2014. He is training for this year’s Olympia and is a good friend of Justin’s. His name is Jose Raymon.  Get this! He is 5’4″ and weighs 225 lbs.  He is exactly my height! Justin told me that he wanted me to meet him so he too could validate what Justin was seeing in my progress and to back up his claim.  

We went home, arranged the meeting with Justin, bought our tickets for the Contest and We impatiently waited out the days to the contest. I have attached a picture of Jose right here for your perusal.  He is a beast!

Saturday, 16 August 2014 we met Jose Raymon at Justin’s gym.  Christine, and I were totally humbled to meet this warrior. He is not bad looking, very thick all over, arms are as big around as my calves or bigger….But, the best part is that he talked to Christine and me like we were real people with no pretense.  Jose backed up Justin’s observations and said that I was making good progress.  When I asked if I could get to be his size by next year, he very resolutely said “NO” and that I didn’t need to.  “Being big does not necessarily make you look good on stage.”  In this sport, you salivate to hear the pearls of wisdom that fall from the lips of great champions.  So, after hearing what Jose had to say I decided that this is what I will do.  I will weigh in at 198 lbs.  I will be in the best shape of my life that night, I will work harder than I have ever worked before, and my wife will absolutely guarantee that I eat the best food available to make it happen.

My ego wants to be just like Jose but my rational Doug tells me to listen to my coach, my wife, and my body and all will go well.  I am going to win and all of you are invited to follow the progress as I punish myself in preparation for the ultimate test. However, I will try to make it to 225 lbs. because I am wired that way.  Justin will just have to reel me in.

I share this with you to describe an undeserved and totally unanticipated blessing.  All of us has had something similar happen to us that made belief in miracles a rational exercise.  In fact, miracles eventually become expectations.  We sometimes think that ONLY miracles will be sufficient given our life circumstances.  But, most of the time,  miracles or unanticipated blessings sneak up on us and make us thankful for having experienced them.

I have a MAXIM that I live by: “Miracles Tend to Happen to those who work — VERY HARD!”

Photo of Doug backstage before going onto the stage 22 March 2014

We had a great experience.  It has made me all the more confident in my quest.

My benediction to all of you is that God will provide you with enough great blessings that your confidence will be monumental to propel you along your path to accomplish your goals.

THIS OUR TIME!  Work hard to increase the probability that you will to receive the blessings and miracles that only you will recognize.

Hang in there!  Christine and I will look forward to reports about your quests and the things that have pushed you forward to attain your goals.

Douglas E. Graham

All of us knows instinctively that something is “good” whether it be food, sleep, relaxation with our favorite girl, or food as examples.  However, when we select something that is “good” we often do not consider whether there was an option to select something that is “better.”  In fact, most do not even place “better” on the scope of possibilities.  Selecting the “good” items or activities are nothing more than taking a path of least resistance.  There is nothing morally wrong with choosing things that are “good” because that’s why we chose them in the first place — because they were “good.”

Considering the “better” choices requires a conscious effort to slow down and think. To examine the consequences and rewards associated with choosing “better” over the “good”.  This little exercise is tough and sometimes very time consuming.

Now, let me explain things within the context of bodybuilding to illustrate my point.  First, bodybuilding is not like going onto Capital Hill in Washington, DC and expecting to be turned into a Politician simply because I visited the Capital.  The same is true in bodybuilding.  Many people talk about spending 1-2 hours in the gym each day but there bodies never seem to change.  Why is this true?  Because as “good” as getting to the gym is, it cannot substitute for investing effort to get better and to look better and to get stronger while in the gym.

Many people self-eliminate from excellence in bodybuilding by mastering excuses.  It’s too hard.  I have a job.  I have children.  I don’t know how.  The list is endless. They stick to routines that they have used for years —unsuccessfully.  Their routines are “good” but they have decided to limit their progress to Average or a little less by not choosing that which is “better” for them.

