Mike

Wow! I should be asking you for advice . You are prepared. Is that list of retailers specific to your cause/area? I would love to find/compile a list like that for mine. I work for an org called Adult Care Services. We offer day services, residential services, transportation, etc. to people who are elderly and/or have Alzheimer's, dementia and other cognitive/physical difficulties. It's a cool place to work. As much as I LOVE kids and animals, it seems that (at least in this area) everybody focuses on helping them exclusively and forgets about the elderly or other people who need help. I'm working as a marketing assistant now, but my goal is to eventually work in fund development. It seems that with your grant writing experience, you could be on your way to a fund development career as well. Is that what you're into? Mike

I'm not sure if you already know this or not, but your local library might allow you to use their online subscription to the Foundation Directory. The directory is convenient because you can just type in keywords such as "ecological" and "sports" and it will give a list of relavent foundations and potential donors. You might also try your local phone book. If you have a store in the area that is part of a chain, they might have a person there who is in charge of disseminating donations for various local causes. I'll keep thinking of ideas and will let you know if I come up with anything that might help. I'm always trying to find funding for the non-profit I work for, so I'll be really interested in how things go for you. Best of luck to ya!! Mike

Awesome username!!! It reminds me of something you'd see on a t-shirt or bumper sticker. I'm glad you're a part of the group! Mike

Welcome to the group Amy!!! I wish I had some recipes for you, but I'm a horrible cook . Thankfully, you'll be able to find some great recipes on here from other members . Mike

Welcome, Andrea!! You came to the right place to find inspiration. For me, it's hard not to be motivated when I read about the success of other forum members. I look forward to hearing about your progress. Mike

I'm curious if/how endurance athletes on this forum incorporate resistance training into their programs. I've heard some say that high reps are useless for building any kind of strength (even endurance-strength), and I've heard others say that anything under 15 reps is not appropriate for endurance athletes. Personally, I'm doing 2-4 sets of 20 reps for squats, straight-leg deads, overhead presses and bent-over rows once per week. Mike

I'm glad to see you're back at it! How did Ross E.'s program work out for you? I'm a big fan of Ross. Besides having such great info on conditioning, he seems like a nice guy too. He's really cool about responding to email questions. I hope the new program works out well for you!!! Mike

Welcome to the group! I really like your web site. Great idea about using the scooter when going downhill. Mike

It sounds like you'd enjoy living in Prescott, AZ. There are plenty of places to hike and explore and some smallish lakes in the area. It's a perfect mix for me, because I can have plenty of outdoor activities without being out in the "boonies," so to speak. The climate is pretty mild, too. It snows some in the winter but not enough to keep you snowed in. It hardly ever rains- it actually doesn't rain enough for most people. During the summer, it never gets too hot for a hike, run, etc. The cost of living is a little high and job market is lame, but that's almost everywhere I suppose. Mike

I wonder if there's a way you could incorporate some sport-specific training for that competition. I've heard stories about boxers for example doing tons of running but getting worn out by the end of the first round, because they weren't training for their specific type of activity. Maybe you should train for a fast short-distance run and/or incorporate interval training into your cardio (as much as cardio sucks). I think it's great that you're doing pull-ups. It looks like that course will require a lot of upper body pulling strength. I wonder if you might try some stuff like hanging from the bar with one arm and switching from a right/left hand grip. Maybe you could work up to one-arm pullups . It would be very cool if you have access to some sort of rock climbing wall. If not, maybe t-bar rows or one-handed rows (which I think you're already doing) could help. I have an idea for the bench portion of the competition. It may not work for you, but here goes: Monday: Do one BP set to training failure (keep a few in the bag, Comrade ) at 60% of your body weight. Each week, try to increase the number of reps until you hit 50. Thursday: Pick a weight you can lift easily for 50 reps. Each week, try to increase the weight. Ideally, that would train your ability to lift the needed weight (Mon) for the needed number of reps (Thur). Congrats on your continuing progress! I hope you don't mind the long post . Mike

Another Pavel fan! That Cindy Crawford workout actually sounds great for building endurance. I may just have to try it myself, just don't tell anyone . You mentioned getting back into GTG. If so, it would be great if you could post how you're applying it. I've always been curious how a lifter knows how much is enough versus how much is too much. I was always more of a PTP guy, since the routine is easier for me to "set in stone," if that makes sense. Keep up the great work, Comrade Gogh_Me . Mike

