Human Growth Hormone

In the year 2000 I participated in a UCLA Medical Center study for HGH, or human growth hormone. The study was conducted in part to determine what the ideal dose of HGH would be in those prescribed it. I stayed in the study just three months due to the physical discomfort, especially in my hands and feet.
Around age 21 the ends of our bones seal off and further bone growth stops. This means, for one thing, after age 21 we won't be getting any taller. I'm not an expert in HGH, just a short-term participant in a medical study, but I do know that HGH used in children who are deemed small for their age accelerates both bone and muscle growth. In adults, the bones can no longer lengthen. The effect on me personally was that my bones were trying to grow regardless of their inability to do so, which created pressure at the ends of bones, in my hands, feet and legs. In addition, I had up to that point had developed what I thought was an esthetically pleasing physique. My ideal weight was 185 lbs., but after three months on HGH I weighed 200 lbs., and I was no longer happy with my appearance. So this esthetic result too contributed to my disenchantment with HGH and ending my participation in the study.
Many bodybuilders' main goal is indeed size, but my priority was "the look" as I perceived it to be, rather than getting big at any cost. Both friends and strangers however reacted very positively to the change in me. A noted sculptor, Kira Od, asked that I pose for her for her series of bronze castings of male physiques topped by animal heads, such as horse, or in my case, a water buffalo.
In the end, the decision to employ the use of medically supervised testosterone, nandrolone or HGH is a highly personal one. These three pharmaceuticals saved thousands of lives in the 80s and 90s when the AIDS epidemic was at is most horrifying, when muscle wasting was the number one cause of terrible bacterial and fungal infections' ability to take a foothold in patients and no drugs were yet available to treat HIV. The bizarre beliefs that certain ignorant, fearful individuals embrace, that certain pharmaceuticals are inherently "bad" or "unsavory" for example, is to be questioned always. A timely case is medical marijuana, its use by people who are suffering or dying demonized as "illegal" and "immoral" with all fury that control-freak behaviorists can muster.
Who are these people whose lives are so screwed up that their paramount objective becomes controlling others?
Using pharmaceuticals bought on the street is crazy, pure and simple. If you feel you would benefit from growth-enhancing pharmaceuticals, there are many ways that a doctor can prescribe them for you. It is essential that your blood work be monitored closely. Every pharmaceutical has it's potential negative side effects, as watching TV ads for them in which the list of side effect warnings take up almost the entire voice-over in those commercials. Growth-enhancing pharmas in fact are safer, under a physician's supervision, than Tylenol as proven by the statistics. Over 100,000 Americans annually end up in the ER due to Tylenol use.
visit www.kiraod.com

Circumstances In Opposition

I hear you. You want to exercise, work out, swim, etc., but circumstances impede your way.
I am once again living in a community where there is no gym within a reasonable drive, and when I go to the gym the commute takes longer than the actual workout. It's a 40 minute drive each way, so the getting ready, the commute, finding parking and the workout itself eat up three to three-and-a-half hours a day. That's a lot of time not to be attending to income-generating business. So as an alternative I work out at home. But the basic equipment at home doesn't even begin to compare with the sophistication and variety at the gym, and so my progress is stunted.
What to do, what to do?
Happiness in life to a large measure begins with acceptance. And that includes not beating yourself up when you are truly making an effort. When I drive to the gym I feel guilty that I am ignoring work in a diminished economy where having an income that allows me to grow a rainy day fund is imperative for my own peace of mind. And the best way for me to do that is stay at home and put in the work hours, because peace of mind is something at the very top of my list. But when I don't go to the gym I feel guilty in a different way because my personal fitness goals suffer. I think Oprah places this dilemma under the heading of "having it all."
Right now I can't have it all.
For many years I was in a situation that was ideal for reaching my fitness goal. Economically and personally things were better, because the 2008 crash hadn't happened yet. Then I lived in a huge city, 15 minutes from 4 different phenomenal gyms and certain complications that exist today did not exist then. Today I live in a rural place that I love, and having  friends in distressed situations involving finances, health issues and relationship fiascos, despite things not being even close perfect in my own case, has made me fully realize what I do have and how lucky I am compared to my friends.
Like any normal person, I do want it all, and so should you. But we can't always have what we want when we want it. All we can do is make the best of what we have at this moment and keep laying the groundwork for the future so we'll be prepared when opportunity again presents itself.

Metabolism Slowdown

Commentors take me to task for my basic denial of metabolism slowdown as pertains to age. They are mad at me for my view that it isn't age that slows metabolism, it's the slowdown in activity and the denial about what we're eating, and how much, that slows metabolism.
I understand that science supports the idea of age-related metabolism slowdown, which makes lazy people VERY happy. "Yay! Science agrees with me! See? I told you!"
I may be dumb when it comes to some things, but I'm very smart when it comes to others, like denial, procrastination, projecting, and excuse-making. I see right through that stuff, and THAT makes people mad. Because I won't let them off the hook about it.
But I do! I do let everyone off the hook by famously saying you don't have to eat right, or work out or exercise. The police will not come to your door and drag you away.
Writing to me in a futile attempt to make your contrarian point will not work. I'm empathetic only up to a certain point. You don't have to read my book or blog or watch my videos. But you insist  on doing these things regardless, and then you want to argue about it.
I urge you to stop this nonsense. Rather, just live your life and be happy. Eat. Lay on the sofa. Watch duck shows. But stop complaining. You can't have it both ways, intentionally sabotaging yourself, then lying about it ("Honest! I eat like a bird!") and then whining about the result.

What's In Your Basket?

What's in your shopping cart?
Even more fun, what's in theirs?
One distraction that eases the long wait as the supermarket line inches its way toward check out is to check out what other people are buying. Recently I've seen full carts ahead or behind me that are from one third to one half full of junk food. While visiting neighbors or friends it's surprising also to see what is in their cupboards or refrigerators; cookies, chips, snack crackers, candy, ice cream AND soda. All of the above, not just two or three items. And then they complain they can't seem to keep the weight off. Just as bad, they buy junk food disguised as real "meals", such as Spaghetti-O's, Lunchables, commercial frozen ready-made sandwiches -- how hard is it to make a sandwich? -- that are sugar and fat-laden bombshells waiting to explode their empty calories and saturated fats into your system.
I know myself well, and when I'm hungry I'll grab the easiest most convenient thing to eat, which is why you'll rarely find commercial ready-made food or snacks at my house. I can't eat what's not in the cupboard. I'm forced to fix something from the healthful ingredients I have on hand.
I also know that there are lots of nutritious foods that I love just as much (well, almost as much) as cookies but that take a little more effort than ripping open a bag, foods that will help me maintain the level of health I aim for and a 31 inch waist. So I "sabotage" myself in a positive way by buying nutritious foods that will only take a few minutes to prepare, like canned tuna or chicken, frozen shrimp or favorite veggies like asparagus or things like fresh sugar snap peas that cook in one minute, or canned sweet potatoes.
When I cook a meal, which is at least once daily, I always make enough so I can have leftovers the next day for lunch. That way at lunchtime when I'm starving I'll be grabbing good nutritious food, food that I myself made, just the way I like it, rather than grabbing some crappy snack item.

Your Knees Are Just Hinges

Knee replacements would be virtually unnecessary if people would stop forcing their joints do what their muscles were intended to do, but hey, in order to do that you'd actually have to have some muscle, right?
Our joints —all of them— are simply hinges. No joint in your body was meant to bear weight or act as a shock absorber or brake. Yet 95% of all people are so weak from muscle atrophy that they must stress the joints to accomplish any given task.
If your knees hurt when climbing stairs it's because you are not using your butt muscles or your quadriceps and hamstrings efficiently to do the work of propelling your body up those stairs.
Watching most people perform squats or leg presses at the gym makes me cringe because of the extreme and completely unnecessary and counter-productive stress they are putting on their hinges.
If your elbows, shoulders, knees etc. hurt at the gym, it's because you are doing your exercises wrong. Flex your muscles immediately before commencing the movement, and keep them flexed throughout. This takes concentration, so block out whatever is happening around you.

What Is Your Definition Of Sacrifice?

People who think that it's a sacrifice not to eat whatever they want, thoughtlessly and whenever, and it's a sacrifice to go to the gym instead of sitting in front of the TV "relaxing after a hard day" have an odd idea of what sacrifice is. Looking great and feeling great is a sacrifice only to those too lazy to actually do what's required. EVERYONE would like to look fantastic. EVERYONE wants to feel great, and be filled with confidence and high self esteem. But most can't keep their mouths closed or get their feet moving, so they delude themselves into thinking that achieving the above requires sacrifice.

I've trained non-stop except for time off for the flu or colds for 25 years. And as you go, you become motivated by your successes, even though I was never happy with my own progress. No matter how good I looked I always thought I should look better considering my diet and exercise regimen.

Progress will ALWAYS seem slower that what you anticipate. You just need to celebrate the gains you make and keep on track. As I always say, looking this way and feeling this way is so superior to any food or time that others think I am "sacrificing" —that their not getting it just makes me chuckle. I know any negativity from others is just an expression of their own disappointment in themselves and their lack of will to go after what they really want.

When it just becomes part of your lifestyle rather than some sacrifice or challenge it's far easier than the couch potatoes want you to believe. diet and exercise regimen.

Bodybuilding.com and Other Forums: Yikes!

A few people have asked why I'm not very active on the bodybuilding.com forums. Honestly, it's because the forums are 90% populated by guys who should be at the gym rather than wasting their day in front of the computer. "Would you rather have big shoulders or a big penis?" is a great example of the brilliant ideas and exchanges found there.

Most forum posts are repetitions of posts made last week, but the posters are too lazy to scroll through to see if their dilemma has been hashed out previously (I can guarantee it has). One guy emailed me because he looked and felt terrible and wanted me to take the time to help him by detailing a comprehensive workout and diet plan just for him, even though I have written a book on the subject. How someone who by his own hand looks and feels terrible has incongruously developed such a sense of entitlement at the same time is one of the great mysteries of psychology.

The problem with most people who hang out on fitness or fat-loss sites is that they flat out refuse to do the research or take any action. They want to "talk" about it instead, and think that somehow that counts as progress. I feel sorry for the posters on forums who do the work and who do ask intelligent questions, because one has to sift through a torrent of junk before ever encountering them.

GREAT INSPIRATION

Comment:
Greetings from the UK.
I found your profile on bodybuilding.com and you have been an inspiration to me to train... @ 45 I was in terrible shape and my health was not good. I used to body-build in my twenties and thirties but injuries and having kids kinda put the spanner in the works. But finding and listening to your philosophy on training helped me train the right way and without the baggage that I see younger men bring to the gym, and the gains this time are much better and I look better for it...as a fellow trainer who's in it for the long haul ..many thanks for just being...
Many thanks,
Ray

Response:
Thanks Ray. Unlike a business, or relationships, where you may not see any appreciable results for the time and effort you put in, improving your body by cutting back on fat and nutrition-poor foods, and working out, lets us experience success fast, and it looks good and feels good 24/7. As a trainer you probably wonder the same thing I do...how can so many people not want this?

Shopping In Order To Lose Fat

Whether you're a regular person trying to lose love handles, or a bodybuilder trying to refine your abs, what you eat can either give you the results you want, or remove you farther from them.

Nutrition is a big mystery for most people. But the truth is, snacks and fast food will keep you from reaching your goal. So what can you eat instead?

Buy the biggest and best calorie and fat gram counter book you can find. Search on Amazon.com and on the right side of the book page you'll find real bargains in the "Used and New from" section.

Sit down after you have eaten a meal, so you're not hungry, and go through the book, highlighting all the foods you love that are low in fat, low in calories, and low in carbs. You will find scores of foods that fit these criteria, or even hundreds. Most people love a juicy ripe peach or mango, but all too often pass these up at the market in favor of a bag of cookies.

Make up a shopping list of favorite foods from the book, and buy only those. Remember, these are foods you really like, so there's no need to feel deprived. It's simply about substituting one food you love for another.

You Can't Eat What Isn't In The House

Eating Better means Shopping Better, and I always check out others' shopping carts in line at the check out stand. Obese people's carts are piled with snack foods and prepared foods from the deli, and all kinds of frozen meals, but then again, so are skinny people's. The fact is, only we control what we eat, and ground zero is our own kitchen.
Open your kitchen cupboards. If you see packages of crackers, chips, cookies or other easily ingested grab foods, then your goals are being sabotaged.
When I come in the house, starving, I will grab whatever is available and appeals to me. If I had potato chips or other no-prep foods in the house, I would attack those. If I don't --and experience has taught me not to keep them around-- then I have to prepare something else.
One solution is to cook more food than I want for dinner so I have leftovers to grab the next day. And because I cook healthy foods that I enjoy eating, this is no sacrifice.
Some people feel deprived when they can't eat exactly what they want whenever they want it. Others feel deprived because they don't have the kind of body or level of health and mobility they long for.

You have to decide which of the two you are, and shop accordingly.