Oil change and lube

Training is going really well, despite my shoulders that hurt all day long, which caused me to back off a little in terms of intensity and weight on certain exercises. This last week, my shoulders are feeling better, I wonder if it's just growing pains for the most part. I know I hurt my shoulder 6 weeks ago doing shoulder presses, followed by single rep dead lifts two days later that left me feeling like my shoulder blades just pulled right off me. What a feeling that was, YIKES!

That was pretty much when the shoulder pain started all day long especially while sleeping. I guess some injuries do take longer to heal as we get older. I'm not out of the woods yet, but I do feel much better. I'll know more after tomorrow's chest and shoulders work out.

If you haven't seen the documentary Bigger Stronger Faster, you should. It is about steroid usage in America and it can be a real eye opener for some in many aspects. It doesn't "weigh you in" in either direction, as to approve of steroids or not.

In this documentary there is a professor named Doctor Skip Pope whom they interview to get his opinion on the subject of steroids in America

Doctor Pope was recently granted money to perform a study on Steroids and the Heart. (this is what he does, research studies) Do steroids cause heart attacks?

Skip needs 150 men between the ages of 35 to 55, who lift weights and have used steroids, have never used steroids or have tried them and no longer use them.

I went to his office for a consultation that lasted an hour and a half. He asked me a series of questions about my life, my training, my drugs, prescription, recreational, enhancements.  (I guess this is the good time to mention, this is 100% confidential, you're a number in the study, not a name.)

At the end, I got a check for $125 and found out I weighed 228 pounds and had 8.5% body fat with a Fat Free index of 30 and this qualified me for the next testing, which would  happen on a Thursday morning at Mass General Hospital and which I would be given a physical, a heart ultra sound (that was cool) while lying in the bed pedaling, under a stress test. a CAT scan, where they check my arteries with contrast, a dye that they push through your arteries, after they give you nitrogen under the tongue to dilate them.

Sounds like fun right?  I gave up about 9 big vials of blood and 4 small ones. This was $9000 worth of testing and I was pretty excited to get this done. I haven't had the chance to speak to Doctor Pope yet about the results, as it was just this Thursday, he said by the end of next week the results will be in

To think I got paid for this! Normally, I would never had these test done to me unless I had a problem, which in some cases might be too late, and on top of all this, got paid $400

Funny thing about my shoulder pain is that it definitely changed after Thursday, maybe with all that blood drawing and having my artery flushed with saline a few times to make sure the IV was good, it was like having an oil change and lube, maybe that was all I needed... they do feel better!

If anyone would like to get involved with this study and get $9000 worth of testing done on you and get paid  $525 to do it, please feel free to call Doctor Skip Pope at (617) 855-2911. Skip's a real nice guy and has a great staff working with him Give him a call and tell him Rob Costarelli sent you.

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Three of me

A friend of mine sent me an ad on Craigslist of a modeling agency looking for 40+ year old bodybuilders. The Gedney Agency http://www.thegedneyagency.com/home/home.html  has been around since 1948 where they started in Bedford MA and since has locations in Connecticut and New York. Their recently starting a new project called the Creative a Age of Bodybuilding for 40+  Men and Women


I traveled Fairfield CT, where they are now based out of, for a two hour interview and met with Craig W. Shoop. Craig is their lead recruiter, a great last name and great guy too. We talked about what they are looking for and what they are all about and how right around the Pumping Iron era they decided to look more towards how bodybuilding and fitness modeling, can work together and how Bodybuilders are not one demoniacal and can be seen in different ways. 


Craig was a runway model before he started recruiting, he has also judged in bodybuilding competitions. Craig spent six months in California living up close to bodybuilders, learning what it takes to be one, learning their lifestyle, to help complete his thesaurus on The Psychology Bodybuilding


Gedney wants their models to be like a role model to the public, showing them that "it doesn't end in the gym" and that bodybuilding is a lifestyle and how Bodybuilding and Fitness modeling can be seen as one.


The pay is $250 to $1000 a job, they get 20% and the jobs range from runway work, to trying on a shirt so a potential customer can see how it looks before they decide to buy it, or maybe sitting on a couch for another customer... nothing nude, which is nice to hear.


Craig needs to bring my information to the board to see if I'm what they are looking for. Craig referred to me as a signature model because of how I live the life of a bodybuilder and write about it in my blog, that he has read and was impressed. Basically saying, that he wishes he met me when he started this bodybuilding/fitness modeling venture. Craig said, he has talked to so many bodybuilders throughout the years, but no one has every explained things so simply as I do in my blog


During this time, I need to think about if it's right for me... and I'm learning towards no... and one main reason is, I'm a bodybuilder and I'm trying to become a pro in the sport of bodybuilding. When your a model you need to always be a model, which means you need to be close to contest condition all the time, although I do grow when I diet for a competition, it's a lot different if you are always like that. I would not be growing at my full potential, by maintaining that condition year round. 


Craig called me back as he said he would and we talked for about an hour. He told me, that Gedney wants me on board and feels I'm a fit for what they are looking for. He had 6 interviews that week and I was one of the two hired.


