Bodybuilding

Since my initial post when I mentioned I’d be doing the Greater Gulf States Bodybuilding Championships this year, it’s been a while since I’ve written anything.  A lot has happened over the past month and as a result, a lot is going on now.  For those of you who know me, bodybuilding is a huge passion of mine and I’m continually pursuing my passion, trying to make improvements each year.  I’d like to talk personally about a couple of things that many of you may not know.  I’m like all other bodybuilders in the sense that training, diet, sleep and supplementation are a constant thought and focus everyday.  Where I’m different than most bodybuilders is the fact that I have somewhat of an entrepreneurial spirit, which comes from my fiancee who is a true entrepreneur.  Together, we are constantly trying to think of ways to maximize and leverage our skills, both online and offline, to better ourselves and our community.

What happens when you try to do that?  Stress!

I’m currently in a full-time job that requires a lot of mental focus – reading, writing, conference calls, video conferences, etc…  It’s the nature of the beast in an office environment.  Like most people, I’m not quite cut out for that type of workspace so I’ve been looking for ways to get out of that and still be able to support myself.  Each day when I get out of my full-time job, it’s time to hit the weights, grocery shop, cook my food and contribute to Be Fit NOLA, and our other fitness endeavors, as much as possible.  There are truly not enough hours in the day.  It’s always been a goal of mine to be employed in the health & fitness industry full-time – that’s a goal I’ve never forgotten and it’s ingrained in my mind which is why I’m doing everything I’m doing right now.

The unfortunate part about this hectic life I’m currently living is the stress that comes with it.  As you know, stress is not something beneficial for anyone, especially a bodybuilder.  I recognize this stress and I try my hardest to keep myself focused, organized and settled but sometimes things can get a little overwhelming; I’m sure many  of you can relate to that piece.  In bodybuilding, you’ve got to be on your “game” because your competitors are working just as hard, if not harder than you are.  In my mind, I always think that my intensity in the gym is never high enough so I’m always pushing myself to the max.

As you can probably tell by everything I’ve written up to this point, things will gradually reach a boiling point, or point of exhaustion.  When this happens, I try to take some down time.  I know my body pretty well and it will tell me when I need to take a break.  I’ve been going non-stop for years, both in the Marine Corps and in Iraq.  It has, in a sense, become a way of life for me.  I’m getting older now though and I’m getting to the point where I’m ready to begin toning it down a notch and benefiting from all the years of hard work I’ve put in – I can finally see that light at the end of the tunnel which is a great feeling.

Being in New Orleans has become a blessing in disguise for me because of the exponential opportunities that exist here.  I plan on taking advantage of that!  I’m still in off-season training right now and I’m still on par to compete this summer at the Greater Gulf States.  I have one last trip next week with the Marine Corps before I can fully settle into a more subtle routine where I can focus better on my diet and training giving myself some much needed consistency.

Keep an eye on me as I’ll begin to reveal my upcoming plans and my continued pursuit of bodybuilding!

As many of you know by now, Aaron is an aspiring bodybuilder.  He did his first competition last year and will be doing the Greater Gulf States Bodybuilding Championship this year. Health and Fitness are Aaron’s love and passions.

I’m very proud of him – being a bodybuilder takes a lot of time, discipline and hard work.  Aaron really was a very skinny kid (I’ve seen the pictures) so he’s had to dedicate himself to create the physique that he has and he has done so in the least favorable of conditions.

I’m truly happy that FLEX Magazine chose to feature Aaron in their My Story area of the magazine.  It’s great exposure for Aaron but also for New Orleans Bodybuilding scene. I hope you will pick up a copy and check-out Aaron’s story.  Also, do stay tune… as he will continue to write about his journey right here on the Be Fit NOLA blog. Click on the images to enlarge.

Coming off of a successful bodybuilding season in 2009, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to compete in the 2010 season because of everything on my plate – a full time job, Be Fit NOLA, training and a limited budget.  However, after much thought and encouragement from Ann and others in the community, I’ve decided I’m going to train for and compete in the 2010 Greater Gulf States Bodybuilding Championships – 26 June 2010.  Ann knows what to expect this time around with the competition prep and she’s pushing me to go forth and make it happen.

Usually when I have a thought about doing something I tend to only put forward 50% effort and I can be easily distracted; in this case that thought was competing.  I knew I wanted to compete but I wasn’t sure about being able to do it.  That thought became a reality when I made the decision to commit to it; this forces me to adjust my schedule and make it happen.

Now that the decision has been made, it’s time to start buckling down on diet, training and outside activities.  Since deciding to compete this year, I’ve developed my nutrition and training program for the rest of this off-season.  My precontest program will come into play about 8-9 weeks out, depending on my conditioning around 3 months out from the show.  Similar to my show last year, I’ll be writing about my training, diet, supplementation, etc… leading up to the competition.  This took a little extra effort last year to do but it was well worth it because it allowed me to communicate with others about my contest prep and it also allowed people to follow someone who was in preparation for a bodybuilding competition.  In New Orleans, there is no one doing this so I hope I’m able to shed some positive light and give good insight to others interested in bodybuilding.

