Balance Pose of the Week: Scorpion Dog

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Read More

Friday Q&A: Listening to Books

Contrasting Sounds by Kandinsky

The following question was left as a comment our article Svadhyaya, Reading, and Brain Strength.

Q: “I wonder when you listen to a book - say from audible.com, does it have the same effect”?

A: Listening to a book on an audio device is not the same as actually reading the book. There is a real distinction between these two activities. The latest scientific research studies suggest that changes in the brain structure and function depends on our mode of engaging the book, as it radically alters the manner in which we absorb the material. With audio devices, our eyes and sense of sight are not engaged, so there is every chance of the eyes to get distracted, which in turn dilutes the concentration of the mind. 

Just over a year ago a team of psychologists investigated the response and alertness of the mind after three different reading exposures in a study published in Frontiers in Psychology The way we encounter reading material influences how frequently we mind wander. A total of 235 volunteers enrolled in the study that involved reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. One group read one of the excerpts silently from a computer screen, the second group was asked to read loudly off the screen, and a third group just listened to the audio recording. The researchers then tested the individuals on several cognitive aspects including mind wandering, memory, and content recognition.

Reading silently, reading aloud, and listening provided dissimilar cognitive experiences. The minds of participants who read the book aloud wandered the least while the minds of those listening to the excerpt resulted wandered significantly. Listening was also associated with the poorest memory performance compared to the reading groups. Listening also led to least interest in the material as compared to reading aloud. Interestingly, the reading aloud group did better in all three tests suggesting that reading as opposed to listening is more physically engaging and readers are less likely to be distracted and disengaged. 

So if you are one of those who believe in listening and completing a chore simultaneously, you might want to rethink your reading habits.

—Ram

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Read More

Ignorance About Ignorance (Avidya)

by Nina

A boy blowing on an ember to light a candle by El Greco

2.4 Lack of true knowledge is the source of all pains and sorrows whether dormant, attenuated, interrupted or fully active. —translated by B.K.S. Iyengar

I’ve been thinking a lot about the yoga concept of avidya, which can be defined as lack of knowledge or ignorance. That’s because Baxter and I are working on a list of essential yoga concepts that we want to teach. And when he suggested avidya, or ignorance, as being one of his essential concepts, I was surprised. It honestly wasn’t something I had thought much about and it certainly didn’t make my top 10 or even my top 25. But because it was important to him, I decided to study a bit about avidya and also to talk with him in person about it. When we got together yesterday, we talked both about why ignorance causes suffering and what you can do about it, but even after our philosophical luncheon, I still felt uncertain, and unprepared to write about ignorance. It wasn’t until I did some further reading and found the following yoga sutra that I reached some clarity:

2.28 By dedicated practice of the various aspects of yoga impurities are destroyed: the crown of wisdom radiates in glory. —translated by B.K.S. Ieyngar

I’ll write a bit more about sutra 2.28 later, but I thought that first—since I’ve had a little epiphany about how ignorance caused tremendous suffering in my own life—I’d tell you that story as a way of illustrating the general concept. During the 90s when I was working at a small software startup company at the same time as I was raising—with Brad, who was a professor at a university—two small children, I had a serious nervous breakdown, which was eventually diagnosed as agitated depression. I can easily say that this was the worst experience of my life. And in retrospect I can now see how ignorance was what led me to that low point.

• I had no idea that the chronic stress I was enduring at my high-pressure job could lead to a breakdown like that. So I was “ignorant” about the problems associated with chronic stress.
• I believed that since I was working in a very stressful environment, it was natural and inevitable for me to feel very stressed out, suffer from insomnia, nausea, and so on. Here I was under the “misapprehension” that being stressed out was natural and could not be avoided, which is a form of ignorance.
• I didn’t have the tools to help myself deal with chronic stress. Those would come later, when I set out to acquire solutions to my tendency to get too stressed out and got serious about yoga. But at the time, my “lack of knowledge” about how to manage stress certainly caused me a lot of suffering.

As you can see from my story, ignorance not only includes just plain lack of knowledge, such as my ignorance about the dangers of chronic stress, but misapprehension, which is a mistaken belief. I mention this because I found it interesting that that Desikachar—who translates the Yoga Sutras using very different language that most other translations—translated “avidya” in sutras 2.4 and 2.5 as misapprehension follows:

2.4 Misapprehension is the source of all the other obstacles. They need not appear simultaneously and their impact varies. Sometimes they are obscure and barely visible; at other times they are exposed and dominant.

2.5 Misapprehension leads to errors in comprehension of the character, origin, and effects of the objects perceived.

Of course, I’m sure we can all think of problems in our own lives or our friend’s lives that were caused by misapprehension of one kind of another (financial success didn’t bring happiness after all, your lover wasn’t who you thought they were, the plan you had for your life fell apart, and so on). But mainly I want to say that it wasn’t until I read Desikachar’s translation of sutra 2.28 in which he refers to avidya as “misapprehension” that I had my little epiphany. 

2.28 The practice and inquiry into different components of Yoga gradually reduce the obstacles such as misapprehension. Then the lamp of perception brightens and the distinction between what perceives and what is perceived becomes more and more evident. Now everything can be understood without error. —translated by T.K.V. Desikachar

Now I realize that understanding avidya is so important because it one of the main reasons why we should practice all eight branches of yoga, not just asana. Notice that Desikachar says “practice and inquiry into different components of Yoga” and that Iyengar translates the same phrases as “By dedicated practice of the various aspects of yoga.” And, of course, these different components of yoga are the eight branches of yoga (the very next sutra after 2.28, is the sutra that outlines the eight-fold path). See Ram’s series on the eight-fold path, starting with The First Branch of Yoga: The Yamas and ending with Samyama, for information. But the first step is to acknowledge our ignorance:

2.27 The attainment of clarity is a gradual process.

The first step is to recognize that certain tendencies of our mind are responsible for producing painful effects. —translated by T.K.V. Desikachar

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Read More

Proof that Meditation Helps Improve Sleep

by Nina

The Hammock by Courbet

Yesterday morning I was excited to read a New York Times article Meditation for a Good Night's Sleep about a scientific study that demonstrated that meditation helps improve sleep in older adults. It’s not that this was such a big surprise to me. I’ve been saying for many years now that yoga can help improve your sleep by reducing your overall stress levels (see Yoga for Insomnia: Part 1 and Five Tips for Better Sleep). But it’s always great to have scientific proof to back up these claims. In the past, I was using a combination of two basic arguments to back up my claim: 1) a line of reasoning that because stress can cause insomnia and yoga can reduce stress, using yoga to reduce stress will improve sleep, and 2) using yoga to reduce chronic stress and trigger the Relaxation Response has helped me personally with improving my sleep. 

