Where's Ryan?

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Goal #1

I gotta stop making these stupid faces when I pose.

That's goal #1. haha.

Cheeseburger in a can UPDATE!

So this was probably the story most people wanted to know more about.

Well you're in luck, there's a full review, including what the heck it looks like.

HERE:

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Be there or be square...

How NOT to look attractive to the opposite sex...

Eat a steady diet of these: Cheeseburger in a can?
Shoot me now.

Leg Day


Today was leg day.

Every now and again I travel back to my hometown of Seaside CA. I'll go back to my old gym, and all too often I see the same guys doing the same exercises, using the same weight, and looking the same as they did when I left 7 years ago. Doing the same thing and expecting a different result in training is one of the cardinal sins of building mass and increasing strength. They see me and they say hey, you been hanging out with Barry Bonds (balco) or hey man, what super supplements are you taking? They all infer that I've used chemical enhancement to achieve an improved physique. As a natural, that is probably the best compliment you can get- but I wish it were that easy as popping a pill or sticking a needle in my ass.

One reason that these guys aren't making progress is the unwillingness to train legs. As the squatting for big arms article put it, you cant be big without squatting. The reason people dont want to train legs? It's uncomfortable, it can feel unnatural, and it just plain hurts.

Being half Japanese I've been blessed with big legs and calves. After years of plyometrics (my first love being Hoop) and aspirations of dunking the basketball, I have above average leg development, but nothing could prepare me for what I'd encounter as a bodybuilder.

In bodybuilding Pain is your training partner. If Pain doesnt show up sometime during your session, you're not doing it right. You must learn to train with Pain as your greatest ally.

There is no exercise more feared than the squat. I can't think of any exercise where the threat of immense weight crushing you down on you accordion style is more great.

For me, Monday is squat day. On the Friday before squat day I'll put the final weight back on the rack and I immediately become tense/nervous, like I have an upcoming test or job interview- an event where I must perform big and there's a lot riding on it. In fact I'll spend all weekend thinking about Monday.

Every Monday is a test.

On Saturday I begin to envision How I'll get under that bar, and how the plates will rattle and rumble as I pull them off the rack. I always marvel as my body seems to forget exactly how heavy that damn weight feels- It's an amnesia that I must induce or I will not return the next week. Each time I get the 300+ lbs onto my shoulders, the immediate challenge is not me vs. the weights, but me vs. my own brain, the brain that says "Ryan, what in God's name are you doing to me?" Squatting is not natural. It goes against every fiber of my collective being.

Like all other sports- bodybuilding is 90% mental.

The brain is the source of pain, if you can turn off your brain, you can turn off the pain.

So for 2 minutes, no thought passes through my mind. I transform my body into a machine. The words ache, searing pain, wobble, fall, burn, tired, cry, fail, quit, stop- all fall away.

Up. Down. Up. Down. Up.- They are the words that reign supreme. As the brain and survival instincts slowly creep back i am told that I am done, my legs wobble and my back begins to give. That's when I know it's time for 3 or 4 more.

Winners do what losers dont want to do. Winners squat-hard. Plain and simple.


This is arnold and my friend Ed Corney putting it down during the Golden Age of Bodybuilding. Observe the intensity at which they complete this test. You see Ed fall at the end- You may think- "he must have failed." His collapse is a clear indication that he indeed has passed.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

what a bodybuilder eats...

I don't mean to BORe you

Bent Over Rows (or BOR as they're called in my logbook) are a very important exercise for building a tremendous back...

Dave Draper outlines them here:

Rant Time

Yesterday I ran into someone at the gym who said he'd seen my site/posing routine through a friend of mine. He then went on to detail how his cousin, who was prepping for a pro football stint, went on the lemonade diet, and he seemed perplexed that I hadnt heard of it. he suggested I do this too! Another friend of a friend thought about the liquid diet or the all veggie diet as a way to achieve their New Year's goals.

My goals are to maximize fat loss while minimizing the loss of the muscle I've put on in the off-season. If I were to drink nothing but lemonade I'd wither away to a shell of my former self. What goes on in people's brains that tells you it's cool to eat this way? The scenarios above really highlight the amount of ignorance out there on the subject of nutrition.

