In the hospital for the weekend .....

[chris250]

Hey Chris,
Just wanted to let you know that this experience wasn't wasted on me. After seeing your post, I instantly got in touch w/ my doc. I was able to get in and see him yesterday, he spent an hour and 40 mins with me. I was very open and upfront with him about everything I've done over the last two years. We did a full physical, and he ordered labs on everything under the sun, and plans to do so on a quarterly basis.

Diesel,

thank you bro...that means so much to me that you did that...Im glad you got in right away to get checked out...Let me know how it goes...Keep yourself healthy and you will continue to grow...

chris

 

[Diesel City]

Diesel,

thank you bro...that means so much to me that you did that...Im glad you got in right away to get checked out...Let me know how it goes...Keep yourself healthy and you will continue to grow...

chris

Seeing your pics of your little girl on here and on facebook hit REALLY close to home for me. Really made me think about things. I'd rather leave my daughter a legacy after I've met my grand children... more than I'd like to leave her a plastic trophy or a pic of her dad when he was "peeled" at 33 and dead by 40...

 

[Pekkerwood]

Chris:

Glad to hear you getting outside. I had six weeks bed rest. Drove my nuckin futz. I would sit out on my deck for hours bored stiff.

I started walking the first day allowed and did about 2 miles on a trail and started doing it daily. I would only get winded on the extreme uphill portions. I wore a heart monitor and slowed down if I got over 110-120 BPM.

I started on the Coreg 12.5 twice a day. He then changed me to 40 Mg Coreg CR. I believe its a more even delivery system and certainly is easier to take. I'm on the same dosages of lisinopril but I'm on Lasix instead of HCT. BTw when I have forgotten my Coreg its amazing how quickly my HR jumps up.

One interesting fact, I don't know whether you golf or not, but I could put with a hundred people screaming and show not hand trembling on Coreg. When walking a dog and a snake crosses the path my head says "Oh Poop!" but no adrenaline rush is felt. Very weird. Do not, ever stop or run out of your Coreg without doctor approval, it can be troublesome.

You should monitor your resting heart rate and bp on a daily basis and keep it like a training log. Its encouraging to see your resting heart rate lower, meaning your heart may be beating "harder" or more normal.

There is a huge corelaiton in Sleep Apnea and right side heart problems and even overall problems. A large percentage of failure patients have undiagnosed sleep apnea, its like triple what the population as a whole has.

This weekend the highlight will be walking along the river with my GF and dogs one day at at the park another day. I will be doing quite of bit of other stuff that would have been my highlight in the past but has now been re-ordered.

BTW against orders I still lift but do not squat or deadlift or do flat bench. These werre the exercises I "Big Dogged" on and I now do a much more "executive" i.e. "candybutt" workout. I do not put more than four plates on most movements on no more than six on any movement and I do not go to failure, strain, or go without breathing easy. If I can do twelve reps I usually stop at ten, etc.


Be at Peace

 

[maldorf]

Also you think some cardio (just normal walking, or slow walking on the treadmill) is ok ? but no weight training, even if its lighter weights...and by that I mean say just doing warm up sets...Like 25lbs Dumbell presses or just 2 plates on a side of the leg press ? For 12-15 super easy reps ?

Just walking, and nothing more. YOull need to monitor your heart rate and make sure its doesnt get over 120 or so. A high heart rate is your enemy, really it is now. If it gets too high it will get out of control and then your box is gonna have to shock your ass!!

I wouldnt touch a weight for at least 6 weeks or so, really. Thats about how long I waited, but I screwed up in that I lifted too intenely. Even using a light wieght like I was on squats can make you die, IE heart rate too high then cardiac arrest. I used to use 455 lbs on squats for 12-14 reps. THe night I almost died I did 225 lbs for 30 reps. DUMB! Now I am doing 315 lbs for 12 reps, but I am having second thoughts and will probably raise that back up to 15 reps to get the weight down. REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU EVENTAULLY LIFT AGAIN IS NOT TO GO TO FAILURE. Youll need to stop before you hit it, otherwise it gets too intense and your HR gets too high. I do now get really close to failure and sometimes hit it, but its 2 years after my MI.

