Happy Holidays Everyone

A friendly reminder on why we do what we do. I read this every year at this time.

Merry Christmas Bob
By Chris Shughart

"So, what are you doing for a living these days?" Bob asked me. We're sitting on the couch at one of those tedious holiday get-togethers, you know, the ones where you're supposed to be nice to family members you never see except during major holidays and funerals. I think Bob is my wife's brother-in-law's second cousin or something.

"I'm the assistant editor and a writer for Testosterone magazine," I say. Bob looks at me with a blank expression on his face, as if I'd just told him I sell handmade testicle warmers beside the freeway and was looking to open franchises across the nation.

"It's a bodybuilding magazine," I say.

Blank expression. Deer caught in the headlights. Ronnie Coleman doing trigonometry.

"Oh," Bob finally says, "I heard you were, like, one of those bodybuilder guys or something. So, what's that like, you know, working out every day and stuff? I just don't have time to lift weights all day, but I have been meaning to get rid of this beer belly." He takes another sip of beer. "What do you suggest?" Sip.

At first I was a little offended. I wanted to grab him up and say, "You can't tell I'm a bodybuilder?! Look at my ass! Now, if that's not a nice round squat-built piece of sirloin, I don't know what is! You think that comes naturally? I can crack walnuts with this puppy! Wanna see? Huh, punk? Do ya? Do ya?"

Then I realize this just might cause a scene and could cost me several Christmas presents. I was planning on returning any presents I got and using the money to buy a power rack, so I didn't want to jeopardize this gift getting opportunity. I also realized that old Bob probably had a certain preconceived image of a bodybuilder and I just didn't fit that image. I'm not gorilla huge; I weigh about 205 at 5'11" right now. (When I first started lifting I was a pudgy 159, so that's not too shabby.) Also, I wasn't wearing clown pants, a fluorescent string tank top, a hanky on my head and one of those little fanny packs. And isn't that what real bodybuilders are supposed to wear?

Bob continued to sit there drinking his Natural Light, smoking a cigarette and waiting for an answer, oblivious to the fact that he'd come this close to seeing some serious walnut- crunching ass power. I tried to figure out how I could explain to the average guy what the typical T-Man does and why he does it. How could I get him to understand what it is we do, how we feel, how we live? So I took a deep breath and told him something like this:

"Well, Bob, I guess you could use the term bodybuilder if you really need a label for what it is we do. Most of us actually don't stand on stage and compete, though. We lift weights and manipulate our diets so that we'll look good naked. Sure, it's healthy too, and we'll probably live a longer and more productive life than the average guy, but mostly it's about the naked thing. Truthfully, it goes beyond even that.

"Let's be honest here. We do it because of people like you, Bob. We look at you sitting there with your gut hanging over your belt and we watch you grunt and groan just getting out of a chair. Guys like you are our inspiration, Bob. You're better than Anthony Robbins, Bill Phillips, Deepak Chopra, and Zig fucking Ziglar all wrapped up into one. We love it when guys like you talk about not having time to exercise. Every time we see you munching on a bag of potato chips, you inspire us. You're my shot in the arm, Bob, my living and breathing wake-up call, my own personal success coach.

"You want to know what it is we do? We overcome. We're too busy to train, too, but we overcome. We're too busy to prepare healthy meals and eat them five or six times a day, but we overcome. We can't always afford supplements, our genetics aren't perfect, and we don't always feel like going to the gym. Some of us used to be just like you, Bob, but guess what? We've overcome.

"We like to watch 'normal' people like you tell us about how they can't get in shape. We smile and nod sympathetically like we feel your pain, but actually, we're thinking that you're a pathetic piece of shit that needs to grow a spine and join a gym. You smile sheepishly and say that you just can't stay motivated and just can't stand that feeling of being sore. (For some reason you think that admitting your weaknesses somehow justifies them.) We listen to you bitch and moan. We watch you look for the easy way out. Because of people like you, Bob, we never miss a workout.

"You ask us for advice about diet and training and usually we politely offer some guidance, but deep inside we know you won't take our advice. You know that too. We smile and say, 'Hope that helps. Good luck,' but actually we're thinking, 'Boy, it would suck to be you.' We know that 99% of people won't listen to us. Once they hear that it takes hard work, sacrifice and discipline, they stop listening and tune us out.

"We know they wanted us to say that building a great body is easy, but it just isn't. This did not take five minutes a day on a TorsoTrack. We did not get this way in 12 short weeks using a Bowflex and the Suzanne Somers' 'Get Skinny' diet. A good body does not cost five easy payments of $39.95.

"We like it that while you're eating a candy bar and drinking Mountain Dew, we're sucking down a protein shake. You see, that makes it taste even better to us. While you're asleep we're either getting up early or staying up late, hitting the iron, pushing ourselves, learning, succeeding and failing and rising above the norm with every rep. Can you feel that, Bob? Can you relate? No? Good. This wouldn't be half as fun if you could.

