Fourth Year Student: My Senior Year

Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 7 Weeks Until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 8 Weeks Until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada 

Weight: 144.2 

Birmingham Steel Legs Blast Furnace-Sixth Segment (6 of 16) 

Leg Press (Weight is net, adjusted for the sled and angle of press) 
1 x 130 reps - 110 pounds (4.00 without rest). On Monday we will add :28 to the time and go 4:28, to celebrate my 65th birthday on April 28.

Extensions 
2 x 30 - 110 pounds 

Hamstring Curls
3 x 10 - 110 pounds, then, each set to failure (3 x 20) 

Donkey Press Seated Calf Raises
3 x 25 - 230 pounds 

Standing Calf Raises
3 x 25 - Body Weight 

Adduction 
3 x 15 - 250 

Abduction 
3 x 15 - 250 

Abdominal's 
2 x 25 Crunches 
1 x 25 Leg lifts 
1 x 50 Unassisted sit ups 

Treadmill
30 minutes of moderate speed work 

Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 7 Weeks Until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 8 Weeks Until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada 

Weight: 145.2 pounds-back on track with my contest prep diet.

Today we did a non-weight training body weight workout. We completed 500 reps in one hour.

Unassisted Pull Ups
10 x 10 - 100 reps

Unassisted Sit Ups
4 x 25 - 100 reps

Hanging Leg Lifts
5 x 20 - 100 reps

Push Ups
10 x 10 - 100 reps

Dips
10 x 10 - 100 reps

25 minutes of tread mill in the morning and another 35 minutes in the afternoon

Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - 7 Weeks Until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 8 Weeks Until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada 

Weight: 146.6 pounds-back on track with my contest prep diet.

Today my training partner and I started a new Body Comp workout plan that will take me to my contest in eight weeks. It's designed for upper and lower body work in each session, lifting heavy weights with little rest between sets.

We did dead lifts, lunges, lats pull downs, seated rows, dumb bell curls, incline dumb bell bench press and a few other fun exercises. We finished with 20 minutes of cardio and left the gym floor feeling pretty well drained.

I have added boxing (gloves against pads) to my Personal Training regimen for my clients at the YMCA. My clients love the change. Some of them have never strapped on a pair of boxing gloves. Boxing is a great aerobic exercise.

Monday, April 21, 2008 - 7 Weeks Until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 8 Weeks Until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada 

Weight: 148.0 I lost a bit of control over my contest diet this weekend when I flew from Birmingham to Cape Cod to judge a bodybuilding contest. There was no way I could maintain my strict diet during prejudging and the evening show, the after party and traveling to and from the airports. I am on it today and am confident I will quickly get back on track.

Birmingham Steel Legs Blast Furnace-Fifth Segment (5 of 16) 

Leg Press (Weight is net, adjusted for the sled and angle of press)
1 x 125 reps - 110 pounds (3:40 without rest). 
On Thursday we will add :20 to the time. 

Extensions 
2 x 30 - 110 pounds 

Hamstring Curls 
3 x 10 - 110 pounds, then, each set to failure (3 x 20) 

Seated Calf Raises 
3 x 25 - 200 pounds 

Standing Calf Raises 
3 x 25 - Body Weight 

Adduction
3 x 15 - 250 

Abduction
3 x 15 - 250 

Abdominal's 
2 x 25 Crunches 
1 x 25 Leg lifts 
1 x 50 Unassisted sit ups 

Treadmill 
30 minutes of moderate speed work 

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 18, 19 and 20, Singing and Judging at the 2008 OCB Spirit of America, Mashpee (Cape Cod), Massachusetts.

On Friday morning, I met my training partner at the gym for our 6:30-8 AM workout. We did some shoulders, back, biceps and abdominals training.

After our workout, I drove directly to the Birmingham, Alabama airport for the flight to Atlanta and Providence, Rhode Island. I picked up my Ford Mustang rental for the drive to Cape Cod and Mashpee, where Sean and Deb Sullivan's OCB Spirit of America Bodybuilding and Figure Super Pro Qualifier competition was to be held the next day.

I competed in this show in 2006 and won my age class. That's where I met Sean for the first time. We had been keeping a running email connection for several months and I looked forward to finally meeting this excellent bodybuilder, promoter and cop. We became fast friends and even share the same birthday, April 28. Sean will be 43 and I will be 65. He could be my son. He calls me Pops. Ha.

