[Old Navy]

Friday, May 30, 2008, One Week until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 N.G.A. Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and Two Weeks until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada.

Weight: 142.0 pounds - 7.2% body fat

Today my training partner and I had a good shoulders, back and biceps workout. We did two hard, three-sets of eight reps exercises, including machine shoulder press, machine press downs, seated rows, standing rows, shoulder rotation and biceps curls. We then worked on my training partner's form routine for his Senior Brown Belt test tomorrow in Karate and shot some one week out photos of me in the locker room.

I'm very close to being contest ready.

[Old Navy]

Monday, June 2, 2008, One Week until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 N.G.A. Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and Two Weeks until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada.

Weight: 142.2 pounds

Today my training partner and I did a lower body workout. Actually, he did a lower body workout and I acted as his personal trainer. Since I am one week out from my guest posing appearance and two weeks out from my pro show, I am not doing any heavy legs. I am mostly flexing my quads and doing very light leg extensions and calf raises.

Michael's Workout

Squats
1 x 8 - 185 pounds
1 x 8 - 205 pounds
1 x 8 - 225 pounds

Extensions
1 x 8 - 100 pounds
1 x 8 - 120 pounds
1 x 8 - 140 pounds

Ham Curls
1 x 8 - 100 pounds
1 x 8 - 120 pounds
1 x 8 - 130 pounds

Calf Raises
3 x 25 - 200 pounds

Tread Mill
20 minutes

I enjoyed watching my training partner workout this morning. I will join him tomorrow for upper body. LOL

[Old Navy]

Tuesday, June 3, 2008, Four Days until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 N.G.A. Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 11 Days until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada.

Weight: 142.0 pounds

Today my training partner and I did a Upper Body Composition workout.

Incline Dumb Bell Flies
1 x 8 - 30 pounds
1 x 8 - 35 pounds

Machine Chest Press
1 x 8 - 150 pounds
1 x 8 - 170 pounds

Arnold's
1 x 8 - 30 pound dumb bells
1 x 8 - 35 pound dumb bells

Cable Shoulder Raise
1 x 8 - 100 pounds
1 x 8 - 120 pounds

Biceps Hammers to Curls
1 x 8 - 25 pound dumb bells
1 x 8 - 30 pound dumb bells

Biceps Work the Rack
1 x 10 - 25 pound dumb bells
1 x 10 - 20 pound dumb bells
1 x 10 - 15 pound dumb bells
1 x 10 - 10 pound dumb bells
(Each Arm - No rest between sets)

Tread Mill
30 minutes AM
30 minutes PM

[Old Navy]

Wednesday, June 4, 2008, three days until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 N.G.A. Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 10 days until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada.

Weight: 142.0 pounds

Today my training partner and I had a bodyweight training session.

Unassisted Pull Ups
10 x 10 - 100 reps - hammer, narrow, wide and biceps grip.

Dips
10 x 10

Hanging Leg Lifts
4 x 25 - 100 reps

Push Ups
4 x 25 - 100 reps

Crunches
4 x 25 - 100 reps

Tread Mill
30 minutes AM
30 minutes PM

I had my first professional spray tan applied for my Guest Posing appearance this weekend. I'll have a second coat applied tonight and my final spray applied on Thursday night. I should be dark enough to not need a coat of Dream Tan II for the show.

[Old Navy]

Thursday, June 5, 2008, two days until My Guest Poser Appearance at the 2008 N.G.A. Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC and 9 days until the 2008 FAME World Championships and Pro Show Down, Toronto, Canada.

Weight: 141.0 pounds - 7% Body Fat (131 pounds of lean mass and 10 pounds of fat)

Today I trained my training partner. He did a good barbell chest workout. No training for cardio for me today or tomorrow as I travel to Greensboro, NC from Birmingham, AL to judge and Guest Pose at the 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions Bodybuilding and Figure Championships. After the show, I will not 'celebrate' in the usual way, but instead get right back on to my contest prep for the 2008 FAME World Championships in one week.

