hsorlando Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Congrats on the contest! I'm not online much right now due to various stuff going on, but I hope that will change soon enough. Anyway great job, and I think you deserve to rest up now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted May 4, 2009 Author Share Posted May 4, 2009 Thanks Hayley, I appreciate it. I just got back from my first NPC show! This was my 10 competition but only my first non-natural show...I am natural of course, but this was my first show outside of Natural Bodybuilding. There were some freaks there for sure! It was a great time and I really enjoy competing in the NPC and look forward to competing again soon. I think I was at my all-time best, even just a week after a so-so showing in Arizona. It's a long story but my feet are cold from a 4-hour drive back home and I don't feel like writing a ton right now...but here are the highlights: For the first time all year, I really didn't feel well. I caught some sort of flu or at least have had flu-like symptoms all week from shivers to sweating to headaches, muscle aches, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, coughing, etc. I showed up to compete anyway. I felt like hell when I showed up and the first person I saw was fellow Vegan Bodybuilder and forum member DCNINJA. I was totally out of it and told him I just had to lie down and take it easy.....so I thought..... I went to weigh in during the open period to weigh in the night before from 7-9PM and was 3 pounds overweight. I was already hungry and didn't feel well and had to sit in my car for 20 minutes with the heat running on full blast in the parking lot just to warm up before going inside the hotel.....but I knew what I had to do...I COULD NOT compete in the Light Heavyweight Division against non-natural guys and I had to lose weight. So I didn't eat or drink the rest of the night and decided to sit in the hot-tub and do exercises like dips, etc. for about 90 minutes. I went to bed and woke up at 6AM to do 90 minutes of cardio. I had on 2 shirts, 2 sweatshirts, pants and a large towel over my head and I went to work, still not feeling well. I then showed up at 8AM for final weigh-ins and anxiously stepped on the scale. I had lost 9 pounds over 12 hours and easily made weight...then immediately went to my car to EAT and DRINK for the first time since 5PM the day before. I took in about 1000 calories before getting on stage at 10AM and put on one of my best performances ever, all the while, trying not to sneeze or cough. When it was all said and done, I placed 3rd of 6 and even got one 2nd place vote. I place ahead of DCNINJA who was bigger than me, heavier than me, but a bit softer, which proved to be the difference...but he looked awesome and also made the top 5. It was competitive and fun! When it was time for me to perform, my CD which I've used twice now, did not play, so I used house music and had to make things up on the spot...rather than using my choreographed 16-pose routine. I pulled it off and DCNINJA said it was a great performance, so that was cool. I really had fun, even though I felt like hell. I also had a great time hanging out with DCNINJA and his family and friends...he also gave me a place to stay for 2 nights in a sweet rental cabin in the resort town of Sun River. I bundled up and watched TV for nearly 10 hours! I've been celebrating the completion of a 4-month diet with burgers, fries, ice cream, candy, chocolate, burritos and of course salads and fruits It's not that I totally crave those things or felt like I "deserve" them, it just seemed appropriate to go out with friends and say, "I busted my ass for 1/3 of the year on this diet...I'm going to eat!" And I did. Anyway, just drove 4 hours in the rain, my feet are cold and I have a burrito to finish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivalasvegans Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 La Bonita baby!! I had on 2 shirts, 2 sweatshirts, pants Were they your lucky green ones? Wow, congratulations Robert. Well done! And I don't mean the color of your skin covered in Dream Tan. Hope you're feeling all better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobsteriffic Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Wow, way to go! You are so dedicated. I hope you take a long deserved rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 Thanks, I'll share more later....had a lot to overcome to be at my best, but I believe I was at my best. It took being pushed up against the wall, being ill and knowing I had to take action immediately to make weight which took a lot of fluids out of my body and then I pumped myself full of carbs before getting on stage. Viva.....yeah, totally went to La Bonita as soon as I rolled into town.....first burritos in months. I'm still not 100% but that happens sometime and the first time for me this year that I've been "under the weather" but I had a great showing, met the LEGENDARY BILL PEARL which was a highlight for me! Time stood still for a moment....I've met tons of celebrities from Arnold to everyone else in the Bodybuilding world but it was special to meet Bill, more-so than Arnold I think, for me, because