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It’s been a little while since my last post; a lot has been going on. It seems like I’m always saying that but the truth of the matter is, A LOT has been (and is) going on! I’ll start filling everyone in on separate posts.  The reason for this post is because of Cellucor.  Even though I’ve been quite busy, I recently joined the Cellucor Nation. I’ve been going back and forth on Bodyspace with a few guys who take their products.  Before I joined though, I did some homework and research on Cellucor; who they are, what they do and what they stand for as a supplement company. I was pleasantly surprised at the overwhelmingly positive feedback I saw. I also tried their products about 2 years ago with great results. Back then when I tried it, I was overseas and it was hard to get supplements where I was. As most people know, I’m back in the U.S. now and this was a great opportunity to use some top notch products that are backed by a 100% guarantee.  So, I figured I’d give it a shot.

Over the years, I’ve taken just about every supplement you can think of.  In today’s crazy supplement market there are more supplement companies than you can imagine. When you think you know them all, guess what? You don’t! Because of all that, it’s not very often you can find a supplement company who has a 100% guarantee backing their products. It’s not too often you can find a “live chat” feature on their website that allows you to get your questions answered. It’s not too often that a supplement company puts a tremendous amount of time and effort into making sure you understand how and why the product works. Cellucor definitely does all of that, which is the one thing that impressed me most and made me want to try their products.

Currently, I’m taking the M5, P6, R3 and their Ultralean Protein. As time progresses, I’ll document how they’re working for me, how they effect my state of well being and anything else they might do. So far, I haven’t heard anything negative about the company or the product. If anyone has any feedback they’d like to share, I encourage you to interact with me and let me know what you think. If you’re already taking Cellucor products, let me know what you think and how you’re progressing!

If you’re already wanting to try Cellucor, use my coupon code to get a discount – LA10

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If you don’t have a hired cook, than you should feel like one with part time duties as a dish washer! My fiancee (Ann) gets a kick out of calling me “the kitchen bitch”. I’d love to defend myself, but unfortunately, she’s right (she’s a pro at being right). Call it a cliché but the saying is true – a body isn’t made in the gym; it’s made in the kitchen.

Diet is everything to bodybuilding, yet, funny enough, I hardly get asked about my diet. The more popular questions are: “What supplements do you take?” and “What type of workouts do you do?” Look, going to the gym and knocking out a good, intense workout is relatively easy. Taking the latest and best supplements money can buy…again, pretty easy. Spending countless hours everyday prepping and preparing meals, going grocery shopping a few times a week and eating every two hours…now, we’re getting to the hard work, dedication and focus that separates the weak, the skinny, the fat and the hardcore bodybuilders.

Food Is Fuel for the Body

Besides the grueling work and time involved in preparing your meals there’s also another small factor that pretty much sucks; there is little variety or room for actually enjoying the food you must eat/consume. I’m not kidding you, by the time I’m done eating and cleaning up – I might get an hour before it’s time to do it again. Food is fuel.

How about some plain brown rice and chicken…4 times a day? How about broccoli, everyday? Well, if you’re going to be a bodybuilder than you better get use to it. Okay, so maybe you can sometimes change the chicken to beef, or maybe fish, but it’s all still the same because there’s no butter and not much flavor. You’ll find that in bodybuilding “burned” is good seasoning!

Prior Planning and Preparation

Piss poor planning and prior preparation will lead to missed meals, incomplete nutritional balance and prolonged catabolism. Diet should be developed based on desired goals and results. Ultimately, people should eat every 3 hours, or so, to keep their metabolism up. By eating on a schedule like this, the body is able to maintain a positive nitrogen balance which is key to building muscle.

For those who bodybuild, there is no shortcut around diet. The bottomline is, diet is the staple of any regimen. It doesn’t matter what supplements you’re taking or how great your workout is. If diet isn’t a primary focus than the results yielded will be limited and you will more than likely end up overtraining.

