Meet Your AF Member of the Month Winners Here

MR. BMJ · 03-01-2008, 12:55 PM

Dear AF Members,

This thread is created to present you each AF "Member of the Month" winner as they are chosen by the members of the board each month. Each member has written a short bio of themself as they deem fit, along with their answers to a few questions we have asked them to answer. Pictures are optional if the winner's choose to add them.

Without further ado, here are your winner's

Thanks!
AF STAFF

MR. BMJ · 03-01-2008, 12:59 PM

The AFBoard's March 2008, and 1st ever MOTM winner, is presented to:

SOLIDSPINE

Biography of SS

First of all I would like to thank every one of you especially those guys I paid to vote multiple times. I will be the first guy to have an AF t-shirt at my gym in Costa Mesa, California.

My biography

Unlike your suspicions I was not hatched or made in a chemistry lab, both my parents were Swedish, so huge surprise so am I.

In early 1950 I was born in Wisconsin and we immediately
(in the middle of the night) moved to Virginia.

By 1952 we relocated to Minnesota, Swedes miss the cold, and my extended family, still lives in the Minneapolis area.

I went to a Swedish Covenant High School, and in the fall of 1969 I was a sophomore at one of two Swedish Covenant Colleges, this one in Chicago. Had a choice Santa Barbara or Chicago, Should have gone to Santa Barbara.

You may recall that fall the Selective Service initiated a draft lottery. The first lottery was during WWII and my Dad’s birthday was selected as number 2. On the second lottery in 1969 my birthday was selected as number 1, and with in one week I was drafted and by mid 1970. I visited the RVN, you may remember it as the Republic of Viet Nam, I was an airborne medic, basically an ambulance medic on a helicopter.

Henry David Thoreau said you only remember the good things in life, I remember coming home from Vietnam, nothing else.

Attended the University of Minnesota, received Undergraduate degrees and a Masters Degree in Business Administration. Then attended The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston/Chicago, Ill, Received another degree in Mergers and Acquisitions.

Don’t remember much about that 6-7 year period either. Except the chicks in Minnesota were cuter than those in Chicago, and I had a super cool 59 Volkswagen.

Some one told me Wall Street was the place to make money, he was a genius, but I never found this Wall Street, wasn’t in Minnesota or Chicago, so I switched gears.

I have always believed in keep doing something until you do it right, so I am now on wife number five. Big difference she receives no alimony and does not speak English, think about it, some real advantages in this relationship.

I have four daughters and two more on the way, due in August. Guess what my hair isn’t even gray yet.

I did wrestle and play soccer in college, sort of lifted weights, and knew nothing about training or diet, just a skinny kid. Lifted on and off, mostly a jogger and played hockey.

Then when I was 46 I hurt my back, post surgery the surgeon said if you got your skinny ass into the gym and worked out, you may avoid these accidents. His son was a body builder and I went to the gym with him, a year later did my first cycle, learned about diet, training, rest and what else, every street drug you could get in Southern California, believe me there are a lot.

Found EF in 2000 and logged in almost daily until about a year ago when I was asked to leave. Have logged in to AF ever since, enjoy it immensely, and can get reliable, accurate and useful help on, training, diet, gear and all the nuances of our sport.

Employment-yes I work, & I own my own company, the only way I have found not to get fired is self employment. We make and sell world wide, spinal implants for surgical fusion, from the Sacrum to the Occipital plate, Anterior and Posterior. My company is about 2 years old and has been really busy the last year or so. When a surgeon is complete with our implants he has fused the spine and created a SOLIDSPINE.

What type of training schedule has worked best for you over the years?

My training schedule which is religious in compliance has evolved, not changed but evolved as I get older. Avoiding injury is paramount and a chore.

I use to be on a 3 day split and then a 5 day split, now it is a 7 day split and some muscle groups I work about once every 10 days. I also work out with a partner or even two. For every muscle group, I am doing sets that I have never done before. Using the smith a lot. When healthy it is imperative for me to always go heavy on one exercise and always go to failure. My training partner helps and motivates.

My goals have not changed I am on 1-2 year plan, need to reach and maintain before my 60th birthday.

Bf percentage 7 percent or less,
I only trust the dunking and can have it done about 5 miles from here.
Waist below 30 inches, 27 is my goal
Weight 199 lbs
Healthy, & free of injury.
Oh I am 5’5” and 58 years old.

What type of diet plan have you found works best for you?

