Although I was involved in organized athletics since the age of 9, I did not begin lifting weights until right after I turned 30. It was dark the evening of the accident that changed my life. I wanted to get an early start on my birthday and I decided to pick up a few beers from a bar several blocks from my house. It must have been instinct or whatever as I asked the neighbor and friend to watch my oldest daughter Tina while I went to the store. Had I not she may not be here to grace us with her lovely presence. As I was crossing an intersection a car, El Camino, black came careening around the corner. It was one of the short arm terms where they are approaching the corner from a 45 degree angle. Due to the angle I never saw the car until I was hit. Up and over the car I went landing awkwardly on my feet and injuring my knee and my hip was bruised where the car hit me.

Luckily a neighbor came out and assisted me, flagging down the police, who took me at the hospital. I was told I needed surgery on my knee and I was out of work and on crutches for some period. Tired of limping around I bought a weight bench attempting to strengthen my knee. Initially all I did were leg exercises, primarily leg extensions. Soon, curiosity took over I began testing my strength and let’s say I was mere shadow of the man that has evolved. After months of working out at home with bench and trampoline, I began to feel limited and wanted more.  So I joined a gym, I believe it was Bally’s. Some of you may remember the club they ran under the clothes pin on 15^th & Market St.

I had a lot to learn but I am a fast learner when motivated. For weeks I went to the gym like many people and I did what I could do. Weeks went by like this with little progress in strength. Well on weekends I would attend the club that used to be located in the Plymouth Meeting Mall. It was closer and easier to get to since I lived closer than downtown. One day I overhear someone making fun of the relatively light weight I was lifting compared to my size. It was an awakening and after being mad I watched and watched what those who were stronger and bigger did. Although some may consider it rude I owe a lot to that moment in time. It lit a fire under me that was unreal. I wanted to be considered one of the best weightlifter in the area. I wanted it as bad as I could breathe.

I learned a lot about myself during those next few weeks as it was one the hardest things I ever did. Getting used to the discomfort that is naturally associated with weight training is not easy. Your natural instinct is to move away from discomfort and stay away from it always remembering the hot stove. I took the discomfort and overtime associated it with success rather than the hot stove. I did it over and over and I began to do it very well. The biggest thing I learned is you must move out of your comfort zone if you want your life to be different, to improve in quality and perhaps quantity. I realized it is a choice to move out of the zone and live a little and it would be okay.  Hard became normal and I grew in size as I grew in knowledge about my newly adopted lifestyle and craft. Approximately 3-4 months later there was a weight lifting contest based on the accumulative total weight of all your lifts including legs, chest arms shoulders and back. I won and it was not even close and against the same individuals who months earlier had a good laugh at my expense. Needless to say they were shocked since I had not been there in weeks. I trained in center city with a great group and it worked.

Now do not get me wrong, I was happy but not overly ecstatic since I realized this was small time a becoming known around the community was not going to be easy or fast. Look environment changes things and over the years I dominated a few of the commercial gyms in terms of weight lifted, intensity of workout, stamina etc…  Several Bally’s LA Fitness all went down but again it was not the real thing. The intensity and drive in these places is just not there like some places. My highest bench at Bally’s was 325, not bad eh!

I kept hearing about this small family owned gym called the Fitness Place but when I drove by I never saw it until one day I was walking, saw the sign and went in. I liked the feel of the place right from the start. There was this blue collar, no nonsense, let’s grind in the air and on all of the old, worn equipment. It was not pretty but it felt like home. Let me say this, I do not care how big and bad a weightlifter you are “The Fitness Place” will teach you humility like no other gym I have seen or been told. Humility slapped dead in my face the first workout after I signed up and I knew for sure this place was for me. It’s Monday and I am doing bench in the early evening. I do  a few light sets and now I piling on the weight until I get to 315 and do say 5-6 reps and as I finish my set a guy I will later know as Marvin comes over and ask to work with me. I say yes and ask him if he wanted to take some weight off. His response was to add weight and do 12 reps. Lesson learned, you have stepped up to the big leagues and whatever you did where ever you came from we are not impressed. Sadly, the owners lost the lease in July of 2005 and my workouts have suffered until now as a result.

Since then I have drifted from gym to gym still one of the dominant figures in all the areas I listed earlier but it just has not been the experience I enjoyed with the members of the Fitness Place> when we run into each we each express the same sentiments and since of melancholy caused we loved. It is almost like a brotherhood among. In fact last week at LA Fitness a guy came up and said he recognize me from there mainly because of the intensity of the workout. This felt good since I was thinking the same of him a few minutes earlier when I say him shrugging 315 with ease for multiple reps.

