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Workout partner?  I dun need no stinkin’ workout partner!  Got stood up today, America.  M’boy Steve had to work overtime at Boeing and didn’t make it in for legs.  No worries, though…I made it do what it do!  After a killer leg workout I knocked out another 30 minutes of hard cardio.  The first 10 was excruciating as the legs were really tired and heavy.  But they loosened up in a few and I held steady for the remaining 20 minutes.  After that I sat in the hot tub for 20 minutes – and promptly fell asleep.  Good thing I set my timer or I might still be in there.  Showered up and then threw the ice wraps on the knees and low back, ate a meal, and now I blogging for the second time today and watching the game. 

I’d like to thank Guy Overby one more time for a great response guest blog this morning.  Literally right after I posted it I got the email from Steve that he wouldn’t be here.  Talk about timing.  Guy, your words got me through a killer workout.  My initial ‘reaction’ to Steve’s email was, “Aww man…I gotta do legs by myself?  I really don’t have that push in me with two weeks to go.  But then I re-read the blog, and it was on, America.  I had three options – I could either skip legs (not an option…), do a half-hearted leg workout based upon how I ‘felt’ (again, not an option…), or go in there and give it my all by myself, for myself, and with myself (that was the only viable option).  I’m the only one who controls my destiny.  Today’s leg workout was every bit as good as last week’s, and we destroyed legs last week!  You CAN affect your outcome, America.  No hype, no

bull…just go and push yourself as hard as you possibly can with what you’ve got in the tank.

Speaking of tanks, I just wanna real quick touch on energy levels again.  Remember, you’re gonna feel the effects of carb depletion.  The only time you’ll probably feel good is during your training and first cardio session.  You might be reaching that point to where you’re tired most of the day outside of training.  You might not even feel like training until you get started and endorphins start flowing.  You might feel a bit irritable or grouchy or on edge.  You might find that you can’t focus on things – that you’re a bit spacey when normally you’re not.  Be careful around close friends and family as they’ll more than likely be the brunt of your ‘aggression’.  As I said yesterday, it’s physiological – you can’t control it!  It’s not stress, the job, relationships, or anything else.  It’s the low carbs!  As soon as you plug them back in you’ll literally instantly feel better.  I don’t remember if I blogged on this last season or not, but it’s worth repeating even if I did. 

A study was done years ago in which carbs were depleted to where glycogen stores and blood sugar levels were extremely low.  The individuals all felt like crap, were light-headed, irritable, and couldn’t function clearly with simple menial tasks or answer simple questions.  They were given either a placebo or straight sugar in the form of hard candy and told to suck but not swallow.  They answered questions and had their blood drawn in five minutes.  The placebo group showed no improvement as expected.  The sugar group showed significant cognitive improvement and their blood sugar levels increased significantly.  You can attribute your feelings to whatever you want, but the science says low carbs.  “Nuff said...?

Here’s another installment of 30 of Bodybuilding’s Biggest Lies…enjoy!

4. If you eat a low-fat diet, it doesn’t matter how many calories you take in; you won’t gain fat. The bottom line is, if you exceed your energy requirements either for a meal or for the entire day, you’ll gradually get fatter and fatter.  It’s true that eating a diet rich in fat will pack on the pounds quicker for a variety of reasons, the most significant being that a gram of fat has nine calories as opposed to the four calories per gram that carbohydrates and proteins carry.  That’s why high-fat diets typically don’t work in the long run, especially if you’re eating lots of saturated fats.  Fat is also metabolized differently in the body.  It takes a lesser amount of energy (calories) to digest and assimilate the energy in consumed fat than it does to assimilate an equal (weight wise) amount of carbohydrates.  Consequently, more fat calories get stored than carbohydrate calories. 

However, taking in tons of carbs, regardless of the source, in excess of what your body needs at any point in time will make you fat very quickly.  You’ll start by gaining the water weight (water bonds to carbs at approximately a 4-to-1 ratio…that’s the initial weight gain you experience when you up your carbs) and then once the glycogen stores are full, the excess carbohydrate calories get shuttled to the fat cells if they aren’t burned off as energy through activity.  Many of the popular weight-gain powders are loaded with carbohydrates, and many of the MRP’s (Meal Replacement Plans) have high carbs and high fats – some with upwards of 18-25 gms of fat per serving. 

I’m done for tonight, America…two blogs in one day…that’s a lot for this ole man.  Ya’ll enjoy the rest of your evening…I’m gonna finish watching the game, eat a bit more, and then get my beauty sleep…peace!

The Dr.

David “Dr. Buff” Patterson

Personal Training Systems

“There Are No Shortcuts!”

 www.personaltrainingsystems.net 

  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

 Mobile:  253.576.4859

Wishing DOESN'T make it come true!

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"Everyone believes the world's greatest lie..." says the mysterious old man.

"What is the world's greatest lie?" the little boy asks.

The old man replies, "It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."  (An excerpt from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. A fable about following your dreams.)"  Sent to me by Guy Overby.

America, this blog, by Guy Overby, is in response to yesterday’s blog on destiny.  He messaged me on Facebook.  I asked him if I could share his views and opinions.  He so graciously consented.  I love when someone expands upon what I’ve written, whether positive or negative.  We all are entitled to our opinions.  I will be happy to post others as well as long as they are in good taste with no foul language.  If you disagree with what I’m writing, you can always rebutt – just do so in an articulate and professional manner – that’s all I ask.  Now on to Guy’s blog…and once again, thanks Guy!

"Dave, I felt compelled to comment on your recent blog regarding predetermined destinations. This is one subject I am extremely passionate about. I feel you hit the nail right on the head with your statements.  It made me think of my all-time UN-favorite cliché “Everything happens for a reason”.  To me this is the ultimate saying for those looking to escape personal accountability.  Funny, you never hear anyone use this line after something good happens to them. It’s usually after they got fired from their job, had a failed relationship or didn’t get something they had hoped for. So much easier to believe it was due to some sort of divine intervention as opposed to a personal failure.  Whenever I hear someone say this I say, “You are exactly right. Everything does happen for a reason and 99% of the time that REASON is the choices and decisions YOU make on a daily basis”. 

It reminds me a lot of my dad. He smoked two packs of cigarettes a day and loved to justify it by saying “When it’s my time to go it’s my time to go, ain’t nothing I can do about it”. Of course he died at 47 from lung cancer.  Do you know how many people I heard after that say “Everything happens for a reason”?  I said, “Yep, and the reason was he smoked two packs of cigarettes a day!” To anyone who truly subscribes to the philosophy of predetermined destination I would ask them, “Why do you do anything you do? If you truly believe the choices you make in life have zero influence on your future how can you be motivated to even get out of bed in the morning?”  The worst part about this mindset is it enables people to go forward thinking their failures were/are completely out of their control and never take corrective measures because they have already absolved themselves of all accountability.

The above was waiting for me this morning when I woke up.  I messaged him back about how good it was and how I’d like to blog it.  He then sent me “Part II” – even better!  This one was deep, America.  Read it and re-read it – it’ll truly make you think!

Dave, thanks for the compliment; I have always been one of those people who seem to express themselves better when writing than talking. Feel free to use anything you want in your Blog.

On the same topic, I was fortunate enough to attend a 4-hour seminar by Robert Cialdini a couple years ago at the Northwest Leadership Seminar. He is a psychologist and has written several books including “The Power of Influence”. He gave a long lecture on personal accountability and demonstrated this with an equation of; Event + Reaction = Outcome. The best part of this was studies had shown that the “event” only controls 20% of the outcome while your “reaction” to it controls 80%. Your hip replacement was a fine example of this theory in practice. How many people would have reacted differently than you did and had an entirely different outcome? Think of how much easier it would have been to never compete or lift weights again due to your hip injury. Your reaction has completely overshadowed the event. I think it’s safe to say a lot of people would resort to a sedentary lifestyle and blame the event for what has happened to them. Once you become aware of this it’s amazing how often you see it play out it all aspects of your life as well as those around you.