In 2007 Sean invited me to judge the SOA. He invited me back this year and I gladly accepted. Both last year and this year, I was Deb and Sean's house guest. It's much better than the host hotel. I can raid the refrigerator and drink all his protein shakes.

I arrived at the Cape Cod Nutrition Corner in Hyannis, where the registration and polygraph testing took place. The store is owned by James Carron, a promoter, pro competitor and great guy. I love his store. It's better than any GNC I have ever visited and his prices are very good. I spent about $100 on supplements I can't find in Birmingham. Here is James' web site: http://www.capecodnutrition.com.

More than 90 outstanding men and women athletes showed up for registration and drug testing. It was to be a height class contest with several competitors in each class.

We ended the evening's registration as scheduled at 7 PM and returned to the house for dinner. Early next morning we loaded the trophies and athlete's goodie bags and drove to the venue at Mashpee High School. The school has a great auditorium with excellent lighting and a very good sound system. The Athlete's Meeting began at 10 AM and a little after 11, the first competitors walked on to the stage. 

From the Teens, Masters, Figure, Fitness and Open class came 96 outstanding competitors. This was an IFPA Bodybuilding and Figure Pro Qualifier and a National Qualifier for Ms. Fitness USA. Everyone brought their "A" game to the stage.

Prejudging lasted until 4:30 and the judges barely had time to take a break, change into Evening Show attire and return to the venue for the 5:30 PM start.

Sean asked me to sing our National Anthem a cappella to start the show and I offered my baritone version to an appreciative audience. 

The show ran very well. We were finished by 10 PM and then met at a local Pizzeria for the after party. Several new IFPA Pros showed up to enjoy their post-contest "snack."

As a former competitor in the Spirit of America and judging for the second year in a row, I have to say Sean and Deb know how to run a competition. Nice work, Guys

After hitting the pillow at midnight, I woke up at 6, left the house at 7 for my 90-minute drive from the Cape to Providence to catch my flight home. I arrived back in Birmingham in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the day working on the story Sean asked me to write about the show for BodyBuilding.com. 

Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 8 Weeks Until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 9 Weeks Until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada 

Weight: 145.6 

Birmingham Steel Legs Blast Furnace -Fourth Segment (4 of 16) 

We decided to begin another round of intense Leg work as I prepare for my first contest of the year in 8 weeks. For the next seven weeks, we will continue a version of the Hungarian Oak Legs Blast by incorporating the Leg Press instead of Bar Bell Squats. Every thing else in the plan stays the same. 

We figure with the weight of the Leg Press sled (about 80 pounds) and the plates, with the angle we are sitting, we are lifting 60% of the total weight we have recorded and will use that calculation to figure our total lifts 

Leg Press 
1 x 110 reps - 110 pounds (3:20 without rest). On Monday we will add :20 to the time. 

Extensions
2 x 30 - 110 pounds 

Hamstring Curls 
3 x 10 - 110 pounds, then, each set to failure (3 x 15) 

Donkey Press Machine Seated Calf Raises
3 x 25 - 230 pounds 

Standing Calf Raises 
3 x 25 - Body Weight 

Adduction
3 x 15 - 250 

Abduction 
3 x 15 - 250 

Abdominal's 
2 x 25 Crunches 
1 x 25 Leg lifts 
1 x 25 Unassisted sit ups 

Treadmill
30 minutes of moderate speed work 

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 8 Weeks Until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 9 Weeks Until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada 

Weight: 146.4

We did a non-weight training workout today.

Unassisted Pull Ups
6 x 10 - 60 total

Unassisted Sit Ups
4 x 25 - 100 total

Push Ups
4 x 25 - 100 total

Hanging Leg Lifts
4 x 25 - 100 total

Machine Crunches
4 x 25 - 100 total

460 Reps. Sweet.

Tread mill
30 minutes

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 8 Weeks Until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 9 Weeks Until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada 

Weight: 147.2 

We did a dumb bell only workout today, really fun stuff. 