I have a saying that my wife has picked up on. “Now that we are “good” let’s now push on to “greatness.”  Christine, has taken this little quip to heart.  Her training is relentless and we both are reaping the benefits of such effort.  Arnold Schwarzenegger used to say, “Why do I want to be like everybody else? How is that going to make me better than everybody else if I an content to be like everybody else.”  Arnold chose to be “better” rather than settle for just being “good.”

This whole diatribe is written to get us to lift our goals to new heights and not settle for a little improvement.  Being “good” is greatly desirable and many they be that settle for being “good.” Being “better” kicks you out of your comfort zone. Pain combined with psychological and ego risk will be the order of the day as you advance toward your stated  goal.  The ultimate risk is that we might fail.

I say, push on to greatness by not settling for that which is easy, predictable, and “good.”

REMEMBER!!! Nothing was ever accomplished by holding back. We need heroes.

THIS IS OUR TIME! Be “better” and ignore those who would steal your dreams.  For those people have their reward which is “good.”  You however, are “better” and will change the hearts and minds of our generation because you chosen to be “better.”

Today, I am missing Christine who is at work.  Great workout with her today and she looks fantastic.

Douglas E. Graham

Each morning I arise, head for the bathroom and weigh myself. Each time I either groan with disappointment or smuggly smile at myself in the mirror with complete satisfaction. No matter what the result and subsequent response, I then must put that aside and get ready for the early morning (5:30 AM) training session. My wife and I swallow our supplements and various drinks, eat breakfast, throw our training gear into the car and head “up the hill” to Golds Gym. Slight correction is needed at this point. I throw my wife’s gear into the car and she rides her bike “up the hill” to Golds Gym. After training she takes a shower, puts on the prettiest outfits you could ever imagine and she rides her bike on to her office. Christine, clearly outworks me always.

We could very easily have let the weigh-in number drive us nuts if it wasn’t what we expected or wanted. We could start telling ourselves lies about how this stuff is too hard. Why do I do this anyway if the body weight is not going in the right (anticipated) direction? In short, we could get “discouraged.” This “discouragement” could be an open door for excuse making and for under performing or worse—quitting altogether. We must learn to take “quitting” off the table as an option. In fact, no matter what we do in life “quitting” should never be an option if what we are engaged in is worth it.

I am on a quest to win a National Championship in July 2015. Everything I do before now and then must be under girded by the maxim, “Onward and Upward” at all costs. Doing my best in all things including bodybuilding, must be the order of the day. This mindset will easily translate itself into my training and elevate my motivation to succeed. “Discouragement” cannot get a foot hold as long as I keep my focus on the prize and what is required to attain the prize. The converse is also true. If you continually tell yourself that you cannot do it. You are not good enough. Winning is for somebody else and not for you. The best one for me is, allowing others who do not share your goals to convince you that you will never measure up or you are “too old” and you ought to stop trying to “prove” something and “grow up.” All of these self-talk examples can destroy you and by extension, your opportunity to excel. 

I am on my way! I would love to hear from you to tell me what your goals are and how you are going about the task to win. I do bodybuilding and a host of other things. What are you pursuing? Is it worth it?

We can allow “discouragement” to be a dominant and destructive force in our lives or we can recognize it for what it is —- Only a Moment!

Once you see the “Moment of Discouragement,” discharge it, get going, go eat breakfast, feed the damned dog, get your togs on and get your butt out the door to win!

This is OUR TIME! Persisting “discouragement” has no place in our lives.

Take good care of yourselves. Missing all my friends from the Class of 1969, at Mason City High School, Mason City, Iowa

Douglas E. Graham

Well, most of us worry about losing weight or simply maintaining or current weight. We want to look good in clothes, and swimsuits, and continue our good health. As we do the various exercises and diets to accomplish the goal of holding onto “eternal youth” we are confronted by distractors like families, jobs, education, church, friendships etc. The effort is overwhelming if not downright futile. I submit that all this makes the case for “focus” on “selected” goals to be all important. We cannot do it all so we have to choose a goal that will have the broadest impact on our lives. In other words, the selected goal must have impacts at multiple levels.

