CRAIG PRODUCTIONS LLC

Just a few days away from my 60th Birthday, I reflect back on recent years. The ups, the downs, but most of all being able to get up everyday & say it's great to be alive...

In the past few years I've lost more than a few friends. Mostly due to poor health, too much stress, & not taking time to enjoy themselves & their families...That was something I hoped I'd never have to face (at least not anytime in the near future)

It's been almost a year now since I finally said it's time to retire... After almost 40 years in the trades, I was ready to move on & see what I could do to help anyone that was willing to put in the work & effort it took to get them on the road to a more healthy & fit lifestyle. I completed the course for my personal training certificate, got my business license, insurance, came up with a name for the business & was on my way.

Being a BodyBuilder, especially at my age tends to inspire a lot of people. Through that, I've picked up clients & helped others that couldn't afford my services to information that could help them to achieve their fitness goals... It's very gratifying to see others transform themselves into their " New Bodies & Healthier Lifestyles "

All the while, I get to workout trying to better myself, so when I step on stage at the E-Cup I can bring thee best package I ever have to the stage... When I first started bodybuilding in my mid 50's I said " I WILL be better at 60, than while in my 50's" and thank god,  if I can keep myself injury free, that's what I"m planning on doing....

I know someday things might slow down, but while it's still good, I so enjoy seeing myself get stronger every year, and giving myself a fuller & more balanced physique.

And of course working out with the young ones ( pretty much all the guys I workout with at the gym are in their 30's or early 40's ) & being able to keep up is totally fun....

So age is NOT an excuse, to not workout. Getting ready for a reunion, wedding, or any other event might spark you to start working out again, but just remember... We don't do it for an event, we do it to change our lives, & be around to enjoy our families many years into the future....

Wishing you all the best, and for any seniors reading this... Let's get it on......

Corky

corkysfitness.com

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As a Body Builder or any person working on cutting weight / body fat the stall or place where you quit losing weight can seem like eternity....

Am I on track, did I eat something wrong, did I miss a workout, am I too stressed??? These are all questions we ask ourselves as we go through these periods...

But usually if we just stay on track, our bodies will continue to drop when they are ready... I know I get asked these questions a lot. I had been going through one my self for the past week. But I was right on track with nutrition, training, cardio, & as for stress, I'm one of the most laid back guys there is....

I feel I'm looking better than ever before, & can't wait to see the final product... & yes the cut did continue, it just stalled for about a week. People sometimes get too impatient, they think they should be losing tons of weight in a short period of time, but that's just NOT how it works.

Sometimes we do need to change things, maybe a carb or fat change, maybe a cardio change. But I always like to wait just a bit before we make changes to see if I really need to. If you have a solid plan & you're sticking to it, most likely the body will kick in & get back on track. It sometimes just needs a little time to adjust...

Now just a few weeks from my 60th Birthday, I know my body / metabolism isn't as fast as it was years ago, so I just give it more time, & make the cut a longer process. in the end it all works out, we just have to work with what God has given us, & then work our hardest to bring in the best we possibly can...

With less than 11 weeks till comp, things are heating up, & the excitement level grows every day... I'm really looking forward to it, & working hard to bring in the best physique with the best presentation I've ever had...

See you all on the 21st of April.....

Corky   aka " The Corkster "

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WEll, it's been quite an interesting week... For my third weeks prep for the 2012 Emerald Cup our 2012 Snow Storm threw us all a few curves....

The gym that normally opened up at 4:30 AM was now not opening till 7:00AM & that was tentative...

Not good... I had other things to tend to as well... ( like THEE best week of snowboarding so far this year ) if the the gym opened up at 4:30 like normal, I could workout, clean up & head up to Steven's Pass for another great day of boarding... But when it opened up late, that threw my whole schedule off... You see, I'm one of those people that arrive at the slopes at least an hour before they open. And get in line to be on one of the first chairs taking me to the best spots on the hill for those very precious First Tracks....

Well, one thing I did learn this week, is DO NOT try to head right up to the slopes after a very intense workout... My arms, shoulders, back, were so pumped & sore it was tough to hang onto the steering wheel.... Also planning to give it your all on the slopes after an intense workout on a low carb day, when you've yet to take in any carbs is also NOT a good thing....

The Ironman of Snowboarding totally bonked...that means I ran out of energy on a Powder Day... NOT a good thing. Oh well, live & learn. It's only taken me almost 60 years to figure some things out... ( less than a month now from turning 60 years old )

But it's done now, I had to push legs off till today, and had to do them AFTER a half day on the hill riding some kind of heavy, but fresh pow...