Anyways I could go on and on with this kind of stuff. I find human behavior and psychology incredibly fascinating as you can probably tell. I can’t say for sure if Marga and I will be in Vancouver to cheer you on but we’ll be at the E Cup for sure. You will be happy to know I will be starting my contest diet at the beginning of April at 217 lbs (haven’t gone over 220 since the last show) as opposed to 240 lbs like last year. Your talk to me about skin elasticity and the benefits of staying lean really changed my mind set. I figure every pound of fat I am not putting on this off season is one less pound I have to burn off during my diet.

If you ever get a chance, read the book “The Alchemist”.  The story is a great one but the 4 page introduction was very powerful and addresses this very issue of controlling ones destiny.  Keep up the good work Dave. I believe this Blog has been a great opportunity for you to make people think and assess."

Great stuff, Guy – you can be a ‘guest blogger’ anytime you want.  And you know I’m gonna order out the book.  Sounds like something right up my alley.  To expand slightly on the equation (because he pretty much said it all…), our ‘events’ are the upcoming contests.  How is everyone reacting to them?  Do not for one minute believe that just because you are ‘doing’ the show means that you’ll be ready for the show.  That’s where your work ethic comes in.  That’s the reaction.  You must push, and push hard, because if you aren’t I promise you someone is.  You know what would be the ultimate contest, America?  In every class, both male and female, every single competitor had a first place look.  8, 10, 12 deep…all looking absolutely incredible!  Everyone dialed in.  Everyone looking good.  And a good time was had by all…peace!

The Dr.

David “Dr. Buff” Patterson

Personal Training Systems

“There Are No Shortcuts!”

 www.personaltrainingsystems.net 

  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

 Mobile:  253.576.4859

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America, anyone can achieve their fullest potential.  Unfortunately few do.  We go through life never truly maximizing what has been given to us, such as our gifts or talents.  My older brother is the perfect example.  He is a gifted musician who has never achieved his full potential.  I don’t know why.  He could have been a child prodigy, he was that good.  At three years old he sat on the piano stool next to my oldest sister who was a good pianist, but not gifted.  She had taken lessons, could read music well, and played for the church choirs for over 50 years.  She was attempting to learn a new song to teach the choir, which was a bit challenging for her as it had lots of riffs and runs.  My brother, sitting next to her, asked, “Can I play?”  Now remember, he was three years old!  My sister brushed him off.  He insisted, “I can play!”  Finally she said, “Okay…you can play on the piano, but I’ve got to finish learning this, so go ahead.”  She figured he’d plunk on the keys for a few minutes, get bored, and then leave her alone. 

America, without sounding like I’m proud of him (which I am…), he started playing the song BETTER than she was playing it, putting together combination runs and riffs that made her call out to our mom and dad.  How good was he?  That was the first time he ever sat at the piano!  When older and taking lessons, he was so good that at music practice all he’d have to do was cock his head to one side, listen to what the teacher was playing, and play it back perfectly, usually better than her.  He has perfect pitch, perfect tone, and is more intuitive on where the song is going than you can imagine.  But he had one problem.  He was so gifted that he was cursed.  Because of his gift and talent, he really didn’t feel he needed to study and learn how to read music.  He always felt that he knew enough about playing not only the piano, but the organ, drums, bass, violin, and several other instruments that there was no need, and no real desire to truly better himself. 

Well…when he was a teenager and in his early twenties, there was no one in the region who could touch him.  One time Billy Preston came to town.  My brother got to play with him.  Billy stood in amazement watching him play, asking afterwards, “Who IS that guy, and why isn’t he out here with us?”  Fast forward many years.  Kids that looked up to my brother and wanted to be like him now exceed him – not in gift or talent but in knowledge and ability.  They’re not as gifted – they’re good musicians in their own right, but everyone knows that my brother is something special.  But they went to music practice, music schools, and did whatever it took to further their ability as musicians.  They can do more musically.  By that I mean not just play but teach, write, direct, etc.  Now my brother can do all of that as well, but he does it by ear whereas they can do it by ear to a lesser degree and also by reading music.  My brother, in spite of his gift, always has to hear the song first.  He does not possess the ability to read or write.  Potential wasted.  Destiny denied. Or is it? 

You see, we all have what I call an infinite number of destinies.  Who we are might be pre-determined, but the path we follow is always of our own choosing.  In essence, we choose our destiny; our destiny does not choose us (unless we do nothing, at which point we still choose our destiny, even if it is not good).  For many, the pervading belief is that your destiny is pre-determined.  They say your destiny can’t be changed.  But I disagree.  I believe that it can be challenged, even changed.  We are born with an infinite number of futures.  We die with a single one.  Which one will you choose?  Even the bible speaks of choice; “…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life so that you and your children may live…”  (Deut. 30:19).  My brother’s destinies were placed before him.  He chose his path.  For many of us, me included, we are at the proverbial crossroads in this bodybuilding/fitness/figure/bikini challenge.  With less than three weeks for some of us and less than six weeks for the remainder, what path will we follow?  Will we rise to the challenge of achieving our current best potential thereby fulfilling our destiny at this point in our lives or will we squander it by slacking on our workouts, skipping cardio, cheating on our nutrition, or just plain thinking, “That’s good enough.”  My goal through this series of blogs is to help each one of you realize your best potential.  That’s why I spend so much time on the psychological component.  Your job is to go out and actualize it! 

Look, I wish I had better genetics.  I don’t.  There are others out there like me.  We have to work harder and smarter just to stay one step behind.  But there are many of you with great genetics.  Fantastic shape, full muscle bellies, great lines…you’ve got it goin’ on!  But if you don’t get lean enough to show all of that, it simply becomes wasted potential.  Guy Overby said a while ago, and I posted it in a previous blog, “I might get beat but I won’t be out-trained.”  I say, “You might out-lift me but you won’t out-work me.”  Genetics aside, I will do what I need to do – no excuses accepted, no excuses given.  I expect you to do the same.

You should never allow your fears to set the limits of your destiny.  Nor should you let the expectations of others define the frontiers of your future.  Your destiny is in YOUR hands.  My destiny is in MY hands.  Whether we win or lose is immaterial to me.  What IS important is whether you live up to your God-given potential, talent, and gift.  All of your futures have already happened.  You just haven’t experienced them yet.  They’re out there…the good and the bad.  Choose the good.  How?  WORK for it!  It’s yours for the taking…

I was gonna present another of the 30 Biggest Lies but I just got off the phone with Turk.  We talked almost an hour as he’s getting ready for his hip replacement on April 2^nd. Even though he’s got his doctor telling him what to expect, nothing speaks like experience.  Since I’ve got one and already rehabbed it and am back to full training…well…he asks, I answer.  So I’m out for the evening, America…peace!

The Dr.

David “Dr. Buff” Patterson

Personal Training Systems

“There Are No Shortcuts!”

 www.personaltrainingsystems.net 

  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

 Mobile:  253.576.4859

Wshing DOESN'T make it come true!

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I was training a client this morning and she was having a tough time getting into the workout. It’s been like this for several weeks now. At our training facility, the clients rotate trainers, so my colleagues have also noticed this change in the client’s fitness level and ability to push herself and be pushed by us. Anyway, as I was training her this morning I realized how much of training (or anything else in life, for that matter) is 100% mental. I wanted to shake her and tell her to get out of her head and PUSH through it. But I felt that would be counterproductive so I restrained myself.

I realized in that moment how important that mental strength is, especially here in the final weeks leading up to a competition. I can’t tell you how many times I feel like I’m too tired to train, too tired to get up at 3:15 and do cardio. And sometimes, believe it or not…I’m too tired to eat! We have to tap into that mental toughness and strength to power through and keep going.

