LegendaryLife.com Blog

Most peoples bodies look like this building by middle-age... it doesn't need to be this way!

I realize that the word “disease” is thrown around all to easily in this world, usually in order to give people a reason to take yet more pills and medication but I truly believe that aging is actually a disease that is acquired through lifestyle… let me explain.

What is aging and its cause?

Aging is slow, progressive process, caused by cellular degradation, DNA replication errors (mutations) and general “damage” however you wish to define it within a living organism. It cannot be stopped nor reversed but it can be slowed down with proper lifestyle choices. Let me repeat, aging CANNOT be stopped or reversed regardless of how many products out there state otherwise.

What are factors that increase the rate of aging?

There are a number of things one can do to avoid “getting old before your time” and here is a quick list, there are many more but this should give you an idea of what needs modifying in your life to prevent the acquisition of this aging disease.

Stress

Having a crazy, burn the candle at two ends lifestyle is one of the quickest manners to age yourself. Now, there is good stress and bad stress, worrying about your finances is BAD stress while putting stress on your body physically (within reason) is GOOD stress. I have seen numerous studies directly linking stress and aging… this is probably the biggest thing you need to get a handle on within your life… luckily, it’s also the easiest to change in your life. Other things you can do which stress your body include drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking (pick your poison), taking drugs (legal or otherwise within reason) and a host of other mental, physical choices we put ourselves through on a daily basis.

Food

A typical western diet heavy on meats and low on vegetables / fruits is a great way to not only increase your incidence of bowel related conditions but also a great way to stress all your internal organs (BAD stress) leading to pre-mature aging. You ARE what you eat, no if, ands or buts about it and the sooner you realize that every little piece of food you shove in your mouth plays a very active role in your bodies ability to fight disease, stay healthy and do as you tell it to, the better you will be.

Genetics

Genetics is the ONE factor you have relatively little control over, but as Dean Ornish has found, you can actually, through lifestyle, change to a certain extent, your genetic predispositions. Let me repeat, the genes you where born with aren’t necessarily the ones you end up dying with, thanks to lifestyle choices. This is a MAJOR discovery and one that really got me excited, the body renews itself completely every 7 years, take every opportunity to make sure that while this process is occurring that you are smarter, stronger and healthier than the day before.

(see previous article: TEDTalks: Dean Ornish - activity leads to longer, healthier life!)

Acquired Diseases, Viruses and Infections

A very quick way to age and possibly die way before your time is the acquisition of diseases, viruses and infections, no matter how benign, they will play a role in your lifespan. There are extreme virus like the Ebola Virus which has a very bad survival rate once acquired but viruses like AIDS (HIV-1, HIV-2), with proper medication and genetic profile, mean a shortened but not as dramatic “hitting of the brick wall”. You can get a (bacterial) staph infection which quickly goes away with proper antibiotics or get it on your joints (arthritis) which limit your mobility. Basically, acquiring any common or otherwise diseases, viruses or infections do play a role, so try to avoid them if you can.

So why is aging a disease that is acquired?

I think aging is a disease that is acquired through lifestyle choices in that there are two types of aging, natural and unnatural. Natural is the general process of aging, unnatural is doing such things as watching TV all day on the couch drinking beer and eating potato chips. There is nothing natural in eating artificial foods, our bodies are NOT made for it anymore than living a sedentary life is… these are completely unnatural things for us to do and this is how we acquire unnatural aging along with the diseases they play a very large role in developing. The only reason many people are able to live such a long time while abusing their bodies is due to the medical advances that have come with living in a modern civilization… otherwise, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of older folks keeled over on a more regular basis. Our bodies are made to run, hunt, seek and discover, not sit around waiting for our next meal to come out of microwave.

The Bottom Line

Aging is a disease if brought upon by bad lifestyle choices.

The Myth. The Legend. Servio "The Myth" Oliva showing-off his incredible 23 inch arms!

In the world of bodybuilding where legends such as Lou Ferrigno, Casey Viator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mohammed Makaway, Casey Viator, , Lee Labrada, Ron Coleman, Jay Cutler, , Lee Haney, Lee Priest, Dorian Yates, Weider, Mentzer and “Barbarian” Brothers, Mike Katz, Dexter Jackson, Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray still cast a dominating shadow over this sport, one man, still maintains the biggest of them all. He is called Sergio “The Myth” Oliva.

Sergio Oliva’s early years

Few people realize that Sergio was a Cuban born on July 4th, 1941 and got into bodybuilding rather by accident. He was a soldier in the war against communism but lost, so he headed for the beach where a few friends introduced him to weight lifting.

Sergio Oliva’s legend begins

After less than a year of training, he was able to perform clean & jerks in excess of 400lbs, which was more than double his weight at the time. Considering he was still a teenager at this time made it all the more impressive. He caught the eye of the Cuban government and in 1961, he represented Cuba in the Pan American Games. During these games, he sneaked-out and sought asylum in an American Consulate, which was granted.

Sergio Oliva enters the mainstream bodybuilding community

In 1963, after moving from Miami, Florida to Chicago Illinois to work at a foundry, his legend started to grow due to his shier power and strength at the local gym he exercised at. Apparently, he was lifting more weight than anybody thought was possible and word began spreading quickly in the bodybuilding circles. He decided to give a competition a try and a year later, became “Mr. Illinois”! After a few competitions, he gathered enough steam to compete in an IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding) sanctioned event in 1967, blowing away the competition! He won both the Mr. World Contest and Mr. Universe that year followed by winning Mr. Universe yet again three consecutive years later! He was so impressive at the time that he won the 1968 Mr. Olympia completely uncontested, nobody could even come close to the physique he had developed in only four years of being in the sport! He won an impressive number of contests during this years as a competitive, professional bodybuilder which is still talked about to this day!

