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Hey everyone! I hope everyone is having a great holiday season! One of my good friends, Tarna Alderman, suggested that I do a blog on this subject! Thank you, Tarna! Paying it forward! I think in this great sport, a lot of us tend to keep what we've learned from our mentors to ourselves! It may be because we are afraid that our competition is going to get ahead of us or because we are too focused on ourselves. I'm super guilty of this. When I'm dieting and trying to get ready for a show like the USAs, man, I forget sometimes, to slow down and answer questions or help some of my peers out that are struggling to get the results that they want. It feels awesome when I share the knowledge I've learned over the years to some of my brothers and sisters-in-iron. Mind you, it is our intellect property that people are tapping into, so yes, obviously we will not give out free information, but it is still our responsibility to make sure the competitors that are coming up the ranks after us become better than we ever were. LEGACY! Just like what Mark Dugdale and his family are doing with their phenomenal LEGACY program!

It is great to see some of the greatest athletes in the sport, open up their lives and mentor young punks like myself! Other great examples are Jay Cutler and Phil Heath! Did you all see that "passing of the torch" speech by Jay Cutler? What an awesome example of being a true sportsman and ambassador to the sport! I remember when Jay was in town at the Max Muscle in Bellevue! He took an hour of his time to give me some tips and critiques to better my physique! That is paying it forward! It's along the same lines as showing "unconditional love" for your peers! Not looking for anything in return! The best I can do is take the advice and run with it! It's a disservice to the people that have come before us to not apply what they have shared and not share it with others! So, it is always fun to share training principles and regimens with our peers! It can be painful for the other person, too! Kirsten and Tarna, good times! Lol! Another example of paying it forward, is someone like, USA Top 3 finalist, Marga Overby, sharing her thoughts and skills to a new competitor like, Alisa Engeland! Or Jen Turnbull teaching bikini newcomer, Sarah Kim, how to pose on the competition stage! Awesome examples! Thanks guys!

All the great things I've learned from Turk, Dave, Bambam, Matt Jensen, and Larry Neri, mean nothing unless I pass it on to the next generation of bodybuilders, fitness competitors, bikiini competitors and figure competitors! So, be selfless, serving and excited to help our fellow competitors and aspiring competitors! Pay it forward! Brand yourself! Create a legacy! I got to go and work on that!

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Having a great attitude pays great dividends in your life! Whether it being your relationship with your family, friends or when you are in your work environment, your chosen hobby, your relationship with your children, or your spouse! Attitude, a positive one, is always, always followed by success! This is a subject in my life I try to apply in every area of my life! Well, almost! It comes from the main source! My lord and savior, Jesus Christ! The rock and backbone of my life who works thru great examples in my life, such as my wife, Loraine Sindayen, who is my best friend and the best example of what a human being should be like: selfless, giving, others-focused, great mom, great wife, great daughter, great sibling. Second, former Emerald Cup Overall Champ, Turk Fickling, my coach, who does everything at an exceptional level as a by-product of his intense attitude. No matter if he's coaching some of the best bodybuilders in the Northwest and country, closing mortgage deals, performing legendary posing routines, running the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds as a football player, displaying one of the rarest physiques ever to grace the Emerald Cup stage, or being one of the elite billiard players in the country, everything stems from his attitude to execute anything he does to perfection. Thirdly, Bantamweight National Runner-up, Alden Gamet, one of the most optimistic and positive specimens I have ever met! Alden is one of those guys that helps me change the channel when I am in a not-so-positive move! Grrghhh!!! Don't you just want to punch a guy like that! Just kidding, bro! You know I love ya, right? Lol! Dave Patterson. One of the best entertainers in bodybuilding. Outside of being another great big brother, for me, Dave has a knack for showing awesome stage presence and character when he performs his posing routines! ATTITUDE!

Those are four people that I think about when I even scratch the surface of having a bad attitude! Great role models in my life! So if you haven't found people like that in your life already, surround yourself with people that will add value to your life that possess a great ATTITUDE! You will become successful at anything you do! Osmosis!

When I'm trying to do my job as a cellular phone sales rep at Sprint, it's all attitude, baby! My sales are high when my enthusiasm is on point in my interaction with my customers and how I am talking product our bluetooth, tablet and data card products! In my preparation and diet for any of the bodybuilding shows, my results depend on how coachable and receptive I am to constructive criticism. Attitude! When my marriage is constantly on the courting phase, and we are happy, it's because I am trying my best to think about my spouse first! Attitude! When I perform a crowd pleasing posing routine or execute a spectacular breakdancing move, it's Attitude baby! I guess you can call it controlled-swagger! Hehe! So folks, attitude equals success! I end this blog with a great quote from one of the many John Maxwell books that I have read,"The best use of your life, is to so live your life, that the use of your life outlives your life." More blogging soon! Love you guys!