[Old Navy]

Friday, June 6, 2008 - NGA Carolina Night of Champions, Greensboro, NC

I left Birmingham, Alabama at 7 AM this morning and after a stop in Atlanta, arrived in Greensboro, North Carolina at noon. The show's promoter, Marty Lotito, NGA Chairman for North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, met me at the airport and drove me to our host hotel, the Marriott in town. The 2008 NGA Carolina Night of Champions is the first-ever drug free bodybuilding show in the state. Marty and his co-promoter, John Dabbs have done a great job with the set up. At check in, the athletes receive a cool "goodie bag" with a t-shirt, hat, shaker bottle, and a good supply of supplements. Nice. For a new show, they got some good sponsors, including GNC, Family Fitness and Scivation. All of the athletes take a polygraph to attest to being drug-free for seven years. The venue is the old Carolina Theatre an art deco landmark in the city. There is also a free-post party at a local club, Natty Greens, a few blocks away. I am looking forward to judging at this show and guest posing tomorrow evening.

My training partner, Michael Jackson, received his Senior Brown Belt in Karate last evening. Congratulations, Warrior. Now, go get your red and then your black belt.

I'm one week out from my next Pro Show, the 2008 FAME World Championships in Toronto. I will be ready to Rock and Roll on June 14th.

[Old Navy]

Monday, June 9, 2008, Five Days Until the 2008 FAME Grand Master Pro World Championships, Toronto, Canada

Weight: 142.0

I'm really pumped about my show this Saturday. Over the weekend I judged and guest posed at the 2008 N.G.A. Carolina Night of Champions in Greensboro, NC. I had a great time at the show and while judging the competitors on stage, I thought about my own contest next Saturday. I will be competing against Master Pros who are 55 years-of-age and older. At 65, I will be giving up 10 years to the young athletes I'm competing against, but I will be ready to take them on.

Today, my training partner and I worked our chest and triceps.

Flat Bench Dumb Bell Press
1 x 8 - 50 pound dumb bells
1 x 8 - 55 pound dumb bells
1 x 8 - 60 pound dumb bells

Incline Bench Dumb Bell Press
1 x 8 - 45 pound dumb bells
1 x 8 - 50 pound dumb bells
1 x 8 - 55 pound dumb bells

Decline Dumb Bell Press Machine
1 x 8 - 160 pounds
1 x 8 - 180 pounds
1 x 8 - 200 pounds

Cable Cross Flies
1 x 8 - 60 pounds
1 x 8 - 70 pounds
1 x 8 - 80 pounds

Triceps Press Downs
1 x 8 - 50 pounds
1 x 8 - 60 pounds
1 x 8 - 70 pounds

Decline Bench Triceps Extensions
1 x 8 - 20 pound dumb bells
2 x 8 - 25 pound dumb bells

Slant Board Crunches
3 x 25

Tread Mill
30 minutes

I am zoned in and am in my game face contest prep mode. It's time to get it on.

[Old Navy]

Tuesday, June 10, 2008, four days until the 2008 FAME World Grand Master Pro Championships, Toronto, Canada.

Weight: 140.0 pounds

Body Weight Workout

Hanging Leg Lifts
10 x 10 - 100 reps

Pull Ups
10 x 10 - 100 reps

Push Ups
10 x 10 - 100 reps

Ball Crunches
10 x 10 - 100 reps

Skip Rope
10 x 20 - 200 skips

Total - 600 reps of body weight exercises.

Tread Mill
1 x 30 minutes

I'm feeling great. I look hard, lean and vascular. I'm pumped!

[Old Navy]

Wednesday, June 11, 2008, three days until the 2008 FAME World Grand Master Pro Championships, Toronto, Canada.

Weight: 139.0 Pounds. 6.4% Body Fat

This is my last day of training before my contest this weekend. My training partner and I worked back, biceps and shoulders.

Seated Cable Rows
1 x 8 - 115 pounds
1 x 8 - 130 pounds
1 x 8 - 145 pounds

Lats Pull Downs
1 x 12 - 100 pounds
2 x 12 - 115 pounds

Dumb Bell Shrugs
4 x 32 - 50 pound dumb bells (four count for each rep: front, side, back, side)

Dumb Bell Hammer to Curls Biceps
3 x 8 - 25 pound dumb bells

Back Against the Wall Bar Bell Curls
1 x 8 - 40 pound bar bell
2 x 8 - 50 pound bar bell

Tread Mill
30 minutes of moderate speed and moderate elevation.