Here is a listing of all the competitions he entered:

• 1963 Mr Chicago
• 1964 Mr Illinois
• 1964 Mr America - AAU, 7th
• 1965 Junior Mr America - AAU, 2nd
• 1965 Junior Mr America - AAU, Most Muscular
• 1965 Mr America - AAU, 4th
• 1965 Mr America - AAU, Most Muscular,
• 1966 Junior Mr America - AAU, Winner
• 1966 Junior Mr America - AAU, Most Muscular
• 1966 Mr America - AAU, 2nd
• 1966 Mr America - AAU, Most Muscular,
• 1966 Mr World - IFBB, Overall Winner
• 1966 Mr World - IFBB, Tall, 1st
• 1966 Mr Universe - IFBB Winner
• 1966 Olympia - IFBB, 4th
• 1967 Olympia - IFBB, Winner
• 1967 Universe - IFBB, Overall Winner
• 1968 Olympia - IFBB, Winner
• 1969 Olympia - IFBB, Winner
• 1970 Mr World - AAU, Pro Tall, 2nd
• 1970 Olympia - IFBB, 2nd
• 1971 Universe - Pro - NABBA, Tall, 2nd
• 1972 Olympia - IFBB, 2nd
• 1972 Mr. Galaxy - WBBG
• 1973 Mr International - IFBB, Professional, 1st
• 1974 Mr International, Professional, 1st
• 1975 Olympus - WBBG, Winner
• 1976 Olympus - WBBG, Winner
• 1977 World Championships - WABBA, Professional, 1st
• 1978 Olympus - WBBG, Winner
• 1980 World Championships - WABBA, Professional, 1st
• 1981 Pro World Cup - WABBA, Winner
• 1984 Olympia - IFBB, 8th
• 1984 Pro States Championships - WABBA
• 1985 Olympia - IFBB, 8th

Sergio’s physical achievements!

Sergio’s body was truly aspiring and the symmetry he achieved was at least 20 years ahead of his competitors at the time. Considering he was rather short at 5ft9 compared to the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger (6ft2) and Lou Ferrigno (6ft5), he still managed to more than hold his own against these monsters of the sport at the time. He was also about the same weight as far taller competitors and his body was so amazing that he even gave Arnold his first and only loss of his career! His arms measured an incredible 23 inches unflexed with impressive 20 inch forearms. His chest was almost as large as Arnold Schwarzeneggers at the time (58 inches) and yet, he still managed to maintain an incredibly slim waist of 28 inches! His legs where like massive tree trucks measuring an incredible 33 inches… again, he BLEW AWAY the competition in just about every category! His arms where so massive, considering his overall body size, that they where usually described as pythons, which is maybe where Hulk Hogan got his idea of describing his arms in the same manner.

Sergio Oliva later in life

Sergio entered the police force after many years of competition and became a family man at the age of 43. He, like many great legends, bowed-out of the sport, having earned the respect of fellow athletes for pushing the sport of competitive bodybuilding into a new era, that of the “genetic freaks” that would soon dominate the arena. He also wrote a book in 2007 which is difficult to get.

Sergio “The Myth” Oliva Videos

(great summary of an amazing man)

(Sergio posing at the 1984 Olympia)

(Sergio posing at the 1985 Olympia)

Like father like son?

It doesn’t end there, Sergio Oliva Jr. is really starting to make inroads within the bodybuilding community as well, here is one of his videos… impressive and given a few years, I am sure he will continue in the legacy of his father.

Sergio Oliva Trivia

• Sergio Oliva was shot by his x-wife 5 times!
• Sergio’s first job in America was that of a TV repairman
• Sergio is still the only bodybuilder to ever win and hold, the top standings in four competitive bodybuilding federations at the same time! (IFBB, AAU, NABBA, WBBG)
• Once Cuba’s weightlifting team got wind of his escape, the entire team followed suit
• Sergio’s competition weight was normally between 240lbs and 255lbs, which, even by today’s standards, is enormous considering the low body fat he maintained during these events

The Bottom Line

Legends come in all sizes and shapes, Sergio’s just happens to be among the largest!

Buzvia: Official Sergio Oliva Web Site and Sergio Oliva on Wikipedia

See also: LegendaryLife Profile: Bill Kazmaier and LegendaryLife Profile: Mariusz Pudzianowski

I was recently contacted by the Nursing Online Education Database to review an article they had written titled “50 Tiny Health Habits that Can Save You Big Money (And Add Years)” and I must say I agree with most of what I see. Just to clarify, I have no formal medical training, I am simply a person with many passions and one of them is spreading the word about the very big advantages of a healthy lifestyle!

Article Summary

It’s a known fact that people following a healthy lifestyle throughout your life, though you are never too old to start, save a fortune in medical expenses and lessen or even completely avoid a host of diseases that strike us mortals. Most importantly, a healthy lifestyle will add QUALITY YEARS to a limited lifespan.

Bad habits to avoid or stop immediately: Smoking, drinking, unhealthy snacking, promiscuity, tanning, nail bitting, drug abuse (including caffeine), leading a sedentary lifestyle and eating too fast.

Good habits to have: take vitamins, drink plenty of water, avoid sleep deprivation, exercise, avoid second-hand smoke, eat breakfast, eat your vegies, wear sunscreen, wear good shoes, stretch and floss regularly.

How to de-stress yourself: maintain a good posture, relax your jaw, get some sun, meditate, take your time when eating and most importantly, take a break!

Avoiding those evil diseases: wash your hands, drink green tea, eat fish, drink milk, scrape your tongue, eat a high fiber diet, wash your kids toys regularly, clean your sheets and towels and throw kitchen sponges away!

Invest in yourself: get tested for STDs, become best friends with your dentist, replenish your beauty products, get a flu shot, buy generic, don’t share (toothbrushes, shavers etc), save your money (in an account), avoid the junk food, go to the gym.

Personal habits that help: know your families medical history, accept your mortality, cook for yourself, find somebody to share your life with (no matter how brief) and push yourself to become more then you think you are capable.

My review of key items on this list

Overall, I think this is a great article, Laura knows what she is talking about! Some things I don’t completely agree with while others I believe need to be re-enforced.

Promiscuity

Here is a scary fact repeated many times but needs to be said again, a full 1/4 of Americans are walking around with an STD, whether they realize this or not, yes, that may include you (reading this now). This can range from HPV to AIDS and everything in between. Some are incredibly nasty while others are relatively benign, but an STD is an STD no matter how you describe it. Entering “morals” into the equation as to why promiscuity is “bad” is best left to religion, not the medical community in my opinion.