People ask me questions they know the answers to- how do I get big, how do i lose weight, how do I do x. The answers are all out there. In fact there's only one real answer for all the aforementioned queries:

HARD WORK

The unfortunate thing is that people somehow ask this question but dont want to hear the answer. Or they hear my answer but fooled by the mountains of marketing, late night tv ads promising 8 minute abs, or a magic pill to cure their physique ills.

Too many times people come at me, wanting me to design a routine for them. Being naive, and of course wanting to help people, I used to jump at the opportunity- hell I was even flattered that they'd ask. I dont know how many times I've put things together to have people fall off after 2 weeks.

Now when people ask me, I have an entry fee, and no it doesnt come from the wallet.

I tell people if they want me to design any type of weight training program they have to do one simple task: keep a food log for a week. I ask them to simply write down everything they eat and drink for one week. Sounds easy right? Hell, they could even cheat and fabricate a log and give it to me.

You know how many routine's I've had to put together since stipulating this simple hurdle?

0

If you can't put record a food log, there's no way you can spend the grueling hours on the treadmill or garner the consistency you need to make gains in the gym. And it also tells me you probably dont have what it takes to stay on the diet I design for you.

So you go ahead and enjoy your glass of lemonade- I'm gonna have a bowl of Hard work.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Iron

Some think it's just dumb muscleheads moving weights around.

To me it's a love affair.

Rollins on Iron

Week 1 Pics

Well this is a lil late (we spent Saturday getting ready for Carrie's bday bash.)
After 7 days of no carbs, and cardio, not much difference. I've dropped ~5 lbs, but that's probably mostly water weight that goes when you drop carbs. Not big differences noticeable.

Front Relaxed:
Lines are a tad (smallest tad) more noticable.

Rear Relaxed:
Again I think I'm wider in the lats than this time last year, and the outer sweep to my thigh is more noticeable than last year.

Front double biceps:

Rear Double Biceps:
I actually made a better effort to show my quad sweep and 'open' up my lats a lil more. So if it looks different from the one below, that's why.

Abs/Quads:
This will be the shot where the conditioning change will be most noticeable. Perhaps I'll photoshop a side-by-side progression over the 16 weeks. We'll see

And my best shot (in my opinion)

Side Tri:

I have lines in my delts/triceps/calves year round, so I reall want to work on bringing thigh separation and sharpen up my abs.

Friday, January 25, 2008

As if good health weren't reason enough

Muscular men are found more attractive than their less muscular counterparts.

It's science!

Deadly Eggs


For people who love to sleep, and sleep in (as I surely do) getting up to do cardio in the morning has to be one of the most gut wrenching things to do. To prepare for the daily cardio grind, I have to set everything for my morning, and the impending work day out so I can go through my morning without my brain.

One funny thing I do is as soon as soon as I jump off the treadmill I have to run back up to my condo and begin cooking/eating my eggs. Then I jump in the shower WITH eggs in tow. Yes, I begin to eat my 5 over-medium eggs while washing the morning cardio away. The reason I do this is because I take public transit, and you can't eat on the shuttle or the BART that I take. And because i'm a slow eater, I got to start eating them ASAP so I dont miss my train.

Anyways, so as I stuffed my face this morning (I take a HUGE bite in between each part: body/face/hair) I began to think of Heath Ledger, and how he died alone, having his housekeeper find him.

I immediately thought 2 things. One, I don't want to die alone, and two I dont want to die alone with a mouth full of eggs, naked in a running shower.

So I think I'm gonna wake up 5 minutes earlier from now on so I can take my time.

But probably not...

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

How To Squat For Huge Arms

Since I espouse a lot of training information here, I found this article relevant and germane.

Basically it says don't waste your time on just chest and arms if you want to be big all around. I didnt want to clutter my blog, so click the link for more.

Discuss.

Support Systems

No man is an island…

I enjoy bodybuilding because it is an individual sport. If I miss a workout and don’t lift that day- it’s on me. If I’m too tired to do cardio, it’s because I haven’t rested properly. Then again, if my arms grow to a respectable size, it’s not because my teammate hit a 3 at the buzzer, but because I put in the time at the gym and the dinner table to get it going.


But I think it would be impossible to be a bodybuilder on my own.

I have a great support system of friends, family, and even internet peers who keep me going.