Now there is a study that was published in JAMA Internal Medicine Mindfulness Meditation and Improvement in Sleep Quality and Daytime Impairment Among Older Adults With Sleep Disturbances, in which 50 older adults with moderate sleep problems were assigned to one of two programs. In the first group, the participants learned sleep hygiene behavior (you know, all that stuff they always tell you—does it even work?—like establishing a regular bedtime routine, using your bed for sleep or sex only, etc.). In the second group, the participants took a six-week program on mindfulness meditation led by a certified teacher and practiced meditation “homework.”

The results after a yearlong study were that the participants who meditated had greater improvements in sleep quality and fewer symptoms of insomnia, depression, and fatigue than those who learned sleep hygiene practices. Now you may be wondering, as I did—especially because this study only included meditation and no any other yoga stress management practices—did the scientists conducting the study have ideas about why was the meditation practice so effective for improving sleep? According to the New York Times article: 

“The lead author of the study, David S. Black, said mindfulness meditation probably helped settle the brain’s arousal systems.”

Hmm. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Is this “brain’s arousal systems” thing the same as chronic stress? I’ve been wondering about this anyway since I read the most typical form of insomnia, sleep maintenance insomnia, was caused by “hyperarousal disorder.” 

Here’s a technical explanation of the phenomenon from the National Institutes of Health:

Insomnia, the most frequently reported sleep disorder, is characterized as a state of hyperarousal in which stress is believed to activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis [41,85]. Vgontzas et al. demonstrated that, compared with healthy subjects, those with chronic insomnia had increased secretion of corticotropin and cortisol throughout the sleep-wake cycle [121]. 

Additionally, Nofzinger and colleagues, using positron emission tomography (PET) studies to assess regional cerebral glucose metabolism, demonstrated that insomnia also is associated with greater whole-brain metabolism during both sleep and wake periods and, notably, a failure of wake-promoting structures to deactivate during the transition from waking to sleep states [78]. Structures regulating the sleep-wake cycle, such as the brainstem, hypothalamus, and basal forebrain, are abnormally overactive during sleep. The ventral emotional neural system also is hyperactive during wakefulness in patients with primary insomnia and insomnia associated with depression, and this abnormal activity persists into NREM sleep [77]. These PET findings of whole brain hypermetabolism during sleep and wake states, and reduced waking metabolism in the prefrontal cortex of patients with insomnia, suggest that they have chronic insufficient sleep, which may explain daytime symptoms of fatigue [78]. The results also may explain why cognitive factors (eg, worry) and environmental cues (eg, light exposure and unstable sleep schedules) perpetuate insomnia.

So, yes, stress is believed to cause hyperarousal because high levels of stress hormones are detected in the hyperarousal state, and, also, interestingly, cognitive factors, such as worrying, can perpetuate the condition. In Timothy McCall’s Yoga As Medicine, Roger Cole describes hyperarousal in simple English:

“Your nervous system is just turned on too high, the sympathetic nervous system is active, the brain circuits that keep you awake are active, and you can’t stop thinking.”

So “settle the brain’s arousal systems” really is the same thing as my number one tip in my post Five Tips for Better Sleep

1. Reduce your overall stress levels. Because insomnia is often caused by chronic stress, regularly practicing conscious relaxation or calming yoga poses can help prevent the busy mind and over-stimulated nervous system that is keeping you awake at night. See The Relaxation Response and Yoga, Yoga for Insomnia: Part 1 and Conscious Relaxation vs. Sleep for information. 

Well, that’s your science lesson for the day. But your takeaway should be exactly what I told Paul Weston (the fictional character on the TV show “In Treatment”) in my post Yoga for Insomnia: Part 1 that if you’re having trouble sleeping, you should give yoga stress management techniques a try. And while mindful meditation, which triggers the Relaxation Response, has been now been proven by a scientific study to be successful at helping people improve their sleep, I have a strong feeling any of the other techniques we have been recommending—all of which have the same effect on your nervous system as meditation—will be equally effective. 

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Read More

Conversation with Mr. Universe, Mighty Mike Quinn. By Dr. Michael Dusa

Conversation with Mr. Universe, Mighty Mike Quinn

By Dr. Michael Dusa

North Haven, Connecticut (USA), February 25, 2015

MD: Hi Mike. Thanks for taking some time to speak to your many fans. I remember you from early on- I had the misfortune of standing next to you in the Teen Mr. America. How did you get your start with the weights?

MQ: Thanks Mike for the opportunity. I grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts, a very, very tough town. This wasn't too good for me- I was a fat, fat kid and I received a steady diet of beatings from neighborhood toughs. My father worked out in our basement at 4 am, and one morning he got me up from bed- I was 14- to train with him. First time I ever touched a weight I benched 200 pounds for reps. I was naturally strong. I kept receiving beatings from bullies until I was 15- then I started hanging out on the north side. It was safer and I got into powerlifting. At the age of 16 I totaled 1,360 in the three lifts. I had freakish strength.

One interesting thing a lot of people don't know is when I was 19 Dr. Ellington Darden brought me down to Arthur Jones' compound in Deland, Florida. He was the Nautilus guy. Weird dude. We pulled through these gigantic gates- there were elephants, giraffes, exotic birds. Jones was a genius, but quiet. He said I was the strongest teenager they ever had there. I maxed out every machine.

MD: You are definitely known for being one of the strongest Bodybuilders who ever lived. When did you start competing in bodybuilding shows?

MQ: About the strength- at the time me and Eddie Robinson were the strongest Bodybuilders around. You could tell by our thickness. Nobody else was close. I had a goal to do five reps of 550 in the squat. The day I tried this I only got four. I got pissed and immediately told my father, " screw this, I'm gonna do bodybuilding." Six weeks later I entered my first show, the Teen Mr. Bay State. You gotta understand- my father trained me, and it was hellish. Every leg workout, every one, he'd drive me so hard in the middle of the session I'd go outside to vomit. I'd come right back in and finish the workout. It didn't matter- it was balls to the wall! I won that first show. I then took the Teen Massachusetts and the same nite won my class in the open. In 1981 I took the overall in the Teen Mr. America.

Mike at the age of 19 winning the Overall Teen Mr. America

MD: Yes. I was there. Your arms were something to behold.

