Post by G on Sept 21, 2011 20:52:51 GMT -5
I've really been into weightlifting this year. Don't laugh, it's true.
About 2 years ago I went to the doctor's for having feelings of weakness, chest pains, more migraines than usual for me (something I've suffered from all my life), heart palpitations, instant sweats and occasional heat flashes. I'm 5'9" and I weighed 251lbs. A few years earlier I had finally kicked the habit of smoking cigarettes after 26 years. I quit cold turkey. I gained 50lbs in literally months. I struggled ever since to lose any weight.
Besides that, I was stressed and miserable. I had just finished 15 months of being unemployed and I was working a job I couldn't stand working 13 hr days. I literally felt horrible in every sense of the word.
The doctor told me I was pre-diabetic, suffering from chronic sleep apnea which was giving me frequent migraines, combined with hyper-tension and coping with borderline depression.
I was told I was a ultra-high risk for a stroke or I could have one of my blinding migraines (My migraines start with what is known as an aura blind spot that grows until it takes most of my vision which usually returns within an hour only to suffer the migraine pain). I was told I may go blind at the start of one of my migraines and may never regain my site back. I would have a permanent aura which to me is worse than the migraine pain itself.
Of course as any good doctor would tell a patient, I was told diet and exercise was the best thing I could do. Along with being put on a CPAP machine and numerous prescriptions, I felt like I was an old man in my early 40s. Luckily I took what the doctor said serious.
I started dieting and exercising. I've since have lost 30lbs. I play basketball frequently on weekends. Still I needed more. Something to get me in better shape.
I started working out with weights in February. It wouldn't be the 1st time I've gotten into weights but this time seems the most serious. Now instead of taking prescriptions, they are now gone and replaced with supplements. I work out 7 days a weeks. Not long mind you, just long enough to get a good workout end and short enough that I don't get bored with it or not want to do it. I do it every morning before I take my morning shower.
I'm not buff by any stretch, but I think I've transformed a lot of fat into decent muscle. I don't think I would be ashamed to take my shirt off these days. I wouldn't blow anybody away but I don't think I would look bad for 44 years old.
Along the way I needed more and more motivation. Naturally I got into buying Muscle Magazines and got into reading about the Body Builders and learning their stories. This past weekend was the Superbowl of Body Building, The Mr. Olympia Contest.
A young upstart by the name of Phil "The Gift" Heath was the favorite to win the title over the reigning 4 time champion Jay Cutler. The two are best friends. I watched the entire contest on live feeds on my computer. I enjoyed it a great deal. Phil Heath is not my favorite, I'd leave that honor to current 4th place winner Victor Martinez. But they all seem like decent people who work hard to get their bodies in better shape. I watch their videos on Muscle Development and Flex Online respectively. Their videos are inspiring.
Phil Heath came out and blew everyone away. Jay Cutler finished 2nd. He had a torn bicep that showed bruising while he was posing and the drama was he couldn't look his best. The 1st day he was sadly outclassed. The 2nd day he came in what is known as drier and literally gave Phil Heath all he could handle. But still, Phil won the title and deservedly so. He's called the gift because he was seen as someone who was told he could win a Mr. Olympia title by Jay Cutler way back when he was just getting started bodybuilding. He was known to be naturally gifted with superior genetics that if he trained, he could ultimately contend for a title. This past weekend, that gift became reality.
As I was on Facebook today I had a link show up from Flex Online about a Graphic Novel they had done on Phil Heath back in 2010. I was actually rather impressed with it. Sure, I can see that this is nothing more than photographs photoshopped to give a comic book look, I find it on level with a lot of comics out there today. Cheapened by what is supposed to be art but in reality is more computer generated than physically hand drawn. The comics that pass themselves off as art tend to bother me. This never pretended to be anything more than slapped together photos to give a story of the life of Phil Heath. Although it ends cheesy, I found the true story itself rather enjoyable.
I found this to be better than the comics I would typically buy. Simply because I could get something out of this. If it was meant to be a real comic on the stands I would rip it apart like I would every other comic and be sickened by it. But since it doesn't really pretend to be something its not, I respect this output.
