Yes, I am sick so I figured I better get a blog entry up here before I go a full week between entries…. again.
I struggle for ideas, sometimes, so I end up not entering anything if I don’t have an idea to write about. I admit that I have struggled a lot, lately, and I don’t like to force a lame entry because I feel that when I do that, everyone can tell. I was going through my facebook a couple days ago and it hit me what I needed to blog about ….
Now, I do admit to using situations that piss me off or things that people do that irritate the shit out of me for my blogs so it is very possible that if the right people read my blogs that they will see themselves and get all pissy about being made an example of. Oh well. If you do stupid shit and I catch you and I write about it, who’s fault is that?? If you speed and get a ticket is it the cop’s fault for giving you the ticket? I think not. So, it is hardly my fault if you are caught doing something stupid and I write about it. My friends know to watch their P’s and Q’s around me so that it doesn’t end up here so you better do the same.
It takes me a while to get to my point so just hang in there ….
I am bouncing around facebook and I come across an acquaintance that just competed and he has posted a bunch of pictures of himself and is pretty proud of his condition and for good reason. He was in his best condition to that date and had made pretty solid improvements from the last time he was on stage. Nice kid and I have gotten along well with him in the past so we don’t have any issues between us that I am aware of (until he reads this blog and recognizes I am talking about him). I am going through his pictures and I notice a couple comments by him about his placing being “controversial” and I thought it odd that he would say that but didn’t really care to research it too much. I just kept looking at the pics. I noticed another comment on another picture about how he should have won it all and I figured that this is still quite normal as people tend to not always be good with their placing and think they should have been a place or two higher. Still didn’t strike me. However, I get done looking at the pics and I notice that there are a ton of comments on his wall about the show and others commenting on how he should have blown everyone away and the general consensus is that he got screwed over from the judges. I always laugh at this because if you know anything about the judging of a show it is incredibly difficult to do this let alone at the national level. You would have to get a LOT of judges together before the PJing and basically say that “so and so is competing and we want to screw him over” and that is about the only way to do it. One judge can’t do anything and even a couple can’t do anything because the top 2 and bottom 2 scores are thrown out and then the remaining scores are averaged. You have to have a completely corrupt panel of judges, not just one or two judges, to screw someone over.
So, I am reading through the comments and they are primarily from college-aged kids saying things like “you got screwed bro, it was yours and they fucked you” and stupid shit from college sluts like “f them c u at the beach 2morrow and you should have 1 cuz u’s HOTTA than thoz otha guyz”. Even his mom came on and was telling him that he should have won. Now, your mom is alway gonna think you should win because ….. well… she is YOUR MOM. She kind of HAS to think you are the best. Note to you dumbasses that give your friends and family the credentials of a bodybuilding judge: They don’t know shit about your sport other than you shave your ass and balls and put on oil and tan stain and get on stage and flex your muscles. Deep down they probably think you are retarded and/or borderline gay but they support you because they are your friends and family. Again, they kind of HAVE to. Hell, I have competed for over 20 years and even I think it seems gay sometimes. Note to gays: Nothing wrong with being gay. I use the word gay sometimes to make a point because straight people don’t want to do things that might make them look gay. It isn’t about being “scared” of doing something gay. It is because we aren’t gay and don’t want to do gay things much like gays don’t want to do straight things like …. march in normal parades where people aren’t half naked and making out. I digress …… Point is, don’t count on your family or friends to tell you anything other than that you are a badass and should have beaten everyone up there. They aren’t wrong for saying it, your dumbass is wrong for believing it.
So, I keep track of his page for a couple days to see if it might die off what with the show being so close and figuring that with time he would settle down and see that he was, in fact, judged fairly and accept it a little more. LOL Yeah, right. At this point his responses are getting a little stupid as he is saying cliche things to kind of motivate himself – like, he isn’t responding with comments for others to read, he is instead responding with comments like he is talking out loud to himself to motivate himself. Kind of an odd Tony Robbins kind of thing. One of the things he posted was something like: “yeah, X place this time but next time I will destroy them and be on my way to my pro card – oh yeah baby” or something embarrassing like that. Truth is, I was actually impressed with his placing because I didn’t think he was really that good that he would place where he did. I mean, the show was a national show (I won’t mention the show) but it ended up not being a terribly tough or deep line up. None-the-less, he was in his best condition but was just too damned thin (and tall) for his weight class. He wasn’t beaten on condition which is a good thing but he was absolutely beaten on muscularity and structure – both of which I know first hand can get your ass beaten at the national level so don’t think condition will carry you because it damned sure won’t.
So, his comments didn’t die off but continued even after a couple people responded that he probably shouldn’t be such a shitty loser and keep his yapper shut (verbatim and it was pretty funny – thanks Sam) and have some class. What?? A bodybuilder carry himself with class after a show? Whatever are you talking about, Skip?? My clients HAVE to because I insist on it and I discuss with them my philosophy of competing several times over the course of a prep. You train and diet to win but you have no control over who shows up so you control what you can control, get into the best shape of your life and then you accept that the judges decisions are what counts for the placings of that show, win, lose or draw. I also tell them you may not agree but the judges don’t have any interest in screwing you out of a placing. Be proud of your hard work and accept your placing with class and dignity.
ADD: I know this doesn’t fit real well but I wanted to add something: Please, please don’t run around trying to impress people by telling them that you are going to win a pro card in this sport. I know I blogged about chasing a pro card before but it has to be said again. When you do this to try to impress your dumbass college friends it looks really pathetic to the people that actually know you won’t get a pro card in this lifetime (and you likely know it, as well). To say something like that is something a young kid would say when he doesn’t understand what it takes to get there and that, genetically, he likely doesn’t have any idea that it isn’t even a remote possibility. I am not saying that you shouldn’t dream and that you shouldn’t set the bar very high but at least be realistic and think about what you are saying before you say it. Reality is something that a lot of people don’t really grasp, fully, and they should.
Now, I am again out of material so if someone could do something really stupid or gay, that would be great. Just make sure to let me know what it was that you did so that you don’t do something stupid and gay and then, God forbid, I don’t even get to see it or know about it.
Skip