We’ve all set a goal to get on that stage in April and therefore, we must be committed to do whatever it takes to reach that goal as successfully as we possibly can. When we’re as close as we are I find that I constantly have to take measures to refocus and center myself. I remind myself why I’m doing this and why it’s important to me and what the ultimate payoff is when I reach my goal. When I tap into that energy, it helps give me the mental strength to keep going.

I also have noticed that being surrounded by people who completely support my goal and what I’m trying to achieve makes an amazing difference in my ability to forge ahead with as much energy as possible. Toxic people will drain you (those would be the people who are less than supportive or criticize you in any way) and positive, inspiring people will energize you like you wouldn’t believe. I am fortunate to be surrounded this time by so many wonderful people who want to help me along my journey to reach my goal. Last year it was quite the opposite, with constantly being reminded that my competing was dragging my family down. That negative influence just requires too much emotional energy and it’s not worth it.

Take some time to remember why you’re doing this - write it down. While this whole process is grueling and challenging and so much work than most people would ever imagine, it is supposed to be fun and give us joy. Refocus on your goal.

“To believe in yourself and follow your dreams, to have goals in life and a drive to succeed, and to surround yourself with the things and people that make you happy - this is success!” ~Sasha Azevedo

~Julie~

Fearless, with cape in hand

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Whew! So I have been BUSY BUSY, but loving every single minute of it!

First off - I have officially launched my website: Saving Strength! This is something that I have been working on for the past several months in the midst of my work, training and school schedule and I'm so happy that it is officially posted! Of course if I REALLY want to make Saving Strength a success, I must continue to push forward and make constant improvements! Just because the website is published doesn't mean I'm done ;) I want to continue to brainstorm ideas to promote weight training within the Northwest and I'm excited to add more gals to Team Saving Strength! I've already had two other gals contact me who want to join and I'm just so excited about this! I'll continue to learn with each step I take and use that knowledge and experience to help others along the way!

Thank you to all the amazing people in my life who have inspired me to get this thing moving...Elaine..I'm so thankful that I had you to keep pushing me forward :) Each time you asked how the website was coming along it sparked a bit more inspiration in me to really go after my goals and dreams and get it finished! So thank you!

So make sure to check out my website and let me know what you think! www.savingstrength.org

Please feel free to email me or facebook me and let me know what you think! I'm open for ANY feedback because I seek constant improvement :)

Second off - Training is going fabulous! I hit it HARD last week and really enjoyed my recovery day yesterday! It felt so good! I actually spent most of the day sleeping and it felt fabulous! I was also in depletion mode this last week and yesterday was Day 5 of depletion - so that goes to explain my sleepy and lazy day! I have also noticed that I'm starting to get slightly more cranky! I can't tell if this is because of my prep as we reach 3 weeks out or if it is from school and the finals that I have this week and next....Or maybe a combination of the two?! That could possibly be it! Final Show Prep + 3 Finals and Presentations at School = Not so great combination! I realized that I was truly getting irritable last night when I couldn't find one of my favorite work out shirts and I was honestly getting really mad haha...I was scurrying around the house looking for it with a big frown on my face! Barry just looked at me and said "Are you really getting this mad over a shirt?" That's when I stopped and thought about it...Show time is getting CLOSE! haha I try and be as kind as possible 24/7, but sometimes a competitor just loses it right?! Well the good news is that although I did not find my shirt, I DID get a good night's sleep and I'm feeling fresh today! I hit cardio hard this morning and it felt great! Then I'll head back to the gym later for legs and cardio! LOVE IT! We're getting close folks and I'm ready to rock and roll!

So that's it for now! Keep on Keeping on! We're are TREMENDOUSLY close to show time and it's unbelievable! Put your heart and soul into these last few weeks so that you can step on stage SHINING from all your hard work! Trust me...That undeniable light that shines off competitors who have truly worked their butts off shows when they step on stage and it inspires me EVERY time! So keep at it! Stay focused...Stay ZONED in on your goal! No time to waste...Things should be RIGHT on!!

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

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Hi everyone! This week I learned a great lesson from 3 wonderful people that I know, and I wanted to share that information with everyone.

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America, I meant to write on this the night the Winter Olympics ended, but got distracted.  Later I blogged on a couple other points that were of interest to me.  So tonight I’m back to ‘Part I’ even though this is Part III. 

We’re three weeks out from the Vancouver and six weeks from the EC.  Over the past few weeks I’ve talked with many competitors getting ready for either one or both of these shows.  Every year I hear the same few questions…”How do you think I’m gonna do?”  “Where do you think I’ll place?”  “Y’think I got a shot at this?”  If they’re looking good I tell them that.  If they’re not, I tell them that as well.  Hey…don’t get mad at me, America – they came to me asking what I thought.  I answered them.  I have a saying – “Don’t ask the question you don’t wanna hear the answer to.”  N-E-Whoo…I’ve learned over the years to simply say, “I promise you this…you’ll take somewhere between first and dead last!”

I’ve run the gamut on pre-contest thoughts, America.  I’ve stressed over winning, didn’t think I looked good enough to step onstage, freaked out over my diet, over-cardioed and under-ate…you name it, I probably did it.  But now I’m at a point to where I have one thought and one thought only – let me get me into the best possible shape I can and I’ll let the chips fall where they may.  Y’see, I have absolutely no control over who shows up, how many competitors are in my class, the outcome…nothing but me.  So if the only thing I need to worry about is me, then that’s all I worry about. 

I ensure that I get my workouts in each day – no excuses made, no excuses accepted.  I make sure that I push to complete and total failure on my heavies, and when I walk out of the gym I feel good about what I did.  I make sure that I eat the right foods in the right amounts at the right times.  I ensure that the first cardio session is total killer – as hard as I can push, and then hang on for dear life during the second one.  I just started practicing my posing so that’s falling into place right in line with everything else.  The bottom line?  My mindset is correct, I’ve got my game face on, and I’m ready to make it do what it do!

I’m not too concerned anymore about the outcome – used to be, but not anymore.  I think of Shani Davis, the first Black speed skater in the Winter Olympics and the favorite going into the 1000m and 1500m races.  He won gold in the 1000.  But in the 1500 he came up short…he got silver.  When asked what he could have done differently to win, his answer was something like this, “I couldn’t have done anything different or better.  I skated the race of my career.  I left everything out on the track.  It just so happened that [the winner] also skated the race of his life, and his was a little bit better than mine.”  That’s class, America! 

Okay…on to #3 of Bodybuilding’s Biggest Lies…

3. In order to get really big, you’ve got to eat a super-high-calorie diet.  Well….that’s true…you’ll get really big if you eat a super-high-calorie diet, but you’ll look like Professor Klump’s fraternal twin (with a little muscle hidden underneath all that fat!).  However, if you want to get big, lean-tissue wise, then super-high-calorie diets are probably not for you unless you’re one of the very few people with metabolic rates so fast you can burn these calories instead of depositing them as fat.  Unfortunately, studies show that in most people about 65% of the new tissue gains brought about by high-calorie diets consist of fat!  Of the remaining 35%, approximately 15% consist of increased intracellular fluid volume, leaving a very modest percentage attributable to increased lean muscle mass.

According to research, only about 20-25% of increased muscle growth stems from increased protein synthesis.  The rest of the muscle growth is directly attributable to increased proliferation of the satellite cells in the basal lamina of muscle tissue, and dietary energy (calories) is NOT a key factor in the differentiation of these cells into new myofibers (muscle tissue).