Oppsss, just got the call, time to leave for an apt with a possible new client... Have to finish later...

Cheers......

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Well I can't believe it, but I'm finally posting to my blog... You have NO idea what I've had to go through to get this set up. I think this has been harder than any workout I've ever done...

I'd say never retire, as that's where the problems came in form email name changes, but retirement is pretty nice...

I guess I'll start with how I got to where I am right now... After almost 40 years in the construction industry, I retired this past March. Business was slowing down, & our Grand Daughters were getting growing faster than we wanted with them living in Vegas & us up here in Washington...  It was time to put the house I built some 31 years ago on the market & get ready to head for Vegas.

I had already committed to competing in The Emerald Cup,  so move or no move I was IN....

Now we'll back up some 40 plus years ago, I was in college wrestling, had been lifting all through high school & college and had a pretty good physique. Nothing I'd have been taking to the stage, but as a wrestler strong, tight & fit... A few years  pass, I get married, a few more years pass & we have our son, a few more years pass & he's getting to the age where I don't want to miss one second of his growing up, so my gym time STOPS....

Move ahead now, let's say some 30 plus years... We were very blessed that our son was able to enjoy growing up having an incredible life as a world class bike racer, Stanford Graduate & extremely talented musician. So his life is moving on great, he's settled down in Vegas drumming for the BlueMan Group, writing his own music & building his family. I figure it's finally time for me to have so ME time now, so after seeing a very unflattering picture of myself on a hike I decided it was time for me to get back into the gym...

So at 52 after approx a 30 year layoff I'm going after it... Well I'm sure you all know, when you get back into the gym, you're SURE you can lift just as much as you did back then...RIGHT.... Wrong... But after a few years of some really hard work I did see the physique of old start to come back. I was now teaching spin at the gym, working out regularly &  enjoying some of the fruits of my hard work.

In 2007 I entered my first BodyBuilding competition. The Washington IronMan, boy did I have a lot to learn... My basic shape wasn't that bad, but my tan was way too light ( did it my self ) & I wasn't in show condition... But I did have a lot of fun working towards a goal, so figured if I was going to keep at this I should probably hire a trainer that could help me with all the things I needed to learn before I stepped back onto the stage. I interviewed a few, & picked a young lady named Shannon Gill... Shannon was great helping me get moving in the right direction, but felt I would probably do better if I was working with a Male Trainer, so she introduced me to Michael Kindred. At the time Michael was only one of two IFBB pro's in Washington, so I figured he could probably do just fine. That year 2008 Michael helped me bring out the best possible physique I could & I was able to pick up a win in the Over 50 class at the Vancouver Natural & a 2nd at the Washington IronMan... I was feeling pretty good, & ready to take on the world... But as we all know things happen.

That next year while on a snowboarding vacation in Montana I had a bad accident, later a hernia so 2009 wasn't looking too good for competing... I did compete in the IronMan that year, but not really giving myself enough time to prep, I came in way too smooth & didn't place very well. In the spring of 2010 I was going to compete in the Vancouver Natural again, Michael had moved to California & I thought I could do this now, so although I had put on some size since the year before, I still didn't come in conditioned enough & again did not place very well...

Some by now could get really discouraged, but I've always been one that knows if I work hard enough, I should be able to reach my goals. So in 2010 I prepped for & competed in two more competitions. This time in another sanction, & brought myself in peeled, & bigger than I had back in 2008 at the IronMan. I ended up getting another 1st & 2nd place, so I was ready to do the one thing still on my "Bucket List"... Hit the stage at the Emerald Cup as an Over 60 competitor.

When I started this journey back in my early 50's I had said that I wanted to be better at 60 years old than I was when I was in my 50's... NOw less than 15 weeks away, I KNOW I will be bringing the best physique I've ever taken to the stage & it will be at the 30 year anniversary of the Emerald Cup...

Two weeks into my contest prep & everything is going great.... In the coming weeks I'll try to keep you filled in on how progress is coming, & let you know just what it's like for a guy weeks away from his 60th Birthday to prep for a show like this... I'm very excited to be doing the show, & to be able to blog about it...

Thanks for stopping by my site, & I hope to see everyone there on April 21st ( & on the 20th too for the figure & fitness ladies )

As one of my favorite TV hosts says " God Speed, & Party On..." see you there.....

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