I immediately told him my concerns and he came up with a great idea. Instead of them making a portfolio of one look of me, lets make the portfolio have three different looks of me. It will take a little longer the make, but in the long run, I will be more marketable and, in a sense, I'll have three times more of change to get picked for a job. 


I like this idea a lot and this will give me the opportunity to continue on my way growing and competing for that pro card and still give me a chance to venture into something new to make a few extra bucks.


The three looks I will give Gedney are, the lean clean look (which he just saw) the big and ripped looked, which I am most of the time during the year and the shredded contest look, which they will see when I win the Masters Nationals this year 


I still have a few good years to make some serious gains and cause some damage in the world of bodybuilding and until I'm done competing, I'm going to continue to grow and growing takes eating and eating and more eating and when I'm done growing and competing, I will just get in the best shape of my life and maintain that condition as long as my body allows it. But until then, you get three of me!


If anyone is interested in the world of modeling, please feel free to call on Craig at 203-913-8214, tell him you heard about him from Alwaysabodybuilder




Legs today GONE tomorrow!




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I never miss a scheduled workout

I'm often asked if I take any time off from training after competition. I find I can really get some great muscle gains following a competition. Especially if I was restricting my calories and fats for so long. With all the sugars and good fats and added calories back in, you really get some sick workouts. But if your feeling like taking a day off and missing a workout, cause your so burnt, then you should plan for a week off, it's time for a vacation

I do plan a vacation, at least one, if not, two weeks a year from bang the weights and I think the week leading up to Christmas is a perfect time to take a vacation.

This is also the perfect time to change up the split. I usually run a routine for as long as I can remember, then change it when the time is right

I want to train arms together for a while again. I love having a bicep pump when I'm training Triceps, having a full bicep give the triceps a nice stretch.

Putting Arms together causes us to separate Shoulders to make it work. On Mondays when we hit chest, we will hit front and side Delts with a press and laterals. On Wednesday when we hit Back, then we will do rear Delts and Traps, and on Friday we do Arms and Saturday Legs, which is nice only training Arms the night before you got Legs in the morning

Alex and I hit Natick today for legs. We ran it in reverse, staring with the Donkey machine, (I love that machine!) Then legs curls, dumbbell stiff legs, legs press, hack, ending with extensions

After vacation it will be one week before it's time to get ready for a new year. Alex has his sites set on the Jay Cutler in May. He's going to start dieting early so he can go on vacation 3 weeks out, in Carbo. I like his thinking... treat the first day in Carbo like contest day, get shredded for that day. Then take a week off, enjoy your vacation (in shape), then when you come back, you have two weeks to dry back out again!

I'm thinking about the Arnold Amateur the first week in March, but I'll have a better idea come the first of the year, then it will be the 8 week out from contest and I'm about weeks out right now from contest.

But I don't know, wife has sometime to that weekend, so my son would have to go to my Mom's.. It can be done, it will just need a little juggling.

I guess If my buddy Craig Torres does it and we can drive 12 hours over together, I'd be more tempted

Here we are at the Masters Nationals this year, where we both took 7th place in our class


What I do know is I'm definitely doing the Master National come July... unless of course I do do the Arnold and win! :)

In the mean time, time to grow!

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12 week transformation

When I was preparing to compete this year at the Master Nationals, I took daily ab shots every morning. Here are the weekly ab shots starting at 12 weeks out, up to the show

12 weeks out from the 2011 Masters National, first day of dieting weighing 230

11 weeks out

10 weeks out

9 weeks out

8 weeks out

7 weeks out

6 weeks out

5 weeks out

4 weeks out

3 weeks out

2 weeks out

2 days out weighing 210

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23 years later

In 1985, I started competing in bodybuilding competitions at the age of 20. My first show was the Plymouth Rock and I took 2nd place in the light heavy weight novice class and won best poser thanks to Vinny Greco who taught me how to pose and helped me put together a routine for that show. I remember Vinny and I going into a warehouse in Watertown with a stand up mirror and some music and we put together my first routine. This warehouse soon because “Vinny Greco’s Powerhouse Gym of Watertown. This was the gym I competed mostly out of. Vinny has since passed on, but his legacy will last forever in a lot of people. I could go on and on about Vin...

After the show I pretty much placed 2nd in every show I did going forward. The shows back then were the Gold's Classic, the Massachusetts States and The New England's for national qualifiers. My first time placing 3rd in a competition was when I did the Mass State couples in 1988. Around that same time, I also got my first place, for the first time, in the Cape Cod as a light heavy weight

In 1985, the first show I weighed 183lbs, then each year I competed heavier and in 1992 and 93 I stepped on stage at 194 

Back to the NPC Cape Cod, this is when I first met Photographer Tony Annicone, he brought me to the side after prejudging and had me do mandatory poses, as he clicked away...