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Hey friends! Wow it has been a while since I've blogged! What a great show it was! Nic Younis' Fit Stop 24 Northwest Bodybuilding Show was a barnburner! Great quality of physiques! The overall bodybuilding for the guys was stacked with new and familiar talent! 2009 Emerald Cup Overlall Champ, Roger Baker unanimously took the overall as a heavyweight with much better conditioning! He was as dry as a carmat! With great balance and grainy hamstrings, Roger just overshadowed the other competitors which included  tough, up-and-comers, (middleweight) Calvin Cosgrove and (lightweight) Flex Velasco and (bantamweight) Doug Horton. Calvin Cosgrove crushed his competition with razor-sharp conditioning and pleasing lines and shape. Flex Velasco did the same in his class, with great conditioning and sweeping quads. With time and elbow grease, Flex will be a force to be reckon with, once he balances out his upperbody with his freaky legs. Doug Horton came in at his all-time best condition and got the nod from the judges. This was the biggest Northwest show in over 5 years. Strongman, Grant Higa, displayed his unbelievable powerlifting skills by heisting up a 175 pound dumbbell with one arm and raw deadlifting close to 1000 pounds! Crazy! The mother-daughter tandem of (IFBB Fitness Pro) Rose and Kenzi Hendricks were the highlight of the all of the guest posers as they wowed the capacity crowd with their dynamic "old school vs. new school" fitness routine. (Superheavyweight) Gabe Moen, (Light-heavyweight) Donnie Whetstone, 2010 Northwest Overall Champ, (Light-heavyweight) Mike Spencer and myself were the other guest posers. It was definitely a night to remember.

Being the smallest of all of my fellow guest posers, I dieted for this event and I had to put together my best posing routine to date. With the help of dance choreographer, Sue Rowe and my coach, Turk Fickling, I was not to be denied. It took 6 weeks of practicing over and over and over again. I selected a mix of 3 old school songs that would draw the crowd's attention. The beginning was Color Me Badd's "Remember when" to display my aesthetics and symmetry. The second song in the mix was Vanilla Ice's "Ice, Ice baby" which spiced up my routine with the running man dance and gyrating moves and poses. The final ten seconds was Skeelo's "I wish" which made the crowd go nuts as I strutted my way across the stage going into my last, two poses. The alternate side triceps pose and then pivoting into my signature pose, the square box. And I was done. This was a big deal for me because I have been battling "stage fright" since childhood. I was never comfortable speaking or even being in front of people. Victory! Even more so because i finally got praise from Turk, one of the best posers, bodybuilding's ever seen! Not an easy thing to do. It means alot when your coach says,"you did it!" Finally, yes! It feels awesome! Practice does make perfect! Thanks for reminding me Dr. David Patterson!

It was really great to see my friends, Alisa Engeland, Khoi Thanh Le, Sarah Kim, Lindsey Blackburn, Danielle Sebring, Carrie Ann Heitzman and David Gellman get there first show off of their belts. It takes me back to when I first started bodybuilding in 2000, when I didn't place so well. I didn't even put any color on. I thought I was dark enough. Big mistake, but a learning experience to say the least When I watch the newcomers, it helps me not forget my roots and keeps me humble no matter how successful I become in this sport! It's been a long journey and I'm not done yet. Time grow! 2013 nationals is the next target! Maybe as a lightweight again, possible even a welter or middleweight! We'll see! A big congratulations to Todd Jewell for getting his procard and winning the overall at the 2011 Nationals! Been a long time comin, brotha! Your hardwork and undying hunger paidoff! And to Alden Gamet, Heath Warren and Edilene Cuevas for placing 2nd, 3rd and 7th in their respective classes! And to Laura Boisacq for nabbing her procard in the women's bodybuilding category! You all inspire me!

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Hey everyone, its been a few weeks since I last blogged! What a whirlwind of a month! It just flew by! Williams Productions' Washington State Bodybuilding Championships on July 23rd was a very special show! There were tons of quality competitors and old friends coming together to make it a very competitive show! It was really awesome battling with my good friend and training partner, Larry Neri, for the overall! I want to thank Turk Fickling for believing in the two of us to be battling for the ultimate prize! Congratulations to Jack Sandberg for coming in great condition and taking the overall from the both of us! Much respect to you, Jack, for being a resilient and persistent competitor for many years now and representing RABB Fitness very well! You guys are awesome comrades to be around! Matt Porter (Primordial Performance), Matt Ramsey, Tommy Tran, Mike Spencer, Gabe Moen, Kenny Gipson, Eli Walsh, Caleb Willey, Kirsten Haug, Teresa Mason, Jeremy Santos, thanks for doing the show and making it a memorable day! Rachel Prince, thank you for doing our spray tanning for the event! Matt Porter, thanks for the hook up on the Andro Mass and Hard from Primordial Performance! It was fun hangin with you, two, Larry and Becc backstage, even though y'all were makin' fun of my peanut butter face! You guys crack me up!