Over the years, since leaving my favorite gym I have experienced several setbacks from illness initially and after nine months I returned to the gym and the grind was unbelievable. In September 2011, I left the gym again because I was overwhelmed by a job and too tired to work out regularly. In March of this year I finally returned to the gym after seeing myself on a video and not liking at all what I saw. The re-entry process was more difficult mentally this time and I am not sure why. I was embarrassed by my inability to function at a level anywhere near my previous WARM UP weight on any routine. Although, intellectually I knew after being out for over 6 months there was no way I was going to perform as previously. The first couple of workouts were a disaster. I was out of shape, out of breath and without any real focus.

If I was going to succeed I needed a plan and for the first time I documented my workouts and it made a tremendous difference.  The ability to monitor my progress and not be able to mislead myself has forced me to work harder than I ever have before in the gym. Earlier this year I retired and took my pension. This allows me to concentrate on my first love fitness, wellness and good health.  I have finally committed to myself and what I love to do. It does not feel like work although I realize it is and when I start posting my stats you will see that during any routine I lift tons of iron every day. Sounds like hard work doesn’t it well it doesn’t feel that way. I am as happy as I have been since working in the community with Prevention Services. Doing this full time is producing some amazing results for a 55 year old man. 

Lean and Fit for life

Good morning everyone! I just left the gym after a vigorous workout hope you will join me in a fitness regime if you have not already. I returned to the gym after not working out from September 2011 through March 2012. I have to tell you it was really hard going back and trying to workout with any real intensity. Physically difficult but mentally depressing realizing how much I had lost and all the work in front of me. My weight was up to 240 lbs, the heaviest I have been ever in my life. A 38"  waist started me thinking but seeing myself on a video was the motivation I needed. 

Initially I was frustrated and ready to quit because I could not do what I wanted and it was somewhat embarrassing as fellow gym members began questioning me about my inability to lift heavy weight. My response was to follow a process of lifting that did not allow me to move to a heavier weight until I had reached at least 10 reps on any motion. Moving from my maximum bench press of  425 to barely being able to bench 225 for more than 5 reps was a crushing blow to my ego. Putting ego aside and suppressing my ego I moved forward a little at a time. I am happy top say I have progressed tremendously and I am now benching 335 and getting 8-10 reps with 275. I also have reduced my weight to about 218 with a 32-34" waistline. No trick to it just hard work and following a process.

At present I am alternating my workouts from very heavy with minimal reps to moderate weight with high repetitions. As I post I will be posting my workouts under a tab I will add named About me. So follow along get some tips and workout routines and if you need help you may contact me here or on Facebook. Personal training is available as well as I have been certified for at least 20 years and I stay abreast of all the latest information. 

Below you will find some information about fitness and how to increase your lean muscle mass. I will add some explanation as well.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/26/reasons-youre-lean-want/?intcmp=features

Top 10 reasons you're not as lean as you want to be

Published August 26, 2012

Askmen.com

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You work hard in the gym, you watch what you eat, you go running every morning, but you're still not as lean as you want to be. What gives? It could be one of many things according to strength and conditioning coach Nick Mitchell, who was recently named London's Best Personal Trainer 2010 in Time Out magazine.

The founder of Ultimate Performance Personal Training says: "With all the good will in the world, your training may not be enough to get yourself into shape. If you're committing any one of these sins, you'll never be as lean as you want to be."

Here are the top 10 suggestions as to why you may not be as lean as you'd hope to be.

You Eat Too Much Fruit

"Fruit is healthy," I hear you cry! Sure it is, but that doesn’t mean it does diddly squat for your fat loss efforts. In a nutshell, the sugar from fruit (fructose) does a very bad job at raising insulin levels. Insulin is required to shove fructose into the muscle as stored energy (glycogen).

Instead, it just lingers around reaping metabolic havoc via a process known as glycation, whereby the fructose binds to amino acids leading to such lovely things as fat gain and metabolic aging. Renowned clinical nutritionist Robert Crayhon has said that “Fructose is the guest that won’t go home once the party is over.”

Your body stores sugar for emergencies via the bodies natural processes and adding sugar to your diet increases the amount of work you have to do to burn it off. This important because in order to burn fat you must burn the sugar off first and this takes 20 to 30 minutes. This is why 20 minutes or less of cardio prior to your the remainder of your workout does not produce the results you desire. I recommend doing cardio as the last part of your workout after the fight or flight   fuel is depleted.