 

[maldorf]

It helped me immensely but there is no guarantee. Some people don't see any difference.

The bi-ventricular causes both ventricles to contract simutaneously thus delivering a better cardiac output. With a single ventricular model the impulse takes time to travel to the other ventricle through all the thickened hypertrophied muscle therefore your not operating efficiently.

So look into it if you can get a better model go for it.

Oh, i hadnt thought about the delay. Yeah I know the electrical signal has to travel through the bundle branches to get over to the other side of the heart. Hopefully this may work for me.

 

[maldorf]

For Maldorf -

my meds -

Coreg 12.5mg 2 x a day
Hydrochoorothiazide - lisinopril 12.5-20mg oral tabs 1 x day
Inspra 25mg 1 x day
Lortab 10/500 (for pain) this is more for my ulcer than anything else...not really even using this as my stomach is healing now pretty well
Norvasc 5mg oral tablet 1 x day
Protonix 40mg oral enteric coated tab 2 x a day (again for my ulcer)

my next appt with my doctor is may 5th and I got my sleep study preliminary appt this upcoming monday...

today I feel kinda beat up..yesterday as I said I went outside for the first time and walked around town with Sarah and Grace...Is kinda cloudy today so I dont know if thats got my mood down or what...but I just feel kinda lazy today...I still plan on getting outside again today when sarah gets home and walking with her and Grace today...Taking them to the park and watching grace play on the monkey bars...her goal now is to climb all the way across the monkey bars without falling...She is alot like her day that she never gives up...LOL !! I guess thats a good thing....

I think the inspra is a drug that does the same thing as my aldactone. Aldactone can cause gyno, and so maybe he just figured you were prone and didnt use that. Im ok on it though. Aldactone is dirt cheap though, think it costs me maybe $20 for 3 months if even that much. I know the name brand, which is supposed to not cause gyno, is expensive and many insurance companies refuse to pay for it. If your pocket book is hit hard, you could inquire with him about using aldactone. If you dont pay a whole lot for inspra, then dont even try it.

So all the drugs you are taking are the same as mine, just 1/2 dose on the coreg. Hopefully he will be increasing that later for you. Im taking 10 mg lisinopril per day so thats about the same.

 

[maldorf]

Hey Chris,
Just wanted to let you know that this experience wasn't wasted on me. After seeing your post, I instantly got in touch w/ my doc. I was able to get in and see him yesterday, he spent an hour and 40 mins with me. I was very open and upfront with him about everything I've done over the last two years. We did a full physical, and he ordered labs on everything under the sun, and plans to do so on a quarterly basis.

Perfect. Did you discuss having an echocardiogram done as a baseline? The ehco is the cheapest way to get a real look at the heart and how its working. Blood tests wont show cardiomyopathy most of the time. It dindt for me.

 

[maldorf]

Seeing your pics of your little girl on here and on facebook hit REALLY close to home for me. Really made me think about things. I'd rather leave my daughter a legacy after I've met my grand children... more than I'd like to leave her a plastic trophy or a pic of her dad when he was "peeled" at 33 and dead by 40...

Hey man, I just turned 40 this year and I made it! Doc thinks I have another 10 years in me,lol!

 

[maldorf]

Chris:

. I wore a heart monitor and slowed down if I got over 110-120 BPM.

I started on the Coreg 12.5 twice a day. He then changed me to 40 Mg Coreg CR. I believe its a more even delivery system and certainly is easier to take. I'm on the same dosages of lisinopril but I'm on Lasix instead of HCT. BTw when I have forgotten my Coreg its amazing how quickly my HR jumps up.

You should monitor your resting heart rate and bp on a daily basis and keep it like a training log. Its encouraging to see your resting heart rate lower, meaning your heart may be beating "harder" or more normal.


I do not put more than four plates on most movements on no more than six on any movement and I do not go to failure, strain, or go without breathing easy. If I can do twelve reps I usually stop at ten, etc.


Be at Peace

PRICELESS ADVICE FOR YOU HERE CHRIS. Monitor that heart rate. If you feel up to it and insist on going walking soon, dont go for very long. I think I started walking after maybe 3 weeks after my MI but I only did 10 minutes on the treadmill. thats it. Within a week though I had gained a lot of endurance. I wouldnt go faster than maybe 3 mph at first. it all comes down to your heart rate though. if it gets over 120 bpm, then youre going too hard.