Originally, I was supposed to be just concentrating on doing the USA championships the very next week in Vegas! I was only planning on working at Max Muscle's Booth all day! Thanks again, Neil Ichiki and Noelle Richards for all you do and your undying support! I figured, I already had the day off and other competitors were building up so much hype for the show that it gave me the "itch" to do it. Plus, I've never done a show with my training partners, Larry Neri and Steve Cosola, so I said,"alright I'm in!" Steve ended up still in a 2-to-3 week condition, so he decided with Turk to do the Ironman on the 24th of September! Good Luck, Steve, you're gonna kill it bro! Overall, the show was amazing! My adrenalin was pumping so hard that future pro, Joe DeRousie, had to calm me down backstage! Lol! Thanks, Joe, you're one step away, brotha! The overall felt like a practice run for a first callout for the USA's! It was an amazing feeling to be up there with the best in the northwest! Jeremy Williams, great job with the show! It's growing big-time! All day it was rice cakes, brown rice and peanut butter! Larry, and I were consoling each other pretty much for the whole day! No more! I can't take it anymore! Lol! I want some lemonade! Lol!

The posing routine was interesting! Not what I had planned to do, but I finished it anyways! I started off with Trey Songs' slow jam "One Love" for the first, twenty seconds and all of a sudden there was this long pause! Kim Farrison said,"keep posing!" So, I just started freestyling and the crowd kept getting louder and louder! Right after my last pose, I decided to do a "1990"! A move that came from my breakdancing background where I do a pirouette, handstand! The audience roared as I walked off the stage! I got announced as 1st place for the 3rd time in 2 years in the lightweight class! Yes! Another national qualification I can use for next year! The box is checked! I had to restrain myself from getting too excited! I still have the overall!

The line up was solid, from bantamweight to superheavyweight! During each quarter turn and each pose, some people in the crowd were yelling,"Lightweight, Lightweight!" Others were chanting,"Light Heavy!" The rest were chanting,"Heavyweight!" In the end, it was the heavyweight, Jack Sandberg, who stole the prize from Larry and myself! He just came in much better condition than the both of us! I did have to realize though that this was not the show I was gearing up for! It's next weeks show! The NPC USA Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada! If anything, Washington State did give me a much needed practice run for my ultimate goal!

A journey that started on April 25, 2011 was at its final destination! Las Vegas, Nevada! The NPC USA Championships! I'm proud to say I was a part of NPC history! A record, 689 competitors graced the stage at Artemus Hall at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas! The scene at first, was intimidating as heck, at the weigh-in! I know my coach prepared me mentally for the show, but I guess you don't believe it until you see it! I've never seen so many massive and polished physiques in my life! I've been to local shows where you see several mass monsters, but this time it was in the 100s! 16 seasoned lightweights were in my class! Man, I was amped up when I saw all the competitors weigh-in with me! I barely made the lightweight class! I weighed in at 154 and one quarter pounds! On a little side note, the night before the weigh-in, I weighed 161 pounds! Larry Neri took me through 1 hour of brutal posing! 5 minute holds on every quarter turn and every pose with a full sweatsuit on! The sweat was dripping all over the Federal Way 24 hour fitness studio! I weighed myself again after we were done and I was 159! The rest of the night, I just made sure I slept in a very cold room and stayed away from water. The cold air forces you to urinate more frequently, therefore, extracting more subcontaneous water from the body. With that and the water pills,"Bang!" I was right at the top of the class!

That was just the beginning! After the weigh-in, now it was time to continue carbohydrate loading with rice cakes, brown rice and almond butter again! Every 2 hours! And in-between all that, I was sending pictures to Turk to make sure my look was still on track leading all the way up to the prejudging! Close to 1000 grams of rice cakes at least, in a 16-hour period! I wonder how much the heavier competitors do? I don't know want to know!

What made my first trip to the USAs so special and much more comforting, was I arrived with an army of competitors from Washington State! Kirsten Haug, Guy and Marga Overby, Angel and Joe DeRousie, Tarna Alderman, Eli Walsh, Todd Scott, Mel Taylor, Alden Gamet! If I missed any of you guys, I apologize! You are all champions in my book! Turk, Larry, and Guy, thanks for keeping me on track prior-to and on the day of the show! Thanks for giving me a lift to-and-from the hotel, Guy! You're a go-getter, brother!

The pump-up room backstage was awesome! All of the competitors quietly walked into the room eating their carbohydrate loads of rice cakes, peanut butter and almond butter and just muggin' each other! Everyone was basically checking out each other's physiques, as if it to say,"whatchu got bro!" Lol! After a while, though, the guys started loosening up and shaking each others hands and greeting one another before it was time for business! 16 competitors in the class and only 5 would be eventually walking away with a trophy! The quarter turns lasted maybe 5 minutes before the judges had each one of us do a free posing routine without music! That was pretty cool! I was living the movie,"Pumping Iron"! Then, they called 6 competitors out to the center for comparisons for the 1st callout! "Number 14 to the center please!"Yes! I'm somewhere in the top 5! They put me in the center! However, after about 5 or 6 poses the judges moved me to the far right of the stage! Dang it! Oh well, I kept fighting and held my ground to the end of the callout! Anyhow, being a natural and being in the first callout at my first national show is pretty awesome! I had to give myself a little more credit and give myself a pat on the back! After I got off the stage, I was so exhausted that I laid on the lobby floor for an hour before chuggin' down several cups of aminos from champion nutrition! The heat just wore me out!

