Mike Lipowski

Since as far back as I can remember, I've always had a fascination with the human body and most particularly muscles. There was something about the ultra ripped-muscular physiques of comic book characters and cartoons such as G.I.Joe, He-Man, and of course Lou Ferrigno as the Increadible Hulk. All possessed heavily muscular bodies that resembled walking, talking anatomy charts, and I knew I wanted to look like that. I would often do push-ups and sit-ups before dinner when I was about 7-8 years old in hopes that I'd develop into one of the characters from television. I was told by my parents that I couldn't lift weights until I was 13 because I would stunt my growth, so I waited in anticipation for years, filling the time playing lacrosse,
football, baseball, and wrestling. For my 13th birthday I, of course, asked for a weight set and got one of those home gym/universal sets. I was hooked!

In high school my focus was on sports, particularly lacrosse, which got me into a good college, and wrestling, which I first started in 2nd grade and participated in every year until I graduated high school. However, even with my busy sports schedule, I could always find time to weight train and I did. I was still holding onto that dream of looking like a superhero even though it seemed to continually get more difficult. I was a classic case of the high-volume, overtraining youth that could not take no for an answer and could never conceive doing less than 1+ hours of training a day, 5-7 days a week. Unfortunately I carried this same ideology into college.

While playing college lacrosse at Ohio Wesleyan University, one of the best Div.III lacrosse colleges in the country, I continued to train during the season when practice was most demanding, and continued to waste more and more muscle. By
the end of the season I was greatly depressed with how my physique had deteriorated and would spend all summer getting it back only to lose it again next spring when the season started. After 4 years I was convinced that my physique would never develop beyond it's current condition.

Upon graduating, I took my B.A. in Physical Education and got a job at a one-one-one personal training facility that followed the Nautilus training philosophy as developed by Arthur Jones. It was here that I began to unlearn much of what I was taught in college and most especially muscle mags. I was now beginning to find what I've always looked for°¶the truth about
bodybuilding. From there I moved onto another gym because I had learned as much as I could from those at that facility and had thirsted for greater knowledge. It was at this second gym that I was lucky enough to meet other HIT trainers who introduced me to the writtings of the IART, Mike Mentzer, and Super Slow. I soon became consumed in all the information that was made available to me and my training philosophy quickly became rational and logical and my body became evidence as such. But even these results where short lived as I got deeper and deeper into the protocol of ever increasing intensity, decreasing volume and decreased frequency. Soon my physique began to regress and my dreams of the "comic book physique", disappeared altogether.

Knowing that there was still much for me to learn, I decided to undertake the IART Level II course. The process of obtaining my certification was demanding and at the same time enjoyable as the truth was soon becoming clear. The improvements made in my clients were evidence of the effectiveness of my newfound knowledge. However there was a bonus that came along with my studies. My training protocol changed and my body followed. Soon, the dream of the "comic book physique" started to come back to me. I realize that such a physique might be unattainable for me but I'm sure as hell gonna keep trying.
As of June 01' I began to compete in Natural Bodybuiding contests. This alone was a dream that I never thought possible until I developed my new training and nutrition protocols under the IART guidelines. Unfortunately most natural contests don't have a bantamweight division (143lbs. and under) so in my first two shows I didn't place being one of the smallest
competitors. In my third show, which did have a bantam class I placed 4th. More importantly, each show (all 2 weeks apart from each other) I improved upon my physique and learned more about my body. The photos included (taken July 7, 2001; no oil, pumping, carb loading, etc) are more indicative of how I look on a daily basis now which is a huge improvement on how things used to be. Learning how to "peak" for a competition will be an ongoing process much like my training has always been.

However, now I feel I'm better prepared with the skills necessary to do so with more efficiency and effectiveness thanks in part to the IART. I would like to conclude with a few points that I feel are most relevant to the success of a person in any aspect of their lives. First, think for yourself. Don't follow others or allow them to direct your thoughts towards their beliefs or that of the majority. Stand by your own moral code and ethics and do what is right for you. Let logic and rationality help guide you through your decisions. And finally, never lose sight of your goals and be prepared for anything and anyone that might stand in your way°¶then run em' over.