Somtimes, it’s just not in the cards …
This past week has been a rough one for me, so finding the motivation to write enthusiastically is a rather tall order. I discovered a couple months ago that I had a partially torn left biceps tendon. I had been planning on making a comeback of sorts to pro bodybuilding, but that flame was quickly extinguished last Monday when I went in to have surgery. The surgeon that I acquired for the procedure was, in his words, “certain” that he could successfully do the job. WRONG! The friggin’ guy waits until he cuts me open before he decides that perhaps he had bitten off more than he could chew. I am pissed? Damn right I am! I have absolutely no faith in the medical system as I think most of those bastards could care less if they can actually do the job … I am convinced that they just want to get paid. I have had many of my closest friends go under the knife and not many of them have had positive things to say. The weird thing is that the ones that do have positive experiences are not from the US. Perhaps the medical practitioners in the US are more hype than they are talented. I just can’t believe that I went through all of this bullshit for nothing. FUUUUUUUCK … I FUCKIN’ CAN’T STAND PEOPLE WHO TALK THE TALK AND DON’T WALK THE WALK! That mutha-fucker should have been truthful and allowed me to go to someone else who may have been able to do the job.
I’ll try to get back on track next weekend. Hope everyone else had a better week than I did.
The rules of gaining muscle mass …
Everyone talks the talk, but no one seems to understand what it takes to walk the walk when it comes to putting on quality muscle mass. The first rule of thumb is to hit the gym hard and hit it frequently. How frequent is frequent? You should at the very least be utilizing a “4-on-1-off split,” which will ensure that each body part is trained twice per week. Consistency is very important to ensure that a regular routine is established. Chest/Bi’s, Shoulders/Tri’s, Back/Abs, Quads/Hams … yada, yada, yada … I’m sure you’ve seen and/or have tried at least a dozen different variations. Whichever you choose, be sure to hit it as hard as it takes to get the type of soreness that let’s you know that you have done your job in the gym. How can you tell good soreness from bad? Good soreness is when you can still function and the pain does not increase as you move. Bad soreness occurs when all you want to do is just ball up and cry. If the pain increases or prevents you from moving at all, then have likely hurt yourself. If you are starting fresh and looking to turn over a new leaf, take it easy and ease into it. Try to think in terms of small incremental steps to get your body in a groove before you push the pedal harder. It’s more than a goal. It is a lifestyle change that you need to be able to replicate day-in and day-out for the rest of your life … that’s a long time, so chill and be good to yourself.
Stay tuned to find out my other rules to follow for building muscle mass. I’ve decided to break it down into segments to keep the readership interested. Hope everyone has a blessed and productive week.
A day of love is also the beginning of the “Year of the Tiger”
What a beautiful day! It has been a very wet winter here in southern California, so the unseasonal heat wave brought smiles to many faces, including mine. It couldn’t have come at a better time since today is Valentine’s Day. I hope everyone had a pleasant time with their special someone. Today is also the beginning of the Lunar Year, which is celebrated by many Asian cultures including mine … the first time that Chinese New Year and Valentine’s has fallen on the same day since 1953. I missed the annual Tet Parade in Little Saigon on Saturday as I was working, but there is still a lot of festivities to enjoy in the coming days. I am not overly religious but I do practice the Catholic faith and am preparing for Ash Wednesday, which means no meat on Fridays until Easter Sunday. Obviously this was a major obstacle when I was competing as I found it very difficult to refrain from eating chicken breasts … eating egg-whites and tuna fish all day was never a fun or easy thing to do. I recall becoming so desperate about my diet that I actually called a Catholic priest to see if I could be excused from the abstinence. I told him that it was a health hazard for me to not eat every 3 hours … that didn’t go over very well … LOL.
I trained only one client today and spent the rest of my day kicking back. Laura, Austin, and I met up with my sister in the evening for dinner to celebrate both Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year. I find it very odd to call it “Chinese” since I am not Chinese at all. I feel more compelled to call it Asian New Year … LOL. The restaurant that we ate at was literally littered with bits and pieces of red paper, which is most likely the aftermath of a traditional dragon dance involving thousands of firecrackers. It is considered good luck to give children money for New Year so Austin is a very happy camper … LOL.
If you celebrated today with lots of good food, consider the following supplements to help ward off the unwanted pounds that await. Cinnamon extract is great for sugar control and will prevent your body from taking in excessive amounts of carbs. L-Carnitine is also great to utilize right before ingesting fatty foods … it helps the body metabolize fat more efficiently. Many people think it is only good to take before cardio or training, but it obviously can be taken throughout the day. I hope these few tips help you in the coming days. Until next time … live life to the fullest and don’t forget to love and smile frequently.
