The Truth on Woman at the Gym

As you know by now I like to people watch. And being at the gym you see all the colors of the rainbow. Today I'm calling out the woman characters I see while I train. I've talked enough crap about the men I see now its time to put the ladies on the hot seat!


We all know the following types of women that join the gym:


THE COUGAR


She is the older, well off and established woman who dresses real nice in the gym. Her makeup is perfect and has bling bling showing. This is the woman who walks around looking at and stalking the younger man who are in good shape. They might as well have a sign stuck to their foreheads that read COME GET ME! Don't worry boys...she will! This woman barely sweats and her main concern is to score a younger man that she can be seen outside the gym with and say HEY look at me....! Probably a midlife crisis! 




THE CHEAP STRIPPER


Theses girls wear little to nothing and dance around the gym, bouncing up and down as if shes performing on a stripper pole for $$$. Don't get me wrong I love looking at beautifull woman like everyone else but there is a time and place for everything.  The gym is my sanctuary and my second home, when I enter I am going to work not fall off the treadmill looking at these girls bending and swinging from machine to machine. Needless to say they take up space...so get out of the way and go into the spin class or something where you can put all this time and effort to work. 




THE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS 


This is the helpless "can you teach me?" girl. Sure... for a fee lady! I have no problem answering a question here and there, but THIS type of lady can be tricky. You feel you have done a good deed right? Wrong! Now you have opened up the door for every question and thought they could possibly have until you put your foot down. I had an incident where I literally told people here is the price now leave me alone! Just like that! Call me an asshole or whatever but my time is valuable.


THE BODYBUILDER


Or wannabe type that stands next to you and tries to match your weights pound for pound. What the hell? Get on with your workout and go enter some show then come see me and we can talk.


This should cover most of the woman that come and go to the gym that are out of the ordinary. The normal woman don't bother me, they come and go like everyone else. They come to get a workout and then go home and live a so called normal life, being physically fit while doing so. The woman I mention in this blog give the good ones a bad rep. 


What have been your experiences with these outlandish women? Are you the prey of any of the Cougars out there? Until next time push like there is no limit in the gym and you will see results.


The Truth

The Truth on 7 Items in a Hardcore Gym Bag

Top 7 important things that should be in a hardcore gym bag:

1. Most important to me is my iPod! You have to have your own music to jam to while you're pushing that weight hot and heavy. The shit thats plays in most gyms is enough to put you to sleep and if you train as early as I do. You need Metallica, Rick Ross, and Eminem. Wake up people! This is a damn Gym you're walking into! This is my playground so if you want to play...these are the rules.

2. Wrist wraps, knee wraps, and elbow wraps. You'll need this stuff if you've been in this as long as I have. Your body starts to make noises and cringes as you push that heavy weight around. NOT GOOD! Do yourself a favor and get these wraps.

3. A good post workout/during workout supplement to sip while you're training to replenish the body while under fire.

4. Definitely a towel of some sort because whether if you're a heifer or a twig, you will sweat! So clean up after yourself please!

5. Notebook. This is a bible for some and has every workout from the day they first entered the gym until the day they fall down or disappear. It's the holy grail to many. It tells them their previous moods, how they felt after they have done their sets, what weights they have used and their body weight at that time. Some runners use iPod and iPhone apps to track their runs for the same purpose. It tells them how far they run, their pace, calories they burn and show a map of where they've gone. Both are great ways to go back and reflect and see your progression.


6. Chalk in a little container. This is for the hardcore and they know it! Heavy deadlifts, heavy bench, etc. If you can find a gym now-a-days that will allow you to use it you're in luck. Most guys make a mess and it gets all over and then all the little pus__s cry to the front desk and that gimmick is done. Years and years ago this was common practice in my gym and that's why I trained there. Because the atmosphere was REAL not some made up place with stickers and door clings showing smiling people losing weight as they do it! Hell no! The people's faces should be grimacing in pain if they are really working!! No pain no gain!

7. Finally a little hidden stash in your bag of some kind of candy bar or nutrition bar that's high in sugar in case you start to feel like you're going to pass out and your sugar levels are crashing. Reach in and eat this for that little pick up to save your ass from crashing to the floor and passing out.


What are your must-haves for your gym bag? Are my top 7 in your gym bag? Let me know.


The Truth

The Truth on Forearms

I love the old Popeye cartoons. He was the man when it came to FOREARMS. Popeye would grab onto his girl Olive Oil and his giant forearms would be popping out of the TV while I sat there watching and wondering how the hell could I get big forearms like him. Spinach..thats it? Go run into the kitchen and cook up some spinach like he eats and it will do wonders.  Yeah right...my ass spinach! I tried it as a little boy and the only thing I got was a seat on the toilet with a stomach ache. Enough of what the government and TV want you to believe. It takes hard work and dedication to get forearms like Popeye, lets admit it. Here are some ideas and exercises that work for me.

