–Cap’n Blackjack

I search the globe for the hottest men to become Mega Muscle models and today’s Hump Day Hunk is no exception.  Yan first contacted me when he was still living in Russia and he was passionate about becoming a model.  As soon as Yan arrived in Los Angeles, I knew he had what it takes.  Something about that cocky Russian just gets us hot!

So here are some hot shots of Yan the Russian — ENJOY!

See all of Yan’s hot photos on the NEW Mega Muscle Members Site!

Yan, photo by Ryan Boyd

Yan, photo by Bunker Monday for MegaMuscle.com

Yan, photo by Buner Monday for MegaMuscle.com

Yan, photo by Ryan Boyd

Yan, photo by Ryan Boyd

So…I’m planning on doing something motivating on January 1st to kick this whole thing off: a photo with my shirt off.

YAY!

Nothing says motivation like having to look at my large tum-tum.  I figure it is a great start so when I look back at myself on December 31st I can say, “WOW!  I WAS FATTTTT!” 

I pulled a before and after picture of my main man Jared Fogel.  Yeah – the Subway guy.  My man ate Subway and got skinny.  Stayed skinny cause he has aides (South Park joke).  But I’m sure seeing those photos are motivation enough for him to stay skinny.  Of course I’m not that fat…

Let’s take random fat-to-built guy from a Google search:

Is this even the same guy?!???!  I dunno…these pictures always confuse me.  A guy at the gym told me once that these scam places who promise you “Take this and you’ll be built in 3 weeks!” actually find their models at gyms…photograph them at their finest…then pay them to slack off and get a bit fat for the ‘before’ photo…which is taken SECOND.  Not sure if that is true or not…just saying it is interesting.

Well…my ‘fat’ photo is coming. 

Pork Chop night was excellent by the way.  Lauren seemed to enjoy them quite a bit.  It’s probably the last time I”ll have pork for a long, long time so adieu to you Babe!

START: 29 Days and a Wakeup

I’m an advocate of non-apparatus training techniques in situations where you do not have the ability to use an apparatus. This may be due to an injury which prevents the range of motion necessary to perform certain apparatus-based movements or it may be that you simply don’t have access to the equipment necessary to perform apparatus-based exercises. Whatever the reason for using them, non-apparatus techniques can be a great way to achieve muscular development. However, I would not recommend replacing an apparatus-based routine with a completely non-apparatus training routine.

I’ve used a variety of non-apparatus training methods over the course of my career and I’ve been intrigued by the high level of interest that such methods receive from the general public. Given the high level of interest in these methods, I’ve outlined my top recommendations for a non-apparatus training routine. We’ll begin with an upper body routine in this post, and in the next post, I’ll share my lower body recommendations.

Upper Body

Pull-Ups/Push-Ups

Alternate chin pull-ups with raised push-ups. You’ll want to do 3-4 total sets of each exercise while alternating between exercises for each consecutive set. Neither exercise will detract from your ability to perform the other because you’re working completely different muscle groups.

You can use a swing set, monkey bars, or other playground equipment for a chin pull-up bar.

It’s fairly easy to find a pull-up chin bar. It might be something you fashion from items around the house or you can find one on a school playground. When you do your pull-ups, you’ll want to bring your chin in front of and just over the bar. When you come down, don’t go all the way down into a complete hanging position. You’ll want to stop about 3-4 inches short of a complete hang and then begin to pull yourself up again. This is to keep your muscles under tension and you’ll learn across exercises that the time your muscles are under tension is extremely important for muscle growth. You’ll aim to complete whatever number of reps you can do and then repeat that number for each pull-up set.

For the push-ups, you’ll want your legs raised. You can prop your legs on a wall or stairs, whatever is convenient in your training area. For each push-up, your chest will nearly touch the ground. When you come up, you want to push until your arms are about 85-90% straight. Don’t lock your elbows. You’ll aim for as many as reps as you can get and sustain across each set. You don’t want to drops reps each set.

Leg Raises/Crunches

To target the abs, you’ll do leg raises using the pull-up bar. From a hanging position, you will contract your abs and raise your legs from a vertical position up to a horizontal position where they are extended straight out in front of you. You may also use traditional crunches to target the abs.

In the next blog post, I’ll share my lower body non-apparatus training recommendations.

Until then, keep training hard.

Jack King

Trust Me I’m A Bodybuilder by magarmor
See other Feel safe at T-Shirts

I know some guys that this sports hoodie would describe perfectly. Legends in their own minds, not that that is bad. But whoever designed this hoodie knew the same type of people which makes it all the funnier.

Ich hatte meinen Kollegen von der Arbeit versprochen immer mal wieder ein paar Bilder vom Strand zu schicken. Das Versprechen will ich natürlich gerne einhalten. Wir hoffen es geht Euch gut!

Es gibt hier in Miami Beach extrem viele Bodybuilder. – Es gibt aber auch sehr viele Models. Die sieht man allerdings auch nicht allzu oft.

Rentner gibt es hier relativ wenig. Denen ist es in Miami Beach sicher zu laut und stresig.

Was möchtet Ihr noch für Berichte aus Miami? Schreibt uns mal!

Liebe Grße

Christian & Soni

AR State-2006

Our bodies are temples of His grace and it is my job to ensure that I keep my temple clean and strong.

This weekend I have decided to get back into a muscle-building mode and put back on some meat.

AR State--2006

In July of 2006, I was a lightweight competitive bodybuilder. Then, my husband and I found out that we were expecting a sweet addition to out already large brood. Long story, short, the next two years paid a great toll on my body as I battled health issues during the pregnancy and beyond.

My workouts were hit-and-miss at best and completely non-existent at their worst. However, through that period of my life, I knew that if I listened to my body and resisted the urge to push it beyond its abilities at that time, that my body would recover more quickly and more thoroughly, and when it was healed my mind would be waiting with great anticipation.