My diet is not so much a plan, but an objective, I am responsible for what goes in me, but it is a weakness, my wife is a wonderful cook, only concocts Chinese food. But some of the sauces and meat are high in sugar and fat.

My diet goal is very simple, in essence regardless of calories, cut out simple carbs, if necessary cut out all carbs, live in Ketosis.

The old Akins diet with more calories works excellent for me, I have lost fat and increased size on 4000 calories per day.

Additionally again regardless of calories, I definitely need 300 grams of protein from real food everyday. Rarely will eat a protein bar, but love Isopure shakes.
Have eliminated all soda, down to one cup of coffee per day still battling and winning the war against liquid sugar (milk)

One caveat since our board is anonymous, sobriety, the lack of this will blow everything, Gains, Diet, Training, Everything. I was close to 7 months. Currently on day 3, more meetings new sponsor, and a never give up attitude.
Alcoholism or addiction is not pretty,
It is bloodcurdling and 100 percent fatal. This death like episode happened fast
and was intimidating and I was honestly humbled by the curse of Alcohol & drugs
When ever I get high or drunk, I always remember the old Steppenwolf song, the pusher, and it infuriates me.

But the pusher is a monster, Not a natural man
Ah… the pusher will ruin your body, Lord he’ll leave your mind to scream
God Damn! The Pusher. God Damn, God Damn The Pusher
I said God Damn, God Damn, God Damn the Pusher

Sorry for the theatrics but when I am sober I hate I abhor booze and drugs. Hate is the understatement of the century it is a painful horror.

What type of supplementation do you follow or use?

Anyway confession is over and back to the real world, supplementation, it does vary, my pantry is stuffed, 12-13 regulars, the newest addition being B-12

What are your personal lifting records or accomplishments that you are proud of?

Being short I don’t have any compelling, or momentous accomplishments,

My arms are pretty well defined, including a serious bracialis and veins like garden hoses. I was doing skull crushers with an e-z curl at 150 lbs.

What are your personal short and long-term goals at this time?

I mentioned my goals above and will mention them again, they are not long term and short term, basically over the next one and half years, long term goal is to stay alive stay healthy, and maintain my weight, waist and size, also convert my family to healthier eating habits.

Immediate goals for the next 12-18 months.

Bf percentage 7 percent or less,
I only trust the dunking and can have it done about 5 miles from here.
Waist below 30 inches, 27 is my goal
Weight 199 lbs
Healthy, & free of injury.

Who do you idolize and look up to in the bodybuilding, powerlifting, or weight training community, past or present?

I actually look up more to the older body builders, such as Steeve Reeves, Frank Zane, Arnold. A lot of the guys who competed before growth and growth gut became so acceptable, Steeve Reeves was 6’1 and had 28 inch waist.

What tips can you share with other people that you have found effective and that they might benefit from?

I see a lot of guys at my gym, have been going there for about 10 years, my dues are ridiculous, 2 bucks a month, the 4th Mrs. SS worked there or something? And got life long memberships for 2 bucks a month, there were only 5 in our family then so membership was 10 bucks. I am the only one that still goes.

Of the 1000 or so members I only know a handful of people who number one stay and number two improve, or gain muscle and lose fat, maybe 5 guys and 2 women. 98 per cent drop out, and the people that stay don’t seem to improve. I don’t get it, How can you do the same thing for 10 years and not change you body composition, why bother?

I am old fashioned

I write my goals down,
I write my cycle down and what I do day by day,
It is the only way I can measure progress.

Getting to 200 lbs may seem easy, but at 6 percent body fat, I will be working my ass off every day, even the days not in the gym

One Secret, I love it, I love so much that when I travel I always stay either across the street from a great gym or just a few blocks away.

Wife’s 2-4 all became addicted and still lift and look fantastic, of course in Newport Beach if you haven’t spend 50-60 grand on cosmetic surgery, your not really serious about your appearance.

I have taken a lot of gear, almost every thing anyone ever writes about. Human Grade is the best, I believe it should be legal. I have done huge cycles and small cycles, have a nice shipment of all human grade gear in transit, and will start that cycle when it arrives. Probably less then 3 grams per week.

I never start a cycle until everything is in hand, gear, ancillaries, supplements, PCT, needles, syringes, swaps, log book, every thing.

Any closing comments?

I plan to lift and train, use gear, and recruit new members to our sport, like a Mormon missionary until the day I die. Don’t have any yet, but planning on lifting with my grand kids sometime in the next 20 years.

God bless all of you.

