Meriza and the girls, doin' it up again, doin' it right! That's right, ladies, get your sweat on, and shape that eye-catcher! Meriza leads the girls through 2 glute-bustin' circuits designed to tighten, tone, and burn that backside into submission! For more info on upcoming Bootie Blasting Workshops, or Meriza's Art of Figure Posing and Presentations clinics, stay tuned! (or hit her up at meriza@merizafigure.com)
We’ve Got a Stimulus Package for You! Recession-proof your Life by Fortifying Your Body!
A Strong Body Means a Healthy Society The Greeks realized thousands of years ago that a strong body meant a stronger society. That’s why they celebrated fitness, strength and athleticism with the Olympic games and with the way they lived their lives. Cultivating a strong physical self was part of their value system and their culture. And if you’re like us here at MAN Sports, you understand this. The art and science that drives the pursuit of optimal physical performance, and high performance lifestyle are the very tools we as a society need to prosper, now, more than ever! The State of our Union is Obese! It’s estimated that one in three people in the United States is obese. In a nation of over 300 million, that’s an awful lot of unhealthy people! Unhealthy? It may be politically incorrect to assume that obesity necessarily means “unhealthy”, but this the painful, brutal truth. Obesity kills! In fact, the very definition of obesity is “the accumulation of excess fat to the point where it negatively impacts health.”
In the U.S., obesity contributes to over 300,000 deaths per year, 2nd only to tobacco. Obesity is directly correlated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, arthritis, respiratory complications and a decreased life expectancy. Obese workers have higher rates of absenteeism, are more likely to miss work with disability issues. A recent study showed that obese workers in America filed for twice as many government provided worker’s compensation benefits and had 12 times more lost workdays than their non-obese counterparts. The impact on the operational costs of business, as well as the financial health of the government providing these of benefits is blatantly obvious.
Obesity is expensive! The news tells us today that we’re in a global recession. We are a fatter, less active physically weaker than ever before. Obesity is now “epidemic” through nearly all parts of the world. It really does seem like times are tough all over. What can we do?
We’ve Got a Stimulus Package for You! Changing the World, 1 Rep at a Time! Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Each of us, as individuals, owe it to ourselves, to our nation, to our society, to our communities, our families and to each other to live as responsible citizens and to take care of that which is within our sphere of control. This includes our physical state – our bodies!
We, as “enlightened individuals”, those of us whose eyes have been opened to the benefits of the exercise, good nutrition and the healthy lifestyle, we owe it to ourselves and everyone else around us to TAKE CARE OF OUR BODIES! It’s our responsibility to be healthy – to work conscientiously and diligently to optimize our health as best as we can. A healthy nation is a strong nation. A physically fit community is a community that works hard, takes responsibility for itself, and can be fiscally fit as well. Fit, healthy individuals know the satisfaction that comes from goal setting, achievement and control.
Remember, we are what we eat and how we live – and we become what we believe – we can be strong, we can be healthier, we can be better! Diet and Exercise? Heck, We Are the Experts! The leading causes of obesity are, (yep, you guessed it!) excessive consumption of calories, and lack of physical activity. No big mystery there, right? Eat a lot, get fat. Do nothing, get fatter! It’s not rocket science, it’s not some mystery “obesity gene” and it’s not a virus… Plain and simple, eat more calories than you burn, you’ll store those calories in the body’s fuel storage units, the adipocytes (fat cells)…keep on eating, especially high-glycemic, highly refined-, processed carb foods, and you’ll keep on storing fat – day after day after butt-expanding day. Studies have long demonstrated the positive impact on health and healthy body composition brought about by the simple increase of physical activity. Exercise is one of our most powerful tools to help build a leaner, healthier, stronger community. Besides lack of physical activity, the other major cause of obesity, over-consumption of calories, is the sad result of a misinformed society at large, and an easily accessible, overabundance of food in most modern cultures. Modern industrialization of food preparation and preservation has contributed to the overabundance and easy access to food in most places of the world today.
So what can you do to solve the world’s obesity problems, cure the energy crisis (in this case, the surplus of energy stored in the fat cells in the butts and bellies of the population of our nation!) and recession-proof your neighborhood, your city, and your nation?
You are doing it already! Live your life by example, as you do each day. Get up, get going, life the High-Performance Lifestyle! Lead by example; but also, spread the word! Share your successes, your goals and your achievements; share your passion with those around you! Tell everyone you come into contact with how empowering it is to live a life focused on health. Spread the news when you go to the office, to the doctor, to the cafeteria, wherever people gather in your day to day! Spread the news like the Gospel. Our way of life, living healthy, strong and fit, can and will change people’s perspectives – and this is how we will change the world! Together, we can all work toward a better world for future generations, but also for ourselves!
So, yep, that’s right, tell everyone to be selfish! Tell them, “It’s the most generous thing that YOU can do – TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!” No excuses – Get your butt to the gym, climb aboard the fit-train, join the club, and let’s get back to making our society proud, strong and healthy! Be a hero for your own self, for your family and for your neighbors! If you live your life pushing hard to be strong, to be the best you can be, you’ll find that you’ll naturally draw people to you – and you’ll inspire others to follow your lead!
GET up, and get going! Celebrate your physique and fitness achievements! It’s your obligation! Let’s get our neighbors, our co-workers and our classmates moving! If we support each other, we can stimulate our bodies, feed our minds, preserve our health, and collectively we can improve our quality of life while preserving the future for those that come after us.
