619 Muscle

619 MUSCLE Seminar Series - 2012!

2012-01-15T19:15:00.001-08:00

Last year, we had 4 amazing seminars, covering topics such as:
Fat Loss 101
The Mechanics of Fat Loss
Answering the Million $$ Question
Fat Loss 201, Supplements to help you burn fat and preserve muscle. Attendance was amazing, participation was dynamic, and the vibe was positive!

This year, we're doing it again! -

Attention Physique Athletes and Trainers!!

619 MUSCLE Seminar Series commences this year with 2 powerful new events!

February 4th, 2012:
Contest Prep, Nutritional Breakdown for the Physique Competitor:
Learn How top athletes get their physiques dialed in!

1. Can You Really Gain Muscle while Losing Fat?
2. The Truth about Carbohydrate-Cycling
3. Water Manipulation -the Good, Bad, and the Ugly
4. High-Performance Sports Nutrition To Take You to the Next Level

(*Attendance is 50% off for attendees of Meriza's Art of Figure & Bikini Posing Clinics, also held Feb 4th!)
**Special Guest** Special Guest, Tommy Reynolds, NPC National Physique Competitor, Myotropics Physique Superstar, Physique Specialist & Fitness Model

March 19th, 2012:
Physique Athletes - This is How We Do It!

1. The New Breed of Physique Culture
2. Nutrition for The Physique Athlete
3. Physique Training - The Old School Approach to a New Sport
4. The Presentation - The Physique Strut

**Special Guest Speaker** Vince Andrich, Author of "The Physique Athlete's Guide 1.0"

Hosted by Pete Ciccone, with more than 25 years in the field of physique competition and nutrition, The 619 MUSCLE Seminar Series events are LOADED with priceless, real-world, in-the-trenches wisdom and experience - Don't Miss Out! Sharpen Your Own Knowledge base and Elevate Your Game!
Sponsored by iSatori Technologies! come and learn more about cutting edge Performance Nutrition from one of the industries leading companies!

Contact Pete Ciccone today to reserve your spot!

Seating is limited to the first 40 people! sign up NOW!

We have several more dates in the works, with top industry guest speakers scheduled! It's going to be an awesome year - Stay Tuned!

- Pete

It's a New Year, a New Look for 619 Muscle! - and...

2011-12-22T17:48:00.001-08:00

A NEW YOU!
It's time to get serious about your fitness goals...whether you've got just a few more pounds to lose, or it seems like you've got mountains to overcome, let us show you what we've learned with over 50+ cumulative years of training experience between us here at 619 Muscle! Make the commitment to yourself to exceed yourself, blast through those old plateaus and barriers to progress, and UNLEASH YOUR OWN HARDCORE ATHLETE, hiding inside, screaming to get out!

We've had an amazing year - with many of our family members taking their hardcore inside up to the national stages, we've had enough excitement to last a lifetime...but we've got even more coming in the new year! See you around the corner!

Tis the Season...

2011-12-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

It's been another great year, and 2011 is almost behind us. As a family, we've had some tremendous successes! Many in our family have achieved previously unreached levels of fitness, or have overcome obstacles and challenges to exceed themselves - several athletes we work with dialed it in this year, breaking new ground as first-time competitors, or hitting national level for the first time, or even turning Pro, achieving levels that few individuals ever realize in our sport.

We have had a tremendously successful freshman year for our new franchise location, 619 MUSCLE LONG-BEACH, and THIS SATURDAY, DEC 10TH, 2011, We'll be unleashing our first ever Holiday Bash and Charity Event!! I want to personally thank Martin and Khay for all of their hard work this year, making this event, and 2011, a year we'll look back on as a huge success! All big things start with small seeds; but, planted wisely, and nurtured faithfully, the smallest of acorns will grow into the mightiest Oak Tree!

2012 promises to be far better than this past year, so we're thankful for our positions and firm foothold in the game - playing hard, and looking to the next inning...we've only just begun to build, to create, to re-invent and to thrive!

NEW WEBSITE:
YES, finally, within the next several days, we'll be launching the NEW 619MUSCLE.COM - it'll be jam-packed and ever-growing, with ideas and information, training programs and nutritional articles, motivation, inspiration, recipes, updates on the regional scene and much more! We'll have a store as well, featuring, like our own brick-and-mortar locations, only the best products in the Sports Nutrition game. So, bookmark this site, www.619muscle.com...and enjoy!
2012 is going to be an amazing new year!

God bless,

Pete

IT'S BEEN A HELLUVA SUMMER! But now, back to Business!

2011-09-29T03:09:00.001-07:00

And we ain't messin' around no more....Part of the reason this blog has taken so long to update is because I've been busy, competing, trying to push our interests on a broader, wider scale....Team 619 MUSCLE, we been here since 2006...we ain't goin' away, and we only gettin' stronger...I brought the best game I had this year to the USA's, coming away third, but really putting 100% plus another 10% into my prep and presentation, leaving no stones unturned, exhausting all resources, in an effort to stand on stage with the best physiques in the game at my weight...
After the smoke cleared on the USA's, with my good friend and brother in iron, Tamer El Guindy, taking top honors in our weight class, I had to take a minute to re-group, collect and gather myself...and that minute has turned into almost 6 weeks of reflection...and what I've found is that I love this sport, the lifestyle we live, and the people around us who share the journey...so it's back on the horse, back in the game, and back to business!

This summer, Martin and Khay opened up 619 Muscle Long Beach (Weider Publications top dawg, Alan Donnelly, visited us during the Long Beach grand opening in June) and the store is starting to rock, thanks to the blood, sweat and tears of our extended family members...thanks to everyone - vendors and customers - for helping to keep us goin' and growin'...spreadin' the good word of fitness, sports nutrition and the Hi-Performance Lifestyle to our friends in the greater Los Angeles region.
And our trip back from USA's this year left me with mixed emotions. 619 Muscle is growing, our energy, our passion and our family is expanding. Several of our family members made the journey this summer, and left some amazing impressions on those that got to see the show...Here's a few of the beautiful physiques that got to do their thing on that stage, in the biggest show ever for our sport!

Molly!

Steph!

Tommy!RoseMarie!

Jennifer!

Paulina!
And congrats to IFBB Pro's in house - PD Devers, Derik Farnsworth, Michelle Bates and Deena Walsh, who got up on stage, strutted their PRO stuff, and each rocked at their respective shows - showing everyone what we as a collective family can do!
And the ever incredible, 619 MUSCLE Long Beach owner, the one and only Khay!
This one was from her butt-kickin' performance at the North Americans last month...go Khay! And our TEAM 619 that headed out to Master's Nationals included:
Jack
Jack took 2nd place in his class in the 50+ category, rockin' the stage with a powerful, compact physique! Rory achieved his own best condition, and pushed a deep class of over 2o competitors, flexing his way into 7th place. Steph L., Roz G., Kris W. and Meg K. went on to show their own best ever conditions at in Pittburgh at the Master's Figure Nationals, showin' em all that we got what it takes here in the 619!
Yep, it was another amazing summer! Congrats to all of our family - let's keep the energy flowing as we keep on going and growing!

And thanks to our own dear Bikini Champ, Steph P., this is a beautiful way to end this blog!

619 MUSCLE, the original, and always, the Essence of Hardcore!

We are SoCal's Sports Nutrition Authority!

IT'S GROWIN' TIME!

2011-06-06T02:48:00.000-07:00

SO-CAL'S SPORTS NUTRITION AUTHORITY...est 2006

As it is with all things "619 MUSCLE", it's about the journey forward, onward and upward...like the sport of bodybuilding and the lifestyle of physical culture that flows as the lifeblood of what we are in the "essence of hardcore", the real deal, 619 MUSCLE, it's always been about the mission to be better than we were yesterday.

When I first opened 619 MUSCLE, my San Diego based business, on July 1st, 2006, I took my two decades + of experience as an athlete, as a bodybuilder whose own personal journey of self-exploration had led across a continent, with the passion for the sport that represents by its very nature the journey of ongoing self-analysis, brutal honesty, self-exploration and self-improvment, and I infused all of this into my business.

Over the past 5 years, 619 MUSCLE has become a Southern California staple. You don't come to the SoCal bodybuilding experience without some degree of connection to what we have created here in Southern California. And, like as not, if you're into bodybuilding, or a fan of Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler, who is a dear friend and has been a generous, gracious supporter of our business since the very first year, if you're a fan of Jay, you've heard of us - big thanks, Jay, for the friendship over the years.
Whether through our ongoing involvement with the NPC and IFBB, supporting the contests and the mission of any number of competitors on their own journey of physique and internal development, or our annual 619 MUSCLE BASH supplement expo's (the industry's biggest one-day supplement expo and party this side of Los Angeles Fit Expo!), if you're "in the game", chances are you've heard of us... And that's not bragging, it's simply a testament to the "like-mindedness" of bodybuilders, figure and physique athletes and the way I've built my business.
619 MUSCLE is like "Cheers" for physique athletes..."you wanna go where every body knows your name." And if you train hard, if you push yourself to be better than you were yesterday, then you are hardcore - and that means inside YOU, there's a superhero screaming to get out, too! And that means you are a part of our family - and you've got a home in "the 619".

Along those lines, I'm proud to announce our first effort at expansion - yep, we're opening up another store! In addition to the original 619 MUSCLE, (located in World Gym San Diego), our new location, 619 MUSCLE Long Beach, will be located within the brand new MetroFlex Gym, Long Beach! Our dear friends, Martin and Khay Rosemond, will be in charge of keeping the vibe going strong for the hardcore athletes just to the north of us, closer to the L.A. area...and partnered with the guys of the new MetroFlex Gym Long Beach, I'm sure it won't be hard to keep things real, and keep the "essence of hardcore" vibe going strong!

Don't miss our Long Beach Grand Opening, this Saturday, June 11th, 2011!
See all you latent superheroes and hardcore athletes there!

Pete

WE'RE DOIN' IT AGAIN! YESSIREE!

2011-05-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

WE'RE DOIN IT AGAIN!

619 MUSCLE'S PARKING LOT BASH V!
Special guest: (of course!) 4x MR. Olympia Jay Cutler!

August 20th, 2011 -
11am-3pm...Of course, once again, we'll have our Bikini Model Search, with tons of CASH AND PRIZES to give away, and a chance to be named Miss 619 Muscle, 2011 and appear in our Calendar!

Last year, we had over 40 vendors, tons of celebrities, IFBB Pros, contests, freebies, give-aways and MORE!

The Pro Creator, Hany Rambod, will also be in attendance, with FREE nutritional program advice - more details soon!

So mark your calendars! It'll be here before you know it!

619 Muscle Bash V - featuring Mr. Oympia, Jay Cutler and more!
Aug 20th, 2011
11am-3pm

2949 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

It's the biggest event of it's kind in SoCal! See ya soon!

March Madness 2011 (part 2-San Diego championships!)

2011-03-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO THE "619!"Welcome to San Diego! It's the 2011 NPC San Diego Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Championships, promoted by Lindsay Productions! Check out the awesome fun we had! And also check out the brass Team 619 took home!!

Beautiful IFBB pro's, Zhanna Rotar and Meriza Deguzman-Ciccone!

The next generation of Ciccone! Check out the thighs on this lil' monster!

NPC SAN DIEGO CHAMPIONSHIPS!
It was another awesome season-opener for the 2011 NPC/IFBB competition season and Team 619 MUSCLE kicked major butt! 170 competitors converged on another sold-out show this weekend, for the 2011 NPC San Diego Championships, at San Diego's Scottish Rite center.
Several of our family took the stage this weekend, and our Team took home top honors and trophies in several classes! Our athletes stormed the stage with power, class and grace, strutting their Swagger and making a strong statement with powerful physiques!
In the Men's lightweight (novice and unlimited), competition newcomer Mike Martinez squeezed into the lightweight class and came away with top honors in both classes!
In Figure, hometown competitor and personal trainer, Kristi Romero placed 2nd in a very tight race in the "D" class. Gloria Lovidice stole the top slot in the unlimited Figure "A" class, strutting style and charisma, in her first class win!

Go Kristi! So proud of your hard work!

Super-Gloria Lovidice 1st place A class! And Miss May Strickland, 3rd!

Beautiful Tracy Rogers placed 2nd!Stephanie Perkins WINS Bikini C! and Paulina Ciccone takes 4th! Go girls!

Mike Martinez Muscles into the top slot in 2 classes! Novice and Unlimited lightweights!

Go Miss Melanie! 5th place in the Unlimited Figure C class!

2 San Diego beauties! - Meriza and Miss Francine Sablan!

Zhanna, Khay, Tony, Meriza and beautiful Miss Molly!

The 619 crew of beauties! Beautiful NPC champs, Molly Goodwin and Khay, IFBB Pro's Deena Walsh, Meriza and Michelle Bates!

Pete and IFBB Pro, PD Devers!

Khay, Pete and guest poser, Jerome"Hollywood" Ferguson and Meriza!

We had a hella good time, supporting our family, hangin', meetin' and greetin'...Congratulations to all of our hard working clients! See ya at the next show!

Pete

March Madness! 2011! (part 1)

2011-03-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

It's been an amazing month for the 619 Muscle crew! Starting with the first weekend of March, 2011, our own family members, Pete, Meriza and Khay Rosemond, travelled east to work with MAN Sports, at the Arnold Sports Expo in Columbus. Khay, under the watchful eye of Meriza's training to shape, sculpt and tone her bikini body, and Pete's nutritional guidance, Khay worked her way into a beautiful, tight and shapely 94.5lbs, placing 2nd in a hotly contested "A" class of the Arnold Amateur Bikini contest!

When the smoke had cleared from the bikini stage, Khay was one of the last two girls standing and made a striking impression with the crowd, the media and the judges at this event - Congrats Ms. Khay!!

Follow this excitement with more of the family on stage at the 2011 NPC San Diego Championships on March 19th - coming next blog!

It's crunch time

2011-03-01T02:43:00.001-08:00

20 weeks out from USA's, 2011, and I'm feeling excited, and a little bit nervous.
I had the opportunity to travel to Charlotte, NC, last week - and I got to visit the headquarters of Europa Sports, while working for my sponsor, MAN Sports. Inside their amazing facility, they've got a gym that many college strength programs would be envious of...of course, if you guys know Europa, you'd understand that this giant in the supplement business is staffed with athletes from all kinds of sports, especially strength, bodybuilding or football, from what I can see. The boys in the HQ of the big and purple made me feel quite small...but apart from that they were the nicest, most professional and most hospitable guys I've ever met.

Well, while visiting, I had the chance to train at their facility gym...and on the wall, hanging above the door was a 12'x 12' banner, dedicated to the memory of Lyn Walters. Lyn was one of the original staff of Europa, and although I only had a very short interaction w/ Lyn several years ago, I've always heard of him spoken of with the utmost respect, as a man of integrity and humility, especially for his size and his athletic prowess (Lyn was a huge bodybuilder, but was one of the most giving, most humble men you could meet, according to anyone who had the opportunity to work with him...) Hanging on the wall was this huge banner of him, with a quote that began with the words, "Train Scared."

Now, Lyn was very important to many, because of the way he conducted himself, and the way he lived his life. The history behind the photo of Lyn on the wall of the gym and quote along with it, words of wisdom, moved me that morning, as I stretched, I kept looking up at the banner. The quote began with 2 words – “Train scared…”; and though I don’t remember exactly the rest of the inspirational words, in my own mind, I think I got the message…and this is gist of the inspiration I took from it…(I’m paraphrasing here, with respect for the message of the quote…)

“when you think you can let up for even a single second, think again. Your competition is only a footstep behind you…they’re chasing you…stay scared, train with furious focus…you cannot control what they do, but you can be the master of your own world…so “Train Scared…”

During my workout at this gym, I found myself looking back at the photo, and re-reading the quote…and then I examined my own path, my own training, my own dedication to what I’ve been working hard for all these years…Was I training hard enough to say I was “training scared”?

Anyway, I trained a little bit scared today – here’s what we did!

pre-training drink:
Game Day, 1 scoop
Clout, 1 scoop
BCAA’s, 1 scoop

let’s hit it:
FST-7 machine side laterals:
7 sets of 15 reps, 30 seconds of rest between sets
Smith machine front press:
185 x 15 reps
205 x 15 reps
225 x 12 reps
225 x 13 reps (felt good, great pump!)
Wide grip upright rows:
80lbs fixed weight bar x 20 reps (squeeze)
90lbs x 15 reps
90lbx x 16 reps
90lbs x 16 reps
Rear delts/teres – machine mid-back row
4 sets x 12 reps
Rear delt raises, 1 arm dumbbell
45 x 20 reps
65 x 16 reps
65 x 15 reps
65 x 13 reps
Side laterals, dumbbells (2-arm)
30 x 15 reps
30 x 15 reps
30 x 10 reps (then 5 burnout reps w/ 1-arm)
30 x 10 reps (then 5 burnout reps w/ 1-arm)

Awesome, focused training, sick pump, good swell. Finished with 4 sets of strict machine crunches for abs…
See ya’all at the Arnold!

Pete

From the Archives...

2011-02-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

PETE AND THE FREAK TEARING IT UP FROM LAST YEAR - BACK BLASTING IN THE 619!

