www.animalpak.com/journey
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The Journey
Animal Pak’s Progress
Iconic
Epilogue
Lost Entry 1
Lost Entry 2
Lost Entry 3
Lost Entry 4
Extras
Wrath Supplement Plan
Wrath Training Plan
52 Extras
Wrath Meal Plan
Wrath Meal Plan Phase 2
53 Extras
Wrath Offseason Training Split
Life is hard. It chews you up, spits you
out. It even shits on you for good
measure. But fuck that, you deal with it…
The isolation. The doubts. The voices in
your head. Getting up every morning, in
the dark… The monotony, all fucking day
and all fucking night. Living in the
shadows 24/7 can really fuck with you.
TOC JOURNEY
So why do you do it? Fame? Glory?
Getting some ass? That’s just the icing...
You do it because you got something to
prove to yourself. This life, this trip, this
journey… It’s about enlightenment. It’s
about looking destiny square in the eye
and grabbing hold of it for eighteen
weeks, and not letting go.
There’s purpose here. Eighteen weeks
and at the end, you’ll know where you
stand. The destination is on the map,
brothers. The Journey starts with Week
“00”. Follow the progress in each log. So
you getting in? Course you are… Now
buckle up and hold on tight. We’re gonna
floor it...
54 Extras
Wrath Offseason Diet Plan
Wrath Offseason Supplement Plan
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Logs & Notes
Your Words
What Is Animal
Supplement Facts
Animal Gear
The Forvm
Contact Us
Why am I not in bed, like everyone else, dead to the world? Why do I do
this, live with the constant pain, the suffering, the sacrifice? Why? Because
I can. Because pain tells me I’m awake. Reminds me I’m alive. Who am I? I
am the wrecker of steel. I am the crusher of mediocrity. I am the face of
here. But this is just one journey among many... There is no end.
destiny.It Istarts
am Animal...
There never is.
I begin tomorrow. Eighteen weeks in this dark hole. 126 days of pain. 3024
hours of hunger and desire. I’m already counting the minutes, the seconds.
Until then, you’ll live in shadow, in the darkness, in a place few will ever
When it’s over, I’ll step up out into the light. I will shine...
see... Where ugliness becomes beautiful.
This place, this darkness... There’s no better place to be. This is where
the real work gets done. So if you’re with me, get that time card and punch
in, cuz it’s gonna be a long, sweet ride. Be prepared to get your hands
dirty. Listen... Hear that silence? Tomorrow, it’s gonna rock ‘n roll. So
let’s get the show on the road. Let’s throw some iron into the fire...
To be continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
4:29am... STAND UP. BE COUNTED.
It’s out there, brothers... Has been as long as you or I or anyone can
remember. It thrives in the dark, dank corners of shithole gyms
everywhere. Listen... Can you hear it? It's the call. Those fortunate
enough to have heard it, who've made the journey, know the road is
long. The way is covered with mud, rock, and shit. To all those who've
come before me, I tell you this... I too have heard and I am ready. I am
ready to toil in anonymity under the merciless weight, under the
scrutiny of my own unforgiving gaze. I am ready for this undertaking
and when I am done, I will no longer be among the nameless, the
faceless. It's my time... I will stand up and be counted.
LOG 2
4:41AM... IN THE GAME.
How do you know you're ready? Let me tell you something... You don't.
As I'm lying here in the dark, alone in the gym and thinking about the
next 18 weeks, I know this... You won't find answers anywhere. It's not
written in any book. There's no guide. Nobody's gonna tell you it's time.
Only one person will know... You. You just got to want it bad enough.
Maybe one day you'll wake up and you'll know today's the day and you
start your own journey. Just remember this... Making the decision to
venture into the unknown, into uncharted territory—that's the hard part.
You get over that, and your future will open up. Destiny will be within
your grasp. That doesn't mean things will get any easier. Fuck no, they
won't. But just getting to the edge, being able to look over–that's why
I'm here. Listen, you can't wait until you think you're ready. I got news
for you—you'll never be ready. You'll never be big enough. You'll never
be lean enough. Your lagging parts will never catch up quick enough. So
if you waited for that time when you thought you might be ready, you'd
never step up. And if you don't step up, you're not in the game. I'm in
the game. I'm gonna look and see what's on the other side...
04 JOURNEY
LOG 3
5:11AM... THE LAST WORKOUT.
In a couple hours, the sun will be up and the world will start buzzing.
But for now, it's still dark outside and fucking cold. The gym is still
empty, silent. I'm alone. I've got another set to do. I grip the bar, feel the
cold iron in my hands. It's familiar, yet strange. How many times have I
been under this weight, looked up, and tried to push the weight through
the ceiling? I couldn't begin to count. But every time I feel the steel, I
tell myself it's the first time—and the last. Never take anything for
granted. Not a single rep. Not a single meal. That's what has kept me
from getting stuck in a rut. What'll keep me fucking going for the next
18 weeks? It's a date circled in red. Soon, when I'm done here, I'll
punch out and head on home. Is bodybuilding a job? Fuck yeah. The
toughest in the world. And the gym is my office. When I get home, I'm
not done for the day. Far from it. Shit, bodybuilding is a job, but it's
much more than that. Bodybuilding... This is my life...
I’m not like everyone. I don’t live like they live.
It starts here. But this is just Ione
journey
end.
don’t
eatamong
what many...
they There
eat. is
Nonodonuts.
No coffee
There never is.
with cream & two sugars. No morning papers. It’s
6:52am & I’m on my second meal. While everyone else
is hitting the snooze, I’m hitting my stride.
What do I do? I’m a bodybuilder & yeah, it’s a job.
Until then, you’ll live in shadow, in the darkness, in a place few will ever
Only the day doesn’t start at 9 & it won’t end at
see... Where ugliness becomes beautiful.
5. It starts from the time I open my eyes to the
time I shut them. It’s not a 5 day work week. I
live it 24/7... This is a job. This is my life.
The toughest part is sticking to the path, enduring
the crushing routine. My drive won’t change & each
day
that
passes
will
bring
me
closer
to
my
destination, the one I’ve circled in red & taped to
the cabinet. There is no rest. I’ve got miles to go.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
THIS IS MY ALARM.
That piece of paper taped to my cabinet? It’s a call to action, a declaration
of war. I put it there to remind me of the date every single fucking day…
It’s also my personal alarm clock. Every morning, as I’m making my
eggs, taking my Animal Pak, prepping my meals—it goes off, like a
hammer to my brain. My alarm doesn’t have a snooze. It never lets up.
It cuts me no slack. Some days, I see it and it gets me jacked. Yeah, I’m
gonna do this. This is my destiny. Other days I think, “What the fuck am
I doing? I look like shit.” Either way, I can’t escape it. Every time I see that
piece of paper, it stares back at me, calls me out, challenges me. So I just
keep grinding forward. Listen, this is how things work. If you want to get
something done, you gotta set a goal. Then, write it down—put it in a
place you can’t hide from. Every day, look at it and ask yourself, am I
farther along than I was yesterday? Am I moving forward? Cuz if you’re
not, why did you even set a goal to begin with? My goal is up there,
circled in permanent red ink. Every day it greets me, my own personal
fucking alarm clock. If I listen closely, I swear I can hear it ticking. Tick…
Tick… Tick… Ticking down from 126. Can’t you hear it? It’s fucking
thunderous. And it’s winding its way down to 0…
LOG 2
THIS IS MY PLACE.
My place? It's a small, dark shithole. A place where it'd be tough bringing
my folks, let alone my girl. Still, I've got three rooms and a roof over my
head. It's not much, but it gets the job done. Here in this room, it's just
this stool, a large mirror, the boombox I've had since I was in middle
school, and some lights I rigged up. This is supposed to be the living
room, but shit, I call it my “posing” room. For inspiration, I've got a
couple of posters of bodybuilding greats from the past, to build me up.
And a large mirror to scrutinize myself, to tear myself down. Yeah, home,
sweet home. So this girl I just started seeing—the other day, she comes
over for the first time. She has this shocked look on her face. She asks
me why I don't get a nicer place. A coffee table. A couch. Somewhere
she can sit. A coffee table? Couch? Fuck that. What's next, some silk
fucking flowers? Anyway, I tell her there's always the two chairs in the
kitchen... Or my cot. Look, rule number one—and I always say this right
from the start—if you want to see me, you get all of me. Everything.
Which is a lot, or very little, depending on how you see things. I'm not
here to stand still and let the dust settle on my shoulders... Possessions,
06 JOURNEY
all the shit you collect—these are the things that tie you down, hold you
back. In this world, I don't have much—just the clothes on my back and
this burning desire in my heart. But that's alright because I'm just
passing through... On my way to something bigger.
LOG 3
THIS IS MY MIND.
It's cold out there. So lately, I've been spending a lot of time inside, in these
three rooms I call home. The kitchen. The bedroom. The living room.
These rooms are like the confines of my mind. The kitchen, my Hunger.
The bedroom, my Desire. The living room, my Solitude. Three things I have
to deal with every single fucking day. Shit, I spend a lot of time within these
places, within my mind. Out in the real world, you can always step outside
for a breather. In my head, there's no escape... Not ever.
When I meet people, they take one look at me and dismiss me as some
stupid, oversized meathead. Someone who doesn't have a thought in
his brain. Fuck that. I've got the opposite problem. I think too much. I
dwell on too many things. My mind wanders... Sometimes, I feel
trapped... Like the walls are closing in on me. It's suffocating. I wonder
if I can keep this up for another seventeen weeks and make it to the end.
Some nights, when I'm awake, I imagine that the front door is
unlocked... Fear comes a calling. Doubt walks in... Questions howl
outside, rattle my windows.
But within these three rooms I must remain. Alone with Hunger, Desire,
Solitude. I gotta keep driving forward. I gotta keep moving... So when
I'm sitting here alone on another night, I tell myself I'm not gonna go
fucking nuts. When I lie in bed, I'm not gonna stay awake. When I eat,
I'm not gonna puke... These are the tenants that occupy my mind—the
place where I live.
I’m not gonna... puke. I’m not... gonna puke. I’m... not gonna puke...
Not this time. I chew on these words, force them through my head. In the
kitchen, eating another meal alone, it’s just those words and another
plate of chicken & rice. This jug of water--without that I’d be screwed.
Only my second week into it and I’m sick of it already.
Bite, chew, water, chew, water, chew, wash everything down. Repeat. This
is my system. Listen, the toughest part isn’t the lifting. It’s not the
cardio or getting up in the dark on a cold morning. It’s the diet. The
monotony of eating. My training won’t change much. But eating? It will
define me...
Some days, I’m actually hungry... These are the good days. The food is
still dry and tastes like crap, but at least I can get everything down
and keep it there. Other days, I just sit and stare. I break out in a
cold sweat. I have to will myself to start. Yeah, eating like this is a
real pain in the ass.
People in the other world, they don’t understand. They can’t. They eat
instinctively. For me, eating is another part of my life that must be
controlled. I’ve had to learn how to eat, overcome my appetite. It sounds
messed up, but that’s what I gotta do to prepare for this. It sucks and
I’ve still got miles to go.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
EATING TO LIVE.
Most people, they live to eat. They enjoy food, the taste and all that shit.
They eat out whenever they want. Yeah, what I wouldn’t give to eat what
I wanted right about now... I like eating food too. Who doesn’t? But I gotta
eat to live… I’m eating to achieve something. I can’t fucking stand what
I’m eating right now, but know what? There’s something comforting
about it—the regularity, the consistency. If there’s one thing that’s fucking
regular in my life, it’s eating. It’s like clockwork. I follow a set time with
each of my six meals. For every meal, I know what I’m eating and how
much. I’ve pretty much got the calories, protein, fat, and carbs down to
the gram. What’s shitty is that variety is gone. I’m down to a couple of
foods. That’s it. You want to hear something fucked up? When I’m dieting,
I crave foods I normally don’t like. That’s some weird shit. Anyway, when
I go food shopping every week, it’s a piece of cake. (Cake… Aw shit, there
I go again, daydreaming…) Four aisles, four items. One thing about
shopping—always go after a meal. Big fucking mistake is to go when
you’re hungry… So I go every week—same day, same time. Everyone
knows me, from the manager all the way down to the cashiers. They know
me so they don’t ask any questions. Yesterday, when I was there, a new
cashier rang me up, a pretty girl. Never seen her before. Anyway, as I’m
unloading seven dozen egg cartons, she looks up, smiles, and asks me,
“Hey, you must like eggs, right?” Here it goes again. In my mind, it all
comes back up... I’m thinking about how much I fucking hate eggs. Can’t
fucking stand ‘em. How can she know that I boil a dozen every morning,
remove the yolks and toss the whites back? At night, before I go to bed,
the same thing? She can’t. She doesn’t know how hard it is to choke ‘em
down, how they stick to my throat. On a couple occasions, I’ve even
puked ‘em back up. When that happens, I gotta boil ‘em again, and start
over. “Yeah,” I tell her. “I love ‘em...” and return the smile. Like I said, this
is not living to eat… And it fucking sucks.
LOG 2
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.
Growing up, I don’t know how many times I heard this… “You are what
you eat.” Fuck that shit. If that were true, I’d be a cow. Yeah, a big
fucking cow with an oatmeal tail, yams for horns, and eggs for hooves.
What a fucking sight that would be. Eating the same shit every day is
hard enough. Not a meal goes by where I don’t want to call it quits and
just hang it up. But I can’t. I won’t.
08 JOURNEY
Still, there are other issues that come with dieting… Like the patience
you need to explain why you eat the same meals, the same foods for
weeks on end. See, when it comes to this sport, food is the bedrock, the
foundation. You can pay your dues and put the time in the weight room,
but if you don’t have your diet in order, you’re just spinning your wheels.
At this level, everything’s gotta be just right.
Another issue—dealing with not being able to go out on the weekends
to kick back and relax. Dieting can really make this sport a lonely one.
Here’s what I’m talking about… This girl I’ve been seeing, she’s been on
my case about taking her out to eat. Dinner and dancing. I haven’t been
with her long, but her birthday is coming up and she wants it to be
special. I told her I’m dieting, but she won’t back off—she’s tough and
I like that. “Just sit there and watch me eat then,” she says. Now tell me,
what the fuck is wrong with that? Am I supposed to just sit there with
a grin on my face and my thumb in my ass? Anyway, I try to explain to
her what dieting means, put it in terms she’d understand. I ask her why
she always goes out with her bag. “It’s got all my valuables in there.”
Well, when I go out, I carry something too—a cooler and what goes in
it is valuable to me. That cooler is my lifeline. When I’m out longer than
two hours, I take a cooler with me. OK. Now depending on what’s she’s
wearing, she’ll take one bag or another. Me? Depending on how long
I’m out, I’ll take my small or large cooler. So far, so good. Now I ask her
about work. She’s got a job with pretty regular hours. She looks at the
clock to watch the day pass. Me, I can pretty much tell what time of day
it is by what meal I’m eating. Now what about eating? She’s a skinny girl
and a real looker, but she tells me she’s gotta watch what she eats. I
watch what I eat too. But she’s not eating four foods and only four
foods. So she’s starting to get the picture… I tell her to imagine a slice
of pizza. ‘What’s the first thing that comes to mind?’ I ask her. She starts
talking about the taste. Yeah, that’s how most people are.
People go through life taking a lot of things for granted. How easily they
could eat whatever they want, when they wanted. They live life on the
surface—they don’t try to see below it. When others see a slice of pizza
or a burger, they’re thinking about how good it tastes. They’re looking
for satisfaction, gratification. For me, when I see food, I see two things
and two things only. I see bricks and I see shit. Each good food I eat,
continued...
well, it’s another brick in this motherfucking house I’m building. I knew
going in that it would take a lot of bricks and a lot of time. But if I eat
that burger or drink that beer, well then I’m eating shit. It’s simple: You
can’t build a house made of shit and expect it to stand up to the rain.
With that first drop of water, you’re fucked. So for me, every time I see
a piece of food, I’m asking myself, am I building up or am I tearing
down? Will my house withstand any storm or will it easily crumble?
Anyway, I think I’m beginning to get to her. I think she’s beginning to
understand. I think. Now about that birthday...
LOG 3
WITHIN, WITHOUT... WITHER.
When it comes to dieting, it’s all about living within boundaries you set
for yourself. Those boundaries are determined by your goals. My goal
is pretty lofty so my boundaries gotta be tight. Dieting is about restraint,
constraint. In other words, it’s about living without. Without the ice
cream, the pizza, the burgers, the fried chicken, the cake. And that, my
friends, fucking sucks. In the end though, giving up these things, it’s not
so bad. Yeah, there are moments when you just want to give up, but you
figure out a way to get by... The real torture when you’re dieting is losing
the muscle. No matter what you do, no matter how you do it, when you
diet and do cardio, you’re gonna lose some of that hard earned meat on
your bones.
How do I diet without withering away? That’s what fucking gets me.
See, bodybuilding is full of ironies. When you diet, you get smaller, but
you actually look bigger. When you diet, you look your best but you feel
like fucking shit. This game is all mental. Make no mistake about it. You
gotta assert the mind, the will, over the body. Living without, I can
handle. But there are a couple things I have to live with. Necessities,
staples, whatever you wanna call them. First, a cooler for my food when
I’m out. Second, a microwave—I pretty much microwave everything I
can—my yams, my oatmeal. Fast and easy, because I don’t want to
spend more time on food prep than I have to. Third, a fridge, for storing
my steak, my veggies, my eggs, my diet soda. Fourth, my supplements.
Four things you’ll always find in abundance in my place.
Speaking of the fourth, if you know a competitive bodybuilder, then you
probably know the answer to this one. There are some who think it’s just
marketing created by supplement companies. I’ll say it here for the
09 JOURNEY
record—I use supplements. Now I don’t use a whole lot compared to
some other guys, but there are key ones I never do without. This is
especially true when I’m dieting. This is how I do it... I start with the
basics, like Animal Pak and Animal Nitro (the Pak covers all my
nutritional bases and the Nitro’s got key aminos my body needs). Then
I work a nutritional program around these two. Simple. I’ve used a lot
of different supplements over the years and you gotta figure out what
works best for you and stick with ‘em. Trust me, I’ve used things other
than the Pak and the Nitro, and I learned this lesson the hard way. Funny
thing about supplements... A lot of people who aren’t in this sport don’t
have a clue about supplements. When they see me throwing the pills
back, the cans of Animal Pak and Animal Nitro on my shelf, or the little
plastic packs in my gym bag, they think they’re some kind of drugs.
That’s some pretty funny shit...
Bodybuilding is a tough racket. It takes some real balls to do this day in
and day out. I’m eating food that tastes like shit. And I’m eating it four
times a day every day. I’m chugging pills and mixing up powders. And
I haven’t even talked about the gym yet, the cardio. All this dedication
and sacrifice and for what? So I can get big? So I can look my best one
night out of the year, standing under those bright lights? For that I gotta
put up with a lot of shit. Looks. Stares. Insolence. Constant questions.
Who wants to be treated like a second class citizen, like some social
misfit or genetic abberation? In my mind, I think of Frankenstein’s
monster... I see people with that look in their eyes—fear, loathing,
disgust. Is it worth it? Fuck yeah, every time. I wouldn’t trade any of this
for the world. I gotta do what I know I was born to do. So if the villagers
come calling with their torches, so be it. Shit, I’ve got the matches. Let’s
fucking start a fire.
In 1983, the first Animal Pak rolled off the production
line and history was made. Today, many millions upon
millions of “packs” later, history continues to be made
at Universal Nutrition. Animal Pak has become the
world’s leading training pack, available in over 90
countries. Over the decades, many of the world’s elite
strength athletes have relied on Animal Pak as their
core supplement of choice. Today, the momentum behind
Animal continues to accelerate. Fast forward to 2008...
