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Accidental Muscle? by Robert "Fortress" Fortney
Almost every person at the gym desires a more muscular physique. I mean, let's face it, the majority of females these days aren't into men with wussy builds. Sex makes the world go 'round. A cursory look at any of the popular bodybuilding magazines supports this fact, and I'm not talking about the "collector edition" pictorials, either. Most of the training features are aimed towards men longing to be buff. So, with millions of men reading these publications and religiously following the programs, where are all the muscle machines?
Think about it. How many men actually possess a great physique? Not many. And those few who do have exceptional physiques didn't get them with the prescribed "miracle" programs found in most muscle mags or million-dollar-an-hour trainers. Fact is, those who succeed in the gym usually do so because of a willingness to observe and a fierce commitment to years of ball-busting work on the basics. It doesn't happen any other way. It doesn't happen by accident. It's not like this only applies to men who want to become the next Mr. Olympia, set powerlifting records, win the World's Strongest Man title, or become king of the weightlifting platform. No, this applies to even the average Joe who simply wants a beach body.
It cracks me up when I hear some jackass talk about big muscles without a reasonable handle on how long it will take (and what it will take) to achieve these attributes. Pushing for a hard 90kg body by next summer when you're a soft 75kg isn't only unrealistic, it's retarded!
Of course, with good genetics, drugs, and an athletic history, it may indeed be possible. But the reality is most possess average genetics, never were seriously athletic, and don't want to use performance-enhancing drugs and risk imprisonment and damage to their health. The use of steroids, Testosterone, and other powerful anabolic and thermogenic agents (when used properly and in conjunction with strenuous exercise) can
resu lt in amazing muscular gains and fat loss; however, we'll assume the majority of weight trainers are "natural," hold down full-time jobs and aren't genetic mutants like Flex Wheeler. (Still, even Flex had to be observant and dedicated to years of gym time.)
Certainly every aspiring muscleman has spent his fair share of time reading the muscle magazines. To be sure, muscle rags do provide much information to the average trainer. Somewhere along the way though (and sooner rather than later), observational and rational thinking skills take over to distill all the input. It's then that the truth becomes known — and few people are strong enough to accept the truth.
So where does all this lead? To the aforementioned truth! Transforming the body is a difficult and time-consuming task, and the easier the program or exercises, the less can be expected. Simple. Five quad-searing sets of leg extensions isn't going to provide half the stimulus of one moderately hard set of free-bar squats. But, again, few want to hear this.
We're a species that seeks comfort and rejects pain. As a weight trainer intent on success, whatever the sport or goal may be, we must reverse this outlook. We must seek pain and reject comfort. When I speak of pain I don't mean the type that causes injury, but the type caused by effort. As master powerlifting trainer Louie Simmons once said, the less effort applied, the less payoff you'll get.
I'm of the belief that the only differences between a competitive bodybuilder, strength athlete, and fitness weight trainer should be program specificity and poundage used. Effort is a mandatory link between all who succeed with resistance training. I hate those who want so badly to separate strength athletes from bodybuilders and others concerned more with physique presentation. Diet and training specificity are the major differences; effort ties them all together.
Let's not forget that a muscle's size and its strength are closely related. I believe size always follows strength, so those who say "I train for size" are already missing the boat. We must all train for strength! This requires effort and hard work. Of course, the reps, rest periods and volume may vary, but a stronger muscle is a bigger and better-looking muscle.
About the Author
Robert "Fortress" Fortney is a former competitive bodybuilder and editor for Peak Training Journal, Musclemag International,
T-Mag
and Virtualmuscle.com. Fortney now focuses his efforts on powerlifting training and competition. His goal? To be a strong son of a bitch.
The following
article was in a recent edition of ESPN The Magazine. I have a feeling
the the author doesn't like bodybuilding much.
A business that won't die
By Shaun Assael, ESPN The Magazine, March 2003
Shaun Assael is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Here is his view of the Arnold Classic expo.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- "You're gonna have some real questions about humanity when you're finished here," Dr. John tells me as we weave our way into line at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
It's March 1, the morning after the White House announced it wants tougher labeling rules for the diet supplement ephedra. And tens of thousands of people are here for The Arnold Classic and Fitness Expo, the Terminator's 15th annual paean to pumping iron. The highlight is supposed to be the bodybuilding show that Aaaanald himself is emceeing tonight. But for most of the folks streaming in right now, that part is perfunctory. They're here because a $10 Expo ticket entitles them to enough sample supplements to juice Galveston.