Fast forward it's 1993, I've been completing every year since 20, now 28 and I remember doing two more show that year, the Mass States and the Gold's classic where I took 2nd in the Mass and 3rd at the Classic

I was pretty much done at this point and wanted to venture into something new that was still individual, so I looked to boxing. I took onto to this pretty fast and by 1996 I was able to fight in the golden gloves as a cruiser weight and in the semi finals, I knocked the guy out in 59 seconds of the first round, that felt real good. I ended up losing in the finals to a decision. My record was 5-1 with 2 first round KO's

I stopped fighting but stayed active sparring and teaching the sport to others. Up until 2004 where not being in the right state of mind on June 16, I drove my motorcycle over a jersey barrier off the Leveret circle bridge. After that, I wasn't able to stand on my feet comfortably (never mind box) for at least a year.

So from 2004 to 2007, I did nothing but drink a six pack a night and ride. Well, I did manage to build a bad ass rigid bobber from the frame up

Then near the end of May of 2007, on two separate nights, that were close together, I had a vivid dream of the feelings I had when I was younger and dreamed about weights and waking up and that's the first thing you think about... that's when you know it's time. I know I didn't want to go out as a fat beer belly old man now at the age of 42, I didn't want to go out this way when and I knew I could do this again and go back to my roots

On June 1st 2007, weighting 220 having a 38" waist and about 180lbs of lean mass, I joined the gym. I knew that once I started lifting weights I wouldn't feel like drinking. 

The drinking stopped and a year later I was 200 lb with abs. I like to think I put on 20lbs and lost 20lbs and met right at 200

Now we have the Internet, which we didn't have back in the day. I had previously qualified for the nationals, but never went... and I don't know why... So I go on-line and start looking at competitions and I said to myself, "I can do this again". So in May 2009, at the Jay Cutler, I take 6th in the open light heavy weights, out of 9

Fast Forward to 2011. I competed in the Masters Nationals and took 7th place out of 24 in the 40+ class. Then I won my first whole show, the NPC New Hampshire's, taking the opens overall and the Masters overall. Next I won the Masters overall at the NPC New England's and 1st place in the open Heavyweights.

Remember that guy Tony I talked about earlier? He recently found me on Facebook and sent me the pictures that he had taken at the NPC Cape Cod in 1988. Well he was also at the New England's and he took more pictures...

Now check these out, this is pretty cool...

With hair, I was 23 years old and weighed about 188 ... the bald guys now is 46 years old and weighs 216! My son Anthony thinks I look shorter!

I'm glad to be back to this sport and as of today, I still wake up and the first thing that comes to mind is my workout, so that tells me I'll be around for a while

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Good run

Started this year competing at the NPC Masters Nationals in July. Where I stepped on stage at 207 (which should have been 210) and took 7th out of 24, in the over 40 heavyweight class. Up 3 pounds from the last contest 2010 NPC New England's in Oct, where I won the over 45 class and came in 3rd in the open heavyweights.

Then I worked closely with my training partner Alex and helped him prepare for his first contest, the NPC New Hampshire where he stepped on stage at 198 shredded and won his Light heavy weight class and I too jumped into this show, stepping on stage at 220 and not only did I win the overall Masters, I won the overall opens as well, my first time winning a whole show!

The following weekend was the 2011 NPC New England's (much bigger show) this is the show we really wanted to enter from the beginning, the NH was just a warm up. Alex took 3rd out of 14 in his light heavy weight class, he had the biggest class of the show. Awesome job! Big accomplishment for his first big show!

I know I couldn't step on stage at 220, I needed to dry myself out more, which I did and ended up on stage at 216.5, which I won the overall Masters out of 22 Masters total and took 1st in the open heavyweights out of 9, beating last years placings at this show

Alex is planning on the Jay Cutler next May and for me, I'm heading to the National again to try and get my pro card. I'm not sure yet what national show I should do. I may just go for an open non Masters Nationals and give some of these young guys a run for their money (smile)

Now it's back to the basics, back to banging out the weights and growing. As I said when I decided to get back into this sport 2008, it's all about the legs and this year isn't going to be any different!


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One down, one to go

Yesterday Alex and I completed in the 2011 NPC New Hampshire bodybuilding competition. Alex weighed in at the top of his light heavy weight class at 198 and he looked awesome, big, dry and hard, you couldn't ask for more.

I weighted in at 222, which is the heaviest I ever stepped on stage. I was big and hard and I was again in the best shape of my life

Just as I predicted Alex and I would be posing down for the overall winner and we did... Alex won his class and so did I... I also won the overall master class and for the first time in my life, I won the whole show in a body building competition, winning not only the masters overall , but the open class overall too!

I'm so proud of Alex and what he has accomplished and he has so much more potential, he has just begun to win competitions, stay tuned for more of Alex Stylin' Stylien

Now we set our site for this coming Saturday where we are competing in the NPC New England's held and the little John Hancock in Boston. This show will be a little bigger, having my contesents and Alex and I will be the ones to beat, I'm sure the word is already out, to look out for the new guy Alex Stylien and his "Sensei" Rob Costarelli (what Alex kept calling me all day yesterday)

We are going to run this week as we did last week, training wise...Mon, Tues and Wed. having Thur and Fri to grow, to compete Saturday

Alex just needs to maintain his condition as he was spot on, he will only get better come next Saturday. For me I would like to step on stage around 215 and be a little more dryer for this show, so my focus this week is to dry myself out more

Stay tuned...

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