Full-Time Cop, Mom and Fitness America Class Winner

Age: 28

Occupation: Police Officer

Family: Fiance-Matt, Son-Gage (7), and Daughter-Teagan (5)

Current Residence: Trenton, Ohio

Years Training: 5

Height/Weight: 5'6"/ 135-138

Favorite Fitness Meal: 2 Lundberg’s Organic Honey Nut Brown Rice Cakes, topped with UMP pudding (1 scoop Rocky Road UMP mixed with water and 1 tsp local organic honey) and sliced organic strawberries

Favorite Supplements: Hands down, UMP is my #1. I love how versatile it is. Not only is it delicious as a shake, but I can make pudding with it, or French toast, or No-Bake cookies... the list goes on. My 2nd favorite is Glutamine Select to help diminish any post workout muscle soreness.

Music: I love using Spotify on my iPhone. I enjoy many genres of music and it depends on my mood or what kind of workout I'm doing, though I would say that it is most often some-thing upbeat, Hip Hop or Rap.

Most Inspiring Book: My most recent favorite, in my new found obsession for audiobooks is Born to Win by Zig Ziglar. His concept of planning to win, preparing to win, and expecting to win can be applied to your next competition prep... or just life in general.

Favorite Words of Wisdom: “If you do not go after what you want, you’ll never have it.” “Be strong. You never know who you are inspiring.” “Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be.”

I started playing sports at age 5 and continued throughout my school years. During high school, I ran track, played soccer, and cheered. I played fast pitch softball and volleyball in college
between classes and working a few part time jobs. Even though I had a strong athletic background, I never really had a structured training program or nutrition regimen. I ate pretty much whatever I wanted and whenever I wanted. I was constantly on the go and luckily, my mediocre diet didn’t have much of an opportunity to catch up to me. Once I was out of college, I still played a little indoor soccer, but the opportunity for organized team sports certainly diminishes once you are out of school.

Life seemed to slow down for a quick minute when I started working my first full time job as an Emergency Dispatcher. It was a sedentary desk job on 2nd / 3rd shift. I still ate what I wanted but I started to notice that my energy was lacking. I stayed thin, but lost a lot of strength and stamina. I was tired.

Fast forward a couple years and I found myself a single mother of 2 at age 23. I no longer had time to be tired, but I was…very. After the birth of my daughter in 2008, I joined the local YMCA and began my first attempt at an exercise regimen. It’s interesting how far down on the list of priorities you will allow ‘taking care of yourself’ to fall once your world revolves around your children. Having the Childwatch program at the YMCA allowed me to take some time for myself without feeling guilty because my kids enjoyed their time there as well. Happy Healthy Mom = Happier Healthier Family.

Within a couple years I had put on some muscle and started wondering how much further I could push myself. While continuing to work full-time, I attended the Police Academy and began working toward getting on the other side of the radio. While in the police academy I began to focus more on building my strength as it was now more important than ever. It was during this time that I discovered Beverly Inter-national and their amazing line of supplements when I was given a copy of their No Nonsense magazine by a friend.

I became a full time Police Officer in June of 2012. I am recently engaged to my fiancé, Matt, whom I met in the academy and is also a full-time Police Officer. My children are now 5 and 7 and are active in their own sports. We are just as busy as I re-call my childhood being and though it can be stressful at times, I love it. Training has become my outlet. I mention all of this because it is my hope that the other seemingly over-whelmed mothers that work full time and have busy families know that it is possible to still take time for their self and go after their own goals. In fact, it is important that you do! After all, we are now set-ting the example for our children.

I discovered Julie Lohre’s nutrition and training programs through the No Nonsense magazine. I had been contemplating competing and knew that I had taken my physique as far as I could on my own. I needed professional guidance. I contacted Julie in August of last year and she got me started right away. She’s helped me to work my meals around my crazy schedule and plan ahead for when I would be stuck at a ballgame, or in my cruiser on a call. In just a few months’ time, I’ve gained strength and confidence. I have now competed in 2 figure competitions. I took 1st place in my class at the Fitness America Ohio Valley in October 2013. I went on to compete in the Kentucky Muscle in November, but I didn’t do nearly as well there. In fact, I was on the other end of the placements. However, I am hooked and enjoying the experience along the way… and now training for my next stage appearance as I write this.

Here is my current program designed to lose fat while building a little more lean muscle.

Daily Meal Plan

Planning and preparation was the hardest part when I first started but it does get easier with experience. I love to cook, but am obviously short on time, most of the time. For me, I’ve found that it helps to prep a few meals at a time, a few times a week. I really en-joy cooking a meal for us all to sit down and enjoy together. I’ll usually cook more than I need to feed my family for dinner and then use leftovers to prep a few extra meals for myself. While this may not be as efficient as a massive prep day where I make several meals solely for myself, our meals together at the table is something I value.

Meal 1 1 whole egg, 3 egg whites, ½ cup veggies (to make an omelet), 1 slice
turkey bacon; ½ cup oatmeal

Meal 2 1 scoop UMP protein shake; ½ grapefruit

Meal 3 4oz chicken breast; ½ cup avocado; large salad with mixed veggies; 1
tbsp olive oil & vinegar dressing

Meal 4 2 scoops UMP shake or pudding; 1 tbsp almond butter

Meal 5 6oz white fish; 1 cup mixed veggies

Meal 6 4 egg whites; ½ cup veggies

That was just a sample day. I substitute quite often as I get bored easily when eating the same foods. I usually try to incorporate whatever my family is eating and then make adjustments so that it fits my plan. We also use Green Bean Delivery so that we have fresh organic produce on hand at all times. I love this service for its delivery convenience, but also because it has broadened my family’s fruit and veggie selection from the everyday apples and cucumbers.

Daily Supplement Plan

Fit Tabs: 2 in the AM, 2 in the PM

Density: 3 tablets, 3x’s a day

Lean Out: 2 before my first 5 meals each day

7 Keto MuscLean: 3 in the AM, 3 with lunch Glutamine Select: 1 scoop before training

UMP: 3 scoops per day

This seemed like a lot of pills when I first started. However, I drink a gallon of water a day, and taking the supplements throughout the day also helps me get in all my water at the same time.

The Dynamic Drug-Free Duo

Age: Ryan 39, Beth 31

Occupation: Ryan is a University of Akron graduate of the Radiology Technician program and currently a student at The Ohio State University working for his Masters in Exercise Physiology.

Beth recently graduated from the University of Akron with her Masters in Nursing with a specialty in Nurse Anesthesia and is employed with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center as a Nurse Anes-thetist.

Family: Engaged, no children

Current Residence: Columbus, Ohio

Years Training (total): Ryan 25 years, Beth 14 years

Height/Weight: Ryan 5’9”, 190 off-season/160 con-test; Beth 5’10”, 150 off-season/135 contest

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: protein pancake with UMP, liquid egg whites, and oatmeal.

Favorite Supplements: UMP chocolate and Lean Out.

Music: Pandora radio during training sessions with sta-tions ranging from Marilyn Manson to Little Wayne.

Most Inspiring Book: Ryan: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Beth: As A Man Thinketh by James Allen

Hobbies: Snowboarding, mountain bike rid-ing, free running, hiking, volleyball, boxing, watching movies, and spending time with our new puppy.

Words to live by:“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it be-comes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend” ~ Bruce Lee

We take this quote by Bruce Lee to mean whatever your passion in life is, engulf yourself in it. Surround yourself with it, become it fully. Be at peace and rest-ful when you can, but also commit fully and forcefully when necessary. Goals are only reached through dedication, discipline, sacrifice and HARD WORK.

I have been blessed to have the love of my life as my training partner for the last eight years. Sharing our passion in life has been incredible for us. So how did this all begin? My first experience with weight training came in the form of a Christmas present when I was 10. My parents gave me a plastic water weight set, two dumbbells, a barbell and a few plates. Yes, they were hollow and designed to be filled with water to add resistance; however, whenever I was thirsty I would just open up a dumbbell and take a drink. It was like a thirst quenching drop set.

I started weight training in earnest during my fresh-man year of high school hoping to put some weight and muscle on my skinny 5’9”, 135 pound frame. I wanted to participate in football and track. I also desired to stop getting picked on by upper classmen. I didn’t know a lot at the time about bodybuilding, but I admired the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger and would read anything about him I could get my hands on. By the be-ginning of my sophomore year I had gained ten pounds, and had begun to transform my physique. So began my love of bodybuilding.

As a high school athlete, Beth stood out in basketball and volleyball, but had no prior experience with body-building before meeting me. When we started dating she became interested in working out and started going to the gym with me. It took a few months and countless requests for spots, before she started hinting around that maybe we could become training partners. At first I was skeptical. I had never had a female training partner and never known anyone who had successfully trained with their significant other. I was quite wrong to be worried!

We clicked as training partners from the first moment, feeding off each other’s energy and instinctively knowing how and when to push one another. We started training together in 2006 and by 2007 we were getting ready for our first show.