You know the ladies who shpritz perfume at JC Penney? Imagine them handing out "Juiced Creatine" capsules in thong bikinis, their bodies painted to look like the tablets.
Dr. John has been here before, so while he's off schmoozing a woman whose breasts could hammer a nail, I'm left alone with my empty stomach. Trust me. Eat before you come to one of these things. Because curiously alert college kids are stopping you every second step to hawk bite-sized protein bars and endless explanations about whey. By the time I've sampled a half-dozen, I'm curiously alert too. Undoubtedly, that's the state they want me in as I forge into the giant hall, which has been carved into a dozen aisles, each with 50 exhibitors trying to grab me with banners and expensive props. The first one to catch my eye is a rotating, three-sided billboard for a company called Pinnacle Products, which claims to have the "first protein supplement to unlock a key genetic regulator of muscle growth."
Intrigued, I read on.
"If you consider yourself a hard gainer," it says, "or just feel like you've maxed out your potential for growth, Pinnacle's scientists have come up with a powerful answer." Before I can decide whether I'd ever introduce myself as a "hard gainer," Steve Stern, the company's gravelly-voiced founder, is upon me. Tanned and bearded, Stern eyes my notebook, then my ID, and introduces himself by saying that he's got "the best absorption product here." I look back at him blankly, which seems to irritate him, because he calls over an employee named Dimitri and snaps, "Tell him about the studies."
Dimitri looks like a lot of things, but a scientist isn't one of them. And after he finishes explaining how Pinnacle's 12 Ph.D.s came up with a "natural myostatin binder," he can't seem to contain his pitchman's glee.
"How sick is this?" he asks. 
I smile back wanly, shuddering to think.
In the same way that Florida condo salesmen know a lot about sinkholes, a lot of people here, mostly ex-Florida condo salesmen I suspect, know a lot about alpha lipoic acids and androgenic receptor sites. They all have glossy studies, too, though a suspicious number seem to have been done in "Germany."
But the one I've come here to find would seem to have more than the usual amount of explaining to do. Since Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler's death was linked to Xenadrine last month, it has become the Pinto of pills. Or so I thought. As it turns out, in the Xenadrine booth where James Casagrand is standing sentry, they can't seem to keep the stuff in stock.
"We point out that the number of pills that Mr. Bechler took exceeded the recommended dosage," Casagrand tells me. "He also had a heart condition and was prone to heat stroke."
When I ask Casagrand if there has been an adverse public reaction, he doesn't flinch. "Actually, the thing I'm hearing from people is that they're afraid that ephedra will be banned. They're stocking up." Just in case, its parent company has come up with ephedra-free Xenadrine. "Here, let me show you the studies," Casagrand says.
Models and medicine are natural bedmates at The Arnold. But I'm struck by how few pro athletes are here as pitchmen. Maybe they're scared about their image; maybe they make too much money to care. But the closest thing to a sports exhibit (as opposed to a bodybuilding or dieting one) is the booth where Brian Wisniewski is standing in front of Mark McGwire and Jason Giambi cutouts. "We don't make outrageous claims," he says, picking up a gallon of Whey Matrix. "I won't say that this will turn you into that." Of course, that's exactly what maker ISS Research wants you to believe. But I don't have the heart to point that out to Brian -- not when he's being so helpfully honest.
"It's so easy to get into this business," he's saying, "because there's no barrier to entry. All you need is money. It's consumer beware. Just because someone has a lot of money to put into advertising doesn't mean their product is the best -- or even that it's good for you."
As I'm scribbling -- and imagining Tom Hanks playing Brian as the salt-of-the-Earth colonel in "Raid on Ephedra" -- a husky voice asks me to move to the side. In these situations, it's best not to guess at gender from such a slim hint as a voice. And when I look up, I see Denise Masino. The aisles are filled with curvy cuties hawking photos of themselves at 10 bucks a throw. But Masino looks like she'd actually throw you for 10 bucks.
What amazes me isn't her legs, which look like upside down ski slopes. (One of the best things about The Arnold is that you can say things here that you can't say anywhere else, like: What's your best body part?) It's her sheer, pardon the expression, balls.
A few years ago, Masino, in a stroke of what can only be called genius, decided to start a nudie magazine for guys who get aroused by women with biceps the size of their breasts. You might have issues with that, but the 60,000 subscribers who buy her Muscle Elegance magazine don't, which is why she's branching into video. Dr. John already bought "Gym Heat 3." Judging from its cover ("Get Ready To be Shocked!"), Denise is her own best model .
