Why and How??

I had been debating whether on not to post this for weeks but decided to share it with all those interested... We all get asked at one point or another why? As in why do you do bodybuilding and how do you stay motivated. I had a guy from my office ask me why would you be so stupid as to put your body through such punishment for no reason, I said everyone has a reason some may have the same reason many have they're own unique reasons to compete... I thought this quite an odd question coming from a guy who A. plays soccer!! and B. is a marathon runner... I am asked him why would anyone run 26 miles unless they were being chased by someone with a knife!! that ended our conversation... The why is no secret as I said everyone has they're reason for me it is simply the challenge and my competitive nature. What I wanted to talk about more is the "how" the big question is "how do you stay motivated"? One of the main motivators for everyone has to be also the reason you are involved in the sport to begin with, but there are other motivating factors for all of us. For me the single biggest motivator is my son Carter, many of you know his story and know our relationship for those of you that don't I'll keep it as brief as possible.

Carter now 11 has Cerebral Palsy (CP)

 " Cerebral palsy (CP) is a disorder that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills (the ability to move in a coordinated and purposeful way). Cerebral palsy can also lead to other health issues, including vision, hearing, and speech problems, and learning disabilities.
CP is usually caused by brain damage that occurs before or during a child's birth, or during the first 3 to 5 years of a child's life. There is no cure for CP, but treatment, therapy, special equipment, and, in some cases, surgery can help a child who is living with the condition."

I won't get into the details of how but he has had CP from the age of 2 months... Since then I have watched this  little guy struggle to do most everything we all take as routine but he finds a way to do it, he is the most determined person I have ever met in my life... He adapts and finds alternative ways to do things impressing us everyday and all the while keeping the most positive and upbeat attitude of anyone around! So when I think about how difficult my training may be on a given day or I am struggling with my diet I think about how hard he has to work to do things with never a single complaint! watching him go through day to day life makes bodybuilding look easy in comparison.

When I step on stage in Montreal in October it will be in big part do to the motivation he has given me!

here are a few exaples of determination....

Baseball at challenger park.

Helping mow the lawn.

Helping shovel the driveway.

watching this makes a few sets of 10 seem pretty easy!

Week #4 Update

Well time is starting to fly by and I'm already well into my contest prep, starting to see results my weight was 208 last Monday and can really see the difference already. I was on vacation last week and it was also stampede week here in Calgary so a real test for the diet and training! It went very well, stayed on track with both diet and training regardless of the many temptations I encountered. The choice at Stampede between Bloomin Onion and Chicken and  Almonds was not easy!!

We had an awesome day at Stampede mostly spent on the rides in the Midway with the kids.

Also had a great day at Sylvan Lake on the beach and a couple days just relaxing around the house. looking forward to the next few weeks and more changes!



14 Weeks and Counting

Had an awesome Canada Day Weekend started off by kick ass quad/calves workout to wrap up a great week of training. On Friday evening we had a few friends over and I had my first cheat meal now two weeks into diet, chicken and beef satay, baked potato, grilled peppers and asparagus and of course delicious fruit pizza for dessert!!Thanks to my wife Janice for another amazing meal!!!!!! All in all a great meal and not a huge cheat! we spent Friday evening at Airdrie Rodeo/beer gardens, I was designated driver of course!Saturday/Sunday were great days spent in and around the pool with the family, also saw Transformers 3 on Saturday evening with Carter.

 So far so good with contest prep diet, things are really starting to tighten up already,, I will weigh in and take pics today for my trainers and we will see where we go from here. Starting to practice posing more often now and working on my routine its gonna be fun!

Have a couple more potential sponsors I am working with and hope to have something finalized later this week.

Week 2 update

Its been a busy couple weeks for me work,home yard work,training,diet so haven't had the opportunity to blog much..... The diet is going well 9 days in and down 8 1/2 lbs already starting to tighten up a little! My first cheat meal is coming up on Friday we are having a Canada Day BBQ at home with a few friends then a night at Airdrie Rodeo Yee Hah!! Last Saturday spent the evening in Edmonton at ABBA Provincial what a great show every class was stacked with talent! Congrats to Brenden, Dino, Kim, Gillian, Abby and all the other athletes on a job well done,,, what better motivation in week one of contest prep than to see a show of that quality.... outstanding job guest posing by Rob Bilisle , if you don't know the definition of determination and commitment  you don't need to look any further than Rob!!

 Training is going very well hamstring feels much better today and will test it tonight,, and yes Rob I will stretch and warm up!! LOL. Love it when folks in the gym ask if I'm competing soon, they think I look lean now wait til late September!!

Well busy day ahead Carters 2nd annual end of school year pool party this afternoon should be a blast 12 , 11 and 12 year old boys and girls from 4:30 til 10 tonight!!! Tons of work to do and of course the gym for hamstrings and calves!

Great back/bicep workout

Had a great bicep and back training session yesterday really concentrating on stretch and contraction, amazing how little weight you need to make an exercise work for you when your form is correct *note to 170lb  gym guy doing lat pull downs with the entire stack!!! I've been working since last June trying to widen my back finally making some gains I think. My apologies for the amateur camera man! lol

Almost Go Time

I have my pre-cometition diet in hand and ready to go for Monday! Very low carb so can't guarantee the blog will make much sense lol. This will be a huge adjustment for me as I have been bulking for over a year!!My training is going very well thanks to my training partner Paul who pushes me each and every day. I expect when I start the diet Monday I will be 225lbs we are expecting my competition weight to be around 190lbs. Looking forward to a hard back and bicep session today after some great tips from Rob last week maybe even post a few pics from the workout.Time to get some real work done for a bit,,,

never thought I would say this but go! canucks go!