In 2008, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the
legendary Animal Pak, the entire line will get a major
facelift. The new label design, the Animal Iconography,
captures the sweeping and enduring quality that is
synonymous with the word “Animal”. By keeping the Animal
Pak a vivid yellow, it will remain true to its heritage
and echo the historic predecessors that came before it
in the 1990s and 1980s. The remaining products will be
clad in a bold red that is both striking and visionary.
The new Animal Iconography will capture the essence of
what Animal is all about. Determined. No
nonsense. Serious. While the packaging will
change, the formulas will remain exactly the
same. After all, Animal products have been
proven in the trenches. They have stood the
test of time. Three decades and three
generations of Animal. What will the future
hold? Continued growth... Continued progress.
Fear mingled with loathing. When I’m out in the world, this is what I see
reflected in the eyes of others as they pass by. They only see a massive
miscreant, a disgusting freak of nature, an ego run amok. They often stop
and stare. But you wanna know what? They don’t really see me. While they
see a freakshow, an abomination, I am an afterthought. I am invisible.
This happens so often, I sometimes look in the mirror to make sure I’m
still there. No, I am not a shadow. I am not invisible. In the mirror, I
see skin, bone, muscle, sinew. I see the potential, the genetics my old
man handed down. But there is also fear. Fear mingled with doubt. I look
and wonder if I can shoulder the crushing burden of my own expectations.
Only three weeks in and another fifteen to go, I stand here looking for
signs of progress. After all the sacrifices, the early mornings, the
meals, what stands before me is a man striving for something more. Behind
the fear and doubt, a fire burns fierce with determination. Yeah, I see
a man unsure of the what’s out there. But that’s not gonna turn me away.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
FEAR
FEAR.
So last
“So
lastnight,
night,I’m
I’mwalking
walkingdown
downthe
the street
street and
and this
this guy who’s about 20
feet away, looks up and sees me. He turns sharply and quickly crosses
over to the other side of the street—like a rabid, snapping dog is
charging him.
him. Worst
Worst part
part is,
is, he
hepretended
pretendedlike
likehe
hedidn’t
didn’tsee
seeme.
me.AsAsif ifI
Ididn’t
didn’tsee
seeyou.
you.Fuck,
Fuck,man,
man,I’m
I’mjust
just walking...
walking... II got
got somewhere
somewhere to go,
somewhere to be, just like you. This sidewalk is wide enough for the
both of us. But that doesn’t matter. It’s this same shit every day. Ever
have to wait for a waitress to take your order because she’s afraid to
approach you? Ever have someone shrink away when you just want to
ask a simple question? Ever have people see you and look away
nervously, acting
acting as if you didn’t exist? Welcome to my world. I am
here, but
but they
theydon’t
don’tsee
seeme.
me.They
Theydon’t
don’t
want
want
to to
seesee
me.me.
In society,
In society,
I amI
small.
am
small.
I amI pushed
am pushed
away,away,
far out
fartoout
thetoedges.
the edges.
This isThis
what
is fear
whatdoes.
fear
Fear ofFear
does.
the of
unknown,
the unknown,
fear offear
what's
of what's
different.
different.
But you
Butknow
you know
what what
truly
makesmakes
truly
me different?
me different?
Shit, it’s
Shit,
not it’s
my not
size.my
Outsize.
here,Out
thehere,
only thing
the only
my
size represents
thing
my size represents
is the weight
is the
I must
weight
bear…
I must
No, what
bear…
makes
No, what
me different
makes
is mydifferent
me
desire toismake
my desire
something
to make
of myself,
something
and it’s of
fucking
myself,
burning
and me
it’s
up… burning me up…
fucking
LOG 2
LOATHING
LOATHING.
I go
“I
gototothe
thelocal
localsupermarket
supermarket every
every week.
week. It's
It's like
like aa job
job and I clock in,
same day, same time, every time. The people who work there all know
me. They're like my co-workers. They all say hello and I nod my head.
Even the new girl, the one who asked about the eggs, waves to me now
when she sees me… Yeah, I'm a “regular”. Of course, there are people
who shop who don't know me. Their reaction to me is always good for
a laugh. Shit, some of their expressions are fucking priceless. Take last
week for example. The weather's been cold, so I'm wearing my hoodie
and sweats. I grabbed one of the carts and started making my way to
the four aisles, the ones I know by heart. So I'm approaching the first
and as I'm about to turn a corner, this little old lady comes shooting out
of nowhere and our carts nearly hit. She looks up and is about to say
something, but when she sees me, I see it… That expression I've seen
a thousand
thousand times
timesbefore.
before.Loathing.
Loathing.It'sIt's
happens
happens
slow,
slow,
see--it
see—it
startsstarts
with
surprise,
with
surprise,
thenthen
shock,
shock,
andand
thenthen
loathing.
loathing.
She
Shecan't
can'tcontrol
controlit.it. ItIt just
happens automatically. She doesn't know me, but I can see the intense
dislike on her face. So what are you gonna do? Of course, there is a
66 JOURNEY AOM
12
small minority of people who see past this body, like my girl. Last week,
she was telling me about something similar. No, she's not a
bodybuilder, but she is a real looker. She gets stares all the time, but it's
not disgust or loathing—it's
loathing--it's something
something else.
else. Anyway,
Anyway, she
she used a word,
'lookism' I think it was… Judging people based on appearances. I know
all about this... It's fucking ironic that I'm in a sport where I'm judged
by the way I look. These judges scrutinize every detail, every inch, every
pose, in a critical way. II submit
submit to
to this
this judging,
judging, aa necessity,
necessity,,voluntarily.
voluntarily.
In the supermarket though, there is also judging, judgment. But it's
completely fucking different…
different…”
LOG 3
DISGUST
DISGUST.
The gym.
"The
gym. Yeah,
Yeah, it’s
it’s my
my home
home away
away from
from home.
home. No, fuck that—it is
home. I know every fucking inch of that gym, the placement of every
piece of
of equipment.
equipment.Some
Somewould
wouldcall
callit ita shithole
a shithole
of aofplace.
a place.
Holes
Holes
in the
in
ceiling,
the
ceiling,
pisspiss
on the
onbathroom
the bathroom
floor--definitely
floor—definitely
not a place
not atoplace
bringtoabring
date.
aDisgusting?
date. Disgusting?
Nah. It'sNah.
got It's
character.
got character.
One man's
One junk
man's
is junk
another
is another
man's
treasure.
man's
treasure.
Familiar?
Familiar?
Yup. Shit,
Yup.I know
Shit, Ithat
know
gym
that
sogym
well so
I could
well Ido
could
my
splits
do
my in
splits
my insleep.
my sleep.
Everyone
Everyone
therethere
knows
knows
me.me.It’sIt’sfamily,
family,aa real
brotherhood. But sometimes,
brotherhood.
sometimes, I’m
I’m on
on the road and I have to train
elsewhere. So I always have a couple of backup gyms. These other
gyms, I don’t know so well. Not exactly the ideal place for me, but hey,
beggars can't be choosers,
choosers, know
know what
what II mean?.
mean? This one gym the next
town over--nice,
over—nice,clean,
clean,respectable
respectable
place.
place.
Well,
Well,
they
they
gotgot
dumbbells
dumbbells
up
to 150
up
to 150
and and
a whole
a whole
row of
row
theoflatest
the latest
treadmills
treadmills
and steppers.
and steppers.
The gym's
The
got a real
gym's
gotsplit
a real
personality--you
split personality—you
got somegot
serious
somelifters
serious
therelifters
and some
there
regular
and
some
ladies
regular
trying
ladies
to lose
trying
weight.
to lose
Youweight.
know the
Youdeal...
know It’s
the funny,
deal... but
It’s
every time
funny,
but every
I’m in time
there,I’m
most
in there,
of the most
ladiesoflook
theatladies
me, wrinkle
look at their
me,
noses intheir
wrinkle
disgust.
noses
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in disgust.
Now that’s
Disgust.
a funny
Nowemotion.
that’s a funny
Disgustemotion.
for one
is desirefor
Disgust
forone
another.
is desire
A few
for another.
of the ladies
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of the
theladies
wholelove
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the whole
physique. Whophysique.
bodybuilding
can figure?
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girl figure?
now, she's
My more
girl now,
complex--it's
she's more
not
an 'either or' situation.
complex—it's
not an “either
I met her
or” in
situation.
a gym. Now
I metshe
herwasn’t
in a gym.
turned
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onshe
by
my physique,
wasn’t
turnedbut
onshe
by wasn’t
my physique,
turned off
but
either.
she Must
wasn’tbeturned
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off either.
about
me… be
Must
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fuck if I know
about
what
me…
it is.The
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a vibe.
what
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it is.
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set on
it’s
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don't fuck
set on
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thingsthe
and
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I don't fuck
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person can
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make—the
the difference
power ofone
one.person
Maybecan
thismake—the
is what attracted
powerher
of
to me.
one.
Maybe
Maybe..."
this is what attracted her to me. Maybe...
The Ninety-Nines... That’s what I call ‘em. Ninety-nine out of a hundred people
can’t fathom what I do. They scratch their heads, can’t believe my dedication to
this great sport. Many don’t even think this a sport or that I have a life. Never
let others define your ‘life’ for you. This is what I have chosen. This is the road
I’ve taken, with all the potholes, bumps, and turns. The Ninety-Nines, they can’t
commit 100% to being their best, to step up one day and stand tall among the giants.
I don’t play the lottery. I don’t have the winning ticket. Everything I have, I
busted my ass for. The only thing I ever got handed to me are the genetics my old
man passed down. From him, I learned the value of a work ethic and getting your
hands dirty. To those who’ve always wanted more, stand with me. We are few and we
must stand on the mountaintops to be heard. When the day is done, our voices will
carry. It shall be a call to all those who have always dreamed of something greater.
To the naysayers, I say your words will fall on deaf ears. To the doubters, take
your misgivings elsewhere. To the envious, do not desire what we will achieve. I
will beat back mediocrity with a fierce hand, will demolish conformity, so that when
it’s time to cash in my chips, I won’t leave a legacy of regret, that I didn’t go
for mine. In each one of us lies the power to start something... So to those of you
out there who can hear, let me say again, who are you and will you stand with me?
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
FORGETTING.
Shit. That's how I've been feeling the last couple days. My workouts are
flat. Appetite is shot. Don't even want to spend quality time with my girl.
Her birthday is right around the corner and I can't get into it. I can't
complain. Most days are shit. Still, I get some real gems in between. On
a good day, I feel inspired. It's like you're on a one way mission but you
feel like a hundred bucks. When you roll out of bed and look outside,
where there were dark storm clouds, you see blue skies and a sun
smiling down on you. Everything falls your way. Finding a twenty on the
sidewalk. Driving down the street and all the lights are green. Hitting new
records on every lift. Yeah, this is the good life. Part of me wishes every
day were like this... The rest of me knows it can't be. See, I don't want
the good life... Not now. I've got too much to do. The good life can fuck
you up. It can make you soft. The good life fills your ears with a sweet
music that makes you forget... Forget that mission, who you are, what
matters. Shit, after a while, all you want is that damn music. That music
drowns everything out, including that voice in your head. Most people go
through their lives, numb, preferring to listen to the music, to themselves
talk, to everything but that voice... They lose their way. I'm lucky. Most
days, that voice inside my head is wailing like a fucking siren. It's so loud
it keeps me up nights, keeps me honest. It won't let me forget. When I
get too many good days, too much of that good life, I plug my ears, roll
up my sleeves, and get to work. After all, without that voice, I wouldn't
be who I am... Who I can be. Now this is important... Do not forget. Do
not drown in the music. Listen to your voice... It's saying something.
LOG 2
REMEMBERING.
Forgetting the good life... Not as hard as it sounds when you only get a
rare taste. If it was a fucking filet mignon every week, then it'd be tough
to give up. Days of wine and roses? Fuck that. More like shit and piss.
Remembering, now that's different. For the bodybuilder, no fuck that, for
anyone, remembering makes us who we are. As a bodybuilder, I gotta
remember… Where I came from, who I am, what really matters. I can
never forget what's behind me either. All those who came before me and
made a name for themselves. All the days of blood and guts I fucking
spilled for this sport. All the things that have defined me. See, without
memory, there is no desire... Knowing what I had, knowing it's not
enough, and knowing that I want more. Without memory, there can be
14 JOURNEY
no history. I know where I’m coming from. I know where I'm headed.
History? Yeah, I plan on making some of that too.
LOG 3
MY OLD MAN.
My old man, he was a miner. He worked with his hands. As a kid, I
remember him coming home, dust from the mines covering every inch
of him. Whenever I did right, he'd put his hand on my shoulder. I
remember how heavy it felt—those hands full of calluses and blisters
that came from having to work with them, day in and day out, just to put
food on the table. He was a big, powerful man. Larger than life. He was
a family man, a pillar of the community. When he wasn't spending time
with us, he'd be bulding ballparks, volunteering his time. Why am I
thinking about him? Yesterday, I trained in some dungeon gym, a
basement full of old, rusting equipment. Man, the smell of the earth and
concrete took me back to when I got my first taste of iron... A taste I
haven't been able to get out of my mouth since. That was when I found
his weights buried back in a corner of the basement, under a load of
boxes. The weights called out to me. As I got deeper into lifting, I
remember walking down the steps, night after countless night, into the
dark. As I worked, I thought of him, taking an elevator down a long shaft,
working deep under tons of earth. By day, he worked with iron. By night,
he worked with another kind of iron, the same kind I held in my hands
as a kid of fourteen. My old man worked like a bull to put food on the
table and meat on his bones. Both, he did with pride. See, he knew who
he was. He was grounded, firmly planted. Me? Sometimes, I don't know
who I am. I look in the mirror and I see a stranger staring back at me. I
am no one... I am nothing... I am adrift, looking for a way home. Living
in a society that can't comprehend what I do, what I go through, can
make me doubt myself. Am I the hero or the monster? But today, as I'm
blasting through this workout, I can feel his hand on my shoulder and,
yeah, the clarity returns. I remember how I got started in this game. After
I finish up, when I walk outside, there is no mine, no ballpark, no
basement from my past—only the decaying city around me I call home
and the memory of iron. I will not forget... Hey old man, as I hold the iron
in my hands, as I step out from behind your long shadow, I want to tell
you that I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I also want to tell you
who I am. I am a man... I am a bodybuilder... I am your son.
Bodybuilding is a line drawn in the sand--it slaps you in the face,
dares you. At 14, when I discovered those weights in the basement, I
knew I crossed that line, knew there would be no turning back... Ever.
The quickest way between here and there, today and tomorrow, is a
straight line. Each and every day, so many distractions get in the way,
threaten to take me off course. I have to stay on the path, stay true.
In my life, I walk a tightrope. The air is thin up here and one small
misstep means I’ll fall to the ground--without a safety net. Needs and
desires? Yeah, it’s hard having to balance everything, staying focused.
It’s a fine line between the two... People think I’m nuts doing what I
do. Yeah, they’re not wrong. This pursuit is a descent into madness.
I’ve been on this slide for a while now and I can’t stop. Not yet...
When I look at my hands, I see my old man. My hands, like his, were
made for working. But it’s more than genetics he passed on. On days
where I feel like hanging it up, I see him and I keep steamrolling on.
As a kid, I knew all the bodybuilders by heart--the faces, their stats.
See this curl machine? Arnold himself used it. Know what that’s like?
Pure electricity. This great sport has a long line... I am part of it.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
MY ASS IS DRAGGING.
Oatmeal, egg whites, yams and eye round. Four foods, 24/7… Shit, the
monotony is killing me. Did I say monotony? I meant consistency. It
sounds more noble. Bodybuilding is about perspective and how you
approach things. If I see eating as monotony, I'm just making things
harder for myself. But if I see it as a stepping stone to something nobler,
then the food becomes easier to swallow. In this way, I’m no different
than when I was fourteen. Yeah, I'm comparing myself to a skinny ass
kid who maybe weighed a buck forty. Crazy? See, when I was fourteen,
I got a taste of iron. Man, it was like fucking blood in my mouth from a
slap to my face. I was challenged. I was in for life. But as a teen, I had
the same heart, the same passion for the sport as I do now. The fire that
burns inside me today is no hotter. What am I getting at? Yesterday, I
trained arms. Because my ass has been dragging, I had to gut it out. On
top of that, my arm routine is pretty much the same routine that I've been
using for a while now—skullcrushers, barbell and dumbbell curls,
pushdowns, etc. So you could say my arm routine has been, well,
routine. But again, think about it terms of the intangibles. Think about it
in terms of consistency. Sticking to it. That combined with desire and
heart, and always pushing yourself… So to all these kids who come up
to me, asking me how I got this big, what I eat exactly, the specific
exercises I use… In the end, it doesn't mean shit. It's all about finding
what works for you, then applying it with consistency and diligence.
Throw in heart, real passion, and you got the makings of a champion.
LOG 2
PREDICTING THE WEATHER.
Some days, the seas are calm. Other days, a storm. The question is,
what's the fucking forecast? When you're doing what I do, trust me, the
forecast changes on a dime. It's my girl's inside joke. Whenever she sees
me, she asks, “So what's the forecast gonna be today, baby?” My girl
has to put up with a lot of shit. And her birthday is right around the
corner now… Damn, I can't forget about that. So yesterday, I'm training
wheels. My knees have been acting up again so, holding me back, and
that's been fucking pissing me off. Anyway, I'm in the middle of a
grueling set of hack squats when this kid comes up and starts talking, all
friendly like—the usual shit. Number one, I don't like to be distracted in
the middle of a set. Number two, he's rambling on about what the secret
to getting big is… The secret? Dark stormclouds are brewing on the
16 JOURNEY
horizon… My vision blurs... The blood rises up into my temples… You
want the fucking secret? I wanna lay into him, for reason number one
and reason number two, but I hold off and bury the weights instead. This
kid doesn't know any better. So after I'm done my set, I wipe my brow,
take him aside, and tell him, “There is no secret.” He looks surprised.
Shit, that look never gets old. What this kid doesn't know is that all the
info he'll ever need is already out there, in this gym and in thousands of
gyms across the country. See, the truth isn't glamorous. It doesn’t have
sizzle. The truth is like steak and the secret is boring. The secret is
consistency. Having the fucking balls to eat and train a certain way day
in, day out. The days will blur together… Do you have what it takes to
live this kind of life? To figure out how to get through each meal, each
rep like it's your last? Yeah, you gotta be able to transform the word
“monotony” into “consistency”. That’s the fucking secret.
LOG 3
BEING DIFFERENT.
I wasn't always this big. No shit, right? As a kid I was overweight.
Overweight and short. Yeah, how’s that? Life sucked but those are the
breaks. But I was always strong. My old man was proud of that. Strength
was something he valued. So before I ever got into bodybuilding,
strength mattered to me. I wanted to be able to move mountains. But all
the strength in the world didn't help when I was young because I was
bullied. There was a gang of them and, at times, it got pretty fucking bad.
But that was then and this is now. The line that connects me as an eleven
year old to who I am today remains unbroken. Truth is, I still feel like that
short, fat kid at times. I don't get bullied anymore, but you wanna know
what? I still have to avoid fights. Guys will just walk up and challenge me.
Yeah, it's fucked up... This time, I'm not being singled out because I'm
short and fat, but because I'm big and strong. When you're standing
close to six feet and pushing 280 like I do, you stick out. Maybe guys see
me as the big dog, so they want to test themselves against me. It's one
thing to defend yourself, your honor, your country or your family... But
to fight because of ego, that's just nuts. You don't get into this sport to
push others around. I don't have time for all the other bullshit.. And
lately, the days feel like they've been getting shorter and shorter... I can't
get distracted by all the shit life throws at me. I gotta stay on point, stay
focused. I got enough troubles with my girl...
Be Selfish.
I’ve torn through a dozen or so relationships...
Bodybuilding is a lonely sport. Alone when I eat, when
I train, and when I finally stand under the bright
lights. It’s Friday night and I’m here with my girl but
I’m alone. She’s pissed & won’t talk. Can’t say I blame
her. Still, she knew it was coming...
