Inappropriate flexing

The rick edition

Oh Lord, Here Come The Resolutioners...

So I was chatting with my dude Karl, and he asked me if my gym get's that 2-month wave of what I call "resolutioners." With all that's going on in my life I hadn't realized that the wave is coming, and irritation immediately set in.

Resolutioners are those folks who resolve to make a serious lifestyle change which includes a diet and fitness regimen in the New Year. Now I'd love nothing more than to see people make positive change in their lives, but usually January and February is fraught with newbie gym-goers who talk to much, rest too long, and don't put their weights back. And they always seem to be on the machine that I want.

Anyways, this article from T-Nation pretty much sums it up.

"Well, Bob, I guess you could use the term bodybuilder if you really need a label for what it is we do. Most of us actually don't stand on stage and compete, though. We lift weights and manipulate our diets so that we'll look good naked. Sure, it's healthy too, and we'll probably live a longer and more productive life than the average guy, but mostly it's about the naked thing. Truthfully, it goes beyond even that.

"Let's be honest here. We do it because of people like you, Bob. We look at you sitting there with your gut hanging over your belt and we watch you grunt and groan just getting out of a chair. Guys like you are our inspiration, Bob. You're better than Anthony Robbins, Bill Phillips, Deepak Chopra, and Zig fucking Ziglar all wrapped up into one. We love it when guys like you talk about not having time to exercise. Every time we see you munching on a bag of potato chips, you inspire us. You're my shot in the arm, Bob, my living and breathing wake-up call, my own personal success coach.

The entire article is here:

The end is always closer than the beginning...

Isn’t that what being young is about, believing secretly that you would be the one person in the history of man that would live forever?
-David Aames, Vanilla sky

I talk a lot about the power of the mind, and willing your reality into fruition. I think it fascinates and excites me because it can change your whole world. One thing it cannot change, and which is a great source of apprehension for me, is that despite owning an iron will, nothing can stop that inevitable march towards a cold and bitter end.

I bring this up because over the Thanksgiving holiday I spent some time with my Grandma before she passed.

As I sat on her bedside my mom handed me a paper that outlined her bed exercises. I was fixated on the sheet of her bed rehab regimen because I couldn't grasp that the power of the human body and spirit could be reduced to what most people would call tossing and turning in bed- things that the youthful give not a second thought.

I tell tales of my 20th rep with 225- her tales would be filled with "sit up in bed" and "bring knees towards chest." With friends I boast and brag about the weights I've conquered that day- she was lucky to conquer the commode.
As a bodybuilder, it's hard to wrap your head around basic human functions as the biggest challenge of the day. Did she dread a spongebath like I dread leg day? She aspired to be able to sit upright without folding like an accordion; the able can't comprehend taking a shower as a grueling affair.

There comes a point where despite all your will, father time wins.

The pain about death is two-fold. One you mourn the loss of your loved one, but secondly, and perhaps more painfully, is the realization that you too are not exempt- death yells "hey buddy, ya you, I see you in the corner..." This realization is ofter tortuous because humans are inherently ME-centric and this reminder of our mortality is unwelcome.

Despite my deep fear of death, the adage "Live fast, die young, and leave a good looking corpse" is actually sounding like a relatively appetizing proposition.

Dear Santa

I want a big back for Xmas.

Love,

Ryan

RIP Guma

Guma showing me where my trademark vascular arms come from

My grandma called me "legs." I'd walk into a room and she'd say "Hey Legs!" and would marvel any time she got to see them. She enjoyed their shape and tone. Little did she know she was appreciating bodybuilding.

The great bodybuilders all have that trademark body part be it arms or back or whatever. Tom Platz and Branch Warren come to mind when you think of ridiculous wheels.

A few nights ago my Grandma passed away- losing her battle with cancer, but winning the war of Life.
She leaves behind a legacy of 10 kids, 20+ grandkids, and 20+ great grandkids.
She also apparently left behind a great set of legs. Thanks Guma.

"You've been the brunt of their weakness for years and strength
is something you know a bit about because you had to be strong to keep
yourself alive."

-Henry Rollins

335

Training Today

Workout Tips

God answers prayers, but sometimes the answer is No...
or sometimes his answer is HELLO!!?!?!?

So this cat I know stops me the other day as I'm on my way to the bathroom and stops me.

He says, "hey man, can I get some workout tips?"

Ya man, I'm always down to talk training.

He asks again- "cool, so do you have any tips?"

Now don't get me wrong- I want to help people, I really do- but I'd rather help people help themselves- but I had to pause. I don't know that anyone's asked for "tips." That's like asking a waitress for "food" or asking Santa for "toy." I couldn't really size him up and assess his situation, seeing as we were both fully clothed at work so I asked- "well what's your goal or objective?"