For those of you who don't know, Derik and I have been pounding it hard since 1994. Derik and I both belonged to Sevig's Iron House, back in the day, the "hardcore" dirty little mecca of central Massachusetts...it was at Sevig's that we first learned the art of bodybuilding - nutrition, posing, and hard, hard training...back in MASS, there was no such thing as going easy...we just didn't do it. There was a quote over the squat rack, and an old black-and-white photo of some HUGE beefy, tattooed, long-haired wrestler dude taped to the mirror, with the quote that said,
"GO HEAVY OR GO HOME...THIS PLACE IS HELL...FIND A COOLER PLACE..."

Anyway, that spirit followed the both of us to the West Coast, where we still scrap, tooth and nail, day in and day out, giving all we can to our clients, to our passion, to those around us...It is in our new home, the New Mecca, 619 MUSCLE, that we find a nest for our passion - we feed off the energy around us, and hopefully give back to feed those around us...

the only obligation we have in life is to pursue and achieve our dreams...
Derik and I are working hard each day to live those dreams...

Pete

Meriza's Bootie Blasting Workshop! 1/15/11

2011-01-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

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)

and keep them glutes tight!

Pete

Changing the World, 1 rep at a time!

2011-01-17T21:57:00.000-08:00

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!

Pete

IF YOU GOTTA ASK...

2011-01-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

...You wouldn't understand.

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!

PETE

LEG THRASHIN' IN THE 619!

2011-01-09T19:53:00.001-08:00

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!

WELCOME 2011!! - Dominate Every Moment...

2011-01-06T21:21:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone!

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!

Pete

Proud of the Boys

2010-11-27T22:10:00.000-08:00

619 Muscle is all about reaching deep down inside, and pulling out all the stops, bringing forth the Superhero inside yourself, and letting him or her shine. That's what I believe is the most powerful part of the sport we live and breath. Here are a few videos of my "guys"
- Tomas Navarro, Arizona's Strongest Man, 2010, is shown here, deadlifting the 619 MUSCLE car - over 700lbs at the wheels, according to his trainer, coach and mentor, Donnie Rhodes of SoCal Strength;

And "Superman Mike" Nguyen, shown here, drilling on the art of posing, presenting the physique optimally for the judges, as he prepared for the 2009 NPC Border States - (Mike won his weight class in Novice, and took 2nd in the unlimited lightweights, losing a close battle to Eric Raposa, another 619 Muscle family member)

Both of these young athletes work super hard, pushing their bodies and challenging themselves to be better than they were the previous day. That's the essence of unleashing your own superhero, the essence of Hardcore, and the essence of 619 Muscle...

Go get 'em boys...I always want to remind these young guys that you never know who you touch with your energy, love and passion...Be a hero, inspire others - give, and the energy comes back around...

In Strength,

Pete C

We're back! updated again!

2010-11-26T21:42:00.000-08:00

NEWS?

It's been a helluva year...all good - With a killer success for many of the friends and members of our 619 Muscle family, including PD Devers, Michelle Bates, and Deena Walsh, all of whom kicked ass and joined the ranks of the elite - each earning their IFBB Pro status in the heat of competitive battle this year - We've got clients and friends with recent successes at the Border States and gearing up for the last show of 2010, the NPC Excalibur in LA next weekend...

It's always fun and exciting in the 619 - and we're working as hard as ever, to change the way people look, live and think! Life is so short, and goes by quick - may as well we all fight the tick-tock-tick-tocking touch of time with a solid nutritional program and a challenging strengthening program...They say "A strong muscle is a big muscle"- I'll add to that that a strong nation is a healthy, powerful nation - and bodybuilding is nation building..." So, spread the word, live your life like you're here - in the 619 - If you live and believe, YOU ARE FAMILY!

ALONG THOSE LINES, here's an older post from the earlier days of this blog - but it's one I think says alot - please read, enjoy and get out there and spread the word!
If we all believe in the ability to make things better, starting with our own small circles...together, those circles intertwine, and then, we all get better, bigger, stronger, safer, more powerful - together!...

One step at a time, we'll get there!

God bless - Pete

Sunday, June 8, 2008
Fight the Good Fight! Changing the world, 1 rep at a time...
Hey, all...

Consider this:
For those of us who train our asses off, chasing a goal, or a dream to be the best we can be - for ourselves - testing our limits daily, charging ahead, accepting and welcoming pain, committing to following a pre-conceived plan - we know the joy that comes from the completion of a gut-busting training session - from the purifying hunger pangs of a low carb diet...

It enriches the soul to test our limits, to push beyond previous achievements, into the unknown. I take my sweat-stained ballcap off to each of you.

Think about this the next time you leave the gym after a hard workout - or even just a tough cardio session. Euphoria, floating?...or worst case, a quiet smile of accomplishment subtly painted across your lips...
think about this.

Do you think that you'd have the mood, or the desire on your drive home to road rage on anyone? Or, maybe, stopping at the Supermarket on the way home, do you think you'd fight to get into the checkout line ahead of that poor mother with two shopping carts overflowing with food...nah, chances are, after a killer, gut-busting workout, you're floating around somewhere in a 7th heaven, and the little things in your life seem just a little bit less irritating...

Truth is, exercise is good for the body. Increased strength, improved circulation and cardiovascular function, greater bone density, beneficial changes in body composition...you name it, exercise can do it for your body...
But, there's more - improved tissue oxygenation (esp. to the brain) means clearer thinking, greater power to focus, improved mental accuracy...and, wait - increased sense of well-being due to all of the above - plus the endorphin release post-stressful event - that "runner's high" we hear about so much...better sex, better mood, better self-esteem...you can't get better than that!

So, bottom line is this with the obesity rate in our modern society running around 2 out of every 3rd person (Can you believe that???!!!) let's spread the good news like a modern day religion!
People - Fit People and fitness enthusiasts!! Become an advocate for your own health - take responsibility - then tell others about it! Tell others how you feel, what good you get out of your workouts!! Make the change by living it!

Somebody very smart - and very old by now - once said,
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi

In Strength and Health,

Pete C
President and Founder

619 Muscle, Inc

619 MUSCLE - The Essence of Hardcore

2010-10-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

and WORLD GYM SAN DIEGO - The last bastion of Hardcore?

We love our home - 619 MUSCLE, SoCal's Sports Nutrition Authority, is located inside World Gym, SD - a sanctuary for anyone interested in taking the body to new limits, pushing through pain barriers, exploring personal boundaries, testing will, guts, and courage - in the quest to BUILD A STRONGER YOU!

Nothing worth having ever comes easy...if you understand this, you'll find yourself at home in the 619 - working hard, sweating, and yes, maybe even groaning with effort, fighting heavy iron to sculpt, shape and build the physical body will also test, strengthen and fortify the will, and enrich the spirit.

So come visit us soon, bring your passion, your heart, your drive! You can pick up your pre-workout drink and recovery product from us at 619 MUSCLE...

or, you could always go visit this place, but watch out for the "lunk alert"!

Where's the energy? Looks like an amazing place, if you want to take a nap, or take it easy...
But if you're up for pounding it out, HARDCORE, to unleash the superhero inside YOU - come on in and join us!

OLYMPIA 2010! CONGRATS JAY! and DERIK!

2010-09-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

Here's how it went: Jay Cutler, former 3 time Mr. O, fought the closest battle of his career to edge out an ever-improving Phil Heath to grab a 4th Sandow and plant his feet firmly in the cement of history...Jay - congratulations from your 619 Muscle family!

And, as for us local guys, it was an amazing weekend! Of course, Vegas isn't all that far from home, so many of the 619 Muscle family were in attendance, either working or competing in one of the many events. Meriza worked the MAN Sports booth w/ Khay, and they were both extremely busy all weekend. Our good friend from a few miles north, Sonia Gonzalez, won the inaugural Ms. Olympia Bikini contest, and local Pro Figure competitors and 619 friends, Julie Ann Kulla and Krissy Chin got the chance to strut beneath big "O" in Figure this year. Beautiful, amazing ladies - congrats!

For us, however, the big story of the day was the Pound4Pound Challenge that took place at the Expo on both days. Both Derik and Pete competed, going head-to-head against each other and Big Ben Pakulski in a contest that challenged not only strength but will, heart and stamina. When the dust settled, Derik stood on top of the heap, having repped 25 solid reps with 2x his bodyweight in the Deadlift. And, after Pete got a best ever squat of 460lbs x 8 deep reps, to be outshined by Big Ben, who got 10 reps with 600lbs (Ben weighs 300lbs these days), Derik came out strong and pounded out 20 solid, ass-deep reps with 405lbs...just about 2.25x his bodyweight! This outdid all the other competitors and placed Derik on top of the heap once the numbers were crunched. Pete and Derik tied in the Bench Press bodyweight for reps - 26 reps each - this earned Pete a distant but noteworthy 2nd place overall.

All in all, an ass-kicking weekend for the 619 Crew!

Pound 4 Pound update!

2010-09-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

So, while the FREAK and I have been hard-training to build up his power and anaerobic endurance to compete in the 2010 Olympia Pound 4 Pound World's Strongest Bodybuilder Challenge, the promoters of the event opened up the Challenge to national level NPC competitors as well. (that means, I'm eligible to compete right alongside my good buddy and long-time training partner...and of course, Derik's fired up about it - Meriza's supportive, so I guess I'm in!

Here's how we're doing it: We spoke with fellow World Gym, San Diego, member and former world record holder, the Isreali Tank, Oan Basson, who helped us design our 8 week training program. We also got some technique pointers from 619 MUSCLE strongman, and Arizona's Strongest Man, 2010, Tomas Navarro. Together with the years of training experience between Derik and I, we figured we put together a solid program that would help enable us to continue to pursue our ultimate bodybuilding goals, in conjunction with pushing our event-specific strength and endurance to new levels.

Program:
Sunday: Leg day - Squats, 5 x 5's, working our way up as heavy as possible, followed by typical bodybuilding training program
Monday: rest
Tuesday: Delts - Smith machine overhead press, 5 x 5's, working our way up as heavy as possible, followed by our typical bodybuilding training program
Wednesday: Back - focus on width, lower lats
Thursday: Chest - Bench press, 5 x 5's, followed by typical training program
Friday: Deadlifts - 5 x 5'x. PM: Biceps and Triceps
Saturday: rest

It's gonna be fun! We've got only a few more weeks left to pound it..stay tuned for updates as we get ready to travel to Vegas and lift some stuff!

Pete

GO TEAM 619!

2010-09-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

Lots goin' on this weekend with the Family!

First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FAMILY'S NEWEST IFBB PRO BODYBUILDER - "IFBBPD!" PD, Parenthesis Devers! It's been a very long time coming for this perennial crowd-pleaser, who's rocked the stage at the 619 Muscle bash for the past several years, and regularly tears up the stage on the national level in the NPC...NO LONGER! PD has finally earned his right to graduate into the ranks of bodybuilding's elite - the few athletes of our sport who can call themselves members of the world's best, the International Federation of Bodybuilders. Watching PD in the gym, we all knew he had it inside to join the sport's elite one day...and when he put his game face on earlier this year, many said there was a different look in his eyes these days...and he proved it this weekend, dieting down into the lightheavies for the first time in years, he pulled off an overall victory that locked PD into the top spot, earning him that coveted Pro Card!! Great job, PD!

check him out here, in the moment of truth!

And warm congratulations to our lovely family member, Bikini sensation, Ms. Khay Rosemond! This 2-time overall champion (at the NPC Orange County and West Coast shows this spring) in first pro qualifier, rising star, Khay strutted and smiled her way into the top 5 amidst some supertight competition! Way to go, little one! Ms. Khay is a hard working athlete who's come a long way in a short time! Keep on rollin', Ms. Khay!

And congrats to Laleh Yahgoubi, local Figure champ, who worked hard all year and brought a top quality package to the national stage at the North Americans this weekend - inspiring! go Laleh! We'll definitely be seeing more of this little dynamo in the near future!

What a great weekend - our extended family and friends each bring to the stage exemplary packages of class, hard work, and the dedication it takes to be the best they can be! Achieving your personal best - that's the goal, and that's the Essence of Hardcore that drives the 619 Muscle Family!

The Boys - just doin' what we do!

2010-09-02T02:31:00.000-07:00

Derik preparing for the Pound4Pound Strongest Bodybuilder competition at the Olympia this year - we've got just under 4 weeks at this point!

Derik's and I have been training together for several years now, and it seems like the fun never fades, when you set new goals, new challenges before you. Apollo Creed in Rocky IV said it best, when trying to convince the Italian Stallion to help him prepare to fight Drago, he said, "...without some challenge, without some damn war to fight, the warriors may as well be dead, Stallion."

I think he said it pretty eloquently. We do these things, set goals, strive to be ever better, pushing ourselves, not to escape from life, but rather to enrich our lives and prevent life from escaping us. The harder we push, the higher we set our sights, the further we go, the greater the experiences and the better, the richer the journey is.

Life is rarely easy, and its never fair...but if we stay focused on what we've been given, and do our darned-est to make the absolute most out of all that we've been given, play the hand we've been dealt with as much heart, love and smarts as we've got, then we can never lose. I fully believe that the measure of a man is not where he ends up, but how far he has gone from where he started, making the most out of what he's been given, that's what matters most...and to be sincere about it, that's what makes our nation - the good ol' USA - the greatest place to live, to this point...and we all should constantly keep that in mind -

the USA is a place, where, even to this day, with a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears, focused effort and faith, that just about any dream can still be achieved...

So I say, let's all thank the good Lord for our nation, and for those of us who were not lucky enough to live here, we'd love to see you soon! We should get up, get off our asses, look around us for ways that we can give back to those around us, and ways to strengthen, not drain from, our nation's lifeblood...Nuff soapbox, too much for a middle of the night rant, huh? I'm going to say my prayers, give thanks for the things that I have, and rest up, for tomorrow, I've got some work to do - making myself better! And that's my own responsibility, and the way I can strengthen my community.

See ya in the gym!

Pete

Building SuperHeroes! Another 50 Weeks of Focus...

2010-08-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

At 619 Muscle, our mission is the never-ending quest to achieve our own, personal version of Perfection - building our Temple, to the utmost manifestation the potential that the good Lord has gifted us with...

It's been a tremendous year for me, I had the fantastic opportunity to work closely with the Pro-Creator, Hany Rambod, as I dialed in my own version of perfect-me, for the 2010 USA's.

And now, as the smoke has cleared somewhat from the chaos of contest prep, Meriza's own journey to the stage twice this year, and our awesome 619 Muscle Bash IV, I've got just a few minutes to catch my breath and re-focus and draw the map to begin to pick up steam again, with a clear mind, and a hungry heart.

We've entered this week into 49 weeks out from the USA's, 2011, but I've already started the countdown. This is the show I will target one more time...I've had a few heart-to-heart discussions with people whose opinion I trust, and the advice I've gotten consistently has fit solidly with what my own gut tells me...so last week, after a brief rest, I began again, focused, hungry, ready to tear it up once again...When Lonnie Teper announced that only a single point separated me from my own personal dream, and placed me in the runner-up spot to a deserving Al Auguste, I knew then that - with God's help - my journey would take me full circle, 52 weeks, once again back to the stage at the USA's...so, thus begins my journey...

Meriza is supportive, my clients and staff and family believe in me. And I know I will give more this year than ever before...one point, 50 weeks...and it's gonna go by fast! Check back frequently, as I update my blog, outlining my journey back to Vegas...it's gonna be a helluva ride!

Thanks to everyone in my life who has given their energy, support and love - allowing me to come so close to achieving a lifelong dream...1 point...Next year, with God's help, that single point will be mine.

Special thanks to Jon Lindsay and the NPC for giving us the stage upon which we can unleash our competitive spirits; To World gym, San Diego for the dungeon, within which I can cultivate my own personal version of physique perfection, laying the groundwork, stone by stone, for my own temple, and live out the day to day battles that add up to another year of progress; to my supportive clients and staff and our powerful 619 Muscle Family, who put up with my dieting, schedule, and lack of energy; but most importantly, special thanks to Meriza, my life partner - my cook, my strength, my inspiration, the real voice of reason, honesty, and integrity...She's the foundation of my home, without whose faith and confidence I would definitely not have had the successful outcome of this 2010 journey. With all of these forces of energy and support around me for the year to come, I have no choice but to grow, to improve, and hopefully, to overcome that single point, leaving no questions next year in the collective mind of the judges. My goal is to make their job easy. And I've got less than 49 more weeks to do it.

As Big Jay Cutler says, "Kill it!"

The BASH 2010 was a blast!

2010-08-22T21:43:00.001-07:00

It was another hot, sunny San Diego day - and we had a tremendous turn out for our 4th Annual Parking Lot Bash and Supplement Expo!
A VERY HUGE 619 THANKS to all of the vendors, who helped make this event a smashing success for our 619 MUSCLE family and customers. You all rock!

Thank you to ALR Industries for giving away almost 500 hamburgers, tons of t-shirts, and co-sponsoring the Bikini Model Search, along with Hollywood tans, Therinpeutic Massage and World Gym, San Diego!
Thanks to Gaspari Nutrition for sponsoring the Superpump Your Guns contest!
Thanks to Vitargo / Genr8 for sponsoring the SuperFit Challenge! This one was a ball-breaker for all participants!
Thanks to Superstar NPC competitor, PD Devers, who, only 2 weeks out from the North Americans, rocked a killer posing routine, in fantastic shape!
Thanks to the 619 Muscle crew, Tomas Navarro and his Strongman mentor, Donnie Rhodes!
And thanks to the IFBB Pro athletes in attednace
Thanks to Hany Rambod, for drove in w/ Jay from LA, and gave a very informative prep/training presentation later in the afternoon.
And of course, SPECIAL THANKS Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler, who took time out from his busy Olympia prep to visit us....awesome

IT'S ALMOST HERE!! THE BASH 2010 - JAY'S COMING!