Chris for example is one of my good buddies from college, and we’ve both recently made better efforts to keep in touch. He’s the type of person who is always willing to help you with anything- from lending an ear to moving your couch, he’s the go to guy. So he’s decided that he wants to try and do this diet with me. He has his physique goals, and although it may not be to hop on a stage in posing trunks; he is with me day in day out keeping his goals in sight. Our dialog about the ins and outs of the diet and training talk keeps us both engaged and interested.

Michael has no interest in the iron whatsoever, but what he provides for me is immeasurable in earthly units of measure. When we talk about my preparations- he simply finds delight in seeing another human being pour his heart and soul into something he loves, something he believes in, something he’ll fight tooth and nail for (even though when I was living with him he couldn’t stand the 200 egg shells in his trash.) He recently remarked “When Ryan Yokogawa does something, he doesn’t do it half assed. It’s full tilt or nothing at all.” He couldn’t have been more right, and I appreciate him for expressing this to me.

Then there’s John- my brother in iron. He, unlike Chris, has aspirations for the bodybuilding stage. This man has the heart of a lion and the work ethic of a beast. He had a recent setback in his life, but instead of taking the easy way out and dwelling on his loss, and being a quitter, he’s parlaying it into the fuel that is gonna get him to his goal. Every day we touch base to list our reps/weights and celebrate our workout of the day like Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan would after a game. He lives in socal, but when we get together we whip out our newly developed bodies like children bringing their latest toy to show and tell. I’ll admit it- bodybuilders do some weird shit sometimes, and it’s nice to have at least 1 person in this world who understands me. And dont even get me started on our epic workouts with John as my training partner. You want to define intensity. See The sports center for the hours we were there. Witness.

I think the biggest credit has to go to the wives/girlfriends of bodybuilders, who have to deal with the brunt of the domestic bodybuilding punishment. My poor Carrie has to be seen around town with a guy who carries a lunch box the size of carry on luggage. Then there’s the mounds of dishes, and the endless Tupperware and thousands of trips to Costco and safeway for all the food I have to buy. To top it all off, she now gets to deal with the diet-induced grumpiness and me being tired all the time. I’ll tell you what- having someone there’s who’s down to cook your eggs when the thought of cracking one more shell will lead you to clinical insanity is a breath of fresh air. In addition to that, my girl goes above and beyond- down to diet (within reason) and even hit the gym with me. She’s down to slap my hand when I reach for some rice on her plate, and she up for getting me to push harder on the leg press. What more could you ask for? She says my dedication is impressive. I say her dedication is the core of my success.

Together Each Achieves More. True.

Don't Look Down on Deprivation

Wikipedia says:

Fasting for religious and spiritual reasons has been a part of human custom since pre-history. It is mentioned in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament, the Qur'an, the Mahabharata, and the Upanishads. Fasting is also practiced in many other religious traditions and spiritual practices.

People ask me- “why would you want to willingly deprive yourself of life’s pleasures?” They are usually referring to eating any type of food that I’d like, or being able to enjoy beer, wine, and hard liquor.

The first time I dieted, I couldn’t provide them with an adequate answer other than I’m preparing for my show. Achieving a goal was more important to me than any fleeting worldly pleasure. In fact that is still probably true. This time around, however, I look forward to an experience that totally caught me by surprise last time.

My friend Zack is what I’d call a soulful dude. What I mean by that is that at any given moment you can see him working something out in his mind. His eyes are running across the ground in front of him, or he’s engaging me in a debate about some of life’s peculiarities. He never accepts something as is, and relishes peeling back the layers.


Well after he had a major life changing event, Zack decided that he would become a vegetarian for a while. I though it was an odd reaction. But being one step ahead of me in thinking, I realized he was using it to achieve a different type of mental clarity.

When you’re fasting like I am, your senses become heightened. The other night I was snuggled up watching a movie, and an actress took a sip of wine mid conversation. It was probably a 2 second scene. While my girl didn’t pick up on it, I swear I could smell the fruity notes of the wine, and feel the sensation of the tannins hit my tongue. Even the way the glass would feel in my hand is something all too familiar to me. At first the cravings are a nagging annoyance, but then, and I cant say how it happens, something clicks. When you eat an extremely clean diet you have a sense of mental clarity that to me is hard to duplicate. You are instantly connected to your biorhythm, and feel hyperaware.

