Some Thoughts...

People seem to think that “natural” bodybuilding or powerlifting is not hardcore. I am here to tell all you non-believers; F*#k off!! There, now that I got your attention lets dive into my “wimpy” natural world.



I have to train smarter and with more intensity than others who choose the other route. Being natural means you can’t be Mr. Olympia I know, but my physique is more developed than most of the “Gear Heads” at my gym. I have nothing against any athlete who uses juice; I would be a total hypocrite if I did. What I am saying is that some people can take enough shit to kill a horse and still bench 225 for 3 while looking like, well, a piece of shit. It takes more than drugs to build a championship physique. Training smart is the first step.


How I changed my training to be an Extreme Natural.


Most of you already know how, but are stuck in your current routine and afraid to experiment. Don’t be!! See, most of us cannot tolerate the daily pounding of the body like bigger boned guys can. You know the classic meso-morph body type. Look at the skinniest guys in your gym, more times than not they are also there the longest. To go to a further extreme look at the physique of a sprinter compared to one of those sickly looking tri-athletes! There are some sprinters out there who are totally shredded! Now lets get back to how that can work in the favor of natural training.YES- LESS IS BEST!! It sounds to simple but it is true! I’m a huge believer in the basics above all.


Natural guys and girls have to lift big using the famous Big 3: Squat-Bench-Deadlift. Those exercises force your body to produce the growth producing hormones. Why do you think there is never a line for the squat rack? Because they are brutally tough, both physically and mentally. You also have to concentrate more, and the fear factor comes in to play. Sitting down on that comfortable padded leg press is easy. You can’t fall off and you have safety pins if you can’t move the weight. Now put an amount of weight that is heavy for you on the bar. When that bar is fully loaded and on your back with you doing all the balancing, your heart begins to race and the sweat factory goes in to overdrive. See there is that fear of falling or getting stuck at the bottom, I believe that this “fear” helps us grow. There is no way possible that you can utter out a word while doing the last couple sets of tough squats! The same applies with the deadlift. You have to use your entire body to get that weight off the ground. I’ve seen some powerlifters who have never touched a lat pull-down with lats any bodybuilder would love to have! Here is the Natural Extreme Program that gave me these personal bests drug-free, 700 squat, 515 Bench, 600 deadlift (all in competition):


Day 1


Flat Bench: 5 sets 2-5 reps

Close Grip Bench: 3 sets 5 reps

Pull-Ups: 5 sets own weight max reps



Day 2

Squats: 5 sets 3-10 reps

Partial Deadlifts: 5 sets 5 reps

Barbell curls: 3 sets 10 reps



Day 3


There is no day 3!!


I would train twice a week using the above routine. Some times I only trained once a week if my work schedule was to demanding that particular week! Sounds crazy doesn’t it? That’s what I thought to until my bench went through the roof. My other 2 lifts are lagging because of back surgery on a ruptured disc at the L-5,S-1 vertebrae that I received courtesy of the Army. Hitting the ground after jumping out of a jet is not pleasant to say the least! But I’m pretty proud of my 500’s considering the doc told me to retire from lifting!


This is only one example of an abbreviated routine. There are many more, depending on your natural leverages, career, etc. I discovered this through trial and much error. Natural lifters might not be able to recover as fast but we can still train like wild pagan beasts! ROOAARRRR!!!!!!


Now my main concern is to get in my all-time best shape ever. I turn 40 in April, 2011. I don’t want to look like most of my peers! I figured if I don’t start losing this extra fat now I might never! So now I have incorporated cardio at a max 3 times per week. I’m training for a bodybuilding show but I still train for power. I’m also incorporating some shoulder press work to help my bench total. I’m not a big believer in “angle training” or pec-decs for those chest cuts. Bull shit! Your body doesn’t say: “oh, he’s doing cable crossovers now, we better put the strariations back in his chest!” It’s diet that brings out the cuts plus your genetics, not what fancy equipment you use. Take Dorian’s back for example, that thing was awesome sick!! You never saw him doing pooh-pooh exercises!


He took his fantastic genetics to their limits through hard brief intense workouts. People counter with, yeah but he tore his body apart! Well so have other lifters who use light weights, like Vince Taylor popped a biceps warming up with 30-pound dumbbells!

Alright back to being an Extreme Natural I don’t mean training without any supplement aids, or being a preacher for the natural cause like some of these freaks do. When I say extreme I mean train like an animal, eat like an intelligent animal, and never give up! Use every legal edge you can get your hands on. My goal is to prove that you can have a freakish physique using abbreviated training and being natural. I have not been this motivated since the first time that I picked up a weight and it fell on my chest! That was 25 years ago. Holy shit - I might have to start acting like an adult soon. (Probably not!!)