Drug Abuse

I have had first hand experience with the evils of drug abuse with both of my sisters, one of which died as a result. What I can tell you is that countries who behead drug pushers and traffickers are right on… people who make a profit off other peoples misery deserve no less a reward. The irrational and extreme mood swings, exponential aging and the breakdown that drugs cause within a family are incalculable. I am talking about hard drugs but I also saw my grandfather slowly die due to a life of smoking cigarettes. Drug abuse isn’t just the hard stuff, but any type of drug abuse, from smoking to prescription drugs can only spell problems in your later years.

Daily vitamins

So far, there have been NO studies out there supporting the use of vitamins or multi-vitamins, not one. If you eat a whole, balanced diet, multi-vitamins are not needed for a healthy life. That being said, I take a multi-vitamin twice a day, there may be no proof that it works, but I consider it an insurance policy as I can’t turn back the “health clock” within my body should such a study come out. There is A LOT of hype regarding the vitamin industry, buy the cheapest ones that have everything including the kitchen sink in them… multi-vitamins should be following this shot-gun approach for maximum effectiveness.

Exercise

Walking, running and climbing stairs has been shown to NOT BE ENOUGH. Any exercise regimen must include weight training. Why? Well, unlike running and general cardio-vascular exercises, which are great… weight training increases your muscle mass (promoting fat loss), keeps your body tones and stimulates your central nervous system including an optimization of your neuro-muscular pathways. Why is this important? Well, these all decline with age and lack of use, get them optimized when you are young and their degradation will happen at a slower rate.

Wear Sunscreen

I realize both sides of this argument but I do not wear sunscreen but when I go outside, I always have a hat, long sleeves (even in the summer) and avoid the sun during its peak hours, roughly 11am till 3pm. Sunscreens are effective but for me, they cannot replace common sense. If you go to a beach and spend a few hours in the sun, absolutely wear sunscreen but for daily activities like walking a dog… I consider this a waste of money and time.

Floss

I have to be honest, I don’t floss… what I do instead is put half a cup hot water, mix it with a heaping tablespoon of salt, a pinch of baking soda and wash my mouth with this at least once or twice a day. Why? Well, I believe it’s far more effective then flossing, not only does the salt get under the gum-line and between teeth but it also promotes blood flow. More importantly, this KILLS every bacteria and virus that may live in your mouth. I still brush my teeth of course, but since I have followed this regimen a few years ago, morning breath, tartar build-up and icky mouth feelings dissapeared! Kill them all and nothing is left to do you harm is my philosophy regarding oral care.

Drink Milk

You know what, I don’t agree with this what-so-ever. Where do cows get their calcium? Plant materials. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables will give you far more calcium then any glass of milk could ever hope to do. I believe the marketing of milk has been detrimental to the healthy eating habits of most people, they assume wrongly that milk is the only or BEST source of calcium on the planet, which it is not. Most milk is mass-produced by boosted cows and guess what, this stuff leaches into your milk. I use milk for recipes and that is the extent of my use for this substance.

Wash your kids toys

Before you rush-out and buy some cleaning chemicals, get yourself a steamer, they cost almost nothing and are by far more friendly to your child’s body. Using steam will kill everything, doesn’t produce environmentally damaging chemicals and is a far cheaper method of cleaning.

Replenish your beauty supplies

I think women are at their most beautiful when they wear NO make-up. I believe that the entire fashion and cosmetics industry is a farce that essentially tells women that they are ugly unless they SPEND MONEY on their stuff to look great. Sorry, but a healthy lifestyle will do far more good then any of this garbage will ever do. Preying on self-esteem of woman in order to gain access to their pocket book is just plain evil in my opinion.

Accept your mortality (embrace your age)

Love the skin you’re in, age gracefully and embrace your age sound nice but I disagree. The moment you accept this, in my opinion, is the moment you accept the inevitable that you can do little to nothing to FIGHT aging. I work hard at the gym to extend my lifespan and slow the aging process (the eye candy is a bonus) but you won’t see me ever sitting around saying “wow… I have really aged… great!”. Aging is a battle that I realize I cannot win but that doesn’t mean I will stop trying!

The Bottom Line

Great article… hopefully this gets other to take their health seriously!

Buzvia: 50 Tiny Health Habits that Can Save You Big Money (And Add Years)

Depending on how you look at it, I am either blessed or cursed, you see, I am one of those typical guys who has trouble not only gaining weight but keeping it on. As soon as I stop working out with weights, my accumulated mass begins to go away though, oddly enough, not my strength gains… most women would kill for these genetics, so I guess in that sense, I am very lucky to have them!

Tip #1: Go for Quality, not Quantity

The most I have ever weighed was 200 pounds, being six feet tall and I felt like I was CONSTANTLY eating. Why was this a challenge? Well, I eat only whole foods that I cook myself and I am incredibly active most of the time. When I am not in front of my computer slaving away or running my businesses, I am hiking, working out or going for long extended walks lasting up to 5 hours if not more. Gaining weight is easy if your diet consists of fast food and the only activity you participate in is channel surfing. The first tip I cannot stress enough is you most likely want to have quality gains that come with strength, shape and muscle mass, not becoming the next “Fat Bastard”. The process is slower, the battle much tougher but the end result, if done properly, is a body that looks amazing even before you diet down using carbohydrate reduction techniques.

Tip #2: You don’t need supplements

Supplements make things easier, no doubt about it. Nothing says commitment like swallowing a heaping tablespoon of chalky Creatine in the morning with some grape juice followed by a liter of chocolate cross-filtered whey protein powder but, after many years, I have come to a realization that they are not essential. With all the marketing hype reading though bodybuilding magazines, you can’t help but be sucked into believing that the only way to gain muscle mass is by consuming the latest supplement to hit the market. Let me be straight with you, supplements are very nice things to have but not essential. Nothing is as anabolic as food, not even Steroids is able to replace the power found in eating a fantastic diet. Need proof? Stop eating and just take steroids and Creatine, no matter how much of this stuff you take, you WILL loose weight and feel like shit. Now, just eat a very respectable diet and don’t take Steroids nor Creatine, you will GAIN weight. If you are serious about improving yourself though, stick with the no-name cheap stuff like basic Creatine, a Multi-Vitamin and some decent cross-filtered Protein Powder. As your budget allows, you can then get into more exotic things like cold-pressed flax seed / fish oils, ZMA (Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate plust Magnesium Aspartate), HMB (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate), BCAA (branched-chain amino acids) and the list goes on. Once you got your diet down, there is no reason why you cannot achieve significant gains in the weight room without any supplements. As for me, I tend to cycle them, when I hit a plateau and changing exercise or diet doesn’t get me through it, then I use supplements to get me over that mental / physical block then I drop them.