I am ready to Rock and Roll.

[Old Navy]

Thursday, June 12, 2008, two days until the 2008 FAME World Grand Master Pro Championships, Toronto, Canada.

Weight: 139.6 Pounds. 6.4% Body Fat

Today I trained my training partner and put him through a tough full-body comp workout.

I am carbing up for my show and am enjoying the food after a few days of carb depletion. I hope to come in hard, lean, full and in the best shape of my life for this show. Competing in the Grand Master Pro 55+ Class, I am giving up 10 years-of-age to the other Master Pros in the competition. I have to be at the top of my game and I am. I will leave for Toronto at 6 AM tomorrow and will compete at 7 PM Friday evening in a Fittest Couple competition as a warm up. My contest begins at 2:30 PM on Saturday and I will probably be on stage around 4 PM. The third finger of my right hand is empty. I hope to fill that finger with a FAME World Champion ring on Saturday.

Old Navy

[Old Navy]

2008 FAME World Championships, June 13-15, Toronto, Canada

Friday, June 13, 2008

I got up at 4 AM and left my home in Birmingham, Alabama at 5 AM for my 6 AM flight to Atlanta and on to Toronto, where I arrived at noon.

One nice surprise was that I was upgraded to First Class on both of these flights and again on my Toronto to Atlanta leg on Sunday. Nice

After checking in at the Novotel Toronto hotel, one of two host hotels for the FAME Worlds, I headed for the John Bassett Theatre at the Metro Toronto Convention Center to check in and attend the Athletes Meeting at 4 PM.

After the meeting, I anxiously waited for my “partner” to arrive from California. Ruby Carter-Pikes a 62 year-old Master Bodybuilder and Master Figure Pro and I had agreed at the FAME North American Championships in Miami last November to enter a new category at the 2008 Worlds called, FAME Fittest Duo. The competition has two options. One is a choreographed routine set to music to show creativity, muscularity, and style and the other is called Toned Twosome,” mostly for models. We chose the Routine option.

We each had the CD with our music, but had never met to work on a routine. We spoke by phone a few times to discuss what each would bring to the party. Our contest was scheduled to begin at 7 PM. Ruby was scheduled to arrive at 3 PM. After a flight delay, she showed up at 6:30. Did we panic? Nope. We are Pros.

She changed into her posing suit and we went to a large room where other athletes were preparing for their, Figure, Fitness and Muscle Model contests. We played the CD a couple of times and discussed what we wanted to do. After 15 minutes of rehearsal, we hit the stage for our rendition of Paul McCartney’s, “When I’m 64.” We did the routine flawlessly and the audience loved it, laughing at the right places and applauding a few times during the routine. We had a great time. Many of the athletes who watched us put the routine together “on the fly” came up and said, “Wow that was incredible.”

There were three other young couples in the Class and as 60 + Masters, we finished in Fourth Place. We had achieved our goal of bringing the Masters Class to this new Competition.

I returned to the hotel at around 10 PM, showered off the Dream Tan (as best as I could) and had my final meal of lean beef and rice. I cut my water when I went to bed.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

I woke up at 7:30 after a restful night and had my first portion of dried oatmeal. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was hungry. I sipped a little water and then practiced my posing and posing routine for my contest later that day.

I became harder and leaner as the morning progressed. It’s fun to watch your contest preparation come to a successful conclusion. I was upbeat as I prepared my bag for the show. This is my 25th major contest and I have learned to relax and take my time as I get ready.

I left the hotel at 1 PM after a pancake breakfast to add my final carbohydrate load and arrived at 1:30, an hour before the 2008 FAME Masters World Championship was to begin.

