The voice unheard is often the one unspoken …

There is no denying that I enjoy writing … especially when it entails me unloading a dose of “real” feeling from within.  However, there is nothing that gets my creative juices flowing more than a question that makes me dig deeper down inside and intrigues me enough to spend some quality time searching for answers to.  This is where you come in.  How?  I need to know what you want to hear about.  As the title of my blog reads, “The only voice unheard is the only that is left unspoken,” you can’t bitch and moan when you have a vote in what I ultimately write about.  You matter to me, and therefore your concerns won’t be left unheard.  I don’t ever want to be mistaken for one of those entities that write for the mere sake of filling a page.  I want to intrigue you … provoke thought in you, and ultimately make you better.  We here at Status Fitness Magazine know you have many selections to choose from for your health and fitness news … WE WANT TO BE YOUR FIRST AND ONLY SOURCE FOR THE LATEST AND GREATEST  TRENDS IN HEALTH & WELLNESS.   Help me help you be the absolute best that you can possibly be. Please send your thoughts and concerns to www.erykbui@sbcglobal.net and you may find your answers in the next issue of Status Fitness Magazine.

The path to fitness is a lifelong journey …

Are you at the brink of giving up on your New Year’s Resolution because of discouragement?  If so, perhaps you are training too hard and expecting too much way too soon.  Many people who want to adopt a healthier lifestyle are jeopardizing their chances by trying to emulate training schedules found in various magazines.  Not to say that they are all bad … it’s just that many of the workout schedules are designed for and used by seasoned athletes.  As the title of my blog states, “One day at a time, 60 minutes at at time.” Keeping it simple will produce incremental physical changes and promote long-term lifestyle changes for the better.  It as always been my suggestion to start with an efficient 20-30 minute full-body workout followed by 30-40 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, for a total of 60 minutes … 3 times per week.  Non-training days should be involve 60 minutes of fat-burning cardiovascular work. Again, this regimen is ideal for those who are out of shape and want to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  If your goal is to bulk up then the aforementioned is not intended for your consideration. The toughest part of anything NEW is getting into a groove with it.  Adopting a realistic schedule will get you into a groove and help you maintain that groove so as to promote positive and lasting changes.  Don’t give up … just stop wasting time.

GETTIN’ REAL WITH YOUR 2010 RESOLUTION

It’s that time of year again.  The new year has just started and the air is filled with brand new resolutions of hope and prosperity.  Of these hopes, the most popular one has to be one of better health and longevity.  But with most things in life, coming up with the great ideas is often times more ambitious than the cold hard reality of the hard work work and dedication required to make them realities.  A gym membership is still JUST another card, just as acquiring the services of a personal trainer is NO guarantee that you will get into fantastic shape.  It all comes back to you and only you, so listen up and learn how to make the right adjustments to get started and stay motivated in achieving a tighter, slimmer, stronger, healthier you.

For the past week since January 1st, I have been observing the popular gym trends of 2010.  Just as in past years, I still see a lot of misconceptions and poor planning that do nothing but doom New Year’s Health Resolutions.  Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing driven people hit the gym and filling the air with newfound hope and determination.  What i don’t enjoy watching is crappy lifting technique and/or a bunch of people congregating around gym equipment with all talk and no walk.  Consider the gym your “other” workplace.  You are there to produce results … YOUR RESULTS.

The right attitude starts long before you walk into the gym.  You need assess your strengths and especially your weaknesses to determine your plan of attack.  If your primary goal is to slim down, then you should focus the majority of your gym time on cardio equipment.  Make no mistake about it, I am not saying to stay away from weight lifting … just allocate at least 40 minutes of your training hour for cardiovascular activities.  I am not going to tell you what kind of cardio to do as it does not really matter.  Just get on something and stay on it for the duration of your time.  Sure you can mix up machines, but make sure you spend at least 15 minutes per machine.  Whatever you do, don’t lost sight of the fact that this resolution is a change for the duration of your life and not just a means to an end.  It is never too late so long as you are not late (pardon the pun).