Dumb Bell Bench Press
1 x 8 - 60 pound dumb bells 
1 x 8 - 65 pound dumb bells 
1 x 8 - 75 pound dumb bells 
3 x 8 - Dips, chest dominate position 

Dumb Bell Incline Bench Press 
1 x 8 - 40 pound dumb bells 
1 x 8 - 50 pound dumb bells 
1 x 8 - 60 pound dumb bells 
3 x 8 - Dips, chest dominate position 

Dumb Bell Decline Bench Press
1 x 8 - 50 pound dumb bells 
1 x 8 - 60 pound dumb bells 
1 x 8 - 60 pound dumb bells 
3 x 8 - Dips, chest dominate position 

Dumb Bell Flat Bench Flies 
1 x 8 - 35 pound dumb bells 
1 x 8 - 40 pound dumb bells 
1 x 8 - 40 pound dumb bells 
3 x 8 - Dips, chest dominate position 

Dumb Bell Triceps Extensions 
1 x 8 - 25 pound dumb bells 
1 x 8 - 30 pound dumb bells 
1 x 8 - 30 pound dumb bells 
3 x 8 - Dips, triceps dominate position 

Dumb Bell Triceps Kick Backs
3 x 8 - 15 pound dumb bells 
3 x 8 - Dips, triceps dominate position 

Tread Mill
30 minutes 

Monday, April 14, 2008 - 8 Weeks Until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 9 Weeks Until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada 

Weight: 149.0 

Birmingham Steel Legs Blast Furnace- Third Segment (3 of 16) 

We decided to begin another round of intense Leg work as I prepare for my first contest of the year in 8 weeks. For the next seven weeks, we will continue a version of the Hungarian Oak Legs Blast by incorporating the Leg Press instead of Bar Bell Squats. Every thing else in the plan stays the same. 

We figure with the weight of the Leg Press sled (about 80 pounds) and the plates, with the angle we are sitting, we are lifting 60% of the total weight we have recorded and will use that calculation to figure our total lifts 

Leg Press
1 x 100 reps - 110 pounds (3:00 without rest). On Thursday we will add :20 to the time. 

Extensions 
2 x 30 - 110 pounds 

Hamstring Curls
3 x 10 - 110 pounds, then, each set to failure (3 x 15) 

Seated Calf Raises
3 x 25 - 200 pounds 

Standing Calf Raises 
3 x 25 - Body Weight 

Adduction 
3 x 15 - 250 

Abduction 
3 x 15 - 250 

Abdominal's 
2 x 25 Crunches 
1 x 25 Leg lifts 
1 x 25 Unassisted sit ups 

Treadmill 
30 minutes of moderate speed work 

Don't forget to click on the New York Times and CBS News logos on the home page to read the texts of the two stories on aging and fitness that featured me. On Sunday evening in the late news, CBS 42, the local TV affiliate also did a story on me that you can review at www.CBS.42.com. Tomorrow I will add the text portion of the story with a link to it on the home page.

Friday, April 11, 2008 - Nine Weeks Until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 10 Weeks Until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada

Weight: 149.0 - 9.5 percent body fat with a 7 skin fold, computer-based caliper measurement.

My training partner and I worked a Paramount Rotary Station this morning, a good, fun workout.

Rotary Chest
1 x 8 - 100 pounds
1 x 8 - 115 pounds

Rotary Upper Back
1 x 8 - 100 pounds
1 x 8 - 115 pounds

Rotary Incline Chest
1 x 8 - 85 pounds
1 x 8 - 100 pounds

Rotary Lats
1 x 8 - 130 pounds
1 x 8 - 145 pounds

Rotary Shoulders
1 x 8 - 100 pounds
1 x 8 - 115 pounds

Tread Mill
30 minutes

Be sure to check your local TV listing and watch Old Navy on Sunday (April 13) on the CBS News Sunday Morning program. They are featuring me as a senior bodybuilder in a health and fitness segment.

Thursday, April 10, 2008 - Nine Weeks Until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 10 Weeks Until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada 

Weight: 149.4 

Birmingham Steel Legs Blast Furnace- Second Segment (2 of 16) 

We decided to begin another round of intense Leg work as I prepare for my first contest of the year in 10 weeks. For the next eight weeks, we will do a version of the Hungarian Oak Legs Blast by incorporating the Leg Press instead of Bar Bell Squats. Every thing else in the plan stays the same. 

We figure with the weight of the Leg Press sled (about 80 pounds) and the plates, with the angle we are sitting, we are lifting 60% of the total weight we have recorded and will use that calculation to figure our total lifts 

Leg Press 
1 x 75 reps - 110 pounds (2:20 without rest). On Monday we will add :20 to the time. 