2010-08-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

MR O IS COMING! AUG 21ST, 10AM-3PM PARKING LOT BASH!

Jay Cutler Day in the 619 is happening again, next Saturday - Don't Miss out on tons of free stuff!

Events will include:
Gaspari's $500 SuperPump Your Guns contest!
$2,500 Bikini Model Search! co-sponsored by ALR Industries, Hollywood Tans and 619 Muscle!!
Student vs. Master National Strongman Expo - "The Stones!"
Vitargo/Genr8 SuperFit Challenge!
The "Pro Creator" Hany Rambod, Seminar! (Free w/ purchase)

Crazy Mad Sales!! 20-80% off ALL LEADING BRANDS!
FREE PROTEIN!! (see store for details!)

The Customized ALR Industries 50' Customized Show Trailer

Special guests include:
Jay Cutler!
Hany Rambod!
Silvio Samuel!
Jerome "Hollywood" Ferguson just said he was possibly coming down too!
other IFBB Pro's including Olympians, Gina Aliotti, Krissy Chin, Meriza DeGuzman, Sandra Blackie; Nita Marquez, Derik Farnsworth, Julie Ann Kulla, Erica Fuerst and more! Top NPC athletes galore! Including USA contenders, Kelly Bautista, Jesse Sabateer, and a special guest appearance by iForce Sponsored athlete, PD Devers!

Vendors include:
Gaspari Nutrition
ALR Industries
Vitargo/Genr8
Nutrex
BSN
VPX
iForce Nutrition
Advanced Muscle Science
MAN Sports
Axis Labs
EUROPA SPORTS
XXAPP
Champion
Evogen Nutrition
ErgoGenix
ISS Research
Dymatize
Scivation
Allmax
Hollywood Tans
Nature's Best
(and more! DON'T MISS THIS ONE!

NPC USA's 2010 - 619 ROCKED in Vegas!

2010-08-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

It was a helluva fun weekend for our 619 Muscle extended family. As in past years, the short drive to Sin City from the 619 proved an easy commute for the members of our family to gather together to celebrate another unbelievable spectacle of fitness, strength and accomplishment. Our own hard-working superhero athletes who took their bodies through pain and fatigue, into new levels of development and conditioning included Malachi Walker, Molly Goodwin, Pete Ciccone, Michelle Smith, Michelle Bates, Deena Walsh, PD Devers, and extended family members and friends, including Kelly Bautista, Jesse Sabateer and Alan Watari and other dear friends! Congratulations to all of the athletes who worked so hard, living like superheroes on the never-ending quest toward self-improvement. Discipline, dedication, hard, honest work (honest because you can't hide anything when you're on stage, under the lights, wearing next-to-nothing...) - It's the bodybuilding way of life! And we love it.

Thank you to all of the 619 MUSCLE family for your support, love, and energy! Never give up the dream of living a life of High Performance, the journey to achieving your own superhero! As someone poetic once wrote, "We undertake these challenges not to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping us!"...

NY Pro and Team U - in the 619 Muscle sights!

2010-07-08T02:48:00.000-07:00

Good luck, Meriza and Molly!

Our two family members, travel east to strut their stuff on stage this weekend. Under the watchful eye of Kim Oddo, Meriza has crafted her body into what those of us here in the 619 would say could stand up to the scrutiny of comparisons against any of the top physiques in Figure today and come out shining! Meriza's worked hard to tighten, shape and round out her lower half while balancing and streamlining her upper half, to the point now where her physique is just a flowing display of balance, and aesthetic appeal that embodies the sport of Figure. Go get 'em, lil' champ!

And Ms. Molly Goodwin, working hard all spring, has dialed her physique in early this year - originally targeting the USA's, also under the advisement of Kim O, and with encouragement from Meriza and the support of her 619 Muscle cheering section, she's decided to throw her championship physique into the mix at the Team U! We are super proud of both of our girls, and wish them both safe, successful travels - and some great scores by the East coast judges! Go get 'em, ladies!

AND DON'T FORGET EVERYONE - AUG 21ST, 10AM-3PM - IT'S JAY CUTLER DAY IN THE 619!! #4 FOR THE CURRENT MR. OLYMPIA TO SHARE HIS TIME WITH US!
AND ALL KINDS OF GREAT VENDORS, KILLER SALES!! GIVE-AWAYS, FOOD, BIKINI'S, CONTESTS AND MORE!!
SEE YOU THERE!

619 MUSCLE'S 2010 Parking Lot Bash and Supplement Expo
Aug 21, 2010
World Gym / 619 Muscle parking lot
10am-3pm!!

History in the making!

2010-06-14T23:13:00.001-07:00

That's right, once again, we're here and we're not planning on going anywhere! Thank you so much to our loyal customers, friends and family members!

When we opened in 2006, we had the single purpose of bringing to the Southern California area a place where like-minded, driven, motivate people could gather, share their experiences and learn from each other - celebrate their own "hardcore athlete" within, and build their own superhero! We are a supplement store, for sure...we carry all the leading brands, and top quality smaller, boutique and exotic lines, especially for the discerning athletes and individuals driven to live their lives at a HIGHER LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE - all facets of life!

This year, we're celebrating our 4th full year in business - and we are both grateful and BLESSED for each and every customer who walks through our doors. That's why we are dedicated to spreading the good word of fitness, nutrition and feeding the High Performance, hardcore superhero inside each and everyone of us!!

See you soon - and thanks again for the love, support and energy each of you bring through our doors!

619 UPDATE!!

2010-06-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hey, 619 FAMILY!!

It's been a busy spring - My apologies for the look of the site - it's a work in progress, and the blog went down in May - we were able to resurrect it, thankfully - but stay tuned because 619muscle.com is about to get AWESOME!

We're in the final stages now of launching our online store, and our full-service blog and online nutrition / training resource center!! So watch out!!

And for you JAY CUTLER FANS!! YEP, WE'RE DOING IT AGAIN!!!

YEP, #4 - it's here again!!!

The 4th annual Jay Cutler Day in the 619!!
It's the 619 Muscle Annual Parking Lot Bash and Supplement Expo - IV!!

3-time Mr. Olympia, MR. Jay CUTLER!! will be here, and this will likely be his "last stop" once again, before he returns home to Vegas to put the final touches on his Olympia physique!! Go Jay - one more time baby!

We'll also be featuring guest speakers including industry legend and nutritional expert, MD columnist, Anthony Almada of Vitargo/GenR8 - wait til you hear what secrets he will share with you about performance nutrition and how to get the most out of your supplement program!! For those of you not familiar with your Sports Nutrition history, Anthony Almada is one of the founders of the biggest, most influential companies in the game, yep - EAS!! Anthony will be here...yep, seriously!!

Also appearing, the ProCreator himself, modern day guru, Muscular Development columnist and founder of the FST-7 training principles, founder and CEO of Evogen Nutrition, Hany Rambod, will also be appearing and offering a seminar on his training principles, and his new product line.

MORE AND MORE star-studded events, give-aways and attractions coming soon!

AMERICA THE MEDIOCRE?

2010-04-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

"America the Mediocre?"
Reprinted once again…some things are worth repeating.

"I want to rant for a minute about the changes in our culture today…

I will start out by ranting about the day I went to our daughter's soccer game at the local YMCA...she plays soccer in a "non-competitive" league...so, we're watching her little team of 10 year olds running hard to score, jamming the ball, kicking' the crap out of the other guys...winning!

After the score became imbalanced by something around 5 - 0, the ref blew his whistle and made the kids mix up the teams! Wait, wait, wait! What ever happened to WINNING as a goal? WINNING USED TO BE the driving force behind progress and positive change in our society...

I don't know what's going on here but it appears to this hard-working, striving-to-win-this-game-of-life writer that we are breeding a nation of half-assing, compromising, mediocrity-accepting kids...and we are in danger of this mindset deeply permeating every aspect of our culture.

OK, how does this become a relevant topic? Well, take a look at what we do every day? The few of us left in our freakish little sub-culture we like to call bodybuilding, or any related group of people that collectively choose to walk around with the strongest, healthiest physical selves we can possibly create - we must ask ourselves, what is going on with this feeble nation of ours?

-Who in our nation said it was bad to be man-like, masculine or strong?
-Who in our society said it was wrong to want to be powerful physically, and healthy?
-ho in our society teaches that winning bad?
-who in our society believes that it is not an important life-lesson to learn how to win graciously, and more importantly, how to lose with class?

Is not the end-all product of hard work and effort the satisfaction of a job well done, regardless of the outcome? And, isn’t that one of the ways we lay the foundation of something we call character?
This unhealthy but popular notion that we must simply surrender to some unknown force or relinquish our independence – or, worse, that we are simply trading away our own liberties in exchange for the relinquishment of personal responsibility - that is what is cultivating this permeating disease of mediocrity.

THE ULTIMATE SIN:
You know, to God-fearing Christians (and followers of just about every other religious doctrine invented by mankind) THE ULTIMATE SIN IS HOPELESSNESS...DESPAIR.

So, what does that mean? I'll translate it for you...if not rewarded for working his or her proverbial ass off to win, by victory, then any practical human would ask him or herself - "why should I try harder? It’s not going to make a difference anyway."

For our precious children, including our daughter who runs and sweats and plays her little heart out on the soccer field to have the chance to earn legitimate, solid victory - perhaps feeling the challenge and the thrill of overcoming a taller player, or perhaps standing prideful because she attended all the practices this week, and has done her drills and knows she has paid a price for taking the top prize...for these kids, what kind of lesson are we teaching them when we de-value the prize of victory by taking the “win/lose” out of the equation with these “non-compete” leagues? What kind of value are we placing on determination, hard work, grit and struggle?

We are living in a world where things are not all equal for every individual...life is never fair, and it's rarely easy.
But thus is life. And, you know what? It's ok.
Making things easy by taking the sting out of losing, by taking away hard-earned rewards, stealing away the chance to feel victory or the chance to learn how to lose gracefully - these things weaken our society by weakening individuality and the right to choose to be the best we can be.

Thankfully, like some of us out there striving to be the best we can be.

At 619 Muscle, we work hard to nourish the drive – to help find and feed the inner SUPERHERO in each of us.

Thankfully, there are still a few of us left around who try harder, take every advantage given to us, study, learn, train, practice, eat and sleep properly to nourish the most powerful, healthy selves we can be. There is nothing more GOOD and RIGHT than to work hard to become the best you can be. It is your personal responsibility – not just to yourself, but also to mankind.

SQUARE CHICKENS?
Seek your achieve own ultimate potential. Maslow calls these fleeting hard-earned moments peak-experiences. They are what drive the innate spirit inside us. Let's forego these current trends of mediocrity and accepting, tolerance of sluggishness and gluttony...Let's step up as a nation, as a culture, and be the change we wish to see. Let's begin with ourselves, building a nation of superheroes, rather than a nation of pellet-fed, de-clawed, de-beaked, emasculated square chickens living in fear and bathing in a stew of mediocrity. We are the Modern Age of Superheroes, and we can change things, one rep at a time!

San Diego rocked! 619 Muscle style!

2010-03-24T21:59:00.001-07:00

It was another killer NPC event in the SoCal region! Thanks to Jon Lindsay and the NPC, we had over 200 hard-working athletes bringing their all and strutting their stuff in the packed house of the Scottish Rite Center here in America's finest city!
We want to congratulate all of the 619 Muscle friends and family who kicked butt, and left nothing for the short ride home!

Our friends who got up on stage and represented included: Kristi Krasja, Meg Kruse, Kristine Wilkes, Georgie Jackson, Lisa Raposa, Stephanie Love, Laleh Yaghoubi, Monique Whitney, Sandy Weathersley, Paige Clark, Julie Gjerset, Tammy LaShelle, Natalia, Billie and Brenda, Dr. Joy Blitz, Molly Aguilar, Michelle Bates, Tracey Rogers and Chuck Rogers, Koree VonBerg, David Medina, Jack Hill, Rory Love, Sylvia Duque, Vernessa and May, Carina, and the two Matt's from Camp Pendleton - as well as Kaysie Gunnoe, our dear friend of the family!

It was an amazing night! Derik Farnsworth, IFBB Pro and veteran of the stage, gave a classy/groovy guest posing presentation, and Meriza DeGuzman co-MC'd the evening event. Gina Aliotti (now Mrs. Silva) graced the day with her married self, all aglow, tanned and happy, freshly returning from her wedding and honeymoon.

619 MUSCLE GEARS UP FOR NPC SAN DIEGO!

2010-03-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

Pete helps two of our nation's finest prepare for the battle on the stage, next week at the NPC San Diego Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Championships - March 20th, 2010.

Our tough, proud, U.S. Marines and amazing athletes, Matt Ewy and Matt Boatwright, joined Pete today at World Gym, San Diego, to drill posing and presentation in preparation for next week's show. IFBB Pro Figure, Sabrina Gibson, was also on hand to lend moral support! Let's get 'em, boys! OORAH!!

The Essence of Hardcore...

2010-03-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

This is hardcore. This is what we do. Our goal is to out-perform ourselves, every single day. This drive to be better than we were yesterday is the fuel that keeps us growing. It's a monkey on your back that pushes you to be bigger than you thought you could be, better than you were yesterday, to out-do yourself, exceed your own expectations and work to be your own, personal superhero. This is the 619 Muscle way of life!

Pete

"Back" to the grind!

2010-03-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

Back pounding, hard-core. It's growin' time! Watch me do pull ups...hahaha...not too bad for a bottom-heavy italian boy! ;) I'll get better as the diet kicks in, though!

Pete

2010 is rollin'along - Showtime in San Diego!

2010-03-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the Arnold - was a crazy busy time, fun, but fast and hectic - always is in Columbus. Had a great time, met up with old co-workers and friends, and pushed the family's cause while out in this annual industry/lifestyle gathering.

But now, this week, it's back home, back to the gym and back to business! Meriza's targeting the Cals, I'll be focusing on 20 more weeks of hard, hard training, and God-willing, I'll make an impression at the USA's. We've got many of our family gearing up for competition next week as well at the San Diego show! Best of luck to everyone! Kristi K (soon to be Romero...) is looking great, Rory and Steph have each made some amazing changes in their physiques, and both will show better than ever! Lisa Raposa will be making her stage debut, and is looking to do some damage in her class(es)...her hubby, Eric, has been crushing it and looks his typical awesome, hard-as-nails self...Ms. Kris W. is pushing hard to be the best she's ever been, and she's right on track! Family members Georgie and Meg are also in tremendous shape and will shine on stage! 619 Muscle friends, working with Mr. PD Devers, Laleh Yahgoubi and Monique Whitney are in amazing shape as well, as is our newest rookie, the beautiful Sandy Weathersley! (I'm so proud of lil' Ms. Sandy! we can't wait to see her strut her stuff! Jason G's working with his buddy, David M, who is looking ripped and ready - also making his stage debut next weekend...Derik's working with Jordan again, who's big, thick and ready for business in the lightheavies...it's gonna be a killer show, and the family is well-represented! And I've seen several other athletes prepping for the spring, so I'm not sure how close a few people are, but it's going to be a killer show, for sure!

Stay tuned for updates, pics and more!

And thanks in advance to Mr. Jon Lindsay and the NPC for what is sure to be another kick ass bodybuilding event in San Diego!

It's SHOWTIME, BABY!

JAY CUTLER DAY IV!! MR. O coming again to the 619!

2010-01-24T20:02:00.000-08:00

"619 Muscle presents JAY CUTLER DAY - IV!" August 21, 2010!
619 Muscle, SoCal's Sports Nutrition Authority, welcomes history making, 3x Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler, to our 4th annIversary Parking Lot Bash and Supplement Expo - "JAY CUTLER DAY IN THE 619".

Where: 619 Muscle, 2949 Garnet Ave, San Diego, CA 92109 (at World Gym, San Diego)
When: August 21, 2010, festivities start at 10am!

What: Our 4th annual Anniversary Parking Lot Bash and Supplement Expo, featuring 3x Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler and many other bodybuilding, Figure and Fitness champions, and other industry celebrities!
GiveAways, mad sales and discounts, Strongman demonstrations, bikini contest and more!

Last year was insane!
This year promises to be even bigger, better, badder!

Mark your calendar and get ready to come wish Big Jay, the history making and reigning Mr. O, good luck as he prepares to defend his title one more time only a few short weeks after this event!

Special thanks to Jay, and to all the sponsors, vendors and participants of this event over the past several years...2010 promises to be the biggest yet!

Pete C

ONCE AGAIN...THE JOURNEY STARTS HERE!

2010-01-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

It's another turn of the year! Time for resolutions, time for promises to oneself...time to look in the mirror, take an honest inventory of our own strengths, shortcomings, and look for ways to improve ourselves...

Ongoing, continues quality improvement, that's the opportunity afforded us by the new year...

On that note, turn up your volume and laugh at some crazy meatheads getting busy, business as usual!

God bless the USA and 619 in 2010!

2009-12-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Some more crazy 619 Muscle-heads! Check out Kenny "the mad scottsman", and Donnie "cupcakes" D, crushing some back! Big Mike, missing from this clip, usually gets into the mix hard with these crazies! - warning: watch with caution - the events depicted in this video should not be tried at home, or without the proper supervision - these men are experts, and are doing these activities for demonstration purposes only - and to get frikkin BIG N STRONG!