I believe that when people take on fad diets and immediately dump them after 2 days, or 2 weeks, the sense of accomplishment, of saying “I will be better than the cravings of my body” that is lost by quitting is far more disappointing than the perpetuation of old habits that sparked the diet in the first place. Perhaps subconsciously they were craving this clarity to see beyond themselves.

Luckily I have a cheat meal built in to my diet. 1 meal, out of the 42 I will eat in a given week, will basically be anything that I want. Pizza. Spaghetti. McDonalds. Dessert. Whatever. When you have been fasting all week, this rewarding food is amazing! Life Altering! The complexity of the food does quite a number on your pallet. And because you have fasted all week, you savor it that much more.

It doesn’t need to be food, but try abstaining from something you truly enjoy for 1 week. TV. Myspace. Shopping. Coffee. The computer. Heck Even sleeping in. I guarantee you will experience noticeable, tangible differences in your countenance and your being. Because remember: winners do what losers refuse to do!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Global Takeover is Imminent

Blogging is truly new to me, and although this is sorta unrelated to my prep, I thought it'd be fun to note.

Thanks probably in large part to my good friend Joel who kindly reposted this blog to a few popular bodybuilding websites, my site has now been accessed in the UK, Africa, Australia, and all parts of the US. Not bad for a boy from a small town in the central coast. See the maps below.

and the good ol US and A!

Note: You can click on the pictures to make them larger and more viewable.

Next stop, the Planet Pluto. Or star pluto rather? MOTED!

Monday, January 21, 2008

New Year's Resolutioners- The Bane of my Existence..

So today is supposedly the most depressing day of the year.

Among the multitude of factors that make it depressing, one of the reasons is by now many people have already faltered on their 'resolutions.' Resolutions are a joke. I find myself tripping over all these new faces in the gym. They sit on the bench that I want to use, jabbering on and on about work or sports or their kids or how much they're trying to 'get back into it.' I think the only thing they've truly worked out by the time they leave is their jabber jaws.

If they were serious about achieving any of their goals, they wouldn't look at January 1st as a time to fail again. Every day is New Years day. Wake up people!

I digress--

This morning CMC and I go to do cardio in the scant condo 'gym' and it is packed with what appears to be resolutioners; therefore I am forced to jump on the old stationary bike bike. I hate the bike because on a treadmill I can keep the pace constant (if you dont, you fall off the bitch,) and I always feel like i'm going too fast, or going too slow.

But now I have a NEW reason to hate it- while riding about 10 minutes in, I go to shift myself (for the sake of comfort, all guys do it) and I am terrified to find that my 'male parts' have gone numb-- literally numb. This is problematic for many reasons.

But I keep on because winners do what losers refuse to do- and I pedal while standing up, and alternate between left and right butt cheeks on the seat (practically side saddling!)

Stats

Although I should have done this before I started (I doubt much has changed in 3 days) here are my starting stats. All bilateral measurements are in inches and listed as Right/Left:

Weight: 184lbs
Biceps: 16"/16" (flexed)
Forearms: 13"/12.25" (flexed)
Neck: 15.75"
Waist: 35" (just below belly button, flexed)
Calf: 16"/16.75" (feet planted/flexed)

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Foggy + Initial Pics

So day 2. Let me say something- Tilapia is the best thing since sliced bread! Sorry John for not heeding your praises of the venerable whitefish.
Though It's heart shaped, chicken breast can't hold a candle
to Mr. Tilapia!

So far no cravings. I went to costco yesterday and stocked up on maaad meat. Top round and tilapia (already have a bunch of chicken on hand.) Also got some crystal light, and some other no carb zero calorie sweetened items. Very crucial to keep cravings at bay.
Mad Meat Son!

Mentally I'm a lil tired. I think i'm utilizing the final bits of carbs stored up and my brain is starting to get foggy. The fogginess comes and goes in waves- I go from delirious to spacey ok. I had a baby headache which is to be expected, but i remember being a heckuvalot grumpier my last prep during this time, but it was probably because I'm in a better place in my life this time around.

Anyways, here's a few shots to give you an idea of what kinda condition I'm starting in. I'm going to be taking pictures every saturday and will post a few to show how the diets going.