I haven’t been posting as frequently as I would like in my blog but I did want to get this entry up before the weekend. TEAMSKIP has several clients in shows this weekend and I need to give props and let you know who will be where.
My long time buddy, Dion, whom I have known since the 6th grade is competing this weekend for the first time since 1990 when he took 2nd in the natural California. He took up cycling shortly after that last show and did long distance cycling for over 15 years. Only recently was I able to convince him to get back into the game and after only 1 year of offseason and then this contest prep, he will be a middleweight at the Colorado State show this weekend. I am proud of the work he has done and even more proud to see him come back to the sport that we both fell in love with so long ago in Michigan. For me to be able to prep him and help him get into condition to get back on stage has been a great feeling for me.

1 week from the Colorado State

Another client that is going to be on stage at the Colorado State show is Nick Zaharis. He is originally from Maine but moved to Colorado Springs about 8 months ago and this will be his first show. He will be a heavyweight and I anticipate both he and Dion to do very well this weekend.

Nick at 2 days out

Another client competing this weekend is a guy that goes by the name of getnbggger on IntenseMuscle.com. He will be competing as a welterweight at the Masters Nationals. He has taken 7th place at Nationals before and you may recognize him from the opening physiques on teamskip.net.

1 week out

Kevin will be competing at the Collegiate Nationals this weekend and even though we have been racing the clock for this prep and Kevin having one obstacle after another to deal with during this prep, I am confident that things will come together for this show over the next couple days. kevin will be a heavyweight for the first time at this show.

2 other competitors competing this weekend that I didn’t have full control over their prep but did consult with them is my long time friend Hans VanderGronden from Michigan who will be competing at the Master’s Nationals as a lightheavy and Graham who is competing at teen nationals, as a heavyweight, as well.

Big shouts to all TEAMSKIP clients this weekend and I will post results and observations after the weekend is over and the dust has settled.