I like my coreg cr and both me and my doc both think its superior to the none time released version. Im taking the big one at 80 mg/day. ive handled it quite well even with my asthma(beta blockers aggrevate asthma). I have put on some bodyfat and i think it may be due to the beta blocker, but id rather have an extra 5-10% bodyfat then be 6 foot under!

Like he says, dont go to faliure on the wieghts and keep it higher rep. I started out doing between 15-20 reps. When I pused it to 30 reps on the squats i almost died! I didnt listen to Pekkerwood!

Im a bit more radical than Pekkerwood because I still insist on doing my squats and stiff leg dead lifts. So far ive been fine thouhg and its almost 2 years now.

 

[chris250]

PRICELESS ADVICE FOR YOU HERE CHRIS. Monitor that heart rate. If you feel up to it and insist on going walking soon, dont go for very long. I think I started walking after maybe 3 weeks after my MI but I only did 10 minutes on the treadmill. thats it. Within a week though I had gained a lot of endurance. I wouldnt go faster than maybe 3 mph at first. it all comes down to your heart rate though. if it gets over 120 bpm, then youre going too hard.

I like my coreg cr and both me and my doc both think its superior to the none time released version. Im taking the big one at 80 mg/day. ive handled it quite well even with my asthma(beta blockers aggrevate asthma). I have put on some bodyfat and i think it may be due to the beta blocker, but id rather have an extra 5-10% bodyfat then be 6 foot under!

Like he says, dont go to faliure on the wieghts and keep it higher rep. I started out doing between 15-20 reps. When I pused it to 30 reps on the squats i almost died! I didnt listen to Pekkerwood!

Im a bit more radical than Pekkerwood because I still insist on doing my squats and stiff leg dead lifts. So far ive been fine thouhg and its almost 2 years now.

thanks I'll get a heart rate monitor and keep tabs of it...

 

[DOGGCRAPP]

I got no idea why that other Chris250 thread was deleted....I left early this morning and then came back and it was gone....my post was still on my desktop though. I am just going to leave it again.

(Originally by DOGGCRAPP)---
I also agree....we never got to finish the gameplan....

Your highest competitive weight before me was 213 with Palumbo.....i got you for one year and yes you got very smooth and *yes more cardio should of been done* but your problem was and always was this.....

YOU WERE NOT BIG ENOUGH TO HANG WITH THE JONES'S

I tried to put you in a position where you would be a 5'10-5'11 guy who could hang among the other 5'10-5'11 guys.....those guys weigh 240 to 260 onstage....you were weighing 213 and getting smoked by guys nationally who were 5'7 to 5'9"

So with one year with me....you went up to 280.....5 weeks out from your show (and i have the pictures to show this) you were 244 pounds, a little over 2 weeks out you were 233-234 pounds

THATS A FREAKING 20 POUND GAIN ON YOUR CONTEST WEIGHT IN A YEAR!!!!!

You had come from Dave P to me and what did I do? I took what Dave P had you doing and cut things out and a little downward of the program of what he had you doing (and im talking super sup wise)

Did it suck going up to 280....hell yea....did it put you in a position nationally that you would be much much more competitive....hell yea it did. Almost 20 more pounds bigger.

You then got away from that gameplan through various choices.

Your weakness isnt symmetry. Your weakness is you are too small nationally and you always needed to bring your back up. I firmly believe the following......if you stayed on my gameplan *i firmly believe the cardio would have been upped* and you would of ended up on a national stage at 245 pounds and being able to hang with the big boys.

How do i know this? From all the other guys Ive trained with similiar height as you....they kept with the gameplan Chris. Off the top of my head Justin Harris and Dusty....both didnt have the size to hang with the national level guys......remember Justin when he was just hitting the boards?....he was like you....competing at 212-220 pounds and doing well in Michigan but he needed alot more size. Dusty? 265 offseason (he is going to now compete near that weight)....a big boy back then at 265 offseason but he needed the oomph factor.