More Pics from the Crazy Strongman Event!

2009-12-13T19:21:00.000-08:00

Special 619 Muscle thank you to all the vendors, sponsors and supporters of this awesome event!
619 Muscle would like to extend sincere thanks to the following:
World Gym San Diego
So Cal Strength Asylum
North American Strongman organization
Europa Sports
MusclePharm
Gaspari Nutrition
VPX
Axis Labs
Dymatize
MAN Sports
JS Nitro
ProSportShakers,
Freedom of Fitness
all the vendors who have supported us throughout the past year most importantly all of the hard working athletes that made our day a tremendous success!

STRONGMEN (and ladies)...INVADE THE 619!!

2009-12-13T11:47:00.001-08:00

619 MUSCLE played host to North American Strongman sanctioned
2nd Annual 619 Muscle Strongman Challenge this past weekend. Promoted by the powerhouse athletes themselves, Donnie and Kristen Rhodes and their training camp, SoCal Strength, this contest proved to be an exciting, explosive event to behold - barely hampered by the occasional December drizzle not uncommon to the region.

It was cold, but the crowd of athletes, spectators and vendors were undaunted - the primal thrill of sinew and bone facing off against the challenge of gravity, heavy iron and stone lit up 619 Muscle like a hot day in June!

2009 EXCALIBUR- 619 MUSCLE FAMILY SHOWS STRONG!

2009-12-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

This year's NPC Excalibur was an incredible way to close out 2009!! Mr. Jon Lindsay told me we had close to 300 competitors at this, the last NPC event of the year!

It was a killer show for the 619 Muscle family! Once again, our gym brothers and sisters made their marks once again, from bodybuilding to figure, we left our stamp on the L.A. stage - and big huge Congratulations to all of the athletes of our family!
Great showing, ms. Molly Goodwin, who came away with top honors in the Figure A class! Molly's been a dear friend of the family, and one of Meriza's hardest working clients since 2007 - we are so proud of her - and her ongoing competitive record speaks for itself!

Ms. Nel Bautista, another of our decorated girls, made a strong showing, by standing tall, 1st place out of almost 20 ladies in the master's C class. Nel is a vetaran of this show; tonight, she also battled for the top spot in the open class, taking 3rd in a huge class of 21 girls.
Sarah Butler gave a strong showing too! Sarah is fast-getting her figure-legs, and will be making some headway in upcoming events!
Ms. Dina Walsh scored another first place once again - Dina is new to the sport, but making some strong marks - she trains in World gym and we are all proud of her!

Jack Hill, took home another little bronze man, with a strong 3rd place finish in Masters - and he got engaged! Proving once again, that the right partner can help bring the best out of you! Go Jack! Be watching out for this athlete to bring it stronger, better and bigger in his next show!

Eric Raposa, movd up a weight class in the open division. He took 1st place in the masters, and got to stand in the overall against fellow 619 Muscle team member, Rory Love, who also won his class in Masters! Rory made some dramatic improvements to his lower body, and kicked butt, earning his 1st #1 trophy to date, but certainly not his last.

619 Muscle is a family of very hard-working, driven, successful people. Athlete's all of us, supportive, each bringing to the table energy, drive, and a hunger for self-improvement. None of us are perfect athletes, nor perfect people. But we all love what we do, and share a common passion, and a spirit to pursue self-improvement,and the art of physique perfection. This is the spirit of 619 Muscle - and the true ESSENCE OF HARDCORE

Where has 2009 gone?

2009-11-27T17:20:00.000-08:00

We have had a tremendous 2009!
I almost hate to see it go - for all the successful, wonderful experiences we shared as a 619 family! most recently, Mr. PD Devers bringing his best condition ever to the stage at the Nationals! Congrats PD!
And, Mike Nguyen, "superman Mike" doing his darndest at the recent Border States to steal top honors from Eric "perpetual shredded" Raposa, who was not to be taken lightly in the heated lightweight open class last month. When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, Eric stood shredded, and won that battle...but our own young'n powerhouse, Mike, took it to the novice class and came away last man standing!

Our 619 Muscle Bash was a screaming success, and namesake, Mr. Jay Cutler showed the world that it CAN BE DONE, three times! The history making comeback turned heads and silenced the critics...

Our good friends, Tamer and Branden, toe to toe once again at Nationals, looks like they'll have a few months to think about what Victory and that elusive pro-card taste and smell like! What a barn burner year!
Meriza made it to the O, once again with 3 top 5 finishes, and a tremendous run! Gina and her runner up O spot...Malachi with his trifecta of Cals, Jr. Cals and near miss at USA!
One thing for sure, all of us, working harder than ever, to keep the spirit and the energy up and the positive energy going... it ain't always easy, and life is never fair...but in the end, we all gotta keep in mind, it ain't where we end up that matters...

it's how far we've gone from where we started - that's how we judge our success.

And we've covered alot of ground as a family this year!

2010 - watch out!

Pete

JAY DOES IT AGAIN!

2009-10-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

CONGRATS TO OUR DEAR FRIEND, MR. JAY CUTLER!

Jay has worked hard this year, bringing what was arguably his best condition ever to the stage, in a tough, tough battle for the first place. WE in San Diego are super proud of our favorite super hero!

Jay has been a gracious supporter of our business and a great friend of the family for years - it is with sincere pleasure that we deliver heartfelt congratulations, and a welcome back to the Mr. Olympia throne!

Unbelievable achievement, from our fellow East Coast boy! Awesome work Jay!

"MEET THE OLYMPIANS 2009!" 619 representin'!

2009-09-24T22:29:00.001-07:00

Meriza and Gina getting ready to head to a meeting before the Olympia...two beautiful San Diego professionals, representin'! go get 'em girls!

The beautiful SoCal ladies that all happen to be Figure Olympians this year! We're here in Las Vegas, Meriza, Sonya, Krissy and the rest of the incredible professional physique athletes who are preparing to do battle on the Olympia stage this weekend, have a chance to meet their fans tonight at the VIP "Meet the Olympians" event.

The big draws at tonight's event (other than these and all the lovely ladies) included friend of 619, Big Jay Cutler, Kai Greene, and the many other tremendous athletes!

It's going to be a crazy weekend! More pics to come soon from the Expo and more!

Pete

BIG THANKS VITARGO / GENr8!

2009-09-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

Mr. Almada discussing the benefits of Vitargo, how it works, why it's a great post-workout recovery carb product, a pre-workout fuel, and more!

Pete and Sugar Shawn...

Shawn broadcasting the No Bull Radio show from the counter of 619 Muscle! Super Mike standing by!

It was a tremendous day for us yesterday, thanks to Shawn Ray, Anthony Almada and the crew from Vitargo/GENR8! We had some real industry celebrities in the house, and had the opportunity to sample and learn more about this super-carbohydrate product!

Hear Shawn Ray's live broadcast from the counter of our store!

http://www.modavox.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=41165

Thanks again Shawn, Anthony and the entire Vitargo/GENr8 crew for a tremendous event!

Pete

SUPER SHAWN RAY VISITS THE 619! MON 9/21! 5-7PM!!

2009-09-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

That's right! 619 Muscle welcomes one of the LEGENDS of the sport of bodybuilding - SHAWN RAY!
Now a representative for Vitargo/GENr8, Shawn also hosts the No Bull Radio show weekly on Musculardevelopment.com.

SHAWN will be doing his radio show from our home, 619 Muscle, and he will be bringing some of the GENr8 staff to the gym from 5-7pm.
Come check it out, Monday Sept 21, from 5-7pm in the 619 Muscle store and World Gym, San Diego!

Learn more about Vitargo, the most powerful, clinically-proven rapid-absorbing, performance-boosting carbohydrate ever!!
Free Samples, information...and SHAWN the legend RAY!!

We'll be selling Vitargo/GENr8 all day long to celebrate this event!

Pete

The "619 MUSCLE EFFECT"

2009-09-09T20:07:00.001-07:00

Anyone who's a fan of the sport has likely seen the infamous black and white photos of Dorian, Mr. O, circa 1993, December issue of FLEX magazine. For those of you who aren't familiar with the pics I'm talking about, they showed before and after pics of the Shadow, legendary bodybuilder, Mr. Dorian Yates, after a period of hard training.

The cool thing about photos like this is you get to see the changes to a physique that are barely noticeable day by day. We've got several hard-training competitive athletes in our family - one we're very proud of is former World's Strongest Teen and Teenage bench press champion, "superman" Mike Nguyen. Mike has been training hard for the past 2 years with me, and has made some tremendous gains. Mike is 100% free of any type of performance enhancing drugs, is 100% dedicated to following a solid nutritional plan, and a rigorous training program. What follows may be disturbing to some, unbelieveable to others...we're just proud as heck of Super Mike...and we wish him the best as he prepares for the upcoming NPC Border States...

Mike, 2007, 158-159lbs

Mike, 2009, 159lbs

Mike, 2007

Mike, 2009

MERIZA ROCKS IN HOUSTON!!

2009-08-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Meriza, Krissy, and all the girls who BROUGHT IT in Houston this past weekend. Heather Mae took top honors, followed by Erin Stern, then our own 619 Muscle Meriza taking the 3rd spot and gathering momentum for the big show! Our dear friend, Ms. Krissy Chin followed up closely; and congrats to new Pro, Katina Maisterllis, for rockin' right up into the top 5 group! It was a heated battle in hot and humid Houston...all the ladies were sharp and on point - a great show presented by Lee Thompson - congrats to all!

Pete

619 MUSCLE BASH III - compilation video!!

2009-08-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Todd T for shooting and editing this one for us!

Enjoy!

Some great shots of all the pro's, the contests, and all the craziness!

Pete

here we go!

2009-08-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

619 Muscle Bash III - Jay Cutler Day rocked Once Again!

2009-08-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

With over 40 vendors, and an estimated 500 people in attendance, and more muscle, more Fitness, Figure, and bodybuilding celebrities and MORE IFBB OLYMPIANS than ever before, powerful champion strength athletes and bikini girls, prizes and give-aways totalling over $4,000 and over $350,000 worth of American Muscle Cars, there was something for everyone in attendance!

We are EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO ALL IN ATTENDANCE - everyone in the 619 Muscle family who pulled together to pull off this tremendous event - we thank you!
And a very special thanks to Jay, Troy, Silvio, Derik, Brandon, Meriza, Gina, Tanji, Marzia, Elaine, Sandra, Alicia, Nita, Krissy and Troy, and Branden Ray, all the vendors, and of course all of our dear family, clients, customers and friends....
We are blessed to be able to come together and share in the celebration or our lifestyle...

Thanks to Dax and JoJo for their support and a big thanks to World Gym San Diego, Daddy Rick and all the guys for putting up with us as we commandeered the parking lot!

See ya soon in the 619!

Pete

More pics from the crazy 619 Bash!

2009-08-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

619 Muscle BASH! rocked once again!

2009-08-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

here are just a few pics of the crazy party we had this past weekend!
40+ vendors, more IFBB Celebrities and athletes, Strongman and Female strength athlete demonstrations, muscle cars, bench pressing, bikini's, supplements, it was one heck of a great time!
here are just a few more pics...

http://boards.flexonline.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2341&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

thanks to Dave, and Big Lou for posting up more pics!
and very special thanks to Big Jay, Silvio, Troy, Brandon, Derik, and all the pro's who were in attendance...It was a special day for all in attendance!

Can hardly wait til the Bash #4!~

but we'll have to wait til next year!...

Pete

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE SHOW!

2009-08-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

This year's 619 MUSCLE BASH will be crazy!

Special guests include my dear friend, Orlando Europa Show of Champions victor, TROY ALVES! We weren't sure if his schedule would let Troy free to join us, but his sponsor, Nutrex, is helping him get out to the 619 again this year!

We know that all of these pro's are in the middle of competition mode, so we are very appreciative for their efforts to visit us!

Also, Super star, Shawn Ray and Anthony Almada of GENr8 are coming down to the 619 and sponsoring a huge BENCH PRESS BODYWEIGHT FOR REPS! WITH A PRIZE PACKAGE WORTH $1,000...

GET HERE EARLY, SIGN UP AND GET READY TO REP TIL YOU CAN'T REP ANY MORE! WINNER WILL BE FEATURED IN MD!

See you next Saturday!
10am-3pm
Aug 22
2949 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

JAY CUTLER DAY is only 8 days away!!

2009-08-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

and we've got some INCREDIBLE LATE ENTRIES INTO THE ATTRACTIONS!

We all know about the pro line up coming next weekend, including:
Jay Cutler
Sylvio Samuel
Brandon Curry
Richard Jones
Troy Alves - and I must apologize to my good buddy, Troy - he was not sure about his appearance status at the time I paid my graphic guy to make the poster! TROY, SORRY MAN! YOU WERE NOT LEFT OUT INTENTIONALLY! Much love to you and to all the pro's who are taking buys time out of their Olympia prep to join us!
Derik Farnsworth and possible Tricky Ricky Jackson will also be here!
Figure and Fitness pro's include: Meriza DeGuzman, Krissy Chin, Gina Aliotti, Tanji Johson, new IFBB Bikini pro, Marzia Prince and IFBB Pro Bodybuilder, Sandra Blackie...it's going to be crazy fun!

Also, big news! Bodybuilding legend, Shawn Ray will be coming down, representing the awesome post-workout product, GENr8 - and I believe that Industry Legend, Anthony Almada will be accompanying him! Anthony is an innovator and pioneer in our business...his presence, like all these incredible athletess, is very welcome and appreciated...
And they will be sponsoring a $1,000 Bench Press for Max Reps competition - see attached flier!

THE ART OF PHYSIQUE...

2009-07-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

Each of us has within ourselves, a spirit, an energy, a superhero that is screaming to be revealed. The art of physique perfection, our sport, our journey, our discipline....bodybuilding...is a means of expressing that inner being.
We each have within us our own "perfect" physique...complete with flaws, with distinct, individual imperfections...the very things that make us unique...our own personal journey toward honing this package to an individual "perfection"...this is our noble cause - it's our own journey toward becoming BIGGER THAN WE THOUGHT WE COULD BE...

Pete's posing routine, 2009 USA's

TEAM 619 MUSCLE's desert showdown!

2009-07-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

The 2009 USA's held in Las Vegas this weekend made history! With over 460 competitors, this even was the largest bodybuilding competition ever held! Congratulations to super-promoter, Jon Lindsay and his crew for organizing a smooth, streamlined, top-quality event that was a pleasure to participate in-whether athlete, attendee or sponsor, it appeared to be a high-quality experience for all; special thanks to Mr. Jon Lindsay, Mr. Manion and the NPC for giving these athletes a means express the competitive spirit and drive that surely inhabits the soul of each of these physique warriors.

Participation in an event of this magnitude can be humbling. The physiques were amazing, the sheer depth of quality muscle almost overwhelming. Trying to conceptualize the sum-total of all the work required to shape and build the bodies on display last night is nearly impossible. It's a true testament to the spirit and drive, the will and determination of our very species. Consider the amount of individual focus and persistence required to build and shape beauty, to strive for individual perfection, and multiply that by the sheer number of athletes that graced the stage last night in the desert...simply amazing.

I think that's the true beauty of bodybuilding and what it represents to me. It is a personal journey, a daily test of grit, to push oneself through previously unexplored limits. It's not the winning of a trophy that gives this journey meaning - rather, it's the completion of a long journey through which one has tested himself. To be able to say, "I have done everything possible to be my best. I have worked harder than ever before. This is the best I can be for me, right here, right now...my own personal physique perfection." - in truth, I believe this is the victory each athlete aspires to. The rest is just icing.

-Pete

DON'T FORGET! AUG 22 - GONNA BE HUGE!

2009-07-07T04:51:00.001-07:00

You heard about it from Jay himself, at the Jr. Cals...
All the big names will be there!
$2,000 bikini contest sponsored by Fizeek Brazil and Rigid RX!
$500 Gaspari Pump Your Guns 2 contest!
Watch California Strongman, Tomas Navarro, deadlift the 619 Muscle car!
Meet the biggest names in the game!
KILLER SALES, KILLER SAVINGS, LOTS OF FREE STUFF TOO!
Don't miss this one!

TEAM 619 MUSCLE storming VEGAS - USA's 2009!

2009-07-07T03:58:00.000-07:00

GO TEAM!
2008 Los Angeles middleweight champ, 3rd place USA welterweight, Rich Moran, prepares for the big show once again this year! Go Rich!
2008 Excalibur middeweight, 2009 California middleweight champ, and 2009 Jr. Nats middleweight champ, decorated veteran, Malachi Walker also polishing up his physique for Vegas in 3 weeks!Veteran Micheal Bautista has been training and dieting super hard this year, hoping to crack that top 5 to be able to display his dramatic, classical posing. Go Mike!

2-time regional lightweight champ, Jamie Allen, has been training his ass off (literally - glutes will be striated!) in preparation for his first run at a national level show. He's moved up a weight class, too! We will see the best Jamie yet on stage in Vegas! Go Jamie!

2008 San Diego heavyweight champ, and 2008 USA top 5-finisher, PD Devers, one of the life-blood veterans of our family and the local bb scene, has been training harder than ever in prep for this year's battle in Vegas. Personally, I can't wait to see his next posing routine!
2007 California lightheavyweight champ, Pete Ciccone, who placed just out of the chance to pose in the finals at last year's big show (6th), has been training hard, working on the weak points and pushing the strong points to new levels. Hoping to bring a refined, improved package, he's excited for another chance to see what the good Lord intends for this iron athlete.