Try finding time in your busy schedule. I would try to find 30 minutes that can be given to exercise of some sort. Walking, running, bicycling, weight lifting, aerobics, racketball are all examples.

Find some help with your diet. Sign up with Weight Watchers or Medifast or some such program if you cannot be disciplined enough to do a correct diet yourself.

Align yourself with others who are going in the same direction. Join a support group of some sort. Invite a good friend to do the project to lose weight together.

Make sure you define your goal precisely. Write it down. Place it in a prominent place as a constant reminder. At same time, determine the “WHY” to what you are doing. This may be the most important step.

If you have any doubt of whether your health is good enough to take on such a rigorous program, then see a physician to establish your health status and to get his blessing to start such a regimen.

Now, these are my thoughts and I believe they are universal. Many other things could and probably should be addressed further but this is a basic set of criteria to get started. I hope these help.

Regarding my bodybuilding. I am under the watchful eye of my Coach who has placed me on a track to move my weight up to 198 lbs. Today, I was so proud to text Coach to report that my weight today is 189.2 lbs. He texted back, “Awesome” !!!!!. I will be meeting with him tomorrow at 3:00 PM in his gym in South Jordan, Utah. He will weigh me, do my body fat percentage, calculate my lean body mass, the actual number of pounds of fat I am carrying. I am pounding down the food and training hard each morning between 5:00 AM and 5:45 AM to start. I finish around 07:00 AM and 7:30 AM. I am going to win!

My weight increase requirement is much different from yours. However, I follow a plan to get me where I need to go. I can’t emphasize enough that a plan is the backbone of your effort to lose weight or, in my case to gain weight.

Please remember that this is our time! Set your goals and begin. Do not look back. Never take your eyes off the prize that you set for yourself. Become that legend in your own mind that you see all the time. Like I say to my wife, “Now that you are good, let’s push on to GREATNESS!!

The Quest Continues for all of us!

Douglas E. Graham

Ever since linking up with my new Coach, Justin Dees, we have collaborated to produce a champion. He wanted to know where I wanted to go with bodybuilding and what I wanted to accomplish. I explained that I wanted to get my “Pro Card” and I would like to compete on the National Stage. I also told him that I had a very hard time losing the last 5 lbs. to make weight as a Middle Weight this past contest. I said, losing these last few pounds was miserable and I had contemplated cutting off an arm to make it happen. I asked him if I could compete as a Light Heavy Weight weighing around 190 lbs. He listened intently and said the following: First, we are going to bring you in at 198 1/4 lbs. (The maximum you can weigh as a Light Heavy Weight is 198 1/2 lbs.) You will be lean and I believe you can do some serious damage at the Masters National Contest in Pittsburgh, PA in July 2015. You have crazy potential and a great work ethic.

Later, I told Justin that I wanted to legitimately qualify for the Nationals in the Men’s Open. He clearly indicated that we will work toward that end as well. I believe that I will make this happen as well.

Justin, has appropriately named this quest, “Operation Pro Card.” This is the objective. I have to finish in the top 3-5 to get the Pro Card, however, I have set my goal on nothing less than to win! I have expressed this obsession to win the Masters Title and Justin has rolled in behind the idea and says I can do it.

In order to get into competition shape I have to listen to Justin and respond to his demands like a Demon. My training must be precise, intense, and always improving. My diet is off the chart! Coach has me eating 3,794 Calories per day but by the time I take all my supplements I have cleared 4,500 Calories for the day. Because, I have had trouble maintaining my body weight with this number of daily Calories, Justin has me eating extra meals he refers to as “Cheat Meals” to provide more calories. I have to get to my competition weight and yet stay lean. At this point Coach will decide whether I will be a Light Heavy Weight or a Heavy Weight. I am ready to do the work.

In order to win I must GAIN. I have to GAIN weight. I have to GAIN a lean body. I have to GAIN confidence. I have to GAIN muscle size. I have to GAIN stage presence. I have to GAIN vascularity. I have to GAIN major cuts.