Both those guys chris used food to get up 3 new levels and both those guys (i hate to say this)....have never gotten close to things ergo wise that you did.....but once you go to a certain level ergo wise like you did Chris, you really cant come back down greatly and get dramatically bigger. Thats why i like Centapauli's statement of "use as little as you can on the way up to get bigger so when you have to get bigger, you can"

Justin went to 288 pounds and he brought Kuclo who was too small also with him and Kuclo went from 245 offseason to a smooth as a babies ass 290 (he went a little overboard to be honest).....Dusty, i dieted down a little bit and then we went up to 306......what did that create?

Justin 256 onstage
Kuclo nowadays is 255 ish onstage
and Dusty is going to be absolutely shredded at 255-265 at the USA's.

Now chris....im going to tell you this straight out. This is my opinion on what you should be doing NOW

1) you should be thanking everything in life that you are alive and have a second chance
2) Bodybuilding the sport in the grand scheme of things sucks ass. Forget about it. There are so much more important things in life.
3) Trust me on this ok....once you have been somewhere muscle wise...it doesnt matter how you got there....there is a density that doesnt go away.
4) Justin Harris emailed me yesterday....he has lifted I think 5 times in the last 2 years due to school...he sent me a picture....he is 260 pounds and big on nothing and he said "Your training transformed me, i can stay like this year round....it just doesnt go anywhere"
5) Heavy weight for reps over time change the homeostasis mechanism, my guys wont and never will shrink because they do this for a decade and the body just adjusts to it. Was it easy for them? Nope, its never easy getting under 600 pound squat bars, and 500 pound deadlifts. Is the potential for injury greater with my way than other guys (pumping blood, isolated movements, bah humbug on heavy weight training) ......yep no doubt about it.....but the risk to reward is great because it puts on huge amounts of size and it also allows someone to not disenegrate and shrink down to normal mortal standards after.

I digress....this is about what i think you should do NOW.

My advice to you is this.

Immediately hire the anabolic doc over on MD...for 2500 a year retainer.....travel to see him in conneticut....tell him exactly what happened to you...tell him the mistakes you made....that guy is both going to have your health and your goals in his mind because thats the place he comes from. You only have to see him once a year.

He is going to get your heart back to normal and he is going to put you on TRT (the heart first obviously).

I talked extensively with a bodybuilder/heart echo guy about your situation.....he read the thread and before he even got to your doctors diagnosis that it was high blood pressure for years....thats what he told me it was...and not so much all the other guesswork everyone was doing....he also said the sleep apnea was a huge contributor....so he knew just from reading what you were saying your symptoms were. He also said "you are lucky" because you are most likely if you do everything correctly going to find your old life back....you just have to follow the proper steps and get there.

I guarentee you this!!!! You are going to find that on something like 200mg a week with alot of cardio with Tom (anabolic doc) overlooking your whole health...that you are going to be a 215lb ripped up muscular specimen that looks like a bodybuilder in precontest mode with big arms and big legs or 220-225 in really good shape.....with alot of cardio .....How do i know this? Because you allready have been there chris!!!!! Its a huge difference than some guy having your problems who is 190 and hoping he can be a 215 pound specimen....aint going to happen for that guy.

Chris the sport of bodybuilding for you in my opinion should be put in the closet. Make the competition this.....ok get my heart back to square one....now that im there....how can i make myself the most awesome bodybuilder possible within these paramaters with Tom looking over my blood work and scans? Thats going to be like I said a 215 to 220 pound specimen....as ripped up as when you did the JR nats with Palumbo? of course not...but you are going to be lean with big arms and big legs and awesome calves and you are going to be shocked at what you are able to accomplish---after you debrainwash yourself that you needed all this stuff to look a certain way.

 

[DOGGCRAPP]

Maldorf I think you might find this interesting as it parallels you somewhat.

He had 2 blood clots in his ventricles and cardiomyopathy

Anabolic steroid-induced cardiomyopathy underlying... [World J Gastroenterol. 2009] - PubMed result

http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/15/2920.pdf

 

[Tyrone]

I got no idea why that other Chris250 thread was deleted.

If it wasn't directly asked to be, it was implied after the fact by him...That's all.