"We do it because we absolutely and totally get off on it. We do it because people like you, Bob, either can't or won't. We do it because what we do in the gym transfers over into the rest of our lives and changes us, physically, mentally, maybe even spiritually. We do it because it beats watching fishing and golf on TV. By the way, do you know what it's like to turn the head of a beautiful woman because of the way you're built? It feels good, Bob. Damned good.

"When we're in the gym, we're in this indescribable euphoria zone. It's a feeling of being on, of being completely alive and aware. If you haven't been there, then it's like trying to describe color to a person who's been blind since birth. Within this haze of pleasure and pain, there's knowledge and power, self-discipline and self-reliance. If you do it long enough, Bob, there's even enlightenment. Sometimes, the answers to questions you didn't even know you had are sitting there on those rubber mats, wrapped up in a neat package of iron plates and bars.

"Want to lose that beer belly, Bob? I have a nutty idea. Put down the fucking beer. I'll tell you what, Bob. Christmas morning I'm getting up real early and hitting the iron. I want to watch my daughter open her presents and spend the whole day with her, so this is the only time I have to train. The gym will be closed, so I'm going out in my garage to workout. You be at my house at six in the morning, okay? I'll be glad to help you get started on a weight training program. It'll be colder than Hillary Clinton's coochie in there, so dress warm.

"But let me tell you something, Bob. If you don't show up, don't bother asking me again. And don't you ever sit there and let me hear you bitch about your beer belly again. This is your chance, your big opportunity to break out of that rut. If you don't show up, Bob, you've learned a very important lesson about yourself, haven't you? You won't like that lesson.

"You won't like that feeling in the pit of your stomach either or that taste in your mouth. It will taste worse than defeat, Bob. Defeat tastes pretty goddamned nasty, but what you'll be experiencing will be much worse. It will be the knowledge that you're weak, mentally and physically. What's worse is that you'll have accepted that feeling. The feeling will always be with you. In the happiest moments of your life, it'll be there, lying under the surface like a malignant tumor. Ignore it at your own peril, Bob.

"Don't look at me like that either. This just may be the best Christmas present you'll get this year. Next Christmas, Bob, when I see you again, I'm going to be a little bigger, a little stronger, and a little leaner. What will you be? Will you still be making excuses? This is a gift, Bob, from me to you. I'm giving you the chance to look fate in those pretty eyes of hers and say, 'Step off, bitch. This is my party and you're not invited.' What do you say, Bob? Monday, Christmas morning, 6am, my house. The ball's in your court."

Okay, so maybe that's not the exact words I used with Bob, but you get the picture. Will Bob show up Monday? I don't know, but I kind of doubt it. In fact, Bob will probably take me off his Christmas card list. He probably thinks I've got "too much Testosterone," like that's a bad thing. I think Bob is just stuck in a rut, and as the saying goes, the only difference between a rut and a grave is depth.

The way out of the rut is to make major changes in your life, most of which won't be too pleasant in the beginning. The opportunity to make those changes seldom comes as bluntly as I put it to Bob. Most of the time, that opportunity knocks very softly. What I did was basically give Bob a verbal slap in the face. You can react two ways to a slap. You can get angry at the person doing the slapping, or you can realize that he was just trying to get you to wake up and focus on what you really want and, more importantly, what it'll take to get it.

If you're a regular T-mag reader, I doubt you need to be called out like Bob. But maybe you've caught yourself slacking a little here lately. Maybe you've missed a few workouts or maybe you started a little too early on the usual holiday feasting, like, say, back in September. Just remember that the time to start working on that summer body is now. The time to get rid of those bad habits that hold you back in the gym is now. You want to look totally different by next Christmas? Start now. This isn't because of the holidays or any corny New Year's resolutions either. The best time is always now.

Christmas day I want you to enjoy being with your family and friends. I want you to open presents, sip a little eggnog and have a good meal. But if your regularily scheduled workout happens to fall on December 25th, what will you be doing at six o'clock that morning?

That's what separates us from guys like Bob.

Im Back!!!!......Kinda

What up boys. back from a 7 day lay off. Taking it easy with the intensity until the body is ready to go again. Sticking with the basics and nothing more. My main focus right now is nutrition and the recovery process.
I am still supplementing with a bunch of Biotest supps and working on total recovery.
Keep hitting the weights!!!!!!!

Where Its At

Not going to lie, Ive been slacking big time with the posts. My planned week off begins Wednesday so I have really been pushing my body to its limits when training. I went back to my rest pause style training to really push the threshold. I am hoping that the week off allows for some serious super compensation gains.
As for the teaching job, the kids are awesome and I am really getting along with them.

Todays Back training:

T Bar Row: 2 Sets
315 lbs x 6, 3, 3
315 lbs x 6, 4, 3

Cable Row: 2 Sets
120 lbs x 15, 7, 4
140 lbs x 14, 7, 4

Calbe High Pull: 1 Set
5o lbs x 12, 6, 3

Week off supplement list:
-Rosea Rhodiola (Biotest)
-ZMA (Biotest)
-L-Leucine (Biotest)

Keeping the protein high and the BCAA's coming in. Hopefully I come back heavier!