Tip #3: Cycle Weight Loads

If you are in your see-food diet, meaning you eat everything you see, then by all means, go as heavy as you can take and beyond. But as anybody in serious weight training will tell you, simply going HEAVY all the time becomes a game of diminishing returns. If you start to feel sore in your joints or sheering sounds while rotating your arms, it means you are due for an extended break of changing your routine. Cycling, also referred to as Periodization is such a system in which you change not only your routine but your overall weightlifting strategies over an extended period of time. Remember, your body is built to adapt to new circumstances, if you always do the same thing, it stops being challenged and focuses it’s energies elsewhere. Periodization shocks the body repeatedly to get you the most strength and mass gains possible over an extended period of time.

Tip #4: Dumbbells and Barbells RULE!

If you exercise using primarily machines, you will have a problem. You see, machines are great for muscle isolation, that’s why you can lift so much more with them verses free weights but this comes at a cost. When your body is forced to stabilize a weight, many other muscles are recruited to keep things running smoothly. You will see this sometimes when you notice some peoples muscles that seem to go into spasms when doing heavy free weights… it isn’t only because the weight is heavy, it’s because the muscles are being overwhelmed. I can’t really think of a time when I experienced the muscle shaking on a machine but it occurs rather regularly when using free weights. If you want to gain weight and improve your overall strength there is no way around it, you got to get comfortable with free weights.

Tip #5: Track your Progress

Each and every week, weight yourself, if you are up, even a fraction of a pound, then you are well on your way towards gaining weight. If you stay the same or don’t go up, then re-evaluate what you did the previous week, figure out where you went wrong and give it another go the following week. I would say that once a month, take your body measurements and record that as well… with pictures if you need to. Seeing an quarter or half inch increase in a bicep is just about impossible but measurements don’t lie.

The Bottom Line

The body is the ultimate challenge for the mind.

I got a comment today from a reader of the article I wrote titled LegendaryLife Profile: Mariusz Pudzianowski in which I stated that although bodybuilding has seen huge strives in physique, the same gains in strength in the power lifting world haven’t been achieved. This is the answer I would have given to my younger self knowing what I know now.

Question from Australia:

What I like to know is that these people (as you had mentioned) are from a specific gene pool. Is it possible for a person who does not have the genetics such as theres to achieve strength and fitness not to their level but close to it?

Answer:

Let me be the first to tell you I am not a doctor, sports physician nor expert in the fields of genetics or optimal training so my answer is based off the discussions I have with athletes of all ages, 15 years of studies in the field and personal experiences. Nobody wants to be “second strongest man” so I will re-phrase your question. “Even with bad genetics, can I become the world’s strongest man?” My answer to you is both yes and no. Take this advice at your own risk and don’t even consider following any of it until you understand the WHY behind it.

Yes, you can

Let me be the first to tell you that genetics play a large role in how much strength you can achieve but what is a far bigger factor is your personal ambition to achieve this goal. Some of the most gifted people genetically can amount to absolutely nothing simply due to a lack of desire. If you think you can become the strongest man in the world, then you have a heck of a shot better chance then the average person with achieving this goal. The more important question I have to ask is are you willing to do what it takes? I have met more then my fair share of bodybuilders, gifted athletes and just freaking huge gym rats, by the age of 35 have shot their joints to hell. You see, muscles are capable of growing bigger and stronger up to a certain point far faster then your joins or ligaments can. There are guys who take steroids who can double their strength within six months but let me be the first to tell you that you wouldn’t want to spend one day in those bodies a decade later. Read up on past sports heroes, pro-wrestlers and even great power lifters, what you will find out usually isn’t anything to brag about. Many need hormone replacement therapy the rest of their lives due to steroid abuse, they need a constant stream of sleeping pills and pain killers just to get through the day and their personal lives are a mess. The body can only take so much abuse before it begins to shut off, hence why steroids, growth hormone and a host of other drugs including pain killers must be used on a regular basis just to keep the momentum going or gains from fading. There are exceptions to every rule, but if you really push yourself beyond your physical limits, you will pay a price one way or another.

Ron Coleman for instance looks like the healthiest person in the world, he is HUGE, POWERFUL and quite intelligent but he is completely dependent on “supplements” the rest of his life. He is the result of fantastic genetics meeting incredible determination with lots of help. He is like the 0.1% cream of the crop with an extremely gifted body but he has also been working out most of his life, just look at the photos of him as he progressed in bodybuilding and you will see a slow progression from well built into HULK over an extended period of time. He has earned, in every sense of the word, the body he has but I wouldn’t want to be in his body if he ever reaches the age of 80.

Remember that only in this century was the 5 minute mile broken, somebody had the will to make what others said was impossible, the next day many others achieved exactly the same goal… moral of this story is if you truly believe you can do it, it will happen.

No, you can’t

Now for the cold hearted reality, if you are unwilling to take the drugs, unable to handle the mental stress of lifting huge amounts of weights and don’t have the muscular or bone structure that is capable of supporting massive amounts of pressure then you will never become the strongest man in the world nor anywhere close to it. You may be an incredible one in a 10 million man exception but odds are that you are not. We are all limited by our genetics, sure, drugs allow us to somewhat morph from one body type into another but the underlying structure that supports everything cannot change enough to turn an extreme ectomorph (skinny, has trouble building and maintaining muscles, long arms and legs) into an extreme mesomorph (muscular, builds muscle very easily and athletic build). Your body type is a birthright given by your ancestors, hence why I believe the next revolution in augmenting body types must come at the genetic level BEFORE the body has had time to form itself fully, soon after conception in a petri dish.