"It really bothered me that magazines in our industry only allocated five percent of their pages to women," she's announcing to a crowd. "So when I saw that women's bodybuilding wasn't being marketed -- and how the general public reacted to me -- I ran with it."
Denise opens to a semi-nude spread of herself and, when I crinkle my nose, confused by the difference between her build in print and in person, she leans close to me. "That's what I look like when I'm not training," she says. "Right now, I'm 10 pounds lighter and have four percent less body fat." Before Denise can flip the page to show me what she looks like totally naked, I thank her and say goodbye, dragging Dr. John, who presses three Abe Lincolns into her palm for her dominatrix video, "Body Language."
By now, the two pounds of protein bars that I've eaten are making my stomach growl like a sick Scooby Doo and all the claims of genetic re-engineering are making my head swim. How much crazier can it get? Just then, I stumble on Marc Gann, The Anabolic Attorney.
Like every good lawyer from New York, he has chutzpa. But you have to wonder what the American Bar Association would make of the dizzy-looking dame beside him in a patrolman's cap, offering business cards and baton beatings as she wiggles and giggles in scandalously tight leather shorts. Gann belongs to what you might call the steroid service industry. "One of the great misconceptions is that if someone has a large quantity of steroids, he must be a dealer, when in fact people keep large amounts for personal use," the silver-haired lawyer tells me.
I'm reasonably sure that I've lost my capacity to be shocked. But Gann manages to do just that when he says that a growing number of his clients are cops. "The average case involves overseas shipments that get intercepted by customs. But when the recipient is a cop, it can get messy. So in a handful of instances, we've stepped into disciplinary proceedings."
Gann's firm has a book ("Legal Muscle") and a website (steroidlaw.com), but more importantly, it has a cause: fighting regulation. He hands me a letter to send my Congressman, which starts:
"Two bills that will do more harm than good have surfaced on Capitol Hill. Spurred by the sports' anti-doping lobby and the DEA, these bills are being misleadingly presented as intended to protect young athletes from performance-enhancing drugs. Actually, these bills represent an attempt to take away the hard won freedoms granted under the Dietary Supplements & Health Education Act (DSHEA). These bills go too far and would prevent a vast majority of law-abiding American adults, who are neither teenagers nor elite competitive athletes, to have (sic) access to many beneficial products."
I fold the letter into my pocket. By now, I've concluded that this industry is so good at hype, it could get the FDA to OK snacks made from spent fuel rods. Thermo S-25. New Juiced Creatine. Muscletech Acetabolin II 48CP. Is this stuff good for you? You need a Ph.D. to figure it out. And the one I've brought is useless. Dr. John has his head in Denise's latest pictorial: "Hard Women To Love."
Gathering eight pounds of samples in my plastic Xenadrine shopping bag, I head for the exit when I see a father with his two boys. There's something about the sight of them that makes me queasy. They could be at a car show. Or a boat show. Or "Rugrats On Ice." But they're at The Arnold, the largest supplement convention in America. "I'm trying to teach my kids how to stay in shape and be healthy," Robert Maier, a tow truck operator, says when I ask what brought him here.
That sounds fair enough, and I ask Maier if I can put one question to his oldest son. He nods, and I bend down so that I'm eye level with 9-year-old Robert, Jr. The boy has freckles, a slight case of buck teeth and a yellow down parka. "So, Robert, what did you learn?" I ask.
Without missing a beat, he looks up and says, "I learned how to get big and take steroids."
For an uncomfortable moment, no one knows what to say. His dad offers me a pleading, kids-will-be-kids look. I smile back, trying to be empathetic. But for the first time all day, I get really scared about where we're heading.
A high level of fitness ensures high growth hormone and IGF-1 secretion.
by Paul Cribb, B.H.Sci HMS
AST Director of Research
Most athletes know that intense exercise triggers the release of growth hormone (GH) and anabolic growth factors such as IGF-1 within the body. Now research shows that men with high fitness levels secrete more of these potent anabolic hormones in response to exercise, and they have higher resting levels compared to sedentary men.
In this study, seven men who perform regular, intense exercise were compared with seven age-matched sedentary men during two exercise trials (cycling 60 minutes) at varying intensities. Circulating GH, IGF-1, insulin and glucose levels were monitored during and after the workouts.