Anytime I meet a good one, I always let her know what
she’s getting--selfishness... A big fat heaping serving
of it. Why waste her time or mine? I tell ‘em, but it
never works. They don’t think it’ll be so bad putting
up with all this. Maybe they think they can change
me. Yeah, like that’ll happen...
Being in this great sport--being great in this sport-requires selfishness... It’s demanded of you, just like
sacrifice is. But that selfishness is not for personal
profit or pleasure, but personal achievement. There’s
something I need to accomplish and nothing’s gonna get
between me and it... Nothing.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
THE REAL WORLD.
Been seeing this great girl for a month and a half… She’s working hard,
paying her dues, putting up with all my shit. Can’t say I’ve been able to
return the favor, but then again, I’m twelve weeks out. So last month,
just after we started seeing each other, she tells me her birthday is
coming up. She wants wining and dining, some romance. Girls dig that
shit, right? I wanted to do something nice for her… Anyway, it’s Friday,
her birthday. I promised her I’d take her out for dinner. She showed up
in this killer short black dress. Me? I just got back from the gym and I
stink. Yeah, I fucked up. I’m having a couple small problems with my
diet… A couple of my body parts are lagging… Things I gotta address
soon. So anyways, I’m stressed more than usual. On top of it all, I had
to take care of some business today that fucked up my schedule. I had
to train at the end of the day and I’m beat and I still gotta eat my meal.
I’m so tired, I just want to sleep… She’s pissed and yelling, but I don’t
even hear her… I’m just too fucking tired.
LOG 2
SWEPT UP.
Swept up… This journey I’m on is like a force of nature, a fucking
tornado churning through the land. It cuts a wide, destructive path,
threatening to sweep up anything and everything around it… Shit, most
days, I don’t’ even know where I’m gonna land, or if I’ll even land on my
own two feet. So I can only imagine what it’s like for those who get
caught up in this. Take my girl... What girl doesn’t want to be swept off
her feet? But there’s a world of difference between “swept off” and
“swept up”. My girl is paying the price because of that difference… Her
plans, her expectations on this night, her birthday, were swept aside…
No dinner. Nothing. In fact, she had to order takeout. I offered to pay,
but she wouldn’t take it. “Fuck off, you asshole. You were supposed to
take me out,” she said. Yeah, this girl’s got some fire… I like that. But
all that aside, here she is, gutting it out, staying by my side. She’s
pissed, but she’s trying to make it work. Let me tell ya something, in this
game, you can get far by yourself. But if you got support from your
family, your friends, your girl, then life is easier. And trust me, this girl
is solid gold. You ever find a girl who will put up with all the shit we
bodybuilders go through, hold onto her. Now maybe a little romance will
get things back on track, I don’t know. What I do know is that I got this
girl in my bed and she’s fucking slammin’… But I can’t even think
18 JOURNEY
straight. Right now, I just want to sleep. And this bed I got is just too
fucking small… Still, I gotta admit, sometimes it’s too big when she’s
not in it… Anyway, I got a long day ahead of me tomorrow. I'm going
mix things up a bit with my training and my diet, see what happens...
LOG 3
SOMEWHERE OUT THERE.
Somewhere out there, someone is enjoying a hot cup of coffee, reading
the paper, and eating a plate of donuts. Somewhere out there, another
day has started. The sky is clear and birds are singing in the trees.
Somewhere out there, people are given a fresh start. Nothing for me.
I'm hurtling down a road that leads to my destiny... The scenery passes
by so quickly, it's all looks the same—nothing but a blur. The days pass,
no different from one another. But I can't complain. This is what I've
chosen for myself and I wouldn't have it any other way. As I stand here
and look in the mirror, like I do every morning, everything gets washed
away... The colors, the smells, the things that add variety to life. I'd like
that right now instead of having to see my tired old face in the mirror.
This morning, the guy in the mirror looks back and screams, “What the
fuck you looking at you piece of shit? Get to work…” Yeah, another
fucking Saturday morning. Another fine day in Jersey… So things are
cool with me and my girl. At least I think they are… Stayed up later than
I wanted to, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. She’s got shit to
take care of, so it’s in the shower and out the door in fifteen minutes.
Damn, this is a small bathroom—and here I thought my bed was too
small. I’d make her breakfast, but one, I don’t have much of a range
when it comes to cooking and two, I don’t have a whole lot I could make
for her. That is, unless she wanted some eggs and plain oatmeal. I’ve
got a full day ahead of me as well. Gotta get some shit straightened out.
Nothing much… Just my diet and training, that’s all. I also have to start
thinking about my posing routine too. Posing routine… That’s the part
about competing that I fucking hate. Picking music. Figuring out a
routine to go with that… Anyway, though I still have 12 weeks to go,
I’m not leaning out as fast as I’d like. On top of that, my legs and back
are lagging. I’m gonna have to make some changes. Starting next week,
I gonna mix things up a bit, change my diet around. I’m also thinking
about changing gyms… My gym and I, we go way back. But I think it’s
time to move on. Decisions, decisions, decisions…
Numbers. Some days, I feel like I’m drowning in ‘em. Everything I do has
to do with numbers... The weights I pile on, one after the other. The
minutes I count off, one by one, during cardio. The calories I don’t add
up anymore cuz I know my meals by sight. All the reps over the days,
weeks, years. The same angry red numbers that glare at me every morning,
telling me to get up. Then there are a specific set of numbers--55.30.29.
Though they are not official, like a driver’s license or other form of
ID, these numbers, from top to bottom, identify me... And that can be a
problem. These simple six digits are the reason people stare, mutter under
their breaths, ask so many ignorant questions whenever I step out into
their world. See, with numbers, people want to objectify me like they
would some centerfold. But instead of lust, I’m talking about disgust.
These numbers I have earned at great cost and sacrifice. So let them
loathe me. Let them try to define me. I know who I am, who I will become.
As I sit here, pumped from a grueling balls out set, I feel bigger than
55.30.29... Bigger than life. Though I’ve accomplished much in seven
weeks, that doesn’t change a damn thing... I’ve still got nine weeks to
go. So I will pull my cap down low, and push on, toiling in anonymity.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
YOU WANNA BE A SUPERHERO?
As an overweight 7-year old, I spent every last dime on ‘em. While other
kids were spending their coin on candy, I was deep into comics. I'd even
keep them under my bed and read 'em at night with a flashlight. Shit, all
the amazing physiques, the titanic struggles. I wanted to have rock hard
muscles. Yeah, that was the dream... My favorite superhero? Shit, that's
an easy one... The Thing. Others were reading Superman, but to me, the
Thing was badass. I knew everything about him, memorized all the
details—his name, where he grew up, his life's story... What I liked
about him was that he was real... Well, as real as any comic book hero
could be. He didn't live a glamorous life. This dude had it rough. And he
wasn't the strongest superhero around, but he made up for it through
sheer willpower. Yeah, the Thing rocked. Funny thing is, in a way, I
became the comic book hero I admired as a kid—and let me tell you,
things aren't always pretty. When I walk down the street, people look at
me like I've got four fingers on each hand, four toes on each foot, and
made of orange rock. I can't take off my physique, hang it up in the
closet, and call it a fucking day. I take this body wherever I go. Rain or
shine. Though it’s great, not a day passes when some part of me wishes
I was “normal” whatever the fuck that means. Even sitting here waiting
for the bus, I can hear people talking about me. I got thick skin. Looking
like a fucking freak, that's who I am, and I’m never giving that up. So
you wanna look like a superhero? Then think long and hard, brothers. It
ain't a cakewalk. But if you're ready, then come join me cuz the weights
are waitin'... And it's clobberin' time.
LOG 2
BREAK THE CHAIN.
When I first started lifting, I was young and overzealous. I soon became
shackled by numbers, chained to ‘em. I kept notes in my training log.
Every lift, every rep. After a while, it became a compulsion, like if I
stopped, so would my gains. I measured my weight on the scale every
fucking night, like clockwork, and in the morning, I measured my biceps
to see how much they had grown. Shit, as I got more serious, I started
weighing out my meals, calculating every calorie, every gram. It took
years to escape my confinement. Let me tell ya, the freedom was
enlightening.... These days, my tools are simpler, more effective.
Instead of the scale, I use a mirror. Instead pen and paper, I rely on
experience. Yeah, these days, I don’t have to keep track of anything. I
20 JOURNEY
can see where I am by the way I look in the mirror and by the way I feel.
If there’s one bit of advice I can give anyone looking to get into this
game, it’s this... Don’t get caught up in the numbers. Numbers objectify
and when they do, they can trap you, rule you. The chains have been
holding us down for too long, brothers. Through knowledge and
experience, break loose and taste freedom.
LOG 3
AIN’T NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT...
Being “normal”, you get all the perks... Walk up to any grease truck or
into any food court and you can crush whatever you want with fucking
impunity—a dirty burger, cheese fries, fat cat, pizza... Shit, load it up
and toss ‘em back. With food in your belly, you take a look at the shirt
on your back… Damn, you bought it two months ago and it’s already
out of style. So you head on over to the nearest store to pick up the
latest, slickest threads in S, M, or L. Yeah, being normal means having
choices and being able to make ‘em. Don’t get me wrong—just because
I live the way I do, don’t think for a second that I’ve got blinders on. I
watch TV. I’m in the malls. I got a girl who wants to dress me up. With
all that's out there, who wouldn’t be tempted to enjoy a little fucking
“excess” from time to time? When you can’t have something, you want
it even more. My problem is, I don’t have the same choices. Ever
wonder why bodybuilders dress alike? Do you think it’s because we all
get an official handbook that tells us what the fucking uniform is? It’s
because so few things fit. See, our choices are pretty much limited to
workout shit. The basics. Got a 30” waist? You walk into a store and pick
from dozens of jeans. You want ‘em stonewashed and boot cut? Sure…
How about straight leg and acid washed? Yup. Now I’ve got a 30” waist
too. But I can’t fit those legs over my 29” quads. So when I buy pants,
I gotta buy 'em with a supersized waist, then cinch it tight with a belt.
Jackets... You got a 38” chest, so if you’re going to a wedding, you got
your pick of tuxes. Me? How many tuxedo shops are gonna stock a 55”
jacket? Put it all together, 55, 30, 29 and you can understand how tough
it is to shop for clothes... Not that shopping for clothes is important.
Still, it's the idea that I have fewer choices. So what, right? Yeah, so
what... At least I always know what I'm gonna wear in the mornings and
it reads XXXL. Simplicity... There ain’t nothing wrong with that.
Bodybuilding is more than just lifting. Bodybuilding is living. Fuck yeah.
Another rep, another nail. Another set, another brick. Another split,
another backbreaking load of concrete... An honest day’s work for an
honest day’s pay. In here, no distractions. Not like the outside, with
ignorant people and their questions such as, ‘Is bodybuilding a sport?’
The first hundred times, I answered. I’ve stopped answering long ago...
Sport. What does the word even mean? Yeah, it is a word that’s easily
defined... Still it doesn't mean much. Let me ask you, how do you describe
what you do in a single word, an entire way of living with just 5 letters?
I can’t. What I do is more than a word. What I do cannot be confined by
the basic limitations of language. Who I am cannot be so easily defined.
Bodybuilding is a sport, one that doesn’t end with stepping up on stage...
That’s just a detour. But bodybuilding is more, like breathing or living.
It is transcendent. It is not merely a word, but a symbol, a process of
becoming--a constant striving to better oneself. This great journey that
I’m on, one that we all can become a part of, has a beginning but no end.
As I sit here, in the middle of my labor with two and a quarter on my
back, I know I’m just a tiny speck. On this ordinary day, as I hammer out
reps, each one drives my determination deeper into the grain of my being.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
THIRST.
“Is bodybuilding a sport?” Brothers, if you ever get deep into this
game, be ready for this question—you'll get it over and over and over
again. When I first go into this sport, I didn't know the answer. Later,
I knew and I answered. At some point, I stopped answering altogether.
Who the fuck cares? Still, a part of me can look at the question
rationally. What does the word “sport” mean? If ya look it up, you'll
see a lot of different definitions. One definition is a guy who can accept
the hard life and can deal with all kinds of shit. Kinda reminds me of
Tantalus. Now this Tantalus had it fucking bad man. See, Tantalus was
punished by having to stand in a lake. Above him was a tree filled with
ripe fruit. Around him, was cool, clear water. When he got hungry and
reached up for the fruit, the branch would move away. When he got
thirsty and bent down for a drink, the water would fall away. His
punishment was that he could never satisfy his hunger, his thirst.
Yeah, this is only a story, a myth, an allegory, but there's stone cold
truth here. Like Tantalus, we bodybuilders have to put up with a lot of
shit (yeah, we also dish it out too). But more to the point, I know what
it's like to feel a constant hunger, an unquenchable thirst.
Bodybuilding to me, like all great sports, like all great lives, is a
process, a never-ending journey of self-improvement and betterment.
Built into this process is a basic concept of competition. Not
necessarily the competition of the stage—that's just a detour. If I were
to never step up, bodybuilding would still mean the same damn thing.
Because every fucking day I spend in the gym, every fucking set, every
fucking drop of sweat that falls from my brow, I am competing. And if
you’re doing it right, you’re competing against the baddest, sickest
motherfucker there is… Yourself.
22 JOURNEY
LOG 2
MUTATION.
Sport. The word can mean someone takes a beating and comes back
for more. This defines the iron warrior. But it can also mean an
organism which, through mutation, goes through an abnormal
change. Mutation? Abnormal? Change? Shit, these are words I know
something about, words I can fucking relate to. Most people, they
want to fit in. They want to be liked. They don't want to be abnormal.
Great thinkers, philosophers and artists, they don't give a shit what
others think. They are committed to a pursuit of truth. Yeah, there's
truth in bodybuilding... Truth and a kind of purity that I haven't found
anywhere else. When you lie there, under the weight, there is the stark
black and white truth, a revealing moment—can I lift this weight? Can
I squeeze out another rep? Brothers, ain't nothing like it... The silence,
the peaceful solitude of an empty gym—nothing but your thoughts,
the clean burn of those weights, the inner struggle against yourself...
So is bodybuilding a sport? Fuck yeah... It's the sport of mutants. We
walk among you.
LOG 3
MOCKERY.
Mockery. Jest. To make a "sport" out of something... One word. So
many fucking meanings. And it's not just the word sport either. Same
thing could be said for the word bodybuilding. See this is the problem
when it comes to arguing about whether or not bodybuilding is a
sport. Too many definitions, too many viewpoints. Nobody's ever on
the same page. Long story short, too much talk and not enough of
what matters. Action. Getting your hands dirty. Talk is fucking cheap.
You wanna know about what sport means to me? Many things... Like
making a mockery of gravity and defying the laws of physics every
time I load up the bar... Ridiculing the plates, belittling them, putting
them in their fucking place... Going heavier, harder than I ever thought
possible... Never letting what I think I can do get in the way of what
I'm gonna do. Spilling blood and guts for this sport I love. Being
bound to it and never letting go.
We’re all born the same, unfettered by preconceived limitations.
Eventually, we submit to laws. There are those we must embrace in
order to be free... The laws of iron and discipline. Then there
are those we must challenge for that very same freedom... The laws
of conformity and small-mindedness. The weight of these chains are
so subtle, we forget them. This is how we are shackled, tamed.
Normalcy becomes the rule and we grow comfortable with limits. Like
a dog at the end of a leash, we move but never of our own will.
I will test my mettle, pull hard against these restraints. I will
not let conventional thinking rule me. As I stand here, the chain
will bury deep into my flesh, the weight will pull me down. But I
will fight. I will defy gravity. If I fall, I will get right back
up. Brothers, life is short and every minute that passes hurtles
us closer to the end. In the time that I have, I have bound myself
to this chosen life and it to me--these words are the contract that
binds me to this sport... Upon it, I have signed my name in blood.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
MAN IS BORN FREE...
But brothers, as we enter society the chains await… They’re everywhere.
They’re invisible. And we become imprisoned. We fall into certain ways
of thinking. We see the world the same way and can’t see it any other.
This impacts our daily lives and the sum of them, in fucking totality. So
we fall into ruts, into mindless patterns. Take my route to the gym for
example—every fucking time, the same path... So regular, I could
probably count the number of steps... So familiar, I could walk it in my
sleep. What if I took another route? Truth is, it wouldn’t make a fucking
bit of difference. But shit, the point is, I got used to it. It became
predictable—no longer thought twice about it. And there it is right there,
the fucking problem. If I did the same exact thing day in and day out, I’d
fail as a bodybuilder. See, there’s a world a difference between
“consistency” and “repetition”. A bodybuilder must be consistent, but
not repetitive. A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I wasn’t leaning out
as fast as I wanted to. If I didn’t question things, I’d have stuck to my diet
til the fucking end. But I know I had to mix things up. So what’d I do?
For starters, I upped my meals. I also replaced some of my beef meals
with leaner chicken breasts. And for my remaining meals with the beef,
I’m having my butcher grind it up. How did I figure out what to do? Did
I ask some guy in the gym? Did I count calories and look at the ratio of
macronutrients? Fuck no. I experimented. I paid attention to how I felt...
I looked in the mirror. Know what? Things are moving along nicely now.
Look, people want simple answers. They want to be told what to do, to
be spoon fed the truth. The truth? Shit. The truth is, the answers you
need, the answers you want, aren’t gonna be easy to come by. There are
no shortcuts. Asking someone else to tell you how many protein shakes
you need or how many chicken breasts to eat isn’t gonna get the fucking
job done. More to the point, once you think you found the answer, you
can't let it become the final answer. You gotta constantly challenge what
you know. Now, if only this withering heat would let up…
LOG 2
MY GRUEL.
So I’m in the gym and all I can think about is the meal I gotta eat next.
How fucking sick is that? My food... It could be gruel for all I fucking
know. It tastes like shit. Same old punishing shit day in and day out. At
least gruel’s easy to take—no chewing needed. Try choking down 20 oz.
of lean eye round steak a couple times a day. You wanna talk about
24 JOURNEY
work... Lifting is like a walk in the fucking park compared to that. So
here’s what I did… I figured it was time for a new recipe. What, you
didn’t know bodybuilders were part chefs? We’re always messing with
new ways to prepare the same old shit. I had this buddy who once tried
mixing canned tuna, egg whites and rice in a blender. He didn’t get very
far. Damn, that shit was wrong. Anyway, I invented this recipe out of
desperate necessity. Here’s what I do… I have my local butcher grind up
all my eye round, like ground beef. I take my trusty old skillet and put
down a thin layer of fat-free spray. When it’s hot, I throw in 16-20 oz. of
the ground eye round. While the meat’s cooking, I’ll microwave the yam.
When that’s ready, I’ll throw it in the pan with the beef and mix it all
together. Let me tell you how this all looks... Ever cook fatty ground beef
and toss it in the fridge? The fat cools and hardens. The result is
unappetizing to say the least. Well, that’s what my ground eye round and
yam recipe looks like. Does it taste any better than it looks? Nah… But
choking it down is a lot less work, let me tell ya. Damn, as a bodybuilder,
I am chained to my food… And eating? Eating is fucking grueling.
LOG 3
THE STATE OF NATURE,THE STATE OF MAN.
The state of nature is primitive. In this chaotic state, laws are made of
steel and rules are forged from iron. Here the mood is nasty, the work
brutish, and the shot at glory too fucking short. Let me tell you, I have
spent too many raw mornings in this place, alone with my toil, the
clanking plates and the gnawing doubts. This path I have chosen is well
worn... It is littered with sacrifices wasted, potential squandered,
destinies unfulfilled. But though my journey is my own, I am not alone.
Beside me are the memories of my youth, my old man who always put
me back on the straight and narrow whenever I wandered, and everyone
who ever lent a hand. State of nature? Fighting for one’s own? Fuck that.