Extensions
2 x 30 - 110 pounds 

Hamstring Curls 
3 x 10 - 110 pounds, then, each set to failure (3 x 15) 

Donkey Press Seated Calf Raises 
3 x 25 - 200 pounds 

Standing Calf Raises 
3 x 25 - Body Weight 

Adduction
3 x 15 - 250 

Abduction 
3 x 15 - 250 

Abdominal's 
2 x 25 Crunches 
1 x 25 Leg lifts 
1 x 25 Unassisted sit ups 

Treadmill
30 minutes of moderate speed work 

Be sure to check your local TV listing and watch Old Navy on Sunday (April 13) on the CBS News Sunday Morning program. They are featuring me as a senior bodybuilder in an aging and health segment. 

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 - Training for the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, June 13-15, Toronto, Canada

Weight: 150.6

Today my training partner and I did a bodyweight workout.

Unassisted Pull Ups
5 x 10

Push Ups
5 x 10

Hanging Leg Lifts
5 x 10

Floor Crunches
5 x 10

Unassisted Sit Ups
4 x 25

Skip Rope
4 x 100

Tread Mill
20 minutes

Footnote to My Moment of Fame. 

In addition to my story in the New York Times on Thursday, my trip to New York City to do a story with CBS News on Monday (which will air in the CBS News Sunday Morning program on April 13), today, the local CBS TV station sent a news team to the Birmingham YMCA to interview me for their 5 PM News Program on Friday, April 11. It has been quite a week.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008 - Nine Weeks Until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 10 Weeks Until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada

Weight: 151.6

Birmingham Steel Legs Blast Furnace- First Segment (1 of 16) 

We decided to begin another round of intense Leg work as I prepare for my first contest of the year in 10 weeks. For the next eight weeks, we will do a version of the Hungarian Oak Legs Blast by incorporating the Leg Press instead of Bar Bell Squats. Every thing else in the plan stays the same.

We figure with the weight of the Leg Press sled (about 80 pounds) and the plates, with the angle we are sitting, we are lifting 60% of the total weight we have recorded and will use that calculation to figure our total lifts 

Leg Press 
1 x 63 reps - 110 pounds (2:00 without rest). On Thursday we will add :20 to the time.

Extensions 
2 x 30 - 110 pounds 

Hamstring Curls 
3 x 10 - 110 pounds, then, each set to failure (3 x 15) 

Seated Calf Extensions 
3 x 25 - 170 pounds 

Standing Calf Raises 
3 x 25 - Body Weight 

Adduction 
3 x 15 - 250 

Abduction 
3 x 15 - 250 

Abdominal's
2 x 25 Crunches 
1 x 25 Leg lifts 
1 x 25 Unassisted sit ups 

Treadmill 
30 minutes of moderate speed work

Be sure to check your local listing and watch "Old Navy" next Sunday on the CBS News Sunday Morning program. They are featuring me as a senior bodybuilder in an aging and health segment. 

Monday, April 7, 2008, My New York City Adventure

After the New York Times article on senior bodybuilding, which mentions me, appeared last Thursday, I got a call from CBS News in New York and was invited to NYC to do a follow up story for CBS News Sunday Morning, a network program that airs early each Sunday to an audience of about eight million viewers.

CBS News made all of the arrangements and I arrived in NYC on Sunday night and was met at the airport by a car and driver who dropped me off at a hotel in the City for the night. Early this morning I had breakfast with the producer to go over what he wanted to do with me. We then went to Club "H" Fitness on West 55th Street, a few blocks away from CBS and were met by a film crew from 60-Minutes who were going to do the shoot. I changed into my workout gear and went to the gym floor to began working out in front of the cameras. I did pull ups, pushups, crunches, seated rows, dumb bell curls, lats pull downs, hanging leg lifts, Arnold's, dumb bell presses and skip rope. I managed to use good weights in my workout. I did 60 pound dumb bells for the bench press and 35 pound dumb bells for the biceps curls. My rows and lats pull downs were also heavy.

Then, I did a sit down interview with Dr. Emily Senay, M.D., a CBS News health and medical correspondent who asked me several questions about our sport and about my participation in it. 

According to the producer, unless it is 'bumped' by a hot news item, my segment will appear this Sunday (April 13) in CBS News Sunday Morning as the lead story.

After the shoot and interview, I was driven back to the airport and caught a direct flight home to Birmingham, in time for dinner. 

I will be back in the gym with my training partner tomorrow morning.