Mighty arms

MQ: Along with my back, yeah, they are my strong point, thanks. Success came quick to varying degrees after this-in 1982 Lee Haney beat me by the decision of one judge! In 1984 Joe Meeko won- but I crushed him. He had no arms. But, whatever. 3 weeks later I was in England for the NABBA Universe, and along with Tim Belknap and Brian Buchanan, I came out a winner.

MD: So you were on you way. What came next upon your return home?

MQ: I moved to Yonkers and found a hardcore gym to train in. I got a small role in the Tom Hanks movie " Money Pit," which also featured Jake Steinfeld. The producer told me it looked like I could have a career In Hollywood, but I wanted to be the best bodybuilder in the world. I wanted to turn pro.

MD: So then it was off to see Joe Weider and the IFBB?

MQ: Hell no. Wayne Demelia, promoter of the Night of the Champions and a big wheel for Weider, basically told me my titles were worthless because they were not sanctioned by the IFBB. So I had to start all over. Think about it. I was a NABBA Universe winner, the same title Arnold, Pearl, Zane and all the others won, and I had to start again by entering the Mr. Florida contest in 1986. I almost got in fights with guys backstage because they thought it was unfair I'd be in such a low level show. Eddie Robinson ended up winning.

At this time I moved to California to train. I started what I call " Next Step " training. Nobody could keep up to me. It's like a spiritual experience. I mean, I wouldn't put the weights down until I was nearly dead. I always had a crazed look to me. People wouldn't come near me. But I was always in total control and knew exactly what I was doing.

MD: so major success was looming...

MQ: Things happened fast. I won the 1987 NPC USA, I was on all six of the major muscle mags at the same time.

MD: And, finally, The Trainer of Champions entered the picture...

Mike at the 1988 Mr. Olympia where he placed 6th.

MQ: My arms were the biggest. Weider loved big arms. He virtually pulled me offstage and said, " I'll do for you what I did for Arnold..." He wanted to send me for calf implants. Said he'd send me to Arnold's doctor. I kid you not. I decided against that. I gave up a two hundred thousand dollar contract with a supplement company to sign with Weider. Joe gave me two, one year contracts for 32 k per year! That's barely rent where I lived in LA. I did well on the pro circuit. In the 1988 Olympia I took 6th. They barely compared me with the winner, Lee Haney, which would have helped me because I had the best back. The powers that be did not like me. They didn't know what to do with me. I spoke my mind. Talked openly about drugs, which was a big no-no with Weider. I was a thorn in their side.

MD: Mike, in essence, how do you look back upon your competitive days?

MQ: Look. I don't even pay attention to the guys today. They all look terrible. They definitely don't train hard like I did- I think they think they don't have to with the chemicals. In my day I had a lotta fun. I really enjoyed hanging with the fans, they'd take me out to restaurants, we'd talk training. I traveled the world. I did very well and had opportunities.

MD: Around this time, you left bodybuilding.

MQ: I had just do e a six week tour in England- I made 42k, cash.

From there, I went to Germany. I was guaranteed 80 k for the trip. You gotta understand, you'd get two thousand people to show up for a seminar. My first day there I got a call from my mother telling me my sister had died. I had always taken care of her. I was going to take the money and get her a house, take care of her. I fell apart, had a nervousness breakdown. Got hooked on alcohol and drugs, self medicating. This was 1989 and I ended up in rehab. Bodybuilding was over for me. I had no heart for it any longer. I felt responsible for her death. I wasn't there for he. I was her protector.

MD: But still, you were the first bodybuilder to sign a contract with wrestling impresario Vince McMahon's World Bodybuilding a Federation in 1990.

Mike during his WBF days

MQ: True. My heart wasn't in it. But still I was the guy who pulled all the guys together to leave Weider and sign with Vince. He gave me 375K for two years. Ferrigno, who never went onstage, was given 750k for two years- and kept the money! I didn't get along with Vince. Then he got some heat and drug tested us for the second show. Of course, people said I was washed up when they saw me onstage while I was clean. I got tested seven times? Strydom? No way could he have been tested. He won.

MD: You were also a gym owner.

MQ: I sold my Gold's Gym in Florida in 1991. It was very profitable. We had rehab and thousands of active members. I doubled my investment as far as profit upon the sale. My other Gold's, that's another story. I had a couple of investors, and some shady stuff went down. I ended up selling my shares. Around the same time I competed in what I think was my best shape ever, and biggest. The 1994 Night of the Champions, where I took 5th, saw me at 252 pounds and dialed in.

MD: So you were on the upswing?

MQ: Not really. Like I said, my heart wasn't in it. I got married, moved to Alabama, got hooked on the drugs and alcohol, and was divorced within 8 months. I moved back to Florida and was soon married again. I will say that she was an evil woman. She had a daughter from her previous marriage, and I basically raised her. She was with me all the time. When we split, her mother cut me off from all contact with her. 12 years. That ended in 2007.

MD: So bodybuilding was finally at an end for you?

MQ: 1997 was my last time. It was the NOC. I didn't make the top 15. I didn't care. The crazy dieting would just make me totally vicious. Not the drugs. It was the diet. I wasn't happy doing that with a wife and kid.

MD: When you were on point, you were really ripped. Was cardio a big part of training?

MQ: Yes. I mean, my training with weights was as intense as you could get. This helped for cuts. But two workouts per day, I'd do two cardio sessions per day, 45 minutes a pop.

At the 1994 Night of Champions

MD: how about food?

MQ: you know, people think I eat truckloads of food. I'm not really a big eater. For a contest-look- I'd suffer. It was lean proteins and veggies for three days. The fourth day, some carbs. I'd grow on 200 grams of protein per day and low calories. These guys now- they take 400 grams of protein per day. And all the chemicals. They get adrenal and kidney failure. Part of that is the insulin they take. I never messed with that. I hated everybody. I won't lie. I don't lie. It was bare bones. I'd take Fastin, which was a pharmaceutical grade diet pill and it would keep me going from 7am to 7 pm, for two brutal workouts. Then I'd go home and collapse into bed.

MD: What about supplements?

MQ: Oh yeah. The usual stuff. Multis, extra C, extra B complex. I didn't do powders back in the eighties. Weider's stuff tasted like dirt. He'd send me boxes of tons of bottles of vitamins and powders, tee shirts, hats, belts. I'd give em all to my friends (laughs).

MD: That's hilarious! But that seems to be a common refrain from many of the pros I've known regarding Weider and his supplements. So what came next?