"Burn some fat"

"Ok well here we go a good start" I think in my mind.

"So what do you do now, do you train?"

"No"

"How's your diet"

"I drink too much and I eat like sh*t"

"Well I'm no trying to be rude, but in all honesty it sounds like you have all the answers you need right in front of you man!"

He sits and pauses, with this sort of confused look on his face,

"Well when you get back to your old regimen, let me know and I'll see what I can do..."

Then, I can see the realization as it happens.
"Thanks man" and he walks away.

5 Dirtiest Foods

Take home message: wash before enjoying.

Here:

Funny Take on 1975 Olympia

1975 Olympia - Cheap Seats
Uploaded by Tech9

Triangle Man Cometh, Triangle Man Goeth

If you have ever stepped foot on the UC Berkeley campus between what seems like the late 90's up to now, you undoubtedly know about "Triangle Man"

Who is Triangle Man you ask? He's a permanent fixture at the Recreational Sports Facility, asian ghetto, and many other popular student haunts around campus. He is the subject of legend, spawning fake myspace profiles, facebook appreciation groups,and his following has garnered bigfoot-like cult status.

Triangle Man- his obvious lat width is apparent in this sighting at the asian ghetto near UC Berkeley

He likely earned the name triangle man because of his complete imbalance in upper body development, chest and lats, and complete lack of legs. His outfits also helped shape his monniker- you can ALWAYS find him clad in uber tight spandex and velour tops, fanny pack, dark sunglasses, earphones and tight jeans all year long- not even the gym can get him out of his uniform.

Triangle man Spotting
Who's legend is bigger? In the East Bay, TM wins hands down!

I remember seeing him around the gym, and dude was strong. He trained mostly with machines and often used the entire stack on the chest press. I think that the chest press and the ab machine were all I ever saw him use. I was my scrawny 150 lb self so I was eager to get bigger by any means necesssary, but I knew better than to solicit him for help. Talking to him would be like crossing the streams in ghostbusters, or touching your future self in Back to the future- basically the whole universe as we know it would cease to exist. So I plodded along in mediocrity for the rest of my college career while he and his mass completely took all the wind outta my sails during each encounter. The ubiquitous amounts of alcohol probably didn't help my hypertrophy pursuits much either.

Triangle man at a party?

Fastforward 7 years and a whole lot of protein later, I'm at Ranch 99 (which is an asian marketplace/strip mall) with Carrie. We had just eaten Pho and were headed to get some Boba. I see this cat sitting at a table with an extremely large laptop, tight Lance Armstrong Biker's top, and a milk tea. I tell her that he looks like this dude I used to see around campus called Triangle Man. But this was not him. Triangle man is a giant, a monster, a man amongst boys. This guy was 150 lbs, maybe.

I get my drink and as I walk out I peer back in and see that the guys desktop is a picture of Triangle Man doing a chest press. It all comes together.

This is Triangle man!!! "It's him I tell her" in subdued excitement. Then my excitement turns to a bit of melancholy reflection. The man who I once revered was now a deflated shell of his former self. It's not supposed to work this way. There is no way I'm supposed to outmuscle Triangle Man. It's an achievement and an outrage at the same time. It's unthinkable and unamerican.

What's next, Santa Claus is fake? Mom is really the Tooth Fairy? Man this is nuts...

My Kinda Training Partner

The shadow, 6X olympia king, Dorian yates trains in his Temple gym, aka the dungeon in England.
His training partner is the kind that elicits the level of intensity necessary for that next level physique.

Low Blow

Literally. Way messed up.

The guy is nutso

He's like a bodybuilder that can do karate. scary!

Team Ryouko's HAVOK - For more funny videos, click here

In Your Face!

pWn3D
Epic Fail
etc.

People look at u funny

When photographing yourself in the gym...

Training today

Charge that phone w hard work

The Perfect Human

Excerpt:

"The human body has limitations," Karnazes says. "The human spirit is boundless." Your mind, in other words, is your most important muscle. As a running buddy told him: "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention to arrive safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: Wow!! What a ride!"

From Wired
Thanks Karl!

Kid Commits Suicide on Bodybuilding.com

Sad news.
Shame on the people who egged him on to "do it!"

Story here:

No Motivation

Blah, this work week has me stressed and it's creeping into my motivation to train.
I hate dragging myself through workouts.
Grrr...

Health Clinic or Ego Booster?

Today I had the great fortune of sticking my finger with a needle filled with biohazardous compounds. That guaranteed me a one-way trip to our Occupational Health and Safety Clinic here on campus.

