Just when you think your diet and training is working for you and you start feeling better and looking better, you get hit from the blind side. Well that’s what happened to me.

After receiving my kidney transplant over a year ago. I had gained 40 pounds, benching 300 lbs., and feeling great. Then out of nowhere I started to feel tiered, couldn’t eat, didn’t want to train, didn’t want to leave my house, or do anything. So I go to my doctor  and he finds nothing. I go to a different doctor. Same thing. After the 5th doctor he tells me to go to the hospital and he would meet me there and run some test. Two days in the hospital and I end up in ICU. 11 days later I come out of ICU and was told I had just gone through five different operations. I went in on Dec. 8th and went home Dec. 23rd. Lost 40 pounds and just walking to my car would leaving me out of breath.

So here I am having to put myself back together again. This is my second time in just one year. I can’t train yet. But I can eat. Already I have put on 20 pounds and feeling great. After going through this once before. I already knew what I had to do. At that’s were ProteinBlitz comes in. I am putting lean muscle back on as well as having a lot of energy. My doctors are more than surprised at how well and fast I am recovering.  The reason I’m sharing this with you is to remind you of just how important exercise, rest, and diet is. Protein is a big part of a healthy diet. Whether you’re trying to gain muscle or lose fat. I strongly recommend ProteinBlitz. I know first hand that it works – I’ve been through it once and I will get through it again. It’s nice to know that there is a product out there that really works. It gives you hope knowing you can reach your goals that you have set for yourself. I will be the first to tell you to never give up and that there is help out there. 

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I took the whole month of November off. I felt with all the injuries I had this year and finding out I have 1 kidney, I needed a break. I was way too stressed out! I started back in the gym December 1 and WOW, I haven’t been this sore in a while. But thank God our bodies remember and I stick to a clean diet all year around always: (3) meals and (3) Blitz shakes a day.

The goal this next year is to listen to my body and cross train. I think the body learns a routine and you get stuck. So it’s time to mix it UP!

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I decided to go back to the old way of training this month - heavy weight and low reps. The goal is to control the weight, get a great stretch and get the blood moving.

When I start training like this I up my protein levels to around 400 to 500 grams a day and I don’t count carbs.  For me my energy level should be more than enuff and have extra left over for a little cardio warm down (gotta keep the heart conditioned).

This type of workout is for SIZE AND STRENGTH ONLY!!

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Al Onuthin and I wanted to give you my experience with CrossFit.  I’ve been experimenting with CrossFit for the last 9 months and figuring out how to incorporate or add into my bodybuilding workouts.  For those of you who don’t about CrossFit is I’ll give you a quick and short synopsis.  Basically, the website for CrossFit describes itself as the sport of fitness.  It’s the conditioning and strength program for many police academies, fire academies, tactical operation teams, martial arts, and elite and professional athletes.  The program is geared to optimize physical fitness in 10 recognized fitness categories: cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, strength, stamina, power, speed, coordination, balance, flexibility, agility and accuracy.  CrossFit is a total fitness package and to put it bluntly, kicks the living crude out of you.

I started doing CrossFit about 9 months ago and after my first workout I decided it was over-training and is not conducive to keeping or adding muscle.  Sour grapes?  Yes.  It took me four days to fully recover from that first bout.  The cheerleading and screaming was all very lame to me.  I was done with CrossFit.  About two weeks later an employee from the CrossFit gym called me and wanted to know why I didn’t come back.  I told him, “I didn’t think the workout could be maintained at that level for very long and definitely would not get stronger or put any muscle on.”  He simply said, “I’ll give you 5 free workouts and if you still think you aren’t getting stronger or gaining muscle then so be it, it cost you nothing.”  It was free, so I went for it.  The next workout was even more grueling than the first and I was thoroughly convinced this couldn’t be good for anyone at intensity level.  After the second workout it took another four days to recover.  I was not feeling the love for CrossFit, and just wanted to go back to my regular heavy weight, rest 3 minutes, do another set, rest another 3 minutes.  When I started to reflect on my current gym routine it seemed like a vacation compared to CrossFit. (*video below includes fowl language)

There was a paradigm shift after that second bout of CrossFit, maybe not paradigm, but at least a mental shift.  No longer did I consider my typical training of  do a set…rest 3 minutes…do a set, as kick ass as I thought.  So what I got from CrossFit was a reality check.  Things had to change because I had changed.  I had pushed myself further than I had ever been able to on my own.  The competitive nature of CrossFit, the yelling, the sweating, the unbelievable courage, the cheering, the camaraderie, everything, I started to love everything about it.  Now, today, I can’t get enough of it.  I’ve added it into my workouts twice a week with three days of bodybuilding detail work.  I don’t think I can do much more than twice a week.  But I’m continually evaluating and keeping my mind open.  Maybe I can do it three times a week?  The results?  I’ve dropped about 4 pounds, but I’m stronger and leaner than I was before I started CrossFit, and mentally I’ve reached an entirely new threshold for pain.

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