Congratulations, 619 Muscle Team!

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

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

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...

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