Lead by example. Carpe Diem! The time is now, so Seize the Day! Get your game face on and get going!
It's not about money or fame. It's something inside that eats at you and the only way to let it out is to push yourself further than you did yesterday...
Please enjoy these vids...they gave me chills...I guess I'm just a goof like that...
For the love of the game...
OK, now go make your own motivation! Let's keep each other fired up - it's a new year, and this country, this world NEEDS HEROES! BE YOUR OWN HERO, and live the life of the hero for your family!
We do make a difference in each other's lives, and you never know who you touch in a positive way! So, don't sell yourself or each other short! REACH FOR YOUR DREAMS AND ACHIEVE THEM!
It was another one of our typical leg thrashin’ sessions this morning. After 20+ years of doing this, you’d think I might have had enough by now…But, like Ronnie Coleman’s famous quote about bodybuilding “cuz’ I love it.” states, it’s really that simple. Why else would we subject our bodies to the relentless hammering and punishment of the ongoing quest for size, mass and density? It surely isn’t for financial gain – and the health benefits of hard work in the gym, as plentiful as they may be, are certainly obtained with much less investment of effort and time, and discomfort, than the way we meat-heads do it on a daily basis…so, each and every Sunday, you’ll find me and my support staff in the gym, somewhere along the process of beating those poor muscles into submission…no choice but to grow! I am lucky enough to have a kick-ass training partner in Derik Farnsworth, IFBB Pro and pound 4 pound World’s strongest bodybuilder. I also have been blessed with super-human hard-working Meriza DeGuzman-Ciccone, my wife, partner, fellow MAN Sports athlete, and herself a physique super-hero – Meriza’s an IFBB Pro who has competed with the best in the game as a Figure competitor; she also leads by example, sculpting her body into a living work of art.
It’s only if you live this life that you understand…and please, don’t mistake my words for arrogance; I’m simply stating the answer to the question that has no answer if it must be asked… “Why do you do this again?” If you must ask, then you wouldn’t understand…
Here’s how it went today! We’ve been alternating our squatting program over the past several months, with the focus of building strength ongoing, but also with the goal of continued size, shape and quality as the primary goal. Today was our volume day for legs – “High Reps, Heavy Weight…Perfect form!” As I type this, just over 2 hours after training, with 1 full meal in, along with my post-training shake, BCAAs and recovery drink, I’m still feeling queasy and a little bit sleepy. So, after I finish this, I’ll most likely go and lay down for a bit.
Anyway, here’s how we rolled today! Giant set for quads ( 3 exercises in a row – 3 movements, 4 Giant sets) Squats: 315 X 10 reps, 365 x 10 reps, 365 x 10 reps, 405 x 10 reps Hack squats: 4 plates x 15 reps, x 15 reps, x 15 reps, x 15 reps Leg press: 540lbs x 20 reps, 540lbs x 20 reps, 540lbs x 20 reps, 540lbs x 20 reps This giant set might not seem very heavy, overall, but consider this – no stopping in between each exercise, and full, deep range of motion for each movement. Squeezing as we push, to maximally engorge the quads, and burn details deep into them from all angles…
Giant set for hamstrings: Lying leg curls: 90lbs x 15 reps, 100lbs x 15 reps, 100lbs x 15 reps, 100lbs x 15 reps Stiff-leg deadlift: 225lbs x 12 reps; 225lbs x 12 reps; 225lbs x 10 reps Vertical High-press: 4 plates x 15 reps; 4 plates x 15 reps; 4 plates x 15 reps; 4 plates x 15 reps
Additional hamstring and detail work: Razor-curls (a.k.a. “supermans”): bodyweight for 8-10 reps x 3 sets Hack Sissy-squats (Tom Platz style): bodyweight with hack sled x 10 reps x 3 sets
This workout may not seem like that much, balls-out heavy weights, but let me tell you, my legs are aching now! Like major headache deep in the muscles! It was a fast-paced leg beating that didn’t tax the system the way they typical heavy leg day would…but it smoked the lower body deep into the tissues, for sure. I know I’ll be sore tomorrow! For all you nay-sayers out there, try it and then let me know! After all these years, I still love this stuff! And, honestly, I was fired up on a mixture of Clout and GameDay to get me through this scorcher – Thanks again, MAN Sports, for providing the fuel to keep the fires lit and burning like an inferno!
It's time to re-activate and re-invigorate the 619 MUSCLE blog!
We've got so much going on, so much good stuff around us - our family has grown, and we've had a tremendously successful year!
Meriza and I got married, The Excalibur had some amazing successes for our Team, and the holidays have come and gone without any major misshaps, and with tons of love to go around!
(I only gained a couple pounds myself, Meriza maintained her best shape ever for off-season, and we're all back on track early, preparing for springtime shows!)
Happy New Year to all our 619 family - and congratulations to everyone for a successful year!
Here's to a bright, shiny new year that can only promise bigger, better and more blessed days ahead.
So, get ready, get off your butt, make your plan, and take that first step of 2011 - your first steps toward achieving your own personal legend and dream...
We all only have so many minutes left here on this cold, hard rock...may as well go around w/ big biceps - and a 6-pack!
In Strength, here's to welcoming in hope and prosperity for our beloved country and us all!