Throughout, the rest of the night and the next day, I got tons of rest! I slept for 9 hours! My roommate throughout the weekend was bantamweight champion, Alden Gamet! We both crashed when we got to the hotel! The AC really helped! Well, me at least! lol! I should've noticed that Alden was freezing his ass off being that he was bundled in multiple sheets of blankets and pillows! whoops! Sorry, Alden! One more night until we find out the results of our competition!

The next morning, I started loading once again with rice cakes and almond butter! Every 2 hours! This competition felt like it was for a week even though it was only 2 days! Almond butter is amazing, by the way! My buddy, Matt Porter recommended it to me! He said it would be much more tasty! And it was! Good call bro!

5 o'clock! Here we go! Time to find out how everyone did! 16 of us lined up in front of the soldout crowd of Artemus Hall! One-by-one they called out each one of our names! Then, we filed off stage! As we filed off stage the expeditor said,"Mark Sindayen, stay here, please!" Yeah buddy! I'm in the top 5! If you are not asked to stay, then it means you did not make the top 5 and you will not be able to perform your posing routine!

Showtime! The mix of songs were "One Love" by Trey Songs, "Teach Me How to Dougie" by Cali Swag District, and "Stronger" by Kanye West! The crowd went crazy! Afterwards, I walked off stage and waited for the other four competitors to get done with their routines! Finally, after 14 weeks of dieting and preparation, it came down to 5 competitors vying for the top spot in the country! Lonnie Teper, the master of ceremonies, announced,"in 5th place, Mark Sindayen!" Yes!! Top 5 at my first national competition! It's been a long road since April 2000, when I first started working with Turk Fickling! 11 years of trials and tribulations, and pain! After landing in Seattle, I got on the phone with Turk and he just made me realize that I placed higher than he ever did at the USAs or Nationals! One spot higher! 5th vs. 6th place! Bragging rights! And I'm natural! Pretty cool! Thanks for reminding me, Turk! Hehe!

 I want to thank my lord and savior, Jesus Christ for giving me an opportunity to live a prosperous life and the ability to use the gifts he's given me! I would also like to thank, my wife of 9 years now, Loraine Zante Sindayen, for her undying support and organizing a welcome back party for me at our cabana in Bothell, Washington! It was great! Lots of Filipino food! By the way, Becc, your peanut butter cookies were amazing! Mark and Venus Navarro, thank you for bringing my favorite fried chicken, Church's! Aye'lon Romano thanks for deejaying for my celebration party! I really appreciate everyone who came out to share that special day with me! This is just the beginning!

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I love this subject because it is not easy to do! And you have to have all the elements in place, too! Number one is my relationship with my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Number two is my marriage with my wife, Loraine. Number three is my responsibility as a father to Macaela Sindayen. After all that comes my job at Sprint, my siblings, Christian, Regan and Imee, friends, then bodybuilding! My wife, Loraine, is who i look up to the most because she lives a well balanced life! The great thing about her is she never preaches, she just walks a great life! As of late, the order of those priorities have improved, but I'm not where I wanna be, of course!

I always make an effort at finding and surrounding myself with people that have what I want in life! It makes me feel uncomfortable, but it is what is going to help me move in a positive direction! If I want to get the inside scoop in bodybuilding, and posing I go to Turk Fickling, Dave Patterson, and Andre Scott. If I want to better my marriage, I look at my brother-in-law and my sister, Imee and Mark Macariola, and my good friends, Steve and Sophia Cosola! Their relationships are so selfless, it's motivating to watch! For spiritual guidance and support, I go to my buddy, Seth Macgillvray! That guy has such a great spirit, it makes me say to myself,"you gotta get better at having a better spirit"! I just wanted to point out some of those examples because they are great ones!

This whole entire prep for the USAs, I've been doing everything I can to stay in balance with my priorities! Every morning when Macaela was still in school, I would be cooking my food early, making sure she takes her vitamins, eats her breakfast, and then take her to school! If I work early, then I wait until work to go to the gym. If I work late, I go to the gym right after I drop her off! And then so, if I do workout early, I just go straight home after work! It makes the sport of bodybuilding positive in my wife's eyes! Everyone knows what a woman's top love language?....Quality time! If I mess with that, we are both not happy! What I've learned is "Excellence is the standard and Grace is the word"! Just try your best to stay in balance and if you fall short, just keep plugging away! We are all never going to be perfect anyways! Count all joy! All those areas correlate to bodybuilding! To improve and get to your potential, you need to get out of your box or your comfort zone! I'm constantly growing and improving and I can't wait to see what it is going to be like in the 5 or 10 years! 3 weeks to go brothers and sisters! Almost there!

