There is always time for the things that you need to get done, versus things that you want to get done.  When you need to do something, you make the time … you make the effort … you do whatever it takes to get the job done.  Just think about the time you were successful at something.  Think about what you had to do to make it happen.  I am sure it took careful planning in the form of perseverance, determination, and plenty of hard work.  No matter what it is you are trying to accomplish, the formula pretty much remains constant.  Trust me my friends, if you are not going to do what it takes, then the person who will beat you in the end certainly will.  There is only one 1st place, one champion … only one spot for one person to fill. Stop trying to utilize a used plan that someone else devised.  Think about what you can do differently that will separate yourself from the rest of the field.  There is plenty of room for improvement … find it, execute it, and win!

As a whole I thought the judging was decent on the bodybuilding side.  I just wished that the competitors were judged more thoroughly … just not enough comparisons.  There was actually a guy (Anh Nguyen) that was in the second call-outs that finished in the top 5, which was a weird occurrence since I would have expected him to be side by side with the rest of the top 5 in some comparison shots.  This never happened to my dismay.  Anh looked massive, but he may have been knocked for not being conditioned enough.  I don’t think Al Auguste should have bested Pete Ciccone for the light-heavyweight crown.  Pete was more conditioned and muscular than Al in my opinion.  Knowing the competitor that Pete is, I am sure he has already booked his flight for Hot-lanta (Atlanta, GA) and the 2010 NPC Nationals.

After perusing the entire Flexonline.com coverage of the USA’s, I really feel that many guys absolutely missed out on a grand opportunity at stealing a national championship.  Why do I say this?  The field was pretty weak in my opinion.  “Whatever happened to conditioning?,” was a question that kept coming up as I scrolled through seemingly endless pages of contest pictorials.  I hope the 2010 NPC Nationals will contain competitors who actually want to come in and impress.  Come one, come all … the fields are literally wide open for the taking.

Way too many names to throw out there so I’ll just say “Good Luck!” to all of my bodybuilding friends competing.  So many familiar faces that I competed against back in the day still vying for a victory and pro card.  Also, so many fresh faces of very hungry talent looking to make their mark in the sport.  I have said this before, but the USA Championships is my favorite of the two major NPC national level shows.  Always in the same place, and always around amazing food & entertainment.

To Anh Jung … you looked fantastic last night.  With so many fit bodies up there, sometimes its easy to get overlooked.  Keep your head up and soak up the USA atmosphere.  Jea, you did a great job helping her through her first national level show.  To Julia Aragon (Figure, Class A) … good luck this afternoon.  Your ride through the NPC may be a very short one if you can come up with a victory this weekend.

On a different note, I am still getting a lot of emails about returning to the sport of professional bodybuilding. Although I do miss the art of transforming my flesh into chiseled granite, I definitely don’t miss all of the bullshit.  I have many friends who still compete and are still caught up in the political turmoil that continues to plague the sport.  When the competitive bug bites hard, all it takes to dissuade me is to log into Bodybuidling.com’s contest coverage and check out the latest contests news and pictures.  I guess to the average eye, the physiques all look the same.  However, there are always a few bodybuilders who get overlooked.  At the end of the day, its still about who’s with whom and the almighty dollar.  I can certainly sympathize with all those who are not given a fair shake … I have been there.  I just don’t see how “the powers that be” expect competitors to try their absolute best when they are judging by a completely different set of rules.  Just let the best physiques place … how hard is that?  But then again, some people compete just for the sport of it.  I walked away because competing was no longer fun.  I had great sponsors that took care of my expenses, but I just wasn’t having fun.  To each his own, but I don’t see how anyone would want to compete when all it does is eat away at their finances.  Isn’t the whole point of turning professional to make a living at what you are doing?  Oh well … if it doesn’t dawn on them today, it certainly will dawn on them at some point.  The sad thing is that many of them have families to support.  For those of you who can relate to this last paragraph, let me leave you with a simple thought.  If competing robs you of your finances instead of building it … and if competing robs of you of your health instead of nourishing it … then, is it really worth it at the end of the day?  It doesn’t matter how many championships you win or how many Sandows you attain, you are only as good and as remembered as your last victory.  One life to live, and an extremely limited time to fulfill a legacy for those who matter most … your family.

How the heck did I start with the weather and end up on life?  Sorry folks, I went off on a tangent there.  I guess spending time with some of my closest friends who still compete, and listening to them vent about their frustrations has made me really thankful that I walked away from the IFBB with my life intact.  I don’t want to be remembered by my accomplishments on stage.  I want to be remembered as a good person who helped others become good people.  Now that’s a legacy worth striving for.

Many thanks to Joe Weider and his family for donating four extra bleachers to accommodate the thousands of spectators who come out to support Muscle Beach.  Be sure to bring plenty of sun-block as the bleachers are not covered, but are plenty comfortable for all to enjoy.  I hope to see everyone out there.  Don’t hesitate to stop by the judges table to say “hello” … I certainly do not bite … LOL.  No matter what you decide to do, do it responsibly and be safe.