Of all factors determining muscle growth, prevention of protein breakdown (anti-catabolism) seems to be the most relevant.  The best way to prevent protein breakdown is through steroid use.  That will lead to increased muscular size, albeit artificial.  The natural bodybuilder cannot prevent protein breakdown in a normal fashion and must build additional muscle through intense weight training and proper nutrition.   Adding adipose (fat) tissue through constant overfeeding can actually increase muscle proteolysis (breakdown).  In other words, gaining excess bodyfat above and beyond what is considered healthy and normal can cause you to lose muscle tissue.  Furthermore, additional adipose tissue can radically alter hormonal balances which are directly responsible for controlling protein breakdown in muscle.  Insulin balance, for one, which partially controls anti-catabolism in the body, is impaired by consistent overfeeding.  So much for the eat-big-to-get-big philosophy!  In other words, stay away from super-high-calorie diets and gaining massive amounts of excess weight unless you’re a genetic freak, or you’re woefully lean and don’t mind putting on some fat.

I’m out, America…time to eat, sleep, and start this party all over again tomorrow morning…peace!

The Dr.

David “Dr. Buff” Patterson

Personal Training Systems

“There Are No Shortcuts!”

 www.personaltrainingsystems.net 

  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

 Mobile:  253.576.4859

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I got the call today.  Our own blogger and Queen of the Craig Productions pump-up-room Gerri Davis tore her left quadricep!!!  Her husband Dan called to give me the horrible news.  She was pressing 950lbs - yes that is right - leg pressing 950lbs when it tore!  After assuring me that she was okay and not in the hospital and that she was actually walking around today he told me what she was most upset about is that she won't be able to guest pose at the Emerald Cup.  He said her leg was very swollen and she sees the surgeon next week to find out all of the details but that she was sorry she wouldn't be able to guest pose.  Can you imagine?  All she is going through and she is thinking about her guest posing?!!!!  And then he added that she would still be there to run the pump-up-room!!  Let's just take this one day at a time!!  No one can EVER replace you Gerri - but we first and foremost care about you recovering!!  We love you Gerri and I will keep everyone posted on her status!!

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Hey guys! Just wanted to take a minute to check in. I have to admit, I don’t have anything profound to blog about at the moment, but wanted to give you a little update on my training/contest prep status…

I’m finally feeling 100% healthy again, however, my oldest got the same flu on Friday and my son came down with it today. Never a dull moment. We’re 3 for 5 now…hoping the twins can manage to steer clear, although that seems unlikely at this point. My training this week was great, all things considered. Still managing to lift heavy and keep setting PR’s. Not too bad for 3 weeks out (from Vancouver).

I had my suit fitting with Christie Skelton tonight. The color is AMAZING and I’m super excited to see the finished product. She’s going to begin the BLINGING process this week!! Love me some bling!

This morning I knocked out 45 minutes of cardio at Gold’s then I headed into Bellevue to do Mike’s boot camp at work (Elite Fitness Training). Awesome kick-a$$ workout - I was drenched! A shout out to Geoff Melrose for the friendly competition to give me that extra push - nothing like hitting 190 on the Polar on an uphill sprint! Thanks Geoff and thanks Mike for a killer class, as usual!

No big changes this week with diet and training. Holding the cardio at 90 minutes a day right now (45-60 in the morning with 30 after my lift). Diet is holding until next week as well, so I’m hoping to have another great week with strong(er) lifts. Tomorrow is “build-a-butt” day (aka leg day) and I’ll be squatting 225 now that I’m back to 100% healthy…can’t wait!

I hope you all have a fabulous week! Keep training hard, be faithful to your diet plan and keep your eyes on the stage…it’s the home stretch!!!

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One of my favorite shows, America, is Criminal Minds.  I can always count on a great quote or saying at both the beginning and the end of the show.  Most don’t apply to this bodybuilding blog but I write em down anyway so that I can use them at the right time.  A few shows ago a great quote came at the end.  Even though I wrote it down I felt it wasn’t appropriate…until now.  The funny thing is, it’s not so much appropriate for the readership but rather for me and my partner Turk.  Y’see, prepping for this spring season is tougher on me than ever.  And Turk is getting ready to have his knee replacement redone because it didn’t’ take well, and he’ll also need two hip replacements.  That’s right…both his hips are shot – bone-on-bone.  If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time then you know about my surgeries and physical limitations, but I’ve always been one to ‘make it do what it do’ until I absolutely, positively cannot do it anymore.  Now my right hip is giving me fits, and my left knee is still bothering me after almost 2 years post-surgery, so I’ve gotta go in and see what that’s all about.  Don’t get me wrong…I’m not saying I’m retiring – not by any stretch of the imagination ( or so I hope and pray…), but I’m starting to realize that one day ‘This Too Shall End’.  The quote, by Eric Frohm, goes, “If I am what I have, and I lose what I have, who then am I?”  Both Turk and I have bodybuilding.  Lemme rephrase…I’ve got bodybuilding whereas Turk HAD bodybuilding.  But now he’s into billiards, and he’s doing quite well at it. 

We were talking the other day when he came over (he could hardly walk, his hips and knee were so bad) and he asked me, “Dude, so what are you gonna do when you can’t compete anymore?”

“I don’t know…hadn’t really given it much thought.  I mean, I used to bowl as a youngster and teenager, and I’ve always been good at that, but I’d definitely need an outlet as I’ve got that competitive mindset, just like you.”  I then asked him, “Do you think you’ll ever step back onstage once you get everything fixed?”

“I can’t say I will, and here’s why.  I’ll always workout for the health benefits, but with three artificial joints, I think my competitive days might be over.  I can’t see me training at that intensity just to step onstage.  My thought is, I really don’t want to go through another series of surgeries for the second and possible third sets of joints, and I’m thinking that pushing at the level it takes to be competitive will simply speed up the process at which I’ll need new joints.  If I’ve gotta get a second and possible third set, I want to put it off as long as possible.”

“That’s the difference between you and me, dude.  I’m not worried about having a second or third surgery – if it happens it happens.  What if I stay competitive and I never need a second hip?  Or I quit training altogether and need another one?  I rehabbed one of my old clients who had her first set of hips when she was in her mid-40’s and she didn’t do anything like what we do and did.  She needed a second set after only 12 years.  I rehabbed her once again.  After a year she was off and running…literally!  Back to mountain climbing, biking…whatever she could do she did.  She didn’t let her hips slow her down, and she definitely wasn’t afraid of overdoing it to the point where she’d have to go back under the knife.  Last I talked to her she was golfing and thinking about taking skiing lessons.”

“Well I ain’t feeling two and three surgeries, so I ain’t gonna kill myself to get that look.  And I don’t know why you’re killin’ yourself now.  You just told me a few minutes ago about how you’re hurtin’…”

“Dude, I’m always hurting!  I live in pain.  Whether I lift or don’t lift, I hurt.  I’ve pushed this body of the past 35 years and it hurts!  My philosophy is simple – if I’m gonna hurt, I might as well hurt lookin’ good! Hahaha…

“Man…you crazy…”

We talked a bit more.  I never did tell him what my next ‘career’ would be, as I don’t have a clue myself.  I just know that one day I will no longer ‘have’ bodybuilding as I currently see it.  What SHALL I do?  Only time will tell…

Hey…I promised that I’d write each day on exposing Bodybuilding’s 30 Biggest Lies…well I guess I lied because I didn’t blog yesterday.  Sometimes, life gets in the way…N-E-Whoo…got a short but sweet one today…enjoy!