1st Grab a bench and sit at the end of it. Reach down and grab a barbell loaded with some weight (I usually start with 25lbs on each side). Take your forearms and run them flush onto the bench between your legs with your hands hanging off the bench holding the barbell losely. Now lower the weight in your hands as it rolls down to a full extension and then bend your hand back up. Kind of like a yoyo but a hell of a lot harder. Do this 15-20 times squeezing the forearms tight as you bring the weight up and down hanging your hands slightly off the bench while doing so. The pump should be so hard that your forearms will feel like they are going to pop. Repeat this for 3 sets and then continue to exercise number 2.

2nd This one is somewhat similar to the last exercise but you are grabbing the barbell over the top of the bar instead of holding it directly in your palms and rotating it upward instead of downward. In a nut shell just the opposite of exercise 1. The object again is tension and squeezing the muscle you are using. Repeat this exercise 3x as above for reps of 15 to 20. If the weight becomes to heavy then lower the poundage but perform the sets.

3rd Here is one of the oldest ways we use to perform forearms and still works to this day in many gyms all over. There will be a handle with a rope on it and weights attached at the end where you can add or take off plates . You will be in a standing position as you take the rope and slowly wind it up using your forearms and the goal is to bring it to a complete stop. The pain will be insane and the pump is dramatic but the best. This exercise is for the hardcore! Not the weak minded pussy cats (we'll use this to be polite) over at Planet FATASS.

Let me know how this goes truth troops. Until next time...

The Truth

The Truth's Visit to Planet Fatness

By now you should all know how I feel about Planet Fatness and their ridiculous lunk alarm! What you don't know is that I went there once in a time of desperate need because my gym's power went out. Here's what happened:

Have you ever gone to this gym? If so tell me what you think.

The Truth

Kevin_The Truth on Planet Fatness

As you all know there is a lot of controversy between serious weight lifter/bodybuilders and Planet Fitness. Google it, its all over the forum on bodybuilding.com, YouTube, etc.

In short, they don't want serious weight lifters and bodybuilders in their gyms. They say they want to provide their customers with a "judgement free zone" to workout and somehow weight lifters grunting will effect that.

No matter who you are you're still judging someone. If you're a thin woman, you're probably staring at the lady next to you that has a better body wishing you could be her, or giving dirty looks to the creepy guy staring at you. The creepy guy is the one Planet Fitness should be kicking out. Not the people breathing hard because their into their work out.

Watch these videos to get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

My commentary:

New commercial bashing bodybuilders:

Man get thrown out of Planet Fitness:

Tell me what you think about this issue.

The Truth

The Truth on Training for Shows

Hello again.

I've begun training for the Southern State and Masters National Bodybuilding Competitions in July. I train for 13 weeks straight, eating clean and training hard. You can follow my Countdown To Judgement Day Blog to watch my progress and see for yourself how its done. It's not easy and as we all know, if it was everyone would do it. So for now watch what I do and hopefully I'll inspire you to reach your goals. My goal is to get first place, yours may be to lose 40 lbs or gain 40 lbs and get jacked. Whatever is it we can do it together. I report my progress to you and you report to me. We talk about our struggles and in the end, come out on top.

Here's a pic of how I'm starting off.

Now watch and learn.

The Truth

The Truth on Kick Ass Cardio

Here is a kick ass cardio burning workout for anyone who needs to either lose a little weight or a lot of weight. I guarantee if you stick with this at least 4 times a week you WILL DROP at least 2-4 lbs a week. The key to all diets is that you need to eat right in conjunction with your diet. HERE WE GO.

Part 1- Start with the treadmill on a 1 or 2 incline and a running speed of 3.3-4.0 and get the your heart rate up and pumping full steam. Run at this speed for 5 minutes then lower the speed down to a walking rate of 2.2 to 2.5 and do this for 5 minutes. No stopping for a break in between just do it. Repeat step 1 again but higher the incline to about 4-6 and start running at the speed of 3.3-4.0 (or whatever works to get your heart rate up). Do this for 5 minutes and then bounce it down to the walking speed but leave the height right were it is. Finish up and then get off and take a breather.

Part 2- Go over to the row machine and lets use a little upper body strength with an aerobic kick to it. Sit down on the rower and the principle is pretty much the same as the treadmill. Crank up the resistance and row for about 5 minutes straight. When the 5 minutes is up lower the resistance to a comfortable pulling weight and push out another hard 5minutes worth of rowing! This is painful but it will work. Take a breather and repeat the whole process over again. 2 SETS of this rotation and then get off of the machine and move to the next.