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Hey everyone, I'm less than 8 weeks away from the NPC USA's in Las Vegas, Nevada! I've been fluctuating quite a bit, between 162 and 169lbs. The addition of more redmeat in my diet should take care of that weight variance. Training has been off the charts! Last monday, I trained chest and biceps with Larry Neri and Paul Tate at the 24-hour Fitness in Renton, Washington! Each set of exercises and methods we used almost completely changed all of our poundages for the lifts. The first set was decline hammer strength chest presses for 8-15 repetitions and one set. The adrenalin was awesome! I had a little poundage contest with Paul and Larry! We were all doing 5, 45-pound plates on each side! Not bad for a lightweight! The second set consisted of 5 different methods for the incline smith machine bench press. The first part was regular, methodical repetitions. The second was one and a half repetitions. So, one full repetition followed by a half repetitions. The third was fast concentric (flexion) movement and slow eccentric (extension) movement. The fourth was superslow repetitions both in the upward and downward movement of the press. The last was assisted negative repetitions, where essentially, Paul or Larry would help with squeezing out 3 to 4 repetitions to complete failure. Brutal!

Set number three was just one set with two, 45-second interval rest-pauses with decline dumbbell flyes. Set number 4 was a compound set between dumbbell pullovers and flat hammer strength bench press with a 3-breath rest-pause. The last set for chest was wide-grip weighted dips! I had to add weight because I don't weigh as much as Larry and Paul!

Lastly, we did two giant sets (3 exercises for the same body part) of Scott curls on the preacher bench, EZ bar curls and incline dumbbell hammer curls. That was just as brutal as the 5-method set on the smith machine machine incline bench press! We each totalled about 100 repetitions between the three exercises, including the partial repetitions. at the end of the final exercise. We learned that from Turk Fickling! He calls it "absolutes", which is basically a modified repetition that stretches and tears down the muscle to complete failure.

I thought I'd share that because it's great to have friends and training partners that push you, challenge you and encourage you to become better. Every repetition I was doing, Larry was shouting out,"First place, First place, First place!" Or Paul would yell,"A couple more!" When you are by yourself, it's easier to quit because you have no one to be accountable to. So, my suggestion is to find a trainer or a training partner that will push you past your limits!

Dietwise, since starting on April 25th, I found that each time I get on a pre-contest diet, it gets easier every time since I've been doing it so long my body is just used to it. My body just wants healthy food and it isn't craving any pasteries, sweets, or any other kind of junk food. My co-workers shake their heads every day when I bring in the same platter of food. Although, I do have to throw in that I have to have a cheat meal every week because my weight is dropping like crazy, and so I can continue to maintain my muscle fullness. I am doing only 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise five days out of the week. My metabolism is definitely unique among all my peers. Tune in soon for more updates! I'm about to work on some posing today with my trainer, Turk Fickling! Eye of the Tiger!

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Hey everyone, its been a while since I've blogged! I am on day 4 of my contest diet for the NPC USA Championships, which is on July 29th and 30th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Man, am I excited! This is my first run at nationals! This time, though, Turk and I's strategy for the first couple of weeks is the incorporation of chicken breasts and white fish. I usually utilize t-bone, top sirloin or chicken thighs for my whole entire diet because I tend to lose muscle if I dont go with higher fat meats. To get a shot at a first callout for the USAs, I'll have to be bone dry and full, of course. So, in the beginning, I will start out a little bit flat before I start adding the high fat meats. Again, my physique and metabolism is much different than a lot of other competitors, so what I am just telling what I am doing and what works with my particular bodytype, which is a ectomorph (track athlete type) on my upper body and a mesomorph (naturally muscular type) on my lower body. My lifting schedule consists of 3 days on and 1 day off, and 2 days on and 1 day off. This schedule helps keep my metabolism going versus weight training 5 days in a row and taking 2 days off, which tends to slow down my metabolism.

I do one body part a day: 1. Chest, 2. Back, 3. Shoulders 4. Off day, 5. Arms, 6. Legs, 7. Off day. I figure in abdominals, forearms and calves in one of the days, normally, chest or shoulders day since they are shorter workouts. Doing one bodypart per workout allows me to give that muscle its full attention and train to maximum failure. Cardiovascular workouts are figured into each one of those five days. 20 minutes either first in the morning on an empty stomach or immediately my training sessions. Its most effective to do cardio at those particular stages because it is when your blood sugars are the lowest and your burn fat that way. This is just for the time being, cardio will definitely be increasing over the next 13 weeks. It is going to get crazy soon, as my metabolism skyrockets, and Turk will start increasing my carbohydrates and possibly my protein as well. I haven't started at 180 grams of carbohydrates since I first started working with Turk in 2001. The past 3 shows I've done, he's kept me at 400-600 grams of carbs throughout the whole pre-contest regimen. I won the 2009, Vancouver and Oregon State and took 2nd at the Emerald Cup in 2010. Everytime, my look has gotten better.

Fifty percent of my caloric intake comes from my protein supplements from my sponsors, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition in Bellevue. For my post workout, I am still using Iso-Extreme for postworkout, Triple Whey Protein for afternoon and early evening snacks, and Max High-5 casein protein for my pre-bedtime meal. My total intake of protein is 250 grams per day and half of that comes Max Muscle's protein products. For pre-workout, I'm on Full-Blown Extreme (Creatine) and Max Ext (Nitric Oxide). Its the best pre-workout combination I've ever used. And in addition to that are the bare essentials, Vitacell (liquid multi-vitamins), Vitamin D, Calcium, Glucoseamine, Essential Fatty Acids, etc.