Though this great sport is a solitary one and though we may compete,
though we may battle, we are ultimately in the same struggle. And
brothers, there are plenty of spoils to go around. Listen, the contract that
binds each of us to this sport also binds us together. And these laws?
These laws of iron and steel forge new bonds between us. They are
unbreakable. This is the state of man and ours is the brotherhood of iron.
Other people get greeting cards full of nice words. I get looks...
All kinds, all day long. It’s like living in a cage. Different looks
carry
different
sentiments.
Some
are
friendly.
Others
aren’t.
Whenever I catch a certain look from a kid new to the sport, I
remember how I used to walk past this one gym every morning. Each
time, I’d stop and look through the glass that separated me from the
big boys training with incomprehensible weights. I was intimidated
but deep down, I knew I belonged there. When I finally got the
courage to join, I was at the bottom of the food chain looking up.
Today, if I could look back and see my face as that young kid who
walked into the gym for the first time, I’ll tell you what I’d see.
A little fear mingled with something greater. Hunger... A face
burning with desire... A kid who had something to prove and wanted
all the world to know it. In the years between, I’ve learned a
couple things. First, the only person you have anything to prove
to is yourself. Second, you can watch life with your nose pressed
up against the glass. Or you can swing open the doors and step inside.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
RESPECT.
The doors rattle open. You step inside and take stock... Everything is
right. You take a deep breath... The air is sour, familiar. Like vinegar and
piss. You’re home. Shit, you got a set of keys to the place. In here,
there’s no bullshit. No one looks up as you step forward. You visualize
how the session is gonna go down. Your pulse quickens. The blood
starts boiling. It’s time to lay down the hammer… So my question is
this. Do you feel this way every time you enter the gym? Does the stink
of fear mingled with excitement race through your blood? Me, I’m a kid
in the candy store and everything’s free... In my gym, I’m the biggest
guy there. Big fucking deal. This fact don’t mean shit to me or any of the
regulars. Doesn't matter who’s competing, there’s a brotherhood here
based on respect. When I enter this place, no one cares. If they see me,
they’ll give me a quick nod and get back to the business at hand. No
stares. No expectations. Shit, the only way they’d look twice is if I was
growing a second head. Between us is a respect only men who respect
the iron can have. When you’re lying under a thick stack of plates, you
aren't any different than the guy next to you who’s busting his ass. Shit,
you could be Elvis Presley for all the weights care—they don’t give a
shit who you are. They’ll try to bury you just the same. Business is
business and pleasure is pleasure. But in this place, business is
pleasure and pleasure comes from taking care of business.
LOG 2
YOU AIN’T SHIT.
We’re vain. We’re self-centered. We spend too much time looking at
ourselves in the mirror. Those who think this don't have a fucking clue.
They sure don't have a problem staring at us... Shit, it happens
everywhere we go… It even happens in gyms. A couple weeks back, I
was thinking about changing gyms. In the end, I didn't. Anyway, I
decided to use another gym across town a couple times a week. So I’m
stepping through the doors to train there for the first time and I swear,
it’s like everyone stops what they’re doing to look up. I get a couple of
looks I easily recognize—those of acknowledgement, respect and even
awe. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see him… A large figure rising,
pulling himself up to his full stature. I see him push out his chest,
spread his lats. A big dude. He slowly turns to me and stares... Glares
is more like it. That look is one I know well… “You ain’t shit
motherfucker." Damn, I think to myself. It’s gonna be a long day…
26 JOURNEY
LOG 3
PROPS.
Yeah, this gig's got its share of ups and downs—though the ups are
probably higher and the lows are fucking lower for sure. To get through
this rollercoaster ride called bodybuilding, you need a solid support
structure under you. Family... Friends... A stand up girl... Shit, all these
things contribute to your success. They keep you buckled in and
strapped down. But there's also a support cast that plays a big role. For
me, special props go out to my Uncle Keg. Let me tell you about Uncle
Keg... He's been there for me through thick and thin. Every week, I go
pay him my respects and he returns the favor by helping to sustain me
on this journey. Now Uncle Keg isn't my uncle. He's my butcher and all
the locals call him that cuz he treats everyone who walks into shop like
they were his favorite nieces and nephews and cuz he's short and
barrel-chested. Proportions aside, Uncle Keg is one stand up guy. He
always sets aside the best cuts of eye round for me.. I still remember
the first time I walked into his shop. Uncle Keg had a way of dispensing
the obvious like a gumball machine dispenses candy. He looked up at
me and without missing a beat, said plainly, "Son, you're gonna need a
lot of steak." No questions, no stares, no passing judgment. Simple,
easy and uncomplicated. He just treated me like another member of his
extended family.
Now I wish I could say the same about this new gym I started going to...
Shit, the first week I was there, this little hottie came up to me as I was
doing stiff-legged deads, and dropped a piece of paper by my feet with
her phone number on it. Damn. That doesn't happen at my other gym
is the first thing I thought. For the record though, when it comes to the
gym and the bedroom, I don't fuck around. Don't have the time even if
I wanted to.. Even so, this little incident reminded me why I used to use
props to keep others at a distance in the gym—a worn cap with the bill
pulled down low over my eyes... Headphones with the music blaring...
Shit, when I was younger, I even tried wearing sunglasses to the gym to
avoid making eye contact. You do that, and it's like an open invitation
for people to walk up to you in the middle of set to ask you a shitload of
questions. You learn real quick to look away when you get to this level.
Don't get me wrong... I don't have a problem talking when I'm done, but
never get in my face when I'm in the middle of a set. That's Rule #1.
Seems that one big fella I talked about the other day didn't want to
extend me this simple courtesy. For that, I got Rule #2...
It’s late and I’m out of focus. I feel adrift at sea, lost in
my backbreaking labors. Then all at once it hits me like a
beacon in the night. In the middle of my rep, halfway through
my set, that familiar feeling returns... The pain. It washes
over me, wave after wave. My senses reel. Yeah, I could drop it
all, walk away from this burden. Instead, I grit my teeth, catch
my breath, and plow forward. When the going gets tough, many
head for safe harbor. I don’t. I welcome the pain -- it keeps
me honest. It grounds me. Brothers, this sea is wide and rough.
Though the pain may come over you, never let it overcome you.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
HOLD ON.
When I was an overweight kid just starting out, my ma said, “Hold on,
son.” She thought I was too young, supplements too unhealthy. She
thought bodybuilding wasn’t a respectable sport, let alone a
profession…
This great journey begins with a step... Even if that step is nothing more
than learning how to hold on...
When some of my friends starting seeing my level of dedication, all the
sacrifices I had to make, they said, “Hold on, man.” Maybe I wasn’t
spending enough time partying with them, getting drunk every
weekend. Maybe they weren't my friends…
The water drips from the bathroom faucet... Another drop in the sea. Off
in the distance, a squad car's siren wails... A lonely but comforting
sound. It's another late night in Jersey and my girl is snoring softly in
the other room. Damn, the fucking walls could come crashing down
around her and she'd sleep through it. Yeah, when she sleeps, she
seems a thousand miles away. Me, I'm still wired from earlier today.
Just started using Animal Pump for a little extra edge... Great workout.
All in all, a good day... Even the food tasted alright. I'm awake so I
thought I'd put my time to good use, hit my mandatories. I’m doing
that, I think about how life throws you a lot of fucking curveballs. When
you’re living a "clean" life stripped of all the extras, the trimmings that
make life livable for most people, a lot of temptation comes your way…
Girls in my new gym giving me their phone numbers... Hot donuts at the
diner down the street. Shit, when I was young, I took my share of
liberties, sampled too many wares. It was a distraction, a diversion.
Even in the weightroom, I indulged in excesses. These rickety knees,
they’re a consequence of my youthful fucking indiscretions in the gym.
Often I’d go too heavy with my ass-to-the-grass squats. Too often, pride
got in the way. So these days, when I train legs, I always make sure to
open with leg extensions, 4x20 usually. Warms 'em up real nice.
Though I’m older, wiser, there are still days when I want to drive six
plates a side from the ground through the roof. Listen, if you’re planning
on being in this game a long time, leave your ego at the door. You're not
in the gym to impress others but to improve yourself. Trust me, I know
how hard it is to hear the call of the iron and resist the temptation to go
overboard. You just gotta plug your ears with wax, and ignore it. Listen
to your body. It'll steer you right... In a couple of hours, my alarm, that
siren that keeps me ever vigilant, is gonna go off. My girl will probably
sleep through that shit too, like she usually does. When she gets up, I'll
be gone... Working my ass off so that I'm one step closer to home.
continued...
When my past girlfriends learned how serious I was about
bodybuilding, they said, “Hold on, baby.” They thought they had to
compete against bodybuilding for my attention. They didn’t. But I
couldn’t convince them otherwise…
When people on the street looked at me, they said, "Hold on, stranger."
They couldn't understand why I wanted to be this big... Why I couldn't
eat just one slice of cake when dieting... Why I was doing this to myself.
They don't get it now and they never fucking will...
When I first dreamed of competing one day and took my fucking game
to the next level, my training partner said, “Hold on, Wrath.” He couldn’t
keep up. Maybe he didn’t want to…
After I started lifting, whenever I forgot why I got into this game, I told
myself, “Hold on.” I didn't start lifting to get back at the bullies who beat
the living shit out of me after school... It wasn't to be cool or popular...
It wasn't to get ass.
Why'd I do it then? Shit, I did it for me. I do this because I was born to...
It's in my blood. This sport grounds me, gives my life meaning. Listen
brothers, this shit is not for the faint of heart. Few can do what it takes.
We are among those few. When you feel like you're drowning, catch
your breath. When you want to hang it up, stand firm. When you feel
like you can’t diet another day, when it’s hard to pick yourself up off the
couch, get the fuck up. People will want to knock you down.
Temptations will try to hold you back. Obstacles will stand in your way.
Smash the fuck through 'em.
28 JOURNEY
LOG 2
THE SIREN.
LOG 3
YOU & ME.
“You and me, we’re gonna have problems…” This voice booms in my
ear as I’m finishing up a set. Shit, I’m tired and hungry, but I’m not
gonna let that sonofabitch get under my skin, get me off my game… I
don’t flinch, I don’t turn around. Instead, I squeeze out my last few reps
and rack the weight. It’s time to catch my breath and gear up for the next
set. But in that brief moment before I wrap my hands around that rusty,
knurled bar, I’m that eleven year old kid again running for his life...
Childhood is supposed to be good times…. Happy memories, happy
days. For me, it was pure misery. See, as that kid, I was soft and short.
I was an easy mark. Even back then, I was singled out for being
different. And I’ll never forget those words, “You and me, we’re gonna
have problems.” Though outnumbered, I was defiant, even when the
leader of this gang of bullies demanded my lunch money. The rest of
the school day past too quickly and I soon found myself being chased
through the woods, these bullies at my heels like a pack of wild
fucking dogs. What can you know of being caught, of fighting back to
no avail, getting the shit beat out of you? Of limping back home,
bloody and raw, wiping the dirt from your face? What do you know of
this, day in and day out?
I’ll tell you what I know… That on a hot summer day, the heat rises
quickly from the asphalt. But just as quickly, a passing rainstorm can
wash everything away. These memories, like the fucking injustices of
youth, will pass too. What I learned is this—that I am who I am
because of those experiences, good, bad or fucking indifferent. I
learned that I could taking a beating, lick my wounds, and get right
back up, holding my head up high. I learned that when I couldn’t beat
back my opponents, I turned to my old man’s Weider bench and the
concrete weights and beat the shit out of myself, making my will more
resolute, my body stronger. When I outgrew those weights, I
improvised—bench pressing the pool table, doing dips between the
old washer and dryer, doing chins on the tree out back with concrete
29 JOURNEY
blocks tied to my waist… Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And what
I know today is that my feet are planted in the ground and I am
resolute, like my old man, like the oak I did chins on. You and me—
though we look different in different ways, we are one and the same.
I’m no longer that chubby and short eleven year old but a man
chiseled and hard. The only difference is the years that stand between
us and the memories I’ve collected. Last but not least, I learned that
respect is hard earned and even harder to keep... But that it’s all the
sweeter when it’s given, not by friends, but by enemies.
Who am I? Depends on who you ask. Some see nothing more
than a mindless monster, an egotistical freak of nature to
be pitied or feared. Others see a man guided by a singular
purpose. Who am I? As I stand under this hot light and look
into this mirror, I see a monster and a man. But I also see
a bullied fat kid. A son looking up to his old man. A youth
in search of a road. I’ve since found that road and soon,
I’ll know how far I’ve gone and who next I’ll become.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
TOOLS OF THE TRADE.
The miner trusts his shovel & pick. A carpenter’s got his hammer &
nails. A mechanic relies on his wrench. Tools of the trade, brothers…
Tools of the trade. In this line of work, it’s no different. I ply my craft with
these hands. Shit, I've got the scars and calluses to prove it. The tools
of my trade are basics. I keep 'em in this faded old canvas bag. See this
belt? Been using it for the past 10 years… A decade's worth of sweat,
blood and toil is written in this piece of leather that has gotten me out
of more than a few tight scrapes. Been using Animal Pak for nearly as
long… First supp I ever used, last one I’ll ever need. These boots—my
old man’s... In ‘em, there's nothing I can't overcome. The mirror behind
me? It ain’t there for looks. It’s another essential tool. It’s not there to
satisfy an insatiable ego. Narcissism … Shit, this sport’s got enough of
that... Don't need any more. Nah, the mirror’s there to criticize and cut
me down to size just when I think I’ve turned a corner. It speaks the
truth and never holds back. It's my judge and the jury. Listen up, in this
trade, in this great work, you gotta keep hammering till every last nail is
driven in… You gotta make sure you’re firing on all cylinders and lay the
rubber on the fucking road… You gotta smash the fuck out of rock and
chisel it down deep til you get to the pure ore underneath… Cuz when
everything is ripped away and it’s your time to shine, when the verdict
is about to be rendered, you know it will all have been worth it. Stand
tall. Be proud. Labor on...
LOG 2
WHO’S THE FAIREST...
Of ‘em all? Dunno brothers. Society’s got it’s own narrow ideas about
beauty and when you don’t fit the model, when you can’t be squeezed
into those expectations, well then you’re fucked. Most who look upon
the large, fearful symmetry of my frame don’t see beauty. They certainly
don’t see conformity or convention. Shit, they see grotesque. I'm a
round peg they want to fit into a square hole... Ain’t ever gonna fucking
happen. Don't let it. See, I got this vision of who and what I’m gonna
be... A bodybuilder. Yeah, that's right, a bodybuilder... The work of the
bodybuilder doesn’t deal with ugliness. Now while I ain’t no sleeping
beauty, there is something beautiful about this struggle, the discipline,
the purity of my desire. Listen, I see the bodybuilder as an artist. Instead
of marble, he works with muscle. Instead of a chisel, he works with iron.
When I look in the mirror, it's not because of vanity—it's because I'm
32 JOURNEY
perfecting something that's not apart from me, but a part of me. I am
the artist. The marble is me. This pursuit will refine me.
LOG 3
REFLECTION.
The ability to think, to reason, and to reflect… Sure, this is what
separates us from the beasts. Yet the line of separation is thin one, and
we’re always on edge, ready to fall over the fucking precipice. Shit, in
the gym though, that line might as well be a fucking mile wide. It’s ironic
that, in what should be our natural element, there is too much civility…
We hold back. We're timid. We have been tamed. We don’t hit the iron
with reckless abandon. We’re afraid of the pain. In nature, even the
beasts quickly learn to avoid things that will cause pain. As
bodybuilders, we must unlearn a lot, and at the same time, learn to be
unfraid of that which is bestial within us... Yet we can never forget what
makes us human. We must understand that being who we are often
means choosing to endure pain, willingly. Every creature will do what it
takes to survive, but would you hack off your own fucking leg if it were
caught in a trap so that you might live? Could you endure it? To me,
bodybuilding is like that. You gotta be willing to do whatever it takes...
Not just to live—to get food or get fucking laid—but to survive, to
thrive, to grow. Listen, when it comes to dealing with people, we must
often be civil. Civility, respect, and all that other shit—that’s the fucking
glue that keeps society together. But when it comes to our dealings
within the society of iron, remember brothers, let it all fucking hang
out... Or you just might end up on the wrong side of the law of nature.
Reflect on that.
I’d scratch till every square inch of me was bloody and raw but
it’s no use... This maddening itch, like maggots festering under
my skin, is always there, out of reach. We’re all the same. We
are made of blood and bone. The difference lies underneath. The
reason I am standing here is because long ago this great endeavor,
this way of life, got under my skin... And ever since, I’ve been
scratching away, clawing furiously for every last bloody pound.
Though the road has been hard as the day is long, I wouldn’t trade
in a second. The strength that’s allowed me to endure doesn’t come
from what you see--the thick slabs of meat, veins thick as rope,
skin so thin the grainy fibers show. No, it runs deeper. To get
to it, you’d have to cut away all the layers of doubt and
distraction till knife hits bone. The seconds are passing by. Find
that itch... Scratch till there’s nothing left.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
SKIN TIGHT.
When you put on a tight shirt, what does it feel like? Feels fucking good,
that's what. When you got a good pump going, it's like your skin is that
shirt... The muscle feels like it's exploding out of your skin. One of the
fucking perks of being in this game. Another is that you're gonna look
better than 99.9% of those around you. So you'll want to show off... No
matter how big or how small, we all do. Show 'em what dedication and
sacrifice can produce. Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that from time
to time. But balancing pride with vanity—that's some tough shit. For
me, bodybuilding isn't about taking your stereo and crankin' up the
volume. It isn't about revving the engine of your muscle car at a stop
light. It's about getting the job done and enjoying what you do. Some
say my values are old school, from another decade. I say, so what? My
values are as old school as the ideal physique that I hold in my mind, or
the training methods I employ. Who the fuck does stick twists these
day? Not a whole lot. The car I drive, the music I listen to, the food I
eat—it's all stripped down and basic. Raw... Like an emotion... Like
anger. In my element, this place, that's also how I'm known. Simply as
Wrath.
LOG 2
THICK SKIN.
If you’re starting out in this sport, lemme give you some advice, and it
won't cost you a dime... You’ll need thick skin. Thick skin to ward off the
ignorance, the criticism, the doubts, the fear, the fucking clueless
questions about why we got into the game and what it takes to stay in...
"C'mon, what's wrong with a slice of cake. One slice ain't gonna kill ya."
No shit Sherlock. Man, I can go on and on. After a while—sometimes
weeks, months or maybe even years—your skin begins to thicken in
proportion to your dedication. Your skin, your commitment to
bodybuilding, becomes something like a layer of armor. At my level, at
this stage of the game, I don't give two shits what others think of my
dreams. Yeah, you could say my skin is made of titanium. On my
journey I don't have room for belly achers or naysayers or hangers on.
As I get closer and closer to the show, as things wind down, I just gotta
dial it in, get shredded. Damn. How's that for irony? In this sport, thick
is the skin you'll need if you ever want it to be thin...
34 JOURNEY
LOG 3
SKINNING A CAT.
Trial and error... Educated guessing... Call it what you want,
experimentation is the fucking backbone of bodybuilding. In this day
and age of instant gratification and quick fixes, people want results
overnight. They want info that's already chewed up and predigested.
They want one-size-fits-all answers. Shit, there's fast and then there's
right, and shortcuts aren’t gonna cut it. In bodybuilding, there are two
things that are backbreaking—the physical labor and the time it takes to
get things right. You gotta have the discipline to endure both. To make
my point, let’s take a simple test… Get a blank piece of paper and
sharpen your pencil. Now scribble all over that paper without lifting your
pencil off the sheet. What are you left with? Two points—a start and a
finish—and one fucking long, messy, unbroken line between the two.
Now most will see the scribble as a pain the ass… Why the long ass
scribble when you can just draw a straight line between the two points?
It's faster right? Here’s why brothers… There are many ways to get to
where you want to go—some roads are faster than others and some are
longer than others. But part of the game is reaching the end and the
other part his how you get there. Put another way, in this game we call
bodybuilding, what you look like when you get there defines you. But
how you get there... Shit, that refines you.
