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Jerry Alexander, 62, graduated from Belpre High School in 1963. He moved to Florida to attend college and worked for Sprint for 27 years as a network and design engineer. He now splits his time between Florida and Belpre, where he recently built a house. Alexander said the only exercise he did while in high school was running and rollerskating. He said he did not participate in school sports. “Back then I was so small I would have been killed if I played basketball or other sports,” he said. “I mostly ran.” Alexander got into lifting weights at a relatively late age— 31. “I was working full time and I went to school at night and that was when I got into weightlifting,” he said. “I was 31 years old and I weighed 131 pounds when I started.” Alexander said he ran a lot then and when he started lifting one thing led to another. “I was challenged to enter a contest down there,” he said of Florida. “I didn’t think I wanted to do that. I got in that and I won it.” That was in 1980 when he won first place in the middleweight class in the Mr. Florida AAU contest. “I competed for 10 years and I promoted bodybuilding shows in the area for nine years, the NPC Citrus Cup and the Mr. and Miss Orlando show,” he said. Through the 1980s, Alexander won bodybuilding championships in Florida and in southern region competitions. Alexander competed at 193 pounds with 4.3 percent body fat. His last competition was 19 years ago. Since then, he has gained two pounds, now weighing 195 pounds with seven percent body fat. In 1989, Alexander won the NPC (National Physique Committee) Mr. USA title. At that point he was eligible to apply to become a professional competitor, but he decided to not pursue the professional card. Alexander said as a professional he would have been required to compete in at least seven shows a year and commit to a training schedule which was not possible with a full-time job and promoting bodybuilding shows. Alexander is considering competing in the Master’s Olympia series, which is made up of past Olympia winners and others who have excelled on the amateur level. Alexander’s last competition was in 1989 and he retired from his job in June 2004. He splits his time between the Mid-Ohio Valley and Florida, living here from about May 1 to mid-November. For a time in Leesburg, Fla., Alexander ran a gym owned by a friend. “He had other business interests and he asked me to run the gym,” he said. “I had personal training clients there.” Alexander said he has not started personal training on a large scale in the area yet, but he has an agreement with the Parkersburg YMCA where if an individual joins he can train the person at the Broad Street facility. Alexander said his system for weight loss is not a diet, but is a system called the Lifestyle System, which changes what and how one eats. “In my mind diet is a way of saying temporary and failure,” he said. “It takes time to lay a foundation for weight loss. If you build a house without laying a good foundation it will collapse. If you don’t have a good foundation for weight loss, you will fail.” Alexander said in his system, it takes six weeks to lay the foundation by making changes in foods. “This is based on what I used when I competed,” he said. “It’s not as strict, but it will work.” Alexander works with individuals to determine how many calories they need in a day. He said the number varies for each individual and it takes time. “They ease into the changes rather than making changes immediately,” he said. “It takes six weeks to go over what you eat. The rules are change, substitute or eliminate foods from the unhealthy to healthy.” Alexander is passionate about the plan. Those who follow it commit to it for themselves, he said. He tells them to keep the rules of change, substitute and/or eliminate in mind. When they see their waist size decrease, body fat drop and energy increase, they can see it works. “It’s a nutrition education process,” he said. Alexander said using the plan has allowed him at age 62 to maintain the 32-inch waist he had when he began bodybuilding at age 31.