Now that you realize how important diet is to becoming and being a bodybuilder; we’ll discuss food, nutrition, preparation tips, and perhaps even share recipes…hey, you too will become a good “kitchen bitch”.

The Exception: There are some people out there who are true genetic freaks. You’ll see them eat whatever they want and remain shredded while displaying a world class physique. Not everyone is that blessed. Those of you who are not have to ensure you work extra hard because these genetic freaks will be the competition when you finally get up on stage.

If people really want to gain positive, realistic results they’ll stop spending crazy amounts of money on the newest supplements that make unrealistic promises and get back to the basics; proper diet and nutrition combined with a strict workout program and a solid supplement profile.

In the making...defying all odds!

In bodybuilding everyone has a beginning. The difference between most people is how that beginning begins. For many, they go about it somewhat blindly and learn through trial and error, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, others recognize the importance of having a bodybuilding coach from the get-go.

There are a number of reasons why having a bodybuilding coach is extremely beneficial:

Diet – is the key ingredient to a successful bodybuilder. Without a proper diet all the training in the world, and even the greatest supplements on the market, won’t give you a first class physique.A coach can design a meal plan specifically for your body type, body weight and goal. This is done quickly and without much thought because, as the coach, he or she has that knowledge readily available to share with you. The key is to get the right amount of quality ingredients to fuel the body and help it recover. After all, you are what you eat.

Training – can be easily overdone equating to overtraining. Overtraining can lead to injury, joint pain, illness, fatigue and even a loss of muscle mass. For beginners overtraining is a commonly made mistake because he or she always thinks more is better; I was that beginner. Everyone has strong and weak points in their physique so a coach will develop a program that will bring up those weak points giving you a symmetrical physique. Again, depending on a person’s goal, a coach will formulate a training routine to build mass or decrease body fat. Expect the workout to change frequently. This will keep the body from adapting to a specific workout; therefore, allowing for more muscle growth and less plateaus.

Supplementation – is just that – supplementation. Althought supplements are a staple in any bodybuilding regimen, they cannot replace food. Picking the right supplements can be tricky because there are so many new products on the market each claiming to be better than the next. The advertisment of products can mislead someone to purchase products that don’t coincide with his or her goals. A coach can prescribe the right supplements to take, how much and when to take them. In many cases you’ll find yourself taking a lot of the basic stuff that’s been proven to work time and time again. This is where diet comes back into play. When your diet is on par you don’t need all kinds of fancy stuff – you simply need the basics to supplement with your normal meals or pre and post workout.

Motivation – helps with keeping your intensity levels up. People tend to lose motivation when they don’t see the results they are looking for. They’re not seeing the results they want because their diet is off, the training may not be designed right or they’re taking the wrong supplements. Having a coach can get you on the right track and help you dial all of that in; therefore, giving you the results you want. Then, when you go into the gym to train you begin to see the transformation taking place which pushes you harder and harder each day.

In the beginning, or even at the advance levels, there are many benefits to having a professional coach you through the learning process or introduce you to new concepts in lifting, nutrition or supplementation. It’s a learning experience and allows you to grow from there. After the initial coaching cycle you may find that you’ve learned so much you don’t need to hire a coach again. Or, it’s quite possible it’s inspired you enough to begin to read and do your own research on reaching the goal you have set in mind.

Trying to dial it in for the 2009 All Forces Classic!

I’m inside of 8 weeks for the All Forces Classic in Tampa, FL. Training and diet is beginning to intensify. For novice competitors this is where things start to get challenging because the final 8 weeks, or so, are all about dialing it in and making sure you peak at the right time for the show. I’m relying on my coach to make sure I’m on the mark since this will be my first show.

As a member of Team Body Tech, I’m under the tutelage of Tim Gardner (aka…the Architect.) I began working with Tim in March 2009 and this learning experience has been priceless. Most of the knowledge I’ve gained in the sport has all been self taught and I’ve learned a lot through experience. I thought I knew a lot but when I started working with Tim I realized how much I didn’t know, specifically training and diet.