The nurse who saw me was really nice. Before even getting to my injury, we talked at length about my family and personal health history. Dad's arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, mom's emphysema etc. I mentioned briefly that my blood pressure tended to be on the "high normal" side so she wanted to check it out.
I pulled up my sleeve and got the following:
"oh my, we're going to need the bigger cuff. Your arm is quite larger than I thought."

How big did she think it was/wasn't? I thought.
She checked my blood pressure and confirmed it was high normal.

"It's probably better you dont use the blood pressure machine (like in drug stores) outside- you might get stuck in it or break it, just come on in anytime to get your BP checked" she said naively, not knowing she was stroking my ego majorly. Sir, your arms are too big for the machine!
"yes ma'am, that's very nice, thank you for offering to do that."

"Sir, step away from the machine."

She then went on to the known allergies, any mediacations, supplements, etc. She raised her eyebrows at the list of supplemetns I take (which is not that much from some guys I know-) Fish oil, vit c, vit d, vit e, glucosamine, multi, the usual. She also discouraged the whey protein powder. P'sha! As if! Blasphemy I thought!

Then from left field comes:
"Are you taking anabolic steroids?"
The question caught me off guard, and I think she knew it, but she continued-
"It's ok if you are, we're under confidentiality- I just want to get a complete picture of what's going on with you."

After the awkward silence, I simply replied no ma'am. I know that she wasn't implying anything by it, and her intentions were genuine, but in a way I also felt like I was lying because I dont think it was the answer she was expecting. Very bizarre. But for a natural bb'er, aint nothing like getting accused of juicin!

I definitely walked out of there feeling a lot better than I did when I went in, but none of it had anything to do with my finger.

Simi goes to the Nationals!

When I began this strange trip that we've come to know as bodybuilding, I began training at Maverick's in Emeryville. Most of the trainers were in OK shape, but one stuck out-Simi Tufunga. Dude was large and in charge. Over time Simi and I began to talk and became friends. When I did my first show in 2007 he helped me prep my posing routine, which is by far my best of the 3 I have done.
Simi's sponsored by Muscletech, the industry's largest supplement company- one day Vernon and I were in Borders and I flipped to a page that featured Simi. I told Vernon I knew him, and of course the kid didn't believe me. So we walked next door to Mavericks and luckily Simi was there. Blew his mind to say the least.
After winning the SF earlier this year, Simi's riding his wave of momentum and will take the stage at the 2008 NPC Nationals. Joel who's been helping with his prep (that makes him a Guru!) had an impromptu photoshoot last weekend to catch his progress at one week out. He's looking really sharp considering he's still got a week to go, and the usual water/carb manipulations still to come.

The Sunday before last year's Nationals he was at 230 and then dropped to 216 for Friday's weigh-in. This year he is expected to drop from 222 to about 210 - 212 on Friday. This will put him in the highly competitive Heavyweight class.

Good luck Simi, I'll be pulling for you!

America's Healthiest Grocery Stores

From CNN
Heres a hint:

Free Throw Line!

LeBron James pulls an MJ in the middle of a game!
Nothing to do with BBing, but pretty impressive!

Treadmobile

Run in place no more!

Cool Shirt

Geoff would say "The beach is (FLEX) that way!"

Up close shot of it:
Thanks John!
Available Here:

Kai Greene is officially insane!

But I love it. His creativity is a breath of fresh air, and he is easily my favorite modern day bodybuilder.


These are some shots from a recent guest posing...

Quinoa- THE VERDICT (UPDATE)

In short: It's good!

Ive read that brown rice, while better than white, is not all that much better. It still spikes the insulin, and in excess can cause you to store fat- and a carb is a carb. I like quinoa because it's a high protein "side" and it because I know it's a "superfood" and has a full amino acid profile, and a some decent fiber.

The taste is hard to place- its sorta nutty, sorta earthy, like you get the essence of a brown rice, but not the starchy part or the texture. Speaking of texture I'd put it like the roe on top of sushi, as the little seeds tend to pop as u eat them. I like that even when completely plain, its easy to eat, and dont leave me feeling stuffed and bloated how potatoes or rice can.

Anyways, ditch the rice and say "Ni Hao*" to "Keen-Wah!"
*hello in Mandarin

UPDATE!
Also, I wanted to add that clean-up was a snap! I went to wash the pot I cooked it in, and I had none of the sticky mess that I usually get from rice- it rinsed right out with lil to no scrubbing. In my book that is a huge plus!