Don't miss the NPC USA's, less than 3 weeks away in Las Vegas! July, 24th and 25th! for info, go to www.musclecontest.com!

Regarding our crazy sport...many don't understand why we do it...and that's ok...

Bodybuilding is a beautiful sport. Testing your own personal limits of strength, endurance, and determination to achieve your own personal "perfection" - that is the essence of what we do. As much as we call it a competitive sport, in truth, the toughest opponent is one's own self.
"Can I stick to my rigid nutritional regimen?"
"Did I put all I had into my training and prep for this show?"
"Did I push myself through all of my planned cardio sessions?"
"Did I follow through with controlling my lifestyle to allow me sufficient growth and recovery to be my best?"
"Was I uncompromising and focused on my goal, yet without appearing selfish to those around me?"
"When I look in the mirror, can I honestly say, I have left no stone unturned in my own journey to becoming the best I can be?"

At its finest, the concept of "sport" does not get much more real than the athletic pursuit of bodybuilding. And, as a an allegory for life, we could all take a lesson from the pages of the Bodybuilder's Guidebook to Success:

Honesty, (The Brutal Truth), Discipline, Respect, Integrity.

These core values will guide a bodybuilder to success.

USA's fast approaching...
As the biggest amateur show in the land approaches, Team 619 Muscle wishes the best to its athletes preparing for the battle of Vegas in less than 3 short weeks!
Go Team!

After a recent leg pounding...Great work, Malachi!

I'm sure I speak for all the athletes when I say THANK YOU to those that matter...those that support us, guide us, inspire us and contribute from the other side of the stage lights. There will be a Team of the 619 MUSCLE family making the trip to Vegas very soon - for all of us in the family, let's bring it to Vegas and represent!

God bless,

Pete

America...keep the dream

2009-06-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

It's almost the 4th of July...Independence Day for our great nation.

We are a great and powerful nation because we are a nation of dreamers with a work ethic...
At it's best, America is a nation of heroes - a group of individuals with a love and respect for his or her fellow man, in pursuit of a better life, a happier life, living without hate or ill will for others around us.
The American Dream was outlined for us all in the brilliant document written by our founding fathers...set permanently in the written word at the birth of the greatest nation - greatness not based in military might nor riches, but rather great and rich because our spirit was steeped in God-loving, God-fearing humanistic ideals that would preserve the freedom for each individual, equal under the law,to pursue one's own independent version of this Dream, provided the pursuance of such did not tread or impose on the liberties of another...

As we near the celebration of another year, let us not forget where we came from as a nation...
let us not forget that the acquisition and sustenance of our personal liberties came at a price, and remains costly. We must continue to work, and work hard, to nourish and feed and strengthen our bodies, our minds, and our communities - We the People, make up our nation...not some ambiguous "government"...We the People. We must take ownership once again, take responsibility, care for each other, inspire and enrich each other using the talents and the skills God has given each of us...We will persevere and we can sustain...together, with great effort...be strong, work hard, work smart. Build your body, and your life, with pride...and be thankful for the ability to improve.

I wanted to share this video - you gotta watch it to the end...it's only about 7 minutes long.

http://www.youtube.com/v/QZFkZiwMLZ4

Pete

TEAM 619 MUSCLE ROCKS J-NATS AND JR CALS!

2009-06-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

2 time Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler, looked unreal, guest posing at the Jr. Cals this weekend! healthy, and fit at over 290lbs (eating In and Out burgers for lunch!) We'll see Jay on August 22nd, at our 3rd Annual Jay Cutler Day Parking Lot bash (more details in last week's blog) but we want to say KEEP ON ROCKIN', JAY! - my money's on this East Coast brother!
And making his stage debut, Little Jay - aka Trevor - he'll be making his 2nd guest posing appearance at the 619 Muscle Bash too! So be sure to check him out!

GO TEAM!
That's all I got to say.

A big congrats to Big MALACHI WALKER who just pulled off an amazing string of wins this past contest season -
1st place 2008 Excalibur Middleweight class!
1st place 2009 California Middleweight class!
1st place 2009 Jr. Nationals, Middleweight class just this past weekend - hear more about it in his MD interview! Oooh yeah! Go MALACHI!

http://mdtv.musculardevelopment.com/content/view/2122/240/

And making his 2nd appearance on the competition stage, Jason Golumbfskie - Jason worked hard all year, preparing to make a mark on the local scene - and he did just that - transforming his body to take honors in both the novice and open classes at the Jr. California this past weekend! Great job, Jason!

Mike Bautista, on his way to Vegas in 5 weeks, made an appearance to polish up his posing routine. Always a highlight of any show, Mike B's twirls and lunging poses added a high degree of entertainment value and difficulty to the show stage! go Mike and good luck in Vegas in just a few more weeks!

And in her debut to the competitive stage, our new shining star, Kristine Wilkes - accomplished her longtime goal of donning the heels and the sparkly suit and getting up on that stage. She took home brass in the Masters 45+, Masters 35+ and in the open Figure class D. Go Ms. Kris! congratulations. Ms. Kris was the senior competitor on the stage, standing with girls in some cases 1/2 her age. Ms. Kris is our hero - proving that hard work, drive, determination and focus will lead to successful outcomes, no matter what the obstacles. Keep on rockin', Ms. Kris!

CONGRATULATIONS Malachi, Mike, Jason and Kris!
It's almost Bash time in the 619! Stay tuned for more!

WE'RE DOING IT AGAIN! "JAY CUTLER DAY!" AT 619 MUSCLE!

2009-06-12T10:54:00.001-07:00

CUSTOMER APPRECIATION!
VENDOR APPRECIATION!

OUR 3RD ANNUAL EVENT! CAN'T MISS THIS ONE!
MORE PRIZES!
MORE GIVE-AWAYS!
MORE MUSCLE!
MORE BIKINI'S!

BIGGER, BETTER! DON'T MISS IT!

2009-05-29T21:34:00.001-07:00

The 619 MUSCLE FAMILY...
More than just the faces you see here! but we all have that essence of hardcore in common! The staff of 619 MUSCLE is truly hardcore! Come on in and meet Tomas, State champ in the deadlift, superheavyweight - With this big guy, he's got more power than just his knowledge, but that's the reason he's working with us!
Super Mike - former World's strongest and fittest teen (he's now 21 yrs old), Mike set the bench press world record for teenagers at a body weight of 148lbs - he benched 341lbs! But, now, little Mike is Lightheavy and bodybuilder Mike, working hard to get back on stage later this year.
Jewels is our endurance athlete - she's a triathlete and marathon runner and sometimes figure athlete - watch out for this blonde bombshell!
And our newest staff member, miss Jenny, is a fitness super-stud herself. Jenny is the coach of the Bikini Body Booty Camp, a female fitness group based here in San Diego. She is also a figure competitor and very knowledgeable herself regarding nutrition and weight loss.

So, come on in and check us out!

We are still working on our online store, but in the meantime, please call or email - we can meet or beat most prices - and we've got more inventory in our brick and mortar location than most stores like us! And if it's a powerful product from a reliable brand - even the smaller ones - chances are we've got it ONSHELF! Give us a call or pop in for a visit!

619 MUSCLE - So-Cal's Sports Nutrition Authority!

2009-05-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

WHO ARE WE?

We are 619 MUSCLE - So-Cal's Sports Nutrition Authority

At 619 Muscle, we bring you the best in the game of sports nutrition and supplementation, designed to help you maximize your life.

We are all about High Performance Living!

At 619 MUSCLE, we believe that there is a hardcore athlete inside each and every one of us! No matter what your age, no matter what your physical state or your state of mind, we firmly believe that your "hardcore" is just screaming for a way out! No matter whether you're a doctor, a lawyer, a construction worker, a soccer mom or a student, we've got what you need - the information, the products, and the expertise - to help you reach your fitness goals...and then explore new ones!

Health is more than just a sound body. And a healthy being incorporates the whole being, mind, body, soul...that's why at 619 MUSCLE, we are a family. But don't take my word for it - come into our home, and become a part of what we're building!

My name is Pete Ciccone, and I am the owner of 619 MUSCLE. In July of 2006, Meriza and I began building our store, our home, with the vision of creating a place of positive energy and love for the art and science of what we call High Performance Living - getting the most out of each and every minute. Together with my training partner, IFBB Pro Derik Farnsworth, we celebrate the power of the Fitness Triad - the 3 components of healthy living - Nutrition, Exercise, Healthy Supplementation - we use these 3 tools to help our customers, our family members achieve their goals and then set new ones.

Our clients and customers are diverse - both in age, in occupation, in lifestyle and in fitness level - we care for moms and businessmen, collegiate athletes and baby boomer athletes, professional bodybuilders and figure athletes and general fitness enthusiasts, individuals seeking serious weight loss and those seeking to build more muscle - but one thing all of our family members share is THE BRUTAL TRUTH - they share a passion, an honesty, and integrity.
Each and everyone of our family members knows that the only way to success is through hard work, smart work, consistency, and the ability to look at oneself in the mirror and be honest enough to assess both strengths and weaknesses...physical, mental and emotional. In other words, each of our 619 family is truly hardcore!

That's why at 619 MUSCLE, we truly are the Essence of Hardcore. Come visit us - there is no other store like us!

2009 Cal Pro and NPC California!

2009-05-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

It was a HUGE show this year, the 2009 California Pro and NPC California Championships!
With over 300 competitors, including 29 IFBB Pro Figure competitors, the closed California Championships including the Teen division!

Team 619 Muscle rocked this year!
Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to kick butt at this huge event:
Molly Goodwin
Nel Bautista
Georgi Gehrke
Meg Kruse
Roz Vail
Brenda Vidrio
Malachi Walker, Eric Raposa and Tom Dinardo rounded out the guys - the Men of 619!
And our own Meriza DeGuzman took 4th in a very competitive field of 29 pro Figure athletes.
Go miss Meriza!

Thanks to Jon Lindsay, the NPC and the IFBB for another awesome event! And CONGRATULATIONS TO all of the 619 Muscle athletes and friends who represented the San Diego crew! It was a heckuva great show - memorable weekend for this Memorial Day weekend.

Pete

2009 OC Muscle Classic - Go Team!

2009-04-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

The 32nd annual Orange County Muscle Classic was a monster show! Promoter, Jon Lindsay, reported a very successful event, with over 140 contestants, it looks like the 2009 NPC SoCal competition season is off to a great start!

Team 619 Muscle, in the house, had a great presence once again!
Big Lou Uridel rocked the house, with his "619...619...619" posing routine...awesome brother!
Rory Love presented his best condition yet, earning a hard won 5th in the master's division. Way to go!
Stephanie Love, in only her 2nd contest yet, earned herself a 4th place slot in the 45+ and a 5th place slot in the 35+ categories! Wow, great job, Steph!
And our superstar, 50 years young, Meg Kruse, earned 3 little ladies, kickin' butt to garner the top prize in both the 35+ and the 45+ categories, while strutting her way to 3rd place in a very competitive open Figure C class! Great job, superstars!

Also in the house, friend 0f 619, and Boston boy and oh - 2-time Mr. Olympia, Big Jay Cutler, tore the roof of the house as guest poser! Jay is proof-positive that hard work and focus, consistent effort toward your goal can and do lead to success! After rockin' the stage, jumping down into the packed audience and posing his heart out for the fans, Jay grabbed the mike from MC Mike Stohle, and addressed the crowd. Jay gave his sincere thanks for the support of his fans (dedicated as we all are!) and also left the crowd with the message that dreams really can and do come true, if you stick to your guns and don't ever lose sight of your goals. Jay vowed to achieve his goal this year - a 3rd Sandow trophy! He looked fantastic, healthy and just over 300lbs, Jay's putting in the time, obviously!
Watch out for this superstar to make an appearance on August 22, at 619 Muscle...It has become known as "Jay Cutler day"! in the 619, more details very soon!

rock and roll, Team 619!

Pete

A Fistful of Dollars...

2009-04-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

Knowledge is Power...the Glycemic Index
(part 2 of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - as previously published)

The original “Spaghetti Western”, also the prequel to our aforementioned film was called A Fistful of Dollars. It told the tale of the same misguided hero, the opportunistic cowboy, played for the first time by Clint Eastwood. In this prequel, Clint Eastwood’s character struggles to win “a few dollars”, using cunning and even treachery. Likewise, in our fight to get fit, knowledge is power. We need to be clever, keep our eyes open to what we put into our mouths, and make the right food choices in order to succeed. A basic understanding of food groups, carbohydrate categories, the concept of energy-in vs. energy-out, and the importance of the 3 macronutrients and how they impact our bodies, these concepts are out weapons!

Carbohydrates are a vital nutrient, a powerful source of muscle and brain energy and they support increased muscular and mental performance; but ingesting the wrong type of carbs will contribute to unstable blood sugar levels and leave you feeling “bonked” or “crashed”; too much sugar too fast into the bloodstream will cause a rapid rise in insulin, and will contribute to the uptake of excess calories into fat storage. So, how do we utilize this powerful nutrient appropriately to optimize performance, energy and health?

Research in the field of diabetes has given us a tool to assess the impact specific carbohydrates have on blood sugar and insulin levels. The glycemic index (GI) rates carbohydrate foods based on how quickly blood glucose levels rise after ingestion of the food. Pure glucose is the rule, and is scored 100 on the GI scale. The faster the absorption of the carbohydrate food and the more rapid the rise in blood glucose levels, the higher the score on the GI scale. A lower the score on the glycemic index indicates a lesser impact on blood glucose and insulin levels following the ingestion of the specific carbohydrate food. Once again, we can use the GI to plan our meals by choosing the majority of our carbohydrates from low GI sources. Key point: controlling insulin response by monitoring the GI of the carbs we ingest will slow fat storage, and actually increase the body’s ability to use previously stored fat for energy!

So, to utilize the “good” of carbohydrates, choose foods that are high in fiber and have a lower score on the glycemic index. As a general rule, avoid excess sugars to keep the blood sugar stable. Stable blood sugar and insulin levels will prevent the “bonk” or “crash”. Keeping insulin under control is the key to avoiding fat storage.

Here is a brief list of some common carbohydrate foods and their GI scores. Remember, the lower the number, the less impact ingestion of a particular food will have on blood sugar and insulin levels, and the better for health and performance. Choosing low GI carbs - the ones that induce lesser fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels - the trick to reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and is the key to sustainable weight loss and optimal athletic performance. Choose wisely to be sure you get the most out of “the Good” of your carbohydrates!

Low Glycemic foods: (eat more of these) GI score <55
Barley, Oats, whole-wheat pasta, grapefruit, apples, lentils, beans,
Medium Glycemic foods: (eat some of these) GI score 56-69
Oranges, sweet potatoes, whole-grain breads, brown rice
High Glycemic foods: (eat less of these) GI score 70-100
Instant rice, white potatoes, candy, ice cream, white bread, dates.

Sources:
Akermark, C.,I. Jacobs, M. Rasmusson, and J Karlsson. Diet and muscle glycogen concentration in relation to physical performance in Swedish elite ice hockey players. Int. J. Sport Nutr. 6:272-284, 1996

Foster-Powell, K. and J.B. Miller. International tables of glycemic index, Am J. Clin. Nutr. 62:871s-893s. 1995

Maughn, R.J., P.L. Greenhaff, J.B. Leiper, D. Ball, C.P. Lambert, and M. Gleeson. Diet composition and the performance of high-intensity exercise. J. Sports Sci. 15:265-275. 1997.

www.AnneCollins.com/obesity.htm, 2002-2007.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly....

2009-04-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Carbohydrates - Dietary Villain or Superhero
(previously published in Status Fitness magazine, issue 2, 2007)

Speaking of Spaghetti…
In the 1966 Spaghetti Western, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, a young Clint Eastwood played the role of “Blondie”, one of three shady unscrupulous individuals racing through the desert to uncover a treasure of buried gold. For those of you who may have seen this award winning cinematic classic, you may remember asking yourself which one of the three pistol-wielding, treasure-lusting characters was “the Good” and which one was “the Bad” as the title implied. I know I did. I also thought to myself that any one of the three dust-covered, unshaven banditos could probably also have been labeled “the Ugly.” (Fans of Clint Eastwood might argue that last point, but I’m sticking to my guns here.)

In nutrition, the misunderstood role of carbohydrates can leave fitness-minded folk asking a similar question – aren’t carbohydrates bad for me? It can be as confusing as trying to figure out which label belongs to which character in the movie!

Low-carb, no-carb, net carbs, impact carbs, carb-cycles, carb-free – we have become a carbohydrate-confused and hyper-carb sensitive society! What is it about this basic macronutrient that strikes fear into the collective heart of our consumptuous culture? Is it really carbohydrate that packs the excess pounds onto our thighs and butts to the point of morbidity? With obesity fast becoming the #1 health concern of our modern times, and a good many newcomers to the Status Fitness lifestyle, the answers have never been more pertinent. The answer lies within the function and properties of this 6-carbon, 12-hydrogen, 6-oxygen molecule.