Bill is a vegetarian and was Vegetarian for 4 years at the time he beat Arnold and of course Bill is one of the all time great legends in the sport of Bodybuilding...he's 79 years old and has been vegetarian since age 37. He and his wife were great and they were thrilled to hear about the modern era of Vegan Bodybuilding that I have been part of. Wow, what weekend! It was pretty amazing to feel like a nervous kid again even though I spend my life meeting celebrity types....but nobody as special as Bill Pearl, nobody as influential in two movements I care a lot about...vegetarianism and bodybuilding. It was awesome. I look forward to sitting down with Bill someday soon for an interview about his life. That will be awesome! Anyway...more food now while I wash my dirty tan-covered clothes from the weekend. Oh, and it snowed a bit in Bend so that was cool.... I competed at around 5000 feet elevation and had a nice drive home today through the mountains, desert, rain and snow along the side of the roads. Home sweet home and I'm here for 10 full days before leaving again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobsteriffic Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Bill Pearl?? Very cool!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganGirl2006 Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Wow! Sounds like you had a fantastic time and congrats on your performance! Now get yourself back to 100% soon. Being under the weather is no fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 Yeah, Bill Pearl is THE MAN! If you don't know much about him, and many probably don't, look him up online...he revolutionized the sport of Bodybuilding and is one of the Greatest Bodybuilders in History...and of course was and is vegetarian and Beat Arnold and other greats http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pearl Biography His first major victory was in the 1953 Mr. Universe contest (in which he beat out a then 23 year old Sean Connery). He actively competed until his retirement in 1971 after winning the Mr. Universe one last time, over Reg Park and Sergio Oliva. In all, he won the professional Mr Universe 4 times in an 18 yr span, which was unprecedented at the time. Bill Pearl was the first professional bodybuilder to author bodybuilding training courses/booklets. He is also the first to pose to music, and was especially noted in performing exhibitions doing an entire posing routine of Eugene Sandow (who is known as the man who started the sport of bodybuilding). Ever the showman, along with his lifelong coach Leo Stern, Pearl would wear a fake mustache, leotards, a fig leaf, and a late-1800s backdrop, all for providing the exact effect of the Sandow era. As if that wasn't enough, Pearl was equally as famous for performing his strongman routine, which included tearing of license plates, bending penny spike nails, and blowing up a hot water bottle. He is the author of the popular exercise book, Getting Stronger: Weight Training for Men and Women, which has sold over 350,000 copies in the U.S and has been translated into four other languages, including Chinese. His book Keys To The INNER Universe, is still to this day considered to be a "must read" for bodybuilders. It contains 1,500 weight-training exercises and weighs five pounds. It is used extensively by professional athletes, trainers and serious bodybuilders and has sold over 60,000 copies. [2] Bill had his own monthly question-and-answer column called "Pearl of the Universe" in the bodybuilding magazine MuscleMag International as well as one in Muscle Builder (later Muscle & Fitness) magazine, entitled "Wisdom of Pearl" in the 1970s & 1980s. In 2003 with coauthor Kim Shott, Bill published his autobiography, Beyond the Universe: The Bill Pearl Story. Pearl became a vegetarian at age 39 and is the best known vegetarian bodybuilder. Bill's diet is lacto-ovo vegetarian, which means he eats eggs and dairy products. During the 1980s, Pearl served as a mentor, trainer, and training partner to many of the top professionals that were still competing. One such individual was Mr. Olympia, Chris Dickerson. Pearl currently lives in Phoenix, Oregon.[1] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave vs. Robzilla Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Wow, I didn't know some of that about Pearl (like the Sandow stuff). Congratz on the comp, Robert! You rule! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaSiren Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 How exciting! Bill is an amazing man. We were supposed to hook up this year during the Arnold, but I couldn't make it. He gave me his number, so I hope to meet up very very soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsorlando Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 All this talk about burritos is making me hungry! At least today Etho's Vegan kitchen is celebrating Cinco de Mayo by having Mexican type food. Hopefully they'll still have something left by the time I get over there.Anyway just wanted to shout out another congrats to you RC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalBrada Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Hey RC, get as much out of those 10 days as you can. Rest, recovery, recuperate, relax, re-energize, rebound...you know all those R-words! We are all rooting for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivalasvegans Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Rest, recovery, recuperate, relax, re-energize, rebound...you know all those R-words!refriedbeans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 Lots of R's there! Thanks! Here is a link to some pics: http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/blackredphotography/gallery/Bill-Pearl-High-Desert-Body-Building-Competition/G0000gb8yG_vhlV8/?