MTV Made- I Want to Disgrace The Sport of Bodybuilding

MTV has this reality show called 'Made' where they take someone completely out of their element and try to make them into something that is out of character, hoping to totally blow the minds of the participant, their friends and their family. A few weeks ago they turned this prissy girly girl into a BMX biker, or they take geeks and turn them into prom king, etc.

Last weekend John dropped me a text saying "Made: I want to be a bodybuilder" was on. Excited, I literally hopped outta bed and hit record on my DVR.

What a disappointment.
First of all they pick this kid Cody, who's probaly 30% bodyfat and give him 8 weeks to prepare for a show. That's like asking a kid to take a quantam physics test after taking pre-calc. He's never touched a weight in his life and when asked what he knows about bodybuilding, he answers:

"Bodybuilding means like, going to the gym and lifting some weights and then jumping on the treadmill for 10 or 15 minutes then eating a bowl of chicken or something like that."

Oh boy.

But he has help. Figure athlete Ava Cowan, and one of the world's best light heavyweights Peter Putnam but you can call him "Pump" (insert rimshot here. Mad corny.) are recruited to help him out. In reality, it's really good opportunity and I couldn't help but think what a waste it was.

Anyways, here's a short synopsis:
The kid with no heart kicks and screams his way through a pretty easy diet and cardio regimen, loses 20 lbs, and then is slathered in pro-tan and jumps on stage. Then he runs through some poses with Cathy LeFrancois and Silvio Samuel. Magically he has the confidence he never had before.

"Can I stop? My mouth is like.... so dry!" <-- Actual quote

This is what I call inappropriate flexing!

Anyways, it's still worth watching.
Check your local listings and enjoy. I'll post the episode once MTV posts it.

Bodybuilders: Check your local listings and grab a wastebasket because it's going to make you sick to your stomach.

Lucky us! Bodybuilding disgraced by mainstream media again! Bravo!

I'm going to have to get some of this:

Quinoa: A Protein-Packed Alternative to Grains

From NY Times, Thanks Geoff!

Bigorexia, the movie

I wrote about this back in January, and I guess someone beat me to making a movie about it... pretty interesting.

The Bodybuilder and I

A film about a guy who is embarrassed by his bodybuilding father. I haven't seen it, but from the trailer you already know that this is making my skin crawl. Just what we need- someone putting bodybuilding in a negative light!

myCOSTUMEprep.blogspot.com

For Halloween, Carrie decided she wanted to go bare-- midriff!

But in order to do so, she wanted to make sure that she was in contest, er, costume shape!

So I had her on a mini-cut plan for the day:

• No added salt, other than whats naturally occurring in the food, to prevent water retention.
• No carbs for the day to reduce any abdominal bloating.
• Plenty of water to keep the system clean and clear.
  

While it's not exactly bodybuilding, she's used some of our tricks of the trade to look her best on game day. She's got a killer body to start, and my plan probably didn't do much except to give her the placebo effect and trick her into being that much more confident to pull off this "Officer Naughty" costume.

And as we've learned, confidence is all you need to get things done.

BTW this is who i dressed as, if you couldnt tell:

TRAITOR

Ideal Proportions

So Carrie snapped this pic while I sipped on a delicious coffee at Starbucks.

I think my pythons have swallowed a pig...

I've read that Steve Reeves said that the ideal body has biceps, calves, and neck that are all in the same size in circumference. This is said to be pleasing to the eye.

I dont know but this angle looks ridiculous. I havent measured because I dont want to be disappointed, or labeled "not pelasing to the eye."

But damn! While most bodybuilders walk around with bigorexia, it's nice to have shots like this surface every once in a while!

Gun show anyone?
I got tickets...

Buffalo wings?

For breakfast?

I'm working from home today and I'm pretty sick of eggs, so I'm having a few of these microwaved gems. Don't judge, just get your protein in!

Strength in Numbers

Where's Waldo? Can you find Vernon and I?
Taken at this years Annual Big Brother Big Sister's Picnic.
We had a "Bigs" vs. "Littles" "Touch football" game.

Touch football has been given "quotations" because one of the bigger "littles" managed to break one of the Bigs collarbone. I saw it sticking through his skin- it was pretty raw.

"I did it, I broke his collarbone-- my bad..."

Dude in the red is the bonesetters son...

The only thing holding you back is yourself...

True... True...

CHANGE

and the original, in the good ol days when Democrats ruled the earth...

Running, man!

1,000,000,000 running enthusiasts can't be wrong, can they?

Im in my mid to late twenties. These are the first days of the summer of my life.

Strange things are starting to happen to the people our age.

People are having babies.
People are getting hitched.
People are dying (the longer we live, the more people we know that will die- a morbid reality.)

People are running. For fun.