2. You don’t have to be strong to be big.  For a variety of reasons, people, even those with equal amounts of muscle mass, vary in strength enormously.  It might have something to do with fast-twitch/slow-twitch muscle fiber ratios, or it might have something to do with the efficiency of nerve pathways.  It could be more biomechanical, such as limb length and the resultant torque, or kinesiology, such as where the muscles originate and insert onto the bones.  Regardless, it is still a relative term.  To get bigger muscles, you have to lift heaver weight, or as Lee Haney once said, “To build big muscle you gotta lift big weight”.  You, not the guy or girl next door, have to become stronger – stronger than you were.  Increasing muscle strength in the natural athlete, except in a very few, rare instances, requires that the tension applied to muscle fibers be high.  The muscles also have to be under that tension for an appropriate period of time, known as time under tension.  If the tensions applied to muscle fibers are light, or lighter than what the muscle fibers need to promote synthesis, then maximal growth will not occur.  So what’s the best tension or weight to lift to promote growth?  The controversy still rages from the strength pundits who say you need to be in the 3-6 rep range to build maximum strength to John Parrillo and his 100 rep sets (although in all fairness John advocates picking a weight in which you gut out a hard 20-25 reps and then suffer through to 100, doing whatever it takes, short of bad form, to accomplish the task).  In general, there are three pathways in which strength can occur – the strength pathway, the power pathway, and the size pathway.  Power is simply strength divided by time – how long it takes to leverage a weight, whereas strength is just getting it up regardless of time.  Another general rule is that the stronger you get, the bigger you get, and the bigger you get, the stronger you get.  Remember, I said general…too many variables to cover to make sense of this statement in this blog. You’ll just have to take my word on it.  Generally, the endurance pathway is not conducive to maximal strength simply because they’re at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Endurance athletes are not strong (in general…) and strength athletes are not good at endurance activities (again, in general).  Since strength and size are concomitant you usually won’t see muscular, strong long distance runners just as you probably won’t see thin, emaciated sprinters. 

Ok…I’m done for tonight…gotta eat…holla at’cha boi, America! Peace…

The Dr.

David “Dr. Buff” Patterson

Personal Training Systems

“There Are No Shortcuts!”

 www.personaltrainingsystems.net 

  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

 Mobile:  253.576.4859

Wishing DOESN'T make it come true!

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I love it when a plan comes together, America!  Kathy came over earlier so we could work on posing.  Over the past few weeks I’ve been slowly bring her down in carbs and upping her cardio, telling her that soon she’ll start feeling it.  Well…today she came in and there was a definite change in her.  She wasn’t her usual up-tempo, high energy self.  She was a bit ‘subdued’ to say the least.  More quiet, self-reflective, and introspective – at least for the first minute.  Then she opened up and let fly with both barrels.

“Dave, I swear, I just wanted to yell at so many of my people today (she’s a Seattle bus driver…).  They’re talking to me and I just didn’t feel like talking to them.  And then add to that one of my fellow drivers wouldn’t leave the terminal in front of me which made me late getting out and I HATE being late.  And then I get stuck behind two other buses out on the road who were both behind time and I so felt like turning off my sign.  Oh…and then…everyone wants to pay me and I’m yelling at them “Pay the next driver” because it’s not the stops that make me late, it’s when the passengers hold me up wanting to pay…”

I just smiled as she talked.  She’d finally gotten ‘there’ – that point to where other people and things that aren’t in your world irritate you.  “Looks like you’re on point,” I mused.  “You gonna be able to hang these next few weeks?  You can’t go around leaving, cussin’ out, and shooting your transports, y’know…”

“Oh, I’ll be okay.  I never felt like this before in all my years of driving.  It’s just that literally everything that happened today seemed to irritate me to some degree.  Is this normal?”

“Perfectly,” I said.  “As competitive bodybuilders, when we drop our starchy carbs low for the sake of getting ultra-lean it affects our cognitive abilities – our ability to think, act, and do things rationally.  Low carbs over a period of time also cause us to be less tolerant and understanding of others.  We become more self-centered – more “ME” oriented.   Remember, carbs are our brain food – they’re the only nutrient that the brain uses for energy.  Without adequate carbs, the brain gets a little ‘spacey’ initially and then it gets pissed that it’s not getting its energy, and it lets you know. The irritability you’re feeling is simply your brain telling you it wants sugars and it wants them NOW.  It’s a physiological response to the reduction in carbs – you can’t control it.  I’ve heard so many people over the years say that ‘It’s all in your head – you don’t have to act or be that way without carbs.’  My answer to them is ‘Drop your starchies to less than 100 gms for about 5 days and then tell me its all in my head’.”

“So how do I handle this?  I can’t be like this every day.  Not to mention that you said it’ll get even worse!”

“Well…one thing I’ve learned to do is keep my mouth shut around anyone that doesn’t live in my world.  We had bible study at my house last night and I hardly said a word.  No one seemed to stay on point with the topics and I knew me.  If I said anything it wouldn’t be good, so I kept my mouth shut!  Another thing I do is time my leaving the house right after eating so that I’ve got an hour or so of feeling good before the irritability starts to set back in.  If I’m out and about I usually carry a couple Parrillo bars or Protein cookies or brownies…something with very little carbs and sugars.  For you I’d recommend carrying a bunch of protein cookies, brownies, and bars.  Have 1/3 bar and a cookie or brownie every time you feel like you’re running out of gas (brain fuel) but it’s not time to eat yet.  Your body will convert the protein to useable carbohydrate energy via a process known as gluconeogenesis – that’ll give you a little bit of brain fuel.  The key is to always be prepared for anything that could happen once you leave your house and you lose control over your environment.”  We talked a bit more and then went out to the gym and worked on posing for about 1½ hours. 

Hey, I promised you several months ago and then a few weeks ago that I’d write a series entitled “Exposing 30 of Bodybuilding’s Biggest Lies”.  This was a great article written way back in 1993 by Bill Phillips of Muscle Media 2000.  Although I wasn’t a big fan of Bill’s due to his open and candid use of his magazine to push drugs, I had to admit that this article was really good.  Most of the information is still true.  I’ll write and give credit to Bill and T.C. Luoma, but exercise editorial jurisdiction to add and take away as I see fit.  The goal is to write on one or two points each day (if I’m not too lazy…).  Here’s the first one…

1. You can get as big as a pro bodybuilder, without taking steroids; it just takes longer. Despite what many of the magazines would lead you to believe through their marketing, advertising, and promotional blitzes, virtually all national and professional bodybuilders, male and female, use either steroids or steroids in combination with other growth-enhancing drugs.  Without manipulating hormones, it just isn’t possible to get that degree of muscularity, the paper-thin skin, and the continuing ability to pack on mass, despite sometimes having poor workout habits and relative ignorance of the principles involved that many pro bodybuilders have.  As a former steroid user back in the early 1980’s I can attest to the rapid increase in size, strength, and muscularity, and subsequent rapid loss of same once I made the decision to come clean.  Prior to going on, my weight off-season was around 165-170.  While on I weighed over 220.  Since I’ve been clean, without getting fat, my weight is back to 168-170 off-season.  That’s my genetic potential, America.  No matter how hard I trained my body just was not programmed to be much bigger than this drug-free.

Now that doesn’t mean that I still can’t have a decent competitive body for my genetic potential.  Nor does it mean that you should give up.  By using state-of-the-art training principles, consuming a nutrient-rich diet, adding in 45 minutes of daily cardio to avoid blowing up, and by getting proper amounts of rest, almost every person can make incredible changes in his or her physique.  The national or professional competitive bodybuilding circuit may not be in your future, but building the kind of physique that gains you respect and admiration among your peers at the local and regional level is certainly achievable, as are self-respect and robust health.  As I’ve said so many times, sometimes it’s better to be a big fish in a little pond than a minnow in the ocean.

I’m out America…we’ll pick up a couple more points tomorrow…in the meantime, just make it do what it do, baby!  Peace…

The Dr.

David “Dr. Buff” Patterson

Personal Training Systems

“There Are No Shortcuts!”

 www.personaltrainingsystems.net 

  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

 Mobile:  253.576.4859

A good bodybuilder will fix his or her mistakes...

A GREAT bodybuilder will learn from them!

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     Our Host hotel, the Issaquah Hilton Garden Inn is now officially sold out!!  Wow that was FAST!!  But I have been blogging to those of you that read my blog that it was going to sell out.  Our overflow hotel is the Issaquah Holiday Inn.  They are honoring the same $99.00 per night room rate!!! There are only 30 rooms left as I write this so if you are wanting to stay there, pick up the phone and make your reservations right now!!!  You can access their link from our home page or you can call them directly at 425-392-6241.  It is a very nice hotel and they are going to offer a special menu for bodybuilders and those who follow a clean bodybuilding diet in their resturaunt.  Make sure you mention the Emerald Cup to get the $99.00 rate.