MQ: In 2008 I was in a motor sports store and I saved a little kid from getting crushed by an 800 pound wave runner. I caught it and the kid, and, in the process, badly injured my shoulder, broke my hip, and fractured four vertebrae along with herniated discs. I was a mess. Basically I was in bed for three years, but then I finally found a doctor who could help me. By this time I was addicted to oxycodone and a cocktail of other substances. It was a terrible, difficult time. After the surgery on my back, my sister to me to Narc Anon meetings. I kept at it and this July it'll be five years that I've been clean. I still have pain, but I can train. I mean, back in the day, I trained like an enraged beast. I'd do bent over rows with 455 pounds for reps. I was the real deal. Nobody trained harder. Not even Dorian Yates. I'd do the same weight as him, but for double the reps.

MD: Wow! Speaking of training, I watched a recent youtube video of you and your sister training back. I did the same back exercises as you today in the gym- I felt fantastic!

Watch Mike train back with his sister Kelley

MQ: My sister Kelley, who is 49, is a female version of me. Same arms, abs, back. She's won two figure shows, and is an elite trainer for VIP's. She does very well, but has abandoned her figure efforts because her son, my nephew Shane, is a southpaw pitcher with a 90 + mph fastball and plays for North Carolina. He's a MLB prospect, and she's moved to where he is to concentrate on him.

MD: You've done so many things. You were even corner man for boxing champion, Vinny Pazienza.

MQ: You know, he won't talk to me anymore. They made a movie about him, "To Bleed For," and I should have been in it, but they thought I'd overshadow him. He just dropped all contact with me in the past year. I had met him in Rhode Island at a nutrition store grand opening, and we became good friends. We'd talk nutrition and what he should do for protein. Things like that.

Mike's back and biceps workout video. Packed with advice!

MD: Speaking of movies, I understand you will be featured in one soon.

MQ: Yes. It's a dream come true. I wrote a book that got in the hands of a guy named Mike Russell, known as the " Mob Cop." He's the guy who brought the mob down and had a miniseries about it on Spike TV. He put the wheels in motion for me. It's been a torturous road. Seven years it took me to turn pro. Seven years for my gyms. Seven years to get my book done. In my life, I've put myself, and my family, through Hell. My mother always thought she'd get the phone call that I was dead.

MD: What will the movie be called?

MQ: " The Mighty Quinn."

MD: Of course! Great. But here's the real question, Mike. Just who the hell will they find to play you? It's not like there are plenty of actors who are built like Mr. Universe.

MQ: Good question! I have no idea. Some Italian bodybuilder I guess. I'll be a consultant to make sure he gets it right ( laughs).

MD: Any friends in bodybuilding these days?

MQ: Oh yeah. Mike Christian is a friend, as well as Berry Demay. Dave Dearth too but he's had major heart surgery lately so I haven't talked to him in a while. And I love the whole Katz family. Mike is a great, great person.

Mike clearly outmuscling the Late Nasser El Sonbaty at the 1994 NOC

MD: So, how about currently? You are training hard and feeling better than you have in years.

MQ: Eight months ago I started a personal training business, and it is really taking off. Look, these " gurus," who have never competed- they don't know anything. One of them had a 49 year old training six dYs a week. WTF! I switched him to four days, tweaked his nutrition. He's just a regular guy who wants to get in shape. He's not going in the Olympia! I train all types- Bodybuilders, de conditioned Middle Ages people. I've been in the trenches. I've been on over 100 magazine covers. I want to help people.

MD: That's sounds great. I know just by doing your one back workout today, I can feel a burn like I haven gotten for years. How can folks contact you if interested in your services?

MQ: promightymikequinn@yahoo.com. I'm not taking too many clients, because the ones I do take, I want to give them my all.

MD: Thanks Mike. We all look forward to the movie. I appreciate your time talking with me.

MQ: Anytime brother! I do want to thank all my fans. The internet has given me life again. I am most happy to help others so they don't hurt themselves. My thing is hard training. You must have balls and heart. I don't care what drugs today's guys take- they will never train harder than me.

Nobody trains harder than Mike!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recommended Links

Pro Mighty Mike Quinn Facebook Page

Old School Bodybuilding Forever

Bodybuilding Mauritius

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read Past Interviews of Legends by Dr. Micheal Dusa

on Bodybuilding Mauritius & South Africa

Conversations with Frank Zane

               Conversations with Mike Katz

©,2015. Bodybuilding Mauritius. Any reprinting in any type of media is prohibited. Interview article published with permission from Dr. Michael Dusa (North Haven, Connecticut). 
 ______________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: The Content on this site is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be and should not be interpreted as medical advice or a diagnosis of any health or fitness problem, condition or disease; or a recommendation for a specific test, doctor, care provider, procedure, treatment plan, product, or course of action. BODYBUILDING MAURITIUS is not a medical or healthcare provider and your use of this site does not create a doctor / patient relationship. We disclaim all responsibility for the professional qualifications and licensing of, and services provided by, any physician or other health providers posting on or otherwise referred to on this Site and/or any Third Party Site. Never disregard the medical advice of your physician or health professional, or delay in seeking such advice, because of something you read on this Site. We offer this Site AS IS and without any warranties.  Correspondence: vicgoyaram@gmail.com

_______________________________________________________________________________

Read More

The Importance of Preventing Falls

by Baxter

The Acrobat by Marc Chagall

As I have shared with you in the past in my post News on Balance, Falling, and Yoga, preventing falls as we age by working on maintaining strength, flexibility, agility and balance is one of the ways—if not the primary way—we can maintain our independence as we get older. My thoughts about this were recently reinforced even more strongly when I dove into a new book one of my students gave to me the other day, Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, MD.

This book may be familiar to many of you, as it is a New York Times best seller, and is sweeping the country with its urgent look at how poorly our society and health care system deals with the realities of aging, and what we may be able to do to turn things around. Although I have not finished the book yet, it seems destined to be on the “must read” list for those who have embraced Yoga for Healthy Aging as part of their strategy for aging well. 

Anyway, as part of his investigations, Dr. Gawande spent some time following a geriatrician colleague around on his patient visits, and was surprised at how important this doctor felt about always checking the health status of his older adult patients’ feet. That’s right, their feet. Even if a 85-year old woman in his office was mentally sharp, generally strong in appearance, and doing well living on her own, as part of the check-up exam, the doctor always insisted on looking at both feet very closely. This intrigued Dr. Gawande, and so he asked why. “You must always check the feet” was the reply, because, as it turns out, this enables the doctor to tell a lot about the person’s overall functional ability. Often times, when a patient is asked to remove shoes and socks, it becomes immediately obvious that patient cannot do this easily on their own. And once the shoes and socks are off, the state of the nails (trimmed or untrimmed) can clue the doctor into the person’s ability to bend down or lift the leg up to care appropriately for their feet. And the presence of cracks in the skin or fungal infections can also let the doctor know about immune status and self-care abilities. OK, so check the feet, but what is the big deal? Well, keeping the feet healthy is one of several factors that can prevent falls and fractures in older adults. And preventing fractures and falls is the main way to keep older adults independent and living on their own, and not being relegated to a nursing home facility!