NPC Northern Colorado Bodybuilding Championship shows strength The AXis LABS 2008 NPC Northern Colorado Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Championship is an event where people with biceps smaller than their own head may feel like outsiders. Walking into the Boulder Theater on the evening of April 5, it was an oddity to have pale skin, to have calf muscles that didn’t cleave down the center and to be a stranger to the local gym. As brochures and samples of protein powder were offered from various sponsors, it was bewildering to discover the powders and elixirs necessary for a body to achieve maximum muscle mass. It was depressing to think that Vitamin Water failed to fulfill the daily requirement of medium chain triglycerides. The audience mainly consisted of the competitors’ family and friends, who vigorously cheered for their star. Screams of encouragement echoed for every flex, every popping vein and every grimace of strain. Sponsors said they are glad to support the athletes in this field and recognize the effort it takes to sculpt the perfect body. “I am proud of all of our athletes, as it takes an extraordinary amount of discipline and dedication to get on stage,” said National Physique Committee Chairman Jeff Taylor. The first events focused on women’s fitness, which showcased workout routines that looked like cheerleading routines in martial arts form. The athletes paired pushups, flips and flexing with gleeful pop tunes. The women’s figure competition took the stage next. Bronzed women in carefully designed bikinis stood in line, one after the other, each posing and flexing to show their best muscle definition. The women were classified by age and then by height so they could compete in each specific body class. Wardrobe seemed to be just as important as the muscle definition for the women. According to the contest rules on the championship’s Web site, contestants must wear high heels in the swimsuit rounds and tennis or athletic shoes in the fitness round. Jewelry may also be worn in the swimsuit rounds, but thong swimsuits are not allowed. After an intense competition, The Figures Masters Award went to Kelli Dominguez, and the Figure Overall Award was earned by Lee Ann Ellison. For Charlotte Talent, trophies came in two forms. After placing in the E Class competition, her boyfriend and fellow bodybuilder Tyler Collins proposed to her on stage. She accepted to a cheering crowd. After an intermission, the Men’s Teen and Masters competitions hit the stage. Unlike the women, the men were classed by age and weight. To add to the excitement of each performance, the men chose a song to pose to. Most picked heavy metal and pumping rap that complemented their ferocious moves. A competitor favorite was “Ladies and Gentlemen” by Saliva, which was used at least three times. One standout was Kurt Pichon, who at 72 years old flexed with a smile to “Rock Around the Clock.” Brad Helm took home the Men’s Masters Overall trophy. As a treat for the audience, pro bodybuilder Darrem Charles posed for the audience by strolling up the aisles to give everyone a close view of his massive muscles. The Men’s Novice Overall trophy was given to Jonathan Proctor, who also won the Men’s Open Light Heavyweight class and Novice Men’s Middleweight class. Since this was his first competition, the crowd and his family were excited to see him receive so many awards. “I’m overwhelmed,” said Proctor’s mother Martha Proctor. “I’m just so proud. This is his first competition, too.” The Men’s Open Overall award was taken by Brad Helm, which ended a competition that is all about the power of the human body and spirit. Contact Staff Reporter Carolyn Michaels at Carolyn.michaels@colorado.edu.

Entering bodybuilding at age 63: It was lying in my mind that I always wanted to try bodybuilding. Obviously when you’re 63, there isn’t much time left, and if you’re going to do it, you better do it now. Mind-set from his Marine Corps days: One of the things that was hammered into you was you’re not allowed to quit. You are trained to think that way: ‘Don’t give up, do not quit,’ and that attitude rings in your mind always when you’re approaching something that’s difficult. You force yourself through. From babying to bustin’ a move: You’d think there’s no way a 65-year-old person’s body could tolerate [bodybuilding], but one of the things I’ve really learned is the capability of the human body. About eight years ago, I had arthroscopic surgery on my left knee. The doctor said, ‘You’ve got two years before you need to replace it,’ so I babied it and it hurt. Then I started lifting with the leg and the leg got stronger and stronger and that knee never bothered me anymore. The body adapts so well developing muscle — it’s an added feature we don’t realize until we go there. Workhorse payoffs: The problem in society is we don’t work our muscles. The only way to do that effectively is through weight training, and this really is a fountain-of-youth type thing where it maintains your body. I do not have the numerous problems other people in my age group do because I go through the training. What drives him: Pride is one thing. Pride in yourself. Uniqueness in yourself. The thing about this is you’re creating and sculpting this physical being. We do not have to accept the aging process the way we do, we can do something about it. My objective is to demonstrate to others, through bodybuilding, that we can build and maintain muscle mass and bone density as we age. Yes, it does take determination and effort on one’s part. Looking ahead: I want to go to the nationals and win my age group in the NPC (National Physique Committee) contest. The competition is very stiff. Normally what I do [locally] is compete in the 50-year-old category because there’s nobody in the 60-year-old category. But there were about 20 guys there last year in their 60s at nationals.