This one is called the front relaxed pose.
This is the first pose you hit when you walk on stage. Although it's called the front relaxed pose, you are never truly relaxing as the judges are always looking and you want to be sure they see you in your best light. This offseason I put a lot of priority on developing the outer sweep of my quads, as well as making my adductors (the muscles at/near the groin) more full. I think I definitely did that, but we'll have to see how I hang on to that as I diet down. (John peep the socks, it's a tip of the hat to Dorian's photo shoot!)

This is the rear relaxed pose:
Here the emphasis is on back development and hamstring/calf development. During my offseason I tried to bring up the lat width to match the lower back (erector spinae) that was developed with all the deadlifting I was doing. I feel I'm definitely wider than I was this time last year.

Next up: Front Double Biceps
This is one of the poses where it's hard to look at myself: One thing in bodybuilders have to do in the offseason is put their egos aside. It's difficult to see the definition or 'cuts' so obscured by fat. But part of bulking is putting on weight, it comes with the territory. Here you can see my legs are looking wide and the priority i've put on my upper chest I feel is much stronger. The arms can be a lil bigger as they're definitely one of my weaknesses.

Back double biceps:

I can see in this photo I've really put some meat on my delts, which I feel is another weakness of mine.

Abs and thighs:
Another shot that's hard to look at as my abs are practically non-existent.

Side Triceps:
Last may this was definitely my strongest shot, and I feel like I've put a lot more solid muscle on my triceps/delts/forearms and even the chest. The legs are looking thicker from the side as well. A lot of rugged muscle I feel I didnt have this time last year. Had to end on a good note.

And just because my confidence is totally shot(more like buried under flab) after yesterday's photoshoot I'll throw in a shot from May '07 as I want to restore yall's faith in me. Plus I plan to be bigger and more ripped this year. Yeah buddy!

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Day 1- 111 To go...

Woke up at 9 and hopped on the (3o minutes 3.0 mph/10 incline) treadmill with the Boochah. Then some light ab work. Cardio on an empty stomach. Probably had enough glycogen stored up seeing as I ate sushi and popcorn and guinnes and sake and sapporo last night.

Feeling good, feeling great.

Julie- FYI the chicken is dry and the almonds are drier!

Starting weight 184. Pics and more measurements later today....

DUDE! my youtube vid has 220+ views and has been linked to a German Bodybuilding website. Weird!

Friday, January 18, 2008

Bigorexia???

It’s interesting, they say that when your body changes, your mind takes a while to catch up.

This is where i started 145 lbs dripping wet:

I’ve heard that when some people have gastric bypass (get their stomach capacity reduced surgically) and then lose the weight experience a sense of confusion as what they see in the mirror doesn’t fit with the image and mentality they’ve been dealing with the last 10-20 years.

This phenomena is also true with bodybuilders. They call it muscle dysmorphia or Bigorexia (funny name, I know.)

The greatest gains you make muscle-wise is in the beginning when you’re just getting the science of lifting and the rigors of the diet down pat. In college I wore medium shirts, and all of a sudden they were looking extremely tight (like ridiculously tight, ) on me Though my old clothes didn’t fit like they used to, I still felt like I was the same size. I’d look in the mirror and get frustrated that damnit, I’m still skinny, still scrawny, and absolutely NOT muscular at all.

What’s really interesting is how the rest of the world perceives you. There was a time when I’d love to brag about lifting weights, even though I looked like I hadn’t touched a weight in my life.. A few years later when I’d run into people I hadn’t seen in a while they’d comment on how much bigger I looked (than I used to) and I felt sorta guilty like it was all a sham and I didn’t deserve such commentary.

The thing about bodybuilding is sometimes you never feel big enough, and for a good year or so I’d totally if I missed a meal or, heaven forbid, a workout. It stressed me out, and took the fun out of training.

While it’s taken a lot of mental will-power, I’ve done my best to be satisfied with the gains I make, although I always have an image of what I’d like to be, I’m not losing any sleep over it. I think I’ve come a long way, and of course, in the bodybuilder’s mindset, got a long way to go. I’m just making sure I have fun along the way.

Anyways, if you’re interested, Wikipedia has an article on bigorexia here:

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Last May

I finally got it uploaded to Youtube.



Special thanks to carrie michelle- definitely not possible without her...

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

How Does Judging Work?