     For those of you that don't mind spending a bit more for your hotel room and would like to stay in an upscale hotel, we highly recommend the Salish Lodge & Spa in Snoqualmie.  For all the detailed ammenities log onto www.salishlodge.com   toll free 800-272-5474 or direct  425-888-2556.  They are offering a special room rate of $239.00 if you mention the Emerald Cup.  I've never been there myself but I will say that everyone I know who has stayed there and have been to their spa have reported that it was worth every penny.  The resturaunt is well known all over Western Washington as a hot spot to eat and the view of the Snoqualmie Falls is nothing less than spectacular - the Falls I have witnessed myself.  They are a favorite to take friends that visit us to because they are so breathtaking. 

     If you are planning on staying at either hotel I suggest you call right now!!!  I know the Holiday Inn will sell out and it is safe for me to say that the Salish Lodge will too with the great rate they are offering.  When we were in Bellevue, our group sold over 300 hotel rooms a night and those were just the ones we tracked. 

     I am excited to see the cities of Snoqualmie and Issaquah as over 3,000 people a day descend on them!  Make your room reservations now!!!

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Yes, you read that right. I just got word from Brad that the host hotel is completely sold out. However Brad and Elaine have been able to negotiate the same $99 rate at the Holiday Inn in Issaqah.

Heres the link to book directly online: http://www.ihg.com/h/d/HI/1/en/rates/SEAIQ?groupBookingCode=EMC&_IATAno=99801505

Or you can call the Holiday Inn directly and speak to their reservations desk at 425-392-6241. Make sure to mention the Emerald Cup when you book.

The Holiday Inn is located at:

1801 12th Avenue NW
Issaquah, WA 98027

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So it's Monday and I'm feeling fierce, strong and ready to hit it hard this week.

I took a break from training this weekend and I think it did my body some good! By Friday of last week I was feeling pretty 'weak'...This was more than the typical "four weeks before a show lack of energy" Instead I was feeling seriously depleted and decided that I would take the weekend off to recover. I felt a little guilty missing my workout on Saturday, but let's just say that I woke up and jumped out of bed this morning with enthusiasm to get my week started. I did my AM cardio and I felt like I couldn't stop...I was feeling completely energized! So was it worth it? Definitely. Although I do my best to get 8 hours of sleep each night and although I always take Sundays off to recover, my body needed a little extra recovery and now I'm feeling completely rejuvenated and ready to hit it hard this week!

So speaking of this weekend...I took time this weekend to support Barry's passion: Motocross.  After 2 solid years of Barry supporting MY passion of competing, I spent this weekend support HIS.  I think that it is crucial to "give back" to those people who have supported you through your competition prep. As we all know, it's a 24/7 thing to train and prep for a show and it can definitely take a toll on those very special people around us as well. So I personally think that it is very important to give those people around us the same support for THEIR passion and THEIR hobbies! So that's what I did and boy did it feel great! We left EARLY Saturday morning and went to Horn Rapids in Richland so that he could ride his dirt bike. He has a race this coming weekend, so it was his time to prepare for his race! So I tagged along and made it HIS day. It was a very refreshing weekend and let me just say that it was BEAUTIFUL in Eastern WA! Sunny skies and 60 degrees! It definitely lifted my spirits and spending time at the track freshened me right up! So my advice...take a good look at those people around you who have given their support to you each and every day of your journey to the stage. Spend sometime helping them with their passion...Support them...Encourage them...I know that this is something that we should be doing anyways, but I think it is easy as a competitor to get completely involved in our little world as we train hard and prep for a show and it's nice to step back every so often and find ways to help the people around you.

I already finished my AM cardio and it felt amazing. I seemed to have an endless amount of energy and I definitely pushed myself hard. The stepmill and treadmill have never felt so good! Then after work today, I'll head to Snap and train with Pete and the girls. It's Leg Day Baby!!! Can't wait. As much as I used to hate leg day, I absolutely love it now. It's a true test of my commitment. It forces me to ask myself how bad I really want this and forces me to push through barriers! I'm ready to rock and roll ;)

I found this quirky quote and I love it:

"It is hard to soar with the eagles, when you're living with a bunch of turkeys!" -Author Unknown

Make sure to surround yourself with the best. Get to know someone who has reached a point in their life that you want to reach someday. Strive to be the best and this means surrounding yourself with the best. Surround yourself with people who will push you and stretch you. Take every moment possible to learn from these people and also take time to SHINE for them...to inspire and push them as well! Take a GOOD look at the people that you associate yourself with and ask yourself if you want to be like them...because believe it or not, you WILL become who you associate with!

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

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I’m a quotes person, America…have been for years!  During my Master’s program I took an Advanced Sports Psychology class.  Our instructor, Professor Colleen (Cole) Hacker was big on quotes.  We picked that up from her.  At the beginning of the semester all of us students decided to see who could find the best quote.  We spent literally the entire semester finding quotes.  At the end of class we determined that there was no winner as we all had some really great quotes, inspirational (notice I didn’t say ‘motivational’) sayings, and stories.  Everyone got copies of each others findings.  Over the years I’ve collected thousands of quotes and sayings.  I get them from TV, radio, and movie lines.  I ‘steal’ them from other people and signatures if I like them.  I’ve written and developed my own over the years.  I’ve got several books that are just quotes.  I’ve reached the point to where I now have my own personal quotes collection.  A little book by Michael Jordan, “I Can’t Accept Not Trying”, is full of good Michael quotes.  Another great book, John Wooden’s, “Wooden: A Lifetime Of Observations And Reflections On And Off The Court” is absolutely fantastic.  When I blog on the Mac it randomly rotates through 25 quotes in my signature (the PC uses the same one unless I manually go in and change it).  My gym is full of inspirational sayings.  I’ve got my personal favorite on this laptop…as I said, I’m a quotes person.  But every single show, when I reach a certain point in my contest diet (and it varies from show to show…), quotes kinda take a back seat and it becomes sheer drive, discipline, determination, grit, and grind!  I’m at that point!  I can pull quotes out of my glutes to explain what I’m doing – Nike’s “Just Do It”; Yoda’s “Do or do not, there is no try”; even the Bible’s James 1:22 – “Do not merely hear the Word and so be deceived, but rather do what it says”. 

I remember Cole saying something along the line of “Quotes are a great source of inspiration if you use them correctly (I learned to not like the ‘motivation’ word from her as she was the one who taught us that motivation falls by the wayside quickly, and then it’s your commitment, determination and discipline that gets you through anything).  But they are simply a tool that, if used properly, will aid in achieving your goal.  But do not for a minute believe that a quote can win anything, or put you in a position to win, for that matter.  It will ALWAYS be your work ethic that ultimately leads to your success or lack thereof.  Use all the other tools to your best advantage, but never forget that your work will ultimately define you.”  I’ve never forgotten that.

So why am I bringing up quotes, especially since I use them and love them?  This past weekend one of my non-bodybuilding clients from Portland came up for her monthly visit – body comp, workout, going over foods, etc.  It wasn’t a good session, as the numbers weren’t what she wanted to see.  But as we talked, it came out that she had arbitrarily made some changes to her plan without consulting me – she second-guessed me and herself.  Part of the conversation went something like this…

“So what are you eating for dinner?”

“Well, I have my 5 oz of chicken, and I’m not having any starches like you said, but it’s difficult to get my veggies in.”  I just find it hard to eat them all.”

“Hmmm…so are you having anything else with your protein?”

“Well…sometimes when I’m hungry later in the evening I’ll have either some Sugar-Free Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt, and maybe a few of those cheese-flavored fish crackers.”

I just looked at her.  “Know what I think?  I think you deliberately skip your veggies to justify eating the ice cream, yogurt, and fish crackers.  How often do you have them?”