The following statistics from Being Mortal help frame the issue of the importance of preventing falls:

“Each year 350,000 Americans fall and break a hip. Of those, 40% end up in nursing homes, and 20% are never able to walk again. The primary risk factors for falling are poor balance, taking more than four prescription medications, and muscle weakness. Elderly people without these risk factors have a 12% chance of falling in one year. Those with all 3 risk factors have an almost 100% chance.” (Emphasis is mine.) 

Here at YFHA, we have discussed how regular yoga practice may indeed improve or help maintain balance over time (see Aging and Balance). We’ve also discussed the problem of sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass, and yoga’s role in helping to maintain and improve muscle strength (see Yoga for Strength: An Overview). Finally, we’ve discussed yoga’s role as part of a holistic treatment plan for a variety of chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis, all of which are typically addressed by modern medicine with medications. A regular yoga practice that helps to keep the blood pressure down, for example, could conceivably lead to the elimination of a medication or two, thus addressing one of the big three risk factors for falling. And it is worth noting, again, that having osteoporosis is not one of these main risk factors for falling, however important modern medicine places on the treatment of osteoporosis with medications. 

Armed with this new information, I hope we will all be more motivated to continue to use our yoga practices to bring these big three risk factors as low as possible and keep the falls at bay! I feel, too, that working to keep our feet vibrant and healthy has the potential to contribute to decreasing the chances of falling (see Want to Improve Your Balance? Take Off Your Shoes and Your Feet on My Mind).

Gawande said the following about the geriatrician whose work he was observing:

“The job of any doctor, Blandau told me later, is to support quality of life, by which he meant two things: as much freedom from the ravages of disease as possible and the retention of enough function for active engagement in the world.”

Gosh, I love that statement! And I believe that the “job of the doctor” can also become the job of each one of us, acting as our own advocates for healthy aging. 

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Read More

More about the Yoga for Healthy Aging Intensive

by Nina

Above the Fog by Brad Gibson

We announced our first Yoga for Healthy Aging Intensive just one month ago (see Yoga for Healthy Aging Summer Intensive: Register Now!). Since then we’ve heard from a lot of you, and we’ve worked out more of the details, so I thought I’d share them with you today. 

Workshop Size. Since we’re getting a lot of sign ups, we set a limit on the number of attendees to 35. We want to have a reasonably sized group so we can get to know everyone. But this means that if you are interested in attending, you should consider registering soon, because the intensive is already half full.

To register, you can sign up on the Namaste Yoga site. (Scroll down until you see the words SIGN UP in orange.) . Or, you can call Namaste Berkeley at (510) 665-4300.

For people from out of town who wish to attend, we will help you find a place to stay. Send a message to Nina via the Contact Us page for more info. 

Audience. A number of people have written to ask whether this intensive is designed for teachers or for practitioners, and the answer is both! And people from both groups are signing up. We have a supplementary program for those teachers who want Yoga for Healthy Aging Certification (see below). 

Teacher Certification. For yoga teachers who want to earn the YFHA Teacher Certificate, we’ve now spelled out the requirements you must fulfill. We’re taking the YFHA certification process very seriously, and there will be several tasks for you to complete. No certificates will be given until every single task is completed to our satisfaction. Here are the details:

Requirements for YFHA Teacher Certificate

There will be five tasks for you to complete and we will be keeping a checklist for each teacher indicating the status of each task that is completed. 

You will need to purchase, for the price of photocopying only, a reader for the course. You can read the articles and excerpts in the reader during the week and/or take the home with you and read them later. 

We won’t provide pass/fail feedback until after the intensive is over and we have evaluated your take-home final (see step 5 below). 

1. Proof of Teacher Certification

You will need to give us a copy of your teacher certification or, if you don’t have official certification but have several years of teaching experience, you can give us your yoga resume. 

2. Attend Every Session

You will need to attend every single session in the intensive. So we’ll be having a sign-in at the beginning of each session.

3. Write a Sequence

You will have all week to write a full-length Yoga for Healthy sequence (for a 1 to 1.5 hour class), using the Yoga for Healthy essential yoga poses and focusing on one Yoga for Healthy Aging key principle (strength, flexibility, balance, agility, stress, pain management, emotional wellbeing, equanimity, etc.).

Your sequence should be created with a certain logic in mind, and you should be prepared to explain this logic to the other teachers who attend the special Saturday session. 

You will turn in two copies your sequence to Baxter and Nina by Friday night. 

On Saturday afternoon you will bring enough copies of your sequence to hand out to every other student in the class. Each student will then share their sequence with the class (on paper, not teaching it), giving three justifications for the particular design. At this time, Nina and Baxter will give you verbal feedback on your sequence.

4. Teach a Pose

At the beginning of the week, we will assign you a pose to teach on Saturday to the other teachers. At the Saturday session, you will each take turns teaching your pose to the group. When you teach the pose, you should focus on one Yoga for Healthy aging key principle and must teach the complete pose within a specified time limit. 

5. Complete and Mail In a Take-Home, Open-Book Final

At the end of the intensive, we will give you a take-home final that you can complete on your own time. The reader that you purchase will contain all the answers to the final, so you should have no problem scoring getting most if not all of the answers correct.

After completing the final, you will mail or email it to Nina. At that point, Baxter and Nina will pass you if all the work is completed to our satisfaction, and will mail you your YFHA certification.

Although we’re not enjoying the idea of failing people, we are committed to doing so for people who do not complete all these tasks to our satisfaction, as we want to maintain a level of quality regarding teachers with YFHA certification.

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect

Read More

Conversation With Pumping Iron Star and Mr. Universe, Mike Katz. By Dr. Michael Dusa

Conversation with Pumping Iron star and Mr. Universe, Mike Katz ( with some words from Mike Katz, Jr)

By Dr. Michael Dusa

North Haven, Connecticut February 22, 2015

I have been blessed to be friends with and have as a mentor for nearly 40 years with bodybuilding icon, Mike Katz. Here are Big Mike's words on what is going on in his busy life.

MD: Mike, back in your bodybuilding training days, what did Bodybuilders do for cardio training?