Part 3- Find the bike rotation in the gym, if you go to Planet Fatness be careful not to sweat on the seat because they'll kick you out. Guess its against the rules...don't sweat at the gym...go figure. Sounds silly to me but what do I know, I'm just dumb bodybuilder. Anyway, sit down get comfortable on the bike and start pedaling away at a nice resistance (not too hard but not too easy) for 5 minutes. Like before with the other 2 parts after you have done the first 5 minutes adjust the resistance and continue for another 5 minutes. Your legs should be on fire and you should be sweating all over the place. Repeat this for one more cycle and then fall off the bike and pat yourself on the back for completing this painful procedure. Do this a couple times a week for a good month and you will see results.

Part 4- Run over to the smoothie bar and order one of those so called low fat muffins filled with sugar and carbs!!! No I'm only teasing...don't do that. Just get some water and go home. 

Try out this workout and tell me what you think! And start reporting you progress to me via Facebook or on my Website!


The Truth

The Truth on the Arnold Sports Festival & Expo 2011

If you've been living under a rock, Mr. Branch Warren took home the title this year.

Check out this video to hear my thoughts on this years Arnold Sports Festival & Expo.

The Truth

The Truth on Childhood Obesity

Today I'm talking to everyone about a serious issue in the United States, Childhood Obesity. Its going on all over the United States. We need to start learning about the issue, stop being sensitive and get our kids healthy. The way to do this is to lead by example. So get to a gym and take your children with you before its too late for them and the bad habits are already created.

Instead of this-

We should see this-

The Truth

The Truth on Manboobs

This topic has been on my mind for a while now. It something I don't enjoy looking at on my peers but still think its pretty hilarious....MANBOOBS! No one whats this. Check out my latest video to see what Im talking about. 

Like what you see? Check out my website! 

The Truth

The Truth on Full Arm Workout

Here is a kick ass bicep workout guaranteed to swell your pipes up quick and hard. This isnt for the weak so if you can't hang don't even try this. 


I use a preacher curl machine, remove the pin and place it into the 100lb slot and proceed to bang out 10 reps. If you have a partner it's his go and he will follow the same routine. After he is done jump back on now and set up 90lbs and proceed to do 10 reps as before. You will be screaming for help as you slowly proceed down the stack until you reach the 10lb mark. When you get done here you will remove the pin and bring it to the halfway point of the weight you started with (in this case 50 lbs) and rip through 15 reps to finish this grueling 15-20 minute straight pounding on your biceps. 


You have accomplished the first part now walk over to the dumbells and grab a 25lb weight and start doing concentration curls one arm at a time for 15 reps squeezing the bicep as you bring the dumbell up. Slowly lower it down and do this for 3 sets. All in all this should only take you about 40-45 minutes to do and your arms will be taxed. 


If you have the corage to do more, proceed over to the push down tricep machine. Just as you did your biceps pick a weight that you can handle for about 10 reps and start doing pushdowns with a mustache handled bar or v bar. When these reps are done let your partner do the same. If the weight you started with is 100 lbs move onto the 90 and so forth all the way down the line again until you finish the stack. 


At this point the pain will be incredible and so will the pump from all the blood being pushed into the front and back of the arm. Dont be alarmed its just your arms slowly tearing threw the skin casuing your arms to appear bigger than life, all the little boys and girls in the gym will slowly start to admire your guns as though you are a SUPERSTAR. 

The Truth On How To Grow

You have to constantly change up your workouts and weights all the time so your body doesn't become use to the exercise regiment you practice. If you keep it the same you may experience a plateau on what you are trying to achieve. 


Lets say for the last 4 weeks you have been doing the same old chest routine. You start with flat bench then go to the incline bench and then end with flys. If you continue this routine over and over the mind and body become complacent and don't work to the point of failure or push past that barrier needed to grow! 


Try doing this as an example to the above. Go to the flat bench and this time lets say instead of starting light and then working your way up to the heaviest you can do reverse the exercise! Start out heavy and then end off light with a crazy high repititions to push that blood up into the chest area. I guarantee that if you do this on and off a couple times your pump will be huge! 


Another way to overcome the plateau is by changing the rep sequence you're doing. Lets say you normally do repetitions of 8-10. This time do 15-18 and use a weight that you can handle. There is no need to be superman in the gym and barely push the weights up and instead your partner is doing back while spotting your dumb ass. (We will talk later about those damn asses I am referring to and who they are again later.) 