Results showed that the men who perform regular, intense exercise had greater insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation. These men also exhibited higher levels of GH and IGF-1 in response to the bout of exercise. Consequently, these men also showed higher resting concentrations of these hormones compared to males who didn't exercise regularly. The scientists concluded that exercise training increased the activity of the GH/IGF-I system in men and this results in greater GH/IGF-1 output.
Although this study was performed on older men (mean age 51), I see no reason why these results would not apply to men aged in their 40s or even 30s - the age when circulating levels of these anabolic hormones start to decline. The fit men in this study performed regular intense cardio work. So keep at that Max-OT cardio, the research is providing more and more health benefits from intense aerobic exercise.
American Journal of Physiology. 283 5 E929-E936 2002.
Win a Muscle Car!
MAX'S, Australia's Most Popular Muscle Supplements, is giving away one of Australia's all time Legendary Muscle Cars!
Yes! - A fully restored 1978 LX SS Torana Hatchback V8 could be sitting in YOUR DRIVEWAY - just because you bought MAX'S protein products and entered this fabulous competition. The competition will kick off January 2003 and be drawn on the 18th of October 2003. The Torana will be decked out with great gear from some of Australia leading suppliers. For a chance to win, all you have to do is buy a Max's protein powder.
For more information on the car, visit the Max's
website.
By INBA World Vice President
INBA Australian Founder
Wayne McDonald
Number Two, 2003
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
The rise of the INBA to the most popular bodybuilding organisation in Australia is due to many reasons, one being our willingness to make changes to our Organisation and Events.
Western society is currently hooked on progression. At University, I learnt in marketing that McDonalds were so successful because they could produce a constant outcome - the hamburger would taste the same anywhere in the world. However, this is no longer the key to success and McDonalds are not currently seen as innovative and in excess of 150 stores in America closed last year. During my stay in the USA last year for the Natural Olympia, I met a Health Club Consultant who told me gyms in America have to change their image every five years or risk "dying" in the market. That meant totalling refurbishing the gym or if they could not afford that - at least change their name!
In this respect, I am not afraid to try new things. As one example, I was the first Australian President to appoint a State President in my own back-yard when I appointed Tony Lanciano as Victorian President along side me in Melbourne. It has been highly successful and Tony has proven to be one of the most popular bodybuilding officials in Australia. Often, I am tied to the office with both National and International 'paperwork' and Tony is out amongst the competitors - a perfect blend. The underlying statement this appointment made in a sport dominated by egos and categorised by organisations splitting, is the INBA has the organisational strength to dissect authority and progress even more aggressively. In the INBA, the number of people involved improves the strength of the organisation and makes me, as a President, stronger - rather than the power of one leader gives the organisation it's only strength. As a current example, Iraq would be easy to topple by finishing its leader - he supplies the strength and controls the "organisation". However, if something happens to America's George Bush, the number of people and structure below the American President means the "organisation" remains strong and powerful. You can be confident the constitution and structure will not stop because we are at the top, but continue to build into a much, much bigger and successful organisation.
INBA SYDNEY NATURAL TITLES
Our NSW Promoters have announced a new date of Saturday June 14th and a new, more glamorous venue of Manly Warringah Leagues Club. The big news for NSW Members (and all Australian competitors) is the 2003 Australian Titles will be hosted in Sydney on Sunday 26th October (venue to be confirmed). The last INBA Australian Titles in NSW was 1998.
GOLD CLASS TICKET OFFERED AT THE MAX'S MELBOURNE TITLES
The INBA MAX'S Melbourne Titles April 12th at The Camberwell Centre will offer the first Gold Class opportunity for viewing a bodybuilding contest. This means the entire upper floor of the venue is dedicated to the ultimate experience where Gold Pass ticket holders will enjoy an evening of bodybuilding with indulgence! What does this mean? The evening begins at 5.30pm until the show concludes, with VIP Pampering including Upper house seats, a delicious selection of hot food (served prior to the event and during Intermission) and nibbles along with four hours of a free bar of Red, White & Sparkling Wines, Local Beers, Orange Juice, Mineral Water & Soft drink. Tickets cost $125 each and include both Prejudging and Gold Class Final ticket, a serving of 6 hot entrees, nibbles and full bar service.
Treat yourself and someone special to the Gold Class treatment. If you have seen many contests this will be different! Plus, it is an ideal way to introduce someone new to the sport in a very opulent way. Could also make an ideal present. As an organisation, we will be marketing the area to both, new and corporate audience, as a special night out. We are hoping the idea is a success and will offer the Gold Class ticket at all Victorian events at The Camberwell Centre. Bookings are only taken by phone (03) 9556 5860 until Wednesday 9th (for catering purposes).
