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by
Ron Harris
Back in the 'old days' when I was starting in this sport in the late 1980's, bodybuilding was huge among teenagers. Any contest you went to had stacked teenage classes, and any Gold's, Powerhouse, or World Gym you walked into had legions of teen lifters pumping away with hopes of being the next Rich Gaspari, Lee Haney, or Gary Strydom. As the years went by, the average bodybuilding competitor seemed to get older.
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Category:
Interviews |
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by
Ron Harris
Randy was normally a very easygoing kid who rarely spoke ill of anyone or even showed the slightest signs of hostility. This had changed over the past couple weeks with the arrival to our gym of another young bodybuilder who had just moved here from Florida. Apparently he must have heard about our recent winter marked by several miserable blizzards dumping over a foot of snow each time and decided this would be a nice change from the constant sunshine and balmy breezes down in Fort Lauderdale. Yes, I had gotten my share of extra lower back training shoveling out my driveway, and had the Christmas tree to show for it now that it was springtime and I was dieting down.
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Diet & Nutrition, Lifestyles, Supplements, Workouts |
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by
Ron Harris
I was eating while carefully inspecting the gluteal development of the fitness models in the newest Musclemag swimsuit issue, which is pretty much every issue and that's fine by me, when Janet broke my intense concentration.
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Diet & Nutrition, Lifestyles, Workouts |
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by
Ron Harris
Sometimes Randy would wait until we were done training or at least well into it before hitting me with whatever was on his hormone-soaked mind. At other times the lad was so excited he couldn’t make it that long. This was clearly one of those days. Before he had even taken off his jacket, he set his gym bag down and produced a flyer.
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Category:
Interviews, Lifestyles, Workouts |
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by
Ron Harris
It had now been a full five months since Randy had first approached me and begun his education, and the kid had come a long way in a short time. His bodyweight had climbed from a little over 172 to nearly 185, and without any discernible increase in bodyfat. More importantly, he was training with precision form and eating all the proper foods right on schedule. I had recently convinced him to break up with his girlfriend Tracy, who had been no good for his bodybuilding goals. The young stallion was now dating one of the front desk girls, as well as one of his younger sister's best friends who had been his high school's Prom Queen just two years before. Yes, everything was looking up for my protégé, who had been saving considerable time skipping past many of the mistakes I had made in my early years. He was on the fast track to becoming a real bodybuilder.
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Interviews, Lifestyles, Workouts |
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by
Ron Harris
Things were not going well for poor Randy today as we trained legs. He couldn't budge the 315-pound squat that he normally got for five reps. The young buck seemed exhausted, totally drained, and I had a pretty good idea why. It was Sunday morning, and he was twenty-two years old. Need I say more? When he gave up on a set of leg extensions ten reps in rather than squeezing out his customary fifteen reps, I had to call him on this embarrassing performance.
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Diet & Nutrition, Lifestyles |
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by
Ron Harris
"Spot!" Randy managed to spit out, his face reddening. I was standing above him with a slightly concerned expression on the incline press. An Olympic bar loaded up with 245 pounds was slowly crushing him into the bench, digging a trench into his upper chest. I knew I should probably take it off him now, but as usual I wanted to make sure he would remember this moment. He tried to say something else, but only managed a little choking sound punctuated by a squeak. Sighing, I at last took it off him and put it safely back on the rack.
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Diet & Nutrition, Lifestyles, Workouts |
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by
Ron Harris
It happens to all of us, whether we have been training for twenty months or twenty years. Sooner or later no matter how gung-ho you are about the gym, there comes a time when you just ain't feelin' it. Working out holds about as much appeal as cleaning out your garage or filing your taxes. You need a boost of motivation to get your gym fires raging again. Here are 20 ideas to help get your head from dreading your workouts to counting the hours until you can hit the weights again.
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Diet & Nutrition, Lifestyles, Workouts |
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by
Ron Harris
Randy had been training with me just over a week now, and was learning a lot in the gym. But I knew that at least half the battle in building the physique he wanted would not be waged at the bench press or squat rack, but instead at the dinner table.
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Diet & Nutrition, Lifestyles, Workouts |
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by
Ron Harris
Is it just another day? To some people, January first is just a day like any other. But to most of us, it belongs to a select group of dates like birthdays and anniversaries that have a special significance. New Year's Day symbolizes a totally fresh start. It doesn't matter what you did or didn't do the year before. Last year is now behind you, in the past! That means that whether you can look back with pride at a job well done or with regret at putting off the things you meant to do, the slate is wiped clean. You can now move forward from day one.