When I arrived at the venue, I found that the show was running about an hour behind schedule. Instead of going on at 3:30, the Grand Master Pro Class didn’t hit the stage until nearly 5 PM. There were four of us entered in the contest, including the first place winner in the FAME Grand Master Worlds in 2005, an athlete I have been looking to go against again. He placed Third and told me after the show, “I’m finished competing.” I was sorry to hear that. Guy was a good competitor. In what the judges called an extremely close contest, I was edged out for the Championship by a good middleweight and placed Second.

I accomplished one of the two goals I had set for this show: I wanted to come in better than I did when I won the 2007 FAME North American Grand Master Pro Championship in Miami last November and I did. And, I wanted to win my Pro class, which I almost did. Nevertheless, to win the Silver Medal at a World Championship is pretty cool.

Sunday, June 15, 2008.

After Church, I checked out of my hotel and went to the venue to watch the Advance Amateur classes compete. These are athletes who have placed in the top three in regional shows and had the opportunity here to win a FAME Pro Card.

I left Toronto at 6 PM and arrived home at 11 PM that evening.

Tomorrow, I begin training for my 26th show, the 2008 NPA Nationals and Masters Universe in Ft. Lee, Virginia on June 28, where I will try to win my fourth Pro Card.

[Old Navy]

Tuesday, June 17, 2008, 11 days until the 2008 NPA Nationals and Masters Universe Pro Qualifier, Ft. Lee, VA.

http://www.bodybuildingsenior.com/photos2008.htm

I have posted some stage shots from the 2008 FAME Grand Master Pro World Championships in Toronto on June 14. In a very close contest, I won the Silver Medal in my fourth Pro Show.

Today my training partner and I worked legs and calves for the first time in two weeks. It was good to get back to heavy lifting. We did heavy sets of squats, extensions, leg curls and calve raises. We followed that with 100 crunches and 30 minutes of tread mill.

I have about a week and a half to prepare for my final contest of the first half of the year. After the NPA show in Virginia, I will take some time off from competing to prepare for two Pro Shows in Florida in November.

[Old Navy]

Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 10 Days Until the 2008 N.P.A. Nationals and Masters Universe Pro Qualifier, Ft. Lee, Virginia.

Weight: 141.0

Today my training partner and I left the weights in the rack and did a bodyweight workout.

Unassisted Pull Ups
10 x 10 - 100 reps (wide, narrow, hammer and biceps grips)

Rotating Handle Push Ups
10 x 10 - 100 reps

Hanging Leg Lifts
10 x 10 - 100 reps

Bensen Ball Crunches
10 x 10 - 100 reps

Skip Rope
10 x 25 skips - 250 reps

Tread Mill
20 minutes of moderate speed, moderate elevation work

I'm looking hard, lean and cut as I prepare for my show next week. I am fully recovered from the FAME Worlds and an looking forward to hitting the stage again on June 28th. As it will be my final contest of the first half of the year, I'm really looking forward to dumping my face in the food trough.

[Old Navy]

Thursday, June 19, 2008, Nine Days Until The 2008 N.P.A. Nationals and Masters Universe Pro Qualifier, Ft. Lee, Virginia

Weight: 140.6

Today my training partner and I worked on back, lats, shoulders and biceps. We did two sets of two exercises, 8-10 reps each, for each body part. We lifted as heavy and as slowly as we could, holding at the top of each rep. We ended our session with 100 crunches and 30 minutes on the tread mill.

Michael, my training partner, is driving with me from Birmingham, Alabama to Ft. Lee, Virginia. He plans on competing next year and wants to see and feel the whole experience of contest prep, the last week and the last two days before a show.

We will enjoy eating our way back home on Sunday.

[Old Navy]

Friday, June 20, 2008, One Week Until the 2008 N.P.A. Nationals and Masters Universe Pro Qualifier, Ft. Lee, Virginia

Weight: 141.0 - After a Re-Feed Day

Today my training partner and I did a legs workout. Since I am one week away from my next contest, I did a very light legs workout while my partner kicked butt with his.

I am very keyed up about the Natural Physique Association (N.P.A.) show. Last year, I tied for First and lost in the tie-breaker, "leaving" my N.P.A. Pro Card on the stage. I am determined to bring my Pro Card home this time. I will bring a better package to the show than I did last year. I will not tie again.