Don’t try to do too much too early and build momentum sequentially.  For example, I think running or jogging are excellent ways of building cardiovascular endurance.  I recall taking up running after my second 25-pound muscular growth spurt back in 2003, and especially how much my lungs and muscles ached after just a 5-minute run.  As physically demanding and seemingly impossible running felt, I was able to gradually build up enough endurance so that a 3-mile run was achievable after just a short 10-week period.  Can you do this?  Absolutely!  Your body is highly adaptive to whatever it is that you wish to do so long as you are consistent with your training methods.

My recommendations are the same regardless of what your goals are and what you are doing inside and outside of the gym.  Nothing will discourage you more than hitting the gym so hard that the ensuing soreness makes you limp around like a wounded Tyrannosaurus Rex.  Start with 30-35 minutes of total training time and increase 5 minutes every week until you are able to efficiently train for about 60-minutes at a time.   Again, let your personal fitness goals determine how long you need to allocate to training.  If you need help determining this, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email (www.erykbui@scglobal.net).  Of course there is a charge, but if you are serious about your fitness resolution then the cost will be more than worth it.

“TWENTY-TEN” … the year to make it happen!

Listen up everyone … 2010 is “The Year of the Tiger.”  Simply put, this is the year to be aggressive and MAKE IT HAPPEN.  Last year with “The Year of the Ox,” it was about diligence and strength.  This played out to a “T” as many financial institutions continued to “writeoff” weakened assets, resulting in suppressed consumer confidence and spending.  While many would argue that the worse has yet to come, I am going to go out on a limb and say that it is time to have faith and aggressively pursue your dreams.  There is no better time to get back into school, or leave the safe confines of an unfulfilling job for the chance of a lifetime with a new industry.  I am going to do GREAT things this year and I want you to have the same attitude and approach to “TWENTY-TEN.”

As scary as it was for me to walk away from a decent income provided by professional bodybuilding, I knew that it would take me walking away from the sport to discover my lifelong fulfillment.  Although i am still uncertain about what God has in store for me in terms of my professional career, I am certain that it has very little to do with pro bodybuilding.  My brief tenure in the IFBB has given my name and words more merit.  This in turn has afforded me the means to directly impact the lives of everyone, including those who want to find health and others who want to take their physical fitness to a new level.  I don’t claim to know it all, but I can promise you that I would NEVER have you do anything that I have yet to try myself.  Those who are foolish enough to believe that I am somehow more gifted genetically or better than they are, I CANNOT and WILL NOT help.  I can’t help you if you are unwilling to believe in yourself.  I can and will help you find your way If you have the desire to want and expect more from yourself.  Woe to those who lack the faith from within to conjure the courage that excites the soul to great feats.  When the road seems rough, endless, or missing as a result of  any uncertainties, the one thing you can do and should do is make sure that you are ready and able to seize the moment … better yet, MAKE THE MOMENT!  Always remember that each stumble, each failure brings you that much closer to your success.  Quitting or not trying are the easiest things that you can do.  I don’t know all of you, but I am CERTAIN that we all have a burning desire to be fulfilled.  Don’t settle for mediocrity and have the strength and courage to find your happiness.

In Houston for the holidays!

Don’t forget to include your heart when training for bulk …

I had an amazing cardio week as I was able to run almost every single day.  The temperature outside was favorable for most of the week so most of my runs were outdoors.  Running literally awakens my body and starts me off on the right foot … no pun intended.  Most of my bodybuilding peers would say that I am burning too many calories and making it more difficult to build muscle with all of the cardio that I do, but I beg to differ.  In fact, I am willing to bet that the human body will not NATURALLY grow beyond the heart’s capacity to support it … notice I said NATURALLY.  Sure there are drugs (steroids) available that make it easier for the human body to UNNATURALLY bulk up, but there is a hidden cost.  It may not happen right away, but the toll that sports enhancing drugs places on the human body becomes increasingly insurmountable with each passing cycle.  Some are able to walk away, while many others end up suffering catastrophic organ failure and wind up limping away with regret.