When the going gets tough......

A friend of mine suggested I talk about this in my Blog, I was a little reluctant because its a bit of a downer and brings me back to a not so happy time.... however as someone else close to me struggles through a tough time this may help them see that things will turn around as much as they think it never will. Thanks for the idea Sheila.

So the story begins late summer of 2009, I get a call from my mother who lives in Nova Scotia , telling me she was diagnosed with lung cancer. FYI she was a smoker of some 60 years!! go figure! Due to her age and other underlying medical conditions there were basically no treatment options,,, the cancer progressed fairly slowly at first, eventually she was admitted to hospital in January 2010 coincidentally about when I started contest prep for 2010 Northern show also my first competition. During my contest prep I would travel  frequently to spend time with her for varying lengths of time from 3 or 4 days to 10 days all the time sticking firm to my diet and training I never missed a meal or a workout,,, her condition worsened as time went along the last few times I am pretty sure she didn't know I was there which was difficult, each time I left I wasn't sure I would see her again. I had just returned from NS to Calgary early May and went on a weekend golf trip to BC when I got the call she lost the fight May 12, 2010. As expected as it was, It was the toughest phone call I ever received! I was at a very critical stage in my contest prep and now physically mentally and emotionally drained I almost quit,, but as I sat in my hotel room in BC thiking I started thinking of how easy it would have been for her to quit many times over the years raising my brother and I alone after my Dad passed away in 1978, I thought of all the tough times she must have endured and the recent battle she waged with the lung cancer I quickly realized what I was doing was nothing in comparison,,,  I said to myself "no fucking way" I have come this far already I need to turn the negative into positive and push on. She passed away on May12th competition was June 12th and I had renewed focus and strength. Looking back now it was the best decision I ever made the experience of competing was unforgettable and I have made so many great friends in the bodybuilding world their impact on my life has been huge! So I guess the lesson learned is no matter how bad things seem we have to focus on something positive and there always is something positive even though you may think there is not, you just may need to look a little harder to find it.....

 as much as  parts of 2009-2010 may have been some of the saddest times in my life, the remainder of 2010 and into 2011 have been some of the brightest times!!

ABBA Southerns

What a great show Saturday evening, tons of great athletes and a very well run show, I job well done by all the competitors and the organizers.It sure brought back memories being back in the same venue as Northern's 2010 but being in the audience instead of on stage! Congrats to my friend Dino on his first place finish in light heavy and to big Rob Duhl and his trainer Dan Dufresne on winning masters, heavyweight and overall. This guy looked like a seasoned veteran in his very first show, look out heavyweights in two weeks at provincial this guy is for real, I predict he will contend for the overall in Edmonton. Such a great inspiration to watch these great athletes on stage great timing with diet for nationals right around the corner. Guest posers were absolutely outstanding!! check it out here on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12SLP-pHVVg

Cross Training Golf and Bodybuilding.... dont go well together !

If anyone would like to know how to raise your golf handicap from 10 to 25 in 3 years the secret is start bodybuilding. It took me roughly 20 years to get to a 10 handicap and less than 3 to blow it back up to 25! The time commitment it takes to compete in bodybuilding coupled with the added muscle does not lend well to the game of golf!! Had a great day on the course none the less with my cooler bag in tow I was able to stay on track with my meals and avoided the cold beer ( not easy)!!! Course marshal made me open my bag to see there was no alcohol in it he was surprised to see chicken breast and rice cakes lol.

Importance of a Trainer

I had a great meeting with my trainers Asha and Rob Bilisle yesterday followed by a back and bicep workout at World Health Club in Edmonton supervised by IFBB pro Rob Bilisle. The meeting was great talked about the plan for the next 17 weeks leading up to CBBF Nationals all the changes to diet and training will start shortly as I work my way down to around 190lbs. As I drove home last night I had a chance to think about the value of having a trainer, I never thought I would say that!! Have to admit I thought I could do it myself even though I was told otherwise by a  friend some time ago. In January this year I made the decision to work with Rob and Asha and have no regrets, I have made gains in a short time that would not have been possible without their guidance. the information and assistance they have provided has been very benifical and yesterday after my workout I realized just how important a trainer is! I have been training for many years and have always tried to ensure I maintained proper form at the cost of lifting big weight ( well almost always lol ) yesterday was a wake up call as Rob pointed out a few small things that made a huge difference. " check your ego at the door" is a good saying, it isn't about how much you lift its how you lift it and how hard you work! another applicable quote " power lifters make a heavy weight light, bodybuilders make a lightweight heavy"

Still Lots of work to do!

I just want to stress to everyone no matter what your goals be it training for a national bodybuilding competition, conditioning for sport, or simply weight loss to stay fit,, please consult a qualified trainer,, the guidance you will obtain in terms of diet and training is priceless!!

just getting started.....

decided to give this blog thing a try lets see if anyone is interested,,, lol. I will be starting the final 16 weeks of my journey to 2011 CBBF Nationals very soon stay tuned for updates along the way....