Posing. I'm working on this a lot more than other shows I have done in the past. The way you pose, especially if the competition is tight, can be the difference between 6th place, 4th, or 2nd or 1st possibly. What I'm really working on right now is my two, side quarter turns, which is driving me crazy. Genetically, I am not gifted in my front-to-back thickness. I definitely can improve it over the next ten years, as my physique keeps maturing, but genetically I can't really do anything about it. That'll consist of heavy chest and back exercises, no doubt. I'm just going have to disguise those flaws as much as I can by working on keeping my chest of high and by arms and hands in certain angles to hide that flaw. Everything else, is a strength for me so, I'll just have to take advantage of those areas by giving my best posing shots to the judges. A rule of thumb, I have always been given by Turk is to keep the chest up on every turn and every pose. Especailly, if your niche isn't your upperbody. By sloaching you will look that much smaller compared to your peers in the judges eye. So I will be doing long sessions of posing for the next 13 weeks, so it isn't so difficult once I grace that stage. Plus, it'll help me control my muscles better and it does bring out extra striations you don't normally get from dieting and training.

Here we go! Eye of the tiger! It's stretching time for Mark Sindayen! Thanks again to my lord and savior, Jesus Christ, my wife, Loraine for being my rock, my daughter, Macaela for helping me keep a positive outlook on life all the time, Turk Fickling, for always being an example of mental toughness and being a great coach, Max Muscle (Neil and Noelle) for your support and friendship, and the Kirkland Golds Gym Crew, you know who you are, thanks for your friendship, spiritual support and challenging competition! Brad and Elaine, thanks again for giving me this opportunity to blog on your site, you are awesome people! Talk to you all soon, more blogs coming soon! "What time is it!!! Game time!!!! Wooo!!!"--Chicago Bulls Mantra

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This is my most favorite aspect of bodybuilding. Posing. All those training, dieting, and psychological trials and tribulations come down to one thing in this sport. Posing. For pre-judging, the time frame usually is between 1-5 minutes depending on how competitive or how weak your class is. For the evening show, you get the stage all to yourself. The adrenaline rush of being on stage is like when I ran an 86-yard touchdown in junior high as a tailback, playing football and when I pinned my opponent in wrestling in 18 seconds in high school. It's all the same in any activity, business or sport. The hours, days, months and even years of working, training and dieting culminate into thing, results! Essentially in bodybuilding, it comes down to posing and presentation.

In pre-judging, the best part is the first callout, which determines who the top-five competitors are going to be in your particular class. There's nothing more motivating than hearing your number called for a first callout. You get lined up, most of the time, with the best of the best! At that point, you just have to make sure you flex and tighten every single one of your muscles no matter what angle you are at when being judged. I call it the "4th quarter" in bodybuilding! This is where you display to the judges, where stack-up compared to your peers! Its my second, most favorite part of bodybuilding!

My absolute favorite part, is the night show! You get to show off your physique with classic poses, coupled with artistic or dance moves, if you want to! This is the icing on the cake!

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Once again, I want to thank Noelle Richards and Neil Ichiki, from Max Muscle Sports Nutrition in Bellevue, for their ongoing support and sponsorship! With these guys, I would definitely not be competing for nationals this year if it weren't for their unique product line and moral support. Today, I will be just going thru what I consume on a daily basis with my food regimen and supplementation.

Every morning, I cook at least 4 cups of brown rice and sometimes a couple bags of mix veggies, both steamed.  I usually take in about 500 grams of carbohydrates a day and 360 grams of protein.  50 percent of of my daily protein intake comes from Max Pro (snack protein), Max Iso-Ex (post workout), and Max High-5 (night time, casein protein). All these shakes taste like chocolate milk, I might add! The meats, I usually eat are chicken thighs, top sirloin steak or t-bone steak. These help my muscle bellies stay full while eliminating all simple sugars to keep me from flattening out my physique. By the way, all I am doing is telling you what I do for my daily and competition diet. I'm not giving anyone any recommendations. This is all based on my specific body-type and metabolic rate. I am a combination of an ectomorph (on my upper extremities) and a mesomorph (on lower extremities). Basically, I have a track athlete's physique uptop and a true bodybuilder's physique on the bottom. It can be frustrating, I tell you, because I have to eat an abnormal amount of carbohydrates and I'm still hungry after all my food is done! And that's precontest! Oh and I don't want to make anyone mad, but I get to do only 30 minutes a day because of rabbit-like metabolism! I thought I'd add that!

My daily vitamins consist of calcium, omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, glucosamine, vitamin d, and liquid vitamins (Vitacell). I cannot afford to be sick or get injured, so I do whatever I can to protect my joints, bones, brain, immune system, etc. For 3 months a time, cycling on and off, I use tribulus (Max Tribulus) and testosterone (Max Anabol, Anabol EXT, or 2TX) pills to help me gain more mass and strength while training with heavy poundages and intensity. In addition to that, for pre-workout drinks, I mix creatine (Max Full-Blown Extreme) and nitric oxide (Max Ext) together add more fuel to the fire. It's the best creatine and nitric oxide combination in the market right now! Since, I am competing naturally, I need these different elements to help me keep up with the big boys on that national stage.