Skip

Sometimes, in the process of procuring as much lean muscle as possible or getting as ripped as we can, we lose sight of the health aspects that we can benefit from, as well. I mean, looking huge and ripped isn’t going to do you much good if you are dead. I don’t want someone to come to my funeral and say “damn, that guy is huge and ripped laying there – how did they get his huge, dead ass into that coffin?” I want them to say, instead “that old son of a bitch looks like shit but he lived to be 107 years old and was still chasing ass as late as last week”. If you want to go out big and ripped, go for it. I am going out old as hell, wrinkled and drooling on myself holding an empty bottle of viagra.
I encourage you to make a list and on one side list the things you do or the reasons that you are healthy. On the other side list the things that you do that are unhealthy and take a long hard look at your list. Here is my list of the reasons that I am healthy:
I am healthy because ….. I pay attention to my body and what it is telling me. If I am trying to put on size but I am snoring like Dante when his CPAP mask falls off in the middle of the night, I take notice of this. If I am holding water in my ankles or I am short on breath from eating so much throughout the day, I pay attention to this instead of just dismissing it. If something hurts I don’t try to “train around it”.
I am healthy because … I do cardio on a consistent basis no matter if I am precontest or in the offseason. When you do cardio all the time on a regular basis it isn’t a chore and just becomes part of your day. I don’t necessarily enjoy cardio but I don’t think about it – much like wiping my ass – I just figure I have to do it so why complain about it?
I am healthy because … I eat clean including vegetables and fruits and I get my fat from healthy sources. I pay attention to my nutrition no matter if it is offseason or during a prep. I still also take vitamins and probiotics to help with digestion, too. I stay away from milk and only choose lean protein sources.
I am healthy because … I don’t drink or use tobacco or other recreational drugs. I have worked hard to get to where I am and I don’t want to treat my body like shit by going out and tying one on. I have a personality without drinking so drinking is no more fun to me than not drinking. In fact, the only thing I do when drinking that I don’t do when I am sober is risk making an ass out of myself by doing something stupid. I don’t understand the attraction to drinking, at all. Apparently, I have other dysfunctional ways of coping with life but that will be saved for another blog sometime in the future.
I am healthy because …. I surround myself with positive, motivated people. Negativity, in my opinion, is not healthy. I try to stay away from it as much as I can and remain as positive as I can.
I am healthy because …. I laugh a lot. This goes with the last entry because laughing is positive and studies have shown that people who laugh regularly are healthier people.
I am healthy because … I train hard but I train smart and as you get older, the latter becomes just as important, if not more so, than the former.
I am healthy because …. I feel the need to role model for my kids and for others that look to me for direction and instruction. I lead by example and I want to impact as many people in a positive way that I possibly can.
I am healthy because …. I choose to be. I don’t have to be healthy and neither do you. It is just something that I have decided is important to me and that I want to live a long life that keeps me feeling young and strong and able to do things when I am older that I could do when I was younger.
We can control a lot more than most people think as far as what diseases we get, how long we live, our quality of life, etc.. I plan to live a long time but I also know that to enjoy yourself and have the ability to do activities when you get older is very important. Taking care of yourself isn’t that difficult. In fact, there is little excuse for not paying attention to your health.
Skip