PAST MONTH LINKS:
Please place your vote for the March, 2008 AFboard MOTM here!
Vote here for AFboard's March, 2008 MOTM

MR. BMJ · 04-02-2008, 11:37 AM

The AFBoard's April, 2008 winner is presented to:

booey

Member of the Month – So Easy a Caveman Can Do It!!!!

First, thanks to the members at AF. Not just those that voted for me, but also to those that make this place head and shoulders above the rest of boards. It amazes me the attitudes, egos, and lack of knowledge I find on almost every other board. This place is truly the best of the best.

Ok, onto myself! Best place to start would be stats: I’m 26, 5’11” and currently at 215lbs give or take a pound, 10% body fat. I’m pretty strong in the gym (stronger than I look). I’m more focused now on becoming much much bigger (as long as I don’t go over 15% b/f!!).

My personal life: I’m in my last year of law school and will soon be moving to California (living right outside Washington DC right now). I’m married, but have no intentions of having kids anytime soon!! At least that’s the plan.

I’d say the gym and everything associated with this life style is a big part of who I am. If it wasn’t for this, who knows what I’d be doing?? I used to drink almost every night, and I dabbled way too much in recreational drugs. I started seriously lifting in 2002 (sophomore in college), when I weighed a whopping 150 pounds!! My first day, I had trouble benching the bar!!! But something clicked. I changed and left those old bad habits behind almost immediately. It just doesn't mix. How can I put in a good workout when I'm hungover?

I was never more dedicated to anything in my life. I researched all I could on the internet and talked to everyone in the gym to find out how I could become bigger and stronger. For the first year or so, I had no clue about diet. So I did gain some newbie muscle (about 10 pounds), but it took a while to even get that (I was the classic ecto-morph). It wasn’t until 2004 that I had a better understanding of diet. With that knowledge, I added a lot of quality mass. I started my first cycle around that time. I didn’t gain as much as I hoped to, but I knew it would become a staple in my life.

Then came law school, and I lost of muscle mass due to the constant studying and barely any workout time. I had replaced one passion for another, and it wasn’t until late 2006 that I was able to manage both of my passions at the same time.

I’m at a good place in my life right now. I’ve been able to keep my priorities in line and set and achieve all the goals I have set for myself. I owe much of this from the discipline I have learned through bodybuilding.

1. What type of training schedule has worked best for you over the years?

Old school heavy training, heavy volume. I’ve tried a lot of programs over the years, and this is the one I keep coming back to. If I don’t completely destroy the muscle in the gym, I do not grow.

I hit most of my body parts once a week, with a few sets for lagging body parts twice a week (for instance, I’ll hit Shoulders on their own day and also an exercise or two with Chest). I usually aim to get 5 exercises in, sets ranging from 3-5 (not including warm ups). I go heavy on the compound movements (3-6 reps) and moderate weight on isolation (6-10).

I also incorporate different intensity principles such as drop sets, rest/pause, supersets and negatives. I’ll usually throw these in based on feeling.

2. What type of diet plan have you found works best for you?

Smart dieting. There are really no tricks. If I want to grow, I up my calories. If I want to cut, I’ll drop the calories and add cardio. I aim for 6-8 meals a day. Keep the protein intake very high and mess around with fats and carbs depending on if I’m trying to gain or lose weight.

Carb manipulation is key for losing fat. I avoid carbs 3-4 hours before bed when cutting and for a couple hours in the morning after AM cardio to maximize fat burning.

3. What type of supplementation do you follow or use?

I figure I’ll be running Test year round from now on, since I lose too much muscle when I come off. It’s not a matter of proper PCT; my body was just not designed to carry this much muscle mass (poor genetics). When I “blast”, I add Tren and Dbol.

I supplement with T3 when cutting. And in the near future I’ll be adding Sesapure year round to keep fat gains in check.

I also load up on Vitamin C and B-complex. I feel I get an adequate amount of the rest of the important vitamins from my diet.

4. What are your personal lifting records or accomplishments that you are proud of?

I’m never satisfied, so it’s tough to say. Currently, I’m lifting 255lbs on seated military press. But I’m aiming for 275 in the near future. 315 would be pretty nice too!!!!

Overall, I’m proud of where I am and where I am going. Looking back on how I used to look and feel, compared to now and the future – it’s an amazing transformation!

5. What are your personal short and long-term goals at this time?

I’ll start with long-term. I’m giving myself 5 years to get to 240lbs at 9-10% body fat.