If you want to bulk up the safe and effective way, then make sure to not forget about strengthening your heart so that it can support the added muscle weight that you want to put on.  I cringe every time I read about some IFBB dumb-ass professing about how little or no cardio they have to do to get into contest shape.  What they fail to address is how much crap they are putting into their bodies to artificially burn fat to get lean.  They would rather inflate their egos and make you believe that they are somehow more superior rather than man up to the fact that they are no better, if not less. The equation for muscle growth is pretty simple my friends.  If you train heavy and hard every single day, it comes down to the following deciding factor:  If you have a positive caloric and nitrogen balance at the end of the day, you will have enough resources to help your body recover and subsequently build more mass.  So then how do I do it?  I run between 2.5-3.0 miles every day without fail, so I make sure to eat enough food so that my total training (cardio and weights) caloric expenditure does not exceed my overall caloric intake.

Take it from me, your heart is the most important muscle in your entire body.  Not being able to maintain consistent biceps, pecs, quads, etc. strength won’t kill you.  On the other hand, not doing enough cardio to strengthen the heart can and will eventually kill you.

Hope everyone is having a blessed Holiday Season!

With the beginning of 2010 just weeks away, I can’t help but stop to reflect on the “good” and “bad” events of this past year.  At this time last year, my prayers were answered when my ex-wife called to discuss a possible change of custody … Laura and I had just arrived at Logan International Airport in Boston, MA and were heading towards her hometown.  For over seven years, all I could do was offer Austin a glimmer of hope that his mother would eventually listen to him and send him back to me.  Christmas time is usually a time when we wish for all kinds of things that we may want, but rarely do we really wish for things that we actually need. What is the difference?  Something that I want may fulfill a temporary void.  On the other hand, something that I “need” will be as significant tomorrow as much as it was today or yesterday.  People often bitch and moan about how God does not listen because they’re prayers were not answered.  To them, I offer this:  God will never give you more than you can handle, and will always provide you with the things that you need.  Therefore stop asking for “junk” and start asking for love and guidance.  My prayers are simple when I pray.  I simply ask for God’s love, strength, and guidance to do always act and react towards others with love, fairness, and compassion.  When you open your heart to God and your fellow man, you are also making it easier for love to come back to you.  Please keep this mind as we get closer to Christmas and 2010.

I recall being so excited on Christmas Day as a child as I tore through gift-wrappings.  I would play and tinker with my toys and gifts for hours until I got absolutely sick of them.  Without fail, by the time the New Year would take place, I would lose interest and reduce my gifts to merely another pile of junk.  My sense of appreciation for the many immaterial blessings that God has provided for me increased immeasurably as I was able to distinguish and separate things that I need from things that I want.  Today in my late 30’s, I find myself ever more thankful that I have a healthy immediate and extended family.  I once chased money and found myself becoming more unhappy, self-centered, and ALONE.  No matter how much money I accumulated, there just never seemed to be enough.  It was literally a never-ending saga that left me exhausted at the end of days.  The sustenance that I was able to afford was no better than that of what I was able to afford when I had less … with my pockets becoming fuller, I began to feel more empty with meaning.  I can’t speak for anyone else, but I enriched myself at the cost of others and at the end of the day, I alienated myself from humanity.

I am glad that God gave me the wisdom and guidance to turn myself around.  It was not until I gave of myself to others that I began to feel more complete with my life.  The interesting thing is that the more that I cared about others, the less money that I was able to generate.  There were times during this transition that I was afraid of losing my home and not being able to put food on the table, but my faith that God would never abandon me kept me strong until I could establish balance in my life.  Just when I thought that things could not get any worse, they got better.  I kept remembering something that I heard in mass years ago as a child while attending St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Port Arthur, TX:  “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, while those who humble themselves will be exalted.”   It took me giving up almost everything before I was able to achieve it all.  Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a perfect Christian.  However, I am not foolish to believe that I can accomplish anything without God.  Simply put, I may be able to do some things without God … but with God, I can do EVERYTHING.

2009 NPC Excalibur Bodybuilding, Figure, and Bikini Championships

I attended the 2009 NPC Excalibur in Culver City, CA over the weekend and had a great time meeting and greeting old and new friends/fans.  I had a couple of good friends from Orange County competing, so of course I wanted to be there to offer my support.  Being around the scene again made me miss competing even more, and was a quick reminder of how strong the fan base is here in southern California.  It was absolutely awesome catching up with old friends/fans, and meeting and greeting those whom I had not had the pleasure of meeting before.  Jon Lindsay does an excellent job of staying organized and making every single one of his contestants feel important.  The only negative thing that I can say about the show stems from the disappointment of seeing national level competitors stepping backwards to steal the thunder from the local-level competitors who are trying to make a mark for themselves in the sport.  I am not going to name anyone, but I saw a bunch of people who recently competed at the NPC Nationals in Miami two weekends ago.  Why do I have such a problem with this?  One, I don’t see the point in conquering the same feat, and two, it’s not fair to those who are trying to “get their feet wet.”