ALL FEMALE MUSCLE & FITNESS CLASSIC
Melbourne (VIC) The Camberwell Centre, July 19, 2003.
Tony Lanciano has been handed the responsibility (okay he actually begged) to Promote a new concept in the INBA with our first female-only show. The reaction to the concept has been nothing short of staggering! While INBA membership mix comprises virtually 50% male and female, even more women have expressed they will venture into the sport with this new concept. The event is open to all competitors throughout Australia. Top three in each division will qualify for the Australian Titles.
Female Muscle & Fitness Divisions Offered:
· Aerobics
· Ms Fitness
· SportsModel
· Physique - 2 height classes
· Ms Figure Novice
· Ms Figure Masters
· Ms Figure Open - 3 height classes
· Ms Figure Overall - All winners!
This will be the first time Aerobics has been offered at an INBA event. In all Divisions, further age groups and classes will be expanded - dependant upon entries. All inquiries can be made to Tony Lanciano at Bell St Fitness on (03) 9354 0284 or email gym@pacific.net.au
Ms FITNESS
Important news for Ms Fitness competitors! The Female Muscle & Fitness will be the only event held in Australia for you. There has been a demise in competitor numbers for Ms Fitness and rather than seeing competitors on stage with few, and in many cases, no competition we will channel every competitor into this event. However, the International scene is still lucrative and exciting for you. Top Three Ms Fitness placegetters qualify to represent Australia at both the Ms Fitness World and the Natural Olympia in New Zealand. All competitors, who travel to Las Vegas to compete in the Ms Fitness World, September 13th will have 3-nights accommodation paid for at the contest venue, the Rio Casino. The best news for Australian Ms Fitness competitors is this prestigious event offers cash to the top 20 placegetters. A minimum of US$1,000.00. And in all our years of involvement no Australian has ever placed outside the Top 20!
FOREVER NATURAL (LIFETIME DRUG FREE) CONTESTS FINISH
The INBA has ceased promoting our lifetime or Forever Natural drug free contests in Australia. After four years running the event we received no more than 30 competitors each year. I believe this means the vast majority of INBA competitors in our regular events are lifetime drug free. In other words, very few people feel they are competing against former drug users with any type of unnatural advantage to justify a need to have a additional "Natural" status in events. If any Australian INBA competitor feels strongly about competing in a "Forever" Natural event, I can give you a direct entry to the International events in America. However, these events also lack competitor numbers.
CITRUS AURENTIUM IS NOW ALLOWED BY THE IOC & INBA
In the Last Newsletter I warned competitors that Citrus aurentium was a banned substance by the IOC and INBA. However, in late January 2003 Citrus aurentium (and several other stimulants) were removed from the IOC banned list of stimulants and can now be used by INBA competitors. I asked ASDA why citrus aurentium was so quickly on and off the banned list? ASDA explained that it is not uncommon for substances to be added and removed quickly, reinforcing your need to call the ASDA Hotline 1 800 02 05 06 if you are unsure of the status of any product you may use. Failing this, you can contact your INBA State President. To my knowledge there are about 720 banned substances. ASDA and the IOC do not produce an official list of banned substances since the list constantly changes.
I also want to clarify one point that was raised from the last newsletter. Some members thought I had chosen to ban citrus aurentium because I said the 'IOC and INBA' had banned the substance. I don't choose which substances are banned. The INBA uses the IOC protocol of drug testing and deterrence and as such the INBA is bound by 'Contractual Compliance' and must comply with the IOC list of banned substances. So if I say the IOC and INBA, I mean that in the context that the IOC, INBA, every Olympic sport and all sporting bodies who ASDA drug test have banned the substance. The only power I have is to remove a substance that does not enhance the performance of a natural bodybuilder. As such, the INBA has substances like Beta-blocker (slow heart rate) and painkillers removed.
STIMULANTS ARE BANNED COMPLETELY
On the same issue, a few members reported they were informed by the ASDA hotline that 'according to INBA policy stimulants are only banned on the contest day'. This was news to me and considering I wrote the policy - I was not happy to hear this. This has been corrected with ASDA Hotline personnel who are now aware banned stimulants can not be used anytime by INBA competitors. Banned stimulants would be used in our sport prior to the event to gain an unfair fat loss.