MK: Well, our training was so intense that we derived a cardio effect from the rapidity of the sets we performed. Before I ever went to California, a workout here in Connecticut would be plodding and methodical... It could take four hours for a workout to be done. When I went to train with Arnold, the same workout would take 1.5 hours- NO rest between sets- there was much more punishment training with him and the Gold's Gym crew. For instance, we would do "The Rack," as we called it. This was drop sets starting with standing dumbbell presses with 110 pounds in each hand, drop to 85 pounds, go to failure, to 55, down to 40, even 30 pounders-we'd do five sets going down the line, or, " The Rack," it was brutal. Arnold liked to train legs with me because he hated doing legs, and I loved to. My motivation pushed him to bring up his thighs, which early on were not on par with his upper body.

Mike training with Arnold

MD: You are known for one of the greatest chests in the history of bodybuilding. I'm sure folks would like to hear your thoughts on chest work.

MK: Well, guys today strike the side chest pose with somewhat of a twist to their torso because most don't have a good rib age development and many don't have lower biceps development. Al Beckles, Larry Scott and Arnold all had these ingredients, so they could really hit this pose and hit it properly. Franco did not have much of a rib cage or great bicep so you know he always did the variation of the standard side chest pose. Franco's famous split in his chest is almost like an abnormality in his structure. Myself- well, I've been born with a much higher xiphoid process than the average person. The tip of my sternum is high... My xiphoid is 8-9 inches higher from the navel than the average person, whose distance is maybe 3-4 inches. So, I had the capacity to build a much more volumetric rib cage. Another thing- many who even bother to do dumbbell pullovers today don't do them correctly. A dumbbell should be used, fingers interlocked on the bar, elbows tucked in, laying across the bench with head hanging off, hips down, no spreading of the lats. Doing so isolates the rib cage. Of course there will be some lat stimulation, but with the elbows held close and hips down, if you really concentrate you'll target the rib cage.

My favorite chest exercise is the dumbbell incline bench press. I feel overall this is the best exercise for chest development. At the top the dumbbells should touch, you should, at this point, lift, tense the pecs, contract and squeeze the muscle at the top of the movement. Bring your elbows down to armpit level- this spares you from shoulder injury. Barbell flat bench hurts the shoulders, largely because you don't have freedom of hand movement like you do with Dumbbells. Your movements should always be controlled and you should think about why you are doing an exercise. Squatting, for instance. I'd concentrate on the negative in the movement, go down slowly just below seated position, always pause, with no bounce. Same for chest and every body part. I was never really injured lifting weights.

MD: What did your eating consist of back then Mike?

MK: I'd eat four pounds of meat per day. It came in one pound packs- these were specifically cut by my butcher, and after broiling them there was ONLY blood left in the foil. There was no fat. I'd have pasta every third day, oatmeal for energy, a piece of fruit, always and only whole eggs- we'd use cholesterol as an energy source because of very intense workouts. Of course I'd be given supplements by Joe Weider, but we were all quite fond of Rheo Blair's products. I'd have a protein drink twice per day. Desiccated liver tablets were a big thing back then. Funny, some guys seemed to think they'd help their liver, even though the science didn't make sense. Of course there was both Hoffman and Joe, and " Protein of the Sea," which smelled worse than low tide in New Jersey! So then they'd load products with sugar, which defeated the purpose, but things tasted better.

MD:Mike, what encouraged you to first pick up a weight?

MK: When I was 11 or 12 years old, I went to the theater and saw the first Hercules movie Steve Reeves ever made in 1957. It was akin to a kid seeing Arnold in Conan at the same age- it had a profound effect on me. So of course I got the Weider courses in the mail- George Eiferman and Clancy Ross were featured- and I pasted their pictures on my basement wall. The routine was like chest/ biceps one day, legs the next. I " borrowed" some milk crates from the side of the road, built a primitive bench, and the guy across the street gave me some weights.

Soon I was training at the Meriden YMCA with Joe LaPorte, who helped me immensely and was also a great area bodybuilder. He was one step below the great Joe Abbenda, who of course went on to win the Mr. America. My first bodybuilding contest was when I was 14, held in Waterbury, Connecticut- I didn't place. In fact , I competed for about three years before I even got a third place trophy. I did finally win the Teenage Mr Connecticut when I was 18 or 19, and by then I was also vying for honors in the Ct open division. You must understand that I was a three sport athlete in high school- competing in hockey, track and football. I also played football at Southern Connecticut State University ( Mike is enshrined in their athletic halal of fame). Of course I was also with the NY Jets of the old AFL. So I always had a lot going on, but I still always trained. It took me four years to win the IFBB Mr. America, losing to Chuck Sipes, Frank Zane and John Decola.

Interesting thing that many don't know is the America, World and Olympia would often be held the same night, and we had body part awards. But not for each show. A guy from the America may find himself competing with a guy from the Olympia onstage for best chest. Arnold beat me early on for best chest, but only once. I beat him and others for best chest several times after.

MD: Mike, how receptive was the football world to your training with weights back in the sixties?

Mike Katz (#32) during his football days

MK: well, Jess Dow, our cosh at SCSU, didn't really understand the value of weight training. He'd hear me tossing the weights around and coming running in from his office and holler,"Hell's Bells boy, what the hell are you doing? We have a game tomorrow!" But he'd pretty much leave me be, because he knew come game day, I run over anyone who got in my way.

My roommate on the Jets was a 65 foot shot putter from Syracuse University. And we had a great inside linebacker- Jets fans will know him- named Al Atkinson. We three were the only ones on the Jets who lifted weights. I was among the faster linemen in the NFL in my time. I can tell you this, I may not have been faster than him, but I could keep up with NFL Hall of Famer Don Maynard- and boy was he fast.

In the end, I could have kept playing, but there was much to consider. An injury, just getting married to my wife Nancy, I wanted to teach and win Mr. America. It wasn't a hard decision to leave when I did.

MD: You have a great take on Bodybuilders and family...

MK: Yea. " Don't wait until you are a grandfather to be a father."

Of course, this advice can apply to anybody. Most women today- they work. I worked up to three jobs so my wife could stay home with little Michael and Michelle. Women today need more. Men do benefit because now they get to participate more in child raising.

MD: Please talk a bit about Pumping Iron...

MK: Well, the writers of the book, Charles Gaines and George Butler, from White Mountain, Vermont, were not situated far from Holyoke/ Mountain Park in Massachusetts- you know, where Ed Jubinville used to hold his shows. I captured their attention- I was a teacher, football player, bodybuilder, I was very accessible to them. You know, if they were from Portland, Oregon, they may have gone with Corney in the film. Things aligned so it was me.

Mike Katz competing in the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe in Pretoria, South Africa. Scene from the movie Pumping Iron.

You know, I'm 70 years old now so maybe people are not as quick to recognize me, but they are very kind. Pumping Iron is now on Netflix, so it's been introduced to whole new generations. It has reinvented me to a broader and younger audience, giving me new opportunities.

Of course, Arnold pulled the film along. I see him a few times each year. Franco and Louie too of course. I see Lou more often because we both frequent the trade shows. I had a small part in Lou's documentary, Stand Tall, chronicling his comeback for the Master's Olympia, for which I was a judge. I'll say it was difficult to judge. Robby Robinson was sharper, and Lou would have won had he been 5-10% sharper. It was actually harder for Robby to beat a big guy in this scenario. Lou was big and well known, Robby, not so much.

MD: You were an educator in the Hamden School System for 35 years...

MK: I feel I was born to teach. The only thing that has been more satisfying for me is being a parent and grand parent, second most satisfying is being a teacher. Winning Mr. America was a personal accomplishment, but the positive effects I had on thousands of kids was a greater life achievement- I was giving to others. It wasn't about myself.

MD: Along with your longtime business partner and best friend, Jerry Mastrangelo, and now your son as well, you've been a gym owner in Connecticut since 1979.

MK: Well, we opened World Gym East in Hamden in 1979. Prior to doing so I asked Arnold and Joe Gold for their blessing and they were fine with it. For awhile it became Mike Katz Fitness Centers. Then Arnold called me and said," come with us." So the original Hamden club became World Gym, for which we never had a license agreement. The second World Gym we opened in Branford we did have a contract. Now, we have five Planet Fitness gyms. The industry has changed and continues to do so. CT is very competitive with LA Fitness, The Edge, Retro, etc. PF has 1,000 gyms nationwide now- seems like there is a new facility everyday. It's a good business model, I must say.

MD: Mike, I know about ten years ago you were training a good number of very successful clients.

MK: I still train a handful of clients who have been my friends for over 20 years. It's a big commitment, training someone. It's a big part of their life that I am navigating. I'm not saying training people is completely off the table, it depends on the person and other factors. I do spend a lot of time with my grand kids now.

When you care, training someone is draining. It takes a colossal amount of energy. You are dealing with inferiority complexes, self esteem issues, dedication, self confidence- these are complicated issues to deal with. You have to look at one's driving force. You may have a mountain to climb, and for this you have to have the desire to conquer. Often, when you have such a concrete goal in life, there is not a lot of room for other things in life until the mountain is climbed.

I need to ascertain what somebody is motivated by to accomplish their chosen impossible task. It's interesting that there are many common denominators in people who are successful. Dom Certo wrote " Success, Pure and Simple" in the 70's. I was one of the people from all walks of life who was highlighted. It compared common traits that we all shared. The funny thing is Weider pulled some strings for Certo to be " Knighted" in England, so he became Sir Domenic Certo ( laughs). Everybody gets a kick out of this. Weider thought if he was knighted his words would be more powerfully persuasive.

MD: Please speak of the pioneering nutrition company you were involved with in the 70's.

MK: It was called Futron Industries, and their main product was called " Slender Now." We actually were the main sponsor of the Arnold produced 1977 Mr. Olympia, and I recall the fee for this was 50 thousand dollars. I was involved in research in the company. I conveyed to them what a pain it was to deal with 12 different bottles from which we'd ingest about 100 vitamin and mineral pills per day. So we came up with the first " Multi Pak" which had 8 pills that covered everything. There was E, Multi, C, Extra C, B12. You'd just load 6 packs in your suitcase and you'd be ready to go.

In 40 years, I've had 80 calls to endorse nutrition products- 2 calls per year. I'd look over the product and see that the first ingredient would be sugar. I'd say no thanks. I couldn't and still won't promote a product lacking " White Papers," meaning there is no scientific research backing the product.

Michael, my son, and his wife Pam Katz introduced me to Qivana. When I saw that this company's research was supported by Dr. Don Layman, who is world renown as the " Father of Metabolism," this was a big key. Since using these products I've lost over 40 pounds- and with very little exercise. I feel great, physically and emotionally. The product balances out your metabolism. I'll admit I actually threw a few poses the other day ( laughs)!

MD: you have a naturally big frame...

MK: Yes. I was well suited for bodybuilding success. Look at Sergio Olivia- he just had "it". We'd look at him and say, " That's just not possible...", he was one in a million. Arnold and I had to train much harder than Sergio to be as good as him.

MD: at what point do you think you reached your best ever form?

MK: 1972 Mr. World win. I also liked my shape in my final show, the 1981 Olympia- I was drug free in this show and took a blood test to prove it. Beating Ken Waller in the World was also very satisfying. When folks ask about Franco winning, some say he left his wheel chair and plaid blanket backstage. That show, Dickerson or even a few others could have won. Of course Chris stayed quiet and won the next year. If Mentzer won in 1980, would he be alive today? Would his brother Ray be alive today? Szkalak, Callender, maybe they didn't get their due. Harold Poole, maybe he should have won the Mr. O.

I will say you need more than a great body. Sergio was a cop. Most Mr O's are successful outside of bodybuilding. Lee Lee Haney? I hold him in the highest of regards, he is a great example of a human being. Bill Pearl too. Dave Draper even with all the problems he's had- a great person. I feel we should learn from the past, realize the future, and live in the present.

MD: how is your health these days Mike?

MK: I had an aortic aneurysm four years back. I was lucky it was discovered during another procedure. It can kill you instantly.If you are reading this and can afford one or have medical insurance please get an ultrasound of the ascending and descending aorta. Find out if you have an aneurysm. So, a week before I was scheduled to judge the Arnold, I was scheduled for aoric repair surgery. I skipped the Arnold obviously. The surgery was successful and I also received a pacemaker as I have suffered from A-fib. My surgeon, Dr. Squiteri, was a big Pumping Iron fan, coincidentally.

Darn those Steelers! I was watching Pittsburgh vs. Cincinatti one Sunday, and, during halftime, I went to fix a leak on my roof. I wanted to get back in to see the game and was using an inadequate ladder. I fell 12 feet to the ground and at 270 pounds my wife apparently heard the "thud." I joke that she came outside and kicked me because she thought I was joking. Turned out I broke every rib on my left side, fractured three lumbar vertebrae, Had a brain bleed, and developed pneumonia. You know, the ribs. Even a brusied rib will keep an NFL guy out six weeks. I fractured all of the on the left.I was in the hospital for four weeks, and the doctors did say that the great shape I was in kept me alive.

MD: How about your long involvement with the Special Olympics?