A 3rd way of doing these exercises but giving them a slight change is to do them in different sequnces each time you perform chest. This time you might start chest with flys, then do flat press, and finish with inclines. There is no golden rule written that you have to follow the same exercises each time to grow! I know a lot of people don't like change in their lives but in this instance it is a plus to do so! The mind and body are very powerful and we can overcome a lot of obstacles thrown their way, so you have to continue to challenge your mind and your body. THATS IF YOU WANT TO BE LIKE ME SOMEDAY OR ELSE YOU CAN STAY A P_ _ SY AND WEAR A SMALL TSHIRT!!



Tell me what you think on Facebook or leave me a comment right here on blogger. Let me know how you like to change it up and the success stories you may have pushing past a plateau. And if you know any of those dumb asses I was talking about, tell me about that too. 


The Truth

The Truth on The Arnold Classic 2011 Predictions

As everyone knows, I'm a huge fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and respect him for paving the way for bodybuilders. He hosts the Arnold Sports Festival and Expo which always ends with one of my favorite competitions, The Arnold Classic. I go every year, check out some of my youtube videos for stories about the Arnold and who I've met over the years. But anyway, every year I like to make my predictions, as to who will when and how the top 6 place.

These were my predictions for the Arnold Classic 2011, which I also posted on my facebook page:
1. Victor Martinez
2. Branch Warren
3. Dexter Jackson
4. Ronnie Rockel
5. Evan Centropani
6. Dennis Wolf

The actual winners were as follows:
1. Branch Warren- Taking home a Grand Prize of $130,000 and the GLORY!
2. Dennis Wolf- Also got Most Entertaining Poses Award
3. Victor Martinez
4. Evan Centropani
5. Dexter Jackson
6. Ronnie Rockel

My picks were all over the board, but shit I had the right people just in the wrong place... As for, Branch, he is  well deserving and the hardest working guy in bodybuilding! I love him and am glad he won.

The Truth

The Truth on Why I Body Build

I would like to talk about the questions I get asked the most by most people I meet. They ask me, "Why do you lift weights and compete?", "Why do you torture yourself by not eating what you want?", "Do you make money doing this?". These are good questions but If I felt they were truely honest from the heart I wouldn't laugh about it! This is ignorance on most people asking becuase they are just being assholes about it and are lazy AND CANT TRAIN THEMSELVES. Here are the reasons why I am a body builder and what is a bodybuilder to me?

1. I train every morning at 5am religously becuase it starts my day off right and gets the blood flowing. Its kind of like brushing your teeth everyday, if you miss it your mouth smells like shit and you know its because you didnt brush! So needless to say I train everyday due to that energy flow needed that I get from doing this to start my day out!

2. I train hard and heavy with weights, due to that adrenalin rush I get when grabbing a 120lb dumbell and pressing it out for 10 or so reps knowing in my mind that I have just overcome something a lot of people can't do or will ever do!  That feeling of adrenalin allows me to release stress and aggravation from the day before at work, etc. I focus this anger and use it as motivation to push onward and channel this into a massive amount of strength towrd the weights!  Trust me you'll feel 100% better in the afternoon if you do this. This will also prevent you from going to jail if someone decides to cut you off while driving to work and you happen to spill coffee on yourself while driving. Take it from me, I am one of these people who in the past would have thrown my coffe cup at you if you cut me off and I caught up to you!

3. I dont train for money, prizes, or trophies! I train for the love of the sport and the overall feeling I get when I accomplish a show I have been training for. This sport is all about you and no one else. You can't blame your teammate if something goes wrong. If you loose, most of the time its due to you not being prepared. When you walk out onto that stage and look out into the crowd you can't hide behind anyone because its too late. Its you and the music and your mind! Be prepared to do battle. If you give it 100% you will be rewarded. Maybe not always 1st place but mentally you should be rewarded for the long hard road you have overcome. For everyone out there who reads this and knows what this feeling is, you are my brothers and to those that haven't taken this walk then you will never know this feeling.

4. I love this one: "How much do you bench?". I answer it with "I AM A BODYBUILDER NOT A WEIGHT LIFTER......duh!". Then I usually get looked at with a blank stare. Well I might lift weights but I use this to build a better body, kind of like a painter when he paints a picture. You will go sroke for stroke with a brush each time painting to get a better end result and piece of art. This is the same thing with weights, day by day as I get closer to the show date I bring a differnt approach each time, tightening the body up bringing out more vascularity and hardness. When the final day comes I look into the mirror and Bang! I have become a bodybuilder. And I do it with hard work and dedication not weights. 

