Right now, I’m only training three days per week, and have not been doing my optional 4th-day fluff and buff. I have tried to scale back my training not just because I am healing up an injury, but making the transition into a new gym and team as easy as possible. I look at it like investing in my future lifting and business. It’s been a fun process, with a ton more to do. I will step it up more in the coming weeks, but right now, I’m spread pretty thin.

My plan for writing is as follows: new training Logs on Monday (minimum, some days more) a rant or update here or there on Wednesday and a new article on Friday.

Make sure to read my latest article which can be found HERE on my author page where I discuss my time with Team Samson and the direction I’m going forward with my team. I think it’s going to surprise a lot of you.

Currently, I have no meets picked out but that should change soon. I’m taking my time and enjoying the process right now which is something I’ve struggled with in the past. However, we do have 3 lifters competing in Holly Hill, Fl this July. Thomas, Steve, and Zach; all lifting at 220, 198 and 242 respectively. Dondell Blue and I are really enjoying the new blood in the gym, as well as passing on whatever we can to the newer generation of lifting.

Since we will have an SHW lifter in the near future, We will be looking to fill a few spots of 165 lifters, 275, 308. If you are wanting to grow, and learn for free and train with some of the best and most experienced group in the south. The requirements are simply to want to help, learn and get better. No level of strength is necessary, just the willingness to commit to the process and dependability; non-negotiable.

As always thank you to my co-brands Inzer Advance Designs and Jax Nutrition. 

Here’s a thorough update on where I am mentally, physically and spiritually.

To be completely transparent, I didn’t train last week. It was a necessary deload as the fellows will be heading into meet prep for the next ten weeks. Plus I pushed pretty good the weeks prior. I did train some last Monday, with many sets of DB presses, upper back, and shoulder work. The rest of the week, I felt kind-of-off. I had some allergy issues, then some stomach stuff. Plus I traveled to Miami to go to my friend Ken Percy’s clinic Vox Integrative Medicine Center. They offer Stem cell, PRP, HRT and rejuvenation and injury repair with all sort of top of the line equipment. They took excellent care of me, and I had some blood work done, which I’m waiting on the results to see where I am.

I look forward to going back in July for a follow-up.

Training after this week will pick back up along with some travel I have planned, so I’ll do my best to get my sessions in.

To add some further transparency, I have been off (hence my lab work) my prescribed HRT the last 4 months as it had been far too long since I’ve cleaned out and I have been shut down for a long time – About 15 years, and if you count dabbling with over the counter prohormones, even longer-call it about 20 years. It’s been pretty humbling, but I have to pay the piper since I ignored the wisdom of my Doctors over the years and didn’t use any HCG to keep my natural production intact, as I thought it was a farce when told ten years ago or longer. Also, I didn’t care enough. Young and dumb with tunnel vision at the time. So you can say I’m working on building my natural back up for a bit.

I never saw myself living past 45-50, so why would I care about the future; as I’ve told many people this over the years. I guess to some; it would make sense as to why I didn’t care because you’ve been there. Some will laugh at this and say, “yep I knew he was crazy,” while others will smile and agree as they’ve lived it. I certainly don’t expect everyone to get “it,” as they won’t. I have been all-in for a long time and other than a couple of things (like not taking HCG) I don’t have any regrets because it’s lead me to the person I am today; the good the bad the ugly, along the way. It’s the past, and there is nothing I can do about it, learn and adjust. I’ll stay the course for as long as necessary.

Another something that I look back and laugh at (along with other dumb things I’ve done) is when I called myself “Drug-free” or “clean” when I was using all of the best prohormones available, some of which worked better than other stuff. And I thought it somehow made me better than those breaking the law LOL, what a hypocrite!

I have been prescribed scripts and peptides to get my natural production back, as well as to treat my low IGF-1 levels, etc. I have to get more sleep. Speaking of lack of sleep: Me, Zach and Steve shot up to Stan’s vertical diet at SPUD inc headquarters, last minute so this didn’t help my sleep. Sleep and rest is something I’ve come to realize that I’ve not had in the right dosages. I’ve also never known that I haven’t been able to relax and decompress. I was wound so damn tight for so many years that I could never relax. Needless to say, this is exhausting. The irony is the heading to SC at 5 am (missing sleep) and eating McDonalds and Cook-out (terrible for you food) for the purpose of a nutrition and recovery seminar. LOL. I’m very imperfect, as you can see.

I will update more as this all progresses. One thing I’m almost sure of: I will continue to compete. I’ve been doing a ton of research over the last 6months and have been doing my best to not turn into a fatass, which is harder as you get older. It’s just a matter of time, so I can’t commit to anything at this time. You can all read between the lines here, I’m guessing. I’m trying to enjoy the downtime as much as possible as I build a sufficient team of lifters here. Building the team has been an enjoyable process and has kept me busy. I also have a lot of athletes coming to town to train with me in a mini-seminar setting.

And my last topic: I am going back to 275 and will work on my body composition when the time is right and see where I can keep my bodyweight at, without it impacting my back health and overall disposition. The issue of my back was one of the biggest reasons why I shaved off some body fat. Though my placings and coefficient were higher when lighter, my happiness was greatly affected. I’ve toiled with 242 off and on for 12-13 years, and my hardheadedness has been a double-edged sword; wins and losses with that.I don’t need to cry about how ‘hard it is’ it’s just something I don’t care for anymore. The issue is all of the diet restrictions, and dramatic weight cuts have worn that part of me as a lifter entirely out! Add in some of the secret formula to staying lean and you have yourself a loaded, anxious, hungry-angry person. Anyway, I’m not planning on going back to 290+ but I’m not going to try to keep my weight under 265 anymore, it was too hard and cost me some muscle. With my bone structure and big joints, I don’t carry as much muscle like the other guys i.e. Jenks or Minuth, so it’s harder for me to make cuts. I want to be able to enjoy and focus on just lifting for at least a bit, as the diet and cut tend to consume the neurons in my brain. Not good.

That’s enough for today, thanks for reading.