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Slaying The Dragon aka Reaching IFBB Professional Status
This was from 2013 Team Universe where I finally attained IFBB Pro Status…after 14 Pro qualifers, folks!
To those of you who have been hunting down that Pro Card, especially those of you who keep getting great placings, remember WHY you compete. Remember the drive and determination which got you to compete in the first place. Think of the family members, friends, coworkers, fans and followers who believe in you and regard you as a champion no matter what. The quote which kept me going, and which keeps me going with everything I tackle in my life, is:
“FALL DOWN SEVEN TIMES, GET UP EIGHT.”
If you are a seasoned national level NPC competitor and you get smacked down again at a Pro qualifier, you will probably feel dejected and pissed off to the point of saying, “F*&% this!”. The best thing you can do after an outcome like that is to give yourself time to calm down after the blow and dust yourself off. Believe me, I have been there before. I have hidden in my hotel room post-contest, stuffing my face with contest-busting foods, feeling sorry for myself and letting loose a barrage of cuss words. So I completely understand how it feels to miss the mark.
If you choose to get back on the horse again, do it for YOURSELF, not for the judges, family, fans or whomever. If you choose NOT to get back on the horse, make sure that decision is made when you are thinking clearly. Whatever you do, don’t walk away from the competitive life with your tail between your legs! Channel your energies into other areas of your life and know that stepping onstage takes tremendous courage. And YOU DID IT.
Taurine
If you want to live to a ripe old age, you should make sure you have a steady supply of taurine to guarantee it. Taurine is an amino acid which is found in large concentrations in the brain, heart, retina and platelets. This amazing amino acid protects against heart failure, detoxes the liver, maintains electrolyte balance in the body, supports the immune system, and promotes insulin sensitivity. If you consume a diet which incorporates meat and fish, your taurine levels may be normal, but if you are vegetarian or vegan, chances are that you don’t have adequate levels of taurine in your body. Another factor is the fact that as we age, we become less efficient at producing taurine.
Those of you who lift weights may already be aware of the energy boosting effects of taurine supplementation, and may be already taking it in the form of a preworkout mix which typically has taurine as part of the blend. Taurine also expands muscle cells, increasing the volume and contributing to the ever so familiar “pump” that comes from an intense lifts. But the additional health benefits of taurine supplementation make it almost impossible to pass up.
Taurine supplements are inexpensive and you don’t have to take high doses. A good dosage for most people is 1.5 grams, but you can double the dosage if you wish. You may notice a metabolic boost and significant weight loss as a result of taking taurine supplements. Taurine also causes a drop in serum triglyceride levels, making it an acceptable alternative to prescription lipid-lowering agents. Any excess is excreted by the kidneys.
Check Out The New Bun Burner Video Series For RxGirl! Exercise #1: Butt Blaster On Leg Press Machine
Here is the first video in the new video series by Ian Lauer IFBB Men’s Physique Pro and me! In this series we show you a whole new group of exercises designed to blast the glutes!
Misconceptions About The Men’s Physique Division
Please read my latest article for MensPhysique.com! Original post can be found by clicking on this link:
The Men’s Physique Division has stirred up tremendous interest and a decent amount of controversy within the IFBB and NPC, with a plethora of fans as well as a camp of haters. Perhaps the most exciting thing about the inception of this division was the door of opportunity which opened for men who were interested in competing on a bodybuilding stage but who did not want to sign up for the rigors of a competitive bodybuilder’s regimen. As expected, the floodgates opened and the Men’s Physique Division became wildly popular, not just among competitors within the division, but also among its ever-growing fan base worldwide. Sadly, there have been naysayers who have popped up with scathing criticism of the division which echoes the main misconceptions about the division.
Here is a breakdown of the three main misconceptions which have been circulating since the division was established in 2011.
“The Men’s Physique Division should be renamed Men’s Bikini.”
Ever since the Men’s Physique Division (MPD) was established, insults began flying about how it had no business sharing the stage with Bodybuilding. The ideal Men’s Physique body is supposed to be distinctive from a bodybuilder’s body, balanced with a pronounced v-taper, and without the excessive muscularity that is so celebrated in Bodybuilding. The more abbreviated posing which characterizes the MPD, along with the specific poses, the beach god look, and the model type good looks which many competitors possess have prompted many bodybuilders and fans of old school bodybuilding to compare MPD to a beauty pageant. I will admit that there have been rare instances in which I have seen MPD competitors exaggerate their posing in such a way that it becomes a bit comical and somewhat pageant-like, but such instances are isolated. I think it’s important to remember that MPD competitors train HARD, and the best in the industry are very well respected athletes. It is outrageously rude to make comparisons of these tremendous athletes to pageant contestants.
“Men’s Physique (MP) guys don’t have wheels.”
The regulation garment which was chosen for the MPD, the board short, was selected primarily to evoke the idea that the competitors were supposed to look like they had just walked off the beach, embodying the ideal buff beach body. However, this particular short style is cut in such a way that it always hides the quads and hams, so it is often impossible to tell whether a competitor has well developed legs or is hiding toothpick legs under all that fabric. My experience has been that I have seen quads on many MP competitors which rival the wheels of seasoned bodybuilders, blowing the idea that MP guys have stick legs completely out of the water. Many MP guys lift heavy, and they certainly do train legs! Every once in a while you might see an MP guy with spindly legs, but the division certainly does not deserve to be picked on about leg development. It has in fact been suggested by many to implement a shorter cut onstage in order to reveal the quads and hams. Perhaps once that occurs, MP competitors will finally be able to dispel this rumor.