We have competed in ten shows together. We’ve both earned our NGA and WNBF drug-free pro cards, Beth in figure and me in bodybuilding. She is coming off a great 2013 season with an overall win at the INBF Cardinal Classic and a class win at the NPC Natural Northern. I have won my weight class in all but one tested show. That loss was to the eventual over-all winner and it fueled me to train even harder. More importantly, it compelled me to maintain consistency with my supplementation and nutrition regimen. Since then I have been undefeated in tested shows. I have four overall wins: NPC Monster Mash, NGA Fall Classic, INBF Cardinal Classic and NPC Natural Northern. My most memorable achievements are the two competitions where Beth and I took the overalls together. The feeling of us as a team on stage together at the end of the night is something I will cherish for a life time.

In the remainder of this article I will share our nutrition, supplement, and training programs. We encourage you to study them, adapt them to your own programs, or follow them exactly and see if you can get the same results that we achieved.

Diet

During our contest prep, Beth and I eat the same foods except for the portion sizes. This makes it much easier for us to shop and prepare our meals together. We’ve noticed that we lose fat and our strength in the gym actually increases when we start on the diet and supplement plan listed below.

Meal 1 Pancake made with UMP, egg whites, 1 whole egg, uncooked plain oatmeal, blueberries and/or blackberries. 1-2 cups coffee or green tea, roughly 1 liter of water.

Meal 2 Chicken breast or ground turkey breast, brown or white rice, green beans or broccoli.

Meal 3 Tilapia, sweet potato or brown or white rice, green beans or broccoli or asparagus.

Pre-workout meal 1 scoop Muscle Provider or UMP and 1/2 cup un-cooked oatmeal. I either blend this in a shake or cook it as oatmeal. Either way it’s delicious and digests very quickly. We put 2 scoops of Beverly’s Glutamine Select plus BCAAs in our water bottles for the gym.

Post workout meal Blend together unsweetened almond milk, water, spinach, 6oz pasteurized egg whites, 1 scoop Muscle Provider and 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal. I also take my Beverly Creatine Select at this time.

Meal 4 Any combination of the above, one food from each category, protein, carbohydrate and vegetable.

Meal 5 Chicken breast and a large mixing bowl size salad, consist-ing of red and green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, red and green peppers. Dressing consists of 3 tablespoons Bragg’s unpasteur-ized apple cider vinegar mixed with a little mustard and a packet of Sweat Leaf natural stevia. It tastes like honey mustard and is healthy. (No complex carbs at dinner.)

Condiments Mustard, hot sauce and anything we can find that is sugar free.

Water We drink when we are thirsty, at least 4-6 liters a day. Usually a little more if the temperature is high. However, I don’t believe in drinking gallons and gallons of water a day. This just flushes out your sodium, electrolytes and may tax your kidneys.

Supplements

Meal 1: Multivitamin, 3 Quadracarn, 4 Ultra 40 liver, 4 Mass Amino Acids, 2 Lean Out

Meal 2-3: 4 Ultra 40, 4 Mass Amino Acids, 2 Lean Out

Meal 4: 3 Quadracarn, 4 Ultra 40, 4 Mass Amino Acids, 2 Lean Out

Meal 5: 3 Beverly ZMA 2000

Training

Our training remains relatively constant whether we are in the off-season or preparing for a contest. As men-tioned above, we actually get stronger at the beginning of our contest prep phase even though we are losing weight. I believe this is due to the strict, clean eating and regi-mented supplement program. It is not until the last few weeks that we start to see a decrease.

Beth and I perform the same exercises, repetitions and sets. Although she is aware that women’s figure demands a certain look that may require over-developing certain muscle groups, her goal, like mine is to develop a well-rounded, proportionate physique.

Here are some key points regarding our training:

You have to check your ego at the door and focus on the form you are using over the weight people see you moving.
Practice the mind-muscle connection. Squeeze the working mus-cle on each rep.
You are only as strong as your weakest muscle.
We add an intensity element after completing the last set on many exercises. It may be any one of the following:
1. 2 assisted forced reps after completing our scheduled 8 reps
2. A drop set to failure (starting with the same poundage as our 1st set)
3. A set of negatives to failure - we are strong advocates of us-ing negative reps in our training. It is a great way to tear down muscle tissue without beating up one’s joints.

Note: If we are too exhausted to maintain good form on any of the exercises listed below, we reduce the weight and do 3 sets of 10 reps instead of the listed schedule. An asterisk (*) on the final set of an exercise means that we usually incorporate one of the above intensity techniques.

Cardio

Beth does three days of HIIT training and two, 30-45 minute low intensity sessions. I do not do cardio during contest prep. I feel it drains me and I look stringy. I rely on the foods I eat and not getting too far out from my contest weight in the off-season.

Summary

Be consistent! There are endless approaches to eating plans, contest preparation, training strategies and supplementation. The key is to find what works for you. Once you develop a working strategy, stay with it and give it time to work.

Where Did Your Physique Go?

Facts about Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia is also known as age-associated muscle loss.
Observational studies reveal that a man’s muscle mass and strength peak between his teens and 30s. Following this, both undergo a steady decline.
The average man can lose up to 8% of his muscle mass per decade after age 40. Strength may drop even faster.
By 2015, it has been estimated that over 100 million men will suffer from sarcopenia.
Contributing factors: Anabolic resistance, low testosterone (andropause).

Facts about Andropause

The chief androgen in men is testosterone.
Andropause is also known as age-associated testoster-one decline or deficiency.
Between 35 and 40 years of age, men begin to experi-ence a drop in circulating testosterone concentrations of approximately 0.8% per year. Free testosterone lev-els fall more rapidly, by 2-3% per year.
Free testosterone is the fraction of circulating testoster-one that is not bound to blood proteins. It is therefore available, or “free”, to produce physiological effects in the body. This is why free testosterone is considered to be so important.
Symptoms of andropause can include deteriorations in ener-gy, mood, libido, erectile performance, stamina, muscle mass and strength.
Contributing factors: Recent research suggests that andro-pause is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Contributing factors include excess body fat, stress, diabetes, and lack of exercise.

Facts about Age-Associated Fat Gain

Starting as early as 30 years of age, an increase in fat mass (body fat) occurs in conjunction with muscle loss (sarcope-nia).
Contributing factors: Decreased levels of key fat-burning enzymes, impaired thermogenesis, and decreased metabolic (calorie-burning) rate.

Stack Component #1:

MUSCLE PROVIDER,
UMP, or PROVOSYN

We all know that the combination of resistance exercise and protein is your most pow-erful weapon against sarcopenia. It triggers an anabolic response in your muscles that (when repeated) causes them to become bigger and stronger.

Anabolic Resistance

Research indicates that as you get older, your muscles’ ability to mount an anabolic response to resistance exercise and dietary protein be-comes blunted. Scientists refer to this as “ana-bolic resistance”.

Anabolic resistance can be at least partly over-come by regular consumption of high-quality protein that is rich in the amino acid leucine. MUSCLE PROVIDER, ULTIMATE MUSCLE PROTEIN (UMP), and PROVOSYN are high-quality protein supplements containing several grams of leucine per serving, plus every other amino acid required to build and repair muscle tissue. This makes them especially well-suited for men 40 years of age or older.

Usage tip: Enjoy a delicious shake made with 1 serving of your choice of Beverly proteins immediately after resistance exercise. Have a second serving 4-5 hours later to boost muscle anabolism again.

Stack Component #2:

MUSCLE SYNERGY

MUSCLE SYNERGY (powder or tablets) contains multiple ingredients that act synergistically to help combat age-asso-ciated muscle and strength loss. One of these ingredients is HMB, a naturally occurring, clinically studied compound that has been shown to enhance the benefits of resistance exercise. HMB is believed to work by rebuilding muscle and alleviating or preventing muscle damage associated with ex-ercise, thereby shortening recovery time.

Usage tip: For maximum results, it is important that you take the full dosage recommended on the product label. Be sure to take at least one of your daily servings of MUSCLE SYNERGY before your workout.

Stack Component #3:

QUADRACARN

Testosterone exerts its physiological effects in the body by binding to androgen receptors. Androgen receptors are found in cells throughout the body, including skeletal muscle tissue.

QUADRACARN contains four types of carnitine. One of these has been found to increase androgen receptor levels in muscle tissue. With more androgen receptors present, your testosterone signaling strength is improved. This is expected to enhance the effects of resistance exercise and shorten recovery times.

QUADRACARN also supports fat-burning metabolism, circulation, and sexual performance, among other benefits.

Usage tip: Carnitine takes some time to accumulate in your body. Therefore it is important to take QUADRACARN every day, according to label directions. Don’t miss a dose.

Stack Component #4:

7-KETO MUSCLEAN

7-KETO MUSCLEAN helps the 40+ man conquer age-associated fat gain. The driving force of this formula is 7-Keto®. 7-Keto® is a clinically studied form of 7-keto-dehydroepiandrosterone, a natu-rally occurring substance that is usually abbreviated as “7-keto”.

By the time you reach 40, your production of 7-keto may have dropped by 40% and continues falling for the rest of your life. 7-Keto® helps restore youthful levels of 7-keto and is clinically proven to produce three times more weight loss than diet and exercise alone.

7-Keto® is thought to work by restoring levels of fat-burning enzymes, as well as thermogenesis and metabolic rate. It is supported by three clinical trials, all double-blind and placebo-controlled in design.
Usage tip: The clinical dose of 7-Keto® is achieved by taking two servings of 7-KETO MUSCLEAN daily. Follow label directions.