Per Coach, “This is a muscle game and you have to put it on display.”

Lesson: Nothing in life is GAINED by doing less of what is required. GAIN, is the name of the game. In order to GAIN we have to decide to GAIN. Also, we have to plan for the GAIN. Lastly, we have to put into operation all that’s required to GAIN that which we seek.

Personal Application beyond bodybuilding: I want so much to be friends with my own children. In order to GAIN this relationship I will have to put in place and activate all that I know to do to GAIN what I seek.

May each of us dig deep and find the courage to grasp the importance of the goals and relationships we seek to GAIN.

This is our time! We had just as well do it right.

Douglas E. Graham

Why step onto the track if you have not planned and prepared to win? In every endeavor that has a goal or prize attached to that goal, there is a definite set of requirements and steps to be taken to attain that goal and to claim the prize. Let me try to put into writing the steps that I feel are absolutely required for me, and by extension, all of us must take to win.

First, I have to be “inspired” to win. The inspiration must indelibly imprint itself on our person. It must generate a vision of what is possible. It has to cause us to be enthused (god breathed) with an overwhelming desire to get out there and “step onto the track” with a singleness of mind to be different from anybody else who is wanting the same goal. I call this step, “Getting a Belly Full of Want to.” Without this step goals are not so much goals but are really nothing more than fleeting dreams that will quickly disappear and will be placed back into the “bucket list” of items that we would like to experience but will never see the light of day for us. DECIDE! that what you want is worth every ounce of your effort.

Second, I have to move my “Inspiration” to paper. I’ve got to be able to articulate to myself and anybody else who asks the “What”, and the “Why” regarding this personally important goal. I, like you, experience the discouragement that comes so easily as I try to activate the thing we want. We will have others who will tell us that we should not do it for reasons that we do not understand. But, the naysayers are ever present and they must be dealt with. If attaining the goal is important then these unbelievers must be set aside, as graciously as possible. Having a clear and personal explanation written down will go a long way in this regard. Inability to put these concepts onto paper means that we cannot move forward to the next level. Frankly, if we try to advance without having been through this exercise will cause us to lose our way, and our motivation, and ultimately we will fail. The most important aspect of this paper drill is to bring the goal into sharp focus.

Thirdly, I have to write out very carefully the “How.” I must devise a plan or a strategy, which will provide the Way to the Top. To Achieve that which we have decided is “Worth it.” Because this is a living document, it will change many times along the way. It will morph into the precise plan that I/you will follow to the top. Leave nothing to chance. Overdo it and place into it every possible path, event, requirement, tributary that you can imagine. You can refine it down to exacting essentials as you learn what works and what doesn’t. This is no time to be humble. Nothing is fixed until I/you have validation that our stratagem is the best to win.

Fourth, is the “Activation” stage.  It is now that I turn on the after burners. I execute my diet, my rest intervals between body part training, weight training becomes where muscles are punished to get them to grow (hypertrophy). Proper supplementation under the watchful eye of my Coach who monitors EVERYTHING from my weight, my lean body mass, my % Body Fat, Muscle Weight Gains etc. My posing routine must be worked out and perfected by regular grueling sessions with my Coach observing my every move, bend, flex, and transition. Nothing is left to chance.

Lastly, the “Actual Competition.” This is showtime and all the work that has gotten me this far is going to pay off. I keep my mind on the things that I have to do to perform at a “World Class” level. I am tan, my posing trunks are blue under my warm ups. I go back stage with the other competitors to warm up. I shake hands with many of my old friends and begin the process of getting ready to step on stage. Using I dumbbells I do several sets of alternate biceps curls. Next, I grab a barbell for a couple sets of squats for my legs. The whole time I am listening for my name and number and my division to be called to go onto stage. The moment when my group are called we are positioned at the foot of the stairs leading onto stage. When summoned we go up those stairs and we are face-to-face with an entire coliseum filled with screaming fans and onlookers. LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!