I do understand that some of these people have to re-qualify for the NPC USA’s and Nationals next year, but I still don’t like the fact that there are no longer any shows for bodybuilding newbies to compete in without the fear of having seasoned athletes come in and stealing the spotlight.  On a positive note, I am glad all NPC shows here in southern California are national qualifiers as it will draw more newbies to the Muscle Beach Classic that I am actively a part of in Venice Beach, CA.  So if you are thinking about competing or one of those who are discouraged by the recent NPC changes, then I highly suggest shooting me an email or going to the Muscle Beach website for more information on the alternative.

My friends who competed and their respective classes and placing are as follows:

1) Chris Kimbers (HW OPEN) 5th

2) Julia Aragon (Figure B, OPEN) 1st

3) Scott Cliffton (HW NOVICE) 1st

Both Chris Kimbers and Scott Cliffton have only two years of competitive bodybuilding under their belts, so am very proud of their progress … many of you have seen Chris as an extra on CSI Miami.  In my opinion, Chris needs about another 20-25 pounds of raw muscle on his frame to have a legitimate shot at an IFBB Pro Card.  Scott, on the other hand, needs about 40-50 pounds as he towers at the height of 6′3″.  I will be working with the both of them in the offseason, so expect great things from them in late 2010 or 2011.

Julia Aragon is a rising star in the sport of Figure.  She resides in El Paso, TX and was confident enough to bring her talents to the Mecca of the NPC to face off against the best in the area.  The 2009 Excalibur was only her second show and her first at a National Qualifier.  I don’t think it will be long before she storms through the national circuit and earns her pro card.  Definitely watch out for her!

Overall, the show displayed a phenomenal group of athletes and the fan base was second to none.  Both the Prejudging and Finals drew large crowds, which is excellent considering our country’s economic woes. Please continue to support the sport and always remember that the very least that you should be doing is staying healthy so that you are most ready to seize the moment when the economy does recover.

Interesting view at taking risks …

Post 2009 IFBB Olympia thoughts …

I attended the 2009 IFBB Olympia Weekend Festivities this past weekend.  This year was extra special in a sense that it marked my return to “The Big O” after a two year absence.  When I walked away two years ago from competitive bodybuilding, I had no idea how much I would miss attending arguably bodybuilding’s biggest weekend.  Honestly, I just did not know what to expect.

To my surprise, I still had many fans out there who were delighted to see me there.  Ironically, it was while watching the “202 Showdown” that the first few fans caught a glimpse of me … LOL.  I spent most of my time at the Magnum Nutraceuticals booth greeting fans and sharing product information with them.  I am not a huge fan of the UFC or MMA, but we had Ryan “Darth” Bader at the booth along with several fitness stars.  All in all, I had a great time getting back in the swing of things at the expo.

On a side note, my reason for attending “The O” this year was to see if it would awaken the dormant bodybuilding beast in me.  I have been straddling the fence for quite some time now due to a lack of purpose.  It so weird to miss something and not know why.  I know that it would take a lot on my part to convince the IFBB board that another outburst will not happen again, but I am willing do whatever it takes to reinstate myself so long as I could be 110% committed to the return.  As good as the 202-Class competitors looked on stage, I know for a fact that with proper dedication and determination I would be a force to be reckoned with.  Admittedly, I have not felt a strong sense of purpose or urgency since my very first diet as an IFBB Pro way back at the end of 2005, beginning of 2006.  Now that I fully understand how important it is to maintain my composure at all times, I can go back to just enjoying the competitive aspect. No more worrying about placings, I just want to compete!

Again, many thanks to those of you who stopped by and talk and take photos.  Perhaps we will do it again soon … except next time will be with me competing at an IFBB show.  If you did not attend this year’s event, please try to make the 2010 Arnold Classic.  I am planning on taking Laura and my son to the Arnold Classic to enjoy the festivities.  Hope you all can make it!