AR State-2006

The waiting paid off and I was able to get back to training in the summer of 2008. When I got back into the swing of things, though, I was hit with the hard reality that I had to start from scratch. Let me just say that did not make me happy. I was well, I was healed, I was 20 pounds lighter than before, and I was down-right weak.

Because I knew what had to be done to get back into a healthy fitness habit, I just put my head down and got to work.

AR State-2006

I’m not telling you that it was fun, though. I’m not one to blow smoke. It was hard and I was out of practice at pushing myself. There were days when I just couldn’t seem to get motivated enough to get my workouts done. Other days I would allow just about anything to distract me from taking care of my temple.

But let me tell you this: the more workouts I made time for, the easier was to fit future workouts into my schedule. So many can attest to this truth. We can find time to so just about anything we want to do, but unless we find joy in working out it’s not going to be high on our priority lists.

AR State-2006

What kind of exercises do you enjoy doing? I love to weight train. I just realized over the weekend that I still get a thrill from running. I enjoy yoga, but rarely get to class and don’t enjoy it alone in my home (which is odd for me because I tend to be a loner when I exercise). I love to ride bikes like Lance and punch a heavy bag like Rocky, but those are not to-to favorites when I’m energized and ready to work. For me, it’s all about clanking weight plates and dumbbells around, dripping in sweat and forming the tell-tale signs of a weight trainer on the calloused palms of my hands (even through gloves). My go-to workouts revolve around the weight room floor.

So, here I am now…three years later. Through functional training and working to get into cardiovascular as well as strength shape, this is how far I’ve come. I’m not including any of the “in between” pics of how big I got with my third pregnancy, or how tiny I shrunk down to during the subsequent illness, but sufficed to say, I am happy that my body is responding to some weight gain. I feel more like “me.”

I believe that everything happens for a reason, and it’s how we respond to tragedy, loss, illness, and even bounty that shape us and teach us. Friends, let me tell you, I’ve learned a lot! And I am thankful for every lesson. Now, I think it’s time to hit the gym!!!

Today, I’m working upper body. Last night’s 10×10 squats were killer fun. Tonight, because we have a holiday looming and workouts will surely be hit-or-miss while travelling, I’m going to do an extended, seriously brutal workout…a series of 10×10’s. BEWARE!

10×10 Incline dumbbell press

10×10 Chin-ups (modify if you need to)

10×10 Incline bicep curls

10×10 Overhead Tricep Extensions

Here’s where I stand today, November 2009:

I know…I know…this is as dark as my skin gets…just call me Casper the friendly Gym Girl!!!

Make it a great day,

Marilyn

Jack King's trophy collection

Following a 1991 article published in Iron Man magazine, I received a ton of calls asking how it was that I was able to win the Masters Mr. America using the push-up alone for upper body development. The first problem is that I did not do only push-ups for upper body development. Unfortunately, the way the article was written led many to this false belief. I would be quick to set them straight. I did use push-ups, but used them along with other apparatus-based upper body exercises. Push-ups were a great addition to my routine when I was unable to do bench presses and other apparatus-based chest exercises due to an injury.

My conversations with people about the Iron Man article typically led to me sharing my repertoire of “non-apparatus training” techniques for the entire body. I believe in the power of non-apparatus training techniques when you cannot perform apparatus-based exercises due to injury, lack of equipment, or any other valid reason. However, you have to have to perform non-apparatus techniques at a level of intensity that would emulate what you would perform on an apparatus. You have to use appropriate set and rep counts to challenge your body in such a way as to create parallel gains to what you’d see using apparatus. I would not recommend replacing an apparatus-based training routine with a non-apparatus-based routine. Use non-apparatus training to supplement an apparatus-based routine, not replace it. The bottom line is that non-apparatus training is helpful when you don’t want to give up your training routine altogether due to circumstances which prevent you from using an appartus.

Now that we’ve set the fact straight, I would like to share my recommendations for a non-apparatus training routine should you ever find yourself in a situation where you would need to implement one. I’ll highlight some upper body techniques in my next post and lower body techniques in the following post.

Until next time, keep training hard.

Jack King

Dr. Jonn Randel is a well-known Canadian product formulator and speaker, best known for establishing and popularizing the field of nutraceutical formulations to make a holistic wellness lifestyle available to all. He is based in Richmond, B.C., near Vancouver, Canada, and has developed many cutting edge nutritional and skin care programs. In addition he has successfully coached many wellness companies and taught seminars on physical, mental, financial and emotional wellness. He has helped over ten companies with their product formulations and currently oversees the manufacture of several natural holistic products including organic skin care.

Jonn’s philosophy is that we are what we believe, think, act, say, eat and do. Many people have written about one aspect of these truths; however Jonn is unique in combining all these truths into one integrated philosophy. From the early age of nineteen, Jonn set out to discover the truths, both ancient and modern, of how we can live a healthy life. Jonn noticed during his high school and early university years that many people were waiting to fulfill their dreams. They seemed to think that if they simply did what seemed practical and responsible at the time, perhaps one day when they retired, they could focus on what they really wanted to do. For Jonn, this did not seem like a good blueprint for life. So he set out to find answers on how anyone can achieve their maximum potential through ancient and modern wellness secrets.

When Jonn’s mother died when he was 22 he noticed his mother and father did not fulfill their dreams to travel together in retirement. His father, who was a UN executive, lost his memory in his later years. Also, Jonn saw many other people that lose their energy and/or will to fulfill their dreams by the time they reached their sixties. This led him to think that perhaps we should maintain a balanced wellness lifestyle throughout our lives so that we can not only fulfill our dreams, but have enough energy to help others along the way.

