This week we have received e-mails about Ronnie Coleman and his fourth place finish at the Mr. Olympia. All sorts of speculation about retirement, injury, lack of drive, and other rumors came flying out of Las Vegas after this past weekend. Since I was not there and have not yet analyzed the pictures, I will refrain from commenting other than to say that congratulations go out to Ronnie and all the competitors. If a very rough comparison can be drawn, imagine making the Super Bowl several years in a row AND winning eight of them consecutively!
While bodybuilding is an individual sport, each bodybuilder has to have a supporting team around him or her. And each champion knows something the average person does not: you must learn to control your environment, access the best information, and then carefully choose who constitutes your “team.” I learned these lessons about athletes not from my time in minor league baseball, but rather from the man who originally introduced me to Metroflex Gym: Paul Brodeur.
Paul grew up in Texas and is a few years older than Brian, Metroflex Gym’s owner. They trained together over the years, competed in powerlifting events, and had a friendship which grew because of it. While he has some amazing stories, Paul also knew his weight training history and background. He competed in powerlifting events alongside some of the pioneers of the sport like Ted Arcidi, Bill Kazmeier, and many other famous lifters of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. Paul’s wisdom and love for doing what works inspired me, and many others, to improve our weight training regimens and learn as much about ourselves as we did about lifting.
His no-nonsense attitude, ability to inspire you to lift weights which you never thought you could lift, and ability to lead by example are what made his clients loyal and which produced results. He did not train bodybuilders, but he trained powerlifters and everyday people to get stronger, healthier, and focus on what simply works. Paul’s approach and weight training methods are featured in the “Once A Week” bonus e-book you get with your purchase. Even if you don’t believe that once-a-week training will work for you, there are several items and considerations in that small book that will make you realize that you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on supplements or do the “Latest & Greatest” workout you read in a magazine (or as Paul called them “Bells & Whistles” workouts).
While he had a different approach to producing results than Brian does, they both shared a respect for each other’s philosophies. Paul blended an approach from two contrasting styles (Fred Hatfield and Mike Mentzer) as well as respected powerlifters and his own experiences. While you probably never read about him in the magazines or the bodybuilding forums it is tough to dispute the power of a man who squatted over 1000 pounds below parallel in a training session… before today’s squat suits which add hundreds of pounds to a lift!
In short, he was an amazing trainer. While he has moved onto other activities with family, I still keep in touch with him and often go back to my notes from our training sessions together. If you would like more information on his philosophies and what he did to add to Metroflex’s legendary status feel free to contact me; I can then include these lessons in a future newsletter.
Learn from Paul, and all champion lifters, and take the advice to control your environment, get the best information, and choose your team wisely. These will go a long way toward your making progress in your goals. If you are interested in once-a-week training methods, buy the e-book package and read the bonus book as I believe that each book is worth many times the price — and Brian and I want all of you to get great value from each one.
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If you want to learn how to get in terrific shape, stop wasting time & money, and learn what has worked for the last 20 years - no matter what your training goals are - then please come visit:
http://www.MetroflexGymTraining.com
Or
http://www.GreatBiceps.com
You will find the down-to-earth, tried-and-true information which is used at Metroflex Gym – the “Most Hardcore Gym In America” as voted by Muscle & Fitness Magazine in July 2005! And you will also get free bonus books on how to stay in shape even you are extremely busy (or travel for work), how to generate publicity, and how to get in “The Zone” (the state of mind where you are completely at ease) in any situation!
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Brian Dobson how to build up muscle Metroflex Gym once a week weight training Paul Brodeur Ronnie Coleman weight training plan