First off, let me say this is a very interesting time in my life. I am now in a new transition because as of tomorrow morning, April 1st, 2010 I will be laid off from my job at NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing Inc). I have many different feelings about this, ranging from sadness to happiness. I will not miss the actual work itself due to its repetitive nature and the amount of stress it puts on one's body. Although, NUMMI has been very good to me and the many people that have worked there by providing great pay, benefits and many other luxuries that were available. I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase a house, cars and have the assurance of a steady income. I really appreciate everything the job provided for my wife and I. It will be very sad for me to say goodbye to the many friends I have been working with side by side for the past 16+ years. They have become my second family and to not see them on a regular basis anymore will be very tough for me. The people are what made NUMMI a success and the people deserve all the credit for building great cars and trucks. It's definitely a sad time to see the last auto plant in California close its doors and because of this, it's caused thousands of people across the state of California to lose their jobs. Things do change and I just have to adapt to this change and move on with confidence. I just want to say to all my friends at NUMMI, I will miss you and I will not forget the good times we shared together. I wish everyone at NUMMI the best of luck in the future.

NUMMI - Trim 1 - Part of the area I worked for over 16 years.

3DMJ - Taking it to another level!!
We plan on taking the site to another level! It will be just like the very last few weeks of a contest prep, when you have to dig deep within yourself to take your physique to a whole new level of conditioning. We will be pushing hard to bring natural bodybuilding to a higher level of awareness in the community and beyond. Since hitting the pages of IRONMAN magazine we have operated with a limited amount of time and in my opinion, we have done a great job with the site while having such little time. It is now time to push ourselves hard and help bring more recognition to the sport and most importantly to the athletes. The athletes are the ones who make this sport great! We recognize this and we want to give back to the sport and feature awesome athletes, articles, seminars, videos, photos, and many more topics that relate to our sport. Look for very big things to surface in the very near future!

3DMJ Fitness/Training Camp
We (TEAM 3DMJ) put on a great mini camp on March 6 and I really enjoyed the experience. It was great meeting new people and having the opportunity to help others. The whole week prior to the camp I was very nervous about talking in front of an audience. I am very reserved and it is hard for me to open up in that way. It seems kind of weird I feel this way since I do get in front of hundreds of people in those little posing trunks. Then I realized it is no different than me talking with someone on a daily basis about bodybuilding, so that is how I approached talking in front of an audience and I seemed to do ok.

We had inspirational speaking, open floor questions and answers, training stations, microwave demo, HIIT training, and some hardcore training as well. All in all it was a very good experience. I want to thank everyone who attended and I had a great time working with you. Also, I want to thank Brad Loomis for opening up his gym, Healthy Bodies Fitness, for this awesome event! Lookout for more camps to surface in the near future.

MY TRAINING
My training has been very inconsistent this month. I have been very frustrated with this and I am trying to get back on track, but with so many things that are going on in my life right now it has been hard to stay on track. I feel with more time due to my job loss I will be able to re-focus on my training and make some gains with my physique. It will be very interesting to see what my physique will do, now that my body does not have to try and recover from my daily activities from my physical job. I will also be getting the much needed sleep I have been deprived for quite some time now. I have been getting on average about 4 hours of sleep for the past 3 months. So, add in more sleep plus no physical labor, well I just might be seeing some good gains to my physique. I love to push myself hard in the gym and I tend to favor high intense workouts with low volume, but I have been open to different training methods lately which I have been learning from the coaches here at 3DMJ. I am very excited to try new ideas with my training and I look forward to the 2011 contest season where I have decided to set my goals for the World Championships in New York along with my fellow teammates.

MY NUTRITION
This is the one area where I have been doing very well. I was on a mini cut and I dropped my weight from 197 lbs to 190 lbs. That is a good weight for me. I have been eating typically 5 meals per day and my macro-nutrients have been averaging 180-200 grams of protein, 300-400 grams of carbs, and 50-80 grams of fat. I will continue with this for now, but I will have to monitor myself closely because with the job loss I will not be as active and I may have to modify my macros if needed.

PERSONAL NEWS
My wife's Uncle Oscar (Miles) and Aunt Anita along with their sons Forest and Canyon came down to visit from New Mexico earlier in the month. It was the first time meeting our new cousin, Canyon who is just a couple of months old. I got to hold him and for me it was kinda scary because I just feel like babies are so fragile, but I did good. My wife was very happy to meet her new cousin! She held him and gushed over him!!  We went to the Old Spaghetti Factory in San Jose for dinner, where I ate more than I should of, but it was a special occasion, so what the heck! My wife's dad and grandmother were also there and it is always great to see them. It was a short visit, but we really enjoyed the time we spent with them. 

We also went to my wife's family mini-reunion where I was able to meet for the first time her Great Uncle Dick and her Great Aunt Liz. Great Uncle Dick was a World War II fighter pilot, English teacher and he also wrote a couple of poetry books. He is truly an inspirational man! They are awesome people and I really enjoyed meeting them. My wife's dad and grandma were also there along with 2nd and 3rd cousins. We all enjoyed a terrific dinner and I enjoyed listening to everyone sharing their great memories from when they were younger and growing up in Indiana. Great times!!

UPCOMING EVENT
TEAM 3DMJ will be competing in the APA "RAW" Northwest Regional Power Lifting Championships in Sacramento, Ca on April 17th with the exception of myself. I will be covering the event with photos and videos and a article to go with it. Come out and join us if you are in the area!! Bodytribe Fitness 920 21st Street Sacramento, Ca lifting starts at 11:00 am

Until my next blog, keep training hard and naturally!!