To achieve his ambitious goal of empowering others to fulfill their dreams, Jonn allied himself with many of the world’s best innovators in the health and wellness field, and has never stopped studying, testing, refining and improving his acclaimed concepts, products and formulas.

Jonn Randel was born in Munich, Germany in 1951. His father worked for the United Nations, which resulted in Jonn moving to Japan when he was 3 years old. He completed high school near Niagara Falls, Canada and began studying natural medicine in 1971. His first mentor and teacher was a well-known author by the name of John H. Tobe, who lived near Niagara Falls. Mr. Tobe had an organic farm where Jonn purchased organic food. Tobe was the first person and author that Jonn knew who predicted the use of chemicals in food would result in cancer and other diseases, as a result of lowered immunity and greater environmental challenges to health.

Jonn went to university in Canada, the United States, Spain and Switzerland, and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Science. He later received a work study doctorate in natural medicine. During his studies in the United States, Jonn met author Harold Bloomfield and Dr. Keith Wallace, who had a PhD in physiology. Jonn learned from both teachers how the mind influences the body. As a result of Jonn’s wellness courses, he was often written about in the local newspapers of the Niagara region. He also appeared on T.V. in both Canada and the U.S .His growing reputation as a speaker and seminar leader led to his teaching mind body seminars to the Niagara regional teacher’s association.

From 1973 onwards, Jonn studied and lived the ideals of a healthy lifestyle and taught these concepts in the form of evening seminars, daily exercise programs and weekend retreats. He also began to travel internationally to Spain, Switzerland and the U.S. to further his studies. In 1977, Jonn traveled to Mill Valley, California, to work as vice president under Dr. Scott Treadway for the new whole food supplements company Golden Epoch. After moving to Vancouver, BC in 1978, Jonn worked for Barry Carlsen, for the emerging wellness product company Quest Vitamins.

He had hoped to import whole food supplements from the U.S. but he was told by Health Canada that these products would never be approved.

1979, Jonn was inspired enough to start his own company and within a year, his son Kryshan was born, in 1980. After months of research, Jonn recognized that the science of aromatherapy had not yet been introduced to health food stores in Canada, so he began importing and distributing essential oils. As the oils were for external use, Health Canada did not seem to mind. Jonn also studied the use of aromatherapy, and began to use the relevant oils in his own wellness lifestyle. He uses these oils today in his skin care treatments, and has advised many companies on their essential oil needs.

Jonn started his business with no capital or family support. His experience in the wellness industry had mostly been in teaching and studying holistic health concepts. Despite these limitations, he believed in the power of thought, belief, action and prayer and courageously set out to start a business, family and buy a house all in one year. Looking back, Jonn thinks it was a miracle he was able to do this.

The 1980’s were a time of study and experience of creating innovative natural products. His creation of the amino acid formulas in 1983 led Jonn to take nutritional science courses with Dr. John Black in Vancouver to futher his knowledge of the emerging nutraceutical product market. During these years Jonn travelled throughout the USA, to seek out the best health supplement companies. He began to import from both Source Naturals and Country Life, now two of the most successful companies in North America. He helped the CEO of Country Life, Harold Drexler, obtain many difficult to get DINS (Drug Identification Numbers). He still helps with Source Naturals exports into Canada today. Solgar, another successful U.S company also benefited from Jonn’s consulting abilities.

In 1983, Jonn became the first person in Canada to import free-form amino acids. His first product was a combination of amino acid proteins, arginine, ornithine, and lycine, a precursor to growth hormone release from the pituitary gland, which helps the body to be trimmer and healthier. One of Jonn’s specialties is the formulation of hormonal support products.

Jonn’s company was first to import many nutraceuticles into Canada. These include Co-enzyme Q-10, a complete array of freeform amino acids including l-tryptophan, melatonin, chlorella, Klamath blue green algae, shark cartilage, fish oils, gamma oryzonal, octacosinol, greenlipped muzzle extract, jojoba oil etc.

Another mentor came from an unexpected source. Eginoff Bohm was head of the approval process for natural products for western Canada. He was very helpful. Jonn became an expert at achieving Canadian government approvals and came out with a full line of free form amino acid products from Japan. After approving and allowing the sale of these safe beneficial protein supplements, the Canadian government, without any warning, banned their sale in 1983, which was a business setback. Because there is no reason to ban such beneficial supplements they allowed their sale many years later. This was the beginning of the governments allowing, banning, allowing policy which made it difficult to be innovative and stay in business in Canada.

In 1984, after the restriction of amino acids, Jonn began to import homeopathy. The government banned the sale of most of these products about a year later. Homeopathy has always been allowed in Canada; however the government would not allow companies to make any claims or say what the products did, which made selling them impractical. Jonn met and worked with a prominent homeopathic formulator Gary Parker. Over the next few years, they discussed making more effective homeopathic natural medicines with unique ingredients such as amino acids and flower extracts that were not being used in homeopathic formulas anywhere in North America at the time. Jonn completed over thirty formulas in this category alone and obtained many government approvals for these products.

In the mid eighties, Jonn spent years refining his knowledge of sublingual absorption nutrients which included homeopathy, flower extracts and trace elements such as ayurvedic gold and silver. Dr. Tom Glu from Vancouver met with Jonn about a dozen times to father his knowledge about the best remedies in this interesting category of sublingual, fast absorption remedies. Jonn also worked with Dr. Ian White, a well known author form Australia who is a specialist in flower extracts. Both Jonn and Ian were asked to speak at the international conference on vibration medicine in Victoria, B.C., Canada with Dr. Gerber and molecular medicine experts from around the world. Although it was very difficult, Jonn did obtain Canadian drug identification numbers (DIN’S), on many of his formations such as thymus, adrenal and pituitary remedies.

