I have a relatively small immediate family but time spent in college, on the football field, starting my business, getting married, starting a family- my “family” has grown.  I have realized that family is not just blood relatives but those important people you choose to be a part of your circle to help you along the way, to tell you when you are wrong, to encourage you down a path that makes you a better person.  I am thankful I have had a great “family” surrounding me over the years including my immediate family, my wife’s family, numerous coaches- including Neil Hill, teammates, close friends, etc.

This Father’s Day I was happy to be with my Jade but I realize that I could not have done it without the support of many.  With that said…I am outta here- time to get back in the gym so I can make my supporters proud in a few weeks.  Chicago is the next stop…..

“Dear Daddy,
I love you so much, you are the coolest dad. I love you to my heart (heart drawn) you mean everything to me you are the best dad ever!”

Those words will stick with me always because those are her words to me. Shes the sweetest little girl and I look forward to coming home to her every single day. I look at her and I will just pray to myself asking God to keep her safe, let any harm to her be given to me. I just cant describe what she means to me. I hope all of you dads out there cherish your children and hold them tight!! Happy Fathers Day Team Gaspari and all of you!!

I had an great opportunity to perform guest posing at Titan Open in Milwaukee last weekend. As you all know, I still have cast on my left arm but everyone welcomed me and the show was awesome! I met so many cool fans there and had a great time.

Thank you so much!

Thank you Animal House Gym for letting me train!

In backstage with new friends. I had a great time!

-1 Can of coconut milk

-1 1/2 Scoops of Vanilla Isofusion

-I tbsp Vanilla extract

-1 tbsp Grade B Maple Syrup

Some chocolate espresso beans to crunch on the top (or chocolate)

Thats it, I just combined all of that in the Ice Cream Machine and turned it on and let it churn for 25 minutes. And waa laa, a delicious dairy free protein ice cream. Ususally things I make don’t turn out very good, but this stuff is awesome, I highly reccomened trying this! Hope everyone had a great Father’s day!

Libby

But a couple years ago, there were grumblings from a few people that the blog was ‘all about me,’ and that I should make more of an effort to give out general knowledge and advice. Caving into my critics (in spite of the fact that the blog is and has always been 100% free to read), I threw the baby out with the bathwater and ceased to discuss my own training.

Since I am in prep mode now, with the NPC Team Universe taking place three weeks from tomorrow and the NPC Masters Nationals following two weeks after that, I thought it might be interesting today to simply run down a typical day of eating and training for me at this point. In the interest of space, I won’t list every single vitamin I take, though I they include:
3 tabs Anavite (multivitamin from Gaspari, taken twice daily)
Other supplements: Vitamin C, D, E, joint complex, calcium, digestive enzyme, fish oil, CLA, R-ALA

6:30 AM 2 caps Detonate by Gaspari

7:00 AM 4 egg whites, 3 whole eggs, 2/3 cup gluten-free oatmeal

8:30 AM 2 scoops SuperDrive preworkout from Gaspari – I space this out fairly
evenly from 8:30-9 for more of a sustained release effect during the workout.

9:30 AM Shoulders:
Warm-up: Seated lateral raise machine
40 x 10, 60 x 15, 80 x 15
Seated dumbbell press:
35 x 15, 50 x 15 – stopped, left shoulder unstable
Hammer Strength behind-neck press
135 x 15, 225 x 15, 275 x 10, 225 x 12
Dumbbell lateral raises
Up the rack without stopping (third time went down):
20 x 15, 25 x 15, 35 x 12 rest 45 seconds
20 x 12, 25 x 10, 35 x 10 rest 45 seconds
40 x 8, 35 x 8, 30 x 8, 25 x 10
Wide-grip barbell upright row
95 x 15, 95 x 12, 95 x 10
Seated press machine, 2 sets to burn out delts

Triceps:
Straight-bar cable pushdown
50 x 20, 70 x 20, 100 x 15, 120 x 12
Seated overhead cable extension
50 x 12, 60 x 10
Hammer Strength seated dip machine
225 x 15, 315 x 10, 225 x 12

Cardio:
20 minutes Stepmill – 300 calories
15 minutes Precor elliptical – 200 calories

11:15 AM 1.5 scoops Aminolast, 2 scoops Glycofuse

12:30 PM 10 oz chicken breast, 10 oz sweet potato

2:45 PM 10 oz turkey breast, 10 oz sweet potato

5 PM 10 oz grilled salmon, 3 large raw celery stalks

8 PM 50 grams protein shake – Myofusion Elite Protein (Peanut butter cookie dough!)
1/2 cup raw mixed unsalted nuts

9:30 PM 10 oz. grilled sirloin burger, 1 cup snap peas

Special thanks to Daily Pump reader Dennis Ceder for giving me this idea.