_bqO=0&ppg=100&_bqH=eJwzcS4LSCz3Li9MyQwwSkvL9chLDE_z9zTRrfC1MjQztzI0MLCyco_3dLF1NwCC9CSLSvf4soycMAu1AJComrtnvLujj49rUCQ2RQB.4hzV I'm in a few of them...I'm in the middle of the stage in a few of the group pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted May 7, 2009 Author Share Posted May 7, 2009 I went to Loprinzi's and trained arms today for 90 minutes. It was awesome and great to get back to the old school gym. I was being filmed for an animal rights documentary called "War on Animals" I believe. It went really well. I'll be in 3-4 documentaries coming out in 2010 so that will be pretty sweet. More later...off to eat with DCNINJA and others soon at Blossoming Lotus tonight....8PM if anyone reads this on Wed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aluck Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Looking good. Try to get some rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 Got a good 8 hours or close to it last night. Today I had a 90 minute leg workout. During rest periods I watched the TV and saw LeBron James beat up on the Hawks. I don't think the Cavs will lose a game until the NBA Finals where they will likely only lose one game total Since I'm still getting over my back injury I did mostly leg extensions and lying hamstring curls...nearly 10 sets of each. I also did some leg presses and trained calves. In total it was just about 80 minutes and then I did more calf raises in the sauna and did more when I was waiting in line for my burritos to be ready at La Bonita. Speaking of that....did Vita Cafe close? It's blocks away from La Bonita and looked closed today, as in closed for good. Anyone in PDX know? Good leg workout today and we'll get back for back or chest tomorrow and then the other on Friday. Then posing on Saturday (have another competition in 9 weeks or so) and visiting my mother over the weekend. Should be a great time! I'm getting tired and it is only 10PM! I think I'll be in bed early tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted May 9, 2009 Author Share Posted May 9, 2009 I trained back today for about 85 minutes or so. I got to the gym and started with a machine row which is one of my favorite movements. Machine row60 x 2060 x 2080 x 2080 x 20100 x 20100 x 20 T-bar rows (wide then narrow grip)70 x 1570 x 1570 x 1585 x 1285 x 1085 x 10 Decline cable rows105 x 15120 x 15120 x 15135 x 12 Narrow grip pull-ups888 Wide grip pull-ups666 Close-grip pull-downs120 x 12135 x 10135 x 10135 x 10 Machine shoulder press for fun70 x 1580 x 1590 x 15100 x 12110 x 10130 x 8 Machine lat pull-downs as super set to shoulder press80 x 1080 x 1080 x 10 Lots of sets, lots of volume but I enjoyed it. I had two random "fans" come up to me at the gym. Neither our forum members but they've seen me around the community, seen my website, know of my work, etc. so they both chatted for a while. One was at the beginning of my workout, the other was at the end....talking extended my workout by a good 10-15 minutes, but they were both nice so no big deal. I'm not a big fan of talking at the gym and glare at people who do, especially on a cell phone, but these people were sincere and I tried by my body language to let them know I needed to get back to it. I picked up a couple of burritos and I'm back home now. I sold a bunch of Vegan Bodybuilding t-shirts today online at 50% off so that was cool too. Thanks guys! You know who you are and I really appreciate it! RC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryStella Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 I've found wearing headphones helps but the biggest helper I've found is setting an interval timer or regular timer to go off on your sports watch say 30 sec or a couple of minutes after you stop lifting to let everyone know it is time to get back at it. I don't think most people want to interfere with others workouts I just don't think they realize they are doing it sometimes so the beep is kind of a gentle reminder. That and it can keep you accountable for how much rest your taking between sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted May 12, 2009 Author Share Posted May 12, 2009 I have another contest coming up July 11th. It will be my biggest and toughest contest ever. I had another posing session with my posing coach on Saturday and it went well. I trained chest today. I'm slowly getting back to free weights after that major back injury that left me hardly able to walk at all last month. I've been using machines and cables for the past 6 or 7 weeks! Today I did bench press though, not much stress at all on the back since I was pressing. My