Stack Component #5:

JOINT CARE

When we think of muscle, we often forget that a good portion of muscle consists of connective tissue. In fact, every time you lift a load, your connective tissue bears the bulk of it. It’s no surprise that it undergoes serious wear and tear, particularly at age 40 and beyond.

JOINT CARE is a perfect addition to your Beverly MATURE MUSCLE STACK. It contains ingredients like boron, hyaluronic acid, MSM and glucosamine that work synergistically to support a healthy inflammatory response and provide relief from joint discomfort and stiffness.

Usage tip: For faster relief and results follow the “loading phase” as explained below.

Combat AGE RELATED MUSCLE LOSS with protein and Muscle Synergy. Ideal times are:
* Breakfast or mid-morning UMP and/or Provosyn with one serving of Muscle Synergy.
* Immediately before training: 1 serving Muscle Synergy
* Immediately after training: 1 serving Muscle Provider (or UMP)
* 4-5 Hours after training: UMP and/or Provosyn
Combat ANDROPAUSE with 2-3 servings of Quadracarn per day. Take 3 tablets twice daily on non-workout days, and 3 tablets three times daily on workout days. (One serving just prior to workout.)
Combat AGE-ASSOCIATED FAT GAIN with 7-Keto MuscLean. Take one serving (3 capsules) in the morning and another pre-workout or in the afternoon.
Combat Joint and Connective Tissue wear and tear with Joint Care. Start with a “loading phase” by taking 3 capsules, 4 times daily for 1 week; 3 capsules 3 times daily during week 2; and then 3 capsules twice daily with meals from week 3 on.

Full Body Routine for Older Newcomers

Here is a 2 or 3 day per week, whole body workout that provides a well-balanced pro-gram for 40 and older “newcomers” to start training and combat the “Big Three”! It is also great for anyone who is “getting back” into training after a prolonged lay-off.

Press (barbell or dumbells) 2 sets of 8-10 reps

Curls (barbell or dumbells) 2 sets of 8-10 reps

Bentover Row (barbell or dumbells) 2 sets of 8-10 reps

Squats (bodyweight if necessary to get the correct form), then add just the bar and slowly add weight each workout) 2x15

Bench Press 3x6-8

Sit ups (or Crunches) 1 set as many as you can do in good form

Leg Raise (or Knee Ups while hanging from chinning bar) 1 set as many as possible

If you don’t do Knee Ups, it is still beneficial to just hang from the bar to decompress your spine (and improve your grip) 1 set as long as you can hold on

Two Overall Bikini Titles – Here’s How I Did It

Age: 25

Occupation: Personal trainer at No Non-sense Personal Training/Licensed Cosmetologist

Years Training (total): 2

Height: 5'5.5"

Weight: 125

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: Pre-contest I follow a low carb diet plan with a “Carb Meal” on Mondays and Thursdays. This is my favorite meal. I eat 1 cup oats, an 8oz sweet potato, 1 cup broccoli, and 1 banana for my last meal on those days.

Favorite Supplements: UMP- It is so versatile, great tasting, and very convenient with my busy sched-ule. It’s perfect for someone who can’t get in 5-6 meals a day. I have also found it to be very handy in baking (which I love to do!) Muscle Mass Branched chain amino acids during training; Muscularity with my meals to help maintain lean body mass on a low calorie diet. Lean Out- It is perfect for someone who isn’t that strict to help regulate insulin levels.

Music: Rock, Heavy Metal, & Hip Hop on my iPod

Most Inspiring Book: The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

Hobbies: Cooking, Baking, Reading, Hiking, Canoe-ing, Jet Skiing, Mountain Biking, Softball, Basketball, Sand Volleyball, Camping, Skiing, Snow Tubing. I could go on and on! I love to stay active and help people achieve their goals.

Words to live by: “It’s not the will to win that mat-ters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

I grew up happy with a very active lifestyle. I was very involved in sports ever since I was little. I started playing t-ball at 5, then progressed to slow-pitch softball which turned into fast-pitch softball. I played 3 years in high school and also on a select team as a catcher, shortstop, and center fielder. Our select team actually was invited to play in a tournament in Maui! My whole team bagged groceries on weekends for months to earn the money to cover our plane tickets—it was worth it!

I played basketball (my fav!) ever since I was 7. I was a guard on my school teams up until my senior year. I also was a setter on my schools’ volleyball teams from middle school through my junior year in high school.

All of that activity kept me in pretty good shape, but I was very skinny. I had some tone, but little-to-no muscle. I don’t know how I stayed so thin because I paid no attention to my diet whatsoever! I ate out- ALL THE TIME! Whatever and whenever I wanted to eat, I ate. Never ate breakfast unless it was a banana or a Pop Tart. I’d skip lunch half the time and just eat a huge meal before bed. Even when I thought I was eating something that might be good for me like fish, as often as not it would be deep fried. I made those kinds of mistakes all the time.

I wasn’t just clueless about nutrition, but even with my sports background, I had zero knowledge about working out. I became interested in really improving my body but I didn’t know where to turn. Then I met my fiancé, Mark Ritter, a successful bodybuilder and very knowledgeable about training and nutrition.

Within 1 year he had me ready for my first competition, the 2012 Northern Kentucky. I placed 7th in a pretty big class of girls. I loved it! I was psyched and wanted another go at it. Next time I wanted to be in the center of the top 5 line up. In the Nutrition and Supplement section I’ll give you the details of how I ramped up both for my next competition in Indianapolis, just 3 months after the Northern. One week before the show, I got a HUGE surprise… I got engaged to Mark!

I went on to place 5th at the Indy out of 17 girls! I was ecstatic. Not only did I get engaged to the love of my life (my swole-mate) just a week prior, I also had earned my first trophy. I was hungry for success and I knew I could do better if I kept pushing my-self, so that’s exactly what I did. Finally I achieved my goal of not only a class win, but an overall title at the 2013 Kentucky State. I followed that with another class and overall win at the 2013 Kentucky Muscle. Now, let’s get into how I did it.

Mark put me on my first supplement regimen shortly after I started training with him. Mark’s been using Beverly supplements since 1999 and knows the product line inside and out. He explained I needed to start building some muscle if I wanted to compete. The best supplements he’s seen for this are the combo of UMP, Mass Aminos, Ultra 40, and Fit Tabs. It was a lot of pills at first, but I went from a skinny girl to a toned and shapely bikini competitor in less than a year.

I was hooked on the supplements from then on. For my second contest we stayed with the “musclebuilding supplement combo” I used for the Northern, but Mark added a trick he’d learned long ago when he worked at Beverly of taking Muscle Mass BCAA tablets throughout the workout. I also added Muscularity (more BCAAs) with my meals and Lean Out to help me, well, lean out.

My Daily Meal Plan:

One thing I can tell you that has definitely changed for me is my nutrition. It went from Pop Tarts and fast food to chicken, eggs/egg whites, lean beef, turkey, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and veggies! I now eat 6 meals throughout the day, spread 2-3 hours apart. This way I’m never hungry or too full. I also drink at least 1 gallon of water per day. If I’m trying to lean out for a contest, I’ll substitute ½ of a grapefruit for my oatmeal in Meal 1 and about 8-10 stalks of asparagus for my sweet potato in Meals 3 & 5. During contest prep, I have carb up meals on Mondays and Thursdays at Meal 6. That consists of 1 cup oats, 8oz sweet potato, 1 cup broccoli, and 1 banana.

Meal 1 8:00am: 3 egg whites 1 whole egg, 3-4oz lean beef; ½ cup oats

Meal 2 11:00am: Chocolate UMP shake 2 scoops mixed with cold water

Meal 3 2:00pm: 6oz chicken breast; 6oz sweet potato

Meal 4 5:00pm: Same as meal 2

Meal 5 8:00pm: 6oz chicken breast; 6oz sweet potato

Meal 6 11:00pm: Chocolate UMP 2 scoops mixed with water to pudding consistency PB2 sprinkled on top

I always buy in bulk and prep our meals for up to 2 or 3 days prior, except for breakfast. I always cook our breakfast fresh every morning which is an egg/beef omelet! For me, having our meals prepped in advance creates less stress throughout the day. We can just grab our container, throw it in the microwave and eat! If you are someone who is gone most of the day, I would suggest having some type of cooler to keep your meals in. Along with having all of your meals in one place, it keeps them cool and you have them right there with you so you’re not tempted to swing through a drive thru. A food scale really helps with weighing out your portions, especially if you’re cooking for more than one! If you would like more information please visit our website at www.nnpt.net.

Presentation

Sandy asked me to include some tips on presentation. Even though this is only going to be my 3rd year in competition, I think I can give you some good pointers. The first is walk, walk, walk! I cannot stress enough how important your stage presence is. It’s very important that you look and feel confident on stage. I am constantly practicing my walk no matter if I’m 10 weeks out from a show or 2 days out. You cannot practice enough! On the day of the show you may be tired, hungry, thirsty, fatigued, nervous or scared. Trust me, I’ve been all of those! You’ll want to be able to power through those emotions, dig deep, and own that stage. Always keep a smile on your face. Think about all the hard work you put in to that very moment and how beautiful you look. Practice alone, in front of a mirror-not too much though! You don’t want to get in the habit of always seeing yourself when you practice, so make sure to practice without the mirror too! Practice in front of people and have someone video tape you while you walk so you can see what others see, and possibly some things you want to change or work on. I promise you- once you get it down you’ll be able to do it no problem. If you’ve never posed before it can be a little overwhelming. I tell my clients this all the time. First, find which poses are the most comfortable for you. Then work on putting them together in your walk. You’ll want the whole presentation to flow. It takes time, but you’ll be glad you practiced when the show comes and your confidence will shine. Good luck!