I'd rather look at this than most of the other true comic books I've seen in the last 5 years.
About 2 years ago I went to the doctor's for having feelings of weakness, chest pains, more migraines than usual for me (something I've suffered from all my life), heart palpitations, instant sweats and occasional heat flashes. I'm 5'9" and I weighed 251lbs. A few years earlier I had finally kicked the habit of smoking cigarettes after 26 years. I quit cold turkey. I gained 50lbs in literally months. I struggled ever since to lose any weight.
Besides that, I was stressed and miserable. I had just finished 15 months of being unemployed and I was working a job I couldn't stand working 13 hr days. I literally felt horrible in every sense of the word.
The doctor told me I was pre-diabetic, suffering from chronic sleep apnea which was giving me frequent migraines, combined with hyper-tension and coping with borderline depression.
I was told I was a ultra-high risk for a stroke or I could have one of my blinding migraines (My migraines start with what is known as an aura blind spot that grows until it takes most of my vision which usually returns within an hour only to suffer the migraine pain). I was told I may go blind at the start of one of my migraines and may never regain my site back. I would have a permanent aura which to me is worse than the migraine pain itself.
Of course as any good doctor would tell a patient, I was told diet and exercise was the best thing I could do. Along with being put on a CPAP machine and numerous prescriptions, I felt like I was an old man in my early 40s. Luckily I took what the doctor said serious.
I started dieting and exercising. I've since have lost 30lbs. I play basketball frequently on weekends. Still I needed more. Something to get me in better shape.
I started working out with weights in February. It wouldn't be the 1st time I've gotten into weights but this time seems the most serious. Now instead of taking prescriptions, they are now gone and replaced with supplements. I work out 7 days a weeks. Not long mind you, just long enough to get a good workout end and short enough that I don't get bored with it or not want to do it. I do it every morning before I take my morning shower.
I'm not buff by any stretch, but I think I've transformed a lot of fat into decent muscle. I don't think I would be ashamed to take my shirt off these days. I wouldn't blow anybody away but I don't think I would look bad for 44 years old.
Along the way I needed more and more motivation. Naturally I got into buying Muscle Magazines and got into reading about the Body Builders and learning their stories. This past weekend was the Superbowl of Body Building, The Mr. Olympia Contest.
A young upstart by the name of Phil "The Gift" Heath was the favorite to win the title over the reigning 4 time champion Jay Cutler. The two are best friends. I watched the entire contest on live feeds on my computer. I enjoyed it a great deal. Phil Heath is not my favorite, I'd leave that honor to current 4th place winner Victor Martinez. But they all seem like decent people who work hard to get their bodies in better shape. I watch their videos on Muscle Development and Flex Online respectively. Their videos are inspiring.
Phil Heath came out and blew everyone away. Jay Cutler finished 2nd. He had a torn bicep that showed bruising while he was posing and the drama was he couldn't look his best. The 1st day he was sadly outclassed. The 2nd day he came in what is known as drier and literally gave Phil Heath all he could handle. But still, Phil won the title and deservedly so. He's called the gift because he was seen as someone who was told he could win a Mr. Olympia title by Jay Cutler way back when he was just getting started bodybuilding. He was known to be naturally gifted with superior genetics that if he trained, he could ultimately contend for a title. This past weekend, that gift became reality.
As I was on Facebook today I had a link show up from Flex Online about a Graphic Novel they had done on Phil Heath back in 2010. I was actually rather impressed with it. Sure, I can see that this is nothing more than photographs photoshopped to give a comic book look, I find it on level with a lot of comics out there today. Cheapened by what is supposed to be art but in reality is more computer generated than physically hand drawn. The comics that pass themselves off as art tend to bother me. This never pretended to be anything more than slapped together photos to give a story of the life of Phil Heath. Although it ends cheesy, I found the true story itself rather enjoyable.
I found this to be better than the comics I would typically buy. Simply because I could get something out of this. If it was meant to be a real comic on the stands I would rip it apart like I would every other comic and be sickened by it. But since it doesn't really pretend to be something its not, I respect this output.
I'd rather look at this than most of the other true comic books I've seen in the last 5 years.
