I Gained Four Pounds of Muscle since Yesterday

I gained four pounds of muscle since yesterday. Okay, Okay... I'm actually pretty sure that it's not all muscle but I'm trying to convince myself that it is. Earlier this evening, I spontaneously decided to weigh myself. I was surprised to see that the scale indicated 180 pounds. Only yesterday I was 176. In truth, if I gained that much weight overnight, it's probably because yesterday I was dehydrated (due to the nervous tension arising from it being the first day of my journey) and today I was not. Still, it's uplifting to see increases being made on the scale.

Having hovered back and forth between 120 to 207 pounds in the last three or four years, I know what it feels like when I'm putting on weight (and when I'm losing it). I had initially planned to weigh myself every two weeks, but when you're feeling good (as was the case today), you just can't wait. Of course, I did see a slight change in the mirror. Not only in my body, but in my face as well. More full. More color. More life.

I don't mean at all to sound arogant, and as I've said before... My entire journey is not only for me. I'm sharing my current thoughts and feelings with you because, if you haven't yet started YOUR quest towards your fantasy goal, I just want you to know what to expect. As much as we are all very unique individuals, I believe that when it comes to following your heart, your dream... We all follow a very similar path. If I mess up somewhere during my experiences and share this with you, it's not because I think it may help you avoid a similar situation, but instead let you know what's to come AND that this is perfectly normal. I also want you to know that there will be good moments when on your journey, and that you should feed off of them whenever you can. Because like attracts like.

I'd like to leave you with some muscle-building advice: Gaining lean muscle mass doesn't have to take ten years or more. I can't stress to you enough how important it is to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, listen to yourself. Yesterday I weighed 176 pounds, and earlier today I weighed 180... But it's only because I did my best to do everything right. When I was hungry, I ate. When I was tired, I rested. When I felt like training, I trained. And if I gained 4 pounds in less than 24 hours then you can gain 10, 15, or 50 pounds in less than 6 months. It's possible. Don't pay attention to anyone who says that it's not. Just because someone else can't do something, it doesn't mean that you can't either. YOU CAN DO IT!

If your goal is to gain lean muscle mass, but you feel that you lack the know-how or motivation to reach your objectives, then I encourage you to check out my new ebook. It's on sale at a special low launch price until November 30th of this year. Don't worry if you decide to get it after that date. I'll be sure to keep it at a reasonable and affordable price.

Oh, I almost forgot. My good friend Kepens Raymond has been entered into Bodybuilding.com's '2010 BodySpace/IronMan Spokesmodel Search'. His BodySpace name is X_Ray and you can check out his video at the bottom of this blog post. If you'd like to vote for him, click here to go to the voting page and then use the [Ctrl-F] command on your computer (and type X_Ray) to find his profile. Voting is easy... Just click on the little white circle below his picture and BodySpace name. And unless I'm mistaken, you can vote for him once per day (from as many different computers as you'd like), until the end of November. Any votes on your part will be greatly appreciated. Once again, enjoy his video which is just below and I'll join you guys back here tomorrow.

Day One of Training was Tough

Day one of training towards my goal was really tough. The hard part was not the workout itself, but the mental aspect of it all. I am only at the beginning of my journey... and I have such a long way to go. On top of that, I weighed in at around 176 pounds, which is about 4 pounds less than what I thought I currently weighed. Wow... What a downer.

Still, I can't let any of this get to me. Being a negative thinker for most of my adult life, I'm the type of person that could easily get caught up in worrying about obstacles that could hinder my progression. This is kind of ironic, because wasting time worrying about things is probably my only real obstacle. For the sake of getting started on the right track, how about I shift this conversation and analyze the positive side for the rest of this blog post.

I've been able to almost effortlessly maintain a weight of about 200 pounds for the last few years. Let me also add that I was just as lean as I am now, if not leaner, at that weight. This means that getting back up there won't be difficult at all. I know that I could easily gain up to 5 or 6 pounds per week, in the first couple of weeks of my transformation. That means that the changes I'll undergo will be most drastic when comparing my first and second videos (which are filmed 3 weeks apart). Could you imagine gaining 18 pounds or more in 3 weeks? Well, the truth is I actually have to. Visualization is not something I practice regularly, but it's something I'm going to have to do to get the kind of results I'm aiming for.

Awesome! I feel much better now. I'm sorry to cut this blog post kind of short, but if I'm going to actually become the biggest natural bodybuilder of all time... Then, I have to get to sleep now. I need at least 8 hours, but 10 is better. By the way, I filmed the first part of my journey just a few hours ago. It will be available on this blog, and on my YouTube channel on Friday, November 13.

I hope to have much better news about my progression in the next few days. Hope you guys will be here tomorrow.

Biggest Natural Bodybuilder First Blog Post

On November 5th, 2009 I'll be starting my journey to become the biggest natural bodybuilder of all-time. I'll be posting a new video every 3rd Friday to this blog (via my YouTube channel), starting on November 13th. Basically, every 3 weeks you'll be able to see me weigh in and then train 2 or 3 muscle groups, as I narrate what I'm doing in the video and also speak about the struggles I'm currently going through and how I plan to overcome those struggles.

Here are some specifics about my quest. I've recently lost a couple of pounds due to a lower back injury, so I'm beginning my transformation at a weight of about 180 pounds. I'm attempting to get up to 215 pounds (contest shape) by the halfway mark. This means that within only 3 months time I'll in theory already have achieved my goal. This also means that I'll have gained more than 35 pounds of pure muscle (because you have to take into consideration the fat I'll need to lose to be in ripped contest shape) in such a short amount of time. My ultimate goal is to weigh in at 235 pounds (contest shape) by the 6 month mark. This will not only personally seal my title of being the biggest natural bodybuilder of all-time, but put me up there with the IFBB pros. Of course, I'm still a long way off... so I'll keep my focus on training towards my goal, instead of talking about it.

I should mention that my goal becomes relevant only when you compare me to other NATURAL bodybuilders. From my research on the subject, there isn't a single natural bodybuilder on the planet who on the day of contest (meaning when they're at their biggest and leanest) have weighed in at more than 212 pounds. Some of the biggest and most known natural bodybuilders of all-time are Ade Rai, Skip LaCour, Jeff Willet, and John Hansen. All of them have been tested on numerous occasions for physique-enhancing drugs and all have passed those tests. I'd like to also mention that I'm inspired by them for their accomplishments.

This goal of mine is considered virtually impossible by most gym owners, fitness professionals, and medical doctors, as well as almost all professional and amateur bodybuilders. My intention with achieving my goal is not to put down anyone who fits into any of those categories. I just feel that with having come a long way (since I've already gained over 85 pounds of lean muscle mass since I started training), and now attempting to gain at least another 35 pounds and in such a short amount of time... This journey could inspire anyone who's ever had a dream to go after it.

We all feel discouraged after having pursued something and then failed. Some of you have tried something without producing successful results. This doesn't mean you should stop or that you'll never reach your ultimate goal. I've fallen numerous times in the past but that's simply because I didn't believe in myself fully. Now I do. And I just want to show everyone that when you intentionally set a clear goal, focus mentally on it, work every minute of every day towards it, and have faith that you will achieve it... Miracles do happen!

I encourage you to keep following me on my journey, here on this blog daily, as you'll learn how to develop a lean, muscular physique and how to stay on the path to your own goals.