In closing, I would like to thank my fiancé, Mark for all of his wonderful help with my training and nutrition along with the best support I could ever ask for. It is such an honor to be learning from such an amazing, smart, and talented person. Also, to Roger and Sandy for having an extraordinary product line. I will never use or recommend any-thing else!

My No Nonsense Approach to Bodybuilding Success

Age: 52

Occupation: General Manager of High Speed CNC (Ultra Precision Machining)

Family: 1 son and daughter, 1 step son and step daughter, 5 grand kids

Current Residence: Los Galtos, CA

Years Training (total): 33

Height: 5'9"

Weight: Off Season: 200, Contest: 196

Favorite Supplements: Glutamine Select & Mass Aminos taken before & after workouts to prevent muscle catabolism & stave off hunger

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: 4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, avocado, steel cut oats, coconut oil

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before? Use Creatine Select and Gluta-mine select at a minimum and do not be afraid to try out their other supplements. Beverly’s “Supplement Recommenda-tion Chart” is very helpful in choosing the perfect supplements to achieve your goal (available at BeverlyInternational.com)

Hobby or interests outside bodybuilding: hiking, dining out, dogs

Words to live by: “Fake it ‘til you make it!” (After a while you will realize that you are the real deal.)

Growing up, I was always conscious of my physical appearance. My cousins tell me now how I was quite the athlete then. Hockey, baseball, basketball, pick up tackle football games with the neighborhood boys, street hockey, ice hockey on the frozen pond down the street, bowling, golf, I played them all. To be honest, I had a lot of determination, but was always small for my age. I graduated high school at 130 pounds and 5”7’’. I started lifting weights then and my weight shot up to 160 and I grew 2 inches. I was pretty lean and fairly muscular.

About 1982, I started getting more serious about body building. I was impressed with the bodybuilders in Muscle & Fitness at that time. Their physiques were perfectly proportioned, muscular, had decent size, definition and small waistlines. Very aesthetic. I learned all I could but there was quite a bit of misinformation out there. In 1988, I entered my first contest, the San Jose BB Championships, and placed 2nd in the light heavy novice at 188 pounds.

From 1988 to 2006, I stayed in shape by lifting weights and doing cardio regularly. My weight was in the 185-190 range. However, my main focus was on the business I had started, High Speed CNC, a precision machine shop.

From 2006 to present, I have competed nine times and have improved every year. Although I’m 52, I think I can still get better. I have been training with weights and doing some form of cardio for more than 33 years now. In that time, I have never taken more than a week off from training. People wonder how I do it. Well I am going to share my secrets with you.

Here's how I do it:

Consistency (choose a path and stick with it).
Do sports/exercises/activities you like, otherwise you will not be able to sustain them.
Learn all you can about your sport (try things and de-termine if they work for you).
Learn how to eat properly and how to prepare your meals.
Do not be impatient (tortoise & the hare). Move for-ward continuously, rather than being a flash in the pan. Small gains/improvements each year, in your eating habits and training equal success.
Get in tune with your body, it is an amazing feat of en-gineering that never lies. Lift heavy when you can, rest when you are tired, learn to train around injuries. Eat according to your specific goals at the time.
Do some form of activity each day.
Stay positive. Learn to enjoy the natural high of a good pump, or the feeling of accomplishment when you give your very best to a workout. When you feel like quit-ting, remember how good you felt in the past when you took it to the limit. Think of it this way, “I want this feeling, and I’ll push myself to get there.” Push a little longer, the pain/burn will pass. Don’t cut yourself short and quit before the set or sprint is really complete. I’m constantly motivated by the natural high and the re-sults I get. In fact, I believe that over the years, I’ve de-veloped my subconscious to where it will never let me stray off course. Again, it all boils down to consistency.
There are very few things in life that you have control over. For me, my diet and training are in my control. I can stay on track with them, no matter what life throws at me, good or bad.

Diet and training are really very simple. People overcomplicate them. It’s almost like they want to confuse you. Well, I am going to simplify things right now. Your body is incredibly adaptive, so NOTHING needs to be precise, like macro ratios, counting calories, when to eat and when not to eat, how much to train, how many sets, how many reps etc., etc., etc. (I hope you get my point.) I start to get dizzy reading some articles; it makes me feel like I know nothing at times. Well, the truth is that I have realized over the years, I do know a lot. So here’s what I have learned about diet, supplements, cardio, and training.

Diet

Eat whole foods. The less processed, the better.
Try to eat equal amounts of protein, carbs, and fats at each meal. Don’t be a fanatic, +/-15 percent on the ratios is fine.
The best protein sources to eat are lean grass fed beef, chicken, fish, turkey, pork, and whole eggs.
Athletes need some starchy carbs. I recommend oats, rice, yams, potatoes, quinoa, and lentils.
Don’t forget to eat plenty of dark green veggies. You should also include fruits and berries of all sorts. Tip: Get yourself a blender and make smoothies using the veggies that you would not normally eat (see my “Super Foods Smoothie” meal be-low).
Fats should come from the naturally occurring fats in your meats, olive oil, flax meal, chia seeds, nuts of all kinds, avoca-dos, coconut oil, and nut butters.
Eat at least 4 meals each day, if you can, eat 6 small meals.
Get a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and drink at least ½ ounce of water per pound of body weight.(My trick with water is to drink 12 to 16 ounces, 15 to 30 minutes prior to each meal.)

A typical day’s food intake for me:

Two of my meals are my “Super Foods Smoothie”. I make with 4 scoops of Ultimate Muscle Protein (UMP), 2 cups of water, and add kale, spinach, watercress, peeled lemon, cucumber, green apple, 2 tbsp flax meal, 1 tbsp chia seeds, and one cinnamon stick. I have one in the morning and another later in the afternoon. (What a powerhouse of super foods!)
Wild salmon over veggies.
Grass fed, 90% lean beef hamburger, 6oz steel cut oats, berries.
4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 1 small avocado, 1 small yam or oats, with cinnamon and coconut oil.
Low fat Fage (Greek Yogurt) and berries.
4 tbsp almond butter on Trader Joe’s fiber muffins.

I typically eat ~3500 calories per day.

As a 50+ bodybuilder who is continually pushing my body to a greater degree of development, I require supplementation beyond what my daily food can provide. Below are the supplements that I currently take.

Omega 3 fish oil (4 grams /day)
Milk thistle & saw palmetto w/ pygeum
Vitamin D
Creatine Select (before workout)
Glutamine Select (before & after workouts)
Mass Aminos (to supplement and improve the amino acid profile of the food protein in my meals)
UMP protein powder (4 scoops in my “Super Foods Smoothie”)

My cardio is designed to improve my overall cardiovascular health during the off season. I normally do 3 to 4 sessions per week. Two are 30-40 minute interval sessions on a spin bike or Stairmaster, or hill repeats on my mountain bike. The other session(s) are easier like 45-60 minutes at an easy pace on the Stair-master, or walking on hiking trails for as long as I feel.

I pretty much eliminate cardio as a contest draws near. Instead, I pose 3 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes. You only have so much energy. So, if you do cardio every day, work a full day, train with weights, while on calorie deficit pre competition diet, there can be only one outcome. You’ll end up with a burned out body that is feeding upon itself, eating up your hard earned muscle to satisfy its energy needs. Not to mention - the excessive cardio also makes you hungrier.

Training

Train heavy for a while when you can. Use low reps and heavy compound movements.
Train lighter using higher reps, 12 to 50 reps for a while.
Mix up your exercises and increase your volume (lots of sets and reps for a while).
Train each body part 1x per week for a while (5-6 day split), 2 x a week for a while (4 day split), and sometimes 3 x a week for a while (entire body 3 times a week).
Don’t get hung up on how much weight you are using. Perfect form and time under tension are as important.
Use full range of motion on all your exercises.
If it hurts in a bad way, you are probably going to get injured, so change to another movement to work around the pain.

Legs are my favorite workout (nothing gets you more in the natural high zone). Here’s a leg workout for the advanced athlete who wants to take it to the limit.

4-5 sets step ups using the cable machine, go up in weight each set until you can only do 10 reps per leg. 1st 2 or 3 sets are 20 reps each.
4-5 sets of full squats (break parallel) slow on the way down, pause, then drive up. I like to do reps of 10 to 20. When I am feeling especially good, I do 10 sets of 10 reps.
4-5 sets of heel press on the leg press machine. I try to keep the reps at 20-30.
5-7 sets of lying leg curls, 15 to 20 reps.

Here are some things I have learned, especially as I’ve grown older, especially regarding leg training.