During the same period Jonn completed 23 ayurvedic formulas during his studies with several world health experts. None of these remedies were approved by the Canadian government. However, Jonn uses the principles of ayurvedic balancing in all his formulas. Jonn imported ayurvedic triphala (a balancing cleansing herb), by the ton, from India to supply Planitary Formulas (a division of Source Naturals); Jonn studied with Dr. Trivedi, one of the world’s finest avurvedic physicians who were trained in both modern medical science and the ancient art of ayurveda. Dr. Trivedi introduced Jonn to Dr. Ladd, a well known author and founder of a New Mexico ayurvedic clinic. In addition, Jonn spent a lot of time with Dr. Robert Svoboda who was the only Westerner, at that time, to complete the six-year study of ayurveda in India.

In 1985 Jonn’s daughter Alyse was born. He raised both his children with a very healthy lifestyle.

There was no white sugar, white flour or TV in the house. They had goats milk and a little yogurt instead of regular cow’s milk. His children went to bed early after Jonn spent time reading and praying with them. On weekends, Jonn would take them to parks to be in nature, twelve months of the year. He never bought them any soft drinks or fed them the cheap white sugar white flour cereals so popular today. At Halloween they were allowed three candies. When they came home from school they were fed healthy snacks such as fruit in season or apples and almond butter or tahini for calcium. He read them Bible stories at night and never allowed them to have any vaccinations. He paid the extra fees of a Montassori school and often had to drive them there.

Jonn gave his children probiotics, garlic and other supplements in their yogurt so that they would have strong immune systems and not get the unnecessary flues and colds that most children get. He took them to his favorite TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doctor as opposed to western medical doctors. Jonn’s children rarely saw regular MD’s and to this day turn to wellness solutions as opposed to drugs which Jonn believes are a main cause of declining health. Kryshan and Alyse follow their Dad’s philosophy of going after your dreams with a balanced wellness lifestyle which includes emotional, mental and spiritual health. Jonn considers his children his best friends and would like to write a book on the subject. He is appalled at how children are being raised today.

In 1990, Jonn teamed up with several Canadian natural health experts, including one of his first clients Dr. Croft Woodruff, president of the Canadian Health Food Association. Together, with Jack Crisp (CHFA business director), and other industry leaders such as Bill Renolds, Jonn created a position paper representing the wellness industry for the federal government, about the different categories of natural medicines. Jonn also set up an industry meeting with the western director of Health Canada, Dennis Shelly, to discuss issues such as the banning of safe natural health supplements. Almost every supplement banned by the government, such as melatonin and germanium, were later allowed because there was no reason to ban them in the first place. Jonn lost half his business four times over these changing regulations but managed in each to overcome these setbacks.

In 1992 Jonn completed two tropical rainforest herbal tonics, for both men and women, with the well known Canadian herbalist and author, Dr Terry Willard.

Jonn has received many Canadian Drug Identification Numbers (DINS), and is an expert consultant in this area. As a result of his expertise, he was asked by Hal Drexller, the CEO of Country Life Vitamins in New York to obtain DINS for their products. He also set out to get DINS for his homeopathic products. He was very successful in obtaining many DIN approvals for both Country Life and his own formulas.

Many importers and distributors of fine natural products in Canada were fed up with the inconsistent, unnecessarily complex and constantly changing government regulations. Their hope was that the federal government would allow the claims published in internationally recognized reference books. This would lead to Canadian companies being allowed to sell products with reasonable claims, without the constant threat of the Canadian government stopping the sale of safe natural products. As a result of industry feedback, of which Jonn was very proactive, it was hoped that the political climate of the federal government towards natural medicines would improve. Today some claims are allowed, mainly on simple products. More creative products are very difficult to get approved.

In 1993 he was asked by the BC government to speak to speak to five hundred entrepreneurs on how to start a business and maintain its success. He since has developed and taught a three seminar series on how to achieve success in life. He would like to do more teaching and writing in this area of balanced success in life.

In 1994, Jonn co-chaired a task force for the regional Vancouver board. The goal was to produce a statistically correct report, based on an extensive survey of individuals, to determine their preferences for health care. He asked John Smith, MA who had extensive experience at the B.C. cancer agency to help , along with Dr. Jackson Chang any many others. Dr. Chang became Jonn’s main mentor in Chinese medicine. With the help of over thirty volunteers, the health report was completed.

He continued his study about essential oils and aromatherapy in 1995 with Dr. Brian Miller and his wife Light Millar. He deepened his understanding of the effects of light and the power of belief systems with Dr. Jacob Lieberman, author of Light Medicine of the Future. In addition he studied biokinesiology expert practitioner Steve Ariss in order to improve his sublingual formulas.

Jonn has developed and taught a course on ayurveda and marriage and believes emotional health to be one of the four pillars of total wellness along with mental, and physical and spiritual health. He has learnt a lot from his own personal life. In 1995, Jonn’s first wife, and mother of his two children, decided to pursue her interest of painting in her own live in art studio away from the family. This led to a separation and divorse in 1997. This happened when his son Kryshan was seventeen, and his daughter Alyse was twelve. From that time, Jonn raised the children without her. This led Jonn to deeply study relationships and the importance of emotional health on wellness. Jonn married Michelle Chen in 2005, and is now a grandfather, as his daughter Alyse has a son. Jonn’s son Kryshan, is a successful director and film maker, and designed, filmed and produced Jonn’s product DVD. Michelle helps with graphic design and printing and helps Jonn oversee the skin care manufacturing. Michelle and Jonn enjoy working closely together.

In 1996, Jonn spent an entire year formulating essential oil combinations with one of the top aromatherapists in the world, Sylla Sheppard Hangar of the Atlantic Institute of Aromatherapy. Hangar is a world-class formulator who co-authored the Aromatherapy Practitioners Manual with Martin Watt from England, which is considered a desk reference for aromatherapists worldwide. Hangar enabled Jonn to finalize the formulas for an all-natural perfume line, as well as essential oil combinations. Sylla came to visit Jonn in Vancouver along with Martin Watt. These two world renowned essential oil experts greatly helped him perfect his aroma therapy blends, many of which he uses in his skin care treatments today.

In 1997, Jonn was asked by the BC government along with other industry leaders, such as Dr Ma, to help write a report on BC botanicals. The government paid for the expenses of Jonn and the other contributing experts to complete a botanical report.

In 1998, Jonn was asked to provide Dr David Wang and Carsten Hagen, with a formulation HGH (human growth hormone) /IGF) insulin growth hormone) sublingual homeopathic spray. Dr. Bori Shushan (PhD chemistry), helped with this exciting project. Jonn had previously obtained a DIN (drug identification number), for a homeopathic pituitary gland sublingual spray. The pituitary gland is responsible for the production of HGH so Jonn was off to a good start. Jonn asked Dr Shushan, a specialist in mass spectrometer testing to help with this project. Dr. Shushan was chosen by SCIEX, a world leader in mass spectrometer testing, to work with a US FDA team to develop protocols, for testing the size and shape of the HGH molecule. With this experience, Dr Shushan was able to advise Jonn on the best direction to achieve the maximum results for his IGF/HGH sublingual spray. This was Jonn’s second product that encourages the pituitary gland to produce healthy amounts of HGH (human growth hormone).

More assignments followed. In 1999 Michael Beresford of the Vancouver skin care distribution company Moor Spa, asked Jonn to formulate some spa products, including a facial cream, using Austrian moor mud. Jonn completed these spa products and then created a healing pain relief cream for a US mail-order company in Oregon called Blue Mountain Herbs. This all natural chemical free cream continues to him an enormous success, relieving the pain of many suffering people. Jonn began to distribute this cream in Canada, and later modified the ingredients to create a similarly effective facial cream. This face, skin and joint cream is now distributed to over two hundred pharmacies and health food stores in Washington, Oregon and Canada.

Jonn has been privileged to spend time with Dr. Tomas Barnard M.D., one of the few board certified anti-aging doctors in Canada. Dr. Barnard had heard of Jonn’s work and asked to meet him in Italy to discuss formulations. As a result, they co-formulated a one a day tablet.

By 2000, Jonn had studied and tested the effects of high potency retinol (vitamin A) in facial care. His retinol formulations were based on Dr. Klingan’s research from the University of Chicago. He then perfected a facial spa rejuvenating anti-aging cream and serum by combining retinol with Co Q-10, MSM (plant sulfur) and therapeutic grade aromatherapy. He also has created masks, body wraps and a plant mineral facial spray for the spa industry.

In 2001, Jonn worked with Hollywood’s top skin care formulator Peter Lammas, who encouraged him to develop a serum with Alpha Lipoic Acid. Lammas was one of Jonn’s most accomplished mentors. His stellar resume included beauty consultant work for such superstars as Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly and Barbara Walters; and the makeup teams for Victoria Secret and James Cameron’s Titanic. Lammas was and still is an enormous fan of Jonn’s work, praising his products above and beyond many of his other clients including Estee Lauder.

In 2002, Jonn began to study the use of organic plant extracts for their anti-fungal properties and their ability to reduce facial fine lines. He quickly realized a special blend of organic plant acids that he created play a key role in nature, to help regulate fungi, bacteria and viruses. By 2003, he was able to use this blend to preserve all his natural skin care products. At first, his interest in the blend of plant acids was focused on skin care to extend shelf life and help reduce wrinkles. However, it was not long before he realized that they had many other uses.

In 2003 he used this proprietary blend of plant acids to develop a series of internal products. These internal products included Detox Body Cleanse, a GI (Gastro Intestinal) cleanse to rid the body of excess negative aerobic bacteria. Based on his extensive study of aryuvedic and body balancing, his concept is to gently allow the intestinal tract to regain homeostasis without over-cleansing.

At this time, Jonn began his research into plant minerals for rejuvenation, and fulvic acid for cellular detox. Jonn recommends daily use of these products.

By 2004, Jonn completed a three-step flu kit, which included nasal spray (excellent for sinus relief), a throat spray (to help eliminate flu viruses), and stomach drops (very effective for food poisoning). This liquid organic plant acid combination has the ability to cleanse the G.I. tract, preventing illness, and even improving the health of animals.

Jonn further studied antibacterial and antifungal qualities of organic plant acids in 2007 with Dr. Ed Smith, an ex-NASA scientist. His lab has done testing for the FDA, EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the US army. In 2008, Dr. Smith made his lab available to Jonn to test this blend of organic plant acids (which he now called Beyond OPA) against oregano oil. The test results, which are available in both Jonn’s product summary and product manual, indicate that Beyond OPA is three times more effective than Oregano oil in killing bacteria and fungi.

In 2007, Jonn did some formulation work with the well known Canadian facial cosmetic specialist and trainer, Dr. Martin Braun, who specializes in facial cosmetic treatments. Jonn had already been working with two hormonal specialists, Dr. Rob Mclintock and Dr. Allison Novens. Novens and Jonn had already collaborated on a hormonal cream for ladies using estriol, so it was natural for Jonn to develop an E 3 (Estriol) cream and serum for Dr. Braun’s successful Vancouver practice. In fact Dr. Braun’s practice is the most successful of its kind for Botox treatments in Canada. Braun’s clients loved the products Jonn developed for him. In July of that year Dr. Braun invited Jonn to attend the World Congress Esthetics Medicine 2009.

Jonn’s journey to become a wellness expert has been a long and satisfying one. Jonn has achieved many of his dreams: meeting with world health experts, creating many successful products and formulas; and raising a family that is achieving their own entrepreneurial successes. Jonn’s Christian philosophy is that God has a plan for all of us, and we do not need to live a life of fear. By obeying ancient and modern wellness principles, we are can live a healthy life and fulfil our dreams.