I absolutely love what the Muscle Beach Classic stands for … a true celebration of health and wellness.  Last year, we had not only local competitors, but also those from literally all parts of the world (Russia, South America, France, Mexico,  Vietnam, and Japan).  Again, come out and enjoy the festivities.  Have fun, be safe, and have a blessed Memorial Day.  Most of all, please take a moment to remember those who gave their lives, and give special thanks to the countless others who’ve risked as much so that we have a reason to celebrate.

Will this work for you?  Absolutely.  Is it too late?  Definitely too late to be in shape by the start, but perhaps just in time to salvage at least a month or so of it.  Here are some tips to help you along the way.  If you are going to be utilizing fat-burners, maximize their effects by taking a serving in the morning and another one about an hour before training.  Don’t double dose or consume more than one serving at a time as all this will do is make you feel like shit and increase the likelihood of a major health catastrophe.  If you are going to be doing cardio, be sure to let your body breathe by not wearing heavy clothing such as hoodies.  Even though being well-covered promotes sweating, it also makes it much harder for the body to cool down, and increases your chances of severe dehydration.  So be nice to your body and let it breathe.  Do at least 40 minutes of cardio daily, preferably after weight lifting to get the most out of your fat burning.  Lastly, don’t rely on crazy fad diets that serve to trick the body into a rapid response.  Fad diets may work initially, but eventually fail as the body will do what it has to do to restore balance.  I have always been a proponent of balanced meals that offer a healthy combination of protein, carbs, and even fat (good fat that is).  For example, a typical healthy meal for me consists of about 6-8 oz of chicken breast or turkey, 1 cup of clean carbs (potatoes, rice, yams), and a salad with light-vinegar dressing.  If you have a fast metabolism, I suggest utilizing MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) to slow down the metabolism and give the body an alternate source of fuel.

Obviously there are many other things that can help you along the way, but the aforementioned are what I consider to be “standard practice” for leaning or toning up.  Use this wonderful opportunity to not only get into shape for summer, but also to foster a life-long habit of health & wellness.

Fitness is a daily commitment and endeavor. It has to be something that you can and are willing to repeat day in and day out for the rest of your extended life. I share this message with each and every one of my clients so that they can look back and reflect on how much their lives have changed for the better since embarking on their fitness journey. As human beings, we are competitive by nature, and therefore thirst for daily challenges. I firmly believe that if what you are engaged in does not make you feel a little nervous or unsure about, then it simply will not make you any better. This is true both in and out of the fitness world and is separated by a common door. In solving your fitness equation, you will learn what is required to be successful in your professional life. Conversely, if you are having a tough time solving your fitness equation, perhaps you need to review a success story in your life and apply the variables to gain a better understanding. At the end of the day, it takes time, commitment, consistency, and the resilience to try harder and/or try again.

A good friend whom I helped win his IFBB pro card back in 2006 at the NPC Nationals in Miami, FL stopped by this weekend to catch up.  Most people know him as “L-Train” but Lionel Brown is simply “Lionel” to me. I recall sitting with him at the steps of Cooks Auditorium in Anaheim, CA at the 2006 OC Classic and listening to how frustrated and lost he was about where he was headed with bodybuilding.  Lionel was very sincere and I believed in his abilities enough to help him stay focused for the upcoming NPC Nationals where he dominated the Heavyweight Class and earned his IFBB status.  Today, Lionel finds himself in the same predicament as he faced back in 2006.  He has already achieved what many before him can only wish about in a pro card, but he has a new goal … he wants to win an IFBB pro show.  We talked a bit and decided to hit the gym to get the competitive juices flowing again.  I had the absolute best workout since walking away from the IFBB back in 2007.  We did 6 sets of bent-over rows with 315 pounds for 10-12 reps and pounded 21’s with 85 pounds on the EZ-Bar.  We did a couple of other back and biceps movements … It was AWESOME!  Before any of you ask the question, my answer is  resounding “NO … i won’t be competing again!”  Although I love the sport of bodybuilding,  life has been too good away from the sport for me to want to compromise any of that.  As for Lionel, his desire to compete grew exponentially  with each passing repetition and set.  It was like old times again as we headed to Burger King for an order of a Double Whopper,  fries, and a milkshake to feed the machine.

I really enjoyed training with Lionel and catching up with him.  The only thing that I didn’t enjoy or agree with was the fact that Lionel has put all, or at least most, of his eggs in the IFBB basket.  Alike many IFBB pros, Lionel is looking for a new sponsor to help finance his IFBB dreams.  In this economy, it is very difficult to find a sponsor that is willing to do that.  I will always be there to help Lionel and all of my friends … but, I will also maintain my gripe against the IFBB for doing too little for its athletes and doing even less to undo the negative stigma that overshadows the sport of bodybuilding.