Here is my advice to you

I don’t believe in hiding the facts from anybody but before you do anything, learn to eat, train and build goals for yourself to make your dream of being almost as strong as the Bill Kazmaiers of this world a probability. I am assuming your in your teenage years, so don’t even consider taking steroids, growth hormone or any other supplements as they will screw you up big time (protein and creatine are fine). Your body is swimming in testosterone, this is THE TIME to take full advantage of this, eat and train like a madman, strive for 10 pounds of muscle PER YEAR. Work on your foundation, hit the gym and read all you can about bodybuilding and improving your health. After a few years of doing this and once you have stopped growing (your growth plates have sealed), if you still want to be the worlds strongest man, then additional supplementation is a must. I know it isn’t politically correct to say this but you don’t become a 280 pound man with huge muscles by just eating oatmeal every morning. Be warned though, once you take this path there is NO going back. You will have the body of a God for maybe 10-15 years if things are done well but expect a future of erectile dysfunctions beginning after your first cycle even with post cycle therapy (clomid, nolva etc.). Expect to become addicted to pain killers and don’t expect to be in any kind of healthy shape, if your body doesn’t pop beforehand, in your senior years. From one guy to another, to be blunt, if you have the body of a God but can’t do anything with a woman you are deeply attracted to in bed, it will tear your mind apart and crying like a little boy.

My goal is to live to 150 years old, as such, steroids, growth hormones and many other supplements are in my future but I won’t even consider the possibility until I am mid to post manopause (male version of menopause) in my early 40s… even then, these will be maintenance levels of maybe 80-100 mg a week of testosterone, nowhere near abuse levels that are exponentially higher. Sure I will end up with size 18 shoes and cranium the size of a basketball by the time I die but this will be my choice to make. It’s your body and your choice but I would advise you heavily not to even touch drugs of any kind until you have reached at least 200 pounds in bodyweight with a single digit body fat percentage in your early 20s, naturally being the strongest guy in the biggest gym in your town. If you cannot achieve this, then I am sorry but you simply don’t have the genetics to be THE strongest man in the world, you will become strong, no doubt about it… but not THE strongest, becoming instead, best friends with your neighborhood dialysis machine by the time you hit 30 if not sooner with no cute girlfriend or wife to soak up your tears after realizing you just threw away your life.

Where the need for male strength all began

I believe that men, at some primal level, are attracted to being the biggest in the land. For instance, I am slightly taller then Mariusz Pudzianowski but he outweighs me by 100 pounds of pure muscle. If we met in a jungle and had to fight for the last woman on Earth, unless I had a gun, I wouldn’t stand a chance in hell even if I had a baseball bat. Since the dawn of time, animals (including us) have fought for reproductive opportunities for that one incredible, one in a million, female… before wealth came into the picture, which provides security in our modern age, physical prowess was the deciding factor. Women want a man that can protect her and her child from danger. For instance, if you where in a jungle full of tigers, would you want to have a child with Woody Allen or Arnold Schwarzenegger?

The Bottom Line

I know I probably swamped you with more information then you can probably comprehend, I tried to keep it as simple as possible. Your job now is NOT to follow my advice blindly but understand the WHY behind my response. This isn’t even touching the surface of what you need to know, the answers are out there, it’s your job is to find them. Best of luck!

Check out Big Ron Coleman’s Website to get some inspiration as to what IS possible, he IS the strongest bodybuilder out there right now and I think his body looks better then Bill Kazmaier’s or Mariusz Pudzianowski’s for that matter.

See also: LegendaryLife Profile: Bill Kazmaier, LegendaryLife Profile: Sergio “The Myth” Oliva and LegendaryLife Profile: Mariusz Pudzianowski

In the world of strong men where there are is strong and followed by STRONG… Mariusz Pudzianowski is FREAKISHLY “Bill Kazmaier” STRONG. What I find most interesting of all, even with all the advances in drugs, nutrition and lifting techniques, he isn’t leaps and bounds over what Bill Kazmaier was able to achieve decades earlier.

Mariusz Pudzianowski’s early years

Mariusz Pudzianowski was born on February 7th, 1977 in Biala Rawska (Poland) in a family that was not adverse to weight lifting as his father was a famous weight lifter. Mariusz began training to be the strongest man in the world at the age of 13 and with the guidance of his father quickly excelled in developing his incredible strength and abilities to competition levels.

Mariusz Pudzianowski’s brute strength achievements

Mariusz Pudzianowski is incredible, at around six feet tall (depending on the source) and weighting in just under 300 pounds, this guy is HUGE by any definition. He entered his first strongmen competition in Poland and finished a very respectable fourth. He returned in competition in 2002 and won that years events hands down and blew away his competition in 2003. He was then kicked out for a year due to testing positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2004 but returned to win his third title in 2005. He narrowly missed first place standing in 2006 but took back the first place finish in 2007. He is one of only two other strongmen to have ever achieved first place four times. Mariusz Pudzianowski has a personal best bench press of a little over 600 pounds (275kg), squat of just under 800 pounds (360kg) and is capable of deadlifting 900 pounds (410kg), still not surpassing what Bill Kazmaier was able to do in competition but astonishing never the less.

Mariusz Pudzianowski vs Bill Kazmaier

It’s a very badly kept secret that the world of strongmen, no matter what has done to “clean-up” the sport, that these guys are about as natural as flying elephants, both of these guys will require a lifetime supply of hormone replacement therapy. Bill Kazmaier won the strongmen competition three times while Mariusz Pudzianowski has done this feat four times and he is young enough to achieve this goal a few more times as well! Their strength is super human to begin with, they come from a very gifted genetic pool which they have chosen to supplement in order to become the absolute best at what they do. I have nothing but respect for both of these guys… they screw convention and do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals. What I do find fascinating is that Bill Kazmaier, for all his strength, seems to have a very different body type then Mariusz Pudzianowski. At least to my eyes, Bill Kazmaier is an extreme endomorph with his wide bone structure and higher bodyfat percentage while Mariusz Pudzianowski seems like an extreme mesomorph with his low bodyfat percentage and great defined musculature. I am unsure how much anabolic supplementation plays into this but I do know that reaching over two grams a week changes the body into an extreme fat burning machine while at the same time, extreme mass accumulator. The only caveat is if you can stand hearing your liver frying and the incredibly high blood pressure long enough to feel this benefit. Another thing I find interesting is that the strong men of the previous generation where never shredded during competition… they where big like a fridge. The guys you see in today’s competitions are actually rather well defined in comparison, gone are the bear bellies and beards, replaced with shaved bodies and defined abs. You see this change in bodybuilding as well, compare Arnold Schwarzenegger to Ron Coleman physique wise and it’s astounding the inroads that “supplementation” have achieved. Arnold looked amazing and huge at 220-230 pounds, Ron Coleman dwarfs him by a solid 50 pounds (if not more) in competition. They where both juiced, the techniques where simply not as honed as they are today. Ironically, these inroads haven’t been seen in the world of strongmen competitions regarding enormous advances in strength.