 

[mature muscle]

Hope your recovery is going well. just wanted to thank you for being very open with your problem. definitely woke me up i have allot of doctor visits coming up.in the near future

 

[chris250]

Dante,

thank you for the advice...I would love to hire the anabolic doc...but I dont think I could afford it at the moment, and I dont think insurance would pay for it...Im going to work with a guy out in Peoria, Illnois who is know to work with bodybuilder's and sports guys and gals...He seems to know his stuff..but if it doenst workout, I will look into the anabolic doc more...Peoria is only an 90 mins away, so I can see this guy every few months...But thank you for the advice...

 

[maldorf]

Maldorf I think you might find this interesting as it parallels you somewhat.

He had 2 blood clots in his ventricles and cardiomyopathy

Anabolic steroid-induced cardiomyopathy underlying... [World J Gastroenterol. 2009] - PubMed result

http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/15/2920.pdf

Yes, another case of steroid induced cardiomyopathy. the blood clots can come about because the ventricles are in a way letting some of that blood just stay behind when they contract and it congeals in there to form a clot. This is why people with atrial fibrillation take coumadin. My case was a bit different though. My clot formed inside of my left coronary artery. The doctors all told me that there is about 0% chance of a clot traveling from the left ventricle up into the coronary arteries. the coronary arteries are too tiny to let that happen, and if the clot went anywhere its going to most likely end up in your brain and cause a stroke. So my clot formed right inside the coronary artery. Seems it was the hypercoagulability caused by the combination of the steroids and my genetic trait.

thanks for the link.

 

[hard2core2]

Hang in there Chris!

Thanks for the comments as usual DC... very well laid out and thoughtful. All the best Chris hang in there.. I have been reading Chris's posts for years now on Pro Muscle and have seen him at shows when I was living in the midwest and saw him compete back in 1998...it was really a shock and sad to learn that he is having health problems however I hope with his Physician's guidance and the support of his family and friends he can overcome this setback.

I know that there may be financial constraints that he is facing however he should seriously consider contacting the specialist out east that DC recommended to find out his perspective and if something can be arranged through his ( Chris) insurance plan etc.
Thanks Chris for being so open about your situation and sharing information which will probably save someone's life.

I really love bodybuilding and will always train...however it is eye opening when I reflect over the last few years of all of the guys that I know who have competed or are competing on the national level who have developed some serious illnesses that have caused them to either step away from the sport, quit or when they do come back they are never quite the same.

I have a good friend who I am very close to who won his class at nationals in early 2000's. After he won he just basically stopped competing and just trained to keep in shape.. I asked him a few time over the year and when just won the title why he didn't compete as a pro.. and he told me that he had to do " a lot" to earn his nationals win.. and he said that he would seriously jepardize his health trying to be even marginal at best in the IFBB.. he told me he would have to drastically increase things and he was not willing to take that step.
In this life its all about choices and in this sport you have to have somekind of perspective and know your limitations I guess that is what he was trying to tell me.

STAY STRONG Chris your in my prayers.

Ivor

I got no idea why that other Chris250 thread was deleted....I left early this morning and then came back and it was gone....my post was still on my desktop though. I am just going to leave it again.

(Originally by DOGGCRAPP)---
I also agree....we never got to finish the gameplan....

Your highest competitive weight before me was 213 with Palumbo.....i got you for one year and yes you got very smooth and *yes more cardio should of been done* but your problem was and always was this.....

YOU WERE NOT BIG ENOUGH TO HANG WITH THE JONES'S

I tried to put you in a position where you would be a 5'10-5'11 guy who could hang among the other 5'10-5'11 guys.....those guys weigh 240 to 260 onstage....you were weighing 213 and getting smoked by guys nationally who were 5'7 to 5'9"

So with one year with me....you went up to 280.....5 weeks out from your show (and i have the pictures to show this) you were 244 pounds, a little over 2 weeks out you were 233-234 pounds

THATS A FREAKING 20 POUND GAIN ON YOUR CONTEST WEIGHT IN A YEAR!!!!!

You had come from Dave P to me and what did I do? I took what Dave P had you doing and cut things out and a little downward of the program of what he had you doing (and im talking super sup wise)

Did it suck going up to 280....hell yea....did it put you in a position nationally that you would be much much more competitive....hell yea it did. Almost 20 more pounds bigger.

