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

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!

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...

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

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!"