Lisa Curry saw this year as the perfect time to flex her muscles again in a bodybuilding competition. She considered her age (42), that she’s a grandmother to girls 2 years old and 5 months old, and her three sons — ages 21,19 and 16 — are mature. She also decided that her return to the sport would be in Anchorage at the 2008 Natural Physique Committee Last Frontier Fitness, Figure and Bodybuilding State Championships. It didn’t matter to her that the state event was only her second competition. The other was the 1995 Northern Alaska Bodybuilding Championships at the Alaskaland Civic Center (now the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts in Pioneer Park). She since kept pumping iron, until it was time to take the stage in the Egan Center for the NPC state event last Saturday night. “I’ve lifted consistently for the last 20 years,” the dental clinic manager said. “I love weight training and I’ve always wanted to take overall in the state show. The timing in my life was perfect — my kids were pretty much grown and all this time was about me, and I had the support to go ahead and do it.” Curry not only earned the overall title, she brought home the first-place trophies in the women’s lightweight and masters divisions. She was also one of two Fairbanks women to capture titles, as Sheila Bratten won a division title and claimed the overall honor in the figure competition. “All my dreams came true,” Curry, 4-foot-11 and 101 pounds, said. “I really wanted to have this (overall) title since I was a teenager. Every rep, every drop of sweat and every minute was worth it.” A few people helped her dream come true. Trainers and co-owners Mike Groves and Theresa Knoll of Jungle Gym worked with her on developing her legs and a nutritional plan. Curry consumed six meals a day with the proper amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats and she drank lots of water. “I drank up to a gallon and a half a day,” she said. She absorbed information from outside of Alaska, too. Scott Abel provided her metabolic training information online and during a three-day camp in Edmonton, Alberta in February. Russ Testo of Troy, N.Y., who is renowned for his bodybuilding poses, developed Curry’s posing routine online, sent her an instructional DVD and burned a CD of the music for the routine. Curry also did cardiovascular training twice a day to go with her strength training, which involved working on one or two muscle groups each day. “The whole thing gave me all the support in the world to do this and every day was a challenge to get through it; but I made it easily with the knowledge, encouragement and support,” Curry said. “Every day, I would see changes in my body and it motivated me and increased my enthusiasm to take it to the finish line.” Her finish line was on the Egan Center stage, where she posed her way to three championship trophies, starting by winning the lightweight division for entrants who weigh up 125 pounds. “I focused on my stronger body parts, which were my shoulders and my back, and I tried to make my legs pop,” said Curry, who earned the overall title against five other competitors. Their results in Anchorage qualified Curry and Bratten for the Emerald Cup on April 18 in Bellevue, Wash., and the NPC USA National Championships in Las Vegas on July 25-26. Curry plans to enter the tough open class at the Emerald Cup. “I wanted to go ahead and compete against younger women,” she said. “I wanted to show that someone 42 can still have a good physique.” Curry said that muscle maturity can benefit an older competitor. “After years and years of training, your muscles are more developed from the time you put into them,” said Curry, “and it adds more thickness and fullness.” Bratten is a Emerald Cup veteran, as she won the over-40 and overall titles in 2006 and placed fifth last year in the open B class. Last weekend, though, marked the first overall state title for the 42-year-old certified aquatics fitness instructor. She also earned the honor in the 5-foot-4 and under division. “I’m honored,” Bratten said Wednesday. “There was only one other girl in my class, a fitness model who came from Las Vegas to compete. I was pretty honored to have taken the (overall) title.” Bratten captured the masters division at the 2006 state competition and took first last year in her height class. The 5-2, 116-pound professional competitor hasn’t decided which class she’ll enter at the Emerald Cup. “I did open last year and I wanted to see how I stood against the younger groups of girls,” she said. “My goal is to compete against other girls and see where I need to be for the nationals. There will be more people to compete against in July.”

He is also a competitive bodybuilder and has won numerous power-lifting and bodybuilding titles. Presently, he is training for the 2010 …
Kingman Regional Medical Center’s Dino Pierce, a dietician and diabetes educator, has been invited by the International Society of Sports Nutrition to speak at the 2008 Arnold Classic Strength Summit in Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 29. The isSN is an academic-based society dedicated to sports nutrition and the growing science of applied nutrition.

The isSN summit will coincide with the annual Arnold Classic International Fitness Weekend, which draws the world’s strongest, fittest and most agile athletes. The event, named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, will take place Feb. 29 through March 2 and will include over 10,000 athletes competing in a variety of events. An additional 75,000 sports enthusiasts are expected to attend the weekend’s activities.

Pierce will be speaking on his upcoming book, “Glycogen Supercompensation: Carbohydrate Loading for Bodybuilders, Fitness and Figure Competitors.” He is a nationally known public speaker and published author on the subjects of sports nutrition, training and positive belief principles.

As a registered dietitian, Pierce holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Dietetics from Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, La., and completed an internship at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans. He is registered by the American Dietetic Association.

Pierce currently works as a dietitian, sports nutritionist, diabetes educator and weight loss/weight management specialist at KRMC’s Del E. Webb Wellness and Rehabilitation Center. He is also a competitive bodybuilder and has won numerous power-lifting and bodybuilding titles. Presently, he is training for the 2010 NPC (National Physique Committee) Team Universe, which is a national-level bodybuilding competition.