Have strongmen reached the outer limits of strength?

Many decades have come and gone now where records where constantly being broken thanks to supplementation of all types but in the past 20 years, although improvements have been done, I don’t see the monumental leaps that these sports and others use to have. I am willing to state that the Mariusz Pudzianowskis and Ron Colemans of this world are showing us that our bodies do have limits which even they are unable to surpass. Consider this, the heart in an 18 year old, 120 pound man is the same as in a 30 year old man weighting 3 times that gives us a window at how amazing our bodies really are. Our bodies are able to adapt to incredible burdens placed upon them, I can’t helped but be astonished at this. The next step towards increasing our strength? It has to be through genetic manipulation. Steroids improve what is already there and nutrition, although anabolic in itself, has it’s limits as well… only by modifying the messages between cells can we surpass today’s feats of strengths by another huge bound. Where will that lead us? I really hope I live long enough to find out… and possibly benefit from as well. Will there be a day when soldiers are made up of 7ft tall men weighting 450 pounds that dwarf even the top physiques that these guys have achieved? I believe there will but it has to start at the moment of conception before genetically limiting information is passed on through the bodies cells. Morals and ethics may stop some, but not others.

Mariusz Pudzianowski training video

The Bottom Line

Pioneers come in all shapes and sizes but regardless of the methods chosen, you can’t help but be inspired by their achievements.

Buzvia: Mariusz Pudzianowski on Wikipedia, Mariusz Pudzianowski’s Official Website, Mariusz Pudzianowski’s on MySpace

See also: LegendaryLife Profile: Bill Kazmaier and LegendaryLife Profile: Sergio “The Myth” Oliva

I love weight training, it’s one of those things that no matter how your day is going… it will always be there to give you the ultimate challenge… the one against yourself!

Weight Training: the natural drug (dopamine)

If you don’t follow a weight training regimen, you are missing out on the best natural drug in the world called dopamine. Unlike alcohol, alcohol or other poisons people use to get over their life’s hurdles, those produced by the body as you reach and beat new challenges only provide benefits to your life. It costs nothing to get a rush of adrenaline right before you attempt your first 300 lbs squat or the sense of achievement once you complete your first 20 consecutive chin-ups after having lots of trouble completing only one a few weeks earlier. Dopamine is what is released when Cocaine or other hard drugs are used… so you can imagine the invincibility and absolute power that you feel after an intense yet very rewarding workout.

What does Weight Training Provide?

Weight training helps every aspect of your life!

Self-Esteem

It feels great walking next to a mirror and seeing the body that many WISH they had, there is nothing wrong with vanity when you work so hard on diet and training to achieve the body you want. It also boosts self-esteem when people stare at your arms or a lover comments at how much they enjoy the sight of your body. I am by no means a mass monster but walking into a gym with mass monsters and holding your own, sharing mutual respect feels amazing to me!

Central Nervous System Optimization

Weight training increases the efficiency of your Central Nervous System, making everything you do in life that much more enjoyable. From improving the quality of sleep to being able to eat twice the amount of anybody else around you without having the gut to show feels great! The ability from all these internal efficiencies also allow you to run up a mountain without running out of breath, improve all the senses within your body and, ultimately, get more out of every experience!

Business Relationships

Weight training improves both your mental and physical projection that comes in very handy during any type of business related activities. Nothing shows strength like the ability to give a vice-like grip when shaking hands… there is nothing worse then giving a limp handshake! Sadly, most business people have a gut to match their wealth, when you walk into a meeting with a solid body and mind… you have a large psychological advantage over your client when tough negotiations are needed. People want to be around success and nothing says this as strongly as a powerful physical presence with a mind to match.

Dangers of Weight Training

If you are following an intense, multi-faceted regimen, over training and injury can pop-up anytime. I guess in this way, I am very lucky as I have never been injured in any way during the almost decade and a half I have been working out. Pushing your body to it’s limit just doesn’t cut it if you are trying to go beyond old plateaus, you need to go BEYOND them on a regular basis. The wear and tear on a body caused by this constant progression towards harder and more intense activity requires regular breaks and changes in exercise philosophy, otherwise you end up going backwards instead of forward on the road of health.

Another danger, one not discussed too often, is the simple addiction to very tough physical activity that forms within the mind, at least in my case. Whether your body is capable or not, the mind is a strange being that can temporarily suspend the reality you live within. Your mind says “that’s only 20 extra kg… you can do it!” but your body is yelling “what the heck are you doing to me!”. The problem is when your mind says to the body “you’re right” in the middle of a rep, the power you thought you had evaporates right away and you are screwed if you don’t have spotters. This has happened a few times to me over the years but I always use supports and spotters so no big deal. If you cannot do an exercise safely, don’t do it! Also, I can’t walk next to any type of chin-up bar or exercise related equipment without wanting to jump right on it to see how much weight or reps I can crank out!

I would say the third danger is also psychological, you begin to develop a mentality that you are better then other people (especially those who don’t workout). My entrepreneurial line of work only helps augment these feelings and sometimes my God complex gets the most of me but I must often remind myself that others didn’t have the same opportunities as me, the same will power for achievement or simply have other goals in life then my own.

Bipolarity of Weight Training Challenges

There are two distinct aspects of weight training that seem at odds to one another sometimes start to appear only after years of hitting the weights.