I pre exhaust the legs with step ups or another movement that does not stress the knees, that way I do not have to go so heavy on squats and leg presses.
Doing higher reps helps me stay injury free, while really stimulating the muscles.
Slow controlled movements are safer and will alert you to any potential injuries before it’s too late.
Time under tension, feel the movement and forget about the weight.
DO SOMETHING EVERYDAY (MOVE YOUR BODY)

Classic Physique – Presentation

As you follow both your nutrition and workout programs to a tee, you will be well on your way to developing a Classic Physique which highlights proportion, symmetry, pleasing lines, and a small waist. Aesthetics are as important as muscularity and in order to display your physique to its best advantage you’ll need to practice your presentation. If your goal is to compete in the “Classic Physique” division you’ll need to know the rules of competition. The prejudging will consist of semi-relaxed quarter turn comparisons and these five compulsory poses.

The Classic Physique Compulsory Poses

Front Double Biceps
Side Chest
Back Double Biceps
Abdominal and Thigh pose
Favorite Classic pose (most muscular is not permitted)

In the finals you’ll perform your posing routine (up to a maximum of 60 seconds) and if you win your class you’ll compete in a posedown for the overall title.

Here are some tips to get started on a structured posing practice regimen:

• Remember! “Classic Physique” competition is posing! No one will ask what you can bench press or squat. How you present yourself and look on stage is all that counts.

• Start posing practice two days per week at 12 weeks out.

• Start with 2 sets of each pose (quarter turns and mandatories) for 10 seconds. For the next four weeks hold each pose for an additional 5 seconds each week.

• Spend most of your time practicing on your front facing pose and finding which variations of your compulsory poses best highlight your physique.

• Start each pose from your feet up to make certain your legs are flexed.

• Work your way around in a circle hitting every pose.

• After completing all of the quarter turns and compulsory poses, that’s one set. Do 2 total sets.

Eight weeks posing practice schedule: Start at 2 sets of each pose for 20-30 seconds. For the next four weeks hold each pose for an additional 5 seconds each week.

Remember to start each pose from the feet up - make sure to keep your legs flexed, suck in your gut, lift your chest, and relax your facial muscles.

• Front stance

• Quarter turn to the right

• Quarter turn to the rear

• Quarter turn to the right

• Quarter turn to the front

• Front Double Biceps

• Side Chest

• Back Double Biceps

• Abdominal and Thigh pose

• Favorite Classic pose – this should be your best pose. Experiment until you find the exact variation of a pose that best highlights your symmetry, proportion, and muscularity. Then practice it to perfection.

10-minute Prejudging Drill:

Make a 10-minute recording where you call out quarter turns and poses just like the head judge at prejudging. This drill is tremendous for practicing quarter turns. No rest between poses; stay tight the entire drill.

For variation get a video of an actual prejudging off of You Tube and go through it just like you’re on stage.

The Individual Routine:

Six weeks out (or sooner) start working on your individual routine. Your posing routine should complement your strong points (e.g. symmetry, shape, conditioning, etc.) while at the same time expressing personality.

• You can develop your routine by starting with the mandatory poses, then add a few flattering optional poses. You’ll be able to find many classic physique photos on the web. Mimic each pose you see and determine which ones feel comfortable and flatter your strong points.

• Your routine should be based solely on your strongest poses. This is your opportunity to show the judges only what you want them to see.

• Select your music well in advance and make a professional quality CD. Often it is nearly impossible to create a posing routine based on your favorite song. It is usually better to choose your music to fit your routine, not vice versa. Record only the 60 seconds of music on which you will base your routine. Don't record the entire song. Make a “posing practice CD” with your 60-second selection recorded over and over with a 30 second delay between cuts. You can practice your routine over and over without restarting the CD.

Points to Remember:

• You will often be asked to hold the front facing pose on stage much longer than the others. You should continue to hold this stance anytime you are on stage throughout the show when you are not being directly judged or as others are "called out". Never completely relax and always keep your leg tensed.

• Practice hitting the poses with your eyes closed and then opening them to see if you are hitting each pose correctly. Remember, on stage you have no mirror.

• It is not necessary to complete all of your posing "sets" at one session, but be sure to complete all scheduled "sets" of each posing round - facings, mandatories, and individual routine with music - by the end of each day.

• Posing sessions are one of the key factors in developing hardness and muscle separation - you can overdo training or cardio but you can’t pose too much

Remember, these are maximum symmetrical measurements, and it is your proportions that count. In other words they are the maximum measurements for a body part without getting out of proportion. A good goal is to aspire to reach 90% of the maximum. For example, if your wrist measures 7”, the maximum symmetrical arm measurement would be 18”. 90% of 18” is 16.2” which would be very commendable. If you’d like a website to do the math for you go to: www.muscleandstrength.com/tools/ideal-measurements

Steve Reeves also devised a chart that determines the maximum ideal weight for a person’s height en route to building a classic physique. A 6’ male’s ideal weight is 200 lbs. At 5’11” it goes to 190 lbs and at 6’1 to 210 lbs. After that every inch below 5’11” results in a reduction 5 lbs per inch. Every inch above 6’ results in an addition of 10 lbs. At 5’8” the ideal weight is 175 lbs and at 6’3”, it is 230 pounds. Again, the 90% of maximum criteria is a worthy goal for Classic Physique competition.

The NPC has developed their own chart of acceptable heights and weights which you can find on their website at www.npcnewsonline. com. They are a little more lenient and go above Reeves’ maximum weights. For example, a competitor 5’11”- 6’ may weigh up to 207 lbs. One who is 5’7 up to 5’8” may weigh 177 lbs. In Classic Physique there is no advantage to weighing in at the top of your class, symmetry and proportion are what counts, not size.

In this article we have laid out a comprehensive program to help you achieve a “Classic Physique”. If you are training for a specific contest we’ve given you a step-by-step guide to follow. If you follow it to the letter – nutrition, supplements, training, and posing practice – whether you compete or not, you’ll be in the best shape of your life.

Classic Physique – Training

There are three parameters of progress that you should be concerned with during both Phase 1 and Phase 2 training:

• Increase reps with same weight

• Increase weight for the same rep range

• Decrease rest intervals between sets – if your strength seems to have plateaued as you get closer to your contest, performing the same number of sets in less time becomes a very valuable form of progress.

It is very important to work each muscle through its fullest range of motion using complete extension and contraction on each exercise.

Use a workout journal to keep your progress on track. It can be a spiral notebook or as fancy as you like. Keep track of every training session. Use the “star method” to track your progress. Every time you use a heavier weight than before on a set, get more reps with a particular weight, or complete a series of sets in less time give yourself a star in your journal. A 10 Star workout means you did an extra rep or used more weight on at least ten sets during your workout. Finish a bodypart in record time and you get another star.

1. Pyramid Training:

Add weight lower the reps each set.

Set 1: 12 reps with a very easy warm-up weight – not all you can do for 12 reps

Set 2: 10 reps still pretty easy

Set 3: 8 reps – use a weight you could get for 9 – 12 here but stop at 8

Set 4: 6 reps – use a weight you could get 6 – 8 reps with but stop at 6

Set 5: 4 – 6 reps - a max set. Here’s where you can earn stars in your training journal. Once you reach 6 reps add weight to the final 3 sets (which will earn a star on each of these sets next time) and start back at 4 reps on set #5. Exercises using the Pyramid system are marked with *.

2. Double Progressive System:

Use the same weight for all sets. Start at the low end of the suggested rep range. Gradually increase the repetitions, usually adding one rep each week until you reach the top number of suggested reps for each set of a particular exercise. Then add weight and start over at the lower end of the rep scheme. Exercises where you should use the Double Progressive System are marked **.

3. Feeder Workouts:

A feeder workout is performed two days after your primary workout for a specific bodypart. We have included feeder workouts for the shoulders, lats, and calves – full development of these body parts are essential in developing a classic physique. The feeder workout is a single all out rest-pause set where you complete a set of 6-10 reps taken to failure, followed by a short break (just long enough for you to take three to four slow, deep breaths), and immediately continue on to failure a second time (you should get somewhere between three and six additional reps, depending on the level of muscular endurance and the muscle fiber composition of the particular bodypart). At this point, take another short pause before going for one to four more (as many as you can get) reps. This will not only provide a nutrient-rich flush of fresh blood but will provide maximal muscle cell activation in minimum time.

DB or BB Bench Press* (pyramid) 5x12/10/8/6/4-6 - Dumbbells are preferred if you can give up the barbell bench press in developing squared off “gladiator pecs” preferred in the classic physique

Incline DB Press (double progressive) ** 3x6–8 reps constant weight. First session do 6 – 6 – 6 and gradually add reps and earn stars until you get to 8 – 8 – 8 then add weight and start back at 6. If you get bored adding reps, reduce rest time between sets to earn additional “stars.”

DB Flyes** 3x8–12

DB Pullovers** 3x8–12 (These work the serratus muscles. “The serratus magnus muscles are the ‘jewel-like’ muscles of your chest … they add width to the chest, shape, muscular definition – as well as classic beauty.” ~ Vince Gironda)

Close Grip Bench Press* (pyramid) 4x12/10/8/5–7

Start your Phase 2 training program eight weeks out from your contest. During Phase 2 training you’ll be doing a lot of supersets. Supersets allow you to get more work done in less time. Remember, less rest between sets is one of the parameters of progress. Your Phase 2 training will be more focused on improving your proportions and increasing your chest to waist ratio. Note: Steve Reeves, one of the all-time best examples of the “classic physique”, is reported to have attained a 23” differential between his chest and waist measurement. A good goal for you is 15” or more. If your expanded chest measures 45”, your waist would measure 30” or less. As your diet becomes stricter during phase 2, it will become harder and harder to increase reps or poundage, so reducing the time between sets becomes more and more important. You’ll be supersetting antagonistic muscle groups to improve balance and proportion as well as to add a fat burning aspect to your training.