Glean from this article what you will to help you get to the goals and aspirations you choose.

This is our time! Do not fail yourself by doing anything “Halfheartedly.”

Nothing great in life is ever accomplished by HOLDING BACK!

Douglas E. Graham

Since the last entry was way back on 19 July 2014 just before we left to return to Iowa for my 45th High School reunion, much has happened. I will not try to bore you with all the details but let me make some brief comments about the trip. Then, I will get into how traveling affected my bodybuilding regimen and the net result.

First, we drove to Iowa from Provo, Utah. Long drive and it took 2 days. First night of the Reunion was aboard the vessel, “Lady of the Lake” which sails on Clear Lake in Iowa. My first impression of all of us was that this was going to be “Geriatric Night” and the anticipation was correct. Each of us have gone the way of “all the earth” and have the wrinkles to prove it. Many of us (probably more like 100%) have had lives that just didn’t turn out like all the great expectations that we were looking forward to. We have physical, psychological, emotional, and social scars all over our little lives to validate the journey. But! the thing that seemed to characterize the event was this total lack of phoniness. We genuinely liked each other’s company despite all imperfections and bumps that life has dealt each of us. We talked incessantly. We laughed until our ribs hurt. Occasionally, there would be awkward moments when we could not recall an event or a person that was being talked about. Again! The nights of the Reunion belonged to us. It was “OUR TIME” and I do believe we made the most of it.

Night Two, Christine and I suddenly had a family matter to tend to and we missed the evening on the Beach at PM Park in Clear Lake. Scratch a good time lost for us.

Night Three, Found us at a Cash Bar at an establishment named, “The Candy Bar”….We saw even more friends and colleagues from so long ago. I nearly cried a couple of times when a person, who I never expected to be there or to ever see again, would come up to me and say, “Doug?” Almost shyly, and then the hugs and the sheer joy of being in their presence would overwhelm me. I won’t mention any names here because those moments belong to us. However, each of us experienced the same thing many times over.

Because of all these memories I and my wife Christine are grateful. Each of my classmates are forever written on the walls of my heart.

Bodybuilding:
Well, Thanks to my wife Christine, we stayed right on our diet. She cooked, chilled, prepared individual portions for both of us for each meal that was scheduled. She is the backbone of my effort and makes my job that much easier. Thank you precious for all you do.

My objective is to increase my weight (and stay lean too) to 198 lbs by Contest Time in July 2015 in Pittsburgh, PA. My Coach, Justin Dees has me eating 3,794 Calories Daily, but by the time I drink my supplements etc. the grand total approaches 4,500 Calories Daily. Now, here’s the kicker. My weight has been steadily rising to around 185 lbs. Then, the first morning back, yesterday, I jumped on the scale and my weight had actually gone down to 178.2 lbs. I was crushed. I worked out at Justin’s Gym in South Jordan Utah yesterday and explained all this to Justin. I will meet with him this Friday to be measured for Body Fat and Body Weight and he will make the adjustments.

Curiously, I went right back to eating as I had been instructed and my weight this morning was 182.8 lbs. I am confused and I will keep to the high caloric intake and hard work for now. Today, I am doing my legs and I can guarantee you that I will be walking like an Easter Seal Poster Boy before I’m done.

I have no conventional wisdom to pass along at this point except to tell each of us who are getting along in years to never give up on the goals and dreams we have decided are important to us. We were not put on this earth to “Coast”….I will forever place in front of us that, “THIS IS OUR TIME!”

Go get ’em! Others need your success more than you will ever know…

Douglas E. Graham

 

 

 

 

Douglas E. Graham

I am a MANIAC. I train with the single mindedness of a demon who has only one purpose…..to destroy anything God has touched. In my single purpose world however, I work to be better with each thing I do. In fact, I have worked so hard that just before my last contest on 21 June 2014, I tore my right biceps 4 times doing wide grip chins and then successfully tore my left biceps once just for good measure. The number of sets and reps and exercises I was doing during my workouts was way beyond “Herculean.” It was probably closer to being described as “stupid.” I have never trained any other way. I train to absolute exhaustion by dramatically overdoing the volume of work.