It all begins with a simple push--a swift kick in the ass and we’re
out on our own, kicking and screaming. But it doesn’t stop there.
Later, we’ll be pushed around, pushed down--with fists and with
words... You won’t amount to much. You’re wasting your time. Don’t
be different--just fit in. Yeah, the world is gonna tell us who we
ought to be, never stopping to ask who we actually are. Who are we?
We are the misfits and the dreamers. Though I’m still 4 weeks out,
for the past 12, I’ve been pushing too. Pushing myself to the limit.
Pushing off complacency. Pushing through hurdles, smashing through
walls. Pushing back at all those in my life who said I’d fail. Cuz
when push comes to shove, you gotta listen to your own voice... And
if anyone tells you different, you tell him to shove it up his ass.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
PULL.
Push. Pull... Two fundamental forces in nature—as basic as it gets...
Physics as a metaphor for life and this fucking sport we call
bodybuilding. All basic movements can be broken down to "push" and
"pull". Love dumbbell rows, but I can't expect to build a physique with
only pull movements. Life's the same fellas... You can't have attraction
without repelling—the two go hand in hand. Take my girl for instance.
Instant chemistry the moment I met her. I know she was something
special and I do my best to treat her like the lady she is. Now take Big
Red on the other hand. Yeah, I call him that cuz of the shock of red on
his head and this red goatee. Anyway, this is the dude who's been going
out of his way to give me shit in the gym... Another misguided fool. But
things between us are cool now. When the shit hits the fan, you gotta
be willing to step up and be a better man. See, attraction is the easy
part—it's swimming downstream, it's the path of least resistance. But
resistance—that's the fucking meat and potatoes of our sport... That's
what builds our physiques. At the same time, going against the grain,
challenging yourself, accommodating those who don't share your
perspective... Well brothers, that kind of resistance builds character...
And it's no less important.
LOG 2
RESISTANCE.
A buddy of mine is into mathematics. He’s a math teacher and he sees
the world around him in terms of numbers. Ain’t nothing wrong with
that, I say. Couple of times, he’s seen me lift... Shit, the gym is a
classroom of a different sort. Anyway, he doesn’t know shit about form
or how to do a hack squat. He talks in formulas, like F=ma. Now in this
world, I don’t see things in terms of mass or acceleration—but fellas, I
know something about force. I know how a cold, knurled bar feels in my
fucking hands. When I'm in the middle of a set, I'm not thinking about
gravity, but I can feel what it's doing, the resistance pushing down on
me. Shit, that’s the kind of resistance I’m interested in. That's what
being in here is all about. See, the gym is a primal place. It’s where you
let your instincts take over. It’s also the place where some lifters are
searching for an identity, their place in the pecking order. Who’s the
alpha? Who the fuck cares? This dude Big Red thinks he is... Well the
other day, he’s benching with his partner… Can’t remember his name,
Chops, or some shit like that cuz of his sideburns. Now the two of ‘em
36 JOURNEY
are putting up some strong numbers. The whole time, he’s looking over
at me as if to say, “Hey, betcha can't do this.” Like I fucking care. In the
middle of my set, I suddenly hear this loud screech, kinda like when
someone steps on a cat’s tail. I’ve heard that sound before, so I dumped
the weight and turned around to see Big Red under 5 plates, face pale
as ash. The bar is sitting square on his chest and his partner's frantically
trying to get it off. In a couple steps, I’m over there and help Big Red rerack the weight. That was the other day... Today, when I entered the
gym, Big Red didn't say a word to me. In his silence, he said everything
he had to. Brothers, in life you will meet resistance. Know when to fight
against it and know when to let it slip around you, like the lone rock in
the middle of a stream.
LOG 3
FRICTION.
Shit, a lot of things in life rub me the wrong way. Did I just say "life"?
Who am I kidding? Sometimes, the shit that goes on in the gym drives
me to the fucking edge—like that whole business with Big Red.
Needless friction. Add dieting to the mix, and I’m a keg of dynamite
waiting to explode... And it's only gonna get worse as I start
experimenting with water manipulation. Shit, these days, I'm feeling
worn down. I just want to be left alone... I want to tell everyone to fuck
off, go away. Sometimes, it takes every last fucking ounce of discipline
to keep everything together... But you know what? It's easy to take the
low road. It's easy to say, “Fuck it”, and mix it up with whomever gets
in your way. But it takes a different breed to take the high road, to have
the discipline—in the gym and outside of it—to rise above the shit so
many are mired in. Shit, just yesterday Big Red walked up to me, asked
me for a spot—was polite about it and all. I was more than happy to
lend a helping hand. That single moment reminded me that when two
things rub together, the results aren't always bad. After all, to create a
spark, to create a fucking fire, you need a little friction.
So yesterday I’m in the supermarket picking up a couple things & as
I check out, the cashier hands me my change. I dump ‘em into my
pocket. We do a lot of things without thinking twice and everywhere,
the change starts accumulating--in cars, coat pockets, wherever. Why
worry about a couple coins--they’re not worth much, right? Wrong.
Listen up brothers... All that change’ll add up to hundreds. It may
not happen overnight, but it will eventually. You just gotta have the
patience to see the big picture. In the gym, it’s like time unfolds
in front of me. After all, time is all I do have... Time to do things
right, time to take my time. In here, I won’t shortchange myself by
cuttin’ corners--can’t afford to with three weeks to go. In here, the
change I’m making comes in denominations of 45s... And with every
weighted pullup, every last set, my change jar is slowly fillin’ up.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
CHARGE.
Charge... As in, “Charge it.” As in, “Cash or charge?” How many times
have I heard that? Doesn’t matter who I'm with or where I am—in the
electronics store, the department store, even the fucking supermarket.
Even my girl loves ringing up purchases using plastic for all kinds of
shit—including a gallon of milk. Yeah, a fucking gallon of milk...
Plastic. Whatever happened to good 'ol paper? Cold hard cash?
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but lemme tell you, cash is all business.
With cash, you know where you stand—no worries about whether you
hit your credit limit. No questions asked. See, in here you don't get a
fucking line of credit extended to you from the Bank of Bodybuilding.
You don't get to miss a payment... You don't get 30 days to pay off
your debt... You don't get to live on borrowed time. Everything
happens in the here and the now. And if you miss a meal or a workout,
the interest will add up to more than you can fucking afford. So train
today. Eat today. Don't bank on tomorrow...
LOG 2
PILING UP.
Like change in a jar, plates on a bar, excuses have a way of piling up.
Excuses... Shit, you need 'em like you need a third nut in your fucking
sack. But they're always there... “Skip that workout,” you hear in your
ear. The sun is shining. The wind is warm against your back. The sky
is bluer than you've ever fucking seen. Yeah, excuses can come like
that, quiet as a whisper. But I think of excuses like toilet paper. See, at
the very moment you need it, seems like nothing else in the world is
more important. But once you've used it, you want nothing to do with
it. So flush that shit down the fucking toilet brothers... Don't use an
excuse to waste your dedication.
38 JOURNEY
LOG 3
KEEPIN’ UP...
Shit brothers, we've all got different priorities. In this society that we
live in, success is usually measured by things. You become defined by
what you buy. You are what you eat, but it's not food we're talking
about... It's about the consumption of goods. Life starts revolving
around keepin' up with the Joneses... Who’s got the bigger house?
The nicer car? Fancier clothes? As a bodybuilder, I don't have any of
that... Maybe that's why others look down on me. Big fucking deal...
But it cuts both ways, brothers—as bodybuilders, maybe we look
down on them too, believing that they care more about superficial
things, external things rather than themselves. Know what though?
None of this matters. If someone wants to buy fancy sportscar, so
what? Not any of my business. But the gym—now that's my business,
and truth is, I often see the same kind of shit that I see outside of it.
I'm talking about that kid who’s worried about whether or not he's got
the right outfit... Or that kid who keeps comparing himself to the guy
next to him. We're not talking about cars or watches, but about stats
and lifts... These are the things bodybuilders are comparing. Instead
of keepin' up with the Joneses, some lifters are spending too much
time keeping up with the Freaks. The shit never ends... Me, I don't
have time to compare notes. I don't care if this house I've built is as
nice as the one next to it. All that matters is, what needs work and how
I'm gonna fix it. And for the past fifteen weeks, the only person I've
been trying to keep up with is the one who keeps looking back at me
in the mirror, the one who won't give me a fucking inch... Not one.
I’ve been having this recurring vision... In it, there’s this
fishtank--it calms me. I see a small speck floating on the water,
and as I look closer, it’s me... I’m atop the waves. There’s water
as far as the eye can see, yet I can’t drink. Not a drop. I taste
salt in my mouth. I taste the bile. My thirst is great and it
hangs around my neck like a chain. Eventually the weight drags me
under. I’m drowning... I struggle, flail, kick... Then suddenly,
I sense the familiar cold, hard hand of iron. I grab hold and pull
myself up. Brothers, this world is a vast sea but one thing
remains fixed, constant... This iron. This calling. This thirst.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
AM I FAT?
“Am I fat?” This, brothers, is the million dollar question. We've all
been here, face to face with this moment, this dillemna. I am at the
crossroads...
I turn to look at my girl and wonder what I'm gonna say... Do I tell her
the truth? Do I lie? Do I avoid question? My mind is fucking blank.
Shit, seems like not a week goes by without her asking me this same
exact question. Thing is, I can see where she's coming from—as I'm
shedding the fat, her insecurities are probably piling up. This is life
with a bodybuilder. Anyway, I go for option three. What do I have to
lose? “Check the mirror,” I tell her. “Mirrors don't lie.” She storms out
of the room. Ok... I'm fucked. Let's face it, people have funny
relationships with mirrors. In dressing rooms, in bathrooms, in
bedrooms, people are parked in front of the mirror like they're at the
fucking drive-in. They're staring, checking every last inch of
themselves out. Yet these same people judge bodybuilders as being
vain. Shit, talk about irony. While bodybuilders may have complicated
relationships with mirrors, there's a reason we're looking. The mirror
is a tool. The mirror is my worst critic. It doesn't bullshit me or kiss
my ass or stroke my ego. It tells it like it is. It is fucking relentless.
Only a couple weeks to go... I'm so close, I can taste it. I look in the
mirror. I'm about to ask it a question...
LOG 2
LEG UP.
How do you stay ahead of the competition? How do you stay ahead of
the curve, keep the waves from crashing down on your fucking head?
It ain’t easy, brothers, it ain’t easy... A couple weeks out, and I am
depleted and sore. My head is fuzzy, my body is weak, and my limbs
are worn. Dieting and cardio is taking it’s toll. Times like this, I dig
deep—gotta tap into my reserves, that last bit of fuel at the bottom of
the tank. Times like this, and we all face ‘em, you gotta put your foot
down. Don’t take any shit from anybody. No distractions. No
complaints. No excuses. Yeah, I’m gonna floor this fucker until I’m
flying down the road, drowning out all the senseless noise and shit,
accelerating towards my destiny. Crank up the music, roll down the
windows. It's time to put the pedal to the metal. Yeah, to get a leg up,
you need to put your foot down...
40 JOURNEY
LOG 3
DAY AFTER DAY...
Hour after hour, minute after minute, second after second... Time
passes but I’m fucking stuck. It's like I'm running and running on a
treadmill, going nowhere. It's like I'm floating in the ocean, paddling
with my arms and making no progress... I’m holding my breath,
waiting for something to happen. That's when I wake... Yeah, it's all a
dream. In my recurring dreams, there's a lot of water—water
everywhere. Maybe it's because I'm keeping my sodium high. Maybe
it's because I'm drinking a shitload of water, having increased it in
preparation for that inevitable drought... Damn, that raw, burning
thirst is not something I'm looking forward to. Who the fuck knows?
Anyway, when I'm awake, I don't have time to dwell on water. I just
gotta keep chugging it down. I just gotta keep cranking out the reps,
one after the other. Each one is a step that brings me that much
closer... And I'm so fucking close right now.
Dust collects in the corners of my room. My girl, she gets so sick
of it, she’ll sweep it up. I don’t care one way or the other--right
now, dust is the least of my concerns. Like dust, loose change piles
up in a jar I keep on the floor by my front door. When there’s
enough, I’ll use it to buy what I need, like more food. Yeah, it’s
like that... From randomness comes order. From order comes a clearer
picture. As a kid, I remember the game, connect the dots. You start
with nothing, just a bunch of dots on a page, and as you start
connecting ‘em, something emerges. When you’ve finished, you’re
rewarded with an answer, a complete picture. For the past four
months, I’ve been toiling in the shadows, in anonymity... And I’ve
been patiently connecting each dot, waiting to see what will emerge.
Continued... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
MEAT.
The world is against us brothers. In big ways and in little ways... The
looks, the comments, the disgust... The difficulty in finding clothes
that fit.... The choices we have to make when we eat. The world
conspires against us brothers. In ways that are obvious and ways that
are subtle... It wants to lull us into a fucking stupor, make us like them,
like cattle... Take meat. Yeah, beef. Lean red is at the center of our
diets. For me, my poison is eye round—a cheap, plentiful and lean cut.
Whole or ground, 16-20 oz. per meal. That's typical for me. Now
"cheap" is the key word here. When I'm at the butcher's, I'm always
eyeing the sweet cuts, the "prime" cuts—the NY strip, the
porterhouse, the T-bone. Fuck, what I wouldn't give for one of those
right now with a side of baked potatoes, sour cream and butter. Here's
the fucking irony though... What jacks up the price of steak is not how
lean or healthy it is, but how much fat, how much marble that steak
has. What's valued in my butcher's shop, what costs a shitload more,
is the excess, the fat. Society is like that butcher. We live in this
jumbo-size world of excess. We live in a society where all of our
desires can be had with a piece of plastic—a credit card that lets us
live today and put off our responsibilities for another day, so that we
can live off the fat of the land. This, brothers, is excess. In this game,
in this life, I have one bit of advice... Trim the fat brothers. Cut out the
excess from your steak and from your life. Run clean, run lean. Tell the
world you don't need the fat and send that shit back.
LOG 2
SKIN.
The excess… The unneeded… The fucking ignored… Like the skin on
a chicken, it's what you discard, what's left at the end of the day in my
butcher’s shop. Like that skin, your skin, my skin… Shit, it just gets
in the fucking way. It’s a flimsy yet stubborn wall that separates us
from one another. Every day people look at me, at my skin, and judge.
Who am I? A bodybuilder. What’s beneath my skin? Slabs of beef that
took me years to build, sculpt and refine. Is that who I am? All that I
am? Dig deeper. Maybe you’ll find a heart pumping like a fucking
piston. Instead of innards, maybe you’ll see gears and springs and
coils. Is that me? You tell me because if you don’t know, I’ll be
damned if I tell you. Peel away the skin and you get to the real meat,
the man himself—what that that man is made of. Every drop of blood
42 JOURNEY
... Every fiber of his being. Every last fucking sacrifice he ever made.
So the next time you see me, look further. There’s more than meets
the eye… I am more than this face, this body. I am more than the
years I’ve put behind me, more than the sum total of seventeen
agonizing, fucking weeks. I am more than today and still reaching for
tomorrow. So fuck yeah, my skin may not reveal who I am, but as it
gets peeled and onion-thin, maybe it'll give you a better glimpse of
what I'm made of and what it took for me to get here...
LOG 3
BONES.
Meat. Shit, meat is about the here and now. The eye round that I
consume. The muscle that hangs heavy from these bones. If meat is
the present, then bones are the future—the impenetrable and fucking
inevitable future. So the question I’m left with is this, brothers…
What’ll happen once these eighteen weeks are over, when next week
comes and goes? When I'm old and need to lean on a stick? Will I
leave a mark? When my time on this earth has passed, how will I be
remembered? Maybe it’ll be a passing mention in the papers. No...
Maybe a line next to my name of the competitions I won or lost. Fuck
no... Damn it brothers, let me tell you my life will be more than a clot
of words. My accomplishments will be more than a trophy. I will not
lie down and make peace with myself. My legacy will be more than the
meat, more than the skin, more than the fucking bones themselves.
One day, all that shit will be gone. Now next week, I'll head out for the
show. But over the past seventeen, I have spit out teeth and blood,
cracked bone, and spilled guts. I have been feverish. I have been
scarred. Yeah, this life will try to smash me, but I will smash back... I
will hit back so fucking hard that when the day is done, I will have
burned a hole in the memory of my foes and my friends. I will rattle
my bones and make a noise so loud that a generation who follows in
my footsteps will feel my wrath and remember my name... They will
hear my echoes long after the dust has collected on my bones…
These bones that will become the dust itself.
The bullies who chased me... You strengthened my resolve. The haters who
said I’d fail... I am still here. Those who fell to the earth thinking
they were the only star above... The night sky is ablaze with lights.
My old man... Yeah, this is for the one who not only gave me his name,
but more... I’ve felt your hand on my shoulder each day and it has guided
me. This is for all those who believed. For eighteen weeks, I have toiled
outside of society, on a fixed and lonely path. Now, I have come full
circle, back to where I started. Here... This place. Yeah, life is like
that. As I sit on the edge, on the threshold, what I’ve learned is that
this journey is not a straight line. And the plates on each side of me,
they support me. They hold me in place, like bookends around the story
that is my life... And the next chapter is about to unfold...
Conclusion... www.animalpak.com/journey
LOG 1
STRAIGHT LINE.
Just landed yesterday... Yeah, the trip was a bitch. I’m still on edge
and it’s fucking razor sharp. Gotta settle my fucking nerves down. At
the airport, I felt like I was dragging the last five months of my life with
me. Glad my girl was able to make it. Glad she traveled light. Must
have looked like a freak with my all my bags and my big ass cooler...
You always travel with your meals. Always. That's why when you're
getting ready for a show, you don't want to travel if you don't have to.
Food goes where you go. It's your lifeline. To add insult to injury I
gotta fit into a seat that has no business holding me. And for what, a
bag of peanuts? Shit, you gotta have a sense of humor about it all.
Still, should have paid the extra bucks to go nonstop instead of that
fucking two hour layover. A straight shot... Yeah, we all know that a
straight line is the shortest distance between two points, the quickest
way to get from here to there. A straight line cuts right to the bone,
right to the chase... Right through all the bullshit and small talk and all
the fucking distractions. Back in Week 5, I talked about this—how you
gotta travel on the path, straight and true. But you know what,
brothers? Eighteen weeks taught me a little something about this
sport and who I am… Yeah, while a straight line may be the most
direct way, it's not always the best way. When I started this Journey,
when I stepped up to meet my destiny, I knew where I stood and
thought I knew how far I'd have to go. I saw my destination and tried
to figure out the quickest way to get there. Thing is, life doesn't like a
straight line. Leave that to the mathematicians and engineers—like my
buddy back home. Me, I’m a bodybuilder. Standing in my hotel room,
in the present, I can look back and see how I got here. I can now see
where I’ve wandered, circled back, and even walked off the path
completely. But this is good, brothers. Sometimes you need to take a
couple steps back so that you can keep moving forward. Yeah, it’s
hard to accept, but the important lesson here is that progress isn’t a
single, smooth, unbroken line. Shit, it comes in fits and starts. It’s
unpredictable. It’s fucking messy. We don’t grow this way and we
certainly don’t live this way. This game is not about who can make it
to the end the quickest—who the fucks wants that? Shit, life isn’t a
race. Slow down and enjoy it, learn from it. Remember, your legacy,
the mark you leave, will be determined by what you accomplish
between yesterday and tomorrow. That takes time and the the road
will be roundabout... For me, though my show comes tomorrow, the
44 JOURNEY
end of this Journey is not my finish line... When it's over, I won't stop
to catch my breath. I won't lie down. Fuck no. I'm not done. Not by a
long shot. After the night has fallen and the lights have dimmed, after
everyone has left, there will come a new day... And once again, I will
rise up and meet it.