Many of you probably haven't the slightest clue at how bodybuilding contests are judged.

First of all, this is not a powerlifting meet, so I will NOT be lifting a single weight in a competitive arena come the day of the contest (well I will, but that's only to pump up.)

Like I said in an earlier post, bodybuilding is the subjective judging of the appearance of the competitor, aka A Male beauty contest.

But they are looking for the competitors that have the best balance of the the following criteria :

Muscularity:
This IS a muscle contest after all, so muscle size definitely matters, but by no means is it the only thing that matters.

Conditioning:
You can be big as a house but if you got a layer of fat over those muscles, you can forget about it. The hallmark of stellar conditioning are the striated glutes. See an example here:

See how his glutes literally have lines in them. That means that there is so little fat on his body that not even his butt has flab. That my friends is ripped!

Shape:

While this is more of a genetic attribute, how do the muscles look aesthetically? Are they round and billowing (favorable) or very square and/or are there obvious signs of injury (unfavorable.) The ultimate example of shape (proportion and symmetry as well) is probably Flex Wheeler:
See how his muscles are round and flowing and each muscle is clearly defined and separated? This is very nice (say it like Borat)


Proportion:
Are your arms too big for your chest? Do you have big quads but small calves? They have ideal proportions (for example the calves should be about the size of the biceps.)

Symmetry:
Does your right and left sides match up? If so, good! If not, head back the gym, sucka!

Presentation:
How well do you showcase your physique? Are you able to highlight your strengths and hide your weaknesses? Realize that when posing the entire body is tensed (from the toes to the traps) how well can you hold on? Do you look like you're struggling? This includes the posing routine as well (Im currently working on getting my posing routine from last year up on youtube. Be on the lookout!)

Training Day

Well we've got diet covered...
Now what does one do physically to get into contest shape?
Well here's what I plan to do...

I will continue to weight train as I do currently with my Mon/Wed/Friday routine, so here's what a typical week will look like:

Monday
Cardio upon rising on empty stomach for 30-45 minutes
Weight Training around Lunch time comprised of:
Chest
Delts
Triceps
Upper back
Lower back

Tuesday
Cardio upon rising on empty stomach for 30-45 minutes

Wednesday:
Cardio upon rising on empty stomach for 30-45 minutes
Weight Training around Lunch time comprised of:
Biceps
Forearms
Quads
Hams
Calves

Thursday:
Cardio upon rising on empty stomach for 30-45 minutes

Friday:
Cardio upon rising on empty stomach for 30-45 minutes
Weight Training around Lunch time:
Repeat monday body parts, but choosing different exercises

On the following week I'll train the biceps group on M and F, training the chest group on W, and so on...

Saturday and Sunday: Cardio upon rising on empty stomach for 30-45 minutes, no weight training

After about 8-10 weeks, I'll add another evening session of cardio, thats when it gets grueling
Mon: Cardio/Weights/Cardio
Tu: Cardio/Cardio
Wed: Cardio/Weights/Cardio
Thu: Cardio/Cardio
Fri: Cardio/Weights/Cardio
Sat: Cardio/Cardio
Sun: Cardio/Cardio

Count em up: that's 17 gym trips in 7 days. At the peak of it all I'll be doing ~1.5 hours (two 45 min sessions) per day. That's 14 hours/week at the gym (9.5 cardio/4.5 weight training) The last time I did this people thought I worked at the gym, LOL. I'd always tell them i don't work here, i just live here.

That's all it takes! Who's with me!?!?!?!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Diet

So many people have asked- on my diet, what can I eat?

Basically my day of eating will look like this

30 minutes of cardio on an empty stomach, sipping green tea, and perhaps popping a fat burner, then the face stuffing begins!