Right now I’m on a strict diet and supplement plan coupled with an intense training program. Since I’m in New Oreans, LA and Tim is in Tampa, FL, he relies on me sending him photos every Monday morning, first thing. He assesses the photos and makes adjustments to my diet and training where needed so things are constantly changing, which is good. The constant change helps keep the workouts exciting, not boring, but also doesn’t let my body’s muscles get use to a constant routine.

I didn’t have a coach when I was training to compete in 2001 (which didn’t happen) and having a coach now, I see a number of mistakes I made in my diet, supplementation (timing) and training. Some examples of mistakes I made were 1) not taking enough amino acids throughout the day and in my diet, 2) not getting enough variety of lean, solid proteins throughout the day, and 3) overtraining, to name a few. The way I feel right now, even though somewhat carb depleted, I can tell a huge difference because my strength isn’t falling nor is the muscle mass I’m holding. Instead, my bodyfat is decreasing and my striations and seperations are beginning to show more and more.

I’m a tall guy so I have to carry a lot of muscle mass to be competitive. Since I don’t carry the huge amount of mass to overshadow the other competitors right now we’re relying on my symmetry and conditioning to bring home a win. I forgot to mention Tim is also an NPC and IFBB judge so he knows what to look for in a bodybuilder, which is an added benefit for me.

For those of you who are unsure about what you’re doing, it may behoove you to invest in getting a coach, at least initially. It will be a great learning experience and will help you build on what you already know. Tim tells me, “I’m driving this train, you just do what I tell you to and we’ll win the show.” That in itself is a great confidence booster.

The new Jay Cutler DVD, All Access, has been released. All Access is a very good documentary about the life of Jay Cutler, a world champion bodybuilder. What makes this video so interesting is to see how Jay has revolutionized the bodybuilding industry. He has combined his dedication and passion for the sport with a business savvy approach to build his own empire, while at the same time being an Ambassador for the sport.

Over the years, bodybuilding has slowly improved – its improved image has enabled the sport to become more mainstream. World champion athletes, like Jay Cutler, have helped the sport flourish and gain a more positive outlook; many people don’t think of bodybuilding as an extreme sport but it is. All Access shows the day in the life of Jay while he trains, eats, answers mail, competes, visits with family and enjoys down time. It’s hard to believe a bodybuilder can have such a huge fanbase but when you see the video you get to see it and it’s truly amazing.

Jay shows what it takes to be a champion bodybuilder; bodybuilding is a lifestyle and that requires 24 hours a day dedication. Activities each day revolve around eating meals and training. Sleep is often interrupted by the need to consume calories (fuel) for the body. As contests near, the intensity of the training, diet and posing increases due to calorie deficit and low carbohydrate consumption. This is where the extreme aspect of bodybuilding takes shape.

A day in the life of Jay is not a normal one but it’s extremely interesting and provides a good source of motivation. Jay’s comments really hit home with true bodybuilders because not just everyone has what it takes to be successful. Sacrifice is often routine and precision is key.

My brother and I are still tweaking and adjusting the website to make it look better. One of the recent features improved was the layout of the video gallery. We also added a few more videos to the site today so I hope everyone enjoys watching. I’ll keep posting them as I’m able to take them.

This morning was a great workout; hamstrings, biceps and lower back. My partner (Tom) and I finished off with some heavy deadlifts so that made for an intense ending. Fortunately, I was able to hit 500lbs for my final set of 5 reps. I can’t say that I’ve ever lifted that much weight for that many reps so today was a milestone for me meaning, I’m slowly making improvements. I was attempting to get 6 reps but I wasn’t able to muster up any more strength to pick it up after number 5. My last set for this exercise should be 6 reps so I’ll have to get that one in next time.

Tomorrow we’re hitting shoulders, triceps and abs. Progress is going well overall and considering the circumstances of being in Baghdad, I can’t complain.

Best,
“Double A”