To me "running for fun" is as oxymoronic as "root canal for fun," or "argue with your spouse for fun," or "credit card debt for fun."

I've heard that you get "runner's high" and of course there's the cardiovascular health benefits, but man I'd rather be flayed alive than run when I dont have to. I dont even like to walk fast.
Whenever I'm driving around and I see a runner, it takes the force of my entire being to refrain from rolling my window down and yelling "Hey you, what are you running from?" Ask Carrie, she'll tell you.

I'm hearing of more and more people putting the rubber to the road, running marathons, half marathons, 10Ks etc.
I played basketball for many years so I know all about sprinting as a means to achieve a desired result. Running fast increased my odds of winning. But unless you're Kenyan, you're not going to win--and the Kenyans show up to all races, big and smal. And the Kenyans win every time. Probably without even trying.

If you see these guys, you're done, son!

So why would you enter a contest you can't possibly win? Why would you run just to run, without aim?

As we enter our quarter life crises, we need something to break the monotony, so we start doing things they've never done before. Make a baby. Marry a spouse. Some people start clubbing, some people start lifting weights, some people start running.

Your quarter-life crisis is like a creepy guy at the bar- you can turn your back on him but he'll still be there when you turn around. Drink up ladies!

When I was in the midst of my contest prep diet, people would ask me- why are you doing this?
For the challenge I suppose.
As young people our lives were filled with hurdles. Middle school. SATs. Graduate from High School. Finish College. Find a career. In our late 20's we've plateaued. We've hurdled the hurdles. Mediocrity meanders in. We concede to complacency.

I had to put this in the perspective of the Iron Game. I'm sure that entering a sweaty gym filled with the sounds of clanging metal plates and grunting is strange to some people. Lift the weight, put it down, lift it up again, put it down again, rinse, repeat. When you think about it, it is actually pretty weird.
But I feel most alive when I step foot in my arena. For an hour or so I'm completely alive, completely present, engaged. I'm making a difference in my own being. I am a gladiator facing the challenge. ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED! You will feel alive when you are moving weight that you once considered immovable. You are exhilarated when you've racked the weight after the 20th vertigo-inducing rep on squats that's left you near death.


It may not be my idea of a good time, but I suppose runners do it for the same reason.

So to Mike, Noemy, Patra, Jen, Christine, Lorna, and all my other friends who are out there getting their run on, I salute you*!

*But still, running? Agree to disagree. haha.

Teacher! Teacher

A funny chat today:

John: is it rude to shake my protein shaker while students are taking a quiz?

me: Absolutely not, and what, catabolize?

John: that's right, fuck that

For those of you who don't know, Big (medium) John teaches college math at Monterey Peninsula College. Can you picture your prof, pacing around the room, shaking his ice filled protein shaker to stave off catabolism while his disciples scribble away nervously?

Shake on John! Shake on...

Shameless Plug

I swear I should carry this so I can get my steady stream of amino acids when im stuck in lab for hours on end.

WWW.TRUEPROTEIN.COM
Discount Code RYK888 (saves u 5% off your order total.)
You can save a lump of cash buying your supplements in big raw bulk. In times like these you need every penny you can save.

People listen...

Even when you think they aren't.

On Friday I shot out a quick email when I stumbled upon the Tabata method as a means to burn fat in a short amount of time. I sent it to three different groups of friends. Friday night I went to dinner with some of those email recipients and conversations were abuzz about the new fitness fad.

Then on Saturday night I went to Seaside for John's Bday party and a few of my partners there were talking about it too. Even Rick who is pretty much anti-weights wanted to give it a go. Carrie had her taste and she's still sore.

All of a sudden I felt like people wanted to hear what I had to say. I guess when the guy who bodybuilds speaks training for the masses, people are interested. It was indeed strange because most of the time I feel like the guy who's writing only to his blog, throwing his thoughts into a black hole. I gotta be careful about what advice I give from here on out...

It also reared it's head that same night when we played a game that asks you a bunch of random questions and my brother was asked what's the best piece of advice he'd ever been given.

He replied:

"Don't be me, be better than me..."

When I heard that I had to look away because it caught me so off guard that I got a little choked up. It's something I told him some years back, when he was still a young lad in high school. I've heard of sibling rivalry, but never really understood it;but I truly want the best for my dude. But when you're a sibling saying something to a teenager, you dont feel like it's really soaking in. Most teens know it all already.

Boy, am I ever glad that I was wrong.

How to split 25 lbs of raw protein

In a word: slowly.

What a delicious mistake

Bodybuilders rejoice!

a bodybuilders dream, and it happened near me, how did i miss this?!!
"Run honey, stuff as many breasts in your pocket as you can!!!!"

here: