The Real Fountain of Youth

     I am getting a little frustrated with the lack of respect weightlifting (resistance training)  and bodybuilding receives to this day. Not just in society in general, but also in the medical, health and anti-aging communities. Most people when trying to get in shape  for the first time or after long periods of inactivity will immediately start on some type of cardio program. I live in Southern California and it seems everyone is running at least a half marathon, mini triathlon (they call it a sprint), or some kind of endurance sport. Those trying to get in shape for the first time like to walk/jog, bike ride or take a group exercise class.  If  health and appearance are a goal (of course they are) pursuing bodybuilding would be the wisest course of action for anyone. those that start with only cardiovascular training have one thing in common after a few months, that is frustration with their body composition or body fat levels and a nagging pain somewhere. Have you ever been to a marathon and checked out the people? Most of  its competitors do not appear to be the picture of optimal health. You don't see proud Greek statues portraying a emaciated, marathon runner, arms raised in all his glory, you see a chiseled (literally), perfectly proportioned low body fat, muscular god who resembles?..Yes a natural bodybuilder! Mans ideal, the picture of ultimate health and function, when did this ideal change?  well BMI measurements used by doctors does not help, the statue of David if proportioned d in human form would be considered obese and the statue of Hercules morbidly obese! Doctors and insurance companies to this very day use these measurements to predict health, how logical is that? If you were to see these endurance sport people at a beach you wouldn't look twice usually. Yes appearance and is separate from health, but a healthful appearance will take you a long way in life.   lets talk injuries, especially chronic overuse injuries that plague one over a lifetime, hear of runners knee? They have an injury named after them!. Runners have a plethora of injuries from the low back down, ask most veteran marathoners about their lower backs. On the other hand, weight training with a slow controlled tempo and good form is the safest form of exercise there is, check the stats.
     Those of you looking to really transform your body and make a long lasting contribution to your overall well being and quality of life should be participating in natural bodybuilding. All that time spent on the road putting mileage on your joints could be much better spent pursuing bodybuilding. Or for females, pursuing figure or bikini competitions, where the emphasis is more on the female form.  lets be honest, most of us  would not want our wife's or mom to go to those muscular extremes that bodybuilders do..but that's another subject.
     There should not even be a question on the benefits of bodybuilding vs running for improving and maintaining health. There are three reasons that I will give here, but there are many more. Lets spread the word and change societies perception of what it takes to be healthy and active now and in our old age!
first are the obvious health benefits of adding muscle and losing fat (bodybuilding), as you shall see the comparison is not even close. Next is the injury factor, and the chronic damage to bones and joints between the two. again bodybuilding is far superior here also. finally my favorite is that natural bodybuilding progress is the ultimate "barometer" of ones quality of life!

     If you are training to gain strength, lean body mass  your results are reflective of your quality of life.
     This person is healthy. To gain muscle all of your bodies systems must be working optimally, especially the endocrine, digestive and immune systems. without these systems functioning optimally, there can be no muscle growth
     This person has low stress or knows how to minimize its impact. Again there can be no growth if stress levels are high, the chemicals that are involved when the body is under stress are catabolic. that is they cause tissue breakdown.
     This person is well rested. Muscle growth actually occurs when the body is at rest, and a body that is not rested cannot have the optimal workout. success shows this person they are getting enough.
     They have a healthy cardiovascular system. to add LBM you need a lot of calories, to burn fat or prevent fat gain this person needs to maintain a consistent cardio regimen and have a strong heart to get through the demanding resistance training workouts.
     This person is reversing one of the main components of aging. sarcopenia is muscle loss due to aging, adding muscle is the reverse of this process, providing not only visible results, but increasing function dramatically. Muscle is our engine, bigger engine, better performance.
     In contrast the following will have a negative effect on progress and are avoided-high stress, lack of sleep, poor eating habits, illness, excessive partying (alcohol and lack of sleep mainly), dehydration and over training.
     Its time we reprogram society with some truth! The ancient images of strength and power in the human form still hold true today. Lets start with the youth and emphasize resistance training over how many laps you can run or sit ups you can do. lets start with the basics in PE, like how to squat properly. I can tell you right now that most Americans cant and its a cause of many non contact and chronic injuries today, but that's another story...

A year on Clemens!? Get outta of here!!

     Lets see, headlines today are on the budget deficit and the debt ceiling. Yet here we are spending taxpayer dollars, energy, on a baseball player who juiced. How many college scholarships, small business loans, infrastructure repairs could have replaced this farce of an endeavor?? How many hours of research and labor put into this case that could have been spent maybe investigating real criminals, white collar crimes or researching solutions to any number of problems plaguing the country?! How about just saving the money spent? Thats novel. This story illustrates one of the reasons why we are in our financial situation in the first place, how government rarely uses logic to create and implement its laws and the brainwashed state of the average American.
A whole year preparing for the case only to fuck it up in the opening statements?!!

     How many frivolous cases like this is our federal government pursuing? Besides going after medical marijuana dispensaries of course. I'm sure there are  millions that could be better spent or not spent at all. who's going to be held accountable for this waste of money and resources?
     What is the logic behind pursuing the whole steroids in baseball issue at all?
 Integrity of a fucking game? This is just asinine given the state of the economy and doesn't deserve a response.
 To protect kids? Please research the statistics on teen deaths or ER visits. You'll see steroids waaay down on the list. If the goal is really to protects teens lets spend the money and resources on any of the top 20 causes of death or ER visits for teens. Really save or change some lives.
     Despite all of the evidence most Americans just absorb whatever the government or media spouts and actually believe steroids are actually having that big of an impact. I have been around gyms and athletes all my life, and I can tell you this for a fact. Never had I been approached for, or overheard anyone discussing steroids.  During and since there is not a month that goes by that I don't get a question or overhear someone talking about a stack. If this happens in my circle be sure it happened around the world. These government idiots did more marketing for steroids than a Superbowl commercial would've. Who could blame people? Look at these ancient and weak looking, hunchbacked politicians questioning these muscular, tanned,  healthy looking sports gods. Who would you rather resemble as a man in general? Most men would kill to look and perform like Rafael Palmiero at his age.
Lets see if they continue to pursue this and promote the steroid brand or get smart and save or reallocate our precious resources. Well  I already know the answer to that one...