“Ok…I can’t lie to you, Dave…pretty much every night.  And you know what?  I think…no…I know you’re right!  I could eat [the veggies] but I choose not to because I want the other stuff.  But is it really hurting me that bad?”

“What do your numbers say?”

“I can’t believe that making such a small change like that can make such a huge difference.”

“Y’gotta remember that this is only one part of the equation.  You aren’t pushing yourself hard on leg presses anymore, you’ve backed down to your old cardio intensity to where you might as well sit in the chair…what did you expect to happen?  As the sign over there says, “Results Achieved Are In Direct Proportion To Energy And Effort Expended” – you get out of this what you put into it!”

“I need to write down all of your sayings you have in here.  Maybe they’ll help me to stay on track.  I don’t know why I keep doing this.”

This was not the first time she’d sabotaged herself, but she was now starting to see her pattern as we had enough of a track record to point out the obvious.  “I can give you all the quotes you want, but there’s nothing magical about them – they’re just words on paper.  What you need to focus on is what’s in your head.  So I have one simple question to ask you…What’s more important to you – the foods you eat or the way you look and feel about yourself?  When you can answer that question you’ll realize that the magic is not in the quote or saying, but rather within you.  Just like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, when the good witch, Glenda, told her, “It’s in you, Dorothy.  It’s always been in you.  You just have to believe!”

We talked some more and I sent her on her way.  Our conversation kept playing itself out in my head so that let me know I needed to write about it.  Use your quotes, America, but make sure the work is first and foremost.  My favorite quote is, “Find out what is necessary…and do the necessary well!”  Not very inspirational is it?  Nothing profound, but when I look at it, it speaks to me.  It says, “Dave, if you’re gonna play this game, then you need to play it well.  You’ve gotta learn everything you can about it.  And once you learn it, then you’ve gotta apply it!  And after you apply it, you’ve gotta live it!  And when you live it, you’ll never have a problem with your weight – EVER!  How’s that for a quote, America?  I ain’t sayin’ nuthin…I’m just sayin’ what I’m sayin…Peace!

The Dr.

David “Dr. Buff” Patterson

Personal Training Systems

“There Are No Shortcuts!”

 www.personaltrainingsystems.net 

  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

 Mobile:  253.576.4859

Wishing DOESN'T make it come true!

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It's time to focus! For all the competitors that are doing the Vancouver show in 4 weeks, you should be very focused right now. You should be dialed in on your training and nutrition. Eating, sleeping, working out and repeating...each day. I'm excited for all the competitors. I'll be helping my friend Kathy with her first bodybuilding show and I can hardly wait until the day of the show. The Vancouver show will be even more special to me, since later in the year I'm actually going to be stepping onstage myself.

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If you’re anything like me, it can take extreme measures to be “taken down.” I’m not very good at listening to my body. Well, wait, that’s not true, I’m very in tune with my body, however, I’m very stubborn and push through until my body  makes it nearly impossible for me to keep going. About 1:00 yesterday afternoon it hit me - that nauseated feeling and suddenly VERY tired. I figured I just needed a little nap, so I hit Seattle Sun Tan for a tan/nap. Still felt crappy. Being my only day off this week and my kids I had a lot of things planned to get done - errands, household chores, training, etc - there was no time to feel sick. I decided to power through it and head off to Barnes & Noble (where I was picking up a book for my suddenly-insect-fearing preschooler), Target and then Costco. I made it through Barnes & Noble, decided Target could wait and headed for Costco. You know you MUST be sick when you’re a hungry competitor cruising through Costco and none of the samples looks remotely appetizing. Oh wait! The Dave’s Killer Bread people were in the house sampling all of their various bread - toasted with butter - can’t lie, that hit the spot and made me crave more. I wasn’t even out of Costco when it hit me - this was more than just nauseas - nobody talk to me, everybody keep moving, I gotta get home!

If you’re crazy like me, the biggest concern you’re having at this moment is: how am I going to train like this???!! Well, obviously, Stubborn Julie, you’re NOT!! It was a rough afternoon and I’ll spare you the details, but needless to say, my arm workout and second round of cardio were NOT in the cards yesterday.  I was sure that this morning I’d be able to get up and go to work and train clients. As I got out of bed at 4:30am to get in the shower my body disagreed - not happening. I feel indulgent just laying around today, in my comfy PJ Salvage pajamas, drifting in and out of sleep and still wondering…should I try to do cardio today? When my logical mind answers…”Yeah, that sounds like a REALLY fabulous idea!” I even have to go so far as to call my friend and ask for permission to skip cardio…”do you think I’ll be okay if I miss a day?”

It’s so important for us to listen to our bodies and to give our bodies the rest they require. I am still trying to figure out what my body can handle at this point in my life. Last year when I was still at home with the kids and not working I could pull off the insane cardio sessions and lifts, but now that I am functioning on 5-6 hours of sleep my body just isn’t liking it so much. I’ve had more rest in the last 24 hours than I’ve had in the whole week combined. It’s 2pm and I still want to just SLEEP. I am resisting the urge to do some “light cardio” - I can’t remember the last time I did “light cardio”, perhaps during a pregnancy. I am forcing myself to rest and not worry about the messy house that surrounds me right now and all the laundry that needs folding.

I am working hard to convince myself that this stomach flu is not a setback but that it will give me a renewed energy for my training (tomorrow, I hope!) and on the bright side, this depletion and dehydration has been a nice little forced experiment to see how I’ll look final week. Totally on target right now - just need to hold here for a couple weeks then tighten it up just a bit more for showtime!

A little mantra from my friend & fellow bodybuilder, Jon Blodgett (don’t know where he got it or if it’s “his”), but I‘ve been revisiting it a LOT lately…

"Remember: One life, One body, One choice. So Train Hard, Eat Often and SLEEP TIGHT!!"

Stay healthy and stay focused and most importantly, HAVE FUN!!

~Julie~

Fearless, with cape in hand.

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Okay…today is the first day in which I actually felt like I’m having to ‘work’ at this.  It’s no longer fun.  It’s no longer “Can’t wait to step onstage and ‘bring it’!”  Now its, “Lemme get my butt outta bed and do this cardio,” or “Lemme get going on these weights.”  Don’t get me wrong, America, I’m still looking forward to the shows and I’m still training hard, but now the ‘rah, rah’ crap is gone.  Now we’re down to the nitty-gritty.  I’m not hatin’ life yet – that’ll come in the next three weeks.  I’m not wishing the contest was over – that also is a week or so away.  I’m on task.  I’m focused.  I’m determined.  I don’t wanna talk to or deal with people who don’t understand what I’m going through because they just cause me to waste precious energy attempting to explain to them why I’m doing what I’m doing.  All ‘choice’ has now been removed.  There are no more options outside of pushing harder and harder and harder each day.  I know what to do and I’m doing it.  One of my favorite sayings is, “Find out what is necessary…and do the necessary well!”  I’m doing it, America.  You should be doing it also.

Today I noticed that even though I’m eating more food, I’m not feeling full.  I’m hungry literally an hour or so after eating.  Why?  It’s certainly not because I’m not eating enough.  The reason is simple – TEF – Thermic Effect of Feeding.  I’m playing a nutrient partitioning game – swapping out a good calorie for a better calorie and replacing a carbohydrate calorie with a protein calorie.  So here’s what’s happening…I dropped the little bit of starchy carbs out of my egg white omelet this morning and added in more protein.  I just had one slice of Dave’s Killer Bread as my starch.  I didn’t drop calories – I simply swapped out protein for carbs.  Even though I ate a huge breakfast, I didn’t have that sensation of fullness or satisfaction.  An hour later I was starving.  At this point my body is so efficient that it literally expends more energy than it takes in to process, digest, and assimilate the consumed foods, especially proteins.  I had a Parrillo Protein cookie – that lasted all of 30 minutes.  Then I had a Parrillo Protein brownie – bought another 30 minutes.  Finally it was time to eat again.  I ate…no…I WOLFED down my hi-protein/low carb meal.  Same effect – hungry in about an hour.  And let’s not even talk about how I’m heating up within 10-15 minutes of each meal.  If this is what a hot flash feels like…  That’s what it’s gonna be like for the next 3-4 weeks.  Oh well!  Deal with it, Dave.  Let your competition be weak.  Let your competition give up or give in.  As I’ve said so many times, competitive bodybuilding IS NOT about the physical, but rather the mental!  Who can survive the mental drive, discipline, determination, and focus necessary to be at his or her best come competition day? 