You Are Lazy

You Are LazyYou have been sold the story that a few easy jogs and some low-calorie meals are all you need to be lean. Get real.

If you are aspiring to become a Men’s Health cover model, then you need to graft and work at it -- every single day. Three-times-a-week sessions in the gym just won’t cut it, and some of you may even need twice-a-day training. To look extreme, you have to train extreme.

No comment this speaks for itself. Do not believe the hype of the crappy gimmicks sold on TV.

You Obsess Too MuchThere is a fine line between dedication and obsession. The former is necessary to transform your physique; the latter will ultimately lead to burn out, elevated cortisol levels and poorer overall condition.

Take a leaf out of the book of men who maybe knew a thing or two about getting in ridiculous shape, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman. Two totally different characters united by their ability to focus completely on the task at hand, and then switch off and relax outside of the gym.

Yoga and meditation are good ways to relax and prevent the production of cortisol a powerful hormone that increaases belly fat.

You Don’t Lift Heavy Enough WeightsHeavy weights build muscular physiques. Yes, I know that Olympic gymnasts look great but they are genetically elite midgets who are in fact capable of astounding feats of strength. Don’t pump out sets of 25 reps in the gym; instead, strive to always get stronger and spread out your repetition ranges.

Do workouts of 6 reps per set one week, then 12 reps the next, then 5, 8, 4, and back to 6. Trust me, when I tell you that this is one of the very best ways to develop an impressive body.

The idea is that your muscles have their own memory which allows them to adjust to your routine if you are doing the same one all of the time. You will plateau and no progress is made. I have often heard people say they are on a maintenance program. There is no such beast. Either you are making progress or you are losing ground. Life does not stand still and if you do it will pass you by.

You Have No Knowledge of Hormone ControlIf you are overstressed, under sleeping, eating too much sugar, and never have any downtime, then chances are that you are not looking too hot right now. If you can’t get a handle on your own hormones, then good intentions and hard gym work will be for naught.

Educate yourself on insulin, cortisol, growth hormone, and testosterone, and the best ways to optimise your own natural production. Better yet, seek out the advice of someone who has taught Charles Poliquin’s BioSignature Modulation theories -- this can really fast-track you down the path of physical excellence.

Again cortisol is the culprit since stress produces cortisol which produces Belly Fat

You Think Fortified Cereals Are “Health Foods”If you really think you’ll get lean eating cereal, then I have some swampland I’d like to sell you:

Cereal is bad in pretty much every way, bar the taste of course. All the studies from the 1980s that espoused the health benefits of cereal were sponsored by one very large, very well-known cereal manufacturer. Instead, have eggs and steak for breakfast, and go and buy the excellent Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.

You Do Too Much Regular CardioWe have all seen them, the cardio bunnies toiling away on their treadmills. What we usually don’t see, however, is any change in their physical appearance. This is because the body is a very clever organism and adapts to most forms of cardio in a matter of weeks.

Sure, you will still be working hard, but your metabolism shifts a gear and goes into cruise control rather than working too hard. So, instead of wasting too much time worrying about cardio, simply lift a few more weights, sprint a few more hills and eat a few less carbs.

You Party Too MuchWe all need a quick lifestyle check once in a while. If your physique goals are not progressing the way you want them to, then it often pays to examine what is going on in your social life. Just because your buddy is ripped and can get away with a few brews every Saturday night doesn’t mean that you can. In fact, he is the exception and the only thing that counts is you and how different factors impact upon your body.

Late nights, drinking, smoking -- all of these will substantively negate your otherwise hard work in the gym and in the kitchen. If a great physique is your goal for the summer, then it’s time to knock the vices on the head for a little while. And then, when you do party, think how much fun it will be sporting a new six pack.

You Think Abdominal Training Is EasyNo, it’s not. If done correctly, abdominal training can be excruciating. The concept of banging out 50 quick sit-ups disappeared along with the ozone layer in the 1980s.

Abdominals are actually fast-twitch muscles and this means that relatively low (40 seconds) time under tension is optimal for development and muscular growth. This means 15 reps max.

You Believe the Myth of DisciplineThere is no such thing as discipline, all we have is love. Either you love being lean and ripped, or you love burgers, fries and donuts. Stop making excuses about having a “lack of discipline” and man up -- what do you love the most?

