The Gifted One

Another Mr. Olympia has come and gone. This year Phil "The Gift" Heath defeated the regining champion, Jay Cutler. The Orleans Arena In Las Vegas erupted in cheers as the announcment was made.

I've always like this photo of Phil with his legs slightly tensed. This photo of Phil was taken at the 2010 Arnold Classic where he placed a contoversial second to Kai Greene. He was bigger and more ripped this year when he won the Olympia.

Back at it

My shoulder is feeling remarkably better this week. I had some PT done on it and lots of ice was used. So were NSAIDs for about a week. Inflammation is way down. It actually feels normal.

Started back at the gym after a week and a half layoff. I did a light leg workout. Friday will be upper body. I'm going to begin an "opposites" training schedule. For example dumbbell rows superstted with dumbbell bench presses. Shoulder press with lat pulldowns. Rear lateral raises and flat flyes. You get the idea.

I'll use reps between 12 and 15 and my goal is to increase shoulder flexibility and train at a fast rate to help the fat-burning process.

Dadgummit Blowout!

This time it's the right shoulder. I sure get sick of pain in the shoulders. It was simply a case of overwork. Too much yardwork and stuff around the house combined with a chest and delt workout the following morning. Lots of inflammation. It'll be six weeks until it's back to normal.

Flexibility training and stretching has to become a new priority.

Summer's here

Time to get outside and get things done. Take advantage of the warmer weather. Do some yard work at night in the cooler evening hours. Or go for a walk, jog, run or hike. Play ball with your kids. Don't get locked into only doing cardio on a machine at the gym. Enjoy life with your family and friends!

Fitness Arrogance

One of the things I've noticed about some people in the fitness world is a high level of arrogance. Don't get me wrong. Not all fitness-minded or health-conscious people are prideful. That is not the case by any means, but I have noticed that there are those who seem to look down on those that don't eat the same way they do or have the same training "discipline" that they have been blessed with. Know who who I'm talking about? Anyone come to mind?

We'll call this person "Fitness Know-It-All" for reference purposes -- FKIA for short. Here's a typical conversation FKIA might have with a co-worker:

FKIA walks into the break room. Joe is minding is own business eating a snack from the vending machine.
FKIA grows irritated by just seeing the snack and asks Joe, "How can you EAT that? Do you know what that DOES to you body? I wouldn't feed that to my worst enemy!"

FKIA rolls her eyes in disgust and walks out of the room.

Later that day, FKIA overhears a conversation in the hallway and her ears perk up because they're talking about falling off the wagon when it comes to their diets.

FKIA proudly states, "I NEVER eat that garbage!" Again she walks away confident that her co-workers will truly admire her willpower and they will see the folly of their evil ways once they see how great she looks from the back as she walks away...

FKIA also jumps into conversations about exercise so she can point out that they are all doing cardio incorrectly. Their heart rates should all be at 153 for x amount of minutes instead of "just" walking outside in the park or jogging a few blocks around the neighborhood. 

Okay, you get the picture because you most likely envisioned a "special" someone in your life that could fit this stereotype.

On the otherhand, if you think FKIA is normal and is in the right, then go eat a chocolate sundae, have a large pizza, and get a life! Because life is just too short to make those around us miserable.

If you're a fitness enthusiast, encourage those around you. Give them practical tips to stay on track in their diets and workouts. Motivate them. Don't insult them.

Enough said on that.

Pounding The Pavement Again

My daughter, Alyssa, decided to run track this year. She's doing the 100 meter and the long jump. I did those events in high school along with the shot put and discus. After attending one of her practice meets I could see she needed some extra coaching so I'm now her personal track coach! I started running with her at night and we've gone over to the long jump pit to practice technique.

I realized I missed the sprint training I did years ago. Exploding from the starting position is a powerful feeling, but I'm taking it easy and doing a little bit at a time. I don't want to risk injury so I still haven't done a full-blown, 100-meter sprint. My legs aren't as young as they used to be and they need plenty of warming up and coaxing to get them in shape for that.

When I refer to a sprint I'm not talking about fast running like most people do for interval training. No, I'm talking all-out, as-fast-as-you-can-go, beat-the-clock sprinting. Lots of people go jogging and I've done my share of long-distance running over the years, but running as fast as you can for 100 meters with the wind in your face makes you feel like a powerful rocket, even if it only lasts for a little more than 10 seconds.

I'm looking forward to the progress that I make and what my 100-meter time is these days. More than 25 years ago it was 12 seconds. Maybe these old legs can get close to that once again!