Psychological

Every once in a while, I hit a psychological barrier in my training, sometimes adding just 2 more kg to a bench press feels like I threw on 10x that amount of weight. The mind just cannot fathom lifting anything more then the body had just accomplished. These are tough sometimes, physically, the body has no problem accomplishing these tasks but the mind just gets in the way. Anybody who tells you that the body is stronger then the mind hasn’t pushed themselves hard enough.

Physical

This is the opposite problem of the psychological one. Sometimes, the mind says “no problem” but body just cannot bring itself to find the necessary resources to make the task at hand happen. The bodies engine has run out of gas and there is nothing you can do about it but give in to its demands. These happen more often then the psychological barriers that get set-up within your mind but are just as devastating, sometimes they go away during the next workout, other times, they stay for weeks if not months.

I have found changing your routine when hitting a rut is the best way to blow away these limitations, a new frame of mind and changes in diet will do wonders!

The Bottom Line

The body is a tool of the mind, separating the two is simply impossible.

I am an active reader of Testosterone Nation and a few other boards, the world of bodybuilding in general fascinates me, recently they produced a compilation article based on the number one tips seven top coaches give to pack on the muscle.

Tip #1: Focus on Compound Movements

Isolation exercises are great for definition but do very little in the way of building ultimate size and strength. Stick to squats, dead lifts, snatch, chin and presses. Compound movements recruit more of your central nervous system and as a result, more overall muscle stimulation leading to an increase in size. Compound movements give you more bang per time period then isolation movements, so stick to those.

Tip #2: Eat Better!

Nothing is as anabolic as food, give your body the proper nutrition throughout the day without any of the filler or junk and it will give you the body you desire.

Tip #3: Work out everyday!

There is a lot of controversy about working your body out on a daily basis with weights. The major problem is that you are always on the threshold of over training which can quickly make you weaker and smaller then ever before. Professional bodybuilders workout daily but they are also on a lot of pharmaceutical grade boosters, for non-juiced athletes. Unless you are under professional coaching or have years of workouts behind you, working out on a daily basis should be avoided.

Tip #4: Timing

When you eat is as important as what you eat, there use to be a rule that after a good workout, you pig out to give your body all the food it needs to rebuild itself. Now, with the advances in sports supplementation, “eating” (drinking to be more accurate) meals pre, during and post workout are the norm if you want to pack on the size. A new system is being proposed that involves layering different foods/drinks throughout the day so that the body has optimal nutrition when ever it needs it, without ever having cannibalize itself to rebuild muscle. Some of these routines can get quite complicated and hard to follow which is why most fitness enthusiasts simply stick to eating 7-8 times a day instead.

Tip #5: Carbohydrates aren’t scary!

Everybody knows that carbohydrates are the preferred nutrient to fuel our body, so much so that eating too much will pound on the fat in no time. Our body cannot store protein and breaking down fats is a costly venture which is why our bodies love the efficiency carbohydrates provides. Protein ingestion doesn’t need to be so high when you have a diet rich in carbohydrates, amino acids bathed in a rich carbohydrate environment lead to greater rates of protein synthesis.

Tip #6: Blast the Biceps!

Isolating the biceps using a number of exercises is the best way to create strong and powerful arms. Without strong arms, doing other exercises such as bench press or compound movements is that much more difficult as you are only as strong as your weakest point.

Tip #7: Increase Training Frequency

Get yourself on a HFT (High Frequency Training) instead of a HIT (High Intensity Training) program. Your body adapts to the environment it lives within, if you put it into a tough environment where daily effort is required, then it will compensate by building itself up more. Perform up to 10 workouts a week and you will see the benefits within a few weeks.

My views on this advice

I summarized these tips but generally, they are all correct even if there are some contradictory to one antoher. You see, what produces fantastic results for one person may be detrimental to the progress of another. If a training coach sees somebody respond well to a particular set of exercises, then that method will be prescribed for that athlete. Some people respond to minimal exercises using only compound movements while others respond best to extensive routines involving isolation techniques. Nutrition is another area of differentiation, there is no doubt that sports supplementation has made incredible strides in producing perceived optimal body composition but each body responds to supplements in a different way as well.

What works for me

For me, I have had great success with rotating my exercises, along with nutrition and working patterns. Basically, I don’t allow my body to adapt to anything for an extensive period of time, be that supplementation, reps and sets, speed of executed reps or regime length. I am not a huge and ripped 250lbs person but I believe that being heavy, no matter how you wish to define it, isn’t healthy for your joints. Remember, bodybuilders look fantastic when they are on stage but they are on the verge of dying from dehydration, body breakdown and to cope, need to fill themselves with blood thinners to avoid getting a heart attack!

The Bottom Line

Health is a long term goal, if I want to get to 150 years of age, I need to make sure my body or mind are never allowed to enjoy a routine for any extended period of time.

Buzzvia
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1683844

No matter your personal views on how bodybuilders achieve their astonishing physiques, you can’t help but be amazed at how they are able to continually push the outer limits of the human body.

Better Living Through Chemistry

Bodybuilding is one of those few sports where experimentation in drug compounds is a requirement, suffice it to say that you need to take more then your daily multi-vitamin to even touch the top ranks of the sport No matter how hard Joe Weider has tried through the years to turn bodybuilding into an Olympic event, the use of drugs ensure it will never happen. I still consider bodybuilding among the toughest and most grueling physically, mentally and socially sports out there – from the exact nutrient timing to hours spent in the gym – bodybuilding is not a sport but a lifestyle that very few can adhere to, much less excel in.

What can we learn from bodybuilders?

Quite a lot actually, for instance, take a look at 50 year old Vince Taylor who has been living the bodybuilding lifestyle and competing for over two decades (http://www.vincetaylor.com). His skin looks free of wrinkles, the muscle mass and definition are not only beyond belief but put into question the entire concept that we “depreciate” with age. His external physical attributes put most of the young bodybuilders half his age to shame – he also competed directly against 31 year old Jay Cutler (http://www.jaycutler.com/) for the Mr. Universe title on September 30th 2006. The internal imagery we all have of getting older doesn’t need to happen – with an active and closely watched lifestyle you CAN make a very large difference in how you age.