Video Of The Day:

What It Is

Been awhile. Ive been busy with the new job and trying to stay on point with my nutrition/training. The new teaching job so far is pretty interesting and has opened me up to a variety of new challenges.
I think the kids can relate to me a little more because of my age, which makes the job a little easier.
I havent given up training though, I still kept my clients in my Methuen gym.
As for my training, I still have been keeping everything short and intense, making the most out of my time training. I have a planned week off in two weeks, which my body is DEFINITELY in need of, so I am kind of looking forward that.

Quick Arms today:

Tri-sets:

Decline Skulls into Bodyweight Extensions into Close Grip Push Ups: 3 sets

100 lbs x 10, 12 extensions, 15 push ups
110 lbs x 8, 10 extensions, 15 push ups
110 lbs x 8, 10 extensions, 15 push ups

Kept rest periods in between 90-120 seconds

Reverse Grip EZ Bar Preachers into EZ Bar Curls into Incline Bench Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 2 sets

60lbs x 12, 80lbs x 10, 20lbers x 10
60lbs x 10, 80lbs x 10, 20lbers x 8

We then did some grip specialization work. Gotta get them forearms bigger!

Keep pushin weight,

Easy

Video Of The Day:

Muscle Ink

It's time for a change....I am starting a new job next week at the local High School. This will make life a lot easier and cut down on my stressful travel that I have been dealing with the past two years.
I also have been given an opportunity to submit some physique photos to a new site called Muscle Ink. Hopefully this will get me the chance to get some modeling shoots and show some of the hard work I have been putting into my body the past four years. The site focuses on bodybuilders who have tattoo's. FINALLY, someone catering to people with ink instead of discriminating it.



It is run by Andrew Oye and really shows the more hardcore aspect of bodybuilding. The pictures evoke a wide variety of feelings that I cannot begin to explain. Some show the loneliness one feels in their training quest, while others show the rage and determination needed to succeed.
I am definitely one of the smaller prospects at 5'7" 190lbs, but as we all know I am constantly working on that. Check out the site for updates and hopefully some of my photos!!

http://www.myspace.com/muscleink

Until then, keep PUSHIN' WEIGHT!!!!!!!!

Easy

My Boston

Been slacking on the posts as of late. Ive been dragging ass the past week but have managed to push through the training/work etc.. I have been supersetting almost every body part, keeping the sessions short and intense. Keeping the compound movements heavy and then keeping constant tension on isolation movements to keep oxygen out of the muscle and increase localized IGF-1 release. I have been following the same rep tempo as before. Slow eccentric with a fast concentric to tap into the high threshold motor units and type II fibers which have the most growth potential.
On another note, I am starting a new job at the high school in a few weeks so I am anxious waiting for this new experience. Hopefully I dont get too many kids that were like my friends and I back when we went there.
I will post the video of the day like always...it is the Big Shug video, "My Boston". I get a few quick cameo's in the background when its Terms verse. Check it out.

Legs last night:

Leg Press:3 Sets (Havent done these in a LONG time. Its not a functional movement.)
795lbs x 12
885lbs x 8
885lbs x 8

Free Motion SLDL supersetted with Leg Extensions: 3 Sets
200lbs x 14, 150lbs x 14
200lbs x 12, 150lbs x 13
200lbs x 12, 150lbs x 12

Walking Dumbbell Lunges: 3 Sets
30lbers x 60 feet
30lbers x 60 feet
30lbers x 60 feet

Standing Calf Raises: 3 Sets
120lbs x 12
120lbs x 13
120lbs x 12

Video Of The Day:

Stress is the word of the week. I have been using it to fuel my training this whole week.
Yesterday was no exception. I decided to try deading heavy again and the stress began to fade away after each set. You get into a certain zone and nothing outside of the gym can bother you anymore. You got your headphones bumping and your mind is focused on nothing but pushing as much weight as you can.

Deads: 4 Sets
315lbs x 1
365lbs x 1
385lbs x 2
405lbs (fail)
405lbs x 1

Walking Dumbbell Lunges: 3 Sets
40lbers x 60 feet
40lbers x 60 feet
40lbers x 60 feet

Sissy Squats on the Hack Machine: 3 Sets
50lbs x 12
50lbs x 10
50lbs x 12

Free Motion Stiff Leg Deadlift: 1 Set
200lbs x 15

Glute and Ham Raise with Bodyweight: 2 Sets
BW x 6
BW x 6

Standing Calf Raises: 3 Sets (Done with a slow eccentric/12 second hold in the stretch position/fast concentric)
110lbs x 10
110lbs x 10
110lbs x 8

I played hockey three hours after the training. Legs are absolutely toast today.....now its just time to focus and get past these stressful times.

Video Of The Day: