Update

Been a long time since I've written anything, mainly because I really didn't have anything interesting to add. Since my wife was injured, my training has really gone down hill. I didn't mention it before but I injured myself the day before my wife was hurt. I think I did it doing deadlifts but I'm not sure. It really affected the entire left side of my upper body. It is slowly getting better. The strange thing is, I felt guilty being in pain, knowing what my wife was going through.
I have two crushed disks in my neck but they haven't been causing me too many problems lately. I sure hope this is just a temporary thing. I might go back and get the cortizone injections again. I'm reluctant to do it right now since I'm always kind of wiped out for at least a day after I have it done and besides they cost $2000 a piece. My wife being injured has been very expensive. I sure feel sorry for people that arn't rich and have something like this happen to them.
I have tried to pick up my bicycle riding. I hope to do a century October 2nd.
I'm just not sure if there is enough time to get in good enough shape for it.
I would at least like to do the metric century which is 62 miles. I know right now ten miles wipes me out, but at least it will be cooler then. Then heat here has been terrible for a couple of weeks now. The other night it was 82 degrees at 3:00AM. Now that is hot! Especially when added to humidity in the 90s.
I do think for people interested in good health and general fitness that a combination of weight training and bicycling is ideal. If you can add swimming to the mix it would be even better. I knew several people in California that would weight train during the winter and bike during the summer. I was always amazed how quickly they got into bicycling shape in the spring without doing any aerobic work all winter. I wonder if some of them might have had an exercise bike stashed away at home. I used to like to mountain bike in the winter but of course winters in Southern California are much milder than most parts of the country. 50 degrees was considered a cold day.
I bought a pair of strength shoes off Ebay. I've had them a little over a week. Walking to the end of my driveway and back three times in them really pumps up my calfs, so they must be working. What little training I've been doing has been at home, and since I don't have a calf machine, I think the strength shoes will come in real handy. I haven't been to the gym since before my wife's accident but we did stop down there the other night just as they were closing to talk to the owner, Grace Wooten. Grace is a beautiful woman both inside and out. I had planned on taking some pics of her and posting them here but never got around to it.
Hopefully she will let me after my wife recovers. She has an absolutely beautiful body. She has never competed but I don't think there are many women in the world over the age of 40 that would have a chance against her in bodybuilding competion, especially if there was drug testing.
That brings up the subject of women's bodybuilding. I remember when it first started. It was so exciting, even though it was considered freakish by some people.
I just hated it when drugs distroyed it, which they have. When the sport was young the champions in bodybuilding looked like the fitness and bikini competitors look like today. I don't think many women would want to look like today's pro bodybuilders. On the men's side it is almost as bad. Steroids, insulin, and HGH, and no telling what else have really turned bodybuilding into a freak show.
At his peak, Arnold Swarznegger was about 6'1" and weighed about 235-240. Many people thought he had gone too far and had crossed over into freak show proportions.
Now guys 5'6" are weighing like 300 pounds! I wish their would be a more emphasis on proportions and aesthetics. Most of the top guys don't look good at all when they are relaxed. In fact, I think it is from the HGH, but most of them look like they have beer bellies. I think the HGH causes all the internal organs to grow causing the gut to stick out. These guys can have big bellies even when their body fat is at incredibly low levels. Sure not my cup of tea! In the past the the so called V-taper was considered probably the most important factor in having a good
build. Take a look at old pictures of Steve Reeves, and later on guys like,
Larry Scott, Harold Poole, Dave Draper and even more recently guys like my good friend Robbie Robertson. All of them had good size and great proportions. It is also a concern about the long term effects so many drugs have on a person.
The problem is most pros now days are on drugs year round. The body never gets a chance to recover. I'm sure we are going to see more and more early deaths and serious health problems in years to come.
At least if you look at me now, you will know I'm not on any bodybuiding drugs because I' fat!!! I've gained at least ten pounds since my wife's accident.
I'm starting to diet again August 1st. I don't feel too bad about my body needed a rest, but now its time to get back to it.
Just one more thing. I really wish all the supplement companies would quit paying drug users to endorse their products. Do they really think the people reading their ads don't know all their models are drug users? I take supplements and read everything I can about them but the truth is none of them do as much as they claim. Assuming somebody eats a reasonble diet, then training is much more important than diet. I read a piece the other day that said "bodybuilding is 80% nutrition". I say, "BULL....". I'm sure if you took guys out of a concentration camp, that had barely eaten for years or if you just took people that weighed over 500 pounds you could make the arguement that diet is more important than training.
But if you took say 1000 people that were in reasonble shape and ate a normal diet, if you put 500 of them on a regular exercise program and had them stay on their regular diet, and the other half you put on a clean diet and supplements, at the end of a year the exercise group would, on the average, show great improvement.
While the clean diet group would show little change. The point is if you can't afford supplements don't worry about it. Just try to eat healthy and you will do fine. You know I have posted this on several bodybuilding boards over the years.
It always gets taken off. I guess because all the boards are sponsored by supplement companies.
Until next time,
Ben Voiles

Career on hold

If you have been following my blog then you are aware that last night was supposed to be my comeback show. This was interupted by some bad luck on my part.
My wife was in a car accident on June 2nd and sustained several major injuries.
She will require total care for many months. I still plan on keeping up my training and I will post anytime I have anything to say. Luckily I can do most of my training at home.
Until later.
Benjamin Voiles

Countdown

It has been long time since my last blog. Since then I spent almost three weeks in Florida. I have been training hard but I'm still fat. I have the Roman Classic on June 5th, ten days away. They are only having one class for Masters so I'll have to compete against 40 year olds. No telling who will show up but I think I have a good chance based on my overall proportions.
Just today I decided to enter the "Battle on the River" in Chattanooga. I was going to skip it but it is a national qualifier so I need to enter it if I'm going to enter the "Mr. America". I'm just not sure I want to keep dieting all summer.
If I enter the Nationals I will enter as a middle weight. Pretty hard on this 56 year old body.
For any readers near the Trenton GA area. My good friend Grace Wooten, the owner of Genesis Gym will be holding a "Boot Camp" in the mornings starting June 7th.
I can't find the flyer right now but I'll post details later.

Benjamin Voiles

फ्लोरिडा Vacation

My wife and I are going to Florida for a couple of weeks. The first resort we are going to has a pretty good gym. I also carry about 150 pounds of weights in our RV.
I'm not worried about my training once I get there. I also plan on a lot of walking and swimming. So I should be able to lose a few pounds. I'm still at least ten pounds over my target weight. I would like to lose about five by the end of April. My next compettion is June 5th so I have about eight weeks. I'm not going to try to go in real defined. I think I can win with my proportions and overall shape. If I go to the Nationals in July I will come down about another ten pounds so I can compete as a middle weight.
I hope this blog has been interesting and helpful to people. I would like to recieve more feedback. I don't claim to be in expert on anything and I'm not saying everything I say is correct but I would like to stimulate some discussion about training, nutrition, etc.

Sincerely,
Benjamin Voiles

Cissus

I just received my order of primaFORCE cissus today. This will be my second time to try it. The first time was several months ago but I was also starting on some other supplements at the same time, so I'm not sure if it did anything or not.
The claims made for cissus seem almost too good to be true. If you Google "cissus"
you will get thousands of hits. There are claims that it "cures" just about everything. I spent some time going through some of the hits. Apparently, the plant, "cissus quadrangularis" has been used in folk medicine for years as an analgesic, especailly for muscle and joint pain. Reveiwing some message boards reveals that the majority of the people that have used it for joint and muscle pain have been satisfied with the results. In fact some people, claim almost complete pain reduction after a single dose. They also claim long term pain reduction.
This would reduce the possibility of it all just being placebo effect.
I know that anybody my age that lifts weights is going to have plenty of muscle and joint pain so if it works for me, that will be great. I'll let you know in a future post.
I also discovered that in some parts of the world it is a standard treatment for hemmoroids. Luckily I don't have that affliction so I can't test that.
What is probably of most interest to bodybuilders are the claims that it burns fat while sparing muscle. I tend to think that most weight loss supplements are a bunch of bunk, with wildly exagerated claims. There is one very impressive study but it was performed at a university in Cameroon. To me that makes it a little suspicious. With the market for weight loss products in the US alone amounting to billions of dollars, why isn't more research being done? If anybody knows of any more scientific studies that have been done in the past couple of years, please let me know. Also, if anybody has any personel experience with it email me.
Besides the lack of research the other problem is cost. It is fairly expensive to take as recommended. If it does half what it is claimed to do, then it is a bargain, but it could also be a total waste of money. I'm going to use the two bottles I have and if I notice any results I'll start buying it in bulk and capping my own. If not I'll stop taking it.
I'm going to go for now. I'm still trying to get some pictures posted. Hopefully I'll figure out how today.

Benjamin Voiles

Local Competitions

Summer is fast approaching and most of us are trying hard to get in good shape.
I thought I would post some info on some local competions coming up.
The NPC Atlanta Championships are April 17th. I imagine that if you are interested in entering then you already know about it. I'll probably go as a spectator if I'm not in Florida.
The 4th Annual Roman Classic is June 5th. It is an unaffiliated contest so you don't need an NPC card to enter. It is held in Rome Georgia. I spoke with the promoter, Richard Noren today. I'm not sure if that is his correct last name, if not I'll print a correction. Anyway, he seems like a great guy and I look forward to meeting him. He has been Masters National Champion in the bantam weight class for the past two years. This year he is going up to light weight. His phone number is: 706-767-2426. My only concern is that there is only one Master's class.
Every male over 40 is in the same class. I plan on using it as a tune up for the "Battle on the River" which is June 12th in Chattanooga. That is an NPC contest so if your interested you have to shell out the ninty dollars.
Anybody that has any information on any other contests in the Tri-state area let me know and I'll be glad to post it here. That also includes weightlifting and powerlifting.

Until next time,
Benjamin Voiles

Back in Training

I'm back in hard training again. Between my wife and I,we were sick for about a month. Feels good to be getting back in the swing of things. My birthday is April 6th. I'll be 56. I hope to have some pictures made on my birthday or soon after. I'd like to lose about five more pounds of fat by then. I've lost right around 40 pounds since last August 4th. The Battle of the River is June 12th which I think is thirteen weeks from today. I hope to be in outstanding shape by then.
If I do well, I'll be in the Master's National Championship in July.
There hasn't been much interest in my blog when I was concentrating it on master's bodybuilding so as of today I'm going to try to make a resource for
anybody that lifts weights in the Tri-State area, that being the Chattanooga are where Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama meet. I especially want to focus on anybody that works out at Genesis Gym in Trenton Georgia, since that is my home gym.
Also, I have just started taking beta alanine after reading several positive articles about it. It is supposed to increase muscular endurance much like creatine does but through completely different mechanisms.
With me, it gives me a flushing effect, much like niacin and also makes me a little hyper, much like ephedrine. It is supposed to take a couple of weeks to work so I'll keep you posted. If anybody else has tried it, please give me some feedback, either positive or negative. That actually applies to any supplement.
So if you have experience with any supplements, or brands of supplements, let me know and I'll publish your experiences. The only exception is that I will not post advertisements for anybody that is selling supplements.
That concludes todays blog. If I get any readers I'll try to add to it more often.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Voiles

Under the Weather

I'm really behind on my blog. It is a combination of being busy and not really having anything new to say. I'm trying to figure out how to post pictures. If there are any other bodybuilders over the age of fifty that would like a picture posted on this site let me know. Just send them to my regular Email address. I should have the picture deal figured out within a couple of days. I've been feeling sick the past two days. That is the reason I'm home right now. Probably won't go back to the gym until Friday.
The Senior Olympics are coming up. For most regions the local competitions will be in May. I urge anybody over the age of fifty to check it out and consider entering. Besides weightlifting and bicycling I've decided to enter the shot put and the discus. I shot putted in junior high but the coaches told me I was too small to do it in high school. I've never even seen a discus in real life but I've bought one off Ebay so I should have it in a few days. Luckily I have enough property that I can practice at home. I thought about entering the javelin throw too, but the cheapest javelin on Ebay was over $200. If anybody knows of a cheaper on let me know.
I'm going to go but check out the Senior Olympics in your region.

Benjamin Voiles

Yesterday

Had a hard workout yesterday at the gym. I'm a little off sequence so I hope to do a back and bicep workout here today outside. It is supposed to get to about 50 degrees. So with sweats on I should be OK.
I had planned to have some pictures taken yesterday but I didn't for two reasons.
First of all I felt a little puffy. Must have ingested too much salt. It would have covered up what little definition I have. The other reason is the gym was crowded upstairs and they were having a gymnastics class downstairs. I didn't feel comfortable about posing for some pictures with a bunch of people around.
Hopefully, I'll get some pictures on Monday.

Until Later,
Benjamin Voiles

Finally Made Back to the Gym

Yesterday it finally started to warm up. I made it back to the gym and had a good workout. I'm already a little sore but it feels good. Today I'll work my shoulders and triceps here at home and maybe spend some time on the exercise bike.

For anybody that is notching up their training or if you qualify for senior citizen status like I do, I would recommend you try phosphatidyl serine or PS. Sometimes its spelled as one word. I guess either way is correct. The best known brand is CORT-BLOC by Muscle-Link. Each serving of it provides 200mg of PS and 800mg of glutamine. Glutamine is supposed to work with PS to blunt the effects of cortisol.
As most of you know, cortisol is steroid that is needed to live. Its production goes up when we are under any type of stress. It has powerful antinflamatory properties as well as other effects. The problem is the body, in response to heavy training produces too much which severely curbs muscle and strength growth. Cortisol is what we would call a catabolic steroid which means it breaks down muscle tissue and encourages the deposit of fat. These effects are exactly the opposite of what we are trying to achieve. A good portion of the effects of overtraining are caused by too much cortisol. So all of us drug free bodybuilders are in a quanderary, we have to train hard to acheive any progress but the harder we train the more cortisol we produce which limits gains. Testosterone blunts the effects of cortisol but as we get older we produce less so the negative effects of the cortisol are more pronounced.
The only problem I see with taking PS is that it is expensive. A bottle of CORT-BLOC costs about 30 dollars. That is for 60 capsules which should be about a months supply. You could save some money by just taking it on your training days.
I found a cheaper version off Ebay by a company called "Doctor's Best". I paid about 23 dollars per bottle of 60.
Anyway, this is one supplement I would urge you to check out. Also, if any of you could share your experiences with different supplements let me know.

Until Later
Ben Voiles

Still Snowed In

Its Sunday and we are still snowed in. I haven't been to the gym for about a week but I have been working out some at home. Upper body workouts are Ok, but the legs are suffering. If the forecast holds than back to the gym tomorrow.

Benjamin Voiles

Snowed In

Couldn't go the gym today. We are having a snow storm. I know it is very mild by Northern standards but we arn't really set up for it in this part of the country.
Besides that, I live on a mountain and I was afraid I might get to the gym and not be able to get home. That would not be good especially since my wife is disabled.
I did a little working out here. I did bicep and ab work plus some time on the exercycle. Hopefully, I can make it to the gym tomorrow.

Till later,
Ben Voiles

Back to the Gym

Went back to the gym today. Worked about everything except for shoulders, traps, and triceps. I've had to change my split since I try to go the gym two days a week and work out at home twice a week. I've almost always followed a traditional push-pull split. The main difference now is that I train my chest during the same session I do my back and biceps and then the next day I do my shoulders and triceps at home. Seems to be working OK so far. When the weather warms up I'll change things around again. I really think this forced variety is good.
As I noted in a previous post, I've started using my exercise bike. I went 24 minutes yesterday and did seventy leg lifts. I was surprised about how weak my legs were today. After I did my warm up set of squats with 135 I double checked the plates because the bar felt about 20 or 30 pounds heavier. I thought I might get my strength back as I warmed up but I didn't. I guess my legs will have to adapt to doing both strength and endurance work. I'll try again on Thursday.
I have to go but I hope I can be in inspiration to some other older people out there to keep their New Year resolutions.

Ben Voiles

Off to a Good Start

Yesterday was New Years Day. The gym was closed but luckily I have weights here at home and a couple of exercise bikes. I moved my upright bike inside. I just used it a few minutes before my legs started cramping real bad. I hope it is just because I haven't been doing any endurance work lately. I plan on doing about ten minutes today and work up to twenty minutes by next week. After my conditioning improves I'll start doing mostly interval type work. My main goal for the exercise bike is to improve my conditioning enough so that when Spring gets here I'll be ready to go on my street bike.
I also did a light shoulder,trap, and tricep routine. All I plan on doing today is ten minutes on the bike and a little abdominal work. As soon as I can get a couple of guys to help me I'm going to move one of my antique cars out of the garage and down to the barn. I'll set up a small workout area in the garage. I have heat out there. Monday its back to the gym.
See you all soon.

Ben Voiles

New Years Resolution

My blog officially starts today. This will outline my attempt to get in good physical shape by my 56th birthday. I'm in pretty good shape already but I know I can get a lot better.
Right now my weight is 200 even. I hope to lose at least five pounds of fat by the end of January. By my birthday, which is April 6th, I hope to be around 185. In June I am going to compete in the "Battle on the River" physique contest, which is held in Chattanooga TN.
I will enter the Masters for sure and depending on how I look, probably the open. I am concerned about the weight classes. The Masters doesn't have weight classes in local competition so I could go in at about 185 pounds but if I enter the Open I would want to go down to middleweight which is 176.5. I don't really want to go that low this year.
If I'm looking good in Chattanooga I will enter the NPC Masters Nationals in July. They have their own weight classes so that could be a problem.
I plan on competing in the Senior Olympics which will be held May 3 through May 8th. I hope to compete in weightlifting and bicycling. The bicycling could be a problem because of the weather. It will be hard to get in adequate training by May. Starting today, I'm going to start forcing myself to start using my exercise bike. Its out on the porch but I'll bring it in today. It isn't a complete substitute for the real thing but its better than nothing. I really think that any type of indoor cardio is extremely boring but I can tolerate it by setting up my bike in front of the TV.
As soon as the weather clears a little I'll have some pictures taken and I'll post them here.
If there are any other senior bodybuilders out there let me hear from you.

Ben Voiles