NATUROPATHICA - THE NEXT BIG THING IN NATURAL BODYBUILDING
Naturopathica, well known for it's Fat Blaster and Horny Goat Weed supplements is ranked as Australia's 29th fastest growing company. The marketing savvy company is about to flex its strength in the bodybuilding market with its Body Sculptor range of protein powders and bodybuilding products. The INBA is very happy that Naturopathica will become involved in our promotions and events this year. The INBA and our members will certainly benefit enormously through the association with a marketing giant. In our next newsletter we will have full details on a matrix of Naturopathica inspired developments. Such will include the Naturopathica $20,000 ($10,000 to both male & female winner) Natural Bodybuilding Challenge. This is a 'before & after' contest for natural bodybuilders! So take your Homer Simpson photo before you start dieting for your contest this year!
NEW INBA WEBSITE - www.inbaaustralia.com.au
Naturopathica is building the INBA a website to promote the 2003 Australian Tiles and the INBA in general. Soon members can go to www.inbaaustrailia.com.au to check out all details relating to the INBA and the 2003 Australian Titles. You can download an INBA Membership Form, 2003 Australian Entry Form and Venue Maps. The website will announce all updates.
Other websites which also carry INBA newsletters and information:
www.australianmuscle.com.au
www.australianbodybuilding.com
POSING TIME
The INBA has sharpened it's ruling for posing during the Finals. In the past we have allowed competitors to use 2 minutes of music - consisting of 15 seconds before and after the actual 90 seconds of posing to incorporate the use of props and any posing theme. However, the large numbers of competitors in our major events is placing us under time pressure. As such, we are now strictly enforcing a total of 90 seconds of music for each competitor.
We are also in the process of further debating the amount of time used in both Prejudging and the Finals and would like your comments and feedback. In many Countries and at major INBA International events, Prejudging eliminates the Free Posing Round completely. This means competitors are only judged on Muscularity and Symmetry. The advantage is judges have more time to compare competitors and make decisions - but also places the emphasis on muscularity to the detriment of presentation.
My question to you as competitors:
Do you want presentation (posing) to remain at 60 seconds in prejudging?
Or are you happy to drop the posing round at Prejudging?
Or would you like to see a compromise - where we just reduce the posing time to 45 or 30 seconds?
At The Finals:
Are you happy to have Free Posing strictly enforced at 90 seconds?
Or would you not mind if it were reduced to 60 seconds?
Please write to me with your comments: INBA, PO Box 2229, Moorabbin, VIC, 3189.
Or email: inba@ihug.com.au
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN UPDATE
MAX'S has been the strongest sponsor of the INBA and a company we can always rely on for support. Director of MAX'S, Keith Ellis, one of Australia's finest-ever bodybuilders, always believed in putting back into the sport. Kim Tanska, SA President, announced MAX'S has confirmed Naming rights for the "Champions State" Titles for the fourth consecutive year. We agree with Kim when he says "Great support from a great company".
The INBA SA Natural Physique and Figure Titles are all set for the 4th of October. The venue will once again be the magnificent Norwood Concert Hall. Interest for this years show is already very high.
TASMANIA UPDATE BY DON MACDONALD
In 2003 Tassie will see an even better competition than the 2002 "Best Ever". My congratulations go out to Bronwyn Sellars and Johnathan Jessup for the way they represented our State at the INBA Universe in Los Angeles in November 2002. Last year's very popular venue, Earl Arts Theatre in Launceston has been re booked for Sunday 5 October 2003. I am always looking for sponsors and just as important, Helpers. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I can be contacted on 03 63311426. Take care and keep training.
QUEENSLAND UPDATE BY DAVID BERRY
The INBA in Queensland is very excited to report the announcement of the Naturopathica Queensland Championships to be held at Southport on Saturday 18th October. Already enquires are flowing in. Of particular note, is the interest from potential competitors in regional towns throughout Queensland. From the city of Gladstone alone we have eight potential entrants. Strong enquires have also come from Toowoomba, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns. The capital city of Brisbane has also provided much interest as well as the Gold Coast. We had 70 competitors in 2002, and with the credibility of our drug testing policy, more and more enthusiasts are following the direction of the INBA. I predict this year at least 80 drug free athletes will accept the challenge by joining Australia's leading Body Building Association, particularly that the Australia will be held in Sydney and the Natural Olympia very close by in New Zealand.
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IT'S NO ACCIDENT
AUD.