“All Men’s Physique guys are divas or gay.”
First of all, anyone who is narrow-minded enough to make a blanket assessment of the sexual orientation of an entire division of competitors simply because many of them are visually very appealing is completely ignorant. It seems like the haters who make such comments are mostly envious because the MP guys are the ones who usually turn heads and make the ladies swoon. As a matter of fact, many women, including me, were ecstatic when the MPD was established because we as spectators finally had our eye candy. Many MP competitors easily fit the expression “pretty boy” due to their Abercrombie & Fitch boyish good looks. Honestly, I don’t see how that is a bad thing! Though I have observed a high maintenance and diva-esque attitude in some MP competitors, that type of attitude by no means pervades the division. Let’s face it: the world of competitive bodybuilding can sometimes spark up a picky, persnickety attitude in competitors regardless of gender or division, and that certainly includes competitive male bodybuilders, who can be the biggest pains in the ass because their regimens are so extreme.
It has been exciting to watch the MPD grow from the new kid on the block who got picked on, to now being a well-respected division which has enhanced the sport of competitive bodybuilding. Not only has the MPD brought in massive revenue for the NPC and IFBB, it has brought competitive bodybuilding to the mainstream with its more attainable body silhouette.
Four Years Of Team Universe!
Here are stage shots from all 4 years that I competed at the NPC Team Universe (2010 through 2013), stacked in reverse chronological order. I almost didn’t compete at Team U in 2013 because I had never done exceptionally well at this contest. Needless to say, I am so thankful that I had the stubborn determination to get back on that stage, because my wish finally came true in 2013!
To those of you who might be getting discouraged, DON’T GIVE UP!!! I can honestly say I looked better in the shot from 2013 (far right) which was taken days before my 47th birthday, than in the shot from 2010 (far left), taken on my 44th birthday. It’s been an amazing journey!
2013. Pro Card year!
Overall Winner Masters 40+ Bikini
1st Place Masters 40+ Bikini B
1st Place Masters 35+ Bikini B
4th Place Open Bikini D
2012 Team U
12th Place Masters 35+ Bikini
8th Place Open Bikini D
1st Place Masters 45+ Bikini
11th Place Masters 35+ Bikini
8th Place Open Bikini D
13th Place Open Bikini D
Great Shot A Moment After I Won The Master’s 40+ Bikini Overall Title Last Year
A Fun Stage Shot After Bikini Open D Awards At Team Universe 2013
I have no recollection of what Denita Clark and I were chatting about, but I have a strong suspicion that we were talking about what foods we were planning to eat since Finals were over for us! It’s a fun shot! You can also see Stephanie Mahoe reaching for the 1st place trophy which got her a Pro Card win, and the lovely Justine Moore.
Video Review Of Cellucor Cor-Performance Whey Cookies And Cream Flavor
Creatine-Rich Foods or Creatine Supplements?
Original post can be found here:
Creatine has been established as an important component of maximal muscle growth, strength and energy in the world of weightlifting, hence its almost ubiquitous presence in pre-workout formulations. Though creatine can be formed in the kidneys and liver from arginine, glycine and methionine, weightlifters should supplement this production, either by taking powdered creatine supplements such as creatine monohydrate, or by consuming large amounts of creatine-rich foods.
Beef is hands down the richest food source of creatine, with two grams per pound of meat. If you are opposed to the idea of eating red meat, alternative sources of creatine are found in poultry and in fish such as salmon and tuna. Those of you who are vegetarian or vegan will be hard pressed to pull sufficient creatine from foods and will have to supplement via synthetic forms such as creatine monohydrate, micronized creatine, or creatine citrate.
You may be able to consume massive amounts of meat and supply your body with the 3 to 5 grams of creatine which are considered the norm in bodybuilding circles, especially if you are adamant about obtaining all of your performance substances from whole food sources, but that would require massive dedication and a lot of meat chewing! However, if you are in a building phase, then I truly believe that you are doing yourself a disservice if you are trying to get all your extra creatine solely from food sources.
The original form of creatine which was used by bodybuilders and which is still very much in use today is creatine monohydrate. This is the cheapest form of creatine, but it is poorly absorbed, which explains its tendency to cause bloating and digestive upset. Another negative aspect of creatine monohydrate is that some people don’t respond at all to it. If this is the case for you, then you might want to explore the different forms of creatine which are out on the market. The two best forms of creatine, in my humble opinion, are:
1. Micronized creatine – The micronized form of creatine features smaller molecules, so absorption is significantly better, eliminating the issus of bloating and diarrhea which are often caused by ingesting the non-micronized form of creatine monohydrate.
2. Creatine ethyl ester – This is by far the most absorbable form of creatine, but more expensive than the monohydrate form. You can find this substance in capsule form.
Another form of creatine which is at times used in some of the more popular pre-workout formulas is creatine nitrate. The extra NO2 makes creatine water soluble and also lends a decent pump to workouts. However, when purchased alone, creatine nitrate is costly and thus is not one of my recommendations.
If you want to enhance your creatine intake, consider food sources in combination with supplement sources so that you can obtain an optimal amount which your body is able to utilize.
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