Learning requires a pause. You must stop to harvest the lesson from each adversity. – Paul G. Stoltz

The Benefit went well and I was pleased with the turn out. While I did not hit my goal for the event the people that were able to make it had a wonderful time. We created one heck of a memory.

I you still would like to assist me reach my goal please feel free to use the donate button above. Thank you so much for your support!!

Jim

Thanks again to:

Sponsors

 Trick Shots Billiards & Sports Pub
 Parkway Music
 Zaika's
 Venezia Pizza and Pasta
 Rebalance Massage Therapy
 Cutting Edge Sports Sciences
 American Eagle Outfitters -
 The Meat House
 Bruegger's
Troop 246 Boy Scouts
Troop 1449 Girl Scouts

and Albany Audio

My quote of the day is 
Learning requires a pause.  You must stop to harvest the lesson from each adversity. – Paul G. Stoltz

I do this all the time lately. When I miss a lift that I know I should have gotten I like to review it and determine where I need to improve. This definitely applies to your diet as well. When we fall off the wagon, it is important to take a step back and evaluate why we fell off in the first place. Asses why we fell off in the first place.

I will be back to my regular blogging schedule now and hope to keep you all entertained and inspired to achieve your goals.

Benefit Concert April 29th 2012

A benefit concert featuring 4 local bands is being held to defray some of the expenses of my quest to become a World Champion in the bench press. I am a nearly 50 year old man and have a chance to set a World Record if all goes well. I will represent the USA in the IPF World Bench Press Championships in the Czech Republic in May 2012. As a good will ambassador and representative of the Capital Region I hope to ‘lift’ international relations and win the gold medal.

I am a native of the Albany Capital Region growing up in Averill Park, NY, and I am a current resident of Clifton Park. I have transformed myself from overweight software QA engineer to weight lifting champion. Last year I won a national title at the USA PL Bench Press National Championships last year.

I started out trying to get fit. I dramatically changed my diet and began weight lifting, losing nearly 40 pounds in the first six months. I am now going to my first world class championship, an international event in bench pressing, I share my knowledge and experience here on my blog. I promote health and fitness by eating right and exercising.

The concert will be held on Sunday April 29th from 2:00pm to 6:00pm and will be hosted by Trick Shots Billiards & Sports Pub (1602 Route 9, Clifton Park, NY 12065). The concert will feature four bands. Two of the bands (The Stumps and Legit Potato) consist of musicians only 11-15 years of age. Two local bands (Statik and Hallertau http://www.reverbnation.com/hallertau) will also perform.


The family oriented event offers free billiards, door prizes and great food. Also supporting the cause is local Girl Scout Troop 1449 and local Boy Scout Troop 246. All proceeds will go to the Jim Kipp World Title fund. $15 for adults, $10 for youth 11 to 18. Free for kids 10 and under.

If you are unable to attend and would like to participate with a donation please see the link above and your donation will be greatly appreciated via paypal.com.


Sponsors

 Trick Shots Billiards & Sports Pub
 Parkway Music
 Zaika's
 Venezia Pizza and Pasta
 Rebalance Massage Therapy
 Cutting Edge Sports Sciences
 American Eagle Outfitters -
 The Meat House
 Bruegger's

Our skin regeneration speed varies

Rant and Tip for April 11, 2012

Quote: Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Aristotle

As I was searching for a quote for today’s blog I ran across this one from Aristotle. Man again with this guy. I am starting to like him more and more. As you read this quote you may think what does this have to do with diet and exercise. However, it has everything to do with both and to be honest I have a tough time with patience myself. I want to hit my goals NOW! Actually I mean yesterday. Can you believe that me not patient! OK it is true; I am not the most patient person. I try to be with other people but I am not patient with myself. I want the results now and really do not want to wait. I am learning though. It will take patience for me to make gains and hit my goals. I will continue to put one foot in front of the other. It may be next year, it may be a few months but I know if I am patient, my goals can and will be reached.