Living as a Warrior: Strength & Honor


Being a warrior requires having a strategic path. It also means that to achieve your goal, you (a warrior), must be committed and change or adjust your activities to further that commitment to your goals. “Not everyone will have the [guts] to take it. The warriors path is demanding and calls for its travelers to reorganize their actions, thoughts, feelings, and perceptions in ways that will make them different from most of the people around them” (Robert L. Spencer).


There are diets and training routines everywhere. Every magazine has tons of them, some real, some I have no idea where they came up with some of this crap. Which diet works? Some of them. Which training protocol is the best? Some of them. It is the dedication, consistency, and relentless goal of muscular development, which makes these diets and workouts successful. In essence it is what makes you a modern day warrior.


True warriors do not blindly throw weight around and eat haphazardly. They have a plan and stick to it. When an ancient warrior went to battle and only practiced movements with his weapon that were easy or just “felt right”, he was usually the first to die. Bruce Lee, I think hits the nail on the head with this quote, “When you drop a pebble into a pool of water, the pebble starts a series of ripples that expand until they encompass the whole pool. This is exactly what will happen when I give my ideas a definite plan of action. Right now I can project my thoughts into the future. I can see ahead of me. I dream (remember that practical dreamers never quit)…I am not easily discouraged, readily visualize myself overcoming obstacles, winning out over setbacks, achieving ‘impossible’ objectives.” Yeah, I know that was a pretty deep quote, and “what does that have to do with my bench press or arm size?”. Well I think it has everything to do with your current training. Your persistence, dedication, and the fire inside of you will get you the results you desire.


All warriors have a plan and a deep desire to capture and conquer their goals. Another quote that I personally think fits this discussion from Bruce Lee, “Don’t fear failure. – Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.” Basically it means don’t be afraid to give something your all out effort! Pushing yourself to your own limits will get you what you want in the gym. Remember true warriors were and are both intelligent and disciplined.


Being a warrior has more to do with other strengths aside from battle and fighting. Becoming an “inner warrior” is what a true warrior is. Don’t have a closed mind; be open to new ideas and information. When a person thinks that he has learned it all, it is then that he is doomed for failure.


When you are in the gym focus only on the task at hand, not everyone around you. Train with a purpose; unleash your true strength and power! Now, unleashing your inner power while working out does not mean acting like an idiot. Yelling, screaming, throwing weights around, and basically being obnoxious does not make you a warrior. It makes you an ass! We’ve all seen these ass-clowns. Keep your internal energy to yourself. Walking around the gym with imaginary air lat syndrome is not being a warrior. That also makes you an ass. We’ve seen those wannabe bodybuilders walking around the lobby at a show with their arms all sticking out…but I digress. Anyway being a true warrior does not mean becoming an uncontrollable maniac while you train. Well, unless you were the Ultimate Warrior (the pro wrestler), he was pretty cool.


Samurai were not just barbarians who chopped off their enemy’s heads. They also had to master the arts of flower arranging and the tea ceremony. These extra abilities taught them discipline, and getting to look inside themselves. Although I’m sure decapitating your sworn enemy must have been pretty cool. No, I’m not advocating decapitating people. We don’t need any lawsuits here!


A favorite author of mine, Robert L. Spencer, sums up being a warrior very well, “The warrior trains daily. Physical conditioning, technical proficiency, tactical fluency, spiritual strength, emotional control – These are the substance of his goals and the weapons of his arsenal…Some days he pushes himself to the limits of his capability in one or more [areas] to test his progress”. No, I’m not saying you need to climb up a mountain and become a monk or something. Although some days that does not sound like a bad option! Basically if you are going to do something, do it right and do it with excitement and commitment. Utilize your own personal intelligence and growing knowledge in your training.


Even the Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters do this. In the earlier UFC’s you had a bunch of bar room brawlers beating on each other. Now the top champions train every aspect of their fighting art. Tito Ortiz and Frank Shamrock use heart monitors while they are sparring to see how much energy they are expending, and how to make full use of their strength and endurance for a fight.

To sum up on becoming a warrior:

1. Focus more.

2. Keep an open mind.

3. Train with controlled ferocity.

4. Discipline yourself.

5. Control emotions.

6. Always keep learning more.

I’ll leave you with this awesome quote: “ We have this life to live, and we can choose to live like slaves or like Warriors”.