WEIGHT 77.............
YOU SOUND A LOT LIKE A GUY I KNOW. I SAW ARNOLD AND FRANCO COMPETING IN AFRICA ON TV. I ASKED MY DAD WHY THOSE GUYS LOOKED LIKE THAT AND IF I COULD DO IT TO. HE TOLD ME YEAH, YOU COULD DO IT. THEY LIFT WEIGHTS. FROM THEN ON....THAT'S ALL I REALLY WANTED. THE OLD STORY....CHEESY BAR, PLASTIC WEIGHTS WITH SAND INSIDE. I'D STAND AND HOLD THE BAR AND DO SET AFTER SET OF CALF RAISES 50 REPS AT A TIME IN MY ROOM. I REALLY HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO. WHEN I WAS A SENIOR I QUIT DRINKING. ( HIGH SCHOOL) INSTEAD OF BEING HAPPY FOR ME MY DAD SEEMED PISSED OFF. HE WAS A COP LOVED BY ALL MY FRIENDS. ONE NIGHT HE CAME HOME FOR A BITE TO EAT ABOUT 2:30 AM TO FIND ME KNEELING IN THE LIVING ROOM PRAYING. HE SAID 'YOU ARE GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE RELIGIOUS FREAKS AREN'T YOU!" IT WAS HARD. LIKE YOU, I WAS SICK OF DRINKING AND ALL THE DRAMA INVOLVED AND FELT IT WASN'T ME. I ACTUALLY THINK MY DAD LIKED IT THAT HIS SON WAS OUT IN THE BARS GETTING IN FIGHTS WITH OLDER GUYS. I CAN REMEMBER HIM SAYING YEAH, YOU THINK MY KID IS A TOUGH SONOFABITCH RIGHT NOW....JUST WAIT UNTIL HE GETS OUT OT THE MARINES" .....I DIDN'T WANT TO GO TO THE MARINES, BUT OTHERS KEPT FORCE FEEDING ME THEIR IDEAS. I SOON FOUND OUT WHO MY TRUE FREINDS WERE ONCE I STOPPED DRINKING. LIKE YOU I WENT TO COLLEGE AND DIDN'T DRINK, WENT TO BED EARLY AND LIVED TO LIFT. MY DEDICATION WAS TERRIFIC. ONE TIME MY COUSIN (LIFTING PARTNER) MISSED A SQUAT WORKOUT AND DID HIS EARLIER IN THE DAY WHEN IT WAS MORE CONVENIENT. WE'D BEEN GETTING READY FOR A POWER LIFTING CONTEST, HE WAS MY PARTNER AND LEFT ME HANGING. DIDN'T LET ME KNOW...JUST SHOWED UP AND SAID HE DIDN'T REALLY 'FEEL' LIKE LIFTING THAT DAY. AT THE TIME I WAS SUCH AN UNRELENTING BASTARD AND WAS SO PISSED OFF ABOUT IT, THAT I DIDN'T TALK TO HIM FOR OVER A YEAR. THIS WAS MY BEST FRIEND, LIFTING PARTNER, BLOOD RELATIVE, AND SOMEONE WHO I LOVED. I AM TALL AND PUTTING MUSCLE ON WAS HARD, I ATE TONS OF FOOD AND NEVER, EVER MISSED WORKOUTS. NO ONE GOT IT AND I WAS ROUTINELY QUESTIONED. I ACTUALLY LOVED LIFTING, KEEPING TO MYSELF AND STUDYING. I DID REAL WELL IN SCHOOL BECAUSE I WASN'T OUT BEING A DRUNKEN ASS. I WAS STILL A YOUNG INTOLERANT ASSHOLE IN WAYS THOUGH. YOU SEE.....I WANTED EVERYONE TO LAY OFF ME AND UNDERSTAND MY GOALS. I WAS UNWILLING TO ACCEPT THAT MY BEHAVIOR WAS AND IS UNUSUAL. YOU ARE DIFFERENT AND IN MY OPINION, BETTER THAN THEY ARE. JUST BE YOURSELF. I THINK WHAT PHIL AND OTHERS ARE SAYING HERE IS......DON'T LET EVERYTHING YOU ARE BE 'BODYBUILDING'. BE SURE TO SPEND TIME WITH LOVED ONES...TALKING ABOUT THEIR INTERESTS, AND BE GENUINELY INTERESTED. TAKE TIME TO BUY YOUR MOM FLOWERS OR DO SOME CHORE FOR YOUR DAD. SHOW THEM THAT YOU HAVE GOALS BUT ARE A WELL ROUNDED PERSON. KEEP THAT PASSION BURNING, BUT KEEP IT INSIDE, WHERE NO ONE CAN TOUCH IT OR DAMPEN IT. DON'T SHARE ALL YOUR DREAMS AND THOUGHTS WITH EVERYONE.....OTHERS WHO DON'T/ CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU WILL ALWAYS RAIN ON YOUR PARADE. KEEP IT INSIDE, DON'T TALK ABOUT IT. WATCH THE NEWS, READ BOOKS AND BE ABLE TO SPEAK ABOUT OTHER SUBJECTS. <DON'T BE A MORON LIKE I WAS..WHO WOULD GET A BACK PACK FULL OF ROCKS AND DO THE STAIRMASTER ON IT'S HIGHEST SETTING UNIT I BARFED. JUST SO I KNEW I WAS DOING CARDIO HARD ENOUGH! <SOMETIMES YOUR DRIVE, FOCUS, HARDCORE MENTALITY CAN BE TOTALLY COUNTER PRODUCTIVE!> I DID STUFF LIKE THAT AND WOULD SHOW UP AT A SHOW SKINNY AND WONDER WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG. I MEAN GEEZ....I WAS TRAINING HARDER THAN ANYONE I KNEW. I DIDN'T KNOW ANYONE WHO KNEW ANYTHING THAT WOULD HELP ME. THESE GUYS ARE TRYING TO BE HELPFUL, BUD.
