Where's Ryan?

Saturday, September 27, 2008

WAR- More pics






Yes I'm in cabo, but somehow these pictures made it out of the war zone. Hopefully video of tribal scream to follow.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Mr. Olympia Cometh!

For the first time since I got into bodybuilding a few years back, I will be missing the live broadcast of the Mr. Olympia Contest, which is taking place this weekend in Vegas. Currently Jay cutler is looking for his 3rd title. In the 40+ years of the contest only 11 men have been crowned mr. O.

They are:
Larry Scott (2x)
Sergio Oliva (3x)
Arnold (7x)
Franco Columbu (2x)
Frank Zane (3x)
Chris Dickerson
Samir Bannout
Lee Haney (8)
Dorian Yates (6)
Ronnie Coleman (8)
Jay Cutler (2)

This weekend Jay's got his work cut out for him. With Victor Martinez and my beloved Kai Greene out due to injury, his top 3 Threats are:

Dexter Jackson

Dennis Wolf

Phil Heath:

Here's my ideal top 6 (if bodybuilding judging were fair, don't get me started)
1 Dennis Wolf
2 Phil Heath
3 Dexter Jackson
4 Jay Cutler
5 Melvin Anthony
6 Toney Freeman

Here's how I think it'll actually play out
1 Jay Cutler
2 Dexter Jackson
3 Dennis Wolf
4 Phil Heath
5 Toney Freeman
6 Melvin Anthony

There's this thing in the Mr. Olympia contest where you supposedly have to "Knock out the champ," meaning if you're only slightly better than the incumbent, you will likely lose.
With all the competitors coming up and making great improvements, it'll be exciting to check my phone on monday to see if one of the young bucks was able to overthrow the king! I can't wait!

Monday, September 22, 2008

WAR

The best part was I got paid to do this.

Some sports are highly technical, calling on a series of complex movements and actions to achieve a desired result. Tennis, basketball, baseball are in that category.

Other sports are more basic, relying on brute force to achieve victory. Yes, there are techniques, but when the rubber hits the road, it's distilled down to power. Sport gets no more basic than that.

On Friday, my company held a pentathlon, and I was tapped to participate in the athletic portion. One of the athletic events was a 6-person Tug-o-War.

There is just something primal about grabbing a rope and dedicating all of your might to pulling your opponents in a direction they wish not to go. Perhaps because I can picture all of humankind's ancestry participating in the same game for eons- cavemen probably passed time by playing TOW.

Being the resident musclehead, there was a lot of pressure on me to pull out a W. There are some stereotypes that bodybuilders are all show, and that the muscle they pack on doesnt parlay into real strength. Perpetuating that preconceived notion was no option. I'm also that guy with a bit of a reputation around the gym, so with many fellow gym-goers, as well as gym staff on hand, a lot of eyes were definitely on me.

I went ahead and added fuel to the flames by cutting the sleeves off my shirt. It was like the taking of the glove and slapping the other teams in the face, challenging them to a duel. When I showed up with my hachimaki, dark sunglasses, dark gloves, camo pants and sleeveless team jersey, it was like painting a big target on my chest.
The headband reads "I Will Pass the Test"

To prepare for this contest, I prepared like I was heading to the gym. I took my double shot of espresso about an hour before, grabbed my gym ipod, chock full of death metal and screamcore and headed to the field, and started filling my belly full of rage. I paced on the sideline, like a beast on a leash, waiting to unload on the poor soul that decided to come to work that day.

I had never really played tug of war in my adult life. My teammates and I dug our heels into the grass and prepared to weather the storm. My forearms seared with a slow burning pain and my back, thighs, and glutes were about ready to call it. If a team gained an inch of ground, I let out a scream as we wrestled back control. WAR was definitely a fitting moniker on this day.

For 4 rounds I gave each bout my all, falling to the ground backwards each time the opponents were pulled across the victory line. Pride was on the line.

24 teams became 12. 12 became 6. 6 became 3, and then 2 and then 1. When the dust settled the Toxic Avengers were victorious. And I wanted to puke... for about an hour after the finals... but I didnt.

Gold medal status.


