A few months ago, I was at the MuscleMag offices in Mississauga, Ontario, and I ran into publishing legend Bob Kennedy. Of course that was exciting because Bob Kennedy has been publishing health and fitness magazines for over 25 years. In fact, one of my biggest thrills in my bodybuilding career occurred when I was written to Canadian Corner almost 10 years ago, at which point my image emerged as the overall winner of my provincial championships.
I will always be grateful for Bob’s coverage of the sport which has given me so much and for helping me realize one of my first big dreams of having my picture on the pages of his magazines.
Amazingly, almost ten years later I am face to face with the man who has been among the best in bodybuilding.
Bob, a tall, soft-spoken man, looked older than the smiling image I see in the editorial section of your new REPS magazine. He told me that he had started REPS as a way to take bodybuilding back to the golden age of the 1960s and 1970s, when health and ideal physiques could be achieved without the massive levels of drugs that today’s bodybuilders take. .
This, of course, was the age often referred to as the Golden Age of bodybuilding. Legends like Arnold, Frank Zane, Franco Columbu, Robby Robinson and the whole gang could be seen soaking up the sun on Venice Beach or putting in fierce workouts at Joe Gold’s Venice gym.
I listened intently as Bob, still as enthusiastic about lifting weights as he was then, recalled a conversation he had the night before with the legendary Frank Zane.
Bob laughed heartily as he recounted how Frank was on the phone for hours talking about bodybuilding, what it’s been like and where it’s headed. I thought to myself, “Gee, imagine Frank Zane calling you to talk about work for hours. Most guys would kill just to talk about work with Frank for 10 minutes and here Frank is calling Bob to talk about bodybuilding for FREE.” “.
Well, one thing led to another and before you know it, Bob was sharing with me the ideas Frank had made about Arnold and the rumor that the doctors told Arnold he couldn’t train anymore because of his heart problems. .
Well, I’m not in a position to comment on whether the report was true or not. Frank passed on some firsthand experiences with Arnold when they used to hang out at Muscle Beach in the ’70s.
Frank told Bob that Arnold was a big eater and ate all kinds of junk food out of season. Of course, when he was on a diet, he laser-focused like only Arnold can, but it was clear to Frank that Arnold would love to gobble up tons of fried foods and sweets. Other bodybuilders would try to follow Arnold’s plan and end up fat, out of shape, and most of all, confused.
Arnold was wounded with a fast metabolism and was also known for his incredible stamina levels. He routinely trained 4 more hours per day and could get away with junk food back then when he was young, and it apparently had little to no effect on his physique.
Even after his bodybuilding career ended, Arnold continued his tough lifestyle as a movie star, businessman, and now the Governor of California. While no one would consider questioning Arnold’s accomplishments, as he is an inspiration to every bodybuilder who has ever lifted a barbell, Arnold’s once-famous body has degenerated perhaps more than it should for someone his age and physical abilities. .
The question is, of course, why? How could something like this happen to the greatest bodybuilder of all time?
Part II Enzymes, Metabolic Damage – The Effects of a Poor Diet
Frank believes that Arnold’s disregard for clean eating had a deleterious effect on his metabolism. He told Bob Kennedy that he felt all the junk food had somehow compromised Arnold’s tremendous physical abilities. Eventually, Arnold’s body began to show signs of wear and tear. His genetic heart condition required surgery, forcing Arnold to reduce the intensity of his training and focus more on cardiovascular training.
It seems life has dealt the Champion perhaps the cruelest hand of all by not allowing the 7-time Mr. Olympia to train at all, even though he is still a relatively young man at 60 years old.
Frank also confessed to Bob that it was getting harder and harder for him to get in shape every year, as his body didn’t respond to training like it used to 10, 20, or even 30 years ago. Although Frank is slightly older than Arnold, he still maintains great conditioning for a man at any age, and has always been known to keep a careful eye on everything he eats.
Bob asked me what I thought of the two cases, and I quickly pointed out that both Arnold and Frank suffered from the same problem, just at different levels of intensity. Bob quickly agreed, adding, yes, it’s called the AGING PROCESS. Which, of course, generated a round of laughs from everyone present, as most of the people around during the conversation were able to relate.
I chuckled too, but quickly added… “Well, I think what you say is true, Bob, but have you ever considered what causes aging?”
Bob looked at me a little more intensely than before and asked, “What exactly did I mean?”
Sensing that this was my moment, I quickly expounded as quickly and concisely as I could about the research done by enzyme pioneer Dr. Howell, and how he had discovered that the rate of aging was directly proportional to the full potential of enzymes. enzymes from any organism.
Part III What are digestive enzymes?
You will see that enzymes are regularly found in food, be it fruits, vegetables, and even meat that occurs naturally in nature. Digestive enzymes are necessary for the breakdown and digestion of food and are divided into 4 main digestive enzymes and a host of other enzymes and enzyme precursors. Sucrase and lactase are a couple you may be familiar with, mainly because some people are unable to digest certain foods due to a lack of these enzymes.
Protease – which digests protein
Amylase – which digests carbohydrates
Lipase – which digests fats
Cellulase – which digests the cellulose in vegetables (that’s the fiber)
There are also many other enzymes like.
Sucrase – which digests sugar (Sucrose)
Lactase – which digests lactose (the sugar in milk)
And the list goes on with other enzymes, enzyme precursors, etc.
Research has shown that any food heated above 118 degrees loses all of its enzymes. In other words, all cooked foods are deficient in digestive enzymes.
Processed foods, irradiated foods, foods grown with pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or in mineral-deficient soils all have minute levels of naturally occurring enzymes.
Our bodies are actually designed to recognize the taste of enzyme- and nutrient-dense foods by seeking out foods that break down easily and taste sweet. Anyone who has eaten a vegetable or fruit from an organic garden or farm will quickly attest to what different organically grown enzyme-rich foods taste like.
You see, nature designed our food to break down in our digestive tracts, however modern man has gone against nature’s natural ways and started eating enzyme-deficient foods.
Humans are the only species on the planet that cooks their food. Humans are also the only species on the planet that puts chemicals in the soil to grow food, or sprays pesticides on food, and we are the only species that processes food with chemicals, additives, artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives, or, What’s worse, it creates them genetically. modified foods.
The bottom line is that humans are going against more than 4 billion years of evolution. Now that’s serious.
Now what does this have to do with Arnold, you might say? And more importantly, what does that have to do with you?
All…