I try to eat at least 4 to 6 meals a day. It's really tough to do that, especially when working at a retail establishment like I do. But I get it done anyways. Whatever it takes, right?! If you want to be a champion, then you gotta do what champions do! Make, "A", decision to get on a consistent nutrition program! It only takes one decision, whether you're bodybuilding or not! I'm very fortunate to have Max Muscle Sports Nutrtion as my source for top-notch sports nutrition products! Check out Max Muscle Sports Nutrition in Bellevue, Washington! Talk to you soon, folks!

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Well, folks, the clock is ticking! I'm both excited and nervous for my first national competition! I've been in this sport now for 11 years and am starting to reach my peak. For my trainer and dietitian guru, Turk Fickling to approve me to take a shot at the nationals is a huge complement for a natural competitor, especially when most competitors are not, at that level. I took 8 years off from the stage to refine my physique and match up my upperbody with my "Sindayen" inherited legs! I still work them beyond my limits, thanks to my troop of training partners, Paul Tate, Aaron Smith, Chad Hoffman, and Kyle Zirbel (Kirkland Golds Mafia). Training is both fun and greatly challenging with these young guns adapting to what I call the "Turk Fickling" intensity!

Training to absolute failure every workout is the goal in every single workout. Depending on what we're doing, sometimes the goal is 8, 12, 20, 50 repetitions or sometimes, it's 150 repetitions total for one giant set (3 exercises for 1 body part in one single set). There really isn't a set number for failure. The number is just a goal or a target. If you hit failure before you achieve the targeted number of repetitions, then you have achieved absolute failure. The styles of training for me, though, change every with every exercise. In our various workouts, we shift the principles from rest-pausing (15-45 second rest periods), static holds, supersets (2 exercises for antagonizing muscle groups, ex. chest and back), compound sets (2 for the same muscle group), giant sets (3 exercises for the same muscle group), superslow repetitions, fast positives and slow negatives, full repetitions, half repetitions, quarter repetitions, forced negatives, cheat repetitions, assisted negatives. All of these methods and principles come from all the periodicals I've read from Arnold Schwartznegger, Lee Labrada, Dorian Yates, Mike Mentzer and from the tutilage of Turk Fickling. Nothing I made up, of course. I just use the wisdom of other people that have gone before me so that it catapults me much further than if I were to just learn through experience, which can be a waste of time and money. That's something I actually apply in my own life.

The more open-minded you are and coachable you are is how you maximize your results. I don't know what I would do without the people I have in my life. I'm a product of those I have watched, competed, trained and talked with. The list is endless, Chris Faildo, Owen McCurty, Bleu Taylor, Andy Sandbo, Dave "Dr. Pose" Patterson, Andre "BamBam" Scott, Shawn Ray, Flex Wheeler, Jay Cutler, Turk Fickling, Mark Dugdale. Directly and indirectly, you all have inspired me to keep challenging myself to be the best I can be! That's what makes training exciting! I take one little bit from each one of these great competitors and apply it in the gym.

In one of our most recent back workouts, we trained with Turk at the Kirkland Golds Gym. I kid you not, this guy is one of the most intense trainers ever. Even more than some of the pros. We did three giant sets and one compound set. That basically means, 3 back exercises per set and 1 set with 2 back exercises. Every principle I can think of was used in that workout and with some heavy poundage, too. I go back and train with Turk every few months to confirm that what I am doing is on track or I need to make some adjustments. One thing I always see and it never ceases to amaze me is Turk's "mental focus". Turk uses all the elements he can, to get his mind off of the pain. I've been applying this more consistently. For example, when Turk gets ready or is performing the set; he's singing, and getting into the song that he is listening to. It definitely works. By the end of the set, he has no clue where he is at repetition-wise because of his focus of the song he is listening to. Hence, more repetitions are achieved than the perceived goal. What a great example of FOCUS!

So, today is chest, abdominals, forearms and calves day! I'm psyched to get in there, to apply one little bit from each of my role models! I'm a work in progress! Another two cents from the Filipino umpalumpia! Talk to you guys soon!

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Bodybuilding is, in my opinion, one of the best sports in the world. And you can continue in it for a long period of time, just as long as you train smart, not just hard. When I began my bodybuilding career, I didn't really understand it, being new to the sport, especially. If you were out of proportion in certain areas, all I thought you needed to do was change your training principles or train with heavier weight. I finally figured it out. After having dozens and dozens of conversations with my dietitian, Turk Fickling, this often, misunderstood sport is not all about winning. What I mean by that is, this sport is "you against yourself".

Genetics play a great deal in your placing when competing in a show.  You can improve your flaws, but you cannot completely correct them. It maybe because you have long limbs or a long torso or say calves that are high on your lower limbs. You simply cannot do anything about your genetic make-up, unless you get implants or turn to super supplements. I'll give a really good example: Owen McCurty, the 2001 Emerald Cup overall champion,, is blessed with phenomenal muscle bellies and genetics in his upper body. I'm just the opposite. No one could match my legs in the class.

