trisimon

I arrived in Portland, OR on the last day of August 2008. I grew up in Minnesota and have previously lived in Boston, MA. I have the option to live anywhere. I considered San Diego and San Francisco, but after spending a week here in PDX, I knew this was the place for me. It took all of two weeks on Craigslist to find a job and a place to live. I do have a lot of skills, so that helped with a job. My living expenses are low. I don't have a car and get around almost entirely by bicycle at all times of the year. I've been told that this winter has seen below average rain fall. I can say I love it here and have yet to get bummed out by a stretch of cloudy days. Being able to bike outside comfortably year-round is enough to keep a smile on my face! My theory is that much of the negatives spoken of Portland are a way to deter more people from moving here so we can have this magnificent place to ourselves! If you've heard the expression, "April showers bring May flowers", they really need to change that to "February showers bring March flowers" for Portland's sake. It is absolutely beautiful here. Depression - I've heard the stats on depression are derived from the per-capita fulfillment of anti-depressant prescriptions. So, this can mean one or many things: 1) People here are more aware of and open to treating mental health. 2) Those taking medication would (hopefully) be less depressed after taking the medication. Jobs - Stats on unemployment are taken from State unemployment filings. It's possible that Portland has a higher filing rate than other cities. This also doesn't take into account the underemployment rate. I know the rate of unemployment is high in Portland, but you can live cheaply and still have a high quality of life if you so choose. Gang Activity - I think there is novelty in reporting on violence in Portland as it is so infrequent that few people are desensitized to it. Portland is probably the only large city I've been to that doesn't have a section that locals would recommend avoiding. Note: I think it would be harder to adjust to Portland if you can from the east coast. The social dynamics are a bit reversed here where most people are very laid back and chill about everything. If you make plans, don't be surprised if people show up 2 hours late. Having spent last year on the east coast, it took me a couple of months to adjust to the relaxed culture. Hope that helps allay some of the unsubstantiated fears being spread. I'm happy here and have developed some really great friendships. And there are so many people from the board that show up at the local gym, it is a bit ridiculous! Cheers! -Simon

There are a lot of options for training outside of a gym with little or no equipment. Can you tell us a bit about your current training and kind of resources you'll have available this summer so we can help you find the right training equipment and exercises? While I like to recommend Stronglift 5x5 to beginners, I definitely feel a gym is the best place to do squats, bench press and dead lifts (three of the best strength building exercises) where you'll have good equipment and racks and spotters! Outside the gym, I would suggest focusing on body weight exercises (pull-ups, chin-ups, push-ups, bodyweight squats, lunges, dips, reverse crunches, etc). You could also look for some inexpensive exercise bands, sand bags or a backpack with books for a cheap way to add resistance. Other good options: Calisthenics and Plyometrics! Mix it up and have fun this summer.

I will also give the thumbs-up to SunWarrior. I'm almost through my first container. My shake (32oz): 1 banana 8oz rice milk 2 scoops chocolate SunWarrior 1/2 cup quick oats 1/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter 1T olive oil 1T agave/maple syrup 1T ground flax seed (occasionally) 2T coconut shreds + 1/4 sprouted garbanzos (occasionally) add an orange Filtered water to 32oz. Blend with a handheld blender in a mason jar. It's a rich and chunky meal I take right after my workout. It's the quickest way I know to pack in a lot of nutrients before my nap.

They are 10 pound weights. The leg press is 2:1, so multiple your weight selection by 2.

I will be there. 1) Do you have suggested/preferred times to be there for pre-judge and/or finals? 2) Are there any ride-shares set up? I may ride my bike or take the bus (if the rain is torrential). I'll have my laptop, so may work during the slow times. I can help with some camera stills and video whenever. Cheers! -Simon

Giacomo and RC, I will see you both at the show on Saturday! I am also available to help out, if needed. Cheers! -Simon Here is a link with more info about the show: http://www.naturalbodybuilding.com/schedule/index2.shtml

Thanks for the shoutout, LnG! I am wearing my VBB shirt today. I'm glad you're feeling better and getting some zzz's! Hopefully I can catch up with you at the gym for another workout soon.

Thanks for the props, L&G. Last Thursday's ab workout was tough! My log says 11:20a-1:10p. As I recall, you did 30 minutes of cardio afterward, then tanning at 1:45p, which means we had 1:50 of abs. Yowza! I had trouble putting my socks on the next day and took a full five days for recovery. Ready to hit the abs again soon!