I WAS PREPARING FOR A SHOW AND TORE MY BICEP, AS I TOLD YOU EARLIER THE FIRST DOC I WENT TO THOUGHT IT WOULD BE OKAY FOR ME TO HAVE A DEFORMITY AND WEAKNESS IN THAT AREA FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. IMAGINE THAT....HE WAS AN OLDER GUY AND OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ME AT ALL. DO WHAT YOU CAN TO GET HEALED. RIGHT AFTER MY SURGURY I WAS BUMMED OUT. I COULDN'T LIFT FOR A FEW DAYS BECAUSE THE PAIN PILLS MADE ME THROW UP. I WAS RAPIDLY LOSING MY CONDITION AND WAS GETTING SMALLER. I WAS SOOOO PISSED OFF AT MYSELF FOR GETTING INTO A STUPID BAR FIGHT...<I WAS BOUNCING, NOT DRINKING> AND JEPARDIZING MY GOALS. AND....MAKE NO MISTAKE.... MY GOALS WERE NOT AS BIG AS YOURS...I JUST WANTED TO BE REALLY BIG AND STRONG! NOT NECESSARILY A PRO BODYBUILDER! (JUST AS BIG AND LEAN AS A PRO BODYBUILDER...THE SAME WAY I FEEL TO THIS DAY) I SHAVED MY HEAD, CRYED IN MY DORM ROOM <NO ROOMATE CAUSE HE MIGHT BRING FRIENDS IN AN KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT THEREBY RUINING MY SLEEP TIME...SO SINGLE ROOM OR COURSE>. I TOLD MYSELF THIS WAS MY PUNISHMENT FOR NOT BEING DEDICATED. I LOST A REALLY COOL SILVER CAMARO THAT I COULDN'T MAKE PAYMENTS ON BECAUSE I LOST MY BAR JOB. LIFE SUCKED CAUSE I COULDN'T LIFT. IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE I WAS DOING LEGS EVERY COUPLE DAYS....SORE AS HELL OR NOT THOUGH. THE THING I DIDN'T REALIZE AT THE TIME WAS ......HEY, I HAD A LOT MORE GOING FOR ME THAN BODYBUILDING. i WAS A CHRISTIAN, HAD A FAMILY WHO LOVED ME, WAS ABLE TO AFFORD COLLEGE, IN GENERAL A GOOD LOOKING GUY WITH MY FUTURE AHEAD. THAT'S YOU, WEIGHT77! I'LL BET YOU ARE A NICE GUY. WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS AND YOUR LIFTING GOALS AREN'T GOING TO HAPPEN? YOU STILL HAVE VALUE, YOU CAN STILL SUCCEED PHYSICALLY IN SOMETHING. SOMETHING I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT IS ENTERING A TRIATHALON. THOSE PEOPLE NO DOUBT ARE FACED WITH THE SAME QUESTIONS, COMMENTS AND NEGATIVE CRAP THAT YOU ARE EXPRIENCING! "GEEZ IT'S RAINING OUT, WHY ARE YOU RUNNING TODAY" 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS FOR ANYWAY" ETC...ETC. SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST DRIVEN. LIKE YOU. I AM ONE OF THOSE. I UNDERSTAND TOTALLY. KEEP IT, BUT DON'T SCREW YOURSELF OVER BY BEING AN IDIOT, WHO LIMITS HIS OPTIONS, IF THINGS DON'T WORK OUT IN THE BODYBUILDING AREA. HAVE A FALL BACK PLAN. I LIKED SCIENCE AND THE HUMAN BODY SO I STUDIED BIOLOGY AND GOT A TEACHING DEGREE. I ENJOYED HISTORY, BATTLES, STUDYING PEOPLE WITH DRIVE LIKE OURS, VERY INTERESTING. I HAVE A DEGREE IN HISTORY.. DID I WANT TO BE A TEACHER? NOT REALLY BUT A GUYS GOTTA EAT AND I WANTED TO LIFT ALL SUMMER! IT'S A GOOD LIFE, WEIGHT77. PLUS, I GET TO HELP KIDS JUST LIKE YOU ONCE IN A WHILE. EVERYDAY I HAVE A COUPLE GUYS AND ONE GIRL IN MY ROOM BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL. THEY ARE DRAWING SUPERHEROS, TALKING ABOUT LIFTING, ASKING QUESITONS. HEY, I CAN EVEN ANSWER SOME OF THEM AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE. I THINK THAT'S WHAT PHIL AND IAMABADMAN ARE TRYING TO DO....HELP YOU OUT SO THAT YOU DON'T MESS UP YOUR LIFE.
GET YOUR SHIT FIXED, KEEP THE 'HIDDEN' FIRE. BUT, HAVE A BACKUP PLAN YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TOLERATE IF THE PRO THING GETS DERAILED FOR SOME REASON.
GOOD LUCK, WEIGHT....SORRY THIS RESPONSE GOT LONG. EMAIL ME IF YOU'D LIKE TO VISIT.
.gif "IP Gear")