If you are exercising regularly and have been for week or two, you may see some results right away. It is when you are a few months in that you really need to be patient. This is when you start to plateau and may feel like you will never make another gain. You really need to have patience at this point and maybe change up your exercise routine. Continue pushing yourself, even if you are just walking. Push a little harder to get a little more progress under your belt. You can do this and you are so worth it.

I was reminded again last night to take it slowly, that I might be overdoing it a little. I sometimes want to train an extra day and forget that I am closing in on the 50-yr old mark. It is just that I can almost taste some of my goals right now and I so want to know I have them in my back pocket for a meet. I do not want to get to a meet and not hit a PR that I have hit in the gym. Another words I want today’s PR to be easy on meet day and maybe a new PR set that day.

Those of you struggling with your diet know what is coming don’t you. That is right, you need patience as well. Do not expect to lose all the weight you want to lose over night. Not only is it not healthy it is not going to happen. Many people get very excited when they lose 10 to 15 pounds on their new diet the first couple of weeks. Then when weight loss slows down the start thinking, “Darn this is not working I am only losing a pound or two a week.” Really though this is ideal weight loss. If you lose weight to fast your body does not have a chance to get use to your knew body composition. This will result in you putting the weight right back on. Also if you lose weight to fast your skins does not get the opportunity to reduce and regenerate.  How fast does skin regenerate well it depends on many factors.

Our skin regeneration speed varies and relies on how old you are and how well you have taken care of your skin. As we age the cell regeneration pace slows down. Sunlight slows down your skin regeneration pace. Why? Simply because the volume of collagen is reduced. Some dermatologist suggest you use creams to improve collagen regeneration, and it will make your skin seem younger and help avoid wrinkle and sag. The good news is although the process slows down it does not stop. I have also read that vitamin E applied directly to the skin helps. I have no proof of it though and if you choose to do so I would check with your physician. So there is hope as long as we do not lose the weight to fast. Does that make sense? Yeah I know it is all about as clear as mud.

Have a good workout!

Tip:

If you feel you do not have the time to get your workout in, try actually scheduling it like you do any other meeting. If you find then that you truly do not have a block of time try exercising in ten minute intervals, four to six times a day. It will be a good start and maybe you will find more time later.

Failure is an opportunity to succeed next time

Rant and Tip for April 11, 2012

Quote: “Failure is an opportunity to succeed next time, using it as an excuse it poppy cock, it is an excuse to not succeed”

I was talking to someone on Face Book last night and helping them with some exercise tips. They were wondering if they could do a pull-up. I directed them to my video on how to do an assisted pull-up and they said, they actually wondered if they could do it un-assisted. I told them to just give it a try. They told me they were afraid , I said “ of what” and that is when they said the “F” word. “FAILING” Now of course you now I jumped right on that. When we fail at something it really is just a way of telling us we have something to work towards. It is an opportunity for growth and an opportunity to succeed next time. A trainer friend of mine once told me that one way to thicken the back was by doing pull-ups. She said attempt 8 sets of 8. When I first started them I could not do them I need assistance to finish the last 2 or maybe 3 sets, however with hard work and due diligence I did get to the point of doing 8 sets of 8. It felt fantastic to pull them out and I turned that failure into success.

Board presses are the call tonight. My traps are still sore from Monday when I worked shoulders but it is a good sore. My shoulder joint pain has subsided and I will be sure to take some ibuprofen today to make sure any swelling stays down. I worked legs yesterday but had to stay away from the squat rack. Instead I pounded out some leg presses and leg curls. Continue to strive to new goals and if you fail at a new personal record, just look at it as an opportunity to get it next time and work hard to get it.

Have a great workout!

Tip: Perfect Your Form in the Push up Courtesy of Men’s Health
1. "When you're in a pushup position, your posture should look the same as it would if you were standing up straight and tall," says Vern Gambetta, the owner of Gambetta Sports Training Systems, in Sarasota, Florida. "So your hips shouldn't sag or be hiked, and your upper back shouldn't be rounded."

2. "Before you start, contract and stiffen your core the way you would if you had to zip up a really tight jacket," says Kaitlyn Weiss, a NASM-certified trainer based in Southern California. Hold it that way for the duration of your set. "This helps your body remain rigid—with perfect posture—as you perform the exercise."