My short-term goal is to pack on a lot of mass before I cut again. During the beginning of this year, I began cutting and shortly after I realized that I was cutting too soon. It was nice getting to a low body fat (I ended up floating around 8-9%), but I missed all the size I was carrying. So I’m not cutting until I get well beyond a comfortable weight. Right now I’m 215, so I think I’ll need to get to 235-245 before cutting again. I’m giving myself 8-10 months.

6. Who do you idolize and look up to in the bodybuilding, powerlifting, or weight training community, past or present?

Arnold!!! I admire his entire life, not just bodybuilding. He has conquered sport, entertainment, and now politics. His dedication and concentration to reach his goals is unmatched. His story has had a big impact on how I live my life.

7. What tips can you share with other people that you have found effective and that they might benefit from?

Nothing can beat consistency and progression. Consistency means following a workout program (one that you have tailored to meet your needs) and sticking to a well-planned diet. Progression means you need to have results every day. If you not, you’re doing something wrong.

Also, try new things – but do not think that you have to stick with it if you don’t like it. All that matters is results. If it doesn’t work for you, drop it.

8. Any closing comments?

There are a lot of people who will say you cannot do something – that your goals are out of reach. I say, don’t listen to them. Anyone can do anything, as long as they have that hunger. I’d rather give something my all and fail then not try at all. That’s what bodybuilding and training is all about. Give it your 100% always and you’ll get to anywhere you want.

PAST MONTH LINKS:
Please vote for your April, 2008 MOTM Here.
Please place your nominee vote for the April, 2008 AFboard MOTM here!

MR. BMJ · 05-09-2008, 02:54 PM

THE AFBOARD'S MAY 2008, AND FIRST EVER FEMALE MOTM WINNER, IS PROUDLY AWARDED TO:

BEVERLY McD

Thank you all very much for the honor of being the AF Member of the Month.

I am 47 years old, 5'3" and keep my weight between 110-120 pounds. I'm very happily married to my husband Mike, and I have a son and a daughter...both grown and gone.

I started refereeing for powerlifting in about 1987. I am a certified judge for Texas High School Powerlifting Federation in both male and female divisions. I was at one time ceritified in the United States Powerlifting Federation (USPF) but that may have lapsed by now. I am a certified American Powerlifing Federation (APF) referee and a certified World Powerlifting Congress (WPC) referee.

My husband Mike and I own a powerlifting gym here in Texas. (Does THAT surprise anybody LOL?!)

When I first began weight training I competed in Body Building.

WHAT TYPE OF WEIGHT TRAINING HAS WORKED BEST FOR YOU OVER THE YEARS?

Heavy weights...at least heavy for me LOL! I lift 4 days per week, and do cardio 5 mornings per week, 1 hour, with an aspirin/caffeine/ephedra stack, and on an empty stomach. About 2-3 afternoons per week I throw in another half hour of cardio after I lift.

WHAT TYPE OF DIET PLAN HAVE YOU FOUND WORKS BEST FOR YOU?

High protein, low fat, moderate complex carbohydrate. I eat all the fruit and vegeatables I want. I stay away from processed foods as much as possible. I don't count calories, I pretty much "graze" all day.

WHAT TYPE OF SUPPLEMENTATION DO YOU FOLLOW OR USE?

Daily vitamin, the omegas, flaxseed oil. Several products from AF, including Glucorell and Thermorexin.

WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL LONG TERM AND SHORT TERM GOALS?

To stay lean, fit and healthy. I'm very involved in the APF/WPC, and hope to continue with that. I help coach the athletes in our gym, and many of them are world class...NOT blowing my own horn here-they definitely put in the hard work and would be highly successful even if I never showed my face in the gym!

WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO IN THE BODYBUILDING, POWERLIFTING, OR WEIGHT TRAINING COMMUNITY?

My husband Mike. Pure hard headedness and determination, with a nice dose of DRIVE thrown in, helps him achieve his goals. Beyond him, there are so many I could never list them all. I've judged lifters who are blind, lifters who are amputees, Special Olympic lifters...the commonality in them all is they NEVER QUIT, no matter how tough things get they keep pushing. I have a ton of admiration for those who work hard, regardless of what sport or activity it may be...there is just no substitute for hard work.

WHAT TIPS CAN YOU SHARE WITH OTHER PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE FOUND EFFECTIVE, AND THAT OTHERS MIGHT BENEFIT FROM?