Being “farsighted” will allow you to step beyond the boundaries set by your “shortsightedness” …
Katie from Canada asks, “Bodybuilders and fitness competitors can all relate to the idea that our biggest critic is ourselves, and that the sport is about constantly improving ourselves, physically and mentally. So even though we push ourselves harder and harder and give it our all, it can be crushing feeling when our competition surpasses us because they took a short-cut. But if we take those short-cuts ourselves, even if no one else knows, deep down we know that we took the easy way. Maybe this bears more weight on some people’s consciences, but maybe others are able to push the thought to the back of their minds and do whatever it takes to win?” Training and dieting for a contest require a great deal of time and effort to accomplish, so what if there were other factors that made the task even more daunting? Factors such as politics and cheating. “What?!,” you ask. If my statement surprises you, then you obviously are new to the game and are probably preparing for your first contest. Ideally, it should not matter who you are affiliated with (sponsors), who trains you, nor should it matter where you train. The reality is that judges are still being hired to help with pre-contest preparations and/or have loved ones who also enjoy competing. So then what kind of safeguards are there in place to discourage politics from running rampant? Believe it or not, the answer lies within YOU. If you make it close, then you will run the chance of being “screwed over” at the end of the day. My message to you is the same message that I gave myself back in 2002 when I came back from a 3-year layoff from the sport of bodybuilding. Instead of being frustrated and blaming the judging panel for my misfortunes, I decided to take matters into my own hands by coming in so good and sharp that the judges would be able to easily recognize my hard work and dedication.
You can keep blaming everyone until it drives you mad and away from the sport, OR you can take responsibility for your own actions, dig down a little deeper, and work a little bit harder. The moment I did this, my rise to the top of the NPC became more imminent and eventually culminated in a pro card at the NPC Nationals in Dallas (2004). I know and have met many amateur bodybuilders who are still chasing their pro card dreams today. One could argue that they are being overlooked … I see it more as a condition of them underachieving because they simply failed to seize the moment by accepting their limitations and working harder to become better. If you cannot see room for improvement, then you will never have a good enough reason to try harder.
I am not going to get into a deep discussion about steroids. What I am going to say is that if you take enough time to assess your goals and the playing field, then you should have a pretty clear answer for yourself in terms of what you want to do and how far you want to take it (if at all). Plain and simple … if you are going into Afghanistan to fight the Taliban, would you want to come equipped with an AK-47 or a slingshot? Sounds silly at first, but this is a reality that many competitors fail to assess until they are too deep in battle on stage, and realize that they are way less equipped than their counterparts. Steroids is not going away in the sport of bodybuilding … at least anytime soon. If you are doing it for fun and have no dreams of becoming an IFBB professional, then put down your slingshots and enter a contest like Joe Wheatley’s Muscle Beach where your efforts will be pitted against others who share a common thread. If you are straddling the fence about steroids and/or competing, take a moment and let what I have to say next sink in. Short-cuts may often times bring instant gratification, but the havoc they reek years down the line will always outweigh their positive contributions. Fitness is, and should be, a lifelong journey that offers daily gratification. Hence, fitness should enhance and extend your life … it should NOT shorten or end it.
What if you are trying to “get your feet in the door” of fitness modeling … are those contests that promise a “cover” or “spread” tainted with politics as well? I have never entered those kinds of contests, but this I will say … winning or being the best at what you are trying to achieve WILL bring the recognition. I know this to be a fact because the more I won, the more pictorials and editorials that I attained. Its not rocket science. Its just a matter of supply and demand. There are only a number of fitness magazines in circulation with very limited space. Therefore, it only makes sense for them to cover only the “creme de la creme” or “the cream of the crop.” Again, it goes back to what I said earlier about working on the variables that YOU ultimately have a hand in. Focusing on what makes you better than the rest WILL reward you with an abundance of the kind of recognition that you crave and deserve. Let go of any and all negative frustrations and utilize that energy towards building personal growth and success.
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!
It’s been two full days since my arrival in Houston, TX and I have yet to take a break. I am exhausted, but there is something about being around family that makes me want to spend every second of my time awake and catching up. My parents and siblings are healthy and happy, so Santa delivered all that I had hoped for. Best of all, I got to hang out with my two nieces (Emma and Kate) … they live in Denver, CO, so I rarely get to spend quality time with them. This trip, I made sure to allocate plenty of time to bond with them. How about Austin? Well, he’s with mom and his two half-brothers in Dallas, TX and they are unsure about making a trek into town for him to visit his Bui side. My parents miss him dearly, so we all are very hopeful. Other than that, all is well in “H-town.”
Laura and I worked out today at the 24-Hour Fitness on Richmond Avenue and Post Oak. Before I go any further, I would like to send out some ‘big-ups” to some fans who have crossed my path. I don’t remember all of their names, but I am truly thankful of the warm recognition. Whether I come back to compete or not is of little importance so long as I can continue to touch your lives and influence you in a positive way. Going back to our training session today, we both spent the majority of our time doing much needed cardio. I have been eating non-stop since my arrival, so the 2.5 mile run today was exactly what the doctor ordered to squash my guilt. We still have 5 more days here so I am trying to carefully pace myself for fear of literally burning out. I have a ton of friends here with whom I would love to catch up with, but I am holding steadfast to my main priority … and that is to blanket myself in all of the love and warmth of family. God has been truly generous to our family, so to Him I owe all of my gratitude and praise.
Lucky are those who are with their loved ones this holiday season. If you are not, perhaps you should. There is yet still time to make amends and close any gaps this holiday season. If not this holiday season, please keep in mind that it is never too late. I am going to watch a movie called “The Wrestler” some time this week. Although I am not a wrestling fan, I was advised to watch it as there seems to be a direct correlation to the sport of bodybuilding. At any rate, I will voice my opinion in my next blog next Sunday. In the meantime, don’t put off anything today that needs to be done as you can never know if there will ever be another chance. I apologize for not posting a photo as I forgot my camera’s USB cable back in California. Will do so as soon as I get back.
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.