3. "Don't just push your body up; push your hands through the floor," Gambetta says. You'll generate more power with every repetition.

Read more: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/muscle-building-exercise-upgrades/pushup-exercise-tips.php#ixzz1rj4FqVXW

Build up your weaknesses until they become your strong points

Rant and Tip for April 9, 2012

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. A friend of mine calls it Resurrection day and to be honest I really like calling it that myself now.

Quote: “Build up your weaknesses until they become your strong points.” – Knute Rockne

Knute was one heck of a coach, by taking his quote and applying it to my diet and exercise routine I know that I can always get better. I know some of you are thinking that it applies easily to exercise but no to your diet. Well you could not be further from the truth. I will use myself as an example. My weakness in my diet lately has been poor planning. I end up grabbing a low carb protein bar at the local market and will usually end up buying 2 or 4. This is because they are 2 for $4. A pretty good price for a bar with 30 grams of protein, however they also have a lot of sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols can wreak havoc on your digestive system and I should really stay away from them. Just ask anyone around me when I bench after having a couple. So there is my weakness, poor planning. I WILL get better in my planning and I will get away from those bars.

Training went well yesterday. We did not go heavy because my shoulders just were not up for it. What we did do was to work the stroke better. By my last set and I was exhausted my reps were looking great. My trainer Sebastian Burns really knows what he is doing. He still has great expectations for me and I hope to will hit them. Today I am going to work a week point in my bench. My shoulders, this will entail side laterals and front laterals. I need to work  my way up to 50 dumbbells in this exercise to increase my strength at the top of the press. After the lateral raises are done, I will work my trapezius muscles.

Have a great workout!

Tip of the day:

There are many ideas surrounding protein level intakes and how it should be consumed. When I am training very hard and that is most of the time, I like to get in 1.5 grams to 2 grams of protein a day per lean body mass. I consume the protein in 20 to 30 grams intervals. I have read somewhere that your body cannot digest more than that in a meal without having to store the extra grams. Doing this also ensures I have my metabolism cranked. I eat often throughout the day.  If you are not training at the levels I am then .6 to 1 gram per lean body mass will be fine for you.

You’re almost 50, 165 pounds and Drug free, you need to train smart

Rant and Tip for April 5, 2012

Quote: “You’re almost 50, 165 pounds and Drug free, you need to train smart” Mike and Dyke!

In the past week I have had a couple of training partners remind me to listen to my body and train smart. They are all in my corner watching out for me and making sure I do not do something stupid between now and the World Bench Press meet. I have an opportunity here to set a world record in my age bracket and body weight. I have to press over 205 kg or 452 pounds. I am still going to train hard and get the max out of the old body, however I will train smart. As we age our bodies tend to breakdown a little faster than we did in our youth. We need to be careful and train smart. That does not mean we cannot get stronger, it just means we need to be careful doing it. Our tendons and joints have already been through a lot of stress and strain over the years and now they just need to more time to heal between heavy training sessions.

Today while you train pay attention to your body. If you feel joint pain you may want to take a little time off for that body part. Muscle pain can be a good thing in the terms of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). When I train my legs I tend to have DOMS for a couple of days.

As you attack your diet you will also need to keep in mind that as we age our metabolisms tend to slow down. This is for many reasons part of which we slow down ourselves. This is why I feel exercise is so vital in losing and maintaining a healthy body weight. If you do not have time to exercise or have health restrictions just keep in mind that the weight will come off, you just need to be more patient. Old fat is hard to lose.

I am still looking for a few more sponsors to offer a door prize for my benefit. If anyone is interested please contact me through my email above. Currently I want to thank the following sponsors for their donations of their services; Cutting Edge Sports Sciences, Bruegger’s Bagel Shop, ReBalance Massage Therapy , The Meat House, Zaika’s Indian Restaurant.

Have a great workout!

Tip: Your body will communicate to you on a daily basis. Some days it tells you, that you feel great other days it is letting you know when something just is not right. Listen to your body and take care of it. This is an area where I need to listen to my own advice.