And that is a day in my life of eating and training at this point. Have a great weekend!

So you get the idea. Being the winner of the first Arnold eventually would make me a legend, which many have called me from all of my accomplishments in the sport of bodybuilding. Arnold himself has made the Arnold Classic much more than a bodybuilding event, with so many athletes from different sports participating at the event. It’s hard to believe, but there are now more athletes competing every March in Columbus than there are at an Olympic Games.

Even though Arnold has not competed for over 30 years, he still has a passion for the sport that was the starting point of his career, which as well know encompassed tremendous success in both movies and politics.

It has now been 25 years since I won that first Arnold Classic, and now Arnold has added another bodybuilding division to the event: the 212 class. Why do I have a personal interest in this, besides also sharing a passion for the sport? The first athlete that I signed up to represent Gaspari Nutrition was Flex Lewis, who is the current 212 Olympia Showdown Champion. He and the other top 212 IFBB Pros will now have a chance to be the first 212 Division Winner of the Arnold Classic, just as I had the opportunity to make history back in 1989!

I get emotional when I think of Flex’s rise to the top. In many ways he reminds me of myself when I was that competitive bodybuilder working hard to become the best I could be and making history in bodybuilding. So with the announcement of the 2014 Arnold Classic 212 class, I am excited for Flex for a chance of being the first like me. I know he will bust his butt to be the best and to be a winner! He really knows nothing else but to give it his all in everything he does, the mark of a true champion. So to my little brother Flex, I wish him the best of luck!

10 weeks out 245lb                199lb 2 weeks out

He is doing A LOT of cardio, but his diet has been very on point. Supplements he consistently uses is Anavite, Detonate, Aminolast, Carnatine, CLA, Cinnamon Extract.  Very simple yet effective protocol. The training is 5x a week, VERY intense. We go moderately heavy but make sure contractions are kept strict. Sometimes we incorporate dropsets to go to failure but not to close to show as this is counterproductive. If your are interested in contacting me for contest prep, offseason, body transformation, and general nutritional help feel free to contact me at Dominick.Cardone@gmail.com for more info. I work with people all over the world through email and pictures. Follow me on twitter at Domcardone.

Before training in 2010          4 weeks out from NPC Garden State

Thinking of our team, this is exciting news! It is especially exciting because I would love to see Flex bring home this title. It will be the first ever 212lb show to be staged at the Arnold which would be great history in the making for Flex. Not only that, but Flex would be following in his mentor footsteps. Rich Gaspari won that show 25 years ago, made his own history, and became an icon in the industry! Only 3 months ago Rich was awarded with the Arnold Lifetime achievement award by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

On a personal note, I feel the addition of the 212 class to the Arnold Classic line up is one of the best things ever to happen for the sport of bodybuilding. Think about this for a minute, how many athletes compete each year? It won’t take you long to realize that about 70-75% of all competitive athletes are 212lbs or lighter. Now ask yourself who motivates YOU to compete or excel in the gym. When I first started in the sport it was Lee Labrada. His professional approach, appearance, stage presence, shape, symmetry and compete physique were all things I admired. Also because I saw a little of me in him- we were the same height, similar shape and structure, and because he didn’t need to be a mass monster to impress the judges or fans. His pretty physique and crazy conditioning wowed the crowd and judges. Lee knew he was never going to out muscle anyone on stage, so he did it with showing how great his lines were or how well conditioned he was. These days its size, size, size, however Lee Labrada proved to be and still is one of the most successful pro’s of all time. My other piece of the puzzle when I was coming up was the physique of Rich Gaspari. The first time I saw Rich on stage his physique blew me away. I remember having images of his crazy glute-hamstring tie-ins and rock hard conditioning burned into my head. Between Lee Labrada and Rich Gaspari I had a clear picture of what I wanted to look like. Pieces from both athletes molded into one imbedded into my mental mind set every time I picked up a weight, looked in the mirror, ate a meal or rested on rest days. I know one thing was for sure – we all possesed the same kind of positive self enthusiam topped off with loads of intensity!

After reading the above, think again how heavy was Lee Labrada and Rich Gaspari at there best stage weights???? Lee was 187-190lbs, and Rich was 202-206lbs!!! That’s right both below the 212lb Class.

Trends have changed and new athletes or new breeds of athletes set the stage for us fans! Yes, to compete in the open class to be competitive you need to carry enough muscle on your frame. A current IFBB open athlete needs to weigh in the 220′s which closes the door on 70-75% of all competing athletes. The 212lb Class is by far the future of our very sport. Of course the open class is the bread and butter of the sport when it comes to mass and that freakish look. We will always be amazed with the open class because of the sheer size and shape of those guys. But the 212lb class is where you see the real consistent condition, shape, and appeal for the larger numbers of athletes and fans.