My point is, bodybuilding is like golf, you're really competing to be the best "you" you can be! I do still struggle with that, however. It's the competitiveness that comes with every athlete's psyche. So, you have to be realistic when you decide to step on that stage. With each show, you’re competing against your “old self.” Each time should better than the last time and that is a victory in my opinion! In the 2010 Emerald Cup, even though I placed a narrow second, I was ecstatic because it has been the best I've looked thus far! That's my short, two cents on winning!

--Mark Sindayen--

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Hey everyone, I just want to thank, Brad and Elaine Craig for allowing me to share my journey to my first national competition, which will be at the USAs on July 29th and 30th in Las Vegas, Nevada!

Its kind of funny how I got into the sport of bodybuilding. I originally started weight training in high school because my parents wouldn't let me play football. It was like pulling teeth to get my parents to sign waivers for me to play football! They said I was too small and were worried that I would get hurt. It was at that time I knew I had to pack some meat on! I wanted to be like Barry Sanders! Needless to say, I gained almost 40 lbs of what I thought was all muscle at the time. As a sophomore in high school, I was already squatting 405lbs which was as much as some of the lineman on my team (hence, the midgetness) but from the very beginning, I built a good habit of training all my body parts. That habit (plus some help from God and genetics) was the foundation for my balanced and proportionate physique that I’m known for having today. When I finished high school and went on to college, I dived more into bodybuilding periodicals and books. I became a sponge and I was probably the most annoying kid in the gym, asking questions from anyone and everyone.

The birth of my bodybuilding career actually began in April 2000. I was in my 3rd year as a Personal Trainer at Bally Total Fitness in Renton, WA. I had just completed my first two competitions finishing with 6th and 10th place. I was both motivated and frustrated at the same time from trying to do things on my own, when a crazy brotha, Turk Fickling walked into my life. Turk kept teasing me about how I looked and what I was doing wrong and was telling me what I needed to change. Finally, I showed him my pictures from my last two shows (the 2000 Vancouver and Emerald Cup). I’ll never forget his response: "You got a lot of potential there, buddy!"

In 2001 I became a bodybuilder under the mentorship of Turk Fickling. I later found out that he won the Emerald Cup Overall in 1998 which was, by the way, one of the best posing routines I have ever seen! If you get a chance to meet, Turk, he is the most funny, intense, detailed, creative and knowledgeable guys I have had the privilege of getting to know. With the help of Turk’s knowledge and creative training techniques, I competed in 2001 Vancouver show and 2001 Emerald Cup. I finished well, placing 2nd and 4th in my class. Losing the overall however to Northwest Legends, Roy Manuel and Owen McCurty was a huge motivating factor for me. It was at that time when I decided to take some time off because both of those fellows won the overall! I took 8 years off and came back in 2009 and won the lightweight class at Vancouver and Andre “Bam-Bam” Scott's Oregon State Show. I really improved my upper body to match up with my legs, which is what my downfall was in 2001. But, I know, it's all about time and elbow-grease! A year later, I lost by a narrow margin in the lightweight class at the Emerald Cup. It was my best package yet! And I was very happy about my placing! Since then, I have looked to Turk for guidance and mentorship and it has been a humbling experience ever since.

My wife, Loraine, and my 7 year old daughter, Macaela, are my major backbones! Loraine and I met at Bellevue College in 1996 and have been together for 15 years now. Out of those 15, we have been married for 9 and she has been in my corner ever since! Loraine helps me big-time in being an example of what a godly person should be like! She's always smiling! Grrrrr! How do you do that?!? I'm working on smiling every day, just like bodybuilding.

In 2003, we had our beautiful daughter Macaela. Macaela gives me a positive outlook on life probably because of all the Disney movies I watch with her. Movies like "Tangled" and “Remember the Titans” inspire me and make me feel like a kid all over again. This last year, I've had the privilege of being sponsored by Max Muscle Sports Nutrition in Bellevue, Washington! Man, I don't know what I would do without the support of Neil Ichiki and Noelle Richards! You guys rock! Thanks again for all your support! MMSN has the best tasting supps ever! I’ve tasted a lot of supps during my career in bodybuilding so that, you can trust me on!

Well, there you have it, a brief version of my roots and my backbone! As for my goals, in the short-term, I'm aiming, realistically for the top 5 at the 2011 USAs in the Men’s Lightweight class, and as for long-term goals, I just want to be an Ambassador for Natural Bodybuilding and be one of the best natural bodybuilders in the nation, if not in the world. I want to inspire people that they don’t have to “juice” to get there and that there are natural and healthy alternatives to growing big while building an attractive bodybuilding physique.

I know I have a ways to go so I’m staying plugged in to the mentorship available to me from Turk Fickling, Andre “Bam Bam” Scott, and Dave Patterson. With them and God on my side, where can I go wrong?!

Bodybuilding to some can be perceived as a selfish narcissistic sport, but it doesn’t have to be. No matter where I am in my life and career, my goal is to always strive to be, as John Maxwell, one of my favorite authors on leadership would say, “Others-focused.” Bodybuilding for me, is a gift and just a tool to impact and inspire other people's lives!  

The journey continues! :)

Mark L. Sindayen

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