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Diet & Nutrition, Lifestyles |
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by
Ron Harris
Winter is here. For most of North America, that means the temperatures are freezing. Skies are gray and every so often snow showers down and blankets your world in white. The winds howl with chilling gales that penetrate to the bone, and treacherous ice makes the roads and sidewalks a slippery peril. It's dark early, and we all have to bundle up against the cold in thick layers. Man, winter sucks! Or does it? If you're the type of person who sees opportunity everywhere, you can quickly realize that the winter season is actually an ideal time to get bigger and stronger. The mass you build now will be showcased once the weather heats up again. Do you want to be bigger and better, with a new and improved physique by spring and summer? Wouldn't it be cool to see the looks of amazement and appreciation from those who will instantly know how hard you worked over the winter months? If so, this is the time to make it happen!
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Diet & Nutrition, Workouts |
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by
Ron Harris
Today was the first day of Randy's life as a bodybuilder, although he didn't know it yet. It was five minutes to nine in the morning, and I was sipping away at some nasty instant coffee I had brought from home in a thermos mug because I'm too cheap to give Starbucks a five-spot every morning. The goo stained my teeth faster than any dentist could whiten them back, and all the whitening gum and toothpaste in the world was powerless against it. Here came Randy bursting through the front door, his eyes as wide and attentive as if it were the first day of school. Which, in a very real sense; it was.
"Uh, morning," he greeted me. He was obviously waiting for me to tell him if it was even okay to put his stuff away in the locker room, since he was frozen in place.
"Today we're doing back," I informed my new protégé.
"But I did back two-"
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Diet & Nutrition, Workouts |
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by
Ron Harris
Every once in a while, an athlete comes along that has that certain something you just can't define, but at the same time can't ignore. What is it about Ava Cowan? Could it be her sultry beauty, or her phenomenally sexy muscular physique? Whatever it is, Ava draws your attention and holds it. Recently, Ava entered her first pro qualifier, the NPC Nationals. She clearly stood out from the pack, and the judges awarded her first place in the Figure C class, which instantly qualified her as an IFBB Pro. As one of Gaspari Nutrition's newest athletes and already a popular fitness model, Ava Cowan's career is taking off like a rocket. I spoke to her just days after her victory at the Nationals to see what this hot new star is all about.
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Category:
Interviews |
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by
Ron Harris
I had seen this kid watching me around the new gym I had joined for the entire three weeks I had been a member. Unlike the other young ruffians in their late teens and early twenties, he actually seemed to have half a clue what he was doing. His form wasn't bad, he was using some respectable weights for his size, and he seemed to be training his entire body – unlike the others who were stuck in an endless loop of bench presses and curls. His gym wear also identified him as an aspiring bodybuilder, stuff like Perfetto, Hot Skins, Crazee Wear, etc. The other guys his age all wore the "kid uniform" as I like to call it: Adidas pants and a wife beater tank top, usually with a thick gold chain to top it off. I knew from the way he was always checking out my training that he most likely knew who I was from the magazines, and was dying to pick my brain for information. Luck smiled down on him as he caught me leaving one day when I wasn't in a particular rush. Just as I was about to cross the threshold into the parking lot, he cleared his throat and spoke up.
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Lifestyles, Workouts |
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by
Ron Harris
"How's your training going?" I bet you get asked this pretty often, and I bet you usually respond with the standard ‘good' or ‘fine.' This is analogous to when people ask, "How are you?" Unless something extraordinarily good or bad has just happened to you recently, there's nothing to say and you tell them you are fine. But let me ask you, and think hard before you answer since I am genuinely interested, how is your training going? More importantly, what kind of progress have you made with your physique recently? If you really have to ponder this for long, odds are that you haven't been making progress for a long time.
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Diet & Nutrition, Lifestyles, Workouts |
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by
Ron Harris
Trying to pin Rich Gaspari down on the phone was an endeavor months in the making, but really, I have been looking forward to this interview for many years.
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Category:
Interviews |
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by
Marzia Prince, FAME Pro
1. The key to eating healthy is variety. I’m talking about fruits, veggies, lean meats, eggs, whole grains, and nuts.
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Diet & Nutrition |
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by
Ron Harris
Gaspari Nutrition is proud to welcome IFBB Figure Pro Zivile Raudoniene, the reigning IFBB Figure International, as the newest member of Team Gaspari. This stunning young beauty...
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Category:
Interviews |
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by
Flex Lewis
I have noticed that Ronnie Coleman never seemed to lock out and get a full contraction on any type of pressing movement. More recently, I have noticed the same thing about Branch Warren.....
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Category:
Workouts |
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by
Daniel Pierce
This is one of the rare opportunities where you can meet world class and amateur athletes from all sports genres. With over 17,000 athletes in attendance the Arnold Fitness Expo is the place to be for any fitness enthusiast.
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Category:
Supplements |
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