This morning I kicked Kathy’s butt on legs and then I banged out my second 45 minute session on cardio with her while she did an hour.  She learned something during cardio – she wasn’t working hard enough.  Even though she’d been doing ‘hard’ cardio, I’d never watched her to define her intensity.  Ok…so here’s how it went down.  I did most of the talking during cardio (I’m always in ‘teacher’ mode…I need to learn how to turn it off…).  She had a harder resistance and ramp whereas I lowered my ramp and set the resistance fairly light and was flying like the energizer bunny on crack!  She started 5 minutes ahead of me, so when I finished I compared calories burned.  I was 75 calories ahead of her at my 45 minutes to her 50 minutes!  My shirt was wetter.  I was sweating more.  Did she burn calories?  Yes she did.  But I more than likely had a much higher EPOC than her – Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption – that higher energy expenditure due to higher body temperature which led to more oxygen being utilized and the body working harder to return it to normal resting state.  In other words, I burned more bodyfat not only during my cardio session but AFTER cardio as well.  You know I’ve always espoused harder cardio, America – this is a classic example of how and why I recommend it this way. 

I just got off the phone with my fellow competitor, John Shepherd.  John and I go way back…somewhere around 1995 when we first bumped in an Over 40 Master’s class.  He attended my School of Professional Training when I ran that and became a certified Professional Fitness Trainer, and we’ve been friends for years.  I love talking with John.  Just knowing that he’s getting ready for the EC lights a fire under me.  I love competition – the challenge of first seeing if I can match or exceed previous bests and then seeing if I’ve still got what it takes to put myself in a position to win.  N-E-Whoo…John likes to check in with me as he prepares for a show.  He knows I’m always gonna give him the straight skinny on how he’s doing and looking.  John knows that I want him to be at his best come game day, and I’ll do everything I can to help him achieve that even though we’re in the same class.  We chatted a bit about foods – that’s always been John’s struggle.  I did a quick over-the-phone meal plan for him, upping his protein while telling him to drop his starchy carbs.  Like me, John is a Parrillo disciple through and through.  I’ve been using Parrillo products exclusively for over 20 years.  Haven’t found anything better and will stack ANY product up against Parrillo’s line.  I told John to add in Parrillo’s new products – Protein Cookies, Protein Pudding, and Protein Brownies as he swapped out his starchies.  I told him how to ‘doctor’ them up to give them better flavor without compromising quality. 

We then moved onto cardio.  He’s at 2 sessions a day - an hour the first session and 45 minutes the second seven days a week. His knee is giving him a bit of problems but he’s pushing hard and starting to see the change in his body.   His weights and exercises were good so I left that alone.  I’m excited to hit the stage with John once again at the EC.

I’m out, America…gotta help my sister beef up her resume’ for a new position at her job…y’boy got mad skills…I ain’t sayin’ nuthin…I’m just sayin’ what I’m sayin’…Peace!

The Dr. 

David “Dr. Buff” Patterson

Personal Training Systems

“There Are No Shortcuts!”

 www.personaltrainingsystems.net 

  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

 Mobile:  253.576.4859

Wishing DOESN'T make it come true!

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So physched!!! My training is just dialing in. Thanks to Elaine and Tanji, my lats are starting to pop when I do my quarter turns. Josh is killing me with all sorts of new exercises that I’ve never heard of: Lying on your side cable laterals? Incline bench dumbbell pullovers? Serratus crunches? 21’s on squats? Spider dumbbell curls off the back of an incline bench? Doing incline flyes and dumbbell presses starting at 90 degrees and lowering 10 at a time to flat? OUCH!!! I am sworn to secrecy on my new glute buster program but will reveal it just before the show as it is decoder ring double super secret, (hint, it involves a harness and a jeep). We start doing shoulders and legs 3 times a week next week for a few weeks to really bring out the caps and sweeps and tighten everything up. Thanks for your kind comments Elaine regarding my increase in shape but you know you inflated Josh’s head up even more if that’s even possible!

Wanna give a huge shout out to my sponsor MAX MUSCLE BELLEVUE!!!! Noelle is the absolute BESTEST! She’s putting me on liquid egg whites, the house liquid vits, and the new BODY EFFECTS AND EXT are off the chain when it comes to revving up my workouts to triple GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR status. Spin me out baby..Go see her and the whole crew and tell ‘em the Kiminator said to whip you up a shake sample and let Noelle give you the rundown on what’s new and exciting on the supplement front. You will thank me fo’ sho’! We just got our Emerald Cup tics and our hotel rooms and Josh’s business partner is flying in from Nebraska to watch me compete. It’ll be his and his lovely wife’s first show ever so that will be fun. Holly Petersen is going wild with my suit prep so be prepared to be blinded by some bling when I step on stage. Holly, Holly….she’s our woMAN!

Tanji is doing classes almost every Saturday for the time being so really going to focus on my presentation and we can’t wait for the Vancouver to cheer on Diane and the gals. Allright, just wanted to touch base. I’ll be writing a lot more now that I’m rialed and dialed.

RAAWWWWRRRR and stuff!

God bless! In His good grip I remain His faithful servant in all that I do. Thank you Father!

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So we are once again ONE STEP CLOSER to the stage! It's absolutely insane how fast time flies. I seriously feel like it was JUST Christmas and now it's pretty much March and the days until we step on stage are getting SOOO close! I'm in the midst of all my planning for the show... I just booked my hair appointments, scheduled tanning appointments with John and Roxana and scheduled make up with Jen Turnbull! Plus I had Holly alter my hot pink suit, so now it looks EVEN better for the show! Overall, I'm very excited and I love planning all of the little minor details. Make sure that you are carefully planning all of these details and try to get as much planned and done NOW as possible. The last couple weeks of training and prep will be crazy and the last thing that you'll need to worry about is how you're doing your hair etc. SO get planning...deliberate and careful planning brings results!

My lifting has been great for the most part. I had a slightly 'weaker' day on Wednesday...It was one of those workouts where I was just not feeling the weights...It was frustrating...especially since I KNOW that I can do it, but my mind tends to get tricky on me sometimes. It's easy to let your mind tell you what you can and cannot do and it's important that you realize that you can physically do A LOT more than you think you can! Physically lifting weights is the easy part, but mentally getting into the game is tough. That's why I think it is so crucial to "train the mind" just as much as you train your body! I know I've mentioned this before, but MIND GYM By Gary Mack is an AWESOME book! I read it while I was prepping for the Ironman and I absolutely love that book! I refer back to it constantly and it has helped me realize the importance of mental training.

One of my friends has a quote listed on his page...

**Everything you do, every single decision you make, either takes you one step closer or one step further from your goal. You either grow or you regress; nothing stands still**

It's so important to REALLY understand this when prepping for a show. Bodybuilding is a 24hr/7days/week kind of sport. You have to literally make decisions through out your entire day that will affect your progress as a competitor. Everything from sleep, water, supplements, food, training, cardio...EVERYTHING can greatly influence your progress and I think it is crucial to approach every single minute of your day with your goal in mind. Each choice you make is going to either move you ahead or move you backwards...Which way do you want to go?

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE!

Diane

Tags: Goals | Mindset | Mind Gym | Gary Mack | onstageimage@yahoo.com | vision | Visualization

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