Bodybuilders influence on sport development

I find this the most difficult aspect of bodybuilding, in the past few decades, as sport and chemical knowledge have increased, so has the level of athleticism in just about every sport. Are you a swimmer? A tennis player or even a basketball player – the push of bodybuilders into physique development has played a role in the evolution of your sport (and just about all the others). They are responsible for turning what use to be frown upon such as muscle development with high intensity training and diet into something not only mainstream but a requirement to compete at the higher levels. Just about any sport nowadays where the difference between a medal is sometimes only milliseconds has benefited greatly from their sacrifices.

When to draw the line

I do believe that bodybuilders are beyond the cutting edge at the moment though, they achieve phenomenal results but oddly enough, at the cost of their own health. The human body just isn’t engineered for constant, balls-out punishment year after year, decade after decade… no matter how good the nutrition or training, adaptation is a slow process that requires breaks. Yes, bodybuilders have passed the natural plateau but they pay a very high price for this achievement that won’t begin to be seen later in life. When you consider the heart of a 150lbs teenage boy is the same heart as the one found in a 300+ pound bodybuilder, you begin to realize how much our bodies are able to cope with stress, but like anything, cracks will appear.

Double Standards: Bodybuilders vs Couch Potatoes

What is worse for your body, being a bodybuilder or a couch potato? Well, if you go the drug free (or moderate) route, bodybuilding is fantastic for your body but like anything… you need to go slow and build on past success. What I have yet to understand is why governments around the world are hell bent on keeping steroid use underground (by banning them) and barring certain beneficial supplements (ei: creatine, ephedrine… ) yet have no problem with people smoking, drinking and purchasing incredibly unhealthy fast foods. Banning potentially beneficial products but keeping blatantly detrimental ones legal. This is a double standard which I believe is completely unfair. What bodybuilders are showing us is the potential for a true fountain of youth, if studied further by the scientific community.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, I am a great fan of bodybuilding because it’s the extreme opposite of how most North Americans live their lives – don’t get me wrong – you wouldn’t want to be “in” neither of these bodies for any extended period of time – but they are great examples of how little we know about our own body… and how much we can learn if we allow the politics behind our very own health not get in the way. I believe a life of moderation, tough physical activities with proper diet BUT with adequate breaks to allow the body to fully recover is the best route to a long, healthy life.

The Bottom Line

Bodybuilders have a lot to teach all of us… if we allow our biases to pass.

Every summer I take 2-3 months completely OFF weight training, I think it’s important to allow the body to completely heal from injuries done to the muscular and mental systems.

Why take time off?

Think of our body like a car, if you go all-out all the time, expect the engine to not last very long… our bodies are no different. Each time you do strenuous activity, you are causing damage to every part of your body. It’s this very damage that leads the body to rebuild slightly stronger. If you ever met professional bodybuilders or power lifters and talked to them for a little bit, you will be amazed at how much pain they build up within their body over time… their bodies look AMAZING but you wouldn’t want to be in those bodies first thing in the morning

By time off I do not mean resorting to a couch potato existence, I mean replacing what was once very strenuous exercise will less strenuous ones while keeping to the same diet. There is such a thing as taking “time off” a little too seriously, at which point you are harming yourself.

Don’t you loose all your gains?

There is no way around it, when you stop doing strenuous activity for an extended period of time, you will begin to “loose” the stronger body you once had. If you took drugs (ei: steroids, GH etc.) to achieve those gains then those looses are even more dramatic. If you keep to your diet and activity level (ei: brisk walking instead of weight train) then your body will adapt but the looses aren’t that big a deal and easily reversible.

What happened to me?

My normal weight is about 175lbs, anything above that is a heck of an uphill battle - I still got up to 195lbs once but I was constantly eating and although my strength was up, so was my gut

Using the myfoodcount.com systems, I kept track of how my body transformed. At the end of June I stopped all weight training activity, at that time I had a BMI of 25.36 and weighed 167lbs (I had just changed my level of activity which caused a leaning out - search my blog for old man syndrome). We are now the end of September and my BMI has changed to 23.69 and I now weight 156lbs soaking wet. So I lost a little more than 3lbs of weight per month during my weight training break. My physical body changed quite dramatically, I use to be able to flex in the mirror and see my muscles, now they all seem very flat in comparison - I lost both size and depth.

Holly Cow! You must feel bad loosing all that…

Actually, I took a little longer break then I intended due to various reasons but do I feel bad at loosing what I spent so many years building… NO… NOT AT ALL! You see, before my break I use to wake up with my joints cracking and although I changed to a less heavy but more frequent regimen - I still had some stiffness waking up in the morning. Guess what, I may not sleep as good as I use to but all those little snap, crackles and pops I had before are all gone… I have given my body the time it needed to repair the damage.

Muscle Memory

I also have one more huge thing in my corner, muscle memory. The effects of muscle memory are not to be underestimated… basically my muscles remember the “old” me and when I go back into the activity level that got me the body I once had, it will come back very fast compared to a person who is just starting out at the gym. I may have lost an inch off my arms and 2 inches from my waist with a drop in strength but hitting the weights again will get them to return and I will be right back where I was before the break in about 2 months. The foundation of the “bigger me” is still there, its only the building that lost a few floors

Two steps forward, one step back

If you are into a healthy lifestyle for the long run (ei: your entire life), then you must take a two steps forward, one step back approach. If you are always moving forward physically, unless you are being professionally trained and monitored consistently - you will begin loosing your edge and progress will slow down dramatically either from over training or boredom. All that wear and tear builds up, even if you don’t feel it… it’s still there waiting to come out - like a tear, pull or other health problems. I took 3 months off but I am only two months away from the body I once had - if I had kept going the way I was, my body would probably be slightly better but at the cost of my lifelong health.

Note of caution

When you get back into your old regimen after any extended period of time, remember to slowly ease yourself back in… although the foundation is still there, your ligaments and muscles aren’t so give your body a few weeks to build back up their prior strength, ligaments may take a few months to adapt. If you do not warn your body about what your mind is doing, expect lots of pain and possibly a serious injury.

The Bottom Line

If you play hard, remember to relax hard every once in a while as well