Catchin’ the L-Train
It has been 8 weeks since my surgical procedure to repair a partially torn left biceps tendon and things are moving right along … probably better than I had anticipated. I was very unsure about how much of my original strength would be recovered, but those fears are now a thing of the past as I have been able to increase my seated dumbbell curls to 60-lb for 6-8 reps. In fact, I have been able to increase my workload substantially on all upper body movements. I truly believe that the fact that I have been training legs very heavy since the injury has helped me recover at a much faster rate. If I’ve said it once, i’ve said it a million times, heavy training intensity is what keeps natural testosterone levels high and maintains balance, even when a region of the body is not being trained because of is a significant injury. I have recovered about 85% of my pre-injury strength back and am still making notable gains. I should be close to 100% percent within the next few weeks.
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.