MK: I remember when I was in college and Kennedy was assassinated-Jackie Kennedy came to Bowen Field where we played our games and JFK Jr as a little boy was with her. I think he'd have been president had he lived. She inspired me to get involved with the Special Olympics. I cheered the kids on, taught them lifting techniques, now younger folks have assumed my place. I did teach special needs kids for 35 years. I loved it. I myself overcame much in life and I wanted to give back to the world just as it gave to me.

MD: You have been a bodybuilding judge at every level seeminly for ages.

MK: For a long time, I was the only former professional bodybuilder who was also an Olympia judge. Since, we have had Gaspari, Al Beckles and Dorian Yates, too. But I've been judging the longest. I still judge the Arnold, Olympia, the Toronto Pro Show and this year I am excited about traveling to judge th Arnold in Brazil.

As far as what has changed, well, look at it like this.In pro football, guys are 50 pounds heavier and .4-.5 seconds faster in the 40 than they were 25 years ago. In bodybuilding its the same. The diet, chemicals, training, everything has advanced. A 6'8" guy who used to go into basketball may now become a tight end in football, and be faster and run like a deer.

Evolution of sports in the past 20 years shows that it would take 20,000 years for ligaments and connective tissues to keep up with these bodily changes. Its not all good. Since athletes are perhaps 50% better than they were 20 years ago, you see more head injuries and such. Cars now go 90 miles an hour instead of 60 mph, so injuries are worse. In football, head protection is still inadequate. You may start seeing where no head contact at all is permitted. Parents will direct their kids to play soccer sinetad of football. Things will shift.

Judging today at the Olympia level, I will say this. Everybody must be in top shape. The current Mr. Olympia must be better each year or he wont win. The top five or ten guys are ALL great, and the current winner, if he is not at least a bit better than his previous winning condition, he probably wont win.

Flex Wheeler had the genetic ability Phil Heath now has. But Flex never came within 80% of his potential. He was great, don't get me wrong. However, If I had his genetics, nobody would EVER beat me. The reality is Flex left 20% on the table. Heath is like a young Flex who is hungry. I wish I had his genetics. I'd have been the best ever.

MD: Thanks so much Mike. You have given a gift to us all with your words.

MK: It was my pleasure. Anytime!

Now, a few words with Mike Katz, Jr., many of you knowing him from his cameo in the immortal Pumping Iron.

MD: Hey Junior. Tell us what is what like being the son of Mr. Universe.

Jr: Well, it was a no-brainer that I was on my best behavior. But in those times that I'd maybe slip up a bit, my mom would always remind me of the looming prospect of Big Mike's impending return home (laughs).

MD: Were you around a lot of bodybuilders growing up?

Jr: Yes, it was great. I remember when I was seven years old and Robby Robinson was staying at our house. Dad and him were running the bodybuilding camp that I know you even attended. I was sitting there at the breakfast table eating a bowl of Apple Jacks, and Robby took one look and said, "You ain't gonna get big by eating Apple Jacks..." I just kinda looked at him and that was it. (laughs).

Arnold and Franco also stayed at the house. I was younger, maybe three or four, so my memory is not as acute. But I do recall walking into the bedroom Arnold was staying in and he was naked getting dressed. He looked at me but I bolted from the room and slammed the door (laughs).

I didn't go to Big Mike's shows but did go to some exhibitions. I went to George Snyder's "Best in the World" show at which there were about 10 guest posers , dad being one of them. There was Mentzer, Corney, Coe, Zane, Arnold (not posing though) and many more. My mother wondered why I spent so much time around Boyer Coe...I think it may have been because of his lovely wife, Valerie (laughs).

MD: So, did you ever follow in your father's famous weight lifting footsteps?

Jr: I started lifting at 11 years old, mostly for sports. Big Mike said if I wanted to do bodybuilding, he'd help me, but he preferred I do the regular sports instead. All I remember was all the hard work he put in, the training, tons and tons of food, low carb days.

MD: It's hard to believe you are 44 years old now. So many remember you as the little kid hanging on Mr. America's bicep in your back yard. What was it like when the Pumping Iron cameras arrived?

Jr: They were around on multiple days It was funny because all the neighborhood kids wanted to come over during filming, and so all the parents had to sign releases for the kids to be filmed. They were all psyched to be in the film. Of course, when the film came out, they had all ended up on the cutting room floor. I took a lot of flak on the bus because of that (laughs)! All in all, it was a very carefree, fun time.

MD: Mike you look to be in fantastic shape.

Jr: Well, currently I weigh 170, feel great and am very lean at 5'10" in height. Years ago, I actually bulked up to 240 pounds and was very strong at 20 years old in college. Currently I am the lightest I have been since age 17, my strength is the best its been in 15 years. I recently lost 40 pounds and have been taking Qivana supplements which Big Mike also uses now. Pam and I have a Qivana business that we are very excited about. Anyone interested in such an opportunity can contact me directly via my Face Book page.

Life is great. Currently, my wife Pam and I have two daughters, and I am co-owner with Mike and Jerry Mastrangelo of 5 Planet Fitness gyms here in Connecticut. Time goes on and priorities change. But there is always time to take good care of yourself.

MD: Mike, I and all our readers thank you for your time and all the pearls of history you have shared with us.

Jr: Anytime Doc!

Thank you Dr. Michael Dusa

(1995 NPC Mr. Connecticut, USA)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Share your passion for Old-School Bodybuilding on 
Oldschool Bodybuilding Forever (Founder: Alok Pandya) 

Tons of great pictures & Daily discussions

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join us for discussions on our facebook group

Free advice & daily bodybuilding talk

Your #1 Bodybuilding destination in Africa 

BODYBUILDING MAURITIUS

©,2015. Bodybuilding Mauritius. Any reprinting in any type of media is prohibited. Interview article published with permission from Dr. Michael Dusa (North Haven, Connecticut). 
 ______________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: The Content on this site is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be and should not be interpreted as medical advice or a diagnosis of any health or fitness problem, condition or disease; or a recommendation for a specific test, doctor, care provider, procedure, treatment plan, product, or course of action. BODYBUILDING MAURITIUS is not a medical or healthcare provider and your use of this site does not create a doctor / patient relationship. We disclaim all responsibility for the professional qualifications and licensing of, and services provided by, any physician or other health providers posting on or otherwise referred to on this Site and/or any Third Party Site. Never disregard the medical advice of your physician or health professional, or delay in seeking such advice, because of something you read on this Site. We offer this Site AS IS and without any warranties.  Correspondence: vicgoyaram@gmail.com

_______________________________________________________________________________

Read More