Personally, I'd avoid any type of fasting. Why not just drink a lot of water and not fast? If you want to burn fat, exercise. When I was younger, I didn't eat enough and ended up becoming weak, sickly and diagnosed with hypoglycemia. I'd be very careful about starving your body even for short periods of time. Also, how can a body concentrate on fighting off diseases if it has no fuel to do so? Mike

What I've done with some horrible tasting supplements is just put the spoonful directly into my mouth but have a BIG glass of water ready to wash it down. It sounds intense, but I'd rather get the taste over with quickly than to suffer through an entire glass of it. Also, this prevents any of the powder from getting stuck in your glass and wasted. Mike

If anyone sees Daywalker consuming animal products, contact the authorities immediately. Other crimes may be afoot! J/K, Daywalker Mike

. Make that two . I think people are afraid of death because they don't know what comes after it. Uncertainty has a way of creating fear. In cultures where death is accepted as a natural part of life, it isn't such a negative thing because people in the culture know that there's nothing to be afraid of. I guess the question would be, "where do we draw the line?" There are a lot of things that can prolong a person's life unnaturally (medication, surgery, etc.). I don't mean to get too off-topic with this stuff, though. This is such a thought-provoking area of discussion that I'm sure numerous threads could be created from the original topic . Mike

Touche . It does take a lot of drive and charisma to reach that status. But we're way cooler than those guys. We should have the fan clubs . Mike

Christopher Walken is the man. "We need more cowbell." Johnny Depp is cool, too. I hear he's really nice to fans when they ask for autographs and he only accepts roles that challenge him. I really don't care about either of these guys as "celebrities;" they just seem like cool people in general. Mike

Wow! I just skimmed through it and am amazed at the amount of information. It's like 300 pages! It is definitely worth checking out to anyone who comes across this thread. Thanks again to Jack for sharing and Syrlinus, the computer whiz, for making it possible. Jack, I'm curious if you've incorporated any of the info into your own training. Mike

You rock, MC Poop-a-Lot! I love those responses . Mike

Thanks you both very much:D . I'm looking forward to checking it out. Mike

Great post!! I agree completely. The closest thing I can think of is people who drink 24-7 for years and then need liver transplants, but at least they can say their alcoholism is a disease. Bodybuilders know the dangers of their drug-taking, poor diets, etc. Also, these people make aspiring bodybuilders think that they need to engage in the same destructive behavior to become pros. So not only do they take a transplant away from someone who needs it, but they encourage others to do the same. That's why I have respect for natural bodybuilders and people, including many on this site, who make impressive gains without sacrificing their health. Mike

I agree with Offense74. The word "vegan," to me is just a label that has different meanings for different people. I obviously believe in minimizing our usage of animal products, but I'm not sure that a "true" vegan exists. Anyone who has put gas in his or her vehicle is not a "true" vegan. I believe that veganism is an ideal, a state we all try to achieve but inevitably fall short of. I can't criticize someone else's "cheating" when I cheat every time I fill up my gas tank. I think that anybody who actively strives to avoid animal product usage is on the vegan path and can, therefore, consider themselves vegans- if they want to label themselves at all. Having said that, I don't think the term "vegan" would extend to a self-proclaimed vegan who gets a craving for a cheeseburger one day and heads to McDonald's. Mike

Dips are brutal, but they are a great exercise . If your kind of new to all of this, though, I'm a little worried about the dips. I've heard that dips on a bench can be a little hard on the shoulders. It would be a bummer for you to get injured at this stage in the game. Dips on a machine would be great, if you had access to a gym. It's your call of course, but I think you could hit those tris pretty nicely by doing pushups with your arms kind of tucked in at your sides. Any ideas for what you might do for legs? Mike

SeaSiren, are you talking about the DoggCrapp method? If so, I've heard great things about it (particularly from veggies for some reason). Where can I get more info? Mike

Great interview! I appreciate your enthusiasm and passion for what you do; it's contagious. After listening to your interview, vegygrl and I decided to double the amount of time we spend on training. Mike