It’s not necessary to “run” from one exercise to the next when supersetting. After you complete a superset rest 60-90 seconds and then start your next set. Since you will be working each bodypart twice every eight days, we will no longer be performing feeder workouts.

Train three days on – one day off:

Day 1: Chest and Back

Day 2: Legs

Day 3: Shoulders and Arms

Day 4: Off; Repeat

Classic Physique – Nutrition

Have you been itching to compete but don’t feel you are quite big enough for Bodybuilding and also aren’t crazy about competing in Men’s Physique? A new division called “Classic Physique” could be just the thing for you. It’s planted firmly between the extremes of the massive, ripped muscle prioritized in Bodybuilding and the smaller, cover model look of Physique divisions. Many of you will naturally fall into this category based on your structure and genetics. Plus, if you’re goal is to look more like Frank Zane, or even closer to Arnold, than Kai Greene, you now have a competitive outlet.

As regular readers of No Nonsense already know, BI users and followers of our diet methods have been achieving this type of look for years. A physique where shape, symmetry and a pleasing athletic, muscular look is rewarded. It’s the type of overall physique that the majority of men will see and say, “That’s what I would like to look like”. And most women will prefer looking at!

Best of all it’s a look that’s realistically achievable for most aspiring natural competitors with hard work, dieting and proper supplementation. Going to “extremes” is not necessary and it can be balanced with your real life that includes jobs and families.

This is a brand new division and we’re going to get you way ahead of the curve by presenting a complete program to achieve the “Classic Physique”. Whether your goal is to compete, or to just do it for yourself, in the remainder of this article we’ll provide a 3-Phase Nutrition Program, a specialized 2-Phase Workout including “Feeder Workouts” to help you develop your “Classic Physique”, and if you wish to compete, we’ll also include a Presentation Section to help you better show off your “Classic Physique”. In closing we’ll include a Table of Classic Physique measurements to give you specific body part goals to shoot for.

“Classic Physique” Nutrition

Your Classic Physique nutrition plan is designed help you gain and retain muscle while you lean out. You should start your diet for the contest as early as possible. Don’t wait until the last minute. The earlier you start, the more time you will be able to spend in Phase 1 (the Musclebuilding phase). There are 3 diet phases in all. Each one emphasizes excellent food choices which will allow you to keep gaining muscle where you need it while you whittle away fat from your waist and other problem areas.

Start the Phase 1 nutrition plan at least 16-20 weeks out from your contest date. The first phase is designed to help you gain as much muscle as you can while increasing your muscularity. But even this early in your preparation, you should still focus on achieving that classic small waist, so losing fat is also a priority. Train as heavy and hard as possible, but use textbook form and concentrate mentally and physically on improving any weak points in your physique. The recommended high protein foods and quality supplements will allow you to continue to make improvements to your physique so make every training session count.

Note: In the meal plan below if you weigh less than 165 lbs reduce meat and carb portions listed by 2oz. (All meats are weighed prior to cooking.)

Meal 1: 2 whole eggs + 4 egg whites, 6oz lean meat, ½ cup oatmeal – (measured before mixing with water and cooking)

Meal 2: (Choose one option)
Option A: Protein Drink with two scoops Ultimate Muscle Protein, 1-2 tablespoons healthy fat source (olive oil, flax oil, almond butter) or heavy whipping cream.

Option B: 8oz lean beef or chicken or 10-12oz tuna, one small apple or orange

Meal 3: 8oz lean meat (chicken or other lean protein source), 6oz sweet potato or 2/3 cup cooked brown rice, 2 cups vegetables (broccoli, etc.) or green salad with 4 tbsp vinegar and oil dressing

Meal 4: (same options as meal #2)

Meal 5: 10oz very lean meat (chicken breast, fish, turkey breast, lean beef - sirloin, filet, etc.), 2 cups vegetables, salad with 2 tbsp vinegar and oil dressing

Meal 6:
Option A: Protein Shake or Pudding: 2 Scoops Ultimate Muscle Protein, add enough water to make a shake or pudding the consistency you desire

Option B: 8 egg whites + 2 whole eggs or 6oz beef, 1-2 cups vegetables

Glutamine Select – take 2-4 scoops during training to preserve muscle during precontest dieting.

Muscle Synergy – if you want to continue to add muscle, get a great pump every workout, and can afford it – then Muscle Synergy is for you. You have to take enough though, eight tablets or 1 scoop twice a day if you weigh less than 185; if you’re a light heavy or heavyweight you’ll benefit most from 24 tablets or 3 scoops per day. Muscle Synergy holds lean muscle tissue while dieting better than anything. We just don’t always recommend it to everyone because of the expense.

Creatine Select – will help you keep your strength up and train harder while dieting so that’s another product you should consider. Take 5 scoops per day with meals for the first 5 days, then 2 scoops daily on training days, and 1 scoop on non-training days.

Meal 1: 8oz lean beef or turkey, 3 egg whites, 1 yolk, 1 grapefruit

Meal 2: Protein Drink: 2 scoops UMP or Muscle Provider, 1 tbsp healthy fat (olive oil, flax oil, almond butter, etc.) or 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream

Meal 3: 8oz chicken or turkey breast (weighed prior to cooking), 2 cups vegetables

Meal 4:
Option A: Protein Drink: 2 scoops UMP or Muscle Provider, 1 tbsp healthy fat (olive oil, flax oil, almond butter) or 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream

Option B: 6oz can tuna or 5oz chicken, 3 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1 tomato

Meal 5: 10oz lean meat (chicken, turkey, fish, 93% or leaner beef, etc.), 4 cups salad (lettuce, tomato, carrot, cucumber, green peppers, etc.), 2 tbsp cider vinegar and 1 tbsp olive oil for a dressing

Meal 6: 5oz chicken or turkey breast; 6 egg whites, 1 cup omelet vegetables

Monday and Thursday: In place of meal 6 (or as an added 7th meal if you weigh over 185 and your condition warrants it): 1.5 cups oatmeal (precooked) or cooked rice, 10oz sweet potato, 1 medium banana, 1 cup vegetables, 1 tbsp butter, almond butter or oil

Meal 1: 5oz lean beef or turkey, 6 egg whites + 1 whole egg, 1/2 grapefruit

Meal 2:
Option A: Protein Drink: 2 scoops Ultimate Muscle Protein or Muscle Provider, 1 tablespoon healthy fat or heavy whipping cream (optional), 4 strawberries (optional), 16oz water

Option B: 6oz tuna or chicken, 3 egg whites + 1 whole egg, 1 tomato

Meal 3: 8oz chicken (weighed prior to cooking), 4 cups salad (lettuce, tomato, carrot, cucumber, green peppers, etc.), 2 tbsp cider vinegar and 1 tbsp olive oil for a dressing

Meal 4:
Option A: 6oz tuna or chicken, 3 egg whites, 1 whole egg, and 1 tomato or a cup of vegetables

Option B: Protein Drink: 2 scoops Muscle Provider, 12oz water (if post training); or 2 scoops Ultimate Muscle Protein

Meal 5: 8oz lean meat (chicken, turkey, fish or 93% lean beef, etc.), 2 cups vegetables

Monday and Thursday: Add a 6th meal at the end of the day: 1.5 cups oatmeal (precooked) or cooked rice, 10oz sweet potato, 4oz banana, 1 cup vegetables, 1 tbsp butter, almond butter or oil

Women’s Physique: My Journey from Competitive Boxer to Women’s Physique Competitor

Age: 39 (will be 40 on July 3rd)

Occupation: Branch Manager for Mueller Roofing Distributors, I am 5th generation in our family-owned business.

Family: Curt (husband), sons Christian (age 22 and also a body builder), Tristan (19) and Trenton (19) (twins)

Current Residence: Liberty Township, Ohio

Years training: 3 years

Height: 5' 2"

Weight: 130 (Off-Season), 122 (Contest)

Favorite UMP recipe (off-season treat): Peanut Butter Protein Bites - 1/3 cup natural peanut butter, 1/4 cup honey, 1 scoop chocolate UMP, 3 tbsp ground flaxseed, 3 tbsp mini dark chocolate chips. Mix all ingredients together. Form dough into quarter size bites. Store in the refrigerator.

Favorite BI Supplement: Muscle Mass - This is an excellent BCAA! I used it throughout my prep to aid in muscle preservation and muscle recovery. Taking Muscle Mass during training is the secret to sustaining my intense training schedule.

Supplement Recommendation: Make it simple! Start small... more isn't always better. Follow the BI plan that best aligns with your goals.