Live Vs. Photos

It seems after every pro show bodybuilding message boards light up with accusations of guys getting robbed or there's a huge conspiracy of sponsors paying the judges. Most of the statements are made by guys viewing the photos posted immediately during or after the judging. By viewing those photos guys make up their minds by judging the show for themselves only by looking at the photos. I do the same thing when I can't make it to one of the shows, but I do know there is another apsect of judging than just looking at photos.

If you've never been to a pro bodybuilding show in person, you can't know the difference because you've not seen it for yourself. In my review of the Flex Pro I wrote for Bodybuilding.com last weekend, I analyzed why Evan placed ahead of Dexter. I explained it like this:

Why Evan Won

It’s not always obvious when looking at the photos posted online after a pro bodybuilding show, but it’s easier to see how decisions are made by judges when you are actually at the event and you’re watching and analyzing it. There’s a 3-D element that is always lost in photos. You can see the depth and hardness of a physique or how a muscle looks as it’s moving. These are huge factors that photos cannot capture.

When Evan was standing on stage, your eyes would be drawn to him more than the other competitors. His arms look huge in photos, but when you see those arms move and see them from various angles as he turns on stage, you really get an idea of how big Evan’s arms are. I know the emcee of the Flex Pro, Bob C., has said, “You can never have too much money and your arms can never be too big,” but Evan’s are almost too big. They are like Phil Heath’s when he’s on stage; they are just bigger than everyone else’s arms.

Like I said earlier, Evan was a lot bigger than Dexter and he plain old out-massed him. Cutler has done a good job of out-massing Dexter, but Jay is a couple inches shorter than Evan and so Dexter looked much smaller because of Evan’s height. It didn’t help that Foaud, Wolf and Evan were in the same group as Dexter and that made Jackson look even smaller.

If Dexter would have come in with his classic conditioning, he might have pulled this one  off and chalked up another win. Dexter’s combination of decent size, shape and proportion will win only if he combines it with that incredible conditioning. When that’s gone, Dexter looks aesthetic, but your eyes are not drawn to him as much. Evan had the conditioning combined with extraordinary mass and your eyes were drawn to him instead of Dexter.

Well, that's a brief explanation of how judging a show live is different than looking at photos online. There's still more involved, but I'll get into that in aother post.

2011 Arnold Classic

Will Branch Win It?

Things got really heated up for the Arnold Classic when Evan Centopani knocked off Dexter Jackson to win the 2011 Flex Pro on February 19. Will Branch be able to crunch the momentum of the young Centopani and finally become the Arnold Classic Champion?

Branch Warren is the man to beat this year

The biggest news for this year’s Arnold Classic, before Evan won the Flex Pro, was that neither Kai Greene or Phil Heath will be in the show. Both athletes have decided to bypass it and concentrate on the Mr. Olympia in September of this year. Kai Greene won the 2009 and 2010 Arnold Classics and Phil Heath placed an unforgettable and controversial second last year. With those two absent, it opens up the possibility for a new champion to be crowned. Or a former champ could reclaim the title. Anyway you look at it, a great show is in the making.

Flex Pro Show

Evan Centopani won the 2011 Flex Pro Show, which  kicked off  the IFBB pro season on Saturday. It was his second pro contest and his second win.

IFBB Flex Pro Championships

The inaugural 2011 IFBB Flex Pro Championships will be held this Saturday, February 19 in Santa Monica, CA. I'll be there covering the show for Bodybuilding.com. Dennis Wolf will be competing along with Dexter Jackson and Evan Centopani.

Fit Expo is this Saturday

Saturday, January 29 is the annual Fit Expo held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It used to be held in conjunction with the IFBB IronMan Pro show every year. The Iron Man was cancelled  last year so this year the Fit Expo is a standalone. It's a great chance to see some of the biggest celebrities in bodybuilding, fitness and MMA. Here's the web site: http://www.thefitexpo.com/ Bodybuilding.com is the main sponsor and they have a coupon on their site for a discount for the price of admission.

Today was my chest, delts and tri's workout. This one is always my favorite, especially when my shoulders are not killing me. I've been doing shorter, non-lockout reps lately and that has really helped to take strain off the shoulder joints. It's sort of like Branch Warren's style of shorter reps, but not as explosive and loose.

I've given Carnivor by MuscleMeds. It's powdered beef protein and it sounds nasty, but the fruit punch flavor is actually not bad. Once you get over the "beef" part it's fine and just like any other protein.