Rest and recovery are just as important as diet and training. Regardless of how well you eat and how hard you train, if you don't allow your body to rest you will delay your progress. For many years I trained 6-7 days per week. I stayed very lean, but I also stayed beat up and tired, and the injuries started to mount up.

ANY CLOSING COMMENTS?

Just to say thank you once again. Not so much for the "win" (though that is great!) but for the opportunity to share information. I get to share my experience/knowledge, and I also get to learn from the knowledge and experiences of the others on this board.

PAST MONTH LINKS:
Please Vote for Your May, 2008 MOTM Here!
Please Place Your Nominee For AFBoard's May, 2008 MOTM Here

MR. BMJ · 06-02-2008, 01:52 PM

THE AFBOARD'S JUNE, 2008 MOTM WINNER IS PRESENTED TO:

Drrman

-Profession and education background
-Training history
-Competition accomplishments or experience
-Discussion board history
-How you found AF
-Family info (if you have kids, married?)
-Other

I currently work as a Network Engineer for a medium-large sized company that provides a specific service to mostly fortune 500 companies, don’t want to go into too much detail about “where” I work but that is my formal Job. However I went to college and got my actual B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.

I am currently going on 29 years old, I started training when I was approximately 17 years old between my junior and senior years. At 6’ tall and 160 I was athletic but in the basketball kind of way, that was the only sport I ever participated in. My senior year I didn’t play and began hitting the weight room more than anything. I went from 160 to right at 198 I believe naturally, I wasn’t lean nor fat but I had put on some size for sure, I was no longer the little twig I once was. I did that in about 2-2.5 years and then of course wanted something more, so me being young, dumb, and naïve bought some anadrol out of the back of a guys car at the gym. Got nothing but water weight, sickness and a case of gyno I still carry to this day, although that’s getting removed this winter.

That then pointed me to EliteFitness back in 1999 is when I first joined, of course asking all the rookie question everyone else did, really were some good bros on that board back then and I enjoyed it. After I had research, read, studied, asked for help and received I began giving back to the boards of course. I am currently a mod at a private board and have been an admin at domesticbodybuilding.com before owner scammed everyone and I deleted my own account, and mod at 2 other smaller boards that never really went anywhere. I consider myself pretty much “in the know” and do my best to protect those that likely haven’t heard some pertinent information that might keep them or others “safe”

As for competition and accomplishments, well can’t say I’ve really competed, I was on track to do a show a four years ago before a 90mph wheelie I sat down on my streetbike decided to tank slap on me and three surgeries and 7 pins in my left knee, ankle, and wrist sort of put a stop to that.

As for how I found AF, well I of course got banned from Elite too for basically speaking my mind and telling it like it is, which is a habit I’ve had my entire life, some love it and some hate it, but I don’t bullshit anyone about anything, if their feelings get hurt im sorry it had to get hurt by me but I don’t really sugarcoat anything and try and always tell it like it is.

Family info, no kids, great family though, and a beautiful girlfriend of 4.5 years who im sure will be my wife one day

1. What type of training schedule has worked best for you over the years?

-mass training, 4 days on, one day off. Chest/bis, shoulders/tri, back, legs, day off and then repeat. As for staying lean and keeping the ripped look I usually play it a bit by ear, doing more push/pull routines and mixing things up a little more, this can also be dependent on the amount of anabolics being taken as to how I train.

2. What type of diet plan have you found works best for you?

-diet plan, man I wasted SO many years worrying about lifting and what AAS I was going to take when I should have spent just a fraction of that time on diet, diet is EVERYTHING in making your body look like you want it to look. When leaning up I pretty much eat grilled chicken with either sweet potato or brown rice for each meal starting when I get up and every 2.5 hours till the end of the day. Depending on how lean im actually shooting for I’ve cut down carbs as low as 40-50g day for multiple days, diet is one of those things you MUST study but also study yourself and figure out what works best for YOU…………but the FREQUENT meals are the key if you ask me guys, got to eat, even if not hungry get that small portion down

3. What type of supplementation do you follow or use?

-well AAS of course, I don’t really put a lot of emphasis on anything else besides protein, that is of course the building blocks of muscle, also use r-ALA and have good results with it, and a good multivitamin.

4. What are your personal lifting records or accomplishments that you are proud of?

-well in college I was a bloated 265 and I did crush the shotput thrower on the track teams deadlift record my lifting 785, one of my more proud moments even though I didn’t get my name on the wall….lol. at this point in my life I honestly don’t give a shit what I can bench, squat, deadlift, I lift heavy as I feel comfortable lifting, I lift to look good, to me its about what you look like you can bench when you are out at the pool, not what you can really bench.