The Colorado State Show is coming up next weekend so it got me thinking ….. Of course, Melissa and I will be going because I have a few clients in the show and, well, I admit that I wouldn’t miss going to the show even if I didn’t have anyone in the show. I like this show and it holds “value” for me in that this is the only show that I truly wanted to win and haven’t. It just has that nostalgic … something for me, for some reason, I don’t know. Anyhow, I didn’t get to thinking about the show as much as I got to thinking about who was going to go with us to the show. When I got to talking to Melissa about who we might ask to go, some things occurred to me about my friends that I thought I might regurgitate here in my blog.
First, I don’t have a lot of friends and neither does Melissa. We know a lot of people and we have a lot of acquaintances but few people that I will truly call friends. Friends you trust and would do anything for you and you don’t have to question whether they would do the same for you. Now, I have a lot of great acquaintances, too, that we have fun with and hang out with and do fun stuff with. I just don’t know them well enough to know whether they would have my back or not when, or if, the shit hit the fan.
So, we are thinking about who might go and then it also occurred to me that we have several friends with very different backgrounds, some of which might not enjoy a bodybuilding show. Hell, some of my friends don’t even train. WTF??? Skip has friends that don’t train??? I know, right? And thank God I do. As much as I would like to go to the show with someone that is interested in bodybuilding, most of the other times that we hang out with friends we could care less about bodybuilding or nutrition or training, etc.. I mean, imagine if you were a turd burglar and all day you work along side people that steal turds and all they do is talk about the best way to steal turds. Then, you go home from your turd burglar job and … you invite other turd burglars over to hang out and, you guessed it, talk about stealing turds. How fun is that conversation? I mean, you work all day doing something and you would think that the LAST thing you would want to talk about when you get home and can hang out with your friends is the same damned thing you work all day long doing. ?? Look, I love what I do but ….. I don’t want to talk about it 24/7. I want to hang out with people that can carry on a conversation outside of stealing turds, err, I mean bodybuilding.
I have a few friends that are very well rounded and even though they are into bodybuilding they can carry on a conversation about politics or debate religion and it is a great exchange. I enjoy talking about parenting and sports and the snowmobiles that I want to get before the snow flies later this year and things of that nature. I want to know what you do for work and talk about YOUR career so that I don’t have to talk about mine and maybe talk about guns and other very republican things. When we go to breakfast on Sundays with some friends that are bodybuilders we also have friends that go that aren’t and it is great to get together and not once speak of anything to do with nutrition other than how damned good my bananas foster pancakes taste.
I understand that there are people that just want to hang out with “their own kind” and that is fine and their prerogative but that isn’t me and that isn’t my wife. Neither of us are going to break into our posing routines at a party or run down a pro to take pictures with if we see them in a restaurant somewhere. Some of the most boring people I know are people that their entire existence is focused around the gym.
So, who did we decide to go with to the show? No one. We are going by ourselves so that after the show we don’t have to sit at the Cheesecake Factory and talk about …. you guessed it: competing and bodybuilding and …. blah, blah, blah. We will likely sneak out of the venue and get to a small club that caters to what we want to do that night. It might be clean, it might be dirty but I can tell you that it will have nothing, at all, to do with bodybuilding.
Skip

I have been getting a lot of questions about what I am doing in the off season this year so I figured I would respond here. It is none of your fucking business. That should about cover it. Thank you.
Seriously, I am doing so many different things that I am hesitant to even mention them for fear that some of you will just jump in and do them too and they may not work well in the end. Look, I experiment so I am going to be doing some things that just simply won’t pan out or work at all and some other things will work great. It is so early in my offseason that I have no idea what will pan out and what will not.
I am currently still doing 100g protein drinks and I love it. This one will likely pan out just fine but it isn’t the cheapest thing to do because protein powder isn’t cheap. Another bone I will throw is that I am waking and doing 2 cups of fresh fruit with a scoop of BCAA powder right away. Why? Because as most of you know I like my coffee in the morning for an hour or even more before I eat my first meal. I have gone YEARS with eating my first meal 1.5 to 2 hours after I get up and after I enjoy my pot of coffee everyday. I have been doing this to get something in me right away and yet not have it get in the way of my enjoying my coffee. I make a fresh fruit salad every 3 or 4 days and keep it in the fridge.

I am going to offend the DC training Gods with this one but I have gone back to not separating carbs and fats to a certain degree. I do cut carbs completely at some point in the day but I am having some added fat with my carb meals earlier in the day. What? Skip is having CARB meals???? I added carb meals, as well, about 2 weeks ago. I am not terribly hip to it because my guts hate me and my wife will hate me shortly if she doesn’t already due to the incredible gas that is emitted on a regular basis. I find myself disgusted with myself if that gives you any idea of how bad it is. I do think it is getting better and I hope that this continues because it is not fun.
Now, there are some up sides to the added carbs. First, I have never been this full. It is almost painful how full I am, sometimes. The pumps are insane and I am not talking about in the gym, only. I am talking about walking up stairs and having my calves want to explode or shaving my head and having one delt want to explode. This is affecting my strength, as well. It has skyrocketed (or started to) with the addition of the carbs. I find myself handing weights without that depleted shaking thing going on and the muscles just feel better while training.
I am currently only training 3 days a week with a moderate volume program. It isn’t real low volume but it wouldn’t be considered a very high volume approach, either. I am focusing on my chest and back size and leg size, too, this offseason. Training at Armbrust Pro Gym has been a Godsend. I absolutely love the place.
I don’t have a lot of time so I apologize for the lack of consistent updates but I will be getting them posted in a more consistent pattern very quickly. I still have a few things that I haven’t yet decided that I want to give away but I am sure I will in due time. For now, the progress is coming very nicely and I anticipate my biggest and best off season.
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