MEAL #1
5 whole Omega-3 Eggs (with 4 additional whites)

MEAL #2
SHAKE: 45g protein from ON 100% Whey Gold Standard and 1 Tablespoon of All Natural PB


MEAL #3
“Lean Protein Meal” 7oz chicken (or Turkey, or tilapia, flounder, or cod) with 1/3-cup RAW almonds, cashews or walnuts

MEAL #4
Repeat MEAL #3

MEAL #5
“Fatty Protein Meal” 7oz Salmon, Swordfish, or 8oz RED MEAT (filet mignon, or top round cut) with a green salad (no tomatoes, carrots, or red peppers) with 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil or Macadamia nut oil and vinegar

MEAL #6 4HAKE: 45g protein from ON 100% Whey Gold Standard and 1 Tablespoon of All Natural PB

So that's 6 meals a day X 7 days=42 meals per week. After two weeks of complete dieting, I get to have One meal (note MEAL not DAY) per week as a cheat meal. Not only is this is a mental break from that god-awful routine above, but I also use it to restore my glycogen stores which have been all but depleted, as well as rev up my metabolism which has been lowered due to the low GI food. Basically I can eat whatever I want (including dessert) as long as I keep it under 200 grams of carbs; and boy believe me do I ever need it!!!! Then the next day it's back on the grind.

So this is definitely a high protein, moderate fat, and extremely low (<50 g/day) carb diet. This diet is also known as a ketogenic diet which is designed to maximize fat loss while minimizing muscle mass loss. The reason I dont have carbs is because the carbohydrate is the preferred fuel source for the body/brain. If I deprive the body of carbs, it will have no choice but to burn fat for fuel, and this fat is what keeps me from looking all cut up. Pretty simple actually. Carbs, while the base of the food pyramid, (some say that this pyramid is responsible for making the US Fat with its heavy emphasis on carbs) is an unessential macronutrient, while protein and fats are absolutely essential for the body to function normally...

Next up I'll post up my training schedule.

Bodybuilding- Oh The Horror!! Myths and Stereotypes

It's funny, when I walk through my office space on the way to the bathroom carrying my copy of Muscular Development, you'd think I was carrying a copy of Hustler or Playboy. Just as people look at an Anne Geddes calendar and go "Awwwww"" people act with an equal amount of horror and disdain when they see a bodybuilder. They cant help but comment on how gross or how terrible the guys look or ask "why would anyone want to look like that?" Nothing elicits a response like a muscle mag, or the sheer thought of voluntary bodybuilding.

I think it's because there are a lot of myths and stereotypes out there, and I'd like to address a few of them...


1) They're all roided out- Yes, a lot of bodybuilders take steroids- so do baseball players, and track stars and football players and 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige. Sorry to say steroids are out there- and guess what? Despite the claims that steroids will ruin your life, there is not one published study that shows that steroid use (note I said use, not abuse) will kill you or make you want to kill your family. I have chosen NOT to take steroids which makes me a natural bodybuilder meaning I dont take performance enhancing drugs.

2) They're all vain and narcissistic- Unfortunately, bodybuilding is essentially a beauty contest for guys, but I dont think we're any more vain than any other gym goer. Let's face it, we ALL go to the gym to look better- bodybuilders just have the will/skills/genetics/knowledge to do it a little bit better.

3) Bodybuilders are gay- LOL. Laughable. We shave our arms and legs as the hair obscures muscular definition. We tan because a darker body enhances muscular definition. The speedos (posing trunks) showcase our body as well...

4) Bodybuilders are dumb mindless jocks- Pop icons like the incredible hulk or shrek are big and strong and essentially dumb. Those icons are also not real. Arnold signed my Diploma from UC Berkeley. Who's the real dummy?

Goodbye Carbs, Hello Shredded Beef

First of all, you may be wondering, why are you doing this? Who wants to read about doing cardio and for the love of God, who wants to see me half (or 3/4) naked? (unless you're CMC, don't answer that, lol)

While I usually find blogging pretentious (see: why does anyone really care to read what I think anyways) I think it'd be a fun way to keep people updated on my contest prep progress, as well as serve as sort of a accountability tool as I plan on posting weekly photos to gauge my progress. If I'm cheating on my diet or missing cardio, it will show! And the 16 week grind is a long and hard one, so something's gotta keep me distracted from the KFC commercials... Plus I'll need something to do since I wont be getting cronk (as my mom calls it) at the club.

The mind is a tricky thing when deprived of carbs, so you may get to see me unravel or rant on things completely unrelated to bodybuilding.

So if viewing half naked men is not suitable for work type material, be forewarned...

BTW the show is May 10th so I counted backwards 16 weeks and you get Saturday, January 19, 2008.

Anyways this friday we're heading out to Sushi House in alameda to say farewell to carbs (and my 2nd chin) and hello to the pain train, lol... come on thru if you're not busy.