For more information visit our website http://www.DrinkBeyondH2O.com

You can go to the About Me page to learn more about me and my career, but the gist of why I am doing this blog is to share training tips and offer words of encouragement and advice for bodybuilders, Olympic lifters, and physique competitors. I’m always willing to talk and share what I know. I love doing just that. Therefore, I’ve started this blog as a way to make sharing easier.

Stay tuned for future posts, the first of which will be about “non-apparatus training”. Until then, keep training hard.

Jack King

Members of the World Traditional Taekwondo Union (WTTU), which is one of the largest martial arts organization in the world, hosted another fantastic Taekwondo tournament in the Cloverdale Agriplex this past weekend.

Taekwondo is an exciting and powerful martial art known for it’s dynamic kicking and hand techniques. Although these martial art techniques are centuries old, their programs are always evolving to keep pace with the changing world.

Beyond H2O bottled water was proud to be a part of this exciting tournament.

For more information visit our website today:

http://www.DrinkBeyondH2O.com

Last week I had a post about some of our non-white guys that are part of Team Mega Muscle and I got bombarded with requests for more shots of Chadwick.  Well, ask and you shall receive (depending on my mood of course!).  It’s a beautiful San Franicsco morning, I am ready to enjoy this weekend and what better way than sharing some hot muscled Chadwick Johnson with all of you!  Chadwick comes to us from Pasadena, California and his presence is fucking amazing!  You can see many more uncensored shots of Chadwick on the Mega Muscle members’ site but here is a little something to help you wake up on this beautiful Saturday morning!

Chadwick Johnson, photo by Anthony Duran for MegaMuscle.com

Chadwick Johnson by Adam Bouska

Chadwick Johnson, photo by Anthony Duran for MegaMuscle.com

Chadwick Johnson

Chadwick Johnson, photo by Henning von Berg

Grigori Atoyan 2009 NPC USA Champion

I met Grigori Atoyan (he goes by Greg) over 10 years ago when he worked as a fitness trainer at 24 Hr. Fitness in Folsom.  Greg was my trainer back then and although I was still over weight, I was fit and strong.

Now that I’ve lost over 100 pounds I went looking for Greg  to ask him to help me tone, firm-up, and gain muscle definition.  I found Greg at his Max Muscle in Gold River…

I wanted to surprise Greg but with caller ID I was busted. He was all smiles when he saw me drive up to his store and get out of my car. He came out to meet me saying “I knew it was you”! 

We’re both older.

I’m smaller.

Greg is BIGGER…

He looks awesome!

Check out the November 2009 Muscular Development Magazine. Page 202 – 213 Greg’s amazing 20 year-long journey of body building, which started in his home country Armenia.

I’ve just completed my first week of  training with Greg. I trained two days and did cardio five. I am very excited to be working with Greg again.

For those still in the weight loss phase I would suggest that you take it easy.  30 minutes of moderate cardio, 3 to 5 days a week is very good. If you start burning lots of calories working out… you may slow or stop your weight loss. 

After losing 100 pounds and only 11 more to go to my optimal weight, I don’t mind slowing down my weight loss  in order to tone and get muscle definition.

1st Work Out

Although you may think that bottled water is a safer option than tap, two new reports show that the store-bought stuff is actually less regulated than the water you get out of your faucet for free. What’s in your water? You may be hard pressed to find out, reports the Environmental Working Group.

The Food and Drug Administration has little authority to regulate bottled brands, according to a U.S. Congressional report released recently. While municipal water utilities are required to provide public reports of test results, bottled-water makers are not. (On the other hand, well water, which is found in many rural areas, isn’t regulated as water provided by towns and cities is.) So although you may fork over a pretty penny for bottled water, that doesn’t mean it’s any better than what’s coming out of your faucet. In fact, it could be worse and you’d never know it. The new research is backed by a second report from the Environmental Working Group.

The nonprofit advocacy organization surveyed the labels and web sites of nearly 200 popular bottled-water brands and found that less than 2 percent disclosed three important facts that can affect safety: the water’s source, purification methods, and chemical pollutants in each bottle.

Beyond H2O is different and is delivering water the way it should be – pure and refreshing – while disclosing its source, purification process, and the pollutants it DOES NOT have in it.

For more information visit our website today:

http://www.DrinkBeyondH2O.com

Beyond H2O Bottled Water Is Quickly Becoming The New Water Of Choice

a body builder is a bodybuilder 24/hour.

dear friend…

recently i chat with friend from the old days, whom i meet (i didnt know if use the right word, we never meet face-to-face anyway hehehe..  perhaps acquianted is more like it^^)when i still playing travian.

alas, reminiscing those day is like a miracle. remembering the time when we plot to attack enemies together, sitt friend account, sending help, resources. and to take it to the next level, we play it 24/7!!!

for you who never play travian before , here is the link “http://www.travian.co.id/”

in short, travian is a game where you compete with each other. try to outdone other people with doing more than you should. in fact, in travian i learn about the meaning of this phrase,

“go an extra mile”

an indeed. to win or at least to be notorious, you need to go an extra mile. be 24/7 is a minimal requirement to rank in thousand, and most of the top ten is a team who might be said play it 25/8.

well, the drawback is you had to withdraw from you social life. that’s the expense of being famous in travian hehehe.

thank’s God most high. i able to stop from being addicted to it. it’s a good game, but life must go on.

however, as i mentioned before, i understand some new concept in there. here’s the list;

1. survive and competitiveness.

you need to understand that the world is competition and to survive, you must be the best. outshine other by putting maximum effort of what you do everyday.

