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Forward
Books, beans and broomsticks, these were the
tools that forged my body in the beginning. It was the summer of 1974 and I
was tired; tired of being skinny, tired of life’s trials, tired of being
scared, tired of being tired. So, at the age of thirteen, with my life’s
savings of four dollars, I ordered a bodybuilding course. I had no weights
so I used my encyclopedias, cans of beans, a broomstick and two chairs as my
gym. Looking back, I can see that I was a natural as a personal trainer.
After a couple of weeks of using the bodybuilding course, I was inventing
exercises and getting better results. By the time that I started eighth
grade in the fall, people were asking me how I had made such a noticeable
transformation. Soon I had a core of five people that I was training during
physical education class. Talk about a foreshadowing of things to come.
For some reason that winter, I forgot about
bodybuilding and didn’t start again for two years. But, something happened
to me the previous summer. I had experienced an event that had spoken to my
soul. A piece of the missing part had been found, a part that has helped
shape and define who and what I am. The weights started a burning ember
that grew and forged me, as a hearth, hammer and anvil shape a sword. Those
early days taught me to push myself further than I ever thought I could.
That summer is still a touchstone that I visit when life gets too strong and
all I want to is retreat to the back of the cave and lick my wounds. This
event shaped the foundation of discipline that I continue to draw from to
this day.
People are searching for something missing in
their lives. And, while I am not suggesting that fitness is the answer to
all of life’s troubles, I am convinced that it serves as a good foundation
for happiness. To be happy in other aspects of life one must be able to
enjoy the fruit of their labor. Health, fitness, mobility, and ability are
“enablers”; happiness multipliers if you will, to all other areas of
living. To have children, or grandchildren, and not be able to play with
them for more than a few minutes, if at all, is one of the greatest
tragedies that I can imagine. Perhaps you can think of instances where life
enjoyment was diminished by the inability to physically participate in
life’s activities. If so, don’t let this happen to you again.
At 44 years of age, I have seen and done
things that others only dream (and have nightmares) about. I have served my
country for 22 years and been around the world while serving in the U.S. Air
Force. Sacrifice, tears, love and honor have been my creed. Goodbye hugs
and kisses, before tearful departures, were snags in the fabric of my family
life for many years. I have seen the beauty that is God’s creation. I have
also seen more than my share of death and destruction, while cheating it on
more than one occasion. Through it all, my unshakable faith in my God, love
of my country and family…and that smoldering ember has kept my gait swift,
eyes bright and heart open.
I have always wanted to write this book. To
help people become more than they think possible is part of who I am. I
have done it for over 30 years. I want to pass on the spark, this ember
that has smoldered, and at times, blazed gloriously. I would be overjoyed
if something I said made a difference in another person’s life. While my
book will focus primarily on physical development, perhaps the journey will
ignite a spark that serves as their touchstone. Maybe it can simply be a
way for someone to grow - muscles and character. Perhaps (as in my case) in
a dark hour it may be a signpost that leads to the crossroads, and to the
way home.
The purpose of my book is not to merely
provide you with another training program. There are already thousands of
training programs already out there. Some work well; others are there
simply to sell magazines. It is not my intention to introduce the status
quo, change a few items, and then call it groundbreaking news. Quite the
opposite – Most of my techniques have been around, in some form, for many
years. I have simply applied them in a fashion that encourages maximum
results in a minimum amount to time.
I want to initiate and cultivate logical
conscientious thought into the fray and challenge traditional ideas. There
are fundamental elements to fitness and body building (yes! You are a
bodybuilder if you are working to improve the shape of your body). The word
“science” has been used far too many times in conjunction with the words
health, fitness and bodybuilding without applying one shred of logic or
fact. Yet, every week I see a new “miracle diet” or “fitness gadget” that
promises to melt fat and give you the perfect body, without dedicating any
real science… but a lot of marketing. Even worse, some use partial or
incomplete science to market a product which serves to confuse people even
further.
The misconception that has guided the fitness
world is the notion that more is better. This idea permeates our society.
And, in some cases is actually valid. For example: If you were told that
you would get a higher (more) return on an investment, I think you would
agree that it would be a good thing. Conversely, most restaurants offer the
opportunity to upgrade your meal to larger portions for a nominal fee. At
first, that seems like a great idea until you look at the condition of the
average US citizen. Over sixty percent are overweight or obese.
Unfortunately the same mindset occurs in the fitness world. The notion that
“If one set of a particular exercise is good, then ten must be better” seems
to be the guiding theme in most fitness plans. It has been my experience
over the past 30 years that this is simply not true.
Fitness and bodybuilding can seem quite
perplexing to novice and intermediate participants. In fact, some advanced
level members don’t have a basic understanding of the bio-chemistry,
kinesiology and nutritional dynamics involved. As far as I can tell they
have achieved success through sheer genetics and determination, and in some
cases pharmaceuticals. It makes me wonder how much further they would be
with the proper application of a few basic principles.
In some ways the confusion isn’t so
surprising. Think of the relatively small amount of fundamental fitness and
nutrition information taught in public schools. Couple that with the
overwhelming number of fad books, hype magazines, and cash flow web sites
available in this so called information age. And, to make matters worse,
they seem to contradict each other. The systems that might actually work
have made themselves systematically complicated to impress the public. This
only serves to discourage people in the long run. What the public needs is
a scientifically sound, logically applied, simplistic system. Sound too
good to be true? Read on yee of little faith.
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