Last Visit: Mar 1, 2009 7:40pm Last Forum Post: Oct 10, 2008 9:36pm Last Photo Upload: Dec 16, 2007 6:40pm Last Profile Update: Oct 20, 2008 6:33pm Last Blog Post: Dec 22, 2007 11:43am
I’ve been into exercise (not necessarily fitness and good nutrition) since I was 15, thanks to a beloved high school football coach who endorsed weight lifting not just for the football team, but for all of the students in the school. I’ve been bodybuilding as a hobby and stress management strategy since 1993. Today, I am a passionate believer in the benefits of the natural bodybuilding lifestyle, including training, good nutrition and supplementation.
Why I Love It:
Bodybuilding will never be a career. (I was a spectator at a competition for the first time in 1998; I competed in several competitions sanctioned by Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.-based Natural Bodybuilding Inc. between 1999 and 2002). I am twice divorced with four children and an active social life. I have a demanding and rewarding job in the unforgiving industry of magazine publishing as the chief editor of a web site; 12-hour days are very common. I am active in a variety of service and professional associations; I am also active with my church. I travel at least two to three months out of each year. I have every reason in the world not to train and watch what I eat, yet I do both almost religiously.
So, for years, I couldn’t really explain why I’ve been so dedicated to bodybuilding and what I get out of it. The health benefits are a big part of it. My personal physician is a major endorser and cheerleader of my fitness lifestyle, gleefully recording the positive results in evidence with each annual physical. And liking the way I look (and the amazed and admiring responses of others) counts. But those things don’t begin to cover it entirely. The body-building lifestyle is about more than exercise and narcissism; it’s about taking control and making choices to improve yourself, the quality of your life and your capacity to serve and inspire others. Every positive and life affirming virtue—including faithfulness, desire, discipline, honest effort, persistence, constant improvement, belief in one’s self—are proven effective in the gym and applicable to all other areas of life.
How I Stay Motivated:
When I joined my first serious gym, Johnny Lats on 17th Street in Manhattan, in 1994 (I’d always worked out at school, at home or with fitness equipment at my job), I weighed about 135 lbs. In fact, until about age 30, I’d never weighed more than 127 lbs. Even though I had been lifting weights for nearly 20 years, my training was sloppy and inexact, and I was totally uninformed about diet and supplementation—hence, the lack of results. When I joined the gym, I unknowingly entered a fraternity, a bodybuilding brotherhood whose members provided inspiration, guidance, and information on training and nutrition that I was deprived of when I trained on my own, in isolation. Some of the people who helped me along the way at Lats included pro bodybuilders and Mr. Olympia contenders Victor Martinez and Kai Greene, gym owner Wahday Washington and Melvin "Melle Mel" Glover of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Today, I weigh in at 175-180 lbs. and have kept my body fat percentage within a range of 8% to 15% for more than a decade. I’m in better shape today than I was when I was in my 20s; I am so looking forward to seeing how fit, energetic and healthy I can be at age 50 and beyond.
BB Accomplishments:
2002: NBI Natural Tri-State Bodybuilding Championships, Masters-4th
2001: NBI Natural Tri-State Bodybuilding Championships, Masters-3rd, Novice-6th; NBI Natural New York State Bodybuilding Championships, Masters-4th, Novice-6th
2000: NBI Natural Tri-State Bodybuilding Championships, Masters-3rd, Novice-5th
1999: NBI Natural USA Bodybuilding Championships, 5th; NBI Natural New York State Bodybuilding Championships, Novice-5th
Forum Signature:
Your true age is not a function of how long you've lived, but how you've lived.
The fallout from the Mitchell Report on steroid use by pro athletes, and baseball players in particular, is the latest challenge to our notion of what is acceptable, fair and morally justifiable as we pursue our passion for competition and our obesession with winning and winners. Like most, I...
Looking good, we promote an INBF Natural Bodybuilding & figure show in Arlington WA. On August 8th. We would love to have you come and compete. Or if you know someone who might want to please let them know we are here. Thank you Kevin
Wow small world! Especially because I am originally from, and grew up in Roselle! My brother still lives in Plainfield and My sister outside of Philly. The potters house is fantastic!
That is fantastic man! Which church do you go to? I lived in dallas not too long ago, and two years ago, spent New Years at the Potter's House with T.D. Jakes. Great watch night service!
What are the big plans for the evening? Stay off the road as much as you can, you know the DRUNKARDS will be in full effect! :( Take Care Bro, Happy New Year!
Bro, I love your workout music! I was driving from NC to Ct lastnight and the funk (Parliament, JB's, Bootsy)kept me going. Fifty and fly. Keep it up.
Finish strong,
Fox
Thanks for your Brotherhood analogy of your training buddies. You have achieved success and I hope to learn from you!! Thanks ClarkDark, Merry Christmas and Healthy New Year.
Thanks for tha add. I wish you the very best this holiday season and that your heart be content with the joys that come this time of the year. Blessings to you and your body in 2008- MJ-fitchik4life-Love a priceless gift-that we all can afford.