LOG 2
LETTING GO...
Another day behind me, a new day before me. I'm standing on the
threshold, on the edge of the abyss. Damn, I can't believe I'm here—
backstage, right before prejudging. Yeah, I'm nervous, but I say fuck
that. When you get to this point, things are pretty much out of your
control. Everything that I could have done, should have done, has
been. Brothers, I've been holding on for the last eighteen weeks like
one tenacious motherfucker, and now it's time to let go. It's time to
savor this moment. It's hard with all the competitors in this room...
There's a lot of nervous energy here. Shit, it's like being out in the
wild. Everyone is sizing the other up and staring each other down.
Everybody wants to know where they are in the food chain. Before you
ever step up, the competition heats up. Yeah, this place is like a
fucking pressure cooker. But I can't lose my head. Not here. Not now.
See, the real competition is not out there. It's not this shredded 275pound dude standing next to me, pumping up. Nah, the real
competition is me. The real war is going on between my ears, in my
mind. Keep your head together. Move like water and go with the flow.
Let go and relax. Let go... Thing is, anything worth having means first
learning how to let go. Learning how to let go of your mama's hand.
Learning how to walk out from your old man's shadow. Learning how
to let go of that map—the one you've relied on, the one that you think
is telling you how to get through life. Shit, when we follow a map,
we're like fucking tourists. We watch the scenery pass and we snap a
couple of pictures. We hold on to those pictures like we own 'em, like
they were the real experience itself... Over the past eighteen weeks,
so many people wanted to be a part of my Journey. They wanted a
piece of me, like I was picture they could hold in their hands. People
have come up to me with advice, unsolicited and unasked for... Like
this one kid who told me how I could get more out of my cardio as my
continued...
bodyfat levels were dropping deeper and deeper into the single digits.
Or the old lady who told me to eat tofu so that I could build muscles
faster. Then there was that lifter, a buck fifty wet, who explained how
I could build bigger guns by changing the order of my routine. When
you're on the road to success, the forgotten and the nameless rise up
and try to hold on to you. Shit, all these people wanted was a piece of
my success. Don't get weighed down. Travel light, brothers, and never
be a fucking tourist. Never live through your old pictures or through
the lives of others. Step up. Let go. Only when you do can you get lost.
And unless you get lost, you'll never be able to find your own way,
your own destiny. I'm about to go on soon, and what I know now
more than I ever did, was that this was never anyone else's journey. It
was mine and mine alone...
LOG 3
GET LOST...
This morning, I got up… Put my pants on, one fucking leg at a time,
like I always do, like everyone else does. Yeah, I got up long before the
alarm went off, before the sun was up. One minute, nothing, the next,
something. It’s like the keys go in the ignition and the engine
eventually fires. Combustion is achieved. Damn, for the last eighteen
weeks, this life—shit, my life—has been full of fits and starts,
darkness and light. Moments of perfect clarity and moments of
confusion. No time at all for idling though, no time at all. It’s been a
long road, but I’m finally here, stepping out… Out of the shadows and
onto the show stage with its blinding lights. Stepping up to show the
world what I have made with nothing but spit, hard work and these
two hands. These hands have gotten me here. Day after day, night
after night, as I plowed forward, the thread of my destiny unraveled
behind me. It’s like the mythical story I remember hearing as a kid,
about that dude who walked into the maze to kill the half man, half
beast monster. Many went in, none ever came out. But this dude did.
After doing the deed, he got back out by following the string he laid
down when he first entered the maze. When he first stepped out of
that maze, I wonder how he felt? What does it feel like to be
transformed? He went in a man, he stepped out a hero. Me, I’m about
to step out too. But shit, I can’t tell if this place is an entrance or an
exit… And I can’t see very far because of these bright lights. This is
where the fear grips you—walking out into the unknown. Shit, we all
fear getting lost, don’t we? Yeah, this is the story of life. Many would
45 JOURNEY
choose to live out their lives in a little room—warm, safe and dry. The
world outside is a scary place. It’s a big ass maze full of monsters and
demons. The path that leads out from that room disappears into the
horizon. But you know what? Let me tell you something and I want to
be fucking clear about this… I would never have known what I was
made of, what I could build with my two hands, if I didn’t take that first
step down the path. Courage got me here, courage to put that fucking
key in the ignition. See, life starts with a simple spark, then a single
connection. But when we’re born, that connection, that line must be
cut. Otherwise that lifeline becomes a tether, a restraint. We each gotta
grow up to be our own men and walk our own paths. Yeah, walking
out into the unknown, into the dark, can be frightening. But shit, what
reassures me is this… I know I have the courage the walk. I also know
that if I could see through the darkness ahead, I’d see my old man.
This reassures me too. Yeah, he’d be there for sure, front and center,
like he’s always been in my life. He’d be right next to my ma. My sis,
yeah, she’d be there too along with my girl. Shit, none of ‘em would
miss this for the world. Even Big Red. He’d be sitting somewhere,
maybe next to Chops his lifting partner. I know I’d see more familiar
faces, even those from my youth—the bullies, the naysayers, the
critics. But I’d also see the faces of the future—the aspiring young
bodybuilders. So this, so all this, is for me… But it’s also for them. It's
for you too. If I kept looking, I know I’d eventually see your face—the
face of someone who has awakened from the haze of a dream, as if
from the maze of your former life. Brothers, wherever you go,
whatever you do in this life, never be afraid. Choose to be courageous.
Hurtle forward, as a man, into the mazes that will stand before you.
Do not be afraid to lose your way, for if you do, you will never grow...
You will never know the hero you were destined to become
I’m back. Back in the game, in these trenches. Once again, I’m
just another nameless, faceless figure heeding the call of the
iron. Some might call the Journey your destiny. Others might
call it fate. I don’t know. But what I do know is that each
of us are guardians of our own futures. At the start, we go
at it alone down a unique, solitary path. Soon though, we’ll
hit a fork. To one side, our path converges with many other
paths on a large road. On this larger road, many will travel
together, in comfort. But the dedicated individual chooses the
other side. And by doing so, he remains true to his vision,
stays on his original path though it may be rocky, hard and
lonely. The Journey we are each on, brothers, is not for the
faint of heart or the weak or the doubters. It does not end
with a single accomplishment. It is the commitment that you
make over your lifetime. What you achieve no mantel can hold.
I am not done. I am just beginning. Brothers, on your Journey,
I wish you speed and fortune. Crush the iron and make noise.
Another late night. My girl’s asleep, no doubt dreaming of some faraway
tropical island, away from all the headaches and bullshit. The world’s
adrift, and the ground underneath my bare feet feels like its shifting.
Can’t sleep... Again. The TV is on but I’m not even watching it. Just going
through the motions. Nothing but fucking re-runs and lame ass infomercials.
I don’t need a tool to slice and dice my fucking onions or some head-shaped
planter that’ll sprout hair. And you can be fucking sure that I don’t need
something that’ll melt the fat away from my midsection while I chow down
some ice cream. The late night is the realm for the dreamers and the
hypochondriacs, the ones looking for miracles and quick fixes, where
satisfaction comes delivered, overnight, in a cardboard box. Wandering,
without direction, you can live an entire life, just going through the
motions -- waiting for the next fix, the next answer. It’s like running in
circles... It’s an illusion. You’ll spend a lifetime getting nowhere. Well
let me tell you something, the plans -- my plans -- won’t fit in some damn
box. It won’t be shaped by late night dreams or fueled by fantasies that’ll
vanish at the first crack of dawn. I’m looking at the big picture. Shit,
it’s not always easy. It never is... You go to the gym with the best
intentions, hit the weights with everything you got. But maybe your mind
wanders in the middle of a set, halfway through the workout. Maybe you get
caught up on a tune going through your head and your mind begins to
wander... Yeah, this is how it starts. Soon, you might go through entire
workouts, wishing you were somewhere else, thinking about where you’re
gonna be in another hour and what you’re gonna do. Soon, you’re half
assing it and coming to this place out of habit, not out of passion.
This is the beginning of the end... The iron can only give you what you
put into it. Don’t disrespect this place by mindlessly going through the
motions. Brothers, the next time you start to drift, wake the fuck up.
There will be time to sleep and a time to dream. Right now, we’ve got
work to do.
Yesterday I helped a friend put a fence back up. Storm had knocked a good part
of it. That fence was important to him. Yeah, fences mark boundaries... They tell
you what is and what isn’t. We labored hard on that fence and when the day was
done, I wiped my brow and looked over the work we had accomplished. Solid,
physical labor. Yeah, that always feels good, clears my mind.
Want to know what? All throughout our fucking lives, we put up fences. Maybe it’s
a desire for wanting order, predictability. Maybe we want to know our boundaries,
and we want to stay within our limits. Truth is, these boundaries are not always
self imposed. That fence I helped my friend fix -- shit, that yard was marked
out for him. He lives in that space someone else defined. We end up fighting over
it like it’s the most important thing in the world. We end up like animals,
mindlessly marking and defending our territories.
I’m a bodybuilder. Bodybuilder puts up fences too, no fucking doubt about that.
They also tear them down. See, when you get deep into the sport, the doubters
come out of the fucking woodwork. The haters follow. The fucking naysayers too.
They tell me I’m wasting my time. They don’t have a fucking clue as to why I do
what I do. It’s alien to them and the fence called bodybuilding keeps them away.
But it can also keep those we love away too, without meaning to. Like family.
Like my girl. Bodybuilding is like that. It can be a real bitch.
But, the bodybuilder also tears them down in another way. Fences are limitations.
They tell you what’s yours and what your limits are. Shit, tell me bodybuilding
ain’t about transcending limits? Realizing potential you never thought you had?
When I’m in the gym, I’m taking a fucking sledgehammer to that fence, to
everything I know. With every swing, I tell myself and the world that I’m not
gonna play by anyone’s rules but my own. Yeah, with fences, there’s a time to
build ‘em and there’s a time to tear ‘em down... Except no one’s gonna tell you.
You’re gonna have to figure it out for yourself... And that’s the fucking point.
Two words -- put them together and you get the obvious. “Cardio” and
“sucks”. Yeah, it’s like that old ad. Anyone who’s ever had to do it for
a show knows the fuck what I’m talking about. It sucks, plain and
simple. No two ways about it, no way to make it any better. You’re
pedaling and pedaling, but you’re not getting anywhere. Now I’m not one
to complain, but last night, I swear the cardio was fucking with my mind.
So I sat there, eyes closed and kept at it. Shit, though it may not have
looked like it, I was hanging on for life... Yeah, it sucks, but every
time I start thinking this way about this sport, I tell myself that this
is the life I’ve chosen. I signed up and volunteered for this shit, so
I don’t have the right to complain. Life has a way of coming at you.
Sometimes, it’s fast and relentless. Other times, it inches forward at
a snail’s pace. Fast or slow though, life always has a way of coming at
me hard. Now I like fast... It keeps me on my toes. But most of the time,
like when I’m riding this bike -- shit, it’s like I’m pedaling to
nowhere. In this game, there’s a whole lot of slow and a whole lot pain.
Whether it’s cardio or yet another plate of eye round and yams, you need
patience and perserverance. Thought it may not feel like it, you’re
making progress. Stick with it. Stay positive. I’ll put it another way.
The next time you’re exhausted, weak or unmotivated, strap yourself in
and get the best workout of your life under your belt. The next time
you’re nauseous, disgusted or full, cram another plate of food down your
fucking throat, and enjoy it like it’s gonna be your last meal. Sure as
shit, it won’t be going anywhere. This is the mindset you need every
fucking hour of every fucking day. Most days, you’re gonna feel like
you’ve hit a brick wall. I know I do. When that happens, I just put my
head down and pedal... Faster, until the wheels are about to fly off.
Faster, until I know I’m gonna smash right through that fucking wall...
Sometimes, there’s nothing better than planting your feet and taking a good
long piss. Sometimes, it gives me a moment to reflect, in silence. If
nothing else, it tells me if I took my Pak. Yeah, water... It’s goes in
one end, and out the other, all day long. Fuck, water is everywhere in my
life. Sometimes I feel like I’m treading in it, barely staying afloat. As
a kid, whenever I went to the shore, I’d stand on the sand and look out
as far as I could. So much fucking water... I tried to imagine what was on
the other end, who lived on the other side... People like you and me.
Brothers, we’re all part of this great sea and it is wide and deep. We’re
all out there, nameless and faceless, biding our time, waiting for our
moment... Then, one day, it’ll be our time. As a wave, we’ll finally get
our chance to come ashore. Shit, now I don’t know much about waves, but
what I do know is that for many, the arrival will be like a gentle swell
on a warm, white beach. Some will call that paradise. Fuck that. Me, I want
nothing short of chaos and mayhem and devastation. I want to come crashing
down -- terrifying, raw and unfettered -- and smash sand, rock and shell.
When the time comes for you, choose wisely Will you be that gentle swell
or that punishing wave? Will you recede meekly back from where you came or
will you rush to meet your destiny as a force to be reckoned with?
THE JOURNEY
MY SUPPLEMENT PLAN
During this time, I devise my supplement regimen so as to hold onto as
much muscle as possible, even when my activity level is greatly increased
by all the cardio (shit, I fucking hate cardio)… Anyway, I do this by bumping
up my intake of EAAs, protein powder, and liver tabs. Notice also, that I take
the Pak twice a day to make up for the nutrients I'm missing due to the
limited range of foods I'm currently consuming. My supplement plan is
pretty simple and straightforward. I usually rely on these six supplements:
AM
• Morning: Animal Pak with my first meal
Cardio
• Pre-cardio: Animal Cuts
• Immediately post-cardio: Animal Nitro
Meals
• With each meal: 6 Uni-Liver tabs
Pre/During/Post Workout
• Preworkout: Animal Cuts
• While training: 2 servings of EAA Stack*
• Postworkout: Animal Nitro
• 45 minutes postworkout: 50g whey protein isolate shake
• With post-training meal: Animal Pak
PM
• Before bed: Animal Nitro
*6 weeks out I drop the protein shakes so as to focus more on whole
foods.
THE JOURNEY
MY TRAINING PLAN
Hey fellas, Wrath here. This is my current workout. Look, it's a work in
progress as I'm constantly evolving and changing. As the day of reckoning
approaches, I may add some extra isolation work or a few burnout sets,
but my goal is always to remain as strong as I can, thus holding on to as
much muscle as possible even as I diet down and add cardio. Yeah, I
believe in free weight basics (that goes without saying) but incorporate
machines strategically. The trick is to stimulate new growth, not merely just
51 JOURNEY EXTRAS
to move weight. Offseason, abs and calves are trained after the primary
bodypart on alternating training days. I've been training both on all five
training days, depending on how sore I am. And believe me, some days,
I'm pretty fucking sore... But shit, it's all good. No complaints.
Day 1: Chest
Incline Barbell Press: 4 sets x 12-6 reps
Flat Dumbbell Press: 4 sets x 12-8 reps
Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 3 sets x 12-8 reps
Dumbbell Pullovers: 3 sets x 12-10 reps
Cable Crossovers: 4 sets x 15-12 reps
Day 2: Back
Wide Grips Chins: 4 sets x 10 reps
Barbell Rows: 4 sets x 12-6 reps
T-Bar Rows: 4 sets x 12-8 reps
Underhand Grip Pulldowns: 3 sets x 12-10 reps
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Legs
Leg Extensions: 4 sets x 20 reps (warm-up)
Leg Press: 4 sets x 20-12 reps
Hack Squats: 4 sets x 15-10 reps
Lunges: 3 sets x 15-12 reps
Stiff-legged Deadlifts: 4 sets x 12-8 reps
Lying Leg Curls: 4 sets x 15-10 reps
Day 5: Delts
Barbell Military Press: 4 sets x 12-6 reps
Seated Side DB Lateral Raises: 4 sets x 12-8 reps
Bent Rear Delt Lateral Raises: 4 sets x 12-10 reps
Hammer Strength Machine Press: 3 sets x 12-10 reps
DB Shrugs: 4 sets x 12-8 reps
Day 6: Arms
Barbell Curls: 4 sets x 12-6 reps
Alternating Dumbbell Curls: 4 sets x 12-8 reps
Preacher Machine Curls: 4 sets x 15-10 reps
Close Grip Bench Press: 4 sets x 15-8 reps
Skullcrushers: 4 sets x 12-8 reps
Pushdowns: 4 sets x 15-10 reps.
THE JOURNEY
MY MEAL PLAN
THE JOURNEY
MY MEAL PLAN PHASE 2
I wasn’t leaning out as fast as I wanted to so I decided to switch things
up a little. Like I said before, bodybuilding is about experimentation and
fine tuning things to meet your specific needs. There’s a world of
difference between repetition and consistency. Anyway, I’ve replaced
two of the four beef meals with chicken breasts. To make up for this,
and depending on how I’m feeling based on cardio or other shit, I’ll take
anywhere from 16-20 oz. of the lean eye round. Haven’t really touched
my carbs yet and I’m still eating 4 yams and a bowl of oatmeal daily on
average—carb intake also depends on cardio activity. The carbs will be
cut greatly as the contest approaches. Here are meals 1 through 6.
Pretty basic. I have swapped diet soda out for sugar free Kool Aid or
Crystal Light. One other thing worth mentioning… I’m having my
butcher grind up my eye round steaks. Ground round eye is a lot easier
to chew and swallow. I’m using a new recipe too.
For the first couple weeks, I went with chicken and rice as my
foundation, but I felt I needed to switch things up. Now I'm eating beef
and yams. For the most part, I'll be sticking to the eye round. It's one of
the leanest cuts of beef. It's boneless and for the amounts I'm eating,
the price is right. It's pretty cheap, but the cut is also pretty tough. I also
like this cut because I can easily trim away the fat too.
Meal One:
- 2-3 cups oatmeal
- 12-16 large egg whites
Meal Four:
- 12 oz. chicken breast
- 1 large yam
Meal Two:
- 16-20 oz. ground eye round
- 1 large yam
Meal Five:
- 16-20 oz. ground eye round
- 1 large yam
My diet isn't that complex. I don't really cycle calories or carbs or
anything like that—I know a lot of guys do, but I don't. If I make
changes here and there, it's based on how I'm feeling. As far as drinks
go, I get in two gallons of water, minimum, a day, plus as much diet
soda as I'm in the mood for. Next week, I'll share my supplement plan.
Anyway, here's what my meal plan looks like right now…
Meal Three:
- 12 oz. chicken breast
- 1 large yam
Meal Six:
- 12-16 egg whites
Beef/Yam Recipe:
Here’s what I’ve been eating lately. I start by lightly covering a pan with fatfree cooking spray. Once the pan is hot, I add the 16-20 oz. of lean ground
eye round. Once that’s cooking, I toss a large yam into the microwave for
a couple minutes. When it’s cooked, I’ll throw the yam in the fry pan and
mash it up with the ground beef. Once everything is cooked, I’ll season to
taste with Mrs. Dash which is sodium-free. Simple, basic, tasteless as shit.
52 JOURNEY EXTRAS
Roughly half my calories are from protein and roughly a quarter are
from carbs and fat. I'm getting in under 5,000 calories per day right
now. I'm eating every 2-3 hours, depending on hunger levels. I'm not
counting calories or macronutrients. I'm eating instinctively because I
know how to listen to my body—what works and what doesn't. That's
the key—you gotta know through experience and experimentation
what'll work for you.
Meal One:
- 2 cups oatmeal
- 12 large egg whites
Meal Four:
- 16 oz. eye round
- 1 large yam
Meal Two:
- 16 oz. eye round
- 1 large yam
Meal Five:
- 16 oz. eye round
- 1 large yam
Meal Three:
- 16 oz. eye round
- 1 large yam
Meal Six:
- 12 egg whites
WRATH’S OFFSEASON TRAINING SPLIT
This is my current offseason mass program. Though the actual exercises, sets and reps are always evolving, my offseason goal remains the
same—build maximum mass. To accomplish this, I train each bodypart thoroughly using multiple pathways of resistance. I use a five day split
which allows for two recovery days per week. I put the hardest compound movements first on my plan of attack, but strategically employ
techniques like pre-exhaustion when necessary.
