LegendaryLife Blog

This is a great case study as to the power of muscle memory!

During the summer, I ran off to the Philippines for a few months were my diet consisted mostly of rice, bananas and water so I did the equivalent of an extreme diet while relaxing on the beaches and exploring the local area.

Taking a break from working out

I absolutely love working-out at the gym, the weight is always the same but depending on your diet, mental attittude and overall fitness, you can either lift more or less on any given day. It’s the ultimate in optimization as you can see the results quantified on a weekly basis as you tweek your lifestyle. It seems that every year, I end-up being somewhere for a few months were my diet (still healthy) gets severely limited, I sweat a lot and without a gym, lose some muscle mass and fat like I was on some sort of extreme diet. Stressing the body in this manner makes sure it’s constantly reminded and optmized and never gets use to any particular set of habits.

Results of an extended break

As expected, I loose about 30 pounds of weight over a few months time, my pants need belts, my shirts seem like they are a few sizes too big and my weight lifting ability (once I do return to the gym) would make a little girl feel strong!

…then muscle memory kicks in!

I started again at the gym two months ago, since then, I have gained back 25 pounds, almost doubled all my weights lifted since I began and my “old body” is coming back wonderfully! Two months ago, I had trouble lifting 14kg dumbbells, now I am lifting 25kg dumbells without must trouble and will probably hit the 30kg ones in a month or so the way I am gaining. My arms, chest, legs have all grown noticeably as well during this time and the fat gained has been extremely minimal due to my extremely clean diet. I have managed all these gains without the use of ANY supplements other than a little protein powder a friend left me, no GH, no steroids… not even creatine! This is muscle memory at it’s best.. I have been working out for more than half of my life so these gains are just getting back what I had, nothing “new” yet. A few guys at the gym who are still lifting what I use to lift two months ago are astonished by my gains, they come-up to me and say a few things in broken English but mostly “you’re strong!” hahahahhaha… I tell them this is nothing, wait a few more months once I hit the creatine and real protein powder! I am now just on the verge of hitting 180lbs and my goal is to be 200lbs by September with as little fat as possible.

My body type

My body is originally ectomorph which means I am a very hard gainer, naturally skinny and have a very lean build. Through years of hard work at the gym, I have transformed myself into more of a mesomorph while maintaining the traits of a ectomorph… meaning (once muscle memory is done), my gains are very hard to come by, I have to eat like crazy just to gain a little weight and the gains that I do make go away very fast once I stop. I am still gaining a lot overall thanks to muscle memory right now but that will soon taper off… too bad the 45 degree curve of progress doesn’t keep going huh? That would be amazing but as soon I approach about 190lbs, my natural limit, things get extremely tough for me at the gym, hence why this time around, that is when I will START taking the creatine and protein supplements.

The Bottom Line

Muscle memory creates steroid-like gains without the side effects.

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

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.

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 recently read and saw a show about Mannatech on ABC News and was surprised by quite a few things so I decided to take a closer look on my own.

Mannatech Background: From their own site

I visited their website to get some information about their products and services, a few things jump out to me right away.

• a disclaimer saying that statements said on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA, this is standard fare in the health industry, so no big deal but where IS any documentation showing ANY of the products being sold HAVE been evaluated by the FDA?
• WARNING #1: Page dedicated to the “Science of Wellness”. Wellness is NOT a science, this is equivalent to using the “Science of Creationism” to explain our beginnings. In other words, wellness is a belief, not a scientifically proven fact.
• WARNING #2: Scare tactic about how you may not be getting “enough” glyconutrients in your diet due to pollution, industrial farming etc… simple solution would be to simply eat more fruit and vegetables if you are really eating that BAD a diet or if you are that concerned, set-up your own hydroponics system or backyard garden.
• WARNING #3: Multi-level marketing approach, I would dismiss this entire company simply based on this. Does the Herbal Life plague ring a bell?
• WARNING #4: The CEO of Manatech is also the founder of Mannarelief Ministries who uses the “love of God through world-changing nutritional products designed to improve the quality of life and health.” I guess this explains Warning #1 quite well.
• WARNING #5: Pharmaceuticals are highly complex, require extensive testing and are promoted by highly skilled people. Although this company isn’t a pharmaceutical company and makes no mentions otherwise, it IS blurring the lines extensively throughout it’s web site.
• WARNING #6: Board member on the Council for Responsible Nutrition. This is an association that aggressively pushes for self-regulation of the supplements industry and keeping the FDA as far away from said supplements as humanly possible. This is no different then the Better Business Bureau approach which has no jurisdiction for any type of enforcement and simply take your money to become a member. Why NOT put stringent double blind, pharmaceutical grade testing and evaluation on all supplements?

Clarification regarding warning #4

Regarding warning #4, I absolutely give high praise for whatever the CEO of Mannutech can do to change the fate of under-privileged and poverty stricken children around the world, no matter his methods nor beliefs. What I don’t like is this mix of God and Science, simply believing something doesn’t make it a fact.

Mannatech Background: Based on ABC News Findings

When ABC News takes the time to not only write an article about your company but a three month investigation, heads are going to roll. In this case, I am very happy they put the spotlight to confirm my suspicions that arose simply by visiting Mannatechs own website.

• When asked point blank during an interview by ABC News if Mannutech products cured cancer or where promoted as such, the answer completely dodged the question.
• Video after video of sales demonstrations purporting that their product Ambrotose is able to cure cancer. I saw this bull shit at The Health Expo in Toronto last year and it turned my stomach.
• Unless you have a congenital defect, your body DOES produce enough glyconutrients that Mannatech tries to scare you otherwise.
• Proof that the science behind Mannatechs Ambrotose works is funded by the company itself, sure sounds like Atkins all over again doesn’t it?
• CEO of Mannatech, Sam Caster has a history of selling things that either didn’t work or didn’t even come close to what was claimed, sure sounds like another Kevin Trudeau doesn’t it?
• Sales associates (ei: multi-level distributors) telling others how to work around legal restrictions about their products

Mannatech isn’t all bad

I don’t believe everything Mannatech does is bad, it does help children around the world with SOME of its profits, for that, again, I give them praise. They are providing income streams for people around the world who wouldn’t have them otherwise. They are putting “health” into the forefront for massive amounts of people, although highly misguided and biased with a strong profit motive.

As this is a Christian company doing Gods work through an affiliated Ministry…

… then they should not only show their values but live by them. From what I see, they have broken Commandment #3 (do not misuse the name of God), Commandment #8 (do not steal) and of course Commandment #9 (do not lie). Mannutech and its distributors tie in faith to their product in various subtle ways, they steal lives from individuals who could possibly be saved using proven medical science (who cares about the wasted money) and lie to get their stuff out the door. If their stuff REALLY cures the plagues of this world, spend 25% of your estimated half a billion dollars worth on double blind studies in a clinical setting with a few hundred Cancer, HIV Positive and other patience. If I had any of these conditions, you would be the last people I would ask for help.

The Bottom Line

I believe, God being my witness, that Mannatech is no different then an Evangelized Herbal Life, I really do wish the FDA clamps down on the entire supplements industry to put an end to all this *wellness* nonsense.

Mannatech sends me a Cease and Desist

References

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=3228488&page=1

http://www.mannatech.com