You then got away from that gameplan through various choices.

Your weakness isnt symmetry. Your weakness is you are too small nationally and you always needed to bring your back up. I firmly believe the following......if you stayed on my gameplan *i firmly believe the cardio would have been upped* and you would of ended up on a national stage at 245 pounds and being able to hang with the big boys.

How do i know this? From all the other guys Ive trained with similiar height as you....they kept with the gameplan Chris. Off the top of my head Justin Harris and Dusty....both didnt have the size to hang with the national level guys......remember Justin when he was just hitting the boards?....he was like you....competing at 212-220 pounds and doing well in Michigan but he needed alot more size. Dusty? 265 offseason (he is going to now compete near that weight)....a big boy back then at 265 offseason but he needed the oomph factor.

Both those guys chris used food to get up 3 new levels and both those guys (i hate to say this)....have never gotten close to things ergo wise that you did.....but once you go to a certain level ergo wise like you did Chris, you really cant come back down greatly and get dramatically bigger. Thats why i like Centapauli's statement of "use as little as you can on the way up to get bigger so when you have to get bigger, you can"

Justin went to 288 pounds and he brought Kuclo who was too small also with him and Kuclo went from 245 offseason to a smooth as a babies ass 290 (he went a little overboard to be honest).....Dusty, i dieted down a little bit and then we went up to 306......what did that create?

Justin 256 onstage
Kuclo nowadays is 255 ish onstage
and Dusty is going to be absolutely shredded at 255-265 at the USA's.

Now chris....im going to tell you this straight out. This is my opinion on what you should be doing NOW

1) you should be thanking everything in life that you are alive and have a second chance
2) Bodybuilding the sport in the grand scheme of things sucks ass. Forget about it. There are so much more important things in life.
3) Trust me on this ok....once you have been somewhere muscle wise...it doesnt matter how you got there....there is a density that doesnt go away.
4) Justin Harris emailed me yesterday....he has lifted I think 5 times in the last 2 years due to school...he sent me a picture....he is 260 pounds and big on nothing and he said "Your training transformed me, i can stay like this year round....it just doesnt go anywhere"
5) Heavy weight for reps over time change the homeostasis mechanism, my guys wont and never will shrink because they do this for a decade and the body just adjusts to it. Was it easy for them? Nope, its never easy getting under 600 pound squat bars, and 500 pound deadlifts. Is the potential for injury greater with my way than other guys (pumping blood, isolated movements, bah humbug on heavy weight training) ......yep no doubt about it.....but the risk to reward is great because it puts on huge amounts of size and it also allows someone to not disenegrate and shrink down to normal mortal standards after.

I digress....this is about what i think you should do NOW.

My advice to you is this.

Immediately hire the anabolic doc over on MD...for 2500 a year retainer.....travel to see him in conneticut....tell him exactly what happened to you...tell him the mistakes you made....that guy is both going to have your health and your goals in his mind because thats the place he comes from. You only have to see him once a year.

He is going to get your heart back to normal and he is going to put you on TRT (the heart first obviously).

I talked extensively with a bodybuilder/heart echo guy about your situation.....he read the thread and before he even got to your doctors diagnosis that it was high blood pressure for years....thats what he told me it was...and not so much all the other guesswork everyone was doing....he also said the sleep apnea was a huge contributor....so he knew just from reading what you were saying your symptoms were. He also said "you are lucky" because you are most likely if you do everything correctly going to find your old life back....you just have to follow the proper steps and get there.

I guarentee you this!!!! You are going to find that on something like 200mg a week with alot of cardio with Tom (anabolic doc) overlooking your whole health...that you are going to be a 215lb ripped up muscular specimen that looks like a bodybuilder in precontest mode with big arms and big legs or 220-225 in really good shape.....with alot of cardio .....How do i know this? Because you allready have been there chris!!!!! Its a huge difference than some guy having your problems who is 190 and hoping he can be a 215 pound specimen....aint going to happen for that guy.