LEGS
Leg Extensions
Leg Press
Squats
Lunges
Lying Leg Curl
Unilateral Standing Leg Curl
Stiff Legged Deadlift
REST
5 sets x 30-15 reps
5 sets x 30-15 reps
5 sets x 15-12 reps
3 sets (walking)
4 sets x 15-12 reps
4 sets x 12(no rest)
4 sets x 15-12
DELTS
Side Laterals
Smith Press
Front Raise
Upright Row
Bent Laterals
Reverse Pec Deck
5 sets x 15-12 reps
5 sets x 15-10
4 sets x 15-12
4 sets x 15-12
4 sets x 15-12
4 sets x 15-12
ARMS
Dumbbell Curl
Preacher Curl
Cable Curl
Cable Push Down
French Press
Close Grip Bench
53 JOURNEY EXTRAS
5 sets x 15-10
4 sets x 15-12
4 sets x 20-12
5 sets x 20-12
4 sets x 15-10
4 sets x 12-8
BACK
One Arm DB Rows
Lat Pull Down
T-bar (in corner)
Reverse Grip Pull Down
Seated Row
Deadlifts
4 sets x 12-10
5 sets x 15-10
4 sets x 12-8
4 sets x 15-10
4 sets x 12-10
4 sets x 12-8
CHEST
Incline Bench
Flies (flat)
Dumbbell (flat)
Pec Deck
Incline Machine
REST
5 sets x 12-8
4 sets x 12-10
4 sets x 12-10
4 sets x 15-12
3 sets x 12-8
WRATH OFFSEASON DIET AND SUPPLEMENT PLAN
As with all things, I keep it simple. My general food choices are the same offseason as precontest, except I eat more carbs and I’m not afraid to
cheat in order to get extra calories. As long as I’m eating my bodybuilding meals and reaching my daily protein mark, I’ll allow myself to eat
whatever else I want within moderation. This is the time of year to train heavy and to support that training with ample calories. That is how you
grow and continue to make changes to your physique from year to year. My supplement approach is simple as well. Pak and Flex in the morning
to cover my nutritional bases and support the effects of serious training, Pump preworkout for the kick I need and to ensure I’m getting my daily
creatine and Torrent postworkout to kickstart new growth as soon at the last weight hits the ground.
MEAL 1
12 egg whites
2 whole eggs
1 1/2-2 cups oatmeal
MEAL 6
10 oz. chicken
large salad
MEAL 2
MEAL 7
10 oz. chicken
1 1/2-2 cups rice1
cheat meal (500-1000 calories)
MEAL 3
MEAL 8
protein shake
cheat meal (500-1000 calories)
MEAL 4
protein shake
fruit
MEAL 5
10 oz. steak
1 large potato
54 JOURNEY EXTRAS
SUPPLEMENTS
Animal Pak: AM with breakfast
Animal Flex: AM with breakfast
Animal Pump: Preworkout
Torrent: Postworkout
TRAINING LOG
SUN
EXERCISE
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
TRAINING LOG
EXERCISE
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
CARDIO LOG
EXERCISE
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
FOOD LOG
TIME
PROTEIN
FOOD
NOTES
PG#JOURNEY
56
JOURNEYLOGS
AOM&LOGS
NOTES
& NOTES
GRAMS
CARBS
CALORIES
GRAMS
FAT
CALORIES
GRAMS
CALORIES
CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES
INDIVIDUAL FOOD
CUMULATIVE
TRAINING LOG
SUN
EXERCISE
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
TRAINING LOG
EXERCISE
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
CARDIO LOG
EXERCISE
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
FOOD LOG
TIME
PROTEIN
FOOD
NOTES
58 JOURNEY LOGS & NOTES
GRAMS
CARBS
CALORIES
GRAMS
FAT
CALORIES
GRAMS
CALORIES
CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES
INDIVIDUAL FOOD
CUMULATIVE
TRAINING LOG
SUN
EXERCISE
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
TRAINING LOG
EXERCISE
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
CARDIO LOG
EXERCISE
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
FOOD LOG
TIME
PROTEIN
FOOD
NOTES
60 JOURNEY LOGS & NOTES
GRAMS
CARBS
CALORIES
GRAMS
FAT
CALORIES
GRAMS
CALORIES
CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES
INDIVIDUAL FOOD
CUMULATIVE
TRAINING LOG
SUN
EXERCISE
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
TRAINING LOG
EXERCISE
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
CARDIO LOG
EXERCISE
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
FOOD LOG
TIME
PROTEIN
FOOD
NOTES
62 JOURNEY LOGS & NOTES
GRAMS
CARBS
CALORIES
GRAMS
FAT
CALORIES
GRAMS
CALORIES
CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES
INDIVIDUAL FOOD
CUMULATIVE
TRAINING LOG
SUN
EXERCISE
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
TRAINING LOG
EXERCISE
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
CARDIO LOG
EXERCISE
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
FOOD LOG
TIME
PROTEIN
FOOD
NOTES
64 JOURNEY LOGS & NOTES
GRAMS
CARBS
CALORIES
GRAMS
FAT
CALORIES
GRAMS
CALORIES
CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES
INDIVIDUAL FOOD
CUMULATIVE
TRAINING LOG
SUN
EXERCISE
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
TRAINING LOG
EXERCISE
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
CARDIO LOG
EXERCISE
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
FOOD LOG
TIME
PROTEIN
FOOD
NOTES
66 JOURNEY LOGS & NOTES
GRAMS
CARBS
CALORIES
GRAMS
FAT
CALORIES
GRAMS
CALORIES
CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES
INDIVIDUAL FOOD
CUMULATIVE
TRAINING LOG
SUN
EXERCISE
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
TRAINING LOG
EXERCISE
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
CARDIO LOG
EXERCISE
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
FOOD LOG
TIME
PROTEIN
FOOD
NOTES
68 JOURNEY LOGS & NOTES
GRAMS
CARBS
CALORIES
GRAMS
FAT
CALORIES
GRAMS
CALORIES
CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES
INDIVIDUAL FOOD
CUMULATIVE
TRAINING LOG
SUN
EXERCISE
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
TRAINING LOG
EXERCISE
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
CARDIO LOG
EXERCISE
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
FOOD LOG
TIME
PROTEIN
FOOD
NOTES
70 JOURNEY LOGS & NOTES
GRAMS
CARBS
CALORIES
GRAMS
FAT
CALORIES
GRAMS
CALORIES
CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES
INDIVIDUAL FOOD
CUMULATIVE
TRAINING LOG
SUN
EXERCISE
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
TRAINING LOG
EXERCISE
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
CARDIO LOG
EXERCISE
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
FOOD LOG
TIME
PROTEIN
FOOD
NOTES
72 JOURNEY LOGS & NOTES
GRAMS
CARBS
CALORIES
GRAMS
FAT
CALORIES
GRAMS
CALORIES
CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES
INDIVIDUAL FOOD
CUMULATIVE
TRAINING LOG
SUN
EXERCISE
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
TRAINING LOG
EXERCISE
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
WEIGHT
SET
REPS
CARDIO LOG
EXERCISE
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
TIME
CALORIES BURNED
INTENSITY LEVEL
FOOD LOG
TIME
PROTEIN
FOOD
NOTES
74 JOURNEY LOGS & NOTES
GRAMS
CARBS
CALORIES
GRAMS
FAT
CALORIES
GRAMS
CALORIES
CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES
INDIVIDUAL FOOD
CUMULATIVE
PG#JOURNEY
75
JOURNEYYOUR
YOURWORDS
WORDS
76 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
77 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
78 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
79 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
80 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
81 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
82 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
83 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
84 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
85 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
86 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
87 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
88 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
89 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
90 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
91 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
92 JOURNEY YOUR WORDS
Animal Pak. The Ultimate Training Pack.
The #1 selling, award winning training “pack” in the world since
1983. In those decades, more competitive bodybuilders have cut
their teeth on Animal Pak than any other bodybuilding supplement
in history. Why? Cuz Animal Pak gets the job done the first time, the
last time, every time. Consider Animal Pak as the cast iron skillet of
your supplement program, your body’s first line of defense. It’s got
all the nutritional basics the dedicated lifter needs and then some. If
you’re serious about the iron game, then you need Animal Pak. Let
others come and go. Animal Pak is the trusted name in
bodybuilding—the one that has stood the test of time.
Animal Pump. The Preworkout Muscle Volumizing Stack.
The “pump”. It’s the sensation that has the dedicated among us coming
back to the gym day after day, year after year. But the pump is much
more than a feeling, a fleeting rush... The pump is essential in our sport,
for it signals the start of new muscle growth. Yeah, with each pumpinducing rep, nutrient-rich blood floods the working muscle cells,
engorging them. This process of “cell volumization” kick starts the
anabolic process. Think of Animal Pump as your “pump in a pack”.
Every can, every pack’s got everything you need to maximize the pump,
as well as strength and power. With the latest creatines as its foundation,
Animal Pump should be a mainstay in your supplement arsenal.
Animal Flex. The Complete Joint Support Stack.
The foundation… The base supports the structure. Over time, the
foundation weakens, crumbles. Not good for anyone. For the lifter,
that foundation is the joints, the bones, the ligaments. Animal Flex
is the only award-winning supplement specifically designed for
you, the serious lifter, to help protect against the daily grind
brought about by heavy-duty weight training. Effective,
comprehensive and potent, Animal Flex is also convenient. Unlike
other products, you only need to take Animal Flex once a day. A
single “pack” will do. So when you train like the big boys, think of
Animal Flex… It’s your armor against the rigors of iron warfare.
Animal Nitro. The Essential Anabolic EAA Stack.
Aminos are, in general, the basic building blocks of muscle. Sure,
you can get ‘em in a steak or from a protein shake. But special
aminos can actually trigger the anabolic drive—what every lifter
dreams about. To achieve this, a supplement needs to meet three
conditions… First, you gotta start with the right individual
aminos—you specifically want the “essential amino acids”, or
EAAs. Second, you need ‘em in a fast-acting, isolated or
“uncoupled” form. Third, you need the correct ratios of each
essential amino acid to the other. Animal Nitro delivers on all three.
After all, Animal Nitro’s formula was modeled on actual Human
Muscle Protein itself. Animal Nitro is not a general amino
supplement, it’s the specialist’s amino acid product.
94 JOURNEY PRODUCTS
Animal Omega. The Essential EFA Stack.
Animal Stak. The Complete Anabolic Hormone Stack.
Yeah, bodybuilders have shunned fat. For good reasons too. Truth
is, there is a class of fats that are not only important, but absolutely
“essential”. Without these critical fats, you wouldn’t make any
gains, let alone survive. Animal Omega takes these special fats and
custom-tailors them specifically for the hard working lifter.
Whether you’re adding mass or trimming bodyfat, Animal Omega
can help. Animal Omega. It’s the last and final word when it comes
to EFA supplementation.
Animal Stak is a comprehensive, natural hormone-boosting
supplement, delivered in individual “packs”. Each pack contains
effective doses of patented and proven ingredients designed to help
you naturally enhance your own body’s ability to produce anabolic
hormones such as growth hormone (GH) and testosterone. Animal
Stak also includes DHT blockers and aromatase inhibitors to help
your body prevent the conversion of testosterone to either estrogen
or DHT. Finally, you’ll find select vasodilators to help enhance
systemic circulation and deliver these ingredients where your body
needs them most.
Animal Cuts. The Complete Cutting Stack.
Cardio sucks. There’s no beauty or grace in it. You’re not moving
huge weight. It’s just painful and exhausting. You do it cuz it’s a
necessary evil. Whether you’re preparing for a show or just trying
to get in top condition, you need the raw power of Animal Cuts.
Unlike other “thermogenic” or “fat burning” supplements, Animal
Cuts is two products in one. It’s a potent thermogenic and an
effective diuretic. Why the diuretic? Cuz even if you got minimal
bodyfat, the water under your skin can make you look like a
marshmallow. For a shredded, razor sharp look, you want to shed
bodyfat and subcutaneous water. Now you can with Animal Cuts.
Animal M-Stak. The Non-Hormonal Anabolic Stack.
The all-new Animal M-Stak… The perfect “hardgainer’s” pack… The
“plateau buster” in a can. Whatever you want to call it, the completely
overhauled Animal M-Stak flat out works… Even better, thanks to its
improved “nutrient-partitioning” effects and its enhanced ability to
promote anabolism via protein synthesis and nitrogen retention
while reducing catabolism. Containing no steroidal hormones, it may
be suitable for drug-tested athletes. With added features, including
an even more powerful, Natural Flavone/Sterone Complex—which
act as nutrient-partitioning agents shuttling needed calories
specifically into lean mass instead of toward body fat deposition. MStak is also stacked with a new, potent Anti-Catabolic Amino
Complex. These specialized aminos stimulate protein synthesis
through non-hormonal signal transduction by manipulating muscle
growth regulators. Next up, M-Stak’s Anabolic Adaptogens reduce
cortisol and other muscle-wasting catabolic agents, ensuring the
anabolic status of your internal environment. Animal M-Stak also
contains cutting-edge insulin potentiators ensuring the effective and
efficient utilization of ultra anabolic insulin. As you can see, it’s more
than just a “hardgainer’s” supplement. Further, M-Stak contains a
potent energy blend designed to propel you through your most
intense gym sessions. Finally, the M-Stak formula is tied together by
the M-Factor absorption complex, intended to ensure maximum
absorption and efficacy. If you feel your training has been missing
something, you’re right. Animal M-Stak is here, turning hardgainers
into hard gainers.
Animal Test. The Hypertrophic Test Stack.
Gear up... Every training session, every meal, is another test to
pass. Your approach is dead serious. Nothing is left to chance. You
know the importance of testosterone. More test = more size &
strength. It is that simple. That is why you gear up with Animal
Test. Animal Test keeps it simple, breaking down the musclebuilding process to its bare essence & “amplifying” the anabolic
response. Animal Test is legal hypertrophic, pro-testosterone
supplementation at its best. Animal Test helps enhance both
testosterone output and utilization. Animal Test cuts to the core of
the muscle-building process, modifying and enhancing the
anabolic response. In other words, Test is money in the bank.
Animal PM. The Nighttime Anabolic Recovery Stack.
Rest and recovery. This is a top priority for the hardest trainers out
there. The hardcore set know that sleep time equals growth time. It
was with this in mind that the fellas at Animal formulated the most
complete nighttime recovery supplement available—Animal PM. A
single pack of PM combines powerful GH boosters, immune
support and recovery agents, anabolic aminos and a potent blend
of sleep and relaxation enhancers--all designed to promote deep
and restful sleep and hastened recuperation, accelerating the
growth process. Sleep well and know you’ll grow with Animal PM
Animal Rage. The Ultimate Energy & Performance Stack.
A shot of adrenaline, a surge of raw power, a current of electricity
running from head to toe. Animal Rage allows you to stalk the
weights, to dominate the gym, to make the competition run and
hide. Taken just before you wreak havoc in the weight room, Animal
Rage is more than a mere preworkout supplement, it is a
bodybuilder’s secret weapon, an ergogenic wrecking ball ready to
be swung. You are predator, the iron your prey—make it fear your
power, let it bear witness to the strength of Animal Rage.
Animal Pak
Calories
Total Carbohydrates
Dietary Fiber
Protein
Vitamin A (as carotenoids
[b-carotene, a-carotene], acetate)
Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid,
ascorbyl palmitate)
Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol)
Vitamin E (as d-α, d-β, d-γ,
d-Δ tocopherols & tocotrienols)
Thiamin (as mononitrate)
Riboflavin
Niacin (as niacinamide)
Vitamin B6
(as pyridoxine AKG, pyridoxine HCl)
Folic Acid
Vitamin B12
(methylcobalamin, cyanocobalamin)
Biotin
Pantothenic Acid
Calcium
Phosphorus
Iodine (from kelp)
Magnesium (as oxide)
Zinc (as oxide)
Selenium (as sodium
selenite)
Copper (as sulfate)
Manganese (as sulfate)
Chromium (as chloride)
Potassium (as sulfate)
Amino Acid Complex
Alanine
Arginine
Aspartic Acid
Cystine
Glutamic Acid
Glutamine
Glycine
Histidine
Isoleucine (BCAA/EAA)
Leucine (BCAA/EAA)
Lysine (EAA)
Methionine (EAA)
Phenylalanine (EAA)
Proline
Serine
Threonine (EAA)
Tryptophan (EAA)
Tyrosine
Valine (BCAA/EAA)
Amount Per 2 Packs
40
4g
2g
6g
9900IU
%DV
<2%*
8%*
12%*
198%
1g 1667%
680IU 170%
300IU 1000%
76mg 5067%
76mg 4471%
82mg 410%
180mg 9000%
400mcg
11mcg
100%
185%
300mcg
76mg
2g
1330mg
150mcg
400mg
30mg
50mcg
100%
760%
200%
133%
100%
100%
200%
71%
600mcg
5mg
60mcg
200mg
30%
250%
50%
6%
339mg
1326mg
503mg
104mg
752mg
123mg
287mg
93mg
282mg
514mg
417mg
157mg
232mg
143mg
285mg
266mg
84mg
192mg
314mg
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
Performance Complex
Uni-Liver™
Carnitine
Choline
Eleuthero (root)
Hawthorne (berry)
Inositol
Milk Thistle (seed)
Oriental Ginseng (root)
Para-Aminobenzoic Acid
Pyridoxine α-Ketoglutarate
Antioxidant Complex
Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)
Citrus Bioflavonoids (peel)
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
Grapeseed Extract
Lutein
Lycopene
Pine Bark Extract
Digestive Enzyme Complex
Bromelain
Inulin
Lipase
Pancreatin
Papain
VegPeptase 2000™
4080mg
25mg
250mg
1750mg
250mg
125mg
500mg
250mg
400mg
200mg
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
100mg
1000mg
5mg
50mg
1mg
1mg
200mg
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
100mg
250mg
10mg
700mg
64mg
64mg
**
**
**
**
**
**
Other Ingredients: Dicalcium phosphate, whey protein concentrate (milk), glucose
polymers, microcrystalline cellulose, arginine α-ketoglutarate, dessicated
Argentine liver (bovine), stearic acid, magnesium stearate, choline bitartrate,
calcium carbonate, silicon dioxide, d-calcium pantothenate, lecithin (soy),
carnitine fumarate, calcium citrate, alfalfa, rose hips, rice bran, parsley, burdock,
pharmaceutical glaze. Made in a GMP facility that uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
Animal Cuts
Amount Per Pack
Thermogenic Complex
750mg
Caffeine Anhydrous*, Kola Nut*, Guarana (seed)*,
Yerba Mate (leaf)*, Raspberry Ketones*, Coleus
Forskohlii (root)*, Evodiamine*
Metabolic Complex
750mg
Green Tea Extract (polyphenols/EGCG)*,
Oolong Tea Extract (polyphenols)*, Black
Tea Extract (polyphenols)*, Coffee Bean
Extract (polyphenols)*, White Tea Extract
(polyphenols)*
Thyroid Complex
350mg
L-Tyrosine*, Olive Leaf Extract (15% oleuropein)*,
Salvia Officinalis (leaf)*
Diuretic Complex
800mg
Dandelion Root (taraxol, taraxerol)*, Uva Ursi Leaf
(arbutin, methyl-arbutin)*, Hydrangea Root*, Buchu
Leaf*, Juniper Berry Fruit*, Celery Seed*
Nootropic Complex
500mg
DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol)*, Bacopa Monniera
(bacopasides A & B) (leaf)*, β-Phenylethylamine
%DV
(β-PEA)*, Xanthinol Nicotinate*, Huperzine A*
Cortisol Inhibiting Complex
Ashwangandha Extract (withanolides)*,
Rhodiola Rosea (rosavins) (root)*, SerinAid®*,
Magnolia Bark Extract*
CCK Inhibiting Complex
Cha-de-bugre (aerial parts)*, Apple Pectin (fruit)*,
Jojoba Seed Extract (simmondsin)*
Bioavailability Complex
Ginger Root (gingerols, shogaols)*, Cayenne (fruit)*,
Grapefruit (6,7-Dihydroxybergamottin) (seed)*,
Quercetin*, Naringin (citrus)*, Bioperine® (fruit)*
300mg
300mg
500mg
Other Ingredients: Gelatin, dicalcium phosphate, microcrystalline
cellulose, magnesium stearate, stearic acid, titanium dioxide, FD&C blue
#1, FD&C red #40, FD&C yellow #6, FD&C red #3, FD&C yellow #5. Made
in a GMP facility that uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
Animal Omega
Calories
Calories From Fat
Total Fat
Saturated Fat
Polyunsaturated Fat
Cholesterol
Vitamin A (as retinyl palmitate)
Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol)
Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopherol)
Omega 3 Fatty Acid (n-3 FA) Complex
Flaxseed Oil
Salmon Oil
Cod Liver Oil
Herring Oil
Anchovy Oil
Mackerel Oil
Sardine Oil
Omega 6 Fatty Acid (n-6 FA) Complex
Borage Oil
Safflower Oil
Evening Primrose Oil
Sesamin
Omega Absorption Complex
Lecithin (soy)
L-Carnitine
Lipase Enzyme
Amount Per Pack
60
60
7g
1g
2.75g
5mg
2664IU
200IU
10IU
%DV
11%*
5%*
**
2%*
53%
50%
33%
4000mg
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
2500mg
**
**
**
**
200mg
**
**
**
Other Ingredients: Gelatin, glycerin, purified water, maltodextrin, dicalcium
phosphate, l-carnitine fumarate, silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate,
chlorophyll, titanium dioxide, caramel color. This product contains fish.