5. What are your personal short and long-term goals at this time?

-would like to try and bring my left calf up somehow even though I can’t really flex it, possibly do a show next year, bring up my bis although I’ve been trying for 10 years for that one. Long term just stay decently lean from now on, im done bulking, done putting my body through all that stress, food, chemicals only to come out with 3 more pounds of muscle when its all said and done

6. Who do you idolize and look up to in the bodybuilding, powerlifting, or weight training community, past or present?

I’ve always like Kevin Levrone for some reason, guy actually puts on weight for his shows…..lol, doesn’t get fat and cut like the rest, he just always impressed me.

7. What tips can you share with other people that you have found effective and that they might benefit from?

ONE WORD….DIET, DIET, DIET. And do CARDIO. Hell even without the diet cardio will bring your lifts up, that old bullshit about it eating muscle, screw all that, you NEED to work your heart. LEARN to diet, I see SO many posts on what to take for summer cycle, will winny rip me up, will tren burn fat, you can BE FAT on ANYTHING people, I used to be the same way, I studied cycle after cycle trying EVERYTHING when I could have took ¼ the shit on a perfect diet and looked twice as good. Now don’t get me wrong I’ll run some higher end dosages but mainly trying to preserve muscle when getting down into the 2000 calorie area. But guys LEARN to diet, if you want to look good, diet, if you just want to bench 600 and never worry about your aesthetics keep eating what you want!

8. Any closing comments?

Just like to thank everyone that voted for me and thank the owners/mods/admins for making this a good, clean, informative and drama free board!

PICTURES:

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...1203071943.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...n/DSC02215.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...MAGE_00009.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...18080629-1.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p217/drrman/9999.jpg

Past month links:
Please Vote For Your June, 2008 MOTM here!
Please Place Your Nominee for The AFboard's June, 2008 MOTM Here!

MR. BMJ · 07-02-2008, 01:15 PM

THE AFBOARD'S JULY, 2008 MOTM WINNER IS PRESENTED TO:

KABEETZ

"I used to lift to prove others wrong.
Now I lift to prove myself wrong."

Being raised by a hard working single mom, eating right wasn't always easy or convenient. So when there was actually food in the fridge I would just tear through it in a couple days. Most nights mom would come home late with fast food. I never got into the habit of breakfast. Although I wrestled and played some offensive line in junior high and high school, I was not much more than an obese, sloppy mess by the age of 18. I remember shopping for clothes one summer and I could no longer fit into any xxl tops or even size 44 pants, which meant I had to start going to big and tall shops. It was time to take control of my life and turn it around. I knew I wanted to look back on my life with pride, not with regrets. It was time.

I never stepped on a scale much at all, but I know from wrestling a couple years and waistline inches earlier I had been 285. I am sure I had broken the 300 barrier given the couple extra years of fast food eating or come dangerously close to it. Over that winter I got down to about 210 by following a no carb diet. Over the following winter I got myself down to a little under 170. It was a weight well lower than my body's set point should ever be at 6'2". From that point on I spent the next few years going up and down a bit but staying in the 180-200 range, a healthy range for me. I looked decent with clothes on, was able to have some success with some beautiful women, but my confidence wasn't there because my body underneath was a mess. I retained massive amounts of pec, ab and lower back fat, absolutely no muscle or strength to speak of from all the dieting, and no aerobic capacity. I was the slowest, weakest person that I had ever met.

Eventually I came across an issue of muscle media, and got interested in lifting. I started reading all the magazines, taking in as much knowledge as I possibly could. It took me another year to actually have the courage to step foot into a gym though and my first experiences were difficult and ended in failure... I would do incredibly well for 12-20 weeks, and then come down with a nasty cold, flu or just general fatigue, burnout and excuses.

First and foremost it comes down to discipline. You have to want it, you have to earn it. My own lack of discipline and confidence would allow me to psyche myself out just as I would start seeing any real results. In hindsight though I also realize that these 5 day plus splits were completely inappropriate for sedentary individuals just starting to lift. The lack of programmed recovery, the massive amount of sets and reps, it can be a recipe for disaster for the ignorant and untrained. Of course my body was doing its best to resist this sort of stimulus!

But as is always, always the case: better late than never.