Now that this amazing announcement has been made its become very personal. I will do everything in my power to help Flex Lewis and Team Gaspari win the very first 212lb Arnold Classic title. It’s personal, it’s a goal, it’s achievable, it’s needed and wanted, and it’s going to be a huge driving stone on the journey for Flex Lewis and his Team. Before we get too excited, though, the game plan has already started to win that 212lb Mr. Olympia title for which is just 16 weeks away. That’s our only motivation at this present time- to regain the biggest and baddest bodybuilding event in the world. We aren’t going to try and run when we need to walk, one step at at time, each step gaining further ground towards the goal. We want to dominate the stage in every show we enter. You may be saying Neil your a little deep or personal- well life is deep and personal because you only get one shot at it!! No matter what you think you only have one life buddy so you better make it personal!

My last few words on this blog are, don’t look back wishing- make it happen. My Nan used to say these very words to me when I was a little boy. I used to say Nan I wish I had this or that and she would return by saying “boy you wish in one hand and you shit in the other and see which hand gets filled first”. My Nan…she had a way with words huh!

After that I never wished again. I just worked my ass off and made things happen. You are in control of your life and your destiny- it’s you that holds your future.

I want to say a very sincere thank you to the IFBB Pro League and all the the people who have allowed and made the 212lb class happen for our sport. It’s truly an amazing addition to our great sport. Much respect gentlemen -your all doing great things for our sport.

Take it easy Guys, have a great day

Kris has done an amazing job with Mahesh’s body transformation! While working with Kris, Mahesh has lost 23lbs in 90-120 days. His physique has really transformed into something special. Now it’s my job to build some quality muscle on Mahesh, keep his fat levels around 8%, and generally maintain his current fitness level so he’s always in great shape for his film season.

With every client I work with I always incorporate some type of supplementation with their daily meals. It just so happens that I am the head trainer for the best supplement company in the world, Gaspari Nutrition. All of my Indian clients use Gaspari Nutrition products daily. I just started Mahesh on Aminolast and GylcoFuse and we have seen an increase in recovery, hydration, and decrease in fatigue levels while he’s training. I love the reaction from my clients when I suggest certain Gaspari products to them and they actually see that they work. People, Product, Results!

I have been here in India for about 19 days but in a weeks time I fly back to the UK with Mahesh. He is set to film in Belfast, Ireland and London, England for one of his latest movies. Pretty dam cool that I’m going back with him for that.

As for my Gaspari Nutrition Athletes, our very own Ken Jackson just recently competed in his first Pro Show. Ken and I have been working with each other since 2009. Not the placing we were hoping for as Ken didn’t break the top 10, but his look and package he brought was best to date. We also learned a great deal about his body durning this prep and last weekends pro debut.

Ken is like the “perfect/worst” client you could want to work with, all in one. He’s so damn committed, hungry to be successful , disciplined, and gives 110%! His body holds a shit ton of water and its nearly impossible to know what he’s looking like until the last week of his prep. With Ken’s prep this time we kept his cardio lower, carbs high, fats high, and had more refeed days. When it came to his carb depletion we kept his carbs higher than normal preps in the past. When it came to his loading phase, his body kept absorbing carbs into his muscle bellies at an extremely rapid pace. The reality is we could have loaded Ken more than we did but I did not want to take the chance of him spilling over especially with me not being there to fix it! After a burger and fries and diet meals Ken’s physique looked its best at the night show for the finals- but of course the places were already made by then. This should never be looked upon as a negative thing though, it’s certainly a positive as we learn more each time out and find out what really works for each individual athlete.

Everything about Ken goes against the grain and that’s why I love my work! It is always challenging, keeps me thinking, and allows me to build closer relationships with my clients on each journey. Ken and I have decided to prep for the Chicago Pro-Show in 4 weeks time, we are hoping to bring a drier, fuller look to the stage

As for Flex Lewis – we just started our first phase to Flex’s off season prep for the Olympia and shows after the Olympia. I feel each year I prep Flex for a show the nay sayers are always talking, we can’t dominate again, or can’t bring a bigger, better more complete conditioned Flex Lewis to the stage. Yet, I feel we have done this every single year and this year won’t be any different.

There are endless people to thank and think about with Team Gaspari. We have an amazing team who work so hard to deliver the best supplements. We bring some of the best athletes to the stage. One thing I can honestly say is I love my teammates and working along side them makes my job so much easier and enjoyable- thank you guys!

I just want to say a sincere thank you to Rich, Joe, Dan, Flex, Sean and Ken for giving me the opportunity to work with you. You guys rock and I can’t wait to hook up with all of you again in Vegas

OK I’m outta here, catch you all next week!