The Good:
Carbohydrates are the “go juice” of the active tissues of the body. Carbohydrate molecules are made of the 3 elements, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. All carbohydrates are chains of the basic unit C6-H12-O6, commonly called sugars. Single and two-sugar carbohydrates (mono- and disaccharides) are commonly called simple sugars. Longer, more complex chains of sugars form starches (polysaccharides) and fibers.

Carbohydrates are the primary source of glucose for the cells of the body. Glucose is critical because it is the main source of energy for the brain. It is also a primary source of ATP, the energy currency of the muscles. Increased carbohydrate intake has been shown to have a positive impact on physical performance and work output.

Carbs are critical!:
• The body’s primary fuel source for all activities
• Vital to all cellular functions
• Primary source of glucose for the body
• Glucose is the main fuel for brain function
• So important for body functions, the body will make glucose by breaking down body proteins and fat stores!

The Bad:
In the movie mentioned earlier, Clint Eastwood’s character, Blondie, was revealed to be “the Good”, at the conclusion of the story through a single redeeming act that demonstrated his “goodness”. Similarly, if we look closely at the carbohydrate story, we find that carbs have many redeeming characteristics. So why the bum rap? Propagation of the misunderstanding of the basic tenets of low carb diet plans such as those of Dr. Atkins and his cronies in the last decade has demonized this macronutrient.

“Carbohydrates make you fat.” Yes, there is some truth to this statement but it’s not as simplistic as this basic misunderstanding. More accurately, consuming the wrong type of carbohydrates, at the wrong time of the day, and eating more calories (carbohydrate or otherwise) than your body needs for energy stimulate fat storage. Excessive intake of carbohydrates, especially faster absorbing carbohydrates – “simple sugars” - stimulates a rapid rise in insulin..
Insulin can be thought of as the ‘doorman’ of the cells (including the fat cells). Insulin’s role in the body is to facilitate the partitioning of blood sugar to the appropriate ‘compartment’ in the body – into the muscles to be stored as glycogen for quick muscular energy; or stored in the adipocytes (fat cells) as surplus, back up energy. Simply, when we consume more energy than we need, and that food energy (in the digested form, glucose) moves from the digestive tract into the bloodstream, insulin is called out to get to work packing away the extra, unnecessary energy. Since some carbohydrates pass more quickly (typically, simple sugars) from the food we eat through the digestive system and into the blood stream, certain carbohydrates will contribute to fat storage much more easily than the proteins or fats.

The basic premise of most low-carb or carb-conscious diet plans is – or should be – this:
Control your insulin levels by consuming the proper types of carbohydrates in small amounts throughout the day. OK, that makes sense, but how do we know what types of carbohydrate foods to choose to keep our insulin levels in check? We’ll show you.

The Ugly:
Obesity has become an epidemic in America. Prolific author on the topic of Obesity, Anne Collins, points out that, in America, it’s pretty ugly:

• 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese
• Eight out of 10 over 25's Overweight
• 78% of American's not meeting basic activity level recommendations
• 25% completely Sedentary
• 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990

This is a heavy burden for our society to bear (no pun intended). Our increasing state of unhealth due to obesity is worrisome. Ms. Collins blames several factors for this current, “ugly” state of affairs, including “over-consumption…the root cause” of obesity today. She also blames the consumption of “too many refined carbs” as another cause of obesity.
Finding this “Ugly” existing in our modern society was easy. The challenge will be discovering what to do about this epidemic that touches nearly all of our lives in some way. Is this trick as elusive as the buried treasure of gold coins in the movie?

Stay tuned for the sequel!

The "619" in FLEX magazine again!

2009-04-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Allan D. and Dave Lee for the ink in the latest FLEX magazine! Check us out on page 90! (it's the one with Moe El Moussawi on the cover) - pick up your copy on newsstands today! (But don't bother going to the 7-11 down the street from the gym - They're already sold out of FLEX this month!)

It's been a special year for the 619 family - and it looks to get even better! Big Brandon and Brandie are new additions to our clan. Here at World Gym and 619 Muscle, it's all about sharing the love of the sport, health, fitness and the pursuit of being the best we can be...

Each and every member, client, competitor, customer, and friend - all come to our house, join the party, and "bring it!" - Times are challenging, but it doesn't cost alot to get down to bare bones, eat right, train hard, stay strong...things are always on the "up" when you can look forward to positive changes, and chase them with your own sweat and blood...

See ya in the "619"

Bigger Than You Thought You Could Be...

2009-04-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

This is the essence of what we are chasing, right?

"Nothing average ever stood as a monument to progress. When progress is looking for a partner, it doesn't turn to those who believe they are only average. It turns instead to those who are forever searching and striving to be the best they possibly can be."
-A. Lou Vickery

"Life is not often easy, and it's rarely fair. But, it's not where you end up, but rather how far you go with what you've been given...this is what matters most. Be the best you can be in all you do...

In all things, strive, drive, keep on pushing...We owe it to each other to never stop pursuing our best...remember, we don't often realize who we may influence or inspire with our own personal struggles and pursuits of our dreams. By building our own personal legends, we are contributing to the enrichment of the Universe.

Dream...Believe...Be.

Happy Easter, everyone.

Pete C

619 MUSCLE...it's who we are...

2009-03-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

Did ya'll here that our lovely First Lady, Mrs. Obama, is getting some criticism in the press these days, for displaying her muscular arms?
Ya know, I am not trying to get political at all, but give me some strength, some physical strength, any day, over weak, flabby, spindly arms...

What is wrong with our society when someone who is a mom, a professional, the #1 gal on the block, who obviously works hard to care for her physical self - can be criticized for trying to preserve her physical functionality, health and appearance? AAAhhhh!
c'mon, people, let's wake up, get up, and get going!

Do Something, move something, be strong, preserve! Don't age gracefully - FIGHT IT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!

Go Lady O!

Pete

NPC San Diego was jammin'!

2009-03-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all the athletes who competed this past weekend! And a very special thanks to Jon Lindsay and his crew, for putting on this jam-packed show~sold out, standing room only, over 160 athletes - it was a veritable madhouse!

Team 619 Muscle, family and friends were out in full force! We had 15 friends and family from the local area, covering just about all divisions. Congratulations to those of our crew who earned some brass to take home, and great work to all for bringing in their best game. Our top honors went to Duda Bueno, who won the novice middles and took the runner up spot in the open lightheavies. For the ladies, Brenda Vidrio strutted her way to the runner up spot in the new Bikini division, and Kristi Krasja worked her way past all but 2 of he 22 girls in the Figure C class! Great job all!

619 Muscle, this is how we do it! Mad props to our other competitors, including Big Lou Uridel, who presented with a tighter package than last year; great job Jack Hill, who brought more size and thickness this year, taking 2nd in masters lightweight, 2nd in novice lights, and 4th in open middles; Eric Raposa grabbed a 2nd spot in lights; and Rory Love walked on stage big and full, grabbing 4th in novice lightheavy and open middles; great job Ms. Stephanie Love and Ima Somers, two beautiful ladies who have made dramatic improvements in their physiques have only just begun this journey of personal transformation!

Friendly hello to our pro friends who stopped by the booth, including Richard Jones, Nasser Sonbaty, Sonya Gonzalez, Gina Aliotti, Zhana Rotar, and plenty more!- of course Derik "the Freak" Farnsworth and our big bro, Brandon Curry, who was reppin' for his sponsor, BSN, at our 619 Muscle booth - it was a busy show!

And of course, the legendary poser, PD Devers, rocked the house as guest poser at this show. Rock and roll, 619 style, PD!

It was a killer crazy show! The NPC is alive and well in the 619!

Pete

It's what we love...what we do...it's who we are...

2009-03-19T23:51:00.001-07:00

The 619 Muscle Family

2009-03-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

At 619 MUSCLE, we are a family of individuals who share a common passion.

We are a group of athletes, and we believe that there is a hardcore athlete inside each of us, no matter who you are.

YOU belong if you are sincere in what you do.

YOU belong if you are dedicated to making improvements in your body, in yourself.

YOU are welcomed if you train hard, and ask more of yourself, with the goal of growth - physical growth as well as spiritual, personal growth.

Testing your limits, pushing beyond, asking more of yourself, giving back, pouring your heart into what you do - leading by example...these are the values we share.

We are not a clique.

Hell, each of us, bodybuilders, figure athletes, shmoe-to-hero, each of us, we all are nothing more than fired up, impassioned people, unsatisfied with our current state, chasing the dream of self-actualization, and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT! We draw energy from each other. We live for the love of the game. You're in it? YOU'RE IN.

We live a circus world of self-improvement that some may misunderstand - they call us vain, call us selfish or self-centered...heck, we are only doing what God put us here to do.

We are fighting hard, reaching out, striving, driving to be the absolute best we can be...achieving our own personal potential - on the stage, in the gym, on the playing field, on the matt, under the squat bar, in the office, in church, with our children, with our friends, our families...we are working hard, doing the best we can. We are superheroes. We are 619 MUSCLE.
Don't kid yourself, YOU ARE ONE OF US!

Pete

NPC San Diego Championships is here!

2009-03-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

Best of luck to all the competitors in the upcoming Jon Lindsay production of the NPC San Diego Championships!

This promises to be one helluva kick ass event! I know that there will be all of San Diego's muscle out in full force this year!
And the new NPC bikini division is gonna be rockin' for sure!
Let's pray for a great show, and everyone rock the stage! All the best to each and every single competitor!

ILLIC EST TANTUM VERUM

2009-03-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

We call it the Brutal Truth.
When you look at the man in the mirror, what does he really say? It's the long hard look that says it all.
Are you working hard enough?
Are you living up to your potential?
Are you the best you can be?
Are you giving it all you got?
Are you seizing the day, taking all that life has to offer, and making all you can out of it?

Life is rarely easy...and it's not often fair. But in the end, is it where you end up that matters? Or is it how far you have come, from where you started, that defines your path?

Ask yourself what you've done to enrich the lives of those around you, those you see and touch every day...and you know what, I think you may be surprised to see how much you actually impact other people - and know that you are a part of something bigger than just you...
But, without YOU, there is nothing.

Like Rocky said in his last episode, "it's not how hard you hit, but how hard you can get hit and still get up keep moving forward..." Keep getting up...keep getting up...
"Fall-down-get-up" - it's all one word, right?

Don't ever stop reaching for a better you.

Pete

"To Give Anything Less Than Your Best is to Sacrifice the Gift." - Steve PreFontaine

2009-02-16T22:15:00.000-08:00

Olympic runner, Steve PreFontaine, was a short kid from Oregon, with one leg longer than the other. People said he couldn't do it...He should quit, give up the dream...

But, little, crooked Steve PreFontaine pushed himself to be bigger than others thought he could be...in 1972, he pushed and pushed and qualified for the Summer Olympics where he raced against the best in the world.

"I am going to work so that it is a pure guts race. In the end, if it is, I am the only one who can win it."

"Somebody may beat me...but they're going to have to bleed to do it."

Life is never easy...and it's rarely fair...Keep on dreaming your dreams, and don't be afraid to give everything you've got to achieve them.
Dream...Believe...Be. Be Bigger than you thought you could be.

HARD WORK NEVER KILLED NOBODY

2009-02-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

Aint it the truth?
Yep - the brutal truth.
Bodybuilding is a strange lifestyle...it's not for everyone...but for those of us who choose to dedicate our lives to the pursuit of our own version of perfection, it's the only life there is.
And I daresay, it's a beautifully painful one.
I think to myself, if only most people would understand that drive, determination and hard work poured into a specific direction most often leads to a measure of success...and that re-evaluation of the plan in an intelligent process of review and re-focus...this conserves and maximizes resources, toward the ultimate goal of maximizing outcomes...
This is the bodybuilding process...the process of progressive resistance, the beautifully adaptive process of "lift-heavy-get-stronger-do-it-again-rest-grow-do-it-again-and-again".

It's a way of life for some of us.

I always remind myself of this: It's not where you end up, but where you started and how far you go with what you've been given that truly matters...
This is the real source of pride...It's the brutal truth.
So, start today, pursuing your own personal legend.

Pete

Saturday Leg Day - BYOB!

2009-01-31T21:35:00.000-08:00

Was a crazy day today. Derik said he didn't quite feel 100% on squats. He got 405 for only 24 deep-ass reps. Then he got 495 for 15 reps. It's no joke. Brandon pushed his way through 15 solid reps, too, with 495. Me, I pushed a very challenging 13 with 405 on my last set...this is how we started our leg program today.

In World Gym, San Diego and 619 Muscle, even the ladies are strong! That's Brandy Leaver-Curry, crushing 135lbs for 20 deep reps, Meriza spotting. Little Kim brought it strong today as well...just another day at the mill for Team 619 Muscle!

This is how we do it! The 619 Muscle family tearin' it up ...Saturday leg day...Ohh, and "BYOB" means, "Bring your own bucket"!

Pete

Meriza's hardcore! - Ironman Pro weekend!!

2009-01-25T21:32:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone - first of all, I gotta say congrats (and brag just a little bit) about our lovely resident IFBB Pro Figure athlete, Meriza DeGuzman. Meriza graces 7 pages of this month's FLEX magazine (march issue) - from page 282-289, she's 100% real - the real deal - all 4'11" of her 100lb body!
If you haven't seen this one, you gotta check it out!
Special thanks to Allan Donelly and Chris Hoebrecker from FLEX magazine, for inviting Meriza to participate and for coordinating all of this with Pavel Ythjall and Pauline Nordin. It was a major blast, and quite an honor to grace the pages of FLEX in such a beautiful way!

And congrats to Silvio Samuel for his Ironman victory! All in all, it was one heck of a show!

And more next time on our crazy dinner w/ Richie Gaspari and his team of athletes! What a night, whew!

Pete

Hard training - Team 619 - superhero style

2009-01-21T22:28:00.000-08:00

We've been doing some training down here in S.D., that's for sure. We've got a whole bunch of us getting ready for battle this year!

First up, the San Diego show - we've got a number of athletes getting ready, in both men's and women's bodybuilding, figure, and the new bikini class! It's going to be a fun, busy year! Rory Love, Duda Bueno, A.J. Frazier and Louis Uridel are gearing up for battle; Martha Ibarra will get onstage in bodybuilding, and Jessica Reum, Julie Baxter, Ima Sommers, and Kristi Krasja and Lorie Lee, Michelle Lee and Aimee Franck are getting ready to step into their figure heels, and Brenda Vidrio will brave the new bikini category!
So far, Nell B., Molly G. and Roz V. are getting ready for Cal Figure - and Brandy L (or is it "C?"lol) will be stepping on stage in her Bikini debut! We have high hopes for all of our 619 Muscle friends! Big Jon, taking time to grow even bigger, is staying lean and focused in 2009.
On the pro and national level, Derik and Brandon are 31 weeks out from Europa, Meriza is 17 weeks away from the California, and me, myself, I'm 28 weeks out at this point. Our dear friend, Gina, is only 7 weeks out from the Arnold! It's going to be a fun year! I also spoke w/ Richie Moran - he's already starting his prep - and Malachi Walker has his plan formulating - as does Mike Bautista.

More details on the prep of the rest of our family members as showtime draws closer!

Here are some photos of a recent balls-out leg training session - Derik front squatting 405 for reps, Brandon, Brandy, and Derik and Kim both tearing up reps with a fully loaded (and then some!) leg press! It's Leg Day Saturday down here at World gym - Bring your own bucket!

In Strength and Health,

Pete C

Bodybuilding is Nation Building!

2009-01-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

A healthy body is a healthy citizen, who can become a productive, contributing part of society.

A client of mine was watching the TV show, "The Biggest Loser" the other day. She told me that one of the contestants lost 40lbs in the first 3 weeks of the show, and was able to stop taking ALL 7 OF HIS PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS. Imagine that?! Isn't that great? Lose weight, less need for medicines like anti-hypertensives, diabetic medications, blood thinners, anti-cholesterol medications, and medications to counter the side-effects of the other medications.

Do the math. Each one of these prescription medications costs at least a buck or two per dose, typically. So, this poor guy, for the 40 lbs he lost in the past 3 weeks, saves at least $7 bucks a day, or $210 bucks each month - that's $2,520 per year - just for this single obese individual. Now, let's do some more math.

Recent reports say that at least 1 in 3 Americans is obese. That's right, 1 in 3. If we consider California, just our own home state of 6 million people, well, I guess this means 2 million people living in California are obese! 2 million people! Now, if each of these two million obese people is eating a similar prescription drug protocol, that ads up to 2 million x $2,520, or $5,040,000,000 (never mind the costs of increased physician visits, monitoring, diabetic and cardiovascular risk costs, my goodness!)

OK, ok, my point is this: We as contributing, responsible citizens owe it to our nation, to our society, to our communities, our families, to each other and to ourselves to TAKE CARE OF OUR BODIES! It's our responsibility to be healthy - to work conscientiously and diligently to at least maintain our health as best as we can. A healthy nation is a strong nation. A physically fit community is a community that works, takes responsibility for itself, and can be fiscally fit as well.

Remember, we are what we eat - we can be strong, we can be healthier, we can be better!

It's time to look in the mirror, take charge of the life of the individual who is looking back at you. Life is not often easy; it's rarely fair. But, together, I am confident we can all work toward a better world for future generations, but also for ourselves!

So, yep, that's right -be selfish! Get your butt to the gym, get on board the fit and strong train, join the club, and let's get back to making our Nation the proud, strong place it was one known for! Be a hero for your own self, for your family and for your neighbors!

GET FIT NOW! It's your obligation!