2. go an extra mile.

and here’s the catch, how you outshine other? simple. go an extra mile. in travian is necessary to know what’s your enemy is up too. do they active 24/7? do they have 48 x 48 farm? if you know that they do it, then how to outshine them? simple. be an active player 25/8. have a 72 x 72 farm. it will bring difference to them. the point is, do more than rest of the folks. that’s its.

3. synergy.

a synergy is necessary. sometimes if you cannot beat the effort of other. then find friend with similar trait and go an extra mile with him/her. remember the book, two person is better than one person.

that’s the main principles i got in travian. and know all i need is to apply it in real world. especially body building….

i didn’t mention in my post before that i had a new lifestyle. a bodybuilder lifestyle. initially i just intend to make it as side-kick activity. just to lost a few kg and looking good.

however, without i know it. i have it as my lifestyle, and i even had a competition scheduled to me in a next few month. i had a rival in my gym, and to make it worse, 3 of them is already tasted the competition before and that’s mean i’m the only one who had the least experience (and body) from the rest of them!

knowing this fact, i need to think again about my vegan lifestyle. it might work in long run, but i’ts a questionable in short run. the protein differences are to big and i need to embrace cow milk for that. thing that i detest.

oh yeah, i forgot to explain about the vegan bodybuilder lifestyle. a vegan bodybuilder is a lifestyle where you have most, if not all, of your nutrition from vegetables.

one main difference with meat bodybuilder that it had greater recovery ability than the them and enables a vegan bodybuilder to train twice a day.

however, it lack superior protein and creatine from meat which able to boost meat bodybuilder to have superior strenght and power compares to vegan bodybuilder.

just yesterday, i admit it as natural. however, last night, my friend remind me about the competition in april, and i understand that the rest of gym already think me as one of LOTY competititor. heck, there’s no turning back now!

i need to find a way to outshine other, at least in the other competitor in my gym.  one of the way is like this. i need to put a really good use of all the vegan bodybuilder competitive ability to full extent. it might come like this;

1. semi diet.

vegan bodybuilder had smaller problem when it come to cutting, which mean that it good to me since i a semo-endormorph type who tend to store fat easily. more over, i might able to decrease my body fat easier with hazardous water cutting phase!

2. training phase

it understandable if a vegan body builder able to put it two times a each day, they eat vegetable who not carry the same acidic amount like meat. so  assume that i able to wake in the morning and run my morning training before 6 am so when i went to gym in 6 pm my body had 12 hour to recover.

3. hormon maximation

train 2 times a day mean that you need to keep your training intense because you must limit your training within 1 hour. that’s a good thing. testoren peak are last only 45 or 60 minutes each training. anything more than that, you increase cortisol and you will run your training at the expense of your muscle. so quality is greater than quantity bro^^.

here’s a few difference to notice when you happen to meet me;

1. a shaker-kind-of-guy

it’s true. when you meet me, try to see if carry a red shaker or green shaker or black shaker. i try to nourish my body 24/7. no excuse. need to outshine other.

2. a NV top reader.

whenever i try to eat something, i always look for it NV. i pratically never take anything that had no NV. it’s the burden that i must bear since i cannot eat anything that have more than 15 g of fat. a semo endormoph type is the type who able to build muscle easily and store fat easily. i need to stay less than 15 g each day for.

3. grill chicken please! a plain one!.

chicken is one thing. i need to eat it each day because the protein value. i haven’t able to get soy in big amount to meet my protein value so a chicken, without salt, oil or seasoning is a top one. yes i know,  a friend of mine will said thing like this “hey nob, thought you were vegan?” yes i am a vegan bodybuilder. but i a reasonable one. vegan bodybuilder lifestyle aren’t able to fullfill my protein need and exceed it so i can meet my target in april. but because i do not enjoy it. i limit it only to chicken, ikan putih and tuna can. no more pork man. it’s contain fat more than 100 gr.

Kenny Wujek, photo by Steve Henry

You probably all know someone like this – that person who decides they want to do something and then they just excel at it.  I have a person like this in my life.  Those of you that have attended Mega Muscle events probably already know him.  He’s that guy that is always right on top of whatever you need but never in the way.  He can make Lucas’ hair that perfect color of blonde, create an apocalyptic world with some shears and old fur coats, throw together a male review at a moments notice, and still make sure everything stays clean, organized and relatively sane.

He is simply…  Kenny.

Kenny Wujek for those of you not so intimate with the inner workings of Team Mega Muscle.  I first met Kenny when I was working for Rodale Publications and he owned this amazing boutique in downtown Portland.  Our friendship grew from there and he also became my hair stylist.  When he sold his store a few years ago, I needed a stylist to come on a high-concept shoot that we were doing in the desert just North of the Mexican border and thought he would be perfect.  Okay, moment of truth – my motivatin was two-fold.  I also was able to steal him off a job he was scheduled to do with my former business partner and that gave me immense pleasure. From that trip on, Kenny became an integral part of everything that Mega Muscle does and he worked closely with me on every trip we have had since.

Well now Kenny Wujek has a new position at Mega Muscle – that of photographer!

I admit it, I do get jealous of Kenny sometimes because everything he does he just does so well.  But I have a gift too – that of recognizing talent and taking full advantage of it!  Knowing that Kenny would be an amazing photographer was a given.  But now I am happy to share the results of the beginnings of his work with us.  I am so grateful that I have been able to lean on him to help out with all of our Mega Muscle projects but now I am ecstatic to share with the world his  latest photographic endeavors – I hope all of you love them as much as I do!