Music: Anything from the 80s and 90s to current: Van Halen, White Snake, Prince, Journey, Eminem, Alter Bridge, Metallica and Anthrax

Most Inspiring Book: The Servant by James C. Hunter

Hobbies: Boating with my family, reading, and traveling

Words to live by: "You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win and expect to win." ~ Zig Ziglar

I have always been an avid fitness enthusiast. I was raised in a very active household and physical activity has always been a part of my life. In the ‘80’s it was aerobics and later, Tae Bo. But, deep down I always wanted to be like one of the “fit” girls on the magazine covers. Although I tried to stay active as I raised a family, I really couldn’t dedicate any significant time to fitness until my sons grew older. In 2012 I began taking cardio boxing classes at a local gym and fell in love with it. After a year of boxing for fun and fitness, I decided to take it to the next level and began training to box competitively. My first tournament was at the 2014 Arnold Classic. I came in second. What an amazing experience! Following that tournament I continued to train and looked forward to my next fight.

Then, in the fall of 2014, my oldest son, Christian competed in a bodybuilding competition. It was the Natural Ohio, hosted by Dave Lieberman. My husband and I made the trip to cheer him on. We really enjoyed the show and were proud and thrilled when Christian placed first in several classes. Another highlight of the show was the Women’s Physique competition. I was completely taken aback and in awe of those women. I loved their combination of femininity and muscle without the glitz and glam of those in the Figure or Bikini divisions. Right then and there I knew that I wanted to compete in Women’s Physique. I nudged my husband and said, “I can do that…I know I can do that!”

And so my “physique” journey began. Being an “all in or all out” girl, I knew I needed help if I was going to successfully make the switch from boxer to physique competitor. Training and diet changes would be a necessity. Instead of emphasizing quickness and conditioning alone, I needed to eat and train for muscle growth and development while minimizing bodyfat. Luckily, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some amazing coaches. Coach Rob Quimby, former bodybuilding champion and owner of Fitness Lifestyle Personal Training, along with Coach Tina Triguero, IFBB Pro and owner of Tfit Training, gave me all of the tools that I needed to succeed.

I am a busy girl so I like to keep things simple. I do all of my meal planning and prep for the week on Sunday afternoons. It takes about 3 hours but saves me loads of time during the week and it keeps me on track. I cook 10 skinless chicken breasts at a time in the crock pot with salt and pepper, Flavor God seasoning, and 2 low sodium chicken bouillon cubes. I bake tilapia with lemon juice and a little pepper. I pre-cut all of my veggies, separate them into servings and I place them all into disposable steamer bags for easy storage and cooking. Meals #2 and #4 are UMP Strawberry shakes. I prepare them the night before by adding 2 scoops to a shaker bottle with about 10oz water. I then put it in the freezer overnight. I take the frozen shake with me to work and by the time I’m ready to drink it, it’s a slushy! I LOVE it.

During my meal planning sessions, I also prepare my supplements in daily dosages and store them in a pill organizer to expedite things during the week. Beverly products were instrumental to my success. When boxing I had used various supplements, but my contest prep trainer said that Beverly was the best and helped me design a supplement plan to gain lean muscle mass while losing fat. I noticed a huge difference in my ability to gain muscle and lose fat. Here’s the program I used to lose more than 12% of my bodyfat in 20 weeks while securing all of my muscle.

UMP: (Chocolate and Strawberry) Strawberry is my favorite... a treat that tastes like cake batter!

Ultra 40: (3 with each meal)

Mass Aminos: (3 with each meal)...switched to Muscle Mass around 8 weeks out (3 with each meal and 10-15 total taken before, during and after training)

Lean Out: (2 upon rising and 2 with each meal)

7-Keto MuscLean: (3 upon rising and 3 mid-afternoon)

Joint Care: (3 capsules twice daily) I swear by this supplement...I have bad tennis elbow and as long as I keep this on board I am in good shape.

EFA Gold: (3 softgels twice daily)

Glutamine Select (2 scoops while training and 1-2 scoops throughout the day to curb hunger)

Kudos to Beverly and excellent customer service! The online ordering page is fantastic and repeat user friendly. My order is always spot-on and arrives at my doorstep within a day or two at the most!

Weight Training

I work a sedentary job from 7:30-4:30 daily, and then go right to the gym where I meet my husband. We train together for 1.5 – 2 hours, six days a week. We work with one of my coaches, Rob Quimby, on two of those days.

Rob and I focused on leaning out my legs while also improving shoulder and chest mass. Although I have a decent amount of muscle in my legs, I tend to carry some excess "baggage" there too. I trained them twice a week in completely different ways to lean them out and expose those detailed lines. My favorite leg exercises are squats alternating with 150# sled pushes. Here are the basic parameters for my training:

• Trained each body part twice weekly

• Focused on weight for reps (12-15 reps per set/4-5 sets each exercise/Increased weight with each set/Enough weight that the final few reps of the final set are very challenging and near failure)

• Use a lot of supersets

MONDAY: LEGS (MY FAVORITE)
Deep heavy Barbell Squats superset with 30-yard 150# Sled Pushes
Leg Extensions and Sissy Squats superset with 20-yard steep Hill Runs
Heavy barbell Walking Lunges superset with 40-yard Sprints
Weighted Jump Squats

TUESDAY: CHEST
Dips superset with Incline Dumbbell Press
Flat Dumbbell Press superset with Chest Flyes
Barbell Bench Press
Incline Barbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Pullovers superset with Push-ups

TUESDAY: BACK
Heavy Deadlifts superset with Seated Cable Rows
Chin-ups superset with One Arm Dumbbell Rows
Wide Grip Pulldowns superset with Bent-over Barbell Rows
Inverted Chin-ups using the TRX suspension trainer

WEDNESDAY: SHOULDERS
Seated Arnold Press superset with Behind the Head Pulldowns
Standing Dumbbell Press superset with Side Lateral Raises
Barbell Press in front of head and behind
Bent Over Rear Delt Raises superset with Barbell Upright Rows
Shrugs superset with Cable Face Pulls

WEDNESDAY: BICEPS / TRICEPS
Close Grip Pullover & Press superset with weighted Bench Dips
Skull Crushers superset with Tricep Pushdowns
Overhead Tricep Extensions using the rope/cable
Barbell Curls superset with Reverse Curls
Standing Dumbbell Curls superset with Hammer Curls
Preacher Curls or Concentration Curls over a bench

FRIDAY: LEGS (HEAVY)
Heavy Squats
Leg Press superset with Leg Curls
Romanian Deadlifts superset with Swing Squat Machine
Donkey Calf Raises superset with weighted Reverse Hyperextensions

Cardio

20-30 minutes of fasted HIIT cardio first thing in the morning on the treadmill, 6-7 days per week- incline jog/sprint.

Evening cardio following weight training: 20-30 minutes on the stationary bike 5-6 evenings per week.

The Results

I competed in my first show in March of 2015, the NPC Natural Ohio. I was thrilled to garner second place in the Women’s Physique Open “A” Class and win the overall in the Master’s Women’s Physique division. Four weeks later, I competed in the NPC Kentucky Derby and placed third in both the Women’s Physique Open Class “A” and Master’s Women’s Physique Class. It was a great start to what I know will be a challenging but rewarding experience in Women’s Physique. A big thank you to my awesome coaches, my amazingly supportive husband and family for helping me battle through this huge accomplishment.

Don’t Call It A Comeback!

For natural bodybuilders like Frank LaGarde, the situation can be different. Taking almost a decade away from the posing platform, did not remove him from the gym. Bodybuilding is a sport in which 99% of the athletic performance takes place before the day of competition. LaGarde's nine-year break was not a retirement.

“In addition to getting married and moving, doing too many shows in a three-year period burned me out,” LaGarde says. “I also knew I needed time to put on some muscle since I was squeezing into the middleweight class (at six-feet tall).”

Natural bodybuilding requires time, even for those possessing good genetics. Frank LaGarde definitely has some genetic advantages, including broad shoulders and a small waist. His V-taper exaggerates itself when he diets for a contest. “It's a gift and a curse. It helps you in bodybuilding but it is hard to buy clothes that fit you.” This is NOT a terrible burden.

Frank began lifting for basic recreational exercise after high school but he got serious in 1999, which led to him competing in 2000. “I went to a contest that one of my wife's college friends competed in and said, 'I can do that'”. Since Frank placed well in his early contests (and went on to win in the most of the ones he entered) he became hooked on competing. Here is a listing of his three hectic early years in the sport:

2004 NPC Natural Ohio
(Middleweight: 1st place)

2004 NPC Upper Ohio Valley
(Middleweight: 1st place)

2004 NABBA Canton Open
(Middleweight: 1st place)

2005 NPC Natural Ohio
(Middleweight: 1st place)

2005 NPC Upper Ohio Valley
(Middleweight: 1st place / Overall Champion)

2005 NABBA Canton Open
(Middleweight: 1st place / Overall Champion)

2005 NPC Mike Francois Classic
(Middleweight: 1st place)

2006 Team Universe (National Contest)
(Middleweight: 5th place)

2006 NPC Motor City Classic
(Middleweight: 1st place)

2006 NPC Ohio State Championships
(Middleweight: 1st place)

Resurgence

During his nine-year break from competitive bodybuilding, Frank's focus outside of the gym had been on marriage and career. In the gym, he slowly added muscle onto his new light-heavyweight build. He now plans to bring up his calves and traps before looking for the next areas required for ongoing construction.

Frank works from 8:30 until 5:00pm as a Sales Rep for AT&T-Midwest in the Small Business Sales department. His co-workers respect his bodybuilding goals and the job fits in well with his needs.