Thursday, September 18, 2008

Invincible Workout Mental Focus: The 7 Keys To Mega-Concentration

I'm a dogged believer in mind-over-matter and visualization;
Arnold used to visualize his biceps blowing up to ridiculous proportions, at times picturing them filling up the entire gym with their ungodly mass.
I too put my mind in a place. When you step under 6+ plates, you have to put every semblance of doubt out of your mind or you will literally and figuratively crumble under the stress...

Peter Siegel is a renowned hypnotherapist/motivational coach.
He's written an article for Muscular Development and they are definitely techniques you should employ when going to throw that iron around.
Here:

A video of him here:

It's Real!!!

I wonder if her cube smells bad...

Work-Walking! I've posted pictures here of concepts before, but I didn't think it there were people actually doing it- here it is in action!
Here:

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Awesome Pic!

A Musclehead's Guide to Alcohol

Look at that quad ham separation!

Now I know that I espouse health, diet and training info on here, but dont get me wrong- I've been known to throw back a few drinks now again, and yes even in my bodybuilding days (but never before a contest!) When I first started lifting I was super paranoid about NEVER missing a workout or NEVER missing a meal, and I really got anal about it all.

Consequently I also got burnt out by bodybuilding and found myself not enjoying it, and if Randy Pausch taught me nothing else, is that we have to enjoy every moment we can in our short time on earth.

Besides, Arnold and his buddies used to carry some weights, a few female friends, packs of beer, and go into the woods and lift and drink and chill by the fire. Things turned out well for him!

From: T-Nation

Monday, September 15, 2008

Jason Greer-Wheelchair Phenom...

Wow.
The guy has an amazing physique, and not just for a guy in a chair- he has an amazing physique for a guy anywhere!
Here:

Trailer Trash or 90's BB'er?


Here is a picture taken from this past weekend. It was for a "Trailer Trash" themed party, and of course, what would a trailer trash party be without the obligatory plaid and sweats and rope belt and Jack Daniels Bandanna.

The funny thing is, I could also be mistaken for a mid-90's bodybuilder as the plaid and the bandanna are definitely indicative of that period of lifters as seen here:
and more recently here (Big Ron)

Sunday, September 14, 2008

How sick is this

Photo taken this weekend, where else?

Seaside of course.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

15 days out...

If you have information that leads to the arrest, conviction, and return of my abs call 1-800-lost-abs to claim the $250,000 reward

This is a photo 15 Days out from the 2008 NPC "Cruise to Cabo for Jimmy's Bachelor Party," taken right after completing only my 4th or 5th cardio session after my show in may (despite my promise to myself to stay leaner so I wouldnt have to work as hard come next prep.)

After my 2nd place finish, I've officially decided that I am not pleased with my current level of conditioning. Specifically I'm currently carrying some abdominal fat that I've never experienced before. Although I didn't get into it in my "feeling fat" post, when I sit my stomach folds are quite high in number, and when I bend to the side, I get some unsightly creases that I don't particularly care for. Abs? What abs?

I'm definitely not one to condone getting in shape for one day/series of days (ie "I want to lose 15 lbs for my wedding") as I always say, why not have your desired physique ALL the time?
But let's get real here, I'm going to a warm place where I'll be shirtless, and I'm going with a bunch of friends who I havent seen in years and all they've heard the last few years is "Ryan's a bodybuilder." I have to at least quasi-look the part before I go in for my fall/winter slumber and put on my winter coat of fat. Putting on fat is a normal part of the bulking process, but it's gotten a bit out of hand.