And remember folks Chit Chat Don't Burn FAT

Guns Do Kill People

How can I write about anything else but what occurred overnight in Aurora, CO? What a tragedy this is for the families, friends, observers and this entire community. I pray for all of us including this murderer and all who think like him. I pray for each of us, in our travels around our communities in this nation and across the world. People who do these types of things are living in a place so dark and ugly that most of us can not imagine, "What was the thought process prior to committing such unbelievable acts of violence and cruelty". My curiosity alone makes me ask this question because in my reality there is no WHY. None whatsoever, he cannot explain himself to anyone in their right mind and have it actually make sense.

This is not a random act. This is a well planned commando raid. He used that smoke canister to drive these folks in a particular direction and then started shooting at innocent people at point blank range. The police want to know the motive but tell me folks do we really care why this fool shot people who have done nothing to him. Even if all of them did something to this man do we really care Why. No I do not think so since I know that I do not. Knowing why will not stop the next fool from planning and committing unbelievable crimes that shock the world and get them their 15 minutes of fame. You can trust that his 15 may not even get him the full 15 before someone else does so to cause this kind of mayhem, stick, knife, baseball bat, I think not. Some may argue a bomb and I would have to agree but bombs are not easy to get, make or conceal for the average American. Although we may have access to bomb making materials and the internet may provide the intelligence, how  many of us have one or have knowledge? How many of you have a gun or easy access to one? It seems in this country the will to own and use a gun at the slightest, slight, confrontation, or imagined conflict with me thing horrific and inhumane. Why, just does not matter for this guy and next one and the next one and the next. When does this nonsense stop?

This paragraph is for all you gun promoting toting NRA supporters. Let's think about the choice of weapons, yes guns. Let see, what is the statement the NRA makes, "Guns do not kill people people kill people. Well I am going to agree for the sake of avoiding that debate since we will never be able to get off that chicken or egg contest. What other weapon can you u someone is increasing exponentially. Anger explodes on the street and innocent bystanders are struck down. The disenfranchised loners imagine the world is set against them and a movie theater, a college campus, an army base, or a village in Afghanistan is turned into a killing zone to provide this foul creature with some imagined victory in their maddening attempt to exact revenge.

Let get real folks you can make whatever argument you want but ever since the young man climbed that clock tower at the University of Texas, to today's mass shooting there is one common denominator, guns in the hands of people who are not well. So my argument is that guns do kill people. I know they do daily in my neighborhood and across this nation and this world. Guns everywhere and in the hands of someone with really bad intent, produces a rather gruesome outcome as we see today.It is the preferred weapon of the malcontents of this world and there needs to be increased control and reduced access to these weapons whether they are hand guns, rifles, shotguns or automatic weapons. Since the election of President Obama the sales of guns has increased tenfold in our country. All types of weapons in the hands of people we do not know and who look normal until they attack.

It is kind of like when you come upon a dog and the owner tell you he does not bite. My reply is always until he does bite someone. So we allow these weapons to be in the hands of anyone without checking some vital information about their state of wellness. We wait and hope the person is a responsible citizen with compassion and caring for those around him or her. But we do not know this for certain and many cases may suspect the buyer/owner may have some issues however they have a 1st Amendment right to own a weapon. I say let them have a baseball bat, a knife a taser but the guns have to go. How many of you have been ready to blow the horn at a double parked car or lane violator but hesitated because they may have a gun? How many have hesitated to correct one of young folks or failed to help someone because the perpetrator may be armed with a gun? We are not concerned about knives, tasers, bats or even bombs when we make theses decisions to not do the right thing. We do it because of the possibility of a gun. Hell nowadays its a probability not possibility they may have a gun on their person.

Big Willie In Philly

You live in fear because of the probability of a gun being on the set and no other weapon causes this level of concern. Tell the NRA to keep it real and let's get rid of the one weapon that provides most of us with some level of trepidation, in our travels, in our social lives, at entertainment venues, while driving, and even in our homes as invaders enter with GUNS. Let's get motivated get moving and get rid of this tiny device that has changed our world from one of comfort and safety in our neighborhoods to one of fear, trepidation and many dead relatives friends and neighbors. Peace out and the next time you hear guns do not kill people people do, write a letter to your legislator about your experienceshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/20/aurora-shooting-movie-theater-batman_n_1688547.html#liveblog and fears/concerns as  you move through your world.

Peace Out

Later, Let the punishment fit the crime.