5. "Why do you lift weights?" is another one.  I answer with "Why do you play golf?" or "...bowl?" or " ...play baseball?". Because I love too! Now stop asking me this shit! Especially from people who have known me for years! Yes the eating part sucks, but after the first 2 weeks down the hatch every sweet potato and chicken taste the same. Blah! But I tell myself the food is just for energy, not pleasure, and flip the gears on my mind. You will find as you go on, it will get a little easier. If not then you're a little girl and need to go play golf or tennis.

6. Not everyone can be a bodybuilder but EVERYONE can lift weights. I encourage you to do so, and exercise as much as possible. But for us bodybuilders, it's a world most will never understand.

The Truth

The Truth on Spin Class

The Truth's Flex Pro Invitational Predictions for 2011

My top 5 predictions for the Flex Pro Invitational in Santa Monica, CA were:

1st Dexter Jackson 
2nd Dennis Wolf
3rd Evan Centopani
4th Ben White
5th Fouah Abiad


The Results were as follows:


1st Evan Centopani
2nd Dexter Jackson
3rd Fouad Abiad
4th Dennis Wolf
5th Ben Pakulski


It was an upset. Evan deserved it I just hope this doesn't put Dexter into retirement. Dexter in a hero and this guy came and crushed him. I want Dexter to keep going and win at the Arnold. 

The Truth's Top 10 Favorite Bodybuilders of All Time

1. The godfather of bringing that heavy grainy muscular look onto the stage that we weren’t use to seeing at that time and one of my idols...DORIAN YATES BLOOD AND GUTS VIDEO BABY WATCH IT!!! For all you pussies who think you’re hardcore, tune into this and you will really see hardcore training at its best!

2. Flex wheeler. You got to love Flex Wheelers overall physique he brought to the stage. His small waist and broad shoulders are one of the best ever in the business. I think he got robbed in I think it was 1996 against Coleman. But whatever he is still the man and is always a nice guy whenever we meet.

3. Kevin Levrone, another old time beast! Great shoulders and one of the best sets of arms in the business! Thumbs up to him coming out to Rage Against The Machine at the British Grand Prix bodybuilding show. (One of the greatest shows ever. Look it up on google and you will see why I say this.)

4. Lee priest. One for the short guys…like me. 504 lb. monster in his own time. Lee you were the best brother! Superman all the way!

5. ARNOLD. We all know why. If it weren’t for the Governor we probably wouldn’t be where we are today with the whole bodybuilding thing!! He is the real FATHER OF BODYBUILDING.

6. Ronnie Coleman. How can anyone argue about him. Ronnie was a monster, always trained hard and heavy and brought it to the stage each and every time.

7.  Jay Cutler, the Mr. Olympia at this time and deserves it. Jay is the poster child for the Mr. Olympia title and everything about it. Squeaky clean image and you couldn’t ask for a better spokesman for the sport.

8. One of my favorites Dexter Jackson. You got to love him. He has survived amongst the monsters with his razor hard physique and fitness for all these years. Dexter is a nice guy and I personally have had the pleasure of competing in his shows and won several times. He is a class act plus a local Florida guy. Thumbs up brother to you!

9. Lee Labrada. He was also a great inspiration to me at my early years due to his status in height but always brought that tight hard look with great tie-ins each and every time. Lee if there was a 202 class back in the day you would of been fine but when you had to face off against the like of Lee Haney, Mike Christian, etc. you were in the land of giants.

10. Branch Warren. Trains like a monster, eats like a monster and is veiny and vascular like no other. Plus he is one of the strongest bodybuilders you will ever see. How the hell a man rips not one tricep but two, off the bone and comes back stronger than before is beyond me!! How the hell did he do this!! Branch also plays some hardcore music to his routines on stage which kick ass.

The Truth on Diet Plans

Over the years of bodybuilding and nutrition (24 yrs) I have gained a great wealth of knowledge from other Distinct Trainers and nutritionists along with my own personal trials and errors. I have trained many woman and men all ages for about 10-15 years now. Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns in helping you get your life back into the shape that it needs to be. You will be much happier with your self once you gain control of your diet and training. The services I provide are 10-12 week diet plans, training routines and personal training one on one if you’re ever in my area. Please email me to get pricing and arrangements.

The Truth on Triceps

Here's an instructional video on triceps for those of you that don't have time to make it to the gym. This 3 minute video will show you exercises you can do on your lunch break. 

The Truth

The Truth on the George Foreman Grill

Today's blog is about having the right tools for success, one of my favorite's being the George Foreman Grill. 

Now that you've watched it, tell me what you think. How do you use your Foreman Grill? And what are some of your favorite tools?

The Truth