workout went like this....about 80 minutes long. Cable flys60 x 2060 x 2070 x 1580 x 1590 x 15110 x 8100 x 12 Machine press70 x 2090 x 15110 x 15130 x 15150 x 15170 x 12170 x 8170 x 8150 x 12 Machine Incline press70 x 1290 x 1090 x 10110 x 10 Pec Deck flys90 x 15120 x 15120 x 15140 x 12140 x 12160 x 8 Flat Bench Press135 x 12155 x 10175 x 8195 x 5155 x 8135 x 9 Machine Incline Press70 x 1270 x 1270 x 12 Dips121212 Lots of volume but I enjoyed it. A little jittery after the workout from the nitric oxide. I take it all the time, but had more scoops than usual tonight, maybe that had something to do with it. Also recovering from not being 100%. It is my first time falling ill all year, 5 months into the year and it has taken me 2 weeks to get over it! Wow, it wiped me out. Still not feeling "great" but hanging in there. Had some Vega and Glutamine when I got home and then a sandwhich and I'll have another sandwich soon. I'm 9 weeks out and I'm not going to focus on dieting so hard this time. I'm going to focus on explosive training and dropping 15 pounds of water. I dropped 9 pounds the day before the contest last week and I'm confident I can drop 15 pounds over 2-3 days, or more to get dry and lean while still maintaining mass from "bulking up" between now and then. I think it will work. I'm not too worried. Then I'll compete again in August and maybe in Sept or Nov. as well, or both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 I trained arms tonight and it went well. I also saw forum member trisimon at the gym and that was cool. It is nearly 1Am and I'm tired but I'll try to recap as much as I can. Biceps Machine cable curls to warm up:20 x 2020 x 2025 x 1530 x 1535 x 1540 x 12 Seated Hammer Curls35s x 1035s x 1035s x 10 Seated Alternating Bicep Curls35s x 835s x 835s x 8 Standing EZ bar curls60 x 1060 x 1560 x 1060 x 12 Hammer Strength Preacher Curls70 x 1070 x 1060 x 1260 x 12 Triceps Cable press-downs90 x 1590 x 15100 x 15100 x 15110 x 10110 x 10 Dips121212 Machine Triceps Extensions100 x 12100 x 12100 x 12 Machine Dips180 x 15225 x 15225 x 15255 x 8255 x 8255 x 8 I did a few extra machine exercises. I'm still being careful with free weights to make sure I don't bother my back more than I have already. Not a really heavy workout but some good pumps and it felt nice. Then had PROBAR, VEGA and Glutamine, Banana, tofu sandwich, 1/2 of a burrito and I'll have an orange before bed. Abs tomorrow. P.S. fun and casual game of Poker at my house at 7:30PM on Wed. I pushed away friends for the past 6 months as I've been preparing to compete and have been overworked. I'm setting aside one day a week or every 2 weeks to see friends. Otherwise, I don't see friends at all, except for at the gym if they are there while I'm there. I'm fine with it, but I feel that I owe it to my friends to make time to see them. And of course it will be nice to see friends again every once in a while...though I'll still be working just as much....still lots to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 I was in the gym training within 90 minutes of waking up today. Nice! I trained abs for 40 minutes and then shoulders for 40 minutes. Then I had 6 vegan corn dogs from Hungry Tiger Too for their $1 corn dog Wednesday I'm going to run to the post office to ship out some shirts....thanks everyone, moving lots of shirts these days! They are 50% OFF!!!! So I'll write more later. Getting excited about a friendly social game of poker...haven't seen friends in months, aside from at the gym or for work with filming. Will be nice to just kick it for a bit! RC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tasha Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Oh my Goodness 6 ? You'll be crapping for weeks lol Nice workout today Dry... Say hi to the Boys for me at the post office Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobsteriffic Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Vegan corn dogs?? I found vegetarian ones, but I had no idea vegan ones existed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 So I never recorded my lifts yesterday but it was tons of presses, like 4 different shoulder press exercises....I really enjoy pressing! Then some lateral raises at the end, primarily tons and tons of pressing. And of course 40 minutes of abs too, which is what I started the workout with....sit-ups, leg lifts, static holds, hanging leg raises and things of that nature. Today I trained back for an hour and it went like this: Machine Cable Lat Pull-downs70 x 1560 x 2070 x 1580 x 12 Machine rows80 x 1480 x 15100 x 12100 x 12120 x 10 Narrow grip pull-ups101215 Wide grip pull-ups101211 T-bar rowswide-grip90 x 1090 x 1075 x 12narrow grip75 x 1575 x 1375 x 12 Cable rows120 x 15120 x 15135 x 15 Machine rows90 x 12100 x 10100 x 10 Hammer Strength High Rows180 x 10140 x 1290 x 30 That was it. High volume, good pump, done in one hour. Then I had some VEGA with L-Glutamine added, a bunch of little tangerines, a tofu sandwich and then went tanning because I'm off to L.A. to work this weekend for VEGA at WorldFest. Now back home for another sandwich. YB! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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