I came across that other site sometime in 2005, a friend sent me a link excited we could find a way to get juice. I signed up and took a look around, but didn't do much else. In the spring of 2006 I started really lurking on the site. I would just read and learn, read and learn. I started on the 5 x 5 program at my Gold's Gym. A week later, they converted to Planet Fitness. A week later, the racks were gone. Then the flat benches, etc., etc. etc. I ran the 5 x 5 half heartedly on the lone smith machine for a few more weeks before heading off to visit some family in Greece. It was truly high comedy.

I got back to the states in September 2006 and on Labor Day I joined the local Powerhouse, determined that it was make or break time in my life. It was not too late to realize the physical potential of my youth. I ordered Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength and started Madcow's version of Bill Starr's 5x5. I became active on the training board, getting tremendous, tremendous advice from BiggT, Sarge, Cynical Simian, Blut Wump, Protobuilder, etc. *Bunny* gave me so much encouragement and incredible diet advice, and when she wasn't sure about something, pointed me to someone with great knowledge on that topic. I fell in love with the weights. Every Friday I would lift a weight that was five more pounds than I ever had before for a triple, then on Monday lift that new record weight for a set of five. Then that Friday I would break that new record by another five pounds.

That just made sense to me. It wasn't about a pump or soreness, it was a measurable indicator of improved performance, and a constant sense of accomplishment and achievement. A completely intoxicating and addicting natural high.

I knew I was weak and I knew I had shit genetics. But there was one variable I could control: effort. I could always do my best, always work my hardest, always eat right, never miss a day of training. If I did these things, if I fought for my PR's, my body would have no choice but to finally start to adapt and evolve.

That *IS* what lifting is to some extent, right? Living, breathing proof of the existence of evolution. Our body adapts to the stimulus presented to it. It always finds a way to survive and cope, in this case by growing and strengthening.

I came to AF along with the rest of the mass exodus in early spring of '07. I had never really tried AF supplements or spoken at any length with any of the staff or ownership, but it wasn't hard to realize that something smelled really fishy from the get over at the old spot. On one hand you had all these quality, stand up people leaving to become a part of this amazing board, and on the other hand you had... a desperate need for a spell check and some intrusive fake steroid banners. I can't possibly quantify how appreciative I am for discovering this place, and explain how thankful I am for the advice and encouragement of all the great admin, mods and fellow members, and how it has directly, positively contributed to whatever progress I have made.

My lifting passions have only grown, and continue to steer me towards strength and powerlifting. I am fortunate that I have begun to now train with a quality crew.

My totals have gone from a disastrous 115 bench/135 squat/115 deadlift in September 2006 to a merely substandard 235 bench/315 squat/415 deadlift 21 months later. I will continue to strive to improve every time I get under a bar.

Diet will always be important to me. I need to eat clean, for me obesity is always lurking and waiting to strike. I may not be going for a 4% bodyfat look, but I don't believe for a second that you can't have success in lifting at 10%, a percentage that gives you reasonably flexibility to trim down a bit when the need to book a vacation and spend a beautiful week on a beautiful beach with a beautiful lady presents itself!

I credit lifting with much more than aesthetics or strength gains though. In exchange for the hard work I have put into it, it has given me the discipline and confidence to accomplish amazing things in other aspects of my life that would have never been possible. While working one full time job 40 hours a week, and a second part time job another 15 hours a week, I have managed to go to school full time and wrap up my bachelor's, graduating summa cum laude from an excellent undergraduate business program. Not bad for an 11th grade drop out! The alarm goes off at 5:15, I get to the gym, shower, get to work, get to school, get to sleep, and do it all over again.

To be honest, free time frightens me. Evenings of T.V. on the couch get me thinking of a place I never want to be at again: watching mindlessly while stuffing my face. I can't and won't ever allow that of myself again.

When people say they "don't have time", they don't realize that they have to create time by planning. Anything is possible, there is nothing anyone can't accomplish in this world. If you have a dream, you have to go for it. We can't look back on our lives and wonder what if. That is the biggest crime of all. Imagine the fun I could've had if I lost the 100 pounds? The clothes I could have worn? The girls I could have laid? The life I could have had? Imagine the gains I could've made if I actually stuck to lifting over the winter? Imagine what I could be benching, squatting, pulling right now? Could have, should have, what if I did.

I have an incredibly long road ahead of me when it comes to training. I don't know where it will lead. I may never be the strongest, I may never be the biggest, I may never be the leanest. But I can always guarantee to myself that each day I will be the hungriest, the hardest working me I have ever been. Every rep, every set, every workout.