Thanks, everyone - Pete

2009-01-07T13:42:00.000-08:00

Saturday Morning leg days are back!

2009-01-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

The beasts are back! OK, party time is just about over. Derik is preparing for a crazy squat-off at the Arnold - The Animal boys from Universal visited our home this past weekend, and Derik has been officially challenged. How many reps can you squat with 405? Derik broke 25 full range reps this past weekend, following that up with another smashing set of 14 reps with 5 plates! What is going on at World Gym? And our new friend and training partner, Brandon Curry, BSN monster and Weider athlete, crushed 455 for a smashing 20 reps himself! I'm telling you, Saturday leg day is back in the land of the little giants! And, speaking of giants, Big Jon Ward was in the mood to front squat this weekend...he rocked 405 for 10 solid reps, complaining that things didn't feel quite "right", so he cautiously stopped after burying a solid 10.
And, let's not forget about our little monster machine, Meriza D - she is squatting again!! Who says Figure girls don't squat? Both she and Brandon's wife, Brandie Leaver - that's right, family! Flex Magazine's 2007 Bikini champ, she's training here with the family - and squatting!
Meriza got into the groove - squatting 225 for 10 solid reps on her last set, dropping to 135lbs for another 10 deep-ass reps! And Ms. Leaver/Curry rocked her own set of 10 reps with 185lbs...just wait, there will be more news coming as the year progresses from this electric synergy of Saturday morning leg days!

We're gonna try to get photos and video of these crazy days...who knows how long the synergy will last? Meantime, anyone is welcome to come and check out the magic...it gets ugly...but it's a beautiful thing!

Pete C
619 Muscle
"Unleash Your Superhero!"

IT'S 2009! IT'S 2009! IT'S 2009!

2009-01-04T22:01:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

yep, welcome to the new year! It's been one helluva crazy busy year for our 619 crew!

2008 in review:
Q.4
Excalibur 2008 - The biggest SoCal contest ever, according to Jon Lindsay - there were over 200 competitors on December 6th, including many national level competitors fresh from the NPC Nationals - vying for an early requal. at this, the last show of the 2008 season.
Our family list of competitors included Malachi Walker, who won the middleweight class, open and novice, standing with a hard, symmetrical, flowing package that was the best on stage this night - congrats Mr. Walker! The leanest man in the show, 619 Family member, Jamie Allen, gave up a few pounds, but showed 'em all what it meant to be conditioned...He stood next to our resident middleweight champ, Mighty Ryan Spink - Ryan has made some tremendous changes to his lower body since his middleweight victory at the '07 Border States...and he'll be back for more in the new year. Luc Andreotti put on some added thickness this year, up over 13lbs from his showing at the 2007 Cals...Luc has some unreal lines, and with just a tad tighter condition, this boy will be doing some major damage. The sky is the limit for Big Luc. Little big man, Eric Raposa stomped on his competition this show, finally winning his #1 spot! Go Big E!
For the girls, we saw Kristy Krasja hit the stage for the 2nd time, with a much improved back and better delt development. Kristy's a newcomer to the sport but has the long lines to do well as she progresses. Ms. Dena Gunnoe, Border States B class champ, came in just a tad smaller for this show, and came away with a hard-earned 3rd place, in a deep class of competitors. Our own Ms. Nel Bautista looked phenomenal this night, best condition in show, and legs that belonged on a pro stage somewhere. Nel took 2nd in a decision that drew loud, clear mixed reviews from teh audience - but ever-graceful Nel smiled knowingly, taking her runner up trophy with class. Sometimes, the best physiques on the stage aren't the ones who take home the top spot. And Nel's smile, her condition, her color, her suit, and her elegance and poise - all in attendance that night saw who the real champ was (and there are pictures to prove it) Homegirl, Patricia Weaver, got into the best shape of her life for this show, working her tail off in the gym, day and night - we are especially proud of our resident marine! And a special congrats to our OC friend, Yvonne Grimes, who represented well in her first show - boy, talk about picking a winner for your first show! There were over 100 figure competitors! Congratulations to all competitors - this really was an incredible show!
Merry Christmas! December 16th was our 3rd Annual 619 Muscle Sushi Holiday Feast! It was a fantastic Christmas party, with over 60 of our close friends and family converge on Wasabi Sushi, Pacific Beach, CA. We ate Sushi til we were all full. Even 260lb Big Jon Ward ate his full of sashimi and specialty rolls. Thanks to everyone (even Richard Jones!) for making it to the party. This was our 3rd annual Sushi Feast, we collected boxes and boxes of Toys for the Children's Hospital, and had alot of laughs.

2008 is in the books - and we're ready to welcome in the new year!

Let's make it the best one yet!

God bless,

Pete C
619 Muscle
"Building Superheroes!"

619 Muscle goes Patriotic -

2008-11-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

I want to say, first of all, that 619 Muscle was built out of a dynamic ideal that we are humans, born with innate potential far beyond what most of us ever come near to achieve. Given that, it is our responsibility, our duty, our destiny, to achieve our own "godliness" -

Now, born-agains and religious zealots, please do not take this as blasphemy - please, consider this: it is my sincere opinion (delivered humbly and reverently) that we get closest to God, or RA, Buddha, the Creator, or whatever name you pray to - we achieve our most godly state, our closest spiritual contact with our own natures, when we are in a state of severe physically intense exertion, such that our superficial levels of consciousness are transcended.

That's what I mean when I say, "619 Muscle - We Build SuperHeroes"...We do. Period. We help each other to achieve our own intrinsic potential. Or come as close to it as possible.
Just like Superman and the lore of the comic book superhero, 619 Muscle is here, standing for "Truth, Justice and the American Way."

That's right, the American Way. Forgive me if that sounds politically incorrect, but we all gotta stop for a moment to consider what we've got, and who we are, where we come from and where we want to be.

I know that I'm thankful I was born and raised here in the USA. We aren't a perfect nation by any stretch, but, if we all just do our best to pull our own weight, work towards becoming the best brothers, sons, citizens, athletes, friends, we can be, put our hearts and souls into what we do, with honor and with honesty, respect and love...man, what an awesome place this would be!

Right?

Pete C

619 Muscle rocks the Border States!

2008-10-20T21:35:00.001-07:00

Congratulations Team!
Here is our final brag book!
Dena Gunnoe - 1st place and overall, master's Figure - (finally got that #1~congrats!)
Dena Gunnoe - 1st place open Figure "B"
Molly Goodwin - 1st place open Figure "A" (go shortie! YOU'VE come a long way, and more is coming!)
Luc Andreotti - 4th lightheavies - Luc's symmetry and shape shown brightly tonight as this rising star warms up for the Excalibur - go Luc!
Eric Raposa - 2nd place, open men's lightweight - Eric arguably should have taken the top spot here tonight - he was conditioned, full, vascular - and had it not been for the shape and lines of the softer athlete who took the #1 spot, Eric would be carrying home the #1 statue from this show - but he's a champ - and his spot on condition will keep him placing well as he gears up for the Excalibur.
Welcome to the NPC stage to 3 of our hungry new athletes! Erin Doherty, Kristy Krasja and Brenda Vidrio - all braved entry into the brutal world of physique competition, donned the clear heels and sparkly suits, and strutted their stuff on behalf of our Team! Welcome to the family, girls! It'll only get better!

OK, for those of you who need any help with your prep for the Excalibur and beyond, please just give us a call! Meriza's next posing clinic for Figure is going to be on November 22nd, Saturday, at World gym - an absolute must if you've seen the way the judges are willing to forgive physique flaws if you've got a winning stage presence!
Join us and develop yours!

A very warm thank you to Jon Lindsay for some rockin' shows this fall - and just wait til the Excalibur - Rumor has it that overall LA champion, Nel Bautista is dusting off her clear shoes to defend her "B" class title at this show - and Ryan Spink, last year's Border States middleweight champion is also doing alot of cardio these days! He's made a bunch of improvements on his lower body, and plans on stomping on stage at the tip-top of the middles this year, shredded and ready! And Luc Andreotti, plans on besting his 4th place at the Borders with a harder, but just as symmetrical physique package...

Our new girls, Brenda and Kristi will also be strutting their stuff in L.A. in 6 weeks!

Stay tuned for more stories of success from the Team!

Pete C

Fall, 2008 - it's been a crazy few months!

2008-10-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for not blogging more. 619 Muscle has been going banshee crazy with all kinds of good stuff! We must welcome to our retail Team in the store, first and foremost, SuperMan Mike - formerly known as the World's Strongest Teen (he recently turned 20!) Mike is now a part of the Team, available to share his knowledge and experience!

Since the August parking lot bash, there have been major happenings for Team 619 Muscle here in SoCal. In October, our own resident Pro, Meriza DeGuzman, stole the show at the Tournament of Champions, rocked the house with the most applause of any of the Pro Figure girls in what was called "the most competitive Pro show of the season." When the smoke cleared, Meriza took 5th, standing on stage toe-to-toe w/ the best in the game. Congratulations to Meriza - we love her!

619 Muscle's rising star, Molly Goodwin entered the TOC on a last minute decision - her prep for the Border States was coming along more quickly than we originally anticipated - she stole 2nd place and narrowly missed getting her "# 1 lady" at this show...But there will be more in store for this little dynamo. She is trained exclusively by Meriza, who has crafted her physique into an up-and-coming rising star!

Our home town veteran Eric Raposa entered the open lightweight and won it - unopposed! Eric's old school hardcore training methods have built him the physique of a warrior - with dense, hard and grainy muscle, he's got details from every angle. 619 Muscle girl, Dena Gunnoe, worked her polished physique into a 2nd place in the masters Figure, and 4rth place in the Open C class. Dena was the leanest Figure athlete on the stage - and was penalized for it - even though her balanced physique was otherwise nearly flawless. Wait til the Borders - she and Molly are working hard and are going to do some real damage! Eric will be there, leaner, meaner than ever! See you all there!

Pete C

619 MUSCLE PARKING LOT BASH and SUPPLEMENT EXPO!

2008-08-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy couple of weeks for Team 619.

We returned from the Europa last weekend, and had a very busy week of preparations for the 2nd Annual Bash!

We pulled it off - it was a family effort, but it all got done, and it was amazing! For any of you who were unable to attend, please see the photos - you can catch them at the following link:

http://boards.flexonline.com/ib/ikonboard.cgi?s=dbfc155609c60dcee00527034802ea49;act=ST;f=1;t=13358

It was a great time - this past Saturday, august 23rd, was a party to write home about - or at least write your training partners about!

We started at 10am, with some killer sales in the store.

The parking lot was full by 11am, the official start time for the Bash.

We were just about all set up - over 30 vendors attended and sampled their products to eager customers.

Special thanks to Jay Cutler, who flew in from Vegas just for this event. Jay's been a great friend to the 619 store and to our athletes. He took time out from his busy Olympia prep and came to visit us this past weekend. Jay told me that he's not travelling any more now til the O, so his trip down here to our festival would be his last road trip til the big show.

Also, I'd like to extend thanks to the major celebrities in attendance this year, and to all the vendors for their ongoing support and cooperation. Together, we had a blast of a party, complete with the following attractions:

Mr. O and other IFBB pro's including: Sylvio Samuel, Richard Jones, Krissy Chin, Meriza DeGuzman, Derik Farnsworth, Flex Lewis, Troy Alves, April Jacobs, Sandra Blackie, and Victor Konosalov.

The local band, Epik, rocked all afternoon. Rock 105.3 did their live broadcast, with a special appearance by morning show host, Boston Rob. We had the first annual 619 Muscle "Pump Your Guns" contest - sponsored by Gaspari's SuperPump 250. And, we ended the afternoon with a bikini conest - over $1,000 in cash and prizes.

Thanks to all of the friends and family who attended, helped out or just enjoyed the day! We'll surely do more of these events!

Pete

U-S-A-s! The Greatest Show on Earth!

2008-07-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, as far as our crazy, circus world that we consider home, our lifestyle of extreme fitness, bodybuilding and physique culture, this past weekend's events could well be considered the "Big Top". (circus music motif playing in the background)

We were in Las Vegas this past weekend for what was an incredible weekend for me personally, for our 619 Muscle Team and Family, and for several specific family members.

I'd like to say congratulations to the following 619 athletes, who kicked some awesome butt!

Roz Vail, our dear girl, qualified for national level show - braved the competition stage in Figure B class, and stood well against other top level champs from across the nation! GO ROZ!

Congratulations to 619 local, Crystal Lowery, who earned her pro status in the Figure A class - go Crystal!

619 local trainer, Richie Moran, just coming off a middleweight win at the extremely competitive L.A. show last weekend, was able to suck down and make the Welterweights - he rocked it, placing 3rd behind two terrific athletes. Way to go, Rich! Make the family proud!

PD Devers presented what had to be one of his best conditions ever - he looked awesome~! He squeezed into the finals, placing 5th in the highly competitive Heavyweight class, behind some killer big dudes!

And, me, I pushed hard this past year - achieving my best condition to date - and at my heaviest competition weight so far in my career - 197lbs...I felt great! I placed 6th at this one - but being able to stand on stage next to Curtis Bryant, (one of the two pro-card winners for this event) as well as the other incredible athletes, - it was an awesome experience!

Congratulations again to all the champion athletes who stood onstage this past weekend! It was an amazing show!

A special thanks to Team 619 Muscle's Derik Farnsworth and Meriza DeGuzman, IFBB Pro's, and Luke Andreotti, too - for all the support and patience you guys showed me! And to Tomas and Adam, my staff at the store - without them, the stress of the weekend would have been immense!

Also, a huge thanks to Jon Lindsay, Jim Manion and the NPC for such an awesome experience.

And I'd like to say thanks to J.M. Manion as well, for shooting Meriza and I on Sunday - that was quite an experience (wait til you all see the shots!)....

And, to the entire 619 Muscle family that made the trip from S.D. to Vegas, you guys rock! Your love and energy were felt by many!

Pete C

619 Muscle, Inc

"We Build SuperHeroes!"

Road the Las Vegas! Follow up to LA show!

2008-07-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone!

It's been a while since I have blogged. Truth be told, I've been in the final stages of my own prep for the stage once again.

We just got back from Los Angeles, the NPC L.A. Championships - it was an awesome event! There were over 150 competitors, and Team 619 - the family - was well-represented!

Check out these preview pics of me - stripping down for the world to see!

http://www.musculardevelopment.com/browse/index.php?mode=browse&id=2030&eventcode=1271

Congratulations to the following family members:

Roz Vail - 2nd place in Figure A, open class! She re-qualifies for national level competition and will be journeying out to the desert this weekend to get on the big stage! Congrats, Roz - her best placing yet on the very competitive SoCal Figure circuit!

Nel Bautista - Congratulations, Nel! Nel rocked the house this night - what can we say! Nel has been training her butt off, working on building her lower body this past off-season, and keeping everything tight - and this night, she brought it all to the stage! She was feminine, but strong - her condition left little question as to who was to be crowned champ of L.A. this year! Congrats to Nel!

Richie Moran - "Trainer Rich" as we call him around the gym and 619 circle, Richie pounded a tough victory out of a very competitive middleweight bodybuilder class. Richie made the decision to avenge his deflated placing at last year's Excalibur, and also committed to going to Las Vegas this upcoming week. Only thing was, he needed to qaulify!

And, qualify he did, handedly - as he took the middleweight class and earned his spot on the USA stage!

619 Muscle Family friend, Crystal Lowery, won the A class and took the overall title in Figure at the L.A. show - congrats Crystal - and score another win for the shorties! Crystal will also be heading out to the desert this weekend!

congrats to the Team!

And 619 Muscle Family member, Big P.D. Devers is in the best shape he's been in of late - he's been killing himself with cardio and training harder, more focused than ever as he prepares to step on the USA Stage once again! Go P.D.!

Me, I've been pushing harder than ever. I've made some changes to my physique that I'm pleased with - more size in my arms and delts, and a smaller waistline - I'm very excited about the condition I'll be presenting - I feel good at this point - as I type, I'm eating my first bowl of oats, starting the final stage of my preparation for the stage.

We'll have weigh-ins tomorrow, then we get on stage starting at 4:30pm Friday.

Come see the show! and thanks to Jon Lindsay and Jim Manion for providing all of us athletes the arena to compete in! - heck, the Gladiator fights of old would have been so much less without the drama of the Colliseum, right? The USA's, arguably, THE most competitive show in amatuer bodybuilding. What an honor to get on that stage.

See you all in Vegas!

Pete Ciccone

2007 California Lightheavyweight Champ

National Level NPC competitor!

The Journey...

2008-07-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

It's all about the journey, right?

I don't know how many times I've said that - either to myself as I prepare for a contest, or to a client who in pursuit of his or her own individual goal; I've said it so many times and we've all heard it so many times, this statement has truly fallen deeply into bottom of the well of overplayed cliches by now...

Except that this one holds truth, especially for the sport of and lifestyle of bodybuilding and physique development.

I received a motivational email today from one of my dear clients. As I near the final stages of my own preparation for the NPC USA's in Las Vegas on July 2th and 25th, the intensity of my preparation nears it's pinnacle. My cardio is ramped up, my carb-cycle/depletion is aggressive, and my daily training schedule is challenging. I am pushing hard on all levels, doing my utmost to leave no stones unturned as I prepare for what will surely be the toughest challenge of my own competitive career as a bodybuilder.

The email message was short. It said, "Pete, you are looking great. We are going to celebrate your winning Mr. USA."

That was it.