Chris the sport of bodybuilding for you in my opinion should be put in the closet. Make the competition this.....ok get my heart back to square one....now that im there....how can i make myself the most awesome bodybuilder possible within these paramaters with Tom looking over my blood work and scans? Thats going to be like I said a 215 to 220 pound specimen....as ripped up as when you did the JR nats with Palumbo? of course not...but you are going to be lean with big arms and big legs and awesome calves and you are going to be shocked at what you are able to accomplish---after you debrainwash yourself that you needed all this stuff to look a certain way.

 

[chris250]

Thanks for the comments as usual DC... very well laid out and thoughtful. All the best Chris hang in there.. I have been reading Chris's posts for years now on Pro Muscle and have seen him at shows when I was living in the midwest and saw him compete back in 1998...it was really a shock and sad to learn that he is having health problems however I hope with his Physician's guidance and the support of his family and friends he can overcome this setback.

I know that there may be financial constraints that he is facing however he should seriously consider contacting the specialist out east that DC recommended to find out his perspective and if something can be arranged through his ( Chris) insurance plan etc.
Thanks Chris for being so open about your situation and sharing information which will probably save someone's life.

I really love bodybuilding and will always train...however it is eye opening when I reflect over the last few years of all of the guys that I know who have competed or are competing on the national level who have developed some serious illnesses that have caused them to either step away from the sport, quit or when they do come back they are never quite the same.

I have a good friend who I am very close to who won his class at nationals in early 2000's. After he won he just basically stopped competing and just trained to keep in shape.. I asked him a few time over the year and when just won the title why he didn't compete as a pro.. and he told me that he had to do " a lot" to earn his nationals win.. and he said that he would seriously jepardize his health trying to be even marginal at best in the IFBB.. he told me he would have to drastically increase things and he was not willing to take that step.
In this life its all about choices and in this sport you have to have somekind of perspective and know your limitations I guess that is what he was trying to tell me.

STAY STRONG Chris your in my prayers.

Ivor

thanks bro...I remember that 98 show, like it was yesterday...I miss those days...LOL !!!

 

[hard2core2]

NPC Powerhouse Classic of Illinois

thanks bro...I remember that 98 show, like it was yesterday...I miss those days...LOL !!!

It was the Powerhouse Classic of Illinois held at the Hemmend's center in Elgin, Il I believe you won your class there or placed 2nd.. Sam Urbach won the show.. Greg Rooze from Indiana was in the contest as well. I know Greg..he's a good guy I have lost contact with him since then.. Greg had just competed in the North Americans a few weeks earlier and placed top 15 in the Heavyweight class. Chuck Sanow was in that show too..he he was the head judge at the powerhouse classic. Chuck won the heavyweight class that year @ the NA's and lost out to the light heavyweight Dexter Jackson who took the overall

Better days are ahead Chris..keep positive!!

Ivor

 

[Magnum]

DC, You give some solid advice. I agree that Chris can most likely make a complete recovery over time and I also think that he should prob forget about competing as it just does not seem to be worth it nowadays. I also think he can look damn good at a lighter bw and with very little (trt) to no drugs.

I have question about this comment that you made.

"Justin Harris emailed me yesterday....he has lifted I think 5 times in the last 2 years due to school...he sent me a picture....he is 260 pounds and big on nothing and he said "Your training transformed me, i can stay like this year round....it just doesnt go anywhere"
5) Heavy weight for reps over time change the homeostasis mechanism, my guys wont and never will shrink because they do this for a decade and the body just adjusts to it."

Now even though we have had our differences in the past, to be honest I would be asking the same question to anyone else who posted the same opinion as you, whether it be Phil, Big A or whoever, so I don't want you to think that I am being a dick for asking. IF you don't feel like explaining at all that's cool.

You claim that Justin is maintaining a solid 260 not only naturally for the past two years, but without even touching a weight. You claim that the heavy lifting has changed their " homeostasis mechanism" and that they will never shrink because their bodies have adjusted to "it" as in heavy weights.

I guess my questions are why would this be happening with your guys and no one else? How and what are their bodies "adjusting to" that allows them to permanently create new muscle that can be maintained without drugs and even lifting weights? The homeostasis mechanism in the body is there to maintain a balance to the system and is a very complicated process and although I am no expert on it I can't see how it is possible to make a permanent change to it as it pertains to your claims.