We have the ability to accomplish anything with this life we are given!! ANYTHING.

1. What type of training schedule has worked best for you over the years?

The two best all around size & strength buildersfor beginners and intermediates I personally have had success with are Madcow's version of the Bill Starr 5x5, and Joe DeFranco's Westside 4 Skinny Bastards template, both of which can be found in Blut Wump's training forum sticky. Low rep strength work complemented by higher rep accessory work has produced consistent strength and size gains.

2. What type of diet plan have you found works best for you?

Bulking comes very easy to me, but I am still working on improving my mass to fat ratio on gains though, my body is predisposed to storing extra calories as fat. I will get there. Thankfully though I am strong and experienced at cutting. 40-50% protein, no more than 20% carbs, the remaining 30% or so healthy fats. Most of the carbs book end around and during the workout, never any carbs at night. 1 package of lean meat a day, whey, tuna, low fat cottage cheese, whole eggs, oatmeal, sweet potatos, string beans, broccoli, almonds, evoo, anpb, fish oil. The basics.

3. What type of supplementation do you follow or use?

Whey, multi-v, fish oil, aifm are the only staples. T-Rex works great when cutting has plateaued, and Red Blast is my hands down favorite supplement period, but I purchase pre-workout stims only when my budget allows. The intensity needs to come from within first and foremost. If I could afford to use supplements like glucorell and sesapure, pure cee on a more regular basis I would, they all are effective.

4. What are your personal lifting records or accomplishments that you are proud of?

The next one.

5. What are your personal short and long-term goals at this time?

I have three goals on the horizon:

1) Go to Greece this summer, first time seeing many relatives including my father in a couple years, in as best aesthetic shape as possible. They haven't seen me since I started working out, and I haven't been able to take a vacation while pursuing my degree.... so this is going to be special and I am treating it like any competitor tries to prep for a show.
2) Compete in my first PL meet, likely an IPA event this October
3) Get to a 1200 raw total as soon as I possibly can, so I can set my sights higher.

6. Who do you idolize and look up to in the bodybuilding, powerlifting, or weight training community, past or present?

I don't idolize or look up to anybody of "celebrity" status in the lifting world. I have tremendous respect and admiration for the regular people in my gym who wake up every day and still come back, year after year. The amateur competitive lifters, the cops, the firefighters, the dpw, the moms, the elderly. Blue collar people who get the job done. These are true warriors, and I just try and get myself better and better to narrow the gap. I have the same respect and admiration for so many on AF. It's not fair for me to name names because there are two many to mention, which is what makes AF so special. Real people, real stories, real results. It's completely awe inspiring.

7. What tips can you share with other people that you have found effective and that they might benefit from?

When it comes to training, something Bev McD shared with me: Every day we are changing. We either take a step forward or take a step back. In other words, simply by going in and doing our best, we are changing our bodies for the better, whether it appears that way on that day or not. Every minute under the bar, or on the treadmill counts in reaching the goal you set for yourself.

When it comes to diet, in terms of eating out you must plan ahead. Know what are reasonable, safe items to order, and order them to your specifications. Do not look at the menu when starved! A chicken ceasar salad, no croutons, dressing on the side is available anywhere and everywhere.

8. Any closing comments?

I can only promise to keep trying to better myself, to take my physical presence halfway to the levels a great many of you have already earned and achieved.

KABEETZ'S PICTURES:

OCTOBER 2006:

MAY 2008 (same Hendrix shirt):

FATTY BEFORE PIC @ Age 18, size 44 waist:

JUNE 2008:

SHIRTLESS, SEPTEMBER 2006:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...eetzsept06.gif

SHIRTLESS, JUNE 2008:

FRONT:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...etzjune06c.gif
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...etzjune06b.gif

BACK:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...etzjune06d.gif

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03-01-2008, 12:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
MR. BMJ EXECUTIVE MODERATOR Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 9,964 Rep Power: 284052	Meet Your AF Member of the Month Winners Here Dear AF Members, This thread is created to present you each AF "Member of the Month" winner as they are chosen by the members of the board each month. Each member has written a short bio of themself as they deem fit, along with their answers to a few questions we have asked them to answer. Pictures are optional if the winner's choose to add them. Without further ado, here are your winner's Thanks! AF STAFF __________________ "No researcher has made a human bigger than a dumb-shit bodybuilder."---Dan Duchaine (12/18/97) BMJ...aka...."SPANKY" Last edited by MR. BMJ; 03-01-2008 at 01:00 PM.