After work, he returns home, gets something to eat or drinks a shake, and makes it to the gym around 7:15. After work, Frank trains at Pep Wahl's Body Builders Inc in Akron, Ohio. Body Builders Inc is one of the country's best (and most under-rated) gyms. Need to chalk your hands? No worry about having to clean up after yourself. Chalk boxes are positioned throughout the gym. Body Builders' has an uncommon “men only” rule. What might seem like an outdated rule insisted upon by the landlord 35 years ago, does have its benefit for those that train there. Lack of the fairer sex removes the need for gym clothes that match. You don't see men in custom-designed athletic footwear, $60 gym hoodies, or matching lifting belt-and-shoe combos. Heck, even a hairstyle flattened by the pillow is not uncommon here. The vomit buckets get used and hard work is typical, with powerlifters, bodybuilders and non-competition gym meatheads all training hard and driven by their own purpose...whatever it might be.

Frank trains solo and likes to hit each body part twice a week. His training takes between 90 minutes to two hours, so he is home by around 9:00. This gives him just an hour to relax with his wife, Jennifer, before wrapping up his day.

Frank's approach in the gym doesn't change much pre- or post-contest. As the contest approaches, he does go a bit lighter, slightly reduces the rest periods, and does high rep burnout sets (with maybe 15-20 reps). For example, his chest training may involve a heavy pressing movement followed by higher reps pec deck or flyes.

Why does Frank not make big changes to his training as a contest approaches? “I don't let my body composition get out of control.” Like other smart and dedicated lifters, his off-season condition does not become sloppy with some type of “bulking” strategy. “At the recent NPC Natural Northern USA, I came down from around 212-213 and competed around 180.” This contest (promoted by Dave Liberman) is one of the largest regional drug-free contests in the country so Frank's overall wins in both the Open Class and Masters Class show that he properly filled out his now light-heavy frame. This made his return to the stage a success:

Maximum Potential

So why did Frank LaGarde make the decision to contact Beverly International? “My initial goal was to maximize my potential in order to get the very best results when competing,” Frank says. He started reading the No Nonsense Newsletter around 2000, but didn't try the products until 2003.

“When I first started bodybuilding, I was not using Beverly. But I decided to give Beverly a try. I noticed that the people winning at the shows were being featured in the No Nonsense Newsletters as loyal Beverly supplement users. That was proof enough for me!”

“I've been using BI supplements for so long, I do not have anything to compare it to. I guess that's pretty good.”

“I first met Steven Wade at the Beverly booth at the Arnold Classic, I believe it was 2002. We talked about the different products, mostly the protein powders.” When Frank decided to begin using Beverly he sent an email detailing his goals, and Steven was the Beverly Advisor Team member who replied. The two men crafted a contest diet that he has been using to this day. “Why change, if it's working?”

Frank's use of Beverly supplements is very diverse. His favorite products include Ultimate Muscle Protein (UMP), Provosyn, and Quadracarn.

In his off-season, Frank takes one scoop of UMP and one scoop of Provosyn, two to three times daily. He also adds in four Ultra 40 tablets and four Mass Aminos twice daily, first thing in the morning and in the evening post-workout. For overall vitamin/mineral support, he has a Super Pak in the morning. To fuel his training, he has two scoops of Glutamine Select post-workout or three scoops sipped during training. He wraps his intake up with Quadracarn, three tablets, three times a day.

Like many successful bodybuilders, Frank's supplement intake makes minor increases as the competition approaches. This is to protect against muscle loss when calorie intake and metabolism are more strictly controlled. He increases his intake of Ultra 40 and Mass Aminos to four of each with every meal (five times a day). He increases this to a sixth dose of the two products as the diet continues. Beverly’s Creatine Select is added in to keep his muscles full of creatine when glycogen may be a bit low. The contest prep period also includes two Lean Out and four Muscularity with each meal. GH Factor is also included with six capsules in the morning and another six before bed. As a final support, Frank includes three 7-Keto MuscLean capsules in the morning, followed by a second similar dose in the afternoon.

“I didn't want to waste time with a lot of guess work and experimentation. Beverly has definitely helped me with that. They’ve helped me meet my goals...from the very beginning up until current day. Their input has always been on the money. Even after I took nine years from competing, Steven was still there to help me get back into contest shape."

Frank's praise of Beverly International goes beyond his own contest victories and reflects his early views of the newsletter (which has now transformed into the No Nonsense magazine). He likes BI “mainly because they use "real world" people such as myself, not just professional bodybuilders and fitness models, but regular people who have to be at work every day. I think that goes a lot further, when discussing real world results."

In life, real world results are the barometer of success. This involves goals taken beyond wishful dreams to becoming accomplished objectives. Frank LaGarde's impressive extensive list of contest victories demonstrate real world results. And now his profile in a Beverly article may serve to inspire more future champions to accomplish their own real world results!

Meal Plan

Meal 1: 1 whole egg, 6 egg whites, 1 can tuna , 1 scoop Muscle Provider , ½ grapefruit

Meal 2: 1 can tuna mixed with 4 boiled egg whites

Meal 3: 8oz grilled chicken breast, 2 ½ cups green beans

Meal 4: 2 scoops Muscle Provider, 1 tomato or ½ grapefruit

Meal 5 (pre-workout): 1 can of tuna or 10 egg whites

Meal 6: 7oz turkey breast or 8oz white fish, 2 cups of steamed vegetables (usually broccoli)

On Mondays and Thursdays, I ate the following in place of my normal 6th meal:
1 ½ cups of oatmeal (measured before cooking) or 1.5 cups cooked brown rice, 10oz sweet potato, 1 banana, 1 cup vegetables, and 1 tablespoon butter

MONDAY: ABS, HAMSTRINGS, CHEST, BICEPS	Amount
Ab Crunches or Declined Sit Ups	4x25
Leg Curls	5x10
Straight-Leg Deadlifts	5x10
Chest Press Machine	5x10
Pec Deck Flyes	5x10 (sometimes superset with Dips 5 x10)
Standing Bicep Curls	5x10
Dumbbell Hammer Curls	5x10

TUESDAY: ABS, BACK, SHOULDERS, TRICEPS	Amount
Weighted or Machine Crunches	3x25
Lat Pull Down	5x10
Seated Rows	(sometimes superset with Shrugs 5x10)
Machine Shoulder Press	5x10
Lateral Raises or Upright Rows	5x10
Triceps Pressdowns	5x10
Overhead Triceps Rope Extensions	5x10

THURSDAY: ABS, CALVES, HAMSTRINGS, CHEST, BICEPS	Amount
Hanging Ab Crunches	4x25
Seated Calf Raises	5x10
Leg Press	5x10
Standing Ham Curls	5x10
Incline Chest Press	5x10
Wide Chest Press	5x10
Preacher Curls	5x10
Rope Curls	5x10

SATURDAY: BACK, QUADS, SHOULDERS, TRICEPS	Amount
Romanian Deadlifts	5x10
Front Squats	5x10
Reverse Grip Lat Pulldowns	5x10
T-Bar Rows	5x10
Machine Shoulder Press	5x10
Rear Delt Flyes	5x10
Single Arm Triceps Pressdowns	5x10
Overhead Triceps Extensions	5x10

Full-Time Cop, Mom and Fitness America Class Winner

No Nonsense Magazine Collectors Edition 2015

Training Schedule

The Dynamic Drug-Free Duo

No Nonsense Magazine Collectors Edition 2015

Training

40+ MEN

No Nonsense Magazine Collectors Edition 2015

HERE’S HOW TO GET THE MOST BENEFIT FROM THE MATURE MUSCLE STACK

Split Routine for Intermediates

Two Overall Bikini Titles - Here's How I Did It

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Nutrition & Supplements

My Daily Supplement Plan

My Daily Meal Plan:

My Workouts

Presentation

My No Nonsense Approach to Bodybuilding Success

No Nonsense Magazine Collectors Edition 2015

Here's how I do it:

Supplements

Cardio

Training

Classic Physique - Presentation

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The Classic Physique Compulsory Poses

PHASE 1 POSING PRACTICE

PHASE 2 POSING PRACTICE

10-minute Prejudging Drill:

The Individual Routine:

Points to Remember:

Closing Thoughts

Classic Physique - Training

No Nonsense Magazine Collectors Edition 2016

Phase 1 “Classic Physique” Training Program

1. Pyramid Training:

2. Double Progressive System:

3. Feeder Workouts:

Phase 2 “Classic Physique” Training Program

Classic Physique - Nutrition

No Nonsense Magazine Collectors Edition 2016

“Classic Physique” Nutrition

Phase 1 “Classic Physique” Nutrition Plan

Phase 2 “Classic Physique” Nutrition Plan

Phase 3 “Classic Physique” Contest Peaking Nutrition Plan

Women's Physique: My Journey from Competitive Boxer to Women's Physique Competitor

No Nonsense Magazine Collectors Edition 2016

20% Bodyfat to 7.7% Nutrition and Supplement Plan

Supplements

Weight Training

Training

Cardio

The Results

Don't Call It A Comeback! Frank LaGarde's Nine-Year Competitive Pause Leads to BIGGER Wins

No Nonsense Magazine Collectors Edition 2016

Maximum Potential

Training