When I spend time with my clients, it is their time, not mine. I realize that the goals they set for themselves must become goals we share together, trainer and client. And that is typically the focus of all of our time together. So, it sat me back today just a little bit, when I received the simple email above. It made me smile.

It made me smile because I saw clearly, once again, just how alike we all are as what I call "physique athletes". We all truly are on the same path. No matter what level of development we have achieved to date, whether it be competitive pro bodybuilder or gym novice, we all seek the thrill, the satisfaction and joy of empowerment as we achieve some level of mastery over our physical selves. And this mastery, the results of energy expended in the direction of making our bodies leaner, stronger, this is the real purpose for what we do. We are all on the path toward self-improvement. As we walk, together, we support and inspire each other. We push each other to be better than we thought we could be - and exceed our own previously perceived limitations.

So, tomorrow, when I'm pushing through my 2nd cardio session of 500+ calories, legs heavy and butt dragging, I'll think of my client, his email, and the fact that he's probably feeling and thinking similar thoughts as he pushes on toward his own goals! And, together, we'll get through the challenges, and like he said, "We will celebrate" our accomplishments!

619 Muscle is dedicated to celebrating the Superhero inside each of us. I truly believe that the sport of bodybuilding is about building Superheroes... It's like climbing Mt. Everest or even shooting a rocket to land on the moon...we do these things to test our own limits, our own capabilities and ultimately, our will. Through our own individual journey of growth, each of us inspire those around us. Through bodybuilding, I believe we can change things around us for the better. We can therefore, affect positive change on those around us - one rep at a time!

So let's get to it!

Pete C
President/Founder
619 Muscle, Inc
"We Build Superheroes!"

DETERMINATION

2008-07-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday's and Thursday's, I've got an early client - 5am.

I was on my way in to work last week to see one of them. I made my usual "early-day" pit stop at the local 7-11 convenient store for my morning coffee and bubblegum-flavored Trident (my two diet vices)...

As I poured my coffee and collected my pack of gum from the candy bar aisle, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on the none-to-discreet conversation shared between the 7-11 cashier and a customer sipping his coffee, obviously loitering or procrastinating the start of his own work day.

The cashier was a 60-something year old female, under 5' tall, round-bodied, wearing bifocals, her unruly orange-red hair in severe need of maintenance, grey-roots sneaking out all over. In her bright red 7-11 cashier's smock, with her short, tousled hair and thick glasses, she looked more like a caricature of Fred Flintstone's sister than she did the owner of the store. But, I knew this woman as Mary, the 7-11 manager- she worked the store from opening til late afternoon, sometimes 7 days per week. She was, indeed also the owner of the store - hard-working, sharp-tongued, and vibrantly sarcastic when she spoke to her customers - the stereotypical 7-11 cashier, by my experience.

On this morning, she was sharing her conversation with a grey-haired, leathery-skinned man dressed in laborer's clothing, also appearing to be in his 60's. He sipped his coffee, leaning lazily against the counter, listening as Mary chastised him for his work-ethic, or rather, apparent lack-thereof.

"You see, it's called Determination, Juan. That's right, D-E-T-E-R-M-I-N-A-SHUN." She was scolding the gentleman, who was complaining about his job, his lifestyle, and his state of existence. The economic situation being what it is, I felt sympathy for this obviously hard-working older gentleman who must have had a bad turn of luck, or so it would appear.

"Listen, you! I was an orphan myself. I adopted and raised 3 children, all 3 of whom are now medical doctors. Well, the youngest one is still finishing up school, but soon will graduate and be a cancer doctor. You think that was easy on any of us? NO, but I instilled a sense of pride and appreciation for hard work into my children. I also was DETERMINED to succeed. Now, look at me, I OWN this store! And, I'm still working hard, but I am proud of my children, and how hard they work! I am thankful to the good Lord, and appreciate the little things, but I'm most thankful for my health and for the ability to be able to work to succeed."

It was encouraging and motivating to hear this older lady boasting sincerely about her victories over some tough challenges in life. She was a winner, for sure. And, although she was laying into Juan rather directly, she was not hateful in her tone. Rather, she delivered her truthful message in a sincere, warm and sharing manner, as if to say, "Look, I'm no smarter than anyone else - I just believed that I could succeed - and didn't take no for an answer."

I found myself standing, coffee and Trident in hand, intrigued, captivated by this squatty, round, red-and-grey-haired old lady as she told her story. Talking with passion and sincerity, old Mary stood much taller than her under-5'0" stature, sharing her pride with Juan and I.

As I absorbed the details of how she survived her own life in multiple foster homes, and later rescued her children from their own foster situations, I found myself with a growing sense of admiration and respect for old Mary. Her pride, her efforts, her sincerity and her drive all became a source of inspiration for me on this day. I smiled, continuing to listen to her talk of how she bought the store, as she rang me up quickly, without so much as a pause in her narration. "$2.49 please" and she continued on with her conversation.

After laying my money on the counter, and collecting my penny, I stood for another moment in the doorway, listening...before I caught myself cutting it close to my 5am session start-time. I slid out the door, walked to my car, smiling the entire way. Old Mary displayed unbelievable DETERMINATION to make a better life for herself...and she succeeded!

I guess we could learn a thing or two from old Mary and the story of her life. I know I will remember her from now on, every time I complain about getting up extra-early for one of my "crack-of-dawn" clients!

In Strength and Health,

Pete C.
619 Muscle, Inc
"We Build SuperHeroes!"

Congratulations, 619 Muscle Team!

2008-06-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

We had a tremendous showing at Lonnie Teper's 2008 NPC Junior California Championships this past weekend. It was a great event - there were more than a dozen industry celebrities in attendance, including 3 Olympia Champions, past and present: Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler, of course, was the featured guest poser - but current Ms. Olympia Figure, Jenny Lynn, also made an appearance to support a client of hers competing in the show, and 8-time Ms. Olympia, none-other than Lenda Murray was in attendance, and backstage with the competitors much of the evening show! Ms. Lenda looks beautiful as always - it was great to see her there!
Other industry celebs included IFBB pro's, Flex Wheeler, Sylvio Samuel, Mike Ergas, and Figure pro's Meriza DeGuzman, Amy Peters, and Gina Aliotti - among others!

As for our wonderful Team of athletes, 5 champions from our crew attacked the competition stage this past weekend, garnering plaques, trophies and accolades like nobody's business!
First and foremost, Martha Ibarra, earned both 1st place in her weight class, female bodybuilding, but she also received Most Inspirational award and Most Improved athlete award. Martha is one of the hardest working athletes I know. She's come a long way since her first journey to the posing stage last year - and there's more to go inside this champion! Congrats, Martha!
Next, Rory Love, competed in both the Masters 40+ (he earned 3rd place) and the competitive Men's open class (he earned 5th place). Rory was hard as nails for this event - a terrific showing for our teammate!
Duda (Paulo) Bueno, new member to our Team, took 3rd in the very competitive Novice middleweight, standing toe-to-toe with 14 other musclemen! He also placed 4th in the open Lightheavyweight. Duda's upper body is a strong point for him - when he brings his legs up to par with this powerful lats, chest and delts, he'll be a terribly formidable competitor!
Micheal Bautista, our resident suit-maker/massage therapist and posing-performer extraordinaire, did very well in this, his warm up for the LA's and USA's in 4 short weeks! Mike earned silver in all 3 classes he entered - Novice and Open Middleweight, and Masters 40+. Go Mike! Let's hope he nails his condition for the up and coming monster shows - he'll definitely make some waves once he dials it in tighter!
And representing our Team in the Figure category, our own Roz Vail kicked butt, placing runner up to former California overall winner, and west coast competitive veteran, Mona Liza Reyes. Roz is working very hard for her crack at a national level show very soon! We'd say she's well on her way! Great job, Roz!
And, finally, great job and props to 619 Muscle's own resident hip hop posing expert, PD Devers! PD is a veteran of the posing stage - coming off his win at the San Diego Championships earlier this year, PD's got his sights set on the USA's in just 5 short weeks! He rocked the house as guest-poser at the show - opening the evening event with a funky hip-hop masterpiece routine that brought the house down!

Overall a great performance by all - every member of the Team brought home several trophies and earned the respect not only of our fellow teammates, but of other competitors in the crowd and on the stage.

Great work, all! Keep kickin' butt!

We'll see you all at the next show - be sure to get your tickets early for the NPC Los Angeles Championships, on July 19th, in Culver City! We'll have several members of our family on stage again in just 4 short weeks!

In Strength and Health,

Pete C
Founder/President
619 Muscle, Inc
"We Build Superheroes!"

INSPIRE - a challenge for the week ahead

2008-06-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

Team 619 Muscle had a KILLER weekend!
We were lucky enough to have industry legendary photographer, Ralph DeHaan, follow us through a pounding leg thrashing on Saturday morning. It started at 9am, Ralph arrived at the 619 Muscle store, adjoining our home, and what we've affectionately dubbed "the New Mecca" - World gym, San Diego...

Luke, Derik and I were in the store, getting our last bit of pre-workout supplements on board, laying the ground work for what was sure to be a brutal session. We were fired up, because Ralph is one of the best photographers in the game - having his expertise behind the camera would certainly give us some great results!

3 hours later, thousands of pounds moved and reps completed, a hack squat machine broken under the stress of weight, and a truck pulled across the parking lot, we completed one of the most-challenging leg workouts I've had in a while. What a great way to start the weekend!

And, now that the weekend is over, Father's day has come and gone, one of the things I set for myself to take into the week ahead is this:
I will wake up each morning, on my way to the gym, up with the sun, I will keep in mind that my job is to work hard, giving everything I can to my clients, all of my experience, my energy and my passion. I will also commit to my own training this week - I'm only 6 weeks away from the USA's and I don't have a workout or a cardio session to waste!

I know that I, as an athlete, look to the dedication of others to their craft as a source of inspiration. I watched this weekend as my training partners pushed themselves beyond pre-conceived limits, testing their abilities and tolerances. I watch my own clients as they work hard, pushing in the gym, adhering to their nutritional programs and cardio sessions - and they SUCCEED! And, I am inspired.

So, this week, for myself, I commit to working my own ass off - for I hope that I can inspire others, too, by my own actions.

What do you commit to? I challenge you to commit to your own goals...stay true to your plan, be honest with the face that stares back at you from the mirror each morning.
"Am I going to give it everything I've got?"
"Am I committed to success?"
"What am I going to do today to help me get closer to the achievement of my own goals?"

Have a plan, follow it, re-evaluate periodically, but do it! And, through your own dedication to your goal, through your daily strivings, your struggle to succeed, DON'T FOR A MINUTE THINK THAT SOMEONE IS NOT WATCHING YOU! Your hard work will inspire others around you!

And, that inspiration, that well-spring of positive energy and drive, it will change those in your circle of influence..and little by little, we'll each of us make a positive difference.

And that is how we will change the world!

God bless,

Pete C
President/Founder
619 Muscle, Inc
"Build your SuperHero!"

The NEXT GENERATION of SUPERHEROES

2008-06-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

We attended our jr. high school daughter's end-of-year awards assembly today.

As physique athletes and trainers, Meriza and I take pride in our daily strivings towards our own version of excellence and high performance. Physique development, whether for competition or for more personal reasons, has always been a journey of self-exploration, pushing into uncharted territories of self-discipline, grit and determination. We fully believe that our sport represents an allegory for successful living -

1. work
2. work hard
3. work smart
4. work a little bit harder
5. rest, re-evaluate and start again.

As we sat in the assembly hall today of our daughter's jr. high school, we listened intently to the principal as he addressed the student body and the crowd of parents gathered to celebrate the successes of our children. The principal gave a short speech that made me stop to ponder a bit and write this blog. He said, "Many schools focus on the negative aspects of our children's performance - drop out rates, suspension rates, poor test scores, etc. Today, we are going to focus the positive."

As we sat there, we watched as he called the names of students who had achieved various academic successes. We watched the students as they proudly marched one at a time up to the stage to receive certificates of achievement, recognition and other accolades for a successful year. As we sat, watching the stage fill up with 6th and 7th graders who were considered hard-working, over-achievers, I thought to myself, "Wow. These kids in front of me, they are the future of our neighborhood, our society." I found myself smiling, thinking, "Yeah! You kids go! Work your asses off now, at your tender ages...celebrate your achievements! Smile, and learn the value of hard work. Learn the value of knowledge, education, and drive. Stay hungry for it!"

I also thought of my clients, each of them, and our daily sessions at the gym, where they each, in their own turn, push, pull, grimace and groan, against inanimate, unrelenting resistances, in an effort to stimulate the growth of their physical selves. I smiled wider...I realized that this journey to success - rarely easy and never fair...the journey is all the same. We keep on pushing, we keep on struggling to improve ourselves, to become empowered, healthier, better than we were yesterday. It's all the same story - and it's a beautiful one!

Go kids! Keep inspiring the masses by your successes and your hard work along your own journey. Go all of us!
If we all stay focused on making ourselves into the best human beings we can be, giving back to those around us, how can we help but have happier, richer lives?

Until next time, keep on pushing!

In Strength and Health,

Pete C
President and Founder
619 Muscle, Inc.
"Feed your Superhero!"

Fight the Good Fight! Changing the world, 1 rep at a time...

2008-06-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, all...

Consider this:
For those of us who train our asses off, chasing a goal, or a dream to be the best we can be - for ourselves - testing our limits daily, charging ahead, accepting and welcoming pain, committing to following a pre-conceived plan - we know the joy that comes from the completion of a gut-busting training session - from the purifying hunger pangs of a low carb diet...

It enriches the soul to test our limits, to push beyond previous achievements, into the unknown. I take my sweat-stained ballcap off to each of you.

Think about this the next time you leave the gym after a hard workout - or even just a tough cardio session. Euphoria, floating?...or worst case, a quiet smile of accomplishment subtly painted across your lips...
think about this.

Do you think that you'd have the mood, or the desire on your drive home to road rage on anyone? Or, maybe, stopping at the Supermarket on the way home, do you think you'd fight to get into the checkout line ahead of that poor mother with two shopping carts overflowing with food...nah, chances are, after a killer, gut-busting workout, you're floating around somewhere in a 7th heaven, and the little things in your life seem just a little bit less irritating...

Truth is, exercise is good for the body. Increased strength, improved circulation and cardiovascular function, greater bone density, beneficial changes in body composition...you name it, exercise can do it for your body...
But, there's more - improved tissue oxygenation (esp. to the brain) means clearer thinking, greater power to focus, improved mental accuracy...and, wait - increased sense of well-being due to all of the above - plus the endorphin release post-stressful event - that "runner's high" we hear about so much...better sex, better mood, better self-esteem...you can't get better than that!

So, bottom line is this with the obesity rate in our modern society running around 2 out of every 3rd person (Can you believe that???!!!) let's spread the good news like a modern day religion!
People - Fit People and fitness enthusiasts!! Become an advocate for your own health - take responsibility - then tell others about it! Tell others how you feel, what good you get out of your workouts!! Make the change by living it!

Somebody very smart - and very old by now - once said,
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi

In Strength and Health,

Pete C
President and Founder

619 Muscle, Inc

Post California

2008-05-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

We spent a long weekend in Culver City this past weekend - with Team 619 Muscle in the house again!
We're so proud of all of our family members, including those competing this weekend:
"Big" John Ward dieted hard all year, and ended up presenting a thick, full superheavyweight package - Big John took 2nd in the Supers this weekend, yeah, man!

LaNecia Hines, this year's San Diego overall figure winner, took 2nd in the Figure F class this weekend, displaying a long, beautiful, tight physique. She also placed 2nd in Masters. Go LaNecia!

Roz Vail, Figure class "A" (just barely!) is a new member to our family, but not new to the stage. Roz showed a long, flowing, detailed physique, garnering 3rd place in both the Open and masters division!

The California also held the IFBB pro Figure competition. Our own Meriza DeGuzman presented a tight, compact, balanced physique, but at the end of the night, was to finish outside the "money". Meriza's "mighty might" physique is one of the best in the game, and was "on" that night, lean, tight - a crowd favorite - but the truth is, perhaps she was too "mighty" for the rest of the field and the new criteria for judging Figure. Meriza's 4'11 3/4" frame carried a solid amount of muscle. Based on the new, evolving judging criteria for Figure, feedback was that she needs to come in, tighten down - refine and polish and she'll be there. We are so proud of Meriza - she's made some major changes in physique - unbelievable! She'll be back, and better than ever!

Congratulations again to our entire Team! Thanks to Jon Lindsay, Jim Manion, J.M., ALR Industries own Troy and Krissy - great people to hang with this past weekend! Come and check out the Team again - we'll next be in Pasedena on June 21st for LT's Junior Cals!

Pete C
President and Founder
619 Muscle, Inc

2008-05-22T20:29:00.001-07:00

Hey, everyone!
Welcome to the new home online for SoCal's Sports Nutrition Authority!

We're here to help keep you progressing toward your fitness and physique goals...Please don' t hesitate to contact us for any information, the latest in sports nutrition and training tips, news and updates - and all kinds of other goodies about our bodybuilding/figure/transformation health and fitness business!

We are here for you - and welcome all feedback, good, bad, or indifferent!

In Strength and Health,

Pete Ciccone
Founder and CEO
619 Muscle, Inc
"Building Superheroes!"

619 Muscle Blog!

2008-05-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new 619 Muscle Blog. Please feel free to leave a comment or enter your info!