For those of you who don’t know me, I just returned from Iraq last year and moved to New Orleans with my fiancee, Ann.  The New Orleans culture was a big shock to me but I’ve come to embrace this city because of its unique culture and what it has to offer.  While I was in the process of making my transition back into a “normal” environment, I met some great folks around the city who helped me get situated in the bodybuilding community.  I hope to continue to meet more great people and highlight bodybuilding, as well as health & fitness in the Greater New Orleans area.

Please follow me as I prepare to battle some great local New Orleanians in what I will call an unforgetable 2010 bodybuilding season in New Orleans!

Since posting my initial bodybuilding blog I’ve been doing a lot of research on bodybuilding in New Orleans and throughout the rest of Louisiana hoping to find new and updated information to share with everyone.  Well, there isn’t much information available on the internet despite there being a great bodybuilding community.  What I find is bodybuilding, similar to health and fitness in New Orleans, gets overlooked because no one has taken the lead on educating others on the available resources in the area.  I’m going to put some focus on highlighting bodybuilding, events, meetings, seminars, etc… to help connect athletes so they are informed.

One good place to start out is the Louisiana National Physique Committee (NPC), where you can view the 2010 calendar of upcoming events.  Luke Tesvich, Louisiana NPC Chairman, tries to keep everyone informed on NPC related events; you’ll find this site informative because it lists different athlete meetings, as well as, the competitions and seminars for the region.  On Facebook, a gentlemen named Allen Wess Coon has taken the initiative to try to provide motivational content through a group called Louisiana Muscle.  This is all excellent stuff and it’s a great starting point to get bodybuilding going again in the GNO.  Below are a couple of key dates to mark in your calendar this year:

2010 Bodybuilding, Figure, Bikini & Wheelchair Championship events:

• May 22^nd Shreveport NPC Optimum Classic
• June 19^th Baton Rouge NPC Red Stick Classic
• June 26^th Metairie NPC Greater Gulf States
• July 10^th Lafayette NPC Louisiana State

Above I mentioned “getting bodybuilding going again”; there was a much stronger presence years ago and dated back into the 1960s.   I was fascinated to find out Boyer Coe, a bodybuilding superstar in the Arnold Schwarzenegger days, was a Louisiana native from Lake Charles.  Boyer’s bodybuilding titles include: Teen Mr. America, Junior Mr. USA, Junior Mr. America, Mr. America, Mr. Universe, Mr. International, Pro Mr. World, Grand Prix Champion and IFBB Weider Hall of Fame member.

As you can see, there is a history to Louisiana and bodybuilding so it’s a goal of Be Fit NOLA to revitalize that and to bring some NOLA swagger back to the industry.  There is so much that can be done online to increase visibility and awareness for Louisiana bodybuilding.  I’ll continue to do research and share what I find.  I encourage everyone to do some searching too and share your findings and thoughts on how to highlight the bodybuilding community that exists in the Greater New Orleans area now.  We’d also like to begin an interview series with local bodybuilders so they can get the recognition they deserve for all their hard work.  If you’d like to be interviewed, let us know!

Big Easy…Bourbon St…Bodybuilding…   What?   Bodybuilding?  Yep, New Orleans has a bodybuilding scene not to mention a large and diverse health & fitness community.  As a matter of fact, each year New Orleans (Metairie) hosts a National Physique Committee (NPC), National Qualifiying Bodybuilding competition, the Greater Gulf States.  Last year in 2009, the special guest poser was Dexter Jackson; Dexter Jackson is a former Mr. Olympia.  To those of you who don’t know what being Mr. Olympia means; it’s the title for being the #1 bodybuilder in the world.

Being a Florida bodybuilder newly relocated to New Orleans, I’ve got to tell you, this was a big culture shock for me because fitness isn’t all around like it is in the Daytona Beach/Orlando/Miami areas.  Having said that though, I’m surprised at the number of gyms, health clubs, fitness centers and personal training/boot camps there are in the Greater New Orleans area.  Believe it or not, there are several 24 hour gyms because people do train hard in this town.

–Most recognizable bodybuilding/fitness facilities I’ve trained at:

• French Riviera
• Snap Fitness
• Elmwood
• New Orleans Athletic Club (NOAC)

While traveling around to all of the GNO gyms, I’ve met some great bodybuilders; (former and present) impressive guys who are dedicated and consistent in pursuing their passion of bodybuilding.  Chances are…if you’re training in the GNO area, you’ll run into someone who is in some type of contest prep for a competition.  Some of you might know Mark Marcev, Luke Tesvich, John Blackwell or Chuck Biggio; these are just a few of the great guys I’ve have the chance to train & pose with, as well as, share my thoughts and discuss the bodybuilding scene with in the area.

One thing I find very interesting is how much we’re approached in the gym.  I’m constantly stopped while I’m training because people are fascinated by the type of physique I have.  It’s not too common to see someone that is conditioned and big so people love to ask a lot of questions.  It’s a humbling feeling for me and as much as I’m “in the zone” training I am more than willing to stop to give someone a quick tip.  If I can be a good role model for the sport and help bring bodybuilding out of the closet here in New Orleans than I’m all for it.  I love to see people motivated about bodybuilding!

This is just one of many posts I’ll write about bodybuilding; bodybuilding is my passion.  Let us know what you think about bodybuilding in New Orleans, what shows you’re training for and any other thoughts you have.

Now, let’s get in there and do this!