How I plan to get there:

Diet:
  • I will still have my oatmeal and eggs in the morning, but I will employ a carb cutoff for my last 3 of 6 meals of the day. You may have heard "Eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch, and a pauper for dinner." Well that's what I'm going to do but only with carbs, keeping my fats and protein up to preserve muscle. A typical evening meal will be chicken/tuna/beef/salmon with either broccoli or salad with a dressing of macadamia nut oil/red wine vinegar.
  • I will keep my fiber intake high, as directed by Dr. Jonny Bowden, who lists fiber as the best fat loss "supplement" in this article.
  • I'm going to limit my alcohol intake to 1 light beer per social function per day.
Training:
  • My weight training will not change, still going heavy and hard with good form always progressing with increased reps or poundage.
  • Cardio will be 2 sessions on non-training days: one 30-40 minute session on an empty stomach upon waking (hopefully) and one High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session in the afternoon. The HIIT session is a 2 minute warm-up, then 12 minutes of: 20 second max effort followed by 40 second cruising effort, repeated 12 times, then 2 minute cooldown.
Carrie said she was gonna do some of this with me too, but the girl is a genetic anomaly and stays lean in and out of the gym.
But with this program I hope come cabo we'll be the belles of the balls.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Hardcore

In bodybuilding, the term hardcore is thrown around rather loosely.

There are many facets of bodybuilding I think most people would find extreme. From the diet to the training, and in some cases to the drugs people use.

This is Jeff Rodriguez. You may recall I wrote about him as he helped me out with some of my contest prep in addition to having met him at the San Jose show I took Vernon to see.

This is his photo, 1 day before the Team Universe, a natural (tested) show where the overall winner gets an IFBB pro card. Jeff won his class, but narrowly missed the overall.

Jeff is from the Bay Area but he traveled to NY to compete in this show. He stayed at a Hostel while in NY, and is pictured in his hostel shower.

With a rice cooker

and

George Foreman Grill.

Whatever it takes to win. Hardcore.

Congrats Jeff!

Friday, September 5, 2008

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Pro Bodybuilders I know...

Now let me clarify- I'm not pretending to be buddy buddy with these guys, and it's highly likely they don't remember me at all. Because bodybuilding is such a marginal sport, fans can easily access some the sport's greatest stars. In one way or another, my friend Joel Brandwein is directly responsible for me having met these legends...

Danny Padilla
"The Giant Killer."
Dubbed the "Giant Killer" because he outmuscled men more than a foot taller than he, the 5' 2" bodybuilder out of Rochester is an IFBB legend. I had the pleasure of working with Danny at the Arnold Classic Expo in 2006. He was most gracious to his fans, and almost seemed to be honestly surprised by all the attention he was getting.

Danny hadn't eaten all morning and as he was eating a chicken sandwich I got for him at the Europa booth, Danny damn near choked to death. It was quite a scene but he was ok.
I almost Killed the Giant Killer!

Chris Dickerson

In the 40 plus years of the Mr. Olympia contest, only 11 men have worn the olympia crown.
Chris won in 1982. He was kind enough to provide a few phone consultations during my first contest prep (again courtesy of Joel.) He also had some kind words to say about my contest shape this year.

Ed Corney

Dubbed the Greatest Poser of All Time. Long time roommate and training partner of Arnold, the guy is rich with stories from Bodybuilding's Golden Era. The consummate fixture at bodybuilding shows, I've spent many enjoyable hours with Ed and consider him a friend.

Lee Priest
Some say he's the Dennis Rodman of bodybuilding. Badboy on and off the stage.
Many say he has a crappy attitude and I think he is characterized as a bad boy because he has tattoos (on his face) and doesnt mince words or speak politically.
I spent a few hours with him at the Arnold and I found him to be warm, down to earth, and engaging. He has a great deal of respect and love for Ed, and while we were having a hard time catching a cab and were caught in the cold columbus wind, he made sure that Ed stayed warm and even helped him button up his coat like a son would his father (sometimes ed's manual dexterity is compromised in the cold, due to his stroke a few years ago.) Then he hailed a cab for him and gave him the first to come along, putting Ed before himself.
It was a tender moment really and something you wouldnt expect from bodybuilding's bad boy.

Feeling fat...

What's happening in this picture:
A) A baseball bat's flying at the crowd and they're ducking to get out of the way.
B) They just announced Tay Zonday will be singing the National Anthem.
C) Ryan just took off his shirt exposing his complete lack of abs and whats starting to spill over his belt, and the crowd is horrified.

Ya, it's C.

BTW I like the Heisman pose by the guy in the gray polo and the guy in the orange sinking into his chair, LOL
Source: btw only 600 people were at this game.