Made in a GMP facility that uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
Animal Flex
Calories
Calories From Fat
Total Fat
Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid)
Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopherol)
Zinc (as zinc oxide)
Selenium (as sodium selenite)
Manganese (as manganese sulfate)
Amount Per Pack
9
9
1g
100mg
100IU
15mg
70mcg
1mg
Joint Construction Complex
Glucosamine (as HCl, sulfate 2KCl)
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)
Chondroitin Sulfate A (CSA)
Chondroitin Sulfate C (CSC)
Joint Lubrication Complex
Flaxseed Oil (50% alpha linolenic acid)
Cetyl Myristoleate Proprietary Blend
(cetyl myristoleate**, cetyl myristate**, cetyl
palmitate**, cetyl laurate**, cetyl palmitoleate**,
cetyl oleate**)
Hyaluronic Acid
Joint Support Complex
Ginger Root (gingerols, shogaols)
Turmeric Root (curcumin)
Boswellia (resin) (boswellic acid)
Quercetin
Bromelain
%DV
<2%*
167%
333%
100%
100%
50%
3000mg
**
**
**
**
1000mg
**
1000mg
**
**
**
**
**
Cetyl Myristoleate is patented by EHP Products (U.S. Patent #5,569,676).
Animal M•Stak
Amount Per Pack
750mg
96 JOURNEY SUPPLEMENT FACTS
1000mg
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
500mg
*
*
*
500mg
*
*
%DV
*
*
*
*
3000mg
*
*
*
*
*
*
Other Ingredients: Dicalcium phosphate, whey (milk), microcrystalline
cellulose, Methylxanthine Complex (caffeine anhydrous, kola nut powder
and guarana seed powder), gelatin, stearic acid, cyanotis vaga extract,
magnesium stearate, soy (from beta sitosterol), magnesium silicate,
titanium dioxide, FD&C Blue #1, Red #40, pharmaceutical glaze. Made in
a GMP facility that uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
Bioperine® is Piper nigrum extract standardized for a minimum of 95%
piperine alkaloids and is a registered trademark of the Sabinsa Corporation
(U.S. Patents #5,536,506, #5,744,161, #5,972,382). CinnulinPF™ is a
registered trademark of Integrity Nutraceuticals International.
Animal Nitro
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine HCl)
Niacin (as niacinamide)
Human Muscle Protein Complex™
Leucine
Lysine
Arginine
Valine
Isoleucine
Histidine
Threonine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Pro BCAA Complex
Leucine
Isoleucine
Valine
magnesium stearate, stearic acid, titanium dioxide, FD&C Red #40, FD&C
Blue #1. Made in a GMP facility that uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
Animal Pump
500mg
**
Other Ingredients: Dicalcium phosphate, maltodextrin, gelatin, stearic acid,
magnesium stearate, purified water, microcrystalline cellulose, glycerine,
silicon dioxide, caramel coloring, pharmaceutical glaze. Contains shellfish
(crab/shrimp shell). Made in a GMP facility that uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
Natural Flavone/Sterone Complex
ß-Ecdysterone (whole plant)
5-Methyl-7-Methoxyisoflavone
Ajuga Turkestanica Extract (turkesterone)
ß-Sitosterol
Anti-Catabolic Amino Complex
L-Leucine
L-Isoleucine
L-Valine
L-Taurine
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC)
Leucine Ethyl Ester HCl
Anabolic Adaptogen Complex
Muira Puama (bark)
Kudzu (isoflavones) (root)
Safed Musli (root)
Rhodiola Rosea (rosavins) (root)
Insulin Potentiating Complex
Fenugreek (4-Hydroxyisoleucine) (seed)
Banaba Leaf Extract (corosolic acid)
Cinnulin PF™
Na-R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (Na-R-ALA)
M Factor Complex
Ginger Root (gingerols, shogaols)
Grapefruit (6,7-Dihydroxybergamottin) (seed)
Bioperine® (fruit)
Energy Complex
Methylxanthine Complex (caffeine,
theobromine, theophylline)
Evodiamine
Amount Per 2 Packs
500mcg
10mg
%DV
25%
50%
4995mg
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
3500mg
1690mg
1815mg
*
*
*
Other Ingredients: Gelatin, dicalcium phosphate, microcrystalline cellulose,
Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid)
Selenium (as sodium selenate)
Amount Per Pack
60mg
100mcg
%DV
100%
143%
Foundational Creatine Matrix
3000mg
Magnesium Creatine Chelate (MCC)
Tricreatine Matrix (TCM) (creatine gluconate, creatine orotate, creatine AKG)
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE)
NO Blast Complex
2000mg
Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (Arginine-AKG)
Ornithine Alpha-Ketoglurate (Ornithine-AKG)
Citrulline Malate
L-Carnosine
L-Norvaline
Energy Rush Complex
500mg
Methylxanthine Complex (caffeine, theobromine, theophylline)
Evodiamine
Vinpocetine
Antioxidant Complex
700mg
Grapeseed Extract (polyphenols)
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)
Green Tea Extract (EGCG)
Na-R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (Na-R-ALA)
Pump Transport Complex
1000mg
Taurine
Ginger Root (gingerols, shogaols)
Cinnulin PF™
Fenugreek Extract (20% 4-Hydroxyisoleucine)
Bioperine® (piper nigrum extract standardized for a minimum of 95%
piperine alkaloids)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Other Ingredients: Dicalcium phosphate, gelatin, Methylxanthine Complex
(caffeine anhydrous, kola nut powder and guarana seed powder),
microcrystalline cellulose, maltodextrin, stearic acid, magnesium stearate,
cinnamon root extract, titanium dioxide, evodiae root extract, fenugreek extract,
vinca minor L. extract, FD&C yellow #5 & #6, FD&C red #40, FD&C blue #1,
pharmaceutical glaze. Made in a GMP facility that uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
Creatine MagnaPower (Magnesium Creatine Chelate) is a registered
trademark of Albion Laboratories, Inc., and is covered by U.S. Patent
6,114,379 and patents pending. Bioperine® is a registered trademark of
the Sabinsa Corporation (U.S. Patents #5,536,506, #5,744,161,
#5,972,382). Cinnulin PF™ is a registered trademark of Integrity
Nutraceuticals International. Antioxidant Complex includes ascorbic acid
and sodium selenate in the 700 milligrams.
Animal Stak
Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid)
Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine HCl)
Magnesium (as oxide)
Zinc (as oxide)
Chromium (as picolinate and chloride)
Amount Per Pack
100mg
10.5mg
450mg
30mg
100mcg
Natural Test Complex
1000mg
Tribulus Extract Complex
(standardized for protodioscin & steroidal saponins)
Longjack Extract Complex
Avena Sativa Extract
(standardized for avenacosides A & B)
Growth Hormone Secretagogues
300mg
Mucuna Pruriens Extract
(standardized for 15% L-dopa)
Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine
Vasodilator Complex
750mg
Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AKG)
Arginine HCl
Aromatase Inhibitors
200mg
Calcium D-Glucarate
Diindolylmethane (DIM)
DHT Blockers
475mg
β-Sitosterol
Saw Palmetto Extract
Quercetin
Cortisol Inhibitor Complex
300mg
Acetyl L-Carnitine
Phosphatidylserine
Liver Detoxifiers
250mg
Milk Thistle Extract
Lysophosphatidylcholine
%DV
166%
525%
113%
200%
83%
*
*
*
1500mg
Animal Rage Packs
*
*
*
Other Ingredients: Gelatin, palmitic acid, steric acid, linoleic acid, g-linoleic
acid, dihomo-g-linoleic acid, myristic acid, arachadic acid, behenic acid,
lignoceric acid, glycerin, magnesium stearate, water, caramel color, carob,
titanium dioxide, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1. Made in a GMP facility
that uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
Arachidonic Acid is licensed under U.S. Patent #6,841,573. Bioperine® is
Piper Nigrum extract standardized for a minimum of 95% piperine
alkaloids and is a registered trademark of the Sabinsa Corporation (U.S.
Patents #5,536,506, #5,744,161, #5,972,382).
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Other Ingredients: Whey (milk), dicalcium phosphate, gelatin (capsule),
microcrystalline cellulose, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide,
lecithin (soy), titanium dioxide, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, pharmaceutical
glaze. Made in a GMP facility that uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
Longjack Extract Complex is a proprietary blend of Eurycoma Longifolia,
including patented LJ100™ standardized for 28% bioactive glycopeptide
compounds and 40% glycosaponins. Calcium D-Glucarate is protected
under U.S. Patents #4845123, #5364644, #5561160.
*
Animal Test
Amount Per Pack
Pro-Androgen Complex
2500mg
Urtica Dioica (3,4-Divanillyl Tetrahydrofuran) (root)
Cissus Quadrangularis (ketosterone) (root)
Polygonum Cuspidatum
(trans-3,5,4’-trihydroxystilbene (trans resveratrol)) (root)
Agaricus Bisporus (polysaccharides) (white button mushroom)
3’,5,7-Trihydroxy-4’-Methoxyflavone (hesperetin)
Yohimbe Bark Extract
Hypertrophic Response Complex
Arachidonic Acid
(40% in a proprietary fatty acid/oil blend)
Grapefruit (6’,7’-Dihydroxybergamottin) (seed)
Bioperine®
%DV
*
*
*
*
*
*
Animal PM
Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine HCl)
Magnesium (as oxide)
Zinc (as oxide)
Amount Per Pack
10.5mg
450mg
30mg
GH Boosting Complex
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)
Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AKG)
Ornithine HCl
L-Tryptophan
Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine (GPC)
Immune & Recovery Complex
Animal Nitro™ EAA Blend
(Leucine, Valine, Isoleucine, Lysine,
Arginine, Histidine, Threonine,
Methionine, Phenylalanine)
L-Glutamine
Immunolin®
Humanofort™
Sleep & Relaxation Complex
Valerian Root Powder
Chamomile Root Powder
Mucuna Pruriens (standardized for 15% L-dopa)
Hops (Humulus Lupulus)
L-Theanine
%DV
525%
113%
200%
3000mg
*
*
*
*
*
2500mg
*
*
*
*
1250mg
*
*
*
*
*
Other Ingredients: Dicalcium phosphate, maltodextrin, microcrystalline
cellulose, gelatin, stearic acid, silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate,
titanium dioxide, FD&C blue #1, lecithin (soy), FD&C red #3, egg. Made in
a GMP facility that uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
Humanofort™ is a proprietary embryonic peptide matrix yielding naturally
occurring IGF-1, IGF-2, FGF (Fibroblast Growth Factors), NGF (Nerve
Growth Factors), EGF (Epidermal Growth Factors), CTGF (Connective
Tissue Growth Factor). Immunolin® is a specialized immunoglobulin
concentrate from bovine serum providing IgG1, IgG2, IgM and IgA factors.
Niacin
Vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin)
Calcium (as chelate)
Magnesium (as chelate)
Chloride (as sodium chloride)
Sodium (as sodium chloride)
Potassium (as chelate)
Animal Rage Proprietary Formula
Endurance & Perfomance Complex
Beta Alanine
Citrulline Malate
L-Taurine
Glucuronolactone
Focus & Intensity Complex
L-Tyrosine
Choline Bitartrate
N-Acetyl Tyrosine
b-Phenylethylamine
Sustained Energy Complex
Rhodiola Rosea Extract
Schizandra Berry
Cordyceps Sinensis (whole plant)
Panax Ginseng (root)
Quick Energy Complex
Caffeine Anhydrous
Coffee Bean Extract (polyphenols)
Green Tea Extract (polyphenols/EGCG)
Evodiamine
Vinpocetine
Amount Per Pack
%DV
30mg 150%
1000mcg 16667%
50mg
5%
25mg
6%
75mg
2%
50mg
2%*
25mg
1%
5275mg
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
Other Ingredients: Gelatin, magnesium stearate, dicalcium phosphate,
titanium dioxide, FD&C red #40, FD&C blue #1. Made in a GMP facility that
uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
Animal Rage Powder
(see above)
Other Ingredients: Natural & artificial flavors, citric acid, acesulfame
potassium, sucralose, FD&C yellow #5, FD&C yellow #6. Made in a GMP
facility that uses milk, soy, egg, peanuts.
98 YOUR JOURNEY
T-SHIRTS (Sizes: M - XXXL):
All T’s are super thick 100% cotton and feature the well-known Animal slogans silkscreened on the front (each has the Animal “A” logo silkscreened on the
back) including:
“I’m Not Here To Talk.”
“Shut The F... Up
And Train.”
“I Pay My Dues Every
Day... Do You?”
“Shut The Fuck Up
And Train.”
“Go Hard... Or
Go Home.”
“Shut Up And Train.”
“Squat Til You Puke.”
ANIMAL FORVM T-SHIRT (Sizes: M - XXL):
You wanted it, now you're gonna get it... The official t-shirt for members of
Animalpak.com's The Forvm. If you are one of The Legion, then you'll want this
dark gray ringer tee with black trim around the collar and sleeves. When ya get it,
you can personalize your Forvm tee by adding your member name to the white
space in the middle. Literally—with permanent marker. This shirt is like the
classic, old school "phys ed" shirts of the past. Personalize it. Customize it. Make
it yours today. Made of 50/50 cotton/poly blend for a better "drape" and for
durability. Larger Animal "A" logo on the back.
TANK TOPS (Sizes: L - XL):
Animal tanks are 100% cotton
and come in white or black. The
classic “A” logo is proudly
embroidered on the back.
HEADWEAR (Sizes: One Size Fits All):
Beanie or skullcap? You choose. The Animal Beanie comes longer than
the Animal Skullie, but both feature an embroidered “A” logo. Pick one or
pick both if you can’t decide. Also available are the Animal Flexfit Caps
(Black & White or Black). The same exact cap that the Animals in The
Cage wore at the 2007 Arnold Expo, including Wrath, Machine, G Diesel
and Big Al? Well this is it... A high quality Animal Mesh Flexfit® Cap.
Solid black panels in the front, white mesh on the rest. One size fits most,
with the classic Animal "A" logo smaller and off center. Patent pending
POSTERS
You love the ads? The original classic ads or Wrath’s Journey ads? Stop tearing ‘em out of the magazines and taping up on your
walls or in your gym. Now you can buy ‘em for your very own… Printed on extra heavy stock and suitable for framing—if that
rocks your world.
Size: 16” x 24”.
THE ANIMAL TRAINING DVDS
The five-part Animal DVDs are a training series like nothing else. It features Wrath and contains raw, unfettered footage of him
destroying the iron. The first in the series covered arms which was followed by chest, shoulders, and back. Rounding out the
series will be legs. If you are a fan of Animal, then you won’t want to miss this.
"4:27 am... Why Am I Here?"
"This is My Life"
"I’m Not Gonna Puke"
"Fear. Loathing. Disgust."
"Power of One"
"I Walk The Line"
"Be Selfish"
"55.30.29"
"Bodybuilding Is Living"
"Bound By Blood"
"Watcha' Looking At?"
“In Too Deep”
"Mirror, Mirror"
“Under My Skin”
“Push”
"Makin' Change"
"Thirst"
"Connecting The Dots..."
“What Goes Around”
"Shut Up and Train"
"Shut the F... Up and Train"
"I'm Not Here to Talk"
"Squat Til You Puke"
"Suck It Up"
"Get Out of My Face"
"I Pay My Dues Every Day... Do You?"
"Go Hard... Or Go Home"
ANIMAL ARMS TRAINING DVD
Animal Training Series Volume I
Approx. 30 Mins.
ANIMAL CHEST TRAINING DVD
Animal Training Series Volume II
Approx. 30 Mins.
ANIMAL DELTS TRAINING DVD
Animal Training Series Volume III
Approx. 45 Mins.
ANIMAL BACK TRAINING DVD
Animal Training Series Volume IV
Approx. 45 Mins.
ANIMAL LEGS TRAINING DVD
Animal Training Series Volume V
Approx. 45 Mins.
For a complete list of all available Animal Gear visit www.animalpak.com/store and click on “Gear”.
Great edifices are not built in a single day... They take years, if not decades, to build. Great edifices are not temporary... They stand the
test of time. Great edifices are built upon solid foundations, one brick at a time. Animal is such a foundation. Animal has been a part of
the bodybuilding world for nearly 25 years, and it’s upon this foundation that the new Animalpak.com forum, The Forvm, has been built.
There are other bodybuilding forums... Then there is The Forvm. The Forvm is unlike any other forum... It is the center of the
Animalpak.com universe. It is the place where lifters of all levels and walks of life gather to discuss the noble life of iron. It is a
community, a brotherhood of like-minded individuals who share a common bond, an untempered passion for this game. In The Forvm,
respect and dignity are the cornerstones. In The Forvm, we are all treated as equals.
Here, you will cross paths with the Animals… From the old guard to the new, including the likes of Machine, Ox, G Diesel, Sgt. Rock,
The House, The Lad, J-Rock, Big Byrd, Big Dog, Big Al, and Big Ant. You’ll be able to ask questions, express thoughts and philosophies
on training, and debate the finer points of lifting and diet. You will also be afforded special opportunities—such as becoming an Alpha
Tester for a new product or participating in special contests.
Become a member of The Forvm today: forum.animalpak.com. With each new member, another brick will go into the building of this
great place, this edifice. This is our invitation to you, warriors of steel... We welcome you into our ranks.
WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK.
forum.animalpak.com
3 Terminal Road
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
800.872.0101
1461 SW 32nd Ave
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
800.327.5229
9216 Trinity Drive
Lake In The Hills, IL 60102
888.458.5383
Plaza 24C
4782 Sk Moerdijk
The Netherlands
+31168.381784
3441 Gato Court
Riverside, CA 92507
800.845.8884
Additional Information
For more information about Animal products or anything else related to Animalpak.com, be sure to give us a holler. You
can get in touch with us below:
web: www.animalpak.com | forum: forum.animalpak.com | email: info@animalpak.com | phone: 800.872.0101
102 JOURNEY CONTACT