Brian Woodi, photo by Kenny Wujek

Lucas Walker, photo by Kenny Wujek

John McCallen, photo by Kenny Wujek

For those of you who are health conscious and have a craving for pizza, try this crust-less style version. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef or sirloin
• 1 cup of canned Shitake mushrooms, sliced and drained
• 1 can (4 oz.) can black olives, sliced, pitted, and drained
• 1 can (16 oz.) tomato sauce, no salt added
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/4 medium sweet onion, raw and chopped
• 1 cup sweet or green pepper, raw and sliced
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese, part-skim
• 2 TBS. Italian seasoning

NOTE:  When using ingredients, I try to use the very freshest.  For convenience, I have listed a couple of canned goods such as mushrooms and black olives.  When using canned goods, try to use ones with low-sodium. 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Brown the turkey and ground beef with the 2 cloves of garlic and onions.  Drain and set aside.
4. Mix the Italian seasoning in with the tomato sauce and set aside.
5. Make two layers of the following:  1/2 tomato sauce (first layer on the bottom of dish, 1/2 meat mixture, 1/2 olives, 1/2 mushrooms).
6. After two layers are completed, add green pepper slices to the top of the last layer.
7. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top.
8. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
9. Remove aluminum foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes until cheese is thoroughly melted.
10. Serve with a healthy side of green salad or broccoli.
11. EAT & ENJOY!!!! 

NUTRIENT INFORMATION

Makes 8 servings

Calories:  366…..     Protein:  35 grams…..     Carbs:  9 grams…..     Fat:  20.5 grams

Yes, you heard it correctly!  He is only 5 years old, and he’s a bodybuilder.  He is in the “Guinness Book of World Records.”  Just check out this little body!  AMAZING!!!!

You’d be amazed watching this video.  This little guy can do things that took years for adult athletes!!!

Here are some incredible quotes from reputable sources regarding drinking water facts and fiction brought to you by Beyond H2O…

“Because most food contains a large amount of water, you obtain approximately 3 1/2 cups from what is eaten over the course of a day. Interestingly, the body’s metabolism itself is another source, since — as it makes and uses energy — one of its daily byproducts is about 1/2 cup of water. So, if you add up your losses (two cups for the lungs, two for sweating, and six for the intestines and kidneys), you come up with a total loss of ten cups … not counting any excess lost through perspiration during exercise. Therefore, taking into account the approximately four cups provided by food and metabolism, the average person needs to drink six to eight cups of water daily just to keep functioning well.”

– Mother Earth News

“Drinks containing concentrated nutrients, such as milk, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, and salty tomato-based juices, count more as food than drink since they themselves increase your body’s water needs.”

– N.Y. Times Guide to Personal Health

“A reduction of 4-5% in body water will result in a decline of 20-30% in work performance.”

– N.Y. Times Guide to Personal Health

“An athlete commonly loses four or five quarts (of water) in a practice session.”

– “Realities of Nutrition”

The connection between chlorinated tap water and serious health problems such as cancer and heart disease may be clearer than advertised. Read this important article on “Chlorine and Cancer.”

Brought to you by Team Beyond H2O

One of my favorite things about the Mega Muscle events is getting to see hot guys turn into models.  One such example happened last week at the Mega Muscle Expo in Palm Springs when first time, never-ever modeled Trace Wray was paired up with photographer extraordinaire Mark Jenkins.  Trace contacted me about six weeks ago wanting to break into modeling.  With just his web cam photos that he had taken that day for me to make a decision, something in my gut said this guy was special.

So I took a chance and brought Trace to work with us in Palm Springs.  Man, am I glad I did!  His very first shoot was with Mark and you would think based on these shots that he had been doing this for years.  I want to welcome Trace to Team Mega Muscle and send out a very special thanks to Mark Jenkins for being gentle when he busted Trace’s model cherry.

Trace Wray, photo by Mark Jenkins for MegaMuscle.com

Trace Wray, photo by Mark Jenkins for MegaMuscle.com

Trace Wray, photo by Mark Jenkins for MegaMuscle.com

Trace Wray, photo by Mark Jenkins for MegaMuscle.com

Trace Wray, photo by Mark Jenkins for MegaMuscle.com

Trace Wray, photo by Mark Jenkins for MegaMuscle.com

Trace Wray, photo by Mark Jenkins for MegaMuscle.com

by Steve ‘Frosty’ Weintraub – Collider.com

When a movie gets ready to film, casting breakdowns are sent out to various agencies to see if any of their actors are suited for a role. This happens on every movie, and most of the time, no one reports anything because who really cares what actor is serving Jennifer Aniston her coffee in her latest romantic comedy. But when you land some of the casting breakdowns for the next Marvel movie, you’re going to get some coverage. Anyway, the studio is obviously looking for a ton of people to fill many roles in “Thor”, but for now, you can read the description for a college student named Marcy Lewis and who they’re looking for to play Warriors.

And for people not caught up… Kenneth Branagh is directing “Thor” for Marvel next year. The film is getting released May 20, 2011 and it stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Natalie Portman (Jane Foster). Here’s the synopsis that Marvel released:

Marvel Studios expands its film universe with a new type of superhero: THOR. This epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe; from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Thanks to Movie Spoilers for the casting info:

[MARCY LEWIS]
(20) Is a college student. Aloof, jaded beyond her years, she thought her internship with scientist Kate Spelling would be an easy 6 college credits. However, she’s been stuck for months in this small New Mexico town and relegated to a wide range of unglamorous activities. Kate has been particularly hard on Marcy, making it her personal project to see that Marcy lives up to her potential. Marcy deals with her situation both by using subtle irony and by being an overt wiseass.

(WARRIORS)

A fearless warrior race, where size, strength and ferocity define a member’s rank in both the social and military hierarchy. Warriors born in this society face the harshest ecological conditions imaginable and thrive in environments where lesser creatures, including humans, quickly perishes. Theirs is a world created to cull weakness from the universe to ensure their supreme sovereignty spreads across the stars. MUST BE 6′2 OR TALLER, NO BODYBUILDER TYPES. SAG ROLE BUT NO LINES. MUST BE COMFORTABLE WEARING PROSTHETICS.

Amazon Specials!