As a result of my “work ethic” I was inhibiting my muscles from growing because I not only overworked them, I did not give them sufficient fuel or time to recover between focused training sessions. I was in good shape, but the size of my muscles had maxed. My Coach, Justin Dees, used the analogy of mowing your lawn everyday. Soon, you will have a very short lawn but it will be brown, ugly, and not very prone to becoming lush and green. Yup! That was me! The happy lawn boy who believed that more is always better.

Justin Dees has taken my lawn mower away. He pushes me with each workout to absolute failure and then asks that I only workout once per day and to move on to another body part the next day while the exhausted body part rests. Sounds logical but I have never been known for supreme demonstrations of logic, so forget that notion. I am better known for hard-nosed effort and letting the chips fall where they may. As a result of Justin’s demand for compliance to his strategy and ages old principles that cause muscular hypertrophy, my body is enlarging at an astronomical rate. I am still very lean looking with tons of vascularity and new size “everywhere.”

For example, I competed as a Middle Weight 21 June 2014 and weighed 173.2 lbs. Since then, my weight has been going up very slowly and has hovered around 177 lbs. Since starting with Justin my weight went to 178.4 to 179.6 to 180.4 to 181.4 yesterday to 184.6 lbs this morning. I gained 3.5 lbs overnight! All because I eat as I am instructed and train as hard as I can. AND THEN I REST! What a marvelous concept! If I eat alot, train hard, and REST, my muscles will enlarge. Why didn’t I (the lawn mower boy) think of that?!

So, the last two workouts for my legs (quads) and my chest have been very hard and brief capped my moments of absolute pain and fatigue. Then, when the training is done I retreat to the other parts of the equation, eating and REST.

Moral of this story is this. Just because work is prescribed does not mean that it is the only item to be done. You have to have an effort that addresses all requirements in their proper amounts to reach your goal. In my case, fewer exercises, fewer sets, fewer reps done with maximum effort is superior to massive volume over a longer period of time.

Such is life. Too much work away from the other vital requirements for personal growth always leads to a retardation of growth and maturity.

Key to success is to work harder but shorter and then allow ourselves to take on fuel and REST…..GO HOME and enjoy your family!

Less really is more!

Douglas E. Graham

As I train with my Coach each day this week, it has become abundantly clear in my mind that simply working hard does not equal ultimate victory. My Coach, Justin Dees, is always about the business of instructing, encouraging, setting the bar and then he has the audacity to push me to failure. The whole time, he is emphasizing proper technique, stretch, contraction, numbers of reps and then reviewing the technique to be sure I understand it and what is expected “today.” I am participating in a process that will lead me to excellence. I must keep reminding myself that in order to win I have to be humble, submissive to the Master’s Hand and Voice, and willing to endure the process. It’s the only way to be able to visualize the “end game.”

I am participating in this process. My mind is totally wrapped up in learning and expending the effort. I am forever engaged, looking for any sight of the winner’s circle.

However, my participation in the best of processes does not guarantee a win! But, I am absolutely convinced that in order to win we must do more than dream about winning or hope that we will win…..We must PREPARE to win. You see, hope is not a strategy and it is essential that each of us establishes a strategy or plan to win. Also, quitting is not an option so once you are locked on the goal, there are no “off ramps.”

I and you must develop “3-D” vision (today, tomorrow, and ultimately) that forgets yesterday. Interestingly, my Coach Justin rarely talks in the past tense. He is always talking about what needs to be done and the possibilities that can be had with hard work and following, “THE STRATEGY.”

Just remember to do some brain work and heart work before you start. Decide that the fire that burns inside you is real and worth every ounce of effort that you will expend on the goal you will set.

This is our time! Nobody can take it away from us. But, we can give it away with self-elimination. Don’t just go through the motions of participation. Make “winning” the only thing that matters to you. Then, participation will be a daily joy.

Douglas E. Graham